The Scorpions of Palestine—Signification of the word Akrabbim—Habits of the Scorpion—Dangers of mud walls—Venom of the Scorpion—Scorpions at sea—The Scorpion whip, and its use—The Scorpion Pass.
THE Arachnida are represented in Scripture by the Scorpion and Spider.
Scorpions are exceedingly common in Palestine, and to a novice are a constant source of terror until he learns to be accustomed to them. The appearance of the Scorpion is too well known to need description, every one being aware that it is in reality a kind of spider that has the venom claw at the end of its body, and not in its jaw. As to the rendering of the word akrabbim as “Scorpions," there has never been any doubt.
These unpleasant creatures always manage to insinuate themselves in some crevice, and an experienced traveler is cautious where the Scorpions are plentiful, and will never seat himself in the country until he has ascertained that no Scorpions are beneath the stones on or near which he is sitting. Roles in walls are favorite places of refuge for the Scorpion, and are very plentiful, the mud walls always tumbling down in parts, and affording homes for Scorpions, spiders, snakes, and other visitors.
The venom of the Scorpion varies much in potency according to the species and size of the creature, some of the larger Scorpions being able to render a man ill for a considerable time, and even to kill him if he should be a sensitive subject. So much feared were the Scorpions that one of the Chief privileges of the Apostles and their immediate followers was their immunity from the stings of Scorpions and the bite of venomous serpents.
It is said, however, that after a person has been stung once by a Scorpion, he suffers comparatively little the second time, and that if he be stung three or four times, the only pain that he suffers arises from the puncture. Sailors also say that after a week at sea the poison of the Scorpion loses its power and that they care nothing for the Scorpions which are sure to come on board inside the bundles of firewood.
We will now take a few of the Scriptural passages which allude to the Scorpion. As may be expected, most of them refer to the poisonous quality of its sting, though one or two allude to its habit of dwelling in desert places. See, for example, Deut. 8:1515Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; (Deuteronomy 8:15), which forms part of the address that Moses delivered to the Israelites: "Lest.... thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;
"Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water.”
A similar image of desolation is found in Ezek. 2:66And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. (Ezekiel 2:6): "And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briars and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions.”
Those passages which mention the venom of the Scorpion are numerous, though most, if not all, of them occur in the New Testament. See Rey. 9:5: “And to them it was given that they should not kilt them, but that they should be tormented five months, and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man." Also ver. 10 of the same chapter: “And they had tails like unto scorpions: and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.”
The venom of the Scorpion is indirectly mentioned in other passages. There is, for example, the well-known saying of our Lord, “If a son shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?”
(Luke 11:1212Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? (Luke 11:12).) And in the preceding chapter of the same Evangelist Scorpions are classed with serpents in their power of injury: "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
THERE is another reference to the Scorpion in the Old Testament, which requires an explanation. It forms part of the rash counsel given to Rehoboam by his friends: "My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke; my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.”
The general tenure of this passage is evident enough, namely, that he intended to be far more severe that, his father had been. But his words assume a new force when we remember that there was a kind of whip called a Scorpion. This terrible instrument was made for the express purpose of punishing slaves, so that the mere mention of it was an insult. It consisted of several thongs, each of which was loaded with knobs of metal, and tipped with a metal hook, so that it resembled the jointed and hooked tail of the Scorpion. This dreadful instrument of torture could kilt a man by a few blows, and it was even used in combats in the amphitheater, a gladiator armed with a Scorpion being matched against one armed with a spear.
The prevalence of the Scorpion in Palestine and its neighborhood may be inferred from the fact that a wady or pass between the south end of the Dead Sea and Zion was named after it. The southern boundary of Judah is said to be at Maaleh Akrabbim (Josh. 15:33And it went out to the south side to Maaleh-acrabbim, and passed along to Zin, and ascended up on the south side unto Kadesh-barnea, and passed along to Hezron, and went up to Adar, and fetched a compass to Karkaa: (Joshua 15:3)). Now the literal translation of these words is “The Ascent of Scorpions," or The Scorpion Pass.