4/17/03 
 LIBRARY OF THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 
 
 PRINCETON, N. J. 
 
 From the library of 
 PROF. WILLIAM HEimY GREEN 
 
 Di 
 SrrI 
 
 \Q3(o 
 
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 jUU U . / ^-^^ 
 

 AN ATTEMPT 
 
 •lOWARDS 
 
 ''*f^'C*v^^^^S 
 
 AN IMPROVED VERSION^"^ "^ 
 
 JMETRICAL ARRANGEMENT, AND AN EXPLANATION, 
 
 OF THE 
 
 TWELVE MINOR PROPHETS. 
 
 BY WILLIAM NEWCOME, D.D. 
 
 rUIMATE OF IRELAND. 
 
 Note greatly "ffinlargeti antJ EmprolJcTj. 
 
 WITH ALL THE PRINCIPAL NOTES, AND A COMPARISON OF THF, VARIOUS 
 RENDERINGS OF 
 
 DR. HORSLEY, ON HOSEA, 
 
 AND 
 
 DR. BLAYNEY, ON ZECHARIAH. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PRINTED FOR THOMAS TEGG AND SON, 
 
 73, CHEAP9IDE. 
 U GRIFFIN AND CO., GLASGOW; AND TEG<J ANO CO., DUBLIN. 
 
 MDCrCXXXVI. 
 
J. HhiI(|ii|i Hurl Ci. , UiicttM?' Ikunil 
 
ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 The Editor of this Edition, in apologizing for the 
 delay attending its publication, has only to refer to 
 the anxiety he felt, that so valuable a work might be 
 presented to the public without those " numerous 
 errata" which the Rev. T. Hartwell Home complains 
 of as defacing the former octavo Edition. He has also 
 carefully compared every reference to the works of 
 Blayney and Horsley, and has introduced very many 
 additional Notes and Illustrations, which cannot fail 
 to render the present Edition more acceptable and 
 useful to the Biblical Student. 
 
 J. Harrison. 
 Hoxton, July 13, 1836. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 God raised up a succession of prophets among his 
 people for many wise and gracious purposes. They 
 were not only designed to retain the Jews in the 
 worship of the one true God ; but to spread the know- 
 ledge of him among the neighbouring nations, by the 
 fame of their predictions and miracles. They were a 
 barrier against those prevailing kinds of superstition 
 which consisted in the supposed evocation of departed 
 spirits, and in consulting imaginary local deities, for 
 the purpose of gratifying the natural thirst which all 
 mankind have for the knowledge of futurity. And 
 though the answers which God occasionally vouch- 
 safed to the high priest, by a voice from between the 
 Cherubim, were greatly subservient to these ends ; yet 
 was it expedient that prophecy should pervade the 
 whole body of the people, and that events should be 
 foretold which from their nature could not be the 
 object of inquiry by the sacred oracle, or at a time 
 when idolatry was so general that these solemn appli- 
 cations to God were wholly neglected. It must also 
 be observed, that the attestations given by the pro- 
 phets to the Mosaic law, their instructions and exhor- 
 
Vi PREFACE. . 
 
 tations, tlieir reproofs and threatenings, were powerful 
 means of preserving the Jews in obedience, and 
 eminent displays of the divine goodness and com- 
 passion. Another design in sending the prophets was, 
 that, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, they 
 mio-ht* record God's dealings with his people and 
 other adjoining nations and empires ; and might thus 
 transmit to after ages a most instructive history of his 
 adorable ways in governing the world. fJosephus 
 asserts that, from the death of Moses to the reign of 
 Artaxerxes, the prophets who succeeded that legislator 
 wrote the transactions of their own times ; and that the 
 Jewish historians from Artaxerxes downwards were not 
 esteemed worthy of like credit, because there had not 
 been a regular succession of prophets. This assertion 
 is confirmed by the sacred writers ; who mention the 
 names of many prophets as having recorded the affairs 
 of the Jewish nation. A further and most important 
 reason for instituting the prophetic order was, that, by 
 a long series of predictions, the attention of the Jews 
 might be turned to the coming of their Messiah ; and 
 that the faith of succeeding ages in that great event 
 might be thus confirmed. 
 
 The writings of these prophets bear plain signa- 
 tures of their divine authority. Examine the books 
 of the Greek and Roman sages ; and observe what 
 discordant opinions they contain on almost every 
 point of theology and philosophy. But in the Hebrew 
 
 * See 1 ChroD. xxix. 29 : 2 Chron. ix. 29 : compared with 1 Kings xi. 29 : 2 
 Chron. xii. 15 : xiii. 22 : xx. 34 : compared with 1 Kings xvi. 1—7 : 2 Chron. 
 xxxii. 32 : xxxiii. 19. 
 
 t Conlr. A p. i. 8. 
 
PREFACE. Vli 
 
 prophets there is a wonderful harmony of doctrine for 
 above a * thousand years ; unparalleled in the writings 
 of any country. History teaches us that a great 
 number of their prophecies have been accomplished ; 
 and we know that some of them are accomplishing at 
 this day. It also peculiarly deserves our notice, that 
 these holy men entertained the most worthy concep- 
 tions of the Deity in the midst of an idolatrous nation ; 
 and inculcated the supreme excellence of moral duties, 
 when all around them, even the few worshippers of 
 Jehovah himself, were solely intent on ritual observ- 
 ances. 
 
 The writings which these men of God have trans- 
 mitted down to us will be eminently useful in every 
 age of the Christian church ; not only as they contain 
 illustrious prophecies of many events, and especially 
 of our blessed Lord's appearance, but for their magni- 
 ficent descriptions of the Deity, for their animating 
 lessons of piety and virtue, and for the indignation 
 which they express, and the punishments which they 
 denounce against idolatry and vice : which particular 
 topics, among many other instructive and important 
 ones, are treated by them with uncommon variety, 
 beauty, and sublimity, and with an authority becoming 
 ambassadors of the Most High. 
 
 The Twelve Minor Prophets, as they are commonly 
 distinguished, have been justly deemed as obscure a 
 part of the Hebrew scriptures as any extant. This 
 obscurity partly arises from the nature of the Hebrew 
 
 * From Moses before Christ about 1500 ; to Malachi before Christ about 436. 
 
 B 2 
 
VIU PREFACE. 
 
 language, whicli is singularly concise, deals much in 
 asyndeta, has few moods and tenses, often omits the 
 preposition, gives various and nice significations to its 
 particles, and as its remains are comprehended in one 
 book, must of course contain words and phrases, 
 about the meaning of which, as they occur perhaps 
 but once, we can only form conjectures from the con- 
 text or from analogous terms in the sister-dialects. 
 Other causes of the difficulties with which these 
 prophetical writings abound are, the want of historical 
 records for the illustration of many facts to which they 
 refer ; the nature of those unaccomplished prophecies 
 which occur in them, and which the event alone can 
 distinctly explain ; the peculiar boldness of their 
 figures and abruptness of their transitions ; and, above 
 all, the many corruptions which deform the present 
 text. These errors of transcribers arise either from 
 sources common to all books of remote antiquity, or 
 from some which are proper to the Hebrew language; 
 such as the similitude of ,many letters, and the conse- 
 quence of a mistake in the radical ones, which 
 generally corrects itself in the western languages, and 
 as generally forms a new Hebrew word, because the 
 roots are mostly triliteral and often consist of the 
 same letters differently arranged. 
 
 But though patient investigation and critical skill 
 are necessary to combat these difficulties, they are by 
 no means invincible ; as the ignorance of some, and 
 the prejudices of others, have studiously represented 
 them. They are happily counterbalanced by peculiar 
 advantages. As Hebrew derivatives frequently branch 
 off from the leading idea of the root, this property of 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 the language leads to a just and elegant manner of 
 ascertaining their sense. Examples of this perpetually 
 occur in Taylor's Hebrew Concordance : but there is 
 still ample room for the sagacity and industry of 
 every competent inquirer. The characteristic style of 
 the Hebrew poets., who delight in subjoining to 
 one proposition a corresponding clause which has an 
 equivalent or opposite sense, affords frequent explana- 
 tions of obscure passages by the parallelism. The 
 similar structure of many connected hemistichs occa- 
 sionally serves to rectify the Masoretic punctuation, 
 and to give the sentence a beautiful turn. The sister 
 languages determine the precise meaning of many 
 words and phrases ; and teach us to estimate the force 
 of many daring figures. The ancient translators and 
 paraphrasts open fruitful sources of criticism. Excel- 
 lent lexicons and concordances facilitate the prosecu- 
 tion of philological inquiries. Many commentators 
 have considered the sacred writings in different views, 
 according to their taste and genius ; and though the 
 name has been disgraced by a number of hireling 
 compilers, yet no competent critic has carefully 
 studied the Scriptures for himself without smoothing 
 the ruggedness of the way to those who follow him. 
 It must also be observed, that the sacred books con- 
 stantly receive new light by the increasing number of 
 authentic travels to the east ; where ancient customs 
 are invariably retained. The collation of Hebrew 
 MSS. by the late learned and indefatigable Doctor 
 Kennicott, a fit instrument in the hands of Providence 
 for planning and executing this great work, forms an 
 invaluable accession to our external helps. It will 
 appear in the following notes, that the variations fur- 
 
PliEFACE. 
 
 nislied by MSS. are corroborated by the ancient ver- 
 sions ; and, therefore, that these principal aids in our 
 critical researches bear mutual testimony to their 
 respective authority. The MSS. make it probable 
 that the versions faithfully represent the text from 
 w^hich they vv^ere formed ; and the versions tend to 
 prove that the present readings of MSS. are not 
 mistakes of transcribers, but actually existed in cer- 
 tain ancient copies. The various lections, noted in 
 the course of this work as worthy of nice attention, 
 amount to more than one hundred ; and of these about 
 forty may be ranked in the class of very material ones ; 
 and yet the books explained do not form a fourteenth 
 part of the Hebrew scriptures ; and the collations 
 were not minutely examined throughout, but inspected 
 when difficulties arose. 
 
 However, there is still abundant reason for extend- 
 ing our helps in so important and difficult a study as 
 that of the Hebrew scriptures. We want a collation 
 of all the Hebrew MSS. in every part : a great * 
 number having been examined by Doctor Kennicott, 
 or his coadjutors, only in select places. It is also 
 desirable that the ancient versions and paraphrases 
 should be collated with all the MSS. extant; that 
 each should be printed apart, with an arrangement of 
 the various readings at the foot of the page ; and that 
 a scrupulously faithful interlineary version should be 
 given of those in the eastern languages. In the fol- 
 lowing pages, the reader will have occasion to observe 
 how materially the Aldine edition and the f Pacho- 
 
 * 349. Sec Diss. gen. p. 91—108. 
 t So called fioin its ancient proprietor I'iiciionuus, a putriaich of Constan- 
 
PREFACE. XI 
 
 mian MS. of the Seventy differ from the Alexandrian 
 and Vatican copies : and it will appear, by extracts from 
 Sixtus Quintus's edition, that there are rich treasures 
 in the Vatican library, relating to this venerable 
 translation, which still remain unexplored. 
 
 The learned world has been lately informed that the 
 most useful part of Origen's hexapla and tetrapla, in a 
 Syriac version, is now extant in the Ambrosian library 
 at Milan. This MS. contains, of he canonical scrip- 
 tures, the Psalms, Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the 
 Song of Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah and the Lamenta- 
 tions, Ezekiel, Daniel, and the Twelve Minor Pro- 
 phets. It is written in the Estrangular character; 
 and has all the apparatus of Origen's marks, together 
 with Scholia of Greek and Syriac Fathers, and anno- 
 tations of various interpreters. There is a preface to 
 almost all the books ; which, among other particulars, 
 explains the arguments of the chapters : and to each 
 book is subjoined a well written appendix, the subjects 
 of which are, an account of the author, the fate of the 
 book, and the age of the version. The history of the 
 authors, the ancient music and its instruments, the 
 arguments of the Psalms by Eusebius and Pamphilus, 
 the Hebrew proper names alphabetically arranged, 
 and the life of Origen, are enlarged on in a copious 
 preface to the Psalms. This particular copy of the 
 Syriac version was written in the eighth or ninth 
 century, and was purchased in Egypt, and deposited 
 in the Ambrosian library, by Cardinal Borromeo. 
 
 tiiiople. It is in the British JMuseum ; and is supposed to have been wriilen 
 some time between the tenth and iwell'th centuries. See more in Bishop Lowth's 
 preface to Isaiah, p. Ixvii. 
 
Xll PUEFACE, 
 
 The version itself was formed, A. D. 617, from the 
 Greek of the Septuagint, and of Aquila, Symmachus, 
 and Theodotian : and sometimes the letter y occurs 
 in the margin, and denotes the Hebrew text. The 
 Greek copy, which the Syriac translator used, was 
 transcribed, collated, and corrected, by Eusebius and 
 Pamphilus, from the tetrapla and hexapla of Origen in 
 the Cesarean library, at Alexandria. The learned 
 Professor, to whom we are indebted for this * account, 
 has given two extracts from this MS. in a f letter to 
 the Bishop of London ; namely, Dan. ix. 24 — 27, and 
 Isaiah ix. 6, 7 ; and communicates the following cu- 
 rious information on this subject; " The Syriac Milan 
 MS. — is found to be a second volume of that copy 
 from the first of which Masius published his transla- 
 tion of Joshua. The MS. of Masius has since disap- 
 peared, and the recovery of it is an idea more likely 
 to excite our wishes than our hopes. The Pentateuch, 
 I must observe, had before been lost from this faithful 
 Syriac translation ; but it is fortunately preserved in 
 the Bodleian library, in an Arabic version of the same 
 Syriac. Of this Arabic version, a collation was in- 
 deed made for Dr. Grabe ; but so very imperfect a 
 one, as to be highly capable of improvement." 
 
 The publication of these MSS., with a Latin ver- 
 sion annexed, would be of singular use for the so- 
 lution of objections to the scriptures, the illustration 
 of their obscurities, and the discovery of new beauties 
 in the sacred volume : and, I trust, that the natural 
 
 • See Mr. White's sermon on a revisal of our English translation. Oxford. 
 1779. 
 
 f Piiiilcd at Oxford in RiDCCLXXIX, but not published. 
 
PREFACE. XUl 
 
 patrons of biblical learning, I mean societies founded 
 for the advancement of religious knowledge and the 
 higher ecclesiastics, will soon enable every scholar to 
 command this inestimable treasure. The execution 
 of such a work calls for their encouragement; and, 
 indeed, may well be considered as a national object in 
 a Christian country*. 
 
 Under the head of accessions to our scriptural 
 helps, it may not be improper to suggest the idea of 
 an improved Hebrew lexicon and concordance. To 
 Castell's lexicon, a work of immense labour and learn- 
 ing, might be added a more complete detail of signifi- 
 cations belonging to each Hebrew word, a deduction 
 of the subordinate senses from the primary one, and a 
 reference to the roots in the kindred tongues, consist- 
 ing of t letters equivalent to the Hebrew radicals. 
 The principal defects in Taylor's concordance are, 
 that, in assigning senses to the Hebrew words, he too 
 frequently assumes, as a principle, the exactness of 
 our English version; and that his work consists of 
 references to the text, instead of clauses which would 
 exemplify the grammatical use of the word. It is 
 true, that to dispose of Buxtorf 's quotations in his own 
 admirable method, with a Latin rendering, after the 
 
 * " Mr. Norberg, a learned Swede, who spent some time in biblical studies at 
 Oxford, was induced, by my persuasion, to visit Milan, for the sole purpose of 
 transcribing that volume in the Ambrosian Library. I have since heard that he 
 has completed his transcript." Extract of a private letter from Mr. White. 
 May 5, 1784. 
 
 Mr. White's attention to so important a matter cannot be too highly com- 
 mended. It is much to be wished that this transcript was immediately pur- 
 chased, and deposited in some public library till the press could be employed 
 about it. 
 
 t Thus, under mv; ihc woid ^^n should be referred to 
 
-"^IV PREFACE. 
 
 manner of Romaine's Calasio, and with a precise 
 explanation of the word after the general manner of 
 Taylor, would make a voluminous and expensive 
 work : but I am speaking- of a perfect concordance to 
 a book which is an inexhaustible storehouse of divine 
 truths. 
 
 And yet I am persuaded that, with every aid which 
 could be furnished, there would still be a necessity for 
 sober conjectural criticism : because there are in- 
 veterate errors in the text, prior to our most ancient 
 external help, the Septuagint version ; and because 
 many evident errors remain uncorrected by MSS., the 
 oldest of which does not exceed eight hundred years. 
 
 The method of translating the prophetical books, 
 according to their supposed measure, is adopted from 
 the learned Bishop Lowtli, who has copiously and 
 acutely treated the subject of Hebrew versification in 
 his Academical Prelections, in his brief and larger 
 confutation of Hare's metre, and in the preface to his 
 very able and very useful comment on Isaiah. Many 
 will think that I have carried this hypothesis too far 
 in some parts of my translation, but I followed it 
 when there appeared a remote probability of its truth ; 
 and readily grant that some parts may be prosaic to 
 which I have given a metrical form. However, all 
 discerning readers will admit that the Hebrew poets 
 conduct and diversify their distinguishing mode of 
 poetical composition with supreme skill and beauty. 
 The synonymous parallelism, which repeats the sense 
 of a former clause in different words, is considered as 
 one kind of cpiphonema by Demetrius Phalereus, and 
 
PREFACE. XV 
 
 is placed by him among the embellishments of style. 
 He gives this instance : — 
 
 O'lav Tctv vaKivQov tv ovoitn TrointvsQ av^peg 
 noffffi KatafXTtijiovai, — x^t'^^'^ ^* '"' Trop^i/poj^ avdog. 
 As when a mountaia hyacinth the shepherds 
 Tread under fool, — and to the ground incline 
 The purple flower. 
 
 The part which follows the line is superadded, accord- 
 ing to this * rhetorician, for the purpose of giving 
 ornament and beauty to the sentence. And, to abate 
 the fastidiousness of some critics with respect to the 
 Hebrew style of poetry, I shall produce a few similar 
 instances, among many which occur in the ^neid 
 itself. 
 
 Turn vero omne niihi visum est considere m ignes 
 Ilium, — et ex imo verti Neptunia Troja. 
 
 Trojaque nunc stares — Priamique arx alta maneres. 
 
 Apparet domus intus — et atria longa patescunt. 
 
 Venit summa dies — et ineluctabile tern pus. 
 
 Sed si tantus amor casus cognoscere nostros 
 
 Et breyiter Trojse supremum audire laborem. 
 
 Vulnus alit venis — et caeco carpitur igni. 
 
 Nay, there are examples in Virgil resembling the 
 most pleonastic parts of the Hebrew poetry. 
 
 Quantum illi nocuere greges, — durique venenum 
 Dentisj — et admorso signata in stirpe cicatrix. 
 
 Georg. ii. 377- 
 
 Postquam res Asiee, — Priamique evertere gentem 
 Immeritam visum superis, — ceciditque superbum 
 Tliunij — et omnis humo fumat Neptunia Troja. 
 
 * P. 78. § lOG cd. Glasg. 
 
XVI PREFACE. 
 
 But synonymous parallel liemistichs are most beauti- 
 ful, when a literal clause is succeeded by a figurative 
 one. As : — 
 
 Thou hast shewed thy people hard things : 
 
 Thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment. 
 
 Ps. Ix. 3. 
 
 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee ; 
 
 Our * secret sins in the light of thy countenance. 
 
 Ps. xc. 8. 
 
 With shouting in the day of battle ; 
 
 With a whirlwind in the day of tempest. Amos i. 14. 
 
 Instances of this kind occur also in the classical 
 writers. As : — ■ 
 
 JEre ciere viros — Martemque accendere cantu. JEn. vi. 165, 
 Defendit numerus — ^junctseque umbone phalanges. Juv. ii. 4G. 
 
 But though I consider the hypothesis of dividing 
 the prophetical books into liemistichs, as founded on 
 analogy, and as very ingenious and probable ; yet, 
 from our imperfect acquaintance with the subject, 
 doubts must always remain, not only as to the division 
 of particular lines which appear to have a poetical 
 cast, but as to passages of some length, whether they 
 resolve themselves into measure or not. To us it 
 often appears mere matter of taste, whether five He- 
 brew words constitute two lines or one. Thus, 
 
 " Blow ye the trumpet in Gibeah^ a7id the cornet in 
 Ramali," 
 
 * 46 MSS. and three cd. read plurally abscoiidilu noslra, inserting the * before 
 the affix 13. 
 
PREFACE. Xvii 
 
 may perhaps admit of another distribution : — 
 
 " Blow ye the trumpet in Gibeah, 
 
 And the cornet in Ramah." Hos. v. 8. 
 
 And Bishop Lowth thinks the prophet Haggai is 
 wholly prosaic :* but, before this authority was ob- 
 served, the following translation had been formed on 
 the conjecture that great part of this book admitted of 
 a metrical division. 
 
 I have enjoyed the advantage of some particular 
 assistances, in addition to those which the press 
 affords. The notes ascribed to Dr. Durell, Principal 
 of Hertfort College in the University of Oxford, were 
 formerly communicated to me by a late pious, benevo- 
 lent, and learned friend ; with his permission to tran- 
 scribe any part of them. The Legatee of the late 
 Doctor Wheeler, Canon of Christchurch, and Regius 
 Professor of Divinity in the University of Oxford, in 
 whose premature death the learned world sustained a 
 great loss, furnished me with his translations of Hosea 
 to chap. X. 5 ; of all Micah, with a rough copy of it 
 to chap. ii. 10 ; of all Nahum, with an improved tran- 
 script to chap. ii. 2 ; Zephaniah, chap. i. to ver. 14 ; 
 and of all Habakkuk, with a less correct duplicate. 
 The lines are metrically divided, and very rarely differ 
 in their pauses from those which follow : but the 
 death of this very superior scholar and orientalist has 
 deprived us of his remarks. The present Archbishop 
 of Canterbury has favoured me in the most friendly 
 manner with the use of Archbishop Seeker's notes on 
 
 * Omnino prosaicus : Prael. Hebr. xxi. p. 282. ed. 2. 8vo. 
 
XVin PREFACE. 
 
 the books which I have attempted to illustrate : and 
 I am much indebted to the learned Mr. Woide of the 
 British Museum, not only for copying these notes, but 
 for furnishing me with some of Professor Michael is's 
 observations from his Bibliotheca Hebraea, and with 
 collations of a Coptic* version made in the second cen- 
 tury, and of MS. Pachom., as far as my subject re- 
 cjuired them. The public has also the benefit of a 
 curious communication on Haggai ii. 6 — 9, from Doc- 
 tor Heberden ; who is no less eminent for his literary 
 than for his medical abilities, and no less a patron 
 than a judge of learning. 
 
 One design of engaging in the present arduous 
 province was to recommend, and, in a small degree, 
 to facilitate, an improved English version of the scrip- 
 tures; than which nothing could be more beneficial to 
 the cause of religion, or more honourable to the reign 
 and age in which it was patronized and executed. 
 The reasons for its expediency are, the mistakes, im- 
 perfections, and many invincible obscurities of our 
 present version ; the accession of various helps since 
 the execution of that work ; the advanced state of 
 learning ; and our emancipation from slavery to the 
 Masoretic points, and to the Hebrew text as absolutely 
 uncorrupt. 
 
 I shall subjoin some rules for the conduct of such a 
 work ; which are submitted to the learned with much 
 deference; and that the wisdom of many may correct 
 the imperfect ideas of an individual. It is expedient 
 
 * See Bishop Lowtli's preface to Isaiah, p. 67. 
 
PREFACE. Xix 
 
 that in the first place, a previous plan for a uniform 
 translation should be deliberately adjusted. A com- 
 mittee of learned men should then be appointed by 
 proper authority ; who should invite every scholar to 
 contribute his remarks ; who should have their respec- 
 tive parts assigned them ; and, after the performance 
 of their allotted tasks, should amicably * unite in ad- 
 vancing the whole to its proper degree of perfection. 
 
 RuL?: I. The translator should express every 
 word in the original by a literal rendering, 
 where the English idiom admits of it; and where 
 not only purity, but perspicuity, and dignity of ex- 
 pression can be preserved. 
 
 For thus the translator shows how he reads the 
 original text; and not only the matter of the 
 scriptures, but the peculiar turn of language in 
 them, will be faithfully represented. 
 
 Isaiah Ixiii. 13, we read : — 
 
 ibira' Nb ^2^r3n didd manna aa^bio of which the com- 
 mon English version is : " That led them through the 
 deep, as a horse in the wilderness, that they should 
 not stumble." And Bishop Lowth's :'\ 
 
 " Leading them through the abyss, like a courser in the 
 plain, without obstacle." 
 
 * The translators in King James's time took an excellent way. That part of 
 the Bible was given to him who was most excellent in such a tongue ; and then 
 they met together, and one read the translation, the rest holding in their hands 
 some Bible, either of the learned tongues, or French, Spanish, Italian, &c. If 
 they found any fault, they spoke, if not, he read on. Selden iii. 2009. 
 
 t This truly learned and ingenious prelate has contributed more than any 
 
XX PREFACE. 
 
 As there is a participle, n^Vw, in the Hebrew ; leading 
 is preferable to tliat led: but -hvz^- k"?, ut no impin- 
 gant, is not so well rendered by without obstacle. So 
 in the three following passages I prefer the literal 
 rendering : 
 
 literally, 
 
 literally, 
 
 " For the Lord Jehovah is my helper." 
 
 Bp. Loivth. Isa. 1. 7 
 
 " helpeth me." 
 
 Who reverseth the devices of the sages." 
 
 Bj). Lowth. Isa. xliv. 25. 
 
 " Who turneth wise men backward." 
 
 Ejiglish Version. 
 
 " And Hezekiah was rejoiced at their arrival." 
 
 Bp. Lowlh. Isa. xxxix. 2. 
 
 literally, 
 
 " because of them, nn^'rij;. 
 
 For this rule excludes, 
 
 1 . Unnecessary paraphrase. As, 
 
 " I Jehovah am the author of all these things." 
 
 Bp. Lmvth. Isa. xlv. 7- 
 " do." — Enel. vers. Hebr. nu-iy 4 MSS. faciens sum. 
 
 for 
 
 A God that uttereth truth, and granteth salvation." 
 
 Bp. Lowlh. Isa. xlv. 21. 
 
 " A righteous God and a Saviour." 
 
 writer of the age towards enabling us to understand the sense of the Hebrew 
 scriptures, to taste their beauties, and to restore their integrity by the rules of 
 sound criticism. His exposition of Isaiah is the best commentary extant on any 
 part of the Old Testament. His translation represents the meaning of the 
 original with great judgment and learning. My objections lie, not against his 
 interpretations, but only against the mode of rendering which he has occasionally 
 adopted : and I have freely stated them, because I consider the subject as an 
 important one, and because 1 feel the weight which a name of such eminence 
 carries with it. 
 
for, 
 
 J»REFACE. Xxi 
 
 " And mine arm shall dispense judgment to the peoples." 
 
 Bp. Lowih. Isa. li. 5. 
 " shall judge." — Engl. vers. 
 
 "■ Then shall we be struck at once with admiration and 
 terror." Isa. xli. 23. 
 
 " That we may wonder and may fear together." 
 
 # 
 
 In like manner the learned Mr. Blayney has, 
 
 " A seed of a genuine quality." Jer. ii. 21. 
 
 " A right seed." — Engl. vers. 
 
 " Who puttest the righteous to trial." Jer. xx. 12. 
 " That triest the righteous." — Engl. vers. 
 
 " In an evil, and not in a friendly manner." Jer. xxi. 10. 
 " For evil and not for good." — Engl. vers. 
 
 " Intentions of peace, and not of hurtful tendency." 
 
 Jer. xxix. 11. 
 " Thoughts of peace, and not of evil." — Engl. vers. 
 
 2. The rule excludes defective translations. 
 
 The thirty-sixth chapter of Isaiah begins, in Bishop 
 Lowth's version, " In the fourteenth year of King 
 Hezekiah," &c. 'n«i " Now it came to pass" being 
 omitted. The Bishop also leaves iokV " saying" un- 
 translated, chap, xxxvi. 21. 
 
 3. The rule excludes ungrammatical forms of ex- 
 pression. 
 
 * See his elaborate and useful comment on Jeremiah, 4to. Oxford, 1784. 
 
 C 
 
rREFACE. 
 
 The English version is in general very accurate : 
 but, Isa. xliv. 24, we find, " I am the Lord that 
 maketh all tilings, that stretcheth forth the heavens 
 alone, that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself:" 
 for, make, stretch, spread. See Bp. Lowth's Grammar, 
 London, 2nd edit. p. 149. And Matt. v. 23, we read, 
 "Therefore, if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there 
 rememberest that thy brother hath ought against 
 thee ;" &c. for, remember. 
 
 4. The rule excludes obscure renderings. 
 
 I speak rather of obscurities into which translators 
 are apt to fall, than of those unpardonable ones which 
 are owing to a departure from the rules of good 
 writing. 
 
 Retaining mere Hebraisms would be one source of 
 obscurity. Thus Ainsworth renders Ps. xcv. 2, " Let 
 us prevent his face with thanksgiving :" but we find 
 in our English version, " Let us come before his pre- 
 sence," &c. Of this kind there are some instances in 
 Mr. Blayney's translation. As Jer. xl. 4. " If it 
 seem good unto thee to come with me to Babylon, 
 come ; and I will set mine eyes upon thee." " And I 
 will look well unto thee." — Engl. vers. 
 
 " Give thyself no rest, let not the daughter of thine eye 
 stand still." Lam. ii. 18. 
 
 " Let not the apple of thine eye cease." — Engl. vers. 
 
 Another source of obscurity is, the use of such ob- 
 solete, foreign, and learned words or phrases as are 
 
PREFACE. XXIU 
 
 for the most part unintelligible. An authorized trans- 
 lation of the Bible should be adapted to the capacity 
 of common readers ; and therefore this kind of diction 
 should be avoided, except where the idea is of such a 
 nature that it ought to be conveyed indirectly. Some 
 passages in our version are now of so antiquated a 
 turn as not to be understood by the generality of 
 scholars. As Judges ix. 53 : " And a certain woman 
 cast a piece of a mill-stone upon Abimelech's head, 
 and * all to brake his skull ;" that is, " utterly, alto- 
 gether, brake : y^m et fregit." And again, Ezek. 
 XXX. 2. " Wo worth the day ;" that is, " befal." 
 Worth, esse, fieri. Jun. avb nn, " vee diei." It must 
 always be remembered that Bp. Lowth's version is 
 designed for the learned : in one for vulgar use 
 .so}'ec for choice vine, hades for the grave, or pit, or 
 place of the dead, masl'm for mixed provender, ile.v for 
 green oak, coune f for covered carriage, &c. would be 
 clearly inadmissible. In the New Testament, some 
 Greek words are retained, as " phylacteries," Matt. 
 xxiii. 5, which may be rendered " frontlets," or 
 '* scrolls," and " anathema," 1 Cor. xvi. 22, to which 
 I prefer *' accursed :[:." There are three ways of pro- 
 ceeding as to Hebrew or Hebrew-Syriac words ; ad- 
 mitting them into the text, and rendering them in the 
 margin, as our translators do ; rendering them in the 
 text, as for " Maran atha," 1 Cor. xvi. 22, " Our Lord 
 Cometh ;" or both retaining and rendering them in the 
 
 * All that he hytte he alto Trapped. Archaeol. v. 386. i. e. entirely brake in 
 pieces. 
 
 t A word formed from the Latin covinus, the root o^ which is cavus ; and there- 
 fore corresponding to the Hebrew av vehiculum cameratum, vel testudinatum. 
 
 t Margin, a curse. 
 
 c 2 
 
Xxiv PREFACE. 
 
 text, as " Maraii atlia, that is to say, Our Lord cometh" 
 I incline to recommend the last way. 
 
 In their preface, our translators thus express them- 
 selves on this subject. " We have shunned the ob- 
 scurity of the Papists, in their azymes, tunike, rational, 
 holocauste, prepuce, pasche, and a number of such like, 
 whereof their late translation is full, and that of pur- 
 pose to darken the sense : that, since they must needs 
 translate the Bible, yet by the language thereof it 
 may be kept from being understood. But we desire 
 that the scripture may speak like itself, as in the lan- 
 guage of Canaan, that it may be understood even of 
 the very vulgar." 
 
 5. The rule excludes debased and oifensive terms 
 or phrases. 
 
 Ezek. xvi. 43, we read, " Because thou hast 
 fretted me in all these things." The word is elsewhere 
 rendered " provoked." Isaiah, Ixiv. 6, the English 
 version has, " And all our righteousnesses are as filthy 
 rags :" which Bishop Lowth translates, " like a re- 
 jected garment ;" in more dignified language, as well 
 as nearer to the original. But Isa. xxxvii. 4, the com- 
 mon translation " Wherefore lift up thy prayer for the 
 remnant that is left " [Margin, found] has more exact- 
 ness and dignity than, " And do thou offer up thy 
 prayer for the poor remains of the people." Bp. Lowth. 
 Matt. xvii. 15, Doctor Scott renders kokwc Tao-xft "i'* 
 grievously handled." With respect to the other part 
 of the rule. Doctor Delany, in his life of David, very 
 properly proposes to translate such passages as occur 
 
PREFACE. XXV 
 
 1 Kings xiv. 10, " him that watereth against the 
 wall." And Mr. Blayney's translation, 
 
 " Jerusalem is become as one [^rather, as a woman] set 
 apart for unclean among them," Lam. i. 17- 
 
 is preferable to that of our English translators. 
 
 An exception to this rule may be admitted, when 
 an ancient custom cannot be expressed in a translation 
 without perplexing common readers. Thus, though the 
 Jews in our Lord's time reclined at their meals avaKXivu) 
 and avaKHfxai may be rendered to sit clown, and not to 
 lie down. 
 
 Rule II. Where the English idiom requires a 
 paraphrase, it should be so formed as to compre- 
 hend the original word or phrase; and the supple- 
 mental part should stand in Italics ; except where 
 harshness of language arises from pursuing this 
 method. 
 
 Isaiah i. 4, Bishop Lowth's translation of -nnx niD is, 
 " They are estranged from him, they have turned their 
 back upon him." The Vulgate and the Seventy ren- 
 der more happily : abalienati sunt retrorsum; aTDjAAo- 
 TpiwQnaav uq ra omauj. Our translators have, " They 
 are gone backward. Heb. alienated or separated." 
 The root being tit, as about forty MSS. and one edi- 
 tion * read in™, according to the rule we should trans- 
 late, " They are estranged from him, they have gone 
 backward." So Luke ix. 53, may be rendered, " Be- 
 
 * So Ezek. xiv. 5. twelve MSS. and two ed. read tiiij. 
 
XXVI PREFACE. 
 
 cause his face was as though he was going to Jeru- 
 salem." Ps. cix. 4, our translators properly suggest 
 an idea of the conciseness in the original, when they 
 render, " But I give myself unto prayer." But where 
 the diction becomes inelegant from the observance of 
 this rule, it may be neglected. Thus, Habakkuk i. 6, 
 many may prefer, 
 
 " Who go over the breadth of the earthy 
 To possess dwelling-places not their own ;" 
 
 To 
 
 ■ which belong not unto* them. 
 
 Rule III. Where a verbal translation cannot be 
 thus interwoven, one equivalent to it, and which im- 
 plies the reading in the original, should be substi- 
 tuted ; and the idiom in the text should be literally 
 rendered in the margin. 
 
 By observing the second and third rules, the ge- 
 nius of the original languages will be shown ; and 
 the reader unskilled in them will be best enabled to 
 interpret for himself. 
 
 Thus Bishop Lowth renders Isaiah v. 1, 
 
 " My beloved had a vineyard 
 On a high and fruitful hill." 
 
 " In a very fruitful hill " 
 
 is the less exact version of our translators. Here the 
 marginal rendering should be, on a horn, the son of oil. 
 
 Rule IV. The same original word, and its deri- 
 vatives, according to the leading different senses, 
 
 • Heb. it. 
 
PREFACE. XXVll 
 
 and also the same phrase, should be respectively 
 translated by the same corresponding English word 
 or phrase, except where a distinct representation of 
 a general idea, or the nature of the English lan- 
 guage, or the avoiding of an ambiguity, or harmony 
 of sound, require a different mode of expression. 
 
 In their preface, we learn the sentiments of our 
 translators on this subject ; and, from their manner of 
 stating them, may collect that a difference of opinion 
 subsisted about it. 
 
 " Another thing we think good to admonish thee 
 of, gentle reader ; that we have not tied ourselves to 
 an uniformity of phrasing, or to an identity of words, as 
 some peradventure would wish that we had done, be- 
 cause they observe that some learned men somewhere 
 have been as exact as they could that way. Truly, 
 that we might not vary from the sense of that which 
 we translated before, if the word signified the same 
 thing in both places (for there be some words that be 
 not of the same sense everywhere), we were especi- 
 ally careful, and made a conscience, according to our 
 duty. But that we should express the same notion in 
 the same particular word; as, for example, if we trans- 
 late the Hebrew or Greek word once hy purpose never 
 to call it intent ; or one where journeying, never tra- 
 veiling; if one where think, never suppose; if one 
 where pai?i, never ache ; if one where joj/, never glad- 
 ?iess, &c. ; thus to mince the matter, we thought to 
 savour more of curiosity than wisdom, and that it 
 would rather breed scorn in the atheist than bring 
 profit to the godly reader. For is the kingdom of 
 
XXviii PREFACE. 
 
 God become words or syllables? Why should we be 
 in bondage to them, if we may be free ? use one pre- 
 cisely, when we may use another no less fit as commo- 
 diously ?" We might also be charged by scoffers 
 with some unequal dealing towards a great number of 
 good English words. Add hereunto, that niceness in 
 words was always accounted the next step to trifling ; 
 and so was to be curious about names too : also, that 
 we cannot follow a better pattern for elocution than 
 God himself : therefore, he using divers words in his 
 holy writ, and indifferently for one thing in nature, 
 we, if we will not be superstitious, may use the same 
 liberty in our English versions out of Hebrew and 
 Greek, for that copy or store that he hath given us." 
 
 Other learned men have expressed themselves dif- 
 ferently. 
 
 " Veterem interpretem Erasmus merito in eo repre- 
 hendit, quod unum idemque vocabulum saepe diversis 
 modis explicet. Atqui in eo ipso quoties peccat ? 
 Leviculum hoc est, dices. Ego vero aliter censeo, nisi 
 cum ita necesse est, in his quidem libris in quibus 
 saepe videas mirifica qusedam arcana velut unius voca- 
 buli involucris tegi : ut quo propius abest a Grsecis et 
 Hebraeis Latina interpretatio, eo mihi quidem magis 
 probanda videatur : ita tamen ut simplicitate ilia ser- 
 monis servata, quae in his spiritus sancti oraculis plane 
 divina est et admirabilis, asperum illud et horridum 
 scribendi genus vitetur. 
 
 " Verborum proprietatem adeo studiose sum secta- 
 tus, ut etiam a synonymis, quoad ejus fieri potuit, 
 
PREFACE. XXIX 
 
 libens abstinuerim. Singula Grseca vocabula eodem 
 ubique modo exprimere studui, nisi cum diversa fuit 
 significatio, aut peculiaris aliqua ratio incidit : quam 
 et ipsam plerumque notavi." 
 
 Beza in his dedication of the New Testament 
 to Queen Elizabeth. MDLXIII. 
 
 " Quum autem, sicut in Graeco sermone una eadem- 
 que vox retinetur, in Latina quoque interpretatione 
 servatur, ea certe in re multum consuli iis potissimum 
 videtur, qui, cum Graecse linguae sint imperiti, Latino 
 acquiescere sermoni necesse habent. Nam inde hoc 
 saltern colligunt, uno eodemque vocabulo Graecum 
 scriptorem uti, ideoque locum unum cum altero con- 
 ferri debere." 
 
 Henr. Stephani praef. ad Nov. Test. 12mo. 
 MDLXXVI. 
 
 " Here at one view," says Dr. Taylor in the pre- 
 face to his Concordance, "those who shall undertake 
 a new version will see under every word how variously 
 it is rendered in the present version ; and so may more 
 easily and exactly judge how just those renderings 
 are, and how far they may be reduced to one and the 
 same rendering, which is much to be preferred where 
 the sense will bear it." 
 
 A more scrupulous exactness may well be required 
 in translating the Scriptures, than in any other trans- 
 lation : and unlearned readers should not be deceived 
 by the needless use of synonymous terms, in their 
 comparison of passages which appear to be parallel, 
 and in their notions about the extent of the original 
 
XXX PREFACE. 
 
 languages, and the copiousness of a writer's style. It 
 may also be shown that not only the sense, but the 
 beauty and force, of many passages depend on a ver- 
 sion not deviating from uniformity without a decisive 
 reason. ' 
 
 I therefore propose, 
 
 1. That translators should previously agree on the 
 rendering of certain words and phrases. For instance, 
 that r^x^■' sliould always be rendered by "Jehovah," 
 and mxav mn« by " Jehovah God of hosts." 
 
 2. That it should be considered, by the help of 
 concordances, whether the same word can ahvays be 
 rendered in the same manner ; and that, when an 
 English word suits every place, it should be invariably 
 used. Our translators often vary their terms, not only 
 unnecessarily, but so as to mislead the reader. 
 l^gaTiaroq-, which occurs four times, is twice rendered 
 " most excellent," and twice " most noble.' riarpmj 
 which occurs thrice, is rendered by "family," " lineage," 
 and "kindred." 'Avaffrarow, which occurs thrice, is ren- 
 dered by "to turn upside down," " to make an uproar," 
 and " to trouble." Within the compass of two verses, 
 apxirpiKXivog is rendered "governor of the feast," and 
 "ruler of the feast:" John ii. 8, 9 : juaprupetr, " to tes- 
 tify," and "to bear witness:" ib. xv. 26, 27; and 
 diaiQecTiig, " diversities," and " differences :" 1 Cor. xii. 
 4, 5. Even in the same verse we find fxevu) translated by 
 "abide," and "tarry:" Luke xxiv. 22: fXew by "to 
 have compassion," and " to have pity :" Matt, xviii. 
 33: and atwvtoe by "everlasting," and "eternal:" 
 Matt. XXV. 46. 
 
PREFACE. XXxi 
 
 3. That, if the original word cannot always admit 
 of the same rendering, of which there are many ex- 
 amples, the different renderings may be reduced to as 
 few as possible, and those the fittest which the lan- 
 guage affords. 
 
 4. That different words, which have the samie sense 
 or nearly the same, should be distinguished in transla- 
 ting them, when the English tongue furnishes distinct 
 and proper terms. As eKTr\i]G<TOfxaL " I am amazed," 
 3-ajuj3£Ojuat " I am astonished," £K0aju^£o/iai " I am greatly 
 astonished:" aaOevrig "sick," appioGTog "diseased;" 
 fiaXaKia " infirmity," voaoc and voarnjia " disease :" 
 TToXurijuoc " very costly," iroXvTiXrig " very precious," 
 ftapvTiiuiog " of great price." Minute differences in 
 words should be observed by accurate translators. 
 Thus Matt, xxvii. 46. Mark xv. 34. avi(5ot]a£ and 
 £/3o»}(re are rendered "cried:" but the former word 
 should be rendered " cried out." 
 
 5. That parallel passages should be rendered in the 
 same words. But vTrsp is differently rendered Mark 
 ix. 40. Luke ix. 50. " He that is not against us is 
 on our part." " He that is not against us is for us." 
 Matt. xxvi. 41, and Mark xiv. 38, exactly correspond 
 in the original, but differ in our translation. " Watch 
 and pray, that ye enter not into temptation : the spirit 
 indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." " Watch 
 ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation : the spirit 
 truly is ready, but the flesh is weak." 
 
 It is observed in the rule, that sometimes the 
 English language requires a different translation of 
 
XXXll PREFACE. 
 
 the same original word. Thus, when nmn is opposed 
 to man, it must be rendered beast : as, " I will cut oft' 
 man and beast." Ezek. xiv. 13. But when it is 
 opposed to wild beast, it must be rendered cattle : as 
 Gen. i. 25. Joel i. 18. 
 
 Ambiguity is avoided, Amos iii. 6. 
 
 " Shall there be evil in a city, 
 ' ' And Jehovah hath not * inflicted it ?" 
 
 Where if the word done had been used, God might 
 seem represented as the author of moral evil, instead 
 of judicial calamities. 
 
 It is also proper to depart sometimes from the 
 strictness of this rule for the sake of the ear : as Hos. 
 ii. 9, where our translators use recover, cover, and 
 discover, in three lines. 
 
 As the Hebrew vau, in the sense of and, occurs 
 perpetually, and not seldom at the beginning of many 
 clauses together, as Amos viii. 10, Hos. ii. 19 — 23, 
 Zech. ix. 3 — 8, it is often proper to translate it by 
 Now, so, then, &c. and many may think that the same 
 precise rendering is unnecessary, as to some other 
 words which are frequently repeated, and which are 
 not the object of criticism : as, that avepx''^^^'- may be 
 indiscriminately rendered by "to depart" and "to go 
 away," c^tpx^*^^"' by " to depart " and " to go out," &c. 
 
 That many passages of scripture would be placed 
 
 * lleb. (lone. 
 
PREFACE. XXXIU 
 
 in a striking light by uniformity of rendering, may 
 appear from tlie following examples. Isaiah xxxvii. 
 3. ''This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, 
 nnaim, and of blasphemy." "This day is a day of 
 trouble, and of rebuke, and of contumely." Bishop 
 Lowth. It follows, V. 4: " It may be the Lord thy 
 God — will reprove, noin, [refute, Bishop Lowth] the 
 words which the Lord thy God hath heard." As the 
 verb in v. 4, alludes to the noun in v. 3, the corre- 
 sponding terms reproof and repj^ove are necessary to 
 convey the sense and force of the passage. Rabsha- 
 keh has uttered words of reproof against Judah : it 
 may be that God will reprove the words of the Assy- 
 rian. So Matt. V. 15, 16. "And it shineth, Xa/xTret, 
 [not, and it giveth light] unto all that are in the 
 house. Let your light so shine," &c. Xafxifjaro). Rom. 
 i. 19 : " Because that which may be known of God is 
 manifest, ^avf/oov, in them; [rather among them] for 
 God hath shewed it, *^av£pw(r£ [rather, manifested it] 
 unto them." Rom. xv. 4, 5 : " For whatsoever things 
 were written aforetime, were written for our learning ; 
 that we through patience and comfort, rrjc irapaKXr^crewg, 
 of the scriptures might have hope. Now the God of 
 patience and consolation, rrig TrapaKXrjo-Ewc, [rather, 
 comfort] grant you to be like-minded," &c. And 
 again ib, v. 12, 13, — " In him shall the Gentiles trust, 
 sXiriovrnv, [rather, hope]. Now the God of hope, ttiq 
 eXmdog, fill you with all joy," &c. The beauty of St. 
 Paul's manner is lost in the common rendering. 
 
 Rule V. The collocation of the words should 
 never be harsh, and unsuited to an English ear. 
 An inverted structure may often be used in imita- 
 
XXXIV PREFACE. 
 
 tion of the original, or merely for the sake of rhyme 
 in the sentence ; but this should be determined by 
 what is easy and harmonious in the English lan- 
 guage ; and not by the order of the words in the 
 original, where this produces a forced arrangement, 
 or one more adapted to the license of poetry than 
 to prose. 
 
 I cannot, therefore, recommend to the imitation of 
 future translators the manner of placing words which 
 Bishop Lowth occasionally uses. As, 
 
 " Wherefore my bowels for Moab like a harp shall 
 
 sound." Isaiah xvi. 11. 
 " In Jehovah shall be justified, and make their boast, all 
 
 the seed of Israel." C. xlv. 25. 
 
 But I approve of such a structure as, 
 
 " To the fatherless they administer not justice." 
 
 C. i. 23. 
 " And the reproach of thy widowhood thou shalt remem- 
 ber no more." C, liv. 4. 
 
 Though I think that the former line may be better 
 rendered according to Rule I. 
 
 " The fatherless they judge not." 
 
 In Mr. Blayney's translation we find frequent 
 instances of a good structure, by judiciously adhering 
 to the Hebrew turn of the sentence. As, 
 
 " And mine heritage ye made an abomination." 
 
 Jer. ii. 7- 
 
PREFACE. XXXV 
 
 " And the sword and the famine shall we not see." 
 
 Jer. V. 11. 
 
 Our translators also sometimes give a pleasing turn 
 to the clauses by conformity to the order of the words 
 in the original. 
 
 As, "Surely with a mighty hand, and with a 
 stretched-out arm, and with fury poured out, will I 
 rule over you." Ezek. xx. 33. " And with their 
 idols have they committed adultery." lb. c. xxiii. 37. 
 But they are by no means strict observers of this 
 method ; for in the next verse to the passage last quoted 
 they render, "And have profaned my sabbaths;" 
 whereas the order in the Hebrew is, " And my sab- 
 baths have they profaned." They also make use of 
 inversions which are not found in the Hebrew ; as, 
 "And out of their hand I will not deliver them;'" 
 where the original is, " And I will not deliver thern 
 out of their hand." Zech. xi. 6. 
 
 Rule VI. The simple and ancient turn of the 
 present version should be retained. 
 
 Swift was an admirer of simplicity, and is an ex- 
 ample of it. He thinks it " one of the greatest per- 
 fections in any language;" and "the many beautiful 
 passages in the Old and New Testament he takes to 
 be owing to the simplicity that runs through the 
 whole." Letter to Lord Oxford. 
 
 This simplicity arises, in a great measure, from the 
 preference of pure English words to foreign ones. 
 
XXXVl PREFACE. 
 
 Thus our translators use keep back for suppress^ call 
 upon for invoke, put wider for submit, boio down for 
 incline, lift up for e.valt, stretch out for e.itend, cry 
 out for exclaim, put away for divorce, put asunder for 
 separate, cut offiox i^eject, let go for dismiss, fall away 
 for desert. Sec. They are even so fond of these 
 Anglicisms, that they often prefer them to single 
 English words : as in the use of turn back for 7xturn, 
 go away for depart, let go for release, &c. In this 
 they are generally to be imitated. 
 
 But when a latinized word expresses the precise 
 idea of the original, which a term purely English 
 cannot reach, it may be questioned whether propriety 
 should be sacrificed to simplicity. Thus the word 
 b^:^ signifies to shoic joy by outward gestures, tripudiis 
 et volutationibus : see Cast. lex. ; and I am, therefore, 
 disposed to render it always by exult. 
 
 Again : this manner of expression should, I think, 
 be rejected when it degenerates into familiar idiom : 
 as, hold thy tongue for be silent, we cannot tell for we 
 know not, to take in hand for to undertake, to be at 
 hand for to draw nigh or to approach, to cast in one's 
 teeth for to reproach or revile, &c. One reason for the 
 disuse of such phrases is, that a translation of the 
 Bible should be a classical book to a foreigner, who 
 would be perplexed by such language. 
 
 1. The rule, therefore, excludes such words as 
 dilate, vindicator, fabricator, inanity, rectitude, &c. 
 See Bishop Lowth's Isaiah. And Mr. Blayney has 
 devolve, resolve, relinquish, co?ivoke, deposit, libations, 
 machinations, &c. 
 
PREFACE. XXXvii 
 
 2. It also excludes modern terms and phrases, and 
 the pomp and elegance of modern diction. 
 
 A few examples will show how much the admission 
 of these would lesson the gravity and majesty so well 
 supported in the received translation. Doctor Priestley 
 has custom-house for i^eceipt of custom. Engl, harmony. 
 Doddridge renders Mark vi. 21 : " And a convenient 
 day happened when Herod on his birthday made a 
 supper for his lords, and chief officers, and other pe?'- 
 sofis of distinguished rank in Galilee." Bp, Lowth 
 has '■'■envoi/, negociator, plebeians ;'' "your *' soul shall 
 feast itself with the richest delicacies;^' '■^'\ in sup- 
 pliant guise address thee;" '■'■'^disparting rills;' 
 "§ whose antiquity is of the earliest date,'' &c. In 
 Mr. Blayney's Jeremiah we find " the privy council of 
 Jehovah ;" " the environs of Jerusalem ;" " the manu- 
 facture of the potter ;" " || and the captain of the 
 guards gave him provisions, and a gratuiti/, and dis- 
 missed him ;" " ^ cause cavalry to come up ;" "^'* his 
 haughtiness is exceedingly supereminent ;"" . 
 
 — " ft they have sinned against Jehovah, 
 The legitimate fold and recourse of their fathers," &Ci 
 
 3. The rule supposes that the old inflections should 
 be retained, and the use of the subjunctive mood after 
 certain particles. 
 
 4. it also supposes that such Hebraisms should be 
 
 * Is Iv. 2. t xlv. 14. I XXX. 25. § xxiii. 7. || Jer. x'. 5. H li. 27. 
 ** xlviii.29. tt Jer. 1.7. 
 
XXXVlll PREFACE. 
 
 retained as the English language easily admits, or to 
 which an Eno-Hsh ear is now accustomed. Of this 
 kind are, the throne of his glory ; labour of love; as 
 for Ephrahn, their glory shall Jlee away as a bir^d: 
 which form resembles Sallust's Plebs urbana, ea vero 
 praeceps ierat ; and that common Atticism, Urbem 
 quam statuo, vestra est. "The Hebrew idioms run 
 into the English tongue with a particular grace and 
 beauty. Our language has received innumerable 
 elegancies and improvements from that infusion of 
 Hebraisms which are derived to it out of the poetical 
 passages in holy writ. They give a force and energy 
 to our expressions, warm and animate our language, 
 and convey our thoughts in more ardent and intense 
 phrases than are to be met with in our own tongue. 
 There is something so pathetic in this kind of diction, 
 that it often sets the mind in a flame, and makes our 
 heart burn within us." Addison. Spect. N. 405. 
 
 Rule VH. The old ecclesiastical terms should be 
 continued : as grace, elect, predestinated, &c. 
 
 " We have avoided the scrupulosity of the Puri- 
 tans who leave the old ecclesiastical words and 
 betake them to otlier ; as when they put ivashing 
 for baptism, and congregation instead of church." 
 Pref. to the English translation. 
 Such words are now part of our theological lan- 
 guage; and explanations of them perpetually occur. 
 
 Rule VHI. Metaphors are, in general, to be re- 
 tained ; and the substitution, or unnecessary introduc- 
 tion, of new ones should be avoided. 
 
PREFACE. XXXIX 
 
 If the original metaphor cannot be transfused, it 
 should be rendered in the margin. The genius of 
 a language, and the nature and customs of a coun- 
 try, will often appear by observing this rule. 
 
 Bishop Lowth renders Isa. xliv. 8, 
 
 " Is there a God beside me ? 
 Yea, there is no other sure protector ; I know not finy," 
 " Yea, there is no * God ;" &c. English version. 
 
 I prefer rendering, 
 
 " Yea, there is no rock ; I know not attt/." 
 
 See Ps. xviii. 2, 46. 
 
 Again: the Bishop renders ch. xlii. 22, 
 
 " And are plunged in dark dungeons." 
 Hebr. hidden 
 
 Rule IX. Proper names should remain as they are 
 now written. 
 
 So little depends on their orthography in a trans- 
 lution, and they are now so familiarized to the ear, 
 that to alter them may perplex or offend some, and 
 cannot benefit any. 
 
 This rule was among King James's instructions to 
 our translators. " The names of the prophets and the 
 holy writers, with the other names in the text, to be 
 retained, as near as may be, according as they are 
 vulgarly used." Lewis, 2d. ed. p. 317. 
 
 * Marg. Hebr. rock. 
 D 2 
 
xi PREFACE. 
 
 Bishop Lovvth writes Tsoai' for 'Zoar, Botsrali for 
 Bozrah, Retsin for Rezin, and Amots for Amos : &c. 
 Mr. Blayney also has Jabetz, Jahatza, &c. 
 
 It is material that the names of the same persons 
 should be written in the New Testament as they occur 
 in the Old : and that we should read Elijah, Elisha, 
 Isaiah, Noah, Haran, Joshua, &c. for Elias, Eliseus, 
 Esaias, Noe, Charran, Jesus, Hebr. iv. 8, &c. 
 
 Rule X. The best-known geographical terms 
 should be inserted in the text, and the original 
 ones should stand in the margin. As Si/ria, marg. 
 Aram: Ethiopia, marg. Cush, &c. 
 
 Rule XI. The language, sense, and punctua- 
 tion, of our present version should be retained ; un- 
 less when a sufficient reason can be assigned for 
 departing from them. 
 
 Rule XII. The critical sense of passages should 
 be considered ; and not the opinions of any deno- 
 mination of Christians whatever. 
 
 The translators should be philologists, and not con- 
 troversialists. 
 
 Rule XIII. Passages which are allowed to be 
 marginal glosses, or about the authenticity of which 
 critics have reason to be doubtful, should be placed 
 in the text between brackets. 
 
 Rule XIV. In the best editions of the bible, 
 
PREFACE xli 
 
 the poetical parts should be divided into lines an- 
 swering to the metre of the original. 
 
 The common editions would be made too expen- 
 sive by such a distribution, which would occupy a 
 large space : but this inconvenience may be avoided 
 by placing each hemistich between inverted com- 
 mas, or by any other proper mark of distinction for 
 the pause. 
 
 Dr. Kennicott's words on this subject are : " Si 
 universa in Bibliis Hebrasis carmina, more poetico, 
 lineis brevibus, et plerumque fere sequalibus (sal- 
 tem ubi non fuerint corruptae), nunc demum im- 
 primerentur; mirum quantum elucesceret statim 
 sacri poetae mens, idque in mille locis ; ubi sub 
 usitata prosas forma difHcillimum est ullam, saltem 
 veram, expiscari sententiam." Praef. ad Vet. Test. 
 Hebr. § xx. 
 
 Thus Gen. iv. 23, should be pointed as follows : — 
 
 " And Lamecli said unto liis wives : 
 Adah and Zillali, heai- my voice ; 
 Ye wives of Lamecli^ hearken unto my speech." 
 
 And Isa. liii. 2 : — 
 
 " He hath no form nor comeliness, that we should 
 
 regard him ; 
 Nor appearance, that we should desire him." 
 
 See Prsel, Hebr. 
 
 Rule XV. Of dark passages, which exhibit no 
 meaning as they stand in our present version, an 
 
xlii PREFACE. 
 
 intelligible rendering should be made on the prin- 
 ciples of sound criticism. 
 
 " There is scope enough for — the improvement 
 of sacred literature ; especially if proper hands were 
 employed in doing the same good office for the 
 Hebrew bible as hath been done for the Greek 
 Testament; I mean, in mending the text a lit- 
 tle, by consulting the most ancient MSS. and 
 versions." Taylor pref. to Hebr. cone. Sect. iv. 
 " If the translation should sometimes appear to be 
 merely conjectural, I desire the reader to consider 
 the exigence of the case; and to judge, whether 
 it is not better, in a very obscure and doubtful 
 passage, to give something probable by way of 
 supplement to the author's sense apparently defec- 
 tive, than either to leave a blank in the translation, 
 or to give a merely verbal rendering, which would 
 be altogether unintelligible." 
 
 Bishop Lowth prel. diss, to Isa. p. Ixxiii. ; 
 where see p. xxxix. xl. 
 
 And the same excellent critic, after making a 
 conjectural emendation of Isa. Ixiv. 5, adds : " This, 
 it may be said, is imposing your sense upon the 
 prophet. It may be so : for perhaps these may 
 not be the very words of the prophet ; but, however, 
 it is better than to impose upon him what makes 
 no sense at all ; as they generally do, who pretend 
 to render such corrupt passages." 
 
 " It is manifest," says * Professor J. D. Michae- 
 
 "♦ Bibl. Orient, et Exeget. Part. xxi. Commuuicaled by Mr. Woidc. 
 
PREFACE. xliii 
 
 lis, " that in some of the Minor Prophets the text 
 has been sent down to us in very faulty copies : so 
 very faulty, that the true reading of several pas- 
 sages is wanting in all the MSS. and ancient ver- 
 sions, and that conjectural criticism is necessary." 
 
 Emendations founded on external authority will, of 
 course, be preferred ; and, when there is a choice of 
 them, that particular one which furnishes the best 
 sense, and most resembles the present text. When 
 outward helps fail, recourse can only be had to the 
 exigence of the place. 
 
 In printing the best edition of a new version, I pro- 
 pose that the references to parallel places should be 
 retained ; that supplemental words should be distin- 
 guished by Italics ; that different interpretations of 
 obscure places should occasionally be given in the 
 margin ; that the paragraphs should be accurately 
 divided according to the sense, and should consist of 
 larger ones, marked ^, and of smaller, marked ^ ; that 
 the contents, briefly comprehending the critical sense 
 of the writer, should be prefixed to each large para- 
 graph ; that the chapters should be distinguished in 
 the margin, and the verses, either in the margin, or 
 by a small numerical figure over the line, as in the 
 Louvre edition of the Greek Testament ; that there 
 should be different marks for various readings adopted 
 in the translation, denoting (1.) whether they are 
 founded on the ancient versions and paraphrases ; (2.) 
 on MSS. including the Samaritan ; or (3.) on both 
 these authorities ; or (4.) only on conjecture; and that 
 a large explanatory index, of difficult terms, through- 
 
xliv IMILFACE. 
 
 out their several classes should be subjoined, together 
 with an accented table of proper names, and also a 
 table of the sacred books, in their chronological order; 
 according to which order, it is my opinion, that they 
 should be read in churches. 
 
 I trust that these rules have obviated some objec- 
 tions to the proposed undertaking ; as, according to 
 them, a new version would be as simple, natural, and 
 majestic, as beautiful, affecting and sublime, as that 
 in present use ; with the additional recommendation 
 of being more pure, exact, and intelligible. It is 
 true, that nothing of this kind can be undertaken 
 without temporary offence to the prejudiced and 
 ignorant. But the opinion of these will soon be out- 
 weighed by the judgnient of the reasonable and well- 
 informed. The real question amounts to this ; whether 
 we shall supply Christian readers and Christian con- 
 gregations with new means of instruction and plea- 
 sure, by enabling them to understand their bible bet- 
 ter; and let all who can promote a work of such 
 moment consider this question with due seriousness 
 s^nd attention. 
 
MINOR PROPHETS 
 
 In their supposed order of time, according to the dates 
 of reigns in Blair's Tables. 
 
 
 Before Clirist. 
 
 Kings of Judah, 
 
 Kings of Israel 
 
 JONAH 
 
 Between 823 and 
 
 
 Jeroboam IT. 
 
 
 783. 
 
 
 2 Kings 
 xiv. 25. 
 
 AMOS 
 
 Between 823 and 
 
 Uzziah. Ch. i. 1. 
 
 Jeroboam II. 
 
 
 758. 
 
 
 Ch. i. 1. 
 
 HOSEA 
 
 Between 809 and 
 
 Uzziab, Jotliam, 
 
 Jeroboam [ I , 
 
 
 698. 
 
 Ahaz, and Heze- 
 kiah. Ch. i. 1. But 
 very early in Heze- 
 kiali's reign. 
 
 Ch, i, 1. 
 
 MICAH 
 
 Between 757 and 
 
 Jotha™, Ahaz, and 
 
 
 
 698. 
 
 Hezekiah. Ch. i. 1. 
 But early in Heze- 
 kiah's reign. 
 
 
 NAHUM 
 
 Probably between 
 
 Probably towards the 
 
 
 
 720 and 698. 
 
 close of Hezekiah 's 
 reign. 
 
 
 JOEL 
 
 Probably between 
 
 Probably in the reign 
 
 
 
 697 and 660. 
 
 of Manasseh. 
 
 
 ZEPHANLVH 
 
 Between 640 and 
 
 In the reign of Jo- 
 
 
 
 609. 
 
 siah. Ch. i. L 
 
 
 HABAKKUK 
 
 Probably between 
 
 Probably in the reign 
 
 
 
 606 and 598, 
 
 of Jehoiakim. 
 
 
 OBADIAH 
 
 Soon after 586, 
 
 Between the taking 
 of Jerusalem by 
 Nebuchadnezzar, 
 and the destruction 
 of the Edomites by 
 him. 
 
 
 HAGGAI 
 
 About 520. 
 
 After the return from 
 Babylon. 
 
 
 ZECHARIAH 
 
 From 520 to 518. 
 
 
 
 MALACHI 
 
 About 436. 
 
 
 
THE BOOK 
 
 JONAH. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 1 Now the word of Jehovah came unto Jonah the son of 
 
 2 Amittai, saying ; Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, 
 and cry against her : for their wickedness is come up 
 before me. 
 
 3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the pre- 
 sence of Jehovah : and he went down to Joppa, and 
 
 Chap. I. 1 . Jonah. — He was of Gatli-heplier, in the tribe of Zebuluu, 
 
 a part of Lower Galilee. Josh. xix. 13. FTe prophesied in the reign of 
 Jeroboam the Second, king of Israel ; who began to reign 823 years be- 
 fore Christ, and reigned in Samaria 41 years. See 2 Kings, xiv. 23 — 25. 
 
 2. Nineveh. — The capital of the Assyrian empire. See the notes 
 
 ch. iii. 3, iv. 11 : and on Nahum ; ch. i. 1. iii. 18. 
 
 cri/. — Proclaim as a prophet. 
 
 against her. — Oi", concerning her. Noldius, Sec. 10. 
 
 for their ivickedness. — Or, that their wickedness, &c. Nold. Sec. 20. 
 
 3. to flee. — Jonah might consider this mission as an uncommon, 
 
 unprofitable, and dangerous one. He certainly thought that his veracity as 
 a prophet would be affected by God's merciful change of purpose, ch iv. 2. 
 This and other parts of his conduct, deserve censure. But men endued 
 with extraordinary gifts of the Spirit, and made the instruments of de- 
 claring God's will to mankind, have occasionally been subject to great 
 human infurmities, and have even contracted great guilt. Sec 1 Kings 
 xiii. 18, 20, Matt. vii. 22. Acts xv. 39. 1 Cor. x,iii. 2. Gal. ii. 11. 
 
JONAH. [CH. I. 
 
 found a ship going to Tarshish, and paid the fare there- 
 of, and Avent down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish 
 from the presence of Jehovah. 
 
 And Jeliovah sent * forth a great wind upon the sea ; 
 and there was a great tempest in the sea : and it was f 
 thought that the ship woukl be broken in pieces. Then 
 the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his 
 god. And they cast forth the things which were in the 
 ship into the sea, to be lightened of them. 
 
 But Jonah was gone down to the sides of the hold ; and 
 lay, and was in a sound sleep. And the ship-master 
 came near unto him, and said unto him, What % meanest 
 thou, O sleeper ? arise, call unto thy God : perhaps God 
 will think upon us, that we perish not. 
 
 And they said one § to another. Come and let us cast 
 lots ; that we may know for whose cause this evil hath 
 
 * Hebr. cast forth. f was thought to be bro"ken. i What to thee. 
 
 § eveiy man to his neighbour. 
 
 Tarshish. — Bocliait says, that there were two places of this name; 
 
 one, Tartessns in Spain, which Stephaniis de Urbibus phtces near the pil- 
 lars of Hercules ; the other, in the Indian ocean, near Ophir or Taprobana, 
 which island is usually thought to be the modern Ceylon. To this latter 
 men sailed from Eziongeber on the Red Sea. 2 Chron. xx. 30, 37. 
 Geogr. 1. iii. ch. vii. p. 171. ed. Lugd. Bat. fol. 1707. Cocceius and Taylor 
 (see irir") in each), think that Tarshish may denote a distant country, whe- 
 ther to the east or to the west ; like our Indies. Some derive it from iin 
 to view, and unii', to delight ; and thus it may signify a country abounding 
 with desirable j)roductions. 
 
 4. thought. — Houbigant supposes, that the original word should be 
 
 written at length, nnwn : jmtabatur fractum iri. 
 
 5. the things. — A general tenn is used, comprehending wares, tack- 
 ling, provisions. 
 
 to be lightened. — So Houbigant .- b-\pnb : and V. 6 render the word 
 
 passively. 
 
 "/ the hold. — The covered part of the ship. 
 
 0. ship-master. — The Hebrew may be rendered, " the chief man, even 
 
 the pilot :" or, " the chief of the crew :" which latter is tlie rendering of 
 Syr. and Chald. 
 
 7. cattse. — Sake. Seeker. 
 
en. I.] JONAH. 
 
 3 
 
 8 happened unto us. And they cast lots ; and the lot fell 
 upon Jonah. Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray 
 thee, for what cause this evil hafh happened unto us. 
 What is thy business ? and whence comest thou ? what 
 
 9 is thy country? and of what people art thou? And he 
 said unto them, I am an Hebrew ; and I fear Jehovah, 
 the God of lieaA^en, who made the sea and tlie dry l.nid. 
 
 10 Then were the men || exceedingly afraid, and said unto 
 him. Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that 
 he * fled from the presence of Jehovah : for he had told 
 
 1 1 them. And they said unto him. What shall we do unto 
 thee, that the sea may be f calm unto us ? for the sea 
 
 II Hebr. feared with great fear. * was flying. t may rest fiooi upon us. 
 
 8. for what cause. — "o is most naturally understood of things, Gen. 
 
 xxxiii. 8, Judg. xiii 17. 1 Sam. xviii. 18. Mic. i. 5. See Nold. sec. 5. 
 note. See also Buxtorf's tlies, gramm. p. 392. 
 
 The words tivoq tvtKtv r) KUKia avrt] kttiv tv rifiiv, are wanting in 6. 
 MS. Vat. and in Sixtus Quintus's edition of 6., where the note is, Tt^ ffov 
 t) spyaffia. Sic quoque in uno alio libro: in cseteris antecedit, rtvog tviKsv 
 ri KaKia avTi] iv ^fnv. But o. MS. AI. ed. Aid. and Arab, retain the clause. 
 If we omit it, all is clear. V2 refers to a person, v. 7 ; whom the lot deter- 
 mined to be Jonah : and it naturally follows ; " Then said they unto him, 
 Tell us, we pray thee, What is thy business ?" &c. 
 
 The hint of omitting the clause was suggested by the late Dr. Kennicott. 
 
 comest thou. — In the original the verb is future : which tense has 
 
 often the force of the present. 
 
 9. an Hebrew.— 6. Arab, render a " servant of Jehovah :" because 
 
 they read "'• nay, contracted for mn\ See Lud. Cappell. comm p. 19. fol. 
 Amst. and Dr. Kennicott's dissert, gen. Sec. 25, subjoined to his Hebrew 
 Bible. 
 
 10. fled. — r\v ^svycjv.S. and 13 MSS. and one printed edition, in 
 
 Dr. Kennicott's Bible, read mia. 
 
 11. What shall ive do P. — Moerlius quotes the following passage 
 
 from Orpheus's Argonautics. 
 
 " IloXXrt de /lepurjpi^ov evi (ppeffi TrsvKaXiixycFi, 
 H jitv UTTOcpBiffwai, Kai ixOvcri Kvpfia fiaXwaiv 
 Aivo\ex>] MrjSsiav, aTroa-Tptipojcn S' Epivvvv. 
 
 " And much they doubted in their prudent minds, 
 
 Whether to kill, and cast a prey to fishes, 
 
 Wretched Medea, and avert their fate." ver. 11 G8, 
 
4 JONAH. [CH. h 
 
 12 X gi'evv more and more tempestuous. And he said unto 
 them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; and., 
 the sea § shall be calm unto you ; for I know that be- 
 
 13 cause of me this great tempest is upon you. Neverthe- 
 less the men rowed || hard to bring back the ship unto 
 the dry land : but they could not ; for the sea * grew 
 
 14 more and more tempestuous upon them. And they 
 cried unto Jehovah, and said; We beseech thee, O Je- 
 hovah, let us not perish, we pray thee, for the life of this 
 man ; and lay not upon us innocent blood, for thou, O 
 
 15 Jehovah, hast done as it hath pleased thee. And they 
 took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea : and the 
 
 16 sea f ceased from its raging. And the men feared Je- 
 hovah X greatly ; and § offered a sacrifice unto Jehovah, 
 and Ij made vows. 
 
 17 Now Jehovah prepared a great fish to swallow up Jo- 
 nah ; and Jonah was in the * belly of the fish three days 
 and three nights. 
 
 } went and was tempestuous. § shall rest from upon you. || Hebr. digged. 
 * went and was tempestuous, t stood, i with great fear. § sacrificed. 
 II vowed. * bowels. 
 
 greiv more mid more tempestuous. — That this is the true rendering, see 
 
 Taylor's Con. Root 450 ; n. 27, 32. The Syriac version makes the words 
 part of the address to Jonah : " quoniam mare ecc€ it et turbat se contra 
 nos ; for the sea groweth more and more tempestuous." Many MSS. and 
 some editions, ascertain the participial form by reading nyiDt. 
 
 12. cast me forth.— Many MSS. and some ed. read ^jiVum ; and v. 
 
 15, ihiVd-i. The points have often excluded the formative letters ; which 
 ought to be restored in a correct edition of the text. 
 
 13. rowed hard. — The word signifies literally to diy. Vulg. and 
 
 Chald. agree witli our English translators in understanding it metaphori- 
 cally oi rowing. But 6. Arab. Syr. render it, endeavoured, strove. 
 
 to bring bach. — Arab, adds the pronoun it, with our version. 
 
 14. We beseech thee. — Here, and ch. iv. 2, many MSS. read k3k. 
 
 innocent blood. — Punish us not as murderers of an innocent man ; 
 
 for we judge from the whole transaction that we are conforming ourselves 
 to thy will. 
 
 15. raging. — Nee horret iratum mare. Hor. 
 
 17. a great fish. — We have but an imperfect acquaintance with the 
 
CH. II.] JONAH. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 1 Then Jonah prayed unto Jehovah his God from the * 
 
 2 belly of the fish, and said : 
 
 * Hebr. bowels. 
 
 natural history 'of fishes. However, it is a well attested fact, that sharks 
 grow to a size capable of swallowing and containing a man. See Boch. 
 Hieroz. p. ii. 743. 
 
 The miracle of preserving Jonah served to spread the knowledge of Je- 
 hovah. The whole transaction had this tendency : ch. i. 16 : and it also 
 taught Jonah, and in him the whole prophetical order, God's power and 
 determination to enforce his commands. It is probable that Jonah was the 
 most ancient of those whom the Jews call the later prophets ; a constant 
 succession of whom seems to have been sent from the time of Jonah, that 
 they might solemnly admonish the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, while 
 their destruction by the Assyrians and Babylonians impended over them. 
 
 three days and three nights. — This would be true, if understood of 
 
 one complete day, and a small part of two other days. 
 
 The precise time was thus determined to prefigure the period of our 
 Lord's continuance in the grave. Matt. xii. 40. As Christ was the end of 
 the laiv, Rom. x. 4. those who understand the genius of the eastern nations 
 will easily admit that some actions and events under the Mosaic dispensa- 
 tion might be purposely modified to foreshadow parts of the Messiah's 
 history. 
 
 Chap. II. 1. Tliis prayer hath much more the appearance of a thanksgiv- 
 ing after a deliverance ; and indeed could scarce be used before, whatever 
 change be made in the tenses ; unless we suppose it prophetical of the de- 
 liverance. Had it not been inserted in the history, many things in it would 
 have been understood metaphorically, as in the Psalms. It seems very strange, 
 that Jonah's sin should never be mentioned, or hinted at, in it. Seeker. 
 
 Upon reading this period, I expected to find the prayer which Jonah 
 had used, when he was in the fish's belly. But to my great disappoint- 
 ment, I found it to be his thanksgiving after the fish had cast him up. 
 How was this to be accounted for ? Why, upon examination it appeared, 
 that the period which is now the tenth was originally the second. I have 
 restored it to its proper place, and with it propriety and sense. A tran- 
 scriber ages ago omitted it : and when he found out the omission, he wrote 
 it at the end of the thanksgiving, with a reference, no doubt, to the place 
 where it had been omitted, and ought to be inserted. The next transcriber, 
 not observing the reference, let it keep its place at the end of the thanks- 
 
JONAH. [CH. II. 
 
 I called by reason of my distress 
 Unto Jehovah, and he hath heard me : 
 Out of the belly of the grave I cried ; and thou hast 
 heard my voice. 
 
 Thou hast cast me into the deep, in the heart of the sea ;f 
 And the flood compasseth me about: 
 All thy X billows and thy waves have passed over me : 
 And I said, I am driven out from before thine eyes : 
 Yet shall 1 again see thine § holy temple. 
 
 t Heb. seas. X breakers. § the temple of thine lioliness 
 
 giving. And there it has continued from that day to this. Let the reader 
 learn from hence, when he meets with incoherence or absurdity in scrip- 
 ture, not to impute it to the inspired writer, but to the careless transcriber. 
 In my translation of the Psalms, several of these transpositions are noted. 
 Green. 
 
 2. and he hath heard me. — He thanks God that, in consequence of 
 
 his prayer, his life is wonderfully preserved. 
 
 Out of the belly of the (/rave — The prophet deemed the belly of 
 
 the fish to be his grave. But God, in providing the fish, had othei- purposes 
 to serve, than to find him a grave, or even to preserve his life. He had 
 been ordered to go to Nineveh. Out of frowardness he embarked on a 
 ship for Tarshish, that he might fly the furthest from it. God, to pimisli 
 his disobedience and correct his frowardness, provided this fish to swallow 
 him, and to carry him the speediest way to it. I collect this from Jonah's 
 continuing three days and three nights, according to the Jewish manner of 
 reckoning, in the fish's belly. Had the fish been provided only to save his 
 life, he might soon have cast him on the next shore. But as he kept him 
 three days in his belly, I conclude he did more than swim about with him. 
 Within that time he probably conveyed him the nearest way from the 
 Mediterranean to the Euxine sea, and vomited him upon the nearest shore 
 to Nineveh. And there it was that he ofl'ered up this thanksgiving, and 
 there the word of the Lord came to him a second time, saying, " Arise, go 
 to Nineveh, that great city." c. iii. 1. Green. 
 
 ;). All thy billoivs, &c. — This line occurs Ps. xlii. 8. 
 
 4. And I said, See. — At first I despaired of life ; but now I know, 
 by prophetic impulse, that i shall be preserved. Compare Ps. xxxi. 23. 
 
 " And I said in my liastc, 
 
 I am cut off from before thii>e eyes." 
 
CH. II.] JONAH. 7 
 
 5 The waters have surrounded me to the peril of my life ; 
 The deep eompasseth me about : 
 
 Sea-weeds are bound about mine head : 
 
 6 I have gone down to the || bottoms of the mountains : 
 The bars of the * earth are about me for ever. 
 
 But thou wilt bring up my life from destruction, O 
 Jehovah my God. 
 
 7 When my soul fainted within me, 
 I remembered Jehovah : 
 
 And my prayer came unto thee, 
 Unto thine holy temple. 
 
 8 They that serve false f vanities forsake the source of their 
 
 mercy. 
 
 9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanks- 
 
 giving : 
 That which I have vowed will I pay,^r my deliverance 
 unto Jehovali. 
 
 II cuttings off. * Heb. The earth, her bars. t vanities of falsehood. 
 
 6. to the peril of my life. — See Ps. Ixix. 2. He again represents 
 
 bis desponding language, to the second line of v. 6. 
 
 6. bottoms. — Roots, foundations. 
 
 The bars of the earth. — The strong and firm lower parts of the earth 
 
 are about me, to the destruction of my life. 
 
 But thou, &c. — He returns to the language of security and thanks- 
 giving ; as at the close of v. 4. If we translate " hast brought up," the 
 prophet may speak of that as already and completely done, which God had 
 done in part, and was about to accomplish. But, as the vau is not always 
 conversive, see Joel ii. 18, 19, 20, we may render, " wilt bring up." V. has 
 sublevahis. 
 
 destruction. — The pit. Seeker. 
 
 8. false vanities. — Idols. See Deut. xxxii. 21 . Ps. xxxi. 7. 
 
 the source of their mercy. — So Ps. cxliv. 2, the Psalmist calls God 
 
 his mercy, or the author of mercy to him. See also Ps. lix. 11, 18.- Syr. 
 reads " thy mercy." One reading of Symmachus in Montfaugon's Hexapla 
 is, " his mercy." 
 
 9. for my deliverance. — The preposition is often omitted in the 
 
 Hebrew: as before nbivD v. 3. See Hos. vii. 11. Houbigant proposes to 
 read •nj/iu'-, as 6. MS. Al. have hq aojrtjpiov fis : with which MS. the Aldiue 
 edition of o. agrees. 
 
 May not this mean, " even a sacrifice of deliverance unto the Lord ?" 
 Seeker. e 
 
8 JONAH. [CH. III. 
 
 10 And Jeliovali commanded the fish; and it X cast out 
 Jonah upon the dry land. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 1 And the word of Jehovah came unto Jonah the second 
 
 2 time, saying ; Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city ; and 
 cry unto lier § in the words which I shall speak unto 
 
 3 thee. And Jonah arose, and went to Nineveh, according 
 to the word of Jehovah. 
 
 i Heb. vomited. ^ the cry. 
 
 I would retain tlie old translation, " Salvation is of Jehovah." See Ps. 
 iii 8 xlviii. 8. Ixii. 11, 12. Dan. ix. 7, 8, 9. Doctor Forsayeth. 
 
 nnj/itt" is used Ps. iii. 2. 
 
 The reader may see this ode distributed into measure by Dr Kennicott 
 in his Hebrew Bible ; and by Mr. Green in his '' Poetical Parts of the Old 
 Testament." Cambridge, 1781. 
 
 10. the dry land. — Probably on the coast of Palestine. 
 
 2. unto her. — Three MSS. have n-by " against her :" two read thus 
 
 originally ; and two have the n on a rasure. The reading of these MSS. is 
 agreeable to ch. i. 2, and V. 6. Ar. Syr. 
 
 3. very yreat.— For the Hebrew phrase, sec Gen. xxiii. G. xxx. 8. 
 
 Ps. xxxvi. 6. Ixxx. 10. Hos. xiii. 15. Lsai xxviii 2. xl. 7. Amos iv. 11. 
 Cant. viii. 6. Acts vii. 20. Suabo says that Nineveh was much greater 
 than Babylon, L. xvi. p. 737. marg. Amst. fol. 1707. Diodorus Siculus 
 represents the city as an oblong figure ; the two longer sides of which 
 measured 150 stadia, and the two shorter 90. " Ninus," says this historian, 
 " hastened to build a city of such magnitude, that it should not only be the 
 greatest which then existed in the whole world, but that none in succeed- 
 ing ages, who undertool< such a work, shoidd easily surpass it. Wherefore, 
 as the whole circuit was 480 stadia, his expectation has not been deceived. 
 For no one has since built so great a city ; botli as to the extent of its 
 circuit and the magnificence of the wall." Ed. Wess. 1. ii. §. 3 p. 65. 
 marg. Ammianus Marc, says, that the ancient Ninus was civitas ampla, 1. 
 xiv c. viii. And Eustathius has this note on Dionysius's TripitiyiiiriQ, 1. 
 f)f)0, p. 125, cd. H. Steph. "They ."^ay that Ninus, situated on tlic Tigris, 
 which was much greater than llabylon, was wholly dcstr(»ycd when the 
 
CH. III.] JONAH. » 
 
 Now Nineveli was || a very great city, a journey of 
 1 three days. And Jonah began to go through the city, 
 one day's journey ; and he cried and said, Yet forty days, 
 and Nineveh shall be overthrown. 
 
 5 And the men of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed 
 a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them 
 
 6 even to the least of them. For the matter came unto the 
 king of Nineveh ; and he arose from his throne, and put 
 away his robe from him, and covered himself with sack- 
 
 7 cloth, and sat on ashes. And it was proclaimed and * 
 published in Nineveh, by the decree of the king and of 
 
 II a city great unto God. « Heb. said. 
 
 Persian eiifpire was subverted." He adds a report that fourteeu myriads 
 were employed for eight years in building this city. 
 
 a journey of three days. — Herodotus reckons 150 stadia a day's 
 
 journey. L. v. c. 53. p. 398, ed. Wess. He likewise says, that a parasang 
 is 30 stadia. lb. But a arad^ioQ, mansio, or day's march, is five parasangs. 
 See Xen. Cyri Exp. 1. iv. p. 297, 8. 4to. ed. Hutchinson: and Boch. Geogr. 
 1. iv. c. XX. p. 252. 
 
 forty days. — 6. and Ar. read three. Houbigant thinks that a Greek 
 
 scribe mistook some abbreviation oi TtaffapaKovra. Syr. Chald. Aq. Symm. 
 Theo. read with the Hebrew. And Bochart observes, from Jerom, that 
 forty days is a solemn period of time in scripture, see Ex. xxiv. 18. 1 
 Kings xix. 8, and that Jonah's denuneiation employed three days. Hieroz. 
 p. ii. 746. 
 
 5. believed. — Nineveh might have been threatened at that time by 
 
 enemies or insurgents ; and the fame of the God of Israel, and his pro- 
 phets, might have reached that city. 
 
 6. the kiny of Nineveh. — About thirteen years after the death of 
 
 Jeroboam II., king of Israel, Pul, king of Assyria, invaded Israel. So that 
 Pul, oi'his predecessor, may have been the king here mentioned. 
 
 ashes. — See, as to this eastern custom, Job ii. 8. Isa. Iviii. 5. Jer. vi. 
 
 2fi. Esth. iv. 3. Matt. xi. 21. 
 
 7. And it lias proclaimed and published. — Kai tKi]pvxOi) xai epptOt). 
 
 6. Literally: And one cried and said, Ike. The nominative it'k, inx, 
 quidam, ng, is often to be supplied. See Numb. xix. 3, 5. 1 Sam. xxiii. 
 22. 1 Kings xxii. 38. Amos iv. 2. Mic. ii. 4. v. 1. &c. See Nold. voc. w^k §. 
 
 7. Bochart, Hieroz. 668, says. Lingua Hebraica ante verbum activum ssepe 
 omittit nomen agentis. 
 
 2 E 
 
10 JONAH. [CH. IV. 
 
 his f chief men, saying ; Let neither man nor :}: beast, 
 herd nor flock, taste any thing : let tliem not feed, nor 
 
 8 driidv water : but let man and § beast be covered with 
 sackcloth ; and let men cry mightily unto God, and let 
 them turn every one from his evil way, and from the 
 
 9 violence which is in their hands. Who knoweth //"God 
 will turn and repent, and will turn away from |1 his hot 
 anger ; that we perish not ? 
 
 10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their 
 evil way ; and God repented of the evil which he had 
 said that he would do unto them, and he did it not. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 1 But it displeased Jonah * exceedingly ; and his anger 
 
 2 was f kindled. And he prayed mito Jehovah, and said ; 
 I beseech thee, O Jehovah, was not this my saying when 
 
 t great. X cattle. $ Heb. cattle. || the heat of his anger. 
 * with great displeasure. t kindled unto him. 
 
 heast. — From tlie Arab, root obmutuit. 
 
 Non ulli pastos illis egere diebus . 
 
 Frigida, Daphni, boves ad flumina : nulla neque amnem 
 Libavit quadrupes, nee graminis attigit herbam. 
 
 Virg. Eel. V. 24. 
 
 taste any thing — The eastern mode of fasting was abstinence from 
 
 food till the evening. 2 Sam. i. 12. 
 
 8. heast he covered. — They thus impressed their minds more deeply, 
 
 and showed how greatly they hinnbled themselves. 
 
 Bellator equus, positis insignibus, /Ethon 
 It lacryraans. Ma. xi. 89. 
 
 Plutarch says, that when the Persian General Masistias was slain, the 
 horses and mules of the Persians were shorn as well as themselves. Aris- 
 tides, p. 308. 4to. ed. Bryan. 
 
 9. \i Godwin turn — an is also omitted, Joel ii 14. See Nold §. 24. 
 
 10. repented. — See on Joel ii. 13. 
 
 2. xvhen I was yet. — ^y, that is, Tiy3. 
 
CH. IV.] JONAH. 11 
 
 I was yet in mine own country ? Therefore I % made 
 haste to flee unto Tarshish : for I knew that thou art a 
 gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, and abundant 
 
 3 in mercy, and that thou repentest of evil. And now, O 
 Jehovah, take, I pray thee, my life from me: because it 
 
 4 is § better for me to die than to live. And Jehovah said, 
 Doest thou well that thine anger is || kindled ? 
 
 5 Now Jonah had gone out of the city, and had sat on 
 the east side of the city, and had made himself a shelter 
 there, and had sat under it in the shade, till he should 
 
 6 see what would become of the city. And Jehovah, even 
 God, prepared a plant ; and it grew over Jonah, to be a 
 shade over his head, to deliver him from his displeasure. 
 
 X I was beforehand in fleeing. § Heb. my death is better than my life. 
 il kindled unto thee. 
 
 / made haste to flee. — Praeoccupavi ut fugerem, V. Trpot^^aaa rs 
 
 ^vyttr, 6. 
 
 fori knew, See. — Hence we learn how many recent instances of long 
 
 suflfering God had shown. 
 
 4. Doest thou ivell, &c. — Literally, Num benefaciendo accensa est 
 
 tibi fm? Jonah seems to have thought that his veracity as a prophet, and 
 the honour of his office, were afifected. His impatience here, and v. 8, was 
 highly criminal ; and illustrates the general disposition of the Hebrews. 
 
 5. had gone. — That verbs in the preter form have this force, see 
 
 Gen. XX. 4. 1 Sam. xxx. 1. among very many instances. While Jonah 
 was in this situation, and perhaps expected an overthrow of the city by 
 earthquake or fire in the course of forty days, God's gracious purpose 
 towards Nineveh was revealed to him. 
 
 a shelter. — The word signifies an artificial covert, as a tent or 
 
 booth: and also a natural one; as Jer. xxv. 38. Job. xxxviii. 40. See 
 Harmer. i. 159. 
 
 6. — ~ a plant. — Bochart, Hieroz. ii. 623, and also Hiller and Celsius, 
 say that the ricinus, or palma Christi, is here meant. Pliny calls this 
 plant cici ; and its height, which is that of the olive, the largeness of its 
 leaves, which are like those of the vine, and the quickness of its growth, 
 are said to favour this supposition. See Plin. Nat. Hist. 1. xv. c. vii. We 
 may justly attribute a miraculous growth to that which shaded Jonah. 
 
 and it grew. — So the versions, and Chald. 
 
 to deliver him. — Houbigant rightly reads ib'^nb; the construction, 
 
 as it now stands, not occurring elsewhere. 
 
 from his displeasure. — Which he had conceived, r, 1 : to abate the 
 
12 JONAH. [CII. I\. 
 
 And Jonah rejoiced * exceedingly because of the pUmt. 
 
 7 But God prepared a worm when the morning f dawned 
 on the morrow ; and it smote the plant, and it withered. 
 
 8 And it came to pass, when the sun arose, that God pre- 
 pared a still east wind : and the sun :}: beat upon the 
 head of Jonah, and he was faint ; and he asked within § 
 himself to die, and said, It is \\ better for me to die than 
 
 9 to live. And God said unto Jonah, Doest thou well 
 that thine anger is * kindled for the plant ? And he said, 
 I do well that mine anger is f kindled even unto death. 
 
 10 And Jehovah said, Thou wouldest have spared the plant, 
 for which thou hast not laboured, neither hast thou made 
 it grow ; which came up :{: in a night, and perished § in 
 
 1 1 a night : and shall not I spare Nineveh, that great city, 
 wherein are more than six score thousand persons, who 
 
 * wiih great joy. t Ileb. rose. \ smote. § his soul. || my 
 
 death is better than my life. * kindled unto thee. t kindled unto me. 
 
 X was the son of a night. ^ the son of a night. 
 
 heat; and iLiis to ease his mind, by easing his body. Or to deliver him 
 from his affliction, or distress, on accoimt of the heat. 
 
 8. a still east wind. — Kavatov, u. ; a very scorching and suffocating 
 
 wind in those countries; as deserts of burning sand lay to the east, or 
 south-cast. Pcritsol, itin. mundi, p. 180, in Sharpe's ed. of Hyde's works, 
 derives the \\un\ from unn to plou</h; because " ventus ita cxarat conti- 
 nentem ilium, ut arena ascendat in aerem. 
 
 wil/iin /timself. — Within, or for, his soul ; that is, by a known He- 
 braism, inx, ivitfiin, or fur, himself, Lev. xi. 43, 44. Isa. xlvi. 2. Matth. 
 xxvi. 38. 
 
 10. tvouldesl have spared. — For this force of verbs in the prefer 
 
 form, see, among many other instances. Numb. xxii. 33. Judges, viii. 19. 
 Ex. ix. 15. which last place should be thus rendered: " For now I would 
 have stretched forth mine hand, and would have smitten thee and thy 
 jicople with the pestilence ; and thou shouldest have been cut off from the 
 earth : but, indeed, for this cause have I continued thee [and have not 
 destroyed thee by the pestilence], to show thee, Ike." See the close of 
 V. 29. 
 
 Jonah seems to have been grieved that so extraordinary and beautiful a 
 plant perished ; as well as for the loss of its shelter. 
 
 in a night. — Some MSS. and editions read m^' and t*ai. 
 
 11. si.v score thousand. — llcckoning those of a tender age at a fifth 
 
CH. IV.] JONAH. 13 
 
 cannot discern between their right hand and their left 
 hand ; and also much cattle ? 
 
 part, the city contained six hundred thousand inhabitants. See Boch. 
 Geogr. 252, 3. 
 
 and their left hand. — See on Joel ii. 17, for the use of the Hebrew 
 
 prepositions. 
 
 much cattle. — In the hxrge circuit of Nineveh, as in that of Baby- 
 lon, space was probably left for cattle to feed, duintus Curtius says of 
 Babylon, " ^dificia non sunt admota muris, sed fere spatium unius 
 jugeris absunt. Ac ne totaiu quidem urbem tectis occupaverunt ; per xc 
 stadia habitatur; nee omnia coutinua sunt: credo, quia tutius visum est 
 pluribus locis spargi : cajtera serunt coluntque ; ut, si externa vis ingruat, 
 obsessis alimenta ex ipsius urbis solo subministrentur." 
 
THE BOOK 
 
 AMOS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 1 The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds of 
 Tekoa, which * came unto him in a vision concerning 
 
 * Heb. He saw. 
 
 1. Amos. — Though this prophet was of Tekoa, a city in the tribe of 
 
 Judah (see 2 Chron. xi. 5, 6. and Josh. xv. 20, 69, in the Greek), yet he 
 dwelt ill Israel (c. vii. 12), and prophesied chiefly against that kingdom. 
 See ch. ii. (5, &c. He was a shepherd and herdsman, and a gatherer of syca- 
 more fruit; ch. i. 1. vii. 14. But rural emplojments were general, and 
 honourable, among his countrymen. However, in the words, 
 
 " I was no prophet, 
 
 Neither was I the son of a prophet," ch. vii. 14, 
 
 he seems to distinguish himself from those who were educated in the 
 schools founded by Samuel. He borrows many images from the scenes in 
 which he had been engaged; but he introduces them with skill, and gives 
 them force and dignity by the eloquence and grandeur of his manner. 
 We shall find in him many alfecting and pathetic, many elegant and sub- 
 lime passages. No prophet has more magnificently described the Deity ; 
 or more gravely rebuked the luxurious; or reproved injustice and op- 
 pression with greater warmth and a more generous indignation. An 
 eminent judge and master of style pronounces him nearly equal to tlie 
 very first prophets in elevation of sentiments and loftiness of s])irit ; and 
 scarcely inferior to any in splendour of diction and beauty of composition. 
 De sacra poesi Hebr. pracl. xxi. 
 
 shepherds. — Kimchi says, that shepherds were called onp:, because 
 
 some sheep were spotted; Gen. xxx. 32. Drusius, because a inark was 
 stamped on them. Bochart derives the word from a corresponding Arabic 
 one, s\hich signifies an inferior kind of sheep or goats, and the shejdierd 
 of such ; and hence a shepherd in general, llicroz. i. 442. 
 
CH. I.] AMOS. 15 
 
 Israel, in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in tlie 
 days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two 
 
 2 years before the earthquake. A nd he said : 
 
 Jehovah will roar from Sion, 
 And from Jerusalem he will utter his voice : 
 And the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn. 
 And the top of Carmel shall wither. 
 
 3 Thus saith Jehovah : 
 
 For three transgressions of Damascus, 
 And for four, I will not turn away the punishment 
 thereof; 
 
 Israel. — 'ItpscraXj/ju, 6. Scribitur abreviate lAHM, et Ierpa»j\ IHA. 
 
 Secter. 
 
 Uzziah. — He reigned over Judah from the year before Christ 809 
 
 to the year 758. 
 
 Jeroboam. — See on Jonah i. 1. 
 
 earthquake. — This earthquake is referred to, Zech. xiv. 5 ; and pro- 
 bably, as Bishop Lowth thinks, Jsa. v. 25. Josephus describes some of its 
 effects ; and attributes it to Uzziah's invasion of the priest's office, recorded 
 2 Chron. xxvi. 16. Ant. IX. x. 4. 
 
 2. Jehovah — voice. — These two lines occur Joel iii. 16. See also 
 
 Jer. XXV. 30, The meaning is, that God will soon spread terror, like beasts 
 of prey when they roar, Amos iii 8 ; in other words, that he will soon dis- 
 play his (power in executing judgment. The particular judgment here 
 threatened is a drought. See ch. iv. 6. vi. 12. 
 
 from Sion — His dwelling-place; where he exhibits his glory 
 
 between the Cherubim. See Jer. xxv. 30. 
 
 — — Carmel. — A very fruitful mountain in the tribe of Judah. Josh. 
 XV. 55. Isa. XXXV. 2. 
 
 3. -i ivill not turn away, &c. — For the multiplied transgressions of 
 
 Damascus, the capital of Syria, I will not rescue it, sc. oy the people, from 
 punishment. See Ps. xxxv. 17. The Seventy here translate the suffix by 
 avTov, v^ 6. by avTag, and v. 9. by avrijv, referring it to the people, the 
 inhabitants, the city. Or, I will not convert the people. Lament, v. 21, 
 Jer. xxxi, 18. Or, I will not pardon it, sc. ywB the transgression. Or, I 
 will not turn it back, or revoke it, sc. 'pn mi/ purpose, or nm my tvord. 
 See Numb, xxiii. 19, 20; where mm may be understood. See mm bv, 
 Nold. 
 
 " For three tiansgressions of Damascus, 
 
 And for four, I will not restore it." Lovvtli's Prel. v. 2. p. 52. 
 
16 AMOS. [CH. I. 
 
 Because they threshed Gilead with threshing-wains of 
 iron : 
 
 4 But I will send a fire on the house of Hazael, 
 f Which shall devour the palaces of Benhadad. 
 
 5 I will also break the bar of Damascus ; 
 
 And I will cut off the inhabitant from the valley of On, 
 And him that holdeth the sceptre from :}: Beth- Eden ; 
 And the people of § Syria shall go into captivity unto 
 Kir, saith Jehovah. 
 
 6 Thus saith Jehovah : 
 
 For three transgressions of Gaza, 
 
 And for four, I will not turn away the punishment 
 tliereof ; 
 
 Because they led into captivity a full || number of cap- 
 tives, 
 
 That they might deliver them up to Edom : 
 
 t Ileb. And it. X or, the house of Eden. § Aram. || captivity. 
 
 Est Litotes : Certissime puniam, et exequar illud decrctum meum. 
 Confer Num. xxiii. 20. Dathius. 
 
 threshed. — This alludes to the threshing-wain described Isa. xli. 15. 
 
 It moved on serrated wheels, and at once forced out the grain and cut the 
 straw. See Pocock on Micah iv. 13, and Bishop Lowth on Isa. xxviji. 27 
 If we translate threshing instruments, we suggest a modern idea. 
 " 6. nyban rmn : ut v. 13." Seeker. 
 
 Gilead. — The fact is recorded 2 Kings x. 32, 33. 
 
 4. Benhadad. — He was the son and successor of Hazael, king of Syria, 
 2 Kings xiii. 3, 24. 
 
 5. the bar. — Perhaps the true reading is 'n«-ia the bars. So 6. Syr. 
 
 and the similar passages, Jer. li. 30, Lam. ii. 9. Nahum iii. 13. 
 
 the valley of On. — This, says Bochart, Geogr. Sacr. II. vi. 79, and 
 
 Beth-Eden, the house of Eden, sedes voluptatis, are other names for the 
 valley of Damascus. On, as we read in 6., may be derived from the Hebr. 
 nK robur, opes, or from On, the Egyptian title of the sun. See the learned 
 Mr. Bryant's Mythology i. 16. ed. 1. 
 
 Kir. — Probably a city of Elymais, Isa. xxii. 6. The completion 
 
 of this prophecy is recorded, 2 Kings xvi. 9. 
 
 6. captives. — This might happen at the time of such incursions as 
 
 are mentioned, 2 Chron. xxi. 10. 
 
CH. I.] AMOS. n 
 
 7 But I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, 
 * Which shall devour the palaces thereof. 
 
 8 And I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod ; 
 And him that holdeth the sceptre from Ashkelon ; 
 And I will turn mine hand against Ekron ; 
 
 And the residue of the Philistines shall perish, 
 Saith the Lord Jehovah. 
 
 9 Thus saith Jehovah : 
 
 For three transgressions of Tyrus, 
 
 And for four, I will not turn away the punishment 
 
 thereof; 
 Because they delivered up a full f number of captives to 
 
 Edom, 
 And remembered not the league of brethren : 
 
 10 But I will send a fire on the wall of Tyrus, 
 X Which shall devour the palaces thereof. 
 
 1 1 Thus saith Jehovah : 
 
 For three transgressions of Edom, 
 
 * And it. t Heb. captivity. t And it. 
 
 7. ivall. — Perhaps the true reading liere, and v. 10 — 14, is m?3in 
 
 walls. See 6. Ar. Syr. Chald. 
 
 Gaza. — Hezekiah smote it, 2 Kings xviii. 8. Pharaoh, king of 
 
 Egypt, smote it, Jer. xlvii. 1. Alexander the Great' took it, Quint. Curt. 
 IV. vi. 
 
 8. Ashdod. — Uzziah conquered it, 2 Chron. xxvi. 6. 
 
 Ashkelon. — See Jer. xlvii. 5. 
 
 Ekron. — See Zeph. ii. 4. All Syria was subdued by Pharaoh 
 
 Necho; and again, as far as Pelusium, by Nebuchodonosor, Jos. Ant. X. 
 vi. 1. Berosus also mentions that Nebuchodonosor conquered Syria and 
 all Phoenicia, Jos. contr. App. i. §. 19, 20. 
 
 9. ' league. — 1 Kings v. 12. 
 
 10. a /j-e.— Nebuchadnezzar took the city of Tyre after a siege of 
 
 thirteen years, Ezek. xxvi. 7—14. Jos. contr. App. i. 20, 21. Otherwise, 
 he could not have been represented as the conqueror of all Phoenicia. It 
 was also taken by Alexander, Q- Curt. IV. iv. 13; where the words are, 
 "Alexander, exceptis qui adtemplum confugerant, omnes interfici, ignemque 
 tectis injici, jubet." 
 
18 AMOS. [CH. 1. 
 
 And for four, I will not turn away the ptmishment 
 
 thereof ; 
 Because he pursued his brother with the sword, 
 And § cast oflf his pity : 
 And his anger tare for ever, 
 And he || kept his wrath perpetually : 
 
 12 But I will send a fire upon Teman, 
 
 * Which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah, 
 
 13 Thus saith Jehovah : 
 
 § Heb. destroyed, or corrupted, his compassions. || his wrath, he kept it. *And it. 
 
 11. his brother. — The two nations were descended from Jacob and 
 
 Esau, who were brethren. It is probable that, before Amos wrote, the 
 Edoniites had often distressed Judah and Israel in times of calamity. 
 That this was their custom, see 2 Chron. xxviii. 17. But the words may 
 be spoken prophetically, of the conduct which the Edomites would pursue 
 at the taking of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, Obad. 11 —14. Ezek. xxv. 
 12. XXXV. 5. Ps. cxxxvii. 7. 
 
 cast off. — See nnu' Ezek. xxviii. 17. The Seventy and Ar. add 
 
 VnK2., in the land, to this clause, " And destroyed his damsels in the laud." 
 See Ch. Vulg. 6. and Judges v. 30. 
 
 tare. — nD2i et asservavit. Syi\ Recte, ut suadent sequentia. Conf. 
 
 Ps. ciii. 9. At 6. Symm. Th. Ch. Vulg, ut Hebr. Seeker. 
 
 for ever. — See Gen. xxvii. 41. Numb. xx. 20. 
 
 12. afire. — Nebuchadnezzar subdued the Edomites, Jer. xxv. 9, 
 
 21. xxvii. 3, 6. Judas Maccabeus obtained a great victory over the 
 remains of tliem, 1 Mace. v. 3 ; probably after they had left the Nabathe- 
 ans in consequence of a sedition, and had settled to the south of Judah. 
 See Strabo xvi. p. 760. marg. ed. Amst. fol. 1707. For I suppose that the 
 Babylonian conquests had compelled them to take refuge in that part of 
 Arabia. Afterwards, Hyrcanus reduced them under subjection; and per- 
 mitted them to remain in their coimtry on condition that they conformed 
 to the Jewish laws, Jos. Ant. XIII. ix. 1. See on Obad. 2. 
 
 Teman. — A city of Idumea, Jer. xlix. 7, 20. Ezek. xxv. 13. 
 
 Teman was the grandson of Esau, Gen, xxxvi. 10, II. 
 
 Bozrah. — A city of Idumea, Isa. xxxiv. 6 Ixiii. I, Jer. xlix. 22. 
 
 Bochart thinks that there was another Bozrah in the land of Moab, Jer. 
 xlviii 24. Ilieroz. II. xlviii p iyM, and Moab was famous for its llocks, 
 2 Kings iii. 4, Mic. ii. 12. 
 
cir. II.] AMOS. 19 
 
 For three transgressions of the sons of Ammon, 
 
 And for four, I will not turn away the punishment 
 
 thereof; 
 Because they ripped up the women with child of Gilead, 
 That they might enlarge their border : 
 
 14 But I will kindle a fire on the wall of Kabbah ; 
 f Which shall devour the palaces thereof, 
 With shouting in the day of battle. 
 
 With a whirlwind in the day of tempest. 
 
 15 And their king shall go into captivity, 
 
 He and his princes together, saith Jehovah. 
 
 CHAPTER n. 
 
 1 Thus saith Jehovah : 
 
 For three transgressions of Moab, 
 
 t Heb. And it. 
 
 13. Ammon. — From whom tlie Ammonites were descended. See 
 
 Gen xix. 38. Their country lay to the east of Jordan, in the neighhour- 
 hood of Gilead Rabbah was its cajntal, Deut. iii. 11. 2 Sam. xi. 1. Jer. 
 xlix. 2. 
 
 of Gilead — The historians of these times, transmitted down to us, 
 
 are so concise, that we often want authority for the particular facts referred 
 to. 
 
 14. afire. — The Ammonites were conquered by Nebuchadnezzar, 
 
 Jer xxvii. 3, 6. 
 
 tempest. — This image is naturally and sublimely introduced. So 
 
 " ^neas nubem belli, dum detonet, oranem 
 Sustinet." ^n. x. 809. 
 
 15. their king. — Or, Malchom, their God. So Vulg. Syr. 6. MS. 
 
 Pachom. and Boch. Hieroz. II. xxxiv. 368 See Jer.xlviii. 7. xlix. 3. 1 
 Kings xi. 33. 
 
 he. — " mn ot Upftg avrwv 6. H. [i. e. iravng'] Upfig r« avTu, apud 
 
 Montf. Cum. sacerdotibus ejus, Syr. Nee male, ut videtur ex Jer. xlix. 3." 
 Seeker. The reading may have been, viwi vsnai Kin, or nu'i vjna. 
 
 1. Moah. — For the origin of this people, see Gen. xix. 37. Their 
 
 country lay to the east of the Dead Sea. 
 
20 AMOS. [CII. 11. 
 
 And for four, I will not turn away the punishment 
 
 thereof ; 
 Because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into 
 
 lime: 
 
 2 But I will send a fire on Moab, 
 
 * Which shall devour the palaces of Kirioth : 
 
 And Moab shall die with tumult, 
 
 With shouting, with the sound of the trumpet. 
 
 3 And I will cut off the judge from the midst thereof; 
 And all the princes thereof will I slay with him, saitli 
 
 Jehovah. 
 
 4 Thus saith Jehovah : 
 
 For three transgressions of Judah, 
 
 And for four, I Mill not turn away the punishment 
 
 •thereof; 
 Because they have rejected the law of Jehovah, 
 And have not kept his statutes : 
 And their f false gods have caused them to err, 
 After :{: whom their fathers walked: 
 
 5 But I will send a fire upon Judah, 
 
 § Which shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem. 
 
 6 Thus saith Jehovah : 
 
 For three transgressions of Israel, 
 
 * Ilfcb. Ahd it. t lies. % which. § And it. 
 
 hurned the bones. — Insulted his remains in a revengeful and savage 
 
 manner. 
 
 2. Kirioth. — A city of Moab, Jer. xlviii. 24 — 41. Moab was con- 
 quered by Nebuchadnezzar, Jer. xxvii. 3, 6. 
 
 3. the ju(l(j('. — Probably the title of the chief magistrate. Thus the 
 
 Carthaginians had their Sufl'etcs. Houbigant reads laipo and v-\v. 
 
 4. their false gods. — Vulg. idola sua. The next line naturally 
 
 refers to the idolatries of Judah, with accounts of which their history 
 abounds. Compare Isa. xlv. 20. 
 
 6. afire. — This refers to the burning of Jerusalem by Nebuzar- 
 
 adan, 2 Kings xxv. 9. 
 
 6. Israel. — Amos first prophesies against the Syrians, Philistines, 
 
 Tyrians, Edomites, Ammonites, and Moabites, who dwelt in the neighbour- 
 hood of the twelve tribes, and had occasionJiUy become their enemies and 
 
CII. II.] AMOS. 21 
 
 And for four, I will not turn away the punishment 
 
 thereof; 
 Because they sell the righteous for silver, 
 And the needy in return for sandals : 
 
 7 They bruise the head of the poor in the dust of the 
 
 earth, 
 And turn aside the way of the humble : 
 And a man and his father go in unto the same damsel, 
 To pollute II mine holy name : 
 
 8 And they stretch themselves on garments taken to pledge. 
 Near every altar ; 
 
 II Heb. the name of ir.itie holiness. 
 
 oppressors. Having thus not only taught his countrymen that the provi- 
 dence of God extended to other nations, but conciliated attention to himself 
 by such interesting predictions ; he briefly mentions the idolatries and con- 
 sequent destruction of Judah, and then passes on to his proper subject, 
 which was to exhort and reprove the kingdom of Israel, and to denounce 
 judgments against it. The reason why that kingdom was particularly 
 addressed seems to have been, that Pul invaded it in the reign of Uzziah 
 2 Kings XV. 19 ; and that, in less than half a century after the first Assyrian 
 invasion, it was subverted by Shalmaneser, 2 Kings xvii. 6. 
 
 sandals. — So ch. viii. 6. Even for so inconsiderable a price as that 
 
 specified. 
 
 7. bruise. — Houbigant says, that the true reading is from ^•\Ti' terere; 
 
 that the x has been introduced by eastern scribes from the Arabic form • 
 and that it is marked with a circle above it in MSS. as a suspicious letter. 
 Vulg 6. Syr. render according to the sense of f)iu': and, Ps. hi. 1, 2. Ivii. 3 
 6. translate ^ku- by KaraTraniv, as if it had that sense in the Hebrew. See 
 also V^ilg. 6. ch. viii. 4. That some verbs are used with 3, see ch iv. 11. 
 ix. 1.3. Ezek xviii. .32, compared with v. 23. 
 
 turn aside. — From right and justice. See ch. v. 12. Isai. x 1. 
 
 xxix. 21. 
 
 the same damsel. — Houbigant observes, that u. have irpog Ttjv avTi]v 
 
 TraiSiaKrjv. 
 
 to pollute. — ^To treat me as if I was not a holy and fearful God, 
 
 Ezek. XX. 39. Or, by giving occasion of reproach among the heathen, 
 Ezek. XX. 9. For the change from the participle to the preter tense, see 
 Isa. xxix. 21. Amos v. 7, 12. vi. G. 
 
 8. stretch themselves. — Bow themselves down ; in the force of the 
 
 conjugation Hithpahel, which this Hebrew verb wants. See. Ps. cxxv. 5. 
 
22 AMOS. [CH.""]!. 
 
 And drink the wine of men * punished by unjust fines, 
 In the house of their gods. 
 9 Yet destroyed I the Amorite from before them, 
 Whose height was as the height of the cedars, 
 And he was strong us the oaks : 
 
 Yet destroyed I his fruit from above, and his roots from 
 beneath. 
 
 10 Also I brought you up from the land of Egypt, 
 And led you in the desert forty years ; 
 
 That ye might possess the land of the Amorite. 
 
 11 And I raised up of your sons for prophets, 
 And of your young men for Nazarites. 
 
 Is it not even thus, 
 
 O ye sons of Israel, saith Jehovah ? 
 
 12 But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink : 
 And ye commanded the prophets, 
 
 * Or, unjustly /(Her/. 
 
 According to the Greek, Latin, and English versions, et deftcclentes sc. 
 The sense is, that they recline at an idolatrous banquet. See Spencer de 
 leg. Hebr. iii. ch. vii. 
 
 taken to pledge. — Retained contrary to the law. Ex. xxii. 26, 27. 
 
 ■punished by unjust ^/les. — The law allowed of pecuniary amerce- 
 ments in some cases, Ex. xxi. 22. Deut. xxii. 19. But the prophet speaks 
 of wine purchased with money arising from iniquitous mulcts. 
 
 In this verse the future tense is twice affected by the distant vau. 
 
 9. The image is a grand and natural one : 
 
 " HpiTTt S', dig oTs Tig dpvg jjnmtv, >; a^tpwef, 
 
 He TriTvg /3Xa»0();j, tijv t ovpicn TtKrovig avSpe^ 
 
 E^trafiov ntKtKtaai vetjKtffi, vtfiov iivai." II. xiii. 389. 
 
 " lUe, mordaci velut iota ferro 
 
 Pinus, aui impulsa cupressus euro, 
 
 Procidit late." Ilor. Od. L. iv. vi. 
 
 So Virgil compares the destruction of Troy to the cutting down of an 
 ancient ornus, or mountain ash; and the fall of Entellus to that of a pine, 
 ^n. ii. 626, v. 447. 
 
 The prophet diversifies and continues the image with great beauty. 
 
 11. Nazarites. — Persons separated to God by certain ceremonies: 
 
 Numb. vi. ; and particularly commanded to refrain from wine, lb. v. 3. 
 
CH. II.] AMOS. 23 
 
 Saying, Prophesy not. 
 
 13 Therefore^ behold, I will press your place. 
 As a J loaded corn-wain presseth its sheaves. 
 
 14 And flight shall perish from the swift, 
 Neither shall the strong establish his force ; 
 And the mighty shall not deliver himself, 
 
 15 Neither shall he that handle th the bow stand ; 
 And the swift of foot shall not deliver himself; 
 Neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver himself: 
 
 16 And he that establisheth his heart among the mighty, 
 Shall flee away naked in that day, saith Jehovah. 
 
 t Hebr. full. 
 
 13. ■press. — I give p-yD and p'j;n an active sense ; as the word of tlie 
 
 same form has in Syr. and Chald. See Cast. lex. See also the Syriac 
 and Chaldee versions of this passage. " Active sumitur in Hiphil, ut et 
 piv." Seeker. 
 
 They are said to weary God, Isa. i, 14, xliii. 24. Mai. ii. 17. But 
 there is no authority for using the word here passively/ " I am pressed." 
 And the next verse being joined to this by i makes it more natural that 
 this should begin to express their punishment. Seeker. 
 
 your place. — See the original word, Ex. x. 23. xvi. 29. Judges 
 
 vii 21. 1 Sam. xiv. 9. 2 Sam. vii. 10. Hab. iii. 16. Zech. xii. 6. 
 
 By a full corn-drag I understand one fully laden, so as to make it 
 weighty. 
 
 The pronoun nS may be referred to "ivjy : sibi manipulos, i. e. suos mani- 
 pulos: or we may suppose it redundant, as ib, Cantic. ii. 11. Hos. viii. 9. 
 Isa. xxxi. 8. lb, ib. xl. 9 : or we may suspect its genuineness ; as there is 
 no trace of it in the versions or Chald., and as it resembles the close of 
 the foregoing word. 
 
 Our marginal rendering is, I will press your place, as a cart full of 
 sheaves presseth. Q,uod plenum sibi est manipulis. And Houbigant ren- 
 ders, Ego igitur istum locum, ubi estis, ita calcabo, ut calcat manipulos 
 plaustrum plenum. 
 
 14. swift. — Here the swift is opposed to the strong; and y. 16, 
 
 to him that rideth on a swift beast. I suppose that the four last verses of 
 this chapter refer to the inextricable calamities caused by the earthquake. 
 See ch. i 1. 
 
 among the mighty. — Syr. " as the mighty" D-naja. 
 
 15. himself. — One MS. supplies w3d. 
 
 F 
 
24 AMOS. CH. III.] 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Hear this word which Jehovali hath spoken * concern- 
 ing you, O ye sons of Israel ; even * concerning all the 
 family which I brought up from the land of Egypt; 
 saying : 
 
 You only have I known 
 From among all the families of the earth : 
 Therefore will I -|- visit upon you 
 All your iniquities. 
 
 Can two go together, 
 Unless they meet by appointment ? 
 Will the lion roar in the forest, 
 When he hath no prey ? 
 
 Will the young lion utter his voice out of his den, 
 If he have not taken any thing ? 
 
 Can a bird fall into a snare upon the earth, 
 
 * Or, against. t Or, punish. 
 
 Chap. III. 1. O ye sons. — The Seventy and Arab, read n-i, "O 
 
 house of Israel ;" which is the reading of many MSS. 
 
 family. — Used also for people or nation, Jer. viii. 3. Micah ii. 3. 
 
 2. knon-n. — Acknowledged by revealing myself to you, and pro- 
 tecting you. 
 
 3. Can two, &c. — As a journey, in which two engage, naturally supposes 
 a settled meeting; so the denouncing of God's designs by his prophets, 
 shows that he has made himself known to them. 
 
 rneet. — r^wpiffwo-tv iavrovg, 6. iyni3. Seeker. 
 
 4. roar. — Naturalists assert that, when the lion sees his prey, he 
 
 roars before he rushes on it ; and that at this roaring, many animals show 
 great fear. See v. 8. He likewise roars over his prey. The sense seems 
 to be. As the lion roareth on account of his prey, so, by my prophets, I cry 
 aloud against you, because ye are the objects of my vengeance. See v. 8. 
 
 5. Ca7i a bird, &c. — So I have prepared destruction against you ; 
 and the enemy shall not depart from you, till he have destroyed you. See 
 the latter part of v. 6. 
 
 Can — uill. — Shall — will.'' Perhaps, Will a snare rise, spring up? 
 
CH. III.] AMOS. 25 
 
 Where no gin is set for liira ? 
 
 Will a snare spring from the ground, 
 
 :j; W^lien it hath not taken ani/ tiling ? 
 
