The only remaining passage is Is. vii. 18, The Lord shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost parts of the river of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.' [It is commonly supposed that there is an allusion here to the use of sharp or musical sounds to induce bees to hive, and even, as it would appear, to induce them forth' of their hives to the fields, or back from the fields to their hives. Lowth translates the verb by hist ;' and this has been understood, in the sense in which we speak of histing on a dog, to mean that God would rouse up the enemies of Israel, here represented as bees, and set them on them to sting and destroy them. The objection to this is. that the verb IrtL,n, which occurs frequently in the 0. T., means to whistle, to lite, and thence to called or gather by such means, but never to hist or set on. As for the custom as sumed in the common interpretation, it is abun dantly proved by ancient testimony. (See Aelian. Animal, v. 13 ; Cyril in Yes. v. 26 ; Varro, De A's Rust. iii. 16; Phn., H. N. 11. 22 ; Virg., Georg. iv. It may be remarked that in the Sept. vetion
there is an allusion to the bee, immediately after that of the ant (Prov. vi. 8), which may be thus rendered Or go to the bee, and learn how in dustrious she is, and what a magnificent work she produces ; whose labours kings and common peo ple use for their health. And she is desired and praised by all. And though weak in strength, yet prizing wisdom, she prevails.' This passage is not now found in any Hebrew copy, and Jerome informs us that it was wanting in his time. Neither is it contained in any other version except the Arabic. It is nevertheless quoted by many an cient writers, as Clem. Alex. Strom. lib. i. ; -Ori gen, in NZI711. Ham. 27, and in Isai. Hom. 2; Basil, Hexameron, Ham. S ; Ambrose, v. 21 ; Jerome, in Ezek. iii. ; Theodoret, De Providentia, Orat. 5 ; Antiochus, Abbas Sabbre, Ham. 36 ; and John Damascenus, ii. 89. It would seem pro bable that it was in the copy used by the Greek translators. The ant and the bee are mentioned to gether by many writers because of their similar habits of industry and economy (Dent. i. 44 ; Judg. xiv. 8; Ps. cxviii. 12 ; Is. vii. IS).—J. F. D.