Page:Jewish Encyclopedia Volume 2.pdf/520

470 Balance

THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

Balearic

Bubor, Balak, 3-9, 15). His hatred of Israel was so great that he even gave his own daughter to seduce the Israelitish noblemen. She was the woman slain

by Phinehas (Num. xxv. 15). Here " Zur " is only anname for " Balak " (Num.R. l.c.7, 24; Sanh.82s)-

other

J. sk.

G.

L.

Critical View The narrative is drawn from the two old prophetic sources designated (J and E) of the Pentateuch. These in turn may have as their basis some historical incident. In any case the story is a very ancient testimony to the early opposition between the Moabites and the Israelites. The aim of the story is to show that the Hebrews were from the first especial objects of Yhwh's favor. See Ba:

laam. j.

jr.

words:

K.

C. F.

BALANCE (1)

470

been collected for publication by the Royal HungaAcademy of Sciences. The following have appeared so far: "The Elements of Phonetics," Budapest, 1886 (in Hungarian) " Classification and Characteristics of the Hungarian Idioms," Budapest, 1891 (in Hungarian); "Ungarische Phonetik und Formenlehre," prize essay, Budapest, 1895, in German; "Deutsch-Ungarisches Worterbuch," Budapest, 1899; "Die Ungarische Sprache," Budapest, 1899. s. L. V. rian



BALDACHIN. See HurrAii. BALDNESS The Hebrews gave much

care to the cultivation of their hair, which they kept long (compare Ezek. xliv. 20) except on such occasions as are mentioned, Lev. xiii. 45, x. 6, etc. (R.V.), and always well oiled and accordingly considered Baldness as a still greater reproach than did the classical nations (compare II Kings ii. 23, "bald head, "as an abusive term). Nevertheless, Baldness could not have been very rare, if it be considered that the Egyptian wall-paintings figure the old princes and chiefs of the Semites, more often than not, as baldheaded. The same conclusion may be drawn from such passages as Lev. xiii. 40, 41, where Baldness on the crown is referred to, and Baldness in front euphemistically designated as "high forehead," it would seem. Names like Kareah and Korah, which signify "bald," are also quite common. Most of the passages of the Old Testament, however, in regard to Baldness refer to the total or partial shaving of the head as a sign of mourning like cutting the beard, wearing sackcloth, and other disfigurements. In Deut. xiv. 1, "baldness between the eyes [that is, perhaps, on the forehead] for the dead " " to make baldness upon the head " is is forbidden specially prohibited to priests (Lev. xxi. 5 compare



The word is used for three Hebrew "mo'znaim" (Jer. xxxii. 10; Job vi. 2;

—





Ezek.

Numerous passages show that,

Egyptian Weighing Money. (From

Ps.

lxii.

9; Isa. xl. 12, 15; Lev. xix. 36;

Job xxxi.

Prov. xi. 11, etc.). (2) "kaneh" (Isa. xlvi. 6), The Balance, as (3) "peles" (Prov. xvi. 11). used among the Hebrews, consisted probably of a horizontal bar either pivoted on a perpendicular rod (for a similar Egyptian Balance see Erman, "jEgypten," i. 615) or suspended from a cord and held in the hand. At the end of the horizontal bar were either pans or hooks from which the things to be 6;

and

weighed were suspended in bags. Abraham is represented as weighing money (Gen. xxiii. 16); and although the Balance in early days was rather rudely constructed, the weighing could be done accurately. The system was, however, very liable to fraud and the necessity of righteous weights is enforced again and again (Lev. xix. 36; Prov. xvi. 11, xx. 23; Amos viii. 5; Micah vi. 11). See also Weights and

Measures.

BALANDZHAS.

G. B. L.

See Chazar.

BALASSA, JOSEPH:

in pre-exilic Israel,

such shaving (or clipping) was general (compare

Lepsius, " Denkmaler.")

g.

xliv. 20).

Hungarian philologist; born 1864, in Baja, Hungary; studied in Budapest, where he graduated in philosophy, and where he holds a professorship in the gymnasium. His writings upon philology and general phonetics have

Amos

viii.

10; Isa. xv. 2,

Ezek.

vii.

18;

Job

i.

20;

iii.

24 [of women],

Micah

i.

16). " (or

A

xxii. 12;

complete

rather " vulshaving, a " baldness as the eagle ture"; compare R. V. margin), is mentioned. Partial shaving of the corners of the head and beard is referred to and prohibited (Lev. xix. 27). The long temple-locks of the Ashkenazim ("peies") can be traced back to this passage. Opposed to the custom of wearing temple-locks is that of the desert tribes, of always cutting the hair at the sides of the forehead and neck, compare Jer. ix. 26, xxv. 23, xlix. 32 Herodotus, iii. 8 Egyptian representations and





Beard. The mourning custom of

see

" shaving " the head is attributed to the Philistines (Jer. xlvii. 5), to the Moabites (Isa. xv. 2; Jer. xlviii. 37), to the Tyrians (Ezek. xxvii. 31). The customs of most ancient

nations were analogous. If Herodotus is to be trusted, the Egyptians formed, an exception, and shaved the head regularly (Her. iii. 12), but allowed the hair to grow in mourning (idem, ii. 36) see, how;

Wiedemann, "Herodot'sZweitesBuch,"p. 157. on these statements of Herodotus, which are, to say

ever,

the least, of too general a nature to warrant definite conclusions. j.

jr.

W. M. M.