 6 Shall a trumpet be blown in a city, 
 And the people not be afraid ? 
 Shall there be evil in a city, 
 
 And Jehovah hath not § inflicted it ? 
 
 7 Surely the Lord Jehovah doeth nothing, 
 But he revealeth his secret 
 
 Unto his servants the prophets. 
 
 8 The lion hath roared : who will not fear ? 
 The Lord Jehovah hath spoken : 
 
 Who will not prophesy ? 
 
 9 Publish it upon the palaces in Ashdod, 
 And upon the palaces in the land of Egypt : 
 And say : 
 
 X Hebr. When taking it hath not taken. $ done. 
 
 6. Shall a trumpet, &c — As the people run together through fear, when 
 the signal of an approaching enemy is made ; so let my warning strike the 
 Israelites with terror. 
 
 evil. — Shall the evil of earthquakes, of unfruitful seasons, of hostile 
 
 incursions, befall my people without my special appointment.'' 
 
 7. -doeth. — The Hebrew future has often the frequentative kvce: 
 
 " is wont to do." 
 
 8. The lion, &c. — The awful admonitions uttered by the prophets are as 
 natural a consequence of God's command, as fear is of the lion's roaring. 
 
 " Fremitu leonis qualis audito tener 
 • Timidum juvencus applicat matri latus : 
 
 At ille saevus, matre summota, leo 
 Praedam rainorera morsibus vastis piemens 
 Frangit, vehitque ; talis e nostro sinu 
 Te rapiet hostis." Sen. Troad. 794. 
 
 9. upon the palaces. — i. e. the flat roofs of the palaces, the usual 
 
 place of publishing events, Matth. x. 27. See Bishop Lowth on Isa. 
 xxii. 1. 
 
 in Ashdod. — Ev Affffvpoic, 6. "ntt'N3. Recte, ut videtur: nam saepe 
 
 eri/oToix" cum onvo : et Azoto excidium praedictum fuit ; ch. i. 8. Seeker. 
 
 And say. — I suppose this to be extra metrum. See ch. viii. 5. 
 
 F 2 
 
26 AMOS. [CH. III. 
 
 Gatlier yourselves together upon the mountains of Sa- 
 maria, 
 And see great || tumults in the midst of her, 
 And the oppressed within her. 
 
 10 For they know not to do right, saith Jehovah ; 
 
 They * treasure up f rapine and spoil in their palaces. 
 
 1 1 Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah : 
 An enemy shall encompass the land. 
 
 And shall bring down thy strength from thee ; 
 And thy palaces shall be spoiled. 
 
 12 Thus saith Jehovah : 
 
 As the shepherd J taketh out of the lion's mouth 
 Two legs, or a portion of an ear ; 
 So shall the sons of Israel be § taken out, 
 Who sit in Samaria on the side of a bed. 
 And in Damascus o« the side of a couch. 
 
 II Or, violences, * Hebr. treasuring up. t Or, violence. 
 
 X Hebr. rescueth. § rescued. 
 
 Samaria. — The capital of the kingdom of Israel ; situated on a 
 
 hill, and surrounded by hills, Maundrell, p 68. 1 Kings xvi. 24. Some 
 of the versions read nn the mountain. See ch. iv. 1. 
 
 11. shall encompass. — Houbigant reads n^arn : hostis circumsidens, 
 
 vel. circumsidehit. Perhaps nao- circundahit; which exactly con-esponds 
 to the verb in the next line. See Syr. " F, n^ao nv. sequitur n23i." Mr. 
 Woide. Five MSS. have aaoi. 
 
 12. Who sit. — See ch. vi. 4. Who now sit luxuriously on lieds and 
 
 couches, Jer. xxxvi. 15. Esth. i. 6. Harmer, ii. 60, endeavours to show 
 that the corner of a bed was the most houotirable place ; and by nua he 
 thinks that we may understand a divan, or a part of a room raised above 
 the floor, and spread with a carpet in the winter, and in the summer with 
 fine mats. A mattress laid on this floor might serve for a bed. See p. 
 67. He also thinks that pii'OT may signify something made at Damascus, 
 p. 67, 
 
 Damascus. — This prophecy may have been delivered when Jero- 
 boam the Second was in possession of Damascus, 2 Kings xiv. 28. 
 
 Because pirDi in the Arabic version of Isa- iii. 22. is rendered peplum. 
 Houbigant leads us to translate, 
 
 " Who dwell in Samaria, 
 
 In the extremity of a bed, and in the covering of a couch," 
 
CH. III.] AMOS. 27 
 
 13 Hear [O ye priests,] and testify to the house of Jacob. 
 Saith the Lord Jehovah God of hosts ; 
 
 14 II That in the day when I visit the transgressions of 
 
 Israel upon him, 
 I will also * visit the altars of Bethel ; 
 And the horns of the altar shall be cut oiF, and shall fall 
 
 to the ground : 
 
 15 And I will smite the winter-house 
 Together with the summer-house ; 
 
 And the houses of ivory shall be destroyed, 
 
 And the great houses shall f have an end, saith Jehovah. 
 
 II Or, surely. * Hebr. visit upon. i Or, fail. 
 
 According to this coujectural rendering, the sense maybe: So a very 
 inconsiderable part shall escape, who hide themselves in the most retired 
 places of their habitations. " Professor Michaelis observes, that MS. 93 
 reads wni, which he renders in latibulo lecti, from the Arab, abdidit, 
 occultaint." Mr. Woide. 
 
 If we suppose the word piroT properly to signify the covering of a couch, 
 this name may have been given to it because probably it was generally 
 made of a species of silk so called. pDDT in Arab, signifies the threads spun 
 from a silk-worm's thread ; and the Hebrew word may be formed from it 
 by the substitution of a cognate letter. Dr. Forsayeth. 
 
 13. O ye priests. — The Seventy and Arab, supjjly this, and there 
 
 seems to be a peculiar propriety in addressing the priests on this occasion. 
 
 hosts. — The word may comprehend the angelic host; the sun, moon, 
 
 and stars, which are the heavenly host ; and the hosts, or anuies, of all 
 nations ; but particularly those of the Jews, whom God led forth to battle 
 when his people observed his law. 
 
 14. Bethel. — See 1 Kings xii. 29, 32. Its destruction is also fore- 
 told ch. v. 5, and may be referred to Jer. xlviii. 13. 
 
 horns. — See Ps. cxviii. 27. Ex. xxvii. 2. 
 
 15. winter-house. — See Jer. xxxvi. 22. 
 
 of ivory. — Inlaid with ivory in some parts of them. 
 
 " Awfiara i]xi}£VTa, 
 X-pvaov t', tfKsKrpov re, /cat apyvpou, »j5' t\t<pavros." Odyss. iv. 72. 
 
 " Non ebur, neque aureum 
 
 Mea renidet in domo lacunar." Hor. Od. L. II. xviii. 1. 
 
 See Harmer, i. 181, and Boch. Hieroz. L. II. xxir. 252. 
 
28 AMOS. [Cll. IV. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Hear this word, O ye kine of Bashan, 
 Tliat are on the mountain of Samaria : 
 That oppress the poor, that crush the needy ; 
 That say to their masters. Bring, and let us drink. 
 The Lord Jehovah hath sworn by his holiness. 
 That, behold, the days shall come upon you, 
 When ye shall be taken away with * hooks, 
 And your posterity, with nets of fishers. 
 And ye shall go out at the openings, every one at that 
 which is before it ; 
 
 * Or, fishing instruments. 
 
 Chap. IV. 1. Hear. — It should regularly be njyoi:': and Houbigant 
 suggests that this word may have been originally written lyou', according 
 to Gen. iv. 23. 
 
 O ye kine of Bashan. — Bashan was famous for its flocks and herds, 
 
 Deut. xxxii. 14. Ezek. xxxix. 18. The proud and luxurious matrons of 
 Israel may be here described. Or if the reader supposes that the men of 
 Israel are addressed, ivnw may be con.strued with rrns Kara to armaivofxivov, 
 or according to the seme ; and aannnK may be the reading, v. 2. 
 
 to their masters. — Houbigant reads ln>D^K'p ; and V. Syr. Ar. laj'nN"?. 
 
 "Masters, or Lords, are husbands." Gen. xviii. 12. Seeker. 
 
 2. ye shall he taken away. — Literally : one shall take you away. 
 
 See on Jon. iii. f . 
 
 hooks. — ^The original word in the masculine is used for thorns ; but 
 
 in the feminine it signifies shields. In Buxt. Lex. Rabb. nk signifies 
 canistrum, corbis ; and is equivalent to kto in Hebrew, the v and la being 
 often changed. So that perhaps a fishing instrument may be denoted, 
 which, like some now in use, resembled a shield, or a basket, in its form. 
 Our translators render honks, from their analogy to thorns. 
 
 nets ofjishcrs. — The original word in the masculine is used for 
 
 thorns, and in the feminine for pots; and the sense of hooks is assumed by 
 the English translators, as before. Perhaps the prophet means vessels of 
 fishing resembling pots, with nets annexed to them. 
 
 Those who think that the women of Israel are understood v. I, may read 
 in this V. ]'2-bv and ishk. 
 
 3. at the openings. — The apertures of the fishing instrument in 
 
CH. IV.] AMOS. 29 
 
 And I will cast it forth, and will utterly destroy it, saith 
 Jehovah. 
 
 4 Go to Bethel, and transgress ; 
 
 At Gilgal multiply f transgression : 
 And bring your sacrifices every morning ; 
 Your tithes, every three years. 
 
 5 And burn a thank-offering of leaven. 
 
 And proclaim, publish abroad, free-will offerings. 
 
 t Hebr. to transgress. 
 
 wliicli ye were cauglit. HouLigaut reads a-vnaai, because Vulg. Syr. 
 actually supply the preposition ; which in Hebrew is very often understood. 
 
 ' every one. — nii-N sc. nan fish. 
 
 utterly destroy. — Houbigant proposes n^Dinn ,- " et projiciemini in 
 
 sagenas." Possibly nDonnn nrnaVirm, " et projiciam earn perdendo earn." 
 From Chald. Syr. we may collect "30 mn, or '3D nn, " to the mountains of Mini 
 or Armenia." In v. 2, 3, the image is changed from that of v. 1, in the 
 irregular eastern manner ; and I suppose it continued through these two 
 verses, and not interrupted by a second transition. 
 
 4. Gilgal. — See ch. v. 5. That this place, which lay between the 
 
 river Jordan and Jericho, was the scene of idolatry, appears from the con- 
 temporary prophet Hosea; ch. iv. 15. ix. 15. xii. 11. It was so called, 
 because at that place God bbj rolled atvay the reproach of uncircumcision 
 from the Israelites, Josh. v. 9. 
 
 years. — So c-D- sometimes signifies. See Ex. xiii. 10. Numb. ix. 
 
 22. 1 Sam. i. 3. xxvii. 7. 2 Sam. xiv. 26. See the law of offering tithes at 
 the end of three years, Deut. xxvi. 12. 
 
 " a^n" rui'bu'b means by or on the third day without implying any repeti- 
 tion, Ex. xix. 15. Ezr. x. 8, 9. The tithes of the third year were to be 
 given by the Jews to the Levites and the poor, to be eaten within their gates, 
 Deut. xiv. 28. xxvi. 12: but those mentioned here were brought to the 
 temple, and the third day bears some proportion to the preceding 
 every morning; but three years do not. — Michaelis, whom see, understands 
 days, and all the old versions translate so. Seeker. 
 
 5. And burn. — V. 6. Syr. read niapi. 
 
 of leaven. — Though of leaven, in contempt of the law, Lev. ii. 11, 
 
 makes a good sense ; yet the Chaldee, by reading Dono, from violence, sug- 
 gests a better sense. 
 
 proclaim. — Inviting many to feast on these sacrifices. See Spencer 
 
 de leff. Hebr. 1. iii. ch. vii. The sense of these two verses is : With the 
 
30 AMOS. [CH. IV. 
 
 For thus ye love to do, O ye sons of Israel, 
 JSaitli the Lord Jehovah. 
 
 6 And moreover I have given you 
 Cleanness of teeth in all your cities, 
 And want of bread in all your places : 
 
 And yet ye have not returned unto me, saith Jehovali. 
 
 7 And moreover I have withholden from you the rain, 
 When there were yet three months to harvest : 
 And I have caused it to rain upon one city. 
 
 And upon another city have I caused it not to rain : 
 One portion hath been rained on ; 
 
 And another portion, ^'hereupon I have caused it not to 
 rain, hath withered : 
 
 8 And two or three cities have gone 
 Unto one city 
 
 To drink water, and have not been satisfied : 
 
 And yet ye have not returned unto me, saith Jehovah. 
 
 9 I liave smitten you with blasting, and with mildew, very 
 
 much : 
 
 punishment denounced, v. 2, 3, impending over you, and notwithstanding 
 past tokens 'of my anger, v. 6, &c. ; continue to trust in your idols. A 
 severe derision of their folly and impiety. 
 
 6. And yet, &c. — A reprehension which occurs five times in this 
 
 chapter. 
 
 7. three months. — Some understand this of the rain which fell in 
 
 April, three months before wheat-harvest: others think that there is a 
 reference to the snow and rains which filled the reservoirs in the beginning 
 of February. Hanner i. 40. 
 
 whereupon I have caused it not to rain. — For Tiann, V. 6. Ar. read 
 
 TBDK. So docs one MS. now ; and a second read so originally, and, per- 
 haps, a third. This reading is, therefore, preferable to Tuon. 
 
 8. or three. — li-bun, Houbigant. V. 6. But Syr. Chald. omit the 
 
 vau. The rhyme in v. 7, 8, is prosaic : and yet the use of the future for 
 the past, and the repetition at the close of v. 8, are in the poetical manner, 
 
 9. vei-y much. — Hebr. multiplicando. SeeProv. xxv. 27. A good 
 
 sense arises from thus changing the Masoretic division of the sentence, and 
 adding main to the former clause. Hy pointing the word differently we 
 may render, " Your many gardens," &c. 
 
CH. IV.] AMOS. 31 
 
 Your gardens, and your vineyards, and your fig-trees, 
 
 And your olive-trees, hath the locust eaten : 
 
 And yet ye have not returned unto me, saith Jehovah. 
 
 10 I have sent among you the pestilence, after the manner 
 
 of Egypt : 
 I have slain your young men with the sword, 
 And X your horses have I led away into captivity ; 
 And I have made the smell of your camps to come up 
 
 into your nostrils : 
 And yet ye have not returned unto me, saith Jehovah. 
 
 11 I have overthrown some of you, like the § great over- 
 
 throw 
 
 Of Sodom and of Gomorrah ; 
 
 And ye have been as a firebrand plucked out of the burn- 
 ing: 
 
 And yet ye have not returned unto me, saith Jehovah. 
 
 12 Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: 
 
 X Hebr. together with the captivity of your horses. § overthrow of God. 
 
 the locust. — Tlie verb Dn in Ar. and jEth. and in the Talmudical 
 
 writers signifies " absciudere ramos arborum.", j^See Boch. Hieroz. part. ii. 
 p. 443, 484. 
 
 10. after the manner of Egypt. — See Deut. vii. 15. xxviii. 60. 
 
 The unwholesome effluvia, on the subsiding of the Nile, caused some 
 peculiarly malignant diseases in this country. For the phrase, see Gen. 
 xix. 31. Isa. X. 26. Ezek. xx. 30. 
 
 into your nostrils. — We may read ddsns without the vau, as V. 
 
 6. Ar. Syr. Houbigant, and one MS. in which the vau is erased. But 
 Chald. has the vau : " even unto your nostrils." The pestilential smell of 
 the dead is meant. 
 
 11. great overthroiv. — See on Jon. iii. 3, and the parallel places, Isa. 
 
 xiii. 19. Jer. 1. 40. For the fact, see 2 Kings xiii. 3. xiv. 26. 
 
 of Sodom. — HK is sometimes the sign of the genitive case. See 
 
 Nold. Sec. 24. 
 
 plucked. — Many MSS. read bi^in here, and Zech. iii. 2. 
 
 12. tkus. — I will overthrow thee with a great overthrow. Houbi- 
 gant reads na from Chald. and renders : 
 
 " Nunc autem quid faciam tibi, Israel, 
 
 Postquam tibi haec feci 1 
 
 Para te ad occursum Dei lui, Israel." 
 
32 AMOS. [CH. V. 
 
 And because I will do thus unto thee, 
 ]*repare to meet thy God, O Israel. 
 13 For, behold, he that formeth the mountains, and createtli 
 the wind. 
 And declaroth unto man what is his thought; 
 He that maketh the morning darkness, 
 And treadeth upon the high places of the earth ; 
 Jehovah, God of hosts, is his name. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Hear ye this word which I * take up against you : 
 even a lamentation, O house of Israel. 
 
 * Or, utter. 
 
 77ms ivill I do. — This is a common form of imprecation, implying 
 
 more than he who used it would, or perhaps could, express. Seeker. 
 
 13. Fo7', behold, &c. — Prepare to meet him armed with vengeance; 
 for he is a great and powerful God. 
 
 the mountains. Bpovrtjv, 6. av\r\. Seeker. 
 
 'darkness. — 6. Ar. Houbigant, and above twenty MSS. or impressions 
 
 read ns^yi : 
 
 " He that maketh the morning and the darkness ;" 
 which is a very elegant various lection, and likely to be adopted by many 
 readers. But God's power of changing day into night is mentioned ch. v. 
 8 : and in both these places there may be an allusion to the black clouds 
 and smoke attending earthquakes which happen during the day. " Des 
 nuages noirs et epais — sont ordinairement les avant-coureurs de ces 
 funestes catastrophes. On a vu sortir une flamnie de terre dans ces trem- 
 blemens, mais plus souvent de la fumee." Encyclop.^4to. Art. Trerable- 
 mens de terre. See also ch. viii. 9. 
 
 and treadeth. — That is, hath all power and sovereignty; treading 
 
 under foot the highest and strongest places See Deut. xxxii. 13. xxxiii. 
 29. This description of the all-powerful and all-knowing God is very 
 sublime. This line is repeated, Mic. i. 8. 
 
 Chap. V. 1 . Hear, &c. — According to Bishop Lowth, Hebr. prsel. xxii. 
 
 p. 292, this verse is a part of the nvp, or elegy. It may be divided thus : 
 " Hear this word 
 Which I take up against you ; 
 Even a lamentation, O house of Israel." 
 
[CH. V. AMOS. 33 
 
 2 The virgin of Israel is fallen ; she shall not f rise 
 
 again : 
 She is stretched out on her land; none shall raise 
 her up. 
 
 3 For thus saith the Lord Jehovah : 
 
 The city which went out by a thousand, shall leave an 
 
 hundred, 
 And that which went out by an hundred shall leave ten. 
 To {he house of Israel. 
 
 4 Wherefore thus saith Jehovah to the house of Israel : 
 Seek ye me, and ye shall live : 
 
 5 But seek not Bethel, 
 And go not unto Gilgal, 
 
 And pass not over unto Beersheba. 
 For Gilgal shall surely go into captivity. 
 And Bethel shall :j: come to nought. 
 
 6 Seek ye Jehovah, and ye shall live : 
 
 Lest he § rush like fire on the house of Joseph ; 
 
 f Hebr. add to rise. | Hebr. shall be for vanity. § Or, advance. 
 
 I suppose this lamentation continued to the end of cli. vi : though it may be 
 confined to v. 2. 
 
 Or, For I take up a lamentation over you. Seeker. 
 
 2. Not rise again. — "No more rise." The contrary seems often said, 
 
 as ch. ix. 15 : even though Israel be taken as opposed to Judah. But 
 Tiy Kb doth not signify, not for ever, Joel ii. 19. Seeker. 
 
 3. went out. — Ox, sendeth forth, emiltit. For Bochart attributes a 
 
 transitive sense to the verb in this place ; agreeably to Deut. xiv. 22 and 
 Ps. cxliv. 14 : " nee sit in eis abortus, nee quae ejiciat foetum." Hieroz. 
 L. II. XXX. 296. 
 
 5. Gilgal. — In r^by nba there is an allusion to the word Gilgal. 
 
 Beersheba. — It belonged to Judah, 1 Kings xix. 3 : which circum- 
 stance gives a propriety to the phrase, " pass not over." That it was the 
 scene of idolatry, see ch. viii. 14. 
 
 — — to nought. — See Isa. xli. 29. 
 
 6. rush. — Advance, come. See 1 Sam. x. 6. " Notat nbv irruere, 
 
 sed cum by vel ba: sed pertransire cum accusativo, 2 Sam. yix. 18: ut 
 non opus sit rescribere n-an itk nbuf is, ut i. 4, 7, 10." Seeker. 
 
 like fire. — A strong and natural image. Thus Hector is said to be 
 
 ^Xoyi iiKiKoQ aKKr)v. 11. 2. 154. 
 
34 AMOS. [CH. V. 
 
 And it devour the house of Israel, and there be none to 
 quench it: 
 
 7 Ye that turn judgment into wormwood, and righteous- 
 
 ness into hemlock, 
 
 8 That have forsaken him who made the || Hyades and 
 
 Arcturus ; 
 And who turneth the shadow of death into morning, 
 And darkeneth the day into night; 
 Who calleth the waters of the sea, 
 Ij Or, the seven stars. 
 
 And Horace describes Hannibal as passing through the cities of Italy, 
 " ceu flamnia per tajdas." 
 
 the house of Israel. — So 6. Ar, Houbigant : as the parallelism of 
 
 the clauses requires. One MS. reads ':'x^li''''7. Perhaps the word ba-^v^ was 
 written contractedly ba". And the best way of accounting for the render- 
 ing of 6. ayytXwv Qiov, Deut. xxxii. 8, is the supposition that the word 
 bx-w", in an abbreviated form of writing it, resembled ':k, God. 
 
 7. into hemlock. — tt-Knb. This conjecture is supported by the paral- 
 lelism, and by ch. vi. 12. Observe too how the verses are divided in Syr. ; 
 which translation furnishes authority for removing *n«2n to the next verse. 
 Doctor Durell. 
 
 8. have forsaken. — See the original word, Jer. xiv. 9. 
 
 the Hyades. — So Vulg. Job. ix. 9 : where the reader may see at 
 
 large Schulten's remarks on these astronomical terms. He thinks that 
 Castel's derivation of noo from mn calefaccrc is a judicious one : but pre- 
 fers the Ar. lDkp, conscendit fernellam ; as thus the word will import, 
 " Sidus calidum genitale." Hyde, on Ulugh Beigh's tal)les, thinks that 
 the Pleiades are meant. There may be a reference to the spring, when 
 the warmth of the sun promotes vegetation : 
 
 " Candidus auratis aperit cum cornibus annum 
 Taurus." Virg. Georg. i. 217. 
 
 Arcturus — So Vulg. Job xxxviii. 31. As the Arab, root denotes 
 
 segnities, torpor, this idea suits very well the cold and slow car of 
 
 Bootes. 
 
 "Se 
 
 Frigida circumagunt pigri sarraca Bobtac." Juv. v. 23. 
 
 into jn^i^.— Several MSS. read r^b'•bb. And V. 6. Syr. Chald. 
 
 Houbigant. But I must repeat that in Hebrew the preposition is very 
 often omitted. 
 
 calleth the ivaters. — Either at the creation ; or, to punish men by 
 
 inundations, which often attend earthquakes. 
 
CH. v.] AMOS. 35 
 
 And poureth them over the face of the earth : 
 Jehovah [the God of liosts] is his name : 
 9 Who scattereth desolation over the strong, 
 And bringeth desolation over the fortress : 
 
 10 Ye that hate him who reproveth in the gate, 
 And abhor him who speaketh uprightly. 
 
 1 1 Forasmuch therefore as your treading is on the poor, 
 And ye receive from him a gift of wheat ; 
 
 Though ye have built houses of hewn stone, 
 Yet ye shall not dwell in them ; 
 Though ye have planted pleasant * vineyards, 
 Yet ye shall not drink the wine of them. 
 
 12 For I know your manifold transgressions. 
 And your mighty sins ; 
 
 Ye who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe. 
 And turn aside the poor man in the gate. 
 
 * Hebr. vineyards of desire. 
 
 Jehovah. — 6. MS. A. Paclioin. ed. Aid. and Arab, add 6 Qtoc 6 
 
 iravTOKparup, and read in the original mxiv "nbx. Thus the passage 
 closes more gi'andly : 
 
 " Jehovah, God of hosts, is his name." 
 
 Two MSS. read mxav mn\ See ix. 6. " MS. Copt, reads with 6. MS. A." 
 Mr. Woide. 
 
 9. scattereth. — I read with 6. J^ba-jn. 
 
 bringeth. — The versions read K*a- : and many MSS. have xn*. 
 
 These two verses are very sublime. 
 
 10. the gate. — The usual place of administering justice, and of 
 
 reproving and passing judgment on iniquity. Selden, i. 1312, has this 
 quotation from Maimonides: In urbe qualibet Israelilica constituebant 
 Synedrium minus, cujus sedes in porta urbis. See also Bishop Lowth on 
 Isa. p. 156. " -iy<rn noio, Isa. xxix. 21." Seeker. 
 
 11. treading. — Read a3Dii'i3. Calcare vestrum. 
 
 a gift. — See Esth. ii. 18. Jer. xl. 5. 
 
 vineyards. — These are the curses of the law. Deut. xxviii. 30, &c. 
 
 See Mic. vi. 15. Zeph. i. 13. 
 
 12. turn aside. — Sc. from his right: unjustly overthrow him in tlve 
 
 place of judicature, ch. ii. 7. 
 
36 AMOS. [CH. V, 
 
 13 Therefore the wise man shall be silent at that time 
 For it shall be an evil time. 
 
 14 Seek ye good and not evil, that ye may live : 
 
 And so Jehovah, the God of hosts, shall be vk^ith you, 
 As ye have said. 
 
 15 Hate ye evil and love good. 
 
 And establish judgment in the gate. 
 
 It may be that Jehovah, the God of hosts, -will h: 
 
 gracious 
 Unto the residue of Joseph. 
 
 16 Because, thus saith Jehovah, the God of hosts: 
 Wailing shall he in all the broad places ; 
 
 And in all the streets they shall say, Alas ! Alas ! 
 And they shall call the husbandman to mourning ; 
 And those who are skilful of lamentation, to wailing : 
 
 17 And in all vineyards shall be wailing : 
 
 13. The wise man shall be siletit. — The wise and eloquent sliall be 
 struck dumb by the judgments of God. 
 
 14. have said. — By your false prophets. Mic. iii. 11. 
 
 15. God. — Eight MSS. omit -nbN, which favours the rhyme. 
 
 16. — Jehovah. — The word -iiK in this verse is omitted by 6. At. Syr. 
 and seven MSS. So ch. iii. 8, 13, this word is likewise omitted in one 
 MS. It is often a gloss on mn«, denoting how it ought to be read accord- 
 ing to the Jewish superstition. Ch. vii. 7, 8 and ch. ix. 1, m^ny MSS. 
 read Jehovah for Adonai. The reader will often have occasion to make 
 this remark. 
 
 - - husbandman. — On account of the drought which shall prevail, 
 ch. i. 2. 
 
 skilful of lamentation. — See ch. viii. 3, and Jer. ix. 17. " Mer- 
 
 cede qua) conducta? flent alieno in funere pra^ficse." Lucilius. Which 
 Hor. imitates. Art. poet 431. And Homer, speaking of Hector's dead 
 body, says,— 
 
 " llapa 5' t'laav aoK^ovg, 
 Oprivwv tKapx^^^t "'''^ orovoiaaav aoiSjjv 
 Oi fiev ap' tdprjvtov tTri St (TTtvaxovro yvvaiKig." 
 
 II. xxiv. 720. 
 
 lo vailing. — Read nSDr: bNi with V. Syr. Houbigant, and Bishoji 
 
 Lowth, Hebr. prail. xxii. p. 293. 
 
 17. vinej/ards.— The usual scenes of joy. 
 
CH. v.] AMOS. 37 
 
 For I will pass tlirough the midst of tliee, saith Jehovah. 
 
 18 Woe unto them who desire the day of Jehovah. 
 What is this day of Jehovah unto you ? 
 
 It is darkness, and not light. 
 
 19 As if a man fled from a lion, 
 And a bear met him : 
 
 Or went into the house, and leaned his hand on a wall, 
 And a serpent bit him. 
 
 20 Shall not the day of Jehovah be darkness, and not light ? 
 Even thick darkness, and no shining in it ? 
 
 2 J I hate, I f despise your feasts; 
 
 And I will not smell on your solemn days. 
 
 22 Although ye offer unto me burnt-offerings, 
 
 And your offerings of flour, I will not accept them : 
 And the peace-offerings of your fatlings I will not regard. 
 
 + Or, reject. 
 
 18. desire. — Deriding the prophetical predictions. Jer. xvii. 15. 
 
 Ezek xii. 22. 
 
 19. As if, &c. — The calamities foretold are inevitable. 
 
 20. Shall not, &c. — A strong asseveration is beautifully conveyed in this 
 question. The 18lh, 19th, and 20th vei-ses, are very sublime. Darkness 
 is naturally put for calamity, and light for gladness. So Hor. Od. 
 IV. iv. 40. 
 
 " Pulcher fugatis 
 lUe dies Latio tenebris." 
 
 " We use light to denote knowledge : the sacred writings, with no less 
 propriety and elegance, apply it also to prosperity, honour, wealth, or any 
 kind of happiness." Tayl. pref to Cone. Sec. iv. See on Mic. vi. 14. 
 
 21. feasts. — The word may also be rendered sacrifices. See Ex. 
 
 xxiii. 18. Mai. ii. 3. Ps. cxviii. 27. Spencer de leg. Hebr. 703. 
 
 solemn days. — Days when the people were restrained from the com- 
 mon business of life. Dent. xvi. 8. Taylor in voc. Bishop Lowth on 
 Isa. i. 13. vid. Additions. 
 
 22. accept them. — 6. MS. Al. read ov TrpbaSeKoiiai avra. As if the 
 
 text had been D':fnN. 
 
 fatlings. — Some think that the buflfalo is meant. See Boch. L. IL 
 
 xxviii. 282. 
 
38 AMOS. [CH. V. 
 
 23 Take thou away from me the sound of thy songs : 
 And the melody of thy viols I will not hear. 
 
 24 But let judgment roll down as waters, 
 And righteousness as a mighty stream. 
 
 25 Did ye offer unto Me sacrifices, and an offering of 
 
 flour 
 In the desert during forty years, O ye house of Israel ? 
 
 26 Nay, but ye bare the tabernacle of your Moloch, 
 
 23. songs — viols. — The usual accompaniments of sacrifices among 
 
 the Jews and heathen. 
 
 " Sacrifica dulces tibia effundat modos, 
 Et nivea magna victima ante aras cadat." 
 
 Sen. Troad. 
 
 See Spencer de leg. Hebr. 1105. 
 
 There is great authority and majesty in this passage, v. 21 24 ; and the 
 grandeur of the image with which it closes must strike every reader. 
 
 24. let judgment. — Rather, judgment shall. See Isa. xxviii. 27. 
 
 Seeker. 
 
 25. Did ye offer unto MeP — Verborum emphasis in mihi sita. Spencer, 
 744. Did ye offer such sacrifices as were acceptable to me ; such entire 
 and undivided service as I enjoined ? 
 
 Peters on Job, p. 312, thinks that they are not here reproached with 
 a neglect, which Moses would not have suffered, and that probably 
 they had no cattle to sacrifice ; and that therefore Jeremiah, when 
 he saith, vii. 22, 23, God commanded not sacrifice when they came 
 out of Egypt, means that he did not immediately expect it : and that this 
 question is here asked to show that sacrifice is not the chief thing he is 
 pleased with ; but that, notwithstanding their offering it, their injustice, 
 V. 24, and their idolatry, v. 26, will provoke him to send them into cap- 
 tivity. Seeker. 
 
 26. Nay, but, &c. — God is introduced as replying: No: ye sometimes 
 carried about Moloch in his sacellum, vdiaKog, shrine, or tabernacle. The 
 true reading seems to be oDba, See eh. i. 16. 6. and Ar. omit the pronoun : 
 and Syr. has qidVo. See also Acts vii. 43. Perhaps MS. 575 reads aa'?^. 
 Moloch, or Malchom, was probably the name of any famous king worshipped 
 by the heathens. But Spencer thinks that it was oftenest given to the 
 sun. Selden and Grotius observe, that Saturn was thus called by the Phoe- 
 nicians. See Silencer, 360. 
 
 the tabernacle. — The Carthaginians carried in their camp i^mv 
 
 aKr\vr]v, which was placed near the altar in their camp. Diod. Sic. I. 20. 
 
CH. v.] AMOS 39 
 
 And the star of your God Cliiun ; 
 
 Your images which ye made unto yourselves. 
 
 cb. 65, with which Wesseling there compares this tabernacle ; as he 
 might also have done Moses's. Seeker. 
 
 And the star. — I have ranged the words as in u. and Acts vii. 4'3- 
 
 Their collocation in the Hebrew is unnatiu'al, and points out a mistake in 
 the copies : 
 
 "Nay, but ye bare the tabernacle of your Moloch, 
 And Chiun, your images, the star of your God, 
 Which ye made to yourselves." 
 
 MS. 612 pbaces the words thus: Chiun, your God, the star [of'j i/our 
 images. 
 
 Probably, the figure of a star fixed on the head of an image 
 of a false God. Drusius on the place (quotes the following passage 
 from a Greek scholiast: Erat simulachrura Moabitarum cum gemma 
 pellucida et eximia in summa fronte ad figuram Luciferi. I incline 
 to think that the sin here reproved, was not the sin of the Israelites 
 in the wilderness, but of those who lived in the time of the prophet. 
 In the former verse, God appeals to them by the prophet, whether he did 
 not bear with them forty years in the wilderness, notwitlistandiug their 
 many provocations, although they did not during that time offer sacri- 
 ces or other offerings, excepting on particular occasions. In the verse 
 following this, he denounces his judgments on them for their abominable 
 idolatry, notwithstanding their burnt-offerings and their meat-offerings, 
 their hymns and songs in his praise. Doctor Forsayeth. 
 
 According to this sense we should render, 
 
 " Ye have even borne the tabernacle of your Moloch," &c. 
 
 Chiun. — That this was a name for Saturn, see Spencer de leg. 
 
 Heb. p. 666 : who discusses the place before us at large. The God may 
 have been represented as a star, with certain symbols of distinction. See 
 Selden ii. 396. See also Camp. Vitringa obs. sacr. 1. II. ch. 1, p. 233, 4to. 
 The reading of 'Pai0aj/, in (5. and o{ 'Ptuftv/Paicpav, 'Pa^av,"Pe^^rti', 'Pt^a, 
 Acts vii. 43, where the MSS. vary, may be accounted for two ways: ira 
 may have been read ir-i, there being a similarity in the two initial letters ; 
 or Kephan, the Egyptian name for Saturn, may have been used by trans- 
 lators who lived in Egypt, as an equivalent term to Chiun. See the 
 atithors already referred to, and Hammond on Acts vii. 43. 
 
 UpoaKvvetv in Acts seems supplied by way of interpretation : and one 
 MS. for BafivXojvoe reads Aa^acTKoc, as Justin Martyr did, according to Beza. 
 
 G 
 
40 AMOS. [CH. VI. 
 
 27 Tlierefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond 
 Damascus, 
 Saitli Jeliovali, the God of hosts is his name. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Woe unto tliem that dwell at ease in Sion, 
 And that rest secure on the mountain of Samaria : 
 That are named after the chief of the nations : 
 
 Tbe iEtli. version omits the last clause, Km /tttroKctw vixaQ (irfKuva 
 Ba^v\(x)vos, in v. 43. 
 
 27. beyond Damascus. — To wbich city it .seems probable that Ha- 
 
 zael carried many captives, 2 Kings x. 32, 33. But now the Israelites 
 were to be led away captives into Assyria and Media, 2 Kings x^. 29. 
 xvii. 6. 
 
 Chap. VI. 1. mountain. — Samaria was situated on a mountain, 
 
 1 Kings xvi. 24. 
 
 named after. — The Hebrew word implies an allusion to the custom 
 
 of marking a name, or diameter, by punctures. See Bishop Lowth on 
 Isa. xliv. 5. They call themselves, not after their religious ancestoi-s, but 
 after the chief of the idolatrous nations, with whom they intermairy, con- 
 trary to their law. See Chald. But this and the next line are very 
 obscure. " *3pD, wvo/iatr/itvoi, J ustinus: f. ex. Aq." Seeker. 
 
 Persons of name in, or the known ones, ht^uq lapj ^l:•^!, of the principal 
 of the nations, and to whom the house of Israel come, i. e. for justice, and 
 to pay court. See Ps. cxxii. 4, 5. Comp. Numb. i. 16. au-n *u'3x Gen. 
 vi. 4. an: is used of Amalek, Numb. xxiv. 20. n*rNi principal of, v. 6. 
 Seeker. 
 
 I do not find that 2p3 ever signifies to give or take a name. The par- 
 ticiple is six times rendered expressed hi/ name : that is, particularly dis- 
 tinguished by being expressly called over by name. Numb. i. 17. 1 Chron. 
 xii. 31. xvi. 41. 2 Chron. xxviii. 15. xxxi. IJ). Ezra viii. 20. None but 
 men of note seem to have been thus distinguished. This inclines me to 
 believe that we should render " who are expressed by name," i. c. the noted 
 and distinguished persons even " of the chief of the nations." Dr. 
 Forsaycth. 
 
CH. VI.] AMOS. 41 
 
 And to them the house of Israel resort. 
 
 2 Pass over unto Cahieh, and see : 
 
 And go from thence to the great Hamath : 
 And go down to Gath of the Philistines. 
 Are they better than these kingdoms ? 
 Or is their border greater than your border ? 
 
 3 JVoe unto them that remove iw from them the evil day, 
 And hasten the seat of violence : 
 
 4 That lie upon beds of ivory, 
 
 And stretch themselves upon their couches : 
 
 That eat lambs from the flock, 
 
 And calves from the midst of the stall : 
 
 house. — Syr. and one MS. read 'an sons. 
 
 resort. — Sc. for idolatrous and other illegal purposes. See the 
 
 former part of Hosea vii. 8 and Ps. cvi. 35. 
 
 2. Calneh. — A city in the region of Babylon, Gen. x. 10 ; and, 
 
 as it seeras, lately subdued by the Assyrians. " Sequor Bochartum, qui 
 libro IV. c. 18, erudite et copiose disputavit Calneh Ctesiphontem esse, pa- 
 gum antiquissimum et nobilissimum ad Tigrim, in ea Assyriae parte quae 
 Chalonitis dicitur, nomine quoque regionis nomini Hebraico urbis conci- 
 nente." I. D. Michaelis spicilegium geographiae. Goettingce, 1769. p. 
 230. 
 
 Hamath. — A Syrian city on the Orontes. It was conquered by 
 
 Jeroboam, 2 Kings xiv. 25 : and by the Assyrians, xix. 13. 
 
 Gath. — Uzziah, in whose reign Amos prophesied, took this city, 
 
 2 Chron. xxvi. 6. 
 
 better — greater. — Why then do ye worship their gods ? and why are 
 
 ye not grateful to Jehovah .'' 
 
 3. remove far. — In their own idea and expectation, notwithstand- 
 ing the divine forewarning. See ch. ix. 10. Ezek. xii. 22, 27. 
 
 hasten. — Anticipate the day of oppressive judgment, and bring it 
 
 forward with delight in their own minds. See nnu", 1 Kings x. 19. 2 
 Chron. ix. 18. " Confer nvn nd3, Ps. xciv. 20." Seeker. Or; that wish 
 for the sabbath, to commit violence on men unprepared to resist it. See 
 Syr. 6. 
 
 4. stall. — Bochart, Hieroz. II. xxxi. 304, shows that the original 
 
 word denotes t-mcs/^i/m colli; and that the prophet means, " vitulum qui 
 in viuculis grana triturat, et enrum esu pinguescit." 
 
 G 2 
 
42 AMOS. [CH. VI. 
 
 5 That sing to the sound of the viol ; 
 
 lliat^ like David, invent for themselves instruments of 
 music : 
 
 6 That drink wine in bowls, 
 
 And anoint themselves with the * first ointments: 
 But are not pained at the f destruction of Joseph. 
 
 7 Therefore now shall they go into captivity with the first 
 
 that go into captivity ; 
 
 * Or, choicest. f Heb. breach. 
 
 5. sirKj. — Bochart says that tana signifies "cantiones suas vocibus 
 
 minutitn coiicisis et sono vibrante et frequentato canere. Unde illiul Ho- 
 
 ratii ; — 
 
 " Grataque fcEminis 
 Imbelli cithara cartnina divklei," Od. I. xv. 
 
 He derives the word bard from this root. Geogr. 666. 
 
 yiol — 'H vajSXa, SwSfKa <pBoyyovQ txovaa, toiq SaKTvXoig Kpovtrai. 
 
 Jos. Ant. VII. xii. 3. 
 
 like David. — V. Syr. Boch. Hieroz. II. xliv. 464 ; and Bishop Lowth 
 
 on Isa. p. 49, agree with our translators in joining tliis with the latter 
 clause of the sentence. The construction in the Hebrew is uncertain. 
 Syr. reads nmai. 
 
 6. bowls. — This has a reference to the magnificence of the repast. 
 
 Harmer i. 379. 
 
 Aii}\t(T^£vov oivov. " Drink bowls of wine" may be right : for nnir hath 
 3 after it, Prov. ix. 5 : and the Hebrew is not favourable to the translation 
 in the text. But if any Hebrew word answered to 6. I should prefer it. 
 Seeker. 
 
 anoint themselves. — Horace has, pcrfusus liquidis odoribus. Od. I. 
 
 V. 2. Archbishop Seeker thinks that we should render, " And perfume 
 themselves with the chief perfumes." As our translation, though literal, 
 gives a different idea from what it did formerly. Nine Sermons, p. 68. 
 
 destruction. — Literally, hreach. So imperiumque frangat. Hor. 
 
 Od. I. XXXV. 
 
 7. the first — u'xt refers to h^U'nt in the foregoing verse : and there 
 
 is a paronomasia in id and a*m-iD. 
 
 banquet. — Kimchi explains m-^n n*3 Jer. xvi. 4, by b^H n*3 domus 
 
 luctus: and the Talmud uses the word of banquets in honour of false 
 God.s. Cocceii, lex. 
 
 If m-\r2 is rightly translated banquet, it must, I believe, be a funeral ban- 
 quet, as Jer. xvi. 5, 8 : aud the sense must be the same with that of Jere- 
 miah : that they who now indulged in all manner of luxury should not be 
 burned with the usual funeral rites. Dr. Forsayeth. 
 
CH. VI.] AMOS. 43 
 
 And the banquet of those that stretch themselves shall 
 
 pass away. 
 8 The Lord Jehovah hath sworn by himself, 
 Saith Jehovah the God of Hosts : 
 I abhor the excellency of Jacob, 
 And I hate his palaces : 
 Therefore will I deliver up the city, with % all that is 
 
 therein. 
 9 And it shall come to pass, if there remain 
 Ten men in one house, that they shall die. 
 10 And a man's relation, and he that burneth him, shall 
 
 take him up. 
 To carry the bones out of the house : 
 And shall say to him that is in the § innermost part of 
 
 the house. Is there yet ani/ with thee ? 
 And he shall say. There is none. Then shall he say, 
 
 Be silent. 
 
 t Heb. its fulness. ^ Heb. sides. 
 
 8. saith Jehovah, &c. — 6. Av. and one MS. omit this line. 
 
 / abhor. — Read ayno. 
 
 the excellency. — The power to which I have raised Jacob in his 
 
 descendants. See ch. viii. 7. 
 
 Pride: 6. Vulg. Syr. Sanctuary: Chal. It means the temple, or Zion, 
 Ps. xlvii. 4. The sanctuary is called qjtj; pkj, speaking to the Jews, Ezek. 
 xxiv. 21. God swears by mpy pxa here, ch. viii. 7. bK-ni- pxa occurs, 
 Hos. V. 5, and vii. 10, and is translated the pride of Israel. Babylon was 
 D^wa tik:i mxan. Is. xiii. 19. Seeker. 
 
 deliver up. — Or, shut up. Samaria was besieged three years by 
 
 Shalmaneser, 2 Kings xvii. 5. 
 
 9. die. — By famine, or pestilence, during the siege. 
 
 10. he that burneth him. — Many MSS. read isiwoi. " Videtur 
 
 legendum "^naDm et lugens eum. Sed alibi non extat tSD in Pihel. Kings 
 had burnings made for them of spices, Jer. xxxiv. 5. 2 Chron. xvi. 14 : but 
 whether any bodies were burnt I doubt." Seeker. 
 
 Be silent. — The original word is irregular, and formed to express 
 
 the idea. 
 
44 AMOS. [CII. VI. 
 
 Because they set not themselves to . mention the name of 
 Jehovah. 
 ] 1 Surely, behold, Jehovah will command, 
 
 And will smite the great house with breaches. 
 And the small house with clefts. 
 
 12 Do horses run on a rock? 
 Doth a man plough it with oxen ? 
 
 For ye have turned judgment into hemlock, 
 And the fruit of righteousness into wormwood : 
 
 13 Ye that rejoice in a thing of nought ; 
 
 That say, Have we not taken to ourselves || dominion 
 by our own strength ? 
 
 II Heb. horns. 
 
 to mention. — Sc.iii prayer, or with the reverence due to bim, TDin"?. 
 
 8o Judges i. 19. For he [Joshua] did not set himself to drive out, &c. 
 See 2 Chrou. ii. 8. ed. Vanderh. 9. xi. 22. xii. 12. xix. 2. Ezra ix. 15. x. 
 12. Esth. vii. 8. Amos viii. 4. The phrase is entire, 2 Chron. xxvi. 5. 
 irm"? 'n'l : Kat jjv fK^j/rwv, 6. And again Deut. xxxi. 17. See Nold. ■?. 
 •Sec. 44. Obs. /3. p. 414. 
 
 This obscure verse seems to describe the effects of famine and pestilence 
 during the siege of Samaria. The carcass shall be burned, and the bones 
 shall be removed with no ceremony of funeral rights, and not without the 
 assistance of the nearest kinsmen. Solitude shall reign in the house : and 
 if one is left, he must be silent [See ch. viii. 3], and retired, lest he be plun- 
 dered of his scanty provisions. 
 
 11. breaches — clefts. — Universal ruin shall be spread through the 
 
 city by the enemy. Or the earthquake may be alluded to. 
 
 12. Do horses. — The sense may be. The earth shall be under you as a 
 solid rock for barrenness, in consequence of the drought which I shall 
 send as a<punishment for your iniquities. The futures in the original have 
 a frequentative sense. The force of the first line depends on the cir- 
 cumstance that horses were not anciently shod. See Bishop Lowth on 
 Isaiah v. 28. 
 
 13. a thing of nought. — Your idols, which are nothing. 1 Cor. 
 
 viii. ■l. 
 
 dominion. — //ojvj^ naturally stand for power, as the great strength 
 
 of some animals is placed in them : and they may anciently have been the 
 hicroglyphical symbol of it. For it has been justly observed that hicro- 
 
CH. VII.] AMOS. 45 
 
 14 Surely, behold, I will raise up against you, () house of 
 Israel, 
 Saith Jehovah, the God of hosts, 
 A nation ; and they shall oppress you 
 From the entering in of Hamatli to the river of the 
 desert. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The Lord Jehovah thus shewed unto me : and, behold, 
 he formed locusts in the beginning of the shooting up 
 of the latter growth ; and, behold, it was the latter 
 growth after the King's mowings. And it came to pass, 
 
 glypliics may have been a source of metaphors in the ancient easteru Uu- 
 guages. 
 
 14. Hamath. — There was a city of this name in the northern part 
 
 of the tribe of Nephtalim. 
 
 riter of the desert. — Elsewhere called the river of Egypt, because it 
 
 was in the way to that country, Num. xxxiv. 5 : i. e. Besor, which emptied 
 itself into the sea not far from Gaza, and was the southern limit of the 
 ti'ibe of Simeon. 
 
 The Assyrians are the invaders prophesied of. 
 
 Chap. VII. 1. locusts. — Bochart derives ma from the Arab, xu e 
 
 terra emergere ; quod locustarum proprium, Hieroz. part ii. iv. 1. 443. 
 Castell on the word 3i3 furnishes another root; the Arab. 3X3 secuit. >mj 
 which is the reading of many MSS. is formed, says Houbigant, as "au- cap- 
 tivity/, and signifies agmen locustarum. The true reading may be mj the 
 locust, collectively : or a*ai3 written contractedly "»ai3. 
 
 moivings. — The falling of rain upon tj, which we render moivn 
 
 grass, is mentioned Ps. Ixxii. 6. But here we may understand the mowing 
 of too luxuriant corn : the first cutting of which might be for the use of 
 the king's horses, kept in great numbers, contrary to the law of Moses. The 
 second growth of such corn was called u'pb, and the eating of this by locusts 
 was fatal to the crop. See Buxt. Lex. Chald. et Eabb. voc. Nnnu', the word 
 here used by the Chaldee paraphrast. The reader may also consult Hai- 
 
46 AMOS. [en. vir. 
 
 when they had made an end of eating the lierb of the 
 hind, that 1 said ; O Lord Jehovah, pardon, I beseech 
 thee. Who shall raise up Jacob ? for he is small. 
 
 3 Jehovah repented of this. It shall not be, said Jehovah. 
 
 4 The Lord Jehovah thus shewed unto me : and, behold, 
 the Lord Jehovah called to a judgment by fire. And it 
 
 5 devoured the great deep. And it devoured a part ; and 
 I said, O Lord Jehovah, cease, I beseech thee. Who 
 
 6 shall raise up Jacob ? for he is small. Jehovah repented 
 of this. This also shall not be, said the Lord Jehovah. 
 
 7 Thus he shewed unto me : and, behold, the Lord stood 
 upon a wall made by a plumbline : and in his hand was a 
 
 8 plumbline. And Jehovah said unto me, What seest 
 thou, Amos ? And I said, A plumbline. And the 
 T^ord said : 
 
 Behold, I ivill set a plumbline in the midst of my peo- 
 ple Israel; 
 
 iner, ii. 466: who thinks that what we translate moiving may signify 
 feeding dotvn. 
 
 " Luxuriem segetum tenera depascit in herba." Virg. 
 
 Houhigant translates, postquani tonsi fuerunt regis greges. 
 
 2. -shaU raise up. — V. u. Ar. Syr. Houhigant, and one MS. read 
 
 a'p" : which is also the true reading, v. 5. 
 
 small. — Reduced to a low state. 
 
 3. It shall tint be. — Sc. mann, as Isa. xiv. 24. xliii. 19. Ixv. 6. 
 
 repented. — To affect the mind of the prophet, and by him that of 
 
 the people, God displays different judgments, and shows his clemency by 
 forbearing to execute them on the intercession of Amos : it being his sole 
 intention to represent these modes of punishment, and not to inflict them. 
 
 deep. — The waters of the sea, Exod. xv. 5, 8. 
 
 7. he shelved. — V. 6. Ar. and one MS. supply Jehovah, agreeably 
 
 to V. 1. MS. A, and v. 4. MS. Vat. and ch. viii. 1. MS. A. And I think 
 that it should be admitted into the text. 
 
 the Lord stood. — u. MS. A. Pachom. ed. Aid. avi]p iarijKojg ; and >D^^< 
 
 is wanting in one MS. 
 
 8. What scest thou. — This is said to raise the prophet's attention. 
 
 a plumbline. — The word denotes tin in Syr. and lead or titi in 
 
 Arab. I will destroy and level Israel, as it were by a line. See 2 Sam. 
 vjii. 2. 2 Kings xxi. 13. Isa. xxviii. 17. xxxiv. 11. Lam. ii. 8. 
 
CH. vir.] AMOS. 47 
 
 I wdll not * pass through them any more. 
 9 And the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate ; 
 And the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste :] 
 And I will rise up against the house of Jeroboam with 
 the sw'ord. 
 
 10 Then Amaziah, priest of Bethel, sent to Jeroboam 
 king of Israel, saying: Amos hath conspired against 
 thee in the midst of the house of Israel : the land is not 
 
 1 1 able to bear all his words. For thus Amos saith : Jero- 
 boam shall die by the sword ; and Israel shall surely go 
 into captivity out of their own land. 
 
 12 Then Amaziah said unto Amos: O thou Seer, go flee 
 thou away into the land of Judah, and eat bread there, 
 
 13 and there prophesy : but f prophesy not any more 
 against Bethel : for it is the king's sanctuary, and the 
 temple of the kingdom. 
 
 14 Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah : 
 
 I was no prophet; 
 Neither was I the son of a prophet : 
 
 * Ileb. add to pass. f Heb. add not to prophesy. 
 
 1 will not j)ass through them. — So ch. viii. 2. J will make a full 
 
 end : J will not pass through my people, as Judge and Avenger, any more, 
 Ex. xii. 12. ch. v. 17. I will not punish them by locusts, or by the fire of 
 lightning or by earthquakes ; but by hostile desolation and captivity. 
 
 9. Isaac. — I believe the true reading here and v. 16, to be pnv. 
 
 Comp. Ps. cv. 9. 1 Chron. xvi. 16, and observe that in the psalm, ten MSS. 
 read pnv'^. 
 
 with the sword. — See 2 Kings xv. 8 — 10. xvii. 5, &c. 
 
 10. bear. — See Jer. x. 10. The people are not able to endure, or 
 
 support them, through the indignation which they conceive at them. 
 
 11. Jerohoam. — Or, metrically ; 
 
 " Jeroboam shall die by the sword, 
 
 And Israel shall surely go into captivity out of their own laud." 
 
 13. against. — So «. Arab. 
 
 Bethel. — See ch. iv. 4. v. 5. 
 
 temple. — So Beth-el signifies; tlie house or temple of God. 
 
IS AMOS. [CH. VJI. 
 
 But I was an herdsman, and a gatherer of sycamore- 
 fruit. 
 
 15 And Jehovah took me from J following the flock; 
 And Jehovah said unto me, 
 
 Go prophesy unto my people Israel. 
 
 16 Now therefore hear the word of Jehovah ; 
 Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, 
 
 And drop not thy word against the house of Isaac. 
 
 17 Therefore thus saith Jehovah : 
 
 Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city ; 
 And thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword. 
 And thy land shall be divided by line : 
 And thou shalt die in a polluted land ; 
 And Israel shall surely go into captivity out of their own 
 land. 
 
 } Heb. from after. 
 
 14. an herdsman. — Videtur legcndum npij. Cli. i. 1. 2 Reg. iii. 
 
 4. Seeker. 
 
 a gatherer. — Eptuvtoi', Aquila. irba, says Buxt. lex. Cbald. et 
 
 Rabb., respondet frequenter in Targniu Hebrsco u-sn scrutari. As tbe sub- 
 stantive in Arab, and /Elb. signiBes a Jig, Bochart supposes tbat tbe verb 
 may mean, Jicans, sycaminans, i. e. colens. Hieroz. L. II. xxxix. p. 384. 
 See Cels. Hierobot. i. 318. " Gr. Ki't^wi/, quod Hesychius explicat 
 KivrvDv uare yevcaOai ■ircKiipa. Sycamori enim, inquit Hieron., agi'estes 
 aflferunt ficus, qua; si non vellicentur amarissiuias cariculas faciunt, et a 
 culicibus corrumpuntur. Et Dioscorides 1. 1. Fert fructum, inquit, qua; 
 non maturescit nisi vellicetur ungue vel ferro." Jo. Heinr. Micbaelis, 
 Biblia, Hala;. Archbisbop Seeker refers to tbis note, and adds ; " Etiam 
 bodie Grajci culices pungendis ficubus adbibent. V. Tournefortii itiu. apud 
 Miller \oc.Jicus." 
 
 sycamore-fi-uit. — A kind of lig. Celsius. 
 
 16. drop. — Metapborically for to speak, to instruct. It is equiva- 
 lent to propbesying, Ezek. xx. 46. xxi. 2, as well as bere. See Job xxix. 
 22, 23. Micab ii. 6, J 1, and Pocock on Micab ii. (!. 
 
 17. polluted. — A foreign land, Ezek. iv. 13. Hos. ix. 3. Or, in tbe 
 
 land of Israel polluted by blood. 
 
 And Israel. — A repetition of Amaziali's words, v. II. 
 
CH. viir.] AMOS. . 49 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 1 The Lord Jehovah thus shewed unto me : and, beliold, 
 
 2 a basket of late summer-fruits. And he Said, What 
 seest thou, Amos ? And I said, A basket of late sum- 
 mer-fruits. Then said Jehovah unto me ; 
 
 The latter end is come upon my people Israel: 
 I will not * pass through them any more. 
 
 3 And the singing-women of the palace shall howl in that 
 
 day, 
 Saith the Lord Jehovah. 
 
 There shall be many dead bodies in every place : 
 Atid men shall say : Cast forth, be silent. 
 
 4 Hear this, O ye that bruise the needy, 
 
 And set yourselves to make the poor of the land to fail.f 
 
 5 Saying : 
 
 When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell 
 
 corn ? 
 And the sabbath, that we may set :j: forth wheat ? 
 § Making the ephah small, and § making the shekel 
 
 weighty ; 
 And II falsifying the deceitful balances : 
 
 * Heb. add to pass. t Or, cease. X Heb. open. § fleb. to make. 
 II Heb. To pervert the balances of deceit. 
 
 Chap. VIII. 1. A basket. — TLaXaQog, Syinni. ayyog, 6. Arab, lo vas, Chald. 
 There is a paronomasia in i"9 late sumnaer-fruits, and vp the latter end. 
 Harvest, or vintage, expresseth judgment, Joel iii. 13. Mr. Lowth. 
 Seeker. 
 
 3. the singing tvomen. — I adopt Houbigant's reading : nmir, canta- 
 
 trices. 
 
 cast forth. — -noxb is understood as frequently. 
 
 be silent. — See ch. vi. 10. 
 
 4. bruise. — Read a>Siii*. See ch. ii. 7. 
 
 to make, &c. — See ch. vi. 10. Read n^awn"? to cause to cease ; that 
 
 is, to cut off, to destroy . See Hos. i. 4. Deficere facitis, V. 
 
 5. 7ieiu moon. — See Num. x. 10. xxviii. 11. 
 
 set forth. — Open our repositories of wheat for sale. 
 
50 , AMOS. [CH. Mil. 
 
 6 * Buying tltom that are brought low for silver, 
 And the needy in return for sandals : 
 
 And f selling the refuse of wheat. 
 
 7 Jehovah hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob ; 
 I Surely I will never forget all their deeds. 
 
 8 Shall not the land be shaken for this ? 
 And sJiaJl not all mourn that dwell therein ? 
 And sliall not all of it rise up, as the river ; 
 
 And be driven out of its place, and sink down, as the 
 river of Egypt ? 
 
 9 And it shall come to pass in that day, 
 Saith the Lord Jehovah, 
 
 That I will cause the sun to go down at noon, 
 And will darken the land in the bright § day. 
 
 * Heb. to buy. t Heb. that we may sell. 
 t Heb. If I will forget for ever. $ Heb. day of light. 
 
 6. Biuj'uKj. — His labour, or his person. See on cli. vi. 10 for the con- 
 struction , 
 
 sandals. — See ch. ii. 6. 
 
 7. excellency. — By the state of exaltation to which he raised Jacob 
 
 and his posterity. Or, by Jacob's most eminent and incommunicable One. 
 J. Mede. fol. p. 8. 
 
 8. he shaken. — See ch. i. 1. 
 
 as the river. — Five MSS. read -ik*3 ; two read so originally ; and 
 
 perhaps three more. And six MSS. and one edition read ^^x''a. So ch. ix. 
 5, eleven MSS. and five editions read niK>3. That the Nile was called the 
 river, by way of eminence, see Prajl. Heb. xxiv. p. 325. On nK' Gussetius 
 observes, " Radii liicis e luniinari, ut e fonte suo rivi, exeunt. Ouapropter 
 et nomen alterum ex altero cffictura suspicor." In Cast. lex. 1 find that 
 the Arabic word n»< signifies /«(/i7. 
 
 And be dnven out. — "nunMi non agnoscunto., nee habetur ch. ix.5 ; 
 
 qu. an u-na an ynj." Seeker. The word is wanting in MS. 96; and MS, 
 150 reads nyn:2i. 
 
 sink dinon. — Sixteen MSS. read with Keri nypuoi. See ch. ix. 5. 
 
 The rising and falling of the ground with a wave-like motion, and its leav- 
 ing its proper place and bounds on occasion of an earthquake, are justly 
 and beautifully compared to the swelling, the overflowing, and the subsid- 
 ing of the Nile. " Le mouvement qu'elles ini])rimcnt a la tcrre est tantot 
 une espece d' undulation semblabic a cellc de vagnes." Encycl. 4lo. vid. 
 trcmblcment de tcrrc. 
 
CH. VIII.] AMOS. 51 
 
 10 And I Mall turn your feasts into mourning. 
 And all your songs into lamentation : 
 And I will bring sackcloth upon all loins, 
 And baldness upon all heads : 
 
 And I will make it as a mourning for an only son ; 
 And the end thereof as a day of bitterness. 
 
 11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord Jehovah, 
 That 1 will send a famine on the land ; 
 
 Not a famine of bread, 
 
 Nor a thirst for water, 
 
 But of hearino- the words of Jehovah. 
 
 12 And men shall wander from the western-sea. to the eastern- 
 
 sea, 
 And from north to south shall they run to and fro, 
 
 9. cause — to go doum. — Houbigant prefers the reading of Chald. 
 
 ♦riKanm, and I will hide. That this passage may be understood literally, 
 see ch. iv. 13. Jt may also be interpreted metaphorically, of changing a 
 prosperous and joyful state into an adverse and mournful one. 
 
 10. baldness. See Bishop Lowth on Isa. xv. 2, and Jer. vii. 29. 
 
 xlvii. 5. xlviii. 37. Job. i. 20. 
 
 " ' Xq Kai airo(p6iixepaQ Ttaaai vtoOijyii x«Xk<^ 
 'AXiKeg i^Eprav KpaTog.t6tvTO KOfiav." 
 
 Sapph. Epigr. H. Steph. 229. 
 
 " Non mihi te licuit lacrymis perfundere justis. 
 In tua non tonsas ferre sepulchra comas." 
 
 Ovid. Epist. Canace. 115. 
 
 " Pianxere puellae 
 Naiades, et sectos fratri imposuere capillos." 
 
 Metam. iii, 506. 
 
 it — thereof. — mann, this matter, this event, may be understood. If 
 
 we supply v"ix the land, "^nx may be a participle : 
 
 " And I will make it as one that mourneth for an only son : 
 And the end thereof as a day of bitterness." 
 
 " Nunc et amara dies, et noctis amarior umbra est." 
 
 Tib. L. 11. iv. II. 
 
 11. the Lord. — V. 6. Ar. Syr. omit "Jik. 
 
 of hearing. — See Ezek. vii. 26. Tn the calamity which shall be- 
 fall Israel, there shall be no prophet to direct them. 
 
 12. to south. — The Hebrew i.s, "from sea to sea," i. e. from the 
 
32 AMOS. [CH. IX. 
 
 To seek the word of Jehovah ; and shall not find it. 
 
 13 In that day shall the fair virgins, 
 And the young men, faint for thirst : 
 
 14 Who swear by tlie sin of Samaria; 
 And say. Thy God, O Dan, liveth ;' 
 And the 1| w'orship of Beersheba liveth : 
 
 And they shall fall, and shall not rise up again. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 1 I SAW the Lord standing upon the altar ; and he said 
 Smite the upper lintel, that the door-posts may shake. 
 
 II Heb. way. 
 
 Mediterranean to the Dead Sea, or, from west to east ; " and from nortli 
 to east." It is plain that there mnst have been a mistake of transcribers, 
 though neither versions, paraphrase, nor MSS. remove it. Houbigant | 
 proposes in- ny Q*n, from the western sea to south, and from north to cast. 
 It seems more natural to adopt the word p% and likewise to think that a 
 transposition has taken place : 
 
 Eight MSS. instead of nj? read lyi. And a transcriber's eye might more 
 easily mistake, if each of the transposed clauses began with the same 
 three letters. 
 
 13. for thirst. — From being forsaken by Jehovah ; according to v. 
 
 11, 12. The pause is at njsbynn. 
 
 14. worship. — Hebr. way : i. c. religious way, Acts xix. 9. 6. have 
 
 i) Oiog ffov ; and it is well conjectured that they read tiv, thi/ rock. " Re- 
 ponenda vox aliqua quod n?o«e?i <j<M?H significat. Neseio an Ti3 : nam ^^ 
 et tir idem, Ps. Ixix. 32. Vitulus autem I.sraelitarum ivi- n-^inn, Vs. cvi. 20. 
 Remotius est nnna. Conf. Gen. xxxi. 53. Putat Lowtli i-n notare cultum, 
 Hos. X. 13, ubi vide notam. Sed vix puto ^n de cultu usurpari ; sed neque 
 de vitulo fusili." Seeker. 
 
 " Att irore 
 
 7,y ravra. so. vofiijia." 
 
 Soph. Antig. 465. , 
 
 Chap. IX. 1. vpoji the altar. — Or over, or by. Seeker. . I 
 
 the vpper lintel. — The upper part of the door-frame in tlic temple, | 
 
 which Itouiid the whole together : so called because adorned with knops of i 
 
CH. IX.] AMOS. 53 
 
 For I will * wound them in the head, even all of them : 
 And their posterity will I slay with the sword. 
 He that fleeth of them, shall not flee away ; 
 And he that escapeth of them, shall not escape into 
 safety. 
 
 2 If they dig down to the grave, 
 Thence shall mine hand take them : 
 And if they climb up to heaven, 
 Thence will I bring them down : 
 
 3 And if they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, 
 
 I will search for them, and thence will I take them out : 
 And if they hide themselves from f mine eyes in the 
 
 bottom of the sea. 
 There wall I command the serpent, and it shall bite them : 
 
 4 And if they go into captivity before their enemies. 
 There will I command the sword, and it shall slay them : 
 And I will set mine eyes upon them 
 
 For evil, and not for good. 
 
 5 For the Lord Jehovah, the God of hosts, 
 
 * Or, cut. + Heb. from before. 
 
 pomegi'anates. This vision denotes the breach and ruin of the kingdom of 
 Israel : and the earthquate may really have produced the effect men- 
 tioned. 
 
 1 will ivound. — Houbigant reads nroNi : and this, or a*ni?v2i, is 
 
 necessary. 
 
 head. — This corresponds to the upper lintel in the foregoing line. 
 
 " li-XT seems to be the front, as 2 Chron. xx. 27. Mic. ii. IS.n^-inx the rear." 
 Seeker. 
 
 flee away. — Observe in 6. Sia(pvyy and StaffuOy. 
 
 3. top of Carmel. — Which may have abounded in caverns. See 
 
 Bishop Lowth on Isa. ii. 19. 
 
 the bottom. — The Arabic root in Cast. lex. signifies loco piano 
 
 incessit. 
 
 There. — See au'o in Noldius. 
 
 serpent. — " Serpentes in aquis degunt." Boch. Hieroz. I. iv. 2G. 
 
 " Immensis orbibus angues 
 Incumbunt pelago, pariterque ad littora tenduat." 
 
 Virg. /En. ii. 204. 
 
54 A.MOS. [CH. 
 
 Is he who toiiclioth tlic earth, and itTshall melt; 
 And all that dwell therein shall mourn ; 
 And all of it shall rise up, as the river, 
 And shall sink down, as the river of Egypt. 
 
 6 He buildeth his upper chambers in the heavens ; 
 And his storehouse, he foundeth it on the earth : 
 He calleth the waters of the sea, 
 
 And poureth them over the face of the earth : 
 Jehovah [the God of hosts] is his name. 
 
 7 Are ye not to me as the sons of the X Ethiopians, 
 
 t Heb. Chusites. 
 
 5. meh. — See Ps. xcvii. 5. The frame of nature is dissolved before 
 
 liiin. An allusion to the earthquake. 
 
 as the river. — See eh. viii. 8. The prophet repeats this lively imag^e; 
 
 as his mind was strongly impressed with the dreadful effects which the 
 earthquake would produce. 
 
 6. upper chambers. — Ennius, as quoted by Lively, has Coenacula 
 
 maxima coeli. Harmer remarks, from Jer. xxii. 13, 14, that the chief and 
 most ornamented apartments in the king's palace were upper rooms : and 
 that the chief rooms in the houses of Aleppo at this day are those above, 
 V. i. 174. " imbjTD. Hie tantum coenaculum notat. Videtur legendum vnvby, 
 ut Ps. civ. 3, 13. Prajcedit Mem.'' Seeker. 
 
 storehouse. —1\\e verb in Chald. signifies cullecjit : and in Arab. 
 
 fornli JirmtE compaginis. Houbigant agrees with Cappellus in rendering it 
 penus, apotheca. m:iK " fasciculus, sarcinula, apotheca qua sarcinje repo- 
 nuntur." Vid. Cap. and Houb. There may be an allusion to repositories 
 in the lower parts of houses, or to such as were sometimes dug in the fields, 
 Jer. xli. 8. Est in Africa consuetudo iucolaruni, ut in agris, ct in omnibus 
 fere villi.s, sub terra specus, condendi frumenti gratia, clam habeant. 
 Hirlius : quoted by Bochart, P. ii. L IV. xxi. 
 
 Jehovah. — We may collect from 6. Ar. Syr. that this line should be 
 
 lengthened by adding '3nK, mK3v, or niK3i: in'rx. 6. MS. Pachom read Kg b 
 Bg 6 TravroKparwp. See on ch. v 8. 
 
 The power and sure vengeance of the Deity are very sublimely described 
 in this and (he four preceding verses. 
 
 7. Ethiopians, or Chusites. — Chus was the son of Ham, Gen. x. (?. 
 
 And that the Chusites inhabited a part of Arabia Petra^a and Felix, is 
 shown by Bocharf, geogr. sacr. 213, and by Calmet, Diet, in voc J^re 
 Numb. xii. 1, compared with Kx.'ii. 16. 2 Chron. xxi. 16. Ezek. xxix. 10. 
 Ilab. iii. 7. 'lliey wire, says Bochart, a powerful but despised nation. 
 
CH. IX.] AMOS. 55 
 
 O sons of Israel, saitli Jehovah ? 
 
 Did I not bring up Israel from the land of Egypt, 
 
 And the Philistines from Caphtor, and § Syria from Kir? 
 
 8 Behold, the eyes of the Lord Jehovah are upon the 
 
 sinful kingdom \ 
 And I will destroy it from off the face of the earth. 
 Yet I will not utterly destroy 
 The house of Jacob, saith Jehovah. 
 
 9 For, behold, I will command, 
 
 § Heb. Aram. 
 
 the Philistines. — AWoipvXoi, as 6. often translate the word : and 
 
 the root in Sam. and ^th. denotes a stranger, an emigrant. See Cast. lex. 
 
 Caphtor. — Bochart contends that this is Cappadocia. But Calmet, 
 
 with more reason, thinks it Crete. It is called -a, Jer. xlvii. 4 : though I 
 believe that this word sometimes signifies the sea-coast of a remote con- 
 tinent. See on Zeph. ii. 11. And these people are called Cherethim, 
 1 Sam. XXX. 4. Ezek. xxv. 16. Zeph. ii. 5. Bochart says, that the sea-coast 
 of Palestine had this name, Geogr. p. ii. i. xv. But it may have been 
 given it because it was a Cretan colony. That both these and the Cretans 
 were excellent archers, see Boch. ib. and Cast. lex. in voc. " Sunt non 
 pauca sacrae scriptuiae loca in quibus a"K insulas significare nequeunt. 
 Gen. X. 5. Jes. xx. 6. xxiii. 2, 6. xlii. 15. Ixvi. 19. Jer. xxv. 22. Ezek. 
 xxxix. 6. Verbum Arab. *in habitare significat. Jam ergo *k regio habitata. 
 Hanc habemus tanquam geuealogiam significationum. 1. habitationes, 
 mansiones, i. e. regiones. 2. regiones earum gentium quae Hebraeis Phoe- 
 nicibusque barbarae erant. 3. Regiones transmarinae. 4. Hospitia maris, 
 sive portus. 5. Insulae. I. D. Michaelis, Spicilegium Geogi-aphiae." Goet- 
 ting!E. MDCCLXIX. 4to. 
 
 Kir. — Aram, from whom Syria had its name, was the son of Shem, 
 
 Gen. X. 22. Part of his posterity settled in Aram Naharaim, or Mesopo- 
 tamia. And that a part anciently settled in Kir (whether a city of the 
 Medes, Isa. xxii. 6, or some other of this name), we learn from the pas- 
 sage before us. See Boch. Geogr. p. 293. 
 
 The sense seems to be : Trust not in your ancestors, who were so highly 
 favoured by me. Your vices have made you vile in my sight. Trust not 
 in my deliverance of you from the land of Egypt. Other nations have 
 been transplanted into fertile countries, as well as you ; and particularly 
 your neighbouring enemies. 
 
 8. sinful kingdom. — God destroyed many sinful kingdoms by the 
 
 Assyrians : but the kingdom of Fsiael seems here to be meant. 
 
66 AMOS. [CH. IX. 
 
 And I will sift the house of Israel among all the nations, 
 
 As one that sifteth corn with a sieve : 
 
 And a grain shall not fall upon the ground. 
 
 10 But all the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, 
 Who say, Evil shall not draw near, nor come || sud- 
 denly, on our account. 
 
 11 In that day I will raise up the fallen tabernacle of 
 
 David, 
 And I will * close up the breaches thereof: 
 And I will raise up its ruins. 
 And I Mill build it as in the days of old : 
 
 12 That the residue of men may seek Jehovah, 
 
 II Or, surprise, or, prevent us. * Or, repair. 
 
 9. sift. — Or shake together, and toss to and fro, so as completely to 
 
 mingle. 
 
 one that sifteth. — For the idiom see on Jon. iii. 7. " Potest 
 
 excidisse na ante vel post maaa. Sola Vulgata frumentum habet." 
 Seeker. 
 
 a grain.— One signification of the Arabic root in Cast. lex. is frus- 
 tum rei : 18th sense. 
 
 Though 1 will thus mix the Israelites with distant nations, yet there 
 shall be a general restoration of them to their own land. 
 
 10. all the si7iners. — The most secure and presumptuous sinnei-s of 
 
 the Israelites shall fall by the sword. 
 
 11. dai/. — When I prevent a grain from perishing. Acts xv. 16, 
 
 " In that day" is changed into (ura ravra. Avaarptxpu) kui a%'oiKo^ofii]au) is 
 an Hebraism equivalent to, I will raise up, i. e. I will build again. The 
 second hemistich, " And I will close up the breaches thereof," is omitted. 
 Kai avopOaxjo) avrrjv is a rendering of n-n^jm : and the two following 
 words obij/ v:*D, as in the days of old, are omitted. 
 
 tabernacle. — Elegantly, for the kingdom of David. 
 
 breaches thereof. — Read with V. 6. Ar. and Houbigant n'vns : and 
 
 again n^mTDm. See the collated MSS. for the insertion of the former ' 
 and of the second i in this latter word. 
 
 12. men. — The true reading is onK, according to 6. Arab Acts xv. 
 
 17. some MSS. of Syr. and Eusebius. See Kenn. diss. gen. Sec. 67, 81. 
 
 seek Jehovah. — The Alexandrine MS. of 6. has ottidq av, and rov 
 
 Kvptov, as Acts xv. 17: and Ar. has aibx rov Kvpiov. The Aldine ed. of 
 «. and MS. Pachom. have b-n-wg £K^»jr>j<Tw(Tt fii: and thus discover how 
 the genuine reading has been lost. In the present text nw remains: the 
 
cir. IX.] AMOS. . 57 
 
 And all the heathen f who are called by my name ; 
 Saith Jehovah who doeth this. 
 
 13 Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, 
 
 That the plougher shall draw near to the reaper ; 
 And the treader of grapes, to the sower of the seed : 
 And the mountains shall drop sweet wne ; 
 And all the hills shall melt. 
 
 14 And I will bring again the captivity of my people 
 
 Israel ; 
 And they shall build the desolate cities, and shall inhabit 
 them ; 
 
 f Heb. over whom my name is called. 
 
 Aldine represents -nx : and this, written "« nx contractedly, was substituted 
 for mn* nx. See on Jon i. 2. 
 
 doeth this. — There is good external authority, Acts xv. 17, for 
 
 omitting iravra. 
 
 On the restoration of the Jews after their captivity, the Messiah came, 
 and the Gentiles [or the rest of mankind besides the Jews] were admitted 
 into his church : and on the future grand restoration of the Jews, the 
 borders of the Christian church will be enlarged among the Gentiles, Rom. 
 xi. 12, 15. 
 
 13. draiv near to. — It is a lively way of expressing that the harvest 
 
 and vintage should be copious and long in gathering. Professor Michaelis 
 observes, that 6. MS. A. Ar. and Syr. make this passage parallel to Lev. 
 xxvi. 5. " The threshing shall reach unto the vintage." He proposes to 
 read nviaa ir-m triturans vindemiatorem, giving w-n the Ai'abic sense lerere, 
 conterere. Mr. Woide. I prefer "r-van vin, assequatur tritura vinde- 
 miam ; or nvinn ;nn, assequatur triturans vindemiatorem. Harmer thinks 
 that the perfect quiet and freedom from disturbances in the country are 
 also implied. The corn and grapes shall not be gathered in a state of 
 immaturity, from fear of enemies, ch. i. 90. 
 
 sower. — Literally, the draiver forth of the seed out of the basket. 
 
 mountains — hills. — These were the proi>er places for vineyards. 
 
 " Apertos 
 Bacchus amat coiles." Vir. Georg. ii. 112. 
 
 siveet ivine. — From the trodden grape. See Harmer i. ;}8(>. Or, 
 
 expressed from rich fruits. See Cantic. viii. 2. We have a parallel line, 
 Joel iii. 18. 
 
 melt. — They shall flow, as it were, with the abundance of wine 
 
 produced on them, Joel iii. 18. 
 
 n 2 
 
58 AMOS. [CH. IX. 
 
 And they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine 
 
 thereof; 
 They shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit thereof. 
 15 And I will plant them upon their land ; 
 And they shall no more be rooted up 
 From the land which I have given them, 
 Saith Jehovah thy God. 
 
 14. vineyards. — See the contrast, ch. v. 11. 
 
 the fruit thereof. — Read with Houbigant and fourteen MSS. pna. 
 
 15. plant. — This image is beautifully taken up from the foregoing 
 
 verse. 
 
 no more. — This part of the prophecy will receive its completion on 
 
 the future restoration of the Jews to their land. 
 
 thy God. — 6. Ar. read d^h'^k, which seems preferable. One MS. 
 
 read so originally, " Saith the God Jehovah." 
 
THE BOOK 
 
 H O S E A. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The word of Jehovah which came to Hosea, the son 
 of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and He- 
 
 Chap. I. 1. in the days. — If we suppose that Hosea prophesied 
 
 during the course of sixty-six years, and place him from the year 790 before 
 Christ, to the year 724, he will have exercised his office eight years in the 
 reign of Jeroboam the second, thirty-three years in the reign of Uzziah, 
 the entire reigns of Jotham and Ahaz, and three years in the reign of 
 Hezekiah : but will not have survived the taking of Samaria. 
 
 Hosea is concise, sententious, and abrupt. It is his manner to omit the 
 connexive and adversative particles ; an observation which we should 
 recollect when we observe them occasionally supplied by versions or 
 MSS. These are among the causes of that obscurity for which he is 
 remarkable : but the greatest difficulties arise from the corrupt readings 
 which deform the printed text. 
 
 He chiefly addresses Israel ; but introduces frequent mention of Judah. 
 He not only inveighs against the vices of the people, but sharply arraigns 
 the conduct of their kings, princes, and priests. Like many of the Hebrew 
 prophets, he tempers denunciations of God's vengeance against an idola- 
 trous and vicious people with promises of abundant mercies in store for 
 them : and his transitions, from one of these subjects to the other, are 
 rapid and unexpected. 
 
 He abounds with short and lively comparisons : and, like the best Greek 
 and Roman writers, often omits the particle of similitude. These com- 
 parisons he sometimes accumulates in the spirit of that poetry which is 
 most admired. See ch. vi. 3, 4. ix. 10. xi. 11. xiii. 3. xiv. 5, 6, 7. 
 
 He has often a great force of expression. See. ch. i. 7. ii. 3, 18, 21, 22. 
 iv. 2. vi. 5. xi. 4. 1. 1. xii. 1. 1. 1. 
 
 He is sometimes highly animated. See ch. iv. 14. v. 8. viii. 1. ix. 5, 
 14. xiii. 10, 14. 
 
 Many beautiful passages occur in this prophet ; as in the similies 
 
60 IIOSEA. [CH. I. 
 
 zckiah, kings of Judah ; and in the days of Jeroboam, 
 the son of Joash, king of Israel. 
 2 Tlie beginning of the word of Jehovali by Hosea. 
 And Jehovjih said unto Hosea : 
 
 throughout: in the allegories, ch. ii. 2 — 20. ch. vii. 11, 12. ch. viii. 7. 
 1. 2, 3, 4. ch. X. 11, 12, 13. ch. xiii. 15 : in the pathos, ch. xi. 3. 1. 1, 2. 
 and ver. 8, 9 : in the figures, cli. xiii. 12. xiv. 2. 1. 5. 
 
 There arc also some parts which are truly suhlime : as ch. v. 14, 15. 
 viii. 7. 1. I. X. 8. 1. 2, 3. xiii. 7,8 
 
 2. hy Hosea. — Or, to Hosea : as 6. MS. Al. Syr. : and as a is used 
 
 ch. xii. 6. But, perhaps, in the passage beforeus some translators read ■?. 
 " By or to. Numb. xii. 1—6." Seeker. 
 
 " Unto Hosea," if^in bK — " by Hosea," ]!\inr\:i — " unto Hosea," yii'in bu. 
 
 To speak to Hosea and by Hosea {ba and a) are phrases of different 
 import. To speak to, exj^resses, that to him the discourse was immediately 
 addressed ; to speak by, that through him it was addressed to others ; and 
 that the speech, so addressed to others, was not the prophet's own, but 
 God's; God using the prophet as his organ of speech to the people. The 
 different import of these constructions, so manifest in the Hebrew text, has 
 been very judiciously preserved in the Seventy, according to the Vatican, 
 in the Vulgate, in the Chaldee, in Luther's Latin translation, in Calvin's, 
 in our public translation, and in Archbp. Newconie's, but neglected by 
 Castalio, Jun. and Trem., and by Houbigant. It must be confessed, tliat in 
 some instances, the prefix n seems used as equivalent to bx ; but its most 
 proper meaning is indisputably a mean between the opposite senses of id 
 a.m\ bii, from avlA towards, denoting "rest, residence, or continuance in." 
 Hence, " it is the proper preposition of the instrument, as that in which 
 the active power of the first efficient is placed. And in such studied 
 change, from one mode of expression to another, as occurs in this passage, 
 it is reasonable to suppose, that each is used in its distinct and appropriate 
 meaning. Some passages, indeed, have been alleged, in which n after 
 verbs of speaking to, might be rendered by the Latin cii7n or the English 
 wit/i, as in Numb. xii. 8. " With him (la) will I speak, mouth to mouth." 
 But in this, and every instance of the .same kind except one, the parties in 
 the discourse, or the supposed discourse, are God and the projjliet. And 
 in every discourse of God with a prophet, much more is intended than the 
 prophet's information ; the prophet is always the vehicle of a divine mes- 
 sage to the people. Even in this text of Hosea, where what is said by God 
 seems immediately to concern the prophet individually, being a command 
 of something to be done by him in the economy of his domestic life ; yet 
 the act commanded being of public interest and importance, as it was 
 typical of the case belween God ninl tlio |)coplc of Israel, being com- 
 
CH. I.] HOSEA. 61 
 
 Go, take unto tliee a wnfe of fornications, and children 
 
 of fornications : 
 For the land hath committed great fornications in 
 
 departing from Jehovah. 
 
 3 And he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim ; 
 and she conceived, and bare him a son. 
 
 And Jehovah said unto him : 
 
 4 Call his name Jezreel : 
 
 mancled, for that very reason, as a metliod of jmblic admonition and de- 
 nunciation ; even in this instance, which, in the first face of it, has much 
 the appearance of a private affair of the prophet's, it was rather by than to 
 Hosea that Jehovah spake; and the change in the original, from bx to 3, 
 and back again, is not immaterial, and ought to be preserved in the trans- 
 lation. Horsley. 
 
 " By Hosea, was in this manner :" This I take to be the force of the 
 copula 1 prefixed to iqn* ; and so it is taken by Castalio and Houbigant. 
 The 1 is often to be taken as a particle of specification, equivalent to 
 scilicet, nempe, or nimirum. Horsley. 
 
 a tvifc of fornications. — A wife from among tlie Israelites, who are 
 
 remarkable for spiritual fornication, or idolatry. God was, as it were, an 
 husband to Israel ; and this chosen nation owed him the fidelity of a wife. 
 See Ex. xxxiv. 15. Dent. xxxi. 16. Judg. ii. 17. Isa. liv. 5. Jer. iii. 14. 
 xxxi. 32. Ezek. xvi. 17. xxiii. 5, 27. ch. ii. 5. See also Rev. xvii. 1, 2. He 
 therefore says with indignation : Go, join thyself in- marriage to one of 
 those who have committed fornication against me ; and raise up children 
 who, by the power of example, will themselves swerve to idolatry, ch. v. 7. 
 
 For the land. — I may justly use this language. For the land hath 
 
 committed, or committeth, &c. 
 
 " For the land is perpetually playing the wanton, forsaking Jehovah." 
 nam n^. — to whore whores. This construction, in which the finite verb 
 is connected with its own infinitive, for the most part expresses the per- 
 petual repetition of the action, as a matter of daily practice and habit. 
 Buxtorf's distinction, that when the infinitive is put first this construction 
 expresses the greater certainty and evidence of the thing, but when the 
 infinitive follows, the continuance and frequent practice, seems to me to 
 have no foundation. I think that, in either position of the infinitive, 
 greater certainty or greater frequency may be expressed, as the subject- 
 matter may require. Horsley. 
 4. Call his name. — This is agreeable to the genius of a people used 
 to significant and prophetic names. Such, among many others, were 
 Japhet, Abraham, Judah, Joshua, Jerubbaal, J ml. vi. 32, Solomon. 
 
62 HOSKA. [ClI. I. 
 
 For yet a little while, and I will * visit 
 
 The blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu : 
 
 • Or, avenge, or punish. 
 
 the blood of Jezreel. — Not Jehu's vengeance on Allah's family, see 
 
 2 Kings X. 30 : hut his acts of cruelty while he resided at Jezreel, a city 
 in the tribe of Issachar, Josh. xix. 18, where the kings of Israel had a 
 palace, 1 Kings xxi. 1. 
 
 " I will visit the blood of Jczrael upon the house of Jehu." Jezrael, 
 the mystical name of the prophet's son, must be familiar to all who are 
 conversant in the Holy Scriptures, as the name of a city in the tribe of 
 Issachar, and of a valley or plain, in which the city stood : the city, famous 
 for its vineyard, which cost the rightful owner, the unfortunate Naboth, 
 his life ; and, by the righteous judgment of God, gave occasion to the 
 downfall of the royal house of Ahab : the plain, one of the finest parts of 
 the whole land of Canaan; if we may judge from the partiality of the 
 kings of Israel for the spot, who all fixed their residence in one or other of 
 its numerous cities. Modern expositors, entirely forgetting the prophet's 
 son, have thought of nothing in this passage but the place, the city, or 
 the plain. A mistake, into which, perhaps, they have the more easily 
 fallen, by reason of the explicit mention of the place at the end of the 
 subsequent verse. But if the word Jezrael be taken here as the name of a 
 place, the threat of " avenging, or visiting, upon the house of Jehu the 
 blood of Jezrael," will signify, that the family of Jehu was to be punished 
 for blood shed by Jehu, or by his descendants, in that place. Jehu 
 himself shed the blood of Ahab's family, with an unsparing hand, 
 in Jezrael. But this was an execution of the judgment which God 
 had denounced, by his prophet Elijah, against the house of Ahab, for the 
 cruel murder of Naboth. And it may justly seem extraordinary, that this 
 should be mentioned as a crime of so deep a dye, as to bring down ven- 
 geance upon Jehu's house. It is true, that when the purposes of God are 
 accomplished by the band of man (which is the case, indeed, in some 
 degree, in every human action), the very same act may be just and good, 
 as it proceeds from God, and makes a part of the scheme of Providence ; 
 and criminal in the highest degree, as it is performed by the man, who is 
 the immediate agent. The man may act from sinful motives of his own, 
 without any consideration or knowledge of the end to which God directs 
 the action. In many cases the man may be incited by enmity to God and 
 tlic true religion to the very act, in which he accomplishes God's secret, or 
 even his revealed purpose. The man, therefore, may justly incur wrath 
 and punishment for those very deeds in which, with much evil intention 
 of his own, he is the instrument of God's good providence. But these 
 distinctions will not apply to the case of Jehu, in such a manner as to 
 
CH. I.] HOSEA. 63 
 
 And I will make the kingdom of the house of Israel to 
 cease. 
 5 And it shall come to pass in that day, 
 
 solve the difficulty arising from this interpretation of the text. He was 
 specially commissioned by a prophet " to smite the house of Ahab his 
 master, to avenge the blood of the prophets, and the blood of all the ser- 
 vants of Jehovah, at the hand of Jezabel." And however the general cor- 
 ruption of human nature, and the recorded imperfections of Jehu's 
 character, might give room to suspect, that in the excision of Ahab's 
 family, and of the whole ftiction of Baal's worshippers, he might be insti- 
 gated by motives of private ambition, and by a cruel sanguinary dis- 
 position ; the fact appears, from the history, to have been otherwise ; that 
 he acted, through the whole business, with a conscientious regard to God's 
 commands, and a zeal for his service ; insomuch, that when the work was 
 completed, he received the express approbation of God ; and the continu- 
 ance of the sceptre of Israel in his family, to the fourth generation, was 
 promised as the reward of this good and acceptable service. " Jehovah 
 said unto Jehu, because thou hast done well, in executing that which is 
 right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all 
 that was in my heart, thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the 
 throne of Israel." 2 Kings x. 30. And it cannot be conceived, that the 
 very same deed which was commanded, approved, and rewarded, in Jehu 
 who performed it, should be punished as a crime in Jehu's posterity, who 
 had no share in the transaction. For these reasons, I am persuaded, 
 that Jezrael is to be taken in this passage in its mystical meaning, 
 and is to be understood of the persons typified by the prophet's son — 
 the holy seed — the true servants and worshippers of God. It is threat- 
 ened, that their blood is to be visited upon the house of Jehu, by 
 which it had been shed. The princes descended from Jehu were all 
 idolaters, and idolaters have always been persecutors of the true re- 
 ligion. In all ages, and in all countries, they have persecuted the 
 Jezrael unto death, whenever they have had the power of doing iL 
 The blood of Jezrael, therefore, which was to be visited on the house of 
 Jehu, was the blood of God's servants, shed in persecution, and of infants 
 shed upon the altars of their idols, by the idolatrous princes of the line of 
 Jehu: and so the expression was understood by St. Jerome and by 
 Luther." 
 
 And I ivill make. — I will also cut off the kingdom of Israel by the 
 
 Assyrians. See v. G But some say, that the text expresses the ceasing of 
 the kingdom of Israel from the house of Jehu, 2 Kings x. 30 : a prophecy 
 fulfilled, 2 Kings xv. 10. 
 
 .5. And it shall come to pass, S;c. — " And this shall be in that very 
 
64 HOSEA. [CH. I. 
 
 Tliat I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of 
 Jezreel. 
 6 And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. 
 And God said unto him : 
 Call her name Lo-ruhamah, or, Not-having obtained 
 
 mercy. 
 For I will no f more have mercy on the house of Israel ; 
 
 t Heb. 1 will not add any more to have. 
 
 day, when I break," &c. — I suggest it to the learned to consider, whether 
 the plirase, so frequent in the prophets, H^r^r\ ara n«m is not to be 
 differently taken, according as it is connected, or not connected, with 
 the subsequent clause by the copula \ I am much inclined to think, 
 that when it is not so connected, H^r^r\ or is to be understood of a 
 time described or marked by some event already mentioned ; and the 
 force of the expression is to notify, that the event of the subsequent 
 clause is to take place at that time. But when these words are connected 
 with the subsequent clause by the copula t, then, I conceive, that the 
 event of the subsequent clause affords the marks of the time, and gives the 
 date of the event previously mentioned ; so that in both cases a syn- 
 chronism is described, but with this difference, that in the first case, the 
 event previously mentioned gives the date of the other; in the second case, 
 the other event gives the date of that previously mentioned ; and the 
 nominative understood of the verb-substantive, should be rendered, in the 
 first case, by the pronoun it; in the second, by the demonstrative this. 
 Thus, in ch. ii. 16 (18 Heb.), "'^'''^ "xipn n'n- aw HV\n ova n-m, " And 
 it shall be in that day (saith Jehovah) thou shalt call me Ishi ;" i. e. in the 
 day when Jehovah shall do the things in the preceding verse. These 
 things make the date of the time ; and the calling of Jehovah Jshi is the 
 event referred to that date. But in this passage "maun Ninn ava n*m ; 
 " And this shall be in that very day, and I break, &c." i. e. and this shall 
 be [the thing last-mentioned, the " demolition of the kingdom of Israel 
 shall take plate] in that day, when I break, &c." Here the breaking of 
 the bow is the event that marks the date ; and to that date, so marked, the 
 threatened excision of the kingdom of the ten tribes is referred. Horsley. 
 
 in the valley of Jezreel. — Here, it is probable, that a remarkable 
 
 defeat from the Assyrians was sustained. Or, here the death of king 
 Zechariah, the fourth lineal descendant of Jehu, may have happened. 
 2 Kings XV. 10. 
 
 6. And God said. — Syr. and 6. MS. Pachom. supply the Lord : k'id ; 
 
 Kvpioc. So again v. 9. 
 
 no more have mercy. — The Hebrew phrase may be varied : am, as 
 
[CH. I. HOSEA. 65 
 
 But I will surely take them away. 
 
 7 Yet on the house of Judah will I have mercy, 
 And I will save them by Jehovah their God ; 
 And I will not save them by bow, nor by sword, 
 Nor by battle, nor by horses, nor by horsemen. 
 
 8 And she weaned her that was called Lo-ruhamah, 
 
 oi\ Not-having obtained mercy ; and conceived, and bare 
 
 9 a son. And God said : 
 
 Call his name Lo-Ammi, or, Not-my-people. 
 For ye are not my people ; 
 And I will not be your God. 
 10 Yet shall the number of the sons of Israel be as the 
 sand of the sea. 
 Which cannot be measured nor numbered : 
 And it shall come to pass that, in the place where it 
 was said unto them, 
 
 Fsa. viii. 5. amV, as Amos vii. 13. omxi, as Judg. xi. 14. Esth. viii. 3, 
 and an-ix, as Prov. xxiii. 35. Isa. xlvii. 1. Hi. 1. There is an allusion to 
 the names in this v. and in v. 9, 1 Pet. ii. 10. Rom. ix. 25. 
 
 " Not beloved." For I will no more cherish with tenderness the house 
 of Israel, inasmuch as to be perpetually forgiving them. fJorsley. 
 
 7. have mercy. — For a longer time. 
 
 hy Jehovah. — This prophecy is very strongly expressed, and was 
 
 fulfilled, 2 Kings xix. 35. 
 
 Nor by battle. — " Nor in war by horses." D. Wheeler. 
 
 6. MS. A. ed. Aid. and vers. Copt, add ovrt iv upfiam. Mr. Woide. 
 
 " And I will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle ; 
 
 Nor by chariots, nor by horses, nor by horsemen." 
 
 9. your God. — In the Hebrew there is no word for God ; nor is it 
 
 supplied by the ancient versions, the Chaldee paraphrase, or MSS. AntI 
 yet the structure of the sentence most clearly requires it. Houbigant 
 ingeniously conjectures that the true reading is, aa^nbK ; whence oa'? -nN 
 consisting of the same letters ; and wlience the present reading. Compare 
 Lev. xxvi. 12. Jer. xxiv. 7. xxx. 22. xxxi. 33. xxxii. 38. Zech. viii. 8. 
 Heb. viii. 10. 
 
 10. Yet. — God will restore them from the Babylonish captivity. 
 measured. — Horace calls Archytas, 
 
 " JMaris et terrae numeroque carentis arena? 
 Mensorem." 
 
 ?(•«,'; t,aid. — Or, is said. Sc. in their own country; wlare God, by 
 
 bis prophet, used [or now uses] tliis language. 
 
66 HOSEA. [CH. II. 
 
 Ye are % Not-my-people, 
 
 There shall it be said unto them, Ye are The-sons-of 
 
 THE-LIVING-GOD. 
 
 1 1 And the sons of Judah, and the sons of Israel shall be 
 gathered together, 
 And shall appoint to themselves one head 
 And shall come up out of the land : 
 For great shall be the day of Jezreel. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 1 Say ye unto your brethren, * My-people ; 
 
 And unto your sisters, f Having-obtained-mercy. 
 
 \ In Heb. Lo-Ammi. * In Heb. Ammi. f In Heb. Ruhamah. 
 
 11. one head. — Zerubbabel. After the return from Babylon, tlie 
 
 distinction between the kingdoms of Israel and Judah ceased. 
 
 land. — Whither they were dispersed. 
 
 of Jezreel — Here is an allusion to the etymology of the word, God 
 
 will sozc, Isa. Ixv. 9 : or, God will plant, Isa. xvii. 10. Great will be the 
 day when God reinstates his people in their land. See ch. ii. 22, 23. 
 
 The word Jezriiel, though applied in this passage to the devout part of 
 the natural Israel, by its etymology, is capable of a larger meaning, com- 
 prehending all of every race and nation, who, by the preaching of the 
 gospel, are made members of Christ and the children of God. All these 
 are a seed of God, begotten of him, by the Spirit, to a holy life, and to the 
 inheritance of immortality. The words Ammi and Ruhamah, and their 
 opposites, Lo-ammi and Lo-ruhamah, are capable of the same extension ; 
 the two former to comprehend the converted, the two latter the uncon- 
 verted Gentiles. Accordingly, we find these prophecies of Hosea cited by 
 St. Paul [Rom. ix. 24] to prove, not the call of the Gentiles solely, but the 
 indiscriminate call to salvation both of Gentiles and Jews. He aHirms that 
 God has called us [i. e. us Christians] vessels of mercy, afore prepared 
 unto glory, ov (lovov iK lovSaiwv aWa tcai t5 iOpwv, " not of the Jews only, 
 but moreover of the Gentiles too." And it is in proof of this proposition, 
 that he cites the prophecies of Hosea. Horsley. 
 
 CuAi'. H. 1. Sat/ ye. — To avert my judgments, threatened, ch. i. 6, 9, 
 exhort each other to be worthy of ajipellations opposite to those prophetic 
 
CH. IT.] HOSEA. 67 
 
 2 Plead ye with your mother, plead : 
 For she is not my wife, 
 
 Neither am I her husband : 
 
 And let her put away her fornications from J her, 
 
 And her many adulteries from § her breasts : 
 
 3 Lest I strip her naked, 
 
 t Heb. from before. § Heb. from between. 
 
 ones before denounced against the sons and daughters of Israel, ch. i. 6. 9. 
 So act, that ye may truly say unto, &c. " Although the Israelites in the 
 days of Hosea were in general corrupt, and addicted to idolatry, yet there 
 were among them, in the worst times, some who had not bowed the knee 
 to Baal. These were always Ammi and Ruhamah ; God's own people, 
 and a darling daughter. God commissions these faithful few to admonish 
 the inhabitants of the land in general, of the dreadful judgments that would 
 be brought upon them by the gross idolatry of the Jewish church and 
 nation." Horsley. 
 
 " Speak to." The verb noN is comparatively so seldom used otherwise 
 than as equivalent to the English verb to say, with a declaration subjoined 
 of what was said, that I hesitated long about the translation which I ven- 
 ture to give of this passage, in which I take the verb as equivalent to the 
 English word to speak, without immediate mention of the words spoken. 
 But, consulting the concordances, I find many unquestionable instances of 
 this use of it. Horsley. 
 
 2. Plead. — Enter, as it were, into a forensic contest with your mother, 
 the house of Israel ; disavow her proceedings, and publicly protest against 
 them. 
 
 vmni/ adulteiies. — The original word may be considered as a fre- 
 quentative one. 
 
 3. Lest I. — See Bishop Lowth's note on Isa. iii. 17. Lest I cause her 
 to be exposed to such ignominy as brutal conquerors sometimes inflict, Ex. 
 xvi. 39. xxiii. 26 : and lest I reduce her to the most extreme want. More 
 than fifty MSS, or editions read n-rnt-i for nniin. It is observable that the 
 punishment of an adulteress among the Germans is thus described by 
 Tacitus : Accisis crinibus nudatam coram propinquis expellit domo mari- 
 tus. Tac de mor. Germ. Sec. 18, 19. 
 
 The verb taws signifies properly '' to flay the skin ;" hence, when applied 
 to garments, it signifies " to strip to the bare skin," to divest even of the 
 garments next the skin, my is a more general word, and expresses a less 
 degree of denudation. And the two joined together express " to strip per- 
 fectly one already half naked." nony hjd-u'Bk ]9 Ne nudum earn, plane 
 
68 HOSEA. [CH. II. 
 
 And set her as in the day icheyi she was born : 
 
 And make her as the desert, 
 
 And set her as a land of drought, 
 
 And kill her with thirst, 
 4- Neither have mercy on her sons. 
 
 Because they are the sons of fornications. 
 5 For their mother hath committed fornication ; 
 
 She that conceived them hath caused shame : 
 
 For she hath said, I will go after my lovers, 
 
 Who give me my food and my water. 
 
 My wool and my flax, mine oil and my strong drink. 
 G Therefore behold I ivill hedge up her way with thorns, 
 
 And I will close up her enclosure ; 
 
 That she shall not find her paths. 
 
 denudem. Hence the full sense of the passage is, that the disgraced, dis- 
 carded wanton should be stripped stark-naked, and in that situation exposed 
 to public view. Horsley. 
 
 as the desert. — 6. MSS. Al. and Pachom. have we eprjuov. 
 
 5. strong drink, — So Dr. Wheeler, See Ps. cii. 9. Seven MSS. read 
 
 "ip'ii'i. The word may come from piir appetere. See Houbigant. Or from 
 its Hiphil fonn p-vn redundare : mine abundance. All my sustenance. 
 Chald. Whatever I require or want, 6. Ar. Syr, 
 
 6. her way, — Read nam with 6. Ar. and Houbigant. " n*3-n her 
 
 ways, so Syr." Horsley. 
 
 tvilh thorns. — See Prov. xv. 19, and the note on Mic. vii. 4. 
 
 her enclosure. — mi3, the n being understood as a pronoun. 
 
 "A stone fence." ^^J is properly inaceiia. A low wall of loose stones, 
 laid one upon another, without any cement or mortar. Such enclosures are 
 very common at this day in Gloucestershire, and other parts of this island, 
 where quarries of the stone, fit for the purpose, abound. Horsley. 
 
 shall not find. — This refers to tlie Assyrian captivity. 
 
 her paths. — nu'ns are paths worn by the feet, often passing and 
 
 repassing upon the same line. I think that here the word signifies gaps in 
 a ])ramble hedge, or stone fence, made by clambering over repeatedly al 
 the same place. The text alludes to a double enclosure, an inner fence of 
 loose stones, a bramble hedge on the outside : both damaged and broken 
 in many places. The hedge is to be made ; the stone fence repaired ; the 
 gaps in both closed ; and all made so firm and strong, that it will be im- 
 practicable to iind any way out. Tliis enclosure is an admirable image of 
 
CH. II.] HOSEA. ' 69 
 
 7 And she shall follow after her lovers, but shall not over- 
 
 take them ; 
 And she shall seek them, but shall not find them. 
 Then shall she say : 
 
 I will go II again to my former husband. 
 For then was it better with me than now. 
 
 8 And she knew not 
 That I gave unto her 
 
 * Corn, and choice wine, and oil: 
 
 And the silver which I multiplied unto her. 
 
 And the gold, they offered unto Baal. 
 
 9 Therefore will I turn, and take away 
 
 My corn in its time, and my choice wine in its season : 
 And I will take away my wool and my flax, 
 That it may not cover her nakedness. 
 
 11 Heb. and return. * Heb. The corn, and the choice wine, and the oil. 
 
 national difficulty and distress, from which no human policy, or force, can 
 extricate. Horsley. 
 
 7. follow after. — in her mind. For some time she shall remain 
 
 addicted to her Egyptian and Syrian idols, and to all her former idolatrous 
 and immoral practices : but without carrying her evil wishes into execu- 
 tion. 
 
 8. choice tvine. — So called because WT" it possesses, or inebriates. It 
 
 was the first expressed juice of the grapes, or that which ran off of itself, 
 from the weight of the clusters laid on each other. See Cast. lex. 
 
 they offered. — " Confer 2 Chron. xxiv. 7." Seeker. 6. Ar. read 
 
 nii'iy or nnu'j? : She offered, or consecrated : but the number may be 
 changed, as it often is. 
 
 — Baal. — A name which, according to Servius, the Tyrians gave both to 
 Saturn and to the Sun. Boch. Geogr. 663. It signifies toi-d ; and may 
 be a general term for false gods and lords. See v. 13. 
 
 Dr. Wheeler renders : 
 
 " And that I multiplied to her the silver 
 And the gold, which they wrought for Baal. 
 Therefore will I again take away," Sec. 
 
 ann. Forte anai : sed aurum habeut omnes interpretes. Seeker, 
 
 9. not cover. — I read with 6. Arab, and Houbigant moar:, 
 
 I think this ninth verse speaks of calamities already begun, and the 
 
70 HOSEA. [CH. 11. 
 
 10 And now I will disclose her vileness in the sight of her 
 
 lovers ; 
 And none shall deliver her out of mine hand. 
 
 11 And I will cause all her joy to cease; 
 
 Her feast, her new-moon, and her sabbath, and all her 
 solemn assemblies. 
 J 2 And I will destroy her vine and her fig-tree ; 
 Of which she said. These are mine hire 
 Which my lovers have given me : 
 And I will make them f a forest : 
 And the beasts of the field shall eat tliem. 
 
 13 And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, 
 Wherein she burnt incense unto them ; 
 
 And decked herself with her \ ear-rings, and her § jewels. 
 And went after her lovers, 
 And forgat me ; saith Jehovah. 
 
 14 Notwithstanding, behold, I will allure her, 
 
 t Heb. for a forest, % Heb. ear-ring. $ Heb. jewel. 
 
 tenth describes the progress and increase of them. It appears from all the 
 prophets, and particularly from Amos and Joel, that the beginning of judg- 
 ment upon tlie refractory, rebellious people was in unfruitful seasons and 
 noxious vermin, producing a failure of the crops, dearth, murrain of the 
 cattle, famine, and pestilential diseases. Horsley. 
 
 12. her vine. — I cannot but think the words i33 and naxn are used 
 
 here, by a synecdoche, for plantations of vines and fig-trees. Certainly 
 it cannot be said of a single tree, that it is laid waste or made a forest. 
 Hoi-sley. 
 
 mine hire, — Israel attributed her fruitful seasons to her false gods. 
 
 " My pay," nanx. The fee of prostitution. Compare ix. 1 : " her neck- 
 lace." Horsley. 
 
 13, Baalim. — There were different idols worshipped under the 
 
 name of Baal : as Baal-berith, Baal-zebub, Baal-peor. 
 
 ear-)-ings. — An ornament either for the ear or nose. The latter 
 
 was worn in the left nostril. See the figure of the Ganges in Dow's History 
 of Indostan, V. i. p. Ixxvii. 4to. 
 
 jewels. — The original word is from 'Vn Arab, oniavit monilihus. 
 
 See Cast. lex. 
 
 14. Notwithslanding. — See Noldius Sec. 6, and Pocock in loc. 
 
 allure her. — Or persuade her. Though the word commonly signifies 
 
CH. ir.] HOSEA. 71 
 
 And will lead her to the desert, 
 And will speak || kindly to her. 
 15 And from thence will I give her her vineyards, 
 And the valley of Achor for a door of hope : 
 And there shall she sing as in the days of her youth, 
 And as in the day when she came up from the land of 
 Egypt. 
 
 II Heb. to her heart. 
 
 to inveigle, to deceive ; it may be used, by an easy metaphor, in a good 
 sense, 
 
 to the desert. — From the distant countries, to which she was led 
 
 captive, I will safely conduct her home through the desert. 
 
 15. thence. — Sc. from the desert. 
 
 The English word thence renders either " from that place," or " from 
 that time," or "in consequence of those things." And the original word is 
 used in all these various senses. No one of these senses would be inappli- 
 cable in this place • but the last, or the first, as figurative of the last, seems 
 the most significant, God declares that through the wilderness lies the 
 road to a rich fruitful country ; i. e. that the calamities of the dispersion, 
 together with the soothing intimations of the gospel, by bringing the Jewish 
 race to a right mind, will be the means of reinstating them in that wealth 
 and prosperity, which God has ordained for them in their own land. 
 Horsley. 
 
 valley of Achof-. — This most fertile valley lay to the north of 
 
 Jericho, not far from Gilgal ; and the restoration of it was an earnest of 
 future blessings. Compare Isa, Ixv. 9, 10. " The Vale of Achor, though 
 a scene of trouble and distress, was a door of hope to the Israelites under 
 Joshua ; for there, immediately after the execution of Achan, God said to 
 Joshua, ' Fear not, neither be thou dismayed ' (chap, viii, 1 ) ; and promised 
 to support him against Ai, her king and her people. And from this time 
 Joshua drove on his conquests with uninterrupted success. In like manner, 
 the tribulations of the Jews, in their present dispersion, shall open to them 
 the door of hope ; — ' and there '— i. e. in the wilderness, and in the vale of 
 tribulation, under those circumstances of present difficulty mixed with 
 cheering hope." Horsley. 
 
 sing. — Literally, answer in the song, sing alternately. See Pisel. 
 
 Heb. xix. p. 236. " AiroKpiQrjffsTai, Theod." Seeker. 
 
 Egypt. — The perpetual allusion to the Exodus, to the circum- 
 stances of the march through the \\ilderness, and the first entrance into the 
 Holy Land, plainly points the prophecy to a similar deliverance, by the imme- 
 
72 HOSEA. [CH. II. 
 
 16 And it shall come to pass in that day, 
 
 Saith Jehovah, that thou shalt callme, * Mine husband : 
 And thou shalt no more call me f My Baal, [ or Lord.'\ 
 
 17 For I will tid<e the names of X Baalim out of her mouth j 
 And they shall no more be mentioned by their name. 
 
 18 And I will make for them a covenant, in that day, 
 With the beasts of the field, 
 
 And with the fowls of the heavens, 
 And with the creeping things of the ground. 
 And the bow, and the sword, and war. 
 Will I break from the land : 
 
 ■» Heb. Islii. t Heb. Baali. % Or, Baals. 
 
 diate power of God, under that leader of whom Moses was the type. 
 Horslej. 
 
 16. thou shall call me, — Two MSS, read -b ^x-)pn. The versions 
 
 read -b Kipn, she shall call me, twice. 
 
 3Ii/ Baal. — The very naine, though capahle of a good sense, as it 
 
 signifies liusband, or lord, should be avoided by ihem ; because it was also 
 the name of false gods. They should scrupulously avoid idolatry. And 
 this was the fact immediately after their return from Babylon ; and it has 
 continued to this day, " Ishi, My Husband, is an appellation of love ; 
 Baali, My Lord, of subjection and fear. ' God hath not given us the 
 spirit of fear, but of power and of love, and of a sound mind,' 2 Tim. i, 7- 
 See Jer. xxiii. 27." Horsley, 
 
 17. be mentioned. — It is in vain to look for a purity of religious 
 
 worship, answerable to this prophecy, among the Jews returned from the 
 Babylonian captivity. This part of the prophecy, with all the rest, will 
 receive its accomplishment in the converted race in the latter days- Hors- 
 ley. 
 
 18. a covenant. — Sc. of security from the evils which, in the days 
 
 of my vengeance, arose from these causes. " This covenant with the beasts 
 of the field, the fowls of the heaven, and the reptiles of the eartli, is the final 
 conversion of the most ignorant and vicious of the heathen to the true faith. 
 The effect of which must be, that they will all live in peace and friendship 
 with the re-established nation of the Jews." Horsley. 
 
 a7id tvar. — " Armour," nonba. I think the word is used here for 
 
 every accoutrement of battle, all offensive weapons and defensive armour. 
 Horsleyi 
 
 Will I break. — The Hebrews often use a verb which is applicable to 
 
CH. II.] HOSEA. 73 
 
 And I will make them to lie down in safety. 
 
 19 And I will betroth thee unto me for ever : 
 
 Yea, I will betroth thee unto me in justice, and in right- 
 eousness ; 
 And in kindness, and in tender love : 
 
 20 Yea, I will betroth thee unto me in § faithfulness ; 
 And thou shalt know Jehovah. 
 
 21 And it shall come to pass in that day, 
 I will hear, saith Jehovah, 
 
 I will hear the heavens ; 
 
 And they shall hear the earth ; 
 
 22 And the earth shall hear the corn, 
 
 § Or, truth. 
 
 some of the substantives placed after it, hut not to all. See Mai. iii. 5. 
 Mic vi. 15. Zeph. i. 17. So Homer: 
 
 " ESovffire inova fitjXa, 
 Otvov T e^aiTov fxsXiTjSta." 
 
 "Conveniret melius nnirx cum nrinba Confer Ps. xlvi. 10." Seeker. 
 
 19. And in kindness. — Not only allotting what is just and right, 
 
 but bestowing what is kind and affectionate. " A noun substantive after 
 the verb u/in with 3 prefixed, denotes the dowry, or that which the man 
 gives to obtain his spouse of her parents, Christ gave for the espousal of 
 the Church his bride, piii, his own justice ; UBU'O, his perfect obedience to 
 the law ; tdh, exuberant kindness ; a-om, tender love ; mna, faithful- 
 ness, steady adherence to his part in the covenant between the Holy 
 Three," Horsley, 
 
 20. in faithfulness, — There shall subsist an inviolable fidelity. 
 
 hww. — Experience the exuberant goodness of Jehovah. 
 
 21. 1 will hear the heavens. — When they ask, as it were, to send 
 
 their rain on the earth. 
 
 the earth. — When it supplicates, as it were, for rain. 
 
 22. the com, Sec. — When they wish, as it were, to supply the wants 
 
 of man. 
 
 Jezreel. — All nature shall hear, and minister to the people whom 
 
 God shall plant in their own land. 
 
 There is an implication in this passage, tliat the Israelites had lately 
 experienced unfruitful seasons ; as Amos had foretold, ch. i. 2. iv. 7 — 9, 
 vi. 12. 
 
 I 2 
 
74 HOSEA. [CH. II. 
 
 And the choice wine, and the oil ; 
 And they shall hear Jezreel. 
 23 And I will || plant her unto me in the land ; 
 
 II Or, sow. 
 
 The metaphors in this and the preceding verse are strong ; but not witli- 
 out parallel ones in the best writers of antiquity. Euripides has 
 "Ep^ ^ev Ofijipov yaia," 
 
 And 
 
 " Epy S' 6 ai^ii'OQ ovpavoQ, irXtjpovfievoQ 
 0/tj3pov, TTKriiv us yaiai'." 
 
 Quoted by Grot, in loc. 
 
 Tibullus thus addresses the Nile : 
 
 •' Te propter nullos tellus tua postulat imbres ; 
 Arida nee pluvio supplicat herba Jovi." 
 
 El. 1. vii. Quoted by Livelye in loc. 
 
 And Virgil has, 
 
 " Neque audit currus habenas." Georg. I. 
 
 " And it shall be in that day, I will perform my part, saith Jehovah. I 
 will perform my part upon the heavens ; and they shall perform their part 
 upon the earth ; and the earth shall perform her part upon the corn, and 
 the wine, and the oil ; and they shall perform their part for the Jezraei, 
 [^the seed of God]" The primary and most proper meaning of the verb 
 nay I take to be " to re-act :" but more largely it predicates reciprocal, cor- 
 respondent, or correlate action. Thus it signifies the proper action of one 
 thing upon another, according to established physical sympathies in the 
 material world ; or, among intelligent beings, according to the rule of 
 moral order. And in this passage it is applied, fust, to the action of God 
 himself upon the powers of nature; then, to the subordinate action of 
 the parts of nature upon one another ; and, last of all, to the subservience 
 of the elements and their physical productions to the benefit of man ; and 
 ultimately, by the direction of God's overruling providence, to the exclusive 
 benefit of the godly. In short, it expresses generally one agent performing 
 its proper part upon another. And to this general notion all the particular 
 senses of the word are reducible. Horsley. 
 
 23. tvill plant. — ^The original word alludes to, and explains, the 
 
 word Jezreel as used ch. i. 11, and here in the foregoing verse. "The 
 myriads of the natural Israel, converted by the preaching of the apostles, 
 were the first seed of the universal church. And there is reason to 
 
CH. III.] HOSEA. 75 
 
 And I will have mercy on * Her-who-had-not- 
 
 OBTAINED-MERCY ; 
 
 And I will say to them who were f Not-my-people, 
 
 Thou X art My-people ; 
 And § they shall say, Thou art My God. 
 
 CHAPTER HI. 
 
 Moreover Jehovah said unto me : 
 
 Go again, love a woman, 
 Beloved by another, and an adulteress, 
 According to the love of Jehovah towards the sons of 
 Israel : 
 
 * Heb. Lo-ruhamah. t Heb. Lo-amrai. :f; Heb. Ammi. 
 
 « He. 
 
 believe, that the restoration of the converted Jews will be the occasion 
 and means of a prodigious influx of new converts from the Gentiles in 
 the latter ages, Rom. xi. 12, 15. Thus the Jezviiel of the natural 
 Israel from the first have been, and to the last will prove, a seed sown of 
 God for himself in the earth." Horsley. 
 
 Chap. III. 1. — Go again — It may well be supposed that this injunction 
 was given after the death of Hosea's former wife. 
 
 a tvoman. — A wife. Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 Beloved by another. ~ A lover of evil, 6. Ar. Syr. See Gen. xxv. 
 
 28. Or, One that loveth another. Or, according to the present pointing, 
 and sixteen or seventeen MSS. which read nmnx, and Vulg., Beloved by 
 another. The attachment of the Israelites to their idols is referred to. 
 
 " Addicted to wickedness." I adopt the rendering of the Seventy and 
 Syr., which nothing opposes but the Masoretic pointing. Horsley. 
 
 adulteress — In the spiritual sense of forsaking God. 
 
 according to the love. — God's love to his people is here compared 
 
 to the love of a husband towards his wife. St. Paul has the same 
 comparison with respect to the love of Christ towards his church, Eph. 
 V. 31, 32. 
 
 " After the manner of Jehovah's love for the children of Israel 
 although they look to other gods, and are addicted to goblets of 
 wine." Children of Israel and House of Israel are two distinct expressions 
 
76 HOSEA. [CH. 11^ 
 
 And yet They turn away to other gods, 
 And love flaofons of * wine : 
 
 2 And I bouglit her unto me for fifteen pieces of silver, and 
 
 3 an homer of barley, and an half-liomer of barley. And I 
 said unto her : 
 
 * Heb grapes. 
 
 " The House of Israel," and sometimes " Israel," by itself, is a particular 
 appellation of the ten tribes, as a distinct kingdom from Judah. But " the 
 Children of Israel " is a general appellation for the whole race of the Israel- 
 ites, comprehending both kingdoms. Horsley. 
 
 towards. — See hn Nold. Sec. 8. 
 
 flagons of tvine. — To drink wine in the temples of their idols, Amos. 
 
 ii, 8. Judg. ix. 27. Grapes are used for wine in the following places : 
 
 " Poculaque inventis AcheloVa miscuil uvis." Virg. Georg. I. 
 
 " Prselo domitam Caleno 
 Tu bibes uvam." Hor. Od. I. xx. 
 
 " Calcatamque tenet bfillis socialibus uvam." 
 
 Juv. Sat. V. See Livelye in loc. 
 
 Others think that the words should be rendered, cakes of dried grapes. 
 See 6. Pocock in loc. and Jer. vii. 18. xliv. 19. 
 
 2. / bought — That is, according to the ancient custom, I paid her 
 
 dower. Gen. xxxiv. 12 1 Sam. xviii. 25. Iliad II. 178, 190, X. 473. 
 
 " I owned her," m3Ki, from the root n33. See Parkhurst under ^^^. This 
 was not a payment, in the shape of a dowry ; for the woman was his pro- 
 perty, if he thought fit to claim her, by virtue of the marriage already had ; 
 but it was a present supply of her necessary wants, by which he acknoss- 
 ledged her as his wife, and engaged to furnish her with alimony, not 
 ample indeed, but suitable to the recluse life, which he prescribed to 
 her. Calvin observes, that the parsimonious gift, a sum of money which 
 was but half the price of a female slave, and a pittance of black barley 
 bread, typified the hard fare which the Israelites were to expect at the 
 hand of God, in their state of exile. Horsley. 
 
 an homer. — A measure of more than eight bushels. 
 
 and an half-homer of barley. — 6. Ar. Symm. Theod. render, and a 
 
 vessel of wine. The Greek XtjkvOos seems derived from in"? by a transposi- 
 tion of letters. And Houbigant reads \r-i^n, choice tvine, for anyr. I3ut 
 D^DV new nine more resembles the last letters in anyi:'. 
 
 It was observed l>y Sir.l. Chardiu in the east, that, in the contractii foV 
 
CH. III.] HOSEA. TT 
 
 Thou shalt abide with me many days : 
 Thou shalt not commit fornication, and thou shalt not be 
 
 for another man : 
 So will I also be for thee. 
 
 4 For the sons of Israel shall abide many days 
 Without a king-, and without a prince ; 
 
 And without sacrifice, and without a statue ; 
 And without an ephod, and icithout teraphim. 
 
 5 Afterwards shall the sons of Israel return, 
 
 temporary wives, there is always the formality of a measure of corn men- 
 tioned over and above the stipulated sum of money. Harmer ii. 513. 
 
 3. Thou shalt abide. — After the ceremony of betrothing, thou shalt 
 
 continue in my house many days, and shalt show fidelity to me : and then 
 I will become thy husband. 
 
 4 For the sons. — Thus the house of Israel shall continue many days in 
 their state of captivity ; without a king, as thou without a husband ; without 
 the means of worshipping me according to the rites of their law ; and yet 
 refraining from idolatry, as thou from unfaithfulness to thy betrothed 
 husband : but, v. 5, shall afterwards observe allegiance to their God, and 
 have an eminent king set over them, in their own land. 
 
 The prophets and the people were accustomed to impart and to receive 
 this kind of emblematical instruction. 
 
 mani/ days. — Many years. Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 a statue. — A standing image, or pillar, erected by themselves. 
 
 They were forbidden to erect such, that occasions to idolatry might not be 
 administered. Lev. xxvi. 1. Observe that the versions read naio, an altar. 
 
 ephod. — A part of the highpriest's ornaments. 
 
 teraphim. — In Syr. «)nn signifies to inquire, and in Arab, to abound 
 
 ivith the goods of life. Teraphim may therefore denote images to inquire 
 of, or to bestow good things. Spencer thinks the word equivalent to 
 seraphim, a celestial order ; by the usual substitution of n for u' in the 
 eastern tongues. See p. 952, &c. Taylor observes from 1 Sam. xix. 13, 
 16, that they were of the human form, which passage equally proves that 
 they might resemble angels ; the wings being concealed, and the face only 
 appearing. However, my opinion is that teraphim were objects of idol- 
 atrous worship. And such, in their state of captivity, the Israelites would 
 not harbour. 
 
 " An ephod seems to have been a gannent like a cloak without sleeves, 
 covering the body as low as the pit of the stomach before, and as low as the 
 shoulder-blades behind. 1 1 seems to have taken its name from the strait- 
 
78 HOSICA. [(II. III. 
 
 And shall seek Jehovah their God, 
 
 ness of its collar, and the mauiier in which it was fastened about the per- 
 son. The epliod of the highpricst was of costly materials, and the richest 
 embroidery ; and it made a very principal part of the robes of office. But 
 sometliing of a similar shape, and of the same name, but made of plain 
 linen, was worn by the inferior priests, and occasionally, at least, by other 
 persons. But it appears also, that idolaters, at least the idolatrous Israel- 
 ites, sometimes dressed up the images of the deities they worshipped, in a 
 gorgeous ephod, resembling that of the highpriest, and made, perhaps, in 
 imitation of it. And this was so principal and so sacred a part of the idol's 
 robes, that the word was sometimes used as a name for the idol itself. The 
 ephod therefore appears to have been a principal ornament both of the 
 true and of the false worship. And when the word is used in the figurative 
 language of prophecy, as it is in this passage, to express in general the 
 external grandeur of public institutions, it is in itself of ambiguous import, 
 and its connections in the context must determfne, whether it refers to the 
 approved forms of a pure service or to idolatry. That it refers to the latter 
 in the text, is evident from the connection with statues mentioned next 
 before, and teraphim next after the ephod. For both these will be found 
 to be produced here, as principal articles of the furniture of idolatry." 
 
 " We find the teraphim among the faithful, in the patriarchal ages, and 
 among idolaters afterwards. For I.aban, who was a worshipper of Jehovah, 
 had his teraphim, and Nebuchadnezzar had his. They seem to have been 
 images made in some resemblance of man. The teraphim of idolaters 
 were pr()l)ab]y corrupt imitations of those of the true worshippers ; for the 
 ancient idolatry was in every thing a mimicry and misapplication of the 
 patriarchal symbols. The terajthim of idolaters were magical images, 
 used for the purposes of divination ; but the patriarchal teraphim were 
 probably emblematical figures, like the cherubim ; like those, 1 mean, of 
 the simpler sort, which were seen in the ornan)ents of the more open parts 
 of the tabernacle and of the temple. The teraphim I take to have been 
 figures of the like mystic import, but of materials less costly, of coarser 
 work, and certainly upon a smaller scale. 1 imagine they were used as 
 most sacred ornaments of consecrated chapels, or oratories in private 
 houses. However innocent the use of them might have been in the p;itri- 
 archal ages, it is certain that in process of time they were so much abused 
 to superstitious purposes, that the use of them was absolutely forbidden to 
 (iod's people : and long before the time of the prophet Ilosea they were 
 considered as a part of the v\orst rubbish of idolatry, which it became the 
 duty of the faithful to destroy. Hence, 1 cannul but conclude, that the 
 teraphim, in the text of Hosea, are to be understood of nothing but imple- 
 ments of idolatrous rites, images consecrated to the purposes of magic and 
 divination." 
 
CH. III.] HOSEA. 79 
 
 And David their king ; 
 
 " I come now to the statue, the first word of the three, which will require 
 no long discussion. This, like the terafihim, had been in use among the 
 true worshipped in early ages, but was so much abused before the giving 
 of the law, that it was absolutely prohibited by Moses. A statue, nnvo, 
 signifies any thing, more especially of stone, erected or set up as a 
 monument or memorial ; but particularly as a religious monument. That 
 consecrated pillars of stone were in use among the patriarchs, we learn 
 from the history of Jacob. Idolaters, instead of simple pillars, set up 
 images carved in the human or other form, to represent the object of their 
 worship. This abuse was certainly ancient, and gave occasion to the strict 
 prohibition of the Mosaic law. If I may offer a conjecture concerning the 
 difference between these idolatrous statues and terapbim, I would say, that 
 the statues were of large dimensions, set up in public, as objects of popular 
 adoration ; the teraphim were of a smaller size, and for different purposes, 
 kept in the most sacred recesses of temples or consecrated chapels, for 
 magical rites, and rarely, if ever, exposed to public view." Horsley. 
 
 5. David. — Some suppose Zerubbabel to be meant ; and some, the 
 
 Messiah. But it seems to me that the prophecy remains to be accom 
 plished : and that, on the future return of God's people, an illustrious 
 king of this name and stock will reign over Israel, and transmit the king- 
 dom to his descendants for ever. Compare Jer. xxx. 9. Ezek. xxxiv. 23, 24. 
 xxxvii. 24, 25. 
 
 At my request Mr. Woide furnished the following extract from Arch- 
 bishop Seeker's dissertation on David promised in the prophets, which is 
 lodged among his Grace's manuscripts in Lambeth library. The Arch- 
 bishop's own words are distinguished by inverted commas. 
 
 Passages, in which David is promised, Jer. xxx. 9. Ezek. xxxiv. 23. 
 xxxvii. 22, 24, 25. Hos. iii. 5. Doth it mean a particular person called 
 David, or a succession of princes of the house of David? That nations 
 and tribes are called by the name of the person from whom they descended, 
 is well known. Jacob or Israel (Isaac, Amos vii. 9), Judah, Ephraim,&c. 
 Rachel, Jer. xxxi. 15. Particular families are called by a patronymic name 
 derived from the head of the family. Gen. xxxiv. 7, Israel. Josh. vi. 26, 
 Rachab. Josh. vii. 25, Achan. 2 Kings x. 1, Achab. Amos vii. 9, Jero- 
 boam. Jer. xxix. 32, Schemaiah. 
 
 Direct instances, where David signifies David's family, 1 Chron. xxviii. 
 4. 1 Kings xii. l(i. 2 Chron. x. 16. "Hos. iii. 5, is by at least 170 years, 
 the first of these passages, where Israel means the ten tribes : for it is dis- 
 tinguished from Judah i. 6, 7, 11, and iv. 15, and it is foretold, that they 
 shall continue many days without a king, and prince, and a sacrifice, and 
 
80 HOSEA. [CH. III. 
 
 And shall || fear Jehovah, and his goodness, in the latter 
 days, 
 
 II Or, reverence. 
 
 image, and ephod and teraphim, which last is thought, by some to mean 
 idols ; by others Uiim and Thummin : and if it means the latter, the 
 Israelites, who returned under Cyrus, probably forsook idols in their cap- 
 tivity ; and we know not that any Israelites are idolaters now. After this 
 they shall seek the Lord their God [they may have been negligent in reli- 
 gion, though not idolaters] and David their king, i. e. that family to rule 
 them, of whom they said, we have no part in David ; see to thine own 
 house, David, 1 Kings xii. 16: which agrees with Hos. i. ll,that Judah 
 and Israel should appoint themselves one head. So that this text, which is 
 the leading one upon this subject, suits well with David, being understood 
 of the family of David, Jer. xxx. 9. Ezek. xxxiv. 23, 24. xxxvii. 24, 25." 
 
 Besides these texts, which promise David shall be their king, there are 
 some, which mention in what state the house of David was to be in times 
 then future, which ought to be considered, Jer. xxxiii. 15 — 26. Zech. xii. 
 7 — 14, and xiii. 1, of which see the notes," Ps. Ixxxix. 19 — 45. 
 
 " But a farther inquiry is, whether at least the name David cannot be 
 meant of a single descendant of David, like him, and presignified by 
 him." 
 
 " Now, there is no doubt but it may, if that person at his appearance 
 ■were commonly known in the world by the name David : and without 
 being called so in common speech, Jerusalem is called in prophetic speech 
 Sodom and Gomorrah, Isa. i. 10. But I recollect no other instance of 
 this in the Old Testament, nor any instance of a person called by the name 
 of another there, on account of likeness, unless it be Elias,* the great 
 priest, who shall be sent to the captivity of Israel in the end of the days. 
 And Pocock mentions some Kabbins, who think Elias in person is not 
 meant here ; nor do I recollect, that any single person is called by the 
 name of another, on account of his descending from him, unless it be 
 thought, that Rechoboam is called David, in the above cited places of 
 Kings and Chronicles." 
 
 fear. — See Jer. xxxiii. 9. Isa. Ix. 5, and Bi.shop Lowth's note. bv. 
 
 is sometimes transitive, like nx and ':. See Nold. " * And adore,' — bx nnsi. 
 The construction of nns, governing its object by the preposition ''k, I take 
 to be singular. I apprehend, that when a verb, expressing any affection of 
 the mind, governs its object by this preposition, that construction expresses 
 the motion or effort of the mind, so affected, towards that object. The 
 
 • Malachi iv. 5, of whom Jonathan, Exod. vi. 13, says, tliat Phineas is Elias. 
 
CH. IV.] HOSEA. 81 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 1 Hear the word of Jehovah, O ye sons of Israel : 
 
 For Jehovali hath a controversy with the inhabitants of 
 
 the land : 
 For there is no truth nor mercy, 
 Nor knowledge of God in the land. 
 
 2 In swearing, and lying, and killing. 
 
 And stealing, and committing adultery, have they * broken 
 
 forth ; 
 And blood reacheth unto blood. 
 
 3 Therefore shall the land mourn. 
 
 And every one that dwelleth therein shall languish ; 
 Together with the beasts of the field, and the fowls of the 
 
 heavens : 
 Yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away. 
 
 * Or, burst. 
 
 force of this construction here is to denote, that the converted Israelites will 
 make Jehovali and his goodness, the object of religious awe and admira- 
 tion. The phrase is well paraphrased by the Seventy, Kai eKartj^ovTai iirt 
 Tqt KvpK^t Kai tiri Toi.g ayaOoig avTov. The English word adore expresses the 
 motion of the mind towards Jehovah and his goodness." Horsley. 
 Because of Jehovah — because of his goodness. Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 Chap. IV. 2. broken forth. — The word is sometimes applied to the 
 
 bursting forth of waters, 2 Sam. v. 20 ; and V. has inundaverunt. " A meta- 
 phor taken from rivers inundating the banks, and bearing down every 
 obstacle to the impetuosity of the waters." Horsley. 
 
 reacheth unto. — There are murders committed without intermission ; 
 
 one overtaketh another. 
 
 3. the land inourn.—See also v. 10. ch. vii. 14. This may refer 
 
 to the drought foretold by Amos ch. i. 2, or to the locusts mentioned ch. v. 
 7. 
 
 ef the yield. — After this, the words noixn irom, and the creeping 
 
 things of the ground, are added in 6. Arab, but are wanting in V. Syr. 
 Chald. and in the Complutensian edition of 6., says Boch. Hier. p. 3. See 
 ch. ii. 18. 
 
 taken away. — See SDK, Gen. xxx. 23. Zeph. i. 2, 3. 
 
82 HOSEA. [CH. IV. 
 
 4 Yet no man contendeth, 
 And no man reproveth : 
 
 And as is the provocation of the priest, so is that of my 
 people. 
 
 Tlie cattle and the fowls [and even the creeping things of the earth] 
 shall be affected by the scarcity with which God will visit the land : and 
 he will so dispose second causes, that even the fishes of the sea shall not 
 supply the wants of his rebellious people. See ou Zeph. i. 3. 
 
 4. no man contendeth. — This is a natural rendering, and gives a 
 
 very usual sense to the Hebrew future. Pocock in loc. quotes a manuscript 
 Arabic version which considers the words as declarative, and translates 
 thus: "And particularly there is none that argueth, nor doth any man 
 admonish." See also Syr. 
 
 The Arabic of the polyglot reads i>k for ik, and furnishes an animated 
 translation : 
 
 " How doth no man contend. 
 And no man reprove !" 
 
 And as. — "the English translators render, " For thy people are as 
 
 they that strive with the priest:" a conduct contrary to Deut. xvii. 12. 
 But Houbigant objects, that it could not be a crime to contend with idola- 
 trous priests : and translates, " Nam populus tuus sequitur rebellionem 
 sacerdotum :" and, word for word, " Nam populus tuus ut rebelliones sacer- 
 dotis." But the word Q-n-iD does not occur as a plural substantive for 
 rebellions, strivings, contentions. And thy people is abnipt. 
 
 6. Arab, read tny people, agreeably to v. 6, 8, 12. And the Berlin MS. 
 n. 150, ascribed by the learned Bruns to the thirteenth century, reads 
 nano3; as the contention, striving, provocation. Thus the sense will be. 
 My people are as dead to all sense of duty as their idolatrous priests, 
 whose conduct in departing from Jehovah is peculiarly aggravated. 
 
 An elegant reading would arise from transposing the letters in the first 
 word ; 
 
 " And as is the people, so is the provocation of the priest." Or, by a 
 different punctuation of *nnQ we may render, 
 
 " And my people is as the priest who contendeth with me." See Job x. 
 2, and >3-nn, Ps. cxix. 42. -rh'i,', 2 Sam. xxiv. 13. Buxt. Thes. Graram. 512. 
 
 The guilt of the people, instructed and forewarned by my prophets, is 
 as dete.stable and aggravated ;vs that of the priest. I have since found that 
 this is in part the rendering of Moerlius : 
 
 " Et populus tuus (est) sicut litigans mecum sacerdos." 
 
CH. IV.] HOSEA. 83 
 
 5 But thou shalt fall in the day : 
 
 And the propliet also shall fall with thee in the night : 
 And I will cut off thy moih&x-city. 
 
 6 My people are cut off for want of knowledge. 
 Because thou hast rejected knowledge, 
 
 " By no means let any one expostulate, nor let any one reprove ; for thy 
 people are exactly like those who will contend with the priest." This is the 
 natural rendering of the Hebrew words, and the sense agrees well with the 
 context. To contend with the priest, the authorised interpreter of the law, 
 and the typical intercessor between God and the people, was the highest 
 species of contumacy and disobedience, and by the law was a capital 
 offence. See Deut. xvii. 12. Horsley. 
 
 5. thou shalt fall. — The last sentence was addressed to the pro- 
 phet, "thy people, O prophet." This to the people themselves: "Thou, O 
 stubborn people." This sudden conversion of the speech of the principal 
 speaker from one to another of the different persons of the scene is so fre- 
 quent in the prophets that it can create no difficulty. Horsley. 
 
 in the day. — When it is least probable. Thou shalt fall, when 
 
 thou thinkest thy state secure and prosperous. Comp. Jer. xxiii. 12. 
 Deut. xxviii. 29. 
 
 the prophet. — The false prophet. 
 
 in the niyht. — His revelations, to which he pretends in the night, 
 
 shall be delusive and dangerous ones. Comp. Mic. iii. 6. See Pocock. 
 
 thy mother-city. — So Corn, a Lapide, Cappellus. and Houbigant. 
 
 Pocock also approves of this sense. See 2 Sam. xx. 19. Samaria is meant. 
 Moerlius leads us to conjecture iw thy people. Chald. has thy assembly. 
 " The last sentence was addressed to the prophet — ' thy people, O prophet.' 
 This is to the people themselves : ' Thou, O stubborn people.' Jerusalem 
 is intended, not Samaria. For Samaria was the metropolis of the kingdom 
 of the ten tribes, not of the whole nation, the children of Israel in general." 
 Horsley. 
 
 6. For want of knoicledge. — The Hebrew verb y-i% and the nouns 
 
 V\ and nj?T are applied not only to every endowment and acquisition of the 
 mind, which falls under the general notion of knowledge of any kind, but 
 to that sort of conduct also, which may be referred to knowledge and 
 understanding as its proximate cause or motive. And they more fre- 
 quently answer to the Greek words ovvuvai and avvtsiQ, than to tviaraoQai 
 and cKiaTriixr] ; signifying rather the voluntary application of the mind 
 to the consideration of the practical good, than the mere possession of 
 speculative knowledge. Horsley. 
 
 hast rejected. — Since the person threatened was to be rejected 
 
84 HOSEA. [CH. IV. 
 
 I will also reject thee from being a priest unto me : 
 And because thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, 
 I will also forget thy sons. 
 
 7 Even according to their multitude f have they sinned 
 
 against me, 
 I will change their glory into shame. 
 
 8 They eat the sin-offerings of my people ; 
 And they :|: set their heart on their iniquity. 
 
 9 And it shall be, as with the people so with the priest, 
 And I will visit upon them their ways, 
 
 And their doings will 1 recompense unto them. 
 
 t Heb. so have. X Heb. lift up their soul to. 
 
 from heiug a priest, he was a priest, at the time when he was threatened : 
 otherwise he had not heen a subject of rejection. The person threatened, 
 therefore, must have heen the head, for the time being, of the true Levitical 
 priesthood, not of the intruded priesthood of Jeroboam. This is a proof, 
 that the metropolis, threatened with excision, is Jerusalem, not Samaria ; 
 and that the ten tribes exclusively are not the subject of this part of the 
 prophecy. Horsley. 
 
 / mil reject. — Instead of the anomalous word nKDKOxi, near one 
 
 hundred MSS. or editions read nONOxi. 
 
 7. multitude. — Their defection is general. Their acts of idolatry 
 
 are in proportion to their number. " ' Were magnified, oanD.' The w ord is 
 applicable to increase in any way, either in size, numbers, power, or wealth* 
 &c. See Drusius and Luther on the place. But as the priests were greatly 
 magnified in dignity and power, and there is no reason to suppose, that 
 they were multiplied by natural increase, in a greater proportion than the 
 rest of the people, I think the thing intended here is the elevation of the 
 order in civil rank and authority." Horsley. 
 
 8. the sin-ojf'erings. — Of these they gladly partake, without dis- 
 couraging the people from the sins which occasion them, Lev. vi. 26. One 
 MS. reads mxian with V. 6. Ar. 
 
 their heart. — For the phrase of lifting vp the ,soi//, that is, netting 
 
 the heart, see Deut. xxiv. 15. Jer. xxii. 27. V. <J. Ar. Syr. Chald.read'arsj: 
 and this reading is confinned by one edition, eight MSS. and perhaps one 
 more. Two MSS. read so originally. 
 
 The priests are spoken of from " Because, &C." in i\ 6. 
 
 9. vpnti them. — rbv i. o. the people. As v. 12. 
 
CH. IV.] HOSEA. 85 
 
 10 And they sliall eat, but shall not be satisfied : 
 
 They shall commit fornication, but shall not increase. 
 For they have left off § giving heed unto Jehovah : 
 
 § Ileb. observing. 
 
 !). (jiving heed. — Heb. obsei-ving. So Virg. Georg. iv. 210. 
 
 " Prseterea regem non sic j^gyptus, &c. 
 Observat." 
 
 See Ps. xxxvii. 37. After referring to the versions, Seeker adds, " Vix 
 puto my infinitivum cum b regere ; vel hominem dici Deum, sed Dei 
 mandata, servare." 
 
 " Because they have forsaken the Jehovah, to devote themselves to 
 chambering and wine, and the intoxicating juice, which take possession of 
 the heart." With respect to Seeker's second point, it is certain that mn* 
 never once occurs as the object of the verb nou'. The other difficulty seems 
 insuperable. " After a nice examination, I scruple not to assert, that the verb 
 3Tj; never governs its immediate object, the person or thing forsaken, aban- 
 doned, or left off, with the prefix b. It follows of necessity, that the order of 
 construction cannot be that which our public translation demands. Namely, 
 this, laTj/ >3 mn> hn nr^a-b. For in this order, the sentence, mn» hk iou-V, 
 is the object of the verb dtjt, and connects with the verb by the prefix '?.'' 
 
 "The verb aij; always governs its immediate object without any prefix. 
 But when a noun, following this verb, is connected with it by b, the noun 
 expresses either the person to whom, i. e. to whose possession, use, and 
 advantage, or the thing in return for which, as a more desired object, or the 
 end and pui-pose for which (the to evtKu tov), or the time for which, the 
 dereliction is made, Ps. xlix. 11. xvi. 10. Is. xviii. 6. Mai. iv. 1. Josh, 
 xxiv. 10 2 Chron. xxxi. 31 Lam. v. 20. 1 Chron. xvi. 37." 
 
 " These eight texts are the only instances in the Bible, in which a notm, or 
 what stands as a noun, following the verb my is connected with the verb by b." 
 
 " I have therefore adopted a division of the Hebrew received by some 
 learned Ral.bins, and confirmed by a much higher authority than that of 
 the Syriac version, and not contradicted by the Seventy. I make a stop 
 equivalent to a comma at imj;, and expunging the soph-pasuk at T:u'b, I 
 take that word in immediate connection with the following words ; so that 
 nw, y\ and trnn^n, are accusatives after the infinitive lutt", and I suppose an 
 ellipsis of the pronoun iii'K rehearsing the nouns mM, i", um^n (than which 
 ellipsis nothing is more frequent in the prophetic style), as the nominative 
 of the verb np«. Thus, according to this division, " to give attention to 
 chamberings, &c." is either the end to which, or the object of preferable 
 choice, for which they forsake Jehovah ; and, as such, is connected with the 
 verb 3Ty by b." Ilorsley. 
 
86 HOSEA. [ciI. IV. 
 
 1 1 Fornication, and wine, and choice wine, take away ttieir 
 
 heart. 
 
 12 My people fl ask counsel at their stocks, 
 And their staff declareth unto them. 
 
 For the spirit of fornications hath caused them to err ; 
 And they have committed fornication, and have revolted 
 from under their God. 
 
 13 On the tops of the mountains they sacrifice. 
 And on the hills they burn incense ; 
 
 Under the oak, and the poplar, and the green-oak, 
 Because the shade thereof is good. 
 Therefore your daughters commit fornication, 
 
 II Or, inquire, 
 
 11. take awaif. — npb has this signification, Ezek. xxiii. 26, 29, 
 
 xxxviii. 13. Joel iii 5. It also signifies to win, or allure, Prov. vi. 25. 
 Syr. renders by a word signifying portavit, sustuUt, ahstulit, prcecidit : and 
 also supplies the pronoun their. 
 
 heart. — Understanding. 
 
 12. stocks. — Idols of wood. As Jer. ii. 27. Hab. ii. 19. 
 
 staff. — This refers to the divination by rods, or staves, which was 
 
 anciently practised in tlie east. On one staff was written, God bids ; on the 
 other, God forbids. See Pocock. 
 
 " Let their staff, therefore, give them answers." ^b -\^y. i:j as a verl) 
 in Hiphil is " to tell, relate, make publicly or manifestly known," by words, 
 or other .signs and tokens, of certain interpretation ; also "to foretell." And 
 in this sense it is almost an ajjpropriate word of oracular prediction ; and so 
 it is used here. Horsley. 
 
 from their God. — The Hebrew phrase occurs more at length, 2 
 
 Chron. xxi. 8. Tlie Edomites revolted from under the Itand [power, 
 dominion] of Judah. 
 
 13. mountains. — This was the custom of the nations, Ueut. xii. 2. 
 
 oak. — The original word, says Celsius, is from b*N, robnr : which is 
 
 the Latin word for the oak, on account of its hardness and strength. 
 
 • -poplar. — Properly the white po])lar, from laV, uhitv. 
 
 f/reen-oah — Or ilex. See Bishop Lowth on Isa. i. 29. 
 
 Therefore your daughters. — " Since thus it is, let your daughters 
 
 play the wanton, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery." This I 
 take to be the force of p bv. The phrase is more emphatical tlian " there- 
 fore," in the English language, or than tlie simple copula in the Hebrew. 
 
CH. IV,] HOSEA. 87 
 
 And your wives commit adultery. 
 
 14 Shall not I * visit your daughters because they commit 
 
 fornication ? 
 And your wives, because they commit adultery ? 
 Because they separate themselves with harlots, 
 And sacrifice with strumpets ? 
 Therefore the people, which understandeth not, shall 
 
 fall. 
 
 15 If thou commit fornication, O Israel, 
 Yet let not Judah offend. 
 
 And come ye not unto Gilgal, 
 Neither go ye up to Bethaven : 
 And swear ye not, Jehovah liveth. 
 
 16 For, as a backsliding heifer, Israel slideth back. 
 
 * Or, punish. Heb, visit upon. 
 
 It refers distinctly to wliat has gone before concerning the manners of the 
 people, as the ground of God's dealing with them in the manner declared 
 in what follows. Horsley. 
 
 14. Shall not I visit. — See nb for Nbn, Nold. Sec. 3. " I will not visit upon 
 your daughters, when they play the wanton ; nor upon your daughtei-s-in- 
 lavv, when they commit adultery ; because themselves separate themselves 
 with harlots, and sacrifice with the women set apart to prostitution." 
 Horsley. 
 
 separate themselves. — Unnaturally, from those with whom they 
 
 ought to have united themselves. " ma est animal ex iis parentibus 
 natum, qui a naturali consorte separantur, lit cum alienis copulentur." 
 Boch. Hieroz. p. 231. 
 
 strumpets. — Persons consecrated, as it were to tlagitiousness. 
 
 fall. — From the Arab, affligere terra, conjicere in terram. Pass. 
 
 concidit, prostratus fuit. See Schultens on Job x. 8, who renders the 
 word, CcecMS et praceps ruit. 
 
 15. Gilgal. — See on Amos iv. 4. 
 
 Bethaven. — Either a place in the neighbourhood of Bethel, Josh. 
 
 vii. 2, or rather Bethel itself, ch. x. 5 ; here called, by way of derision and 
 contempt, Bethaven, The house of iniquity, instead of Bethel, The home of 
 God. Accordingly Chald. has Bethel here, and ch. x. 5. 
 
 sivear ye not. — Mixing the worship of idols with that of Jehovah. 
 
 Zeph i. 5. " As Jehovah liveth." Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 16. backsliding. — Untamed to the yoke, and therefore withdrawing 
 
 from it. " Indocili jugiim coUo ferens." Hor. " Truly Israel is rebel- 
 
88 IIOSEA. [CII. IV. 
 
 And now will Jehovah feed them as a lamb in a wide 
 place. 
 
 17 Ephraim is joined unto idols: 
 
 18 Let him alone : he is gone after their wine : 
 
 lious, like an unruly heifer." bxnw* TiD miD msa. I restore the rendering 
 of the Bishop's Bible and the English Geneva. It was changed into what 
 we now read in the public translation, upon a supposition, that the actions 
 of the restive beast, refusing the yoke, are literally expressed in the 
 original by the word mno, and that the disobedience of the Israelites is 
 represented under the image of the like action; a notion uhich the ap- 
 parent affinity of the roots "iiD and "no might naturally suggest. — The 
 fact, however, is, that the verb "iiD, or the participle, is in no one pas- 
 sage in the Bible, except this, applied to a brute. It seems, therefore, at 
 least doubtful, whether, in this passage of Hosea, the figure is not rather in 
 the application of the participle to the heifer, than of the verb to Israel." — 
 It is worthy of remark, that in many passages of Scripture besides this, 
 we read, in our English Bibles, of " backsliding Israel," or of " Israel's 
 backslidings." But the Hebrew word, in all these other passages, is very 
 different, and from quite another root. And that other word, in the sense 
 of " backsliding," is never, any more than this word nnr, applied to a 
 brute. Horsley. 
 
 nill — -feed. — As a lamb exposed to wolves, and without a sliepherd, 
 
 1 Kings xxii. 17. Or, And now Jehovah feedeth them as a lamb in a 
 large pasture. He giveth them plenty, yet they rebel, Isa. xxx. 23. '' cy-i% 
 sic 6. Syr. Vulg. Putaret quis forte legendum uvn-, errare sinet eos. Conf. 
 Jer. liii. 6 " Seeker. This word amo is never used but in a good sense ; 
 and, for the most part, figuratively, as an image of a condition of liberty, 
 ease, and abundance. I agree, therefore, with Grotius, that this is said 
 with bitter irony. " Est hic x^f'^«'''F''f ; irrisio accrba; ex ambiguo. Late 
 pascere amant agni: Deus Israelem disperget per totum Assyriorum 
 regnum." 
 
 17. Ephraim. — The principal tribe is put for the kingdom of Israel. 
 idols. — The original word is expressive of the snrrow and pain 
 
 which idols caused to their worshippers. See Tayl. Cone. " A companion 
 of idols. Q"3vv ni3n. See Ps. cxix. 63. Isa. i. 23." Horsley. 
 
 18. Let hi)n alone. — l,cave him undisturbed in his idolatrous course. 
 He is irreclaimable. 
 
 he is (jone after their nine. — id refers to the beginning of r. 16. 
 
 He is gone after the wine, or banquets, of idols. See r. 11, and ch. iii. 1. 
 Symmachus has tir(K\ive avfinoviov. 
 
 MS. 93, which Walton thought a very ancient one, and which Ur. Ken- 
 nicott characterizes as containing very many various lections, and those not 
 
CH. IV.] HOSEA. 89 
 
 Her rulers have committed fornication continually; they 
 have loved shame ; 
 19 A wind shall distress her in her borders : 
 And they shall be ashamed^r their altars. 
 
 rarely excellent, and thinks that it was probably written in the middle of 
 the thirteenth century, reads d^ndd in this place ; as 6. and Arab, seem \a 
 have read ; for Grotius thinks that they put Canaanites for Saheans, one 
 idolatrous nation for another. According to this various lection, we may 
 translate, " He is gone after the drunkards." 
 
 " Leave him to himself. Their strong drink is vapid. Given up to 
 lasciviousness, gieedy of gifts (O shame !) are her great men." The verb 
 -ID, with an accusative after it, without a preposition or prefix, will not bear 
 the sense of " going after," which some have given it in this place. T 
 agree with the interpreters, who take the noun k3D as the nominative of 
 the neutral verb, which makes the construction natural, and the sense most 
 apposite. Horsley. 
 
 Her rulers. — See Ps. xhii. 9 or 10; where d. renders Kparaiot. 
 
 The word may be the participle in Hiphil, from pa to protect; and nine or 
 ten MSS. have r\-yn. Protectores ejus, V. Magnates eorum, Chald, That 
 Ephraim is sometimes feminine, see ch. v. 9. 
 
 loved. — inn is omitted in three MSS. and in u. Ar. Syr. It is a 
 
 repetition of the three last letters in the foregoing word ; and if a mistake 
 of this kind was made in an ancient MS. it was not erased, for fear of 
 affecting the appearance of the copy. " Putarem vel expungendum i3n, 
 vel legendum per reduplicationem lananN." Seeker. 
 
 Dathius proposes lanx nnx : amando amavenmt : as, scortando scortati 
 sunt. 
 
 " Greedy of gifts (Oh, shame !) are her gieat men " For a long 
 time I thought myself original in this way of rendering; but I have the 
 satisfaction to find, that the learned Drusius was before me in it. Horsley. 
 
 19. A ivind. — The general idea seems to be, that destruction should 
 come as a mighty wind, Prov. i. 27. Jer. iv. 11, 12, 13. Or, that a parch- 
 ing wind should cause a famine in their land. We may point -nv, 
 angustans. 
 
 in her borders. — See ti:a, fsa. xxiv. 16. 
 
 for their altars. — The preposition ^3 is expressed by 6. Ar. Syr. 
 
 Chald. It must be understood, if it has not been omitted by transcribers. 
 
 The sense, and true reading of this, and the foregoing verse, are very 
 uncertain. 
 
 " The wind binds her up in its wings, and they shall be brought to 
 shame because of their sacrifices." An admirable image of the condition 
 of a people, torn by a conqueror from their native land, scattered in exile 
 to the four quarters of the worid, and living thenceforward without any 
 
 k2 
 
90 HOSEA. [CH. V. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Hear ye this, O ye priests ; 
 And hearken, O house of Israel ; 
 And give ear, O house of the king. 
 For * judgment is denounced against you. 
 For ye have been a snare at Mizpah, 
 And a spread-net upon Tabor. 
 
 And the revolters have made deep the slaughter of 
 victims : 
 
 * Heb. to you judgment. 
 
 settled residence of their own, liable to be moved about at the will of 
 arbitrary masters, like a thing tied to the wings of the wind, obliged to go 
 with the wind whichever way it set, but never suffered for a moment to 
 lie still. Horsley. 
 
 Chap. V. 1. judgment. — Tlie sense in the version is favoured by 
 
 6. Trpog iijurtf icTTi to Kpt^a : by Houbigant, Adest vobis judicium; and by 
 V. 2, 9. 
 
 at Mizpah. — Probably both a mountain and a city of Gilead, 
 
 Judges xi. 29. The word is derived from nsv, to ivatch, sc. from an emi- 
 nence, if a city be meant, we may render to Mizpah : namely, by in- 
 ducing her to acts of idolatry on the height where she was situated. See 
 ch. iv. 13. 
 
 Tabor. — A beautiful and fruitful mountain in the tribe of Zabu- 
 
 lon. On these places ye have ensnared men into idolatry. The image is 
 naturally suggested by the circumstance that hunters and fowlers fre- 
 quented such places with their nets and snares. 
 
 2. revolters. — " The revolters have made deep, i. e. great slaughter." 
 
 As Isa. xxxi. 6. It may mean either of idolatrous sacrifices or men. 
 Seeker. 
 
 " Prickers have made a deep slaughter." Prickers, scouts on horseback, 
 attendants on the chase. The priests and rulers are accused as the 
 seducers of the people to apostacy and idolatry ; not merely by their own 
 ill example, but with premeditjited design, under the image of hunters, 
 deliberately spreading their nets and snares upon the mountains. And 
 their agents and emissaries, in this nefarious project, are represented under 
 the image of the prickers in this destructive chase. The toils and nets, are 
 whatever in the external fonn of idolatry was calculated to captivate the 
 minds of men; magnificent temples, stately altars, images richly adorned, 
 
CH. v.] HOSEA. 91 
 
 Therefore will I bring chastisement on them all. 
 I know Ephraim, 
 
 3 And Israel is not hidden from me. 
 
 For now Ephraim hath committed fornication, 
 Israel is polluted. 
 
 4 They will not f frame their doings 
 
 t Heb. give. 
 
 the gaiety of festivals, tlie pomp, and in many instances, even the honor of 
 the public rites; all which were supported by the government at a vast 
 expense. The deep slaughter which the prickers made, is the killing of 
 the souls of men. Horsley. 
 
 have viade deep. — Have multiplied their sacrifices. See Isa. xxxi. 
 
 6, and ch. ix. 9. 
 
 the slaughter. — A substantive ; as 2 Chron. xxx. 17, the " being 
 
 omitted. Or, the infinitive mood, with the paragogic n. 
 
 chastisement. — I will be a chastisement to them, as they have been 
 
 a net and a snare to others. " abab, vynov, 6. abo." Seeker. 
 
 3. I know. — " I have known." Horsley. 
 
 hath committed fornication. — Houbigant observes that all the 
 
 ancients read njin. Two MSS. read nnjin, scortata est Ephraim, ch. iv. 18. 
 See a parallel place, ch. vi. 10. 
 
 4. frame. — Heb. give, as Eccl. i. 13. 
 
 " ' Their perverse habits will not permit them to return unto their God ; 
 for a spirit of wantonness is within them, and the Jehovah they have not 
 known.' I take □n^b'^yo as the nominative case to the verb i3n% as it is 
 taken by the Syr. From the root nbjr, ' to ascend, mount upwards, to go or 
 come up,' we form the reduplicate verb bby, by dropping the final n of the 
 primary root, and doubling the middle radical." 
 
 " From this verb bbv, which, as a verb is found only in Hithpael, I 
 derive our verbal a-bbyo. This noun is used only in the plural number. 
 It denotes, therefore, something which is in its nature plural ; and if it 
 denotes actions of any sort, it must signify, not any individual act, but a 
 set or system of actions ; and because it must connect with the sense of 
 the primary root nbv [with which the verb most evidently connects], it 
 must express some set, or system of things, which naturally ascend, mount, 
 get uppermost. Upon these grounds I am persuaded, that the word a-bbyo 
 denotes the moral or immoral habits of a man, as things coming over him, 
 growing up, and, in the vulgar phrase, ' getting the upper hand.' " 
 
 " As the ascendancy of habit is the principal circumstance which the 
 noun expresses, it is applicable to all habits possessing that ascendancy, 
 good or bad. This indifference of the natural meaning of the word, ap- 
 
92 HOSEA. [CH. V. 
 
 To turn unto their God. 
 
 For a spirit of fornications is in the midst of them, 
 
 And Jehovah they have not known. 
 
 5 Therefore the pride of Israel sliall be humbled to his face ; 
 And Israel and Ephraim shall fall in their iniquity : 
 Judah also shall fall with them. 
 
 6 With their flocks, and with their herds, shall they go 
 
 pears evidently from the use of it, Prov. xx. 11. That evil is not neces- 
 sarily implied in it, appears from the application of it, in two other places, 
 to the wor]<s of God ; for the most part, however, it denotes evil habits." 
 
 " This interpretation of the word, bby^i, as rendering ' habits' is much 
 confirmed by the ancient versions. In twenty-eight of the thirty-nine pas- 
 sages, in which the word is found, the Seventy render it (Tnr^^ivj.iaTa ; 
 which is the word of the Greek language exactly rendering ' habits ;' 
 and by the same word fmTnSivfiara it is rendered by Aquila, in four of 
 the eleven passages, in which the Seventy give another word ; and in a 
 liftli of those eleven by Theodotion." 
 
 " ' Habits,' therefore, is the true English rendering of the word ; for 
 whicli, in some instances, ' manners,' or ' practices,' may be used. 
 But some epithet will generally be wanted, in English, to express the 
 ascendancy ; and in the case of evil habits, the malignant ascendancy, 
 implied in the notion of the original word." 
 
 6. ■ pride of Israel. — " The excellency of IsraeL" bx-itt" tin3. The 
 
 original word, iinj, which the public translation renders " pride," is the 
 same which, in Amos viii. 7, is rendered " excellency." It is never used 
 for pride, in a bad sense, and as an internal quality, though it has been 
 taken in that sense in this passage, and in many others by our own trans- 
 lators and interpreters. But it expresses rather condition, or external 
 appearance, than character ; great elevation in rank and power, brilliant 
 prosperity, splendour and gaiety of ornamental dress; majesty, i)omp, state- 
 liness ; any thing in condition which, in the degenerate mind, may 
 engender pride; any thing in external deportment, which may be a symp- 
 tom of it; and any thing grand and majestic in outward appearance, 
 w ithout any imputation of pride to the person to whom it belongs. Tlie 
 feminine mhta, besides every thing to which pxa is applied, extends also to 
 the moral, internal swellings of the heart, and renders the vice of " pride,'» 
 which PK3 never expresses. Horsley. 
 
 shall be hinnbled. — See n:y, Ex. x. 3. Isa. xxxi. 4, and 6. Ar. Syr. 
 
 Chald. This line is repeated ch. vii. 10, where V. agrees with the vei-sions 
 and Chald. and renders, not respondebit, as in the text before us, but 
 humiliabitur. 
 
 " Shall answer." Horsley. 
 
 (). Willi their JIvchs. — They shall, at length, oHcr sacrifices to him in vain. 
 
CH. v.] HOSEA. , 93 
 
 To seek Jehovah : 
 
 But they shall not find him : he hath withdrawn himself 
 from them. 
 
 7 They have dealt treacherously against Jehovah ; for they 
 
 have begotten strange children. 
 Now shall the locust devour their portions. 
 
 8 Blow ye the trumpet in Gibeah, and the cornet in 
 
 Ramah : 
 Sound an alarm in Bethaven : The enemy conieth after 
 thee, O Benjamin. 
 
 7. strange. — Alienated from Jehovah, idohitrous ; "Children of 
 
 strange women ; forbidden, Deul. vii. 3 ; practised after the captivity, per- 
 haps before, Isa. ii. 6." Pocock. Seeker. 
 
 the locust. — Houbigant reads Vonn b3x* nnyi. " Nunc igitur ab- 
 
 sumet rubigo [haereditatem ipsorum]." 6. render ijpvTifSij, the word by 
 which they translate bon, 1 Kings viii. 37. Ps. Ixxviii. 46. Joel i. 4. It is 
 Bochart's sixth name for a locust; from bon to consume. Hier. p. ii 445. 
 And the word bop, in the Arabic version of this place, signifies a kind of 
 locust. Or ^\^vr^ abSK', " the worm shall devour them with their portions," 
 V. 12. Job. iv. 19. " Forte separandum o a verbo abjH-, ut formando 
 nescio cui nomini inserviat." Seeker. 
 
 " Now shall a month devour them with their portions;" a very short 
 time shall complete their destruction ; with their portions, i. e. with their 
 allotments. They shall be totally dispossessed of their country ; and the 
 boundaries of the separate allotments of the several tribes shall be con- 
 founded and obliterated, and new partitions of the land into districts shall 
 be made, from time to time, at the pleasure of the successive masters. 
 The captivity of the ten tribes was completed soon after Hezekiah's 
 attempted reformation, and the kingdom of Judah not long survived 
 Josiah's. To these things I think " the month" alludes. The change of 
 w^^ into bnnn, proposed by Houbigant, stands upon the single authority of 
 the Seventy (if indeed, upon that,) unsupported by any MS., and contra- 
 dicted by the Chald. Aquila, Symmachus, Theodotion, St. Jerome, and 
 the Vulgate, who all represent the reading ann. Horsley. 
 
 8. Gibeah. — Gibeah, Ramah, and Bethaven [see on eh. iv. 15.], 
 
 were situated in the tribe of Benjamin, Josh, xviii. 24, 25. Comp. Josh, 
 vii. 2. xviii. 22. 
 
 the cornet. — 6. read "nyvn, sound the cornet. 
 
 after thee. — Or, " Look behind thee." See Pocock. This verse 
 
 may veiy well be understood of the alarm given at the approach of locusts, 
 Joel ii. 1. 
 
94 HOSEA, [CH. V 
 
 9 Ephraim shall be ^ desolate in the day of rebuke. 
 
 Among the tribes of Israel I have made known a sure 
 event. 
 
 10 The princes of Judah are become like those who remove 
 
 the landmark: 
 I will pour out my wrath upon them like water, 
 
 1 1 Ephraim is oppressed, he is broken in judgment, 
 Because he willingly walked after vanity. 
 
 12 Therefore will I 6e as a moth to Ephraim, 
 
 t Heb. for a desolation. 
 
 9. sure. — After njnxj we must understand some such w ord as mm. 
 
 Balirdt refers to Mattli. xxi. 41. Uapa Kvptov eytvtro ai/rtj, Kai tart 
 OavfjiacTT)} K. T. \. " A firm decree." Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 *' Rulers." nu'. I prefer the word " rulers" to " princes," by which our 
 public translation here, and in most other places, renders the Hebrew 
 word ; because, in the modern acceptation of the word " princes," royalty, 
 or at least royal blood, is included in the notion of it. But these onu^ 
 were not connected by blood or marriage with the royal family ; but the 
 chief priests and elders, who composed the secular as well as the ecclesias- 
 tical magistracy of the country. Horsley. 
 
 10. remove the landmark — A great crime, Deut. xxvii. 17. Jarchi 
 
 and Abarbinel, as quoted by Pocock, interpret this of conforming to the 
 idolatrous worship of Israel. They removed the boundaries between true 
 religion and false, between right and wrong. 
 
 11. oppressed — broken. — He is oppressed with a heavy weight of 
 
 calamity ; he is crushed in his judicial contest with me. 
 
 willinglif walked. — 'i->r\ may be the infinitive. 
 
 vanity. — See 6. Ax. Syr. Chald. Houbigaut, and others in Pol. 
 
 Syn. who read xiir. Seeker mentions this reading, and adds, " Notandum 
 sequi ki." But Vulg. reads hkv, or H)i, excrementum, a remark which my 
 learned friend Dr. Barrington, Bishop of Salisbury, made to me some time 
 ago ; and, agreeably to the translation of Vulg., idols are called n^biba, 
 from bbj slercus ; a name expressive of their detestable and polluting 
 nature. See Tayl. Cone. 
 
 Professor Miehaelis's note from his Bibl. Orient, et Exeget. is : J pro- 
 nounce IV. It should be niv excrementum; but the radical aleph is fre- 
 quently lost after a littera quiescens, according to the manner of the 
 SjTians and Chaldeans. Communicated by Mr. Woide. 
 
 12. as a moth. — See .lob iv. 19. Ps. xxxix. 11. Isa. li. 8. 
 
 " A moth in the garment — a worm in the flesh." Rabbi Tanchiim, as 
 he is quoted by Dr. Pocock upon (his place, says, that \iy is a worm. 
 
CH. v.] HOSEA. 95 
 
 And as rottenness to the house of Jiidah. 
 13 And Ephraim saw his sickness ; 
 And Jiidah, his wound : 
 Then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, 
 And sent to king Jareb : 
 But he could not heal you ; 
 
 breeding in the clothes and eating tliem ; api, a worm, breeding in old 
 rotten wood. But from tlie effect ascribed to it in the following verse, 
 which is a sore, running with corruption ; I think the latter word must be 
 understood of a wonn, bred in the human body, and eating through the 
 flesh. I have taken the liberty to add the words, " in the garment," " in 
 the flesh," to mark the distinction of the species expressed by the two 
 words, and to present the image of the original more adequately to the 
 English reader. — " His holes." rbn, made by the fretting of the moth. I 
 take the word as a noun, from bbn., to perforate, or make a hole of any sort. 
 — " His corrupted sore." titd. The noun titd comes regularly from the 
 root mj, to compress or squeeze, and signifies something that wants squeez- 
 ing or compressing ; and thus a purulent sore, which wants to have the 
 matter squeezed out, or, perhaps, compressed with a bandage ; but the first 
 notion I prefer. Horsley. 
 
 13. Jareb. — See ch. x. 6. Either the name of an Assyrian king, or 
 
 of an Assyrian city. On the latter supposition we must render, the king of 
 Jareb. In both places 6. and Ar. read Jarim. For the history, see 2 Kings 
 xvi. 7. " Videtur min* excidisse post n'^tt'^i, quam vocem subaudiunt 
 recentiorum nonnuUi. Vid. Pocock. Nam aliquid facturum Judam 
 verisimile erat, et fecisse patet ex v. 14 : et de utroque dicit Deus as'? vos, 
 ut vi. 4. If Jareb were the person's name, it should be ibon ; and Jareb 
 should be before, not after." Seeker. 
 
 According to Castellus, 3-i» is a name of Egypt. In Abulfeda, Garbija 
 is the name of one of the provinces of Egypt near the mouth of the Nile. 
 Dr. Forsayeth. 
 
 " The king, who takes up all quarrels," m% is no proper name either of 
 man or place, but clearly a noun, from the verb ain, put here in apposition 
 with ibo, and characteristic of the king, in the manner expressed in my 
 translation. Horsley. 
 
 " When Ephraim perceives his holes, and Judah his corrupted sore, 
 then Ephraim will betake him to the Assyrian, and send to 
 
 the king, who takes up all quarrels." I leave a space here, to show 
 that something is wanting to be the nominative case of the verb " send." 
 Perhaps " Judah," which, however, is not supplied either by MSS. or 
 versions. Horsley. 
 
96 IIOSEA. [CH, VI. 
 
 Nor did the wound depart from you. 
 
 14 Surely I will be as a lion to Ephraim, 
 And as a young lion to the house of Juduh : 
 I, ei'en I, will tear and will depart; 
 
 I will take away, and none shall deliver. 
 
 15 I will depart, I will returji unto my place. 
 
 Till they § be treated as guilty, and seek my face : 
 In their affliction they will seek me early : 
 Saying : 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Come and let us return unto Jehovah ; 
 For he hath torn, and he will heal us ; 
 He hath smitten, and he will bind us up 
 
 § Or, be punished. 
 
 depart. — Houbigant gives this sense from the Arab, and jEth. See 
 
 Cast lex. But perhaps Chald. supplies the true reading, n-i" quicscet-e 
 fecit. 6. may have read rm" Siairavcry. " nhj in Syriac signifies sedatus est, 
 recessit." Dr. Forsayeth. 
 
 " Kepair the damage — make a cure of." The words nst and nr<y refer 
 respectively to the moth-eaten holes in the garment, and the sore in the 
 flesh. Horsley. 
 
 14. a lion. — Leo niger. For inw ; the b and t being often ex- 
 changed in the eastern languages. Boch. Hier. iii. 1. 
 
 " Non agnoscunt reduplicationem tov '3n 6. Syr. Ar. Nescio an Chald." 
 Seeker. It is wanting in one MS. 
 
 u-ill depart. — The image of the lion is pursued, who retires slowly 
 
 and intrepidly from his prey, and does not fly. 
 
 15. my place. — To my sanctuary, where I display my glory, to 
 
 heaven. 
 
 the)/ will seek me early. — " They will rise early to find me." Dr. 
 
 Wheeler. " Read »3-nnw\" The Rev. Mr. Henry Dimock. 
 
 Chap. vi. 1. Saying. — Houbigant observes that 6. Ar. Syr. Chald. 
 
 supply saying before this verse ; whether they did this as interpreters, 
 which is my opinion, or whether they read ifiK"?. I shall here observe, 
 once for all, that the frequent omission of saying in the Hebrew Scriptures 
 gives warmth aiul pathos to many passages, agi'eeably to Longinus's well- 
 known remark. Sec. xxvii. 
 
Cli. VI.] HOSEA. 97 
 
 2 After two days he will revive us ; 
 On the third day he will raise us up ; 
 And we shall live in his sight. 
 
 3 And we shall know, we shall follow after knowing, 
 
 Jehovah : 
 
 In three MSS. the sixth chapter begins with the last line of the fore- 
 going verse. 
 
 2. After two da^s — on the third day. — This seems a proverbial manner 
 of describing an event which would soon happen. See Luke xiii. 32. 
 " Of numbers certain for uncertain, see Nold. note 1871. Two for a few, 
 1 Kings xvii. 12. One and two for a few, Isa. vii. 21. Jer. iii. 14. Two 
 or three for a few, Isa. xvii 6." Seeker. 
 
 " We shall live in his presence, and attain to knowledge. Our object 
 of pursuit will be the knowledge of Jehovah." Jehovah, who had de- 
 parted, will return, and again exhibit the signs of his presence among his 
 chosen people. So the Jews, converted and restored, will live in his pre- 
 sence, and attain to the true knowledge of God, which they never had 
 before. The two days and the third day seem to denote three distinct 
 periods of the Jewish people. The first day is the captivity of the ten 
 tribes by the Assyrians, and of the two under the Babylonians, considered 
 as one judgment upon the nation, beginning with the captivity of the ten, 
 and completed in that of the two. The second day is the whole period of 
 the present condition of the Jews, beginning with the dispersion of the 
 nation by the Romans. The third day is the period yet to come, begin- 
 ning with their restoration at the second advent. R. Tanchum, as he is 
 quoted by Dr. Pocock, was not far, I think, from the true meaning of the 
 place. " The prophet," he says, " points out two times — and those are the 
 first captivity, and a second. After which shall follow a third [time] 
 redemption, after which shall be no depression or servitude." And this I 
 take to be the sense of the prophecy, in immediate application to the Jews. 
 Nevertheless, whoever is well acquainted with the allegorical style of pro- 
 phecy, will easily perceive no verj^ obscure, though but an oblique, allusion 
 to our Lord's resurrection on the third day ; since every believer may 
 speak of our Lord's death and resurrection, as a common death and resur- 
 rection of all believers. I place Rebhia only at VDSb, and remove the 
 Soph-Pasuk to the end of the following word nyiDi, with which I make the 
 second verse end ; and I begin a new verse and a new sentence with 
 nainj. Thus, understanding the verb neutrally, I connect the attaining of 
 knowledge with the living in the presence, as the eflfect with the cause. 
 Horsley. 
 
 3. know. — The sentence rises. We shall know Jehovah, we shall 
 
 incessantly seek to know him. 
 
98 HOSEA. [CU. VI. 
 
 His going forth is prepared as the morning ; 
 And he sliall come unto us as the rain, 
 As the latter rain ichich watereth the earth. 
 4- What shall I do unto thee, O Ephraim ? 
 What shall I do unto thee, O Judah ? 
 For your goodness is as a morning cloud, 
 
 His going forth. — His appearance, as our deliverer, is fixed as the 
 
 return of the morning ; we shall be restored by him from our calamities 
 as certainly as the rising of the sun chases away darkness. 'Qc op0poc 
 jSfjSaia ») inKpaviia avrov. Symm. 
 
 prepared as the morning. — " As the morning light his going forth is 
 
 prepared [fixedly]." Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 " His coming forth is sure as the morning." He had said, he would go 
 to his place, and that they would seek him early, v. 15. Pocock. Seeker. 
 
 unto zis. — " Upon us." Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 " mv, Kai o^ifioc, o. Sed vel legerunt vel intellexerunt Syr. Chald. 
 HIT, quae irrigat. Invenitur wpbn absque mv, Prov. xvi. 15, et alibi." 
 Seeker. We also find et serotimis in Vulg. " As the former rain, and the 
 latter rain, upon the earth." 
 
 The former rain is in autumuj^or the corn-sow ing ; the latter in spring 
 to fill up the ear. Seeker. 
 
 " His coming forth is fixed as the morning ; and he shall come upon us 
 as the pouring shower, as the harvest-rain, [as] the rain of seed-time [upon] 
 the earth." The word ou'j is not simply a shower, but a hard, pouring shower. 
 mv^ — ripbo3. Our public translation gives " latter rain, former rain." But 
 the Hebrew nouns have nothing of latter or former, implied in their mean- 
 ing, u'lpbn is literally the "crop- rain." That which fell just before the season 
 of the harvest, to plump the grain before it was severed. And the beginning 
 of the season of the harvest in Judea being the middle of March, according 
 to the old style, this rain fell about the beginning of that month, and may 
 properly be called the " harvest-rain." The other mv, is literally the 
 " springing rain," or rather, " the rain which makes to spring;'' that which 
 fell upon the seed, newly sown, .and caused the green blade to shoot up out 
 of the ground. This fell about the end or middle of October. 1 call it the 
 " rain of seed-time." These rains of seed time and harvest are the verot; 
 irpto'ifiog Kai o)//t/ioc of St. James. BiU the apostle's epithets have reference 
 to the order of the husbandman's expectations, not to the civil division of 
 the year. Horsley. 
 
 4. goodness. — We translate the .adjective godly, good, holy. See 
 
 Tayl. Cone. 
 
 "Piety," ^D^. The various senses of this word arc well cnumc- 
 
CH. VI.] HOSE A. 99 
 
 And as early dew which passeth away. 
 5 Therefore have I hewn them by the prophets, 
 I have slain them by the words of my mouth : 
 
 rated by Vitringa upon Isaiah xl. 6. But the general radical mean- 
 ing of the word is by none so well developed as by Mr. Parkhurst. 
 Exuberance is included in the notion of it in all its applications. Jn this 
 place I think it signifies that sudden flow of piety, which occasionally comes 
 upon men of very loose lives, if they are not wholly lost to all sense of 
 religion ; particularly under afflictions, which produce a momentary 
 penitence. Horsley. 
 
 passeth aivay, — Three MSS. have "jbim, with Syr., " which appear- 
 
 eth in the morning and passeth away." Twenty MSS. and two editions 
 confirm the present pointing, and read •^b^r^ ; and thirty MSS. or editions, 
 have ibin in the parallel place, ch. xiii. 3. " F. yh7\ videtur Syr. legisse 
 ^b^^" Seeker. Houbigant renders, 
 
 " Ut adsit vobis misericordia, velut matutina nubes; 
 Et ut ros, qui mane effunditur." 
 
 And one rendering in Montfau^on's Hexapla is 6 yap Trtpi vjiaq oiKripfioa. 
 
 6. heu'n them. — That is, wrought earnestly. " Ne me obtundas de 
 
 hac re saepius. Ter. Adelph. I. iii. 33. Tractum a fabris, qui saepe repe- 
 tunt tundendo aliquid malleo. R. Stephens. 
 
 " Therefore have I hewn in pieces the prophets." 
 
 Dr. Wheeler. 
 " *n3vn, aireOcfiiaa, 6. SsBpe reddunt nvp OtpiKo}. Sym. ovk t(ptiffafir)v. Aq. 
 Th. i\<}TOfit]<Ta. " 3 signifies not after the Hebrew word the thing hewn, 
 but the instrument by which or place where." Seeker. 
 
 " Belaboured by the prophets." — The Seventy, and Syr. certainly take 
 the prophets for the object of the verb *nnvn. And the prophetical order 
 was indeed deeply implicated in the national guilt: insomuch that many of 
 them were promoters of it, and as such are frequently reproved and threat- 
 ened by Hosea, and by all the faithful prophets that were true to their 
 commission. But I cannot find that this verb, in any instance, governs its 
 object by the prefix a. I take the prefix therefore for the preposition of the 
 instrument ; and 1 take Ephraim and Judah, rehearsed by the suffix a, in 
 the verb a-n^in, for the object of both verb.s. "Belaboured;" the image 
 is that of a hewer of wood laying on heavy strokes with the axe upon a 
 piece of hard timber. Horsley. 
 
 / have slaiii them. — I have been most importunate with them. 
 
 Rogitando obtundat, enccet. Ter. Eun. lll.v. 6. So Menander. AttoXh 
 /It TO yevog. J. Cler. p. 240. And Drusius quotes. Occidunt nunc, dum 
 nimis sanctas student apparare nuptias. 
 
100 HOSE A. [C'H. VI. 
 
 And my judgments have been as the light when it goeth 
 forth. 
 G For I desired goodness, and not sacrifice ; 
 
 And the knowledge of God, more than burnt offerings : 
 7 But they, like Adam, have transgressed the covenant. 
 
 There have they dealt unfaithfully with me. 
 
 " Killed them." Frigbtened tliem to death with tenible threatenings. 
 Horsley. 
 
 my judgments. — Precepts, admonitions, dispensations. Or trans- 
 late, " And my judgment hath gone forth as the light." The reading of 
 mio ^oawm, which is that of Chald. and the ancient versions, except Vulg. 
 (though Vulg. in many ancient MSS. has meitm, see Kenn. Diss. Gen. 
 Sec. 28), was pointed out by Dr. Kennicott, Diss, on 1 Chron. xi. p. 517. 
 Oxf. 1753, who observes that letters were written conjunctively in old MSS. 
 for which fact see also his Diss. Gen. p. 113. note a. 
 
 " And the precepts given thee were as the onward-going light." So I 
 understand the word T'lDSiro. It signifies a fixed principle, or rule, in any 
 thing, to which principle and rule can be applied. Here I take it for the 
 practical rules of a moral and godly life, as delivered by the prophets ; and 
 so Calvin expounds it : — " Significat hie Deus se regulam pie et sancte 
 
 vivendi monstrasse Israelitis. Judicia tua, hoc est ratio pie vivendi." 
 
 Horsley. 
 
 6. yoodness. — So Syr. translates. See v. 4. 
 
 " Charity." I think, with Calvin, that the word non is used here in a' 
 comprehensive sense; signifying both piety towards God, and philanthropy. 
 I can find no single word to answer it but charity. Horsley. 
 
 and not sacrijice. — That is, in preference to sacrifice ; as the 
 
 parallel line clearly shows. The connection of this v. with the foregoing- 
 one is : by my prophets I taught them righteousness. For I desired, &c. 
 
 7. But they. — 6. Ar. read nrny. But they are as a man who trans 
 gresselh a covenant, or, as Adam who transgressed the covenant. " Pro- 
 fessor Michaelis, Bibl. Orient, proposes as Edotn." Communicated by Mr. 
 Woide. 
 
 There. — If atr cannot signify, " In respect of the covenant," we may 
 join this clause with that which follows it. See 6. Or au* may refer to 
 Ephraim and Judah. See i'. 10. av, eo in statu, tune; sicut Arab. on. 
 Manger in loc. See ch. xiii. 8. "No probable explication." Seeker. 
 See Zeph.' 1.14, and ibi for tunc. R. Steph. Thes. 
 
 " Even in these circumstances." This I take to be the force of the 
 adverb au-, as it is used here, referring neither to place nor time, but to a 
 state of things. The Latin "il)i" might in some degree express it ; but 
 wchavc no one word for it in oiiv language. Horsley. 
 
CH. VI.] HOSEA. 101 
 
 8 Gilead is a city of them that work iniquity : 
 She is marked with footsteps of blood. 
 
 9 And, as bands wait for a man, 
 
 A company of priests murder m the way to Shechem : 
 For they have committed presumptuous wickedness. 
 10 In the house of Israel I have seen a most horrible thing: 
 
 8. Gilead. — Perhaps for Ramoth Gilead. 
 
 She is marked tvith. — Vestigiata sanguine ; calcata a sanguine ; i. e. 
 a pedibus sanguinolentis. See Grot, and Pocock. Houbigant has " notata 
 vestigiis sanguinis." 
 
 " Tapacxffovrra vdtxtp, 6. a-r2 may" Seeker. 
 
 If Gilead here be put for Ramoth Gilead (and I know not what other 
 city can be meant) it was a city of refuge, Deut. iv. 43., and such also was 
 Shechem, Josh. xx. 7. Both therefore inhal)ited by priests and Levites. 
 By describing the first of these two cities as polluted with blood, and the 
 high-road to the other as beset with knots of priests, like robbers, intent on 
 blood, and miu'dering on the whole length of the way, up to the very walls 
 of the town, the prophet means to represent the priests as seducers of the 
 people to that idolatry which proved the ruiu of the nation. Horsley. 
 
 9. zvait. — One MS. has ijnai, et sicut expectant. 
 
 in the waj/ to Shechem. — Shechem was a city of refuge in Ephraim, 
 
 Josh. XX. 7. It should seem that, in this clause, the verb invT should 
 either precede im, or follow n^iDii-. Syr. reads nan. " The priests combine 
 in the way, they murder towards Shechem." The sense which I have 
 given to this obscure verse is confirmed by Dr. Wheeler's rendering : 
 
 " And as robbers lie in wait for a man, 
 
 The company of priests murder in the way to Shechem ; 
 
 Because they have practised deceit." 
 
 " And like banditti lying in wait for the passengers, a company of 
 priests, upon the highway, murder unto Shechem." In taking nrjDU' for the 
 name of the city with the local paragogic n, I am supported by the Syr. 
 Seventy, and Symmachus ; and by the Vulgate in taking astt' for the name 
 of the place, though not in the construction of the paragogic n. Horsley. 
 
 have committed. — " Verily they have wrought lewdness in the 
 
 house of Israel." In the original I remove the Soph-Pasuk at wj? to bm^i'^ 
 so connecting the two words bKnir- n^nn with the ninth verse, and making the 
 tenth verse begin with «n^Ki. This is supported by the version of the 
 Seventy. Horsley. 
 
 10. a most horrihlfi thim/. — Two MSS. read nTnj;iz', and a third 
 
102 HOSEA. [CH. VT. 
 
 Tliere Epliraim * committeth fornication, 
 Israel is polluted. 
 1 1 Moreover, O Judali, an harvest is appointed against thee. 
 Among those who lead away the captivity of my people. 
 
 * Heb. fornication is with Ephraim. 
 
 read so originally. The word occurs in this form, Jer. v. 30. xxiii. 14. 
 Many MSS. and some editions read with Ken, nmivii'. 
 
 11. a?i harvest. — I suppose the idea to be. Thy time of being cut 
 
 off, as ripe for destruction, is also fixed. See Jer. li. 33. Joel iii. 13. 
 Rev. xiv. 16, 18, 19. " Pocock approves R. Tanchum, that Hosea speaks: 
 also Judah hath set an harvest for thee, [O God :] made himself ripe for 
 the sickle of destruction; and that the latter part belongs to ch. vii." 
 Seeker. 
 
 is appointed. — Hebr. one hath appointed. See on Jonah iii. 7. 
 
 Kai aoi, 'lovSa, aTTOKtirai, Oe(>i(Tfiog. Symm. 
 
 who lead away. — The participle from nn^i', to lead captive; as Ps. 
 
 Ixviii. 18. 
 
 " Also for thee, Judah, is appointed a harvest, 
 When I shall turn the captivity of my people. 
 
 Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 This is a just rendering, according to the Masoretical punctuation ; but the 
 context seems to require a threatening of evil, not a promise of good. 
 Or thus, 
 
 "Moreover, O Judah, thou hast prepared an harvest for thyself, 
 When I lead away the captivity of my people." 
 
 Moerlius proposes nv posuisti ; explains Tvp by judicium grave ; and joins 
 the next hemistich with the following verse, (iiiando cogito de avcrtenda 
 captivitate populi mei, et de sanando Israele; revelatur, &c. See 6. Syr. 
 where the same punctuation may be admitted, and the same preposition is 
 read before '3W and *k3"i. 
 
 "Fornications in Ephraim! Israel polluted! Moreover, O Judali, 
 harvest-work is appointed for thee, when I bring back the captivity of my 
 ^people." Harvest-work is cut out for Judah at the season of bringing back 
 the captivity. The tribe of Judah is, in some extraordinary way, to be an 
 instrument of the general restoration of the Jewish people. Observe that 
 the vintiige is always an image of the season of judgment; but the 
 harvest, of the in-gathering of the objects of God's final mercy. Horsley. 
 
CH» VII.] HOSEA. 103 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 1 When I healed Israel, 
 
 Then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and tlid 
 
 wickedness of Samaria. 
 For they have done deceitfully : 
 And the thief entereth in : [and] a band of robbers 
 
 spoileth without. 
 
 Chap. VII. 1. healed. — Removed evil from him, and blessed him 
 
 with prosperity. See v. 16 and 2 Kings xiv. 25, 26, 27. One MS. 
 reads *KEn3. See 6. Syr. 
 
 " Would have healed." "XEns. At the very time when I was about to 
 Ileal. — Dum in eo essem ut sanarem. This is the force of the prefix a, 
 which would be vefy ill changed into 3 ; an alteration for which there is 
 
 no authority but tliat of a single printed edition, not of any MS. 
 
 The particular time alluded to is, I think, the reign of the second Jeroboam, 
 when the kingdom of Israel seemed to be recovering from the loss of 
 strength and territory it had sustained in the preceding reigns, by the 
 encroachments of the Syrians; for Jeroboam "restored the coast of Israel, 
 ft-om the entering of Ham^th unto the sea of the plain," 2 Kings xiv. 25. 
 The successes, vouchsafed to this warlike prince against his enemies, were 
 signs of God's gracious inclination to pardon the people, and restore the 
 kingdom to its former prosperity. Horsley. 
 
 . done deceitfulli/.— They have acted a false and perfidious part : to 
 
 me, by idolatry; to men, by wrong and robbery. 
 
 " Carried on delusion." Literally " they wrought falsehood." The lie, 
 falsehood, or delusion, was every thing that was seductive in the external 
 rites of the false religions. The verbs nii'j; and by3 are not perfectly equi- 
 valent The verb nuy is simply " to do," or " make," without refereiice to 
 the length of time, degree of labour or thought, necessary to the perform- 
 ance. But the verb bys is applied to those operations only \vhich require 
 some continued labour of the hand, or long application of the mind, or 
 both. The thing meant here seems to be the carrying on of a premeditated 
 plot or scheme for the subversion of the true religion, and the establish- 
 ment of idolatry. Horsley. 
 
 spoilelh. — 6. consider the word as a participle, (kSi^vokiov. Three 
 
 MSS. read uu-ai, et spoliaf, as Syr. Chald. 
 
 " Therefore a thief is couiiug ; banditti sally forth in the streets." The 
 thief, Pill ; whose peace Menahem bought, with contributions levied upon 
 
104 HOSEA. [(11. VII. 
 
 2 And they say not in their heart, 
 I'liat I remember all their wickedness. 
 
 Now their doings have * compassed them about ; 
 They are before my face. 
 
 3 By their wickedness they make the king glad ; 
 And by their falsehoods, the princes, 
 
 * Or. beset. 
 
 the people. The hamliui, the armies of Tiglalh-pileser, over-running 
 Gilead, Galilee, and Napthali, 2 Kings xv. 19, 20, 29, and 1 Chron. 
 V. 26. Hoisley. 
 
 . in their heart. — One edition, seven MSS , originally an eighth, and 
 
 perhaps a ninth, read od aba with Ar. Syr. Cliald. Vulg. "Say not to. 
 See marg." Seeker. 
 
 ba forsau "73 *a. Seeker. 
 
 " And let them not say unto their heart, that I have remembered all 
 their wicked doings: even still their perverse habits cling around them, they 
 are before my face." To the same effect Aquila ; k«i ^jjTrors fnrtoai raif 
 KapSiaig avTuv, iraaav KuKiav avrtjv ffivtjaOtiv. St. .Jerome also, the Vul- 
 gate, and Abarbanel take the negative ba as a prohibitory particle. Daab*?. 
 The change of the prefix b into a, though supported by the reading of the 
 Complutensian edition and seven or eight MSS. of Kennicott's, and seven 
 or eight more of De Rossi's, would be much for the worse. When a m^n 
 thinks within himself what he is afraid, or ashamed, or unwilling, to utter 
 aloud or declare opeuly ; then he speaks in his heart ; and this is expressed 
 by a. But when a man pursues his own thoughts without utterance, but 
 without any desire of concealment, more especially when he soothes and 
 consoles himself with hopes and expectations well or ill founded ; when he 
 encourages and incites himself to action ; then he speaks to his heart, and 
 this is expressed by b. Horsley. 
 
 compassed ihein about. — In a distressing manner, Ps. cix. 3. 
 
 3. iVd, BaffiXtiQ, u. Syr. Ar. Seeker. 
 
 Which suggests this rendering, 
 
 " In their wickedness the kings rejoice ; 
 And in their falsehoods, the princes." 
 
 Falsehoods. — " Perfidies;" towards God, in deserting his service for 
 
 idolatry. ] think the word u'na, as a noun substantive, rendci-s not so 
 properly " a lie," in the sense of a false assertion, as a " failure" in the 
 truth of a promise or engagement ; a failure in any point of duty, or 
 natural obligation ; in particular, in loyalty to the rightful sovereign, and 
 above all to the Sovereign of sovereigns. Horsley. 
 
CH. VII.] HOSEA. . 105 
 
 4 All of them commit adultery : 
 
 They are as an oven heated by the baker ; 
 
 When he that f raiscth tlie dough ccaseth from kneading ?V, 
 
 Until it be leavened. 
 
 5 On the ^eas^-day of our king, ichcn the princes began to 
 
 be hot with Avine, 
 
 f Heb. raiselh it, ceaseth from kneading the dough. 
 
 4. heated. — Or burning "nm may be both masculine and feminine, 
 
 like some other Hebrew substantives. Or we may read nsxon lya, " Theif 
 are as the liurning oven of the baker." The hint of thus dividing the 
 words I took from Professor Michaelis's note, Bibl. Orient., as communi- 
 cated by Mr. Woide. 
 
 he that raiseth — The raiser. See the margin of the English 
 
 version. It is supposed that, in the beginning of the clause, iwn, when, and 
 also after •^-V'^, the raiser, the pronoun it should be supplied, ^^^•£n^\, which 
 occurs only here in this form, may be considered as a substantive, until its 
 fermentation. The sense of this difficult clause seems to be, Their 
 adultery burns like an oven, when the dough is prepared for baking ; and 
 only requires the addition of leaven. See a like image, Ps. xxi. 9. Mai. iv. 1. 
 
 " All of them are adulterers ; like an oven over-heated for the baker ; 
 the stoker desists, after the kneading of the dough, until the fermentation 
 of it be complete.'' "I'ya, "the stoker," a noun substantive regularly formed 
 from the Hiphil of the verb •\^v. "Excitator. The man whose business it is 
 to stir up the fire in tlie oven. This I take as the nominative case of the 
 verb m3tt-\ " Until the fermentation be complete." All this I take to be 
 expressed in the words myon nj;. And St. Jerome's rendering, which is 
 also that of the Vulgate, is to the same amount : donee fermentaretur 
 totum. The noun n^on properly renders the act, or passion rather, of 
 fermentation ; the being fermented. To apply the images severally, 1 take 
 the oven to be the heart ; the burning fire, the animal appetites in act ; 
 the stoker, or fire-stiner, the external objects of desire, considered as present 
 to the senses and exciting the appetites ; the dough, the sensitive animal 
 frame, or nervous system, considered as the proper object of the immediate 
 action of appetite ; the baker, who ought to manage the oven, regulate the 
 heat, superintend the stoker, and conduct every thing aright for the baking 
 of the bread, is reason or intellect, which ought to be the governing 
 faculty in the human souL The fire gets ahead when this baker takes too 
 long a sleep. As in the sixth verse. Horsley. 
 
 6. our king. — i:Dbo. I think there is irrision in the suffix: "this 
 
 rare king of ours." Horsley. 
 
 L 2 
 
106 HOSE A. [en. Vll. 
 
 He stretched out his hand with the scorners. 
 
 6 For they make ready their heart as an oven, when they 
 
 lie in wait : 
 All the night Ephraim sleepeth ; 
 In the morning he burnetii as a | flaming fire. 
 
 7 All of them have heated themselves as an oven ; 
 And they have § devoured their judges : 
 
 All their kings have fallen : 
 
 There was none among them who called unto me. 
 
 X Heb. a fire of flame, $ Or, consumed. 
 
 ibnn, jjplavTo, 6. Cli. Syr. Vulg. Ar. Seeker. 
 
 to he hot. — non is the regular infinitive from nn» tn he hot. V. v. 
 
 Ar. Syr. consider the word as in this form. 
 
 scorners. — Deriders of God and man. Some recent and notorious 
 
 act of contempt to God, or to his prophets, or to public justice, is here 
 alhided to. 
 
 " To scorners." Instances of the use of the particle nx in the sense of the 
 Latin ad, or, which would come to the same thing here, as a sign of the 
 dative case, are to be found in Noldius. Horsley. 
 
 6. make ready. — It is their custom so to do. If we alter the text, 
 
 the best reading seems to be imp, kindle. See 6. Ar. Syr. 
 
 " In the inmost part of it, their heart is like an oven, while they lie in 
 wait ; all the night their baker sleepeth ; in the morning it hurneth like a 
 blazing fire." I take the order of construction thus, ni:n3 [n^T^] laip aab «3. 
 I take the suffix t in the word imp, as rehearsing the noun ab, which I 
 understand as the nominative case of the vei-b substantive understood ; 
 and thus I bring out the sense which I have given in my translation. 
 Horsley. 
 
 ichen the}/ lie in wait. — For the blood of their fellow subjects, 
 
 see V. 1 ; or, even of their king. See 2 Kings xv. 10. 
 
 Ephraim. — The text has dhsk, their haker. But 6. Ar. and MS. 93, 
 
 see on ch. iv. 11, read Qn3x, Ephraim. The sense seems to be. Their 
 heart is inflamed with ambition and avarice ; they pass the night in sloth, 
 and in the morning they burn with every irregular passion. 
 
 7. their judges. — See on Amos ii. 3. 
 
 kim/s. — Four kings of Israel were put to death during the life of 
 
 this prophet: — Zechariah, by Shallum ; Shalluni, by Menahem ; Pekahiah, 
 
 by Pekah, and Pekah by Hoshea, 2 Kings xv. 
 
 called. — The participle may be of the past, or present tense. If we 
 
 render as our translators, or with Dr. Wheeler, " None among them crieth 
 
CH. VII.] HOSEA. 107 
 
 8 Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the nations : 
 Ephraim is like a cake not turned. 
 
 9 Strangers have devoured his strength : 
 And he knoweth it not: 
 
 Yea, grey hairs are sprinkled upon him ; 
 And he knoweth it not : 
 
 unto me," tlie words refer to the people. According to my translation, they 
 refer to the kings. 
 
 8. among the nations. — See on Amos vi. 1 . 
 
 a cake not turned. — Therefore burnt, and to be cast away. 
 
 Rauwolf says, that " travellers frequently bake bread in the deserts of 
 Arabia on the ground, covering their cakes with ashes and coals, and 
 turning them several times, until they are enough." " All along the 
 Black Sea, from the Palus Maeotis to the Caspian Sea, in Chaldea, and in 
 Mesopotamia, except in towns, the people make a fire in the middle of the 
 room ; when the bread is ready for baking, they sweep a corner of the 
 hearth, lay the bread there, cover it with hot ashes and embers, and in 
 a quarter of an hour they <Mr?t it." Pocock. See Harmer, I. 232. Bochart 
 quotes a saying in the Talmud, " Pauper subcineritium vertit, venit alius, 
 €t aufert eum ab ipso " Hieroz. I. 329. 6. have tyKpu^iae here ; and ed. 
 E in Montfaugon, tJi>g aproc tv airoSi^ Trtffffofuvog: 
 
 The particle of similitude is omitted, as Isa. xxxvii. 27. Mic. iii. 12. 
 Nah. iii. 12, 13, and frequently in the best Greek and Latin writers. See 
 Boch. Hieroz. p. II. L. II. xvii. p. 248. Thus, 
 
 " Cervi, luporum praeda rapacium, 
 
 Sectamur ultro quos opimus 
 
 Fallere eteffugere est triumphus." Hor. 
 
 Familiar comparisons of this nature repeatedly occur in Homer. 
 " Dough on one side, burnt on the other. Or eaten before it be turned. 
 Ch. Syr. consumed instantly." Seeker. 
 9. Strangers. — See 2 Kings xvii. 4. 
 sprinkled. — So Propert. III. iii. 46. 
 
 " Sparseril et nigras alba senecta comas." 
 
 His national strength is impaired and decaying, and he acts as if he were 
 insensible of it. 
 
 Rome, in the midst of great calamities, is thus described by Claudian : 
 
 " Humeris vix sustinet aEgris 
 Squalentem clypeum ; laxata casside, prodit 
 Canitieni." 
 
 Manger. Comm. in Hos. Campis. mdcclxxxh. 
 
108 IIOSLA. [CH. VII. 
 
 10 And the pride of Israel shall be humbled to his face. 
 Yet they do not return to Jehovah their God, 
 
 Nor do they seek him, notwithstanding all this. 
 
 1 1 And Ephraim is as a simple dove, Avithout knowledge. 
 Upon Kgypt they eall ; to Assyria they resort. 
 
 12 When they resort, I will spread my net over them : 
 As a bird of the heavens, will 1 bring them down. 
 
 I will chastise them when thei/ hearken to their assembly. 
 
 13 Woe unto them; for they have fled from me: 
 Destruction unto them ; for they have transgressed 
 
 against me : 
 Though I have redeemed them, yet have they spoken 
 lies against me. 
 
 14 And they have not cried unto me in their heart; 
 Though they have howled upon their beds for the corn 
 
 and for the choice wine : 
 Yea; they have assembled themselves, they have rebelled 
 against me. 
 
 10. Afid the p-ide. — See on cli. v. 5, where this line occurs. 
 seek him. — Many MSS. and some editions read imu-pa. 
 
 11. Egypt- — See 3 Kings xvii. 4, and ch. xii. 1. 
 
 Assyria. — See ch. v. 13. viii. 9. xii. 1. Particular instances of this 
 
 fact are not recorded with respect to the kingdom of Israel ; except that 
 an embassy was probably sent to Pul, while he was at a distance from 
 Samaria, 2 Kings xv. 19. "ixip, Sic 6. Vulg. Sed Ch. lanpnK. Sy. inn. 
 Videntur uterque legisse laip, nee male." Seeker. 
 
 12. hearken. — See ynir, Gen. iii. 17. When they are swayed by the 
 
 counsel of their assembly to seek foreign assistance. However, onvj;':', to 
 their oum cou7iscl, suggested by Chald. and Houbigant, furnishes a clear 
 sense. Seeker also observes this reading. 
 
 "I will chastise them, as they hear it declared in their congregations." 
 Horsley. 
 
 13. redeemed thetn.—Ont of Egypt, Mic. vi. 4, or, from the hand of 
 
 their enemies, 2 Kings xiv. 27. 
 
 14. upon their beds. — Though in secret they bewailed themselves for 
 
 the famine with which 1 punished them. See ch. iv. 3, 10. v. 7. 
 
 assembled themselves. — The true reading seems to be nTun*. One 
 
 MS. reads thus, and one ed. Another MS. read so originally. One MS, 
 has mjn*, and two MS. have i"n:nv Chald, has uo3, congrcgare, 6. have 
 
(II, vn.] MosKA. 109 
 
 15 And I have chastened them; I have rt/50 strengthened 
 
 their arm : 
 And they have imagined evil against me« 
 
 16 They have turned after <Aa^ ^^;/^^c/^ doth not profit : 
 
 KarfTtfivovro, which is another rendering of ■mian", agi'eeably to the Chaldee, 
 Syriac, and Arabic sense of the root. See Cast lex. " Professor Michaelis 
 prefers this reading, and paraphrases it thus : vuhierabant et caedebant 
 se inter preces, 1 Kings xviii. 28." Mr. Woide. 
 
 " Put themselves in a stir about com and wine." In the Hebrew I 
 l>lace the Soph-Pasuk at the word iTnan*, in the fourteenth verse ; and 1 
 niake the fifteenth begin with TrnD". Then, at the word '3 (the second 
 word of the fifteenth verse, according to this division), I place Rebliia ; and 
 at *mD% Athrach ; Kebhia again at anynni ; aud the Soph-Pasuk at yn J 
 leave undisturbed. Tliese corrections of the stops are the only alterations I 
 make in the printed text, nn:n* can be nothing but the third i)erson 
 plural of the future in Hithpael of the verb ni3. tiid", " they turned," is from 
 the root "iiD, not n-\D, which fonns the third pers. pi. fut. no*. Horsley. 
 
 rebelled. From TiD. "They have taken counsel against me;" 
 
 niD", or rather, no* Houbigant. 
 
 15. A7id [have chastened. — Whether I inflicted punishment on them, 
 or showed them favour, they rejected me for their idols. 
 
 16. which doth not profit. — I propose reading Vv^- vh, [which may 
 
 be written by".] See Jer. ii. 11. "My people have changed their glory for 
 that which doth not profit." Vyv xba. Pocock's Arabic MS. has, " they 
 return not to profit," or, " to what is profitable." And R. Salomo has, 
 " But not or^b b-ynb, to profit themselves." See Pocock in loc. " Eiq ovSev, 
 6. "ibyi" Kb, avio(pt\(ic, Jer. ii. 8. Sic et Is. xliv. 10, b'^b ab, eig ovStv, 
 .Jer xiii. 10. Ut essent absque jugo. Vulg. leg. '^ly. Sjr. Nulla de causa. 
 Ch. Non quod malum ei fecerim. F. *by, vel saltem ny, ut Joel ii. 12. 
 Amos iv. 6, 8." Seeker, 
 
 They fall back into nothingness of condition." bv xV i3w\ The verb 
 mu- signifies either "to return," or "to turn away from," or "to turn 
 towards." But properly and most frequently " to return," in reference to 
 a former place or condition. In the sense of returning, or of turning 
 towards, it usually governs the place to which, by the detached preposition 
 bn, or the prefix b. But either of these may be omitted ; and the verb will 
 appear as a verb transitive, governing the place or condition <o tvhich, as its 
 object, without a preposition; like some verbs of motion in particular con- 
 nections in the Latin language: urbem adii ; domum redii; Romam prO' 
 fectus sum. '1 his construction in the Hebrew language is veiy rare, but 
 this passiige is one clear instance of it. For bv ab (whatever it may mean), 
 stands as the place to whieh, and as the accusative after the transitive aw. 
 
1 10 HOSEA. [CH. vir. 
 
 'J^liey have been as a || deceitful bow. 
 
 Their princes * fall by the svvord, for the rage of their 
 
 tongue. 
 This shall be their reproach in the land of Egypt. 
 
 II Heb. a bow of deceit. * Or, shall fall. 
 
 The word "ry has been very differently taken by different interpreters. I 
 consider none of their 02)inions as deserving of attention, but those which 
 attempt to ascertain the meaning of the word as it stands, without the aid 
 of conjectural emendation. These all take it in one or other of three 
 different waj's : 1. as a noun adjective; 2. as a noun substantive; 3. as 
 an adverb. But, wliichever way it is to be taken, hv xb is something 
 described by privation of the thing signified by by, whatever it may be. 
 According lo the sense given in my translation, bv is taken either as a noun 
 substantive, rendering " height ;" or as an adverb, rendering "on high ;" 
 and it is not material which way it be taken. For if it be an adverb, still 
 ■ry vh stands as a noun, after the verb mu', and expresses that which is the 
 privation of height. But the height, whether expressed by the noun or by 
 the adverb, is to be understood figuratively of height of rank, or condition. 
 Horsley. 
 
 a deceitful botv. — See the same expression, Ps. Ixxviii. 57. Virgil 
 
 has, Perfidus ensis frangitur. 
 
 rage of their tongue.— ^ee Isa. xxx. 27. '• His lips are filled with 
 
 oyt, indignation; where the words are spoken of Jehovah. Here the 
 unworthy speeches against Jehovah are meant. 
 
 " They are become like a deceitful bow." Horsley. 
 
 reproach. — Or, matter of derision ; when the people whose princes 
 
 fall by violence, take refuge from the A.ssyrians in Egypt, ch. viii. 13. ix. 
 3, 6. Egypt was a country in which kings were held in great reverence. 
 See Virg. Georg. IV. 210, quoted on ch. iv. 10. Thither many of the ten 
 tribes seem to have fled when the Assyrians invaded them. "This shall 
 bring derision upon them in the land of Egypt." Hoi-sley. 
 
CH. VIII.] HOSEA. 1 I 1 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 1 Set the trumpet to thy * mouth : 
 
 As an eagle the Assyrian cometh against the house of 
 
 Jehovah : 
 Because they have transgressed my covenant, 
 And have trespassed against my law. 
 
 2 They shall cry unto me, O God of Israel, we know thee. 
 
 3 Israel hath removed good far from him : the enemy shall 
 
 pursue him. 
 
 4 They themselves have made kings, and not from me : 
 They have made princes, and I knew it not. 
 
 O/" their silver and their gold have they made them idols; 
 
 * Heb. the roof of thy mouth. 
 
 Chap. VIII. 1 . As an eagle. — Chald. supplies so shall the king come 
 
 up with his army. I suppose Shalmaneser meant, 2 Kings xvii.3,6. " Sub- 
 audi hostis irruit." Bahrdt. 
 
 " As an eagle [shall he hover] over the House of the Lord." Dr. 
 Wheeler. 
 
 Rapidity is admirably expressed by the imperfect sentences in the 
 original. Ellipses of this kind are common ; as 
 
 " There is a voice of thy watchmen ; they lift up their voice ; 
 They shout together." Isa. Hi. 8. 
 
 house. — See ch. ix. 15. Family, heritage. " The people of God 
 
 are his house. Numb. xii. 7," Seeker. 
 
 2. O God of Israel. — Houbigant thinks the word Israel misplaced 
 
 in our present copies, and that this is the true order. 6. Ar. Syr. and MS. 
 96, omit Israel. But for " My God, we know thee," we should expect, as 
 Syr. translates, " Our God, we know thee." Or, 
 
 — " O my God, we know thee. 
 
 Israel, even Israel, hath removed good far from him ; 
 
 The enemy shall pursue him." 
 
 " O my God, we acknowledge thee." Israel, speaking collectively, uses 
 the singular pronoun and the plural verb. Horsley. 
 
 4. kings. — See 2 Kings xv. 10, 14, 25, 30. 
 
 " They have set up kings of themselves " Sponte. This I take to be 
 the force of the pronoun on. See r. 9. Horsley. 
 
1 ]'2 ii().si:.\. [cii. Mil, 
 
 'J'liut tliey iniglit be cut off. 
 
 5 Remove far from tliee thy calf, () iSamaria : 
 Mine anger is kindled against them. 
 
 How long will they not endure iiniocency in Israel ? 
 
 6 And as for him, the workman made him ; 
 And he is no god : 
 
 cut off. — The versions and Ciialcl. aiul tlie MS. Arab, version men- 
 
 tioneil by Pocock, represent tma" ; a necessary reading, unless Israel may 
 be supplied from v. 3. 
 
 " 'I'lieir silver and tiieir gold have they wrought for themselves 
 Into idols, that they might be cut off." 
 
 Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 " Their silver and their gold have they made to themselves idols." 
 Seeker. 
 
 5. Remove far from thee — AiroGriaov, Aquila. ATroppiipai, Theod. 
 \noTpnpai, 6. and in some other eopics, avopjn-^ov, says Montfaui^ou. 
 
 " Thy calf, O Samaria, has cast thee off." Here God himself, who i.s 
 the speaker, turns short upon Samaria, or the ten tribes ; and, in a tone of 
 dreadful indignation, upbraids their corrupt worship, by taking to himself 
 the title of Samaria's calf. I, whom you have so dishonoured, by setting 
 up that contemptible idol, as an adequate symbol of my glory ; I, who 
 have so long borne with this corrupt worship, now expressly disown you. 
 Horsley. 
 
 endure. — Through hatred of it. See bD% Ps. ci. 5. Isa. i. 13. Joel 
 
 ii. 11. 
 
 hi Israel. — d. and Ar. read bKir*2, or bxi^'* irja, and join the words 
 
 to the foregoing clause. " MS. Copt, reads "rx-iu* >23, fdii Israelis." Mr. 
 Woide. 
 
 " How long will not the sons of Israel endure iunocency ? How long 
 will they bear antipathy to pure religion?" Bear antipathy. This is the 
 true sense of the phrase, b3> ab. See Ps. ci. 5. Isa. i. 13, and compare 
 Amos vii. 10. For Tpi, the Complutensian and- four other printed texts, 
 with forty-four MSS., among these some of the very oldest and best, give 
 ivp3, which is certainly the true fonn of the word. It signifies purity or 
 cleanness generally. Hence moral purity, innocence. But here, I think, 
 it particularly denotes " pure religion," or the purity of worship. " Pure 
 religion" and " undcfdcd," in opposition both to the superstitious practices 
 of idolaters, and to the false show of hypocrites. Horsley. 
 
 6. And as for him. — " Tor he is from Israel," or, " made bv the 
 
CH. VJII.] IIOSEA. 113 
 
 For the calf of Samaria shall be f broken in pieces. 
 7 For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the 
 whirlwind. 
 The stalk hath no bud : 
 
 f Heb. fragments. 
 
 Israelites," is the sense of the words as they now stiind. Syr and Chald. 
 read kti. Dr. Wheeler's translation stands thus : — 
 
 " For from Israel came this [calf] xnn : 
 
 The workman made it, and it is no God ; 
 
 For the calf of Samaria shall become fragments." 
 
 " Even this" xim. The t is highly emphatical, aggravating the accusa- 
 tion. Even a thing so abominable as this was his own invention. Horslev. 
 
 Forte legendum cum Syro, u-nm xin. Seeker. 
 
 ■ the calf.— It is well known that animals of this species were wor- 
 shipped in Egypt; the Apis at Memphis, and the Mnevis at Heliopolis. 
 As they are employed in tilling the gi'ound, they may have been used as 
 symbols of one who had anciently introduced or improved the art of 
 agriculture. Males of this kind were dedicated to Osiris ; and females, 
 to J sis. The Israelites may have originally boiTOwed this superstition from 
 the Egyptians, and may have afterwards revived it ; imputing the great 
 fertility of Egypt to the deity thus represented. 
 
 The people procured it, or contributed to it, as to Aaron's calf 
 Seeker. 
 
 broken in pieces. — In Chaldee, 33:r is to break. Schultens derives 
 
 the word from a similar Arabic one, which signifies fraginenta, quibus 
 ignis foveri potest. Animadv. Phil. p. 479. 
 
 Q'lnir, forte legendum anau*. Seeker. 
 
 7. soini the wind. — See Job iv. 8. Prov. xxii. 8. Eccl. v. 16. 
 
 ch. X. 13. Hab. ii. 13. They have served their idols in vain, and they 
 shall reap the bitter fruits of their idolatry. 
 
 " Verily a wind shall scatter him abroad, a whirlwind shall cut him 
 down." " To sow the wind and reap the whirlwind," may certainly be a 
 proverbial expression for measures of bad policy, ending in ruin, and dis- 
 appointing the statesman's expectations. But instead of taking the verbs 
 ^y^^" and nvp* as plurals, of which the plural pronoun of the third person 
 understood, rehearsing Israel collectively, is the subject ; 1 take the verbs 
 in the singular number, and the final i as the affixed pronoun of the third 
 person singular, rehearsing Israel ; and the nouns mi and nnsiD I take as 
 the subjects of these verbs respectively ; and thus I biing out the sense 
 expressed in my translation. Horslcy. 
 
 The stalk. — Houbigant also places the stop after n>ji-, bud. " There 
 
114 HOSEA. [CH. VIII. 
 
 It shall not yield flour : 
 
 If so be it yield, strangers shall swallow it up. 
 
 8 Israel is swallowed up. 
 
 Now are they become among the nations 
 As a vessel wherein is no pleasure. 
 
 9 For they have gone up to Assyria: 
 Ephraim is like the solitary wild ass : 
 They have hired lovers. 
 
 10 But because they have hired among the nations, 
 Now will I gather them together, 
 
 shall be no stem belonging to him ; the ear shall yield no meal ; what 
 perchance it may yield, strangers shall swallow it up." Horsley. 
 
 8. no pleasure. — Despised, and cast out, Ps. xxxi. 12. Jer. xxii. 28. 
 
 xlviii. 38. 
 
 9. gone up. — For they are gone up of their own accord to Assyria." 
 
 Of their own accord ; this I take to be the force of the pronoun, -nryrt. 
 And this is generally its force, where it appeal's, as in this place, pleonastic. 
 See V. 4, and ch. ix. 10. Horsley. 
 
 to Assyria. — Not only for alliance, but also for idolatrous com- 
 merce. 
 
 solitary wild ass. — ^b is redundant. See Amos ii. 13. But 6. MS. 
 
 Pachora. read tfioi E^pai/n, that is, "b for ib. Ephraim is to me like the 
 solitary wild ass. Odit hominum frequentiam et habitationem. See Boch. 
 Hieroz. 871. Job. xxxix. 5 — 8. He is as untamed to the yoke, and 
 traverses the desert as earnestly in the pursuit of idols, as the onager in 
 quest of his mates. It may be said of this animal, Mentem Venus ipsa 
 dedit. See Jer. ii. 24. Pliu. Nat. Hist. YIU. xxx. " Ephraim is as a wild 
 ass, traversing alone." Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 " A wild ass all alone for himself is Ephraim." The pronoun " for 
 himself," after " alone," is highly emphatical : it expresses the selfishness 
 which belongs to an animal savage in such a degi-ee, as not only not to be 
 tamed for the service of man, but frequently not disposed to herd with its 
 own kind. " Though wild asses be often found in the desert in whole 
 herds, yet it is usual for some one of them to break away, and separate 
 himself from his company, and run alone at random by himself; and oue 
 so doing is here spoken of." Pocock. Horsley. 
 
 hired. — Nothing could be more flagitious than that the hire should 
 
 be given by the adulteress. See Ezek. xvi. 23. 
 
 10. (jatherlhem together. — That they may go into captivity. 
 
 " Will I embody them." Dv3pK. The verb v^p signifies to collect, into 
 one mass, things naturally separate and dispersed. Hence, more par- 
 
CH. Vin.] HOSEA. 115 
 
 And they sliall soon be pained by hearing the burden of 
 the king and of the princes. 
 
 1 1 Because Ephraim hath multiplied altars to commit sin, 
 He hath altars to commit sin. 
 
 12 I have written unto him many things of my laws ; 
 But they have been accounted as a strange thing. 
 
 ticularly, to fomi or assemble arniies. God threatens that he will jjress 
 into his own armies against the Israelites, those very bands of foreign mer- 
 cenaries whom the Israelites themselves, to the great mortification of the 
 kings and the rulers, when the error of the measure appeared by the event, 
 had paid at a dear rate. Horsley. 
 
 snon. — See Nold. Sec. 2. 
 
 and of tlie princes. —So the versions, Chald. Aquila, Houbigant, 
 
 nine MSS., one impression, two MSS. originally, and perhaps two more. 
 They shall be severely galled by the yoke of the Assyrian king, and of the 
 jn-inces set over his several provinces. 
 
 " And ere long they shall sorrow on account of the l)Urdeli, the king 
 and the rulers." Ere long the king and the rulers will lament the impolitic 
 expense incurred in gifts and presents to their faithless allies, and the 
 burden of taxes for that purpose laid upon the people. Horsley. 
 
 11. --He halh altars. — He shall have them erected by others, in 
 
 those idolatrous countries to which he is led away captive, Deut. iv. 28. 
 Jer. xvi. 13. See Pocock. 
 
 Kunb, 20. t}yaTrT]fieva, 6. £7rX»}/i/ii£X?//x£vo, ed. Comph Seeker. 
 
 " In as much as Ephraim hath multiplied altars, altars are (counted) sin 
 unto him ; I will write upon him sins." I punctuate the original thus : 
 over the first mnmn, in verse II, I place Rebhia, or the semicolon ; and at 
 the second mnaio, in the same verse, I place the Soph-Pasuk ; that the 
 second aonb may be thrust forward into the subsequent verse, where it 
 stands as the object of the verb transitive mnsx ; expressing what God will 
 write or inscribe upon Israel; namely, that he is the property of sin. 
 Inuram ei notas, " Peccati mastigia." Horsley. 
 
 12. many things of my laivs. — YVKtiOoq vofiuiv jxov, Symmachus ; 
 
 and V. 6. Syr. read nnin plurally. Or, many things of my laio, reading 
 *mn '2n, with Keri, or great tilings. But I suspect that the true reading is 
 nan, the words of my law . 
 
 " The masters of my law are accounted, as it were, an alien race." 
 Horsley. 
 
 a strange thing. — Foreign to Israel, and with which they had no 
 
 concern. " So, strange incense, strange fire." Seeker, 
 [or, an] lan i"? ainax 
 lau'nj •)} 103 [or, "n-nmj^mtn. 
 
IIG IIOSF.A. [CH. VIII. 
 
 13 Tliey sacrifice gifts appointed unto me, and eat flesli. 
 Therefore Jehovah acceptcth them not. 
 Now will he remember their iniquity, and will visit 
 
 their sins. 
 They shall return unto Egypt. 
 
 " I luive written against him liis? suit ; 
 My laws liave been accounted as a strange thing." 
 Or, 
 
 " I have written against him a suit ; 
 
 But my laws have been accounted as a strange thing." 
 
 Dr. Forsayclh. 
 
 13. (jrfts appointed viito me. — Such sacrificial oblations as my law 
 
 required that they should offer unto me ; the affix signifying passively. 
 Sec the note on Gen. iv, 23, 24 ; Heb. prael. p. 50. Suppl. ad sec. ed. 8vo, 
 and Pocock on Hosea xi. 7 ; where this important remark is illustrated by 
 many curious instances. See Gen. xvi. 5. Jcr. li. 35. Joel iv. 19. Hab. ii. 
 8, 17. Isa. liii. 11. Ps. cxxxix. 17. Isa. hi. 7. Ps. v. 7. Thus also in the 
 Latin language. Nam nerjue negligentia tua, neque odio id fecit tuo, i. e. 
 in te. Ter. Phorm. V. viii. 27. Calilinara non modo invidite nieae, 
 verum etiam vita^, periculo, sustulissem, i. e. in me, qua raihi invideretur. 
 Cic. in Cat. 1 1. Sec. 2. See Westerhovius and Muretus in loc. 
 
 and eatficsh. — Syr. reads ^b^2H•' nu-m. 
 
 " They have sacrificed the choicest sacrifices, and have eaten flesh. 
 Jehovah takelh not delight therein." 
 
 Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 Vel transponcnda ifa et ibaKM ; \el t priori non posteriori prajfigen- 
 dum, vel delendum ; vel saltem intcHigendus pvophcta, quasi sic scrip- 
 sisset. Seeker. Or point thus with u. 
 
 " I have written unto liini many things of my laws : 
 
 But the gifts appointed unto me liave been accounted as a strange tiling. 
 
 They sacrifice iltsh, and tat [sc. iJolairously :] 
 
 Jeliovali, ikc. 
 
 They sacrifice [sc. unto idols] gifts appointed unto nie, and eat flesh. 
 
 But Dr. Forsayeth paraphrases thus, " I'hey offer sacrifices to the Lord, 
 as a people observing his laws ; but on account of their iniquities he 
 accepleth them not." 
 
 Therefore Jehova/i. — Vulg. Syr. and one MS. prefix i : but the asyndeton 
 is very .strong. 
 
 laTii". Addunt 6. Kcu ev Aaav^tioig UKaOapra <payovTca, ex cli. ix. 3. 
 Seeker. 
 
 unto U(/i/]>t. — Sec ch. vii. I(>. 
 
CU. IX.] HOSEA. m 
 
 14 For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and hath huilt 
 temples. 
 And Judah hath multiplied fenced cities : 
 But I will send a fiie upon his cities, and it shall devour 
 his palaces. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Rejoice not, O Israel : 
 Exult not as the * nations. 
 For thou hast committed fornication in departing from 
 
 thy God : 
 Thou hast loved hire at every corn floor. 
 The floor and the vat shall not feed them : 
 
 * fleb. the peoples. 
 
 14. temples. — Hence we learn that, at this time, Israel was more 
 
 idolatrous than Judah. 
 
 his palaces —6. MS. A. and ed. Aid. Vulg. Syr. and one MS. 
 
 originally, read thid-jin ; to which Houbigant gives his sanction. 
 
 Chap. IX. 1. Rejoice not. — Imitate not their idolatrous festivities. 
 
 b^2 ba. Sic Job iii. 22. Sed 6. Ch. Syr. Vulg. bH ne, quod futurum 
 postulat. Seeker. The word b'\3 signifies, in the Arab., circumagere in 
 yyrum; whence saltare ; whence great joy expressed by outward gestures. 
 See Cast. lex. 
 
 " With joyous exultation," 7*3 bx, e.xullationem vsque. b»3 is a noun 
 substantive, signifying, " leaping and dancing for joy," after the prepo- 
 sition ba ; not as some have taken the word, the imperative Fliphil of the 
 verb biji, constructed with the prohibitory particle b.y : for it is contrary to 
 the invariable rule of the Hebrew language, that the imperative mood 
 should prohibit ; or, in other words, the prohibitory particle must be con- 
 structed with a future tense, never with an imperative mood. Horsley. 
 
 hire. — " Fee of prostitution," pnx. At this word I place the Soph- 
 
 Pasuk. Horsley. 
 
 at every cornfloor. — Attributing plenty to thy idols, and rejoicing 
 
 before them at the ingathering of thy corn, Isa. ix. 3. ch. ii '>, 12. 
 
IlH HOSEA. [t;il. IX, 
 
 And the choice wine sliall deceive them. 
 
 3 They shall not dwell in the land of Jehovah : 
 But Ephiaim shall return unto Egypt ; 
 
 And in Assyria shall they eat j)olluted things. 
 
 4 They shall not pour out an offering of wine unto 
 
 Jehovah ; 
 Neither shall they please him. 
 Their sacrifices shall be unto them as the food of 
 
 mourners : 
 
 2. choice nine. — " Must," u'n>n. The word often signifies " new 
 
 wine ;" but its primary and proper meaning seems to be, " mtist in the 
 vat," under the process of fermentation. When this process miscarries, 
 the must never turns to a sound wine. Horsley. 
 
 Bahrdt observes that Syr. reads -in-r, oil, for }i'i-\'n, choice wine. The 
 vat, says he, is mentioned in the preceding chiuse. 
 
 deceive them. — All the versions and Chald. read aa, them, for na, 
 
 in her : and it is highly satisfactory to find this reading confirmed by 
 twenty-one MSS., one impression, three MSS. originally, and perhaps two 
 more. 
 
 The word may be rendered, shall lie unto them. So Horace has Fundus 
 mendax, Od. III. i. 30; and Spem meniita seges, Epist. I. vii. 87. 
 
 4. wine. — See Kx. xxix. 40. Lev. xxiii. 13. Numb. xv. 5. 10. 
 
 please him. — Another punctuation may very well be introduced 
 
 with Syr. Ar. 
 
 " And their sacrifices shall not please him. 
 Tiiey shall haie as it were tlie food of mourners." 
 
 Accordingly Dr. Wheeler renders : — 
 
 " Neither shall their sacrifices be pleasing unto Ilim : 
 As ihe bread of affliction shall be their bread ," 
 
 anb Sic. 6. Ch. Syr. Omittit Vulg. F. leg. annh. Seeker. 
 
 Their bread for their soul, i. e. the expiation of it ; so Chald., for cnV 
 signifies even flesh sacrifices. Or, their bread shall be for themselvfes; it 
 shall not, &c. Seeker. 
 
 Mr. Diniock proposes to render, " Their bread shall be as the bread of 
 mourners;" and conjectures that we should read a:2nb for anb. 
 
 " For their sacrifices are not pleasant to Ilim : they are to them as the 
 meat of mourners." I take away the Zakeph-katon from i'^, and instead 
 of it place llebhia at an^nav, taking that noun as the nominative of the 
 verb lanv*. Horeley 
 
 of )nournprs — See Ezek. xxiv. 17. " And oat not the food of 
 
Cir. IX.] HOSEA. 119 
 
 All that eat thereof shall be polluted. 
 Surely i" their pleasant food shall not come into the 
 house of Jehovah. 
 .5 What will ye do on the day of the solemn assembly ; 
 
 And on the day of the feast of Jehovah ? 
 6 For behold they go away from before the destroyer : 
 Egypt shall gather them, Memphis shall bury them. 
 The desirable places purchased % with their silver, nettles 
 shall possess them. 
 
 t Heb. food to their desire. % Heb. for. 
 
 wretched men." It was customary for neiglibours to take food into the 
 bouses of those who mourned for the dead, that they miglit abate their 
 grief, and recruit their spirits, by inducing them to partake of it. But 
 such food contracted polhition by being in the same place with a dead 
 body, Numb. xix. 14. See Spencer, 1148. 
 
 pleasant food. — The verb \i'3: sometimes signifies to refresh ; and 
 
 the substantive u-so, desire. See Tayl. Cone. 
 
 " To themselv^es;" so Abarbinel expounds the word nii-SD'?, and after 
 
 him Grotius. " Cibus eoruni ipsis erit " ipsorum tantum usibus 
 
 servire poterit ; quasi dicat, ovaivro. Horsley. 
 
 6 go axvay. — Out of the holy land ; where alone they could 
 
 sacrifice, and observe feasts fully. Seeker. 
 
 the destroyer. — See Isa. xvi. 4. This is a lively way of expressing 
 
 that the Assyrians should soon lead them into captivity. " Behold all are 
 gone! total devastation." Horsley. 
 
 gather them. — Some think that to their people is to be supplied. 
 
 " The same with bury. See Jer. viii. 2. Ezek. xxix. 5." Seeker. 
 
 — —Memphis. — " Nomenclaturas urbium ex Hebraja lingua desumptas 
 Graeci ad suae typum sic efiinxerunt, ut viderentur apud se natae. Ita ex 
 Moph fecere Memphis." Boch. Geogr. p. 345. The Arabs call Cairo 
 Menoph at this day. See on ch. vii. 16. 
 
 toith their silver. — Three MSS. read au'S:'?, What teas pleasant to 
 
 their soul, i. e. to them ; which makes the passage very clear. Houbigant 
 understands the place, as now read, of precious furniture hidden in the 
 ground. 
 
 Forte legendum aSDD nono, ra unQviiriixaTa., Aq. Symm. Seeker. 
 
 " Their valuables of silver ! The nettle shall dispossess them, and the 
 thistle, in their dwellings." lono is a noun substantive, signifying ge- 
 nerally whatever, for its value or beauty, is most desired. Jn the word 
 nSD3b, the prefix b denotes that ^dd is the material, in which these valu- 
 
 M 
 
120 irosEA. [cii. IX. 
 
 The thorn shall spring up in their tabernacles. 
 1 The days of visitation are conoe : 
 Tlie days of recompense are come. 
 Israel shall know that the prophet was foolish, 
 That the man of the spirit was mad : 
 For the greatness of thine iniquity, and thy great hatred. 
 
 ablcs were wrouglit. And when two words are connected, as these two 
 are here, a pronoun, suffixed to the hitter of the two, verj' often belongs 
 properly to the former, which I take to be the case here. So that lono 
 nSDab niJiy properly be rendered, " Their valuables of, or in, silver." The 
 two words QBDDb nonn stand as a nominative absolute, expressing the prin- 
 cipal subject of the sentence following; a figure of speech frequent in all 
 the prophets, and in which Hosea particularly delights. The verb 
 □un"" is the third person singular future of the verb un% in the Hiphil con- 
 jugation, with the pronoun plural of the third person suffixed. The nomi- 
 natives of this Hiphil verb are the nouns v\n-p and mn. And on-bnxa is 
 to be taken as connected with both these nouns. Thus the exact rendering 
 will be, " Their valuables in silver — the nettle, the thistle in their dwell- 
 ings shall dispossess them." Horsley. 
 
 7. The days. — Venit summa dies, et ineluctabile tempus. Virg. 
 
 the prophet. — The false prophet who rose up among them. So 
 
 again, v. 8. Mic. iii. 5. Zeph. iii. 4. Jer. ii. 8. v. .31. xiv^H. xxvii. 14. 
 xxix. 8, 9. Lam. ii. 14. Ezek. xiii. 
 
 the man of the spirit. — See Zech. vii. 12. Mic. ii. 11. 
 
 hatred. — Towards me. 
 
 " The days of visitation are come ! The days of retribution are come ! 
 Israel shall know it. Stupid is the prophet ! The man of the spirit is 
 gone mad. In proportion to the greatness of thine iniquity, great also is 
 the vengeance !" The title of prophet seems to have been given to all of 
 the prophetical order ; that is, to all vvho had been educated in the schools 
 of the prophets, and professed a life of retirement and religion ; because 
 they were usually the persons to whom the gift of prophecy was imparted, 
 though it was by no means given to all, or even to the greater part of 
 them. Some, perhaps, among them pretended to it, who had never 
 received it at all ; and others, to whom it was in some degree given, tem- 
 porized in the use of it by profane accommodations to the humour of the 
 people, the religious opinions, or the political measures of the court. Of 
 the latter, in particular, we have a remarkalde instance in those prophets 
 of Israel who encouraged Ahab to the expedition against the Syrian, for 
 the recovery of Ramoth-Giload, which proved fatal to himself. That the 
 gross imposture of pretences to inspiration, by persons that had it not at 
 all, was actually practised, .seems to be implied in Micah ii. 11, and .Fer. 
 
CH. IX.] HOSE A. \2\ 
 
 8 The watchman of Ephraim taketh part with mj^ God : 
 The prophet is as the snare of the fowler 
 In all his ways. 
 
 They have made deep their hatred against the house of 
 my God : 
 
 xxiii. 31, 32. That those who had the extraordinary gift, pretended, upon 
 some occasions, to visions which they had never seen, and to commands 
 which they had never received, is certain from the very memorable story of 
 the imposition practised by the old prophet who dwelt in Bethel, at the 
 time of the schism of the ten tribes, upon the man of God of Judah, who 
 had prophesied against Jeroboam's altar. But the more frequent crime 
 was certainly that of tempoiizing, in the manner of delivering messages of 
 warning, which had been really received. The persons guilty of this con- 
 duct were deeply implicated in the guilt of the nation, and were promoters 
 of the idolatry to which the kings and the people were so much addicted ; 
 and they are reproved and threatened in every page of the prophetical 
 writings. These are the persons who, in the text of Hosea, under the title 
 of prophets, are taxed with stupidity and madness. Horsley. 
 
 " In projwrtion to." This is the force of bj? ; " according to." 
 
 Horsley. 
 
 8. The watchman. — The true prophet, that vvatcheth Ephraim, Ezelc. 
 iii. 17. xxxiii. 7. 
 
 ivith. — See ny, Judges ii. 18. 
 
 my God. — Aut 'n^K legendum, aut in utroque niembro, quod 
 
 convenientissimum esset, a*nbx rescribendum. Innumera prostant in colla- 
 tionibus codicum exempla tov a omis^,i in fine linearum vel in i mutati. 
 Bahrdt. 
 
 In all his ways. — In all the ways of Ephraim. He is a perpetual 
 
 snare to the people. 
 
 [Spread] upon all his ways. Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 of my God. — So two MSS. and a third at present. 6. Ar. Syr. 
 
 read without any affix, of God; and these two readings may be reconciled 
 by supposing that ""rbH was written contractedly for o^nVx. See Bishop 
 Lowth on Isa. v. 1. li 4. 
 
 "The watchman of Ephraim is with his God. The prophet! — the 
 snare of the fowler is over all his ways. Vengeance against the house- 
 hold of my God ! " The watchman is here evidently a title, by which 
 some faithful prophet is distinguished from the temporizers and seducers. 
 But who in particular is this watchman, thus honourably distinguished, 
 and how is he " with his God?" I think the allusion is to Elijah and his 
 miraculous translation. ''Elijah, that faithful watchman, tliat resolute 
 
 M 2 
 
122 HOSEA. [CH. IX. 
 
 9. Tliey have corrupted themselves, as in the days of Gibeali. 
 He will remember their iniquity, he will visit their sins. 
 10 As grapes in the desert, I found Israel ; 
 
 As the early fruit on the fig-tree in its beginning of 
 
 hearing, I saw your fathers. 
 Bid they went after Baal Peor, and separated themselves 
 unto shame ; 
 
 opposer of idolatry in the reign of Abab and Jezahcl, is now with his God, 
 receiving the reward of his fidelity in the enjoyment of the beatific vision. 
 Horsley. 
 
 I have changed the punctuation with Houbigant ; according to o.- 
 Arab. in the line 
 
 " They have made deep their hatred against the house of my God [or, God."] 
 
 9. They have corrupted themselves. — See Dent. ix. 12. The word ipv^yn, 
 according to the analogy of other places, requires a substantive, or a verb 
 in the infinitive mood, to be placed after it. " Sensiis : moduni exceduirt 
 in sceleribus suis. Vulg. bene: profunde peccavenmt. Jon. oplime : ad 
 faatigium pcrdiuerimt perversitatem.^' Bahrdt. 
 
 We may therefore render, 
 
 " Even hatred in the house of my God. 
 They have deeply corrupted tliemselves," &c. 
 
 Giheah. — See Judges xix. 16, &c. and ch. x. 9. 
 
 He toill remember. — Syr. supplies boo, " Now will he remember, 
 
 &c.," and one MS. and five editions have nnj?, now. 
 
 10. As grapes. — Acceptable as giapes to a traveller in the desert. 
 
 the early fruit. — Figs of the first season, and the earliest of that 
 
 growth. See Jer. xxiv. 2. Mic. vii. 1, and Bishop Lowth on Isa. xxviii. 4. 
 
 Baal Peor. — See Numb. xxv. 3. Ps. cvi. 28. Selden and Pocock 
 
 think that this god was so called from the mountain on which he wa.s 
 worshipped, Numb, xxiii. 28. So Jupiter had the additional name of 
 Olympius, and Mercury, of Cylleuius. Othere refer to the .signification of 
 ^y^, apei-uit, reteyit ; and suppose an allusion in the name to the shame- 
 less manner in which this God was represented, and in which he wa.s 
 worshipped. See Spencer, 332. 
 
 separated themselves. — The word here is different from that used 
 
 ch. iv. 14, and imports that they became Nazarites, and probably conse- 
 crated their hair, to idols. See Spencer, 697. 
 
 unto shame. — Shameful idols ; such as their worshippers ought to 
 
 be ashamed of, and as finally would cause shame to them. See Jer. xi. 13. 
 " And consecrated themselves to shame." Dr. Wheeler. 
 
CH. IX.] HOSEA. 123 
 
 And became abominable as the object of their love. 
 
 1 1 As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away as a bird : 
 
 So that there shall be no birth, no carrying in the womb, 
 no conception. 
 
 12 Yea, if they bring up their children, I will destroy them 
 
 from among men. 
 For surely woe unto them, when I depart from them. 
 
 13 As 1 have seen Ephraim planted on a rock in a desirable 
 
 place, 
 So likewise shall Ephraim bring forth his sons to the 
 murderer. 
 
 " To that obscenity." Luther takes the word rwa for the name of an 
 idol. For rendering the passage : Et sanctificaverunt se turpi idolo, he 
 adds this note : Boshet autem sine dubio appellat idolum Peor, tuq^em et 
 fojdam statuam. Horsley. 
 
 abominable. — F. arfbnxD Dn^vip^', idola eorum [numero] prout ten- 
 
 toria eorum. Confer Jer. xi. 13. Seeker. " And as [my] love of them 
 so were their abominations." Horsley. 
 
 11. their glory. — Prov. xiv. 28, Seeker. "Their fruitfulness," 
 
 Gen. xlix. 22, 25. Dr. Forsayeth. 
 
 So that. — Dr. Wheeler confirms the rendering of this verse : — 
 
 '* They shall not bring forth, nor bear in the womb, nor conceive." 
 
 12. destroy. — See Deut. xxxii. 25. So Syr. " I will consume them 
 
 from the sons of men." Compare Mic. vi. 14 with this and tlie foregoing 
 verse. " Or, They shall become childless among men ; as 1 Sam. xv. 33." 
 Seeker. 
 
 depart. — Three MSS. and one ed. read "-nDa, and the li- is on a 
 
 rasure in another MS. So V. Chald, And Aquila has iKKkivavTog nov 
 air' avTb)V. 
 
 13. planted. — Ephraim is feminine, eh. v. 9. 
 
 on a rock. — Aquila and Symmachus render die aKporofMov ; reading 
 
 •^^^!iz. Theod. hasftg irirpavs See yMib, on the ground. Job. ii. 13. 
 
 in a desirable place. — I read niNja, with V. and Chald. 
 
 The situation of Samaria on a mountain was both strong and pleasant. 
 See on Amos iii. 9. 
 
 So likewise. — See Numb. i. 19, and Nold. vau. Sec. 16. 
 
 bring forth. — The full phrase occurs, Deut. xxxi. 17. Vsn"; n^m, et 
 
 erit ad devorandum . 
 
 his sons. — We have here a change in the gender from nbinir, 
 
 planlata; and we have another change in anb, to them, v. 14. Sec v. 16. 
 
121 HOSE A. [CH. X. 
 
 14 Give them, O Jehovah What Avilt thou give? 
 
 Give them a miscarrying womb, and dry breasts. 
 
 15 All their wickedness in Gilgal is before me : 
 For there have I hated them. 
 
 For the evil of their doings I will drive them from mine 
 
 house : 
 I will no longer love them : 
 All their princes are revolters. 
 
 16 Ephraim is smitten : their root is dried up. 
 They shall not yield fruit. 
 
 Moreover if they bring forth, 
 
 I will slay the § beloved children of their womb. 
 
 17 My God will reject them, because they have not 
 
 hearkened unto him : 
 And they shall be wanderers among the nations. 
 
 CHAPTER X, 
 
 1 Israel is a vine which casteth its grapes. 
 § Heb. the desires. 
 
 15. in Gilgal. — Cliald. supplies, is revealed before vie ; and R. Tan- 
 chum in Pocock, / remember, '^anp, before mc, or ^dbV, in my sight, may be 
 understood. " If we suppose *n"XT followed Dnyi, from the similarity of 
 the sound we may conceive it not xmlikely that a transcriber dropped it." 
 Dr. Forsayeth. 
 
 mine house. — See ch. viii. 1 . 
 
 love. — The infinitive with the paragogic n ; or, as Taylor, " I will 
 
 not add the love of them." 
 
 16. is smitten. — "Blighted." The allusion is evidently to a tree 
 
 killed by what is called a blight, The verb na: is often used in the parti- 
 cular sense of blighting. Horsley. 
 
 not yield. — Many MSS. and editions read Va with Keri. 
 
 Chap. X. 1. which casteth its grapes. — Or, "emptying i/,sr//." 
 
 Sec Taylor's Cone. Instead of ppia, five MSS. leave the word more at 
 large by reading pp2. ; which may be the participle Pahul, emptied, barren ; 
 .inswering to the Cliald. vastata; as I3.i is masculine, 2 Kings iv. ;<!!. 
 
(11. X.] HOSEA. 125 
 
 He laid up fruit for himself: 
 
 But according to the multitude of his fruit, hath he mul- 
 tiplied altars ; 
 
 According to the goodness of his land, hath he made 
 goodly images. 
 
 2 Their heart is divided: now shall they be found guilty. 
 He shall break down their altars, he shall destroy their 
 
 images. 
 
 3 For now they say, We have no king : 
 
 Houbigaut derives the word from tlie Arab. p3, to be fruitful in children, 
 to bud, or to spread forth as a tree. See the lexicons, and Pocock in loc; 
 which idea suggested the rendering of V. 6. Ai-. Syr. The sense will be, 
 that the wickedness of Israel was punished by unfruitful seasons; or, that 
 he was as a fruitful vine ; but his prosperity conupted his heart. 
 
 laid up. — See mr, Ps. xxi. 5. Ixxxix. 19. Formerly, he was a 
 
 fruitful vine. " He stored up dried grapes in an even, orderly, manner." 
 Tayl. Cone. 
 
 Syrus, qu<s fructus suos fecit. Suspicor eum legisse nu'y* pro nw. 
 Bahrdt. 
 
 he made. — One MS. has n^u-n ; as V. 6. Ar. 
 
 " Israel was a yielding vine ; his fruit was answerable to his vigour. 
 According to the increase of his fruit, he increased in altars; like the 
 beauty of his land, he made the beauty of his images.'' The root pia, or 
 pa, signifies properly to empty a vessel of its contents. Hence " vastare." 
 But a vine "emptying itself" must be a vine pouring forth its internal 
 strength in abundance of fruit. All the ancient versions, except the 
 Chaldee, agi'ee in rendering the participle as expressise of luxuriance. 
 Ilorsley. 
 
 2. is divided. — In Pual ; as Amos vii. 17. Zech. xiv. 1. 
 
 between the true God and false ones. 
 
 He shall break down. — "He himself shall rase their altars, shall 
 
 destroy their pillars.'' Dr. Wheeler. " God himself." Horsley. 
 
 3. For now. — For they have rejected both Jehovah and legal govern- 
 ment. There was anarchy in the kingdom of Israel for nine years, before 
 Hoshea began to reign. See Usher's and Blair's Chronology. 
 
 " And as for a king, what shall he do unto us ?" 
 
 Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 " To us," or, " for us." Seeker. " This very moment shall they say, we 
 have no king, because we feared not the Jehovah; and a king, what 
 could he do for us ! " Ilorsley. 
 
12G HOSEA. [CII. X. 
 
 For we fear not Jehovah : 
 
 And what shall a kino- do unto us ? 
 
 4 They spake oiiply words, when * they sware ? 
 And falsehood, when f they made a covenant : 
 And wo?^ judgment springeth up, as hemlock 
 In the furrows of the field. 
 
 5 Because of the calf of Bethaven 
 Shall the inhabitants of Samaria fear. 
 For his people shall grieve for him ; 
 
 And his sacrificers shall be pained for him ; 
 
 * Heb. in swearing. f Heb. in making, ixc. 
 
 4. empty words. — This resembles the Latin phrase, verba dare It 
 
 should seem that they refused submission to Hoshea, contrary to their oath 
 and covenant. 
 
 " Negotiate — swear false oaths — ratify a treaty." Negotiate alliances 
 with one power and another — make a treaty with the Assyrians — bind 
 yourselves to it with an oath. — Break your oath, and make a ncvs alliance 
 with the Egyptian. In spite of all measures of crooked policy, all acquisi- 
 tions of foreign aid and support, judgment is springing up. Horsley. 
 
 springeth up. — In these times of confusion judgment has changed 
 
 its nature, and has become destructive. 
 
 5. calf. — So 6. Ar. Syr. One translation in Montfauc^on's Hexajila 
 
 has 70V ixoaxov; and Rabbi Tanchum in Pocock has b^y, calf. 
 
 Bethaven. — Seech, iv. 15. 
 
 — — inhabitants. — The versions read 'ddu-. 
 
 —. — shall grieve. — I suppose that the original word is the participle 
 Benoni, baiK. 
 
 sacrificei-s. — The root signifies incaluit, atratus fuit, in Hebrew, and 
 
 abscondit in Chaldee ; and accordingly the sacrijiculi are supposed to be 
 named from their ardent zeal, or their employment in burning incense, or 
 from their dress, or from their recluse life. Selden observes, thai the word 
 is used always in the Targum for the hierophants of iilolaters. 
 
 Hence the Roman word Camillus, i. e. " minister I''laminum. or miuistra 
 Flaminicarum." Pacuvius has this address to Medea: 
 
 " O coelitutn Camilla, expectata advenis : 
 Salve, hospita." 
 
 Sec Scrv. ^n. XI. 543. Macr. Sat. III. viii. Boch., Hicr. p. J. L. III. 
 i 717, proves that b and i are often changed. 
 
 shall he pained. — ib^n*, which is Calmet's conjecture, or ^^.'h', shall 
 
[CH. X. HOSEA. 127 
 
 Even for his glory, because it is departed from him. 
 
 6 Moreover he himself shall be carried into Assyria, 
 As a present to king Jareb. 
 
 Ephraim shall receive shame, 
 
 And Israel shall be ashamed of his counsel. 
 
 7 As for Samaria, her king is cut off 
 
 As the foam on the surface of the waters. 
 
 8 And the high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be 
 
 destroyed : 
 The thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars : 
 
 lament, which is Houbigant's, is required by the exigentia loci, though 
 these readings are unsupported by external authority. " F. i^-n-, sed non 
 construitur cum '?r." Seeker. 
 
 " Verily there shall be mourning over it, of its people and of its priests, 
 who exulted over its glory." ibr, exulted. The future, even without the 
 conversive i, is often used for the preterite, according to Kimchi, as he is 
 quoted by Buxtorf. Frequentissima est temporum enallage — prceteriti pro 
 futuro, et futuri pro prteterito, turn per se et simpliciter in prophetis, turn 
 propter prsefixam literam i. Horsley. 
 
 6. shall he carried. — Heb. portaus erit quis ; by a change of the 
 
 points. See on Jonah iii. 7. It was the custom of the easterns, and also 
 of the Romans, to carry away the gods of conquered countries. See Boch. 
 p. I. L. II. c. xxxiv. p. 357. 
 
 Jareb. — See on ch. v. 13. Or, as a learned friend suggests. an>, 
 
 qui coniendet, a hostile king. 
 
 shame. — F. nu'in, ut Mic. vii. 10. Seeker. 
 
 " Ephraim shall be overtaken in sound sleep, and Israel shall be dis- 
 graced by his own politics.'' I take the word n3i:*3 for the substantive nm 
 (heavy sleep), with the prefix. I know not how it can be regularly formed 
 from the root v^2, to signify shame. Horsley. 
 
 7. As the foam. — So Vulg. Chald. and Symmachus has (.niCifia. 
 
 Many of her kings have rapidly passed away by assassination : and Hoshea 
 shall soon be cut off by the king of Assyria. Mr. Woide proposes to point 
 and render thus, "Samaria is cut off: [part. fern. Niphal] her king is as 
 the foam on the surface of the waters." Perhaps we should read -jabo. 
 
 " Thy king, O Samaria, is cut off," &c. 
 
 8. Aven. — ^The word signifies Iniquity; and is used for Bethaven. 
 
 Chald. has Bethel. 
 
 the sin. — The cause of sin, DeuU ix. 21. 1 Kings xii. 30. Isa. 
 
 xxxi. 7. 
 
128 HOSEA. [CJl. X. 
 
 And they shall say to the mountains, Cover us ; 
 And to the hills, fall on us. 
 9 More than m the days of Gibeah hast thou sinned. 
 Israel stood in array there. 
 Did not the war overtake them in Gibeah ? 
 10 1 came against the sons of iniquity and chastised them. 
 And the % nations shall be gathered together against 
 
 them. 
 When they are chastised for their two iniquities. 
 
 X Ileb. peoples. 
 
 And Ihey shall say. — This sublime description of fear and distress 
 
 our Lord had in view, Luke xxiii. 30 ; which may be a reference, and not 
 a quotation : however, 6. MS. A. have the same order of words which 
 occurs in the evangelist. The parallelism makes the passages more 
 beautiful than Rev. vi. 16 ; and Isaiah ii. 19, wants the animated dramatic 
 form. That there is a reference to the caverns which abounded in the 
 mountainous countries of Palestine, see Bishop Lovvth on Isa. ii. 19. 
 
 9. More than. So many render. Thou hast been guilty of more atro- 
 cious crimes than that committed at Gibeah. Manger cuiijectiires 'd-d. As 
 in the days, &c. See ch. ix. 9. 
 
 stood. — Against the Benjamites, as justice required. 
 
 overtake. — In a calamitous manner. 
 
 10. / came. — I read with Houbigant 'nxa. d. have j/XOt, or yXOtv, MS. 
 A. cd. Aid. and Bretinger. See also Arab. "This is the reading of MS. 
 Copt." Mr. Woide. As I then chastised the idolaters, so will ] now ; but 
 by a foreign enemy. Mr. Dimock also proposes *nx3, / came; and 
 omjij;, iniquities, or the cahes in Dan and Bethel. 
 
 iniquity. — Many MSS. and some editions read nbty. 
 
 c/iastiscd. — V. 6. Syr. Ar. agree in deriving the word Irom nD>, to 
 
 chastise ; and justify reading moina in Niphal. One MS. has o^D■lKa, 
 tihcn I shall chastise them. Or we may read a^D*3, " in casligare me eos." 
 Sec Deut. iv. 36. 
 
 two iniquities. — The calves in Dan and Bethel. Ken has amaij;, 
 
 and twelve MSS. or editions. 
 
 " It is in my desire, and I will chastise them; and the peoples shall be 
 gathered together against them, when they are tethered down to their two 
 furrows " In the word mrxa, iDx is the infinitive mood of the root nvK in 
 its proper sense oi finding, tyiny to, fastening to or upon, or in some respect 
 confmiug, restraining. The suffixed pronoun D expresses the persons who 
 arc the objects of such binding, <Scc. ; and the noun following, under the 
 prefix h, must tlcnote that to or upon which those persons are bound, iSic. — 
 
CH. X.] HOSEA. 129 
 
 11 And Ephraim shall be a trained heifer, loving to tread 
 
 out the corn ; 
 And I will cause her neck to pass under the yoke. 
 Ephraim shall tread out the grain, Judah shall plough, 
 Jacob shall break his clods. 
 
 12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, 
 Reap in the fruit of loving kindness : 
 
 It is supposed that the word niDiy, the plural of r^w, may render furrows 
 in a ploughed field. The noun myo, from the root njy, certainly signifies 
 a Jurroiv. Hence it is concluded that the verb hdj; may signify to make a 
 furroiv; and if this be admitted, the noun noij? or nr:;, may signify a 
 furrow. If this be the true sense, I am inclined to think the being bound 
 or confined to their two furrows may be a proverbial expression, describing 
 the situation of a person fluctuating in his choice between two things, of 
 which he must choose one. In like manner the situation of extreme diffi- 
 culty to which the Israelites were reduced imder their latter kings, without 
 any human means of relief but in the choice of one of two alliances, that 
 of Assyria and that of Egypt, may be represented under the image of an 
 animal tethered by a short rope in such a manner that its utmost liberty 
 of feeding is but the breadth of a single ridge between two fun-ows. 
 Horsley. 
 
 11. loving. — Houbigant remarks that the ' in Tiir^n is superfluous. 
 
 Of the paragogic ' see Prael. Heb. iii. p. 34. " That loveth. Because they 
 were not muLzled, Deut. xxv. 4." Seeker. 
 
 to pass. — I read 'mayn, by conjecture, and adopt Houbigaul's 
 
 conjecture of istd, yoke, for aiD, good. 
 
 Suspicor genuinam lectionem esse 
 
 mxiv aita bv by 'mayn 
 " Transire faciam jugum super coUum ejus formosum," 
 
 Bahrdt. 
 
 tread out the grain . — I read ^^T, calcabit. See Jer. li. 3. The 
 
 construction requires a verb which suits the two following, arabit, occahit. 
 
 The sense of the verse seems to be, that the descendants of Jacob should 
 be employed in servile offices by their enemies. 
 
 " I delighted in treading out [grain]. Therefore I myself for good have 
 crossed her neck. — I will make Ephraim carry me — Judah shall plough, 
 Jacob shall harrow for himself." Horsley. 
 
 12. in the fruit. — I read nsb with 6. Arab. See the Ibllowing 
 
 verse. " 6. tig Kapnov ?w»jc, n^n ns'' ; et nsb forsan rectc. Confer v. 13." 
 Seeker. 
 
130 HOSEA. fCH. X. 
 
 Break up to yourselves the fallow-ground of knowledge : 
 That yc may seek Jehovah, 
 Till he come and rain righteousness upon you. 
 13 But ye have ploughed wickedness, ye have reaped the 
 punishme7it of iniquity : 
 Ye have eaten the fruit of falsehood. 
 Because thou hast trusted in thy way, in the multitude 
 of thy mighty men, 
 11' There shall arise a tumult among thy § people ; 
 And all thy fortresses shall be destroyed, 
 Like the destruction of Zalmunna by the hand of Jerulv 
 baal. 
 
 ^ Heb. peoples. 
 
 of hnowlcdye. — For nj?i I read ny^, with 6. Arab. From these 
 
 alterations arises a most beautiful allegory. If ye sow goodness, ye shall 
 reap the divine mercy; if ye cultivate the knowledge of Jehovah, he shall 
 pour on you the rain of righteous benignity. On the other hand ye have 
 ploughed, &c. 
 
 13, the punishment oUniquitj/. — So pv. Lam. iv, 6; nxun, Jsa. xl. 
 
 2. Lam. iii. 39. Zeeh. xiv. 19; and qu-n, Hos. v. 15. Hab. i. 11. See 
 Bishop Lowth on Isa. xl. 2, This particular metonymy of the cause for 
 the effect was natural among the Jews, whose law abounded with temporal 
 sanctions, which God often inflicted. 
 
 thy irai/. — V, Syr. and four MSS. read T3"n3, tin/ u-ai/s. But 6. 
 
 (MS. Al. and ed. Aid.) and Arab, and also Jerom and Cyril, read in ihij 
 chariots, nn^na ; which suits the place remarkably well, and is one instance 
 among many, how easily similar letters are confounded. 
 
 ■jDnna, iv toiq afiapTt]na(n eov, 6. Vat; sed Al. apfiaai, rectc, T3D1D, 
 quod melius. Vid, prol. ed. Grabe; qua) docent tovq 6. -\-\-i vertisse 
 ufiapria, avoftia, (ca/cta. Seeker. 
 
 MS. Copt, also reads apixaat. Mr. Woide. 
 
 14. There shall arise. — Five MSS. read opi. But see Prrel. Heb, xxviii. 
 p. 373. Some think that axp, and the like substitutions of k for t in the 
 Arabic form, are corruptions of the Hebrew text introduced by scribes well 
 versed in the Arabic language. See on Amos. ii. 7. Houbigant connects 
 this line with the foregoing by a comma. So Syr. 
 
 Zalmunna. — This is the reading of Grotius and Houbigant. Vulg. 
 
 and 6. MS. Al. have Jerubbaal, a reading mentioned by Jerom. See the 
 history of Gideon's or Jerubbaal's defeat of Zalmunna, Judges viii. It is 
 referred to Ps. Ixxxiii. 11. If we read " As Shalman destroyed Beth- 
 Arbcl," rcl'crcncc is made (o a fact not elsewhere recorded ; possibly to 
 
CH. X.] HOSEA. 131 
 
 In the day of battle, the mother and || the chiklren shall 
 be dashed in pieces. 
 15 Thus shall it be done unto you, 
 
 O house of Israel, because of your wickedness. 
 
 In a morning the king of Israel shall surely be cut off. 
 
 II Heb. together with. 
 
 Shalmanezei's laying waste a city of that name. " bxa-ix, possibly Arbela 
 in Mesopotamia; said to be so called from Arbelus, a king and god of 
 Assyria. If such a deity was worshipped there, it might he called 
 bmN-n-a." Dr. Forsayeth. 
 
 " As Shalraan destroyed Betharhal." The sense of the passage is as 
 clear as it could be if the history were kno«u. The allusion is to a 
 military exploit, well known, we may be sure, in Hosea's time, in which 
 the conqueror spared neither sex nor age, and the Israelites are threatened 
 with an equal calamity. Upon the subject of such emendations, as they 
 are called, as have been proposed in this place, Pocock says, " By the 
 same reason every one, for introducing any where such a meaning as 
 pleased him best, might alter the words as he pleased, of which there 
 would be no end, and it would be a matter of very ill consequence ; we 
 must fit our meaning to the words, and not the words to our meaning." 
 Horsley. 
 
 15. shall it he done. — Faciens erit quis; Heb. See on Jonah iii, 7. 
 
 h(yuse of Israel. — So 6. Arab. See on Amos v. 6. 
 
 your tvickedness. — 6. MS. Al. and ed. Aid. read avo ■K^ocnonov 
 
 KuKiojv vjjioiv. So Arab, a facie defonnitatis vestase. Whence, I conclude, 
 Ihat a3*myT *33d, or aonyn, is the true reading. 
 
 — ^ In a morning. — V. has " Sicut mane." And three editions and 
 ten MSS. have nnuo Three other MSS. read so originally ; and, perhaps, 
 this is the reading of two more. The sense is the same. " As in a morn- 
 ing, &c.," i. e. Hoshea, king of Israel, shall be suddenly cut oflf by the 
 Assyrians. 
 
 " As the morning is brought to nothing, to nothing shall the king of 
 Israel be brought.'' The force of the word ^o^, when it is used as here, 
 to signify a total destruction, is very often what cannot be adequately 
 expressed in any word, hardly in any two or three put together, of the 
 English language. From its leading sense of assimilation, it may na- 
 turally signify, the making of a thing all alike, inside and out, from top to 
 bottom : hence the obliterating of all featiues and distinctions ; the reso- 
 lution of any organized substance into the promiscuous mass of unformed, 
 undistinguished atoms, of which it is composed ; the not leaving of a 
 vestige of a form behind ; the reducing of a thing to its vXij npojTt]. We 
 
132 HOSEA. [CII. XI. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 1 When Israel was a child, then I loved him ; 
 And out of Egyi't I called my son. 
 
 2 * W^hen I called, f then they departed from me : 
 
 They sacrificed to Baalim, and they burned incense to 
 graven images. 
 
 * Heb. As. t Heb. so. 
 
 express much tbe same sort of destruction, l)Ut with less force, and much 
 less propriety, by the verb (o annihilate. Horsley. 
 
 Chap. XI. 1. And out of E </>/]> t. — In his youth, see ch. ii. 15. f 
 
 showed my love to him by calling him out of Egypt. In the same manner 
 God showed his love to his son Jesus ; both preserving him in Egypt, 
 and calling him thence. So tliat the same language is applicable to both 
 events. Matt. ii. 15. 
 
 mt/ son. — For this reading we have Vulg. Syr. Aq. Symm. Theod. 
 
 For vjab, his so7is, 6. Arab. " But MS. Copt, reads rov vlov fxov." Mr. 
 Woide. 
 
 -sab ^naip. — b is used, not only when giving a name is meant, as 
 
 Gen. i. 10, which Chald. and some Kabbins understand here, supplying 
 him ; but when fetching is meant, as Gen. xxxi. 4 ; Poc. Seeker. 
 
 Although the son here immediately meant is the natural Israel, called 
 out of Egypt by Moses and Aaron, there can be no doubt, that an allusion 
 was intended by the Holy S])irit, to the call of the infant Christ out of the 
 same country. In reference to this event, the passage might be tlius para- 
 phrased : " God, in such sort, set his affection upon the Israelites, in the 
 infancy of their nation, that so early as from their tirst settlement in 
 Egypt, the arrangement was declared of the descent of the Messiah from 
 .ludah, and of the calling of that son from Egypt." See Gen. xlix 10. 
 Numb, xxiii. 22. xxiv. 8, and Dent, xxxiii. 7. Horsley. 
 
 2. When I called. — I read with «. Ar. Syr. and Houbigant, *Knp3. This 
 reading will not increase the number of letters, if we suppose the 3 repre- 
 sented by a letter which resembles it, the preceding i in the word VD^b. 
 
 from, mc, — I place the stop after *23ri, and begin the next l)ranch of 
 
 the sentence with nn. So 6. Arab. Houbigant. Syr. have, " so they 
 departed from me, and sacrificed, &c." " Professor Michaelis also divides 
 the words in this manner. Bibl. Orient '' Mr. Woide. 
 
 graven images. — The gi'aven image was not a thing wrought in 
 
 metal by the tool of the workman wc should now call an engraver; nor 
 
C:H. XI.] HOSEA. 133 
 
 3 And I taught Epliraim to go, 
 Taking them up in mine arms : 
 
 And they knew not that I healed them. 
 
 4 With the cords of a man I drew them, with the bands 
 
 of love : 
 And I was unto them as one that raised the yoke on 
 their cheek : 
 
 was the molten image an image made of metal, or any other substance 
 melted and shaped in a mould. In fact, the two are the same thing under 
 different names. The images of the ancient idolaters were first cut out of 
 wood by the carpenter, as is very evident from the prophet Isaiah. This 
 figure of wood was overlaid with plates, either of gold or silver, or some- 
 times, perhaps, of an inferior metal. And in this finished state it was 
 called a graven image (i. e. a carved image), in reference to the inner solid 
 figure of wood, and a molten (i. e. an overlaid or covered) image, in refer- 
 ence to the outer metalline case or covering. And sometimes both epithets 
 are applied to it at once : " I will cut off the graven and molten image." 
 Nahum i. 14. " What profiteth the gi'aven and molten image." Hab. ii. 18. 
 Horsley. 
 
 3. taught Epliraim to go. — I read Tibjnn, with Houbigant. <». Ar. 
 
 Syr. Chald. suppose a verb in the first person : " I directed the feet of 
 Epliraim." " Lege ^nbain." Bahrdt. 
 
 Taking them. — Vel legendum, anpx, vel sumendum np, pro prw- 
 
 terito. Seeker. V. Ezek. xvii. 5. 
 
 in mine arms. — I read ~nvnT3, in mine arm, or \-nj7n73, in mine arms, 
 
 with the versions and Houbigant. One edition has the former reading, 
 and one MS. had it originally. And Abuwalid, and R. Tanchum, in 
 Pocock, read in mine arms. " duasi nutritius Ephraim portabam eos in 
 brachiis meis," is the rendering of Vulg. and Acts xiii. 18; some copies 
 read trpo^o^opjjfftv avTovg, he bare them as a nurse. 
 
 »nyi-iT, Codex Lilienthalii posterior. Dathius. 
 
 4. the cords of a man. — The explanation in the Chald. is just and 
 
 beautiful, " As beloved children are drawn, I drew them by the strength 
 of love,'' " 2 Sam. vii. 14. Yoke, Lev. xxvi. 13." Seeker. 
 
 " But they would not know, that I preserved their health amid the 
 gi-ievous plagues of men." The plagues of Egypt which touched not the 
 Israelites. The verb x3-i is rendered in the lexicons to heal, and so it 
 usually signifies. But it also signifies to preserve health, or, when God is 
 the agent, to give health, as well as to restore it. I render -bana amidst 
 grievous plagues, and place the Soph-pasuk at mx. The version of the 
 Seventy, rightly pointed, gives the same sense, icai ovk tyvwaai>, on lanai 
 avTovQ tv Sia^Oopif av^pwTrwv. Horsley. 
 
 one that raised. — Vulg. <>. Ar. Syr, Chald. read in the singular 
 
134 HOSE A. [CIl. Xi. 
 
 And I inclined unto him, I bare with him. 
 5 He shall return to the land of Kgypt : 
 
 And the Assyrian shall be his king : 
 
 Because they have refused to return unto me. 
 G And the sword shall fall grievously on his cities ; 
 
 And it shall consume because of him ; and it shall devour 
 for their counsels. 
 
 number q-tj. MS. three read q*ko2, originally. It is very probable that 
 the words refer to the custom of raising the yoke forward, to cool the neck 
 of the labouring beast. See Salamo Ren Melech in Bishop Lowth on Isa. 
 i. 3. See also Pocock in loc, who quotes Columella, " Cum vcntum ad 
 versuram est, in priorem partem jugum propellat, et boves inhibeat ; ut 
 colla eorum refrigescant, qua? celeriter conflagrant nisi assidue refrigeren- 
 tur; et ex eo tumor, ac deinde ulcera invadunt." " Pro bv, f. "^yn." 
 Seeker. 
 
 inclined. — Or, turned. See Numb. xx. 17. 1 Sam. viii. 3. Sym- 
 
 machus in Jerora is rendered Et decllnavi. See Montfau^on's Hex. But 
 6. Ar. read is'aNi, and I looked on him. 
 
 i hare tviik him. — 6. Ar. read ib ^din, or, ibaw, lvvr]ao(iai avTift, 
 
 taking xb, for which they read ib, from the next verse. I ha\e the pleasure 
 of finding this criticism confirmed by Bahrdt and Manger in loc., except 
 that they read ib "j'Din, cibum pnehebam ei. See Isa. i. 13. Ps. ci- 5. So 
 irpo(po(popT](Ttv avTovQ, Acts xiii. 18; which is the common and best sup- 
 ported reading. " Professor Michaelis prefers the reading of b^aiK, which 
 is confirmed by three MSS. Bibl. Orient." Mr. Woide. The translation 
 would then be 
 
 " And I inclined unto him, I led him.'' 
 
 " And I spread provender before him." Horsley. 
 
 5. He shall lelurn. — Agreeably to ch. vii. Ifi. viii. 13 ix. 3, ti, and 
 V. 11. The negative particle in our version, and in \'ulg. Syr. Chald. 
 creates, what appears to me, an invincible difliculty. 
 
 We may translate, Shall he not return to Egypt ? Dr. Forsayeth. 
 
 to return unto me. — To be converted. See Isa. vi. 10. Ezek. 
 
 xiv. 6. 
 
 G. shall fall grievously. — So we render bin, Jer. xxiii. 19. Shall 
 
 fall and rest on, Kinichi in Pocock. Vulnerabit, Symm. Houbigant, 
 from bbn. 
 
 because of him. — See *^3 in Noldius. 
 
 " And the sword shall weary itself in his cities, and consume his diviners, 
 and devour because of their counsels." Diviners are called da, from the 
 
CH. XI. J HOSEA. 135 
 
 7 And my people shall hang in doubt, because of their 
 
 turning away from me : 
 And though they call on him together because of the 
 yoke, he M^ill not raise it. 
 
 8 How shall I give thee up, O Ephraim? how shall I 
 
 deliver thee up, O Israel? 
 How shall I make thee as Admali ? how shall I set thee 
 
 as Zeboim? 
 Mine heart is changed within me : 
 At the same time my repentiugs are kindled. 
 
 9 I will not execute \ mine hot anger, 
 
 I Mill not turn to destroy Ephraim utterly ; 
 For I am God, and not man ; 
 
 X Heb. the heat of mine ahger. 
 
 root nna, because they affected a solitary, ascetic life. This sense of the 
 word ana, seems of all the most apposite to the context. The word is cer- 
 tainly capable of other senses, and has been differently taken^ in this places 
 by different interpreters ; among those, I mean, who adhere to the Hebrew 
 text, as we now read it. The Seventy, and the Syriac, certainly represent 
 a different reading : vtj, instead of via. Kai ijcrdtvijmv poix(paia iv rate 
 TToXtffiv avTov, Kai KciriTravcrtv tv raig xfoffii' avTov. ''The sword is weak- 
 ened in his cities, and is become inactive in his hands." Horsley. 
 
 7. hanrj in doubt. — They shall be utriwpi^of^iivoi, in a state of 
 
 anxious suspense, Lute xii. 29. See Deut. xxviii. 66. 
 
 turninci anay from me —So the Arab. IMS. in Pocock. See on ch. 
 
 viii. 18 "Till my returning.'' 
 
 raise it. — See r. 4. Syr. seems to read, " and ?/they call on God." 
 
 ixip" bn byi. 6 read in* vip' ^V bxi, " and God will be angry at their 
 precious things." 
 
 " For they were called to a high degree All of one mind, they would 
 
 not be exalted." As the word Q-om, literally rendering bowels, is used figu- 
 ratively for the feelings of compassion, with which, when vehement, the 
 viscera are sensibly affected. I am persuaded, the word Viinjj here pays 
 back what it borrows, and signifies bowels. Hors'ey. 
 
 8. Adniah. — See Gen. xiv. 8. 
 
 3rine heart. — "My heart is turned upon me, by bowels yearn 
 
 altogether." Horsley. 
 
 Al l/ie same time. — 'EvreTapaxOti, 6. 
 
13G HOSEA. [CH. XI, 
 
 The Holy One in tlic midst of thee, and not a frequenter 
 of cities. 
 
 10 Tliey sliall walk after Jehovah, when he shall roar as a 
 
 lion : 
 When he shall roar, then shall their sons hasten from tlie 
 west : 
 
 1 1 They shall hasten as a bird, from Egypt ; 
 
 9. and not a frequenter of cities. — I inhabit my holy place, and do 
 
 not, like men, appear in places of public concourse; " Et non qui ventito 
 in urbem " Heb. See this curious explanation in Prcel. Hob. xix. 211. 
 " Professor Michaelis points the word differently, and compares it with the 
 kindred Syriac word which denotes ferus, iminitis ; and with the Arabic 
 one which denotes iratus, and particularly ira in Deo. \Vi\A. Orient." 
 Mr. Woide. See "lya, Cast. lex. I have sometimes thought that we should 
 read lya, that is nj;in, bitrning, or consuming all before me. See Mai. 
 iv. 1. 
 
 Putat Vitr. in Jes. x 34. p. 297, legendum -i^yD, ut hostis. Vide Is. xl. 
 10. Jer. XV. 8, vel forsan recte n*if3 in persona hostis, en ennemi. Conf. 
 Exod. vi. 3 et Nold. in 3 sign. 20. Or, a holy one is — not come in 
 enmity. Seeker. 
 
 10. They shall walk. — They shall refrain from idolatry, when he shall 
 display his power in their behalf. 
 
 hasten. — In Cast. lex. mn is rendered trcpide accurrit., festinavit. 
 
 So: 
 
 " Dum trepidant alie, saltusque indagine cingunt." 
 
 Virg. .En. iv, 121. 
 
 See more in Pocock for the sen.se of moving icithout fear; where 2 Kings 
 iv. 13, is quoted. No doubt, many of the ten tribes returned from the 
 west, from Egypt, and from Assyria, in consequence of Cyrus's decree. 
 " Trepidi accurrent. So Ch. Syr. understand it." Seeker. 
 
 "After Jehovah they shall walk — Like a lion he shall roar — verily he 
 himself shall roar ; and children shall hurry from the west." It is to be 
 observed that the roaring is mentioned twice. It will be consistent with 
 the style of the prophets, to take this as two roarings, and to refer the 
 hurrying of the children from the west to the first ; the hurrying from 
 Egypt and Assyria to the second. The times of the two roarings are 
 the first and second advent. The first brought children from the west; 
 the renewed preaching of the gospel, at the second, will bring home the 
 Jews. And perhaps this second sounding of the gospel may be more 
 remarkable even than the first, a roaring of Jehovah in person. Ilorsley. 
 
 1 1. T/iri/ shall hasten. — " They shall hurry like the sjiarnnv from Egypt, 
 
CIT. XJ.] HOSKA. 137 
 
 And as a dove, from the land of Assyria : 
 And 1 will place them in their houses, saitli Jehovah. 
 12 Ephraim hath § compassed me about with falsehood ; 
 And the house of Israel, and of Judah, with deceit : 
 But hereafter they shall come down a people of God, 
 Even a faithful people of saints. 
 
 j Or, beset. 
 
 and like the dove from Assyria ; and I will settle tlieni in their own houses, 
 saith Jehovah." iisv3, like the sparrow. As a particular species of bird 
 (the dove) is connected «ith Assyria, a particular species also must be con- 
 nected with Egypt. Therefore I take mav in its specilic, not its general 
 sense. I render ihe sparrow and the dove ; because the Hebrew nouns, 
 tliough in the singular number, certainly are to be taken here for the 
 species, not for a single bird of each kind ; a flight of sparrows, and a flight 
 of doves. The sparrow and the dove are both birds of very quick motion. 
 Horsier. 
 
 12. compassed me about. — See Ps. xxxii. 7. cix. 3. ch. vii. 2. 
 
 and of Judah. — So o. At. Syr. Judah cannot be praised at this 
 
 period, as in the English version. See ch. v. 5, 12. vi. 4. xii. 2. 
 
 thei/ shall come down. — From Babylon. Vulg. reads it. Syr. reads 
 
 rn-i, or it, and pKji, "a holy and faithful people." If we read in" and 
 mr, we may render: " Hereafter they shall come down people of God," or, 
 " a people of God shall come down." 
 
 6. and Ar. lead us to read 
 
 " But now will God know them. 
 And they shall be called a people of saints." 
 
 so. at their restoration to their own land. 
 
 " Professor Michaelis also reads ay, a people. Bibl. Orient." Rlr. Woide. 
 
 " Ephraim hath compassed me about with treachery, and the house of Israel 
 with deceit. But Judah shall yet obtain dominion with God, and shall be 
 established with the Holy Ones." o-u'-np, "the Holy Ones," the Holy 
 Trinity. By the use of this plural word the prophecy clearly points to 
 the conversion of the Jewish people to the Christian faith. Even the 
 Jewish expositors, R. Tauchum and Kimchi, understand this plural word in 
 this place as signifying God : although the former disapproves not altoge- 
 ther the opinion of those who would understand it of " angels." Among 
 Christian expositors, Lyra, CEcolampadius, Munster, RIercer, Vatablus, 
 understand it as I do of the Persons of the Godhead. Horsley. 
 
 N 2 
 
138 HOSEA. [CH. XII. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 1 Ephraim feedeth on tlie wind, and followetli after the 
 eastwind. 
 Every day he multiplieth falsehood and robbery. 
 And tliey have made a league with Assyria : 
 And oil is carried into Egypt. 
 /2 Jehovah hath also a controversy with Judah ; 
 
 And he ivill set himself to * visit Jacob according to his 
 
 ways ; 
 According to his doings will he recompense him. 
 
 3 In the womb he took his brother by the heel ; 
 
 And by his strength he had the power of a prince with 
 God: 
 
 4 Yea, he had the power of a prince with the angel : 
 
 And he prevailed by might ; and he made supplication 
 
 unto him : 
 In Bethel he found him, and there he spake with him. 
 
 * Heb. to visit upon. 
 
 Chap. XII. 1. Ephraim. — He not only adopts empty counsels, but 
 dangerous ones. See Job xv. 2, and the addition in 6. Piov. ix. 12. 
 
 eastwind. — Which was parching and noxious. 
 
 robbery. — 6. read niui, and vanity. 
 
 2. According to his doings. — Seven MSS. three editions, the versions, 
 
 andChald. read vbbyoai, And according to his doings., f<c. 
 
 3. by the heel. — The action denoted that he would supplant him in 
 
 the right of primogeniture. See Gen. xxv. 26. xxvii. 36. " And in his 
 adult vigour he had power with God." Horsley. 
 
 4. the angel. — Who represented the invisible Jehovah, John i. 18. 
 
 by might. — Instead of nD3, he wept, of which we read nothing, 
 
 Gen. xxxii. Houbigant conjectures that we should read nan, i. e. n>33. 
 
 "Even matched with the angel he had power, and was endued with 
 strength. He had wept, and made supplication." " Matched with the 
 angel." This I take to be the exact force of the Hebrew -jn't-j ^•h, Trpo? rov 
 ayytXov. Horsley. 
 
 spake with him. — loy. So. o. MS. A. Ar. Syr. Houbigant. 
 
 " With us." ly^v- It is perhaps a question that has never been aecu- 
 
CH. XII.] HOSEA. 139 
 
 5 And Jeliovah God of hosts, Jehovah is the name appointed 
 
 for a memorial of him. 
 
 6 Therefore turn thou unto thy God; 
 Observe loving-kindness and judgment ; 
 And hope in thy God always. 
 
 7 He is a trafficker ; in his hand are the balances of 
 
 deceit ; 
 He loveth to oppress : 
 
 8 And Ephraim hath said, surely I am become rich ; 
 I have found myself substance. 
 
 All his labours shall not be fomid profitable unto him, 
 
 lately discussed, in what cases the suffix i3 may be taken as the pronoun of 
 the third person sing. masc. ; whether, when attached to any other words 
 than the infinitives and third persons sing, future of verbs. If to any 
 other words, whether to undeclinables. Horsley. 
 
 5. memorial. — The name by which he is remembered and dis- 
 tinguished, Ex. iii. 15. 
 
 7. a trafficker. — We may render the word, a Canaanile. See 
 
 Susanna, v. 56. 
 
 " thou seed of Canaan, and not of Judah." 
 
 " Canaan the trafficker." God says to the prophet, " Instead of turning 
 to me, and keeping to works of charity and justice, he is a mere heathen 
 huckster. Thou hast miscalled him Jacob. He is Canaan. Not Jacob 
 the godly, the heir of the promise. Canaan the cheat, the son of the 
 curse." The Hebrew word iy33, is both a proper name and an appellative, 
 rendering a merchant. And to preserve the ambiguity in my translation,! 
 join the appellative and the proper name together. By giving the proper 
 name without the appellative, or the appellative without the proper name, 
 the whole spirit of the original would be lost to the English reader. All 
 the ancient versions, except the Chaldee, give the proper name. Horslev. 
 
 8. found myself substance. — Perhaps we should read nn, Tnvenlis 
 
 miser abstinet. Hor. 
 
 his Idbours. — I read with a. Ar. vyo': or ly^y his labour; andi'?, 
 
 nnto him; and I suppose a preposition to be understood before iij;; which 
 is a very common construction. 
 
 be found. — He shall not possess, or enjoy, the fruit of them. 
 
 " -b iKvr: K*? may mean, suffice me not. See Josh. xvii. 16." Seeker. 
 
 I translate -b ikvo* k*?, have not been sufficient for me. See Josh. xvii. 
 16; and render the latter part of the verse thus: Yet all I have acquired 
 by my labours [see Ps. cxxviii. 2. Isa. xlv. 14] has not been sufficient for 
 
I 10 HOSEA. [Cll. XI J 
 
 Fo)' the iniquity wlierewitli he hath sinned. 
 1) And Jehovah thy God, who brought thee up out of the 
 land of Egypt, 
 Will again make thee to dwell in tents, as iii the days of 
 old. 
 10 Yet have I spoken unto the prophets; 
 And I have multiplied vision ; 
 And by tlie f prophets have I used similitudes. 
 
 I I \^erily in Gilead there is iniquity ; 
 Surely they are become vanity. 
 
 t Heb. hand of the prophets. 
 
 me, by reason of the iniquity whcvewith I have sinned. I read *nun, tlie n 
 being omitted, as Job xxxiii. 18. Ruth ii. 9, &c. Dr. Forsayetli. 
 
 To preserve the turn of the original, we should render, " found suffi- 
 cient for him." 
 
 yy sunt opes laborihus parttc, et invenire alteri aliquid est sufflcere ad 
 aliquid. De isto usu verbi n!;o, V. Jos. xvii. l(i. Judg. xxi. 14. Num. xi. 
 22. Balirdt. " Nevertheless Ephraim shall say, Although ] became rich, 
 I acquired to myself [only] sorrow ; all my labours procured not for n)e 
 what may expiate iniquity." Ilorsley. 
 
 D. tcho brovyht thee %tp. — I supply in'ryin with u. Ar. Syr. Chald. 
 
 See on ch. xiii. 4. 
 
 of old. — Chald. and MS. Arab, in Pocock have cnp. And MS. 
 
 2-15, supposed to be written about A.D. 1290, bus Dbiy. 
 
 I will deprive you of your habitations, and will cause you in your 
 captive state lo inhabit tents, as ye fonnerly did in the desert. See Mio. 
 iv. 10. If wc read nyir:, the feast of tabernacles must be meant. 
 
 -!j;to viO, as in the days of the appointed time : alluding to the forty 
 years; during which, on account of the frecjuent provocations of the 
 children of Israel, God had determined that they should dwell in the 
 wiUlcrncss, Numb. xiv. 34. Dr. Forsaycth. 
 
 10. similitudes. — Co»nparisons, or parables; and typical represen- 
 tations. I have endeavoured to avert thy punishment, by sending a suc- 
 cession of prophets. Chald. reads nbii-x, / sent. 
 
 11. Verili/ \n. — Syr. has nvb^a, and perhaps read cy, "with Gilead.'' 
 Chald. has lybaa □«. Perhaps the preposition n is understood in the text. 
 DK f. IK. Scelicr. " I lia\e spoken [coming] upon the prophets, 1 have 
 also multiplied vision ; and by the ministry of the prophets, I have shown 
 similitudes." Ilorsley. 
 
CH. XII.] HOSEA. 141 
 
 In Gilgal they sacrifice oxen : 
 Moreover their altars are as heaps 
 In the furrows of the field. 
 
 12 And Jacob fled into the country of Syria ; 
 And Israel served for a wife ; 
 
 And for a wife he kept sheep, 
 
 13 And by a prophet Jehovah brought up Israel out of 
 
 Egypt, 
 
 And by a prophet was he preserved. 
 14- Ephraim hath provoked X most bitterly : 
 
 Therefore his Lord will leave his blood upon him, 
 And will recompense to him his reproach. 
 
 % Heb. with bitternesses. 
 
 oxen. — In Gilgal the pribces sacrifice, b. They read Dnir. 
 
 as heaps. — As common as heaps of stones. See Isa. v. 2. Palestine 
 
 was a stony country. 
 
 12. kept sheep. — Houbigant suspects that the order is disturbed; 
 
 and observes the want of connection, ahout which he thinks all the 
 coniinentators unsatisfactory. Pocock supposes the best connection to be, 
 That Ephraim was much degenerated from his ancestors, who in a fugitive 
 and low state relied on God's providence, and when slaves in Egypt wil- 
 lingly submitted themselves to Moses as God's minister. After the word 
 hept, there may be an omission of some words. If we suppose that there 
 followed a reference to Gen. xxxi. 3, that Jehovah appeared to Jacob in a 
 vision, instances of the divine goodness in v. 12, 13, will be opposed to the 
 ingratitude of Ephraim in v. 14 ; as v. 10, stands opposed io v. II. 
 
 " Kept watch." noir, excubias egit. In the office of a shepherd. 
 Horsley. 
 
 14. leave his blood. — Will not cleanse him from the guilt of blood 
 
 shed by him. 
 
 his reproach. — The reproach shown by him to his God. 
 
 " Therefore his murders shall be upon him — He shall be forsaken — and 
 his master shall requite unto him all his blasphemies." His master^ that 
 is, his conqueror, who shall hold him in servitude, and be the -instrument 
 of God's just vengeance. Horsley. 
 
11.2 HOSEA. [in. XIII. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 When Epliraim spake trembling, 
 He exalted hiniscl/"u\ Israel; 
 
 But when he offended in the matter o/'Baal, he died. 
 And now they * sin more and more, 
 And have made to themselves a molten image ; 
 Of their silver by their skill have they made idols : 
 All of it in the work of the artificers : 
 
 * Heb. they add to sin. 
 
 Chai' XIII. 1. trembling.- — The ovij;iiial word may lie a jiMiti- 
 
 ciple, nnn. See its sense in Cbald. Syr. and Ar. in Cast. lex. expressive 
 of fear and its effects : tremuit, exten-uit, imbecillus fuit, impeditus lingua 
 
 fuit. 
 
 " \"ox faucibus lioesit." Virg. 
 
 Compare Isa. Ixvi. 2. When Ephraim spate humbly, and trembling at 
 my word. 6 may have read mo, " according to the law," which makes a 
 good sense. See Houbigant. 
 
 He exalted himself. — We may read x^uo, he ^ms a prince. Tlie 
 
 ■1/0(1 may have been formerly supplied by a point. This reading will 
 answer exactly to Syr. See also Chald. 
 
 he died. — He was consigned to destruction from his enemies. 
 
 " When Ephraim spake, there was dread : he was exalted in Israel. Ikit 
 he offended in Baal, and died." Horsley, 
 
 2. Of thm- silver.— ^6. MS, Pachom. and ed. Aid. read ik xpvcrioo 
 
 Kai Tov apyvpiov : and one MS. and two ed. add aanroi. 
 
 bij their skill. — Reading cmiann. Another good reading is, n':anD 
 
 " according to the similitude." Sec ^^ 6. Ar. Syr. Chald. and the many 
 MSS. and editions which read 3 for 2. 
 
 " And have made to themselves a molten image of their silver ; 
 According to the similitude of idols; all of it the work of the artificer." 
 onjiDna Recte : licet n*:3n exemplar denotet. Seeker. 
 " In their great wisdom." So I render njiDno. Pro sua scilicet 
 sapientia" Observe, that the reading Djiana, instead of Q^iana, is con- 
 lirnicd by a great nivinber of the old editions, by thirty- one MSS. of 
 Kennicott's collation, and by eighty-five in all of De Rossi's. Horsley. 
 
 All of it. — dVd, all of them, is the reading of four MSS. and of two 
 
 more originally. There is 'still better authority of MSS. for reading ^b■3. 
 lUit after nbj we mav understand mm. 
 
CII. xril.] HOSEA. 1 13 
 
 They say concerning them, 
 
 Let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves. 
 
 3 Therefore shall they be as the morning cloud ; 
 And as the early dew ichicli passeth away : 
 
 As chaff driven by a whirlwind from the threshing-floor ; 
 And as smoke from the chimney. 
 
 4 But I am Jehovah thy God, 
 
 Who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt : 
 
 concerning them. — anb, f. ex praeced. rh et seq. xsr^. Seeker. 
 
 the men who sacrijice. — See Isa. xxix. 19. 
 
 a^K -jrnK, the poor among men. See also Mic. v. 5. 
 
 kiss. — See 1 Kings xix. 18. Thus Cicero describes a statue of 
 
 Hercules as having " rictum ejus ac mentum paulo attritius, quod in 
 precibus et gratulationibus non solum adorare, verum etiam osculari 
 solebant." In Verr. Act. ii. L. iv. Sec. 43. The margin seems better. 
 " The sacri fleers of men." Seeker. 
 
 " And now they repeat [their] sin : and, in their great wisdom, they 
 liave made to themselves molten images of their silver ; idols, the work- 
 manship of artificers. Their finishing is, that they say, ' let the sacrificers 
 of men kiss the calves.' " This verse briefly describes the progress of 
 idolatry among the ten tribes, from the time of the introduction of the 
 worship of the Syrian Baal in the reign of Ahab, which may be reckoned 
 its commencement. From this time they were daily raultiplyino- their 
 idols, and adopting all the abominations of the heathen rites. The earlier 
 worship of Jeroboam's calves was the least part^ of their guilt, for it was 
 not properly idolatry, it was a schismatical worship of the true God, under 
 disallowed emblems, and by a usurping priesthood. But, at length, super- 
 stition made such a progress among them, that human sacrifices were 
 made an essential rite in the worship of the calves ; and this was the 
 finishing stroke, the last stage of their impiety, that they said, " Let the 
 sacrificers of men kiss the calves." Let them consider themselves as the 
 most acceptable worshippers, who approach the image with human blood. 
 " Kiss the calves," i. e. worship the calves. Among the ancient idolaters 
 to kiss the idol was an act of the most solemn adoration. Horsley. 
 
 3. from the chimney. — A-iro Kairvo^oxnQ. Theod. 
 
 " Ut calidis fumus ab ignibus 
 Vanescit." Sen. Troad. Act. ii. 
 
 4, Who brought thee. Here again, as ch. xii. 9. 6. At. Syr. Chald. 
 
 supply a verb : and, it is very remarkable, that two MSS. have fbvin, qui 
 ascendere feci te ; as the word is written, Deut. xx. 1. Ps. Ixxxi. 10. 
 
144 IIOSEA. [til. XIII. 
 
 And thou hast known no God but me ; 
 
 And there is no Saviour besides me. 
 5 I knew thee in the desert, 
 
 In the land of great drought. 
 () In their pasture they have been filled : 
 
 They have been filled, and their heart hath been exalted : 
 
 Therefore have they forgotten me. 
 
 known. — Experienced the power and goodness of no other God. 
 
 hut me. — See "rh'^, Isa. x. 4. 
 
 There is a reraarkahle addition in 6. as in Prov. ix. 12, 18, and other 
 phices. They read to this effect : — 
 
 n-DU-n K3y bD wj? n» 
 
 : Dnnnn rchb omN ^*n*x^n xbi 
 
 "iji anvQ v^^•D inbyr: >33m 
 
 " But I am Jehovah thy God, 
 
 Who stretched out the heavens and created the earth : 
 
 My hands have made all the host of the heavens : 
 
 And I showed them not unto thee that thou shouldest walk after them. 
 
 And I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt," &c. 
 
 The omission in the Hebrew text may have arisen from the carelessness 
 of transcribers, who passed from one *3dxi to the other. 
 
 5. knew thee. — " The versions, except the Vulgate, and Chald. 
 
 read yn-v-^, fed thee. Professor Michaelis. Bibl. Orient." Mr. Woide. 
 
 " Sustained thee." Tnvi% i. e. literally, 7 Jineio thee, i. e. I acknow- 
 ledged thee as my peculiar people by ^my watchful cure of thee ; I was 
 attentive to thee, protecting thee in all dangers, and supplying all thy 
 wants, llorsley. 
 
 great drought. — In Arab, nxb is sitivit: whence Libya. See nxb 
 
 and mb, Cast. lex. 
 
 6. In their pasture. — I propose reading an*j?Ti3, and suppose the rati 
 removed from the beginning of the sentence, and joined to the verb,^ as 
 Gen. xxii. 4. Numb. xxx. 8. Jer. xxiii. 39. Syr. and Chald. may read 
 a'n'VT Vi3, When 1 fed them. Or, we may read with o. MS. A. yiair vaii'*, 
 Saturati sunt saturando. " Eif TrXijfffioytjv, 6. quasi legissent, yau-b. Sequi- 
 tur 1." Seeker. 
 
 " In their pasture they have been satisfied to the full, and their heart hath 
 been exalted." 
 
 " In the land of parching thii-st, as in their own pastures: and they 
 were fed to the full. Fed to the full, and their heart uab lifted high; — 
 
CH. XIII.] IIOSEA. 115 
 
 7 And I will be unto them as a lion ; 
 
 As a leopard in the way will I observe them : 
 
 8 I will meet them as a bear bereaved of her whelps .- 
 And I will rend the caul of their heart : 
 
 And there will I devour them as a lioness. 
 A beast of the field shall tear them. 
 
 for that very reason they forgat me." " Parchiny thirst, naix'rn. I'he 
 root 2Kb occurs nowhere in the Bible, nor any of its derivatives except this 
 noun ; nor this noun, except in this place. I take the noun to be plural, 
 and the correct orthography to be maiKbn. If the root nKb signify to be 
 thirsty, this noun, with the initial heemantic n, must be from the Hiphil of 
 the verb, and must signify causes of thirst; and a laud of such causes 
 must be a land which, from the nature of the soil and other circumstances, 
 affording no water, produces excruciating thirst in animals. The plural 
 number is used only to give intensity to the signification, which I have 
 endeavoured to express by the epithet parching. Horsley. 
 
 7. observe. — Fix the eye on them, to take the surest occasion of 
 
 seizing them. " Insidunt pardi condensa arborum, occultatique earum 
 ramis in pra;tereuntia desiliunt." Plin. apud Boch. p. 788. Or, " in the 
 way to Assyria. As 6. At. Syr., which rendering gives a force to Du', v. 8. 
 
 " By the way side I will lie upon the watch." ^^^ by, close by the u-at/, 
 not in or upon it. — niu'N, the fii-st person singular, future kal, of the verb 
 niu", insidiabor. Horsley. 
 
 8. bereaved. — A circumstance which adds a particular degree of 
 
 fierceness. 
 
 " Citius me tigris abactis 
 Foetibus, orbatique velint audire leones." 
 
 Stat. See Boch. 813, 
 
 They never venture to fire upon a young bear when the mother is 
 near ; for, if the cub drop, she becomes enraged to a degree little short of 
 madness ; and if she get sight of the enemy, will only quit her revenge 
 with her life. Cook's Voyage, 1784, V. iii, p. 307. 
 
 heart.- — The seat of the blood, with which v\ild beasts love to glut 
 
 themselves. Boch, 740. 
 
 A beast. — Syr. Ar. prefix And. And 6. ed. Aid. agree with Ar. 
 
 and have Kai Gtjpia. So nine MSS. and one ed. have n-m. 
 
 " The wild beast shall tear them limb from limb." The margin o/our 
 English Bible gives beast of the field as a more literal translation of the 
 Hebrew mi:'n n-n. But I think uild beast renders the idea of the original 
 more adequately. For the beast of the field, i. c. of the open country, is so 
 called as distinguished from the lame domesticated, that lives in cudofeures 
 
no HOSEA. [C'll, XII I 
 
 9 I have destroyed thee, O Israel : for who f iv'dl help 
 
 thee ? 
 10 Where is thy king? in what place? 
 
 t lleb. for who is in thine help, 
 
 and stalls, ami associates in towns and houses with man. The distinction 
 of tiic savage character is better expressed by the epithet tvild, tlian by the 
 substantive of tltc field, oj/pnn, cleave them, or rip them. The verb 
 expresses a violent distraction and severing of united parts in any manner; 
 and it is to be differently rendered, with regard to the particular agent and 
 patient. When the agent is a wild beast, and the patient the beast's prey, 
 it must be tearing li)nb from limb ; teariny by itself is inadequate. 
 Horsley. 
 
 9. / have destroyed thee. — Syr. reads Tnnii- : and for »a -a, this vereion 
 reads "d. 6. and Ar. also read \:. One MS. omits '3. Houbigant highly 
 approves of the reading in Syr. " Michaelis also reads *D -3." Mr. Woide. 
 " licading for *a «d only "o, as 6. Syr. it would be. Thou art destroyed [one 
 liath destroyed thee], O Israel ; who shall help thee ; for so 3, Ps. cxviii. 
 7. 1 Chron. xv. 26. Deut. xxxiii. 26 Or changing the points it may be, 
 thou hast destroyed thyself. See Isa. xiv. 20. Ezek. xxviii. 17. Or, n^nnu-. 
 Com p. vi, 1." Secter. " innir est infinitivus nominascens. Perditio tua 
 adest, O Israel." Bahrdt. 
 
 — — will help thee. — Here we may suppose the Arabism, which makes 
 in auxiliante equivalent to atixilians. See Pol. Syn. Judg. xviii. 1. Robert- 
 son's Clavis, Ex. xviii. 4, and Nahum iii. 9. 
 
 " It is thy destruction, O Israel, that upon me [alone it lies] to help 
 thee." The proper name Israel is evidently a vocative, and is to be taken 
 apart l)y itself. The four other words form a sentence, with the verb sub- 
 stantive understood. The three words iiTya *a -3, with an ellipsis, whicu 
 must be supplied, make a clause which stands as the nominative' case 
 before the verb substantive understood ; and -\r(nv; is a noun substantive, 
 with an affix, which stands as a second nominative after the verb substan- 
 tive understood. The supply of the ellipsis in the nominative clause is 
 obvious and easy, and the order of construction of the complete sentence 
 will be this : bn-w- innu' [n'n] -\-\W2 [ib-n ba r[^r<] u *3. " That in me is 
 [every thing which is], for thy help [is], thy destruction, O Israel." 
 IJorsley. 
 
 10. Where. — Read n>K with V, 6. Ar. Syr. Chald. Houbigant, one MS. 
 and perhaps another. See Kcnnicott's Diss, on 1 Chron. xi. p. 514. " Pro- 
 fessor Michaelis also adopts this reading." Mr. Woide. "Rather: where 
 is thy king now to save thcc ? Sec ki2k h'k, Judg. ix. 38- Isa. xix. 12. Jol) 
 xvii. 16, where now ?" Seeker. 
 
cri. XHI.] HOSEA. 1 17 
 
 That he may save tliee in all thy cities. 
 
 And where are thy judges, to whom thou saidst, 
 
 Give me a king and princes ? 
 
 11 I g-ave thee a king in mine anger ; 
 And I will take him away in my wrath. 
 
 12 The iniquity of Ephraim is treasured up, his sin is laid 
 
 up in store. 
 
 13 The pains of a travailing ^^'oman shall come upon him : 
 And this is an unAvise son ; 
 
 For now he would not else have tarried in the place of 
 
 the breaking forth of children. 
 It Yet I will redeem them from the grave, I will deliver 
 
 them from death. 
 O death, where is thine overthrow ? 
 
 to whom. — Here may be a reference to what passed on the appoint- 
 ment of king [loshea, after some years of anarchy. 
 
 11. a A?H</. — Hoshea, 2 Kings xvii. 1. 
 
 12. The iniquilj/. — Or we may render, " The iniquity of Ephraim is 
 hound up in my treasures, his sin is hidden in my stores." Bound up, hid, 
 or laid up in some safe or secret place ; that, when occasion shall require, 
 they may be produced. Pocock : who refers to Deut. xxxii. 34, 35. Job. 
 xiv. 17 ; on wliicli latter place see Schijtens. 
 
 13. And this. — Eight MSS. read Kim, 
 
 For no2v. — Instead of nv, a time, V. Syr. read r\nv, now : which is 
 
 also the reading of 6. ed. Aid. and MS. Pachom. dion vvv ov /t»j. The son 
 begotten increases the pangs of the mother ; and prolongs his own birth, 
 as it were unwisely. The prophet compares Ephraim to a travailing 
 woman whose pangs are gi'eat and protracted. " nnwo is something 
 relating to birth, probably the os uteri, 2 Kings xix 3. Now he shall not. 
 6. Syr. Vulg. nnj?. ny -scarce signifies long. It may be, It is time he 
 should not stay." Seeker. " Fractio Uherorum est locus e quo erumpunt 
 infimtes : i. e. matrix.^' Bahrdt. " He is of the thoughtless race, for it is 
 the critical moment, when he ought not to stand still ; — the children are 
 in the aperture." Horsley. 
 
 14. Yet / will redeem. — However, I will at length be their God, and 
 they shall triumph over death and destruction. I will fulfil my promise to 
 their forefathers. 
 
 where. — We should read twice n*K, where, for "nx, / will he. So 
 
 6. Ar. Syr. Aquila. 1 Cor. xv. 55. Hcubigant See Kennicott, quoted v. 
 10. 
 
 overthrow — Very many MSS. and some editions read iim ; and 
 
14-8 IIOSF.A. [CH. XIII. 
 
 O grave, wliere is thy ilestruction ? 
 Repenting is hidden from mine eyes. 
 15 Though he was fruitful among his brethren, 
 
 There shall come an eastwind, a | mighty wind shall 
 
 come up from the desert ; 
 And his spring shall become dry. 
 And his fountain shall be 5) dried up. 
 
 t Heb. a wind of Jehovah. . ^ Or, exhausted. 
 
 ^3^ in Hebrew is to destroy, to subdue, and ^Km in Arab, is exitinni, mors, 
 as Vulg. See Cast. lex. The word in 6. is Sikt), which reading Ar. con- 
 firms by reudcrino- punishment, from npy. Syr. luis victori/ : from k-dt: whidi 
 is equivalent to the Hebrew ^m. Houbigant supi)oses that St. Paul [or, 
 perhaps some ancient TJreek translator used by him] may have read i32-n, 
 thi/ sting, for nnm. The reader will observe that the idea oi sting does not 
 occur in Chald. where we find the general terms of killing and destroying. 
 Mr. Dimock also thinks that we should read i33-n for ^n3^. 
 
 till/ destruction. — The destruction inflicted by thee. Here Syr. has 
 
 stimulus, from vpv, and Ar. spina, see Cast. lex. Tiu', and Vulg. viorsns : but 
 how they read n^op, the true notion of which, according to Cast, lex., i.s 
 excisio, confraciio tua, I cannot conjecture. Perhaps they transposed the 
 clauses, vikoq, or j'koj, victory, is a general idea implied in a-jp. 
 
 St. Paul naturally applies to the resurrection what the prophet says of 
 future natural happiness. 
 
 " From the power of hell I will redeem them. From death I will reclaim 
 them. Death! I will be thy pestilence. Hell! I will be thy burning 
 plague." In this passage death and hell are pcrsouilicd very remarkably. 
 And the two persons are threatened each with an incurable disease, causing 
 speedy death to be inflicted by God the Saviour. Horsley. 
 
 Repenting. — Change of purpose ; my veracity being concerned. 
 
 15. was fruitful. — One MS. reads k")3* : and the true reading may 
 
 have been ma*. The word onsx is derived from ma, to be fruitful. The 
 versions either read t\->\ separated ; or, as Pocock thinks, gave sns the sense 
 of the Arab. *is, secuit. Because Ejihraim set up a difl'erent worship, there 
 shall come, &c. But the former reading makes the passage much more 
 beautiful. 
 
 There shall come. — " 6. Icgebant, "i K>a', tjra^a Kvpios" Seeker. 
 
 And his spring — V. 6. Ar. Syr. render: 
 
 " And sliall dry up his spring, 
 ' And sliall exhaust his fountain." 
 
cir. XIV.] HOSEA. 149 
 
 yls to him, the treasure of all his \\ pleasant vessels shall 
 
 be spoiled : 
 1 6 Samaria shall be made desolate ; for she hath rebelled 
 
 against her God. 
 They shall fall by the swoid ; their infants shall be 
 
 dashed in pieces;. and their women with child shall 
 
 be ripped up. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Turn, O Israel, unto Jehovah thy God; 
 
 For thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. 
 
 Take with you words, 
 
 And turn unto Jehovah, 
 
 Say unto him all of you : 
 
 Pardon iniquity : let us receive good : 
 
 That we may render the fruit of our lips. 
 
 t Heb. Vessels of desire. 
 
 Seventeen MSS. and one edition read B'a'i, which may be pointed in 
 Hiphil, as may also ainm. 
 
 him. — Ephiaim. 
 
 his pleasant vessels. — 6. Ar. supply the pronoun, and read imr:n, of 
 
 his desire. " Cum in oriente rarissimaj essent aquce vivae et scaturientes, 
 fons aquarum poetis erat imago summae felicitatis et abundantife rerum 
 optiraarum." Bahrdt. 
 
 "Nay in truth he is run wild among savage beasts. The east wind 
 shall come. Jehovah is raising up the blast from the wilderness; and he, 
 shall dry up his fountain, and lay dry his spring shall he. He shall 
 plunder the storehouse of all goodly vessels." Horsley. 
 
 Chap. XIV. 1. iniquity. — Ten MSS. and two editions read TW^, 
 
 as o. 
 
 2. Say. — Five editions and many MSS. read with V. Syr. -nDNi. 
 
 all of you — This is Houbigant's way of pointing the sentence. 
 
 let us receive. — Houbigant reads npj. See Chald. \ 
 
 the fruit of our lips. — The phrase, as it stands, is not Hebrew; 
 
 because ans, the calves, should be in statu construcfo. Jos. Mede, p. 282, 
 
150 IIOSEA. [CII. XIV, 
 
 3 Assyria w'lW not save us : 
 
 We will not ride on horses: 
 
 And we M'ill no more say, Ye are our Gods, 
 
 To the work of our Lands. 
 
 For * from thee the fatherless obtaineth mercy. 
 4- I will heal their turning awayy)ww me, I will love them 
 freely : 
 
 For mine anger is turned away from him. 
 5 I will be as the dew to Israel : j 
 
 He shall blossom as the lily : 
 
 ♦ Or, by. 
 
 and Le Cleic on Heh. xiii. 15, read ns ^Yrm^o., fruit from our lips. 6. Ar. 
 read the fruit of our lips, and Syr. the fruit of your lips, as if they omitted 
 0. See Heb. xiii. 15. 
 
 " Bullocks, our own lips.'' Lips are here put for praises and thanlcs- 
 pfivings uttered by the lips. This kind of luetonymy, which puts llie cause 
 or instrument for the effect, is very frequent with the sacred writers. By 
 calling devotions bullocks, the phraseology shows that this form of suppli- 
 cation is prepared for those times when animal sacrifices will be abolished, 
 and prayer and thanksgiving will be the only offering. Horsley. 
 
 3. We icill not ride. — Three editions and many ]\ISS. read Vyi, 
 
 and upon, with Syr. The kings of the Israelites were forbidden to multiply 
 horses, Deut. xvii. IG. See Isa. xxxi. 1. 
 
 from thee. — So Noldius. A te anctore. 
 
 the fatherless. — Such might the Israelites be justly called in their 
 
 captivity. 
 
 4. / u,{ll heal. — From these words to tlie end of v. 8, Jehovali graciously 
 answers the i)rayer of his people, supposed to be addressed to hini' during 
 their captivity. And the dramatic turn, from r. 1, to the close of the chap- 
 ter, is very beautiful. 
 
 turning airay. — V. 6. read plurally ihiir turnings away, ammu'rs. 
 
 This was done by the captivity. The Jews have not been idolaters since. 
 " Michaelis reads omnii'D, fracturam corum." Mr. Woide. "I will 
 restore their conversion. I will love them gratuitously ; for n)ine anger is 
 departed from me." I take conversion as a collective noun, for converts ; 
 like captivity, for the captives, and dispersion, for the dispersed. Tlie con- 
 verted nation God promises to restore to liis favour, and to a situation of 
 prosperity and splendour. Horslcy. 
 
 i 
 
CH. XIV.] HOSEA. 151 
 
 Alul he shall strike his roots as Lebanon. 
 6 His suckers shall spread, 
 
 And his glory shall be as the olive-tree, 
 
 And his smell as Lebanon. 
 T They that will sit under his shadow shall return : 
 
 They shall revive as corn: 
 
 They shall break out as a vine, 
 
 The f scent of which shall be as the wine of Lebanon. 
 8 What hath % Ephraim to do any more with idols ? 
 
 f Heb. memcfrial. \ Heb. Ephraim, what hath lie to do. 
 
 5. strike. — 6. /3aXfi. See also Ar. Syr. and Cast. lex. Houbigant 
 
 ingeniously conjectures u>i, and he shall extend. The sense is, He shall be 
 as firmly rooted as a mountain. Sub ipsis rndicihus montiiim consedit. 
 Sal. B. Cat. Sec. 57. 
 
 " jMare montis ad ejus 
 Radices frangit fluctus." 
 
 Lucretius, of Etna, vi. 695. 
 
 (>. shall spread. — " His suckers shall spread farther and Airther." ib3% 
 
 shall go on. I think the image is the increasing vegetation of the forest by the 
 branches of the parent tree reaching quite down to the ground, where, 
 resting upon the moist soil, each strikes a new root, or more than one, and 
 each root sends up a new tree. Horsley. 
 
 as Lebanon. — Though cedars have a fragrant smell, I prefer reading 
 
 HDaba, as frankincense, with Chald. 
 
 7. as corn. — Perhaps ^rrn, which, when committed to the ground, 
 
 seems to die. 6. have ^ijaovrai Kai fxtdvadijffovrai aiTij}, which may be 
 considered as a double rendering; one translator having read rn«, and 
 another m\ This latter reading suggests p3 for pi -. " they shall be 
 watered as a garden." The exigence of the place seems to require a 
 comparison. One MS. adds ir-i^ni. " They shall live on corn and choice 
 wine." 
 
 ivine of Lebanon. — H seroit difficile de trouver ailleurs du vin plus 
 
 excellent que celui qu'on nous presenta ; ce qui nous lit juger, que la repu- 
 tation des vins du Liban, dont il est parle dans un Prophete est, tres bien 
 fonde. La Roque Itiner. Syr. & Liban. p. 18. duoted by Manger loc. 
 " They shall return. Sitting under his shadow, they shall abound in corn. 
 They shall germinate like the vine, [and] be famous as the wine of 
 Lebanon." Horsley. 
 
 8. What hath Ephraim. — I read ib, ei, for "b, mihi, with 6, Arab. " •":. 
 
152 IIOSEA. [CH. XIV. 
 
 I have liearcl him ; and 1 have seen him as a flourisliiii": 
 
 fir-tree. 
 From me is thy fruit found. 
 9 Wlio is wise, that he may understand these things ? 
 And prudent, that he may know them ? 
 For the ways of .Jehovah are rijrlit, 
 And the just M'ill walk in them : 
 
 avTt^, 6. lb, recte." Seeker. " Lege -h nn, 6. At Jon. et Syriis nrjx' snp 
 plenl. ' Epliraiin (licet : quid milii, &c.' " Biihrdt. 
 
 " Epliraim ! what have I to do any more with idols ?'' An exultation of 
 Jehovah over idols. Ephraim ! Even he is returned to me. I have no 
 more contest to caiTy on with idols. They are completely overthrown. 
 My sole Godhead is confessed. Horsley. 
 
 / have heard him. — We may better read the Hebrew thus: 
 
 uniii'K rn'jy. " I have heard him, I have seen him," &c. as 6. MS. A. For 
 he punctuation see Syr. Chald. 
 
 I have answered him. And I will make him flourish like a green lir-trce. 
 Fi'om me thy fruit is supplied." I take the word mwKi, as the first person 
 Alt. sing. Kal of the verb nii'K, to prosper, or to make prospei-ous, as it is 
 taken in all the ancient versions. Houbigant observes, that the verb in 
 Arabic is specifically applied to the prosperous giow th of trees. The Vulgate 
 seems to have taken the verb in this sense here — " et dirigam eum ego ut 
 abietera virentem" — dirigam — I will lead him up straight and tall. Horsley. 
 
 9. wise. — "Wise — intelligent — shall comprehend." The three 
 
 words DDn, V2, and yn*, are so nearly allied in signification, that they are 
 often used promiscuously one for the other, especially the two first. Each, 
 however, has its own strict sense different from the strict sense of either of 
 the other. The root ODn, speaks of wisdom merely as a power in the mind. 
 To be endowed with the power or powers of wisdom. r3 speaks of that 
 power in action, actually exercised in observing and noticing the differences 
 of things, and passing a judgment of distinction between them. This wi.s- 
 dom energizing, we call in our language, understanding or intelligence ; in 
 the popular not in the metaphysical sense of the word intelligence. Lastly 
 yi«, although it speaks of knowledge of any sort, and by whatever means 
 acquired ; and has many senses which belong not to the English word to 
 knon\ for it renders the Latin no^crrf, and all its compounds ; yet strictly it 
 is to know that knowledge which is acquired by yzi. Horsley. 
 
 and the just. — "For straight and even are the ways of Jehovah, 
 
 and in them shall the justified proceed, but revollers shall stumble." 
 P'nv is properly a forensic word, and signifies a person found not guilty, 
 acquitted, and justified upon a trial. Hence, in a theological sense, it is a 
 
iJII. XfV.] IIOSI.A. 153 
 
 But traiisgressors sliall fail in them. 
 
 person found innocent in the sight, of God. The plural a''P*^^, except 
 where the matter of the discourse is relative to mere secular transactions, 
 signifies " the justified," those that are justified by faith in the Redeemer 
 coming, or to come, and clothed with his righteousness, a'vi'ti expresses a 
 degree and enormity of disobedience far beyond any thing contained in the 
 notion of transgressors, prevaricators, or any other denomination of guilt, by 
 which the word is rendered in our English Bible. It denotes rebels in the 
 highest sense of the word. Such as i-ise in opposition to the authority of a 
 sovereign by right, because he is by right a sovereign. And in a religious 
 sense such as wilfully with premeditation disobey God from the hatred of 
 his authority, xton is a fault committed through inadvertence, pv is 
 iniquity resulting from a perverse, wayward disposition, mrj or Tin, 
 generally rendered rebellion, is rather -provocation, wilful disobedience, in 
 particular instances, either of doing something forbidden, or neglecting 
 something commanded; and this often repeated; but proceeding rather 
 from a reluctance of obedience, with respect to some particular command, 
 than a general settled aversion to what is good. But xwa is beyond all 
 these. It is bold avowed rebellion or revolt, disowning the authority of the 
 sovereign^ and having for its end the overthrow of his sovereignty. Hors- 
 ley. 
 
 fall in them. — They shall stumble and fall in the midst of that 
 
 light, those directions or commandments, which ought to have guided 
 them. 
 
 The five last lines are spoken in the prophet's own person ; and form an 
 apt conclusion to his prophecies. 
 
THE BOOK 
 
 OK 
 
 M I C A H, 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 1 The AA'ord of Jehovah which came to Micah the 
 Morasthite, in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, 
 kings of Judah : which * came unto him in a vision con- 
 cerning Samaria and Jerusalem, 
 
 2 Hear, O ye f people, all of | you : 
 Hearken, O land, and all § that are therein. 
 
 * Ileb. he saw. t Heb. peoples. X Heb. tliem. 
 
 $ Heb. and her fulness. 
 
 Chap. I. 1. Micah. — Of the kingdom of Judah, as lie only makes 
 
 mention of kings who reigned over that country. I suppose that he pro- 
 phesied furtlier on in the reign of Hezekiah, than Hosea did ; though 
 ch. V. 5 was written before the captivity of the ten tribes, which happened in 
 tlie sixth year of Hezekiah. It is plain, from ch. i. 1, 5, 9, 12, 13, that he 
 was sent both to Israel and to Judah. Like Amos and Hosea, he reproves 
 and threatens a corrupt people with great spirit and energy. See ch. ii. 1, 
 2, 3, 8, 9, 10. iii. 2, 3, 4. vi. 10—16. vii. 2, 3, 4.; and, like Hosea, he 
 inveighs against the princes and prophets with the highest indignation. 
 See ch. iii. 5 — 7, 9 — 12. vii. 3. And the reader will observe, that these 
 similar topics are treated of by each prophet, with remarkable variety and 
 copiousness of expression. 
 
 Some of his prophecies are distinct and illustrious ones, as ch. ii. 12, 13. 
 iii. 12. iv. 1—4, 10. v. 2, 3, 4. vi. 13. vii. 8, 9, 10. 
 
 We may justly admire the beauty and elegance of his manner : ii. 12, 
 13. iv. 1, 2, 3, and particularly the two first lines oft'. 4. 
 
 His animation : i. 5. 1. 3, 4. ii. 7. 10. 1. 1. iv. 9. 
 
 His strength of expression : i. 6, 8. ii. 3. 1, 3, 4. iii. 2, 3, 12. vii. 1, 2, 4. 
 1. 1, 19. 1.2. 
 
 His pathos : i. 16. ii. 4. 
 
 His sublimity: i. 2, 3, 4. iii. 6, 12. iv. 12. 1. 3, 1.3. v. 8. vi. 1, 9— K! 
 vii. 16, 17. 
 
 Morasl/iite. — See v. 14, 15. Maresha is placed in Judah, Josh. xv. 
 
 44. 2 Chron. xi. 8. 
 
 vhicfi came. — Which was delivered to him in a vision. Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 2. land. — Of the Hebrews. 
 
CM. I.] MKAH. 155 
 
 And let the Lord Jehovah be witness against you j 
 Eveii tlie Lord from his || holy temple. 
 
 3 For, behold, Jehovah will go forth from his place ; 
 
 And he will come down, and will tread on the high 
 places of the earth. 
 
 4 And the mountains shall be * molten under him ; 
 And the valleys shall cleave asunder; 
 
 As wax before the fire, 
 
 As waters poured down a f steep place. 
 
 5 For the transgression of Jacob is all this; 
 And for the sin of the house of Israel. 
 
 What is the transgression of Jacob ? is it not that of 
 
 Samaria ? 
 And what are the high places of Judah? are they ijot 
 
 those of Jerusalem ? 
 
 II Heb. the temple of his holiness. * Or, dissolve. t Heb. a descent. 
 
 the Lord. — Two MSS, omit the former *nK, and four MSS. read 
 
 onbN instead of it. For the second -nK twenty-six MSS. read mn". 
 
 tcitness. — Let him bear testimony against you, and forewarn you of 
 
 your danger, by me his prophet. See Ps. i. 7. 
 
 temple. — Where he manifests his glory. 
 
 3. from his place. — He will elsewhere display his glorious majesty. 
 
 by punishing the guilty. 
 
 high places. — See this line Amos. iv. 13. 
 
 ' 4. be molten. — All nature shall confess his presence. See Amos 
 
 ix. 5. 
 
 As wax. — This image often occurs in the classics. 
 
 " Quasi igni 
 Cera super calido tabescens multa liquescat." Lucr. vi. 512. 
 
 5. sin. — Twenty-three MSS. and three editions read riNunni, and for 
 
 the siti ; as d. Ar. Chald. 
 
 What. — See on Jonah i. 8. Noldius also proposes to translate 
 
 Where. 
 
 Samaria. — See Hos. viii. 5. 
 
 high places. — see 2 Kings xvi. 4. The two chief cities are infected 
 
 with idolatry. " moa. Sic Vulg. sed ai.iapna, 6. Syr. Ch. Legerunt nxion : 
 recte." Seeker. This is the reading of one MS. and of another in 
 the margin ; and, I'rom the turn of the sentence, appears to be the true 
 reading : 
 
156 MicA\i. [en. I. 
 
 6 Therefore will I make Samaria an | heap of the field, 
 
 a § place for the plantings of a vineyard : 
 And I will pour down her stones into the valley, and I 
 will discover her foundations. 
 
 7 And all her graven images shall be beaten to pieces ; 
 And all her hires of idolatry shall be burned in the fire; 
 And all her idols will I || destroy. 
 
 For from the hire of an harlot hath she gathered her 
 
 treasures ; 
 And to the hire of an harlot shall they return. 
 
 8 For this will I wail and howl ; 
 I will go spoiled and naked; 
 
 I will make a wailing like the * foxes; 
 
 i Heb. for an heap. ^ Heb. for a place. || Heb. make adeiolation : * Or, jackals. 
 
 " And what is the sin of Judah ? !s it not that of Jerusalem ? " 
 
 But that there were high places near Jerusalem, see 1 Kings xi. 7. ■ 
 
 6.- vinci/nrd. — Samaria was situated on a hill, the right soil for a 
 
 vineyard. 
 
 7. from the hire. — Her idols and sacred ornaments sometimes 
 
 arose from the rewards of harlots, appropriated for that purpose ; and they 
 shall return to the spiritual harlot, Nineveh. See Deut. xxiii. 18. Spencer, 
 p. 564. Or, She imputed her wealth to her spiritual harlotry ; and her 
 conquerors shall distribute it as the reward of harlots in the literal 
 sense. 
 
 8. -■ / iidll go — Many MSS. and one edition react nabx. 
 
 spoiled. — Many MSS. and three editions read bb-\\i; which may 
 
 literally be rendered a spoil. " Barefooted.'' Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 naked. — That is, without an upper garment. His dress would be 
 
 neglected, like that of eastern mourners. 
 
 foxes. — The desert is the habitation of m^n, Mai. i. 3. The word 
 
 may signify " a kind of wild beast like a flog, between a dog and a fox, or 
 a wolf and a fox ; which the Arabians call, from the noise which they 
 make, Ebn Awi, [filius Ehcu] and our English travellers, jackals ; which, 
 abiding in the fields and waste places, make in the night a lamentable 
 howling noise." Pocock in loc. See also Shaw's Travels, 4to. 174, 5 and 
 Bochart, 1. iii. c. xii, who quotes Busbequius, as saying, " Nanant mihi 
 esse ululatum bcstiarum quas Turcx Ciacales vocant, ut Persa' Sci<fali'' 
 and an Arabic writer, as comparing " ululatum filii Ant infanlis vagitui '' 
 1 suppose that the word in this sense comes from rt^n, itcnire ; and, when it 
 
CH, 
 
 I.] MICAH. 157 
 
 And mourning, like the daughters of the ostrich. 
 9 For her wound is grievous : 
 
 For it is come to Judah, 
 
 It hath reached to the gate of my people, even to 
 Jerusalem. 
 10 In Gath tell it not. 
 
 Weep ye not with loud weeping. 
 
 In Beth-Ophrah roll thyself in the dust. 
 
 signifies the whale, or serpent kind, that it is derived from the same root in 
 the signification of duplicare, complicare. 
 
 ostrich. — So Aquila and Symmachus. Bochart says, " Nota in 
 
 struthione foeminam appellari njj;* vel. mv na; quasi clamosam dices, vel 
 filiam clamoris. Clamosiim enira est animal." Hier. 1. i. c. ix. p. 65. 
 " It is affirmed by travellers of good credit, that ostriches make a fearful, 
 screeching, lamentable noise." Pocock in loc. " During the lonesome 
 part of the night, they often make a very doleful and hideous noise. I 
 have often heard them groan, as if they were in the greatest agonies ; an 
 action beautifully alluded to by the prophet Micah." Shaw, 4to. p. 456. 
 See Job xxx. 28, 29. 
 
 9. her ivound. — Tlie versions and Chald. read nnar:. Six MSS. and 
 
 one ed. read n-nao, and one MS. omits the *. 
 
 It hath reached. — The versions and Chald. lead us to read nv.i:. 
 
 Or thus : 
 
 " The stroke hath reached to the gate," 6cc, 
 
 1 f we read nd, we have this rendering : 
 
 " For the stroke is come to Judah ; 
 
 To the gate of my people, to Jerusalem." 
 
 Jerusalem. — This city will soon be distressed by the Edomites, 
 
 Philistines, and Assyrians, 2 Chron. xxviii. 16 — 21. 
 
 10. tell it 7iot. — From 2 Sam. i. 20. 
 
 Beth-Ophrah. — Ophrah is mentioned, Josh, xviii. 23, as in the 
 
 tribe of Benjamin. Houbigant prefers msyn. 
 
 roll thyself. — Seven MSS. read ^wbsnn, and three read so originally, 
 
 agreeably to Keri in Vanderhooght. nair*, O inhabitress, may be under- 
 stood. Or we may read iii-bann, roll yourselves, with V. Syr. 6. Ar. 
 
 in the du^t. — Here the word "isy, ;)M^m, alludes to the etymology of 
 
 Beth-Ophrah, which signifies domus pulveris. 
 
 " Ah ! nimis ex vero tunc tibi nomen erit." 
 
 Ovid. See Prsl. Ilebr. xv. 138, n. 1. 
 
158 MICAH. [CU. I 
 
 1 1 Pass on, thou inhabitress of Saplnr, naked and in 
 
 confusion. 
 The inhabitants of Zanan went not forth to wailing. 
 O Beth-Ezel, he shall receive of you the reward of his 
 
 station against yon. 
 
 " ETTOivi/jUf^j St Kapra HoXvvtiKy \tyio,'' 
 
 ^sch. Septem in Theb. 664. Eurip. Phoen. 1500. 
 
 That this reference to tlie meaning of names was natural among the 
 Hebrews, see on Hosea i. 4. It also served to imprint prophecies on the 
 memory of those to whom they were delivered. 
 
 The paronomasia, a figure likely to strike a rude people, often occurs 
 in the Hebrew writers. See Boch. Geogr. IH. i- 148. Bishop Lowth on 
 Isa. V. 7. 
 
 This particular way of expressing grief is often mentioned in the 
 classics. 
 
 " Av\i]g £j/ ^cproiffi KvXivSofitvog Kara kottqov." 
 
 Tl. xxiv. 64. 
 " Canitiem immundo deformat pulvere." 
 
 Virg. of Mezentius. 
 " Pulvere caniiiem genitor, vultusque seniles, 
 Foedat humi fusos." 
 
 Ov. Met. viii. 528. 
 
 'I'he old versions vary. Perhaps there were originally three places 
 mentioned here, and three paronomasias. Seeker. 
 
 naa I imagine is corrupt, and that here was the name of some place. 
 Dr. Forsayeth. 
 
 11. Saphir. — Houbigant says that Eusebius places this city, the 
 
 name of which signifies fair or elegant, in the tribe of Judah between 
 Eleutheropolis and Ascalon. 
 
 naked. — See on Hosea ii. 3. Observe the opposition to the meaning 
 
 of Saphir. For DDb, volts, in this line Houbigant reads ib, tibi, with Syr. 
 " Naked to thy shame." Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 Zanan. — In the tribe of Judah, Josh. xv. 37. There was no 
 
 burial of her dead with solemn mourning, out of the precincts of her city ; 
 but she was besieged, and put to the sword. 
 
 Beth-Ezel. — Near Jerusalem, Zech. xiv. 5. 
 
 station. — The standing, or encamping [1 Sam. xvii. 3] of an army 
 
 against a city: and hence the efi'ect of such encampment, or the plunder 
 arising from it. Chald. seems to read imon : 
 
 " O Bclli-Ezel, he shall receive from you his pleasant portion." 
 
CH. I.] MICAH. , 159 
 
 12 Surely the inliabitress of Maroth is sick unto death. 
 Surely evil hath come down from Jehovah unto the gate 
 
 of Jerusalem. 
 
 13 Bind the chariot to the swift beast, 
 O inhabitress of Lachish. 
 
 She ivas the beginning of sin to the daughter of Ziqn : 
 For in thee were found the transgressions of Israel ; 
 II Therefore shalt thou give presents to Moresheth-Gath. 
 The habitations of Achzib f shall deceive the kings of 
 Israel. 
 15 Moreover I will bring an heir unto thee, O inhabitress 
 of Mareshah : 
 He shall reach to Adullam, the border of Israel. 
 
 t Heb. shall be a lie to. 
 
 Thus we shall have an allusion to the name of the city ; as bvx signilics 
 reponere. 
 
 12. Maroth. — A city of like name is placed in the tribe of Judali, 
 
 Josh. XV. 59. 
 
 unto death. — For mis'?, unto good, Houbigant reads mob, unto death, 
 
 from 2 Kings xx. 1. nrj'^, unto bitterness., or bitterbj, will furnish a 
 paronomasia. 
 
 Observe x'r and i^kv, v. 1 1 : and in the following veirse, tr^ab and uon. 
 
 13. Bind the chariot. — We may read naano nom : The inhabitress 
 of Lachish hath bound the chariot, &c. 
 
 Lachish. — In the tribe of Judah, Josh. xv. 39. Sennacherib 
 
 possessed himself of it, 2 Kings xviii. 14. 
 
 the transgressions. — The idols of Israel were first adopted by 
 
 Lachish. Houbigant reads nnx, thou, for x-n, she, in the foregoing line : 
 but if any alteration is necessary, which may well be doubted, na, in her, 
 for 13, in thee, would be a more easy one in the following line. 
 
 14. presents to Moresheth-Gath. — To Moresheth of Gath, to the 
 
 Philistines of that country, for safety and protection. 
 
 Achzib. — This name is derived from 3t3, to lie. Perhaps we 
 
 should read 3T3k no. Beth-Achzib shall be a liar, &c.; shall repeatedly 
 frustrate the expectations of her kings, and become an easy prey to the 
 invader.. 
 
 the kings. — Perhaps I'^ob, to the king. Yod follows. 
 
 15. Mareshah. — The word is derived from wt, to inherit. 
 
 the border. — For lus, the glorij, I read with Chald. 'n3:i, the border. 
 
100 MiCAii. [cji. ir, 
 
 16 Make thee bald, and cut off thine hair, for tliy delicate 
 children : 
 Enlarge thy baldness as the eagle : 
 For they are gone into captivity from thee. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Woe unto them who devise iniquity, 
 
 And who work evil on their beds : 
 
 When the morning is light they practise it, 
 
 Because it is in the power of their hand. 
 
 And they covet fields, and possess them by violence ; 
 
 houses, and take them away : 
 And they oppress a man and his * house ; a great man, 
 
 and his heritage. 
 
 * Or, family. 
 
 Adullam was a fenced city in Judali, 2 Cliron. xi. 7. Euscbius places il 
 twelve miles from Eleutlieropolis to the eastward : which answers to the 
 situation in De Lisle's posthumous map, where it is placed ahout midway 
 between Eleutheropolis and Jerusalem. 
 
 16. Malie thee bald. — "O inliabitress of Mareshab," may be understood. 
 For the custom, see on Amos viii. 10. 
 
 as the eagle. — When he sheds his plumage, Ps. ciii. 5. Aves cal- 
 
 vescere dicuntur cum deplumes sunt. Boch. Hieroz. p. 14. There is also 
 a species of eagle, called the bald eagle, from the whiteness of its head. 
 
 Chap. II. 1. work evil. — In their imagination. 
 
 in the power. — Houbigant refers to Prov. iii. 27. Vk, jjotver, is 
 
 written more fully b-H. See "jKb in Noldius, 
 
 2. houses. — Eight MSS. read a»na : which is elegant, and agreeable 
 
 to the Hebrew manner. 
 
 a great man. — So if-M sometimes signifies. Many MSS. and four 
 
 editions read -^'u. So V. ^. (MS. A. and ed. Aid.) and Arab. The omission 
 of the van in both clauses better suits the usual turn of the sentence in 
 Hebrew poetry. 
 
CH. II.] MICAH. 16i 
 
 3 Therefore thus s'aith Jehovah : 
 
 Behold against this family do I devise evil, 
 From which ye shall not remove your necks : 
 Neither shall ye go haughtily : 
 For it shall be an evil time. 
 
 4 In that day shall a proverb be f taken up against you ; 
 And a grievous lamentation shall be made : 
 
 Saying : " We are utterly laid waste : 
 
 He hath changed the portion of my people : 
 
 How hath he departed from me, 
 
 To brinpf as'ain him that divided our fields ! " 
 
 5 Surely there shall not ;|; remain unto thee 
 One that stretcheth out a line by lot. 
 
 6 In the congregation of Jehovah prophesy not, 
 
 O ye that prophesy : 
 They shall not prophesy unto these : 
 
 t Heb. shall one take up. t Heb. be. 
 
 3. family. — See on Amos iii. 1 . 
 
 haughtily. — Heb. in altitudine. It shall be an inextiicable yoke ; 
 
 and one that shall how you down. 
 
 4. a proverb. — See Pisel. Heh. iv. p. 45, and the same author on 
 
 Isa. xir. 4. 
 
 And a grievous. — Et lameutando lamentum couficietur : supposing 
 
 nno the infinitive mood and n«n3 the Niphal of n-n, fuit. The -to here 
 answers to nyp Amos v. 1 . 
 
 changed. — The original word is rendered removed, Ps. xlvi. 2. And 
 
 iNO in Arab, signifies commoveri, agitari, conturhari. Cast lex. Another 
 reading is, io% is measured, or, he hath measured. See 6. Ar. Syr. 
 
 from me. — Literally, to me : the pronoun being redundant. A 
 
 mourner of Israel speaks. 
 
 To bring again. — The Assyrians had ravaged Israel and Judah 
 
 before their final destruction. See 2 Kings xv. 29, xviii. 13. 
 
 nii'K, u-ho, is to be supplied with Vulg. before pbn^, divided. 
 
 5. Surelg. — Ye shall be wholly removed from your possessions. 
 
 0. O ye that prophesi/. — I understand -\il-h, who, before ra'D- : and 
 
 for the constniction refer the reader to such passages as ch. iii. 3. Amos 
 V. 7, 10, 12 : where a verb in the third person plural, with "iii'x understood, 
 is used vocatively. Mjj oTaXai^tTt cTra\aZ,ovTec, Aquila. But the word maybe 
 a various reading of the foregoing or following verb. See on Hos, iv. 18. 
 " Drop no longer your instruction." 
 " Let them that instruct instruct no longer such as these." 
 
 Dr. Wheeler. 
 
10'^ ' MICAII. [CH. II. 
 
 For he shall not remove fruin himself reproaches. 
 
 7 Doth the house of Israel say, 
 
 " Is the spirit of Jehovah straitened ? 
 
 "Are these his doings? " 
 
 Are not my words good 
 
 With him who walketh uprightly ? 
 
 8 But of old my people hath risen up as an enemy. 
 Ye strip the mantle § off the garment, 
 
 From those who pass by securely, the captives of war. 
 
 9 The women of my people ye cast out from 1| their 
 
 delightful habitation : 
 
 $ Heb. from off. || lleb. the habitation of her delights. 
 
 he shall not remove. — The true prophet will subject hiinseli' lo 
 
 public disgrace by exercising his office. " Very obscure. None of the 
 ancients make the addition which our translators do ; but understand the 
 second word as a noun or participle." Seeker. 
 
 7. say. — Four MSS. read irixn. See \. Chald. And 6. Ar. read 
 
 -loixn, which is equivalent. 
 
 straitened. — Confined to a few, such as Micah. 
 
 his doings. — So dishonourable to his attributes, and to his people. 
 
 Are not. — Jehovah answers. Do not my words administer good to 
 
 the righteous, who pay attention to the chosen prophets sent by me .' 
 my ivords. — 6. Ar. read his uords. 
 
 valketh upriijhtly. — Pocock says that the literal rendering is, 
 
 " with him that is upright walking." See Ps. xv. 2. Prov. xi. 1.3. 
 liigliteen MSS. and one edition read n'^n, which may be gerundive, cundu. 
 Perhaps, " with him that walketh in uprightness." See Isa. Ivii. 2 
 and V. 11. 
 
 8. of old. — See Isa. xxx. 33. o. render by tuirpoaOfv. For the 
 
 truth of the assertion, see Hos. x. 9. xi. 2. 
 
 an enemy. — Against me their God. 
 
 off the garment. — ^This enmity ye show by acts of cruelty and 
 
 ro1>bery. Noldius renders "7100, a, dcsnper; but without any other example. 
 Pcrhiii)s we should read byrio. Houbigant .justly observes that m^K is the 
 word which elsewhere occurs for the tipper garment. 
 
 the captives— One MS. reads "ar, the captivity. Houbigant con- 
 jectures 'lau'. o. give a good general sense, ctuvtoi/i/ioi/ TroXfjuoi'. Ihcakiug 
 your truce with them, by thus spoiling them. 
 
 0. " >uj, aQxovTt^. ^>. *N'U'3." Seeker. 
 
 ■ j/e cast out- — l?y your .sin.'' ye caubc thcni In j;o into captivity. 
 
(II. II.] MiCAH. 1G3 
 
 From * their children ye take away my glory for ever, 
 
 10 Arise ye and depart; for this is not your resting-place: 
 Because it is polluted, it shall be destroyed ; and the 
 
 destruction shall be great. 
 
 11 If a man, walking m the spirit of falsehood and of lies, 
 Prophesy unto thee for wine and for strong drink ; 
 He shall be the prophet of this people. 
 
 12 I will surely gather, O Jacob, all of thee : 
 I will surely assemble the residue of Israel. 
 
 I will put f them together as sheep of Bozrah, 
 
 As a flock in the midst of their fold : 
 
 They shall make a tumult from the multitude of men. 
 
 13 He that forceth a passage is come up before them : 
 They have forced a passage, and have passed through the 
 
 gate, and are gone forth by it ; 
 And their king passeth before them, even Jehovah at the 
 head of them. 
 
 * Heb. her. t Heb. him. 
 
 my glory. — The glory wliich I had bestowed on tliem by becoming 
 
 their God, by placing them in a pleasant land, and by protecting and 
 blessing them when they adhered to me, Ps. xc. 16. Ezek. xvi. 14. Tlie 
 pronouns seem to agree with >ii'D distributively : " from the delightful habi- 
 tation of each : from the children of each." 
 
 10. this. — We may understand \-\t< before this pronoun, and before 
 
 nxoD. A more exact representation of the Hebrew is, " For this land is 
 not the place oi your rest." 
 
 1 1. and of lies. — I read with Syr. aiai npi:',and with Houbigant ^iian, 
 
 or ^"iDn, as many MSS. insert the Yod. This reading is favoured by 6. 
 Ay. Syr. 
 
 13. He that foreeth a passage. — " He that breaketh way," according to our 
 jdiom. The preparer and leader of the journey. 
 
 the gale — Of the conquering city, where the Israelites were to be in 
 
 captivity. 
 
 Jehovah. — He conducted them in effect. 
 
 The connection may be this : " Ye shall depart from your land ; and it 
 shall be defiled and desolate, v. 10. This is not the language of your false 
 prophets; or the way to be received as a prophet among you, v. 11. 
 However, a true prophet may foretel your prosperous state after your 
 punishment, v. 12, 13. See cli. iii 12. iv. 1. 
 
164 MICAII. [clI. III. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 I Also said: 
 
 Hear, I pray you, O ye heads of .laeob, 
 
 And ye leaders of the house of Israel. 
 
 Is it not for you to know judgment ? 
 
 Ye who hate good and love evil : 
 
 Who pluck their skin from off them, 
 
 And their flesh from off their bones : 
 
 Who also have eaten the flesli of my people, 
 
 And liave flayed their skin from oft' them, 
 
 And have broken their bones : 
 
 And have divided the??) asunder as flesh in the pot ; 
 
 And as meat * within the caldron. 
 
 * Ileb. in the midst of. 
 
 I much suspect, that we should unclerstancl tlie twelfth and thivteenlli 
 verses as spoken by the false prophet. In the following verse Micali gives 
 notice that he speaks in his own person ; and then, in contradiction to the 
 vain promises of the false prophet, denounces vengeance on the Jews in 
 general for their cruel oppression of the poor, and on the false prophets for 
 their lies. Dr. Forsayeth. 
 
 There are strange mixtures in Micah, as well as in Hosea and others, 
 of promises with complaints and threatcnings. Some will say they were 
 added afterwards. Some interpret r. 12 as the words of the false prophet, 
 V. 11 ; and some think 12, 13, a threatening that God will shut them up 
 to be besieged and led captive. But Jer. xxxi. 10, which is very like 
 V. 12, is a promise. See also here iv. G. And so is Isa. Hi. 12, which is 
 like the end of r. 13. Indeed, the latter part of r. 12 is obscure, and for 
 V^^, the breaker, p-i3 would be the deliverer. Christ broke down the par- 
 tition wall. Pocock. Or vi3 is the increaser. Isa. ix. 7. xi. 1. Comp. 
 ch. iv. 10. Seeker. 
 
 Chap. III. 2. them. — Jacob, or I.srael, as Hos. x. 1, 2. Or, my 
 
 j)eople ; from the following verse. 
 
 .3. haveealen — have flayed — hare broken — hare divided. — Tliese verbs 
 
 may be rendered in the present tense. See Amos v. 10. ch. iv. 12. 
 
 divided. — 1 read inai. 
 
 a.1 flesh. — Instead of iukd, read with o. Ar. Chiild. Houbigant 
 
 and Bishop I.owth du Isa. iii. 1.'), -ikud. 
 
tH. in,]] MICAH, 165 
 
 4 Then shall they cry unto Jehovah, 
 But he will not hear them : 
 
 He will even hide his face from them at that time ; 
 According as they have been evil in their doings. 
 
 5 Thus saith Jehovah 
 
 Unto the prophets who cause my people to err ; 
 Who bite with their teeth, and cry. Peace ; 
 But as for him that puttetli not into their mouths, 
 They will prepare war against him. 
 G Wherefore there shall he night unto you, so f that ye 
 
 shall have no vision : 
 And there shall be darkness unto you, so that % ye shall 
 
 have no divination. 
 And the sun shall go down upon the prophets, 
 And the day shall be § dark upon them. 
 
 7 Then shall the seers be ashamed, and tlic diviners con- 
 
 founded ; 
 Yea, they shall cover the || mouth, even all of them : 
 For God will not answer. 
 
 8 But I truly am filled ivith power ; 
 
 With the Spirit of Jehovah, and with judgment, and 
 
 might ; 
 To declare unto Jacob his transgression, and unto Israel 
 
 his sin. 
 
 9 Hear this, I pray you, ye Heads of the house of Jacob, 
 And ye leaders of the house of Israel : 
 
 t Ileb. from a vision. t Heb. from divining. § Or, black, or, gloomy. 
 II Heb. the upper lip. 
 
 5. Lite with their teeth. — Put into their mouth : as the opposition 
 
 shows. Famine is expressed by cleanness of teeth, Amos iv. 6. 
 
 - — —and cry. Peace. — And proclaim peace. The versions and Chald. 
 
 prepare. — Properly sanctify, or, prepare for a holy purpose, Exod. 
 
 xix. 10, 11. Hence, to prepare in general, to appoint, to set apart. 
 
 7. cover the mouth. — With part of the long eastern vesture. This 
 
 action was a sign of being put to silence; of disgrace and dejection. 
 Lev. xiii. 45. Exod. xxiv. 17, 22. 
 
 8. With the spirit. — For the form of expression, see Ex. i. 7. 
 
- IfiG MICAH. [CII. IV. 
 
 Ye wlio ahlior jiidiynioiit. 
 And j^ervort all that is right : 
 
 10 Who build up Sion by blood, and Jerusalem by iniquity. 
 
 11 The Heads thereof judge for reward; 
 And the priests thereof teach for hire ; 
 And the prophets thereof divine for silver : 
 And yet they lean on Jehovah, 
 
 Saying : 
 
 Is not Jehovah in the midst of us ? 
 Evil shall not come upon us. 
 1'2 Therefore because of you Sion shall be ))loughed as 
 a field ; 
 And Jerusalem shall become heaps ; 
 And the mountain of the * temple -|- as high places of a 
 forest. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 1 But it shall come to pass, in the * latter days, 
 
 That the mountain of the f temple of Jehovah shall be 
 
 * Ileb. house. t Heb. for. * Heb. end of days. f Heb. house. 
 
 10. Who build vp. — Raise magnificent palaces. Sec the opposition, 
 V. 12. The verb may he in the infinitive mood absolute. See Bishop 
 Lowth on Isa. xxi. 5. The versions seem to read *:3 in the plural, build- 
 ing up ; and twelve MSS. have njia. 
 
 11. for hire. — Beyond what the law of Moses prescribes. 
 
 12. heaps. — In the parallel place, Jer. xxvi. 18, we ilnd a^y: 
 
 which is the reading of three MSS. now, and was originally that of three 
 more, it is also found in the Bab. Talmud. One MS. has XL-^vb. For 
 rv, sec Prsl. Heb. iii. p. 37. 
 
 hifjh places. — As hills in a forest. One MS. reads mon^bj/or calLle 
 
 of the forest. See ch. v. 8. 
 
 Chap. IV. 1. But it shall come to pass. — The.se four verses contain a 
 prophecy which was to bo fulfilled by the coming of the Messiah, when 
 the Gentiles were to be admitted into covenant \\itli ftod, and the apostles 
 wore to prt'aoh.tho gospel, beginning at Jernsalctn, l.uke xxiv. -17. Acts ii. 
 
CH. IV.] 
 
 MICAH. 
 
 167 
 
 Established on the top of the mountains, 
 And it shall be exalted above the hills : 
 And the % people shall flow unto it. 
 i Heb. peoples. 
 
 14, &c. ; when Christ was to be the spiritual Judge and King of many 
 people, was to convince many nations of their errors and vices, and was to 
 found a religion which had the strongest tendency to promote peace. 
 
 Bishop Lowth, on Isa. ii. 2, thinks that Micah took this passage from 
 Isaiah. It is true that he has improved it, after the manner of imitators. 
 Or, the Spirit may have inspired both prophets with this prediction ; or, 
 both may have copied some common original, the words of a prophet well 
 known at that time. It will be useful to compare the parallel places, as 
 they now stand. 
 
 Isaiah II. 
 
 Micah IV. 
 
 wn-n ntntt2 n»m .2. 
 
 mn" n-a in n'n* paa 
 
 onnn wk-\3. 
 
 myaao kuoi 
 
 : D*i3n ba rVx nnoi 
 
 nriNi D-m D-nv "labm .3. 
 
 3p3/- -nbx r\-z bt< 
 
 min Nvn ]V)irz -o 
 
 D-iJn rn uawT .4. 
 D*m a-rivb noim 
 DT\t<b Dmmn innai 
 
 ' 3-)n '13 bx *13 tiW xb 
 
 : nonbo iiy iiob- xbi 
 
 a«o-n nnnhta n-m .1. 
 mn» n-a nn n-n- 
 onnn irxia p33 
 
 : D'Oj? rby linDi 
 
 nr2Ni D*aT d-ij labm .2 
 
 n'n* -in bx nbj/r i3b 
 
 npy -nbN n*n bxi 
 
 vnn"iN2 naby vaiiD i3ivi 
 
 mm Kvn p-vra -a 
 
 : Dbirn^o mn* imi 
 
 D<m D-DV i-a taSB'i .3. 
 
 pirn -ij? Davy D'-ijb n-aim 
 
 D^nxb Dn-nmn innDi 
 
 rrnoTob Dn*nn*3m 
 
 mn -13 bx "u M<v xb 
 
 : nonbo mj; pnob- xbi 
 
 s/taZ/ be established. — Two MSS. read as the words are placed in 
 
 Isaiah, n-n* 103. Sion shall be raised above the mountains in true emi- 
 nence ; shall be placed, as it were, on their top. 
 
 it shall be exalted. — xin is wanting in three MSS ; and in Isaiah 
 
 the margin of one MS. has it. 
 
 the people. — Five MSS. and Syr. supply b3 ; and one MS. has 
 
 o*i3n b3. 
 
 I' 
 
168 MICAH. [CH. IV. 
 
 2 And many nations sliall go, and shall say : 
 
 Come, and let ns go up unto the mountain of Jehovah, 
 
 And unto the § temj)le of the God of Jacob : 
 
 That he may teach us of his ways, and that we may walk 
 
 in his paths. 
 For from Sion shall go forth a law, 
 And the word of Jehovah from Jerusalem. 
 
 3 And he shall judge between many I| people. 
 And he shall convince strong nations * afar off: 
 And they shall beat their swords into plough-shares, 
 And their spears into pruning-hooks. 
 
 Nation shall not lift up sword against nation. 
 Neither shall they any longer learn war. 
 
 4 But they shall sit every man under his vine, 
 
 And under his fig-tree : and none shall make them afraid. 
 For the mouth of Jehovah God of hosts hath spoken it. 
 
 § Heb. house. || Heb. peoples. * Heb. to afar. 
 
 shall floiv wito it. — Eleven MSS. and one ed. read vbx ; and 
 
 another MS. read thus originally. 
 
 2 nations. — Two MSS. and Talra. Bab. have av^j;. 
 
 And unto the temple. — Two MSS. read n*3 bx. But in Isaiah six- 
 teen MSS. and two editions read bxi ; ]\IS. 3 read .so originally; MS. 130 
 perhaps reads so; and MS. 150 reads so now, agreeably to <^. Ar. Syr. 
 Vulg. But Chald. wants the conjunction, and has only nib. See Bishop 
 Lowth. 
 
 in his paths. — In both prophets together, three MSS. and three 
 
 editions read the Hebrew word with the regular plural termination m. 
 
 3. 7nani/ people — Two MSS. want n>2i. 
 
 afar off'. — This, as Bishop Lowth observes, is added in Isaiah 
 
 by Syr. 
 
 their swords — Twenty MSS. and two editions read an*m3-in ; and 
 
 two MSS. read ommn. 
 
 And their spears. — Twenty-one MSS. and two editions read 
 
 Dn«nin"3m. See the reverse of this beautiAil and classical image, Joel. iii. 
 10 and the quotations in Bishop Lowth, Isa. ii. 2. 
 
 lift vp. — Four MSS. read ku'\ 
 
 learn — Seven MSS. read ^^D'?^ 
 
 4. But they shall sit. — See, on this elegant and beautiful addition to 
 Isaiah, Bishop Lowth on Isa. ii. 2. 
 
CH. IV.] MICAH. 169 
 
 5 Although all the f people walk 
 Every one in the name of his God : 
 Yet let us walk in the name of Jehovah 
 Our God, for ever and ever. 
 
 6 In that day, saith Jehovah, 
 
 I will gather her that J halteth, and her that is driven 
 
 out will I assemble : 
 And her whom I have afflicted. 
 
 7 And I will make her that § halted || a residue, 
 
 And her that was removed afar off, * a strong nation : 
 And Jehovah shall reign over them in mount Sion, 
 From henceforth even for ever. 
 
 8 And thou, O tower of Eder, 
 
 O fortress of the daughter of Sion, thy time shall come : 
 
 f Heb. peoples. J Or, that is disabled. $ Or, that was disabled, 
 
 II Heb. for a residue. * Heb. for a strong nation. 
 
 5. in the name. — Or profession of Jehovah, who has such mercies 
 
 in store for us. 
 
 6. that halteth. — Zeph. iii. 19 is a parallel place. See also vb^^, 
 
 Ps. XXXV. 15, xxxviii. 18. The word v^)t signifies in Arabic, incUnavit, 
 propendit, declinavit ; and one of its derivatives, citrvus et claudiis a natura, 
 in latus propendens. See Golius. The ideas of suffering, of weakness, of 
 being broken or subdued, are given by the old versions. 
 
 Though I have broken the power of my people, removed them into cap- 
 tivity afar ofiF, and afflicted them ; yet will J restore them to their country, 
 
 1 will send them the Messiah, and will be always their King. 
 
 7. a residue. — A part of them shall be preserved; in whom the 
 
 future designs of my providence shall be accomplished. 
 
 nKbnjm. Eadem voce reddunt o. Syr. Ch. qua nmim, v. 6 : quae igitur 
 forte hie legenda est, cum verbum xbn in cod. Heb. alibi non occunat. — 
 Quae laboraverat, V. f. nNban. Seeker. 
 
 for ever. — This will be fulfilled at the future restoration of the Jews. 
 
 8. Eder. — A tower in or near Bethlehem, Gen. xxxv. 21. Or, as 
 
 some, a tower near the sheep-gate, in Jerusalem, Neh. iii. 1, 32. The 
 word signifies a flock. 
 
 O fortress. — See mention of Ophel, Neh. iii. 26, 27. xi. 21. 
 
 2 Chron. xxvii. 3. xxxiii. 14. Isa. xxxii. 14. 
 
 of the daughter of Sion. — Possibly, belonging to the tribe of .f udah. 
 
 thi/ time. — I read with Syr. inv for yv. 
 
 p2 
 
170 MICAH. [CH. IV. 
 
 And the former dominion shall return, 
 Even the king^dom, to the daughter of Jerusalem. 
 9^ And now why dost thou cry out f loudly? 
 Is there no king in thee ? 
 Hath thy counsellor perished ? 
 For pangs have seized thee, as a woman in travail. 
 
 10 Be in pangs, and bring forth, O daughter of Sion, as a 
 
 woman in travail : 
 For now thou shalt go forth from the city, and shalt 
 
 dwell in the field : 
 And thou shalt go even unto Babylon ; there shalt thou 
 
 be rescued : 
 There shall Jehovah redeem thee from the hand of thine 
 
 enemies. 
 
 1 1 And now many nations are gathered against thee : 
 Who say, Let her be defiled; and let our eye see its 
 
 desire on Sion. 
 
 t Heb. crying out. 
 
 Syr. Icgeiunt iny. Confer vii. 12. Secter. 
 
 dominion. — On the return from Babylon. Or, on the coming of 
 
 the Messiah, and the future grand restoration, if Bethlehem be spoken of. 
 
 This verse seems to say, that to the family of David, denoted first by 
 the place from whence it sprang, then, by the place where it settled, the 
 former dominion should come and amve, the kingdom to [or of, for so Syr. 
 Chald.] the daughter of Sion. This agrees well with what is said of 
 Christ, Luke i. 32, 33. 6. add that this kingdom shall come from Babylon. 
 See V. 10. Seeker. 
 
 9. And noiv. — 6. Ar. Chald. Houbigant, five MSS. and a sixth 
 originally, read nnyi. But see ch. v. 1. 
 
 loudly. — Six MSS. and three editions read :;>i, which may be the 
 
 infinitive clangendo, as i*a Prov. xxiii. 1 . The word may, be used in a 
 middle sense for any cry ; whether aiising from danger, sorrow, or joy. 
 
 no king. — Jehovah is thy king, Jer. viii. 19. 
 
 10. briny forth. — See Ps. xxii. 10. 
 
 in the field. — See Hos. xii. 9. 
 
 there. — Eight or ten MSS. and Syr. read Dun, and there, twice in 
 
 this V. And 6. translate the second au-, Kai iKuQiv. 
 
 11. many nations. — The Idumeans, Ammonites, Moabites, Philis- 
 tines, Babylonians. 
 
 eye see. — So Ps. liv. 7. lix 10. Two MSS. and two editions read 
 
 ■iTV with \. Svr. C;hald. 
 
CH. v.] MICAH. 171 
 
 12 But these know not the thoughts of Jehovah, 
 Neither understand they his counsel : 
 
 For he hath assembled them as a sheaf to the threshing- 
 floor. 
 
 13 Arise and tread out the grain, O daughter of Sion : 
 Thine horn will I make iron, 
 
 And thine hoofs will I make brass. 
 
 And thou shalt beat in pieces :j: many § people : 
 
 And thou shalt devote the gain from them unto Jehovah; 
 
 And their substance, unto the Lord of the whole earth. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 1 But now assemble thyself, O daughter, in * troops; 
 They have laid siege against us : 
 They have smitten with a rod upon the cheek 
 
 J Or, mighty. § Heb. peoples. 
 
 * Heb. a troop. 
 
 12. k7ioiv not. — See Isa. x. 7. All these are instruments in the 
 
 hand of Jehovah, and shall be destroyed iu their turn. 
 
 13. O daughter of Sion. — Some of these nations were subdued by 
 
 the Maccabees, 1 Mace. v. 3, 6. 
 
 horn. — With which thou shalt push thy enemies, it is part of the 
 
 allegory, which is beautifully taken up from the last line of v. 12. 
 
 thou shalt devote. — The versions and Chald. read^?^^^m. 
 
 the gain. — And thou shalt devote unto Jehovah their treasure. Dr. 
 
 Wheeler. 
 
 Chap. V. 1. But nou\ — Houbigantobserves,'that Ar. readnnj;i ; so does 
 one MS. 
 
 O daughter. — 6. MS. Al. and Ar. add. of Ephraim ; and Chald. 
 
 renders per turmas. 
 
 They have laid.— Or, siege is laid. See on Jonah iii. 7. 
 
 upon the cheek. — A great indignity, drav frn Kopf'njg. Demosth. in 
 
 Mid. 
 
1*72 MICAH. [CH. 
 
 The Judge of Israel. 
 2 And tliou, Bethlehem-Ephrata, 
 
 Alt thou too little to be among tlie leaders of Judah ? 
 Out of thee shall come forth unto me 
 
 The Judge. — Hosliea may be supposed to liave suflfered such cou- 
 
 tumely, when Samaria was taken, 2 Kings xvii. 6 ; or, Zedekiali, on the 
 taking of Jerusalem, ib. xxv. 7. 
 
