An interesting account of Palestine from a Christian point of view, in which the author relates observations of everyday life in Palestine to the Bible and describes what specific words, phrases and incidents in the Bible could mean in the context of Palestinian life and landscape. With an index of Hebrew words.
From the preface:
The following pages deal with the author’s discoveries in the Holy Land, and those recently made there by others, which throw new light upon the Bible. His chief qualification for the work lies in his having enjoyed an official residence at Jerusalem for three years, from May 1871 to May 1874. During that time he was called upon to traverse Palestine in many directions. The management of landed property in various parts of the country afforded him very special facilities for forming a close acquaintance with its natural features and modern life. Intimate relations with its various races, and more particularly with native Jews, among whom Hebrew is still a spoken language, gave further help. Nor must the advantage derived from the invaluable aid of the Palestine Exploration Fund be overlooked. The greater part of the Ordnance Survey of Western Palestine, which, to the Biblical student, is by far the most important scientific work of this scientific age, was accomplished during the period of the author’s residence at Jerusalem, and he has watched its progress throughout.
Excerpt:
“The lighting of camp-fires is a constant and very noticeable feature of journeys in the Holy Land. Fuel for this purpose is afforded by the low, woody, herbaceous growth, partaking largely of a thorny nature, which abounds in the deserts, and is to be met with by the wayside in most parts of the country. The “fire of thorns” is often alluded to in the Old Testament, and every resident in Palestine has reason to know what a familiar sight it is.”