Judges 6:19

Judges 6:19. And Gideon—made ready, &c.— All roasted meat is a delicacy among the Arabs, and rarely eaten by them. Stewed meat likewise is only to be met with at their feasts and great tables, and is consequently a delicacy also; the common diet being only boiled meat, with rice, potage, and pilaw, stewed meat with the soup, &c. This soup, or something very much like it, we may believe was the broth which Gideon presented to the angel, whom he took for a mere mortal messenger of God. It may have been wondered, why he should bring out his broth, from an opinion that it would have been better kept within, and given to the poor after the supposed prophet should be withdrawn; but these passages explain the fact. The broth, as our translators imagine it, was, I conclude, the stewed savoury meat that he had prepared, with such sort of liquor as the eastern people at this day bring their stewed meat in to the most dignified and honourable persons. What then is meant by the flesh put into the basket? Dr. Shaw seems entirely to have cleared up the matter in p. 12 of his preface, where he says, "Besides a bowl of milk, and a basket of figs, raisins, or dates, which upon our arrival were presented to us, to stay our appetites, the master of the tent fetched us from his flock, (according to the number of our company) a kid or a goat, a lamb or a sheep; half of which was immediately seethed by his wife, and served up with cuscasooe: the rest was made kab-ab; i.e. cut to pieces, and roasted; which we reserved for our breakfast or dinner next day." May we not imagine, that Gideon, presenting some slight refreshment to the supposed prophet, according to the present Arab mode, desired him to stay till he could provide something more substantial; that he immediately killed a kid, seethed part of it, made kab-ab of another part; and when it was ready, brought out the stewed meat in a pot, with unleavened cakes of bread which he had baked; and the kab-ab in a basket, for his carrying with him, to serve him for some after-repast in his journey? Nothing can be more conformable to the present Arab customs, or a more easy explanation of the text; nothing more convenient for the carriage of the reserved meat than a light basket; as Thevenot informs us, he carried his ready-dressed meat with him in a maund. What others may think of the passage, I know not; but till I met with these remarks I never could account for Gideon's bringing out the meat to the angel in a basket. With respect to his leaving the supposed prophet under a tree while he was buried, (instead of introducing him to some apartment of his habitation,) and bringing the repast out to him there, I would here observe, that not only Arabs who live in tents, and their dependents, but those also who live in houses, as did Gideon, practise it still. Dr. Pococke frequently observed it among the Maronites, and was so struck with their conformity to ancient custom, that he could not forbear taking particular notice of it; laymen of quality and ecclesiastics, the patriarch and bishops, as well as poor obscure priests, treating their guests in the same manner. Travels, vol. 2: p. 95, 96. 104. See Observations on Scripture, p. 178.