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529. Mode of Carrying Children

From: Manners and Customs of the Bible

By: James M. Freeman

Narrator: Chris Genthree

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Isaiah 60:4⁴Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. (Isaiah 60:4). Thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.

In the East, children are not only carried on the bosom and on the shoulders (see note on Isa. 49:22²²Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. (Isaiah 49:22)), but also on the hip, and reference is thought to be made to this custom in this text and in Isaiah 66:12¹²For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees. (Isaiah 66:12). Chardin saw the mothers carrying their nursing children astride upon the hip with the arm around the body. Other travelers have noticed the same custom.

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