 2. And thou. — Some : art thou ? but no old version. Pocock in porta 
 Mosis says, Fors, quae minor fuisti quam ut, &c., which seems the meaning 
 of 6. But I find not h) in this sense, though n often. Parum est, te 
 numerari. Cocceius. It may be translated : thou shalt, or art to be 
 small. For b is sometimes instead of a future. See Nold. Pocock pro- 
 poses, after some Jews of great character, that Tyv may signify here, the 
 contrary to its usual meaning ; as he shows many words, especially in 
 Arab., have the contrary meaning. But this might lead those Jews who 
 
 wrote Arabic to think so here too easily. On the whole, there seems 
 
 but slender proof of this contrary signification. Seeker. 
 
 Ephrata. — The Greek translator^ quoted by St. Matthew, seems to 
 
 have read Bethlehem-Judah, as Judg. xvii. 7. Or, in the haste of writing, 
 a transcriber may have anciently substituted Judah for Ephrata ; each 
 word being properly and naturally subjoined to Bethlehem. See the 
 Greek, Josh. xv. 59. 
 
 Art thou too little. — See Syr. which may be pointed interrogatively, 
 
 Parva tu quae sis ? The question implies the negative, which is inserted 
 Matth. ii. fi, and also in the Arabic version. " MS. Copt, ovk, non, addit." 
 Mr. Woide. Houbigant conjectures that we should read n"n vh n>yv, 
 Hequaquam minima es. This reading is favoured by the Arabic, non parva 
 es. The note on oXiyoaroQ, in Sixtus Q-uintus's edition of 6. Roma*, 
 MDLXXxvii, is "Alii vero libri habent fir] oXiyoaroQ, quod est apud Ter- 
 tullianum et Cyprianum." And vers. ant. Italahas " nequaquara minima." 
 Kenn. Diss. Gen. Sec. 77. So Origen and Justin, ib. Sec. 80. 2. See 
 also Dr. Owen on the Septuagint, p. 16. 6. ed. Pachom. have also /u/; 
 oXiyoaroQ, on which rendering it must be observed, that ut] may be inter- 
 rogative, as Matth. ix. 15. 
 
 Both the Hebrew, the Vulg., and the Greek, as they now stand, are 
 capable of being pointed interrogatively. 
 
 among the leaders. — The vau in 'Sibx may easily have been omitted, 
 
 as Jer. xiii. 21. Gen. xxxvi. 30. Or, "among the thousands,'' i\\e\nxgc 
 bodies governed by Chiliarchs. See Cappellus and 2 Ohron. i. 2. " ^abxa. 
 Heads of thousands in Israel, several times in Numb, and Josh. See also 
 1 Sam. xxiii. 23. x. 19." Seeker. 
 
 Out of thee, — Two editions of St. I\Iatthew, Erasm. 1. and Aid. 
 
CH. v.] MICAH. 173 
 
 One who is to be a Ruler in Israel : 
 
 And his goings forth Jiave been from of old, from the 
 days of hidden ages. 
 3 Therefore will he \ deliver them up, until the time 
 when she that bringeth forth hath brought forth : 
 f Heb. give. 
 
 read ik aov fioi. Then follows in the gospel a double translation of birra, 
 yyovjxivoQ and banc -n-oifiavn, and a periphrasis of bi<-nr>3, in Israel. 
 
 "b omittunt Matth. Syr. Prajfigunt yap Matth. Arab. Seeker. 
 
 his goings forth. — See Hos. vi. 3. His appearance ; his displays of 
 
 power. See John i. 1. Col. i. J 6. " kv% used of a people coming origin- 
 ally from such a place, Deut. ii. 23 : of a person's setting out from a place 
 to found an empire, Gen. x. II. Here it must have one or both of these 
 two meanings. rmNvrai — kv signifies nativity, Gen. xxv. 25, 26. xxxviii. 28 
 29. Is. xxxix 7. Gen. xvii. 6. xxxv. 11. 2 Chron. xxxii. 21. Here it 
 seems related to the preceding kvv May it then signify the person's 
 original descent from Bethlehem being ancient, i. e. in David's time? 
 This depends partly on the following words ; and, taking them to signify 
 only antiquity, it may be said of all men thus, that their niKvio are ancient, 
 i. e. from Adam. But ancestors of no name are counted for none. But 
 it is observed, that one going forth is spoken of as future and another as 
 past, which suits none but Christ, who being Xoyog rov Qiov, is properly 
 ra Nifio or vnsii*. But qu. where the scripture hints him to be so on any 
 such account, xvra thus joined means only words in the common sense, or 
 intentions expressed. Chald. expresses the word thus, ' Whose name has 
 been spoken, or foretold:' 6. tlo^oq Syr. singularly. If it signify simply 
 nativity, the plural perhaps may denote the eminence of Christ's eternal 
 generation. See Bp. Chandler's Defence, p. 153, 154." Seeker. 
 
 a-ipo. God is said to be :^^po, Hab. i. 12, and abij??:, Ps. xc. 2. But he 
 is never said to be "ryti or "D^a, either mp or abiv. He is said to have 
 formed a thing mp »d'o, 2 Kings xix. 25 ; and as that doing was only pur- 
 posing or foretelling, some think the n^Ki^io of this person was his being 
 foretold onpi. But we rightly translate that, of ancient time; which this 
 phrase signifies Lara. i. 7, Isa. xxiii. 7, and in this prophet, vii. 20, and 
 never any thing else ; and so mp «a*3, Ps. xliv. 2, and Z2-[p -jy^, Isa. 
 li. 9. And anpn signifies the same, Ps. Ixxvii. ll,and cxliii. 5. Isa xlv. 21. 
 abij; 'ri-^j is only here. But abiy 'o% Isa. Ixiii. 9, 1 1, mean former time, 
 and ch-\v 'o>3 as in former time, in this prophet vii. 14, and Amos ix. 11. 
 Nor does o'^iy ever signify more. God indeed is said to be arr:, Isa. xliii. 
 13. Seeker. 
 
 3, tvill he deliver them up. — Sc. God. Arab, reads Djnn, " wilt 
 
 thou deliver thcni up." 
 
I "71 MICAII. [CH. V. 
 
 And until the residue of their brethren shall be con- 
 verted, together with the sons of Israel. 
 
 4 And he shall stand, and shall J feed his Jiock, in the 
 
 strength of Jeliovah; 
 In the § majesty of the name of Jehovah his God ; 
 And they shall be converted : for now shall he be great 
 Unto the ends of the earth : 
 
 5 And He shall be peace. 
 
 Wlien the Assyrian shall have come into our land, 
 And when he shall have trodden in our palaces ; 
 Tlien shall be raised up against him seven || rulers, 
 
 t Or, rule. j Or, loftiness. || Heb. shepherds. 
 
 their brethren. — So 6. At. Chald. 
 
 together with. — See by, Nold. Sec. 9. The sense is, God will nol 
 
 fully vindicate and exalt »his people, till the virgin-mother shall have 
 brought forth her son; and till Jiulah and Israel, and all the true sons of 
 Abraham, among their brethren the Gentiles, be converted to Christianity. 
 
 All the Jews whose writings we have, apply this text to the Messiah ; 
 though it seems by Theophylact on Matt. ii. that some Jews formerly 
 understood Zerubbabel. Poc. Seeker. 
 
 4. he shall stand. — The ruler, mentioned v. 2. 
 
 feed. — Instruct and govern his followers. 
 
 they shall be converted — The Jewish people, inwi one MS. See V. 
 
 Syr. Cliald. Here is an instance in which a MS. differs from the Masoretic 
 puncluatinn, which I have not observed elsewhere. 
 
 shall he be great. — By the extent of his kingdom. 6. Ar. read ^biy, 
 
 shall they be great : i. e. the Jews, at their final restoration. 
 
 5. peace. — The cause of peace and reconciliation. 
 
 And this man shall be [our] peace. Dr. Wheeler 
 
 When the Assyrian. — After the illustrious prophecy relating to the 
 
 Messiah, in the three foregoing verses, the prophet passes on to the sub- 
 version of the Assyrian empire. 
 
 Transponitur o, Ps. cxviii. 10, 11, 12: et cxxxviii. 2. Seeker. 
 
 shall be raised up. — 6. read lopm, i. e. lopim, koi nriyt^Qi]<fovTai. 
 
 seven rulers. eight princes. — Perhaps a definite number for an 
 
 indefinite, as Eccl. xi. 2. Job v. 19. The prophet means the chiefs of the 
 Medcs and Babylonians, tlie prefects of difierent provinces who took 
 
CH. v.] MICAH. 175 
 
 And eight princes of men : 
 
 6 And they shall devour the land of Assyria with the 
 
 sword, 
 Even the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: 
 And they shall deliver us from the Assyrian, when he 
 
 shall have come into our land, 
 And when he shall have trodden in our borders. 
 
 7 Also the residue of Jacob shall be among the nations, 
 In the midst of many * people. 
 
 As the dew from Jehovah, 
 
 As the showers upon the grass ; 
 
 * Heb. peoples. 
 
 Nineveh, whose number may have been what is here specified. " Seven 
 and eight may be for an indefinite number, as Eccl. xi. 2." Seeker. 
 princes. — Anointed, Ps. ii. 6. 
 
 6. tcith the sword. — Videtur leg. nn>nS2. Notat nns, gladium 
 
 stringere. Seeker. 
 
 of Niinrod. — See on Nahum i. 1. 
 
 thei/ shall deliver us — So Houbigant, who reads iji'^vm, and observes 
 
 that Chald. and Syr. read the affix ^:, us. The reading of Chald. and Syr. 
 was iDbvm ; in which word the vau after b may have been supplied by a 
 point, as it often is. Or we may render, " And ojie shall deliver us," that 
 is, And we shall be delivered. See on Jonah iii. 7. 
 
 in our borders. — Fourteen MSS. and five editions read the original 
 
 word plurally, with the versions and Chald. 
 
 It is very observable, that two MSS, read ismjonxa, in our palaces ; and 
 a third ^3m3?2^^! ; two of them making this line an exact repetition of what 
 occurs, V. 5, which is what a reader, acquainted with the manner of the 
 Hebrew writers, would naturally expect. See v. 7, 8. 
 
 7. among the nations — anan is supplied by the 6. Ar. Syr, and by 
 
 MS. 154, a very ancient and excellent one. The following verse shows 
 that it is the genuine reading. 
 
 As the dew. — The Jews contributed to spread the knowledge of 
 
 the one true God during their captivity. See Dan. ii. 47. iii. 29. iv. 34, 
 35. vi. 26. 
 
 The gospel was preached by them, when the Messiah appeared, and it 
 shall again be propagated by their future glorious restoration, Rom. xi. 
 12, 15. 
 
176 MIC AH. [CH. V. 
 
 Which tarrieth not for man, 
 Neither waiteth for the sons of men. 
 
 8 And the residue of Jacob shall be among the nations, 
 In the midst of many f people. 
 
 As a devouring lion among the cattle of the forest, 
 As a young lion among the flocks of sheep : 
 Who, when he passeth through, treadeth down, 
 And teareth, and none delivereth. 
 
 9 Thine hand shall be lifted up over thine adversaries. 
 And all thine enemies shall be cut oif. 
 
 10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith Jehovah, 
 That I will cut off thine horses from the midst of thee. 
 And I will destroy thy chariots : 
 
 11 I will also cut off the cities of thy land, 
 And I will throw down all thy strong holds. 
 
 12 I will also cut off the sorcerers from thy border ; 
 X And thou shalt have no soothsayers. 
 
 13 I will also cut off thy graven images and thy statues 
 
 from the midst of thee ; 
 And thou shalt no longer bow down thyself to the work 
 of thine hands : 
 
 f Heb. peoples. X Heb. And soothsayers shall not be unto thee. 
 
 Which tarrieth not. — Which grass springeth up without the atten- 
 tion and culture of men. 
 
 of men. — Of so mean and humble a creature as man. " Of mor- 
 tals." Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 8. As a young lion. — Eighteen MSS. and two editions read t333i, 
 
 " And as a young lion ;" two read so originally ; two read so now ; and 
 perhaps three more. This is also the reading of the versions and Chald. 
 
 The victories of the Jews luider the Maccabees, and those which will 
 hereafter be reaped by them, are foretold in this and the next verse. 
 
 12. the sorcerers. — 6. read i*2i:o, ihi/ sorcerers. So does MS. 383. 
 
 from thy border. — So n* is sometimes rendered. See Ezek. xlviii. 1. 
 Chald. has iran, from within thee, and probably read with two MSS. 
 ^3^p!^,/J•om the midst of thee. Houbigant renders, " Ego auferam amuleta 
 de manibus tuis;" reading y-i-n, from thine hands, with 6. Ax. Syr. and 
 five MSS. 
 
CH. VI.] MICAH. 177 
 
 14 And I will root up thy groves from the midst of thee. 
 I will also destroy thine enemies : 
 
 15 And I will execute vengeance, in anger and in fury, 
 Upon the nations which have not hearkened unto me. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Hear ye now what Jehovah saith : 
 Arise, contend thou before the mountains; 
 And let the hills hear thy voice. 
 Hear ye, O mountains, the controversy of Jehovah ; 
 And ye strong foundations of the earth. 
 For Jehovah hath a controversy with his people ; 
 And with Israel he pleadeth. 
 
 O my people, what have I done unto thee ? 
 And wherein have I wearied thee ? Testify against me. 
 
 14. thy groves. — The usual scenes of idolatrous practices. 
 
 thine enemies. — So Chald. agi'eeably to the Hebrew. 
 
 15. hearkened unto me. — See 6. MS. Al. eirrrfKovaav fxov. 
 
 "So MS. Copt." Mr. Woide. And one MS. perhaps reads *Dijrrir. 
 The ancients agi-ee in the rendering proposed. 
 
 The Babylonians shall rout your armies and take your cities, v. 10, 11. 
 See V. 1. They shall cut off your false prophets, and destroy the objects of 
 youi" worship, v. 12, 13,'14. The nations hostile to you shall experience 
 my anger, and shall be themselves subdued, v. 14, 15. 
 
 Chap. VI. 1. before the mountains. — nw, apud, coram, ad. Nold. 
 
 Contend publicly, in the face of the creation. 
 
 2. strong. — Many MSS. and four editions read o-an^Km. Houbi- 
 
 gant prefers the reading of 6. a^poym : 
 
 " And ye valleys, the foundations of the earth" 
 
 Videtur legendum ^rI^e^. sequitur o. o^pnyn, Houbigant, male. Seeker. 
 According to this conjecture, the rendering would be, 
 
 "And hearken, ye foundations of the earth." 
 
1*78 MICAH. [CH. VI. 
 
 4 For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt ; 
 And out of the house of slaves I redeemed thee. 
 And I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. 
 
 5 O my people, remember now 
 
 What Balak the king of Moab consulted ; 
 
 And what Balaam the son of Beor answered him ; 
 
 From Shittim even unto Gilgal : 
 
 That ye may know the * righteousness of Jehovah. 
 
 * Heb. righteousnesses. 
 
 3. wearied thee. — By unnecessary burdens, or undeserved calamity. 
 
 4. Miriam. — She was a prophetess, Ex. xv. 20. Numb. xii. 2. 
 
 5. O my ]>eoi)le. — The structure of the words is such in the original, that 
 the English language cannot represent what we may suppose to be the 
 txue measure of this passage ; but the Vulg. may be thus distributed, — 
 
 " Popule meus, memento qureso quid cogitaverit 
 Balach rex Moab ; 
 Et quid respondent ei 
 Balaam filius Beor," &c. 
 
 Balaam was called to curse Israel ; but by my impulse he blessed them. 
 
 consulted. — Purposed. Seeker. 
 
 answered. — Some think what Balaam answered here means his 
 
 advice, Numb. xxxi. 16, how Balak should seduce Israel in their passage 
 through Shittim to Gilgal. Chald. supplies, Did I notperfonn great things 
 from Shittim to Gilgal ? No one interpretation is probable. Seckei". 
 
 From Shittim. — From the encampment at Shittim, Numb. xxv. 1, 
 
 on the way to that at Gilgal, Josh. iv. 19. Balaam gave different answers 
 in the interval between these places. We may suppose that the encamp- 
 ments of Israel advanced slowly to that part of Jordan which was opposite 
 Gilgal. 
 
 According to Chald. there seems an omission in the text, 
 
 " Were not great things done for you 
 From Shittim even unto Gilgal?" 
 
 See Josh. iii. 1. iv. 20. Thus, there will be a reference to the miraculous 
 passage over Jordan. 
 
 eve7i unto Gilgal. — Many MSS. and two editions read nyi. So 
 
 Syr. NDnyi. 
 
 the righteousness. — " The great righteousness." Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 V\c may often observe that the original word includes the notion of 
 mcrcv. 
 
CH. VI.] MICAH. 179 
 
 6 Wherewith shall I f come before Jehovah ? 
 Wherewith shall I bow myself unto the \ High God ? 
 Shall I § come before him with burnt-offering ; 
 With calves of a || year old ? 
 
 7 Will Jehovah be well pleased with thousands of rams ; 
 With ten thousands of rivers of oil ? 
 
 Shall I give my first-born ybr my transgression ; 
 The fruit of my * body ^or the sin of my soul? 
 
 8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good : 
 And what doth Jehovah require of thee, 
 But to do justice, and to love mercy, 
 
 And to be humble in walking with thy God ? 
 
 f Heb. prevent Jehovah. % Heb. the God of height. 
 
 § Heb. prevent him. {| Heb. the sons of a year. 
 
 * Heb. belly, or womb. 
 
 7. rivers of oil. — Or, fatted sheep, if we read *bm with V. 6. Ar. 
 
 Houbigant. 
 
 first-horn. — The dearest of my oflfspring. It is well known that 
 
 the Phoenicians, and their descendants, the Caithagenians, sacrificed their 
 children to Saturn. And some of the idolatrous Jews and Israelites imi- 
 tated this horrid practice. 
 
 8. He hath showed. — V. Ar. Syr. read ^*JK, / tvill show. 6. ed. Aid. have 
 El cnrrjyytiXe, instead of Ei avr]yye\i], the reading of MS. Vat. and Alex. 
 
 justice. — Right, just dealing. See Pocock. 
 
 mercy. — Goodness, kindness, beneficence. Ibid. 
 
 to be humble. — Submissive to God's laws, resigned to his will, ac- 
 quiescing in his revelation of himself. Ibid. 
 
 Prov. xi. 2, y3!f is opposed to pride. See Schultens. The Arab, root 
 signified paravit, didicit; and hence, say Sdniltens and Taylor, a well- 
 informed, well-managed mind. In Chald. the root denotes ahscondere ; 
 whence retiredness, modesty, humility. 
 
 The manner of raising attention in v. 1, 2, by calling on man to urge his 
 plea in the face of all nature, and on the inanimate creation to hear the 
 expostulation of Jehovah with his people, is truly awakening and magni- 
 ficent. The words of Jehovah follow in v. 3, 4, 5. And God's mercies 
 having been set before his people, one of them is introduced in a beautiful 
 dramatic form, as asking what his duty is towards so gracious a God, 
 v.6,7; the answer follows in the words of the prophet Micah, v. 8, if we 
 
180 MICAH. ^ [CH. VI. 
 
 9 The voice of Jeliovali crietli unto tlie city : 
 
 And there is sound wisdom with them that fear his 
 
 name : 
 Hear, O ye tribes, him that testifieth. 
 
 10 ARE there yet in the house of the wicked the treasures 
 
 of wickedness ; 
 And the f scant measure which is abominable ? 
 
 1 1 Shall I count her pure with the X wicked balances, 
 
 t Heb. the ephah of leanness. X Heb. the balances of wickedness. 
 
 read Ton, he hath showed thee; or, peihcaps, in the words of Jehovah, if 
 n*aK, / %vill shoiv thee, should be thought the true reading ; though, accord- 
 ing to this latter reading, it may well be supposed that the prophet replies 
 in his own person. 
 
 Bishop Butler thinks that we have here the demand of Balak, and the 
 answer of Balaam. Ser. vii. p. 121. Bishop Lowth adopts this idea, and 
 adds, "Mire congruit cum caeteris Balaam mouumentis res, dictio, con- 
 structio, forma ipsa et chamcter compositionis." Prsel. Heb. xviii. p. 229, 
 ed. 2. 8vo. And Mr. Peter says, that we have a sort of dialogue between 
 Balalc and Balaam represented to us in this prophetical way. The king of 
 Moab speaks, v. 6. Balaam replies by another question, in the two first 
 hemistichs of v. 7. The king of Moab rejoins, in the remaining part of 
 the verse. Balaam replies, v. 8. Sermons, xiv. Bvo. p. 333. 
 
 9. them that fear. — Four MSS. read >kt, and three in the margin. 
 
 MS. 2 reads so at present, and MS. 99 has the n on a rasure. V. 6. Ar. Syr. 
 also read *k-i\ It must likewise be observed that V. 6. A. suggest the 
 reading of nywm or y^u'im, 
 
 " And there is safety to them who fear his name." 
 Or, 
 
 " And he will save tliem," &c. 
 
 his name — iDii', 6. A. Syr. 
 
 O ye tribes. — Reading muo with V., which scarcely differs from 
 
 int3D, and 'd with Syr. 
 
 him that testifieth. — my, tcstari is 'often used in Hiphil both 
 
 without the formative ' and with the n paragogic. D. Durell translates, 
 " Him that testifieth against her :" 
 
 sc. the city. See 1 Kings xxi. 10, 13. 
 
 10. Are there. — The words of Jehovah follow, to the end of v. 16. 
 
 One MS. reads it"n, which is the true reading ; and Chald. represents it. 
 Many MSS. and some editions read wnn. Thus 2 Sam. xiv. 19, where we 
 have M-K for the verb substantive w in the text ; four or six MSS. read v\ 
 and many MSS. m'^h. 
 
CH. VI.] MICAH. 181 
 
 And with the bag of § deceitful weights ? 
 
 12 Whose rich men are full of || violence ; 
 And her inhabitants have spoken falsehood ; 
 And their tongue is * deceitful in their mouth. 
 
 13 Wherefore I will begin to smite thee, 
 
 To make thee desolate, because of thy sins. 
 
 14 Thou shalt eat, but shalt not be satisfied : 
 And it shall be dark in the midst of thee : 
 
 And thou shalt take hold, but shalt not carry away : 
 And that which thou carriest away will I give up to the 
 sword. 
 
 15 Thou shalt sow, but shalt not reap : 
 
 Thou shalt tread the olive, but shalt not anoint thee with 
 
 oil: 
 And ihe grape of the choice wine, but shalt not drink the 
 
 wine. 
 
 16 For thou hast kept the statutes of Omri, 
 
 § Heb. weights of deceit. || Or, rapine. * Heb. deceit. 
 
 13. begin. — Seven MSS. and four editions read 'n'rnn, as Deut. ii. 
 
 31. 1 Sam. xxii. 15, from bbn, in Hij)liil, to begin. So V. d. Ar. Syr. We 
 may render / have begun ; or the verb may be converted into the future by 
 the distant vau ; which common Hebraism aflfected St. Peter's Greek, 
 2 Pet. iii. 10, if, as in some editions we read Kavaovfitva Ti)Kirai. 
 
 " I also am wearied in smiting thee, 
 In making [thee] desolate for thy sins." 
 
 Dr. Wheeler 
 
 14. Thou shah eat. — This threatening occurs, Hos. iv. 10. I. 1. 
 
 And it shall be dark. — Read "iii-n-i with o. Ar. Houbigant. Dark- 
 ness is often put for calamity. See Job xviii. 6. Isa. lix. 9. Amos v. 20. 
 
 take hold. — The true reading is, Ju-m, as one MS. and tliree 
 
 editions read ; or ru'm, as two MSS. read. Compare Hosea ix. 1 1, 12, with 
 this aud the foregoing line 
 
 15. Thou shalt sow. — En queis consevimus agros! is the language of 
 the husbandman's bitter complaint. Virg. 
 
 16. thou hast kept. — Read ir2i:'m, with V. o. Ar. Syr. Houbigant. 
 
 Chald. has nr:ii'm,_fbr j/e have kept. 
 
 Omri. — An idolatrous king, 1 Kings xvi. 25. 
 
182 MICAH. [CH. VII. 
 
 And all the works of tlie liouse of Aliab ; 
 
 And ye have walked in their counsels ; 
 
 That I should make her f a desolation, 
 
 And her inhabitants :|:aii hissing : 
 
 And that ye should bear the reproach of my people. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 WOE is me, for I am become 
 
 As the gatherers of late figs, as the gleaners of the 
 
 vintage : 
 There is no cluster to eat : 
 My soul desireth the first-ripe fig. 
 The good man is perished from the land. 
 And there is none upright among men. 
 All of them lie in wait for blood : 
 They hunt every man his brother yor his * destruction. 
 
 t Heb. for a desolation. J Heb. for an hissing. 
 
 * Or, loith a net. 
 
 the tvorks. — <5. Ar. Chald. read ^wyn. 
 
 ye have walked. — V. "I'^m, And thou hast walked. 
 
 tnake her. — Syr. reads nmx, sc. the city, v. 9, 12. 
 
 of mi/ people. — Wliicli will full oa my people, when their enemies 
 
 subdue them. 
 
 Chap. VII. 1. late figs. — The word v*p, which i.s sometimes used 
 
 for summer-fruits in general, see Amos viii. 1,2. Isa. xvi. 9. Jer. xl. 10. 
 xlviii. 32, may here be opposed to the early ripe fig of superior quality. 
 See on Hos. ix. 10. 6. read u'p, stubble. 
 
 gleaners. — The women who glean, &c. See Zech. ix. 17. 
 
 2. The good man. — As the early fig of excellent flavour cannot be found 
 in the advanced season of summer, or the choice cluster of grapes after 
 vintage; so neither can the good and upright man be discovered by diligent 
 searching in Israel. The comparison is beautifully implied. 
 
 destruction. — The preposition b is understood, as very frt(]ucntly. 
 
CH. VIJ.] MICAH. 183 
 
 3 Their hands are ready for evil to do it earnestly : 
 
 The prince asketh a bribe; and the judge decideth for 
 
 reward ; 
 And as for the great man, he uttereth the wickedness of 
 
 his f soul : and they do abominably. 
 
 4 Their good man is as a briar, their upright man as a 
 
 thorn hedge. 
 It is the day of thy watchmen : thy visitation cometh, 
 f Or, desire. 
 
 ."3. Their hands. — Perhaps the true reading is on-as, as the versions and 
 Chald. read. 
 
 to do it earnestly. — " Thoroughly, effectually. To good ^7." Tayl. 
 
 Cone. Or, " they do no good." Et non benefacienles sunt. Syr. Chald. 
 We may read la-ta-n xb, they do no good ; or n*a>n nV, not for doing good. 
 
 " [Their] hands are [bent] on iniquity, to execute it fully." 
 
 Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 uttereth.. — See xin, at the end of a sentence, v. 18, and x»r>, 
 
 Nahum ii. 8. 
 
 the wickedness. — The versions read n^K, the desire. " Q,ualia dona 
 
 illi accepta sunt." Moerlius. 
 
 and they do abominably. — Reading, according to Syr. and Arab. 
 
 layn-i. Houbigant reads im3i?n*% and men abominate him, sc. the great 
 man. Vulg. reads nn^yi, arid they trouble it, sc. the land; unless, as 
 Pocock thinks, they take the Arabic sense of nnv, miscuit. 
 
 " And the great man uttereth the iniquity of his soul, 
 
 Even he, because he hath perverted it." Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 He reads nn3j;""i. 
 
 4. Their good man. — The n may be taken from the foregoing word, 
 and we may read anan ; though grammarians object to this form. But 
 there are repeated instances of it, as Josh. vii. 21. viii. 33. 2 Kings xv. 16. 
 See Guarini Gramm. Heb. 4to. 421. 
 
 their upright man. — Reading with Dr. Durrell, nsitt'O a-iu". Houbi- 
 gant reads naioa mu-* ; but the particle of similitude is often understood. 
 " Videtur legendum r\•:l^v:i o-^w, vel naiDoa. Vid. Frov. xv. 19." Seeker. 
 For the image, see Numb, xxxiii. 55. Josh, xxiii. 13. Ezek. ii. 6. xxviii. 
 24. Hos. ii. 6. Harmer i. 452. 
 
 tvatchmen. — These were to be diligent on the approach of danger, 
 
 Isa. xxi. 11. 
 
 thy xnsilalion. — 6. Ar. prefix to this word 'in nn, alas ! alas ! and 
 
 one MS. prefixes njn, behold. 
 
 Q 
 
184 IMICAH. [CH. VII. 
 
 Now shall be their perplexity- 
 
 5 Trust ye not in a friend : 
 
 Put ye not confidence in a guide : 
 
 From her that lieth in thy bosom keep the doors of thy 
 mouth. 
 
 6 For the son shall dishonour the father : 
 
 The daughter shall rise up against her mother; the 
 
 daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law : 
 A man's foes shall he the men of his houshold. 
 
 7 But I will look unto Jehovah ; 
 
 I will hope in the God of my salvation : my God will 
 hear me. 
 
 8 Rejoice not over me, O mine enemy : 
 Though I am fallen, yet shall I rise ; 
 Though I sit in darkness, 
 
 Yet shall Jehovah be a light unto me. 
 
 9 I bear the indignation of Jehovah, "^ 
 Because I have sinned against him : 
 
 Until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me; 
 
 Until he bring me forth to light, until I see his righte- 
 ousness. 
 10 Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shall be 
 covered with shame : 
 
 6. Put ye not cotifidenee. — Seven MSS. and four editions read '?ki, el 
 
 non, with the versions and Chald. 
 
 guide. — ^^bK. Husband is called the ^iVk of the wife's youtli, 
 
 Prov. ii. 17 ; and perhaps is meant here. A whisperer separateth r^ibx, 
 Prov. xvi. 28. Chal. Syr. translate it in the text by anp. Seeker. 
 
 6. The daughter. — Our Lord has this passage in view. Matt. x. 
 
 35, 36; and accommodates it to the times of persecution. 
 
 7. But I. — The people led captive are introduced as using this lan- 
 guage. 
 
 8. enemy. — Assyria and Babylon. 
 
 shall T rise. — <}. render kai avaffTi](TOfiai, ai^d thus show that they 
 
 read \iopi. 
 
 " Ergo ne nimium nostra laetere ruina, 
 Kestitui quoniam me quoque posse puta." 
 
 Ov. apud Moerlium. 
 
CH. VII.] MICAH. 185 
 
 Who said unto me, Wliere is | Jehovah thy God ? 
 Mine eyes shall see their desire upon her : 
 Now shall she be § trodden down, as the mire of the 
 streets. 
 1 1 In the day when thy walls shall be built, 
 
 In that day the decree against thee shall be removed 
 afar off. 
 *12 And in that day they shall come unto thee 
 From Assyria and the fenced cities ; 
 And from Egypt even unto the river; 
 And from sea unto sea, and from mountain unto moun- 
 tain: 
 13 For the land shall become || a desolation 
 
 X Heb. Where is he. § Heb. for a treading down. || Heb. for a desolation. 
 
 1 1 . the decree. — Sc. of God for thy captivity. Possibly pn, or pin, 
 
 as eight MSS. and two ed. read, may be considered as a repetition of the 
 close of the foregoing verb, under a different form ; and the verse may be 
 a continuation of the enemy's speech. See Syr. 
 
 " The day when thy walls shall be built. 
 That day shall be removed afar off." 
 
 Q,u. an coiijungi debeat pnpni% reduplicatione in aliis verbis usitata. 
 Seeker. 
 
 12. they shall come. — Thy restored inhabitants. In the various 
 
 lections of the famous edition of the Hebrew Bible at Mantua, on which 
 consult Kennicott, note 300, iKia% they shall covie, is found ; with which 6. 
 Ar. Chald. agree. 
 
 unto thee. — One MS. reads Tiv. That the vau is sometimes re- 
 moved from the beginning of the sentence, see on Hos. xiii. 6. 
 
 fenced cities. — One MS. reads nv3o. 
 
 Egypt. — For which the word is sometimes "nvo. See Isa. xix. 6. 
 
 Boch. Geogr. L. IV. c. xxiv. 258. " Probably it should be, * even unto 
 Egypt, and from Egypt even unto the river.' See Isa. xix. 23 and xi. 16." 
 Seeker. 
 
 from mountain. — Reading tno with V. 6. Ar. Houbigant, From 
 
 Egypt to the Euphrates ; from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean ; and 
 mount Libanus to mount Seir. See Cappellus. 
 
 Videtur pro nyn legendum *^y^, et forte pro Nia* ^»^J;^, legere satius erit 
 INI* y\V-, hostes tui venient. Seeker. 
 
 13 For. — Thy people shall return unto thee from all parts; for the sen- 
 tence of desolation is passed on the land, and shall soon be executed. 
 
 q2 
 
186 MICAH. [CH. vir. 
 
 Because of its inliabitants, for the fruit of their doings. 
 
 14 Feed thy people with thy crook, the flock of thine 
 
 heritage, 
 That dwell solitarily in the forest. 
 In the midst of Carmel let them feed, 
 In Basan and Gilead, as in the days of old. 
 
 15 As in the days when he went forth out of the land of 
 
 Egypt, 
 I will show unto him wonderful things. 
 
 16 The nations shall see, and shall be confounded because 
 
 of all their might : 
 They shall lay their hand upon their mouth ; their ears 
 shall be deaf: 
 
 17 They shall lick the dust as the serpent; 
 
 As the creeping things of the earth, they shall tremble 
 
 from their close places : 
 Because of Jehovah our God they shall stand in awe ; 
 
 and they shall fear because of thee. 
 
 14. Teed. — This may be an address to the governors of the people on 
 their return from captivity. 
 
 solitarily. — Without a shepherd. 
 
 forest. — Habitantes solitari^ sylvam. A figurative description of 
 
 the captivity. See ir, Hos. ii. 12. Bashan and Gilead were famous for 
 fertility and pasturage. 
 
 Dr. Wheeler gives the following beautiful turn to this passage, 
 
 " Church. Feed thy people with thy sceptre ; 
 
 The sheep of thine inheritance, dwelling in the solitary grove. 
 Jehovah. Let them feed in the midst of Carmel, 
 
 In Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old." 
 
 To him I owe the hint of rejecting the Masoretical punctuation. 
 
 15. fie n-ent fm-th.—Houhigunt reads inxv, and Syr. Chald. translate 
 
 " they went forth," " show them ;" and therefore may have read mxy, 
 people being understood. " A like change of persons is in v. 19, and Jer. 
 xvi. 14, 15." Seeker. 
 
 10. their ears. — Sixteen MSS. and three editions read with Chald. 
 
 Syr. an*3TKi, and their ears. 
 
 If the expressions in v. 15, 16, 17, are thought too strong for the events 
 which happened under the Maccabees, they may likewise have a reference 
 to the times of the future restoration. 
 
CH. VII,] MICAH. 187 
 
 18 Who is a God like unto thee, pardoning iniquity, 
 And passing by transgression, in the residue of his 
 
 heritage ? 
 And who keepeth not his anger for ever, 
 Because he delighteth in mercy ? 
 
 19 He will turn again, he will have compassion on us, he 
 
 will cover our iniquities. ^^ 
 
 Yea, thou wilt cast all our sins into the depth of the sea : 
 
 20 Thou wilt shew faithfulness unto Jacob, and mercy unto 
 
 Abraham ; 
 Which thou swarest unto our fathers from the days of old. 
 
 passing by. — Passeth over. Seeker. 
 
 18. delighteth in mercy. — QtXtjrrig tXtovg eari, d. 
 
 19. He will turn again. — He will again have compassion on us. 
 Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 cover. — This is the Chaldee sense of wyj. Syr. reads Di:3% colliyel. 
 
 —— thou ivilt even cast. — Syr. reads n^bii'm, and he tvill cast. 
 
 " Tradam protervis in mare Creticum 
 Portare ventis." Horace. 
 
 our sins. — 'A/xapnac I'lfiutv, 6. Syr. Vulg. Seeker. 
 
THE BOOK 
 
 N A H U M 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 I toNCLUDi;, from ch. ii. 2, that Nahum prophesied after the captivity 
 of the ten tribes. Josephus places him in tlie reign of Jotham, and says, 
 that his predictions came to pass one hundred and fifteen years afterwards. 
 Ant. IX. xi. 3. According to our best chronologers, this date would bring 
 us to the year in which Samaria was taken. And I agree with those who 
 think that Nahum uttered this prophecy in the reign of Hezekiah, and not 
 long after the subversion of the kingdom of Israel by Shalmaneser. 
 
 The conduct and imagery of this prophetical poem are truly admirable. 
 
 The exordium grandly sets forth the justice and power of God, tempered 
 by lenity and goodness, ch. i. 2 — 8. 
 
 A sudden address to the Assyrians follows ; and a prediction of their 
 perplexity and overthrow, as devisers of evil against the true God, v. 9 — 11. 
 
 Jehovah himself then proclaims freedom to his people from the Assyrian 
 yoke, and the destruction of the Assyrian idols, v. 12 — 14. Upon which 
 the prophet, in a most lively manner, turns the attention of Judah to the 
 approach of the messenger who brings such glad tidings, and bids her 
 celebrate her festivals, and oflfer her thank-offerings, without fear of so 
 powerful an adversary, v. 15. 
 
 Ch. II. In the next place, Nineveh is called on to prepare for the 
 approach of her enemies, as instruments in the hand of Jehovah ; and the 
 military array and muster of the Medes and Babylonians, their rapid 
 approach to the city, the process of the siege, the capture of the place, the 
 captivity, lamentation, and flight of the inhabitants, the sacking of the 
 wealthy city, and the consequent desolation and terror, are described in the 
 true spirit of eastern poetry, and with many pathetic, vivid, and sublime 
 images, v. 1 — 10. 
 
 A grand and animated allegory succeeds this description, v. 11, 12, 
 which is explained and applied to the city of Nineveh, in v. 13. 
 
 Ch. III. Tlic prophet denounces a woe against Nineveh for her perfidy 
 and violence, and strongly places before our eyes the number of her 
 
CU. I.] NAHUM. 189 
 
 1 The prophecy concerning Nineveh. The book of the 
 vision of Nahum the Elkoshite. 
 
 chariots and cavalry, her burnished arms, and the great and unrelenting 
 slaughter which she spread around her, v. 1 — 3. 
 
 He assigns her idolatries as one cause of her ignominious and unpitied 
 fall, V. 4—7. 
 
 He foretels that No-Ammon, her rival in populousness, confederacies 
 and situation, should share a like fate with herself, v. 8, 9, 10, 11 ; and 
 beautifully illustrates the ease with which her strong holds should be 
 taken, v. 12 ; and her pusillanimity during the siege, v. 13. 
 
 He pronounces that all her preparations, v. 14, 15, her numbers, her 
 opulence, her multitude of chief men, would be of no avail, v. 15 — 17. 
 
 He foretels. that her tributaries would desert her, v. 18. 
 
 He concludes with a proper epiphonema ; the topics of which are, the 
 greatness and incurableness of her wound, and the just triumph of others 
 over her, on account of her extensive oppressions, v. 19. 
 
 To sum up all, with the decisive judgment of an eminent critic, " Ex 
 omnibus minoribus prophetis nemo videtur aequare sublimitatem, ardorem, 
 et audaces spiritus Nahumi : adde quod ejus vaticinium integrum ac 
 j ustum est poema ; exordium magnificum est et plane augustum ; appa- 
 ratus ad excidium Ninivse, ejusque excidii descriptio et aniplificatio, arden- 
 tissimis coloribus exprimitur, et admirabilem habet evidentiam et pondus." 
 Prsel. Heb. xxi. p. 282. 
 
 It must be further observed, that this prophecy was highly interesting to 
 the Jews, as the Assyrians had often ravaged their country, and, I suppose, 
 had recently destroyed the kingdom of Israel. 
 
 Chap. I. 1. The prophecy. — The word ku'o has the general signification 
 of prolatum, effatum, pronu7iciatum, from Kirs, to take up, or, to utter, Exod. 
 XX. 7. Deut. V. 11. 2 Kings xix. 4. It is equivalent to a-nm, words, Prov. 
 xxxi. 1 ; where it may be translated propheci/, in the sense of speaking to 
 edification, 1 Cor. xiv. 3. 2 Kings ix. 26 may be rendered, " Jehovah 
 ultered this prophecy concerning him." Sc. that which follows, v. 26. 
 Compare v. 36. 
 
 It is translated burden, as if it signified " gravem prophetiam, quae dura 
 pronunciat atque comminatur." See Cappellus on Hab. i. 1. And accord- 
 ingly Chald. on Nah. i. 1, has " Onus calicis maledictionis." But Pocock 
 observes, on Mai. i. I, that it rather signifies a viessage ; and quotes Lam. 
 ii. 14, where the flattering prophecies of false prophets are so called, and 
 where the word may have the sense oi effatum, as above. 
 
 Because 6. render the word by <iilcu, 1 Chron. xv. 22, 27, Houbigant 
 cays, Forte Kiro indicat signum cantoribus datum, cum alte extollitur 
 
190 NAHUM. [CH. J, 
 
 2 Jehovah is a jealous and avenging God : 
 Jehovah avengeth, and is wrathful : 
 
 luaniis ad cantus moderandos." Perhaps we may infer from these places, 
 that prophecies were sometimes sung to musical instruments. See 2 Kings 
 iii. 15. 1 Sam. x. 5. 
 
 Taylor interprets the phrases, to lift up a ironl, Amos v. 1, to lift tip a 
 ])rovcrh, or parable. Job xxvii. 1, of speaking with an exerted voice, of pro- 
 nouncing with spirit and earnestness. But, without including this circum- 
 stance in its definition, he thus explains xu'O, " A prophecy, or burden, 
 containing things of eminence, weight, and importance, taught by man, or 
 revealed by God. The word is plainly ambiguous, and sometimes signifies 
 a heavy judgment." Cone, voc kuo. 
 
 Bishop Chandler, Defence, &c. p. 10, quotes authority to show that the 
 word Sibylla comes from biv, to bear, dia Tt]v ^tofopiav ; and adds, " So 
 Kir3, to bear, or carry, Numb, xxiv. 3. xxiii. 7, 18. Jon. Targum to speak a 
 parable. See Isa. xiv. 28. Prov. xxxi. 1. Lam. ii. 14. 2 Kings ix. 25; 
 comp. with V. 36." 
 
 Some commentators, particularly Drusius, are of opinion, that in this 
 chapter the prophet foretels, first the destruction of Sennacherib's army, 
 and then of Sennacherib himself There seem to me to be so many 
 allusions to the history of these events in this chapter, that I am much 
 inclined to subscribe to their opinion. Rabshakeh had represented his 
 master as invincible ; nay, as more powerful than the true God worshipped 
 at Jerusalem. In answer to this the prophet asserts, 2 —6, the justice and 
 irresistible power of God, and represents him as avenging himself of his 
 enemies (whether Jew or Gentile), and thus insinuates, that Sennacherib 
 ought not to assume to himself, but ascribe to God, whose instrument 
 only he was, the overthrow of the nations he had reduced: and as God 
 had overthrown them, and had also afflicted for their sins his own people, 
 so now he would have mercy on his own people, n 7, and punish the 
 Assyrians. Compare v. 4 with Isa. xxxvii. 24, 25, and v. 9, and v. II, 
 with Isa. xxxvii. 23. He foretels the destruction of Sennacherib's army, 
 V. 8, 9, 10, 12; the immediate cause of it, v. 11 ; and the consequence of 
 it, latter part of v. 12 and 13. The fall of Sennacherib himself is foretold, 
 V. 14. The prophet then proceeds to announce the joy this should cause 
 among the Jews, and the utter destruction of the Assyrian empire that 
 should speedily ensue. Dr Forsayeth. 
 
 Nineveh. — Nimrod, the third in descent from Ham, went forth out 
 
 of the land of Shinar into Assyria, to wage war against the descendants of 
 Shem, and built Nineveh. For so I understand Gen. x. 10, 11, agreeably 
 to our marginal rendering, and to Bothart, Geogr. Sacr. v. ii. p. 229. And 
 therefore the land of Assyria is called the land of Nimrod, Mic. v. 6. Hp 
 
CH. I.] NAHUM, 191 
 
 Jehovah avengeth his adversaries : 
 
 And he reserveth indignation for his enemies. 
 
 3 Jehovah is slow to anger, yet great in power; 
 Bnt Jehovah by no * means eleareth the guilty. 
 His way is in the whirlwind and in the storm ; 
 And the clouds are the dust of his feet. 
 
 4 He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry ; 
 And t drieth up all the rivers. 
 
 * Heb. clearing will not clear. t Or, exhausted. 
 
 might assign tliis city to his son, and call it mr3, from i*d, a son and mD, an 
 habitation. Slill we may allow that another Niuus made conquests 
 throughout a great part of Asia, and in that sense founded the Assyrian 
 empire, during the time of the Judges ; as otherwise Herodotus's assertion 
 cannot be true, that the duration of the Assyrian monarchy was five hundred 
 and twenty years. See Bishop Lowth's note on Isa. xxiii. 13. 
 
 Elkoshite. — So called, says Jerome, from a village in Galilee. 
 
 Vitringa, Es. p. 25, thinks the parts of this verse transposed. Seeker. 
 
 2. jealous. — Kijp occurs only here and Josh. xxiv. 19. Here 
 
 eight MSS. and three editions omit the van, and in Joshua fourteen MSS. 
 omit it, 
 
 reserveth indignation for. — See Lev. xix. 18. Or, ohserveth with 
 
 an angry eye. The Arabic word signifies vidit, contemplatus est. See 
 J Sam. XX. 20, where the substantive from this verb is rendered a 7nark. 
 
 The b in this v. is twice transitive, like riK. See Hos. i. G. x. 1. Zeph. i. 
 17. Jer. X. 18. 
 
 3. But Jehovah. — o. divide thus. I find that this is also Dr. 
 
 Wheeler's punctuation. See Ex. xx. 7. xxxiv. 7. Numb. xiv. 18. Jer 
 
 XXX. 11. 
 
 His uay. — In the whirlwind and storm he displayeth his power 
 
 or his vengeance ; he treadeth on the clouds, as on the dust. Another 
 Hebrew word for clouds is pni:', which also denotes small dust. The verb 
 pnc signifies comminuere ; and Castel says that clouds may be called 
 O'pnti' oh tenuitatem. 
 
 These two lines are very sublime ; but the Psalmist is still more sublime. 
 
 " Who maketh the clouds his chariot : 
 
 Who walketh upon the wings of the wind." Ps. civ 3. 
 
 4. the sea. — As the Red Sea, Ex. xiv. 21. 
 
 t/ic rivers. — As the Jordan, Josh. iii. 16. He also drieth up all of 
 
192 NAHUM. [Cll. 1. 
 
 Baskan lajiguishetli, and Carmel : 
 
 And the flower of Lebanon languislieth. 
 5 The niountiiins shake at him, and the hills are molten. 
 
 And the land is laid waste before him ; 
 
 Yen, the world, and all that dwell therein. 
 G Who shall stand before his indignation ? 
 
 And who shall rise up in his % hot anger ? 
 
 His fury is poured out like fire ; 
 
 And the rocks are § cast down by him. 
 
 7 Jehovah is good : he is a || strong hold in the day distress : 
 And he knoM^eth them that trust in him : 
 
 8 But with an overflowing torrent he will make a full end 
 
 of those who rise up against him : 
 
 t Heb. the heat of his anger. 
 § Or, broken down. || Heb. for a strong hold. 
 
 of them, sc. very many of them, by visiting a sinful people witli drought, 
 1 Kings xvii. 7. 
 
 " He rebuketh the sea, and driethit up ; 
 
 And parcheth up all the rivers." Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 The collocation of the original words is exquisite in the three first hemis- 
 tichsof V. 2; in the two first of v. 3; and in two last of v. 4. 
 
 5. shake. — As Sinai, Ex. xix. 18. 
 
 are molten. Possibly an allusion to bringing water out of the rock, 
 
 Numb. XX. 10. Or, rather, this and the foregoing clause refer to God's 
 power shown in storms and earthquakes. 
 
 is laid waste. — Reading nxun with Chald. and Houbigant. 
 
 Yea, the world. — On considering this line, I conjectured that we 
 
 should read ban, as more elegant and agreeable to the usual turn of the 
 Hebrew poetry, and I observed that vau preceded ':13m, and rjs'j. On 
 examination I found my conjecture supported by the omission of vau in p. 
 Syr. and six or seven MSS. Dr. Wheeler saw this; for his version stands, 
 
 " And the world," &c. 
 
 6. hot anger. — So Exarsere ignes animo. yEu. ii. 575. 
 
 likejire. — Widely and irresistibly. See Amos v. 6. 
 
 rocks are cast down. — Lightning, or subterraneous fire, or earth- 
 quake, may produce this eftcct. 
 
 8. an overflowing torrent. — Here may be an allusion to the manner 
 
 in which Nineveh was taken. "The JMiphrates overflowed its banks. 
 
CH. I.] NAHUM. 11)3 
 
 And darkness shall pursue his enemies. 
 9 What do ye imagine against Jehovah ? 
 He will make a full end : 
 Distress shall not rise up a second time. 
 
 10 For while the princes are yet perplexed, 
 And as drunken ivith their wine, 
 
 They are devoured as stubble * fully dry. 
 
 1 1 From thee hath gone forth one that imagined evil against 
 
 Jehovah ; 
 A f wicked counsellor. 
 
 * Heb. dry to fulness. t Heb. A counsellor of Belial. 
 
 deluged a part of the city, and overturned twenty stadia of the wall ; in 
 consequence of which the desponding king burned himself, his palace, and 
 treasures." Diod, Sic. ed. Wess. p. 140. L. ii, Sec. 27. 
 
 a full end. — 'H Ntvoc fiiv aTroXwXtv >J^j/) """ ov^tv tx^og iTi Xoinov 
 
 avTTjg. Luc. Dial. Conteiiiplantes. 
 
 of those who rise up against him. — Houbigant proposes reading 
 
 rrjipa, as Jer. li. 1 . 6. join the word to the next clause, and may read voip, 
 or rorjipa, which latter reading I prefer. 
 
 " Those that rise up against hin), and his enemies, darkness shall pursue." 
 
 Aquila has airo uviarafiiviov. Theodoti()n, consurgcntibus ei. V. ed. 
 a consurgcntibus illi. See Montfau^on. 
 
 pursue. — So as to overtake and involve them. See Deut. xxviii. 
 
 22, 45. 
 
 " And his enemies will he pursue to darkness." Dr. Wheeler. Agree- 
 ably to Chald. 
 
 9. He will make. — " He himself will make," &c. Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 10. the princes. — Syr. and Chald. read anu', and two MSS. and one 
 
 ed. have nna. 
 
 yet perplexed. — Reading a-Diao — ny. The Arab, (see i^b', Cast. 
 
 lex.) signifies perplexafuit res, irretitus fuit. 
 
 And as drunken. — Men, fluctuating and staggering in their coun- 
 sels, are beautifully said to be as it were intoxicated with wine. I con- 
 sider the present reading as preferable to the reading of Syr. and of one 
 MS. aioDai, et in vino suo. 
 
 1 1 . hath gone forth. — That is, thou hast produced. Such were 
 
 Pul, 2 Kings XV. 19 ; Tiglath-pileser, ib. 29 ; Shalmaneser, ib. xvii. 6 ; and 
 Sennacherib, 2 Kings xviii. 17, (5«:c. xix. 23. 
 
 wicked. — Of Belial. Some, as Tayl. Cone. Supplement, derive thi^ 
 
194 NAIIU.M. [CH. 1. 
 
 12 Thus saith Jehovah : 
 
 Though the Ruler of many waters 
 
 Have thus ravaged, and have thus passed through; 
 
 And I have afflicted thee ; 
 
 I will afflict thee no more. 
 
 13 For now will I break his yoke from off thee, 
 And will burst thy bonds in sunder. 
 
 14 And Jehovah will command concerning thee, 
 
 word from -ba, without, and by, a yoke : but b*j/v "73, one that prujitelh nut, 
 that is, one who is dangerous and destructive, is a better etymology. 
 Axpttoc has this sense in Greek, and inutilis in Latin. See Merrick on 
 Ps. xviii. 1. 12. 
 
 12. Though the Ruler. — I propose reading, 
 
 : tiy Wi< Kb TTi*3j?i 
 
 ax occurs in the text. ". read o-m q-o biro ; a just and beautiful peri- 
 phrasis for Nineveh, which was situated on the great river Tigris. See 
 Ezek. xxxi. 4. Syr. has nayi itji, quiB rapuerant et elapsac sunt ; but I 
 prefer the singular number on account of his yoke, v. 13, though Houbi- 
 gant, Syr. and Arab, read "bvn, rulers ; and, retaining ]3, twice, I fonn a 
 conjectural reading as nearly as I can to the text, which is manifestly 
 corrupted. Tn-syi rests on the authority of fourteen MSS. two ed. Syr. 
 Chald. and Vulg. 
 
 " Thus saith Jehovah : If retributions come, 
 
 " According as they are many, accordingly shall ihey be cut ofl, and 
 
 pass away. 
 " If I have afflicted thee, I will not afflict thee more." 
 
 Or, 
 
 " Though they are at peace, and also mighty, 
 " Still shall they be cut off, and pass away." 
 
 Ur. Wheeler. 
 
 Though they be perfect [in health and strength] and tlius numerous, 
 even so shall they be cut down [as glass] and he [Sennacherib] shall pass 
 away [fly to his own home] Ur. Forsayeth. 
 
 13. his yoke. — thy bonds. — The .lews jmid tribute to the Assyrians, 
 
 2 Kings xviii. 14 ; and the Israelites were under actual captivity among 
 them at this time. 
 
CH. II.] NAHUM. 195 
 
 X That thy name sliall be no more scattered abroad. 
 From the house of thy God I will cut off the graven 
 
 image and the molten image ; 
 I will appoint thy sepulchre ; for thou art become vile. 
 15 Behold upon the mountains 
 
 The feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that pub- 
 
 lisheth peace. 
 Keep, O Judah, thy feasts ; perform thy vows. 
 For he shall no § more pass through thee : 
 The wicked is wholly consumed, he is cut oiF. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 He that * scattereth is come up before thee : 
 Guard the fenced place ; watch the way : 
 Strengthen the loins ; confirm' might greatly. 
 For Jehovah restoreth the excellency of Jacolj, 
 
 % Heb. There shall not be sown of thy name any more. 
 § Heb. shall add no more to pass. * Or, breaketh in pieces. 
 
 14. scattered abroad. — That no more of thy colonies be transplanted 
 
 to other countries. 
 
 become vile. — Thy enemies have subdued thee. See a like apos- 
 trophe to this city, ch. ii. 1. 
 
 15. upon the mountains. — Which surrounded Jerusalem. 
 
 good tidinc/s. — That Nineveh is destroyed. Compare Isa. lii. 7. 
 
 T/te wicked. — See 2 Sam. xxiii. 6. 
 
 wholly consumed. — Houbigant renders with o. periit, excisus est. We 
 
 may render, consiimmatione vel consummando excisus est. Six MSS. in 
 the text or margin, read iba, all of him. The Assyrian is meant. 
 
 Chap. If. 1. scattereth.— The army of the Babylonians and Medes. 
 
 '• The destroyer." Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 the loins. — Compare Ps. Ixix. 23. Thus elumbis signifies weak. 
 
 2. restoreth. — I suppose that we should read nir- -3 for a^uv The 
 
 versions and Chald. give the force of Hiphil to the verb. 
 
196 NAHUM. [CII. II. 
 
 As the excellency of Israel : 
 
 For the wasters have wasted them, and have destroyed 
 their branches. 
 
 3 The sliield of his mighty men is made red : 
 The valiant men are clothed in scarlet: 
 
 The chariots are as the fire of lamps, in the day \\hen he 
 
 prepareth them : 
 And the horsemen spread fear. 
 
 4 In the streets the chariots madden : 
 They run to and fro in the broad places : 
 
 Their appearance is as lamps, they run as lightnino-. 
 
 5 He recounteth his mighty men : they cast down in their 
 
 march. 
 
 of Israel. — In the manner suitable to the excellency of a prince 
 
 prevailing^ with God, according to the etymologj' of the word Israel. 
 
 That by the excellency of Jacob, either Jerusalem, or the two tribes of 
 Judah and Benjamin are to be understood, see Drusius on the place. 
 Dr. Forsayeth. 
 
 the wasters — The Assyrians have wasted Israel, and led licr into 
 
 captivity. 
 
 3. is made red.— A.?, the preparation for battle is described, we may 
 
 suppose it customary among those who fought against Nineveh to carry 
 red shields, and to wear scarlet. Scuta lectissimis coloribus distinguunt. 
 Tac. de Mor. Genn. c. 6. 
 
 as the fire of lamps — (>. Houbigant, one MS. and one edition read, 
 
 tt-KS. rm'^a, as many MSS. and some editions read, is a plain mistiikc for 
 rmEiS. See v. 4. 
 
 when he prepareth them. — Or, when he prepareth himself. His 
 
 scythed chariots, burnished for war, resemble flames of fire. 
 
 horsemen. — V. o. Ar. Syr. read a*rn3m. 
 
 spread fear. — I suppose the verb to be in Hiphil. 
 
 And the axle-trees of fir are in dreadful commotion. Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 4. viadden. — So Homer. II. B. III. 
 
 " II Kcii ifiov Sopv ^aivtTca tv ■KoXafiyrn." 
 
 Their appearance — Houbigant's reading of an'N-io is confirmed by 
 
 three MSS. 
 
 5. the)/ cast down. — I suppose the verb to be in Hiphil, as 2 Chron. 
 
 XXV. 8. 
 
CH. II.] NAHUM. 197 
 
 They hasten to the wall, and the covering- is prepared. 
 G The gates of the rivers are opened : 
 
 And the palace melteth ivithfea)\ and the fortress. 
 
 7 She is taken into captivity, she is f brought up : 
 
 And her handmaids are carried away as with the voice of 
 
 doves, 
 :j: Smiting upon their breasts. 
 
 8 And the waters of Nineveh are as a pool of water : 
 
 f Or, caused to go up. t Or, tabering. 
 
 to the wall. — Murum versus ; the n being local. 
 
 tJie covering. — Vulg. umhraeulum ; 6. Trpo(pv\aK)f. It denotes the 
 
 tortoise, or shed, under which the besiegers covered themselves. 
 
 6. The gates. — Houbigant understiinds this metaphorically of the natural 
 or artificial banks which kept in the river. There is au allusion to the 
 fact quoted from Diodorus.Siculus in the note on ch. i. 8. 
 
 the palace. — The Hebrew word is probably derived from an Arabic 
 
 one, which signifies magnus fuit. See Cast, lex, 
 
 melteth. — Syr. has j;?, and seems to read uvij, is shaken, removed, 
 
 cast down, overthroivn. 
 
 fortress. — I read 2!f?3, which is rendered mount, Isa. xxix. 3, and 
 
 sometimes ^armon. Vulg. has jmVes. Chald. has sny, »Hims<mn5,- which 
 suggests the reading of K3!;m, and the host. o. have vTroaraaig, which will 
 answer to a noun from zt, constituere. 
 
 7. she is brought up. — She is caused to go up to Babylon. 
 
 Smiting. — Or, by a figure, tabering. Eleganter usurpatur n-)53n?3, 
 
 de plangentibus et pectus tundentibus ; quasi Gallice dicas, battans le 
 tambour sur leur poictrines. Cappellus. " As the tabret is beaten with the 
 fingers, and those fingers are applied to a skin stretched over a hollow 
 hoop, the description gives great life to the words of the prophet Nahum, 
 who compares women beating on their breasts, in deep anguish, to their 
 playing on a tabret.'' Harmer. i. 482. 
 
 breasts. — See aa"?, Ex. xxviii. 30. 
 
 " Tunsae pectora palmis." 
 
 Virg. ^n. i. 485. 
 
 8. her waters. — Literally, Et Nineveh, aquce ipsius, &c. Seethe 
 
 note on Micah vii, 3, to show that the pronoun is sometimes placed at the 
 end of a clause. 
 
 a pool of water. — The inundation of the river mentioned in the note 
 
 on ch. i. 8, assisted by the channels and receptacles for water which the 
 Ninevites formed to make their city inaccessible to the enemy, produced 
 
198 NAHUMi [( H. II. 
 
 And they flee and men cry, Stand, Stand; but none 
 looketh back. 
 9 They spoil the silver, they spoil the gold : 
 And there is none end of the § glorious store, 
 Because of all kinds of || pleasant vessels. 
 
 10 She is void, empty, and desolate : 
 
 And the heart melteth, and the * knees smite together; 
 
 And there is great pain in all loins ; 
 
 And the faces of them all gather blackness. 
 
 1 1 Where is the habitation of the devouring-lions ? 
 
 And that which was the feeding-place of the yount;- 
 
 lions ? 
 Whither the devouring-lion, and the lioness, went ; 
 
 { Heb. the preparation of glory. || Heb. vessels of desire, 
 
 * Heb. there is smiting together of knees. 
 
 this effect for some time. See Cyril on ch. iii., and the quotation from 
 him, Boch. Geogr. L. IV. xx. p. 254. 
 
 9. of the glorious store. — Reading naa nJisnb with Cappellus. Or 
 
 thus, 
 
 "And there is none end of the store : 
 
 There is glory [costliness, splendour, magnificence] from all pleasant 
 vessels." 
 
 Dr. Wheeler renders : 
 
 •' It is precious beyond all desirable vessels." 
 
 6. read nmian and nna. 
 
 ''And there is no end to her store. 
 
 " They are heavy from all pleasant vessels." 
 
 10. She is void. — The three words in the original are of like sound, 
 and increase in the number of syllables. Observe =)nt3 and naiu, v 12. 
 p'73 in Arab, signifies citoivit, ohstupuil ; and one of its derivatives is used 
 for (lesertum, solitudo. See Cast. lex. and Gol. 
 
 gather blackness. — See a parallel line, Joel ii. (>. The versions and 
 
 Chald. in both places suppose the word to mean blackness as of a pot, 
 nigricantem pallorem. Mercer. 
 
 11. and the lioness. — Houbigant reads Kobn. Vulg. 6. read xia"?, 
 
 ut ingrederctur ; and this was the original reading of one MS. 
 
 " Whither the devouring lion went, to enter in there." 
 
CH. II.] NAHUM. 199 
 
 And the whelp of tlie devouring-lion ; and none made 
 them afraid. 
 
 12 The devouring-lion tare for his whelps, 
 And strangled for his lionesses ; 
 
 And filled his dens with prey, 
 And his habitations with rapine. 
 
 13 Behold I am against thee, saith Jehovah God of hosts : 
 And I will burn thy chariots in the fire ; 
 
 And the sword shall devour thy villages ; 
 
 And I will cut off thy prey from the earth ; 
 
 And the fame of thy deeds shall be heard no more. 
 
 The allegory is beyond measure beautiful. Where are the inhabitants of 
 Nineveh, who were strong and rapacious like lions? 
 
 and no7ie made them afraid. — See the intrepidity of the lion well 
 
 illustrated, Boch. Hieroz. L. III. c. ii. p. 724. Both Aristotle and iElian 
 say that he never flies, but retires slowly. 
 
 " AfiTre St vtKpov 
 Evrpo7ra\i^o/i£voc, wore Xt^ tjvyevHOQ, 
 'Oil pctKvviQ T£ Kai avdpsg airo (JtuO^ioio hwvrai 
 EyXEfft icai <p(ovy. tov 5' tv fpEffiv oXkij^iov >;rop 
 UaxvovTCti, atK(i)v Se x' €(3r) avo /.nffaavXoio." 
 
 II. p. 108. 
 
 13 against thee. See bx, Nold. Sec. 6. contra. Syr. Chald. and 
 
 one MS. have ybv, and Syr. Chald. Ar. ch. iii. 5. 
 
 thy chariots in the fire. — We may read nnana u'xn. See Chald. 
 
 understanding naain as a noun of multitude. Or, wc may read i^ano, 
 thj/ chariots. 
 
 " Thy chariots." Vulg. Chal. " thy multitude." 6. " thy troops. Syr.'* 
 Seeker. 
 
 thy villages. — insa, one MS. See also Chald. oppida tua.. So Ezek. 
 
 xxxviii. 13, renders " the villages thereof." Two MSS. read n-i33. 
 
 of thy deeds. — Reading nnaxbo. See Syr. 6. Arab, ra tpya <rov. 
 
 Vulg. reads noxbra. " And the voice of thy messengers. Sec." I suppose 
 the allegory to end at v. 12. Houbigant continues it through this verse, 
 and reads laaiD or 1331^ which he renders sedile tuum; but, I think, with- 
 out authority. 6. read im, thy multitude. 
 
 The curious reader may see in Josephus a paraphrase of the last si.K 
 verses of this chapter. Ant. L. IV. c. xi. p. 501. ed. Haverc. 
 
200 NAHUM. [CH, 111. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 1 Woe to the city of * blood ! 
 
 She is all full of falsehood and of violence : 
 The prey departeth not. 
 
 2 A sound of the whip is there, and a sound of the rattling 
 
 wheels : 
 And of the prancing horses, and of the bounding chariots, 
 and of the horseman mounting. 
 
 3 The flame of the sword is also there, and the lightning 
 
 of the spear ; 
 And a multitude of slain, and a heap of dead bodies ; 
 And there is no end to the carcases ; they stumble upon 
 
 their carcases. 
 
 4 Because of the f many whoredoms of the harlot, 
 
 * Heb. bloods. t Heb. multitude of the whoredoms. 
 
 1. I'iolence. — The Van/i among the ancient G9,u]s were a kind of 
 
 soldiers so called from the word pns, rapina, used here and Obad. 14. 
 Boeh. Geogr. 668. 
 
 " Woe to the bloody city, she is all deceit ; 
 
 Full of devastation," &c. Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 See 6. At. Syr. 
 
 " She is all lies, and full of." Seeker. 
 
 2. praneiriff. — One sense of the word in Arab, is swift. 
 
 hound'mg — »S'M6sa/te/(j'we alte similisque est currus inani. Ovid of 
 
 Phail'thon. 
 
 and of the horseman. — V. 6 , and also Ar. Syr. in the original, lia\ e 
 
 the copulative. 
 
 3. lightening. — See Hab. iii. Jl. Homer has 
 
 " TijKi St xaXrcoc 
 Aaficj)', tl>g affTiQOTTt) irarpoQ Aiof ." 
 
 II. X. l.'-)4. 
 Ad 
 
 " lias 5' aga xn^K'i' 
 Art/x^', u)Q aarepoiri] Trarpoc Ajog aiytoxoio." 
 
 II. xi. 63. 
 
 their carcases. — The carcases slain by them. These three versos 
 
 are a description of Nineveh, as it was in the time of the prophet. 
 
CH. III.] NAHUM. 201 
 
 JVho is well-favoured, and mistress of enchantments, 
 "Who traffieketli in nations by her whoredoms, and in 
 tribes by her enchantments ; 
 
 5 Behold I am against thee, saith Jehovah God of hosts ; 
 And I will uncover thy skirts before thy face ; 
 
 And I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the 
 kingdoms thy shame. 
 
 6 And I will cast upon thee :j: abominable filth ; 
 
 And I will dishonour thee, and will make thee as dung. 
 
 7 And it shall come to pass that every one who seeth thee 
 
 shall flee from thee ; 
 And shall say, Nineveh is laid waste. 
 
 Who will bemoan thee ? 
 Whence shall I seek comforters for thee ? 
 
 8 Art thou better than No-Ammon, that is situated among 
 
 the rivers? 
 Waters are round about her : 
 
 i Or, ordure. 
 
 4. enchantmcnls. — By which she fascinates others to worship her 
 
 gods. 
 
 traffieketli in. — Hel). selleth. Hath them at her disposal, as tlie 
 
 Israelites, whom probably she first seduced to adopt some of her idolatrous 
 rites. 
 
 5. before thy face. — Te ipsa vivente et vidente. See the phrase, 
 
 Lev. X. 3, and the note on Hos. ii. 3. 
 
 6. as dung. — The word "ki, for a gazing stock, occurs only here. 
 
 The Jews understand it of dung, and explaiil hkitj, ingluvies, by -xi a"'p?2, 
 locus sordium. See J, Buxt. lex. manuale. Perhaps the true reading 
 occurs Isa. xxxvi. 1 2. -nn, or "Kin, or *K-.in ; see the various lections ; 
 which word, however read, in Keri is explained by the softer term nxiv or 
 rwa. In Arab. Kin signifies deponere alvum. 
 
 8. — No-Avimon, — A city in Egypt. See Ezek. xxx. 14, 15. Jcr. xlvi. 
 25. Bochart thinks it Diospolis near Mendes, which appears, from Strabo, 
 to have been situated near lakes. See Geogr. Sacr. L. I. c. i. p. 6. Hero- 
 dotus says, that the Egyptians called Jupiter by the name of Ammon. 
 L. II. c. 42. 
 
 rivers. — Channels of water from the Nile may have passed through 
 
 this city. 
 
 II 2 
 
202 NAHUM. [CH. III. 
 
 The sea is her § rampart ; waters are her wall. 
 9 II Ethiopia is her strength, and Egypt; and there is no 
 end to it : 
 Put and Libya * are her help : 
 
 10 Yet shall she be f carried away : she goeth into caj>- 
 
 tivity : 
 Yet her little ones shall be dashed in pieces 
 At the X top of all the streets. 
 And for her honourable men they cast lots; 
 And all her mighty men are bound with chains. 
 
 1 1 Thou also shalt become an hireling ; thou shalt hide 
 
 thyself; 
 Thou shalt seek a refuge from the enemy. 
 
 12 All thy strong holds shall be like figtrees with the first 
 
 ripe figs : 
 
 § Heb. whose rampart is. |j Heb. Chus. * Heb. in her help, 
 t Heb. Yet she for a carrying away. t Heb. head. 
 
 The sea. — Lakes are thus called by the Hebrews, Josh. iii. 16. xii. 3. 
 
 tvall. — Bochart, ubi supra, quotes Isocrates as saying that Egypt 
 
 was fortified by the everlasting tcall of the Nile ; and Heliodorus, as 
 observing that robbers used the river as a wall. 
 
 " And waters are her wall." Syr. 6. 
 
 9. Ethiopia. — Or Chus. See on Amos ix. 7, and Ezekiel xxix. 10. 
 Put. — U13, and yit>, spargi, are the same by a common change of 
 
 letters. The African Nomades are meant. Boch. ubi. supra, p. 296. 
 
 Libya. — Or Lubim. See on Hos. xiii. 5. 
 
 her help. — nmiya, u. Syr. Houbigant. See on Hos. xiii. 9. 
 
 10. shall he dashed. — The original word may have the force of the 
 
 present tense, arc dashed; and Nahum may refer to a past taking of No 
 by Sennacherib, as Prideaux supposes ; see Isa. xx. 4 ; or, as I rather 
 think, he may predict the taking of it by Nebuchadnezzar, Jer. xlvi. 25. 
 Ezek. XXX. 14. See Prid. Ann. 713. 
 
 lots. — ProedsB ducere sortes. Virg. HLn. ix. And Andromache calls 
 
 her happy, 
 
 " QuaB sortitus non pertulit ullos." lb. iii. 323. 
 
 11. shall become an hireling. — Shalt hire thyself out. Pretio emeris, 
 
 vel mercede conducta eris. Houbigant See 1 Sam. ii. 5. Thou shalt be 
 reduced to a state of slavery, after having in vain endeavoured to esca])e. 
 
 12. like figtrees. — See Rev. vi. 13, which is very sublime. And hero 
 
CH. III.] NAHUM. 203 
 
 If they be shaken, tliey fall into the mouth of the eater. 
 13 Behold, thy people are as women in the midst of thee : 
 The gates of thy land are set wide open unto thine 
 
 enemies : 
 The fire devoureth thy bars. 
 1 1 Draw thee water for the siege ; fortify thy strong holds : 
 Go into the clay, and tread the mortar ; repair the brick- 
 kiln. 
 
 15 There shall the fire devour thee : 
 
 The sword shall cut thee off, it shall devour thee as the 
 
 locust. 
 Increase thyself as the locust, increase thyself as the 
 
 numerous-locust : 
 
 16 Multiply thy merchants more than the stars of heaven : 
 Yet the locust hath spoiled, and hath flown away. 
 
 17 Thy crowned princes are as the numerous-locust, and 
 
 thy captains as the grasshoppers ;. 
 
 the image, though a corainon one, is very lively and expressive. See 
 PriEl. Heb. xii. p. 138. 
 
 13. women. — AxdiSiQ, od/c tr' A-xaioi. Horn. Vere Phrygise, neqiie 
 
 enim Phryges. Virg. 
 
 14. for the siege. — Or, for the fortress, or citadel. And even with 
 
 respect to the city, though its wall bordered on the river, it might not be 
 safe to water there within reach of the enemy's missile weapons and 
 engines. 
 
 the clay. — An allusion to the bricks of clay, used for building in 
 
 those countries. In Xenophon we have irXivdoi Kepafiioi, and ttXivQivov 
 Tnxo£- Avafiaffig. p. 236, 7. ed. Hutch. 4to. 
 
 15. There. — Where thou fortifiest thyself. 
 
 as the locust. — In a manner equally unsparing. 
 
 Increase thyself. — Six or seven MSS. add the " to nnsnn, and two 
 
 MSS. omit >i33nn. And then the clause would stand, 
 
 " Increase thyself as the locust, as the numerous-locust." 
 
 The idea is beautifully continued from the preceding clause. 
 
 16. Multiply thy merchants. — I conjecture nx *ann. Yet shalt thou 
 fall a prey to an enemy as devouring as the locust. 
 
 17. as the grasshoppers. —A word which, though not accurate, we 
 
 are obliged to use for variety. The Hebrews have many names for the 
 
201 NAHUM. [CII. 1 1 J. 
 
 Which encamp in the fences in the cold day ; 
 But) when the sun ariseth, they depart, and their place is 
 not known where they are. 
 18 Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria; thy nobles 
 dwell ill sloth : 
 Thy people are spread on the mountains, and none 
 assembleth them. 
 ID There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is 
 grievous : 
 
 locust. 6. At. Syr. read only one word for grasshopper. I consider tLe 
 present reading in the text as an instance, either of a double reading 
 inserted where the scribe had a doubt which was the true reading, or of a 
 mistaken repetition not expunged. We may suppose "*3i3, the contracted 
 plural for s-ma. 
 
 cold day. — Or, in the day of cold. On such days, in the sense of 
 
 vvxOtjuipa, they lie inactive in the enclosures of fertile spots ; but on the 
 shining of the sun, which dries their wings and enables thenr to fly, they 
 disappear. Locusta? sol accidit, et abiit. Alcamus. Boch. Hieroz. p. ii. 
 L. IV. ii. 458. 
 
 ivhere they are. — We have in this verse a plural and a singular 
 
 participle, and a singular and a plural pronoun ; and m:, a noun of multi- 
 tude, may cause this difference. 
 
 18. shepherds — Rulers, as the parallelism shows. 
 
 f/«c// in sloth. — Quiescunt. Schultens. Anim. Phil. 513. Cappellu& 
 
 conjectures laau'*, decumhunt : and Seeker ijir'', dormivnt. 
 
 The tributary princes deserted Nineveh in the day of her distress, and 
 did not collect an army to succour her. See Herod, p. 52. 1. 13, 14. 
 Ed. Wess. for the conduct of the Assyrian allies in the first siege ; and 
 Diod. Sic. L, II. p. 140. Sec. 20 ed. Wess. who, speaking of the siege ii^ 
 which Nineveh fell, says, that when the enemy shut up the king in the 
 city, many nations revolted, each going over to the besiegers for the sake 
 of their liberty ; that the king despatched mcssengei-s to all his subjects, 
 requiring forces from them to assist liim ; and that he thought himsell 
 able to endure the siege, and remained in expcctiUion of the armies whicU 
 were to be raised throughout his empire, relying on an oracle, that the city 
 could not be Uiken till the river became its enemy. 
 
 arc spread. — See Hab. i. 8. Or, wc may read ivisj. 
 
 ir). healing. — So <^. and nna in Chald. is repressii. But Syr. and 
 
 f hald. read 3kd. 
 
 " None giievclh because ot thy biuisc/' 
 
CH. III.] NAHUM. 205 
 
 All that hear the report of thee clap their hands over thee : 
 For upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed con- 
 tinually ? 
 
 thy wickedness. — Thy tyranny and cruelty, in the height of thy 
 
 dominion. 
 
 Herodotus places the city Ninus on the Tigris, L. ii. p. 178, L. i. p. 91, 
 and says that Cyaxares the Mede, the son of Phraortes, the son of Deioces, 
 besieged Ninus twice; before the irruption of the Scythians, and after it; 
 and that he took the city on the second siege, L. i. p. 52, 53. [Astyages 
 wiis the son of Cyaxares; and Mandane, daughter to Astyages, was the 
 mother of Cyrus.] He assigns the period of five hundred and twenty 
 years to the dominion of the Assyrians over Upper Asia, L. i. Sec- 
 95. p. 49. 
 
 Fuit et Ninus, imposita Tigri, ad solis occasum spectans, quondam 
 clarissima. Plin. Nat. Hist. vi. 13. 
 
 So Arrian, Hist. Ind. Sec. 42. 357. ed. Gronov. The Tigris flows from 
 v\rmenia by the city Ninus; once great and flourishing. 
 
 Strabo says that Ninus built Ninus or Nineveh, and his wife Semiramis, 
 Babylon ; that the Syrian or Assyrian empire ended with Sardanapalus, and 
 was afterwards transferred to the Medes ; and that the city Nineveh was 
 soon totally destroyed after the subversion of the Assyrians, L. xvi. p. 1071. 
 ed. Casaub. 
 
 Josephus thus begins the fifth chapter of the tenth book of his anti- 
 quities, " Necho, the King of Egypt, raised an army, and marched to the 
 river Euphrates to make war against the Medes and Babylonians, who had 
 overturned the empire of the Assyrians." And in his account of Hezekiah's 
 reign he writes thus, " It happened at this time that the empire of the 
 Assyrians was overturned by the Medes." Ant. L. X. c. ii. Sec. 2. ed. 
 Haverc. 
 
 Justin assigns one thousand three hundred years to the Assyrian empire, 
 and says that Arbastus, a prefect of the Medes, conspired against Sardana- 
 palus, and waged war against him ; in consequence of which Sardanapalus 
 burned himself in his palace, and Arbastus was made king, and transfened 
 the empire from the Assyrians to the Medes, L. 1. c. iii.. 
 
 ^ elleius Paterculus writes that the Assyrians had the sovereignty of 
 A.sia one thousand seven hundred years ; and that Pharnaces the Mede 
 conquered Sardanapalus, the thirty-third in succession from Ninus and 
 Semiramis, L. i. c. v 
 
 We find in Diodorus Siculus that the Assyrian kings continued for 
 thirty generations to Sardanapalus; in whose reign the empire of the 
 Assyrians was transferred to the Medes, after it had lasted, according to 
 
206 NAHUM. [CH. m. 
 
 Ctesias, more than one thousand three hundred and sixty years, L. II- 
 p. 135. ed, Wess. lie tlicn uientions that Arbaces a Median, and 
 Belosys a Babylonian, stirred up the Modes, Persians, and Babylonians to 
 a revolt, p. 137, H; that the revoltcrs were unsuccessful in three battles, 
 and afterwards obtained as many victories; and that Ninus was besieged 
 and taken in the third year, in the remarkable manner mentioned on ch. i. 8. 
 
 We read in Tobit, ch. xiv. 15, that Nineveh was taken by Nabuchodo- 
 upsor and Assuerus. And Drusius assets that Assuerus and Cyaxares arc 
 thp same person. 
 
 Jackson, in his clironology, undertakes to show that Nineveh was des- 
 troyed by Cyaxares, or Assuerus, King of Media, assisted by Nabo-Pul- 
 Asar, prefect of Babylon, and father to Nebuchadnezzar, in tlie year before 
 Christ, 606, L. 307, 343. 
 
 Nineveh was standing in the reign of Josiah, 2 Kings xxiii. 29. Zeph. i 
 1. ii. 13. And Blair places its destruction in the third year of Jehoiakini , 
 and before Christ, 606. 
 
THE BOOK 
 
 JOEL. 
 
 CHAPTER L 
 
 The Word of Jehovah which came to Joel the son of 
 Pethuel. 
 
 Hear this, ye old men ; 
 And give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. 
 Hath * this happened in your days : 
 Or even in the days of your fathers ? 
 
 * Or, such an event. 
 
 Chap. I. 1. Joel. — Joel pvopliesied while the kingdom of Juilah sub- 
 sisted, ch. ii. 1, 15; but, I think, not long before its subversion, as his words, 
 ch. iii. 1, seem to imply that its captivity was approaching. See 2 Kings 
 xxi. 10 — 15. I am, therefore, disposed to favour the conjecture of Drusius, 
 that he lived under the long reign of Mauasseh, and before his conversion, 
 2 Chron. xxxiii. 13; that is, some time from before Christ 697 to (sup- 
 pose) 660. 
 
 The very able author of the Hebrew prelections thus characterizes him. 
 Imprimis est elegans, clarus, fusus, tluensque ; valde etiam sublimis, acer, 
 fervidus. Ostendit capite primo et secundo quid valcat in dcscriptionibus 
 poesis prophetica ; quantum amat metaphorasj comparaliones, allegorias. 
 Nee minus clara est rerum connexio, quam dictionis color : malorum 
 aniplificatio ; hortatio ad poenitentiam ; pcenitcntibus promissio bonorum 
 Liun tcrrenorum tum coclestium ; rerum Israeliticarum instauratio ; do 
 advcrsariis sumpta supplicia. ^'erunl et hie et alibi clocutionis pcrspitui- 
 tatem et compositionis nitorem laudautes, non negamus niaguam inlcrdum 
 esse rerum obscuritatcm ; quod in liujuscc vatieinii line subinde uotari 
 potest. Fra'l. xxi. 
 
 2. this. — n-i2in ih uudcrstood. .Sec on Amos vii. 13. 
 
208 JOEL. [CH. I. 
 
 3 Tell yc your children of it; and iet your children tell 
 their children ; 
 And their children tell another generation, 
 1' That which the grasshopper f left hath the locust eaten ; 
 And that which the locust f left hath the devouring- 
 
 locust eaten ; 
 And that which the devouring-locust t left hath the con- 
 suming-locust eaten. 
 5 Awake, ye drunkards, and weep. 
 And howl, all ye drinkers of wine. 
 
 For the sweet wine ; because it is cut off from your 
 mouth. 
 G For a nation hath gone up on my land, 
 
 f Heb. the residue of. 
 
 3. your children. — duod poeta; verbis dixeris, Et nati iiatoiuiii, et 
 
 (|iii nascentur al) illis. Ji^.n. iii. See Bochart, p. If. L. IV. cli. iv. Hieroz. 
 wliere the reader will find many curious remarks on this propliet. 
 
 4. grassJiopper. — Different species of locusts are liere recounted. 
 
 au in Syr., ^th. Ar. signifies incidere, resecarc ; and d'tj in Chald. is 
 locus ubi ramus est abscissus. See Cast. lex. pb- may be derived from the 
 Hebrew root, which signifies lambere. Or, it may come from the Arab. 
 pb\ albvs. White locusts abound in Morocco, ib. and Boch. ib. c. 1. 
 Wings are attributed to pb\ Nah. iii. 16. Ray says that there is a Spanish 
 locust three inches long, and an African, four. On Insects, p. 63. 
 
 5. Aivuhe. — From the long sleep occasioned by your intoxication. That 
 the depredations of locusts injured the quality of wines for many years, 
 see Harmer i. 388. 
 
 u. Ar. and two MSS. omit the t in Vrb^m. 
 
 6. a nation. — Locusts, poetically so called. See Prov. xxx. 25, 26. 
 
 See many instances of the same language in the best poets, quoted by 
 Bochart, where we find from Orpheus 
 
 " AKpiSog airXtrov tOvog." 
 
 And from Virgil, in his Georgic on bees: 
 
 " Totiusque ordine gentis 
 Mores, et studia, et populos, et priElia dicam." 
 
 Georg. iv. 4, 5. 
 
 hath gone up. — A future event, which might be averted l>y rupent- 
 
 ancc, eh. ii. 12, he, is spoken of as having already taken place, to enliven 
 
CH. I.] JOEL. 209 
 
 JFho are strong and without number : 
 Their teeth are as the teeth of a :j: lion, 
 
 7 And they have the jaw-teeth of a lioness. 
 
 § They have destroyed my vine, and have made my 
 
 figtree a broken branch. 
 They have made it || quite bare, and cast it away : the 
 
 branches thereof are made white. 
 
 8 Lament, as a bride, girded with sackcloth. 
 For the husband of her youth. 
 
 9 The offering of flour is cut off, aijd the drink-offering, 
 
 from the house of Jehovah. 
 
 t Heb. devouring lion. § Heb. They have set my vine for a desolation, 
 and my figtree for a broken branch. || Heb. In making bare have they made 
 it bare. 
 
 llie description by setting tlie images before the eye of the reader. See 
 Prajl. Heb. xv. 184. 
 
 7. have destroyed. — Here, and v. 10, 15, instances of the paro- 
 nomasia occur. 
 
 a broken branch. — Vulg. has decorticavit. But 6, have hq 
 
 avyKKaofiov, Syr. ad divulsionem ; Ar. ad discerptioneni ; and the Arabic 
 root signifies to break, whence n'a-i'p, a broken branch of a tree. Boch. and 
 Cast. lex. " And thy figtree a foam, or swelling ; meaning either the 
 viscous matter that appears on the leaves of trees, where caterpillars or 
 other insects have laid their eggs, or the swelling of the leaves which they 
 sometimes occasion." Dr. Forsayeth. 
 
 cast it away. — Sc. the smaller branches, which they g-naw off. 
 
 are made wldte. — 6. and Syr. read y'^'')'!'^, dealhavit. But the 
 
 present reading may be justified by Ps. li. 7. Isa. i. 18. 
 
 8. Lament. — "bx must have, O earth, or, O daughter of Sion, or, O con- 
 gregation of Israel, as Chald. understood before it, and its root must be 
 nbx, in the Chald. and Syr. signification of ejulavit. One MS, reads "bnx. 
 Perhaps we should read ibx, Lament ye ; the * and i being often con- 
 founded. 6. repeat 'bx. 
 
 as a bride. — The commentators say, that the original word is setatis 
 
 non integiitatis nomen. See Gen. xxiv. 16. Judg. xxi. 12. Its root may 
 be from the Arab, separavit, -segregavit ; because marriageable women were 
 secluded in the east. Or, the word may be used largely ; as virgo in 
 Virg. Eel. vi. 47, 52. Georg. iii. 2(33. 
 
 6. Ar. read nbmao, or, nbina by, " more than a bride." 
 
 i). is cut off. — In the masculine. So v. 13. 
 
210 JOEL. [CH. !• 
 
 Mourn, O ye priests, ye ministers of Jehovah. 
 
 10 The fiekl is laid waste, the ground mourneth : 
 
 For the corn is hiid waste, the choice wine is * dried up, 
 the oil huiguisheth. 
 
 11 Be ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vine- 
 
 dressers ; 
 For the wheat and for the barley ; 
 Because the harvest of the field is perished : 
 
 12 The vine is withered, and the figtree languisheth ; 
 The pomegranate, the palmtree also, and the quince : 
 All the trees of the field are withered. 
 
 Surely joy is withered from among the sons of men. 
 
 13 Gird yourselves with sackcloth^ and mourn, O ye priests : 
 Howl, O ye ministers of the altar : 
 
 Come, lie all night in sackcloth, O ye ministers of my 
 
 God. 
 For the offering of flour, and the drink-offering, is M'ith- 
 holden from the house of your God. 
 11 Appoint t ye a fast, proclaim a \ solemn day : 
 
 Gather the elders, and all the inhabitants of the land, 
 To the house of Jehovah your God ; 
 And cry unto Jehovah. 
 15 Alas [alas], for the day ! 
 
 * Or, withered. f Heb. sanctify. X Heb. a day of restraint. 
 
 Mourn. — u. Ar. render imperatively, agreeably to the form of the 
 
 verbs, v. 6, 8, 13. 
 
 10. The field. — 6. supply "3. For the field, &c. 
 
 is dried up. — Sec v. 12 aud Zech. x. 11, for the force of the verb 
 
 in this form. 
 
 12. The vine. — We have here a reason why the vinedressers should 
 mourn; as in v. 11, why the husbandman should he confounded. Bochart, 
 ubi supra, observes, that it is a transposition ; like what occurs Cantic. 1. 5, 
 where the sense is, " I am black as the tents of Kedar; but comely as the 
 curtains of Solomon." 
 
 1.3. Gird yourselves. — Syr. and one MS. add with sackcloth. 
 
 of my God. — 6. Ar. read D^nbK, of God; and perhaps ""n'?K, was 
 
 written contractcdly. Four MSS. read mn\ 
 
 15. Alas. — Syr. repeats the interjection twice, and V. 6. Arab, thrice. 
 The measure is incomplete withnut a repetition. 
 
CH. I.] JOEL. 211 
 
 Because the day of Jehovah is near, 
 
 And as destruction from the Ahnighty shall it come. 
 
 16 Is not our food cut off before our eyes ? 
 
 Ye«, joy and gladness, from the house of our God ? 
 
 17 The seeds have perished under their clods : 
 
 The store-houses are laid desolate, the garners are des- 
 troyed : 
 For the corn is withered. 
 
 18 How do the cattle groan. 
 
 How are the herds of oxen perplexed, 
 
 Because they have no pasture ! 
 
 The flocks of sheep also are destroyed. 
 
 19 Unto thee, O Jehovah, do I call: 
 
 the claxj of Jehovah. — Of divine vengeance. 
 
 as destruction. — The same words occur Isa. xiii. 6. " Not like an 
 
 ordinary calamity, but like destruction inflicted by the Almighty." " Per- 
 haps, ' as a destruction from him who is able to destroy.' This would, in 
 some measure, preserve the paronomasia ; but would be too great a 
 liberty." Seeker. 
 
 Syr. adds and say to the end of v. 14. Rut I rather attribute v. 15 to 
 the prophet Joel. 
 
 16. Yea. — Kai t? oikov, 6. MS. Pachom. 
 
 17. have perished. — The word seems best derived from the Arab. 
 
 siccum evasit. Gol. lex. 1513. Pocock. A drought is foretold, as well as a 
 plague of locusts, see v. 19, 20; and Chandler in loc. observes from 
 Bochart, and this writer from Pliny, that a great increase of locusts is 
 occasioned by heat. See Bochart, Pocock, and Pol. Syn on the three otto? 
 XeyofiEva which occur in this line. I shall only observe further, that a 
 kindred word to what we translate seeds has the same signification in 
 Chald. and Syr., see Cast, lex ; and that the word translated clods may as 
 easily signify 7iiassa terra convoluta as ^n:ix signifies mamis convoluta. 
 
 The store-houses. — Perhaps subterraneous repositories, Jer. xli. 8. 
 
 Bochart, p. II. L. IV. ch. xxi. p. 595. See on Amos ix. 6. Neither these nor 
 other receptacles for the fruits of the earth were repaired, because there 
 was nothing to treasure up in them. 
 
 18. destroyed. — The Hebrew word imports destruction, or punisli- 
 
 nient, in consequence of guilt, 
 
 19. do I call. — The prophet carries on the beautiful hypotyposis, by 
 
 representing liimself as a sharer in the calamity. 
 
212 JOEL. [C'll. 11. 
 
 For a fire liath devoured the pastures of the desert, 
 And a flame hath burnt all the trees of the field. 
 20 Moreover the cattle of the field cry unto thee : 
 For the streams of waters are dried up ; 
 And a fire hath devoured the pastures of the desert. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Blow ye the trumpet in Sion : 
 And sound an alarm in mine * holy mountain 
 Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble : 
 For the day of Jehovah cometh, for it is near : 
 A day of darkness and of gloominess ; 
 
 * Heb. the mountain of mine holiness. 
 
 pastures, — There were spots in the desert, where flocks and herds 
 
 might feed, Ps. Ixv. 12. eh. ii. 22. 
 
 20. desert. — Eight MSS. and two ed. read nm-j, as v. 19. 
 
 Chap. II. 1. JJlou- ye the trumpet. — Danger is thus proclaimed, Amos 
 iii. 6. Hos. V. 8. Ezek. xxxiii. .3, 5. 
 
 And sound an alarm. — And is omitted in Vulg. 6. Arab. Chahl. 
 
 and five MSS. There is more energy in the passage without it. 
 
 Natural means were used to prevent the devastations of locusts ; pits and 
 trenches were dug, bags were provided, and combustible matter was pre- 
 pared and set on fire. Shaw's Travels, 4to. 187. Sir Huns Sloane's Nat. 
 Hist, of Jamaica, Introd. Ixxxi. 
 
 2. of darkness. — Solem oburabrant, says Pliny of locusts. Nat. 
 
 Hist. xi. 29. Laborabat eo tempore pabuli omnis generis et annona* inopia 
 Syria, ob locustarum nusquam hominum memoria tantam visam multitu- 
 dinem ; quae, dcnsEC nubis instar, die in media luce obscurata, volitantcs, 
 agrum circumquaque dcpastaj sunt. Thuanus, L. Ixxxiv. vii. p. 364. toni. 
 V. ed. Buckley. Suddenly there came over our heads a thick cloud, which 
 darkened the air and deprived us of the rays of the sun. We soon found 
 that it was owing to a cloud of locusts. Adansou's Voyage to Senegal, 
 p. 127. Dublin, 12mo. 17o9. See more in Bochart on the tenth verse oi' 
 
CH. 11.] JOEL. 213 
 
 A clay of clouds and of thick darkness. 
 As the dusk spread upon the mountains, 
 Cometh a numerous people and a strong. 
 Like them there hath not been of old time ; 
 And after them there shall not be, 
 Even to the years of f many generations. 
 3 Before them a fire devoureth. 
 And behind them a flame burnetii : 
 The land is as the garden of Eden before them, 
 And behind them a \ desolate wilderness : 
 Yea, and nothing § shall escape them. 
 
 t Heb. of generation and generation. % Heb. a wilderness of desolation. 
 § Heb. escape shall not be unto them. 
 
 this chapter, and in Chandler, ib.; where Hermanns is quoted as saying, 
 that locusts obscure the sun for the space of a mile ; and Aloysius, for the 
 space of twelve miles. 
 
 As the dusk. — See Bishop Lowth on Isa. viii. 20, And Pocock in 
 
 loc. shows that Abu Walid, Abarbinel, and Montanus, gave the sense of 
 darkness to the original word, one certain sense of which is nigrum esse. 
 The punctuation of this clause is that of V. 6. Ar. Chald. Or point thus, 
 
 " A day of clouds and of thick darkness; 
 As the dusk spread upon the mountains. 
 A numerous people and a strong cometli ; 
 Like them," &c. 
 
 Spread upon the mountains like the morning. 6. Ch. But perhaps 
 only for morning put darkness, or twilight. Seeker. 
 
 of old time. — It is said, Ex. x. 14, ''Before them there were no 
 
 such locusts, neither after them shall be such." But commentators restrain 
 this assertion to the land of Egypt. 
 
 3. afire. — They consume like a general conflagration. "They 
 
 destroy the ground not only for the time, but burn trees for two years after." 
 Sir HansSloane's Nat. Hist, of Jamaica, i. 29. 
 
 Wheresoever they feed, their leavings seem as it were parched with 
 fire. Ludolphus, Hist, of Ethiopia, L. 1. c. xiii. Multa contactu adurentes. 
 Pliny, xi. 29. 
 
 nothing shall escape. — Sc. which the ground produces. Sunt qua; 
 
 pestem et calamitatem satorum omnium totis regionibus atferant, illataquc 
 fame antiques agi'os deserere saspenumero gentes coegerint. Marcellus 
 Virgiliusin Bochart, P. II. L. IV. 1. After devouring the herbage, with the 
 
214 JOEL. [ni. n, 
 
 4 Their appearance shall he like the appearance of horses, 
 And like horsemen || shall they run : 
 
 5 Like the sound of chariots, on the tops of the mountains 
 
 shall tliey leap : 
 
 II Heb, so shall. 
 
 fruits and leaves of trees, they attaclied even tlic buds and the very bark. 
 Tliey did not so much as spare the reeds, with whicli the huts were 
 thatched. Adanson, ubi supra. Sometimes tlicy enter the very bark of 
 trees; and then the spring itself cannot repair the damage. Ludolphus, 
 ubi supra. Omnia morsu erodentes, et fores quoque tectorum. Plin. 
 xi. 20. 
 
 " Kadatng ct viro rcov aKpiOiov Karoirn' v\r)v lariv ictiv sxpiXatfiii'tiv ('nracrnv.'" 
 
 .Tos. I?. 
 
 J. 1. 4.0. 9. Sec. 7. p. 1199. Of the devastations of locusts in Transyl- 
 vania, 1747, 1748, and of their darkening the sky, see Ph. T. N. 491. p. 30. 
 Sec." Seeker. 
 
 " The locusts in Languedoc were about an inch in length, of a grey 
 colour. The earth in some places was covered four inches thick with them, 
 in the morning, before the heat of the sun was considerable ; but as soon 
 as it began to grow hot, they took wing and fell upon the corn, eating up 
 both leaf and ear, and that with such expedition, by reason of their 
 number, that in three hours they would devour a whole field; after which 
 they again took wing, and their swarms were so thick that they covered 
 the sun like a cloud, and were whole hours in passing. After having eaten 
 up the corn, they fell upon the vines, the pulse, the willows, and even the 
 hemp, notwithstanding its great bitterness. After this, these insects died, and 
 stunk very much." Phil. Trans. N. 112, A D. 1686. Dr. Molyncux has given 
 a curious account of the devastations occasioned in Connaught by the Dor, 
 or Hedge-chaffer, A. D. 1697. " The grinding of the leaves in the mouths 
 of this vast multitude all together made a sound very much resembling 
 the sawing of timber." " The Scptuagint and Vulgate give this beetle the 
 name of /3pouxoc> or bruchus, from /3piixw, stridco, intimating the remark- 
 able noise it makes both in its eating and flying, whence the I'rench name 
 Hanneton, from AUton, quasi alls ionans.'' Phil. Trans. 234. 
 
 4- of horses. — Many writers mention the resemblance which the 
 
 head of the locust bears to that of a horse; whence the Italians call them 
 cavalettc. Caput oblongum, cqui instar, prona spectans. Ray on Insects. 
 Sec Rev. ix. 7, and Bochart in loc. 
 
 f). Like the sound of chariots. — See Rev. ix. 9. Nahuni iii, 2. Et 
 grandiores cernuntur, et tanto volant pennarum stridore, ut alia; alites 
 credantur. Plin. xi. 29. And Remigius, quoted by Bochart in loc. says, 
 
in, II.] JOEL* :2i5 
 
 Like the sound of a flame of fire which devoureth stubble. 
 They shall be like a strong people set in battle * array. 
 
 6 Before them shall the f people be much pained; 
 All faces shall gather blackness. 
 
 7 They shall run like mighty men; 
 Like warriors shall they climb the wall : 
 
 And they shall march every one in his % way ? 
 
 * Heb. arra3ed for war. t Heb. peoples. j Heb. ways. 
 
 Magnum sonituin faciunt, quando mittuntur; in tantuni, ut a sexto 
 milliari possit andivi sonitus eorum. Quand ces insectes volent en society, 
 ils font un grand bruit. Elle.s s'elevent avec un bruit seniblable a celui 
 d'une tempete. Elles engloutissent, devorent, ecorchent, rongent, et 
 pelent toutc la verdure des champs avec un si grand tintamare, qu'elles se 
 font entendre de loin. Encycl. voc. Sauterelle. But the sound of their 
 hinder legs in leaping, feminum attritus, taken notice of by Aristotle and 
 Pliny» is here meant. See Boch. ib. 
 
 leap. — La plupart des sauterelless sautent plus qu'elles ne volent; 
 
 et leur saut est tel, qu'ils s'elancent en decrivant, dit-on, un espace qui ii 
 deux cent fois la longueur de leur corps. Eucycl. ib. And hence some 
 of its Greek names : arraKtjQ, from arrtiv, to leap ; and aTrikafioQ, quasi 
 arrtXa^of, cervus saliens. Boch. ib. 448. 
 
 ihe sound of a flame of fire. — Cyril says of them that, while they 
 
 are breaking their food with their teeth, the noise is like that of flame 
 driven about by the wind. Boch. in loc. 
 
 6. All faces. — See Nahum ii. 10. 
 
 Shall tremble before them, or be much afraid of them, as Jer. v, 22. 
 Seeker. 
 
 7. like mijhty men. — Tlie particles of similitudes here, and v. 4. 
 
 6, show that real locusts are described, and not the Assyrian Army. Qu s 
 Assyrios dixerit ut equites fuisse, cum revera equites fuerint, iique magno 
 nuniero? Boch. in v. 4. Notandum hunc qualemcunque exercitum nou 
 jam dici populum, sed ut populum. Id. in v. 5. 
 
 in his icay. — Many writers mention the order of locusts in their 
 
 flight and march, and their manner of proceeding directly forward, what- 
 ever obstacles were intei"posed. Jerom, who had seen them in Palestine, 
 says, Tanto ordine volitant, ut instar tesserularum, quae in pavimentis 
 artificis finguntur manu, suum locum teneant ; et ne puncto quidem, ut 
 ita dicam,ungueve transverse declinent ad alteram. See nnre authorities in 
 Bochart. 
 
216 JOKL. [c)i. n. 
 
 Neither shall they turn aside from their paths : 
 Neither sliall one thrust another : 
 They shall march each in his road : 
 
 8 And if they fall upon the sword, they shall not be 
 
 wounded. 
 
 9 They shall run to and fro in the city, they shall run upon 
 
 the wall, they shall climb up into the houses : 
 They shall enter in at the windows, like a thief. 
 
 10 Before them the earth quaketh, the heavens tremble: 
 The sun and the moon are darkened ; 
 
 And the stars withdraw their shining. 
 
 1 1 And Jehovah shall utter his voice before liis army : 
 
 Neither shall they. — Seven MSS. read vh. They shall not turn 
 
 aside, &c.. But the versions and Chald. have h'->\ 
 
 turn aside. — So V. 6. Ar. Syr. and Bishop Lowth's pref. to Isa. p. 
 
 xiii. ; which is giving D3y the sense of my, to pervert, with wliich it agiees in 
 sound. See Pocock. We must observe also that nay signifies to turn 
 awry. 
 
 M»j iKKkivovai TUQ TQi^ovq avTu>v, 6. Literally, Shall not turn aside from 
 their way. Seeker. 
 
 8. upon the sword. — "lya. F. bys. Sed qu. Seeker. 
 
 they shall not be wounded. — Many MSS., three editions, the versions 
 
 and Chald. read xbi. 
 
 " And they shall fall on the sword, and shall not be wounded." yv3 
 signifies to czU, in Chald. and Syr. Houbigant says, Omnino lyvs^, 
 vuhierabuntur. 
 
 This refers to the scales with which locusts are covered, as with a coat 
 of mail. 
 
 " Cognatus dorso durescit amictus : 
 Armavit natura cutem." 
 
 Claudian de locusla. Kpigr. 3. See Bocliart. 
 
 9. into the hot(ses. — See Ex. x. 6. 
 
 like a thief. — John x. 1. 
 
 10. Before them. — The first hemistich expresses great constenialion and 
 calamity. The two other hemistichs may well have a literal sense, see on 
 V. 2 ; or they may denote, in the strong eastern manner, devastation spread 
 through a whole country. 
 
 11. shall utter his voice. — God is sublimely introduced as ani- 
 mating his army by bis voice. 
 
CH. II.] JOEL. 217 
 
 For his camp is very great : 
 
 For he is strong that executeth his word : 
 
 For the day of Jehovah is great, 
 
 And very terrible. And who shall be able to bear it ? 
 
 12 Yet even now, saith Jehovah, 
 Turn ye unto me with all your heart ; 
 
 With fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning : 
 
 13 And rend your hearts, and not your garments ; 
 A.nd turn unto Jehovah your God : 
 
 For he is gracious and merciful. 
 Slow to anger, and of great kindness, 
 And repenteth him of evil. 
 H Who knoweth if he will turn and repent, 
 And leave § a bountiful gift behind him ; 
 An offering of flour and a drink-offering unto Jehovah 
 your God? 
 
 § Heb. a blessing. 
 
 12. With fasting. — V. 6. MS. Ar. and ed. Pacliom, Ar. Syr. Seven 
 
 MSS. and one edition read oiv3. 
 
 6. leg. aa^nbx mnv Bahrdt. So also Arab. 
 
 13. gminents. — It was customary among the easterns, and oilier 
 
 nations, to rend their garments in token of sorrow or fear, Jer. xxxvi. 24 
 So Virgil : 
 
 " It scissa veste Latinus." 
 
 " Rend your heart, rather than your garments." 
 Or, 
 
 " And not your garments only." See Chandler. 
 
 A strong and beautiful manner of exhorting to contrition and repentance. 
 
 repenteth. — God is said to repent, when humiliation and amend- 
 ment make it unfit that he should inflict the punishment threatened by 
 him. 
 
 14. if he will turn — See Jonah iii. 9, for the omission of D«. 
 
 a bountiful gift. — A blessing, or ground of blessing. The word 
 
 denotes a gift, 2 Kings V. 15; and abundance, Mai. iii 10; which is one 
 of its senses in Arabic. See Cast. lex. " ^^^3 est copia bonorum (ut 
 ivXoyia in N. T.) hoc locofrugum." Bahrdt. 
 
 1/our God. — 6. MS. A. and Arab, read our God. 
 
 s 2 
 
218 JOF.I,. [en. II. 
 
 15 Blow ye the trumpet in Sion ; 
 
 II Appoint ye a fast, proclaim a * solemn day ; 
 
 16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble 
 
 the elders ; 
 Gather the children, and those that suck the breasts : 
 Let the bridegroom go out of his chamber, and the bride 
 
 out of her closet. 
 
 17 Let the priests, the ministers of Jehovah, weep 
 Between the porch and the altar : 
 
 And let them say, spare thy people, O Jehovah, 
 And give not thine heritage to reproach ; 
 That the nations should f rule over them. 
 Wherefore should they say among the ;{: people, Where 
 is their God ? 
 
 18 Then will Jehovah be jealous for his land, 
 And will pity his people. 
 
 19 Yea, Jehovah will answer and say unto bis people ; 
 Behold, I will send luito you 
 
 Corn, and choice wine, and oil ; and ye shall be satisfied 
 therewith : 
 
 II Heb. sanctify. * Heb. a day of restraint, 
 
 t Or, use a by-word against them. t Or, heathen. 
 
 15. Bloio ye the trumpet. — Numb. x. 7. 
 
 16. the children. — Let not the attendants on these plead their 
 
 charge in excuse for absence. 
 
 bridegroom. — On the day of marriage, or during the time of tlie 
 
 marriage feast. 
 
 17. and the altar. — See Gen. i. 6. Lev. xx. 25. Mai. iii. IS 
 
 Jonah iv. 11, and other instances of b after va in Nold. b. Sec. 14. 
 
 The altar of burnt-offerings stood before the porch of the temple, 2 
 Chron. viii. 12; and the mid-space in the open court was naturally a 
 place of great concoiu-se, that the prayers of the people might accompany 
 the sacrifice. 
 
 rule over them. — This translation may be supported; because, 
 
 when they were distressed by the locusts, they would be an easier prey to 
 an enemy. But to make a proverb of them is the more natural translation. 
 bv Wn is used in that sense, Ezek. xvi 44. Here the particle is a, which 
 is used in the phrase of cursing or blessing any one: and the phrase is 
 here of the same nature. Seeker. See Bishop I,o\vth's Isaiali, p. xxxviii. 
 
CH. II.] JOEL. 219 
 
 And I will no longer make you a reproach among the 
 
 nations. 
 20 But I will remove far from you the northern army ; 
 And I will drive him into a dry and desolate land : 
 His van towards the eastern sea, 
 And his rear towards the western sea; 
 And his smell shall come up, and his ill savour shall 
 
 come up, 
 Though he have § done great things. 
 
 § Heb. magnified to do. 
 
 20. northern 9.nx\^. — Ox enemy, nation, people ; that is, the locusts, 
 
 which might enter Judea by the north, as Circassia and Mingrelia abound 
 with them. See 'Ihevenot quoted in the City Remembrancer, i. 22. Or, 
 the locusts may be thus called, because they spread terror like the Assyrian 
 annies, which entered Judea by the north. See on Zeph. ii. 13. 
 
 Some of these locusts were to be driven by the wind into the desert; 
 some into the Dead Sea, which lay eastward of Jerusalem ; and some 
 into the Mediten-anean or western sea. anp is the east, ov fore part of the 
 sky where the sun rises ; and that by the hinder sea is meant the Mediter- 
 ranean, see Deut. xi. 24 ; and Chald. has the evening [or western] sea. 
 Gregatim, sublato vento, in maria aut siagna decidunt. Plin. See 
 Ex. X. 19. 
 
 his smell. — That a strong and pestilential smell arises from putrified 
 
 heaps of locusts, whether driven upon land, or cast up from the sea in 
 which they have perished, appears from the testimony of many writers. 
 Among various other authorities to the same effect, Jerom is quoted by 
 Bochart as saying, that in his time those troops of locusts which covered 
 Judea were cast by the wind in mare primum et novissimum ; and that, 
 when the waters threw them up, their smell caused a pestilence. Thevenot 
 says of them, They live not above six months ; and, when dead, the stench 
 of them so corrupts and infects the air, that it often occasions dreadful 
 pestilences. City Remerabr. i. 123. There came such a stench from those 
 which appeared at Novogorod in 1646, as not only offended the nose, but 
 the brain ; it was not to be endured ; men w ere forced to wash their noses 
 with vinegar, and hold handkerchiefs dipped in it continually to their 
 nostrils, ib. 125. In Ethiopia, when they die and rot, they raise a pesti- 
 lence. Mead, i 36. Edinburgh, 12mo. 1763. 
 
 ill savour. — So the radicals of the Hebrew word signify in Chald., 
 
 and all the versions have an equivalent word, if, with Drusius, wc read 
 ppwHOQ for i^po/jioi; in o. 
 
220 JOEL. [CH. Jl. 
 
 21 Fear not, () land, exult and rejoice ; 
 For Jehovah hath || done great things. 
 
 22 Fear not, O ye cattle of the field ; 
 
 For the pastures of the desert spring up, 
 
 For the tree beareth its fruit, 
 
 The figtree and the vine yield their strength. 
 
 23 And, O ye sons of Sion, exult 
 And rejoice in Jehovah your God : 
 
 For he giveth you the former rain in just proportion. 
 And cause th showers to come down upon you, 
 Even the former rain and the latter rain as aforetime. 
 
 21 And the threshing-floor shall be full of corn. 
 
 And the vats shall overflow with choice wine and with 
 oil. 
 
 25 And 1 will restore unto you the years 
 Which the locust hath eaten, 
 
 The devouring-locust, the consuming-locust, and the 
 grasshopper ; 
 
 11 Ileb. magnified to do. 
 
 done great things. — Comraitted gieat devastation. But two MSS. 
 
 read mn« b•'^3^ 
 
 " For .lehovab hath done great things." See Ps. cxxvi. 2, 3. The Rev. 
 Mr. Wintle, Rector of Brightwell, in Berkshire, very obligingly comniu- 
 nicated to me this remark, together with some others on the prophet 
 IJabakkuk. 
 
 mu'yS b^njn o. Sic 6. Sed forte ortura habent hae voces ex i'. seq. 
 Seeker. 
 
 See a like repetition, v. 26, 27. and i. 19, 20. 
 
 21. Je/iovah halh done. — In removing such an army of locust. 
 
 23. giveth. — in: may be a participle, as Nnp, v. 32. 
 
 tite former rain, — It fell after autumn ; and seems to be so called 
 
 from r^~\';jecit; because its season was post ^'rtctewi sementem. "mirjn nx, 
 lipu)naTa, 6. Sic bis reddiderunt nna ; et sequitur hie mvi" Seeker. 
 But foiuteen MSS. read mv. 
 
 np-ivb. Perhaps, bountifully. See Nold in "?. Seeker. 
 
 rip-<)i ciun sil liberalitas, npivb, verto largt-. Bahrdt. 
 
 the latter rain. — Ihis fell about harvest, towards the end of April. 
 
 Hence its name, from wpb, collegit. 
 
 as aforetime. — Read pirNiD, with V. 6. Ar. Syr. and one MS. 
 
 riiald. lias, in the month Nisan. Sec Harmcr. i. 31 — 10. 
 
CH. II.] JOEL. 221 
 
 My great army which I sent among you. 
 
 26 And ye shall eat * in plenty and be satisfied, 
 And shall praise the name of Jehovah your God, 
 Who hath dealt f wondrously with you : 
 
 And my people shall never be ashamed. 
 
 27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel : 
 And that I am Jehovah your God, and none else : 
 And my people shall never be ashamed. 
 
 28 And it shall come to pass afterward 
 
 That I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh : 
 And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy ; 
 Your old men shall dream dreams ; 
 Your young men shall see visions : 
 
 29 And also upon the men-servants, and upon the hand- 
 
 maids, 
 111 those days will I pour out my Spirit. 
 
 * Heb. eating and being satisfied. 
 t Heb. done with you so as to act wondrously. 
 
 25. My great army. — We have here a key to the grand and beau- 
 tiful description which runs through these two chapters. And if we con- 
 sider the note on v. 7, and the propriety of the adjuncts, as applicable to 
 locusts, and often to locusts only, there can remain no doubt but that the 
 prophet is to be understood in a literal sense as foretelling a plague of 
 locusts. Every reader of taste must be struck with the poetical and sub- 
 lime manner in which the allegory is conducted. There is not a more 
 splendid piece of poetry extant. 
 
 26. never he ashamed. — Provided they continue to serve me. 
 
 28. afterward. — But God has infinitely greater blessings in store 
 
 for his people. The words p nnx are very indefinite, and therefore admit 
 of the rendering, or paraphrase, Acts ii. 17, in the last days, where codex 
 regius Parisinus, Cyril of Jerusalem, and the Apostolical constitutions, 
 add fiiTa ravra. 
 
 upon all fiesh. — Though the Jews only are enumerated, there is a 
 
 latent reference to the efiusion of the Spirit on the Gentiles also, in the 
 times of the gospel -dispensation. 
 
 The two last hemistichs in this verse are transposed. Acts ii. 17. 
 
 It is more poetical to omit the copulatives, with the Hebrew, in the two 
 last hemistichs; though in n. Ar. Syr. Acts ii. 17. they are twice prefixed, 
 and V. Chald. prefix them to the last hemistich. 
 
222 JOEL. [cii. I J I. 
 
 30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the 
 
 earth ; 
 Blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. 
 
 3 1 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into 
 
 blood. 
 Before the great and terrible day of Jehovah come. 
 
 32 But it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the 
 
 name of Jehovah shall be delivered : 
 For in mount Sion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, 
 As Jehovah hath said ; 
 Even amonof the remnant whom Jehovah shall call. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 1 * Eon behold in those days, and at that time, 
 
 * Or, surely. 
 
 29. servants handmaids. — o. MS. A. and Ar. have my servants, 
 
 my handmaids, as in Acts; and V. has servos meos. Sjr. and Chald. 
 agree with the Hebrew. Possibly, "'layn wa:s written contractedly for the 
 plural Q*^3y^ ; and thus led to the rendering of my servants. For the fact, 
 see 1 Cor. xii. 13. 
 
 my Spirit. — In the Acts, the words, and they shall prophesy are 
 
 added. But Beza's MS. and Jerom omit them. 
 
 30. in the heavens and in the earth. Some authority may be seen 
 
 in Wetstein and Kuster for omitting avw and kutw in the Acts. 
 
 Blood. — Very great slaughter, and the burning of many towns, and 
 
 even of a part of Jerusalem itself, preceded the destruction of the city and 
 the temple, and the total subversion of the Jewish polity, by the Romans. 
 
 31. 7 he sun. — These expressions must be understood of "the fearful 
 sights and the great signs from heaven," Luke xxi. U, which alarmed the 
 minds of the Jews before the taking of Jerusalem by Titus. 
 
 32. shall be delivered. — This refers to the safety of the Christians 
 
 during the Jewish and Roman war. " For among the inhabitants of 
 Mount Sion and of Jerusalem, that is, by a synecdoche of the part for the 
 whole, among the Jewish people, shall be deli\erancc; as Jehovah hath 
 spoken by me and by other prophets." 
 
 Cii A I'. 111. 1. For. — As an earnest of this, my people shall be restored 
 to their land, and their enemies shall be humbled. 
 
CH. Ill,] JOEL. 223 
 
 When I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and of 
 Jerusalem, 
 
 2 That I will assemble all the nations, 
 
 And will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat ; 
 And there will I execute judgment upon them for my 
 
 people ; 
 And yor mine heritage Israel, whom they scattered among 
 
 the nations, 
 And then divided my land : 
 
 3 Yea, they cast lots for my people ; 
 And f gave a boy for a harlot, 
 
 And sold a damsel for wine to drink. 
 
 4 And what have ye also to do with me, O Tyre and 
 
 Sidon, 
 And all the borders of Palestine ? 
 Do ye requite me with retaliation ? 
 Now, if ye retaliate upon me. 
 Soon and swiftly will I bring again your retaliation on 
 
 your o\\'n head. 
 
 t Or, bartered. 
 
 2. all the nations. — This must be restrained to the neighbouring 
 
 nations. See v. 12. 
 
 the valley of Jehoshaphat. — A valley in which a battle was to be 
 
 won, most probably by Nebuchadnezzar, which would utterly discomfit the 
 ancient enemies of the Jews, and resemble the victory which Jehoshaphat 
 obtained over the Ammonites, Moabites, and Edomites, 2 Chron. xx. 
 22—26. 
 
 execute judgment. — See 2 Chron. xxii. 8. Ps. ix. 19. I will dis- 
 comfit them before their enemies. There is an allusion to the word Jeho- 
 shaphat, whicli signifies Jehovah judgeth. 
 
 3. for ivine. — " lu Mingrelia they sell captive children for pro- 
 visions and for wine. Sir John Chardin, in Harmer ii. 374. 
 
 4. O Tyre and Sidon. — When the Babylonians, the appointed in- 
 struments of my vengeance, aflilict my land, why do you also, and the 
 bordering nations, assist them ? Do you take this occasion of avenging 
 the former victories of my people over you ? If so, this your act of 
 revenge shall be speedily punished. 
 
 Soon and swiftly. — Sec Isa. v. 26. Pocock understands both the 
 
 words adverbially. 
 
224- JOEL. [cii. III. 
 
