The original word which is thus translated in , , , , etc.; is rendered herb in; hay, in , and; and court, in but in , it is translated leeks. Hebrew scholars state that the word signifies 'greens' or 'grass' in general; and it is no doubt clear, from the context of most of the above passages, that this must be its meaning. There is therefore no reason why it should not be so translated in all the passages where it occurs, except in the last. It is evidently incorrect to translate it hay, as in the above passages of Proverbs and Isaiah, because the people of Eastern countries, as it has been observed, do not make hay.
In , the word is rendered leeks, and the name is supposed to have been applied to them from the resemblance of their leaves to grass, and from their being conspicuous for their green color. It is probable, however, as suggested by Hengstenberg, that the vegetable really meant is a kind of grass called the fenugreek, an annual plant known in Egypt under the name of Helbeh. It very much resembles clover, except that it has more pointed leaves and whitish blossoms, and is eaten by the common people in Egypt with special relish. 'Although,' says Sonnini, 'horses, oxen, and the buffaloes eat this helbeh with equal relish, it appears not to be destined equally for the sustenance of animals.' The Egyptians themselves eat the fenugreek so much, that it can properly be called the food of men. In the month of November they cry 'Green helbeh for sale' in the streets of the towns. It is tied up in large bunches which the inhabitants eagerly purchase at a low price, and which they eat with incredible greediness, without any species of seasoning. They pretend that this singular diet is an excellent stomachic or specific against worms and dysentery; in fine, a preservative against a great number of maladies. After so many excellent properties, real or supposed, it is not astonishing that the Egyptians hold this 'grass' in so great estimation, that, according to one of their proverbs, 'Fortunate are the feet which tread the earth on which grows the helbeh.'
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John Kitto was an English biblical scholar of Cornish descent.Born in Plymouth, John Kitto was a sickly child, son of a Cornish stonemason. The drunkenness of his father and the poverty of his family meant that much of his childhood was spent in the workhouse. He had no more than three years of erratic and interrupted education. At the age of twelve John Kitto fell on his head from a rooftop, and became totally and permanently deaf. As a young man he suffered further tragedies, disappointments and much loneliness. His height was 4 ft 8 in, and his accident left him with an impaired sense of balance. He found consolation in browsing at bookstalls and reading any books that came his way.
From these hardships he was rescued by friends who became aware of his mental abilities and encouraged him to write topical articles for local newspapers, arranging eventually for him to work as an assistant in a local library. Here he continued to educate himself.
One of his benefactors was the Exeter dentist Anthony Norris Groves, who in 1824 offered him employment as a dental assistant. Living with the Groves family, Kitto was profoundly influenced by the practical Christian faith of his employer. In 1829 he accompanied Groves on his pioneering mission to Baghdad and served as tutor to Groves's two sons. In 1833 Kitto returned to England via Constantinople, accompanied by another member of the Groves mission, Francis William Newman. Shortly afterwards he married, and in due course had several children.
A London publisher asked Kitto to write up his travel journals for a series of articles in the Penny Magazine, a publication read at that time by a million people in Britain, reprinted in America and translated into French, German and Dutch. Other writing projects followed as readers enquired about his experiences in the East amidst people living in circumstances closely resembling those of Bible times.
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