Mat Weavers at Their Lomes
After passing Roshpina, we halted for lunch at noon in sight of the waters of Merom, just above where the marsh of Huleh begins. There is here a Bedouin village, and the occupation of natives is mat-weaving. The rushes grow near by on the banks of the Jordan. Thus the Bedouins of the surrounding country are supplied with the mats which they use to carpet their tents of goats’ hair. In the picture we see a very primitive loom. Some of the rushes are spread on a framework above to shelter the toiler from the heat of the sun, and we see alongside the loom the rushes ready for use in the weaving of the mat. These mats are very thick and heavy and last for many years. One of the women is resting on the framework of the loom as if posing for her picture. In this view we are looking toward the east, and it is the hour of high noon. Some of the finished mats are seen lying beyond the loom. Above are the mountains. The interest which attaches to a desolate region like this springs largely from its associations with illustrious names and important events of long ago. This rough, stony ground has little value to us. There is no beauty in the faces and the forms of the women whom we see, and no remarkable ingenuity in their handiwork, but the moment we think it possible that over this soil and under the shadow of these mountains passed Saul of Tarsus bound for Damascus, with his splendid career to him undreamed of, and to us well known, before him, the entire picture becomes invested with new significance and value.
The Exegetical Guide helps you do a word study for any passage without prior original-language knowledge—explore complete sentence diagrams with parts of speech, verb tenses, alternative translations, and more for every single word. You can also further explore the biblical text by seeing the frequency of that word’s use throughout the rest of the Bible.
Comments