The employments of the women were very various, and sufficiently engrossing. In the earlier, or patriarchal state of society, the daughters of men of substance tended their fathers' flocks (Gen. xxix. 9 ; Exod. 16). In ordinary circumstances, the first labour of the day was to grind corn and bake bread, as already noticed. The other cares of the family occupied the rest of the day. The women of the peasantry and of the poor consumed much time in collecting fuel, and in going to the wells for water. The wells were usually outside the towns, and the labour of drawing water from them was by no means confined to poor women. This was usually, but not always, the labour of the evening ; and the water was carried in earthen vessels borne upon the shoulder (Gen. xxiv. 15-20 ; John iv. 7, 28). Working with the needle also occupied much of their time, as it would seem that not only their own clothes but those of the men were made by the women. Some of the needle work was very fine, and much valued (Exod. xxvi. 36 ; xxviii. 39 ; Judg. v. 3o ; Ps. xlv. 14). The women appear to have spun the yarn for all the cloth that was in use (Exod. xxxv. 25 ; Prov. xxxi. 19); and much of the weaving seems also to have been executed by them (Judg. xvi. 13, 14; Prov. xxxi. 22). The tapestries for bed-coverings, men tioned in the last-cited text, were probably pro duced in the loom, and appear to have been much valued (Prov. vii. 16).
We have no certain information regarding the dress of the women among the poorer classes ;. but it was probably coarse and simple, and not materi ally different from that which we now see amotig the Bedouin women, and the female peasantry of Syria. This consists of drawers, and a long and probable that they had the present practice of staining the nails, and the palms of. their hands and soles of their feet, of an iron-rust colour, by means of a. paste made from the plant called henna (Law sonia inermis). This plant appears to be men tioned in Sol. Song i. 14, and its present use is probably referred to in Deut. xxi. 12 ; 2 Sam. xix. 24 loose gown of coarse blue linen with some ,-;,tria mental bordering wrought with the needle, in another colour, about the neck and bosom. The head is covered with a kind of turban, connected with which, behind, is a veil, which covers the neck, back, and bosom [VEIL]. We may presume, with still greater certainty, that women of superior condition wore over their inner dress a frock or tunic like that of the men, but more closely fitting the person, with a girdle formed by an unfolded kerchief. Their head-dress was a kind of turban, with different sorts of veils and wrappers used under various circumstances. The hair was worn long, and, as now, was braided into numerous tresses, with trinkets and ribands (1 Cor. xi. 15 ; 'rim. ii. 9 ; I Pet. iii. 3). With the bead-dress the principal ornaments appear to have been connected, such as a jewel for the forehead, and rows of pearls (Sol. Song i. ro ; Ezek. xvi. 12). Ear-rings were also worn (Is. iii. 20 ; Ezek. xvi. 12), as well as a nose-jewel, consisting, no doubt, as now, either of a ring inserted in the cartilage of the nose, or an ornament like a button attached to it. The nose
jewel was of gold or silver, and sometimes set with jewels (Gen. xxiv. 47 ; Is. iii. 21). Bracelets were also generally worn (Is. iii. 19 ; Ezek. xvi. ri), and anklets, which, as now, were probably more like fetters than ornaments (Is. iii. 16, 20). The Jewish women possessed the art of staining their eyelids black, for effect and expression (2 Kings ix. 3o ; Jer. iv. 30; Ezek. xxiii. 40) ; and it is more than The customs concerning marriage, and the cir cumstances which the relation of wife and mother involved, have been described in the article MAR RIAGE.
Tbe Israelites eagerly desired children, and es pecially sons. Hence the messenger who first brought to the father the news that a son was bom, was well rewarded (Job iii. 3 ; Jer. xx. r5). The event was celebrated with music ; and the father, when the child was presented to him, pressed it to bis bosom, by which act he was understood to acknowledge it as his own (Gen. 1. 23 ; Job iii. 12 ; Ps. xxii. to). On the eighth day from the birth the child was circumcised (Gen. xvii. io); at which time also a. name was given to it (Luke i. 59). The first-born son was 'highly esteemed, and had many distinguishing privileges. He had a double portion of the estate (Deut. xxi. 17); he exercised a sort of parental authority over his younger brothers (Gen. xxv. 23, etc. ; xxvii. 29 ; Exod. xii. 29 ; 2 Chron. xxi. 3) ; and before the institution of the Levitical priesthood he acted as the priest of the fainily (Num. iii. 12, 13 ; Viii. IS). The patriarchs exercised the power of taking these privileges from the first-born, and giving them to any other son, or of distributing them among dif ferent sons ; but this practice was overruled by the Mosaical law (Deut. xxi. 15-17).
The child continued about three years at the breast of the mother, and a great festival was given at the weaning (Gen. xxi. S ; Sam. i. 22-24; 2 Chron. xxxi. 6 ; Matt. xxi. 16). He remained two years longer in charge of the women ; after which he was taken under the especial care of the father, with a view to his proper training (Dent. vi. 20-25 ; 'xi. -19). It appears that those who wished for their sons better instruction than they were themselves able or willing to give, employed a private teacher, or else sent them to a priest or Levite, who had perhaps several others under his care. The.princi pal object was, that they should be well acquainted with the law of Moses ; and reading and Writing were taught in subservience to this leading object.
The authority of a father was very great among the Israelites, and extended not only to his sons, but to his grandsons—indeed to all who were de scended from him. His power had no recognised limit, and even if he put his son or grandson to death, there was, at first, no law by which he could he brought to account (Gen. xxi. ; xxxviii. 24). But Moses circumscribed this power, by ordering that when a father judged his son worthy of death, he should bring him before the public tribunals. lf, hcr,vever, he had struck or cursed his father or mother, or was refractory or disobedient, lie was still liable to capital punishment (Exod. xxi. 15, 17 ; Lev. xx. 9 ; Deut. xxi. 18-21).—j. K.