0.

394 Before executing a criminal, a quantity of frankincense in a cup of
wine was given to him to stupefy him and render him insensible to
pain. The compassionate ladies of Jerusalem generally provided this
draught at their own cost. This custom was in obedience to Prov.
xxxi. 6, "Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and
wine unto those that be of heavy hearts."

395 Lev. xxiv. 14.

396 Josh. vii. 19, 20, 25

397 Deut. xvii. 7.

398 Deut. xxi. 23.

399 This supposes a man sorrowful, because he is obliged to punish his
own son.

_ 400 I.e._, the Divine Presence. The luminous cloud of glory in the Holy
of Holies.

401 The words in the original, "Baal Aob," are supposed by some to
denote a ventriloquist from "Aob," meaning a "bottle" or "stomach."
"Aob" seems, however, much more likely to be allied to the Coptic
word for "a serpent" or "Python." Acts xvi. 16.

402 Matt. xxvi. 65.

403 The image of Molech was made of brass. It was hollow within and
heated with fire outside. It stood in the valley of Hinnom without
the walls of Jerusalem. Kimchi says the image of Molech contained
seven chapels. These chapels are supposed by some to represent the
seven planets. In the first chapel flowers were offered; in the
second, turtle doves or young pigeons; in the third, lambs; in the
fourth, rams; in the fifth, calves; in the sixth, oxen; "but
whosoever offered his son, they opened to him the seventh chapel."
The face of Molech was like the face of a calf, and the image
stretched forth its hands "as a man who opens his hands to receive
something of his neighbor." "They kindled the image with fire, and
the priests took the babe and put it into the hands of Molech, and
the babe gave up the ghost." They called it Tophet; because they
made a noise with drums ("tophim"), that the father might not hear
the screams of his child and have pity upon him. And they called it
Hinnom, because the child roared ("menahem") in his anguish. Others
say it was called Hinnom, because the priests used to say, "May it
profit thee--may it be sweet to thee."

404 Cutting off is generally supposed to have extended to the family as
well as the guilty person. It seems to have included the future as
well as the present life.

405 Deut.