Yellow (Hastings' Dictionary)

See Colours, vol. i. p. 458*. YOKE (BID, npto, ^'v, Viy, n;^ [' team '] ; NT feiVyo? 'a team,' 'a pair,' firyis) in Scripture usage is almost exclusively associated with the plough. The simple yoke (bid, .i^jid) was a cross piece of wood fastened to the forehead of the draught ox ; and the same Heb. word, especially in the plural (nis:), describes the bars going round the neck of the ox to keep the yoke in its place.

Generally, however, the cross piece of wood rested upon the necks of two oxen drawing together, and this ('?s from ^h'j, Arab. = ' insert, ' tlirust in,' Aram. = ' enter ') is the yoke of the plough with which we are familiar. The plough used by the fellahtn of Syria is the same as that with which Elisha was pumgliing when Elijah ca.^t his mantle upon him (1 K 19'").

Although in the yauran and the GhGr of Jordan two j)airs of oxen are to be seen yoked to the )il()ugh, in Galilee and the plain of Jezreel tlie )il<)ii^;h is drawn by a single pair. The yoke rests upon the neck of the beasts, being fitted to each by forked pieces of wood mortised into the yoke and joined under the neck with a thong or chain.

To the yoke the pole of the primitive plough is attached by thongs or cords fastened to the cross-pin of the pole, which passes through a ring on the yoke, or is lield tirni liv a peg inserted into it (see figures in I'EFSt, IS'Jl'. p. 113 ; ZDI'V xii. pp. 159, 160; Benzinger, Arch. 207; '\A'hite- house, Primer of Heb. Ant. 87; and art. Agrioul- TUKK). The 'thonga' are nnoio (AV 'bands' or ' bonds'), see Jer 2=» 5» 27» 30», Nah 1", and cf. Ps '2? 107", Is 52".

For examples of npio see Lv 26", Jer 27= 28'»- "• ", Ezk 30'8 34-^ ; fig. Is 588-». The yoke {nir) Is composed of a horizontal bar of wood with knobbed extremities, but with no hollowed-out portion to receive the nape of the neck of the ox. In place of the bow two pins {Uhatdi\) are let into holes in the nir, at an angle of al)Out 80 degrees to each other, their upper extremities being about S in. apart *» receive the nape of tbs neck.

Wlien luijusted they are fastened by a leather thong or a chain (Jenir). The ring ibalakah) is a tough branch, beiit in a rude elliptical form. It IS tied to the n'lr by a leather thong (sfier') between two pintles iiijrdyah), which keep it in place (Post in PEFSt, 1891, p. 112)- The pair of beasts in the plough is called a yoke (1 K 19'", Jer 51^ njj [from icy ' to bind or join together']), or yoke of oxen (lijj i;j 1 S 11', Job P, ffi'Tos ^oui' Lk 14'').

The ground that a pair of oxen was sufficient to cultivate was known as "ijjf n-iv (1 S 14'). See above, p. 910^ The yoke was among the Hebrews the emblem of subjection and servitude (Gn 27", Lv 26'^, 1 K 12"''-, La 3-'', Nah 1'^). Where the subjection was more than usually bitter, the yoke of wood is exchanged for a yoke of iron (Dt 28^, Jer 28").

To impress upon the Jewish people the necessity of submitting quietly to Nebuchadnezzar's sway, the pro]iliet Jeremiah put a yoke upon his own neck, and appeared in public with this badge of servitude. It was the popular thing when Hana- niah, one of the prophets w ho said, ' Peace, peace, when there wius no peace,' tore the yoke oil Jeremiah's neck to bac-k up his own false predic- tion tliat within two years God would break the yoke of Nebucliadnezzar from oft' the neck of all the nation.

To this Jeremiali answered, ' Thus saitli the Ixird, Thou hast broken the bars of wood, but thou shalt make in their stead bars of iron. For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel : I have put a yoke of iron uiion the neck of all these nations' (Jer 28'»- "). In the NT 'yoke' (M^s) is used only in this metaphorical sense, — the joke of legal obedience (Ac 15'", Gal 5'), of servitude (ITi 6'), of Christ (Mt 11»-*'), who.se yoke is 'kindly' (xp'?<'"'"iis)> because it is 'lined with lo\e.'

t LiTKRATiEE.— Benzinger, Ueb. Arch. 207 fl. ; PEFSt, 1S91 p. 112; ZDJ'V xii. 169 1. T. NiCOL.