IO
HEBREW LIFE AND CUSTOM
Concerning childhood and its interests, the Hebrew
Scriptures do not afford much evidence. For love of
children as such—apart from the great desire to keep the
father’s name in remembrance and to maintain the family
in power—there are not many examples, but happily
there are some. The anticipation of a g∞d time coming,
when young boys and girls will play in the more open
parts of Jerusalem ɪ was surely written by a child-lover,
who delighted to watch children’s games, and likewise the
ideal picture of infants playing without risk of hurt.2
Similarly the story of the little Shunammite boy who went
out to his father to the reapers 3 implies a love of the
presence of children.
At an early age both boys and girls appear to have
taken their part in the various activities connected with
their homes, such as gathering fuel,* overlooking sheep
and cattle,5 driving them to the watering place,6 and
fetching water.7
General education, as we understand the term, was
almost non-existent in the days of the Hebrew monarchy,
and probably to a much later period. Children, however,
received not only moral instruction from their parents,8
but were also taught historical ballads, such as the song of
Deborah,’ and the poems in which the prophets set forth
their teaching. Reading and writing were not, however,
ιmiversal accomplishments,10 and the metaphorical state-
ment that the trees of the (Assyrian) forest would be so few
that a child could write down the number of them,11 is no
proof that most children learned to write. Indeed the
presence of an official at the royal palace styled sôphêr,'2 of
which perhaps ‘ secretary ’ would be the best rendering,
, Zech, viii. 5. * Isa. xi. 8. 3 2 Kings iv. ι8.
4 Jer. vii. ɪ8. 5 ɪ Sam. xvi. ɪɪ.
6 Gen. xxix. 6 ; Exod. ii. 16. 7 Gen. xxiv. 15 ff.
• Deut. iv. 9, vi. 7, xi. 19, xxxi. 22 ; Joshuaiv. 21,22 ; Prov. iv, &c.
’ Judges v. ɪɪ. " Isa. xxix. ɪɪ, 12.
“ Isa. x. 19. “2 Sam. viii. 17.
EDUCATION
ɪɪ
makes it not improbable that at all events in the early
days reading and writing were not necessarily royal
accomplishments. The great importance attached to the
signet-ring ɪ must originally have been due to the fact that
the owner of the ring could not necessarily sign his name.
Further evidence of a common inability to write may be
found in the custom of giving some article of personal
property in lieu of a written IOU.2 Thus Judah gives
Tamar his signet with the cord suspending it and his staff
as a pledge till he sends her the promised kid.3 In like
manner Jesse bids David bring back from his brothers at
the front some article or articles as a proof that they are
alive 4—which reminds one of Rowland Hill’s discovery of
a blank letter sent to a sister by a brother, who could not
afford postage, in order that she might then know that her
brother was alive, and he, by the return of the letter might
have the same assurance about his sister.
It is possible that an argument as to a general ability to
write may be urged from the statement that words of
tôrâ will be written on the door-posts of the houses.5 This
injunction, however, even if it was intended to be taken
literally,6 which is doubtful, does not prove that each
householder could write.
Of the way in which those children who were taught to
read received their instruction we have no direct informa-
tion. Of professional teachers (Heb. m'lamm'dhɪm) 7 there
ɪ Jer. xxii. 24 ; Hag. ii. 23.
, This will explain the giving of garments in pledge, which had to
be returned at nightfall. Many will wonder how under such condi-
tions a pawnbroker’s business could be carried on.
3 Gen. xxxviii. 17, ι8. 4 ɪ Sam. xvii. ι8.
5 Deut. vi. 8, 9.
6 It is at least possible that the original meaning of this passage is
that the words of tôrâ (or Jehovah’s direction as to what is right and
wrong), which should be written on the heart (cf. Jer. xxxi. 33 ; Heb.
32), are to take the place of written amulets whether bound on the
arm or written on the door-posts. Cf. Ps. cxli. 3.
7 The ∙Heb. môré is not a teacher of secular accomplishments.