PLOUGHING IN CANAAN.

: Old Testament Stories

In Scripture frequent mention is made of the husbandman and his work.

Ploughing the land, sowing the seed, reaping the harvest, and

winnowing the grain are often referred to. Our picture shows an

Eastern husbandman ploughing. How different it is to ploughing in our

own land! There is no _coulter_; and instead of the broad steel

_plough-share_ we see a pointed piece of wood. And the long handles

with which our labourers
guide their ploughs--where are they? The

strong horses, too, harnessed one behind the other, are missing. Yes!

none of these were used in Canaan. Small oxen drew the plough; and the

husbandman guided it by means of a single handle, as we see him doing

in the picture. Thus their method of ploughing was a slow one, and

unless the land had been very good their harvests would have been

poor.



Often these husbandmen had to wait until the rain made the ground soft

enough for their ploughs to enter it, consequently many had to toil in

cold, stormy, winter weather. To this the proverb alludes which says:

"The sluggard will not plough by reason of the cold; therefore shall

he beg in harvest, and have nothing." (Prov. xx. 4.)



Perhaps it was just such a plough, drawn by just such oxen as we see

in our picture, that Elisha was using when Elijah passed by and cast

his mantle upon him; thereby calling Elisha to be his servant and

successor. We are told that Elisha "took a yoke of oxen, and slew

them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and

gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after

Elijah, and ministered unto him."



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