CASLUHIM

(Cas·luʹhim).

A son or people descended from Mizraim, the son of Ham. The Biblical record shows that it was the Casluhim “from among whom the Philistines went forth.” (Gen. 10:6, 13, 14; 1 Chron. 1:8, 11, 12) Since other texts speak of the Philistines as coming from Caphtor or Crete (Jer. 47:4; Amos 9:7), some scholars suggest that the above phrase should be transposed so as to come after the last-named descendant of Mizraim, Caphtorim. However, there is no need to assume a contradiction in these texts. The record at Genesis (paralleled by that in Chronicles) is genealogical. The other references to the Philistines as proceeding from Caphtor are likely geographical, indicating a migration from the territory of the Caphtorim.

The Casluhim do not appear elsewhere in the Bible and have left no definite mark in secular history. Aside from their descending from Mizraim, whose name was equivalent to Egypt in Bible times, there is no information to show where they settled.

CASSIA

[Heb., qid·dahʹ; q^etsi·yahʹ].

Although two Hebrew words are used to refer to this plant in the Bible, the Syriac and Targum versions indicate that they apply to the same tree or a product of it. The cassia bark tree (Cinnamomum cassia) now grows in east Asia and is of the same family as the cinnamon tree. It may reach a height of forty feet (12 meters) and has glossy, stiff leaves. The inner bark of the branches (called Cassia lignea), when cut, dries and peels off, rolling itself into tubes, which are then sent to market. The cassia bark is considered inferior to cinnamon bark, being coarser and more pungent. The buds are used as cloves in preparing food dishes, and the mature flowers, when dried, serve for an aromatic incense. The sennas, although also known as cassia, are of a different family and should not be confused with the cassia bark tree.

When the holy anointing oil was prepared at the time of making the tabernacle, cassia was included among the ingredients as one of the “choicest perfumes.” (Ex. 30:23-25) Cassia was prominent among the products in which the merchants and traders of the city of Tyre dealt. (Ezek. 27:19) At Psalm 45:8 the word q^etsi·yahʹ is used to describe the garments of the king as giving off delightful fragrance at the time of his marriage. The only other occurrence of this word is as the name of Job’s second daughter, born after his recovery from illness.—Job 42:14.

[Picture on page 302]

Cassia leaves and buds

CASTLE

The Hebrew word bi·rahʹ, defined as “citadel, acropolis, castle, fortified town, temple,” occurs only in the books of Daniel, Esther, Chronicles and Nehemiah, which were completed between 536 and sometime after 443 B.C.E., following the Babylonish captivity.

Writing in the language of his day, Ezra records David’s calling Solomon’s temple a “castle” when he encouraged the people fully to support its construction.—1 Chron. 29:1, 19.

Nehemiah built a castle or fortress just to the NW of the rebuilt temple, the direction from which the grounds were most vulnerable. (Neh. 2:8; 7:2) Evidently this castle was replaced by the Maccabees and rebuilt by Herod the Great, who named it the Castle of Antonia. It was here that Paul was interrogated by the Roman military commander.—Acts 21:31, 32, 37; 22:24; see ANTONIA, CASTLE OF.

“Shushan the castle,” some 225 miles (362 kilometers) E of Babylon, was a part-time residence of the Persian king. Here Nehemiah worked as a royal cupbearer before leaving for Jerusalem. (Neh. 1:1) Here also was the setting of one of Daniel’s visions. (Dan. 8:2) But “Shushan the castle” is best known as the background for the book of Esther. (Esther 1:2, 5; 3:15; 8:14) “Shushan the castle,” it seems, was not one particular building, but was a complex of royal edifices within a fortified area. This is supported by certain details given in the account. The “house of the women,” where the virgins were prepared for presentation to Ahasuerus, was located there. (Esther 2:3, 8) Before his elevation in the government, Mordecai was daily stationed “in the king’s gate” located “in Shushan the castle.”—Esther 2:5, 21; 3:2-4; see SHUSHAN.

CASTOR

(Casʹtor) and POLLUX (Polʹlux). In classical mythology the sons of Leda, also called Dioscuri, “Sons of Zeus,” indicating both to be offspring of Zeus, who was worshiped as the supreme deity of the Greeks.

Castor and Pollux were venerated by both the Greeks and the Romans. The Gemini constellation, in which Castor and Pollux are the two brightest stars, was viewed as being especially favorable to mariners. Castor and Pollux were, in fact, the patron deities of sailors and were believed to render assistance in time of distress at sea, manifesting themselves during storms in the form of St. Elmo’s fire. Quite in keeping with the nature of these deities, the boat on which Paul as a prisoner set sail from the island of Malta bore the figurehead “Sons of Zeus,” the twin brothers Castor and Pollux.—Acts 28:11.

CATERPILLAR

The larval stage of butterflies or moths. “Caterpillar” translates the Hebrew word ga·zamʹ, thought to be derived from a root meaning “to cut” or one denoting “to shear.” In numbers, caterpillars, like locusts, literally cut or shear away the leaves of vegetation piece by piece, leaf by leaf, until the plant is almost denuded of its greenery. (Joel 1:4; 2:25; Amos 4:9) While the traditional view is that the Hebrew term ga·zamʹ signifies “locust,” the translators of the Septuagint Version used the Greek word kamʹpe, meaning caterpillar. Also, a recent Hebrew and Aramaic lexicon by Koehler and Baumgartner favors translating ga·zamʹ as caterpillar. It is thus rendered, at Joel 1:4; 2:25, in the translation by Isaac Leeser and the New World Translation; “palmerworm” in the Authorized Version; “shearer” in An American Translation.

The colors of caterpillars generally blend in with the immediate surroundings, although some are brightly colored and adorned with striking designs. The caterpillar’s head has short antennae, from two to six simple eyes on each side and strong biting jaws. Aside from the head, it generally has twelve segments or rings, with a pair of jointed, clawed legs attached to each of the first three segments, which legs later develop into those of the adult insect. The six front legs serve for locomotion as well as for holding food in place when the caterpillar is feeding. Most caterpillars have five additional pairs of false or stump legs, each being equipped with a series of hooks. Four pairs of these legs are situated on the sixth to the ninth segments respectively and one pair on the last segment.

Caterpillars are almost exclusively vegetarian. Their appetites are voracious, some caterpillars consuming twice their own weight of greenery in a day. Hence, in large numbers they cause no little damage to