 5 Because ye liave taken my silver and my gold, 
 
 And have brought into your palaces my desirable and 
 goodly things; 
 
 6 The sons also of Judah, and the sons of Jerusalem, 
 Ye have sold to the sons of the Grecians, 
 
 That ye might remove them far from their border ; 
 
 7 Behold, I will raise them out of the place 
 Whither ye have sold them ; 
 
 And I will bring again your retaliation on your own head ; 
 
 8 And I will sell your sons and your daughters 
 Into the hands of the sons of Judah ; 
 
 And they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a nation afar 
 
 oflF: 
 For Jehovah hath spoken it. 
 i) Proclaim ye this among the nations : 
 
 J Declare ye war, raise up the mighty ones; 
 Let all the warlike men draw near, let them come up : 
 10 Beat your ploughshares into swords, and your pruning- 
 hooks into spears : 
 Let the weak say, I am strong. 
 
 X Pleb. sanctify. 
 
 6. Grecians. — Descendants of Javan, Gen. x. 2, 5. Tliey trafficked 
 
 with Tyre and traded in slaves, Ezek. xxvii. 13. " Homerus passim, vug 
 Axaiutv." Balirdt. 
 
 7. / will raise them. — Grotius in loc. mentions that Alexander and 
 
 his successors set at liberty many Jews who were slaves in Greece. Many 
 also, on occasion of Cyrus's decree, might return to their country from 
 such parts of Asia Minor and the Ionian Islands as were subject to that 
 monarch. 
 
 071 your own head. — Ezek. xxv. xxvi. will furnish a comment on 
 
 this passage. Nebuchadnezzar conquered the several countries there 
 enumerated. See Jer. xxv. 16 — 29. The sea-coasts of Palestine were also 
 invaded by Alexander the Great. 
 
 8. sons of Judah. — This might happen on occasion of Judas Mac- 
 
 cabeus's victories, 1 Mace. v. 3, 7, 15, 21. 
 
 afar off".— Sec Jer. vi. 20. Matth. xii. 42. So Ikbylon is called a 
 
 far country, Isa. xxxix. .3. 
 
 10. the wcah. — Let even the unwarlikc arm ihcmsclves on this 
 
 occasion. 
 
CH. III.] JOEL. 225 
 
 1 1 Collect yourselves and come, All ye nations round about; 
 And assemble yourselves together ; yet there doth Jeho- 
 vah bring low thy mighty ones. 
 
 12 Let the nations rise and come up 
 To the valley of Jehoshaphat ; 
 For there will I sit 
 
 To judge all the nations round about. 
 
 13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe : 
 
 Come get ye down, for the wine-press is full, the vats 
 
 overflow : 
 For their wickedness is great. 
 
 14 Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of excision : 
 
 For the day of Jehovah is near in the valley of excision. 
 
 11. doth Jehovah bring Zojf.— Literally "hath Jehovah brought 
 
 low." What he will do, is spoken of as done, rsnm, descendere fecit ; in 
 Cliald. and Syr. dejecit, humiliavit. 
 
 thij mighty ones. — Syr. renders, " your mighty ones," and Chald. 
 
 " their mighty ones." 
 
 12. To judge. — To pimish by a signal overthrow. 
 
 13. Put ye in. — inbir, immittite. So Trsfi-ipov to dptTravov ffov, Apoc. xiv. 
 15. Bahrdt. 
 
 get ye doivn. — Houbigant observes that 6. render TrartiTe, i3in, 
 
 " tread the grapes.^' This beautiful reading is confirmed by Ar. Syr. 
 Chald. 
 
 " Spuniat plenis vindemia labris. 
 Hue, pater O Lenase, veni nudataque musto 
 Tinge novo raecum direptis crura cotliurnis." 
 
 Virg. Georg. ii. 6. 
 
 naTiiTE, 6. Chald. ^3^^, recte. Vide Thren. i. 15. Sed vid. Pocock. 
 Seeker. 
 
 their wickedness is ^rcai.— This explains the figurative language 
 
 which precedes. They are ripe for excision. Let the wine-press of my 
 wrath be trodden, na is the calcatorium ; np", the lake, viro\i]vwv. See 
 Bishop Lowth on Isa. v. 2. 
 
 14. Multitudes, multitudes. — That is, very great multitudes. 
 
 of excision. — I attribute to yin the sense of to cut, to cut off'. 
 
 See Lev xxii. 22. Job xiv. 5. The word may mean decided vengeance ; 
 or, it may refer to the threshing instvument which forced out the grain and 
 at the same time cut the straw. 
 
226 JOEL. [cii. lii. 
 
 15 Tlie sun and the moon are darkened, 
 And the stars withdraw their shining. 
 
 16 Jehovah also will roar from Sion, 
 
 And from Jerusalem will he utter his voice ; 
 And the heavens and the earth shall shake : 
 But Jehovah will be a refuge to his people, 
 And a strong hold to the sons of Israel, 
 
 17 And ye shall know that I am Jehovah your God, 
 Dwelling in Sion mine § holy mountain : 
 
 And Jerusalem shall be || holy. 
 
 And strangers shall no longer pass through her. 
 
 18 And it shall come to pass, in that day, 
 
 That the mountains shall drop down sweet wine. 
 
 And the hills shall flow with milk ; 
 
 And all the torrents of Judah shall flow ivith water : 
 
 And a fountain shall come forth from the house of 
 
 Jehovah, 
 And shall water the valley of Shittim. 
 
 19 Egypt shall be a * desolation, 
 
 ^ Heb. the mountain of mine holine?s. || Heb. holiness. 
 
 * Heb. for a desolation. 
 
 15. The sun. — That is, great revolutions sliall hai)pen in the vanquished 
 nations. 
 
 1(5. nill roar. — -See on Amos i. 2. 
 
 from Sion. — This may refer to the conquests under the Maccabees. 
 
 17. 710 longer. — But my people shall return from Babylon. If wc 
 
 render, no more, wc must suppose a reference to Jerusalem on its estab- 
 lishment. 
 
 18. in that day. — After the return from Babylon. 
 
 xweet wine. — Incultisque rubens pendebit sentibus uva. Virg. 
 
 See Amos ix. 13. 
 
 milk. — Fluminajam lactis, jam flumina nectaris ibant. Ovid. 
 
 Shittim. — In the plains of Moab, near Jordan, Numb, xxxiii. 
 
 49. Josh. ill. 1. lu this verse either the times of the Messiah arc 
 described; or we have a description of Jerusalem after its linal restoration, 
 when a golden age shall commence among its inhabitants, and when the 
 knowledge of God and of his Christ sliall a second time be widely difl'used 
 I'lom it. Sec Kzek. xlvii. 8. Zech. xiv. 8. 
 
 li>. /■^/v/|^- Tlicic .shall be a signal diflercncc between Egypt and 
 
I CH. in.] JOEL. 227 
 
 And Etlom shall be a f desolate wilderness : 
 For their violence against the sons of Judah ; 
 Because they shed innocent blood in their land : 
 
 20 But Judah shall dwell for ever, 
 And Jerusalem shall remain \ from generation to gene- 
 ration : 
 
 21 And I will avenge their blood ivhich I have not avenged; 
 And Jehovah will dwell in Sion. 
 
 t Heb. for a wilderness of desolation. % Heb. to generation and generation. 
 
 Idumea, whose people shall be lost in the mass of other nations, and 
 whose sovereignty shall not be restored, and Judah and Jerusalem, whose 
 inhabitants shall be reinstated after their captivity, and on their future 
 return, shall dwell for ever iv their land; Jehovah displaying his glory 
 among them. 
 
 21. avenge. — I will, as it were, declare it pvu'e and innocent, by 
 
 punishing their unjust and cruel adversaries. " o. Syr. videntur legisse 
 •nop3i." Seeker. 
 
 It is uncertain whether we have the key to this difficult chapter, which 
 may not be fully understood till Jerusalem is rebuilt, and till the pro- 
 phecies, Ezek. xxxix. 5, 11. Rev. xx. 8, 9, are accomplished. 
 
 For the valley of Jehoshaphat may be rightly explained, v. 2, and may be 
 used in an inferior sense; as Tyre, Sidon, and Palestine are mentioned, w. 4, 
 and the Grecians and Sabeans, v. 6, 8 ; and yet it may take its primary 
 and proper sense, v. 12, and refer to a great t still future ; and such an 
 
 event as will give due emphasis to v. 13- 1 
 
THE BOOK 
 
 Z E P H A N I A H. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The Word of Jehovah, which came unto Zephaniah 
 the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariali, 
 the son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah, the son of 
 Amon, king of Judah. 
 
 I will * utterly take away all things 
 From off the face of the land, saith Jehovah. 
 I wall take away man and f beast ; 
 
 I will take away the birds of the heavens, and the fishes 
 of the sea ; 
 
 * Ileb. in taking away I will take away. t Heb. cattle. 
 
 Chap. I. 1. Jusiah. — That is, from before Christ, 640 to 609. 
 
 2. utterly. — Surely. Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 3. beast. — Of the tame and domestic kind. 
 
 birds— fishes. — I will brin}? judicial and extraordinary desolation 
 
 upon the land, which shall extend itself even to the birds and fishes. See 
 Hos. ir. 3. Jer. iv. 25. 
 
 " Ipsis est aer avibus non x>quus, et ilia: 
 Pifflcipites alta vitani sub nube relinquunt." 
 
 Virg. Georg. iii. 546. 
 
 It is known that birds are aflected by pestilential di.sorders arising from 
 putrified carcases. They fall dead, when they alight on bales of cloth 
 infected by the plague. 
 
 ". Jam maris imniensi prolem, et genus omne natantum, 
 
 Littore in extreme, ceu naufraga corpora, fluctus 
 
 Proluit." \'irg. ib. 541. 
 
C'll. I.] ZEPHANfAH. 229 
 
 And the stumblingf-blocks of the wicked. 
 And I will cut off man from the face of the land, saitli 
 Jehovah. 
 
 4 And I will stretch out mine hand upon Judah, 
 And upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem : 
 
 And I will cut off from this place the residue of Baal, 
 The name of the sacrificers with the priests : 
 
 5 And those who bow themselves on the house tops to the 
 
 host of heaven ; 
 And those who bow themselves, a?id who swear by 
 Jehovah, and who swear by Malchom : 
 
 6 And those who have turned back from t followino- 
 
 Jehovah ; 
 And those who have not sought Jehovah, neither have 
 inquired of him. 
 
 t Heb. after. 
 
 Commentators observe, that such collections of water as the Hebrews 
 sometimes call seas, might be made destructive to fishes by blood and 
 carcases. 
 
 the stumhling-hlochs. — The idols, hk is sometimes the sign of the 
 
 genitive case. But Houbigant reads 'nbuom, and I tvill overt/iron; and 
 observes, that 6. read ibuo*i, et infirmahuntur, or, et cadent. 
 
 And the stumbling-blocks, even the wicked. Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 of the nicked. — See Lowth ; i. e. idols, which make them 
 
 stumble. Seeker, 
 
 4. The name. — The versions, Chald. eleven MSS. and three 
 
 editions read nir hki, and the name. 
 
 sacrijicers. — See on Hos. x. 5. 
 
 5. And those who hoiv themselves. — The original word in the second 
 hemistich of this v. is omitted in 6. MS. A. and Arab, and 6. MS. A. read 
 o^ynu'Dm, And who swear. " MS. Copt, reads only jurantes per Molochum 
 regem." Mr. Woide. 
 
 on the house tops. — Where altars were raised for the worship of the 
 
 heavenly host in their brightness. See 2 Kings xxiii. 5, 12. Jer. xix. 13. 
 xxxii. 29. 
 
 Malchom. — See on Hos. iv. 15, and on Amos v. 26. " Hos. iv. 5." 
 
 Lowth. " 2 Kings xvii. 33." Seeker. 
 
 6. inquired of him. — Many MSS. read ^mu•^^. Have not con- 
 
230 ZKPHANIAH. [en. I. 
 
 7 Be silent before the Lord Jehovah ; 
 For the day of Jeliovah is near : 
 
 For Jehovah hath made ready a sacrifice, he hatli 
 § appointed his guests. 
 
 8 And it shall coine to pass, in the day of the sacrifice of 
 
 Jehovah, 
 That I will II visit the * chief men, and the sons of the 
 
 king, 
 And all that are clothed with strange apparel. 
 
 9 And I will visit every one that leapeth on the threshold 
 
 in that day ; 
 Who fill the house of their master by violence and deceit. 
 10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith Jehovah, 
 
 That there shall be the noise of a cry from the Fish-gate, 
 And of an howling from the Second city ; 
 And of a great breach from the hills. 
 § Ileb. saactlfied. || Ileb. visit upon. * Heb. princes. 
 
 salted God l)y the high priest, or by prophets, to learn his will. Or, we 
 may render, 
 
 " Neither have inquired for, or after, him." 
 Dr. Wheeler translates, 
 
 " Nor searched after him." 
 
 7. guests. — The Babylonians. Here is a beautiful allusion to the 
 
 custom of a feast on a sacrifice. See Bishop Lowth on Isa. xxxiv. 6. 
 
 8. sacrifice of Jehovah.— One MS. reads "in this day, saith .Ic- 
 
 hovah;" inserting for nai, the words a^eD Kinn; and two other MSS. have 
 Kinn. 
 
 sltange apparel. — Used for idolatrous purposes. See Deut. xxii. 1 I. 
 
 " Strange, foreign, i. e. idolatrous." See Lowth. Seeker. 
 
 9. leapeth. Invadeth the house of his neighbour, joyfully bound- 
 ing on the threshold. Cappellus. This sense is fiivoured by what follows. 
 
 on the threshold. — Or, over. See Lowth. ]\Iaster\i, Lord's. 6. 
 
 Vulg. understand it of God. Seeker. 
 
 10. Fish-gate. — Mentioned Neh. iii. .'?. It was opposite to Jopj)a, 
 
 according to Jerom. 
 
 Secoud city. — A part of .Jerusalem mentioned, 2 Kings xxii. 11. 
 
 2 Chron. xxxiv. 22. 
 
 breach. — ^vvrpinfiog, 6. .\ great l)feaking in of the f'lialdean 
 
 army from the hilly part nf Jerusalem. 
 
CH. I.] ZEPHANIAH. 231 
 
 1 1 Howl, Ye inliabltants of the lower city ; 
 For all the trafficking people are cut oft', 
 All the bearers of silver are destroyed. 
 
 12 And it shall come to pass, at that time, 
 That I will search Jerusalem with lights, 
 
 And I will f visit the men that are settled on their lees ; 
 That say in their hearts, Jehovah doeth no good, neither 
 doth he evil. 
 
 13 And their substance shall become | a spoil, and their 
 
 houses § a desolation : 
 And they shall build houses, but shall not dwell in them ; 
 And they shall plant vineyards, but shall not drink the 
 
 wine thereof. 
 
 14 The great day of Jehovah is near; 
 It is near, and hasteth much, 
 
 t Heb. visit upon. \ Heb. for a spoil. § Heb. for a desolation. 
 
 11. lower c\iY- — A valley in Jerusalem, which divided the upper 
 
 from the lower city. Cast. lex. This is agreeable to the etymology of 
 the word, which signifies a hollow place, a mortar. Ev ti^j (5adei. Theod. 
 In torrente Cedron. Chald. 
 
 the bearers of silver. — Two MSS. read -bm, and Syr. has -bpu; por- 
 
 tantes. >b>UD may be the particijjle in Niphal from b>D, and may be ren- 
 dered laden. The rich merchants in general, or the money-changers in 
 particular, may be meant. " All the weighers of silver, "^idj, Syr. pondus 
 quoddam. bm, grave fuit." Dr. Forsayeth. 
 
 12. that time.—" After ^<-r^r^, MS. Copt, adds, dicit Dominus.'' 
 
 Mr. Woide. See Syr. and v. 10. 
 
 vilh lights. — Thoroughly and diligently. See Luke xv. 8. 
 
 settled on their lees.— The thoughtless tranquillity of the rich is 
 
 compared to the fixed unbroken surface of fermented liquors. See Jer. 
 xlviii. 11. Amos vi. 1. 
 
 1.3. build houses. — Amos is more expressive. 
 
 " Though ye have built houses of hewn stone, 
 Yet ye shall not dwell in them : 
 Though ye have planted pleasant vineyards, 
 Yet ye shall not drink the wine of them." 
 
 Ch. V. 11. 
 
232 ZEPHANIAH. [Cll. I, 
 
 The report of the day of Jehovah is bitter : 
 Then shall the mighty man cry out. 
 
 15 That day is a day of wrath ; 
 
 A day of distress and of anguish ; 
 A day of desolation and of destruction ; 
 A day of darkness and of gloominess ; 
 A day of clouds and of thick darkness : 
 
 16 A day of the trumpet, and of shouting, 
 Against the fenced cities, 
 
 And against the high towers, 
 
 17 And I will distress men, and they shall walk like the 
 
 blind. 
 Because they have sinned against Jehovah : 
 And their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their 
 
 flesh shall be as dung. 
 
 14. The report. — See Gen. xlv. 16. 
 
 is bitter. — Or, Lord is bitter; the mighty man shall cry there, 
 
 or then. See Lowth. Seeker. 
 
 Then. See Qir, Nold. Sec. 6. 
 
 cry out. — The word in Arab, signifies, valde exdamavit, ita au.vi- 
 
 lium imploravit. Cast. Lex. Schultens renders it, anxilimn inclamahit. 
 Aniraadv. Phil. p. 528. 
 
 15. of desolation. — The form of the Hebrew words would be pre- 
 
 .served by rendering : — 
 
 " A (lay of wasteness and of devastation." 
 
 16. towers. — Properly such as were erected at the angles of walled 
 
 cities. 
 
 The topic of approaching calamity from Jehovah is often insisted cm in 
 the prophets; but no where, I think, with such a beautiful amplification 
 as in the 14th, 15th, and 16th verses. 
 
 17. men. — That b is used for nn, see on Nah. i. 2. 
 
 like the blind — See Deut. xxviii. 29. Isa. lix. 10, in each of which 
 
 places the image is heightened by the circumstance of groping, or stum- 
 bling, like the blind, even at noon-day. The general sense is, they shall 
 be in a state of anxiety and danger. 
 
 dust. — This is said to be poured out Lev. xiv. 41. 
 
 Jlesh. — So the original word signifies in Arabic, as Houbigant 
 
 oberves. See 6. and Mai. i. 7. After fiesli, a verb, as nVu-n, shall be cast 
 forth, must be supplied. See on IIos. ii. 18. 
 
CH. ir,] ZEPIIANIAH. 233 
 
 18 Moreover their silver || and their gohl, 
 Shall not be able to deliver them, 
 In the day of the wrath of Jehovah : 
 But by the fire of his jealousy shall the whole land be 
 
 devoured. 
 For a full end, and also a speedy one will he make 
 With all the inhabitants of the land. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 1 Gather yourselves together and assemble, O nation 
 
 not desired : 
 
 2 Before the decree be * executed, that your day pass away 
 
 as chaff : 
 
 II Heb. moreover. * Heb. bring forth. 
 
 18. and also a speedy one. — So V. 6. Ar. Aquila, Symmachus. Or, 
 
 and also a terrible one. See Syr. For a like turn of expression, see Isa. x. 
 23. xxviii. 22. 
 
 Chap. I. 1. assemble. — Many MSS. and some editions read wp\ 
 
 Vulg. has congregamini, and Symmachus avWiy^n. 6. translate ffvvh9t]Te, 
 and Ar. Syr. to the same effect. Chald. may have read inpi, and draw 
 near. Houbigant proposes wjai ; but the Hebrew word D33 is congregare, 
 colligere, actively. 
 
 not desired. — That is, hated. 
 
 2. be executed. — The figure of a decree bringing forth is unusual, 
 
 and seems harsh. Chald. may have read nob, ■prodeat; but the common 
 and regular word would be hkv, exeat. 6. read in the London Polyglot, 
 nay v*v3 vnn xb onisa ; from which Syr. only differs in reading vri3. 
 
 " Before ye become as the flower [Syr. as the chaff] iclnch passeth away." 
 
 But if we consult the Aldine edition, and that of Sixtus Quintus, we shall 
 find another reading ; jrpo tov ytviaOai vy.ag we avOos Ti'apairo^Kvofiivov 
 );/(f(ia f. vnip(f. And ]\IS. Pachom. has jj/tepaf. 
 
 T 2 
 
234 " ZEPHANIAH. [Cn. II. 
 
 Before the f liot anger of Jehovah come upon you ; 
 Before the day of the anger of Jeliovah come upon you. 
 
 3 Seek ye Jehovah, All ye lowly of the land, 
 
 Who have executed his :}: judgment, who have sought 
 righteousness, ivho have sought lowliness : 
 
 It may be, ye shall be § protected in the day of the 
 anger of Jehovah. 
 
 4 Surely Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon || a deso- 
 
 lation : 
 As for Ashdod, she shall be driven out at noon-day: and 
 Ekron shall be rooted up. 
 
 5 Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of 
 
 the Cherethites : 
 The word of Jehovah is against you. 
 
 Canaan, land of the Philistines, 
 
 1 will destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant. 
 
 t Heb, the heat of the anger. t Or, ordinance. 
 
 § Heb. hidden. || Heb. for a desolation. 
 
 3. Who have exemted.—lihis transition from tlie second person to 
 
 the third is not uncommon. See Amos v. 12. But Houbigant omits n^'K, 
 with 6. and renders the three verbs imperatively. " Execute his judgment, 
 seek righteousness, seek lowliness." 
 
 judgment. — Bishop Lowth's note on Isa. xlii. 1, shows in wlia 
 
 latitude this word is used. 
 
 protected. — See Deut. xxxii. 38. Ps. xxxii.7. cxix. 114. 
 
 4. Surely Gaza. — The prophet digresses to foretel the fate of some cities 
 and nations bordering on Judea and hostile to her; and he then enlarges 
 on the destruction of Nineveh, a city which had carried the ten tribes into 
 captivity, and had often struck Jerusalem with terror, v. 4 — 15. See on 
 Amos ii. (>. For the jiaronomasia, which occurs twice in this verse, see on 
 Micah i. 10: and Michaelis on Prajl. Heb. xv. p. 81. 8vo. And for the 
 history, see on Amos i. 7, 8. 
 
 at noon-da^.— Commentators refer to Jer. vi. 4. xv. 8. Force in 
 
 the open day may be meant ; or that greater degree of distress and dis- 
 gi-ace which would attend a public expulsion in the beat of the day. 
 
 5. Cherethites, — Sec on Amos ix. 7. 
 
 / u'ill destroy thec—lX^e rau may be merely coiivcrsivc, as Obad. 
 
CH. II.] ZEPHANIAH. 235 
 
 6 And Clierith, on the sea coast, shall be 
 
 I'he habitations of shepherds, and folds for flocks : 
 
 7 The coast shall also be for the residue of the house of 
 
 Judah : 
 Thereupon shall they feed ; in the houses of Ashkelon 
 
 shall they lie down in the evening : 
 For Jehovah their God will look * upon them, and will 
 
 turn again their captivity. 
 
 8 I have heard the reproach of Moab, 
 And the revilings of the sons of Ammon, 
 Wherewith they have reproached my people, 
 And magnified themselves against their border, 
 
 * Heb. visit them. 
 
 I'. 8. But 6. Av. Syr. read D3*m2Nm ; which leads to this most eligible 
 rendering. 
 
 "The word of Jehovah is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines ; 
 And I will destroy you." &c. 
 
 6. And Cherith. — S. have Kpjjrt/, and Syr. Kunp, Creta, as i>. 5 ; and for 
 the people of Crete. Thus Cherith may signify the tract where the Chere- 
 thites dwelt, and the construction will be good, if we place m3 before m:, 
 with 0. " Alibi non extat mD, et forte notat patriam rwv a*m3.'' 
 Seeker. 
 
 Many MSS. and three editions read nn^, fossiones, caves i a word 
 which occurs only here. If we adopt this sense, we must read n»m, and 
 render : 
 
 ** And the sea coast shall be sheep cotes, 
 Caves for shepherds, and folds for flocks." 
 
 Two MSS. read nnj ; and the Greek in the Complutensian polyglot, as 
 Bochart observes, has iroifitvwv, not iroifivKDv. " Perhaps, And the sea 
 coast, even Cherith, shall be dwellings for." Seeker. 
 
 7. T/ie coast. — 6. Ar. Syr. read Q*n bzn, the sea coast. 
 Thereupon. — 6. MS. A. has £7r' avrov, vbj;. 
 
 shall they feed. — iNV, sheep may be understood from the foregoing 
 
 verse. But see ch. iii. 13. 
 
 This happened in the time of the Maccabees, says Cappellus. See Mace. 
 V. 21. 22. 
 
 8. Moah — Ammon. — See on Amos i. -13. ii. 1, 3. 
 
 maynijied themsehes. — Boasted, spoken proudly. See Ezck. xxxv. 13. 
 
230 ZLrilANIAIl. [ClI. II. 
 
 y Therefore as I live, 
 
 Saith Jehovah God of hosts, the God of Israel, 
 
 Surely Moab sliall be as Sodom, 
 
 And the sons of Ammon as Gomorrah : 
 
 A deserted place for the thorn, and a place of digging 
 
 Jl)/- salt. 
 And a desolation for ever. 
 The residue of my people shall spoil them. 
 And the remainder of my nation shall possess therii, 
 
 10 This shall happen unto them for their pride, 
 
 Because they have reproached, and have magnified 
 
 themselves 
 Against the people of Jehovah God of hosts. 
 
 1 1 Jehovah will be terrible against them : 
 
 For he will f famish all the gods of the earth ; 
 
 And all the islands of the nations 
 
 Shall bow themselves unto him, every one from his place. 
 
 12 Ye also, O % Ethiopians, 
 
 + Ileb. make lean. :f Heb. Chusiles. 
 
 o. Arab, read «b3.i, my border: which answers to the preceding clause. 
 The Samaritan Yod and Mein bear some resembhince. 
 
 9- A deserted place . — The root puo probably signifies reliquil. See 
 
 Cast. lex. 
 
 the thorn. — The paliurus of the ancients, or the Christ's thorn. See 
 
 Celsius. 
 
 7)11/ nation. — Fourteen MSS. and one edition read "13. 
 
 10. magnified themselves. — Many MSS. and seven editions read 
 
 ib'njM, as V. 8. 
 
 11. famisli — See Deut. xxxii. 38. The sacrifices to them will 
 
 be withdrawn, and they will, as it were, perish with leanness. Spen- 
 cer, p. 47. 
 
 islands. — By the earth the Jews understood the great continent 
 
 of all Asia and Africa, to which they had access by land ; and by the 
 isles of the sea they understood the places to which they sailed by sea, par- 
 ticularly all Europe. Sir I. Newton on Daniel, p. 27(5. 
 
 The prophet foretels the gradual fall of idolatry ; and its deep, and, at 
 lenglh, deadly wound by the spreading of the gospel. 
 
 12. Ethiopians. — See on Anios ix. 7. Nebuchadnezzar subdued 
 
 thcui. See .Jcr. xlvi. 2, 0. Ezck. xxx. 4, 10. 
 
ClI. II.] ZLPllAMAH. 237 
 
 Shall yourselves be slain by the sword. 
 
 13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north, 
 And will destroy Assyria ; 
 
 And will make Nineveh § a desolation, even a dry place 
 as the desert. 
 
 14 And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her ; 
 Yea, all the beasts of the earth. 
 
 Both the pelican and the porcupine shall lodge in the 
 
 carved lintels thereof. 
 A cry shall resound in the window ; the raven shall be in 
 
 the porch : 
 
 § Heb. for a desolation. 
 
 yourselves. — Here we have riy^^n for dpn, if the readiug be genuine. 
 
 Houbigaut thinks that we should read rr^n, shall he. One MS. omits the 
 word with the versions and Chald. 
 
 13. north. — The Assyrians; so called because they used to invade 
 
 Palestine through Syria from the north. For the same reason the Baby- 
 lonians are spoken of as a northern enemy. Jer. i. 14. xlvi. 6, 10, 20, 
 24. Ez. xxvi. 7. 
 
 a dry place — Notwithstanding her many waters, Nahum i. 12, her 
 
 situation shall become dry ; the artificial channels being obstructed, and 
 the waters of the river returning to their course. See Nah. ii. 8. 
 
 14. beasts. — On "in'n, with the paragogic vau in the poetical form, 
 
 see Prael. Heb. iii. 34. 
 
 of the earth. — 6. Ar. read ytK. " Kia, ayri. Chald,'' Seeker. 
 
 Houbigant reads m'n *i3 ba, All kinds of beasts. It is to be observed that 
 S. Ar. V. Syr. read b^i. So that we may divide thus, 
 
 " And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her, and all beasts. 
 The — and the pelican and the porcupine," &c. 
 
 Thus for *ij we may read n>T the vulture, Isa. xxxiv. 15, or some such 
 word, 
 
 pelican. — From nxp, vomere, quoniam conchas jain absorptas revomit, 
 
 postquam calore ventris apertae sint ; ut ex iis esculenta legat. Boch. P. 
 ii. 1. ii. c. xxiv. p. 294. Perhaps, because it casts up fish or water from its 
 membranaceous bag. These birds fed in the Tigris, and made their nests 
 in the deserted ruins of the city. 
 
 porcupine. — From ^^p, prcecidere, sc. morsu. See Boch. p. i. 1. iii. 
 
 c. xxxvi. Or rather from i3p, Syr. horruit. Animal solivagura et <pt\tpi]fiov. 
 Boch. 
 
 the raven, — my is the reading of o. Ar. Houbigant, 
 
238 ZEPHANIAll. [(II. III. 
 
 For he liatli laid bare her cedar icork. 
 15 This is the rejoicing city, tliat sat in security; 
 
 That said in her heart, I am, and there is none besides me. 
 How is she become |1 a desolation, a place for beasts to 
 
 couch in ! 
 Every one that passeth by her will hiss, and will move 
 
 his hand. 
 
 CHAPTER HI. 
 
 Woe to her that is rebellious and polluted, to the 
 oppressing city ! 
 She hath not obeyed the voice; 
 She hath not received instruction : 
 In Jehovah she hath not trusted ; 
 To her God she hath not drawn near. 
 Her princes in the midst of her are roaring lions: 
 Her judges are evening wolves: 
 
 11 Heb. for a desolation. 
 
 her cedar work. — This reference to the former elegance of the 
 
 city is finely introduced ; and in the next verse the grand and affecting 
 description of her desolate state is beautifully contrasted by her late 
 festivity and pride. 
 
 15. rejoicing. — Kpft(T«ra<i' Nivou £D^patvoi;(T»;c was a proverb. 
 
 That said. — This line and the two preceding words occur Isa. 
 
 xlvii. 8. 
 
 See Isa. xxxiv. 11 — 17, a like topic of a great city laid waste, pursued in 
 a train of images full of sublimity and terror. 
 
 Chap. III. 1. rebellious. — I read mvj, the participle Benoni from htj, 
 
 to rebel, and in Hiphil to provoke; whence V. has provncatrix. 'i"he prophet 
 here addresses Jerusalem. I consider this chapter as an elegant part of 
 prophetical poetry. 
 
 ;). roaring lions. — As devouring lions, who roar in the act of seizing 
 
 their prey. 
 
 evening wolves. — So Virgil of the wolf, 
 
 " i\ec (jrcgibus nocturnus obanibulal.'' Gcorg. ill. 53R. 
 
CH. III.] ZlCPHANIAIf. • 239 
 
 They wait not until tlie morning. 
 
 4 Her prophets are light, they are * treacherous men : 
 Her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have 
 
 violated the law. 
 
 5 But Jehovah is just in the midst of her : 
 He doeth not iniquity : 
 
 f Every morning he bringeth his righteousness 
 
 To light, he faileth not. 
 
 Yet the X wicked knoweth not shame. 
 
 6 I have cut off nations ; their towers are destroyed : 
 
 I have laid waste their streets, so that none passeth 
 
 through ; 
 There cities are § thrown down, so that there is no man, 
 
 so that there is none inhabitant. 
 
 7 Then I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive 
 
 instruction : 
 
 That her habitation might not be cut off, 
 
 * Heb. men of treacheries. t Heb, in the morning in the morning. 
 
 % Heb. iniquitous. § Heb. hunted. 
 
 wait not. — im* from Q^^, to zvait, seems the true reading. It is 
 
 proposed by Houbigant, and is agreeable to the renderings of Ar. Syr. to 
 expect, to remain ; and of Chald. to prolong. Like wild beasts, they shun 
 the light. " They break not, or gnaw not, the bones until the morning. 
 All night they prowl about destroying ; but they devour not till the morn- 
 ing, when they consume their prey in their dens." Dr. Forsayeth. 
 
 Her priests. — The words her priests to the law are the same Ezek. 
 
 xxii. 26, only the order is inverted, and my added to ^-\p and min. Seeker. 
 
 5. Every morning. — The metrical division of the Hebrew is, 
 
 " Every morning his righteousness 
 He bringeth to light, he fajleth not." 
 
 The sense is, Not a day passes, but we see instances of his goodness to 
 righteous men, and of his vengeance on the wicked. 
 
 6. nations. — Syria, Israel, [see *ij, Isa. i. 4.] those referred to Isa. 
 
 xxxvi 18, 19, 20. " Proud, <?." Seeker. 
 
 are thrown dotvn. — In Syr. and Chald. the original word signifies 
 
 (O be laid waste. One MS. has ivnj, an usual word. 
 
 7. cut off. — 6. read n-ryn. So the translation will be, And all 
 
 that I have visited upon her, i. e. all my corrections, shall not be cut oft" 
 from her eyes; which makes an easier construction. If "js can be taken 
 
240 Zi:iMIAMAlI. [CH. 111. 
 
 After all tke punishment icith wliieli 1 Imd || visited her. 
 Nevertheless they * diligently corrupted uU their doings. 
 
 8 Yet wait for me, saith Jehovah, 
 
 Until the day when I rise up to the prey. 
 
 For my decree is to gather the nations, to assemble the 
 
 kingdoms ; 
 To pour upon them mine indignation, 
 Even all the heat of mine anger : 
 For with the fire of my jealousy 
 Shall all the earth be devoured. 
 
 9 Surely I will then pour out upon the f people a pure :|: 
 
 language. 
 That they shall all of them call on the name of Jehovah, 
 That they shall serve him with one § consent. 
 
 II Heb. visited upon. * lleb. they rose early, they corrupted, 
 
 t Heb. peoples. t Heb. lip. § Heb. shoulder. 
 
 for "jDa, and npa signify to determine about, the latter of which I doubt, it 
 may be, And their dwelling shall not be cut off, according to all that I 
 determined (i. e. conditionally) about them. See Nold. note 792. Seeker. 
 
 8. Yet wait for vie. — It is implied, in the foregoing verse, that the 
 consequence of universal corruption among the Jews was their fall. Here 
 they are taught to expect mercies from God after he has taken vengeance 
 upon them. 
 
 to the prey. — 6. Syr. Aq. Symm. Theod, &c., render,/or a testimony. 
 
 The Hebrew may be Tendered, for a witness, in testem. See IMal. iii. 5. 
 
 the nations — the kingdoms. — Those which were to be conquered 
 
 by Nebuchadnezzar. 
 
 9. then. — Used largely, for afterwards ; unless we confine the pas- 
 sage to the Jews on their return from Babylon. 
 
 will then pour out. — I read isiix with Houbigaut. But thirteen 
 
 MSS. and three editions read ytriK in Hiphil. 
 
 upon the people. — Or, peoples. The Gentiles, who shall be converted 
 
 to Christianity. The words all of them cannot refer to such proselytes as 
 the Jews made before the coming of Christ. But \( peoples can be applied 
 to the Jews, as 1 Kings xxii. 28, Joel ii. 6, we may understand i: 9, 10, of 
 that freedom from idolatry for which the Jews were remarkable after the 
 captivity ; and the rest of the chapter may refer to the blessings which 
 were then bestowed on them. 
 
 consent. — Heb. shoulder ; a metaphor from the joint efforts of 
 
ClI. III.] ZLI'HANIAII. 241 
 
 10 From beyond the rivers of || Ethiopia 
 
 My suppliants among my dispersed shall bring mine * 
 offering. 
 
 11 In that day thou shalt not be ashamed 
 
 For all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against 
 
 me : 
 For I will take away from the midst of thee them that 
 
 rejoice in thy f pride ; 
 And thou shalt no longer X exalt thyself in mine holy 
 
 mountain. 
 
 12 And I will leave in the midst of thee an humble and 
 
 lowly people ; 
 And they shall trust in the name of Jehovah. 
 
 13 The residue of Israel shall not commit wickedness, 
 Nor shall they speak falsehood, 
 
 Neither shall a § deceitful tongue be found in their 
 mouth. 
 
 II Heb. Cush. * Heb. offering of flour. t Or, greatness. 
 
 t Heb. thou shalt not add to exalt thyself. ^ Heb. a tongue of deceit. 
 
 yoked beasts. See the same phrase in the Chaldee paraphrase, Zech. xiv. 
 9. Servient coram Domino humero uno. 
 
 10. of Ethiopia. — Bochart is positive that Arabia Chussea is meant, 
 
 and says that the rivers are Besor, which flows into the Mediterranean ; 
 Rhinocorura, which flows into the lake Sirbonis ; Trajanus amnis, which 
 flows into the Red Sea ; and the Corj/s. Geogr. p. 212. See a parallel 
 place, Isa. xviii. 1, where Bishop Lowth mentions the eastern branches of 
 the Nile, the boundary of Arabia towards Egypt; but doubts whether the 
 parts of the upper Nile towards Ethiopia may not be meant. That Arabia 
 was a distant country, in the estimation of the Jews, see Joel iii. 8. And 
 beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, may denote both Africa and the southern 
 Arabia. 
 
 among my dispersed. — I read with 6. "vi3D3, tv duaTrapfitvoig fxov, 
 
 and suppose that in this verse either the conversion of the Jews is meant, 
 or their freedom from idolatry. 
 
 11. thou shalt not be ashamed. — Thy guilt and thy punishment 
 
 shall cease. 
 
 in thy pride. — Thy idolatrous exalting of thyself against me. See 
 
 Jsa. xiii. 3. "Thy rejoicers in pride." Seeker. 
 
2-12 ZEPHANIAH, [CH. III. 
 
 And thoy shall feed and lie down, and none shall make 
 them afraid. 
 
 14 Sing, O daughter of Sion ; shout ye, O Israel; 
 
 Be glatl and rejoice with all thine heart, O daughter of 
 Jerusalem : 
 
 15 Jehovah hath taken away thy judgments, he hath turned 
 
 aside thine enemies. 
 Jehovah, the king of Israel, is in the midst of thee ; 
 Thou shalt no longer see evil. 
 
 16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear not ; 
 And to Sion, Let not thine hands be slack. 
 
 17 Jehovah thy God ivdl be in the midst of thee, the Mighty 
 
 One will save thee. 
 He will rejoice over thee with gladness, he will |1 renew 
 
 his love : 
 He will exult over thee with singing. 
 
 18 I have taken away the afflicted among thee from the 
 
 solemn assembly : 
 
 11 Heb. be renewed in. 
 
 13. and none shall make them afraid — These words occur, Mic. 
 
 iv. 4. 
 
 14. Sing. — 6. MS. Pacliom. ed. Aid. and Arab, add o-^oc'ipa, and readiK*:. 
 
 15. thine enemies. — The versions, Chald. the Babylonish Talmud, 
 
 and eighteen MSS. read ts'k. V. renders n:9 avertit. It is equivalent 
 to TPn. 
 
 in the midst of thee. — Displays liis interposition in thy deliverance, 
 
 or, in thy prosperity; if the passage has a reference to the future restoration 
 of the Jews. This verse is otherwise divided by Syr. Chald. and with much 
 elegance, 
 
 " Jehovah hath taken away thy judgments : 
 
 The King of Israel hath turned aside thine enemies : 
 
 Jehovah is in the midst of thee : thou slialt no longer see evil." 
 
 l(i. be slack. — In rebuilding the city and temple ; or, figuratively 
 
 in serving thy God. 
 
 17. reneiv. — o. Syr. point out the reading of u'in<, renovabittti: 
 
 So Houbigant and Bishop Lowth on Isa. xli. J. For liic punctuation of 
 the verse, see o. 
 
CH. I/I.] ZEPHANIAH. 
 
 243 
 
 They are taken away from thee, even from cans ng a re- 
 proach against thee : 
 
 19 Behold I will work with thee for thy sake at that 
 
 time : 
 And I will save her that * halteth, and her that is driven 
 
 out will I assemble ; 
 And I will make them a f praise, and a % name. 
 In every land § where they have been put to confusion. 
 
 20 At that time I will bring you again : 
 And, at the .time when 1 assemble you, 
 Surely I will appoint you a |1 name and a praise 
 Among all the people of the earth : 
 
 When I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith 
 Jehovah. 
 
 * Or, is disabled. t Heb. set them for a praise. % Heb. for a name. 
 
 { Heb. of their shame. 11 Heb. for a name. 
 
 18. 1 have taken away. — The word saying is to be understood before 
 tills verse. 
 
 the afflicted among thee. — I read 1*313 with 6. and Houbigant; and 
 
 suppose that the prophet means such as deplored their captivity, and 
 prayed for a restoration, in the solemn assemblies of the Jews at Babylon, 
 Zech. vii. 5. The rest of the verse I translate as Houbigant, who reads 
 ybv with Syr. The humiliation and affliction of the Jews furnished matter 
 of reproach to their enemies. Or read ^J;^aD, 'and transpose it, with 6. At. 
 Syr. — With singing, as in the solemn assembly. See Houbigant. " Qui 
 impediverunt in te tempora solemnitatis tuse, expellam a te. Chald. 
 Videtur legisse lyr: a*ain, ab n3n removit." Dathius. 
 
 19. luith thee for thy sake. I read with 6. and Cappellus I3i??3b -\rit<. 
 
 See Ezek. xx. 44. 
 
 halteth. — See on Micah iv. 6, where we have a parallel place. 
 
 20. before your eyes. — This may be understood as an intimation 
 
 that some of the Jews, who were led captives to Babylon, should survive 
 the period of the captivity, and return to their own country. Syr. and 
 Houbigant read an*3"yS, before their eyes, sc. of the nations. 
 
THE BOOK 
 
 H A B A K K U K 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 1 The Prophecy which Habakkuk the prophet saw, 
 
 2 How long^, O Jehovah, have I cried, and thou hast not 
 
 hearkened ! 
 How long do I * cry out unto thee, There is violence ; 
 and thou hast not saved ! 
 
 * Or, exclaim. 
 
 Chap. I. 1. Habakkuk. — It seems probable that Habalckuk lived 
 
 after the talcing of Nineveh ; as he prophesies of the Chaldeans, and is 
 silent on the subject of the Assyrians. We have also reason to conclude 
 that he prophesied not long before the Jewish captivity. See ch. i. 5. ii. 3. 
 iii. 2, 16 — 19. He may therefore be placed in the reign of Jehoiakim, be- 
 tween tlie years 606 and 598 before Christ. 
 
 The prophet Habakkuk stands high in the class of the Hebrew poets. 
 The beautiful connection between the parts of his prophecy, its diction, 
 imagery, spirit, and sublimity, cannot be too much admired. See Bishop 
 Lowth's Hebrew prelections, xxi. xxviii., and the learned Mr. Green on 
 ch. iii. 3—10. 
 
 Valicinia qiut edidit Habacucus ex afflatu divino. Gramraatici Hebi?pi 
 Kiro explicant per nxia: aut iiin. Symm. Theod. ut 6. Xtj/ifia, sermo a Deo 
 acceptus. Bahrdt. 
 
 2. How lovy. — In the opening of this prophecy there is an indignant 
 spirit against vice, like that so much admired in Juvenal. 
 
 There is violence. — Or, because of violence. Syr. and Chald. 
 
 supply '»!■ " And violence liftclli up her voice. For so xir*, Isa. xlii. 2, 1 1." 
 Seeker. 
 
 3. cause mc to behold. — Syr. reads i3*3k. 
 
 " And why do I beliold," &c. 
 
CH. r.] HABAKKUK. 245 
 
 3 Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to be- 
 
 hold wickedness ? 
 And why are spoiling and violence before me ; 
 And why is there contention, and why do men raise 
 
 strife ? 
 
 4 Therefore the law faileth, 
 
 And judgment never goeth forth : 
 
 For the wicked compasseth about the righteous : 
 
 Therefore perverted judgment goeth forth. 
 
 5 See, ye transgressors, and behold, and wonder, and 
 
 perish : 
 For I work a work in your days, 
 
 icickedness. — Labour, sorrow, distress, caused by wickedness. 
 
 raise. — Heb. excitat quis. See on Jonah iii. 7. See xuo, Ex. 
 
 xxiii. 1. Ps. XV. 3. But 6. Ar. Syr. and at first one MS. read ri:2i, " And 
 why doth the Judge receive a reward? MS. Copt, adds " a'33, faciem, after 
 Mir\" Mr. Woide. " And the judge accepteth persons." 
 
 4. never goeth forth. — Or, goeth not forth unto victory, or purity, or 
 
 truth, or perfection. See Isa. xlii. 3. 
 
 "And judgment proceedeth not to victory." 
 
 Dr. \V heeler. 
 
 compasseth about. — So circitmvenire is to oppress, to deceive. Mul- 
 
 litudine superat. Arab. Cast. lex. 
 
 " Because the wicked circumvcnteth the righteous." 
 
 Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 6. Ye transgressors- — For Q-i^a, among the nations, read, as Cap- 
 
 pellus audHoubigant have suggested, an:i3, which, as Houbigant observes, 
 u elsewhere also translate, KaTa(p^ov))Tai. See Prov. xiii. 15. Hos. vi. 7. 
 Zeph. iii. 4. v. 13 of this chapter, and ch. ii. 5. Ar. and Syr. agree with 6. 
 See also Acts xiii. 41. 
 
 and behold. — In Acts xiii. 41, nine MSS. and three editions have 
 
 Kai tTTi^Xfipan after KaTa<ppovtiTai, agreeably to the Hebrew. 
 
 and perish. — One MS. reads inrim, with V. Syr. But the reading 
 
 of 6. and of Acts xiii. 41, icai t^aviffOtjre, supposes inom, or v:m, in the 
 text. See Cappellus. There is a double rendering in 6. The former is 
 (cai Qavfiaaan Oavfiaaia, according to which the reading may have been 
 inr^ni, that is, pnon, cum admiratione . 
 
 in your days. — ^Ilence it follows, that the Chaldeans invaded Judea 
 
 while those were living whom tlic prophet addressed. 
 
246 HABAKKUK. [ciI. I. 
 
 Witch ye will not believe though it be told you. 
 
 6 For bchokl, I ?rt7l raise up the Chaldeans, 
 That bitter and swift nation ; 
 
 Who f go over the X breadth of the earth 
 
 To possess dwelling-places which belong § not unto them. 
 
 7 They are terrible and dreadful : 
 
 Their judgment and their excellency proceed from them- 
 selves. 
 
 8 Their horses also are swifter than leopards : 
 
 + Heb. wliich goeth. t Heb. breadihs. 
 
 <S Heb. to it : and onwards in the singular number, to the end of v. II, erce-pt their 
 
 faces. 
 
 Which i/e will not believe.— In Acts. xiii. 41, tlie common editions have 
 tpyov, " a work which ye will not believe." But there is very good 
 authority for omitting this word. St. Paul plainly accommodates this pas- 
 sage to his own purpose. 
 
 6. the Chaldeans. — See Gen. xi. 28,31. xv. 7. Job i. 17. Isa. xxiii. 
 
 13, and Bishop Lowth's note. They are supposed to have been so called 
 from Chesed the son of Nahor. Gen. xxii. 22. Eustathius, in his notes 
 on Dionysius's 7rtpu]yt}(Tig, says, that they derived their name from Chal- 
 deus, the foiuleenth king after Ninus, and the founder of Babylon, 1. 765, 
 p. 101. ed. H. Steph. Xenophon mentions the Chaldeans as a warlike 
 nation of Armenia. Cyropted. 1. iii. p. 148. 8vo. ed. Hutchinson. These 
 were anciently called Chalybes. See Hutchinson's note. 
 
 bitter. — Arabice radix -n'2 ad robur et virtutem usitatissime trans- 
 
 fertur. S^hultens, Anim. Phil. p. 517. 
 
 7. Their judgment. — Their authority to execute judgment, and 
 
 their dignity and elevation among the kingdoms of the earth, arise from 
 their own valour in revolting from the Assyrians. 
 
 8. swifter than leopards. — Leopards tamed, and taught to hunt, 
 
 are, it is said, made use of [in Palestine] for hunting ; and seize the prey 
 with surprising agility. When he leaps, he throws himself seventeen or 
 eighteen feet at a time. Harmer ii. 438. 
 
 " Non segnior extulit ilium 
 Saltus, et in medias jecit super arma catervas, 
 (^uam per summa rapit celerem venabula pardum." 
 
 Lucan 1. vi. 
 
 " QKvrarov Oeiti. icai r a\Ki(iov i0dC opovit- 
 4>oi>;f, oTTTror' icoto, fti]f()tt]V (bopffn^at. ' 
 
 Opp. Cyii. 1. iii. 
 
CH. I.] HABAKKUK. 247 
 
 And they are || fiercer than evening wolves. 
 
 And their horsemen shall spread themselves ; they shall 
 
 come from far ; 
 They shall fly, as an eagle hastening to devour. 
 9 All of them shall come for violence : 
 
 The supping up of their faces shall be as an east wind : 
 
 II Heb. sharper. 
 
 " V. et Syr. legerunt ibp sine vau, quod ego quidem praeferrem. Et pos- 
 terior praeterea pro anoso, legit anuoo, aquilis velociores : quam lectionem 
 non minus nostrse praeferrem." 
 
 Arab, also omits the vau ; and MS. 4 originally read d-ioto. 
 Alterum runs omnino delendum. Balirdt. 
 
 fiercer. Bochart refers the word to the spirit of horses and wolves. 
 
 " Genus acre luporum." Virg. 
 " Ascanius mediis in vallibus acri 
 Gaudet equo." Virg. 
 
 See Hieroz. III. x. 826. 
 
 shall spread themselves. — See Chald. and Syr. on the word, Nahum 
 
 iii. 18 : where they explain it by nia, dispersit. Here Chald. has piT, 
 muttiplicabuntur, and V. diffundentur. 
 
 they shall come from far. — The word vii-nsi, which stands before 
 
 this clause in the Hebrew, is omitted by 6. Ar. Syr and by three MSS. 
 
 Mr. Green's note on this passage is, " The Hebrew word rendered by 
 our translators, and they shall spread theimelves, is a faulty writing of the 
 word foregoing, which the transcriber would not put out for fear of blot- 
 ting his copy. The Syr. has it not, and the Seventy knew not what to 
 make of it." His translation is : 
 
 " And their horsemen sharper than evening wolves, 
 Tlieir horsemen shall come from afar," &c. 
 
 Poetical Pans of the O. T. p. 23. 
 
 from far. — So 2 Kings xx. 14. Jer. v. 15. See on Joel iii. 8. 
 
 to devour. — Thirty MSS. and three ed. read Sax":, which may be 
 
 rendered ad cibum, to the prey. See Syr. Chald. 
 
 " They shall fly, as an eagle hasteth to the prey." 
 
 Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 9. All of them. — Two MSS. read iba, and three read so originally. This 
 is regular, and agrees with mj, v. 6. Houbigani reads ik^* dVd, as Syr. 
 Vulg. Chald. 
 
 The supping up. — This is our marginal rendering, and that of 
 
 Peters on Job, 8vo. 2d. ed. p. 137. Their enemies shall be absorbed, or 
 
 u 
 
248 HABAKKUK. [CH. I. 
 
 And tliey shall gather * captives as the sand. 
 
 10 They shall also scoff at kinj^s, 
 
 And princes sJiall he a laughing-stock unto them. 
 They shall laugh at every strong hold : 
 And they shall heap i" earth and take it. 
 
 11 X Then shall their spirit be changed, and they shall pass 
 
 away, and shall be § treated as guilty. 
 This is their strength with their God. 
 
 12 Art thou not from everlasting? 
 
 O Jehovah, || my God, mine Holy One, we shall 
 not die. 
 
 * Heb. captivity. f Or, dust. 
 
 X Or, afterwards. § Or, shall be punished. 
 
 II Or, mine holy God. Heb. The God of mine holiness. 
 
 rapidly destroyed, by them ; as the blasting pestilential east wind spreads 
 destruction. See on Jonah iv. 8. Syramachus renders r\ 7rpo(Toi//te ^ov 
 ■TrpoffMirov, which agrees with Syr. ; as if the reading had been i330. " Be- 
 fore their faces, &c." Houbigant reads aipn, Before. 
 
 10. ea7-th. — See Gen. xxvi. 15. Isa. ii. 10, 19. V. u. Chald. under- 
 stand the word of mounds heaped up, according to the usual way of taking 
 fortresses. Others render the word dust, and think the meaning to be, 
 They shall take every strong hold with ease, and as it were in sport. 
 
 1 1 . be changed. — Praeteribit. This may be spoken of the Chaldee 
 
 nation at large ; whose disposition should degenerate, and who were to be 
 punished by Cyrus. An ironical epiphonema follows, Such is their 
 boasted strength derived from their idols. rnVKb. Two MSS. originally. 
 See V. 7—10. 15—17. 
 
 pass away. — " Pass over. Transgress." Seeker. " Hebrseis spiritus 
 
 transire sive transgredi dicitur, quoties intra modestiae fines se non tenet." 
 Bahrdt. 
 
 12. Art thou not. — There is gieat beauty in this sudden address to 
 Jehovah, as opposed to the false god of the Chaldeans. 
 
 " O God of mine holiness." Sic videtur legendum. Seeker. 
 
 ue shall not die. — We shall not utterly perish by the Clialdeans ; 
 
 though we shall suffer severely from them. But this seems a cold sense, 
 and unworthy of so animated a poem. Houbigant conjectures noK bK, O 
 God of truth; which is interwoven in the Chaldee paraphrase; and, I 
 think, ought to be admitted into the text. " Let us not." Seeker. 
 
 " Art not thou from everlasting, O Jehovah, my God, mine Holy One? 
 O Jehovah, God of truth, thou hast appointed them for judgment." 
 
CH. I.] HABAKKUK. 249 
 
 O Jeliovali, thou hast appointed them for judgment, 
 And thou hast founded them as a rock, to chasten us. 
 
 13 Thou that art of purer eyes than to behold evil, 
 And canst not look on wickedness ; 
 
 Why dost thou look on transgressors, 
 Atid art silent when the wicked swalloweth up the man 
 that is more righteous than he ? 
 
 14 And why makest thou men as the fishes of the sea, 
 
 As the moving * things which have no ruler over them ? 
 
 15 They take up all of them Avith the hook ; 
 
 They collect them in their net, and gather them together 
 
 in their drag : 
 Therefore they rejoice and exult : 
 
 16 Therefore they sacrifice to their net, and burn incense 
 
 to their drag : 
 Because by them their portion is fat, and their food 
 plenteous. 
 
 * Heb. thing which hath no ruler over it. 
 
 Another conjectural reading is, mjoxV, '■'^ for faithfulness, or truth, in thy 
 denunciations of punishment." 
 
 " For faithfulness, O Jehovah, for judgment than hast appointed them." 
 as a rock. — Houbigant renders, In liostem ralidum fecisti, ut cum 
 
 coargueres. 
 
 " As a flint thou hast set him to reprove [chastise]." Ezek. iii. 9. Thou 
 
 hast given him firmness, and resolution, or hardness of heart, to punish. 
 
 Dr. Forsayeth. 
 
 13. more righteous. — The just or good man mentioned, ch. ii. 4. 
 
 15. Thei/ take up. — Heb. One taketh up : one collecteth them. The 
 Chaldeans are meant. 
 
 all of them. — Houbigant prefers ib3 ; and this is the reading of 
 
 three MSS. and of a fourth in the margin. 
 
 16. sacrifice. — They boast themselves in their strength ; and deify 
 
 themselves for their valour. 
 
 17. Shall they therefore. — V. 6. Ar. Syr. read p bv, therefore. Houbigant 
 conjectures p byi, and therefore. All omit the inteiTOgatiou. 
 
 The meaning of the verse, if read interrogatively, is, 
 
 " Shall the wicked, therefore, be never stopped in their career?" 
 u 2 
 
250 HABAKKUK. [CH. II. 
 
 17 Shall they therefore empty their net ; 
 
 And continually spare not to slay the nations ? 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 I STOOD on my watchtower, 
 And set myself on the bulwark : 
 And I * looked to see what he would speak by me ; 
 And what I should reply to my arguing with him. 
 
 And Jehovah answered me, and said : 
 Write the vision, and make it plain upon the tablets ; 
 That he may run that readeth it. 
 
 • Or, watched. 
 
 which is agreeable to the expostulations, v. 13, 14. Without the interro- 
 gation, the sense may be, Therefore, so. because their portion is thus made 
 fat, they ai'e intent on filling and emptying their net. 
 
 And continually. — ^1 his line explains the allegory. Syr Ch. and 
 
 Houl igant read i-on, continually without the vau, and join the word to 
 the former clause. Observe that van precedes. 
 
 " — — empty their net continually 
 
 , ^)i(Z spare not ." 
 
 Chap. H. 1. I stood. — Stabam. Houbigant. 
 
 on my watchtoiver — I was earnestly looking for God's word ; as a 
 
 watchman intent on his office. Prophets are compared to watchmen, 
 Ezek. iii. 17. 
 
 / should reply. — To my own satisfaction, and that of others, as to 
 
 the difficulties raised, ch. i. 13 — 17, why the idolatrous and wicked Chal- 
 deans, and their king, are to be prosperous and triumphant. 
 
 Syr. and Houbigant read a^u", he tvould reply ; and Chald. has respon- 
 debor, I should be anstvered. 
 
 " And will look attentively to see what he will say to me, 
 And what he will answer for my conviction." 
 
 Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 2. the tablets. — 6. here, and Vulg. 6. Isa. xxx. 8, render tablets of 
 
 box, which were firm and durable. 
 
 may run. — Let the characters be so legible that one who hastily 
 
 passes on may read them ; which may have been a proverbial manner of 
 
CH. 11.] HABAKKUK. 251 
 
 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time ; 
 
 But at the end it shall speak clearly, and shall not f lie. 
 
 If it delay, wait for it 
 
 For it shall X surely come, it shall not tarry long. 
 
 4 Behold § his soul is lifted up, it is not upright in him : 
 
 t Or, deceive. t Heb. coming it shall come. 
 
 § Heb. it is lifted up, his soul is not, ficc. 
 
 expression. Houbigant renders, " ut, qui leget, expedite legat ;" and 
 several others understand the word run figuratively of rapid reading. 
 that readeth it. — Two MSS. read ^{^^p ba, evert/ one that readeth. 
 
 3. the vision. — Or prophecy ; which follows v. 4 — 20. Seeker. 
 
 an appointed time. — The destruction of the Chaldeans by Cyrus is, 
 
 at a somewhat distant period of years, determined in my counsels. 
 
 speak clearly. — The word is used in Hiphil, with a case after it, for 
 
 uttering, Prov. vi. 19. xiv. 5. And it is used iu Kal for aspirarc, Cantic. 
 ii. 17. iv. 6, until the day break; or breath, as it is rendered in the margin. 
 
 and shall not lie. — Thirteen MSS. read Kb for Nbi ; as if the true 
 
 reading were xb ivp7. 
 
 " But at the end thereof it shall speak clearly, it shall not lie. 
 It shall not be later than its season." Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 it shall not tarry long. — So Houbigant. All the versions, Chald. 
 
 twenty-two MSS. and six editions read, " And it shall not," &c. xbi. See 
 also Hebrews x. 37, where the sacred writer follows, though not exactly, 
 the mistaken Greek translation of this hemistich ; for n3 is in the infini- 
 tive used gerundively, not the participle, and is written xm in six MSS. 
 The clause therefore is an apt accommodation, taken from a version in 
 frequent use among the Hellenistic Jews ; a remark which I extend to 
 the former clause of i'. 4. 
 
 4. Behold.— Two MSS. read nam. And Arab, has Et si ; and Heb. x. 
 38, we read Kai tav. 6. have Eav. Thus the Greek translator may have 
 read ox, or axi. 
 
 lifted up. — This rendering furnishes a good sense, if we understand 
 
 the passage of the Chaldeans, who, as appears from ch. i. 7, 12, 15 — 17, 
 may be addressed in the singular number throughout this chapter ; though 
 I allow that Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar, Dan. v., may be alluded to 
 at the same time. But the idea of elation of mind does not occur in the 
 ancient versions or paraphrase. On the contrary, 6. have eav vTroaTeikrjrai, 
 and Ar. Si twdio afficiatur ; which suggests the reading of nsbiy ; his mind 
 is east down, or j'ainteth ; and one MS. reads thus; and another had nsby 
 
252 HABAKKUK. [CH. 11, 
 
 But the just shall live by his faith. 
 
 originally, which may possibly l)e rendered, there is dejection, but not 
 defectio, in the sense of falling off from the faith. 
 
 his soul. — <5. Ar. Heb. x. 38, and at first MS. 17, read -ti-Bs, 
 
 VI 1/ sonl. 
 
 is not upright in him. — Cappellus supposes that 6. translate from 
 
 the Arabic sense of n-iu'» ; the word in the Arabic version being from -nu' 
 Icctus, hilaris fiiii. They may have read nyn or hvt the participle, or nnvi 
 or nvin. 
 
 ' But the just. — 6. MS. A. and ed. Aid. and the Arabic version 
 
 represent the reading of *pny, my just one. And one MS. originally and 
 some versions and Fathers read so Heb. x. 38. Rom. 17. See Wetstein. 
 
 by his faith. — So Vulg. Aq. Symm. Theod. and ed. v. vi. vii. iu 
 
 Montfau§on. But 6. MS. V. and Heb. x. 38. one MS. Vulg. and some 
 Fathers represent ^mirixa, by faith in me, as MS, 320 .seems to read ; and 
 this reading Mill approves of. Proleg. Sec. 932. One Hebrew MS. reads 
 
 There is an ambiguity in the Hebrew, as well as Rom. i. 17. Gal. iii. 11. 
 Heb. X. 38. 
 
 " But the just shall live by his faith, 
 by faith, 
 by faith in me." 
 
 Or, 
 
 " But the just by his faith, shall live, 
 by faith, 
 by faith in me." 
 
 I prefer the former sense. The meaning of the prophet is, The good, or 
 righteous, man, who believes in my prophets, and obeys their directions, 
 shall live at the time of the Babylonish invasion. See Jer. xxi. 9. xxxviii. 
 2, 17, 18. xlii. 7, &c. In the New Testament the words are accom- 
 modated. 
 
 The English word faith is only used here and Deut. xxxii. 20 in all 
 the O. T. And the Hebrew word naiux, which is here used with a suffix, 
 denotes many times an attribute of God, but never a quality in man, 
 except 1 Sam. xxvi. 23, where it ineans fidelity ; a m:ioK u'*x is a man of 
 truth, Prov. xxviii. 20; and there is no iiax in them. Dents xxxii. 20. 
 With a suffix it denotes also a charge or office, 1 Chron. ix. 22. 2 Chron. 
 xxxi. 18 ; but with or without a suffix, it never means faith, or credit 
 given to a testimony. But the verb ynnn doth, as in the noted place. Gen. 
 XV. (). 1 1 may lie translated here, by his faithfulness. Compare ch. i. 13. 
 
CH. II.] HABAKKUK. 253 
 
 5 Moreover, as a mighty man transgresseth through wine, 
 He is proud, and remaineth not at || rest : 
 
 * He enlargeth his desire, as the grave ; 
 And he is as death, and cannot be satisfied ; 
 And gathereth to himself all the nations, 
 And assembleth to himself all the f people. 
 
 6 Shall not % all these 
 
 Take up a parable against him, 
 
 And a taunt and proverbs concerning him ? 
 
 And they shall say : 
 
 Woe unto him that multiplieth that ivhick beUmgeth 
 not unto him ! 
 
 II Heb. at home. * Heb. Who. t Heb. the peoples. % Heb. these all of them. 
 
 6. have tK iriarnoQ fiov. But Grabe jiov ik Triarewg. Syr. hath no 
 proiiouu. IltCTrif in 6. never, I think, signifies belief, but faithfulness; nor 
 TTtffroe believing, but faithful. Seeker. 
 
 5. a viightij man. — I read ii33 with Houbigant and Green. See 
 
 Ps. Ixxviii. 65. The vau may have been supplied by a point. 
 
 through wine. — I read i"33, with Chald. See D thus compounded, 
 
 1 Sam. xiv. 14. Gen. xxxviii. 24. 
 
 »3 f)Ni, I understand not this particle. There seems an ellipsis of u"n' 
 before i*\ See examples in Michaelis. A drunkard is a transgressor, a 
 proud man. Or, He is a drunkard, a, &c. Seeker. 
 
 remaineth not at ?-es«.— Perhaps the true reading is mr. Unseemly. 
 
 Dr. Wheeler. From mx in Niphal. 
 
 and cannot he satisfied. — This is the reading of Vulg. and Chald. 
 
 But 6. Ar. Syr. one MS. and Green, Poetical Parts, &c. pref. p. xi., read vb 
 for n"?!. 
 
 " He enlargeth his desire, as the grave; 
 And, as death, he cannot be satisfied." 
 
 Mr. Wintle also observed this reading in MS. 154, and approves of it. 
 This verse describes the Chaldeans, and their ambitious king. 
 
 6. a taunt and proverbs. — Syr. reads niTm, and proverbs. Perhaps 
 
 the true reading is, nrboi, et irrisionem proverbiorum ; or, as Vulg. et 
 loquelam (Bnigmatum. " A sentence of derision." Dr. Wheeler. " Omit- 
 tunt vau Syr. Ch. : recte, ut videtur." Seeker. 
 
 And they shall say. — Literally, And one shall say : that is, And it 
 
 shall be said. 
 
264 HABAKKUK. [CH, II, 
 
 How long- will he lade liimself with many pledges ; 
 
 7 Shall not they suddenly rise up, that will bite thee : 
 And shall not they awake, that will harass thee ? 
 And shalt thou not become § a booty unto them ? 
 
 8 Because thou thyself hast spoiled many nations, 
 All the residue of the || people shall spoil thee : 
 
 For the * blood of men, and violence done to the land, 
 To the city and to all the inhabitants thereof. 
 
 9 Woe unto him who f coveteth an evil covetousness for 
 
 his X house ; 
 That he may set his nest on high ; 
 That he may be delivered from the § power of evil ! 
 10 Thou hast || consulted shame to thine * house 
 
 By cutting off many f people; and thy % soul hath 
 sinned, 
 
 { Heb. for booties. || Heb. peoples. * Heb. bloods. 
 
 t Or, gainelh an evil gain. J Or, family. § Keb. hand. || Or, devised. 
 
 * Or, family. t Heb. peoples. t Or, thou hast sinned. 
 
 will he lade himself. — Syr. Chald. and one MS. read noDo without 
 
 the vau. 
 
 vrany pledges. — Kimchi derives the original word from U3V, to 
 
 pledge, as iniD, a heavy rain, from n:D ; and thinks that the repetition of 
 the third imWcaI intends the signification. There may be a reference to the 
 frequent rapines of the Chaldeans, and to the pledges and hostages taken 
 by them for the payment of stipulated sums. See Fuller Misc. Sacr. 
 i. V. c. 8. '' ladeth, loadeth — borroweth ; thick clay, wealth." Seeker. 
 
 7. Shall not they. — " Shall they not. Shall not thy creditors." Seeker." 
 
 hite thee. — A metaphor tiiken from the hunting of wild beasts. 
 
 unto them. — The Medes and Persians. 
 
 8. residue. All that remain from thy devastations. Syr. omits Sa. 
 
 • the blood of men. — Shed by thee. 
 
 land — city. — Land of Judea; city of Jerusalem. " Of the land; 
 
 or, against, as Joel iii. 19. Chad. 10." Seeker. 
 
 9. for his house. — Which Nebuchadnezzar strove to aggrandize ; 
 
 and which Cyrus cut off. See Dan. v. 2, 30. 
 
 " Woe unto him that procureth wicked gain for his family." 
 
 Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 10. consulted. — Devised. See on I.sa. ix. 6. Seeker. 
 
 hath sinned — Perhaps nxoin. 
 
CH. 11.] HABAKKUK. 255 
 
 1 1 Surely the stone from the wall crieth out ; 
 And the § beam from the timber answereth it : 
 
 Saying : 
 
 12 " Woe unto him who buildeth a town by || blood, 
 And establisheth a city by iniquity !" 
 
 ""^3 A7-e not these- things from Jehovah God of hosts, 
 That * people should labour for the fire, 
 And nations should weary themselves for a vain thing ? 
 
 § Or, fastning. || Heb. bloods. * Heb. peoples. 
 
 11. the beam. — From the Syr. DSD, connexuit. avvSev fiog, Sjmm. 
 
 Theod. Lignum, V. Bochart lias a dissertation on this word, Hieroz. P. II. 
 L. IV. c. xxvi., and says that the Talmudists use it for a brick of certain 
 dimensions ; a sense which he prefers. He quotes, 
 
 " Jumenta loquentur, 
 Et canis, et posies, et marmora." Juv. 
 
 The passage is very poetical, and may refer to the great buildings 
 erected by Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. The stones and wood, which 
 were to be overturned, should proclaim the woe that follows. Mr. Wintle 
 refers to Luke xix. 40. 
 
 " ni:;)3 by, Jon. Lectio mvp, concidisti, sine dubio prseferenda. Bahrdt. 
 
 13. these things. — For hdh, behold, V. 6. Ar. read nbx, these things. 
 
 Syr. has nbK bo, all these things. But Chald, has kh, behold. 
 
 for the fire. — By which gi'eat part of Babylon will be consumed. 
 
 See n3,/or, Nahum ii. 12. 
 
 And nations. — Nebuchadnezzar employed great multitudes in erecting 
 his works, 
 
 The original here is, 
 
 isj;' pn nn a^nsbn 
 ' And Jer. li. 58, we read, 
 
 pn "13 Q'w ly^T 
 isy*i tt'x "na a-oxbi 
 
 " And the people shall labour for a vain thing ; 
 And nations for the fire, and shall be weary." 
 
 But Syr. omits the i in isyi, and so do 6. Ar. though they translate widely. 
 The reading also of one MS. is iDV". That the true reading is ^^v\ 
 
 " And the nations shall weary themselves for the fire," 
 
 appears from the turn of the sentence in Jeremiah, and the juxtaposition 
 
256 HABAKKUK. [CH. H. 
 
 14 Surely the earth shall be filled 
 
 With the knowledge of the glory of Jehovah, 
 As the waters cover the sea. 
 
 15 Woe unto him who maketh his neighbour drink, 
 Who pntteth his flagon unto him, and also maketh him 
 
 drunken; 
 That he may look on their nakedness ! 
 
 16 That art filled with shame instead of glory: 
 Drink thou also and uncover thy foreskin : 
 
 Unto thee shall be turned the cup from the right hand of 
 
 Jehovah ; 
 And foul shame shall be on thy glory. 
 
 of the places. It is very observable that in Jeremiah six MSS. make the. 
 two passages exactly parallel, by inserting m'h in the former hemistich, and 
 pn in the latter. 
 
 for a vain thing. — For what God shall bring to nought. 
 
 14. the earth shall be filled. — God's power and providence shall be 
 
 widely displayed in the destruction of Babylon, in the humiliation of 
 Nebuchadnezzar, Dan. iv. 37, and in the captivity and restoration of his 
 people. See also Dan. ii. 47. iii. 29. vi. 26. There is a parallel place, 
 Isa. xi. 9. 
 
 With the knoivledye. — See Nbo used with b, Dan. ix. 2. 
 
 cover the sea. — The verb noD is used with bv in many places, Deut. 
 
 xiii. 8. Neh. iv. 5. Job xxi. 26. Ps. xliv. 19. cvi- 17. Prov. x. 12. Ezek. 
 xxiv. 7. xxxi. 15, and perhaps, Mai. ii. 16. 
 
 The curious reader will observe the Masoretic point at yixn ; introduced, 
 as it should seem, merely to show the proper pause in the measure. See 
 Bishop Lowth's Isaiah, Preliminary Dissertation, p. xxv. 
 
 15. Who putteth hl<; fiagon. — Vulg. and Symm. favour Houbigant's 
 
 reading, man. The word nSD in Chald. signifies abundare fecit, and in 
 Arab, fudit. 
 
 his flagon. — Or, his gall, his poison. 
 
 their nakedness. — V. Chald. have, his nakedness. 
 
 16. and uncover thy foreskin. — 6. Ar. Syr. read by-im, " and be seized 
 
 with trembling or astonishment." A remarkably apposite word. See Ps. 
 Ix. 3. Isa. Ii. 17, 22. Zech. xii. 2. 6. ed. Aid. and MS. Pachom. read 
 KOI ^ia(Ta\iv9i]Ti. 
 
 the cup.— See Ps. Ixxv. 8. Jcr. xxv. 15, 27. This shall come 
 
 round to you, in its turn. 
 
 foul shame.—"' Shameful pclhilion." Or. VVhcclcr. Six MSS. 
 
CH. II.] HABAKKUK. 257 
 
 17 Surely the violence done to Lebanon shall cover thee, 
 And the destruction of f beasts shall make thee afraid : 
 For the X blood of men, and violence done to the land, 
 To the city and all the inhabitants thereof. 
 
 18 What profiteth the graven image, 
 That the § maker thereof hath graven it ? 
 Arid the molten image and the teacher of lies : 
 That the || maker of his work trusteth therein, 
 To make him dumb idols? 
 
 19 Woe unto him who saith to the wood, Awake ; 
 To the * silent stone. Arise. 
 
 Shall it teach? Behold, it is laid over with gold and 
 silver ; 
 
 t Heb. cattle. X Heb. bloods. § Or, fashioner. 
 
 II Heb. the fashioner of his fashion. * Heb. stone of silence. 
 
 divide the original word and read pbp "pi, which may he equivalent to 
 •{^blp n-p\ et vomitus ignominiae. Or, there may be an intensive repetition 
 of the first radical in the root r^b-p. 
 
 Grotius justly observes, that t>. 15, l(j, contain an allegory. The Chal- 
 deans gave to the neighbouring nations the cup of idolatry and of de- 
 ceitful alliance ; and in return they received from Jehovah the cup of his 
 fury. 
 
 Suspicor olim lectum fuissc pbp N«pi. Repete mon e membro priori. 
 Bahrdt. 
 
 17. shall make thee afraid. — I read inn', in Hiphil, with 6. Ar. Syr. 
 
 Chald. Mr. Wintle also proposes this reading. 
 
 18. And themolten image. — Dr. Durell proposes to remove the i from 
 
 ■nr, and add it to nDDo. Two MSS. read nsDai, which Green approves of. 
 But the hemistich is very elegant, and in the poetical manner, without the 
 vaxi. There are many such passages, as Isa. xlii. 10. 1. 1, 2. 22. 1. 3, 4. 
 xliii. 19. 1. 3, 4. Ps. cxiv. 1. See v. 19. 1. 1. 2. 
 
 the teacher of lies. — By oracles, which the statue was supposed to 
 
 give ; but which in fact were given by the artifice of the priest. " The 
 image teaches lies, gives false notions of the Deity." Seeker. 
 
 the maker of his work. — I suspect that nv, or ^•\)i\ is superfluous ; 
 
 as both may be participles. See Syr. Chald. They seem to be different 
 readings. " MS. Copt, omits 6 irXatsag." Mr. Woide. 
 
 19. silent stone. — px is feminine, and therefore a^i-n must be a 
 
 substantive, lapidi silentii. See Isa. xlvii. 5. Sit thou in silence. 
 Shall it teach P — So Vulg. yv is understood. 
 
 I 
 
258 HABAKKUK. [CH. 111. 
 
 Neither is there any breath in the midst thereof. 
 20 But Jehovah is in his f holy temple : 
 Be silent before him, All the earth. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 1 [A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth.] 
 
 2 O Jehovah, I have heard thy * speech ; 
 I have feared, O Jehovah, thy work, 
 
 As the years approach, thou hast shewn it ; 
 
 t Heb. the temple of his holiness. * Heb. hearing. 
 
 laid over. — I supply \v, the wood. " Laid hold of," that is, " en- 
 closed," says Tayl. Cone. 
 
 any breath. — Sciendum, in quibusdam Heb. voluminibus non esse 
 
 additum omnis, sed absolute spiritum legi. Jeroni, quoted in Kennicott's 
 Diss. Gen. Sec. 84. 13. And Syr. omits bD. 
 
 Chap. III. 1. A prayer. — The title seems a Jewish annotation of a later 
 age, and the insertion of it interrupts the connection. 
 
 Shigionoth. — The word is probably derived from the Syr. ]:iv^, 
 
 mutavit, variavit, and thus may denote a musical instrument of great 
 compass, with which the Jews accompanied this piece of poetry. 
 
 2. thy speech. — Which thou hast communicated to me, ch. i. 5 — 11. 
 
 ii. 4—20. See Obad. 1. 
 
 thy work. — I have been struck with fear, because of the judgments 
 
 denounced against Judah and Jerusalem, ch. i. 5 — 11. ii. 4, 5, 8, 17. One 
 MS. reads I'^ysa, because of thy work. 
 
 " Jehovah, 1 have seen thy work." Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 He reads, *n*Nn, I have seen. 6. have (cartvojjTa, and in MS. Pachom. and 
 ed. Aid. we find Kvpu, Kartvorjaa. 
 
 approach* — Cappellus prefers the reading of ". and Aquila, tv th> 
 
 tyyiZ,iiv, (V Ti{t Trarifivai : a'npa. 
 
 thou hast shewn it. — Cappellus ingeniously conjectures inin, show 
 
 it. I prefer n«in, thou hast shown it. o. have ?wwv, which word repre- 
 sents nvn. One MS. has at present mvn, another perhaps ^rt'^n, another 
 •'3"n, which reading Jcrom also found. Kcnn. Diss. Gen. Sec. 84. 13. 
 
nr. III.] HABAKKUK. 259 
 
 As the years approach, thou makest it known, 
 In wrath thou rememberest mercy. 
 
 3 God came from Teman, 
 
 And the Holy One from mount Paran : [Selah.] 
 His glory covered the heavens ; 
 And the earth was full of his praise. 
 
 4 His brig-htness was as the liffht : 
 Rays streamed f from his hand ; 
 
 t. Heb. to him from his hand. 
 
 thou makest it knoivn. — One MS. reads lyrnn, no turn fades id. 
 
 thou rememberest. — Observe the topics of consolation, ch. ii. 4, 14, 
 
 and the several woes denounced against Babylon. 
 
 3. God came, — Bishop Lowth observes that this is a sudden burst of 
 poetry, in the true spirit of the ode ; the concealed connection being, that 
 God, who had formerly displayed such power in delivering the Israelites 
 from Egyptian slavery, might succour their posterity in a like wonderful 
 manner ; and the enthusiasm of the poet leading him to neglect all obvious 
 ways of entering on his subject. Prael. Heb. xxviii. v. .3 — 7, contain a 
 sublime description of God, when he conducted his people to the land of 
 Canaan. The grandest circumstances are selected, and the diction is as 
 splendid as the subjects. 
 
 " The captivity brought to his mind the Exodus, and that he who had 
 delivered could deliver. Lowth, p. 257." Seeker. 
 
 Teman. — First, perhaps, the name of an encampment, and after- 
 wards of an Idumean city. Numb. xx. 21. Jer. xlix. 7. Job. ii. 11. 
 
 Paran. — .See Deut. xxxiii. 2. A part of Arabia Petrsea, Gen. xxi. 21. 
 
 Selah. — See Pol. Syn. Ps. iii. o. render the word dia^paXfia, which, 
 
 says Suidas, is ntXovg evaWayt), cantus immutatio. 
 
 glory — On mount Sinai, and in the pillar of fire. 
 
 praise. — On account of his majesty and posver. Bishop Lowth, 
 
 ubi supra, renders the word splendour; and Green's version is, 
 
 " And his glory filled the earth." 
 The verb bbn, in Hiphil, signifies to shine, 
 
 " And his praise filled the earth." Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 4. His brightness.— 6. At. Syr. Chald. Houbigaut read ihjdi, et splendor 
 ejus V. has splendor ejus. The vau may be considered as conversive of 
 n^Tin, and may be omitted in an English translation. 
 
 Rays. — The verb l^p signifies to shine, Ex. xxxiv. 29, 30, 35, and a 
 
2(>0 HABAKKUK. [CH. HI. 
 
 And there 7vafi the hidings-place of his power. 
 
 5 Before him went the pestilence : 
 
 And flashes of fire | went forth after him. 
 
 6 He stood, and measured the land ; 
 He beheld, and dispersed the nations : 
 
 i Heb. at his feet. 
 
 pencil or cone of rays, issuing from a point, diverges in the shape of a lioni 
 See Deut. xxxiii. 2 : 
 
 " From his right hand issued streams of light :" 
 
 The original word being rrnu-K, from iii'K, in Syr. and Chald. to ■pour forth . 
 See the learned Dr. Durell's note on the place. Twenty MSS. and one cd. 
 read n-npi, and rays. 
 
 And there. — In the place whence the light proceeded he gloriously 
 
 concealed his presence. Three MSS. originally, and V. Chald. read du', 
 there. 
 
 of his poiver. — Keri, many MSS. and some editions, read vv, or -wv, 
 
 KT^vog avrov, 6. 
 
 Cappellus understands the verse of the lightning on Mount Sinai ; but 
 I rather refer it to the brightness which occasionally issued from the She- 
 chinah, Ex. xvi. 7, 10. 
 
 5. the pestilence. — See Numb. xi. 33. xiv. 37. xvi. 46. It was 
 
 occasionally inflicted on the Israelites, for their guilt. 
 
 flashes of fire. — 'itt'i, quicqmd volayido aduril et inflammat. Cast. 
 
 lex. Ardor vibrans ac corusciis. Schultens on Job v. 7. See also Gusse- 
 tius, who, by comparing Ps. Ixxviii. 48 with Ex. ix. 29, collects that ^iin 
 has the nature of h'N, fire; but thinks it id, quod in igne vehement) or i sese 
 vibrat ; flamma rubens. Lev. x. 2. Numb. xi. 1. xvi. 35. the Israelites were 
 consumed by a fire which went out from Jehovah. And Lev. ix. 24, 
 the burnt-offeiing was consumed by a fire which came out from before 
 Jehovah. 
 
 after him. — As it is translated, Gen. xxx. 30. 1 Sam. xxv. 42, is 
 
 quite parallel. Seeker. 
 
 6. measured. — " Divided it out, like a conqueror, Ps. Ix. 6." Green. 
 
 ^. have etraXtvOt], and Chald. wk from j/ii, movit. Hence Cappellus con- 
 jectures -i-i^y, and Houbigant, tjti, et coticussit, or nn^i, et snbjecit. Possibly 
 T'rn, rtJirf moved. 
 
 dispersed. — One signification of the Arabic root in Cast. lex. is 
 
 sparsit dispersit; and in Syr. Chald. Arab, the word signifies dcfiuxit 
 dccidil. It may, therefore, be rendered in Hiphil, defiiiere, vel decidcrc. 
 fecit. 
 
CH. III.] HABAKKUK. 261 
 
 And tlie everlasting mountains were broken asunder ; 
 
 The eternal hills bowed down : 
 
 The eternal paths § were trodden by him. 
 
 7 Thou sawest the tents of Cushan || in affliction : 
 The * curtains of the land of Midian trembled. 
 
 8 Was the anger of Jehovah kindled against the floods ? 
 Was thy \\Tath against the floods ? 
 
 Was thine indignation against the sea, 
 
 When thou didst ride on thine horses, and on thy 
 
 chariots of deliverance ? . 
 § Heb. were his. || Heb. under. * Or, tent-curtains. 
 
 the nations. — All who opposed his people, and particularly the 
 
 seven nations. 
 
 mountains — hills. — This may be understood of cleaving the rock 
 
 for water, Ex. xvii. 6. and of God's wonderful display of his power on 
 Sinai, when the mountain shook, Ex. xix. 18. 
 
 eternal paths. — Literally, God occupied the summit of the eternal 
 
 mount Sinai, and led his people over the eternal mountains in Arabia 
 Petraea, And this sense is preferable to the figurative one ; that his ways, 
 or doings, are predetennined from everlasting. 
 
 7. Thou saivest. — " I saw," supposing the prophet to speak, seems 
 harsh. And therefore I propose ^'N^, Thou sawest, addressed to God, as 
 V. 12—15. 
 
 in affliction. — If tik nnn cannot signify in affliction, or, under the 
 
 punishment of iniquity, y<e invLSthaye xeconxse to conjecture. Houbigant 
 and Green adopt Q-nnn ; which may signify struck with teiror. " Sub 
 peccato esse reddi potest, puniri, succumbere sceleritm affeaibus." Bahrdt. 
 
 Cushan. — That is, some say, of Chus or Midian. Compare Numb. 
 
 xii. 1. Exod. ii. 16, 21. Numb. xxxi. 7, 8, &c. Others think that Judg. 
 iii. 10, vii. 1, &c., are referred to. Perhaps for ]^H nnn we should read i^v 
 nnn, and for iiriD, luo. 
 
 " Thou sawest the terror of Og ; 
 
 The tents of Bashan trembled ; 
 
 The curtains of the land of Midian." Numb. xxi. 33. xxxi. 3. 
 
 The curtains. — V. pelles, Ssppeig, vetustissimus liber majoribus 
 
 literis exaratus. See the notes on this chapter in S. Quintus's edition of <». 
 That is, the coverings of their tents, made of skins. 
 
 8. floods. — If the Red Sea only is refened to, and not Jordan, we 
 
 should render, the floods, Ps. Ixvi. 6. Jon. ii. ;3. Otherwise, translate rirers. 
 
 and on thy chariots. — Many MSS. supply the vau twice, n-maaioi ; 
 
 and V. t). Ar. Syr. represent it the beginning of the word. 
 
262 HABAKKUK. [CH. IH. 
 
 9 Thy bow was made bare, 
 
 According to the oath unto the tribes even the promise. 
 [Selah.] 
 
 10 Thou didst cleave the streams of the land : 
 The mountains saw thee and were in pangs : 
 The overflowing of waters passed away : 
 The deep uttered its voice : 
 
 It lifted up its hands on high. 
 
 1 1 Tiie sun and the moon stood still in their habitation ; 
 
 God is described as a miglity warrior, attended by his cliariots, even 
 thousands of angels, Ps. Ixviii. 17. 
 
 9. made bare. — Nudatione nudabatur, i. e e theca educebatur, say 
 
 some ; and others, nudatione excitahatur. And Hanner informs us, from 
 Sir I. Chardin, that the oriental bows were wont to be carried in a case 
 bung to the girdle, ii. 513. If tij; does not signify nudare, we may read 
 tvn from my. Houbigant adopts the reading of V. stiseilans suscitabis, 
 i-yn i*yn. And 6. MS. A. and ed Aid. have tvrtivwt' evTtvue. 
 
 the oath. — The preposition is very often understood in the poetical 
 
 parts of scripture. Here b may be supplied, if we read with the greatest 
 number of MSS. mj/inu", oaths. Sixteen MSS. read nyiau'; which, in 
 statu constructo, may signify the oath unto the tribes, as Ps- Ixxxix. 39. 
 Ti^y nna signifies the covenant tvith thy servant, 
 
 the promise. — See idk, Ps. Ixxvii. 8. 
 
 The question, asked in a very bold and poetical manner, t-. 8, is an- 
 swered, V. 9; that God displayed his power to deliver his people, according 
 to his faithful word. Gen. xxii. 16. xxvi. 3. Ps. cv. 9, 10. v. 13. 1. 1, 2. 
 
 The passage through the Red Sea having been beautifully mentioned in 
 an indirect manner, v. 8 ; the prophet continues his magnificent descrip- 
 tion of the Deity, v. 10, 11, 12; and adds the reason why such power was 
 displayed, in the two first hemistichs of v. 13. 
 
 10. the streams. — When Jordan was divided. 
 
 The mountains. — 6. Ar. suggest another reading, coy, the people. 
 
 But see Ps. cxiv. 4. 
 
 The overfioiving . — The lower streams of Jordan, whose banks were 
 
 then overflowed, passed away toward the Dead Sea, Josh. iii. 1.5, 16. 
 
 voice. — The upper wares stood on an heap, not without roaring. 
 
 See Green. 
 
 on hiyh. — an for aiib. So, Ps. xcviii. 8, we have, " The floods 
 
 clap their hands." 
 
 11. and the moon. — V. 6. Ar. Syr. Chald, ten MSS. and two ed. 
 
 read mn, and the moon ; and two other MSS. read so originally. But see 
 
CH. III.] IIABAKKUK. 2()3 
 
 By their light thine arrows went abroad ; 
 
 By their brightness, the lightning of thy spear. 
 
 12 In thine indignation didst thou march through the land; 
 In thy v^a•ath didst thou f tread the nations. 
 
 13 Thou wentest forth for the deliverance of thy people, 
 Even for the deliverance of thine anointed ones. 
 
 Thou didst wound the head out of the house of the 
 wicked : 
 Thou didst lay bare the foundation to the rock : [Selah.] 
 
 t Heb. tliiesh. 
 
 the omission of the connexive particle defended by instances, Boch. Hieroz. 
 844, who refers to Exod. xxii. 30. Deut xxiv. 17. 2 Chron. xviii. 30. 
 
 in their habitation. — Perhaps abii, or a'^inr ; the n and a heing 
 
 easily mistaken. See Syr. Chald. 
 
 By their light. — Or, in light — in brightness — furnished by their 
 
 shining. 
 
 thine arrows. — Calvin says that the arrows and spears of the 
 
 Israelites are called those of God, under whose auspices his people fought. 
 Or, the instruments of destruction which God employed, Josh. x. 11, may 
 be metaphorically called his arrows and spear. 
 
 lightning, — See Nahum iii. 3. 
 
 12. tread. — Crush them, as corn by the drag. 
 
 13. thine anointed ones. — Houbigant reads i^n-u'o, and refers to 6. 
 
 MS. A. and tovq ikXiktovq aov in Moutfaucon's Hex. A MS. referred to 
 in S. (iuintus's edition and MS. Pachom. have also tovq xp^<^tovq aoi;, and 
 two Hebrew MSS. read plurally, and perhaps two more. See Ps. cv. 15. 
 " Plur. xpi(TTove,'M.S. Copt." Mr. Woide. "Rather, for the salvation of 
 thine anointed. For nx is often for the genitive case. See Nold. Or vi-^ 
 may be a verb." Seeker. 
 
 Thou didst wound. — The ardour of the prophet having led him to 
 
 begin in the midst of his subject, v. 3; he here returns to what passed iu 
 Egypt before the dividing of the Red Sea, the mention of which astonishing- 
 miracle he repeats, v. 15. 
 
 out of the house. — Or, So that there should be no house. The 
 
 j)rophet returns to the transactions in Egypt ; and here refers to the de- 
 struction of the first-born. 
 
 Thou didst lay bare. — The verb is in the infinitive, Laying bare. 6. 
 
 V. Syr. and ed. v. in Montfaugon read nny. 
 
 to the )-oc/{. —Cnppellus, Houbigant, and Green read -ni', „ To the 
 
 X 
 
264 HABAKKUK. [CH. III. 
 
 14 Thou didst pierce with tliy rod the head of his villages. 
 They rushed as a whirlwind to scatter us : 
 
 Their rejoicing was, as if they should devour the poor 
 secretly. 
 
 15 Thou didst march through the sea with thine horses; 
 Through the heap of mighty waters. 
 
 16 PVhe?i I heard thy speech, my bowels trembled : 
 At the voice my lips quivered : 
 
 Rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in :]; 
 
 my place ; 
 Because I shall be brought to the day of trouble, 
 
 t Heb. under me. 
 
 rock on which the foundation rested." The death of the first-born is figu- 
 ratively called the utter overthrow of the Egjptian houses. 
 
 14. tvith thy rod. — Houbigaut and Green read iqo3. Three MSS. 
 
 read ido3, which resembles the conjecture proposed. 
 
 of his villages. — Many MSS. five editions, and Keri, have vns. 
 
 The first-boni are called the heads of the Egyptian villages; and these God 
 smote with the rod of his anger. 
 
 The word ns is derived from the Arab, segregavit, see Cast, lex ; because 
 the houses are separated ; and not joined together as in cities. 
 
 Dr. Wheeler conjectures i^trns. 
 
 " His horsemen, when they came as a whirlwind to scatter us." 
 
 to scatter us. — I follow Green's excellent conjecture, iDran'?. 
 
 Their rejoicing. — Thirty MSS. read ornvby, their rejoicings. The 
 
 Egyptians rapidly followed the Israelites, and in imagination devoured a 
 defenceless people. Whereas the Israelites entered the land of Canaan 
 armed, and struck the inhabitants wiUi great fear, Josh. iv. 13. v. 1. 
 
 16. / heard. — See on v. 2. 
 
 Rottenness. — The learned Schroeder observes, that u. Ar. Ch. Syr. 
 
 read ^3^, tremor, and that Lilienthal found this reading in the margin of a 
 Hebrew MS. Diss. Philol. ad Cantic. Chabacuci, Groningae. 1781. 
 
 1 trembled. — Palluit, et subito genua intremuere timore. Schroeder. 
 
 Ovid. Met. ii. 180. 
 
 7 s/m// he brought. — One MS. reads njK, which may be tlie future 
 
 in Niphal from nnj ducere ; a verb, indeed, not elsewliere used in tliat form. 
 Or, we may read -n^'in, he hath brought me, from nr:, ducere; or, he hath 
 left me,trom ny, agreeably to Chald., wliere we liave >3p3u^, quoniam re/i- 
 
CH. III.] HABAKKIIK. 265 
 
 To go up captive unto tlie people vJio shall invade us 
 vvitli their troops, 
 IT But although the figtree shall not flourish, 
 And there shall be no produce in the vines ; 
 The fruit of the olive shall fail, 
 And the fields shall not yield food ; 
 The flocks shall be cut off from the fold, 
 And there shall be no herd in the stalls : 
 
 18 Yet will I rejoice in Jehovah, 
 
 I will exult in the God of my salvation. 
 
 19 The Lord Jehovah is my strength; 
 
 quit me. Syr. also expresses the pronoun I. *rim, et ostendit viihi. The 
 prophet may speak in the person of the Jews who woukl he tlieu living. 
 
 " If so be I might have rest in the day of affliction. 
 
 When he goelh up against his people, and harasseth them with his troops.'' 
 
 Dr. Wheeler. 
 
 17. But although. — Or, For, and r. 18, But I — . " msn, Kapvoipopijaei, 6. 
 quasi legissent man. Non male : nee enim floret ficus. Sed gerniinare 
 etiara notat ma. Vid. Cast, in voc. Or, for ; or, when." Seeker. 
 
 It is observed that some of the oldest versions never translate ms, 
 flowering ; and that it is distinguished from v*v, a flower, Numb. xvii. 8. 
 And indeed it seems rather to signify shoots than flowers, Job. xiv. 9. 
 Ps. xcii. 7 or 8. Prov. xi. 8. Isa. v. 24. Ixvi. 14. Epict. 1. i. c. 15. p. 86, 
 saj'S of a figtree, A(f>(g avQt]<ry Trptorov, (tra yrpofiaXy rov Kapirov, tira 
 irtTravQii Seeker. 
 
 The fruit. — As nii-j; signifies to produce, as a tree or a field, see Gen. 
 
 i. 11, 12. Ps. i. 3, nii'y^ will naturally denote fruit. Hence ttoihv Kapnov 
 in the New Testament, Matt. iii. 10, &c. 
 
 fields yield. — Read irj;. 
 
 shall he cut off. — One cut off"; or. He, God, cut ofl'. Or read, in 
 
 the participle passive, nnj. 
 
 stalls. — The Arabic root of the original word signifies /regit, coni- 
 
 minuit, straimn. The places where the herds were fed with cut straw. 
 "Bubilc. Alludit Arabicum nST /ocrtitm." Boch. Hieroz. 305. 
 
 19. The Lord. — This verse is an imitation of Ps. xviii. 33. Twelve 
 MSS. and one ed. transpose the two first words of this verse, and read 
 mn> »:^^!. 
 
 "Jehovah, my Lord, is my strength." 
 
 Dr. Wheeler. 
 X 2 
 
:266 HABAKKUK. [ill. HI. 
 
 And he will make my feet like hiiul's fteU 
 And will cause me to tread on mine high places. 
 [To the chief musician on my stringed instruments.] 
 
 cause me to tread. — Eight MSS. read as in the psalm, *3iv:if', 
 
 " Thou shalt cause nie to return with strength and swiftness from the land 
 of my captivity, and to possess its fastnesses. See Deut. xxxiii. 29. 
 xxxii. 13. 
 
 The state of the land during the captivity may be described, v. 17 ; or 
 the prophet may declare that such circumstances should not shake his con- 
 fidence in God. And v. 19. he may speak in the person of his people, who 
 were to be restored. 
 
 chief musician. — From n^i'i, pi-afuit, superavit. Cast. lex. See 2 
 
 Chron. ii. 18. 
 
 my stringed instruments. — From 133, pulsare musice. 6. At. Syr. 
 
 read his stringed instruments; which reading I prefer, as this seems a 
 Jewish annotation. " My may be the king's word, and this his direction. 
 Lowth.'' Seeker. 
 
THE BOOK 
 
 O B A D I A H. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah 
 concerning Edom. 
 We have heard a * report from Jehovah. 
 
 And an ambassador is sent among the nations : 
 
 Saying : 
 " Rise ye : and let us rise up against her to war." 
 Behold I have made thee small among the nations : 
 
 Thou art greatly despised. 
 
 * Heb. a hearing:. 
 
 Chap. I. 1. Obadiah. — I suppose thathe prophesied between the taking 
 
 of Jerusalem, which happened before Christ 587, and the destruction of 
 Idumea by Nebuchadnezzar, which latter event probably took place a very few 
 years after the former. Usher places the destruction of Jerusalem in the 
 688th year before Christ, and the siege of Tyre in the year o'Sb before 
 Christ. This siege lasted thirteen years; in which interval Usher says that 
 the Sidonians, Moabites, Ammonites, and Idumeans, seem to have been 
 subdued by the Babylonians. Josephus says that Nebuchadnezzar began 
 to besiege Tyre in the seventh year of his reign ; but Cappellus proposes 
 reading the seventeenth. Blair places the taking of Tyre in the thirlv 
 third year of Nebuchadnezzar, 
 
 sent. — Jer. xlix. 14. we have ^\^b\2;. Compare the passages. 
 
 2. small — despised. — Compare Jer. xlix. 15. Idumea was a country 
 
 if compared with the dominions of flourishing states, very moderate in 
 extent, and inconveniently situated. " The land of Moab occupied the 
 eastern part of the sea of Sodom. Next to this country Idumea turned 
 towards the south; though it did not bonier on all Canaan southward, but 
 
268 OBADIAH. [CH. 1. 
 
 3 Tlie pride of thine licart hath deceived thee. 
 
 He tlmt dwelleth in the clefts of the rock, in his f high 
 
 habitation, 
 Hatli said in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the 
 ofround ? 
 •1 Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle. 
 
 And though thou set thy nest among the stars ; 
 Thence will I bring thee down, saith Jehovah. 
 .5 If thieves had come unto thee, 
 
 t Heb. the height of his habitation. 
 
 only on its eastern part. The rest lay open to A rabia Petraea, by which I dumea 
 was situated southward, made a part of it, and went far into it." Vitr. on Isa. 
 xxxiv. 6. " The country of the Idumeans was properly circumscribed by that 
 mountainous tract which enclosed Canaan to the south, near the sea of 
 of Sodom, as appears from the whole sacred history ; whence mount Hor, 
 situated there, is said to have been on the edge, border, or extremity, of the 
 land of Edom, Numb. xx. 23. It is true that, about the time of Solomon, 
 the Idumeans occupied some part of the Elanitic gulph of the Red Sea ; 
 whence a tract of that coast was called the land of Edom, 1 Kings ix. 20. 
 But all the prophets who speak of Edom about these times restrain their 
 lands to mount Seir, in the tract which I have marked out.'' Vitr. on Isa. 
 xxi. 1. However, that part of Idumea partook of the qualities of the land 
 of Canaan appears from Gen. xxvii. 39. compared with v. 28; and Numb. 
 XX. 17. the fields and vineyards of the Idumeans are mentioned. 
 
 3. He that dwelleth. — -ddu', with the yod paragogic, occurs also in 
 
 the parallel place, Jer. xlix. 16. See Prael. Heb. iii. p. 34. 
 
 clefts of the rock. — There were many habitable caverns, difficult of 
 
 access, in the mountainous coimtry of Idumea. 
 
 in his high habitation. — 6. Vulg. o-t: ut alibi nau-'? nojrj. 
 
 Seeker. 
 
 If we read •]nzv and laba, and V. has in corde tuo, we render : 
 
 " O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, in thine habitation ; 
 Who sayest in thine heart," &c. 
 
 4. eagle. — Which builds in high rocks. 
 
 thou set. — Houbigant reads a-vn with the version."?. " 6 Syr. Ch. 
 
 Vulg. quasi legissent cirn. Sed vide omnino Num. xxiv. 21." Seeker. 
 o'lf may be rendered is set, positus est. See Job xx. 4. If wc suppose 
 this prophet the imitator, he has finely improved Jeremiah xlix. 16, in the 
 hemistich before us. 
 
CH. i.2 OBADIAH. 269 
 
 If robbers by night; 
 
 Would they not have stolen till they had enough ? 
 
 If grape gatherers had come unto thee, 
 
 Would they not have left gleanings of grapes ? 
 () How art thou cut off ! 
 
 How is Esau searched out ! 
 
 Hoio are his hidden things inquired after ! 
 7 All the men of thy confederacy 
 
 Have brought thee to the border : 
 
 The men J who were at peace with thee, atid who ate 
 bread with thee, 
 
 Have deceived thee, aud have prevailed against thee : 
 They have spread a snare under thee. 
 
 t Heb. of thy peace, of thy bread. 
 
 5. If thieves. — Compare Jer. xlix. 9 ; where, I think, we should render : 
 
 "If giape gatherers had come unto thee, 
 
 Would they not have left gleanings of grapes ? 
 
 If tliieves by night, would they not have destroyed till they had enough ?" 
 
 6. Hoiv art thou cut off. — This clause is usually thrown into a par- 
 enthesis after the words, if robbers by night, in v. 5. Le Clerc places it 
 at the beginning of v. 5. It may very well make a part of v. 6. Thieves 
 and robbers would have stolen till they had satisfied themselves. Grape 
 gatherers would have left gleanings after them. But the Babylonian 
 invaders have destroyed thee utterly. See a like opposition, Jer. xlix. 10. 
 
 searched out. — 6. Ar. Syr. Chald. read irans. See a similar passage, 
 
 isa. xlv. 3. " Professor Michaelis proposes lau-nj, made bare, from Jer. xlix. 
 10.'' Mr. Woide. 
 
 7. the border. — Thy own border, where they delivered thee into 
 
 the hand of thy enemy. Or, to the border of their once friendly country, 
 whither thou hadst tied for refuge; thus dismissing thee ignouiiniously. 
 
 uAo ate bread. — Enmity was not to be expected from such, 
 
 according to the customs of those countries. Syr. reads lon'^-i, " the men of 
 thy peace and of thy bread." o. MS. Pachom. render ol avveffOiovrie trot 
 i9t]Kav. " Ante "lonb repetendum videtur otto koivov 'U'jn." Moerlius. 
 " ^o^'7 omittunt 6., et sane potuit a praecedenti noi"? oriri. — Etiam -bDn — 
 facile potuit inter prsecedentem t et sequentem b absorberi ; vel forle 
 Icgendum y^'nh, nam an'? comedere notat." Seeker. 
 
 a snare. — V. 6. Ar. Syr. Chald. have this idea ; and seem to have 
 
 read nvo, for iito. " To place a wound under a person," seems a harsh 
 expression. 
 
270 OBADIAH. [CH. 1. 
 
 Thtre is none umlerstanding in thee. 
 
 8 Shall 1 not in that day, saith Jehovah, 
 Destroy the wise men from Edom, 
 
 And understanding from the mount of Esau ? 
 
 9 Shall 7iot thy mighty men, O Teman, be dismayed ; 
 That every one may be cut off from the mount of Esau ? 
 
 10 For slaughter, cmd for § oppression, of tliy brother 
 
 Jacob, 
 Shame shall cover thee, and thou shall be cut off for ever. 
 
 1 1 In the day Avhen thou stoodest on the other side ; 
 
 In the day when strangers carried away captive his forces. 
 And ivhe7i foreigners entered into his gates. 
 And u'h€7i they cast lots on Jerusalem; 
 Thou also wast as one of them. 
 
 12 But thou shouldest not have looked with delight on the 
 
 day of thy brother, on the day when he became a 
 
 stranger ; 
 Nor have rejoiced over the sons of Judah, in the day 
 
 when they were destroyed : 
 Nor have magnified thy words in the day of distress. 
 
 13 Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of my 
 
 people, in the day of their calamity : 
 
 § Or, violence against. 
 
 understanding. — For which the Idunieans were remarkable. See 
 
 Jer. xlix. 7. 
 
 8. Shall I not. — " Ni':'n omittunt o. Syr." Seeker. It is also wanting in 
 MS. 96. 
 
 the mount of Esau. — Mount Seir. 
 
 10. For slaughter. — The versions point thus. This conduct of the 
 Idumeans is referred to, Amos i. 11, where see the note. 
 
 for ever. — See Ezek. xxxv. 9. They never recovered possession of 
 
 Arabia Petra;a. See on Amos i. 12. 
 
 11. his gates. — riyu', many MSS. some editions, Keri, and the 
 
 versions. 
 
 12. thou shouldest not have loohed. — That the future has this force, 
 
 see Gen. xliv. 8. Lev. x. 18, 19. Numb. xxxv. 28. Ex. xxii. 2. Jonah 
 iv. 11. So .¥jn. xi. 112. Nee veni, nisi fata locum scdcmquc dedisscnt. 
 Fro Ntc vcnisscm. Serrius. 
 
CH. 1.] ■ OBADIAH, 271 
 
 Nor have looked with delight on liis affliction, in the day 
 
 of his calamity : 
 Nor have put forth thine hand on his substance, in the 
 
 day of his calamity : 
 H Nor have stood in the cross-way, to cut oif those of his 
 
 that escaped : 
 Nor have delivered up those of his that remained, in the 
 
 day of distress. 
 
 15 For the day of Jehovah is near upon all the nations. 
 As thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee : 
 
 Thy dealing shall return upon thine own head. 
 
 16 For as ye have drunken upon mine holy mountain, 
 All the nations round about shall drink : 
 
 They shall drink and shall swallow down; and they 
 shall be as though they had not been. 
 
 17 But upon mount Sion shall be |1 those that escape : 
 
 and it * shall be holy : 
 And the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. 
 
 1 8 And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, 
 
 II Heb. an escaping. * Heb, holiness. 
 
 13. thine hand.-^l think that it should be supplied with ChakL 
 
 and that the true reading is, it- nbirn. There is a like omission, 2 Sam. 
 vi. 6, where n% or ^^^\ the hand, or, his hand, is supplied by all the versions, 
 and by Chald. Another reading may be mnbwn bv. iti. See Judg. v. 26. 
 For the phrase see Gen. iii. 22. xxii. 10, 12. See Le Clerc. itn precedes. 
 
 14. cross-wai/. — The root in Arabic signifies, divisa se obtulit via. 
 
 Cast, lex. 
 
 15. Thy dealing. — See Ps. cxxxvii. 8. The manner in which thou 
 
 hast served us. 
 
 16. as ye have drunken. — The prophet addresses his own people, 
 
 to whom he uttered this prophecy. 
 
 round about. — 6. Ar. read ion, wine ; which reading is noted by 
 
 Cappellus and Le Clerc, and adopted by Houbigant. But twenty-seven 
 MSS. and eight editions read a»3D, round about, which suits the place 
 extremely well. See Jer. xxv. 9. 
 
 17. those that escape. — Here the return from Babylon is foretold. 
 
 their possessions. — " Dn>ii-no pro particijno habent 6. Vulg. Ch. 
 
 Syr. ; recte. Confer Jer. xlix. 2." Seeker. The rendering of the versions 
 is " those who possessed them." But it seems more accurate to render 
 " those who drove them out." 
 
272 OBADIAH. [dl, 1. 
 
 Alul the house of Joseph a flame ; 
 
 And the lioiise of Esau for stubble : 
 
 And they shall kindle them and devour them ; 
 
 And there shall not be any remaining of the house of 
 
 Esau. 
 For Jehovah hath spoken it. 
 \\) And they o/'the south shall possess the mountain of Esau ; 
 And theij of the plain, the Philistines : 
 And they shall possess the field of Ephraim, 
 And the field of Samaria : 
 And Benjamin shall possess Gilead. 
 
 20 And the captivity of this host of the sons of Israel, 
 Which is among the Canaanites, shall possess unto 
 
 Sarepta. 
 And the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, 
 Shall possess the cities of the south. 
 
 21 And deliverers shall go up to mount Sion 
 To f rule the mount of Esau : 
 
 And the kingdom shall be Jehovah's. 
 
 f Heb. judge. 
 
 18. for stubble. — This refers to the conquest of Edoin by the 
 
 Maccabees, 1 Mace. v. 3, 4, 6, 65. 2 Mace. x. 15 — 23, and again by 
 Hyrcanus, Jos. Ant. Xfll. ix. 1. p. 659. Haverc. 
 
 19. they of the plain. — From Eleutheropolis to the sea. See Le 
 
 Clerc. Zech. vii. 7. Jer. xvii. 26. 
 
 Gilead. — Edora lay to the south ; the Pliilistines to the west ; 
 
 Ephraim to the north ; and Gilead to the east. Those who returned from 
 Babylon were to extend themselves every way. 6. read, " And Benjamin, 
 and Gilead." 
 
 20. this host. — Three MSS. read "j^nn. But Iloubigant ingeniously 
 
 conjectures that we should read nibn nib^i, And this capliviti/. 
 
 among the Canaanites. — Houbigant and Chald. read O'jyjaa. 
 
 Sej)harad. — Lightfoot's conjecture, that this was i)art of Edom, is 
 
 the most probable of any that I have met with. Those who were captives 
 among the Canaanites should possess the country of the Canaanites ; and 
 those whom the Edomites had enslaved, should possess the cities of their 
 masters. See Mr. J.owth's Conmientary. 
 
 2 1 . deliverers — The Maccabees, o, read a"vii'i3, servali, meaning the 
 
 .U \vs who were to be restored. 
 
THE BOOK 
 
 H A G G A I. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 In the second year of Darius the king-, in the sixth 
 month, on the first day of the month, came the word of 
 Jehovah by * Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the 
 son of f Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and unto Joshua 
 the son of Josedech the high priest, saying : 
 
 Thus saith Jehovah God of hosts, saying : 
 This people have said, The time is not come, 
 Even the time that the House of Jehovah should be built. 
 But the word of Jehovah hath % come 
 By § Haggai the prophet, saying ; 
 
 Is it time for you, O ye people, 
 
 * Heb. by the hand of. t Oiherwhe, Salathiel. % Heb. been. 
 
 ^ Heb. By the hand of. 
 
 Chap. I. 1. Haggai. — The first prophet sent to the Jews, after 
 
 their return from the Babylonish captivity. 
 
 Darius. — The son of Hystaspes, king of Persia. Blair places the 
 
 second year of his reign 520 years before Christ. 
 
 Zeruhhahel.—iion of Salathiel, son of Jechoniah, king of Judah, 
 
 Matt. i. 12. " "JN. Xiytav. Eittov Trpoe. o." Seeker. 
 
 /os/iM«.— Son of Josedech, son of Seraiah, high priest when Jeru- 
 salem was taken, and slain at Riblah, 1 Chron. vi. 14. 2 Kings xxv. 
 18—21. 
 
 4. O ye. — Houbigant conjectures nnx. An venit vobis tempus? &c. 
 
 Possibly nny, now. " An vestrum tempus est, ut domes \'estros con- 
 tabulatas habitelis ? Sana sunt omnia. Solent nempe Hebran in sermone 
 concitatiori repelere pronomen ejusdcm personic qu« prieccdit. Confer 
 Ccn. xxiv. 27. Deul. xviii. 14, Sec." Dathius. 
 
274 HAGGAl. [CH. J. 
 
 To dvsell in cieled houses : 
 
 And shall this House lie waste ? 
 5 And now thus saith Jehovali God of hosts : 
 
 II Consider your \\'ays. 
 G Ye have sown much, and the increase is little : 
 
 Ye eat, but not till * ye be full : 
 
 Ye drink, but not f in plenty : 
 
 Ye clothe yourselves, but not % so as to be warm thereby. 
 
 And he that earneth wages, earneth § them for a bag 
 with II holes. 
 
 7 Thus saith Jehovah, God of hosts : 
 * Consider your ways. 
 
 8 Go up to the mount, and bring wood, 
 
 And build the House ; that I may have pleasure therein, 
 And be glorified; saith Jehovah. 
 
 9 Ye look for much, and behold it cometh to little : 
 
 And when ye have brought it home, I have blown 
 upon it. 
 
 II Heb. Set your lieart on. * Ileb. to fulness. f Heb. to. 
 
 X Ileb. to warmth. § Heb. wages. || Heb. pierced through. 
 
 * Heb. Set your heart on. 
 
 cieled. — Qpo<pu)fitvoiQ, Aquila. Laqueatis, Vulg. 
 
 waste. — Its foundations had 1)een laid perhaps fifteen years before, 
 
 in the second month of the second year after the return of the Jews from 
 Babylon, Ezra iii. 8. 
 
 6. the increase. — Literally, id quod proveniens est. But the versions 
 
 seem to have read iK'nn, ye have brought in. 
 
 Ye eat. — The verb, and also inir and unnb, and hds, v. 9, are in the 
 
 infinitive mood, used as a noun- substantive. There is to eat, or. There is 
 eating. 
 
 for a bag with holes. — They are soon required of him. The present 
 
 scarcity demands them. 
 
 8. the mount. — Mount Moriah, on which the temple was built. 
 
 Jon. conscendite montes. Capiendura est collective. Nam de Libano 
 aliisque montibus pctenda erant ligna, unde templum extrueretur. 
 Bahrdt. 
 
 i). brought it home, — This line may very well be translated, 
 
 " And ye have brouglil (in i<fcr'ii\!i to the House, and I liiive snuflcd at it." 
 
CII. I.] HAGGAI. 275 
 
 Why ? saith Jehovah God of hosts. 
 Because of mine House, which lieth waste ; 
 And ye run every man to build his own house. 
 
 10 Therefore over you 
 
 The heavens are stayed from dew ; 
 
 And the earth is stayed from her produce. 
 
 1 1 And I have called for a drought upon the land, and upon 
 
 the mountains ; 
 And upon the corn, and upon the choice wine, and upon 
 
 the oil ; 
 And upon whatever the ground bringeth forth ; 
 And upon man, and upon -f- beast ; 
 And upon all the labour of the hands. 
 
 12 Then Zerubbabel the son of % Shealtiel, and Joshua the 
 son of Josedech, the high priest, and all the residue of 
 the people, hearkened unto the voice of Jehovah their 
 God, and unto the words of Haggai the prophet, accord- 
 ing as Jehovah their God had sent him : and the people 
 
 13 feared before Jehovah. Then spake Haggai, the mes- 
 senger of Jehovah, by a message from Jehovah, unto the 
 people, saying : 
 
 t Heb. cattle. t Otherwise Salathiel. 
 
 See ch. ii. 14. Ezra iii. 3, 8, 10, 11. v. 2, and the verb, nSD, Mai. i. 13, 
 where Houbigant has rejicilis. It seems to be a metaphor taken from 
 beasts when they refuse provender. According to our English version of 
 the text before us, nsj must signify to blast, or, blow mvay. 
 
 10. over you the heavens. — For your sake the heaven. Seeker. 
 
 VuD. Sic 6. Syr. Vulg. Ch. ; cum tamen alias semper xba activam 
 
 coercendi significationem obtineat, quin et in hoc ipso versiculo. Videtur 
 n ortum a a praecedente. Seckei'. 
 
 11. the mountains. — See 2 Sam. i. 21. The clouds, which usually 
 
 rest on them, supply them with moisture. 
 
 whatever the ground. — o. MS, Pachom. read kui itti navra baa 
 
 with Syr. Ar. Chald. fourteen MSS. and another in the margin. 
 " And upon every thing which the ground bringeth forth." 
 
 12. unto the words. — you' is used with bv, Jer. xxiii. 16. It is also 
 
 used with '7N, nx, and 2. 
 
 iiixa. Videtur Syr. legisse iu'k. Seeker. 
 
216 IIAGGAI. [CH. II. 
 
 I am with you, saitli Jehovah. 
 
 14. And Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel t/ie sou 
 of § Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of 
 Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the 
 spirit of all the residue of the people ; and they came 
 and II did work in the House of Jehovah Lord of hosts, 
 
 15 their God : on the four and twentieth day of the month, 
 in the sixtli months in the second year of Darius the 
 
 CHAPTER H. 
 
 In the seventh month, on the one and twentieth day of 
 the month, came the word of Jehovah by * Haggai the 
 prophet, saying : Speak now to Zerubbabel, the son of f 
 Shealtiel, governor of Judah; and to Joshua the son of 
 Josedech, the high priest ; and to [all] the residue of tlie 
 people ; saying : 
 
 Who is thej'e left among you 
 That saw this House 
 In its former glory ? 
 And what do ye see it now ? 
 Is it not as nothing in your eyes? 
 
 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith Jehovah : 
 
 § Ot/ieruise Salathiel. || Or, executed. * Heb. the Iiaiid of. 
 
 t Oiherwise Salathiel. 
 
 Chap. I. 2. all the residue. — So 6. Ar. Syr. and one MS. 
 
 3. left. — Seventy years elapsed from the destruction of tlic former 
 
 temple, before Christ, 587, to its complete restoration, about four years 
 after the time when this prophecy was delivered. See Ezra vi. 15 and 
 Blair's tables. 
 
 as nothbuj. — An elegant Hebraism. Sicut illud [sc. temphim 
 
 po.sterius], sic nihil. Sec Nold. 3, Sec. 17. Ten MSS. and four editions 
 read -imoa. Josephus s.iys that this temple, through the poverty of its 
 builders, was inferior to the former. Ant. \I. iv. 2. 
 
en. II.] IIAGGAT. 277 
 
 And be strong-, O Josluia, son of Josedecli, the liio-h 
 priest : 
 
 And be strong, O all ye people of the land, saith Je- 
 hovah ; 
 
 And work : for I am with you, 
 
 Saith Jehovah God of hosts ; 
 
 5 According to the word which I covenanted M'ith you 
 When ye came out of Egypt : 
 
 And my Spirit remaineth among you : Fear ye not. 
 
 6 For thus saith Jehovah God of hosts : 
 Yet once more^ in a short time^ 
 
 I will shake the heavens and the earth. 
 
 5, Accordhu) to. — See nx, Nold. Sec. 19. God promised to be witli 
 Moses, Exod. iii. 12. See ch. i. 13. 
 
 remaineth. — By my prophets. "Stood." Seeker. 
 
