גפן, Gen. xl, 9; ἄμπελος, Matt. xxvi, 29; Mark xiv, 25; Luke xxii,
18; John xv, 4, 5; James iii, 12; Rev. xiv, 19; a noble plant of the
creeping kind, famous for its fruit, or grapes, and the liquor they
afford. The vine is a common name or genus, including several species
under it; and Moses, to distinguish the true vine, or that from which
wine is made, from the rest, calls it, the wine vine, Num. vi, 4. Some
of the other sorts were of a poisonous quality, as appears from the
story related among the miraculous acts of Elisha, 2 Kings iv, 39, 41.
(See _Grapes_.) The expression of “sitting every man under his own
vine,” probably alludes to the delightful eastern arbours, which were
partly composed of vines. Capt. Norden, in like manner, speaks of vine
arbours as common in the Egyptian gardens; and the Prænestine pavement
in Dr. Shaw gives us the figure of an ancient one. Plantations of trees
about houses are found very useful in hot countries, to give them an
agreeable coolness. The ancient Israelites seem to have made use of the
same means, and probably planted fruit trees, rather than other kinds,
to produce that effect. “It is their manner in many places,” says Sir
Thomas Rowe’s chaplain, speaking of the country of the Great Mogul, “to
plant about and among their buildings, trees which grow high and broad,
the shadow whereof keeps their houses by far more cool: this I observed
in a special manner, when we were ready to enter Amadavar; for it
appeared to us as if we had been entering a wood rather than a city.”
“Immediately on entering,” says Turner, “I was ushered into the court
yard of the aga, whom I found smoking under a vine, surrounded by
horses, servants, and dogs, among which I distinguished an English
pointer.” There were in Palestine many excellent vineyards. Scripture
celebrates the vines of Sorek, of Sebamah, of Jazer, of Abel. Profane
authors mention the excellent wines of Gaza, Sarepta, Libanus, Saron,
Ascalon, and Tyre. Jacob, in the blessing which he gave Judah, “Binding
his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine, he
washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes,”
Gen. xlix, 11; he showed the abundance of vines that should fall to his
lot. “Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well, whose
branches hang over the wall,” Gen. xlix, 22. “To the northward and
westward,” says Morier, “are several villages, interspersed with
extensive orchards and vineyards, the latter of which are generally
enclosed by high walls. The Persian vine dressers do all in their power
to make the vine run up the wall, and curl over on the other side, which
they do by tying stones to the extremity of the tendril. The vine,
particularly in Turkey and Greece, is frequently made to entwine on
trellises around a well, where, in the heat of the day, whole families
collect themselves, and sit under the shade.”
Noah planted the vine after the deluge, and is supposed to have been the
first who cultivated it, Gen. ix, 20. Many are of opinion that wine was
not unknown before the deluge; and that this patriarch only continued to
cultivate the vine after that event, as he had done before it: but the
fathers think that he knew not the force of wine, having never used it
before, nor having ever seen any one use it. He was the first that
gathered the juice of the grape, and preserved it till by fermentation
it became a potable liquor. Before him men only ate the grapes like
other fruit. The law of Moses did not allow the planters of vineyards to
eat the fruit before the fifth year, Lev. xix, 24, 25. The Israelites
were also required to indulge the poor, the orphan, and the stranger,
with the use of the grapes on the seventh year. A traveller was allowed
to gather and eat the grapes in a vineyard as he passed along, but he
was not permitted to carry any away, Deut. xxiii, 24. The scarcity of
fuel, especially wood, in most parts of the east, is so great, that they
supply it with every thing capable of burning; cow dung dried, roots,
parings of fruits, withered stalks of herbs and flowers, Matthew vi, 30.
Vine twigs are particularly mentioned as used for fuel in dressing their
food, by D’Arvieux, La Roque, and others: Ezekiel says, in his parable
of the vine, used figuratively for the people of God, “Shall wood be
taken thereof to do any work? Or will men take a pin of it to hang any
vessel thereon? Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel,” Ezekiel xv,
3, 4. “If a man abide not in me,” saith our Lord, “he is cast forth as a
branch” of the vine, “and is withered; and men gather them, and cast
them into the fire, and they are burned,” John xv, 6.
