jeanflop/post_ocr_correction2 huggingface dataset:
seedsman follows up the retreating water of the basin and throws his seed broad-cast on the slime. Occasionally, wheat follows ploughing but the interval of time is small, and the vetches, owing to the milder winter, are not delayed as they are in Syria. This text is to my mind in keeping with the one which adds bitumen to the pitch with which Moses’ ark was smeared. In the field of Zoan today the wheat and barley if sown early, are put in on November 25; and if late, up to the 10th of January. As the field of Zoan was immediately south of Lake Menzaleh and the Mediterranean, the hailstorm fell severely there; while the land of Goshen, lying further south and separated from the former by a wide stretch of desert, escaped. The plague of hail was in no way connected with the low Nile flood, and could have occurred as readily in a year of very high flood. Of the plague of hail Mr. D. A. Cameron, G. M. G., Consul General of Alexandria, thus records his experience: «I venture to think that the following testimony of myself as eyewitness may be of some service. One winter, early this century at Port Said, we had a most terrible hailstorm; it lasted for a brief time, but it was a cannonade from above with hailstones like peas, marbles, and tennis and cricket balls, one after the other. The manager of a home for seamen took a photograph, showing one hailstone (pile) as big as a new cricket ball, and a copy of the photograph was left by me at Port Said Consulate in 1909. I quite agree that during hail devastating Zoan, south of Port Said-Menzaleh.» The eighth plague of locusts coming between the hail and sand-storms was a spring visitation. Mr. A. T. McKillop, Inspector General of the Ministry of Agriculture, who supervised the fight against the locusts during the severe visitation of 1915 thus summarizes his information: «During 1915 the locusts came principally from the east, across the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, but some
early this century at Port Said, we had a most terrible hailstorm; it lasted for a brief time, but it was a cannonade from above with hailstones like peas, marbles, and tennis and cricket balls, one after the other. The manager of a home for seamen took a photograph, showing one hailstone (pile) as big as a new cricket ball, and a copy of the photograph was left by me at Port Said Consulate in 1909. I quite agree that during hail devastating Zoan, south of Port Said-Menzaleh.» The eighth plague of locusts coming between the hail and sand-storms was a spring visitation. Mr. A. T. McKillop, Inspector General of the Ministry of Agriculture, who supervised the fight against the locusts during the severe visitation of 1915 thus summarizes his information: «During 1915 the locusts came principally from the east, across the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, but some swarms came from the west. All the locusts seen in the northeast corner of Lower Egypt came from the east and crossed the canal between Ismailia and Port Said. The first light in 1916, was reported from Baharia Oasis in January, the last light seen was recorded from Aswan on Christmas Day. The locusts were more abundant from February 7 to May than at any other time.» Travelling in April 1911 between Der Zor on the Euphrates and Aleppo, I have seen the steppes literally swarming with locusts in the foot-follower stage, and a drought in those regions or a sudden increase in numbers beyond what the steppes could support must cause them to emigrate. In the spring of 1912 I saw myriads in the eastern Delta coming from the east where they were reported to have destroyed the standing crop of Palestine. Their appearance in Egypt in the time of the Exodus had nothing to do with the first six plagues which were the direct result of the being from the Nile, which also caused the ninth and tenth. As hail never falls over continuous stretches of land but over strips of country, the locusts would settle down and
Christmas Day. The locusts were more abundant from February 7 to May than at any other time.» Travelling in April 1911 between Der Zor on the Euphrates and Aleppo, I have seen the steppes literally swarming with locusts in the foot-follower stage, and a drought in those regions or a sudden increase in numbers beyond what the steppes could support must cause them to emigrate. In the spring of 1912 I saw myriads in the eastern Delta coming from the east where they were reported to have destroyed the standing crop of Palestine. Their appearance in Egypt in the time of the Exodus had nothing to do with the first six plagues which were the direct result of the being from the Nile, which also caused the ninth and tenth. As hail never falls over continuous stretches of land but over strips of country, the locusts would settle down and destroy the crops which had escaped the hail. We may note that in Psalm this plague was one of caterpillars, which would be much more in keeping with a very low Nile which had killed all their enemies, especially the frogs. There is no mention of the fact that the land of Goshen escaped the invasion of locusts, but being under pasture in great part, without gardens, orchards and trees, and in winter and early spring having crops only of onions and garlic, the damage they did must undoubtedly have been slight. As the plagues were in the field of Zoan which lay west of the northern section of the present Suez Canal, a strong west wind would have driven the locusts into the marshes surrounding the Serbonian bog which is here called the Yam Suf and translated the Red Sea, a piece of water far away to the south. The ninth plague of darkness came without any premonitory signs. In Egypt, as a whole, the boisterous winds, which plunge the country into darkness on occasions, come from the south, and are often followed by strong north-west winds which blow hard for two or three days. The plague of darkness