 6. Yet once. — 1 suppose av3, which is often feminine, see Eccl. 
 
 vii. 23, to be understood after nnx : adhuc una vice : and likewise nr, 
 temptis, which is sometimes feminine, see Joel iii. 1, to be understood after 
 m^ : parum temporis hoc tempus est. When the law was given on mount 
 Sinai, the whole mountain quaked greatly, Exod. xix. 18. 
 
 nnx is ten times semel in Nold. for nnx ays, which occurs several 
 times. — uyo i^v has always i after it, and signifies. Yet a little time, and, 
 Ezek. xvii. 4. Isa. x. 25. xxix. 17. Hos. i. 4. Jer. ii. 33. Ps. xxxvii. 10. 
 No word, I believe, is elsewhere interposed as here, between tiv and u^z-o, 
 or between tajro and i. N>n agrees with nj; understood. Heb. xii. 26. 
 translate nnK -\^v, ert aira%, and omits N>n uyo. With this description of 
 time compare lup vti, Isa. liv. 7. Seeker. 
 
 / will shake the heavens. — The political or the religious revolutions, 
 
 which were to be effected in the world, or both, are here referred to. 
 Compare v. 21, 22. Matt. xxiv. 29. Heb. xii. 26, 27, 28. The political 
 ones began in the overthrow of the Persian monarchy by Alexander, 
 within two centuries after this prediction ; and if the IMessiah's kingdom 
 be meant, which is my opinion, this was erected in somewhat more than 
 five centuries after the second year of Darius ; a short period of time when 
 compared with that which elapsed from the creation to the giving of the 
 law, or from the giving of the law to the coming of the Messiah's kingdom. 
 
 It must be observed that the word nnx, once, has a clear sense, if under- 
 stood, of the evangelical age ; for many political revolutions succeeded, as 
 the conquest of Darius Codomanus, and the various fortunes of Alexander's 
 successors, but only one great and final religious revolution. 
 
278 llAGGAI. [clI. II. 
 
 And the sea and the dry land : 
 7 And I will shake all the nations ; 
 
 And the % desire of all the nations shall come ; 
 And I will fill this House with glory ; 
 
 t Or, desirable things. 
 
 7. the desire of all the nations. — I think that the true reading is 
 
 rmon ; and that the vau has been omitted because it was supplied by a 
 point. Thus 6. render ra cKXiKra, and Ar. electa, exquisita, see i*n, 
 optionem fecit, in Cast. lex. The word is used plurally, witli the force of 
 tlie singular, Jike deliciaj or spes in Latin, Dan. ix. 23, where five MSS. 
 read nnon for rrniDn, and V. 6. Ar. rightly supply u*n, vir desideriorum, 
 ch. X. 3, 11, 19. Cantic. v. 16. we have anrjnfa ibai, et ipse totus desideria, 
 for desiderahilis. Catullus uses amoves of a person : 
 
 " Acmen Septimius, .suos amores, 
 Tenens ."' 
 
 And Cicero thus addresses Terentia and Tulliola : Wilete, raca desideria. 
 Ad P"ain. xiv. 2. 
 
 However, there is a difficulty in applying rwi-ir\ to a person ; and we 
 should expect to find in the text mon nxai, et veniet desiderinm. If this 
 difficulty could be surmounted, it is easy and natural language to say that 
 he, towards \\hom the desire of all nations ought to be turned, should 
 come. Compare 1 Sam. ix. 20, and see the parallel prophecy, INIal. iii. 1 
 and Luke ii. 10. Syr. seems to have read ixam, that lliei/ may bring, Kn:n, 
 cupiditalem, the de.<iirable things of all nations ; the gold and silver, the 
 avaOijfiara, Luke xxi. 5, with which this temple was enriched. Chald. 
 follows the Hebrew in its ungrammatical form, m-in T^n^i, et venient 
 desiderium. 
 
 Houbigant's note is " Et advenient pretiosa (jiuique omnium gentium, 
 qua? templum decorabunt muncribus maximis, ut in summo liouore sit 
 apiul omncs gentes : quo in honore fuisse sub Onia Sacerdote, narratur in 
 libro Machabffiorum : propterea Dcus ha?c addit, meum est argentum ct 
 aurum" " Explicat haec eel. Mich, de donariis gentilium templo Hie- 
 rosolyniitano illatis; quod etiam ab aliis factum est, cum Judaeis turn 
 Christianis." Bahrdt. Apparatus criticus. Lips. 1775. The objections 
 to this interpretation are, the great solemnity of the introduction, v. 6, and 
 the beginning of v. 7, and the impropriety of the language, " the desirable 
 things of all nations shall come ;'' when it should rather be said, " the 
 desirable things of all nations shall be broughl.^^ Sec IJishop Chandler's 
 Defence, &c. in loc. 
 
 mnn is used twelve times as a genitive after land, or vessels, or sonic 
 
CH. II.] HACJGAI, 279 
 
 Saith Jehovah God of hosts. 
 8 The silver is mine, and the gokl is mine ; 
 
 desirable thing. The three remaining times it is used are 2 Chron. xxi. 
 20. 1 Sam. ix. 20. Dan. xi. 37, where a Deity so called seems to be 
 meant ; and if so, a person is called rmon in this one place of Daniel, but 
 no where else unless in the text, nmon is used nine times in all, and some- 
 times written nnon. Daniel is twice called miiDn u'»k, and once barely 
 rmion ; and these are the only times it is applied to a person. When 
 applied to things, it is always a genitive governed by those things, except 
 Dan. xi. 38, 43, where it stands absolutely, for desirable things, — inno is 
 used several times, of things and of persons. All these words, when used 
 of things, commonly denote things of value or price. I think the word here 
 should (be pointed so as to) be read nnon, which is no where in Scripture ; 
 or DTnon, which is never found without one i elsewhere, because of the 
 plural verb. Bishop Chandler thinks that xa cannot be used of things, but 
 persons only. Yet it is used of days perpetually, and of the ark, 2 Sam. vi. 
 9 ; and of mounts coming against Jerusalem., Jer. xxxii. 24; and of trees 
 coming to adorn the temple, Isa. Ix. 13 ; and probably of the wealth of the 
 gentiles, v. 5, for compare Ixi. 6 ; and of silver and gold coming into the 
 temple. Josh. vi. 19. And so /x»jri 6 Xvxvo^ epxirai, Mark iv. 21. Why 
 
 doth incense come to me ? Jer. vi. 20. ^m^an, and all the words of that 
 
 root, signify delight as much as desire. So that an^n ba niKin may be 
 translated, deliciae humani generis, ^^a^ sometimes signifies wealth. Gen. 
 xxxi. 1; compare xiii. 2. Esth.v. 11. — But no other nma is said to fill the 
 temple but mn^ ma, which filled the tabernacle, Ex. xl. 34, 35 ; Solomon's 
 temple, 1 Kings viii. 10, 11; Ezeki^l's, Ezek. xliv. 4. — Indeed mn» is not 
 added here ; and so the meaning is not quite determinate, especially con- 
 sidering what precedes and follows. But still this doth naturally imply 
 much more than wealth, though not necessarily. And the Lord was to 
 «orae suddenly to his temple, and, or with, the Angel of the covenant, in 
 whom, or which, they delighted, Mai. iii. 1. Now the second temple had 
 not this Lord's presence, this mn^ ni3D, unless in Christ. But still the glory 
 of the Lord in the temple means in O. T. only the cloudy which was the 
 symbol of his presence." Seeker. 
 
 — '^fill-^with glory. — By the presence of the Messiah. Compare Ex. 
 xl. 34. 1 Kings viii. 11. 
 
 8. The silver is mine. — Predictions of spiritual and temporal blessings 
 are often blended together in the prophetical writings. We have here a 
 reference to the contributions towards the rebuilding of the temple, Ezra 
 vi. 8. vii. 15 — 20; and to the donations by which it was to l>e adorned, 2 
 Mace. iii. 2. Jos. Ant. XFL ii. 4. XV. xi. 3. B. J. V. xiii. 6. Bahrdt 
 ■explains the passage thus, " Non opus est ut orneti.s hoc templura argeuto 
 
 y 
 
280 iiAGGAr. [cii. II. 
 
 Saith Jehovah God of hosts. 
 9 Greater shall be the glory 
 
 et auro. Ornamentum novi templi supra commemoratnm sufticit ad angen- 
 dum ejus splendorem. Nam ubi Deus aliquid suum esse dicit, se eo indigtre 
 negat. Ps 1. 10." 
 
 Bishop Chandler after Michaelis, who leanit it from others, see Pol. 
 Syn., cites Ps. 1. 9 — 12 to show that the manner of speaking here is to prove 
 that God made no account of silver and gold, and intended a glory of 
 another nature for this latter house. Now in both places he asserts his 
 property ; and proves from it, Ps. 1., that he wanted not the Jews to give 
 him sacrifices : but why may he not still prove from it here, that he can 
 give them ornaments for their temple ? And what other purpose do these 
 words so properly serve ? Seeker. 
 
 J). Greater shall he the glory. — Notwithstanding the former temple had the 
 Urim and Thummim, the ark containing the two tables of the law, the pot 
 of manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the cloud which overshadowed the 
 mercy -seat, and was the symbol of the divine presence ; yet the glory of 
 this latter house shall be greater by the appearance, doctrines, and miracles 
 of Christ. Some interpret this passage of the richer decorations in the 
 latter temple ; but it may well be doubted, whether the second temple 
 could exceed that of Solomon in the splendour and costliness of its orna- 
 ments. See 1 Kings vi. 18, 20, 21, 22, 28, 30, 32, 35. vii. 13—50, com- 
 pared with Ezra i. 7 — 11. vi. 5. See also 1 Chron. xxii. 14. 1 Kings x. 
 21, 27. The presumption is, that the former temple was more magnificent 
 and sumptuous in its furniture than the latter ; though inferior to it in 
 point of magnitude. Prideaux values the gold with which the Holy of 
 Holies alone was overlaid at £4,320,000 sterling. P. 1. B. iii. Ann. 534. 
 Cyrus 3. However, Josephus says of the temple destroyed by Titus, that 
 it was the most wonderful work which he had ever seen or heard of, in 
 point of building, magnitude, costliness in every particular, and splendour 
 in respect to its holy things. B. J. VI. iv. 8. 
 
 M/ya\j; tarat'^ r) do^ct rov otKov rovrov t) fcxar;; vTrip ti)v Trpix)T>]v. v. 
 gloria domus istius novissimae quam primae. Vulg. But Chald. Syr. may 
 mean either. Our translation follows the Vulgate. And indeed, Ezra iii. 
 12, pifNin n'3n is opposed to n^n nt. But ch. v. 11 — 13, the house that 
 was built, destroyed, and rebuilt, is made the same house. Therefore this 
 ninth ^crse sliould be understood, not of the glory of a former and latter 
 house, but a for.uer and latter glory of a house considered as the same 
 house. And 6. have translated rightly. None of the Jews seem to have 
 hit on this, unless perhaps R. Isaac, 1. i. c. 34. And T think not even he. 
 For he says, " Some think the second house had at last more wealth than 
 the first, which doth not apiic;ir to br true; and it stood ten years lonper." 
 
CH. II.] HAGGAI. 2Sl 
 
 Of this latter House than of the former, 
 
 Saith Jehovah God of hosts : 
 
 And in this place will I give peace, 
 
 But it had not the presence of God, nor peace. _And therefore this is 
 meant of a future temple delineated by Ezekiel xliii. &c., where v. 2, &c. 
 the glory of the Lord entering into it is described particularly. But, as 
 the prophet speaks not of two houses, but two glories, the latter glory may 
 be yet to come, if N'n layo nnx mj? will permit it. But extending this to 
 Christ's time is a great deal, and to a time yet future, quite too much. — 
 Abarbanel, in Hulsii Theol. Jud. p. 517, interprets the passage of a third 
 temple to be built hereafter. Seeker. 
 
 Still it seems to me that the Vulgate and English versions give the 
 natural sense of the Hebrew words. There are many such passages as Isa. 
 ii. 13, 14; where the emphatic n is prefixed to the substantive and its 
 adjective. The translation of 6. adopted by the Archbishop, seems to 
 require nin n^a iiinKn [naon or] maa. 
 
 this latter House. — A question has arisen whether the words before 
 
 us, and the expression this House, v. 7, can be applied to the temple which 
 Herod rebuilt, Jos. Ant. XV. xi. 3. John ii. 20. It seems to me that, sup- 
 posing the Messiah to be prophesied of, v. 7, 9, greater precision in the 
 language would not have been used ; for this would have led the Jews to 
 expect a demolition of the temple then building, and the erection of 
 another in its stead. And, as Herod's rebuilding of the temple was a 
 gradual work of forty-six years, John ii.20, no nominal distinction between 
 Zerabbabel's and Herod's temple seems to have been ever made by the 
 Jews ; but, in popular language, these structures, though really different, 
 were spoken of as the same. On one occasion, Josephus himself mentions 
 only two buildings of the temple ; a former, in the time of Solomon, and 
 a latter, in that of Cyrus. B. J. VI. iv. 8. 
 
 To illustrate this, I have extracted the quotations made by Constantine 
 L'Einpereur, Cod. Middoth. Praf. 4to. Lugd. Bat. 1630. In Gemara, fol. 
 32, R. Joseph speaks only of the first and second temple, both which were 
 to be destroyed. R. Nathan adds, The third will remain for ever. Mai- 
 monides, when he recounts those things which were always wanted in the 
 temple after the Babylonish captivity, makes mention of the second temple. 
 In Chronicon Hebraeum magnum et paiTum, Vespasian is said to have 
 destroyed the temple 440 years after it was rebuilt. Rabbi Alschech, in 
 his commentary on Haggai, often inculcates this ; and calls the House 
 which the Jews expect under the Messiah the third House. Agreeably to 
 this Selden asserts, Non templum habebatur aliquod tertium, sed primum 
 tantura et secundum, i. 1738. de Synedr. L. Hi. c. iii. Sec. 8. Fol. Lond. 
 
 peace. — Temporal ; for some time, in a good degree, and compara- 
 
 y 2 
 
282 H AUG A I. [CU. II 
 
 Saith Jehovah God of hosts. 
 10 In the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, in the 
 
 tively, see Zech. viii. 10; Lut the means of spiritual peace weve tube given 
 abundantly. 
 
 After I had finished these notes, as to their scope and substance, I 
 received the following valuable comniunication from the learned and re- 
 spectable Dr. Heberden ; which will give the reader great assistance in de- 
 termining the sense of the prophesy now under discussion. 
 
 " Haggai, ch« ii. v. 3, 7,8, 9. and in this place I will give peace [of 
 
 mind for a possession, to every one who forwards the building for the sake 
 of restoring this temple. So the Seventy add, having found it probably in 
 their copy.] 
 
 "The prophet in these verses encourages tlie Jews just returned from 
 captivity to rebuild their temple, and assures them that the splendour and 
 riches of this new building should be very great, and that it should be far 
 from being as nothing in the eyes of those who recollected the grandeur of 
 the first temple. "Ihis is the obvious meaning of the words, and no other 
 perhaps would ever have been thought of, if the \'ulgate Latin had not 
 translated n-ijn bD nT;n, ' Desideratus cunctis gentibus :' ' He that is 
 .tle^iiEed of all nations,' instead of, ' the desirable,' or ' precious things of all 
 iiations ;' which is the true translation of these words ; and this sense of 
 them is to be found in all the old \ crsiuns, the Vulgate excepted. But the 
 Vulgate happened to be the only one which was understood and read for 
 ■several ages ; and hence arose tlie opinion that Christ must be the person 
 ^flesired of nil nations, and that he would add glory to this temple by his 
 presence. 
 
 " In deference to this opinion, the English translators of the bible have 
 followed the Vulgate against the plain construction of the Hebrew text, and 
 have differed from all the other old translations. 
 
 "The learned father HoubiganL, who, as a Konianisl, is ready to pay all 
 due regard to the Vulgate, acknowledges tliat rn?:n, being the nominative 
 case to a plural verb in3i, must be a plural noun, and ought to be trans- 
 lated 'precious things;' that it is limited to this lueaning by the mention 
 of silver ami gold which follows, and that nothing more was intended by 
 the prophet than the common richness of the building and its furniture. 
 
 " It appears from 1 Maccabees i. 21, 22, that the second temple was m 
 fact very richly* ornamented ; and, in the twenty-third verse of the sanK- 
 
 • " The vessels of the first temple, which had been taken away by Nebuchad- 
 nezzar, were restored by Cyrus; presents, according to Ezra, ch. i., were made to 
 iJie second temple by Arta.xerxes and his courtiers, as well as by the Jews them- 
 selves ; tlie yearly increase of gold, and silver, and precious stones, circulating 
 i-: the hands of men, the constant improvement of arts, the inrre:i':e of trade 
 
CII. II. J HACCiAJ. . 283 
 
 second yeai' of Darius, came the word of Jehovah § by 
 
 1 1 Haggai the prophet : saying : Thus saith Jehovah God 
 
 12 of hosts, Ask now the law from the priests, saying: If a 
 man carry holy flesh in the skirt of his garment; and 
 ■with his skirt touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or 
 any food ; shall it be holy ? And the priests answered 
 
 j Heb. by the hand of. 
 
 chapter, Auliocbus is said to have taken away the silver and the gold, and 
 the precious vessels ; which, if the book had been written in Hebrew, w oiild 
 probably have been the very words mentioned by Haggai. 
 
 " It is observable that this Hebrew word is found in Daniel xi. 43, joined 
 with gold and silver, and is translated in the English bible, precious things. 
 Isaiah likewise, Ixiv. 11, mentions the destruction of the temple, and to- 
 gether with it ij'inno, all our, or its, pleasant things, nearly the same word 
 with that of Haggai. See also Joel iii. [Heb. iv.] 5, and Nahura ii. 9. 
 [Heb. X.] 
 
 " Besides, according to Josephus, it is not true that the Messiah's pre- 
 sence ever added to the glory of the temple which was building in the 
 time of Haggai ; for the Jewish historian assures us, in the plainest words, 
 that, before Christ was born, this temple was pulled down, and the founda- 
 tions of it were taken away by Herod the Great, who built an entire new 
 one in its room : his words are AvtXwv Se rovg apxaiovg 9efit\iovg, icat icara- 
 ^aXo^tvog iztpovg, tir' avTojv rov vaov rjyupe. Joseph. Antiq. 1. 1-5. 11. 3. 
 ' [Herod] after he had taken away the old foundations, and laid others, upon 
 them erected the temple.' Now, if there be any difference between re- 
 building and repairing, if Haggai's temple differed from Solomon's, and 
 was a second temple, then Herod's was not the same with Haggai's, but 
 was truly a third temple. [The learned Mr. Peirce on the Heb. xii. 26, p. 
 189, 2d. edit, allows this to be a third temple.] 
 
 " The most plausible objections to the Christian religion have been made 
 out of the weak arguments which have been advanced in its suppmt ; and 
 can there be a weaker argument than that which sets out with doing 
 violence to the original text in order to form a prophecy, and then contra- 
 dicts the express testimony of the best historian of those times, in order to 
 show that it has been accomplished ?" 
 
 12. shall it be holy P — So the priest, by bringing oblations to my 
 
 altar, ch. i. 9, did not sanctify you. 
 
 among the Jews during the time of the second temple, and their numerous settle- 
 ments in various parts of the world, from which they could send all sorts of 
 costly presents to Jerusalem ; all these considerations make it probable that the 
 second temple was in no respect inferior to the first, except in the want of the ark 
 and the shechinalu" 
 
284 iiAGGAi. [cn. II. 
 
 13 and said, No. Then said Haggai : If a man unclean by 
 a dead body touch any of these things, shall it be un- 
 clean ? And the priests answered and said. It shall be 
 
 14 unclean. Then answered Haggai and said: 
 So was this people. 
 
 And so was this nation, 
 
 In my sight, saith Jehovah : 
 
 And so was all the work of their hands : 
 
 And what they offered there was unclean. 
 
 15 And now, I beseech you, || consider : 
 From this day and upward. 
 
 Even from the time before * one stone was laid on 
 
 another 
 In the temple of Jehovah, what were ye? 
 
 16 When one came to an heap of twenty measures, there 
 
 were but ten. 
 When one came to the vat to draw out fifty vessels 
 From the winepress, there were hut twenty. 
 
 17 I smote you with blasting, and with mildew, and with 
 
 hail ; 
 Even all the works of your hands : 
 
 II Heb. set your heart. * Heb. a stone was laid on a stone. 
 
 14. So was this people. — Your neglect of my temple made you 
 
 unclean ; as if you had contracted legal pollution by touching a dead body. 
 
 15. upward. "Forward." nbj/Di — p means a person of such an age 
 
 and upward. But out of that phrase th» word is used only, 1 Sam. xvi. 13, 
 and XXX. 25, to signify time, besides here and v. 18 : and in both the 
 former places it means from such a time and afterwards. He had bid 
 them look back, ch. i. 5, 7 ; and now he bids them look forwards, ch. ii. 
 15, 18. Seeker. 
 
 Even from the time before. — Consider the interval between this 
 
 day, and your ceasing to build on the foundations of the temple formerly 
 laid, Ezra iii. 10. 
 
 what were ye ? — I read Dn"n no, rivtc »jrf, with 6. Arab. Our trans- 
 lation very well renders nnrno, " Since those days were." One MS. reads 
 anvnn, " while those days were." Observe the addition in 6. 
 
 16. an heap. — Of corn, which seemed likely to produce twenty 
 
 measures j but which failed from the poverty of the ear. 
 
CM. II.] HAGGAI. 285 
 
 Yet none among you turned unto me, saith Jehovah. 
 
 18 f Consider, I pray you. 
 From this day and upward, 
 
 Even from the four and twentieth day of the ninth 
 
 month ; 
 And from the day in which the foundation of Jehovah's 
 
 temple was laid, 
 X Consider ye it. 
 
 19 Is there yet seed in the barn? 
 
 Yea, as yet the vine^ and the figtree, and the pome- 
 granate, « 
 And the olivetree hath not bornp. 
 But from this day will I bless. 
 
 20 And the word of Jehovah came the second time unto 
 Haggai on the four and twentieth day of the month, say- 
 
 21 ing: Speak unto Zerubbabel the governor of Judah, 
 saying : 
 
 I will shake the heavens and the earth ; 
 
 22 And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms ; 
 
 f Heb. set your heart. i Heb. set your heart. 
 
 17. saith Jehovah. — 6. MS. Pacbom. have kj navroKpaTtop. This 
 
 verse is capable of diflFerent punctuations : 
 
 " I smote you with blasting, and with mildew ; 
 And with hail all the works of your hands : 
 Yet none of you turned unto me, 
 Saith Jehovah [God of hosts.]" 
 
 asHK TKi. ETTiarpt^aTE. 6. Cb. Syr. Legebant onnc, ut legendum 
 patet ex Amos iv. 9. Videtur V. legisse ut in textu, et supplevisse verbum. 
 Vertit enim, Et non fuit in vobis qui reverteretur. Seeker. 
 
 18. upward. — " Forward." Seeker. 
 
 And from the day. — In like manner 6. supply km. The Jews are 
 
 again called on to consider the interval between the day when Haggai 
 addressed them, see v. 10, and the day when the people shouted because 
 the foundation of the temple was laid, Ezra iii. 1 1 . 
 
 19. Inchoat hunc versum Syr. a duobus postremis verbis versus praece- 
 dentis : non male. Seeker. 
 
 21. Addunt <i. in fine versus, koi t^v QaXavaav km ti]v ^ypav. Seeker, 
 
286 HAGGAl. [CH. II, 
 
 And I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms § among 
 
 the nations : 
 And I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride 
 
 therein : 
 And the horses shall come down, and those that ride 
 
 thereon. 
 Every one by the sword of his fellow. 
 23 In that day, saith Jehovah God of hosts. 
 
 I will take thee, O Zerubbabel, son of || Shealtiel, 
 
 My servant, saith Jehovah ; 
 
 And I will make thee as a signet. 
 
 For thee have I chosen, saith Jehovah God of hosts. 
 
 $ Heb. of. II Otherwise, Salathiel. 
 
 22. by the sword of his fellow. — We may well understand this and 
 
 the foregoing verse of the calamity undergone by Babylon in the reign of 
 Darius ; of the Macedonian conquests in Persia ; and of the wars which 
 the successors of Alexander waged against each other. 
 
 23. In that day. — Some think that Zerubbabel is put for his people and 
 posterity. But it may well be said, that the commotions foretold began in 
 the rebellion of Babylon, w hich Darius besieged and took ; and exercised 
 great cruelties upon its inhabitants. Herod, iii. Sec. 220. Justin, i. 10. 
 Prideaux places this event in the fifth year of Darius ; others, with more 
 probability, in his eighth year. Compare Zech. ii. 9. Vitringa calls this 
 event, *' secundum gradum interitus Babylonis." See his imperfect com- 
 ment on Zech. p. 259, and his comment on Isa. xiii. P. i. p. 420. 
 
 signet. — See Jer. xxii. 24. Cantic. viii. 6. As one under my pecu- 
 liar care. 
 
THE BOOK 
 
 ZECHARIAH. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 1 In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, 
 came the word of Jehovah unto Zechariah, the son 
 
 Chap. I. 1. The six first verses of this chapter contain a separate and 
 distinct revelation ; but, at the same time, connected with the general pur- 
 port and design of the visions that follow, to which it forms a suitable 
 introduction. The people of the Jews were dispirited with the recollection 
 of their past sufferings, and a sense of their present weak and dependent 
 state. The divine wisdom thought meet to rally their courage, and ani- 
 mate them to the undertaking of what was necessary for the restoration 
 of their afiairs; and, particularly, to a vigorous prosecution of the building, 
 of the temple, already in hand, by holding forth to them a prospect of 
 better times. Accordingly they are assured, that God was now ready to 
 restore them to favour, and accumulate his blessings upon them, provided 
 they would turn to him, and not provoke his judgments, as their fathers 
 had done, by wilful disobedience. Blayney. 
 
 the eighth month. — This month, according to the sacred reckoning, 
 
 which begins the year with the mouth Abib or Nisan, Ex. xii. 2, falls in 
 with the latter part of October, and the beginning of November. It is 
 called Marchesvan, in the Syriac or Chaldee ; in which language, it is 
 observed, the names of the months are given in this book and that of 
 Esther, diflFerently from the usage in the other books of Scripture. The 
 work in the house of God had been already resumed this same year on 
 the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, that is, the beginning of Sep- 
 tember, in pursuance of a divine message delivered by the prophet Haggai. 
 Hag. i. 14, 15. Blayney. 
 
 Darius. — The son of FTystaspes. Therefore this prophecy was 
 
 delivered between the times mentioned, Haggai ii. 1, 10. 
 
288 ZECHARIAll. [CH. I. 
 
 of Baracliiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying. 
 
 2 Jehovah hath been greatly * angry with your fathers : 
 
 3 But say thou unto them : 
 
 Thus saith Jehovah God of hosts : 
 
 Turn ye unto me, saith Jehovah God of hosts: 
 
 And I will turn unto you, saith Jehovah God of hosts. 
 
 4 Be not as your fathers. 
 
 Unto whom the former prophets called, 
 Saying : 
 
 Thus saith Jehovah God of hosts : 
 Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil 
 
 doings. 
 But they heard not, nor hearkened unto me, saith Je- 
 hovah. 
 
 5 Your fathers, where are they ? 
 
 * Ilfcb. angry with anger. 
 
 of Iddo. — Nineteen MSS. and two editions, read nttjt, as d. 7 ; and, 
 
 V. 7, eight MSS. read iij;, as here. Chald. v. 7, has x-ny. 
 
 saying. — " Speak unto all the people of the land, sai/ing." There 
 
 are no words in the Hebrew that answer to these ; but there are strong 
 indications of a defect in this place. It is evident, from the tenor of the 
 verses which follow, that the people of the Jews are addressed in them. 
 But no previous mention is made of that people, nor is the word of Jehovah 
 said to come to them, but to Zechariah ; nor is there any antecedent to which 
 the pronoun in anbK moN (or on^bx), "but say thou unto them," can pro- 
 perly be referred ; I say, properly, for in strictness of grammar it can be re- 
 ferred only to a3*m3K, " your fathers." The difficulty is obvious ; but neither 
 the collated MSS., nor the ancient versions, help to remove it. Perhaps 
 after icnV N*33n -nv p the words iok'7 ynxn ayba bx -ion (as ch. vii. 5,) may 
 originally have followed (for some such words must needs be understood), 
 and the word innb coming in at the end of two lines together, the tran- 
 scriber into some earlier MS. may inadvertently have passed from the end 
 of the first line to the beginning of a third, skipping over the second, 
 which once lost, may never have been retrieved. Blayney. 
 
 3. unto them. — For onbK, twenty-eight MSS. and three editions 
 
 read an»'7K. 
 
 5. Your fathers. — Your fathers are dead, and the prophets who pro- 
 jdiesied to them : but the testimony of facts to the truth of my predictions 
 
CH. I.] ZECHAUIAII. 289 
 
 And the prophets do they live for ever ? 
 
 6 But my words, and my statutes, 
 
 Which I commanded my servants the prophets. 
 
 Did they not overtake your fathers ? 
 
 And did they not return and say ; 
 
 Like as Jehovah God of hosts thought to do unto 
 
 us, 
 According to our ways, and according to our doings. 
 So hath he done with us ? 
 
 7 On the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, 
 this is the month Sebat, in the second year of Da- 
 rius, came the word of Jehovah unto Zechariah, the 
 son of Barachiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet; and 
 
 6. overtake. — As an enemy does one whom he pursues. " Post 
 
 "n^iv addunt 6. tv irveviiaTi jiov." Seeker. 
 
 The second revelation, made to Zechariah, about three months after 
 the first, contains eight distinct visions, following each other, in the same 
 night. The first vision is of an angel in a human form, sitting on horse- 
 back, in a low valley, among myrtle-trees, attended by othei-s, upon horses 
 of different colours. The prophet asks the meaning, and is informed that 
 they were the ministers of providence sent to examine into the state of the 
 whole earth, which they report to be quiet and tranquil. The angel here- 
 upon intercedes for Judah and Jerusalem, which he represents to have 
 suffered under the divine indignation seventy years. He receives a conso- 
 latory answer. The prophet is' directed to proclaim, that God's wrath 
 against Judah was at an end ; that he would cause the temple and Jeru- 
 salem to be rebuilt ; and would fill the country with good, as a token and 
 consequence of his renewed favour, v. 7 — 17. Blayney. 
 
 7. Sebat. — A Chaldee or a Syriac name. Mensis Syro-Grscorum, 
 
 i. e. Februarius. Gol. Lex. " This month corresponded with the latter 
 end of January and the beginning of February." Blayney. 
 
 and he said. — " In this wise." So tOK"? may be here translated. 
 
 It is frequently used as the Latin adverbs, nempe, scilicet; or, as in 
 English, to wit, namely, that is to say; so as to denote a specification in 
 what follows, of what had before been mentioned in more general terms. 
 " The word of Jehovah " is a revelation, of which the substance is here 
 prefaced by noKb in the sense above-mentioned. Vitringa translates it, in 
 hunc modum. Blayney. 
 
290 ZKCHARIAH. [c H. 1, 
 
 8 f he said : I saw in the night, and behold, a man riding 
 on a red horse ; and he stood between the myrtles which 
 were in the X valley ; and after him were red, dun, and 
 
 9 white horses. Then I said. What are these, O my lord ? 
 And the angel, who talked with me, said unto me : I 
 
 10 will show thee what these are. And the man who stood 
 among the myrtles answered and said; These are they 
 whom Jehovah hath sent to go to and fro through the 
 
 11 earth. And they ansM^ered the angel of Jehovah, who 
 stood among the myrtles, and said : We have gone to 
 and fro through the earth; and behold all the earth re- 
 maineth still, and is at rest. 
 
 t Ileb. saying. J Or, depth; or, bottom. 
 
 8. a man. — An angel in the shape of a man. See v. 1 1 and Luke 
 
 xxiv. 4. 
 
 red horse. — So Rev. vi. 4, and Theocritus A^wvia^. 1. 53. OpOoc 
 
 avtara 6 irvppoQ. The bay, chesnut, and sorrel, approach this colour. 
 
 myrtles. — ^This was an emblem of peace. 
 
 valley. — In depressa valle. Houb. Many MSS. and four editions 
 
 read nbwoa. 
 
 dun. — Bochart prefers gilvus ; i. e. subflavus, ad mellis colorera 
 
 accedens. Hieroz. P. I. L. I. c. vii. Some translate, spotted. "Brown." 
 Blayney. 
 
 horses. — With riders, who were angels, v. 11. They had horses to 
 
 show their power and celerity, and horses of different colours, to intimate 
 the difference of their ministries. See Cappellus. 
 
 9. the angel. — Distinct from those represented, v. 8, he who talked 
 
 with the prophet, v. 13. Angelus conies et interpres. Vitringa. 
 
 1 will show thee. — I will cause that it shall be explained to thee by 
 
 the angel who stands first among the myrtles. This may have been done 
 by a sign given to that angel, or by words omitted in the relation. 
 
 10. hath sent. — They are messengers, or ministering spirits, of 
 
 Jehovah. 
 
 11. they answered. — The rest of the angels, implied at the end of 
 
 V. 8, and who came after the first. 
 
 all the earth. — Means the Persian empire, and the other nations 
 
 connected with Judea, which enjoyed peace at that time. But the state of 
 the Jews was unsettled, see v. 16, which circumstance gives occasion to the 
 following intercession. 
 
CII. 1.] ZECHAUIAH. 5^91 
 
 12 Then tie angel of Jehovah answered and said: O 
 Jehovah God of hosts, how long wilt thou not have 
 mercy on Jerusalem, and on the cities of Judah, against 
 which thou hast had indignation these seventy years? 
 
 13 And Jehovah answered the angel who talked with m€ 
 good words and comfortable words. 
 
 14 And the ana:el, who talked with me, said unto me, Pro- 
 
 had indignation. — Thirteen MSS. read n:3j;T. 
 
 seventy years. — See on Haggai ii. 3. According to Blair, if we com- 
 pute from the destruction of the former temple, when Jerusalem was taken 
 by Nebuchadnezzar, the seventy years were not completed till the sixth of 
 Darius ; and the angel must be supposed to speak with latitude, though 
 with sufficient exactness for popular language. Others assert that the 
 computation in this place is exact. Est pulcherrimum Petavii aliorumque 
 observatum, periodum Ixx. annorura, decretorum punitioni Judaicse gentis, 
 ad perfectum implementum prophetiae bis reprcesentatum esse. A quarto 
 Jehojachimi usque ad initia Babylonica Cyri, quando dimissi sunt Judaei 
 ex exilio, effluxerunt anni Ixx. Rursus totidem anni effluxerunt ab excidio 
 temi^li et urbis, quod accidit octodecira post annis, usque ad secundum 
 Darii Hystaspis : intersunt enim rursus inter initia Cyri Babylonica et 
 Darii secundum anni octodecim. Camp. Vitringa in Zech. proleg. 17. 
 
 A primo anno Nebuchodonosoii, quem scriptura copulat cum quarto 
 Jehojachimi, xxii ad exeuntem Cyri, quo captivitas est soluta, anni sunt 
 Ixx. Adde Cyri viii, Cambysis et IMagi viii, Darii ii, Gunt Ixxxviii. De- 
 ductis annis xviii, restant Ixx ab excidio urbis ad annum ii Darii, quo 
 vaticinatus est Zacharias. Petav. doctr. temp. 1. xii. c. xxv. See Prideaux 
 ann. 518. Bishop Newton on Proph. i. diss. viii. p. 203, 8vo. 
 
 13. Jehovah ansivered. — By a voice or by impulse. And the angel 
 
 communicated the reply to Zechariah. 
 
 who talked with me. — ChalcL rightly explains -a, n:y, mecurn. See 
 
 i Sam. xxv. 39. 
 
 14. I have been jealous — It has been doubted, whether the jealousy 
 spoken of here, and ch. viii. 2, be God's resentment against his people for 
 their disloyalty towards him, or his concern for their honour and welfare 
 mixed with indignation towards those who had persecuted them. The 
 latter is thought to be countenanced by Joel ii. 18. But even there, per- 
 haps, may be some room for doubting. The former is tlie more usual 
 acceptation of the word r^mp jealoxisy, which is defined to be " the rage 
 of a man," or husband on account of his wife's infidelity, Prov. vi. 34. 
 And with this rage God, speaking in the past tense, here says, he had been 
 inflamed on account of the disloyalty of Jerusalem. This occasioned a 
 
292 zr.ciiAKiAn'. [ch. i. 
 
 claim, saying : 
 
 Thus saitli Jehovah, God of hosts : 
 I have been jealous for Jerusalem and for Sion, with a 
 great jealousy ; 
 
 15 And with great anger am I angry with the nations that 
 
 are at ease. 
 Because I was hut a little angry, 
 And they helped forward the affliction. 
 
 16 Therefore thus saith Jehovah : 
 
 I have returned to Jerusalem with mercies : 
 
 Mine house shall be built in it, 
 
 Saith Jehovah, God of hosts ; 
 
 And a line shall be stretched forth on Jerusalem. 
 
 17 Moreover proclaim, saying ; 
 
 Thus saith Jehovah, God of hosts : 
 
 temporary separation, during which the neiglibours were forward to distress 
 the unprotected wife, Ps. cxxxvii. 7. Obad. 10 — 14. But when God, like a 
 pacified and relenting husband, was disposed to take her again, he would 
 naturally be displeased with the nations for their malicious interference. 
 Accordingly, it follows in the present tense, " But noio am I exceedingly 
 angry with the nations," &c. The different tenses mark the different affec- 
 tions at different times. Then follow the good and consolatory words, 
 " Therefore,'' that is, in consequence of this change of sentiment, " I am 
 returned to Jerusalem, with great mercy;" a-oma, the plural number, 
 serving to denote the intensencss of degree. Blayney. 
 
 15. am I angrij. — Six MSS. read ^ivip irascens stim. 
 
 the nations thai are at ease — The remnant of the Babylonians, 
 
 Philistines, Edomites, &:c. 
 
 a little angry. — See Isa. liv. 7, 8. Mine anger did not rise so liigh 
 
 as the punishment which the enemies of my people inflicted. God was 
 displeased with the instruments of his vengeance, for their extreme cruelly 
 to the Jew s ; and with the nations who insulted over them in their distress. 
 
 the affliction. — nyib. That the verb -ij? is used with b after it, see 
 
 1 Chron.xviii. 5. xxii. 17. 
 
 " To her hurt." Tlie n in nyib, I take to be the feminine aflBx. So i'? ynV, 
 Eccles. viii. 9, to his hurt; and oa'? v-\b, to your hurt, Jer. vii. 6. xxv. 7. 
 Blayney. 
 
 1 6. icith mercies. — This has a reference to the w ords of the angel, v. 1 2. 
 
 a line. — " i. e. The arcliitect's measuring line for laying out the 
 
 building" Blayney. Twelve .MSS. one ed. and Kcri road t. 
 
CH. I.] ZFXHARIAH. 293 
 
 My cities shall yet be spread abroad through prosperity ; 
 And Jehovah will yet comfort Sion, 
 And will yet choose Jerusalem. 
 
 18 Then I lifted up mine eyes and looked; and behold, 
 
 19 four horns. And I said unto the angel, who talked Math 
 me, What are these ? And he said unto me, These are 
 the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jeru- 
 salem. 
 
 20 And Jehovah shewed me four workmen. Then said I, 
 
 17. he spread abroad.— Over the face of Judea. See Gen. x. 18. 
 
 Houbig-ant proposes nr:insn, affluent bonis. Schultens gives this very 
 signification to yis. f'cm the Arab. Gen. ix. 19. See Animadv. Phil. 
 " Videntur Vulg. Ch. nj-nvn, legisse. Recta." Seclcer. " -.j;. Non agnos- 
 cunt " 6. Syr." Seder. The word seems to have been written "ny for a*-ij?. 
 
 18. four horns. — The emblems of power. See Amos vi. 13. Jer. 
 
 xlviii. 25. Why four ? To denote that these kingdoms had many enemies; 
 enemies on every side, Ezra iv. 1. Neh. iv. 7. See on Micah v. 5. 
 
 In tliis second vision, under the emblem of four horns, is represented, 
 that God, by such agents as he would appoint, would quell aud bring 
 down all those powers which had risen, or should rise, to oppress his 
 people. Horns are an usual emblem of strength and power, and aptly 
 denote conquering and oppressive princes and states. The most ancient 
 and prevailing opinion among the Jews themselves, and llie most probable 
 of any, is that the four great empires, the Assyrian or Babylonian, the 
 Persian, Grecian, and Roman, which most certainly were alluded to by the 
 four beasts in the seventh chapter of Daniel, and, I think, are designed by 
 the four chariots in the last of these eight visions, ch. vi., are here likewise 
 intended ; by each of which the Jewish nation hath been, in turns, op- 
 pressed; and all of them have been successively brought down and anni- 
 hilated ; although from the depression of the last, the Jews have not as yet 
 apparently derived any considerable advantage. Blayney. 
 
 19. Israel. And Israel. V. <>. Ar. Syr. Chald. 
 
 • and Jerusalem — This is wanting in o. MS. A. " and in MS. Copt." 
 
 Mr. Woide. 
 
 20. four workmen. — Vitringa supposes that the horns were iron, 
 
 and that these were, " fabii ferrarii malleis dolabrisque instructi." 
 
 " Four ploughmen." a>i:'nn. Our ti'anslators have called them carpen- 
 ters. But Michaelis is not satisfied that either smiths or carpenters have 
 any thing to do with frightening horns, and, therefore, renders n^u'in, 
 nratorcs, ploughmen ; and so far f agree with him ; but not with the 
 ^■xposition he has given. Blaync}-. 
 
294 ZF.CHARIAH. [c H. I. 
 
 21 Wliiit come these to do? And lie § spake saying : These 
 are the horns wliich scattered Judah, so that no man 
 lifted up his head : and these are come |1 to make them 
 afraid, to cast out the horns of the nations which lifted up 
 their horn against the land of Judah, to scatter it. 
 
 $ Heb. said. || Or, fray ; or affright. 
 
 21. And he spake [i^r saicC] saying. — For nnx'?, saying, 6. MS. A. Arab. 
 Syr. and one MS. read, -bx to me. Oue MS. omits noK*?, with 6. MS. Vat. 
 ed. Aid. and Sixti Cluinti. Two MSS. read nnxV -bN-, " And he spake unto 
 me, saying." But see ch. iii. 4. iv. 13. 
 
 scattered Judah. — 6. add 'and brake Israel." Instead of whidi 
 
 addition Ar. has, " and destroyed Jerusalem." See v. 19. 
 
 T-innb. Forte annnb Sed vid- Ezek. xxx. 9. Seeker. 
 
 " And these are come sharpening their coulter, for to use upon the homs 
 of the nations, which lifted up a horn against the land of Judah to scatter 
 it." Paruin placent fabri, cnrnua terrentes, says Michaelis, nor am I myself 
 better satisfied with the idea of frightening horns ; and, therefore, gladly 
 accept an emendation offered by 6. who, instead of nnnn":, appear to have 
 read Tinnb, tov oKvvai. But it could not be meant tliat they came to 
 sharpen the horns, which were sharp enough before, it should seem, to be 
 offeusive ; anx, therefore, is not to be rendered avra, them, but to be con- 
 sidered as a compound of the noun nx, a coulter, and the plural affix ; and 
 thus ZDPiH nnnnb will signify " sharpening their coulter," a cutting iron 
 belonging to a plough, and which a ploughman might apply to the purpose 
 of demolishing horns that were lifted up with a mischievous intent. 
 Blayney. 
 
 " For to use upon the horns." m-, does not any where, as far as I can 
 perceive, bear the sense of dejicere, given it by some of the versions, as 
 suitable to the place. But, as Taylor in his Concordance observes, coming 
 from T, the hand, it may signify to exercise the hand vigorously in any 
 way, according to the sense and scope of the place. A pcrtineiU instance 
 occurs Jer. 1. 14, where vbx ^•^\ referring to "the bow" there spoken of, 
 signifies " use, [or eniploy] it against her." In like manner ninp nx rrn*'? 
 may signify for to use or employ against the horns. Blayney. 
 
^H. ir.] ZECHARIAH. 295 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 1 And I lifted up mine eyes and looked ; and behold a 
 
 2 man * in whose hand was a f measuring-line. Then 
 said I, Whither goest thou ? And he said unto me, To 
 measure Jerusalem ; to see what is the breadth thereof, 
 
 3 and what is the length thereof. And behold, the angel 
 who talked with me went forth: and the other angel 
 
 4 went forth to meet him, and said unto him : Run, speak 
 unto that young man, saying ; 
 
 Jerusalem shall dwell in villages, 
 
 * Heb. and in his hand. f Ileb. a line of measuring. 
 
 Chap. II. 1. This chapter contains the substance of a third vision. In 
 conformity to what was said, ch. i. 16, a man or an angel appears with a 
 raeasuring-line in his hand, going, as he says, to take the dimensions of 
 Jerusalem, in order to its being rebuilt according to its former extent, 
 ■which was afterwards done by Nehemiah. This is accompanied by a 
 message delivered to the prophet, showing the great increase of her 
 population and wealth, her perfect security under the Divine protection? 
 the recall of her exiles from the north country, and the punishment of 
 those that had oppressed them ; the return of God's presence to dwell in 
 her, and the conversion of many heathen nations ; and, lastly, the rein- 
 statement of Judah and Jerusalem in the full possession of all their 
 ancient privileges. Blayney. 
 
 a man. — An angel in the form of a man ; who advanced 
 
 forward, v. 3, to meet the angel that talked with the prophet 
 
 3. unto him.— For ibK eleven MSS. five ed. and Keri have rbx. 
 
 4. young man. — See Jer. ii. 6 ; where we should translate yout/i, 
 
 instead of child. 
 
 in villages. — It shall overflow with inhabitants, who shall occupy 
 
 spaces beyond the circuit of the walls. A city is then said to be inhabited, 
 Kara Kwfiag, vicatim. That this was fact with regard to Jerusalem, see 
 Jos. B. J. V. iv. 2. p. 328 ; where we learn, that " the city, overflowing 
 with its number of inhabitants, by degrees extended itself beyond its 
 walls;" and that Herod Agrippa fortified the new part called Bezetha. 
 Vilringa. " Or, shall inhabit villages. See Isa. xlix. 19, 20." Seeker. 
 
 Jerusalem is here personified under the symbol of a woman, by which 
 cities and countries are often figuratively represented, as may be seen on 
 ancient coins, and very frequently occurring in the other prophetic parts of 
 
 z 
 
296 ZECHAKIAH. [Clf. II. 
 
 For the multitude of men and of cattle within her. 
 ii And I Avill be unto her, saith Jehovah, 
 A wall of fire round about; 
 And X glory will I be § within her. 
 
 6 Ho ! Ho ! II flee 
 
 From the land of the north, saith Jehovah. 
 For towards the four winds of the heavens 
 Have I spread you abroad, saith Jehovah. 
 
 7 Ho ! Sion ; escape, 
 
 O thou that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon. 
 
 8 For thus saith Jehovah God of hosts : 
 After the obtaining o/* glory hath he sent me 
 
 t Heb. for glory. § Or, in the midst of. |{ Ileb. and flee. 
 
 Scripture. For want of attending to this symLolical representation, imt\ 
 has been frequently mistaken for the passive verb. Blayney. 
 
 5. A nail of fire. — This most sublime image strongly expresses the 
 
 protection of the Deity. It must have reminded the Jews of the pillar of 
 fire, by which God directed and defended their ancestors. 
 
 glory. — maDb. So Dyb, a people, v. 11. See also ch. viii. 8. An 
 
 allusion to the symbol of the divine presence in the Holy of Holies, Kom. 
 ix. 4. 
 
 Vitringa refers the literal completion of this prophecy to the time of the 
 Maccabees, but thinks that the protection and glory of the future Jerusalem 
 may also be predicted. Apoc. xx. 9. 
 
 6. towards the four winds. — Five MSS. and two ed. read ymxa ; 
 
 and two more copies read so originally. Syr. has yaixb ; V. in quatuor 
 Veritas. 
 
 7. fiee — escape. — The Jews, who still remained in Persia, Chaldea, 
 
 and Babylon, are called on to hasten into their own land. See Ezra vii. 
 viii. " Prideaux thinks this exhortation relates to the siege of Babylon 
 under Darius Hystaspis." Seeker. 
 
 8. After the obtaining of (/lory.— Syr. renders the Hebrew literally 
 
 post honorem. The Latin translator, in the London polyglot, gives his 
 sense of this, ad prosequendum honorem. Chald. has post honorem qiiem 
 vobis adducturum se dixit. The other versions represent the Hebrew as it 
 now stands. Houbigant reads ^^3^ inx. He who possesseth glory. For nnx 
 Seeker proposes h^hk, v. 5. " I will be glory. He hath sent, \c." The 
 best sense which I can make of this obscure place is, Jehovah hath sent 
 me to follow after glory ; i. e. for the purpose of acquiring glory to his 
 people, in restraining and humbling their enemies. A great calamity was 
 
CH. H.] ZECHARIAH. 297 
 
 To the nations which spoiled you. 
 For he that toueheth you 
 Toueheth the apple of his eye. 
 9 For behold, I ivill shake mine hand * upon them, 
 And they shall be a spoil unto their f servants : 
 And ye shall know that Jehovah God of hosts hath 
 sent me. 
 
 10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Sion : 
 For, behold, I will come, 
 
 And 1 will dwell J within thee, saith Jehovah. 
 
 11 And many nations shall be joined 
 Unto Jehovah in that day, 
 
 And shall be § my people. 
 
 And I will dwell |1 within thee, and thou shalt know 
 
 That Jehovah God of hosts hath sent me unto thee. 
 
 12 And Jehovah will possess Judah, his portion, 
 In the * holy land ; 
 
 And will again choose Jerusalem. 
 
 * Or, over. t Or, slaves. i Or, in the midst of. 
 
 $ Heb. unto me for a people. || Or, in the midst of. 
 
 * Heb. land of holiness. 
 
 soon to befal Babylon, when Darius, the son of Hystaspes, besieged and 
 took it. 
 
 his eye.—"' Mine eye :" Vulg. reading 'Yv. " This has been some- 
 times misunderstood, as if God's eye was meant; but the meanino- cer- 
 tainly is, that he who meddled with the Jews to hurt them, would be doing 
 himself the most essential hurt, wounding himself in the tenderest part." 
 Blayney. 
 
 9. imto their servants. — As the Babylonians to the Medes and 
 
 Persians, who were subdued by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. See 
 on Haggai ii. 23. 
 
 10. dwell icithin thee. — As thy mighty defender. See v. 5. 
 
 11. be joined unto Jehovah. — Many were made proselytes to 
 
 Judaism. The Edomites were converted in the time of John Hyrcanus. 
 
 12. will possess. — He will again be worshipped in his temple at 
 
 Jerusalem ; and hereafter will gloriously display himself in his holy city, 
 Rev. xxi. 3, 11, 23. 
 
 z 2 
 
298 ZECHARIAH. [cil. 111. 
 
 13 Be silent, O all flesh, before Jehovah : 
 
 For lie is raised up from his f holy habitation. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 J And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing 
 before the angel of Jehovah: and * Satan standing at 
 
 2 his right hand to be his adversary. And [the angel of] 
 Jehovah said unto Satan, 
 
 f Heb. tl»e habitation of his holiness. * Ileb. the adversary. 
 
 13. Be silent. — God's interposition in behalf of his people shall be 
 manifest, strike their adversaries dumb, and impress all with awe and 
 wonder. 
 
 Ch.^p. III. 1. Vision the fourth. — Zechariah sees Joshua, the high 
 priest, standing before an angel of Jehovah, as it were soliciting to be 
 admitted to the discharge of his sacred functions ; and Satan, or the 
 adversary, standing by in the act of opposing him. The adversary receives 
 a rebuke from Jehovah himself, by whose special command Joshua is 
 stripped of his filthy garments, and invested with the priestly robes of 
 service, and a clean bonnet set upon his head. The angel delivers him a 
 solemn charge. After this follows a clear and interesting prediction of the 
 coming of the Messiah, and the establishment of his church, of which 
 Joshua and his companions are ordained to be signs. Pardon and peace 
 are held forth as the blessed effects of Christ's coming. Blayney. 
 
 he shelved. — The angel mentioned in the former part of ch. ii. 3. 
 
 But 6. At. V. render, " And the Lord showed me." This may be 
 accounted for by supposing that the text stood "' '3K")'i„ that is, mrr '3K"i»-i, 
 " And Jehovah showed me." 
 
 2. the angel of. — Syr. adds the word angel, and I think that it 
 
 ought to be admitted into the text. Compare Jude 9. 
 
 said unto Satan. — It is at least uncertain whether Satan, the grand 
 
 adversary of mankind, be here intended ; or (which appears to me more 
 probable), the adversaries of the Jewish nation in a body, or, perhaps, some 
 leading person among them, ^anballat for instance, who strenuously 
 opposed the rebuilding of the temple, and, of course, the restoration of the 
 
CH. III.] ZECHARIAH. 299 
 
 Jehovah rebuke thee, O Satan ; 
 
 Even Jehovah, who chooseth Jerusalem, rebuke thee, 
 
 Is not this nia7i a firebrand plucked out of the fire ? 
 
 3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and 
 
 4 standing before the angel. And he answered and spake 
 unto those who stood before him, saying; Take the 
 filthy garments off him. Then he said unto him ; See, 
 I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and will 
 
 service of the sanctuary, and the re-establisliment of Joshua in the exercise 
 of his sacerdotal ministry. Blayney. 
 
 " And Jehovah said." By a voice from heaven, or from out of the 
 sanctuary, supposing the transaction to be represented as passing before 
 the temple. Blayney. 
 
 rebuke thee. — " Jehovah vsill rebuke thee, O adversary, even as 
 
 Jehovah hath rebuked thee." The imperative in the third person is, no 
 doubt, often expressed by the future tense ; but it cannot be so here, 
 because Jehovah is himself the speaker, who doth not command or exhort, 
 but simply declareth, that he will rebuke or check the malevolence of the 
 adversary in this instance, as he had done before in another, when he 
 chose Jerusalem, or took her again into favour in spite of his opposition. 
 Blayney. 
 
 a firebrand. — May not Joshua, and those who returned with him 
 
 from Babylon, be compared to firebrands with difficulty preserved from 
 the fire? And shall God permit a flame to be again kindled to devour 
 them? 
 
 3. with filthy garments. — Appeared in the vision clothed with the 
 
 squalid and polluted garments of a captive. 
 
 What is meant by the filthy garments, is evident from what is said by Jeho- 
 vah in the next verse, " See, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee." 
 It is no other than the stain of moral pollution, which is, in some degree, 
 found in every man, though done away by the grace of Christ. And it is 
 in this respect that it is said, Isa. Ixiv. 6, " We are all as an unclean 
 thing, and all our righteousnesses as filthy rags." This makes us unworthy 
 in ourselves to appear in the presence of a God of purity, and this afforded 
 the adversary his ground of objection against Joshua. Blayney. 
 
 before the angel. — " XyyiKov. Addit Copt, rov Kvpiov, sicut Syr." 
 
 Mr. Woide. Arab, has the same addition. 
 
 4. he answered. — The angel of Jehovah. See v. 2. 
 
 those who stood before him. — Other attendant angels. 
 
 thine iniquity. — The effect, or punishment, of national iniquity ; 
 
 •which partly consisted in the cessation of sacred rites. So v. 9. 
 
300 ZECHAUIAH. [CH. III. 
 
 5 clothe thee with goodly apparel. And he said : Let 
 them set a f fair mitre on his head. And they set a t 
 fair mitre on his head ; and clothed him with garments. 
 And the angel of Jehovah stood by. 
 
 6 And the angel of Jehovah testified unto Joshua, saying: 
 
 7 Thus saith Jehovah God of hosts : 
 If thou wilt walk in my ways, 
 
 And if thou wilt keep mine ordinance ; 
 Then thou shalt also judge mine house, 
 And thou shalt also keep my courts ; 
 And I will give thee places to walk 
 
 t Or, pure. t Or, pure. 
 
 will clothe thee. — V.Syr. Chald. translate in the first person, and 
 
 read with Houbigant uobKi, which I prefer to n-nu'nbni, because nineteen 
 MSS. and one ed. read imK. 
 
 goodly apparel. — Bishop Low th translates the word "embroidered 
 
 robes," Isa. iii. 22. The Arabic root in Cast. lex. signifies, Bonus et 
 exquisitus fuit, bene hahuit. 
 
 " Clean garments." mvbnri ; this word properly signifies, " the gar- 
 ments that VLxe put off ;'''' from the verb ybn, to put off. The holy garments 
 of service are hereby meant, with which the priests were to be clothed, 
 when they came into the inner court of the temple to minister before God ; 
 and these they were directed to put off, when they went into the outer court 
 and conversed in common with the people. Blayney. 
 
 The vision imports, that the priestly office was to be resumed and 
 exercised with decency and splendour. 
 
 5. And he said. — Sic. Syr. Vulg. Omittunt 6. et van voci sequenti 
 praDfigunt. Sed Ch. dixi, licet versio habeat dixit. Secter. 
 
 stood by. — As in waiting to receive and execute his Sovereign's 
 
 commands, which he proceeds to do, as in the next verse. Blayney. 
 
 6. testified. — Strongly affirmed, as a witness does an important 
 
 truth. 
 
 7. keep mine ordinance. — Discharging all the duties required of thee 
 
 as high priest. See Deut. xi. 1. Lev. viii. 35. 
 
 judge mine house. — Thou shalt be a judge, or ruler, over my family, 
 
 or people. 
 
 keep my com-ts. — Have the charge of the sacred courts ; the temple 
 
 being rebuilt, 
 
 places to walk. — The original word may be a substantive, and may 
 
 signify goings, paths, ways. Thus it may be understood either of Joshua's 
 
CH. HI.] ZECHARIAH. 301 
 
 Among those who stand by. 
 8 Hear now, O Joshua high priest, 
 
 Thou and thy companions who dwell before thee ; 
 
 For they are men :j: to be wondered at. 
 
 For behold, I icill bring forth my servant, The Branch : 
 
 X Ileb. of wonder, or, of a sign. 
 
 entrance into the Holy of Holies, where the Cherubim were, or of his 
 future entrance into heaven, or of both, Or Q^abno may be a participle. 
 " I will assign thee, as guardians and protectors, some of those that walk 
 among the angels who stand near me." Chald. paraphrases in the former 
 sense ; and the rendering of V. 6. Ar. Syr. favours the latter sense. " And 
 I will appoint thee ministers among these that stand by." 
 
 " Ministers." D*3bno. Literally ivalkers ; persons ready to go and come 
 under his direction, and be subservient to his will. By " these that stand 
 by," I do not conceive are meant the angels attending upon God's throne, 
 but some of the subordinate priests who attended upon Joshua. And as it 
 is promised to him, that he should be reinstated in the honours of his high 
 office, so it is also added, that he should be waited upon by those inferior 
 priests whose business it was to officiate in the service of the temple under 
 the authority of the high priest. And the same persons are presently after 
 designed under the name of" the companions" of Joshua, "that sat before 
 him.'' Blayney. 
 
 8. thy companions. — Tliy countrymen, who returned with thee from 
 
 captivity. 
 
 d^vell before thee. — " That sit before thee.' ' Possibly, these may 
 
 have been some of those who were called chief priests ; who, though subor- 
 dinate to the high priest, were entitled by their rank to sit in his councils, 
 Blayney. 
 
 to be wondered at. — On account of their extraordinary deliverance 
 
 from Babylon. See v. 2. Or, types of a great future restoration. 
 
 " These are men of sign." " These," nr:n, must be understood to include 
 both Joshua and his companions ; being equally intended to represent, as 
 types, something more than what they in themselves were. See nsio thus 
 used, Isa. xx. 3. Ezek. xii. 6, 11. xxiv. 24, 27. The next line points out 
 him of whom Joshua was meant to be a type ; as the verse following does 
 those of whom his companions were to be representatives or signs. 
 Blayney. 
 
 The Branch. — Zerubbabel, ch. vi. 12, 13 ; so called because he 
 
 was the grandson of Jehoiakim, or Jechoniah, king of Judah, Matt, i, 12, 
 and heir to the throne of Judah. " Neither here nor ch. vi. 12. is Zerubbabel 
 named ; nor is there any reasonable ground to conclude that he is designed 
 
302 ZECUARIAH. [CH. HI. 
 
 9 For behold, the stone 
 
 Which I have placed before Joshua ; 
 
 in either place by the title of no;/, " The Branch." It is true he was a 
 descendant from David, and appointed under the authority of the kings of 
 Persia to be a subordinate governor of the Jews who returned from Babylon, 
 and in that capacity he presided, and toot an active part with Joshua the 
 high priest, and with the chief of the fathers, in forwarding the building 
 of the temple. But there surely does not appear, in what we know of his 
 character and performances, any thing to merit the particular notice 
 imagined to be here taken of him. The same person must needs be 
 intended here as is spoken of under the same title, Jer. xxiii. 5 ; nor is it 
 conceivable that terms so magnificent as those used in the latter place espe- 
 cially, can be applicable to one of so limited power and authority as Zerub- 
 babel enjoyed. Besides, it is evident, that the Branch is promised as one that 
 was to come or be brought forth, and not as one that had already enjoyed 
 his estate, such as it was, for many years past. In short, for these and for 
 many other reasons, it may be concluded against Zerubbabel, and, I think, 
 against any other of less consequence than the great Messiah himself, 
 through whom alone iniquity is put away, and the reign of perfect peace 
 and righteousness is to be established. Compare Ps. cxxxii. 17. Isa. iv. 2. 
 Jer. xxxiii. 15, 16 Blayney. 
 
 9. the stone. — Stones, such as were used in rebuilding the temple, 
 
 were represented before Joshua in this vision. 
 
 Which I have placed before Joshua. — It seems as if the prophet saw 
 
 in his vision a stone or rock set before Joshua, with seven a^yy, fountains, 
 springing out of it, which God says were opened by himself The Hebrew 
 yy, signifies a fountain, as well as an ej/e, and there seems to be a plain 
 allusion here to the rock which Moses smote in the wilderness, and brought 
 waters out of it for the refreshment of the people of God ; and " that rock 
 was Christ," 1 Cor. x. 4. In speaking of which transaction, the Psalmist 
 says, " He opened, nn3, the rock, and the waters gushed out;" Ps. cv. 41. 
 Observe the same verb is used as here nnna nnso -s^n, " Behold I open the 
 opening, or door thereof;" that is, the hole or orifice through which the 
 fountains shall flow. Again it is said, Isa. xli. 18, m-inj d"3b> by nnsiK, " I 
 will open rivers in the high places," where not only the verb nns is used, 
 but is followed by the preposition by, as here before px. And it is said, 
 ch. xiii. 1, " In that day shall there be opened a fountain," nnss npo, " to 
 the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem." For what pur- 
 pose ? " For sin and for uncleanness." This was spoken of the gospel 
 times ; and in like manner it is here said of the same, "And I will remove 
 or take away the iniquity of the land in one day." There cannot surely 
 remain a doubt of what is intended, nor that cry must signify fountains of 
 
CH. III.] ZECHARIAH. 303 
 
 On one stone are seven eyes : 
 Behold, I ivill engrave the engraving thereof, 
 Saith Jehovah God of hosts. 
 And I will remove the iniquity 
 Of this land in one day. 
 10 In that day, saith Jehovah God of hosts, 
 Shall ye invite every man his neighbour 
 § Under the vine, 
 And II under the figtree. 
 
 $ Heb. To under. || Heb. to under. 
 
 living waters issuing from Christ. The living waters are the doctrines of 
 the gospel, and the fountains the dispensers of them, the apostles and 
 evangelists, who are said to be " fellow- workers with Christ," and therefore 
 aptly represented by the companions of Joshua. The number seven is fre- 
 quently used in scripture to denote multitudes, 1 Sam. ii. 5. Jer xv. 9. 
 Blayney. 
 
 one stone. — Perhaps the head-stone, ch. iv. 7. 
 
 seven eyes. — The eyes of God's providence. See ch. iv. 10, The 
 
 work will be conducted and completed under the divine superintendence. 
 
 1 will engrave. — Its engraving shall be wrought by my finger : its 
 
 ornaments shall be my workmanship. By my co-operation the temple shall 
 be erected and adorned. Or we may render, I engrave ; the symbol of the 
 seven eyes is my engraving. 
 
 Iivill remove. — Schultens observes that the Arabic words ifo and hd, 
 
 signify delere, ahstergere. Animadv, Phil. 
 
 the iniquity. — See on v. 4. 
 
 in one day. — The day of dedicating the temple, Ezra vi. 16 ; or, of 
 
 Artaxerxes's decree, Ezra vii. 11. "If what has preceded be rightly ap- 
 plied, then we must understand here that one day on which Christ died to 
 put away sins by the offering of himself." Blayney. 
 
 10. invite. — That b is used after xnp, in the sense of calling to a 
 
 feast, see 1 Kings i. 9. 
 
 under the vine. — nnn'bx signifies simply under. See Sam. xxi. 4. 
 
 Jer. iii. 6. The meaning of this passage is to show the peace and security 
 that should prevail in those happy days when a man that had any thing to 
 say to his neighbour, or, as we should express it, should call upon his neigh- 
 bour, would be sure to find him sitting at his ease, without doors, unappre- 
 hensive of any danger. Blayney. 
 
304 ZECHAUIAH. [CH. IV. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 And the angel who talked with me returned, and awaked 
 me as a man who is wakened out of his sleep : And said 
 unto me, What seest thou? And I said; I have looked, 
 and behold, a candlestick * all of gold : and a bowl upon 
 the top thereof; and its seven lights upon it; and seven 
 pipes to the seven lights which are upon the top thereof: 
 
 • Heb. of gold all of it. 
 
 Chap. IV. 1. In this chapter the prophet is called upon to contemplate 
 a fifth vision of the most sublime and mysterious import. He sees a candle- 
 stick of pure gold \fNith its seven lamps communicating by seven pipes with 
 a bowl at the top, which serves for a reservoir, and is constantly supplied 
 with oil from two olive trees standing on each side of the candlestick. He 
 inquires into the meaning, and receives an answer, which, though it may in 
 some sort apply to the circumstances of the temple then in building, yet 
 from the solemnity of the manner, and the terms in use, must be concluded 
 to point to something far higher, no less than the final and complete estab- 
 lishment of Christ's holy catholic church, not by any human means, but by 
 the power of the Holy Spirit, surmounting all obstacles thrown in the way. 
 Annexed is a special prediction, that Zerubbabel, who had begun, should 
 have the honour of finishing the material building of the temple ; the 
 accomplishment of which is made a sign, or proof, of the divine mission. 
 The meaning of the seven lamps is then explained, and also of the two 
 overhanging branches of the olive trees on each side of the candlestick. 
 Blayney. 
 
 returned. — I consider this vision as represented on the same night, 
 
 ch. i. 8, with the preceding ones. See the latter part of v. 10, compared 
 with ch. iii. 9. After some interval, the prophet, overpowered by the vision 
 which had been presented to him, was awakened from his prophetic trance 
 as from a sleep. 
 
 awaked me. — It should seem as if the prophet was plunged into a 
 
 deep reverie, musing on what he had already seen, when he was roused 
 again by the angel to give his attention to what follows. Blayney. 
 
 2. And I said. — Very many MSS. Keri and six editions read noxi. 
 
 a bowl. — To supply the lamps with oil, by seven conduits issuing 
 
 from it lo the seven lamps ranged in its front. 
 
 ■ seven lights. — " Seven lamps." Blayney. 
 
 and seven pipes to the seven lights. — I remove the word nyau' from 
 
CH. IV.] ZECHARIAH. 305 
 
 3 And two olive trees over it, one on the right side of the 
 
 4 bowl, and the other on the left side thereof. And I 
 answered and spake unto the angel who talked with me 
 
 5 saying : What are these, my lord ? Then the angel who 
 talked with me answered, and said unto me ; Knowest 
 thou not what these are? And I said, No, my lord. 
 
 6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying ; This is 
 the w^ord of Jehovah unto Zerubbabel, saying ; 
 
 Not by might, nor by power. 
 
 But by my spirit ; 
 
 Saith Jehovah, God of hosts. 
 
 7 What art thou, O great mountain ? 
 
 Before Zerubbabel, thou shall become f a plain. 
 
 t Heb. for a plain. 
 
 the beginning of the clause, and read mis nyaw"?. 6. Ar. V. and Houbi- 
 gant omit nyair entirely. " wni:- wnun. Syr. : recte, ut videtur." Seeker. 
 
 3. over it. — Calmet in his dictionary, article chandelier, represents 
 
 the olive trees in the ground, hanging over the candlestick. 
 
 5. Knowest thou no<.— Cappellus observes that this is said, not to 
 
 upbraid the dulness of the prophet, but to excite his attention. 
 
 I cannot help thinking, that by this question the angel meant to tax the 
 prophet with dulness in not discerning what a reasoning and reflecting 
 mind, versed in the allegories of prophecy, might, in some measure at least, 
 have discovered. Our Saviour in this manner reproves the ignorance of 
 Nicodemus, " Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things ?" 
 John iii. 10. Blayney. 
 
 6. the word of Jehovah.— li may be observed, that the prophet's 
 
 question, " What are these ?" is answered, not by descending to an expla- 
 nation of particulars, but by giving the general purport of the vision ; the 
 design being, not to gratify a partial curiosity, but to comfort and encourage 
 an almost desponding people by the assurance that God would, not by 
 those human means in which they were sensible of their own deficiency, 
 but by his own Spirit, render his church triumphant over all opposition. 
 Blayney. 
 
 7. PFAai.— "0. See Deut. iv. 8. Houbigant conjectures -d; and one 
 
 MS. reads so. 
 
 " For thou, O great mountain 
 
 Before Zerubbabel shalt heroine a plain." 
 
306 ZECHARIAH. [CH. IV. 
 
 And he shall bring forth the head-stone 
 
 With shoutings, crying. Favour, favour unto it. 
 
 8 Moreover, the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying; 
 
 9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of 
 this house ; and his hands shall also finish it. And ye 
 shall know that Jehovah, God of hosts hath sent me unto 
 
 10 you. For who hath despised the day of small things? 
 
 he shall bring forth. — 6. Ar. read n*viki, And I will bring forth. 
 
 " If in this prophecy not only the completion of the material temple is pro- 
 mised, but also, as we have supposed, the erection of a spiritual building, 
 it is obvious, that, in this secondary sense by ' the head,' or 'chief corner- 
 stone, must be understood that person who is emphatically so called, Ps. cxviii. 
 22. Matt. xxi. 42. Eph. ii. 20. and whose coming was ushered in, as is here 
 announced, by the joyful acclamations of the multitudes. Matt. xxi. 8 — 10. 
 &c. In this latter sense, either the Spirit of God must be the nominative 
 of the verb n^sin, or it may be rendered passively, as with an indefinite 
 nominative." 
 
 " And the head-stone shall be brought forth," &c. 
 
 Blayney. 
 
 the head-stone. — nuNnn occurs only here. I think that we should 
 
 read mxwnn uxnn, lapidem capitis, lapidem exclamationum. 
 
 " And he shall bring fortli the head-stone, 
 
 The stune of shoutings, crying, Favour, favour, unto it." 
 
 See Ps. cxviii, 22. 
 
 shoutings. — Of the people, imploring the divine blessing on the 
 
 chief corner-stone of the temple. 
 
 8. came unto me. — The voice of Jehovah was immediately addressed 
 
 to the prophet, v. 9, 10. 
 
 9. shall also finish it. — Cappellus observes that nyxva in Arab. 
 
 signifies the sum total of numbers. Hence the Hebrew word may have the 
 sense of consummare, perficere. 
 
 ye shall know. — V. Syr. Chald. and three MSS. read anyn"i. But 6. 
 
 Ar. read t'^h, to thee, for aa-bK. 
 
 10. of small things. — nnm, is understood in the original. See 
 
 Ezra iii. 11, 12, 13, for the small beginnings alluded to. "By 'the '!ay 
 of small things,' I suppose to be meant the time when the resources oi the 
 Jewish nation appeared in the eyes of many, even well-wishers, so small 
 and inadequate to the building of the temple, against a powerful oppo- 
 
CH. IV.] ZECHARIAH. 30T 
 
 They shall rejoice, and shall see the % plummet in the 
 hand of Zerubbabel. These seven are the eyes of Jeho- 
 vah : They run to and fro through the whole earth. 
 
 1 1 Then answered I, and said unto him : What are these 
 two olive trees, upon the right side of the candlestick, 
 
 12 and upon the left side thereof? And I answered the 
 second time, and said unto him : What are the two 
 branches of the olive trees, which are by the side of the 
 
 J Ileb. the stone of tin. 
 
 si lion, that they despahed of seeing it carried into effect. Such persons 
 would, of course, rejoice, when the event turned out so contrary to their 
 expectations." Blayney. 
 
 plummet. — The use of the plummet is to try, after the stone is laid, 
 
 whether it be in its just position. So that this implies the work drawing 
 to a conclusion, and the last finishing hand about to be put to it. Blayney. 
 
 These seven. — I follow the punctuation of the ancient versions. 
 
 The clause contains the ground of the preceding assertion. The temple 
 shall he rebuilt by Zerubbabel. For these seven, &c. Unless, as Houbi- 
 gant thinks, something is wanting. [And I answered and said unto him, 
 What are these seven eyes ? And he spake unto me, saying ;] These seven, 
 &c. J. Mede, Disc. x. Epist.lxi., thinks that the seven eyes of Jehovah are 
 the seven archangels, Tobit xii. 15. Rev. i. 4. iv. 5. v. 6. viii. 2. They 
 may be symbols of the divine providence. See ch. iii. 9. 
 
 " These seven are the fountains of Jehovah, running to and fro through 
 the whole earth." Here, again, as in Chron. iii. 9, o^ry, 1 conceive, should 
 he translated " fountains." The lamps, considered as a part of the fur- 
 niture belonging to the candlestick, that is, the church, can represent no 
 other than the ministers and dispensers of evangelical light and know- 
 ledge ; in which sense our Saviour says of them, " Ye are the light of the 
 world," Matt. v. 14. In what sense these can be said to be " the eyes of 
 Jehovah,'' I do not comprehend. But taken in conjunction with their 
 pipes, they may not improperly be represented as fountains or conduits for 
 conveying and communicating to others the gifts and graces of the Holy 
 Spirit, with which they are replenished themselves. And as fountains they 
 arc said to " run to and fro through the earth,'' which was, in an emi- 
 nent degree, seen in the apostles, and the first preachers of the gospel, 
 Romans x. 18. Blayney. 
 
 12. branches.— Beating much fruit, like an ear of corn. But the 
 
 Arabic root signifies effiuxit ; and the word may be rendered ducts. 
 " Orderers." bau' in Syriac has the sense of direxit, in via dnxit. I am 
 
308 /ECHAIUAIl. [c.H. IV. 
 
 two § golden tubes which empty the oil out of them- 
 
 13 selves? And he spake unto me, saying: Knowest thou 
 
 14 not what these are ? And I said, No, my lord. Then 
 said he ; These are the two 1| anointedones, who stand be- 
 fore the Lord of the whole earth. 
 
 § Heb. tubes of gold. || Heb. sons of oil. 
 
 inclined, therefore, to suppose that by the a^n^tn »b3u-, were meant two 
 beings, probably in human shape, who were seen by the propliet, employed 
 in arranging the fruit of the olive trees, and giving it a direction for its 
 juice to flow into those channels, through which it might be conveyed 
 into the body of the lamps, there to serve for food and nourishment of their 
 light Nor is it any objection to this more than to any other hypothesis, 
 that they were not enumerated before among the objects of vision. They 
 might not, perhaps, have presented themselves to the prophet's view till the 
 very instant when he had asked the question concerning " the two olive 
 trees;" and their sudden appearance may account for the immediate 
 change of it to another, before he had received an answer to the first. This 
 answer being thus superseded, we are left without any direct information as 
 to the meaning of the olive trees ; but we may fairly presume them to be 
 no other than the two dispensations of the law and the gospel. Of course, 
 the " orderers " and directers of these dispensations must be Moses and 
 Jesus Christ, " the two sons of oil," or " anointed ones," that stand by, &c., 
 foretelling his will and executing his commands. Of the latter of these it 
 is expressly said, " The spirit of the Lord, (Sec," Is. Ixi. 1. Nor do I conceive 
 that any other can be meant by the two witnesses appointed to prophesy 
 for a certain time, clothed in sackcloth. Rev. xi. 3 ; the next verse plainly 
 showing that an allusion is there made to this prophecy of Zechariah, con- 
 cerning the candlestick and olive trees ; though not with all that accuracy 
 of citation, which wc should look for at present. " These are the two olive 
 trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth, Rev. 
 xi. 4. Blayney. 
 
 tubes — njv is a tube, or canal, in Hebrew, nrov is used only here. 
 
 In Arab, mv is cistula : which would lead to the sense of vessel, receptacle ; 
 and Symm. renders €7rtxi;r»;p, ampulla. 
 
 It is suflicienlly clear what is meant, namely, open spouts laid inclining 
 from the olive trees, to the bowl upon the top of the candlestick, so as to 
 receive the fluid flowing from the trees, and pour it continually into the 
 bowl to supply the waste. Some have supposed ^nDV, may have been 
 composed of two words, namely, "ijv, a pipe or canal, and in:, which, in 
 Chald. and Syr. signifies, decidit, defliixit. Blayney. 
 
 14. the oil. — I read -^nv", the nil, for 3nn, the f/nld ; the sense re- 
 
CH. v.] ZECHARIAH. 309 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 1 And I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked; and 
 
 2 behold, a flying roll. And he said unto me, What 
 seest thou ? And I said, I see a flying roll : the leno-th 
 
 quiring it. Chald. has, " which pour from themselves the oil into the 
 candlesticks of gold ;" as if the words miDb inv", had been omitted before 
 anr. " Potest reddi, evacuant ex se in aurmn. Nam invenitur pnn absque 
 ace. Eccl. xi. 3; sed f. pro anin legeudum nnv«, quod^ sequitur v. 14." 
 Seeker. 
 
 In the Hebrew copies there is not the least vestige of such a reading, 
 and all the ancient versions concur in expressing " gold " at the end of this 
 verse. There is no doubt but that the liquor drawn from the olive trees 
 must be oil ; but it is here intended to represent what, for its precious 
 quality, may be denominated " gold ;'' that being considered as the most 
 valuable of all material substances, but yet of far less worth than the word 
 of divine truth. " More to be desired,'' says the Psalmist, speaking of it, 
 " than gold, yea than much fine gold," Ps. xix. 10. And again, " The law 
 of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver," Ps. 
 cxix. 72. In this sense then nnin, may be used for gold, and, perhaps, 
 from the resemblance between the appearance of gold in a state of fluidity 
 and oil. Blayney. 
 
 ■ anointed ones. — Partakers of oil, v'loi ti]q TrioDjroc. 6. 
 
 hefore the Lord. — Thus Syr. renders by anp ; and in Noldius the 
 
 participle "71^, signifies both ante and apud. Accordingly, ch. vi. 5, it is 
 rendered by V. coram, by Syr. and Chald. cnp, and by our English trans- 
 lators hefore. Zerubbabel and Joshua may be meant ; who presided over 
 the temporal and spiritual affairs of the Jews ; were the ministers, or vice- 
 gerents, of Jehovah ; and acted, not by their own strength, but by the 
 divine assistance, v. 6. Houbigant understands the passage of two angels, 
 who watched over the Jewish state ; " alter praeses reipublicae, alter reli- 
 gionis." It is plain that the golden candlestick is the Jewish state, both 
 civil and religious: and that the oil, with which the lights are supplied, is 
 the Spirit of God, in opposition to human efforts. 
 
 Chap. V. 1. The visions represented in this chapter are of a very 
 different kind from the preceding ones. Hitherto all has been consoling, 
 and meant to cheer the heart of the Jewish people, by holding forth to 
 them prospects of approaching prosperity. But lest they should grow pre- 
 sumptuous, it was thought proper to warn them, and to let them see, that 
 
310 ZF.CHARIAH. [cll. V, 
 
 thereof is twenty * cubits, and the breadth thereof ten 
 f cubits. 
 3 And he said unto me : 
 
 This is the curse that goeth forth 
 
 Over the face of the whole land. 
 
 For every one who stealeth shall be cut off from hence, 
 
 according to it ; 
 And every one who sweareth shall be cut oiF from hence, 
 
 according to it, 
 
 * Heb. by the cubit. t Heb, by the cubit. 
 
 however God was at present disposed to show them favour, his judgments 
 would assuredly fall upon them with still greater weight than before, if 
 they should again provoke him by repeated wickedness. Accordingly, in 
 the first of these visions, which was the sixth in succession, the prophet is 
 shown an immense roll or book, like that which Ezekiel describes, Ezek. ii. 
 9, 1 0, filled with curses, and in the act of flying, to denote the celerity and 
 speed, as well as the certainty with which the thief and the false swearer, 
 who might otherwise flatter themselves with hopes of impunity, would be 
 visited to their utter destruction. The next vision presents the appearance 
 of an ephah, or measure, in which sat a woman, representing a nation 
 whose wickedness was arrived at such a height, as required an immediate 
 check. Accordingly, a heavy cover is cast upon her, and she is carried 
 into exile in a distant land, there to abide the full time allotted for her 
 punishment. Blayney. 
 
 2. twenty cubits, — The roll was very ample, to show what a number 
 
 of curses should come upon the wicked. 
 
 3. cut off. — Houbigant prefers ops, punietui\ sive nltio de eo 
 
 sumetur. ap\ vindicahitiir, occurs in Pual ; or we may read api3, ulcisens 
 sum. Another conjecture is n33, part. Niphal, percussiis erit: the word 
 read by the Chaldee paraphrast, according to Houbigant. 
 
 " Because on the one hand every one that stealeth, is as he that is 
 guiltless ; and on the other hand, every one that sweareth is as he that is 
 guiltless." For npD n"i?33 read r\p':r\ id3. np': signifies innocent, blameless. 
 nto and htd signify, on one side, and on the other. And the reason assigned 
 for " the curse going througli the whole land," is, that the good and the 
 bad, the innocent and the guilty, were treated alike ; so that it was time 
 for divine justice to interpose and make the proper distinction. Blayney. 
 
 from hence. — From the land. But Houbigant understands rrra of 
 
 time, and renders it deinceps. 
 
 according to it. — According to its tenor. But 6. MS. A. read twice 
 
 nv33, or mo"?, to death. 
 
CH. v.] ZECHARIAH. 311 
 
 4 I have brought it forth, saith Jehovah God of hosts ; 
 And it shall enter into the house of him who stealeth : 
 And into the house of him who sweareth % falsely by my 
 
 name : 
 And it shall § abide in his house, 
 And shall consume it, || with the timber thereof, and the 
 
 stones thereof. 
 
 5 Then the angel who talked with me went forth, and 
 said unto me. Lift up now thine eyes, and see, what 
 
 6 this is which * goeth forth. And I said, What is it ? 
 And he said. This is an ephah, which f goeth forth. 
 
 7 And he said. This is their iniquity in all the land. And 
 behold, a talent of lead was lifted up : and behold, a 
 
 J Heb. to a falsehood. $ Or, shall abide the night. || Heb. and. 
 
 * Or, Cometh. t Or, cometh. 
 
 4 abide. — And shall at length consume it. Or, according to Hou- 
 
 bigant, it shall abide the night in his house, which shall be consumed 
 suddenly, and in one night. 
 
 This vision may be considered as a republication of the curses contained 
 in Deut. xxvii. xxvii. ; the thief and the false swearer, says Cappellus, 
 are put for every kind of transgressor. 
 
 5. tvent forth. — Advanced onward, to view the object which pre- 
 sented itself at a distance. 
 
 goeth forth. — Approacheth ns in vision. 
 
 6. an ephah. — A vessel in the form of an ephah, but more capa- 
 cious. 
 
 their iniquity. — Read qdiv, with (i. Ar. Syr. Houbigant, and one 
 
 MS. The vau is on a rasure in two other MSS. This woman representeth 
 their iniquity in all the land. 
 
 In this there is somewhat of a mistake. The case stands thus : four 
 MSS. exhibit at present cjv, in one of which the whole word, in 
 another r is upon a rasure. Hence it is inferred, that the original word 
 have been ODiy, in those two MSS. But it is clear, that, in the latter 
 instance, the presumption can go no farther than a-jij;. And this, I am 
 persuaded, was the true reading, and is confirmed by Syr., which renders 
 in the plural. But, if we read ojiy, " their iniquity," I doubt it will be 
 difficult to find a proper antecedent noun, to which the affix can be re- 
 ferred. Blayney. 
 
 7. a talent. — This lid of the ephah weighed .3000 shekels, or 1.500 
 
 ounces. It is called 12k, a stone, or, weight. 
 
 A A 
 
312 ZECHARIAH. CH. V. 
 
 8 woman sat J within the ephah. And he said This is 
 wickedness. And he cast her § within the ephah ; and 
 he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof. 
 
 9 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked ; and behold, 
 two women || went forth, and the wind was in their 
 wings : for they had wings as the wings of a stork : and 
 they lifted up the ephah between the earth and between 
 
 10 the heavens. Then said I to the angel who talked with 
 
 11 me. Whither do these bear the ephah? And he said 
 unto me, To build it an house in the land of * Babylon : 
 and it shall be established and set there upon its base. 
 
 t Heb. In the midst of. § Heb. in the midst of. || Or, came. * Heb. Shinar. 
 
 And behold, a tooman. — The true reading is nam. See V. 6. Ar. 
 
 " Omittit Syr. et sane potuit a prrecedenti nnz' oriri." Seeker. 
 
 ?/7"f/!e<//iess.— " The wicked one." That is, the wicked one repre- 
 senting the wicked nation. Her being driven back within the ej^hah 
 denotes the check given to her farther progress; and the weight of lead, 
 the weight of God's judgments falling upon her. Blayney. 
 
 8. he cast her ivithin. — The angel caused her to contract herself 
 
 within the compass of the vessel. 
 
 9. tivo ivomen. — Mere agents in the symbolical visions. 
 
 was in their %vings, — Their flight w as promoted by the wind. Inso- 
 
 litos docuere nisus venti. Hor. 
 
 lifted vp. — ^Thirty-four MSS. and six ed. read nDKtt-m. 
 
 These and other circumstances mentioned in this verse, seem to indicate 
 nothing more particular, than that Providence would make use of quick 
 and forcible means to effect its purpose. The stork, like other birds of 
 passage, is provided with strong wings. 
 
 10. bear. — Twenty-four MSS. and three ed. read ma^Si's. 
 
 11. an house. — A mansion, an abiding-place, where, when the 
 
 ephah is set on its base, the woman denoting iniquity shall be imprisoned. 
 
 The meaning of the vision seems to be, that the Babylonish captivity 
 had happened on account of the wickedness committed by the Jews ; and 
 that a like dispersion would befal them, if they relapsed into like crimes. 
 Thus the whole chapter will be an awful admonition that multiplied 
 curses, and particularly dispersion and captivity, would be the punishment 
 of national guilt. 
 
 But Cappellus's interpretation well deserves our attention. He considers 
 V. 8, as denoting that God treads on the neck of wickedness, and restrains 
 it from expatiating; and v. 9, 10, 11, as signifying that God was propitious 
 
CH. VI.] ZECHARIAH. 313 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 1 And again I lifted up mine eyes, and looked; and 
 behold four cliariots went forth from between two moun- 
 
 to the Jews, and transferred the punishment of iniquity to the Babylonians 
 whom the weight of divine vengeance should ever depress. It may be 
 added to the remark of this critic, that Babylon was soon to suffer a signal 
 calamity from the reigning Persian monarch. 
 
 Chap. VI. 1, The main design of this eighth and last vision, is to con- 
 firm the Jews in their faith and dependence upon God, by showing them, 
 that, weak and defenceless as they seemed to be, they had nothing to fear 
 from the gi-eatest earthly powers, whilst they remained under the divine 
 protection ; since all those powers originally proceeded from the counsels 
 of the Almighty, were the instruments of his providence, and could not 
 subsist nor act but under his permission. Four chariots drawn by horses of 
 different colours, represent the four great empires of the world in suc- 
 cession, the Assyrian or Babylonian, the Persian, Grecian, and Roman 
 distinguishable both by their order and attributes. The first, is only enu- 
 merated, and nothing more said of it, having already run its career. The 
 second is characterized by going forth against the land of the earth. The 
 third, by going forth against the posterity of the preceding. And the 
 fourth, whose horses were spotted and strong, by their conquests in the 
 south. These are also said to be ambitious, soliciting and obtaining per- 
 mission to extend their dominion far and wide. The second are also said 
 to have already executed God's judgments upon the land of the north. 
 — After this the prophet is favoured with another revelation respectino- a 
 kingdom differing from all the preceding. By God's command, iu the 
 presence of witnesses, and for a memorial to them, he places a crown, or 
 crowns, upon the head of Joshua the high priest, thereby constitutino- him 
 a type of Christ, the Branch, whom he proclaims as about to come to 
 build the spiritual temple of Jehovah, and to preside over it, both as king 
 and priest, for the great purpose of peace. The accession of strangers to 
 assist in building the temple is foretold, and given as a proof of the pro- 
 phet's divine mission. Blayney. 
 
 four chariots. — A chariot is in itself no unfit emblem of govern- 
 ment. But a chariot of war very aptly represents a conquering nation, 
 rushing furiously on, and overturning all before it. Such were the four 
 formidable empires before-mentioned. But these four chariots are de- 
 scribed as coming forth from between two mountains of brass, meanin"- 
 
 A A 2 
 
314 ' ZECIIAIUAH. [CH. VI. 
 
 2 tains : and the mountains were mountains of brass. To 
 the first chariot wej'e red horses, and to the second 
 
 3 chariot black horses, and to the third chariot 
 white horses, and to the fourth chariot spotted bay 
 
 4 horses. Then I answered and said unto the angel who 
 
 5 talked with me, What are these, my lord? And the 
 angel answered and said unto me. These are four spirits 
 
 probably the firm and unalterable decrees of the Almighty, by which they 
 stood confined, as within the barriers of a course, till it pleased the great 
 master of the race to give the signal for starting. Blayney. 
 
 2. red horses. — "Bay horses." I question if the colours of the 
 
 horses design any thing more than the diversity of the people of whom 
 those empires respectively consisted ; not any characteristic quality be- 
 longing to them. Blayney. 
 
 3. spotted. — With white spots, like hail. Kimchi. Bochart Hieroz. 
 
 P. I. L. II. c. vii. Sec. v. guttati, XevKoariKroi. 
 
 bay. — V. renders, et fortes ; as if the reading was a-voKi. Bochart 
 
 gives yrix the same sense with v'^n, Isa. Ixiii. 1 ; and thinks that it denotes 
 a bright red, " ruborem, o^vn^ov, qui plus habet vigoris atque luminis ;" 
 and he shows that four horses of different colours were sometimes yoked 
 together by the ancients. See Iphig. in Aul. 220 — 5. One MS. seems to 
 read 2*VDn, and fourteen MSS. and two editions read d^vtok. Now the 
 vau is never elsewhere inserted between the second and third radicals of 
 Ynn,fortis, but yion, tinctus rubra, occurs, Isa. Ixiii. 1. n^van, tincti rubra, 
 may, therefore, be the tnie reading in the place before us. My opinion is, 
 that the words zj^'ion Qmn signify party-coloured horses, w hose tw o colours 
 were white and red. 
 
 I join with the Vulgate in rendering d-von, according to the usual ac- 
 ceptation of the word, fortes, robusti, "strong;" and the rather because 
 the Roman empire, which I suppose to be here designed, is characterized 
 by Daniel, ch. vii. 7, 19, 23, as more strong and powerful than any of the 
 preceding. o-Tia, signifies, " spotted as with hail." And it is to be noted 
 that when they, like the rest of the horses, are distinguished by their colour, 
 V. 6, they are simply called omnn. But when they afterwards, v. 7, as in 
 confidence of their strength, petition to have the range of the whole earth, 
 then they are styled o-vokh, " the strong ones." Vulg, rohustissijni. 
 Blayney. 
 
 5. spirits. — Or angels, the ministers of God's will. See Dan. x. 
 
 13,20,21. 
 
 " Winds.'' So mnn sJiould be rendered, as it is in the margin of our 
 bibles, and by 6. dvejjioi, Vulg. venfi. The before-cited prophecy of Daniel 
 also begins thus : " Behold, four winds of the heaven (in the Ciiald. K*or 
 
CH. VI.] ZECHARIAH. 315 
 
 of the heavens, who go forth from standing before the 
 
 6 Lord of all the earth. The black horses, which are 
 thereto, go forth into the north country, and the white 
 go forth after them : and the spotted go forth into the 
 south country. 
 
 7 And the bay went forth, and sought to go, even to 
 move to and fro in the earth ; and he said. Go : 
 
 8 move ye to and fro in the earth. And they moved to 
 and fro in the earth. Then he called me, and spake 
 
 -m-i) strove upon the great sea," Dan. vii. 2. But how, it may be asked, 
 could these chariots be said to be winds ? Like strong winds, they rushed 
 violently on, and produced great agitations and commotions in the earth, 
 the effect of strong winds both by sea and land. And these winds are said 
 to go forth from attending upon the lord of the whole earth ; that is, they 
 waited his pleasures, and went forth like ministers, " fulfilling his word." 
 Ps. cxlviii. 8. Blayney. 
 
 6. The black horses. — As for that in which are the black horses, they 
 &c. Seeker. 
 
 after them. — " Against their successors." onnnx, the successors of 
 
 the Persians, who were designed by the black horses. Blayney. 
 
 7. sought to go. — They walked, fcem. referring to mnn, or maano. 
 
 Seeker. The ambition of the Romans is here described, who, under the 
 divine permission, extended their conquests to every quarter of the globe. 
 Blayney. 
 
 8. called me. — See pyr, thus used. Judges iv. 10, 13. 
 
 The black horses seem to denote the Persian empire, which, by subduing 
 the Chaldeans, and being about to inflict a second heavy chastisement on 
 Babylon, quieted God's spirit with respect to Chaldea ; a country always 
 spoken of as lying to the north of the Jews. See on Zeph. ii. 13. The 
 white horses seem to be the Macedonian empire ; which, like the Persian, 
 overcame Chaldea. The spotted bay horses seem to be the Roman empire. 
 Cappellus says, that this description suits it, because it was governed by 
 kings, consuls, dictators, and emperors. It penetrated southward to Egypt 
 and Africa, v. 6; and, as Houbigant observes, "stare loco nesciebat, aut 
 cancellis coerceri," v. 7. Nothing is said of the bloody Assyrian empire, 
 denoted by the red horses, v. 2 ; because it had passed away. The Roman 
 empire is mentioned twice, v. 6 and v. 7; under each epithet given it, 
 V. 3. 
 
 The two brazen mountains may be merely an ornamental part of the 
 vision ; or they may denote God's firm and immu able decrees, by which 
 he governs the earth. " His righteousness is like great mountains," Ps. 
 
316 ZECHARIAH. [CH. VI. 
 
 unto me, saying : See, those that go forth into the north 
 country have quieted my spirit in the north country. 
 9 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying : 
 10 Take from those of the captivity, from the family of 
 Heklai, and from that of Tobijah, and from that of 
 Jedaiah ; and thou shalt go on the same day, and shalt 
 enter into the house of Josiah, the son of Zephaniah, 
 
 xsxvii. 6. Vitiinga in Apocalyps. vi. 1, 2, p. 247, thus interprets the 
 passage, " e medio veluti immutabilium Dei decretorum." 
 
 quieted my spirit. — " See those that went forth against the north 
 
 country have caused my wind to rest upon the north country." The 
 sense of this passage has been quite mistaken by those who read 
 "mi nx in»3n , " have quieted my spirit." nn, signifies wind here as well 
 as verse 5, and denotes a judgment or calamity sent by God, as all the 
 four winds likewise do. So mn is used, Jer. iv. 11, 12. And n»Dn sig- 
 nifies to cause to rest or abide, that is, to inflict. See Isa. xxx. 32. Ezek. 
 V. 13. xxiv. 13. And the same verb in Kal signifies to rest or settle upon, 
 as a calamity doth, Exod. x. 14. Blayney. 
 
 9. came unto me. — After the niglit on which the foregoing eight 
 
 visions were represented to the prophet. 
 
 10. the captivity. — After a busy night of visions, the prophet is 
 
 commissioned to proceed, the next morning, we may suppose, to communi- 
 cate by an external sign or memorial, another prophecy of a most impor- 
 tant and interesting nature, n is sometimes used partitively, or to express 
 part of a whole, in which sense it may easily be understood, when placed 
 before n'?i3n riN , to denote some of those who had been in exile, and were 
 returned home. But when afterwards it is found before the names of 
 individuals as nbna, &c., it seems to be redundant or expletive, of which 
 Nnldius cites instances before accusatives. For it appears to me, that the 
 prophet is not required to take the silver and gold from the persons named, 
 but to take them as witnesses of what he was going about, and to go with 
 them into the house of Josiah, the son of Zephaniah, and when there, to 
 take silver and gold, and cause it to be made into a crown or crowns for 
 the purposes specified. Blayney. 
 
 from the family of Heldai. — One MS. reads -ibn dko. 
 
 and from that of Tobijah. — Many MSS. and some editions read 
 
 riNDi. So V. 0. Ar. Syr. Chald. 
 
 and thou shalt go. — For nriN, thou. Houbigant reads anx, with 
 
 them. 
 
 Josiah. — Probably a worker in gold and silver. 
 
CH. VI.] ZECHARIAH. 317 
 
 H who * returned from Babylon. And thou shalt take 
 silver and gold, and shalt make crowns; and shalt set 
 one on the head of Joshua, the son of Josedech, the 
 
 12 high priest. And thou shalt speak unto him, saying : 
 Thus speaketh Jehovah God of hosts ; 
 Saying: 
 
 Behold the man f whose name is The Branch ; 
 And he shall branch out from his place ; 
 
 * Heb. came. t Heb. The Branch is his name. 
 
 who returned. — One MS. reads k3, venit ; agreeably to 6. Ar. Syr. 
 
 " What shall be taken is not said till the next verse, and the words, tvhich 
 are come from Babylon, stand at the end in Heb, and all old versions. 
 6. Syr. have, who is. It should be, whither they are come. So -\\i/h is used, 
 Numb. xiii. 27. 1 Kings xii. 2." Seeker. 
 
 1 1 . make. — That is, cause to be made by the artist. 
 
 crotvns. — Syr. Chald. one ed. two MSS. and 6 ed. Pachom. read 
 
 nioj;, a crown. 
 
 muj/, is singular. Silver and gold might be used in the same crown. — 
 If the former i in vnnnoi, were omitted, as Ch. omits it, and there is a i 
 immediately before it, or if it be superfluous, as often, but not naturally 
 here ; the translation would be, Behold, the man, whose name is the 
 Branch, shall branch up ; and so Joshua would not have the name given 
 him, but only a prophecy made to him on putting this crown on him, just 
 of the same nature with that which was made him when the mitre was 
 put on him, ch. iii. 5, 8. Or if nay depended immediately on nm, it 
 would not prove the presence of that servant, but only assert the certainty 
 of his coming. See Isa. xlii. 1. Nir^, signifies to receive, Ps. xxiv. 5. 
 The counsel of peace between them both agrees excellently to Zerubbabel 
 and Joshua. 
 
 12. The Branch. — Zerubbabel. 
 
 There cannot be a doubt that the same person is meant by The 
 Branch here who is so called, ch. iii. 8, and this has already been 
 shown to be, not Zerubbabel, but the Messiah himself; of whom Joshua 
 is made a type, by the crown placed on his head. But to what end 
 should he have been called in to represent Zerubbabel, who was his 
 contemporary, and altogether as ready at hand as himself? Nor will 
 this passage, strictly and literally translated, answer to any other but him, 
 who was at once both king and priest, and, by uniting both characters in 
 himself, was completely qualified to bring about the counsel of peace or 
 reconciliation between God and man. Blayney. 
 
318 ZECHARIAH. [CH. VI. 
 
 And he shall build the temple of Jehovah; 
 
 13 And he shall receive glory, 
 
 And shall sit and rule upon his throne. 
 
 And a priest shall also be upon his throne : 
 
 And the counsel of peace shall be between these two. 
 
 14 And there shall be a crown for Heldai, and for Tobijah, 
 and for Jedaiah, and for Josiah the son of Zephaniah ; 
 
 And he shall build. — After tbis hemistich follows another of the 
 
 same import, 
 
 " Even he shall build the temple of Jehovah." 
 
 But 6. Ar. Syr. omit the repetition. I consider the present Hebrew text as 
 giving us twc» different readings of the same clause, one of which should 
 be expunged. " In my opinion, this clause is not superfluous, but highly 
 emphatic, implying that ' Eveu He,' the self same person, who should 
 build the temple of Jehovah, even he, xim, sliould have the honour of 
 governing and presiding in it both as king and priest, in both capacities 
 advancing the peace and prosperity of his people." Blayney. 
 
 temple of Jehovah. — The church of Christ, which is expressly 
 
 called, " the temple of God," 1 Cor. iii. 16. 2 Cor. vi. 16; "a spiritual 
 house," 1 Pet. ii. 5, &c. Blayney. 
 
 13. shall receive ylory. — "nn, signifies the glory, the honour, and 
 
 authority belonging to a sovereign or chief ruler. So when Moses was 
 directed to give up his command and authority to Joshua, it is said, 
 vbj; mino nrai. " And thou shalt put of thine honour upon him," Numb, 
 xxvii. 20. And in this sense Christ was to receive glory, iin hm'\ Ps. xxi. 
 6. Dan. vii. 14. Acts iii. 13. v. 31. Phil. ii. 9—11. Heb. ii. 9. He was to 
 be exalted to the right hand of God, there to sit upon |his throne, as a 
 king, governing his church, and, as a priest, making intercession con- 
 tinually for it. It is impossible not to see that this prophecy was com- 
 pleted in Christ, so as it never could be in any other ; and, therefore, it 
 must be understood of him. Blayney. 
 
 he upon his throne. — b. Ar. read lyD* bv, on his right hand. 
 
 counsel of peace. — Zerubbabel and Joshua shall firmly unite in 
 
 promoting the public good. 
 
 14. croivn. — So 6. Ar. Syr. 
 
 for Heldai. — So Syr. and Houbigant. abn is plainly a coiTupt 
 
 reading. 
 
 and for Josiah the son. — So Syr. And Houbigant observes that we 
 
 must read thus, or n-jsv laSi, and for the .son of Zephaniah. 
 
CH. VII.] ZECflARIAH. 319 
 
 15 for a memorial in the temple of Jehovah. And they 
 that are far off shall come and build in the temple of 
 Jehovah : and ye shall know that Jehovah God of hosts 
 hath sent me unto you : and this shall come to pass, if 
 ye will diligently hearken unto the voice of Jehovah 
 your God. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 And it came to pass, in the fourth year of Darius the 
 king, that the word of Jehovah came unto Zechariah on 
 
 memorial. — Of the pious zeal of these persons ; when, after having 
 
 been publicly worn by them, they are hung up in the temple. 
 
 /a>- off. — As in the building of Solomon's temple, at which the 
 
 Tyrians assisted. 
 
 " This is a plain prediction of the coming in of the Gentiles, whom 
 St. Paul expressly calls ol fiuKpav ovtiq, Eph. ii. 13, to build or constitute a 
 part of the Christian church. Blayney. 
 
 ye shall knoiv. — As the foregoing words respect the conversion of 
 
 the Gentiles, so do these both the unbelief and conversion of the Jews, of 
 whom it is said, that they would then be assured of the truth of the pro- 
 phet's mission, when they should be disposed to hearken to the divine call. 
 Blayuey. 
 
 and this shall come to pass. — Syr. omits n*m. Houbigant places the 
 
 whole clause at the beginning of the verse. " And it shall come to pass, if 
 \e will diligently hearken unto the voice of Jehovah your God, that they 
 who are far off," &c. 
 
 Chap. VII. 1. In these two chapters (vii. viii.) is contained a third and 
 distinct revelation made to Zechariah, about two years after the former, of 
 which the occasion and matter are as follows : A considerable progress 
 having, by this time, been made in the rebuilding of the temple, and 
 affairs going on pretty smoothly, the hopes of the Jewish nation began to 
 revive, and a deputation was sent to inquire of the priests and the pro- 
 phets, whether it was God's will that they should continue to observe the 
 fast, which had been instituted on account of the city and temple having 
 
320 ZECHARIAH. [CH. VII. 
 
 the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chisleu : 
 
 2 (Now Sharezer, and Regem-melech and his men, had 
 
 been sent to the House of God, to entreat the face of 
 
 been burned by the Chaldeans. To this the prophet is directed to reply. 
 That this, and another fast of the like kind, being of their own appoint- 
 ment, regarded themselves only, and not God; that which he required of 
 them was the practice of moral righteousness, like as he had enjoined it to 
 their fathers, who, disregarding his injunctions, had brought upon them- 
 selves and upon their country, all the evil which they had recently expe- 
 rienced. Having thus accounted for God's past severity, the prophet goes 
 on to inform them, that the anger of Jehovah was now appeased, and he was 
 again disposed to be gracious unto his people and to restore Jerusalem. 
 He exhorts them, therefore, to proceed vigorously with the building of the 
 temple ; and assures them that they would, from that instant, experience a 
 happy revolution in their affairs. He renews his exhortation to the 
 practice of moral goodness ; and promises, that on that condition, their 
 fasts should be turned into joyful feasts, and they should be so dis- 
 tinguished by the divine favour, that many nations should be eager to 
 embrace their religion and sue for their alliance. Blayney. 
 
 Chisleu. — This month corresponded with the latter part of 
 
 November and the beginning of December. Blayney. 
 
 2. had been sent. — One had sent. See on Jon. iii. 7. Et miserunt, 
 
 V. It is plain, says Houbigant, that all the people and the priests had 
 sent. See v. 5. However, the construction may be, Now Sharezer, and 
 Regem-melech and his men, had sent, &c. See Numb. xvi. 1. And a 
 reply, addressed to all, may have been given to the doubt of a few leading 
 men. " 6. Vulg. translate — that Sharezer &c. sent. And so Ch. is most 
 naturally understood. And it is the easiest construction." Seeker. 
 
 I do not think that bN-n-a is any where used in Scripture for the temple 
 or tabernacle of Jehovah, but simply denotes the city or district of Bethel. 
 If it be so understood here, then every grammatical difficulty will vanish, 
 and it will be only necessary to conceive, that the community of Bethel 
 had sent a deputation of its citizens, ruox, with Sharezer and Regem- 
 melech at their head, to inquire of the Lord by means of the priests who 
 officiated in the house of Jehovah of hosts (so the temple is distinguished), 
 ■whether they should or should not continue the fast specified, the reason 
 of it having in a manner ceased. It may, however, be remarked, that the 
 answer dictated to Zechariah is addressed to all the people of the land 
 generally, and not to the inquirers only, because the matter was of 
 universal concernment. All the ancient versions, except the Vulgate, con- 
 sider Bethel here as the proper name ; and in eight MSS. of the best note, 
 
CH. VII.] ZECHARIAH. 321 
 
 3 Jehovah : Speaking unto the priests who were in the 
 House of Jehovah God of hosts, and unto the prophets, 
 saying; Shall I weep in the fifth month, separating 
 
 4 myself, as I have done these so many years ?) Even the 
 word of Jehovah God of hosts came unto me, saying: 
 
 5 Speak unto all the people of the land, and unto the 
 priests, saying ; When ye fasted and mourned in the 
 fifth month and in the seventh month, even those seventy 
 
 6 years, did ye * indeed fast unto me, even unto me ? And 
 when ye ate, and when ye drank, did ye not eat unto 
 
 7 yourselves, and did ye not drink ^into yourselves ? Are 
 not these the words which Jehovah proclaimed by f the 
 
 * Heb. fast fasting. t Heb. by the band of. 
 
 collected by Dr. Kennicott, and two of the most ancient editions, bxri-a is 
 described as a single word without the Makkaph. Blayney. 
 
 3. the fifth month. — The temple, and the houses and walls of 
 
 Jerusalem, were destroyed in this month, 2 Kings xxv. 8 — 10. 
 
 5. and mourned. — The versions, Chald., and our translators render, 
 
 as if in the original they read amSDi ; or, as Houbigant proposes, insiDns 
 We may read iiSD, cum jejunaretis plangendo. So ^V3^, separando me, v. 3. 
 See on Haggai i. 4. 
 
 the seventh month. — Gedaliah, whom Nebuchadnezzar had ap- 
 pointed ruler of the Jews, was murdered in that month, which was a 
 source of new calamities, 2 Kings xxv. 25, 2<). Jer. xli. 1, 10. xliv. 12. 
 
 even those seventy years. — Nine MSS. and one ed. read nr without 
 
 the vau. 
 
 fast unto me. — Twenty-five MSS. read -jinoy ; which is the regular 
 
 form with the affix, and equivalent to -b ono!^. See Numb. xx. 5. Buxt. 
 Thes. Gramm. p. 510. 
 
 even unto me. — For a like form, see 1 Kings xxi. 19. Prov. xxii. 
 
 19. xxiii. 15. Ps. ix. 7. Affixi et iutegri ejusdem repetitio emphasin 
 elegantem notat. Buxt. Thes. Gramm. p. 413. Schultens Animadv. Phil, 
 refers to 1 Sam. xxv. 24. 
 
 6. eat unto yourselves. — Here the construction may be conformable 
 
 to that of *DX ; or aob, vobis, may be understood. When ye offered 
 sacrifices, after which ye feasted, did ye not, in this religious act, regard 
 yourselves more than me ? 
 
 7. the words. — That dk is often used before the nominative case 
 
 see Noldius. " 6. Ch. Vulg. quasi legissent hVk pro nx.'' Seeker. This 
 V. may refer to v. 5, d •■ Did not the former prophets make like declarations 
 
322 ZECHAHIAH. [CH. VII. 
 
 former prophets, when Jerusalem remained still and 
 prospered: and her cities round about her, and the 
 
 8 south, and the plain, were inhabited? Then the word 
 of Jehovah came unto Zechariah, saying : 
 
 9 Thus spake Jehovah God of hosts, saying ; 
 Judge true J judgment, 
 
 And shew mercy and § compassion 
 Every man to his brother : 
 
 10 And the widow, and the orphan. 
 
 And the stranger, and the poor, oppress not : 
 Neither imagine in your heart 
 Every man evil against his brother. 
 
 11 But they refused to hearken, 
 
 % Heb. the judgment of truth. $ Heb. compassions. 
 
 'j\ To sit denotes a state of permanent order j 
 Esnce, a female figure, sitting in a chair of state, 
 
 concerning tlie inefficacy of your external observances? See Isa. Iviii. 
 6, &c. &c. It may also refer to u. 9 . And did not tbe former prophets 
 insist on the superior excellence of moral duties ? Amos v. 24. Micah vi. 
 8, &c. &c. 
 
 remained still and prospered. — Sedens erat et tranquilla. See ch. 
 
 i. 11. 
 
 Heb. " was sitting." nawv 
 and security, Ps. cxxv. Hence, 
 is the ordinary symbol, or the ancient one, to represent a city or nation 
 whose constitution is entire and unmolested. But when it is overturned 
 and ruined, the woman is seen cast from her seat, and lying or sitting on 
 the ground. Blayney. 
 
 the south, and the plain. — See on Obadiah 19. 
 
 were inhabited. — We should read aifv, which agrees with 233n, and 
 
 is converted into the past tense by the distant vau. The vau is omitted in 
 ch. ix. 5. xii. 6, but thirteen MSS. and two ed. insert it. 
 
 9. spake. — Dixerat. Houbigant. Speakclli. Spoke. Seeker. 
 
 10. And the stranger. — Ten MSS. and four ed. read nai, with the 
 
 ancient versions and Chald. The order of the next clause in the He- 
 brew is, 
 
 " And evil every man against his brother 
 Imagine not in your heart." See ch. viii. 17. 
 
 1 1 . But they. — That is, they to whom God had spoken by the former 
 prophets, and who, for their disobedience, were punished as follows. 
 Blayney. 
 
CH. VIII.] ZECHARIAH. 323 
 
 And II withdrew the shoulder, 
 
 And made their ears dull that they might not hear : 
 
 1 2 Yea, they made their heart as an adamant-stone, 
 That they might not hear the law, and the words, 
 Which Jehovah God of hosts sent by his Spirit, 
 By * the former prophets. 
 
 Therefore came great anger 
 From Jehovah God of hosts. 
 
 13 And it came to pass that, as I called and they heark- 
 
 ened not, 
 So they called and I hearkened not, 
 Saith Jehovah God of hosts. 
 14. But I scattered them as with a whirlwind among all the 
 
 nations 
 Whom they knew not : 
 And the land was desolate after them, so that no man 
 
 passed through nor returned ; 
 And they made a f pleasant land a X desolation. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 1 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying ; 
 
 II Heb. gave a withdrawing shoulder. * Heb. the hand of. 
 t Heb. a land of desire. | Heb. for a desolation. 
 
 And withdrew. — This line occurs Neh. ix. 29. The metaphor is 
 
 taken from beasts that decline the yoke. See Hos. iv. 16. 
 
 12. an adaynant-stone. — Bochart shows that TOtt' means a hard 
 
 stone, used to polish gems. Hieroz. P. II. 842. 
 
 1 3. / called. — We may read xmp participially. 
 
 14. / scattered them as ivith a whirlwind. — This sublime metaphor 
 
 is expressed by a single word in the original. 
 
 they hneiv not. — " Quas nesciebant eas," the a being elegantly 
 
 redundant, as Isa. liii. 4. 
 
 after them. — After their departure. Boch. Hieroz. P. II. L. IV. 
 
 c. iv. p. 474. 
 
 Chap. VIII. 1. came unto me. — Twenty-one MSS, and four ed. 
 
324 ZECHARIAH. [CH. VIII. 
 
 2 'i'hus saith Jehovah God of hosts : 
 
 I have been jealous for Sion with a great jealousy, 
 And with great wrath have I been jealous for her. 
 
 3 Thus saith Jehovah God of hosts : 
 I have returned unto Sion, 
 
 And I w\\\ dwell * in Jerusalem : 
 And Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth ; 
 And the mountain of Jehovah God of hosts, an f holy 
 mountain. 
 
 4 Thus saith Jehovah God of hosts : 
 Old men and old women shall yet dwell 
 
 * Heb. in the midst of. t Heb. a mountain of holiness. 
 
 read "raxb ^bx, and three other MSS. read so originally. This is also the 
 reading of Syr. Chald. and of 6. MS. Pachom. Trpoe fit Xtywv. 
 Addit Syr. ^bv post -nn. Ch. -r^v post mx3v. Seeker. 
 
 2. jealovsrj — tvrath. — Exercised against her oppressors. " Was 
 
 jealous. Have been, or am, zealous. Jealousy. Zeal. See Lowth." 
 Secter. " In the note, ch. i. 14, I gave it as my opinion, that the 
 jealousy there spoken of, was God's resentment against his people for their 
 disloyalty and misbehaviour towards him, and was totally distinct from the 
 anger with which he is said, in the following verse, to have heen angry 
 with the nations that oppressed them, whilst labouring under the divine 
 dipleasure. In this opinion I am confirmed by the present passage, where 
 not the least mention is made of the persecuting nations ; but God's foimer 
 wrath, the effect of his jealousy, which had led him to punish his offending 
 people with great severity, is contrasted with his present pacific and benign 
 disposition, which would engage him, like a relenting husband, to go 
 home again to his wife, and to treat her with all the marks of renewed 
 regard and affection. That God's jealousy bespeaks wrath towards the 
 objects of it, needs no other proof than his own words. Numb. xxv. 11." 
 Blayney. 
 
 3. God of hosts. — V. and eight MSS. add mN3v, agreeably to the 
 
 other places throughout the chapter where this solemn e.xordium occurs. 
 
 a city of truth. - See Zeph. iii. 13. 
 
 " The city of the truth." The article n before nox, denotes the truth by 
 way of eminence, or the true religion ; so that Jerusalem was to be cele- 
 brated in future, as the city in which the true religion was particularly 
 professed ; as the mountain of hosts (meaning the niounttvin of the temple) 
 was to be for the residence of the most holy one. Blayney. 
 
 an holy mountain. — On the restoration of the temple. 
 
CH. VIII.] ZECHARIAH. 325 
 
 In the streets of Jerusalem : 
 
 Even the man that hath his staff in his hand for the 
 number of his years. 
 
 5 And the streets of the city shall be filled 
 
 With boys and ivith girls playing in the streets thereof. 
 
 6 Thus saith Jehovah God of hosts : 
 Though it be J wonderful in the eyes 
 
 Of the residue of this people in those days ; 
 Shall it also be § wondei-ful in mine eyes, 
 Saith Jehovah God of hosts : 
 
 7 Thus saith Jehovah God of hosts : 
 Behold, I will save my people 
 
 From the east-country, and from the country of sun- 
 setting: 
 
 8 And I will bring them, and they shall dwell 1| in Jeru- 
 
 salem ; 
 And they shall be * my people, 
 And I will be f their God 
 In truth and in righteousness. 
 
 9 Thus saith Jehovah God of hosts : 
 Let your hands be strong, 
 
 X Or, difficult. § Or, difficult. || Heb. in the midst of. 
 
 * Heb. to me for a people. t Heb. to them for a God. 
 
 4. Jerusalem. — The walls of this city were not dedicated, Neh. xii. 
 
 27, till above sixty years after this prophecy. 
 
 6. be wonderful. — "Shall it also be hard." So Gen. xviii. 14. 
 
 in mn-o xba-n. " Is any thing too hard for the Lord ?" Blayney. 
 
 8. And I will bring them. — Arab, and 6. MS. Pachoni. add into their 
 land, oviK ha, which the place seems to require, 
 
 " And I will bring them into their land, 
 And they shall dwell in Jerusalem." 
 
 7nT/ people. — Comp. Jer. xxxi. 33. 
 
 In truth and in righteousness. — With faithfulness as to my pro- 
 mises ; and with favour and kindness towards those who obey me. " These 
 words apply equally to God and his people ; and imply that they shall on 
 both sides truly and faithfully perform all the conditions of the covenant 
 once more renewed between them." Blayney. 
 
326 ZECHARIAH. [CH VIII, 
 
 Ye that hear, in tliese days, 
 
 These words from the mouth of the prophets 
 
 Who live in the time when the foundation of the House 
 
 of Jehovah God of hosts is laid, 
 Even the temple, that it may be built. 
 
 10 For before those days 
 
 There was no recompence to men, 
 
 Neither was there any recompence to beasts : 
 
 And to him that went out, or came in, there was no peace, 
 
 because of distress : 
 For I set all men, every one against his neighbour. 
 
 1 1 But now I icill not 6e, as in former days, 
 To the residue of this people, 
 
 Saith Jehovah God of hosts. 
 
 12 For the seed shall he % prosperous; 
 
 X Heb. peace, or, of peace. 
 
 9. hi these days. — " These days," stands opposed to " the day in 
 
 which the foundation of the temple was laid," which was two years before. 
 And the people are exhorted to proceed vigorously with the building, inas- 
 much as they now heard the same things repeated to them by the mouth 
 of the prophets, which had prevailed on them first to engage in it. The 
 ellipsis of the verb after -wh is supplied from the preceding participle 
 wviyvn. Comp. this passage with Haggai ii. 15 — 19. Blayney. 
 
