Observations, naturall and morall with a short treatise of the numbers, weights, and measures used by the Hebrews, with the valuation of them according to the measures of the Greeks and Romans : for the clearing of sundry places of Scripture in which these weights and measures are set downe by way of allusion / by Iohn Weemse ...

CHAP. IX. Of the diverse names that gold hath in the Scrip∣ture.

1 Kings 9.28. And they came to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold.

FIrst gold is called Zahabb, which is common to all sorts of gold, 2 King. 5.5.

The second name which it hath, it is called, aurum ophir, Iob. 22.24. torrentes ophir: not that ophir signified gold, but the floods out of which the gold was gathered were called ophir, not this ophir from whence Salomon brought his gold afterward, but a river neere the Land of Vz.

The third name, that it hath, it is called Aurum Paz from the roote Pazaz which signifieth to make soft, but afterward it was called aurum ophaz and muphaz, Iere. 10. from the places from whence it was taken. Iob speaketh of topheth as an appellative, and yet it was turned after∣wards into a proper name of a place of torment; so an∣rum paz, at the first might be an appellative, but af∣terward became a proper name: so Carmel at the first, was a proper name, but afterwards it was changed into an appellative name, for any fertile place. So Paradise was first a proper name, but afterward be∣came appellative, Ecces. 2.5. I made me Paradises: so Tarshish pro oceano: so Ezek. 17.4. He cropt off the top of his young twigges and carried it to Canaan, that is, to Ba∣bylon the land of merchandise: see Prov. 31.24.

The fourth epither is [charutz] fossile, which is ra∣ther a name of the art, than a name signifying the es∣sence of the gold, as obrysum fignifieth rather the Art about the fining of the gold, than the substance of

the gold, Iob. 41.22. Psal. 67.14. and Salomon allu∣deth to this sort of gold, [Allusion.] Pron. 8. chuse my doctrine as pure gold, separate from all base and vile things.

The fift epithete is chethem, it is that sort of gold which is engraven curiously, and when it hath Ophir or Ophaz joyned with it, then they signifie the matter, and it signifieth the forme: 1 King. 10.25. And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver and vessels of gold, which were vessels of great price, not onely for the sub∣stance, but also for curious workemanship.

The sixt epithete is segor, as ye would say, includens, the gold which is elaboratly wrought and cunningly set within silver, Prou. 15.11. Apples of gold put in silver, cut like networke, and requireth great skill in this art to set it right, the Hebrewes call it [musgor] inclusor, and therefore 2 King. 24.24. The King of Babylon cariea away with him all the tradsemenand Inclusores, noting them as speciall cunning men.

The last epithete is Parva••••••, and it is called 2 Chron. 3.7. the gold of Parvana, from the place from whence it was brought.

All these names the Scriptures give to gold, to note the excellencie and diversitie of it, but in that vision of Daniel, where he saw an image whose head was of gold, the gold is not set downe there to signifie the most ex∣cellent monarchie, but the mettals are set downe there, to fignifie their hardnesse; the gold the softest, the sil∣ver harder, the brasse more hard, and the yron hardest of all; we must not then make the comparison, from the glistering of the gold to expresse the florishing e∣state of the Babilonian Empire, or that the silver signi∣fied the glorious estate of the Medes, but onely the hardnesse of the mettall is marked here, the gold being ductile and plicable, signified that they should not have so hard entertainement under the Babilonians as under the Persians.

Secondly, the head of gold signified the Babylonian Empire, as Daniel expoundeth it to Nebuchadnezzer, Dan 2.38. Thou art this head of gold; the Babylonian Em∣pire is called gold, because the Babylonians spoyled all the treasures of the Temple; the Persians are called sil∣ver because they spoyled the Babylonians, yet they got not so great a treasure as the Babylonians got: the Greci∣ans are called brasse, they spoyled the Persians, yet got not so great a treasure as the Persians got: the Romans are called yron and clay, for before they overthrew the Grecians they wore rings of yron upon their singers, and their treasure was but yron: but when the Vandals, Gothes and Hunues spoyled Rome, they got but onely clay.

The conclusion of this is, [Conclusion.] although the gold have many excellent epithetes in the Scripture, yet the Pro∣phet Habakuk calleth it [gnabhtit] densum lutum, Hab. 2.6. To teach us not to set our affections upon it or de∣sire it, for when men have loaded themselves with it, it is but thicke clay.

Notes

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• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 mollescere.
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• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• The Scriptures give di∣verse names to gold, to note the excellencie of it.
• In Nabuchad••ezzars vision, the mettals are set downe to signifie the hardnesse of the monar∣chies, and not their ex∣cellencie.
• Why the Babylonian Empire called glod:
• Why the Persian Em∣pire called silver.
• Why the Grecians called brasse.
• Why the Romans called Iron.
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 densum lutum.