land of Goshen escaped the invasion of locusts, but being under pasture in great part, without gardens, orchards and trees, and in winter and early spring having crops only of onions and garlic, the damage they did must undoubtedly have been slight. As the plagues were in the field of Zoan which lay west of the northern section of the present Suez Canal, a strong west wind would have driven the locusts into the marshes surrounding the Serbonian bog which is here called the Yam Suf and translated the Red Sea, a piece of water far away to the south. The ninth plague of darkness came without any premonitory signs. In Egypt, as a whole, the boisterous winds, which plunge the country into darkness on occasions, come from the south, and are often followed by strong north-west winds which blow hard for two or three days. The plague of darkness which visited the field of Zoan must have resulted from this north-west wind blowing hard for three days. The strip of country between the last basin and the edge of Lake Menzaleh must always have been, as it is to-day, a mass of rolling mounds of salted dust, capable of being raised by high winds and darkening the sky for days. With perennial irrigation, as we have it today, there are always great stretches of land under water which prevent the salted dust from traveling in the way it did in a year of very low flood during the basin days when the whole country was without water, and the dust had it all its own way. The area covered by the water of Lake Menzaleh depended entirely on the strength of the flood, and a very low flood must have left a wide stretch of dry salted land ready to be blown into dust. On such occasions the salted dust, when once really alive, must have been a veritable mantle over the earth. In the thirty years I have been in Egypt I have only once seen a dust storm which lasted three days and on the last day
being raised by high winds and darkening the sky for days. With perennial irrigation, as we have it today, there are always great stretches of land under water which prevent the salted dust from traveling in the way it did in a year of very low flood during the basin days when the whole country was without water, and the dust had it all its own way. The area covered by the water of Lake Menzaleh depended entirely on the strength of the flood, and a very low flood must have left a wide stretch of dry salted land ready to be blown into dust. On such occasions the salted dust, when once really alive, must have been a veritable mantle over the earth. In the thirty years I have been in Egypt I have only once seen a dust storm which lasted three days and on the last day produced real darkness. As the field of Zoan lay to the north of the land of Goshen with a hard pebbly desert between them, while north-west of Goshen lay the last basins which had been irrigated, the dust storms which swept over the field of Zoan were scarcely felt in the land of Goshen. The children of Israel consequently had light in their dwellings while the Egyptians were enveloped in the darkness which could be felt. The tenth plague of heavy infant mortality, dramatically described as the death of the first-born, was the final calamity which befell the Egyptians in the field of Zoan. The drinking of polluted water by the Egyptians for many months naturally terminated in a severe infant mortality, for the elders were spared and escaped. The Israelites, who were now all congregated in the land of Goshen, with its fresh water springs, escaped this plague. The destroying angel passed by their doors when the land of Egypt was smitten. The impression made by this last signal deliverance, not only on the Israelites but even on the world, was indelible; and in Christendom today the feast of Easter has taken the place of the Passover. The deliverance
the land of Goshen. The children of Israel consequently had light in their dwellings while the Egyptians were enveloped in the darkness which could be felt. The tenth plague of heavy infant mortality, dramatically described as the death of the first-born, was the final calamity which befell the Egyptians in the field of Zoan. The drinking of polluted water by the Egyptians for many months naturally terminated in a severe infant mortality, for the elders were spared and escaped. The Israelites, who were now all congregated in the land of Goshen, with its fresh water springs, escaped this plague. The destroying angel passed by their doors when the land of Egypt was smitten. The impression made by this last signal deliverance, not only on the Israelites but even on the world, was indelible; and in Christendom today the feast of Easter has taken the place of the Passover. The deliverance itself was a direct fulfillment of the call from the bush: "I know the king of Egypt will not give you leave to go, no, not by a mighty hand. And I will put forth my hand and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof; and after that he will let you go." There was no necessity for miracle upon miracle. One very low flood in the field of Zoan, with all that it involved in the old basin days, secured the deliverance of the captives, whose afflictions God had seen. Heaven exercises as much economy in the use of its resources as the best regulated household in this world. The ten plagues of Egypt were followed by the immediate departure of the children of Israel from Egypt and their passage of the Red Sea. Just as in my lecture before the Sultaniye Geographical Society in 1913 I had shown how the whole story of Noah’s flood had been reduced to absurdity by the rendering of the word jebel as "mountain" instead of "desert"; so I shall now show how the passage of the Red Sea has been made impossible by the rendering
