BARZILLAI ; Sept. Bei*XX1), a wealthy old Gileadite of Rogelim, who distinguished him self by his loyalty when David fled beyond the Jordan from his son Absalom. He sent in a liberal supply of provisions, beds, and other conveniences for the use of the king's followers (2 Sam. xvii. 27 ; xix. 32). On the king's triumphant return, Bar zillai attended him as far as the Jordan, but de clined, by reason of his advanced age, to proceed to Jerusalem aid receive the favours to which he had entitled himself.—J. K. Two others of this name are mentioned in the O. T., viz., Barzillai the Meholathite (2 Sam. xxi. 8), and a priest who married one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gilead ite, and was called by their name (Ez. ii. 6i ; Neh, vii. 63)].
BASAM or BOSEAI (ot,q2), the balsam tree. The name balsam is no doubt derived from the Arabic La, balesan, which is probably also the origin of the of the Greeks. Forskal forms us that the balsam-tree of Mecca is there called Aboosham, i.e. perodora. The basham, • given by him, is the name of a fragrant shrub grow ing near Mecca, with the branches and tufts of which they clean the teeth, and is supposed to refer to the same plant. These names are very similar to words which occur in the Hebrew text of several passages of Scripture, as in the Song of Solomon, v. r, `I have gathered my myrrh with my spice ' (bosom); yen 13, His cheeks are as a bed of spices' (basam); and in vi. 2, gone down into his garden to the beds of spices' (basam). The same word is used in Exod. xxxv. 28, and in I Kings x. so, ' There came no more such great abundance of spices (basam) as those which the Queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.' In all these passages basam or bosem ?in and n:;z, though translated spices,' would seem to indicate the balsam-tree,' if we may infer identity of plant or substance from similarity in the Hebrew and Arabic names. But the word may indicate only a fragrant aromatic substance in general. The passages in the Song of Solomon may with propriety be understood as referring to a plant cultivated in but not to spices in the general sense of that term. Queen Sheba might have brought balsam or balsam-trees, as well as spices, for both are the produce of south ern latitudes, though far removed from each other.
The balsam-tree was one of the most celebrated and highly esteemed among the ancients. Pliny (Hist. Nat. xii. 25) says, Sed omnibus odoribus prfortur balsamum, uni terrarum Judecon cessum. Ostendere arbusculam hanc urbi impera
tores Vespasiani.' Pompey the Great also boasted of having had it borne in triumph. Justin the historian (xxxvi. 3) says, Opes genti Judaicre, ex vectigalibus opobalsami crevere, quod in his tan turn regionibus gignitur. Est namque vallis, etc., nomine Hierichus dicitur. In ea valle sylva est, et ubertate, et amcenitate arborum insignis ; siqui dem palmeto et opobalsamo distinguitur.' So Strabo and Diodorus Siculus. Dioscorides states that it is found in one valley of Judma, and also in Egypt. At a much earlier period Theophrastus was aware of the fact that the balsamum tree was found in a valley of Syria, and that it was cultivated only in two gardens, one of twenty acres, the other much smaller, as is also stated by Pliny. Josephus informs us that the balsam is produced only in the plains of Jericho. Abdollatif ( Memorabilia of Egypt,' as quoted by Rosenmfiller) says that he has read in Galenus that the best balsam is pro duced in Palestine : but now (in Abdollatiff's age) he says, that no more balsam is found in that country ; also that he knew of it only as carefully reared at AM-Shames in Egypt, in an enclosed piece of ground.' Prosper Alpinus informs us that Messoner, a eunuch, governor of Cairo in 1519, caused to be brought from Arabia forty plants, which he placed in the garden of Matareah. Belon, in the early part of the sixteenth century, saw the shrubs in the balsam gardens of Matareah, a village near Cairo, and his description of them agrees very well with that given by Abdollatiff. Hence it would appear from ancient authors that the plant yielding balsam was never very common in Palestine—in fact, that it was confined to one locality, where it was found only as a plant in cultivation, though it may have been, and probably was, introduced at a very early period. That it has long disappeared from thence is evident from the authors we have just quoted, as well as from the testimony of all travellers in Palestine. That it was a southern plant we may believe from its being cultivated in the warm southern valley of Jericho, and that it was introduced into that locality we have the testi mony of Josephus ("Intiy. viii. 6), who says that it was brought thither by Queen Sheba. Strabo, moreover, states that myrrh, frankincense, and the balsam-tree, were produced in the country of the Sabwans.