Bee (Hastings' Dictionary)

The bee is known in Arab, as nahl, but dabr is a swarm of bees, pi. dubur. The common term for wasp or hornet is dabbiir, which is a corruption of zenbtir. The bee is an insect found in large numbers in Syria and Pal., both wild and hived. The wild bee is most common in lonely ra^•ines, where it makes its nest in the clefts of tlie precipitous rocks, often with great difficulty accessible to man.

They also make their hives in hollow trees (1 S 14>- ) ; but aa the forests are few in these lands, they are a les natural refuge for the bees than the rocks (cf. 1 it 32", Ps 81'°). Tristram says that they are specially abundant in the wilderness of Juda;a, and that most of the honey sold in S. Pal. comes from these wild hives. This explains the allusion (Mt3'), 'and his meat was locusts and wild honey.'

It also explains the sentence (Dt 1"), 'The Amorites, which dwelt in the mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do.' When tame bees are disturbed, it is well kno^vn how furiously they will attack their disturber. But their vehemence is as nothing to that of the wild bees, which are unaccustomea to man. Dr. Thomson {Land and Book, p. 299) says, 'The people of Ma'alia (in Wady ^arn) several years ago let a man down the face of the rock by ropes.

He was entirely protected from the attacks of the bees, and extracted a larf,'e amount of honey ; but he wa-s so terrified by the prodigious swarms of bees that he could not be induced to rei>eat the exploit.' The Psalmist says (Ps 118"), 'They compassed me about like bees,' alluding to the threatening attacks of these in.sects. It was said of the land of promi.se that it was a 'land flowing with milk and honey.'

This is I)artly justified by the wild bees and honey, but still more so by the large numbers of domesticated bees. Every pea-sjints house has its beehives. Sometimes they are boxes, as with us ; sometimes a broken water jar is made to serve ; but more usually they are wicker cylinders, about 4 ft. long and 10 in. in diameter, plastered over with cow- dunt,', and stopped with the same material at either end, except a few holes for the entry and exit of the bees.

These hives are often piled in a pj-ra- midal shape, with four or more at the base, and plastered together with cow-dung to protect them from the heat, and shaded with branclie^ of trees. 264 BEE BEER-LAHAI-ROI For hiving bees, manoeuvres are used similar to those 80 common in tlie West. The superior of a convent near Beirttt had a chest partially filled vfith tigs, through the keyhole of which a swarm of bees entered.

The following day four jars, with a little grape honev smeared inside, were put in succession to the keynoic, and filled with bees. It is certainly not customary for the people in Bible lands to hiss to their bees (Is 7"). It might have been in Bible days. It is, however, universal to whistle to pigeons in order to recall them from their flight. Hundreds of persons can be seen on the flat roofs of the houses in the large cities amusing themselves in this manner a little before sunset.

Sir John Lubbock believes that bees lack the sense of hearing. The honey is usually extracted about the time of the P"east of the Cross, in the middle of Sept. A man with his face masked with iron gauze and his hands protected with mittens, simply puts his hands into the hive and extracts the combs, leaving a little for the bees. The honey is usually squeezed out of the combs, and packed in jars {bottle, marg. 1 K 14') or tins, and sometimes in skins.

The people of the Antilebanon plateau, north of Damas- cus, raise large quantities of honey. A bee cultivator from America settled some years ago in Beirflt to raise bees. He spoke of the Syrian bee as superior to the usual breeds of Europe. It is somewhat smaller than the Apis mellijica of Europe, and of a lighter colour. It is the Apiafasciata, Lat.

As many of the plants to which the bees resort are aromatics, much of the honey has a decided flavour, often very agreeable, sometimes a little rank. The wax is principally used in making tapers for religious purposes. There is no evidence that candles were kno^vn in ancient times. The people are very fond of honey. They dip their bread in it. Tbey make certain kinds or cakes (Ex 16") and pastry with it. They sometimes preserve fruit in it. They eat it in quantities sur- prising to Occidentals.

It is seldom eaten direct from the comb. It has been from the earliest times an article of commerce in Bible lands. Jacob sent some of it to his son Joseph (Gn 43"). Judah and Israel sold it to Tyrian merchants for export (Ezk 27"). Stores of honey were collected for this purpose, as at Mizpah (Jer 41'). Consider- ing the large quantities of honey produced in Pal. there is no occasion for supposing that b'5') dibash signifies the dibs, the grape honey of our time.

ftluch controversy has taken place over the swarm of bees in the carcase of the lion (Jg 14*). The simple fact is, that in a few hours after an animal is dead, jackals, dogs, and vultures often reduce the carcase to a ligamentous skeleton, which is soon dried in the fierce heat, and would make as savoury a hive as the cow-dung-plastered baskets which are used for raising bees, and the cow-dung trays on which silk-worms are developed.

Honey, Pj^ dibash, could not be used in burnt- offerings (Lv 2"). Honey is used to illustrate moral teachings. A man is exhorted to eat honey and the honcv comb (Pr 24'»), but warned against surfeit (Pr ij.^"-"). It was a simile for moral sweetness (Ezk 3'), and for the excellence of the law (Ps 19'°), of pleasant words (Pr 16"), and of the lips (Ca 4"), and as a figure for love (Ca 5').

The LXX adds to Pr 6» ' Go to the bee, and learn how diligent she is, and what a noble work she produces ; whose labour kings and private men use tor their health. She is desired and honoured by all, and, though weak in strength, yet since she values wisdom she prevails.' This passage exists in the Arabic version, and is quoted by ancient writers. G. E. Post.