18; John xv, 4, 5; James iii, 12; Rev. xiv, 19; a noble plant of the
creeping kind, famous for its fruit, or grapes, and the liquor they
afford. The vine is a common name or genus, including several species
under it; and Moses, to distinguish the true vine, or that from which
wine is made, from the rest, calls it, the wine vine, Num. vi, 4. Some
of the other sorts were of a poisonous quality, as appears from the
story related among the miraculous acts of Elisha, 2 Kings iv, 39, 41.
(See _Grapes_.) The expression of “sitting every man under his own
vine,” probably alludes to the delightful eastern arbours, which were
partly composed of vines. Capt. Norden, in like manner, speaks of vine
arbours as common in the Egyptian gardens; and the Prænestine pavement
in Dr. Shaw gives us the figure of an ancient one. Plantations of trees
about houses are found very useful in hot countries, to give them an
agreeable coolness. The ancient Israelites seem to have made use of the
same means, and probably planted fruit trees, rather than other kinds,
to produce that effect. “It is their manner in many places,” says Sir
Thomas Rowe’s chaplain, speaking of the country of the Great Mogul, “to
plant about and among their buildings, trees which grow high and broad,
the shadow whereof keeps their houses by far more cool: this I observed
in a special manner, when we were ready to enter Amadavar; for it
appeared to us as if we had been entering a wood rather than a city.”
“Immediately on entering,” says Turner, “I was ushered into the court
yard of the aga, whom I found smoking under a vine, surrounded by
horses, servants, and dogs, among which I distinguished an English
pointer.” There were in Palestine many excellent vineyards. Scripture
celebrates the vines of Sorek, of Sebamah, of Jazer, of Abel. Profane
authors mention the excellent wines of Gaza, Sarepta, Libanus, Saron,
Ascalon, and Tyre. Jacob, in the blessing which he gave Judah, “Binding
his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine, he
washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes,”
Gen. xlix, 11; he showed the abundance of vines that should fall to his
lot. “Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well, whose
branches hang over the wall,” Gen. xlix, 22. “To the northward and
westward,” says Morier, “are several villages, interspersed with
extensive orchards and vineyards, the latter of which are generally
enclosed by high walls. The Persian vine dressers do all in their power
to make the vine run up the wall, and curl over on the other side, which
they do by tying stones to the extremity of the tendril. The vine,
particularly in Turkey and Greece, is frequently made to entwine on
trellises around a well, where, in the heat of the day, whole families
collect themselves, and sit under the shade.”
Noah planted the vine after the deluge, and is supposed to have been the
first who cultivated it, Gen. ix, 20. Many are of opinion that wine was
not unknown before the deluge; and that this patriarch only continued to
cultivate the vine after that event, as he had done before it: but the
fathers think that he knew not the force of wine, having never used it
before, nor having ever seen any one use it. He was the first that
gathered the juice of the grape, and preserved it till by fermentation
it became a potable liquor. Before him men only ate the grapes like
other fruit. The law of Moses did not allow the planters of vineyards to
eat the fruit before the fifth year, Lev. xix, 24, 25. The Israelites
were also required to indulge the poor, the orphan, and the stranger,
with the use of the grapes on the seventh year. A traveller was allowed
to gather and eat the grapes in a vineyard as he passed along, but he
was not permitted to carry any away, Deut. xxiii, 24. The scarcity of
fuel, especially wood, in most parts of the east, is so great, that they
supply it with every thing capable of burning; cow dung dried, roots,
parings of fruits, withered stalks of herbs and flowers, Matthew vi, 30.
Vine twigs are particularly mentioned as used for fuel in dressing their
food, by D’Arvieux, La Roque, and others: Ezekiel says, in his parable
of the vine, used figuratively for the people of God, “Shall wood be
taken thereof to do any work? Or will men take a pin of it to hang any
vessel thereon? Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel,” Ezekiel xv,
3, 4. “If a man abide not in me,” saith our Lord, “he is cast forth as a
branch” of the vine, “and is withered; and men gather them, and cast
them into the fire, and they are burned,” John xv, 6.