. The pictorial history of Palestine and the Holy land including a complete history of the Jews. where spoken of as oneof the royal counsellors.§ The women in the harem of Solomon were notfewer than one thousand, of whom the Scripture countsseven hundred as wives and three hundred as concu-bines. This distinction may be taken as illustratedby Solomons own classification at a time when hewas younger, and his harem was less extensive, than inthe later day to which the present statement refers: —In my palace are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number. ||Here by qu
. The pictorial history of Palestine and the Holy land including a complete history of the Jews. where spoken of as oneof the royal counsellors.§ The women in the harem of Solomon were notfewer than one thousand, of whom the Scripture countsseven hundred as wives and three hundred as concu-bines. This distinction may be taken as illustratedby Solomons own classification at a time when hewas younger, and his harem was less extensive, than inthe later day to which the present statement refers: —In my palace are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number. ||Here by queens we are probably to understand those of noble parentage, who at the celebration • No separate illustration is provided for this, as we shall presently have occasion to show it in the cut which exhibits anAbyssinian queen on a journey. t Deut. xvii. I7. I For proof of the employment of eunuchs in the harems of Uic Hebrew k ngs, sec 1 Kings xxii. 9 ; 2 Kinf;> viii (>; ix 32, 33;XX. 18; xxiii. II; Jcr. xxxviii. 7; xxxix. 16; xli. 16. § See Jahn, sect. 2H0. 11 Sol. Son ? vi. [Eunuch of the Turkish Seraglio. DOhsson.] Chap. Ill] SOLOMON. 537 of their nuptials brought ample dowries with tliem; by concAibiiies those who were selectedon account of their personal charms, and were married without dowries; and by virgins thosewho were also procured (perhaps purchased) by the royal purveyors on account of theirbeauty, and who were in waiting to be introduced to the royal notice. With the number ofthese Solomon himself does not appear to have been acquainted. Tlie same distributiondoubtless applies to the larger number which now engages our notice. That a large proportion of the whole were foreigners and idolaters is certain. The chiefand favoured wife was undoubtedly the king of Egypts daughter. She is so spoken of bothin the Scripture and by Josephus. This lady is generally believed to be the bride in theCanticles. Of this there appears to us to be very little doubt. B
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