midst thereof; and after that he will let you go." There was no necessity for miracle upon miracle. One very low flood in the field of Zoan, with all that it involved in the old basin days, secured the deliverance of the captives, whose afflictions God had seen. Heaven exercises as much economy in the use of its resources as the best regulated household in this world. The ten plagues of Egypt were followed by the immediate departure of the children of Israel from Egypt and their passage of the Red Sea. Just as in my lecture before the Sultaniye Geographical Society in 1913 I had shown how the whole story of Noah’s flood had been reduced to absurdity by the rendering of the word jebel as "mountain" instead of "desert"; so I shall now show how the passage of the Red Sea has been made impossible by the rendering of the word bahr as "sea" instead of "river". If today you point to the Red Sea and ask an Egyptian what that is, he will say "Bahr el Achar". If you point to the Mediterranean he will say "Bahr el Abiad", or "the white sea", or the very name he gives to the White Nile. If you point to the Nile he will say "Il Bahr". He does not mean "The Sea", but he has only one word for sea or river. He never says "The Nile". He has one word, "Il Bahr", "the sea" or "the river". Salt and fresh water are the same. They are water as distinct from land. Now it was the same in antiquity. Dr. Pisces says that the Sumerians had no word for river. As a matter of fact they had one word for sea and river, just as they had one word for mountain and desert plain. To the Arab everything is simple. Salt or fresh water is one — it is water; hill or plain out of reach of inundation is one — it is desert; God is one. In the silence of the night while you sleep with Muslim troops
he gives to the White Nile. If you point to the Nile he will say "Il Bahr". He does not mean "The Sea", but he has only one word for sea or river. He never says "The Nile". He has one word, "Il Bahr", "the sea" or "the river". Salt and fresh water are the same. They are water as distinct from land. Now it was the same in antiquity. Dr. Pisces says that the Sumerians had no word for river. As a matter of fact they had one word for sea and river, just as they had one word for mountain and desert plain. To the Arab everything is simple. Salt or fresh water is one — it is water; hill or plain out of reach of inundation is one — it is desert; God is one. In the silence of the night while you sleep with Muslim troops in the desert, through the watches, you hear only one word called: Wahid "one" (God is one). It is easy to understand the attraction this conception of unity and simplicity has for a traveler in the deserts where everything is simple and uniform. In Europe we see nature in her most variegated forms, and our conceptions of God and His works are complex indeed compared with those of the Arabs. When asked about my religion by an Arab, I always answer in the simple kind of formula they use themselves: Allah is my Father, Sayedna Eesa is my Brother. We are immediately on terms of intimacy and friendship. There is not a human being who does not understand the meaning of Father and Brother, and the duties we owe them. In Nahum, Thebes, 600 miles up the Nile, is described as situated among the rivers, with her wall by the sea, and with the sea as a rampart. This is a palpable mistranslation. It should be described as situated among the canals, with her wall by the Nile, and with the Nile as a rampart. The Euphrates is frequently called a "sea" in the English translation, and so also is
most variegated forms, and our conceptions of God and His works are complex indeed compared with those of the Arabs. When asked about my religion by an Arab, I always answer in the simple kind of formula they use themselves: Allah is my Father, Sayedna Eesa is my Brother. We are immediately on terms of intimacy and friendship. There is not a human being who does not understand the meaning of Father and Brother, and the duties we owe them. In Nahum, Thebes, 600 miles up the Nile, is described as situated among the rivers, with her wall by the sea, and with the sea as a rampart. This is a palpable mistranslation. It should be described as situated among the canals, with her wall by the Nile, and with the Nile as a rampart. The Euphrates is frequently called a "sea" in the English translation, and so also is the Jordan. In exactly the same way, the two words "Yam Suf" translated "Red Sea" do not mean "Red Sea", but mean "the reedy river", or "the reedy branch of the Nile", or "The Serbonian bog". This is how Diodorus Siculus describes this piece of water: "For between Cairo and Egypt there is a lake, of very narrow width, but of a wonderful depth, and extending in length about 200 stadia (20 miles), which is called Serbonis: and it exposes the traveller approaching it unawares to unforeseen dangers. For its basin being very narrow, like a throat, and surrounded on all sides by great banks of sand, when south winds blow for some time a quantity of sand is drifted over it. This sand hides the sheet of water and confuses the appearance of the lake with the dry land, so that they are indistinguishable. From which cause many have been swallowed up with their whole armies." I have taken this translation from Sir Henry Browne's Land of Goshen and the Exodus, a book full of information which I have freely used, though I differ from him entirely in his conclusions; just as I have freely used Brugsch Pasha's Egypt
