Village (Hastings' Dictionary)

The earliest Oriental village prob- ably arose in the transition from nomadic to settled life. Interests centring in a particular locality called for more constant residence ; and in course of time the tent, best suited to the moving life, would give place to the hut or house, the encampment to the village. The name nin {iiraOXeis) in tn; nin (JJavvoth-Jair, Nu 32" etc.), apjiliod to smaller towns or villages, agrees \vith this idea. Abulw. connects it with Arab, hayy, ' tents of a clan ' (cf.

Arab, hiwa', 'group of tents'). The term, which formerly denoted the temporary dwellings, would naturally be applied to the more permanent settlements (iloore. Judges, p. 274 ; \V. R. Smith, BS^ p. 281). The common word for village, isij (ftrai/Xtj), primarily ' an enclosure,' is sometimes used for the open dwellings of the nomads (Gn 25", Is 42"). -IS? (K<S>nr,, Ca 7", 1 Ch 27=*, t;?

Neh 6=, "i;3 1 S 6'), 'a hamlet' or 'vUlage,' appeared in Palestine with the advent of Aramaic, and still persists in such place-names as Kefr Kennah, Kefr Sabt, etc. Uther words are f;? (iwiar-qi, Hab 3"RV 'warrior,' RVm 'hordes' or 'villages'); Jin.? (SuraTis, Jg 5'- " RV 'ruler,' KVm 'village'); nins (Est 9" LXX iv Tiay xwp? rj l^a, EV ' un- walled towns'; Ezk 38" ewl 77)1' i.-ircppi.

tifUvni', EV 'unwalled towns,' KVm 'an open country'; Zee 2^'*' KaraKipTTW, AV 'as villaf;es without walls,' RV ' as towns Mithout walls '), which seems to denote the places in open, level country, as dis- tinguished Irom fortilied cities (cf. Arab, fnrz, 'plain') ; cf. 'r:^= peasantry, 1 S 6'^ Dt 3', Est 9'". The distinction between city (Ty or poet. n;-ip) and village is carefully observed throughout tlie OT.

The city was an inhabited, walled place ; the village, not so protected, was probably always subordinate to the city. This relation of de- pendence appears to be indicated by the term ' daughters, e.g. n'ni^i-ns) njfnx (Nu 32^^^ cf. Jos 17" etc.), by the phrase 'the cities and their villages,' [n'l.SD) D'-!V7 (Jos 13" etc.), and is implied in the designation 'a mother in Israel,' applied to the chief town of a district (2 S 20'").

This subordina- tion was maintained in later times ( 1 Mac 5" ttji' If7)/3 <tai rds Oiryar^pas avriji, cf. 5°°). While the city was the chief seat of authority in a district, the smaller towns and villages seem to have been de- pendent on the larger. On the E. of Jordan, and especially in Trachonitis, /n)TpoKufj.lai, are frequently met with, th.at is, villages holding a position corresponding to that of a capital town.

Thus Pha'na, the modern Musmiyeh, is called fitirpoKu/xla ToC Tpdxwi/os {C'lG 4551). In NT and Joseplius the ideas of TriXis and xJifiri are uniformly distinguislied ; but in the Greek period the point of di.stinetion came to be, not so much size or fortification as constitution and law, which diU'ered in city and village. St.

JIark, who notes the numerous towns and villages in fertile Galilee, mentions (1^) ku/io- riXeis, a word used by Strabo and Byzantine writers, denoting towns which for size might be called iriXeis, but in constitution ranked only as Kwiiai.. Jos. (BJ III. iii. 2) speaks of many villages in (jalilee, the .smallest of which contained 15,000 inhabitants. If we are to credit these liguns, KwpLi) must be taken to include the surrounding district and suburlis. The Misbna distinguishes (1) T,-!

J 'a large city"; (2) ry 'a city'; and (3) n;j 'a village' [Megilht i. 1, ii. 3; Kethubuth .\iii. 10; Kitldnshin ii. 3; liaba mcpa iv. 6, viii. 6; Aravliin vi. 5). The first and second dill'ered only in size. While 71-15 = • a fortilied city,' small towns were often similarly protected (n;)\n ry, Arachin 868 VINE, VINEYAED VINE, VINEYARD ix. 3 ff. ; Kelim i. 7), "i^s being the open village (SchuriT, HJP u. i. 154 li'.) Villages in Palestine to-day are related in the same way to tlie towns.

Tlius el-Mejdel, IlaUin, el-Luhiyeh, etc., are under the jurisdiction of Tiberias. All actions, civil and criminal, and all matters affecting taxation and military service, come before the authorities in that town. The sheikh, or chief man, exercises considerable in- tluence among the inhabitants, and with him, in the first instance, the authorities treat in all that concerns liis community. The villages are the centres of agricultural industry.

The surrounding land is frequently common projierty. All share in its cultivation. When deductions have been made for taxes, etc., the i)roduce is divided according to local arrange- ment. In otlier cases Iha villagers till the soil for a landlord or company, and then a certain per- centage of the crops is allowed them in payment. Nearly all the villages in Palestine are of ancient date.

They often stand on the sites, and are buUt from the ruins, of cities not seldom CTeat and splendid in the past. There is something both grotesque and pathetic in the appearance of Corintldan capital and sculptured stone in the walls of mud-plastered huts. Positions diilicult of access are much prized for defence against maraud- ing bantls. There are, of course, no scattered dwellings or solitary farm-steadings, which would be too easy a prey to plunderers. The village life is mean and squalid.

The houses as a rule are of but one apartment, in which, along with the family, their animals find nightly shelter. Sanitation is unknown, and the villages are hot- beds of fever. In some it is ascribed to an iuter- ▼ention of Allah when a child survives infancy.

Oppressed by rapacious tax-gatherers backed by a brutal soldiery, often loaded with debt they can never hope to pay, — interest on which is a first charge upon their j-early pittance, — the spirit is crushed, and there is little inducement to work for improvements the fruits of which would in- fallibly be seized by others.

They put little into the soil ; their houses are frail ; tlieir furniture scanty ; they live practically ' from hand to mouth,' and bear themselves like men who may at any moment receive notice to quit. The villagers in Palestine mostly rank as Moslems, orthodox or heretical ; but there is much obscurity as to their real religious senti- ments and practices. Usually a makdm, the tomb or sanctuary of some saint or famous sheikh, stands near by or on a neighbouring hUl.

It serves as a kind of village strong-room. Although it is quite open, no one dreams of removing what has been placed there for safety. A common responsibility for hospitality is also recognized. In every village there is the menztl or mulAfy, ' village guest, house,' where all strangers are welcome. The sheikh acts as ' host,' but the villagers contribute each bla share towards the entertainment of the guests. W. EwiNG.