EASTERN HOUSE-TOP.
THE SPARROW.
The Sparrow upon the house top—Architecture of the East—Little birds exposed for sale in the market—The two Sparrows sold for a farthing—Bird-catching—The net, the snare, and the trap.
We have already discussed the signification of the compound word tzippor-deror, and will now take the word tzippor alone.
Like many other Hebrew terms, the word is evidently used in a collective sense, signifying any small bird that is not specially designated. In several portions of Scripture it is translated as Sparrow, and to that word we will at present restrict ourselves.
On turning to Ps. cii. 5-7, we find that the word is used as an emblem of solitude and misery: "By reason of the voice of my groaning, my bones cleave to my skin.
"I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert,