This agrees with its other names—Hebrew, Deli, the water-urn, or bucket (as in Num. xxiv. 7); the Arabic Delu is the same.
There are 108 stars in this Sign, four of which are of the 3rd magnitude. Their names, as far as they have come down to us, are significant.
The star α (in the right shoulder) is called Sa'ad al Melik, which means the record of the pouring forth.
The star β (in the other shoulder) is called Saad al Sund, who goeth and returneth, or the pourer out.
The bright star δ (in the lower part of the right leg) is well-known to-day by its Hebrew name Scheat, which means who goeth and returneth.
The bright star in the urn has an Egyptian name—Mon or Meon, which means simply an urn.
Aquarius is the modern Latin name by which the sign is known. It has the same meaning, the pourer forth of water.
Can we doubt what is the interpretation of this sign? The Greeks, not knowing Him of whom it testified, were, like the woman of Samaria, destitute of that living water which He alone can give. They therefore invented some story about Deucalion, the son of Prometheus; and another, saying he is Ganymede, Jove's cup-bearer! But, as an astronomer says, “We must account otherwise for the origin of this name; for it is not possible to reconcile the [pg 086] symbols of the eleventh[49] sign with Grecian mythology.” No! we must go further back than that, and not cramp our vision, and distort the Scriptures, by confining our thoughts to “the Church.” The Church is nowhere seen in these Signs, as she is nowhere revealed in the Old Testament. This we shall enlarge on when we come to the sign Pisces. Meanwhile we must read the witness of the stars as if there had been no Church!
Christ is first. Yea, He is all in all. The Scriptures testify of Him; and the very stars in this Sign tell of His going away and His coming again. These prophetic signs have to do with Him, with the Atonement He wrought, with the conflict He endured, with the blessings He secured, with the victory He shall win, and the triumph He shall have. For it is written:
“He shall pour the water out of His buckets,