Egypt there is a lake, of very narrow width, but of a wonderful depth, and extending in length about 200 stadia (20 miles), which is called Serbonis: and it exposes the traveller approaching it unawares to unforeseen dangers. For its basin being very narrow, like a throat, and surrounded on all sides by great banks of sand, when south winds blow for some time a quantity of sand is drifted over it. This sand hides the sheet of water and confuses the appearance of the lake with the dry land, so that they are indistinguishable. From which cause many have been swallowed up with their whole armies." I have taken this translation from Sir Henry Browne's Land of Goshen and the Exodus, a book full of information which I have freely used, though I differ from him entirely in his conclusions; just as I have freely used Brugsch Pasha's Egypt under the Pharaohs, differing entirely from him as to the location of Ha-Uar. But just as I was in accord with Mr. Cope Whitehouse as to the position of Ha-Uar, so now I am entirely in accord with Brugsch Pasha as to the Serbonian bog being the site of the disaster which overtook Pharaoh's army. The fact that the land of Goshen is the Wady Tumilat and not the country round Zoan, as Brugsch imagined, makes the location of the Yam Suf in the Serbonian bog fit in exactly with the Bible records as we shall soon see. The description of the bog is exactly that of an old branch of the Nile which had had its water cut off, and the branch of the Nile of those parts was the Pelusiac branch. And it is to be remembered that there was a steady tradition in antiquity, a tradition which Milton preserves in Paradise Lost, that an army had been swallowed up in the Serbonian bog. A gulf profound as that Serbonian bog, Between Damietta and Mount Casius old, Where armies whole have sunk. No such tradition has attached to the Red Sea, the gulf of Suez or any imaginary
disaster which overtook Pharaoh's army. The fact that the land of Goshen is the Wady Tumilat and not the country round Zoan, as Brugsch imagined, makes the location of the Yam Suf in the Serbonian bog fit in exactly with the Bible records as we shall soon see. The description of the bog is exactly that of an old branch of the Nile which had had its water cut off, and the branch of the Nile of those parts was the Pelusiac branch. And it is to be remembered that there was a steady tradition in antiquity, a tradition which Milton preserves in Paradise Lost, that an army had been swallowed up in the Serbonian bog. A gulf profound as that Serbonian bog, Between Damietta and Mount Casius old, Where armies whole have sunk. No such tradition has attached to the Red Sea, the gulf of Suez or any imaginary prolongation of the gulf of Suez. "Yam Suf" was the Hebrew expression for the water in which Pharaoh's host was drowned. Its literal translation is "Reedy River" or "Reedy Sea". In after years, when the children of Israel had been long in Palestine, and become more familiar with the location of the gulf of Aqaba than with that of the water in which Pharaoh's host was destroyed, they located the destruction in the gulf of Aqaba; and we read that Solomon built Eziongeber on the "Yam Suf", i.e. the gulf of Aqaba. The gulf of Aqaba became the scene of the disaster, and some pious scribe of post-Solomon days naturally added: "God did not lead Israel the way of the land of the Philistines, but the way of the Yam Suf"; in other words, "the Israelites did not advance straight on Palestine by the Philistine road, but the gulf of Aqaba"; which is just what they did do. The gulf of Suez is not mentioned, and I doubt if any of the scribes even knew of its existence. The Red Sea has nothing to do with any of the possible renderings. The water was not red, and it was not
of the gulf of Aqaba than with that of the water in which Pharaoh's host was destroyed, they located the destruction in the gulf of Aqaba; and we read that Solomon built Eziongeber on the "Yam Suf", i.e. the gulf of Aqaba. The gulf of Aqaba became the scene of the disaster, and some pious scribe of post-Solomon days naturally added: "God did not lead Israel the way of the land of the Philistines, but the way of the Yam Suf"; in other words, "the Israelites did not advance straight on Palestine by the Philistine road, but the gulf of Aqaba"; which is just what they did do. The gulf of Suez is not mentioned, and I doubt if any of the scribes even knew of its existence. The Red Sea has nothing to do with any of the possible renderings. The water was not red, and it was not a sea. That the so-called wells of Moses are located on the gulf of Suez means absolutely nothing. Midway between Jerusalem and Jericho they show you the inn to which the Samaritan of the parable took the wounded man; while at Jericho itself is the mosque of Moses and his tomb. When I told my informant that this was absurd, since Moses had been buried on the other side of the Dead Sea, far away on Mount Nebo, and that no man knew his sepulchre, he promptly replied: "Oh yes, that applies to ordinary men, but a Bedouin found his body all right and brought it here and buried it. Don't you leave this place with any false notions about Moses' burial-place." That the Israelites were encamped on the shore of the Mediterranean sea after their deliverance is proved by the fact that quails fell into their camp. This has been insisted on by Mr. Villiers Stuart, and is absolutely unanswerable. Quails fly across the Mediterranean and drop down nearly exhausted on the southern shore in myriads. That any quails would be idiotic enough to leave the scrub and shelter of the Mediterranean shore and fly over the desert of