The hand mill for grinding grain shown in the picture is exactly the same as those in use in Palestine from the earliest times. It consists of two circular stones, one of which is placed on top of the other, the upper and lower surfaces being flat. The underside of the upper stone is slightly concave, fitting into the convex surface of the lower stone. From the center of the lower stone a strong pin of wood passes through a funnel-shaped hole in the upper stone. Into this hole the grain is thrown, and as it is ground escapes as meal to a smooth sheepskin placed beneath. On the surface of the upper stone near the circumference, a handle is fixed by which the stone is turned. The meal is ground every day. The work, which is very laborious, is performed by the women of the household. In the picture this mill is rather more elaborate than usual, the lower stone being elongated and used as a trough for the meal as it falls over the edges of the mill. There are two baskets of grain and one of meal. One of the women is about to put a handful of grain in the mill. Both are helping to turn the upper stone by the handle
SELECTIONS FROM JOB
| PERSONS REPRESENTED. Friends of Job. Job, a rich man of the East. Eliphaz, the Temanite. Bildad, the Shuhite. Zophar, the Naamathite. Elihu, son of Barachel, the Buzite. The Wife of Job. The LORD. Satan. Sons of God, Messengers, Friends, Spectators. PLACES. The Land of Uz, a country east of Palestine. The Court of Heaven. TIME. The Patriarchal Age. |
JOB
There is one question over which men have puzzled for many, many hundreds of years. It is the question, "Why do good people suffer?" When wicked people suffered, the reason seemed to be plain. It was because they had done wrong; and people who do wrong ought to suffer. But good people as well as wicked people suffer, and it has always been very hard for many to see how God can be good and this still be true.
This is the question that a Hebrew poet tried to answer in the book of Job. He pictured a man named Job who had lived a good life and feared God, and yet who suffered. He lost the flocks and herds which had made him rich. A whirlwind swept away the house in which his sons and daughters were feasting, and killed them all. At last a disease for which there was no known cure came upon him. Poor and alone, he faced a certain death of great suffering.