134. "Took Bread and a Bottle of Water"

"Took Bread and a Bottle of Water"

(Genesis 21:14) "And Abraham took bread and a bottle of water, and gave it to Hagar." The bottles of the East are made of goatskins. When the goat is killed, the head and feet are cut off; then the carcass is drawn out of the skin by turning the skin inside out. It is then tanned, then the places where the head and tail were cut off are sewn together. It is then ready to be filled with water or wine. When filled, it is tied about the neck. The large bottles are he-goat skins and the smaller ones are kids’ skins.

Doubtless this was the kind of bottle that Abraham gave to Hagar when he sent her away. Also this Scripture refers to a skin bottle: "No man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled."

After a time, the continual fires and smoke in an Arab tent dry and blacken his goatskin bottles. This illustrates the Psalmist’s cry, "I am become like a bottle in the smoke" (Psalms 119:83). David had been living in Saul’s palace where they used vessels of gold and silver. At this time he was compelled to live as the wild Arabs, and to drink, like them, out of a smoked goatskin bottle.