 Who live in the time. — 6. Syr. Vulg. quasi legissent ^^i'K nva : 
 
 nee male. Seeker. 
 
 Even the temple. — Omittit Syr. Seeker. 
 
 10. no recompence. — No fruit of their labours, from my curse on 
 
 the produce of their ground. See Haggai i. (5, 9, 10, 11. We should read 
 i3rj< for r^1YH. 
 
 distress. — Ezra iv. 1 — 4. 
 
 11. former days. — When I was displeased with my people 
 
 12 the seed. — ^^'e may render. For the seed-time shall be a time of 
 
 peace. See Gen. viii. 22. Syr. reads obtfa, i«, or jotM, pmce; as Houbi- 
 gant observes. 6. Ar. read nxnN, / tvill shotv peace. " 6. quasi legissent 
 yniK, sic enim ter vertunt SiiKvvfii." Seeker. 
 
 " I will sow peace." yii is the participle present, and being so taken, 
 needs no alteration. In the preceding verse, God says, " I will not be to 
 the residue of this people such as I was in former days," that is, a sower of 
 discord, as ver. 10, but di'^uti y-n, " a sower of peace." To smv peace, or 
 prosperity is to provide for its springing up in due time. Blavncy. 
 
(If. VIII.] ZECHAniAII. 327 
 
 The vine shall yield its fruit, 
 And the ground shall yield its increase, 
 And the heavens shall yield their dew : 
 And I will cause the residue of this people to possess 
 All these thinrjs. 
 13 And it shall come to pass that, as ye have been a curse 
 among the nations, 
 
 house of Judah, and O house of Israel, 
 
 1 will so save you that ye shall be a blessing. 
 Fear ye not : let your hands be strong. 
 
 14. For thus saith Jehovah God of hosts : 
 As I thought to do you evil, 
 When your fathers provoked me to anger, 
 Saith Jehovah God of hosts. 
 And I repented not ; 
 
 15 So § have I again thought, in these days. 
 To do good unto Jerusalem, 
 
 And unto the house of Judah. Fear ye not. 
 
 16 These are the things which ye shall do : 
 Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour : 
 
 II Determine the truth, and the judgment of peace, in 
 your gates. 
 
 17 Neither imagine in your heart 
 
 ^ Heb. I have returned I have thoughti j] ITeb. judge. 
 
 13. of Israel. — Many of the ten U-ibes may be supposed to have re- 
 turned from captivity in consequence of Cyrus's decree. 
 
 15. again tlwiujht — 6. Ar. Syr. read *n^on. But see Dan. iv. 2;'). 
 
 16. Delermine. — Pronounce true, or righteous, judgment; and such 
 
 as tends to produce peace among men, by deterring the litigious and 
 punishing the evil doer. Syr. and three jMSS. read cnbii-l : Determine truth, 
 and judgment, and peace, &c. . See v. 19. But Ar. and 6. MS. Pachuui. 
 omit nrjN, the truth. 
 
 " And determine the judgment of peace in your gates." 
 
 ]~. Neither. — The order in the Hebrew is> 
 
 "And every man evil against his neighbour 
 Imagine not in your heart." 
 
 .See ch. vii. 10. 
 B 3 
 
328 ZECHAIIIAH [CFI. VHI. 
 
 Every man evil against his neighbour : 
 And love not a * false oath, 
 For all these are things 
 Which I hate, saith Jehovah. 
 
 18 And the word of Jehovah God of hosts came unto me, 
 
 saying ; 
 
 1 9 Thus saith Jehovah God of hosts : 
 
 The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth 
 
 month, 
 And the fast of the seventh month, and the fast of the 
 
 tenth month. 
 Shall be unto the house of Judah for joy and for gladness, 
 And for cheerful seasons. 
 But love ye the truth and peace. 
 
 20 Thus saith Jehovah God of hosts : 
 
 It shall yet come to pass that [many] f people shall come. 
 And the inhabitants of many cities : 
 
 21 And the inhabitants of one city shall go 
 
 * fleb. an oath of falsehood. t Heb. peoples. 
 
 Mr I.owtli has an important remark on these two verses ; that tlie pro- 
 mises made to the Jews after the captivity were conditional. 
 
 19. fourth month. — In wliich Jerusalem was taken, Jer. Hi. G. 
 
 lenlh month. — In which the siege of Jerusalem was begun, Jcr. 
 
 Hi. 4. For the two other months, sec on ch. vii. 3, 5. 
 
 But love. — " Therefore love ye truth and peace." Blayney. 
 
 20. It shall T/et. — Nine MSS. and three ed. read T^y, and Noldius 
 
 agrees with the versions and Chald. in rendering nu'N mv, ad/itic. But if 
 we read nu'x ny, until, we must supply at the beginning of the verse, Do 
 this, until, &c. 
 
 The design of these four verses is evidently to show the high degree of 
 estimation in which Jerusalem and the Jews would hereafter be held by 
 foreign nations, when those among them who were piously disposed to wor- 
 ship the true God, would come to worship him at Jerusalem as a place of 
 peculiar sanctity ; and those who wanted protection would humbly sue to 
 a Jew for it, convinced that the men of that nation were especial objects of 
 divine favour. See ch. ii. 11. Blayney. 
 
 mani/ people. — Many of the gentiles. 6. Ar. and one ]\IS. add 
 
 Q'm, tninii/. See r 22. 
 
CH. IX.] ZECHARIAH. 329 
 
 Unto another, saying ; 
 
 Let us surely go to entreat the face of Jehovah, 
 
 And to seek Jehovah God of hosts : 
 
 I will go also. 
 
 22 And many :j: people and mighty nations shall come 
 To seek Jehovah God of hosts in Jerusalem, 
 And to entreat the face of Jehovah. 
 
 23 Thus saith Jehovah God of hosts : 
 
 That in those days ten men shall take hold, 
 
 From among all the languages of the nations, 
 
 They shall even take hold of the skirt of him that is a 
 
 Jew, 
 Saying ; We will go with you : 
 For we have heard that God is with you. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 1 The prophecy of the word of Jehovah : 
 t Heb. peoples. 
 
 21. to entreat the face. — "To supplicate the favour." Blayney. So 
 
 V. 22. 
 
 And to seek. — "And to seek Jehovah of hosts will I go also." 
 
 Blayney. 
 
 23. ten men. — That is, many men. See on Micah v. 5. 
 
 take hold of the skirt. — See Isa. iii. 6 ; iv, 1 ; 1 Sam. xv, 27; Bishop 
 
 Lowth's note on the first passage, and Harmer ii. 32. It is a gesture natu- 
 rally used to entreat assistance and protection. This and the three fore- 
 going verses refer to the great accession of converts which the Jewish church 
 received between the captivity and the coming of Christ, to the number of 
 Christian disciples which the Jewish preachers made, and to the future 
 conversions of which the restoration of the Jews will be an eminent cause. 
 
 go with you. — o. Ar. Syr. read i^v, iclth thee. 
 
 Chap. IX. 1. The prophecy. — J. Mede, in his remarks on Matt, xxvii. 
 9, 10. Epist. xxxi., says: " It may seem the Evangelist would inform us 
 that those latter chapters ascribed to Zachary, namely, the ninth, tenth, 
 eleventh, ^cc, are indeed the prophecies of Jeremy, and that the Je\\s had 
 
 B B 2 
 
330 ZECIIARIAH. [Cll. IX 
 
 On the land of Hadrach, and on Damascus, * shall it 
 rest: 
 
 * Heb. shall be the resting thereof. 
 
 not rightly attributed them. Certainly, if a man weigh the contents of 
 some of them, they should in likelihood be of an elder date than the time 
 of Zachary ; namely, before the captivity : for the subjects of some of them 
 were scarce in being after that time. And the chapter out of which St. Mat- 
 thew quotes, ch. xi, may seem to have somewhat mucli unsuitable wiih 
 Zachary's time ; as a prophecy of the destruction of the temple, than when 
 he was to encourage them to build it. And how doth the sixth verse of 
 that chapter suit with his time ? There is no scripture saith they are 
 Zachary's, but there is a scripture saith they are Jeremy's, as this of the 
 evangelist. As for there being joined to the prophecies of Zachary, that 
 proves no more they are his, than the like adjoining of Agur's proverbs to 
 Solomon's proves they are therefore Solomon's; or that all the psalms are 
 David's because joined in one volume with David's psalms." See more, 
 Epist. Ixi. *' As for the titles in the tops of every page, it matters not; it 
 is a later device. The Jews wrote in rolls or volumes, and the title was but 
 once. If ought were added to the roll, ob similitudinem argumenti, or for 
 some other reason, it had a new title, as that of Agur; or perhaps none, 
 
 hut was avuvv/xov." " It is certain, that Jeremy's prophecies are digested 
 
 in no order, but only as it seems they came to light in the scribe's hands. 
 Hence sometimes all is ended with Zedekiah ; then we are brought back 
 lo Jehoiakim, then to Zedekiah again, &c. Wliereby it seems they came 
 not to light to be enrolled secundum ordinem temporis, nor all together, but 
 as it happened in so distracted a time. And why might not some not be 
 found till the return from captivity, and be approved by Zachary, and so 
 put to his volume according to the time of their finding and approbation by 
 him, and after that some other prophecies yet added of his?'' See Wolf. 
 Cur. Phil. IMatt. xxvii. 8. Hammond on Heb. viii. 9. Kidder, Dem. Mess. 
 Part II. c. iii. p. 75. 2d. ed. fol. Dr. Owen on the Septuagint Version, p. 
 57. Randolph's texts cited in the N. T. n. 28. Kidder's words are, " This 
 is certain, that such things are contained in these chapters as agree well 
 with the time of Jeremiah, but by no means with that of Zechariah." He 
 quotes ch. ix. 5. x. 11, and he supposes that, ch. xiv. 5, there is a reference 
 to a recent fact. 
 
 In MS. 195, Bibl. Kenn. this chapter is divided from ch. viii. by the 
 breadth of one line ; but between the preceding chapters there is not so 
 great a distance. 
 
 Fn the English bibles, the chronological date to ch. viii. is. Before Christ 
 518 ; but to ch. ix. Before Christ cir. 587 ; which latter is the year in which 
 
CU. IX.] ZECUARIAH. 331 
 
 (For the eye of Jehovah is over man. 
 
 Jerusalem was taken by the Babylonians. But, ch. ii. 4, Zecliariah is called 
 ni?:, a young man. 
 
 The eight first chapters appear by the introductory parts, to be the pro- 
 phecies of Zecliariah, stand in connection with each other, are pertinent to 
 the time when they were delivered, are uniform in style and manner, and 
 constitute a regular whole. But the last six chapters are not expressly 
 assigned to Zechariah ; are unconnected with those which precede ; the 
 three first of them are unsuitable in many parts to the tim.e when Zecha- 
 riah lived ; all of them have a more adorned and poetical turn of composi- 
 tion than the eight first chapters, see prsl. Heb. 282, and they manifestly 
 break the unity of the prophetical book. 
 
 I conclude from internal marks in ch. ix. x. xi. that these three chapters 
 were written much earlier than the time of Jeremiah, and before the cap- 
 tivity of the ten tribes. Israel is mentioned, ch. ix. 1. xi. 14 ; [but that this 
 argument is inconclusive, see Mai. ii. 11.] Ephraim, ch. ix. 10, 13. x. 7. 
 and Assyria, ch. x. 10, 11. Other remarks will be made in the notes. 
 They seem to suit Hosea's age and manner. But whoever wrote them, 
 their divine authority is established by the two quotations from them in the 
 New Testament, ch. ix. 9. xi. 12, 13. 
 
 The twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth chapters form a distinct prophecy 
 and were written after the death of Josiah, ch. xii. 11 ; but whether before 
 or after the captivity, and by what prophet, is luicertaiu. Though I 
 incline to think, that the author lived before the destruction of Jerusalem 
 by the Babylonians. See on ch. xiii. 2 — 6- They are twice quoted in the 
 New Testament, ch. xii, 10. xiii. 7. 
 
 " Before we proceed further, it may not be amiss to take into considera- 
 tion the conclusiveness of certain arguments which have been brought to 
 prove that Zechariah could not have been the author of the six chapters 
 that follow. 
 
 " First, it is alleged, that the Evangelist St. Matthew, ch. xxvii. 9, cites 
 a passage found in Zech. xi. 13, as spoken, not by Zechariah, but by the 
 prophet Jeremiah, ha It^tfiiov tov Trpotpijrov. But is it not possible, nay, is 
 it not much more probable, that the word Upeixiov may have been written 
 by mistake, by some transcribers of Matthew's gospel, than that those of the 
 Jewish church who settled the canon of scripture, of whom Zechariah him- 
 self is supposed to have been one, should have been so grossly ignorant of 
 the right author of these chapters as to place them under a wrong name ? 
 It is not, I think, pretended that these chapters have been found in any 
 copy of the Old Testament otherwise placed than as they now stand. But 
 in the New Testament there are not wanting authorities for omitting the 
 word Ifpffiiov. Nor is it impossible to account plausibly for the wrong 
 
332 ZECHAUIAH. [CH. IX. 
 
 And over all the tribes of Israel :) 
 
 insertion of Itpf/ijov, Alatt. xxvii. 9, by observing that exactly the same words 
 occur Matt. ii. 17, where we read Tore iirXtipuBti to pri^tv viro (in some 
 copies lia ; see Wetstein.) liQtfuov rov TrpoipijTov, Xeyovrog. Now, sup- 
 posing the transcriber to liave had in liis copy either cia rov Trpo<pt]Tov only, 
 or dia Zaxaptov rov TTpoftjTov, yet carrying in his mind what he had written 
 a little before, he might inadvertently and without intention have written 
 the same over again, ;is will easily be granted by those who arc at all used 
 to transcribe. 
 
 " Secondly, it is urged, that many things are mentioned in these chapters 
 which by no means correspond with Zechariah's time, as when events are 
 foretold which had actually taken place. But it may be questioned 
 whether those subjects of prophecy have been rightly understood ; and 
 whether that which has been construed as having a reference to past traus- 
 actions, may not in reality terminate in others of a later period, and some 
 perhaps which are yet to come. 
 
 "Thirdly, another argument is drawn from ch. xi., which contains a 
 prophecy of the destruction of the temple and people of the Jews ; ' a pro- 
 phecy,' it is said, ' not agreeable to the scope of Zechariah's commission, 
 who, together with Haggai, was sent to encourage the people lately 
 returned from captivity to build their temple, and to instaurate their com- 
 monwealth.' J. Mede. Epist. Ixi. I grant that this was the general 
 scope of Zechariah's commission in the eight first chapters ; and that it 
 would not have been ' a fit lime to foretell the destruction of both the 
 temple and commonwealth, while they were but yet a building.' But, 
 between the date of those first chaptei-s, and that of the succeeding ones, 
 many circumstances might have occurred, and certainly did occur, to give 
 rise to a commission of a very different complexion from the foregoing. 
 The former are expressly dated in the second and fourth years of the reign 
 of Darius; to the hilter no date at all is annexed. Darius is sup- 
 posed to have reigned thirty-six years; and the Jews have a tradition, 
 that the three prophets, Haggai, Zcchariah, and Malachi, did not 
 die before the last year of that king's reign. Admitting then, that 
 Zcchariah prophesied again toward the close of his life, he may well be 
 supposed to have published, without any incongruity after such an interval 
 what would not altogether have accorded witli the period and purport of 
 his first commission. And, as there is good reason to believe this was the 
 case, so upon this ground we may not improbably conclude him to have 
 been that very Zcchariah of whom our Saviour spake as slain between the 
 temple and the altar, RIatt. xxiii. 35. For he was, according to our Sa- 
 viour's description, the son of Barachiah; and comes in, where, from what 
 is said of him, he might naturally le expected, at the dose of that scrie.-^ of 
 
ClI. IX.] ZECHAUrAH. 333 
 
 2 And also on Hamath, which bordereth thereby ; 
 
 prophets who were put to death in the faithful discharge of their duty. 
 That he was become obnoxious to his countrymen may be collected from 
 ch. xi. 8. And if the records of the Old Testament are silent concerning 
 his death, let it be remembered, that it was a very small part of them, if 
 any, that was written after that event. 
 
 " Lastly, upon the same supposition, the allowed difference of style and 
 manner may be accounted for, not only as arising from the diversity of the 
 subject, but from the difl'erent age of the author, who may well be credited 
 to have written with more dignity in his advanced years, than when he 
 was but a youth as he is said to be, ch. ii. 4. Upon the whole, this con- 
 clusion may be drawn, that, setting aside the doubtful authority of St. 
 Matthew's text, there is nothing else to be found sufficient to invalidate the 
 title of Zechaviah to the chapters in question. 
 
 " Though it may be doubted whether any more than a small part of the 
 foregoing chapters be metrical, it is very evident that all that follow are so 
 altogether. 
 
 " This chapter begins witli announcing the fate of the Syrians, Sidonians, 
 and Philistines, contrasted with the better prospects of the Jewish nation. 
 It fortels the coming of the Messiah to Jerusalem, and the peace of his 
 kingdom. The restoration of Israel and Judah is afterwards predicted, 
 together with a series of glorious victories and great prosperity, which are 
 set forth at large in this and the following chapter." Blayuey. 
 
 Iladracli. — A name for the valley of Damascus. Boch. Geogr. L. 
 
 II. c. vi. The name of a place near Damascus, according to some Jewish 
 Rabbles. Calmet's Comm. 
 
 No such name as Hadrach occurs in scripture ; but a Syrian king, who 
 is called Rehob, 2 Sam. viii. .3, is by Josephus named Apaoff or Apaxoc, 
 which probably was his proper and real name ; that of Rehob, or the 
 Charioteer, having been added characteristically on account of the num- 
 ber of his chariots, 2 Sam. viii. 4. This prince reigned over that part 
 of Syria which was called Zobah : so that, if by the land of Hadrach, or 
 Arach, l)e meant the kingdom of Zobah, the three capital kingdoms of 
 Syria, Zobah, Damascus, and Hamath, will then be cited for the whole. 
 Blayney. 
 
 shall it rest. — God's anger rests on those whom he punishes, Ezek. 
 
 V. 13. xvi. 42. xxiv. 13. And his rod, or his arm, rests on his enemies, 
 Ps. cxxv. 3. Isa. XXX. 32. The punctuation and rendering are suggested 
 by Taylor, Cone. Voc. mD. 
 
 Damascus. — " The prophecies against Damascus and the Philis- 
 tines would better befit Jeremy's time, of their destruction by Nebuchad- 
 nezzar, than (if of Zachary's time) by Alexander. Sec the prophecy 
 
334 ZKCIIAHIAH. [CII. IX. 
 
 On 1 vr«.', and uii ISidun, tliougli slie be very wise. 
 
 against Damascus, Jev. xlix. '23 ; against ihe Philistines, xlvii. 2, and 
 Ezek. XXV. 15. For where do we find Damascus destroyed from Zachary's 
 to our Saviour's time ? For to come under tlic hands of new masters, or 
 suffer some direption or piUagint^^ dotli not seem to satisfy the intent of 
 the jirophecy. And for the Philistines, though it be true that Alexander 
 destroyed Gaza, (because it held out long against liim, and he was 
 wounded there,) yet it appears not that any such desolation befel Askelon 
 whereby it should not be inhabited, or Ashdod ; nor should they seem in 
 Zachary's time to have so well recovered that cluilen by Nebuchadnezzar, 
 as to be a subject ripe for a new prophecy to that purpose. 
 
 " That of Tyre, r. 3, 1 doubt whether it so well befits her that had so lately 
 been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar ; sure not so well as it would the time 
 of Jeremy. See Ezekiel's prophecies thereabout, ch. xxvi. xxvii. xxviii.'' 
 J. Mede Epist. Ixi. 
 
 Damascus was betrayed by a Persian governor into the hands of Par- 
 mcnio, one of Alexander's generals; but, it seems, without bloodshed. 
 Prideaux, P. I. Anno 333. Curt. HI. c. 13. Arrian. L. ii. 15. 
 
 Nor could Zechariah prophesy of the Syrian conquests by Pharaoh Necho 
 or Nebuchadnezzar; because in the second year of Darius Hystaspis he is 
 called a youth, see ch. i. 7. ii. 4 ; that is, according to Blair, 42 years after 
 the death of Nebuchadnezzar; and probably fifty after his invasion of 
 Syria. 
 
 is over man. — Houbigant supplies Vv before sin. Or a may be 
 
 supplied, or perhaps understood ; as the preposition very often is. Thus 
 the sense is agreeable to the ancient versions, where we find, " For the 
 Lord seeth men," &c. " For the sons of man are manifest to the Lord,'' 
 &c. "Or, For the eye over man, &:c., belongs to the Lord. So 6. Ch. 
 Syr." Seeker. 
 
 aiK TV, oculus honiinem respiciens. Casus secundus apud IIebra;os 
 sajpe objectum dcnotat. Matt. x. 1. Act. iv. 3. Gal. iii. 22. I'ahrdt in 
 Joelem iii. 19. 
 
 " When toward Jehovah shall he the eyes of men, and of all the tribes 
 of Israel." I cannot conceive how these words can be made to signify, 
 " the eyes of Jehovah over man," as represented by Houbigant and the 
 ancient versions. The order of the words leads plainly to our present 
 English translation. And this implies that a time would come wlien men, 
 and the tribes of Israel in particular, should turn their eyes towards 
 .fehovah, either in hope of deriving some blessings from him, or in grati- 
 tude for mercies receivetl from him. Cut the scope of the prophecy goes 
 to show, that even at that time those devoted nations had no chance of 
 emerging; the burden would still rest or settle upon them. Blayney. 
 2. on IJamul/t. — o. have m' H^uiO, ed. A'al. probably suppl\iiig lli.- 
 
Clf. IX.] ZECHAKIAII. 335 
 
 3 Though Tyre hath built her a fortress, 
 And hath heaped up silver as dust, 
 And fine gold as the mire' of the streets ; 
 4 Behold, Jehovah will f cast her out, 
 And will smite her strength in the sea, 
 t Or, dispossess her. 
 
 preposition from the exigentia loci. I suppose that Hamath, on the river 
 Orontes, is meant. 
 
 which bordereth. — " Or, which borders. Michaelis." Seeker. 
 
 " And Hamath also shall be bordered by the enemy." That is, the enemy 
 shall come and possess himself of her coasts. This sense, which corresponds 
 with what is said of the two other Syrian kingdoms, on which the burden 
 should rest, is produced by simply reading -)-^r\^ for n)i na. nvn is used for 
 a foreign invader, ch. viii. 10, and the proposed combination will be found 
 to obviate many difficulties which follow the present reading of the text. 
 It is easy to see how ny came to be detached, and considered as meant for 
 Tyre ; Tyre and Sidon being frequently named together in scripture. But 
 Sidon is referred to singly in the following context as will appear from the 
 translation. Blayney. 
 
 and Sidon. — Sidon was the capital of Phoenicia, and mother of 
 
 Tyre ; for Justin informs us. Lib. XVIII. c. 3, that the Sidonians, when 
 their city was taken by the king of Ascalon, betook themselves to their 
 ships and built Tyre. Hence Tyre is called the daughter of Sidon, Isa. 
 xxiii. 12. 
 
 " And Sidon, though she be very wise; 
 And hath built Tyre a fortress for herself; 
 And hath heaped up silver as dust." 
 
 Blayney. 
 
 very wise. — See Ezek. xxviii. 3, 4, 5. Acutissimam gentem Pcenos 
 
 dixisse convenit, Imbecilliorem agrum, quam agricolam, esse debere. 
 Columella. 
 
 3. Tyre. — We have a paronomasia in niy and mri. 
 
 fine gold. — Gold ctit into ingots, or into coins ; from v"in concidere. 
 
 4. strength in the sea. — See Ezek. xxvi. 17. 
 
 The Sidonians (according to Diodorus Siculus), on the approach of an 
 army, sent against them by Ochus, king of Persia, first of all destroyed 
 their shipping at sea, and then retiring within the walls of the city, when 
 they found they could hold out no longer, set fire to their houses, and 
 burned themselves and their eftects together. Thus their power in the sea 
 was eifectually smitten, when, by liurning their ships, their commerce, the 
 source of their riches, was annihilated ; and their last act of desperation 
 completely verified the remaining part of the prophecy. No wonder if 
 
336 ZECHAUIAH. [CII. IX. 
 
 And slie sliall be devoured by fire. 
 
 5 Ashkelon shall see /Y, and shall fear ; 
 
 Gaza shall also see it, and shall be greatly pained : 
 
 And Ekron shall be pained, because her expectation is 
 
 put to shame : 
 And the king shall perish from Gaza ; 
 And Ashkelon shall not be inhabited : 
 
 6 And X strangers shall dwell in Ashdod ; 
 
 i Heb. a stranger. 
 
 their neighbours, the Philistines, were struck with consternation, at seeing 
 the fate of those on whose assistance they depended. Blayney. 
 
 5. see— fear. — The words in tlie original have a similar sound. Kin, 
 
 NTm. " Rather, and tremble greatly, or, be greatly afraid. For so the 
 word signifies, 1 Chron. xvi. 30. Ps. ii. 11. xcvii. 4. cix. 8. Jer. v. 22 ; 
 and elsewhere, to be in pain as of childbirth. But I know not that it is 
 used of grief; and understanding it of fear suits best with what precedes." 
 Seeker. 
 
 put to shainc. — Confiisa est spes ejus, V. I propose U'3in in Honhal; 
 
 though the verb does not occur in that form. Perhaps u'*k, or nnx, may be 
 understood ; " because one hath put to shame her expectation ;" which 
 form is often rendered passively. See on Jon. iii. 7. See parallel pro- 
 phecies, Amos i. 6, 7, 8. Zeph. ii. 4, 7. Jcr. xl\ii. " Or, it shall be 
 ashamed of its expectation." Seeker. 
 
 It is true that Alexander the Great took Sidon, Tyre, and Gaza. Jos. 
 Ant. XI. viii. 3. But see on Amos i. 8, that the prophecy was fulfilled by 
 Nebuchadnezzar. 
 
 the king. — By the title of king any chief ruler may be designed ; 
 
 so that the plain purport of the passage is, that Gaza should cease to enjoy 
 the benefit of civil government. Accordingly Gaza, having suffered 
 severely upon being taken by Alexander the Great, was at length totally 
 destroyed by Alexander Jannacus, one of the Asmonean kings of Judea ; 
 so that we find it spoken of Acts viii. 26. by the name of "Gaza which 
 is desert." Blayney. 
 
 iiihalited. — Read auon, in Niphal. 
 
 6. strangers. — A strange and spurious race ; a despicable race ; 
 
 born of harlots. The root is "iit, and "tiTria may literally signify ab alieno. 
 The word imports nolhus, Deut. xxiii. 2 ; because mi, the strange voman, 
 (the woman of a diflcrcnt country from the Israelites, whose law restrained 
 their women from impurity,) is used for a harlot, I'rov. v. 3, &c. But 
 here 6. Ar. Syr. J. H. Michaclis and Iloubigant translate simply stranger 
 
CH. IX.] ZECHARIAH. SST 
 
 And I will cut off the pride of the Philistines. 
 7 And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, 
 
 "ijDo. This word, iu our English bibles, is translated " a bastard." But 
 ^T00 does not imply an illegitimate offspring, but simply one of foreign 
 extraction, alienigena, ex alieno ortus. For nno, Ps. Ixix. 8, means only 
 one of another family or kindred, alienus. And nio^a is one descended 
 from iTiD, so that when it is said " -non shall dwell in Ashdod" it is meant, 
 that the city shall be peopled with strangers, not descended from its 
 present possessors. The word occurs only in this place and Deut. xxiii. 2 ; 
 and by considering both passages together, light may be thrown on both. 
 In the latter we find persons of certain descriptions excluded from the 
 privilege of entering into mn* br\p, which, there is reason to believe, was a 
 public assembly of God's people, the great congregation, convened for the 
 purpose of deliberating and deciding on national business. The first were 
 eunuchs, persons deprived of the power of generation, and the reason of 
 their exclusion is obvious, that being incapable of having posterity, they 
 had not the same permanent interest in the state, as those who were bound 
 to it by family ties and respects. Next follow those to whom the name of 
 iToo belongs, and these were excluded to the tenth generation. But if the 
 law had meant a bastard, properly so called, one born out of lawful wed- 
 lock, it must have gone to the exclusion of many who, we know for certain, 
 were not excluded. The whole tribe of Judah were in this predicament at 
 the very time the law was made, being all, with Nahshon their prince, the 
 head of their a>3":K, descended in the fifth, or in the sixth generation at 
 fiirthest, from not only the illegitimate, but incestuous commerce of Judah 
 with Tamar, his daughter-in-law. But if by -iioa we understand an alien, 
 ox foi'cigner, both the reason of the thing and the scope of the context, as 
 well as etymology, will bear us out ; for in many countries it is deemed 
 wise policy to restrain foreigners, though allowed to settle and reside in 
 the land, from a participation of equal privileges with the natural-bom 
 citizens; nor would it be safe, perhaps, to admit them, or their descend- 
 ants, too hastily into the public councils. They were, therefore, excluded, 
 by the Mosaic law, to the tenth generation, but with an exception in 
 favour of two nations, the Edomites and Egyptians ; the latter because 
 the Israelites had been strangers in the land of Egypt, the former on 
 account of consanguinity. Blayney. 
 
 in Ashdod. — Ashdod, or Azotus, was burned and destroyed bv 
 
 Jonathan, brother of Judas Maccabeus, and eight thousand of its men 
 burned or slain. Mace. x. 84, 85. These were, probably, what was meant 
 by " the pride of the Philistines," the prime or excellency of the ancient 
 inhabiUmts, in whose room the strangers were introduced. Blaynev. 
 
 7. his blood. — The idolatrous and abominable practices of the 
 
338 ZECIIAKIAII. [Cll. IX. 
 
 And his abominatiouss from between his teeth : 
 And he also shall be left for our God, 
 And shall be as a lluler in Judah : and Ekron shall be 
 as a Jebusite, 
 
 Philistines shall cease. The metaphor is taken from beasts of prey, who 
 gorge themselves with blood. 
 
 At what time, or from whence, the new colony was brought to dwell in 
 Ashdod, we are not informed. But some years after, in the reign of i 
 Alexander Jannceus, Azotus is enumerated by Josephus among the cities ' 
 of the Phoenicians, which the Jews had been some time possessed of, and 
 is well known that that people exacted, of all that were under their dominion, 
 a conformity, to a certain degi'ee at least, to their religious rites and it 
 usages. This will serve to explain what is meant by taking his blood, &c. 
 'I'he stranger was required to abstain from eating blood, and from such I 
 things as were held in abomination by the Jewish law. Blayney. 
 
 as a Ruler. — Shall be regarded and honoured. 
 
 " A citizen in Judah." If nioo be a stranger, one who on account of his 
 foreign descent was excluded from entering into " the congregation of the 
 Lord," mn' b7\p, or, to use St. Paul's expression, " alien from the common- 
 wealth of Israel," oTTjjXXorptw/xtvoe ti]q noXiTtiac tov IcrpaijX, Eph. ii. 12. 
 nnn-n ^bn will, on the contrary, signify one who being a true Israelite by 
 descent or adoption stood in the foremost rank of citizens, and was entitled 
 to the highest privileges, civil and religious, in tlie Jewish commonwealth. 
 Hence, I conceive, the princes of the tribes are styled bHtv 'Sbx -wic^, 
 Numb. i. 16. And rmn«n -thx^, Mic. v. 1, may be rendered not im- 
 properly, as it is, Matt. ii. 6, tv toiq yyiiioaiv lovSa, because the D'S^ik, and 
 ihey only, being privileged to assist and vote in the public assembhes, had 
 an actual share in the government. See also ch. xii. T), 6, where I have 
 used the term citisens, as none more proper occuiTcd to answer the 
 Hebrew a^abx. Here then it is foretold, that the stranger, iidd, who should 
 come to dwell in Ashdod, would, after renouncing all his heathenish 
 practices, become iJ^nVNV, a convert to the true God, and min^a tibxa, 
 entitled to all the same privileges in that city as a prime citizen enjoyed 
 in Judah. And, it may be observed, that these terms seem exactly to 
 correspond with those used by St. Paul, who, having called the uncon- 
 Acrted Gentiles, ^ivoi nai Traooiicoi, " strangers and foreigners," entitles them 
 after their conversion, avfinoKirai tuv aynov kui oiKciot rou Bton, " fellow- 
 citizens with the saints, and of the household of God." Eph. ii. 19. 
 Blayney. 
 
 as a Jebusite. — An inhabitant of Jerusalem, Judges i. 21. 
 
 That many of the Philistines became proselytes to Judaism, and par- 
 ticularlv the cities of Gaza and Ashdod, sec Jos. Ant. XIII. xv. 1. 
 
i CH. IX.] ZECIIARIAIl. 339 
 
 8 And I will encamp about mine House u-ith an army, so 
 that none shall pass through, or return ; 
 
 Neither shall the oppressor pass through them any 
 
 more. 
 For now have I seen with mine eyes. 
 
 9 Exult greatly, O daughter of Sion ; 
 Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem : 
 
 What this means may be collected from what is SHid before of the 
 stranger being in Ashdod on the same footing as a privileged citizen in 
 Judah. On the contrary the Ekronite, or natiu-al born Philistine, should 
 rank in Ashdod, as a Jebusite did in Judah, that is, should no longer enjoy 
 the same privileges, which he was once entitled to in a country that was 
 his own, but be reduced to the condition of an alien, one sojourning in it. 
 Blayney. 
 
 8. with an army. — See navo, 1 Sam. xir. 12. lb. xiii. 23, the word 
 
 avo is rendered in the margin of our Bibles standing camp. 
 
 " As a garrison." navri is used for a military guard set to keep watch 
 and ward against any hostile approach, 1 Sam. xiv. 12. The particle of 
 similitude is to be supplied. The purport of this passage is, that whilst 
 these revolutions were taking place in the neighbouring states, God pro- 
 mises that he would act as a guard in favour of his household or family 
 against the armies that were marching forward and backward, so as not to 
 suffer any enemy to come near to molest them ; for which purpose his eyes, 
 he says, were now, that is, at the time he was speaking of, continually upon 
 the watch. Blayney. 
 
 none shall pass throuyh. — See the phrase ch. vii. 14. I will exclude 
 
 all hostile approach to the city in whicli my Temple is placed. See a 
 parallel passage, ch. ii 5, and the note there. 
 
 seen ivith mine eyes. — See v. 1. Mine eye has pervaded future 
 
 events, and I have thus determined. 
 
 9. Exult. — " Rejoice gi'eatly." The next instance of God's special 
 kindness to his people, which is here announced, and in its proper order, is 
 the coming of their Messiah or King ; w ith reference to which this passage 
 is cited in two places of the New Testament, Matt. xxi. 5. John xii. lb, 
 so that we can have no doubt of the application. But from comparing 
 these three texts together we may perceive, that the evangelical writers 
 were not overscrupulous of adhering to the exact words of their original, 
 whether they cited from the Hebrew or from the Greek ; but were satisfied 
 with giving the true sense of the passage, though somewhat differing in 
 terms, and taking more or less of it, as circumstances seemed to require, 
 Blavney. 
 
340 ZECHARIAH. [CH. IX. 
 
 Behold, thy king cometh unto thee : 
 He is righteous, and ii Saviour : 
 Humble, and sitting on an ass, 
 Even on a colt the foal of asses. 
 10 And I will cut oft' the chariot from Ephraim, 
 
 9. kiiif/. — This appellation does not belong to Zerubbabel, who is 
 
 called nna, f/ovemor. But the prophet, after having foretold in v. 8. some 
 of the blessings which God had in store for Jerusalem, passes on to that 
 most eminent instance of God's goodness, the sending of the Messiah. 
 
 righteous. — p"^v, diKaiog, righteous, arc frequently used in Scri])ture 
 
 to signify good, gracious, merciful, &c. So let it be understood here. 
 Blayney. 
 
 a Saiiour. — So the ancient versions and jiaraphrase. If %vc read 
 
 yiTD, i. e. j;'ii"i'3 ; this word diflcrs very little from the ducts of the letters in 
 yu'ij. Grotius and Houbigant propose yunn. 
 
 yiri: is the particle passive, and is no where to be found in the active 
 sense. It is not expressed in either of the New Testament citations, but all 
 the ancient versions concur in rendering "a Saviour.'' — Blayney. 
 
 Htnnhle. — If *DV has not this sense, we may read i3y. 
 
 " Lowly." This term, as perhaps -iv, in the original, may denote either 
 the humility of his temper, or the meanness of his external appearance. 
 Blayney. 
 
 the foal of asses. — Aquila and ed. E in Montfau^on have v'wv 
 
 ova^ojv, and v'lov ovoiv. V. Syr. Chald. read rnx, in the singular. 6. 
 translate ttwXov vcov. "m:nK. Forte ortum est m ex m sequenti. Et 
 baud scio an pro vtov legendum sit ovov." Seeker. 
 
 As horses arc used in war, Christ may be supposed by this action to have 
 shown the humble and peaceable nature of his kingdom. 
 
 This prophecy is referred to. Matt. xxi. a ; in which passage part of Isa. 
 Ixii. II. is supposed to be interwoven, "Tell ye the daughter of Sion." It 
 is also referred to, John xii. 15 ; where, says Dr. Randolph, the evangeli.st 
 either followed some other translation, or chose to express in short the 
 sense, but not the words, of the prophet. 
 
 10. 1 will cut off. — <J. Ar. Syr. read mDm, And he shall cut off; 
 
 which belter suits the rest of the verse. But see v. 12, 13. 
 
 By cutting off the chariot, and horse, and weapons of war from Ephraim 
 and Judah, I apprehend is meant, that they should no more be molested 
 by them, but should be left to enjoy quietly that peace, which is made 
 characteristic of the Messiah's kingdom, Isa. iii. 4. Micali iv. 3, 4. Ps. Ixxii. 
 3, &c. Blayney. 
 
 Ephraim and .fudah shall not engage in war, to spread the Mcs.siah's 
 
CH. IX.] ZECHARTAH. 34.1 
 
 And the horse from Jerusalem : 
 And the battle bow shall be cut oft": 
 And he shall speak peace unto the nations : 
 And his dominion shall be from sea to sea, 
 And from the river to the uttermost parts of the land. 
 1 1 As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant, 
 I have sent forth thy prisoners from the pit 
 
 kingdom ; but their spiritual King shall peaceably convert Gentiles, anil 
 shall extend his dominion every where. 
 
 It is more than probable that the remaining part of this prophecy to the 
 end of the next chapter, relates to matters of which the time is not yet 
 come. It is but reasonable to presume, that as the prediction follows that of 
 the Messiah's coming, the accomplishment was meant to take place in the 
 same order of succession. But since the time of our Saviour's appearance 
 on earth nothing has happened to the Jewish nation in any degree answer- 
 able to what is here predicted ; no return from captivity, no victories, no 
 successes, but an uninterrupted series of misfortunes and calamities. This 
 has been thought to favour the notion of Jeremiah being the author of these 
 chapters, and of his foretelling the return of the Jews from Babylon, and 
 their successes under the Maccabees. But let it be noted, that the promise 
 of restoration is here made not to Judah only, but also to Ephraim, that is, 
 the ten tribes, who are still, we know, in their dispersions, and have never 
 yet, in a national capacity at least, experienced any favourable change in 
 their affairs since their fu'st abduction. There is, however, good ground to 
 expect from the writings of other prophets, as well as that before us, that 
 the time will come when "all Israel shall be saved," as well as Judah, and 
 hereafter be brought back to dwell in their own land in the full enjoyment 
 of the like national prosperity. Blayney. 
 
 11. hs,iox thee also. — "Even as.'' See the like use of qj in Noldius, 
 Sec. 14. 
 
 hy the blood of thy covenant. — By the covenant which I have made 
 
 with thee, to be merciful to my people. The words allude to the Jewish 
 custom of ratifying covenants by the blood of victims. 
 
 " When thou wast in the blood of thy covenant." That is, when thou 
 wast yet wet with the blood that was sprinkled on thee, in confirmation of 
 the covenant which God made with thee. 
 
 / have sent forth. — V. 6. Ar. Syr. read nnx and nnbii'. One MS. has 
 
 nnx. "Thou also hast sent forth, &:c. But see v. 12, 1.3. 
 
 the pit. — Deep dry pits, says Cappellus, were frequently prisons in 
 
 the east. The restoration from the Babylonish captivity, and the great 
 
342 ZlUIIAUIAIf, [CH. IX. 
 
 Wlierein was no water. 
 
 12 Return ye to tlie fortress, O prisoners of liope: 
 P^ven this day do I declare it, 
 
 I will restore double blessings unto thee. 
 
 13 For I have bent Judah for myself; 
 
 I have filled the bow with Ephraim : 
 
 future restoration, may be botli foretold in this passage. " Anciently in 
 great houses, and particularly in the east, deep dry pits, called dungeons, 
 were appropriated to the confinement of prisoners. Into one of this kind 
 Jeremiah was cast, Jer. xxxviii. 6. Here I presume, the land of Egypt is 
 metaphorically intended, in which the children of Israel were detained as | 
 in a prison, until God delivered them out of it, and entered into covenant i 
 with them. To this deliverance he compares that which was destined for 
 them in future.''' Blayney. 
 
 12. to the fortress. — To Jerusalem, rebuilt and fortified, or, to the 
 
 new Jerusalem, after the dispersion by the Romans. See Rev. xxi. 12. 
 
 O -prisonera of hope. — A beautiful address; as God, when be doomed 
 
 his people to banishment, by no means totally rejected them. 
 
 this day. — "At this day also." The n^ here answers to the same , 
 
 particle at the beginning of v. 11, where it introduced the parallel, which 
 is here completed. '■^ As in early days I brought thy prisoners (the address 
 is to the daughter of Sion) out of Egypt, so return ye, &:c.'' Blayney. 
 
 13. hent Judah.— h. strong and sublime manner of expressing that 
 
 God would use Judah and Ephraim as his instruments of destruction. 
 
 Michaelis calls in question the explanation usually given of inT when j 
 used with nu'p, that of bending the bow by treading it down with the foot, i 
 It is certain, however, that the strong bow was thus prepared for action ; it 
 was bent down by the foot or knee, and the bow-string held fast by a peg ; 
 so that the bow might be carried in the hand ready bent, like a gun cocked^ | 
 and by pulling out the peg, the bow was instantly discharged, as the gnu 
 by pulling back the trigger. Hence i-n might come to be used by 
 catachrcsis for bending with the hand as well as the foot. Blayney. 
 
 filled the boiv. — " yis a bow have I filled Ephraim." This appears 
 
 to me the best mode of construction with an ellipsis of the particle of 
 similitude. Both Judah and Ephraim are considered as bows in the hand 
 of God ready prepared for action, the one ready bent, the other furnished 
 or filled with the arrow. But if it be thought better to make Ephraim the 
 arrow, and to supply the preposition before it, rendering, " 1 have filled ibc 
 bow with Ephraim," the sen.se will be still the .same in the main ; for 
 Ephraim will then be an instrument of destruction in God's hand, 
 Blayney. 
 
CH. IX.] ZECHARIAH. 343 
 
 And I will raise up thy sons, O Sion, 
 
 Against thy sons, O § Greece : 
 
 And I will make thee as the sword of a mighty man. 
 
 14 And Jehovah shall be seen over them. 
 
 And his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: 
 And the Lord Jehovah shall blow the trumpet. 
 And shall go forth with whirlwinds of the south. 
 
 15 Jehovah God of hosts shall defend them ; 
 
 And they shall devour, and shall subdue with sling- 
 stones ; 
 And they shall drink, and shall shout as with wine ; 
 
 § Heb. Javan. 
 
 O Greece. — Alexander the Great is described as a king of Javan or 
 
 Greece, Dan. viii. 21. And that the barbarians called all the Greeks 
 laovtQ, see Boch. Geog. L. III. c. iii. 
 
 " I will animate the Jews against the troops of Antiochus, who was of 
 Macedonian descent." Grot. It is true that Judas Maccabeus gained 
 some advantages over the Syrians. But the language of this prophecy 
 seems too strong for these events ; and may remain to be fulfilled against 
 the present possessors of the countries called Javan, which were Greece, 
 Macedonia, and part of Asia Minor. 
 
 14. shall be seen over them. — Leading them on and protecting them, 
 
 as when they came out of Egypt, Ex. xiii. 21. Blayney. 
 
 the lightning. — The lightnings are represented as the arrows of the 
 
 Almighty, Ps. xviii. 14. Ixxvii. 17, and he is here said to go forth like light- 
 ning, scattering and discomfiting all before him. Blayney. 
 
 of the south. — The word is used for the south wind, Ps. Ixxviii. 
 
 26. With violent tempests, according to the nature of the south wind in 
 the east. See Job xxxvii. 9. Isa. xxi. 1. The images in this v. are very 
 sublime. 
 
 15. they shall devour. — Houbigant conjectures id^m, And they shall 
 
 go. But the word is used figuratively for destroying. 
 
 they shall drink.— They shall plentifully shed the blood of their 
 
 enemies; and, as it were, drench themselves with it. These metaphors are 
 taken from beasts of prey. See Numb, xxiii, 24. 
 
 and shall shout. — Twenty-one MSS. and four ed. read ijm. 6. MS. 
 
 V. read Diniri, And they shall drink them up as ivine. But MS. A. has to 
 a'tua avTiov, Don, And they shall drink their blood as wine. Houbigant pro- 
 poses air, blood ; or am, their blood, as 6. MS. A. 
 
344 ZECHARIAH. [CH. IX. 
 
 And they shall be filled as a bowl, as the corners of the 
 altar. 
 
 16 And Jehovah their God shall save them ; 
 
 In that day shall he save his people as sheep : 
 
 For II crowned trophies shall be set up on the land. 
 
 17 For how great is their prosperity, and hoM' great is their 
 
 comeliness ! 
 The * harvest gladdeneth the young men, and the f vin- 
 tage the maidens. 
 
 II Heb. stones of a crown. • Heb. corn. f Heb. choice wine. 
 
 The howl or basin, and the corners of the altar all seem to bespeak 
 hlood ; for the blood of the sacrificed beasts was part of it received in 
 bowls for the purpose of sprinkling, and the rest poured out at the foot of 
 the altar, Lev. iv. 5 — 7. Blayney. 
 
 as a boivl. — Used in sacrifice, to contain the blood sprinkled on the 
 
 altar. 
 
 cottiers. — At the base of ihe altar, where the blood was poured out, 
 
 Lev. iv. 25. 
 
 16. shall save them. — MS. 30 reads rt:'im, and in another MS. the 
 
 o is on a rasure. Perhaps the word was written ny>u'im, as it sometimes is; 
 and the n might easily pass into d. According to this reading we may 
 translate : 
 
 " And Jehovah their God shall save. 
 In that day, his people as sheep." 
 
 " As the flock of his people. So Vulg. But 6. Syr. even his people as a 
 flock." Seeker. 
 
 — — crowned trophies. — " Victoriae monumenta, lapides corona redimiti." 
 Houbigant, after Cappellus. 
 
 " Consecrated stones." The notion of stones crowned with garlands in 
 token of victory is unauthorized by scripture at least. But both single 
 stones, and heaps of stones, set up by way of memorial, are frequently 
 spoken of; and these might well be called in 'jax as being separated, set 
 apart, or consecrated to a particular use. Gen. xxviii. 18. Josh. iv. 5, 20. 
 Accordingly 6 Syr. V. Ar. render here \iOoi ayioi, lapides sancti. Blayney. 
 
 17. their prosperiti/. — I refer the affixes to ay, people, in the fore- 
 going versp. Perhaps we may render " the prosperity bestowed by him," as, 
 Vulnere tardus Ulyssi. 
 
 gladdeneth. — Lceiificat. Cast. lex. But for this rendering I do not 
 
 find sufficient authority, nij, Prov. x. 31, is used metaphorically for 
 
ClI. X.] ZECHARIAH. 345 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Ask ye of Jehovah rain in the time of the latter rain : 
 Jehovah will make ready the * lightning, 
 And will give you f abundance of rain, 
 Even to every man the herb in the field. 
 For the images have spoken vanity ; 
 
 * Heb. lightning f Heb. rain of showers. 
 
 uttering wisdom ; and hence a question may arise whether the word in 
 Pihel can mean loqui facif, vel, exhilarat. The margin of the English 
 version has, shall make to speak. ai3 is also used in the sense of aboundinff, 
 Ps. Ixii. 10; and therefore we may possibly render, "The corn aboundeth 
 for the young men [to gather it ;] and the choice wine for the maidens [to 
 prepare it.]'' See 6. Micah vii. 1 mbby signifies racemantes fcBmincB. 
 Victory is promised in the preceding verse, and fruitful seasons in this. 
 
 "Make the young men thrive." niD properly signifies to groio, bloom, or 
 thrive. The sense here will be, that by divine blessing the young men who 
 reaped the corn, and the maidens who gathered in the vintage, should both 
 thrive in their respective operations. Blayney. 
 
 Chap. X .1. This chapter is a continuation of the prophecy begun in the 
 preceding one, and goes on with a representation of the future prosperities 
 of Judah and Israel in consequence of the recovery of God's favour; their 
 military strength and victories ; their complete and safe return into their 
 own land, and their flourishing re-establishment in it. Blayney. 
 
 Ask ye of Jehovah rain. — The promise of future plenty suggests men- 
 tion of the means by which it might then be procured ; supplication to 
 Jehovah and not to idols. 
 
 " They have asked.'' ibxir must be taken as the third person plural of 
 the preter tense, and not, as it is generally rendered, in the imperative. 
 Blayney. 
 
 give you. — So Syr. five MSS. and a sixth at present, and Talm. 
 
 Hierosol. 
 
 " Give unto them." The alteration oiuzh for Dn"?, undoubtedly proceeded 
 from the misapprehension of i^nu'. Blayney. 
 
 abundance of rain. — au'3, Pliivia forlior. Cast lex. and the word in 
 
 Arab, signifies gravitas pondcris ac oneris. 
 
 2. the images. — This does not agree to the times after the captivity, 
 
 when the Jews were no longer idolatrous. 
 
 c f 2 
 
346 ZECHARIAH. [CH. X. 
 
 And the diviners have seen a lie, 
 
 And have told false :|; dreams ; they have comforted in 
 
 vain. 
 Therefore have they gone away, as a flock ; 
 They have been afflicted, because there was no shepherd. 
 
 3 Against the shepherds mine anger hath been kindled, 
 And I will § punish the || chief ones. 
 
 But Jehovah God of hosts will visit 
 
 His flock, the house of Judah ; 
 
 And will make them as his * goodly horse in war. 
 
 4 From him shall he the corner-stone, from him the nail, 
 
 X Heb. dreams of falsehood. § Heb. visit upon. 
 
 II lleb. he-goats. * Heb. the horse of this glory. 
 
 as a flock. — Which changes its pasture in the wide places of the 
 
 desert. 
 
 no shepherd. — No king, or ruler, over them. 
 
 The Babylonish captivity seems to be foretold. A detennined future 
 event is frequently spoken of by the prophets as past. 
 
 3. the shepherds. — The word is beautifully taken up from the pre- 
 ceding clause. 
 
 chief ones. — See Isa. xiv. 9, and Chald. has a word equivalent to 
 
 principes. 
 
 u-ill visit. — With mercy. The original word should be pointed 
 
 as a participle. So Syr. and 6. MS. A. have tmaKenrtTai, and MS V. 
 tiriaKixpiTai ; either of which is a translation of ^p^^ visitans est, vel, erit. 
 
 4. From him. — Judah. 
 
 the corner-stone. — See Judges xx. 2. 1 Sam. xiv. 38. Isa. xix. 13; 
 
 where Bishop Lowth renders m:3, chief pillars, and Chald. has a word 
 denoting principes. 
 
 "A corner." Or, "chief" A community is often represented as an 
 edifice or building ; and the corresponding parts expressed by the same 
 name. Hence as the largest stones or timbers are usqd in the angles to 
 bind together and strengthen the sides of the building wliich meet therein as 
 in a common centre, so the angle or corner metaphorically denotes the 
 chief personage in a community, on whom its strength and security prin- 
 cipally depends, Judg. xx. 2. 1 Sam. xiv. 38. Isa. xix. 13. Blayney, 
 
 the nail. — That these nails were not only of general and necessary 
 
 use in the eastern houses, but even ornamental and strengthening, and 
 from the first building of the walls wrought into them, see Bishop Lowth 
 on lea. xxii. 23, and Harraer i. 191 ; wliere Ezek. xv. 3. Ezra. ix. 8, and 
 
CH. X.] ZECHARIAH. 34'7 
 
 From him the battle bow : 
 
 From him shall go forth every ruler together. 
 
 5 And they shall be as men who tread down 
 The mire of the streets in war. 
 
 And they shall fight, for Jehovah shall he with them : 
 And the riders on horses shall be confounded. 
 
 6 And I will strengthen the house of Judah, 
 And the house of Joseph will I save : 
 
 And I will bring them back, for I have loved them ; 
 And they shall be as though I had not removed them afar 
 off: 
 
 Eccles. xiv. 24, are quoted It is also probable that the " hooked wooden 
 pins which kept tents firm and steady," and "the hooks on the pillars of 
 tents, on which the Arabs hang their clothes, baskets, saddles, and accoutre- 
 ments of war, and on which Holofernes hung his faulchion, Judith xiii. 6," 
 may be alluded to. See Shaw's Travels, 4to. 221. fol. 287. "Clavorum 
 gerainus usus ; vel ut supellectilia, quae ad ornatum vel usuni domus parata 
 sunt, ab iis suspendantur ; vel ut tabulis, asseribus, trabibus, compingendis 
 inserviant.'' Vitring- in Isa. xxii. 23. 
 
 in* is properly a nail or pin used to fasten the timbers, or parts of a 
 building together ; and may therefore serve to denote the officers next in 
 command under the chief, by whose means the common soldiers are united, 
 kept steady, and in regular order. Blayney. 
 
 liie battle bow.- — Both soldier and commander. 
 
 everij ruler togetlter. — The word wau is also used in a good sense, 
 
 Isa. Ix. 17. Judah shall furnish both civil and military governors. After 
 the captivity, Judah again became a well regulated state. " Oppressor. 
 See Michaelis." Seeker. 
 
 " All that draw near together.'' In the house or building these words 
 would denote the stones of common use placed contiguous or in close order 
 one by another. Correspondently in the army must be meant the close 
 embodied phalanx, or main body of men of war advancing on together in 
 regular order to meet the enemy. Accordingly waa frequently signifies to 
 draw niyh towards an enemy for the purpose of giving him battle, and this 
 both w ith and without nr^n'^ob following it. See Josh. viii. 11.1 Sam. viii 
 10. xvii 16, 40. 2 Sam. x. 13. Jer. xlvi. 3. Joel iii. 9, 14. Blayney. 
 
 5. the riders on horses. — The descendants of the Macedonians who 
 
 opposed the Maccabees. Grot. Houbigant. 
 
 6. bring them back — We may read o^ma'am with V. Syr. Chald. 
 
 See V. 10. Many MSS. and four ed. read a^nnB-im, And I icill settle them. 
 
 / have loved them. — I have adopted them as my people. 
 
348 ZECHARIAH. [CH. X. 
 
 For I am Jehovah their God, and I M'ill hear them. 
 
 7 And Ephraim shall be as a mighty man ; 
 And their heart shall rejoice, as through wine: 
 And their sons shall see it, and shall rejoice ; 
 Their heart shall exult in Jehovah. 
 
 8 I will hiss for them, and will gather them ; for I have 
 
 redeemed them : 
 And they shall multiply, even as they have multiplied. 
 
 9 For I will sow them among the people ; and they shall 
 
 remember me in far countries : 
 And they shall preserve their children, and shall return. 
 10 And I will bring them back from the land of Egypt, and 
 
 from Assyria will I assemble them : 
 And I will bring them back into the land of Gilead and 
 
 of Lebanon ; 
 And there shall not be found sufficient place for them. 
 
 7. shall be. — Two MSS. and one ed. read n>m. But Ephraim, as 
 
 a nouu of multitude, may be used plurally, " And they shall be as the 
 mighty men of Ephraim. 6. Ch. Syr." Seeker. 
 
 their sons shall see. — " They shall see their children.'' So the words 
 
 may be rendered, and, I think, more suitably to the contest. " They shall 
 see their children, and rejoice ; their heart shall exult in Jehovah," who 
 hath bestowed that blessing upon them. See Ps. cxxvii. 6. cxxxii. 3 — 5. 
 Blayney. 
 
 8. hiss for them. — Or, hist them; make a signal for them by an 
 
 inarticulate sound. See Bishop Lowth on Isa. v. 26. And see Isa. vii. 
 18. 
 
 "Whistle." It is very certain that piir has a very different sense, both 
 here and Isa. v. 26. vii. 18, from what it has in several other places, where 
 it is rightly translated to hiss; which is an inarticulate sound expressive of 
 contempt or reproach. But no such idea is implied here or in the two above- 
 cited passages. The sound here intended is one which may be heard at 
 a considerable distance (which hissing cannot), and is commonly used 
 for a summoning signal or call. Blayney. 
 
 9. preserve. — The Hebrew word in Pihel signifies to save alive. See 
 
 6. Ar. Syr. " Live tvilh, or, bring up." Seeker. 
 
 10. Assyria. — Whither the ten tribes were led into captivity ; many 
 
 of whom returned in consequence of Cyrus's decree. 
 
 sufficient. — See kvo, Numb. xi. 22. Josh. xvii. 16. Judg. xxi. 14. 
 
CH. XI.] ZECUARIAH. 349 
 
 1 1 And he shall pass through the sea, with distress! unto itj 
 And shall smite the waves in the sea : 
 
 And all the depths of the River shall be dried up : 
 And the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, 
 And the sceptre of Egypt shall depart. 
 
 12 And I will strengthen them through Jehovah [their 
 
 God;] 
 And in his name shall they walk, saith Jehovah. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 1 Open thy doors, O Lebanon, 
 
 That the fire may devour thy cedars. 
 
 11. he shall pass. — "And' some shall pass." 6. and Ar. seem to have 
 
 read nayi and lam in the plural. But the Hebrew idiom will justify the 
 use of the singular verb indefinitely, as applied to those that could not 
 find room in their own country, and would therefore be obliged to seek a 
 settlement in the neighbourhood. Blayney. 
 
 with distress. — " F. pro mv legendum Q-nvo, ut Isa. xi. 15 ; 
 
 vel saltem pro genitivis habendi mv et a-'^j." Seeker. " And some shall 
 pass over the sea to Tyre." Blayney. 
 
 the River. — Nile. God will restore his people in a manner resem- 
 bling the miraculous passage of the Red Sea and of the river Jordan. 
 
 the pride of Assyria. — Hence we are led to think that the Assyrian 
 
 empire subsisted when this prophecy was uttered. 
 
 This by no means justifies the conclusion that the Assyrian empire 
 subsisted when this prophecy was uttered. It were sufficient if, after the 
 monarchy were dissolved, some part of its ancient splendour remained. 
 Blayney. 
 
 of Egypt. — "Nulla versio legit o-nifoo, ut mn-D, Gen. xlix. 10. 
 
 Et reperitur id sine termino a quo vel ad quern, 1 Sam. xv. 32." Seeker. 
 
 12. their God. — 6. Ar. supply an-nbiK, which the hemistich seems to 
 
 want. 
 
 shall they walk. — o. Ar. and one MS. read ^^'^}^nn•, shall they glory. 
 
 Chap. XI. 1. That which moveth me more than the rest is in ch. xi., 
 which contains a prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem, and a descrip- 
 tion of the wickedness of the inhabitants, for which God would give them 
 
S60 ZECHARIAH. [CH. XI. 
 
 2 Howl, O fir tree, because the cedar is fallen ; 
 For that the goodly ones are destroyed. 
 Howl, O ye oaks of Bashan ; 
 Because the fenced wood is felled. 
 
 to tlie sword, and have no more pity on tliem. It is expounded of the 
 destruction by Titus ; but methinks such a prophecy was nothing season- 
 able for Zachary's time (when the city yet, for a great part, lay in her 
 ruins, and the temple had not yet recovered her's), nor agreeable to the 
 scope of Zachary's commission, who, together with his colleague Haggai, 
 was sent to encourage the people lately returned from captivity, to build 
 their temple, and to instaurate their commonwealth. Was this a fit time 
 to foretell the destruction of both while they w ere but yet a building ; and 
 by Zachary too, who was to encourage them ? would this not better befit 
 the desolation by Nebuchadnezzar? J. Mede, Epist. LXf. 
 
 This chapter contains a prophecy of a very different cast from the fore- 
 going. The people would not always behave as they ought, and therefore 
 would not always be prosperous. Before their final glorious restoration, an 
 event of a most calamitous nature was doomed to take place, the destruction 
 of the city and temple of Jerusalem, which is here plainly foretold, and 
 ascribed to its proper cause, punishment for notorious wickedness. The 
 flock, meaning God's people, were under the guidance of corrupt and un- 
 principled pastors, who sacrificed them to their own lucrative and ambitious 
 views. The prophet, by God's command, assumes for a while the direction 
 of them, therein becoming a type of Clirist the good shepherd ; but is soon 
 obliged to resign his charge, with mutual dissatisfaction on both sides. He 
 receives thirty pieces of silver as the reward for his services, and casts them 
 by divine direction to the potter. After this the prophet is held forth as the 
 type of a worthless shepherd, or a succession of evil governors, who, heed- 
 less of the flock, or seeking only to oppress it, at once niin the flock, and 
 bring destruction on themselves. Blayney, 
 
 Open thy doors. — If Zechariah be the author of this chapter, as 
 most probably he was (see prefatory note to ch. ix.) the three first verses 
 can relate only to the destruction of the city and temple of Jerusalem by 
 the Romans. And such was the application made by Kabbi Johanan, 
 w hen tjie doors of the temple opened of their own accord, a little before the 
 temple was burned, which circumstance is attested by Josephus. And the 
 same Rabbi expressly cites this as the prophecy of Zechariah. Blayney. 
 
 2. the (/ooclli/ ones. — Trees. The original word is applied to cedars 
 
 and vines, Ezek. xvii. 8, 23. Under these images the fall of mighty men, 
 and the subversion of the Jewish polity, are represented. 
 
 the fenced wood.—'' Forest of the vintage ; or, defended forests." 
 
 Seeker. 
 
CH. XI.] ZECHAUIAH. 351 
 
 3 There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds, 
 Because their goodliness is destroyed : 
 
 There is a voice of the roaring of young lions, 
 Because the pride of Jordan is destroyed. 
 
 4 Thus saith Jehovah my God : 
 Feed thou the flock of slaughter ; 
 
 5 Whose possessors slay them, and hold not themselves 
 
 guilty; 
 
 " A forest — the fenced one." As the inhabitants are represented under 
 the image of trees, the city is aptly denoted by iy% a forest, to which is 
 added, by way of distinction, "ivan, the fenced one ; the article n being 
 emphatic, and marking the extraordinary strength of its fortifications or 
 fence, which however proved insufficient for its security. Blayney. 
 
 3. shepherds. — " Shepherds — magnificence." By shepherds are to 
 
 be understood the rulers of the people ; and " their magnificence," denotes 
 their stately habitations. Blayney. 
 
 the pride of Jordan. — The woods on its banks, the receptacles of 
 
 lions, Jer. xlix. 19. "There translated, swelling of. Michaelis understands 
 the lofty banks." Seeker. 
 
 By " the pride of Jordan," those woods and thickets are primarily 
 intended, that rise proudly above the banks of that river, and greatly deco- 
 rate the scene But, here, in a secondary and metaphorical sense, they are 
 put for the residences of those princes and grandees, who, too often like lions, 
 devour and oppress the people under them. 
 
 4. Feed thou. — This is an address to the prophet, who was to 
 
 instruct and admonish a people over whom destruction impended. 
 
 5. possessors. — Their governors and false prophets, who expose 
 
 them to the sword of their enemies by encouraging them in idolatry, the 
 guilt of which they know not. 
 
 " Those that buy them." in>3p and innao are reciprocal terms, the 
 former denoting those into whose hands the latter sell or deliver up the 
 flock. By the former, the Romans may be understood ; who, having 
 bought, or by right of conquest acquired, a legal title of property in, or 
 dominion over, the Jewish nation, were justified in respect of the slaughter 
 that was made of them on their rebellion and revolt ; the blame wholly 
 resting with their wicked leaders, who, to gratify their own avarice and 
 ambition, cared not for the mischiefs which they brought on their wretched 
 people, whom they instigated to those violences and excesses which termi- 
 nated in their ruin. Blayney. 
 
 slay them. — Twenty-five MSS. and two ed. read n^nn*. 
 
 sell them. — Those who in effect sell them to their conquerors, regard 
 
352 ZECHARIAH. [CH. XI. 
 
 And those who sell them say, Blessed be Jehovah, for I 
 
 am rich : 
 And their shepherds spare them not. 
 
 6 For I will no longer spare 
 
 The inhabitants of the land, saith Jehovah : 
 
 But, behold, I will deliver men. 
 
 Every one into the hand of his fellow, and into the hand 
 
 of his king : 
 And they shall crush the land to pieces ; 
 And I will not deliver out of their hand. 
 
 7 So I fed the flock of slaughter, because of the * poor of 
 
 * Or, afflicted. 
 
 nothing but their own immediate advantage, and bless Jehovah with 
 whose worship they mix that of idols, for tlieir shortlived prosperity. 
 
 say. — Read "nox* with the versions and Chald. 
 
 Blessed be Jehovah. — That is, they hypocritically and impiously 
 
 pretend to return God thanks for having put it in their power to acquire 
 riches by such ungodly means. Blayney. 
 
 And their shepherds. — Eight MSS. and three ed. read with the 
 
 femine affix, p. The word may denote kings, prophets, and priests 
 
 spare them not. — Read with the versions and Chald. ibnn'. 
 
 6. For. — I call them the flock of slaughter : For, &c. 
 
 "For I will no longer spare." This verse assigns the reason for calling 
 the people " the flock of slaughter." Nor can words more aptly describe 
 the calamities which befel the Jews in the war which ended in the taking 
 of Jerusalem by the Romans ; when the people, having first by their intes- 
 tine broils destroyed one another, at length fell into the hand of him whom 
 they had owned for their sovereign (" We have no king but Caesar," 
 John xix. J 5), and who completely desolated the land for their rebellion 
 against him. Blayney. 
 
 saith Jehovah.— 6. MS. A. add vavroKparuip; and therefore read 
 
 mKav mn», " Jehovah God of hosts." 
 
 deliver. — " UapadiSuiii, 6. Syr. Vulg. Ch Recte. Vid. 2 Sam. iii. 8." 
 
 Seeker. 
 
 of his fellow — of his king. — These seem to be the times described 
 
 Hosea iv. 2. vi. 9. vii. I, 5. viii. 4. 
 
 7. I fed. — Here the prophet speaks in his own person. I obeyed 
 
 the command of Jehovah, given, v. 4. 
 
 because of. — Houbigant proposes to read i^anb, to establish, for la*?. 
 
 One MS. read originally lyob, " Because of the poor, or the afllicted, of the 
 flock ;" which reading agrees with Syr. 
 
CH. XI.] ZECHARIAH. 353 
 
 the flock. And I took unto me two crooks ; the one 1 
 
 called Beauty, and the other I called Bands : and I fed 
 
 8 the flock. And I cut off three shepherds in one month ; 
 
 and my soul was grieved at them; and their soul also 
 
 " Uvo crooks. — I assumed tlie appearance of a shepherd in the eyes 
 
 of the people. 
 
 Beauty. — Eight MSS. and four ed. read oyij, beauty, pleasantnessy 
 
 or delight. This was to denote how beautiful and pleasant the land would 
 have been, if its inhabitants had kept their covenant with God. 
 
 Bands — To signify the union which ought to have subsisted be- 
 tween Judah and Israel. See v. 14. 
 
 8. And I cut off. — Tsventy one MSS. and three ed. read Tn3Ki. The 
 prophet may be said to do what God did ; either in the punishment of 
 certain false prophets, which I suppose to be the preferable sense, or of 
 certain wicked governors. See Hos. vii. 7. 2 Kings xv. xxiii. 34. &c. 
 Seeker proposes to point nu'bir, as if it signified a third part ; and refers to 
 ch. xiii. 7, 8, 9. Rev. viii. 7 — 12. is. 15 — 18. xii. 4. 
 
 " And I set aside th,e authority of the shepherds." " And cut off three 
 shepherds," is the translation of our English Bible, and indeed is conform- 
 able to most of the ancient versions. But it is encumbered with insuper- 
 able difficulties. It is questionable whether □'j;-in Twbv; dn could be ren- 
 dered properly " three shepherds," at least without prefixing the definite 
 article the, and if it could, who the three shepherds were, and how 
 cut ofi". 
 
 The translation I have given (" And I set aside the authority of the shep- 
 herds") rests on a supposition that rw'rw has no relation, or at least but a 
 very distant one, to the numeral irbu', but is to be derived from ir-bir, a 
 captain, one possessed of a degree of power over others; and has the 
 abstract signification of power and authority, nno primarily signifies to 
 hide or conceal; and may denote a withdrawing or setting aside what a 
 person was seen before to possess. Let us now see what happened to him 
 of whom Zechariah is evidently set forth as the type. Our Saviour's teach- 
 ing was in a style so far superior to that of the professed guides of his day, 
 that stung with jealousy they exclaimed, " Perceive ye how ye prevail no- 
 thing ?" ov^iv uxpiktiTt, ye have lost all your boasted influence ; " behold, 
 the world is gone after him," John xii. 19. Even so, it may be presumed, 
 the purity and disinterestedness of Zechariah's instructions may have 
 gained so far upon the minds of the people, as to deprive the corrupt 
 and selfish teachers of that ascendancy which they once possessed. 
 Blayney. 
 
 my soul. — That is, /,• and their soul'x^ equivalent to they. 
 
354 ZECHARIAH. [CH. XI. 
 
 9 loathed me. Then I said, I will not feed you : that 
 which dieth, let it die ; and that which is cut off, let it be 
 cut off: and let those sheep, which remain, eat every one 
 the flesh of her fellow. 
 
 10 And I took my crook, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, 
 to break my covenant which I had made with all the 
 
 11 f people. And it was broken in that day : and thus the 
 
 t Heb. peoples. 
 
 at them. — At the sheep of slaughter. 
 
 loathed. — bna has this sense in the Syriac. 
 
 9. which dieth. — A natural death. 
 
 " Missing." Or " hidden." nn3 must be construed in a sense short of 
 total excision ; for in v. 16, it is imputed as a fault in the foolish shepherd, 
 that he did not visit rmnajn. But to visit implies looking after what was 
 still in a state capable of recovery, otherwise it could no longer be an 
 object of attention and concern. That which is missing must mean sheep 
 that are strayed, or stolen, from the fold, and consequently in danger of 
 being totally lost, if not looked after in time. Blayney. 
 
 which is cut off. — By violence. 
 
 eat — thejiesh. — Become a prey to famine. 
 
 10. covenant, ^-c. — Some make u-ov ba to be all the tribes of the 
 
 Jews ; but these two words are never used of them, but the Gentiles are 
 opposed to them by these words. See Michaelis. And this surely should 
 have been the last thing done, not the first. Others : covenant with other 
 nations not to destroy them. See Hos. ii. 18. Job. v. 23. Ezek. xxxiv. 25. 
 Michaelis. Seeker. 
 
 with all the people. — If the heathen nations are meant, the sense 
 
 may be, that God broke his covenant with them ; which originally was to 
 this effect, that they should not subdue and lead captive his people, Deut. 
 xxviii. 7. If a^jjjr refers to the people of Judah and Israel, as Joel, ii. 6. 
 1 Kings xxii. 28, the prophet may be understood as declaring by this act 
 that his covenant of feeding the flock was broken. 
 
 " Before all the peoples." The points of distinction, in this verse, have 
 been usually misplaced so as to have led to a wrong intei-pretation of it. The 
 covenant, which he had entered into, was not a covenant with all the 
 peoples or nations of the earth, as aviyn "73, would properly signify, but 
 with one people only, the Jewish nation ; therefore, when he broke the 
 crook, he did it as a matter of public notoriety, □<oyn b3 nw, coram omnibus 
 populis, in the presence of all the neighbouring nations, who were called 
 upon, as it were, to take notice that he had no longer any thing to do with 
 
CH. XI.] ZECHARIAH. 355 
 
 poor of the flock, who observed me, knew that this was 
 the word of Jehovah. 
 
 12 Then I said unto them, If it be good in your eyes, 
 give me my price ; but if not, forbear. So they weighed 
 
 13 me my price, thirty pieces of silver. ' And Jehovah said 
 unto me, Cast it unto the potter : a goodly J price at 
 
 t Heb. a magnificence of price. 
 
 the charge, which he thus solemnly abdicated. A comma, therefore, is to 
 be placed after the word, " the covenant which I made," in order to con- 
 nect a*Dyn bo nx with inx vim. Blayney. 
 
 11. knew. — The manner of instructing by action being agreeable 
 
 to that of the ancient prophets. 
 
 12. give me mt/ pice. — Rate my labours as a true shepherd. And 
 
 they rated it contemptuously ; thirty pieces of silver being the price of a 
 slave, Ex. xxi. 32. " -idu', never signifies the price of any person or corpo- 
 real thing sold, or a consideration given for delivering up or taking away 
 the life of any one, but merely a reward for service done : it is fiKrOoe, not 
 Tifit], which last word is usually Tnn ; and I believe the two Greek words 
 are never confounded in Old or N. T. And when a suffix is added to nai:-, 
 it signifies usually the person to whom the consideration is paid, once at 
 least the person by whom, but never for whom a consideration is paid to 
 another. And plainly, here the person's nDU' was paid to himself, and 
 should be translated, my wages, tov fiiaOov fiov, as o. have rightly 
 translated it. Seeker. 
 
 13. unto the potter. — It is not likely that the potter was at work 
 
 within the sacred precincts of the temple, as has been conjectured; be- 
 cause the potter's field, the place where his business was carried on, was, as 
 we are told. Matt, xxvii. 7, afterwards bought to bury strangers in. But 
 who can suppose that the Jews would have suffered such a defilement of 
 the holy place ? It must, therefore, have been a field adjacent to, but without 
 the walls, which, the potters having by digging out the earth for their manu- 
 facture rendered it useless for any other purpose, was bought for a trifling 
 sum, and appropriated as before mentioned. Blayney. 
 
 / have been prized. — Jehovah calls the price of his prophet his 
 
 own price ; and commands that it should not be accepted, but given to 
 another ; and to the potter, to foreshadow the transaction related Matt. 
 xxvii. 7. 
 
 it must be observed, that earthen vessels were useful in the temple, to 
 receive the oil and wine brought there. See Deut. xii. 17. xviii. 4 and the 
 note on ch. xiv. 20. We may, therefore, suppose that some Levites were 
 employed within the sacred precincts to furnish them. To these, the 
 
356 ZECHARIAH. [CH. IX. 
 
 which I have been prized by them. Then I took the 
 thirty pieces of silver ; and cast § them in the house of 
 Jehovah, unto the potter. 
 
 $ Heb. it. 
 
 humblest of his ministers in the temple, God commanded that the de- 
 grading price should be cast, "la^brn. This word is commonly used in 
 contempt. See Michaelis. Potter's vessels were proverbial things of small 
 price. See Lam. iv. 2. Throwing the money to him therefore was throw- 
 ing it to one of a mean trade, as suiting him better than the person it was 
 given to. It is not hinted that it was to purchase any of his vessels: if it 
 was, it might mean the price was more proper for them; or might imply 
 that the people should be broken in pieces like such vessels." Seeker. 
 
 nK, is only here and in a very obscure place, Mic. ii. 8. And ip* is not 
 the price of any thing, but the preciousness of a valuable thing; and ^p•, 
 the verb, is not to value or apprize, but to be precious or valuable. So that 
 strictly it would be, the magnificence of the preciousness with which I was 
 held precious. But who is I ? Is it God speaking to the prophet, or the 
 Messiah, whom he personates ? Or is the sentence partly direct, partly 
 oblique, as in some other places ? Or should it be translated, God spoke to 
 me to cast it, &c. In each of the latter cases it will be the prophet as 
 Messiah. 
 
 hy them. — Sic. Syr. Vulg. Aq. Non video byn hoc notare Melius 
 
 conveniret cum usu verbi np', an^ryn ; quod exhibet Ch. Seeker. 
 
 / took the thirty pieces of silver, — There can be no doubt but this 
 
 is the passage referred to. Matt, xxvii. 9. But another question arises how 
 the transaction related by the evangelist can be considered as a fulfilment 
 of that which was spoken by the prophet, considering the striking differ- 
 ence in some of the circumstances. In the one case thirty pieces of silver 
 were given as wages for service ; in the other, they were paid as the price 
 of a man's blood ; in the one, they were thrown with contempt to the 
 potter ; in the other, they were cast down in the temple in a fit of remorse, 
 and taken up by others who employed them in the purchase of the potter's 
 field. But notwithstanding these differences, considering that all passed 
 under the special direction of divine providence, it is impossible not to 
 conclude, from a review of both transactions, that there was a designed 
 allusion of one to the other, and not a mere accidental resemblance be- 
 tween them. But the quotation, it is said, is not just; for no such words 
 are to be found in the prophet, which the evangelist has pretended to cite 
 from him. To this it may be answered, that though not the precise words, 
 the substance of them was given, so that the passages are equivalent at 
 least, as the following quotation will show. 
 
CH. XI.] ZKCHARIAH. 3^7 
 
 14 And I cut asunder my second crook, even bands; to 
 
 " And I took the thirty pieces of silver." Heb. 
 " And they [or I] V»ok the thirty pieces of silver." Matt. 
 
 fXafiov may be either [ took or they took. 
 
 " Goodly the price at which I was valued by them." Zech, 
 "The price of him that was valued [whom they valued] by the children of 
 Israel." JVIatt. 
 
 " The words 6v trifiriiravTo, " whom they valued " carry all the appearance 
 of an interpolation from some marginal explanation, for they do but over- 
 load and obscure the text ; and when they are removed, the two passages 
 sufficiently harmonize. None of the ancient versions notice them at all . 
 But the most considerable difference seems to lie in the part which 
 follows : 
 
 " And I cast [i^btt-Ki] them into the house of Jehovah to the potter." 
 
 Heb. 
 " And they gave [f^wsav] them for the potter's field, as the Lord ap- 
 pointed me." Matt. 
 
 " But widely as the two texts appear to differ, it may not be impossible 
 to bring them to a nearer accord by the aid of corrections founded on the 
 authority of various readings. 
 
 " For, first, in the text of St. Matthew, one MS. for tSuKuv reads tl3a\ov, 
 and some versions read iSuica, which may be either the first person sin- 
 gular, or the third plural. And one MS. together with Evang. 24, and 
 Vers. Syr. probante Beza, read tSojKa. Wetstein. Add what is sug- 
 gested by Dr. Randolph, that tSwKa is the most probable reading in regard 
 of what follows JLaBa crvvira^e jioi Kvpiog. Secondly, in the Hebrew, for 
 nvvn ■?«, one MS. of the first reputation for age and excellence, with 
 the probable concurrence of four others reads, nifvn n*a Vx. But n«a is in 
 one instance, rendered aypoe by 6. Ruth ii. 17, and possibly may have 
 been so here, supposing the evangelist to have cited from them ; for it is 
 almost certain, that the Greek version, which now passes for that of the 
 Seventy, is in this place not theirs. So that ivvn n*a bx will be found in 
 pei'fect correspondency with ag top aypov rov (ctpa^fwc- Lastly, for 
 mn» n'3, one MS. reads mn' n>3a and another -aa. Now, because of the 
 similarity of the letters a, a, and a, especially if the stroke in the body of 
 the last should by chance have been obliterated, it is not impossible that 
 «aa may have been substituted at first in the place of 'Ejd, or at least of 'Sa. 
 This once done, the rest would follow of course. For it being impossible 
 
358 ZECHARIAH. [CH. XI, 
 
 break the brotlierhood between Judah || and Israel. 
 15 And Jehovah said unto me again : 
 
 II Heb. and between. 
 
 to make any sense with -33, it would naturally be considered as a mistake 
 for n^aa, and thence pass into n-n. But mn« «3d, secundum mandatum 
 Jehovae, or mn» *33, which would come to the same, virtually at least 
 corresponds with Ka^a avvtra^i fioi Kvpiog. The Hebrew text, thus cor- 
 rected, would run thus, -ivvnnu bn mn' 'SO ipn i^bu'Ki. No emendation into 
 which conjecture is at all admitted, can be less liable to objection than this. 
 Blayney. 
 
 in the house of Jehovah. — So Judas threw down the thirty pieces of 
 
 silver in the temple. " Christi vetera omnia imaginem gerunt." Grot, 
 in loc. 
 
 On Matt, xxvii. 9, it must be observed, that one MS. the Syriac and 
 Persic versions, and Cod. V^erc. et Veron. in Blanchini Evang. Q,uadr. 
 read Sia row wpo^/jrow. Origen also reads thus. H. 35. And August do 
 Cons. Ev. iii. 7, says, " Primo noverit non omnes codices evangeliorum 
 habere, quod per Hieremiam dictum sit, sed tantummodo prophetam." 
 See Wetstein. Griesbach prefixes to lepejiiov his mark, that it should 
 probably be omitted ; and adds to the authorities for omitting it Vers. 
 Neograeca, and Cod. Lat. apud Lucam Brugensem. Kidder refers to R. 
 Isaac, and Gloss, ordinar. as reading "per prophetam." Dem. Mess. 
 p. ii. 75. Again; for t^wicav, one MS. has {(iaXov, and Evang. 24. and 
 Syr. Pers. read iBuKa. Randolph suggests that this reading is probable 
 from what follows, KaOa avvtra^t /xoi Kvpiog, which clause occurs in Arab. 
 It must be further observed, that the passage in St. Matthew is rather a 
 reference than a quotation. The words, t7jv Ti/iriv rov Ttrifirjuivov, 6v 
 ennrjaavTo ano vitov IffparjX, are inserted to remind the reader of the trans- 
 action as recorded by the prophet. The words mn* n^a, in the house 
 of Jehovah, are omitted; though they were apposite to the evangelist's 
 purpose. And the words, nvvn bn, unto the potter, are accomodated to the 
 particular fact mentioned in the evangelical history. Matthaeus sensum 
 magis, quod in allegationibus frequenter fieri solet, quam vcrborum habi- 
 tum respexit. See Owen on the Sept. Vers. Sec. vii. Randolpli, and Kenn. 
 Diss. Gen. Sec. 49. 
 
 14. the brotherhood. — I cannot explain this passage without sup- 
 posing that the kingdom of Israel subsisted when the prophet wrote it ; 
 and that either the wars between Judah and Israel are referred to, see 
 2 Kings xvi. 5, or the captivity of the ten tribes, when the brotherly con- 
 nection between these kingdoms ceased, " Surely, r^i'Va, must denote 
 tlie two parties, as Exod. xi. 7. Josh. xxii. 25, and I suppose every where. 
 
CH. XI.] ZECHARIAH. 359 
 
 Take unto thee the instruments of an unwise shepherd. 
 
 16 For, behold, I will raise up a shepherd in the land : 
 Of that which is cut off he shall not take account ; 
 That which is young he shall not seek ; 
 
 And that which is hurt he shall not heal : 
 That which standeth j^;v>i he shall not sustain : 
 But he shall eat the flesh of that which is fat, and break 
 their hoofs. 
 
 17 Woe unto the * worthless shepherd who forsake th the 
 
 flock: 
 
 • Heb. shepherd of nought. 
 
 If so, either the reading of 6. nrnx, possession, must be right, and may 
 mean taking away from both Judah and Israel the laud which had been 
 divided between them : or if it be the brotherhood, this must relate to 
 early times, and what precedes to yet earlier. Seeker. 
 
 15. instruments of an unwise shepherd. — Houbigant reads b-iN. 
 
 Such instruments, says Grotius, are an iron crook, a scrip containing 
 nothing useful to the sheep, and such like. 
 
 IG. a shepherd. Some wicked king, and most probably Hoshea, 
 
 2 Kings xvii. 1, 2. 
 
 There is no occasion to search for an individual to whom this may be 
 applied. It may as well regard a number of persons, who either conjointly 
 or in succession, would misuse the powers entrusted to them. Blayney. 
 
 ivhieh is cut off. — Five MSS. and one ed. read mnDjn. 
 
 which is young. — One MS. reads my^n. The word in Chald. signifies 
 
 de locoin locum transtulit ; and in Arab, qui nulla loco quiescit. See Buxt. 
 lex. Chald. and Cast. lex. The ancient versions, the Chaldee, and 
 Schultens Animadv. Phil. p. 540, lead us to render, that ivhich wandereth. 
 " Videtur legendum njrjn, nam bis reddunt rsn ^lao-KopTri^w oi o.'' 
 Seeker. 
 
 Compare Ezek. xxxiv. 4, 16. Jer. xxiii. 1 — 4. 
 
 " That which crieth." mj;:n may here be understood of a strayed sheep 
 that crieth or bleateth ; but, though the shepherd heareth its voice, he will 
 not be at the trouble to seek it and bring it home. Blayney. 
 
 break their hoofs. — By an vartpoKoyia. When he catches them with 
 
 his aiTned crook, for slaughter. 
 
 17. shepherd. — V. Syr. Chald. read in the singular, nJ?^, shepherd, 
 
 and i'[)!,forsaheth. One MS. reads nj?-i, and a second read so originally. 
 
360 ZECHAUIAH. [CII. XII 
 
 Destruction shall he on his arm, 
 
 And on his rij^ht eye : 
 
 His arm shall surely be f withered, 
 
 And his right eye shall surely be % darkened. 
 
 CHAPTER XH. 
 
 1 The prophecy of the word of Jehovah. 
 
 t Heb. in withering shall be withered. 
 X Heb. in darkening shall be darkened. 
 
 on. — " Because of." So Vj; may properly be rendered. The purport 
 
 of the passage is, that since through the misapplication of his power, and 
 his negligence in watching over the flock, they are subjected to desolation 
 or the sword ; therefore, as of strict justice, he shall be punished with a 
 deprivation at least of those faculties which he so fatally misused. Blayney. 
 
 His arm — hu right eye. — The wicked governor, or governors, spoken 
 
 of, V. 16, may have been thus judicially punished by the hand of God ; or 
 may have suffered these specific evils from victorious enemies. Or the 
 meaning is, that the punishment of such shall be signal. 
 
 Chap. XTI. 1 . It is not difficult to perceive, that the prophecies in this 
 and the two following chapters relate to future times, and most probably 
 to those predicted of by Ezekiel in the xxxviii. and xxxix. chapters; where 
 it is said, that Israel after their restoration and return to their own country 
 would be assailed by a combination of nations. Such an invjtsion is also 
 here foretold ; but it is not to be expected, that all the particulars of a dis- 
 tant prophecy should be clearly understood before tlio time of its accom- 
 plisliment. It is at least likely, that when the time shall come for the 
 estiiblishment of the Jews (of which sufficient intimation is given in the 
 prophecies both of the Old and New Testament), and they shall begin to collect 
 themselves, and attempt a settlement in their ancient possessions ; such a 
 measure would create jealousies and uneasiness in those powers more 
 especially, who are interested in the dominion over those countries. With- 
 out ])vetciKliiig to determine precisely concerning the invaders, the sub- 
 stiiiKC of the pr()])hecy in this, and on to the seventh verse of the next chapter, 
 will be found to amount to this, that Jerusalem will be besieged by a multi- 
 t\ide of hostile nations, to the great terror of the people in it.s vicinity, as 
 
CH. XII.] ZECHARIAH. 361 
 
 Concerning Israel saith Jehovali, 
 
 Who stretcheth out the heavens, and layeth the founda- 
 tions of the earth, 
 And formeth the spirit of man within him : 
 2 Behold I will make Jerusalem 
 
 A * cup of trembling to all the f people round about : 
 And for Judah also shall it be. 
 In the siege against Jerusalem. 
 
 ' Heb. a bowl. t Heb. peoples. 
 
 well as of Judah itself: but that the attempts of those nations will be 
 frustrated through the special interposition of the Deity, and will terminate 
 in their total discomfiture and ruin, and in the permanent peace and 
 prosperity of the victorious Jews. After which the Jews will be brought at 
 length to see and lament the sin of their forefathers in putting their 
 Messiah to death ; and, therefore, will have the means of purification and 
 atonement afforded them ; and being thus cleansed from past guilt, will 
 renounce all their former offensive practices, and carefully abstain from a 
 future repetition of them. Blayney. 
 
 -prophecy. — Burden, sentence ; for, concerning. See Vitr. on 
 
 Isa. xiii. 1. Literally this belongs to the Maccabees; mystically to the 
 apostles. Seeker. 
 
 Israel. — Under this term all the tribes are here comprehended. 
 
 See Ezek. xxxvii. 15 — 22. Mai. i. 1. "Stretched out — formed the spirit 
 of man, &c." Blayney. 
 
 2. A cup of trembling. — An inebriating and stupefying potion of 
 
 the strongest liquors and drugs. Jerusalem shall strike the nations with 
 dread and astonishment. 
 
 shall it be. — I suppose ^iD, the cup, to be understood. Eleven MSS. 
 
 and three ed. read n*nn, MS. 251 read so originally, and three others read 
 so now. The gender of ^d is not detennined ; it makes msp in the plural, 
 and may perhaps be joined with a feminine verb. Syr. renders, " And 
 also against Judah shall be distress [-nvo] together witb [aj?] Jerusalem." 
 Two MSS. in Houbigant, and o. MS. A. read n-m. Houbigant renders, 
 Ascendetque [':t] ipse Judah, ut sit [n'm] cum eis qui Jerusalem obside- 
 bunt ; which is inconsistent with v. 4 — 7. If I were allowed a conjecture, 
 I would read n*nK " will I [Jehovah] be." See v. 6, 7. 
 
 The noun implied in the pronoun it may be either =iD the cup, or bvT 
 trembling, and both afford the same sense, namely, that not only the 
 neighbouring nations shall be seized with terror and astonishment, but 
 .Tudah also shall partake of the alarm ; and with good rea.son. because her 
 
 I) D 2 
 
362 2ECHARIAH. [CH. XII. 
 
 3 And it sliall come to pass, in tliat day, 
 That 1 will make Jerusalem 
 
 A X burdensome stone to all the § people : 
 
 All who burden themselves with it shall be deeply 
 
 II wounded. 
 And all the nations of the earth shall be gathered together 
 
 against her. 
 
 4 In that day, saith Jehovah, 
 
 I w^ill strike every horse with astonishment, and his rider 
 
 with madness; 
 And upon the house of Judah will I open mine eyes. 
 And every horse of the * people will I strike with 
 
 blindness. 
 
 5 And the leaders of Judah shall say in their heart : 
 There is strength to the inhabitants of Jerusalem 
 
 i Heb. a stone of burden. § Heb. peoples. 
 
 II Heb. in cutting shall be cut. * Heb. peoples. 
 
 capital city Jerusalem shall be besieged by a powerful enemy. By " the 
 nations round about " I do not conceive the invading nations to be 
 meant, but the nations in the vicinage of the land of Judah, wlio would 
 have reason to be alarmed at the approach of such mighty forces. Blayney. 
 
 the siege. — A future siege, after the final restoration of the Jews. 
 
 See on ch. xiv. 3, and Rev. xx. 9. " Jews and Christians interpret the latter 
 part so, as to make the inhabitants of Judah be forced to join in the siege 
 against Jerusalem ; but these to fall on the common enemy." Seeker. 
 
 ;3. A burdensome stone. — Which will bruise, if not crush, those 
 
 who attempt to move it. 
 
 Jerusalem is here compared to a stone of great weight, which being too 
 heavy for those who attempt to lift it up or remove it, falls back upon them 
 and crushes them to pieces. Blayney. 
 
 all the nations. — Many nations, as ch. xiv. 2 ; the nations round 
 
 about, as v. 0, and ch. xiv. 14. 
 
 4. In that day. — This prophecy remains to be accomplished. The 
 language here and v. 6 — 9 is much too strong to denote the successes of 
 the Maccabees against the Seleucidce. 
 
 6. to the inhabitants. — For ~3:i'> ^b, "The inhabitants of .Jerusalem 
 
 are a strength unto mc." Iloubigant proposes to read >3u'v'7 ; and one MS. 
 reads »3u"''?, and perhaps another, " Recte videtur Ch. legisse ^au'v*?. Vid. 
 
CH. XII.] ZECHARIAH. 363 
 
 Through Jehovah Lord of hosts their God. 
 
 6 In that clay will I make the leaders of Judah 
 As ail hearth of fire among wood, 
 
 And as a lamp of fire in a sheaf : 
 
 And they shall devour, on the right hand and on the 
 
 left. 
 All the t people round about. 
 And Jerusalem shall again be inhabited in her own place 
 
 in peace. 
 
 7 Jehovah will also save the tents of Judah, as in old 
 
 time : 
 That the glory of the house of David should not magnify 
 
 itself, 
 Neither the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem against 
 
 Judah. 
 
 t Heb. peoples. 
 
 V. 2, et xiv. 14." Seeker. Syr. reads very well, i:"? vi-jx, have prevailed 
 unto us, a nobis. 
 
 The text here has been supposed corrupt, and many attempts have been 
 made to amend it. But without any alteration it well expresses the 
 sentiments of the men of Judah, concerning the interest they had in the 
 safety of Jerusalem and its inhabitants, on which their own strength and 
 security depended in a great degree ; so that they would of course be 
 influenced to bring that assistance, the efficacy of which is set forth in 
 the verse that follows. Blayuey. 
 
 6. ati hearth. — The word may be rendered a pot. " The Arabs make a 
 
 fire in a great stone pitcher, and, when it is heated, spread paste upon it, 
 which is baked in an instant." Harmer i. 233. 
 
 be inhabited. — The true reading is nnu'T'i. 
 
 in peace. — Houbigant ingeniously conjectures that we should read 
 
 Qibu-a, for ab'n-i*3. 6. MSS. A. Pachom. Arab, and one MS. omit obum^a ; 
 without which word the sense is complete. 
 
 7. as in old time. — Four MSS. the Jerusalem Talmud and V. 6. 
 
 At. Syr. have the particle of similitude 3, before nsu-NT or nju-N-ia. See the 
 same alteration, Joel ii. 23. 
 
 of the inhabitants. — Six MSS. read *3tt'r or -au*, with the versions 
 
 and Chald. In r. 8 four MSS. the \ersions and Chald. read the same 
 participle plurally ; and in u. 10 we find the plural reading of this word in 
 fifteen MSS. two cd. the versions, and Chald. agreeably to ch. xiii. 1. 
 
364- ZECHARIAH. [CH. XII, 
 
 8 In that day Jeliovah will defend 
 The inhabitants of Jerusalem : 
 
 And he that is feeble among them shall be, 
 In that day, as David ; 
 And the house of David shall be as God, 
 As the angel of Jehovah before them. 
 
 9 That it shall come to pass, in that day, 
 That I will seek to destroy all the nations 
 Which come against Jerusalem. 
 
 10 And I will pour upon the house of David, 
 And upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, 
 A spirit of favour and of supplications : 
 And they shall look on him whom they pierced : 
 
 8. defend. — ^The verb pa is here used with ni;n,pro, circa, super; as 
 
 130, a shield, is used, Ps. iii. 3. 
 
 he that is feeble. — " And he that is fallen to decay among them." 
 
 The word buODn j'l'operly signifies the man that is overthrown and ruined 
 in his fortunes. The intent is there to mark the progressive improvement 
 that would take place at Jerusalem under the divine countenance and 
 protection ; when the man who had gone to decay should revive and 
 flourish again like David, who himself from a state of exile and distress 
 was suddenly advanced to the kingdom ; and the house of David also 
 would rise in proportion to the rank of gods, or, as the term a^n'jK 
 seems explained, of guardian angels marching before the people, see 
 Gen iii. 5. Ps. viii. 6, and Ixxxii. 6. Blayney. 
 
 10. And I will pour. — God's signal interposition in behalf of Judah and 
 Jerusalem, after tlieir future restoration, having been foretold, the prophet 
 proceeds to foretel their conversion to Christianity. 
 
 of favour. — Which shall conciliate favour. See Tayl. Cone. voc. 
 
 13n. 
 
 on him. — Thirty-six MSS. and two ed. read vVk ; three other 
 
 MSS. read so originally ; six perhaps read so ; six read so now ; and 
 eleven have rbn in the margin, as Keri. And yet *■?»<, on me, may be 
 traced in the ancient versions and Chald. i^Vk was also noted as a 
 various lection by R. Saadias, who lived al)Out the year 900. See Kenn. 
 Diss. Gen. Sec. 43. " Citant vbK Talmud et R. Saadiah Ilaggaon. Poc. 
 A])pend. in Mai.'' Seeker. Dr. Owen shows that Ignatius, Justin 
 Martyr, Irena^us, TertuUian, and IJarnabas favour the reading of I'bN. 
 Inquiry — SepL version. Sect. iv. 'J'he present reading of 6. in the 
 
CH. XII.] ZECHARIAIf. 3G5 
 
 And they shall mourn for him, as with the mourning for 
 
 an only son ; 
 And the bitterness for him shall be as the bitterness for 
 
 a first-born. 
 
 English polyglot is, leai fnifSXe^povrai rrpog fie, av9^ wv KarcjpxvffctvTO. 
 The last word arises from transposing npT into npt, as Dr. Owen 
 observes, and Kenn. Diss. Gen. Sec. 70. But Ignatius and Justin 
 Martyr read, o-\povTaL tig bv tKtKivTi](Tav. See Owen and Kennicott ubi 
 supra. And it is very observable that in the Aldine edition of the 
 Septuagint we read, koi tTn/SXe^'orrai Trpog jie, iig bv t^iKtvTijaav, av9' 
 wv Karwpxv^civro. Here two renderings are inserted ; and cig bv ti,tKtvTi](jav 
 is made of equal authority with the other. The very valuable Pachomian 
 MS. of 6. reads hq bv e^iKevrtfaav, instead of avff wv Kurtjjpxv'^'^vTo. 
 
 Potest nir'K nx notare eo quod, ut vertunt 6. Ch. vel quem. Vid. Nold. Et 
 sic post dalivum adhibetur, Jer. xxxviii. 9. Quin et hk dativi vicem 
 explet. Vid. Nold. Seeker. 
 
 See this text, John xix. 37. Apoc. i. 7. and ipi, to pierce, ch. xiii. 3. 
 
 uao is an object looked on with dependence on it and confidence in it, 
 Isa. XX. 5, 6. and here ch. ix. 5. Vitr. bH D^an often denotes such look- 
 ing, as Numb. xxi. 9. Ps. xxxiv. 6, c&c. ipi is used eleven times besides ; 
 almost always of mortal wounds, particularly here, ch. xiii. 3, and never 
 of one clearly not so. Seeker. 
 
 This passage is undoubtedly cited in St. John's Gospel, ch. xix. 37* 
 o-^ovrai (ig bv i^iKtvrrjaav. The present Hebrew text is, npt iu-h nx -ba ita-nm. 
 In order to maintain an imiformity between the evangelist and the 
 Hebrew, an error has been supposed to exist in the latter, and rbx has 
 been substituted instead of "bK. In support of this emendation, between 
 forty and fifty MSS. are produced. But were the matter to be decided by 
 the number and weight of authorities, I am of opinion with De Rossi, that 
 the scale would turu in favour of >bN. But what if it should appear, that 
 there is no error at all in the present Hebrew text, and yet a perfect 
 uniformity between it and the words of the evangelist? Jt will be 
 granted, that npT -lU'X nx, taken by itself, would be rightly translated bv 
 eKiKtvri]ffav, nx being simply the sign of the accusative case. But "bn 
 may not be the compound of bx, and the aflSx pronoun *, as it is now 
 pointed ; but the preposition "ba, of the same use and signification as ba, 
 and so answering to sig, ad, versus. Nor is it any objection that -bn is 
 followed by nx, which some have proposed to expunge ; such a concur- 
 rence of prepositions being allowed by the idiom of the Hebrew language, 
 see ch. iii. 10. xiv. 5. 2 Chron. xxiii. 14. Blayney. 
 
 the bitterness. — Altering the points in n?3n twice, will remove all 
 
 grammatical difficulty from this passage. 
 
366 ZECHAIUAH. [CH. XII. 
 
 11 In that day the mourning shall be great in Jerusalem, 
 As the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of 
 
 Megiddo. 
 
 12 And the land shall mourn, every * family apart : 
 
 The family of the house of David apart, and their wives 
 
 apart ; 
 The family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives 
 
 apart ; 
 
 13 The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives 
 
 apart ; 
 
 t Heb. families families. 
 
 11. Hadadrimmon. — Jeiom says, that this was a place near 
 
 Jezieel, called, in his time, Maximaniopolis. Da Lisle places it near 
 Megiddo, where Josiah was slain, over whom great lamentation was made, 
 2 Chron. xxxv. 22 — 25. " Pro ponmn habet Syr. poK nn i. e. Josiae, 
 2 Kings xxi. 24, quern et nominal Ch. sed post Achabium ab Hadadrim- 
 mone occisum." Seeker. 
 
 Megiddo. — Eight MSS. and Syr. read thus for Megiddon. 
 
 'I'his mourning of the Jews will take place on the re-appearance of their 
 Messiah from heaven, Apoc. i. 7. xx. 4 ; when the restored descendants of 
 those Jews who slew him shall be touched with the deepest compunction 
 for the guilt of their forefathers. 
 
 12. Nathan. — A sou of David, Luke iii. 31. 
 
 If Nathan be a descendant of David, his house is part of David's. 
 
 If families literally be meant, why these? And if a time yet to come, 
 who shall know these ? If it relate to a thing near the prophet's time, 
 there might be known families of the name of Nathan and Shimei, as well 
 as David and Levi, who had joined in some bad and fatal action ; and it 
 the family of the patriarch Levi be too large, some other of the name may 
 be meant. Seeker. 
 
 It is possil)le that, at the final restoration of the Jews, the genealogies of 
 some tribes may be preserved, and that the family of David may be traced 
 up to more than one of its collateral branches, each of which, on account ol 
 its distinguished eminence, is to moura apart. Observe that, after the 
 mention of four particulars, there is a general clause, v. 14, to complete 
 the induction. Or, as facts of this nature are very important in the 
 estimation of the Jews, they may be supernaturally ascertained. See Ilev. 
 vii. 4—8. 
 
 their wives apart, — On account of the season of humiliation, 
 
 1 Cor. vii. 6. 
 
CH. XIII.] ZECHARIAH. 367 
 
 The family [of the house] of f Simeon apart, and their 
 wives apart : 
 14 All the fainilies which remain, 
 
 Every family apart, and their wives apart. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 1 In that day shall a fountain be opened 
 
 To the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jeru- 
 salem. 
 
 § Heb. Simei. 
 
 13. [of the house'] of Simeon. — Three MSS. and Syr. ( hald. 
 
 supply n*3, which I suppose to be the true reading. For Simei 6. Ar. Syr. 
 have Simeon. In the margin of the English version we have, "Or, of 
 Simeon, as f5." Our translators therefore thought, that the Hebrew text 
 might sometimes be corrected by the Greek version " As David, Nathan, 
 Simeon, and Levi, are all reckoned among the progenitors of Christ, Luke 
 iii. 29, may not their families be mentioned by name, as more particularly 
 concerned in the guilt to be lamented? John vii. 6." Blayney. 
 
 Chap. XIII. ]. a fountain opened. — The blood of Christ, which 
 
 cleanseth from all sin, 1 John i. 7, is manifestly here intended, the Jews 
 being, upon their repentance and conversion, to be admitted to all the pri- 
 vileges of the Christian covenant, nxun and mj are legal terms: the 
 former denotes sin generally, or any transgression of the law which required 
 atonement, and is sometimes put for the means of purification from it, 
 Num. xix. 9, 17 ; the latter mD is used for that uncleanness, or legal defile- 
 ment, which secluded man from all intercourse with God and holy thin"-s. 
 Now, whatever efficacy the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an 
 heifer, sprinkled on the unclean had to purify from legal sin and defile- 
 ment, the same is ascribed to the blood of Christ in the Christian dispen- 
 sation, for purging the conscience of a sinner from the guilt of dead works, 
 or moral pollution. Blayney. 
 
 Scaturiet, erumpet. Schult. Animadv. Phil. 549. " An allusion to the 
 one great spring at Jerusalem, which served the uses of king and people. 
 See Vitr. on Isa. vii. 3." Seeker. 
 
 Both here and ch. xii. 10, only the house of David and the inhabitants of 
 Jerusalem are named, and the latter are distinguished from Judah, ch. xii. 
 2,5; and both from Judah, ch. xii. 7; and the mourning is confined to 
 
368 ZECHARIAH. [CH. XIII. 
 
 For sin, and for defilement. 
 2 And it shall come to pass in that day, 
 Saith Jehovah Gud of hosts, 
 That I will cut off the names of the idols out of the 
 
 land; 
 And they shall no more be remembered ; 
 And the prophets also. 
 And the impure spirit. 
 Will I cause to pass out of the land. 
 
 Jerusalem, ch. xii. 11. Can it tLerefore relate to a time yet future, when 
 for so long no Jews had beea inhabitants of Jerusalem ? And if the de- 
 scendants of those who were so be meant, where is the authority for such 
 meaning ? how shall they be known ? and what so particular cause of 
 mourning have they, above others, for what was done long ago ? Seeker. 
 
 We may suppose a future national mourning at Jerusalem ; as general 
 as the solemn rejoicings at the festivals appointed by the law, in the times 
 of its former prosperity. See on ch. xii. 11. 
 
 defilement. — Here is an allusion to the water of separation or of 
 
 purification for sin, Num. xix. 9. Means of purification from moral pollu- 
 tion shall be afforded to the Jews by the terms of the Christian covenant. 
 
 2. idols. — This prediction, that id&ls and false prophets should 
 
 cease at the final restoration of the Jews, seems to have been uttered when 
 idolatry, and groundless pretensions to the spirit of prophecy, w ere common 
 among the Jews, and therefore before the Babylonish captivity. 
 
 It has been urged in proof that this prophecy was uttered before the 
 I'abylonish captivity, that idolatry and groundless pretensions to prophecy 
 were common among the Jews at that time, which has not been the case 
 since. But this argument proves nothing; for there is no assurance that a 
 thing may not take place hereafter which does not exist at present. Ad- 
 mitting the Jews not to have been addicted to idolatry or false prophesying 
 at any particular period, who can say that they will not fall into these 
 transgressions at some future time ? J t is probable they will do so ; for 
 Ezekiel, confessedly prophesying of the latter times, when Israel and 
 Judah, incorporated again into one nation, shall return into their own land, 
 speaks to the same effect as Zechariah, ch, xxxvii. 23. But, besides supposing 
 the Jews themselves to remain untainted with those corruptions, it surely 
 will not be denied, that they do and may still prevail among other nations, 
 who may be included in the terra ynNn, taken in its most general sense, 
 " the earth ;" and so I conceive it should be ; for we are taught to expect 
 that the conversion of the Jews will be follov>ed by a further reformation of 
 the world, Rom. xi. lo ; and that the time will come when " the kingdoms 
 
CH. XIII.] ZECHARIAH. 369 
 
 3 And it shall come to pass, when any shall yet prophesy, 
 That his father and his mother shall say unto him, 
 Even those who begat him : Thou shalt not live, 
 Because thou hast spoken falsehood in the name of 
 
 Jehovah. 
 And his father, and his mother, who begat him shall 
 pierce him through when he prophesieth. 
 
 4 And it shall come to pass, in that day, that the prophets 
 
 shall be ashamed 
 Every one of his vision, when he prophesieth ; 
 Neither shall they wear a * rough garment to deceive. 
 
 5 But each shall say, I am not a prophet : 
 I am a man that tilleth the ground: 
 
 For another man hath possessed me from my youth, 
 
 * Heb. garment of hair. 
 
 of this world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ ;" 
 Rev. xi. .15; and "the heart," the emblem of idolatry, and with him the 
 false prophet, shall be cast into a lake of fire, &c. Rev. xix. 20. Blayney. 
 
 the prophets. — The false prophets. " The prophets and the unclean 
 
 spii'it," perhaps a Hendyadis for those who prophesy by means of an impure 
 spirit. See Acts xvi. 16. Rev. xvi. 13. And what is said in the next 
 verse, " of any one that shall prophesy," must be understood of those that 
 undertake to prophesy by means of an unclean spirit, or other false pre- 
 tences." Blayney. 
 
 the impure spirit. — Of divination by evoking the dead, or by any 
 
 means which caused legal impurity. 
 
 3. yet prophesy. — That is, falsely. So v. 4. 
 
 pierce him throuyh. — Fifteen MSS. read imipn. 
 
 4. of his vision. — That is, of the extraordinary communication which 
 
 he pretended to have received, when he uttered a prophesy which he knew 
 to be false. Blayney. 
 
 when he prophesieth. — One MS. reads imx33nn3. And four MSS. 
 
 read thus, 1 Sam. x. 13. 
 
 wear a rouyh garment. — This seems to have been the practice of 
 
 false prophets, in imitation of some eminent ones among the true. See 2 
 Kings, i. 1. 
 
 5. possessed me. — "33pn hath been the buyer of me. " Emit enim 
 
 me herus jam inde ab adolescentia mea." Houb. 
 
 " Hath had the property of me." ':-ipr\ is Hijihil, from whence comes rripn, 
 
370 ZECHAKIAH. [CH. XIII. 
 
 G And one shall say unto him ; 
 
 What are these strokes M'ithin thine hands ? 
 
 And he shall say, 
 
 Those with which I have been stricken in the house of 
 my friends. 
 7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, 
 
 a possession. Disclaiming all pretensions to the character of a prophet, he 
 shall profess himself to be no other than a plain labouring man, employed 
 in husbandry business by those whose property he had been, quasi adstrictus 
 glebcB, from his youth." Blayney. 
 
 6. strokes. — Marks, or punctures, sometimes received in honour of 
 
 idols. 
 
 " Those wounds." Two ancient usages are clearly alluded to here ; 
 the one, that of the idolatrous priests and prophets, who sought to engage 
 the attention and favour of their deity, by cutting and slashing themselves, 
 as the priests of Baal did, 1 Kings xviii. 28 ; the other that of those who 
 cut themselves as a token of their grief and mourning for their deceased 
 relations and friends, Jer. xvi. (5. It appears also, from Jer. xlviii. 37, that 
 these cuttings were performed on the hands in particular. When, there- 
 fore, the man, now ashamed of his pretensions to prophesy, came to be 
 challenged for those scars that were visible on his hands, he would deny 
 them to have proceeded from any idolatrous cause, and would have them 
 thought to be marks left by those wounds which he gave himself in the 
 house of his relations and friends, in the paroxysms of his grief for the loss 
 of them. ^n^Dn is to be taken actively in Hip/til, and not passively in 
 Hophal. Blayney. 
 
 of my friends. — These are not idolatrous marks, but those of the 
 
 'master to whom I belong. See Bishop Lowth on Isa. xliv. 5. " 'anNvj 
 always has an impure meaning, literal or metaphorical : and so must mean 
 false gods, or their worshippers here." Seeker. 
 
 ivithin. — " Vid. Prov. xxvi 13. ubi )-z idem sonat quod ima, Frov. 
 
 xxii. 13. Vid. et Nold. sign. 2, 3." Seeker. 
 
 7. Awake, O sword. — A new section commences here, but not, I think, a 
 new subject of prophecy. For as far as we can judge of a prophecy l)efore 
 its accomplishment, it appears to be a continuation of the same subject, 
 which was entered upon at the beginning of eh. xii. namely the alarming 
 invasion of Judah, and siege of Jerusalem, by a numerous body of heathen 
 nations. This however was soon broken off, in order to relate the means 
 by which God would compass the deliverance of his people, and the blessed 
 consequences that would afterwards ensue. But now the prophet reverts 
 back again to the time of the invasion, and proceeds to show some fatal 
 circumstances that would attend it at the beginning ; the lirsl of which is 
 
CH. XIII.] ZECHARIAH. 371 
 
 And against the man who is near unto me, 
 Saith Jehovah God oi hosts. 
 
 [I will] smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scat- 
 tered ; 
 
 specified in the remaining verses of this chapter ; by which we find that 
 the war would at first prove extremely destructive to its prince and people, 
 of whom two-thirds would be immediately cut off; but the remaining 
 third, after struggling through various difficulties, would at length become 
 converts to the Christian faith, and be again taken into covenant with 
 God. Blayney. 
 
 my shepherd. — Ten MSS. and one ed. read ^]|^•\, agreeably to the 
 
 versions and the masoretical punctuation. »j;i may signify }«y /;je>irf, which 
 sense better answers "n^oy, socium proximum rneum, in the next hemistich. 
 " *n~?2y, or in-ov, is eleven times used with » or t suffixum in Lev., and no 
 where else but here in O. T. nor is the root, / think, in Ch. or Syr. at all, 
 or in any like meaning in Arab, nor any other word from it in Heb. but 
 n^vb, juxta. It is equivalent in Lev. to v"i, neighbour : but hath no other 
 noun joined with it, as here. It seems to mean a person standing on the 
 same level in society. Grot, understands Judas Mace. Calvin, pastors in 
 general. Seeker. 
 
 the man who is near unto me. — This passage has been usually 
 
 understood to predict the sufferings and death of Christ. I have no con- 
 ception that it has the most distant relation thereto. Yet some have gone 
 so far as to find in the word 'n'oy a proof of the divinity of Christ's person, 
 Cocceii. Lex. in voce nr^j;. But all that can be made of nvij; is, that it 
 may signify a neighbour, one that is near, or next to another, or that bears 
 some kind of correspondency or resemblance to him, but exclusive of the 
 idea of parity, ina is no doubt often used for a 7nan simply, but its proper 
 sense is, one superior to others, in strength, power, or authority. I conceive 
 therefore -n-^v i2J might properly be rendered, " him that is next unto me 
 in power and authority ;" which exactly corresponds with " my shepherd" 
 in the parallel line ; one that rules his flock, or people, under me, or by 
 virtue of my commission. See Calv. in loc. Blayney. 
 
 smite. — Houbigant observes, that Arab, reads ik, / tcill smite; 
 
 which is agreeable to what follows. And I will turn, tkc. and appears from 
 the exigentia loci to be the true reading. See Matt. xxvi. 3L Mark xiv. 27, 
 " MS. n. 1 bibliothecae, S. Marci, Venetiis, et MS. n. 4, San-Gei-manensis, 
 Parisiis, habent irara^u) rov Troifiiva." Kenn. Diss. Gen. Sec. 44. 6. ed. 
 Aid. and MS. Pachom. read Trara^ov rov iroifiiva. "MS. Copt, potest esse 
 percute vel perctitite." Mr. Woide. 
 
 The two letters k and n are so frequently found to be written by mistake 
 for each other, that I could easily believe that ix may have been the 
 
372 ZECHARIAH. [CH. XI 
 
 -I 
 
 And I will turn mine hand against the little ones. 
 And it shall come to pass in all the land, saith Jehovah, 
 That two parts therein shall be cut off and shall die, 
 And the third part shall be left therein. 
 And I will bring the third part through the fire, 
 
 original reading of the Hebrew, instead of in. — But a question of niore 
 consequence arises here, whether the words of the prophet in their original 
 intention had any direct reference to the death of Chrtis. For my part I 
 am persuaded they had not; nor do the words 'Ort ytypavrai, or Tiypairrai 
 yap, with which the quotation is introduced by the evangelists, necessarily 
 imply more, than that our Saviour forewarning his disciples " that all of 
 them would be offended because of him, and would forsake him" that night, 
 refers to this passage as to a proverbial saying (just as we might do, if we 
 had met with one to our purpose in any profane author), laying it down as 
 a matter of course, for the. followers to disperse when their leader tvas taken 
 off. It is, I trust, already apparent, that the other events spoken of in the 
 context are not yet come to pass ; and perhaps the passage in question 
 might never have been considered differently from the rest, had not our 
 Saviour thought fit to make use of it for the purpose of illustration. — As 
 little reason is there to suppose that in the following sentence, " And I will 
 turn," &c., those are meant whom Christ calls his " little flock,'' Luke xii. 
 32. Nothing else is surely intended than that not only the gre.at ones, the 
 shepherds and leaders, as before mentioned, but those that are usually held 
 of less account, the common people, would come in for a share of the 
 calamity. For it follows, that throughout all the land two thirds of the 
 people would be cut off, and only one third survive after undergoing severe 
 trials. — Blayney. 
 
 shall be scattered. — Nineteen MSS. add the n at the end of the 
 
 original word. Two read njviam. " Atao-fcopTrifrOjjrtojffni^, MS. Copt, et 
 Aid.'' Mr. Woide. Aca(T(cop7riff0>)(Tovrat, 6. MS. A. 
 
 This verse relates to the Messiah and his little Jlock, Luke xii. 32. The 
 prophet goes back to this great subject of prophecy, after having told some 
 events posterior to Christ's appearance, and then proceeds to other events 
 subsequent to that grand epocha in the history of the Jews and of mankind ; 
 some near it, and some remote. 
 
 8. and shall die. — " Pneponunt vau, (>. Syr. Vulg. Prajcedit mM.'' 
 
 Seeker. 
 
 the third part. — One reads 'tt'^brm. I incline to interpret this verse 
 
 of the destruction brought on the Jews by Titus. 
 
 9. through the fire. — The allusion here is to persons, vho being in 
 
 an house on fire, are dragged out through the flames, scorched and burned 
 
CH. XIV.] ZECHARTAH. 373 
 
 And will refine them as silver is refined, 
 
 And will try them as gold is tried. 
 
 They shall call on my name, and I will answer them ; 
 
 And I will say, They are my people : 
 
 And they shall say, Jehovah is my God. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 1 Behold, the day of Jehovah * eometh, 
 That thy spoil shall be divided within thee. 
 
 * Heb. Cometh to Jehovah. 
 
 by the way, and perhaps with the loss of all their effects. See Zia ■jrvpog, 
 1 Cor. iii. 15. Jude 23. Blayney. 
 
 as gold is tried. — Ut fulvura spectatur in ig^ibus aurum. Ov. 
 
 call on my naine.— As disciples of the 3Iessiah. 
 
 And I will say. — 6. Ar. Syr. read ^moN-i. Observe that i precedes. 
 
 This verse may be understood of those Jewish Christians who survived 
 the calamities which their country suffered from the Romans. 
 
 Chap. XIV. 1. tlie day of Jehovah. — "Behold a day eometh by 
 
 the appointment of Jehovah." So I think mn^S must be rendered according 
 to the use of the preposition *?, see Jer. iv. 12. For whatever may be said of 
 .b as the sign of the genitive case, I question whether it can be so admitted, 
 unless in immediate apposition to the constructing noun. Nor is the day of 
 the Lord ever so expressed, but always mrr ov. 
 
 This chapter goes on to foretel a siege, in which Jerusalem will be taken 
 and sacked, and half of its inhabitants carried into captivitv. whilst the rest 
 will be enabled to stand their ground. In this critical situation they will 
 be relieved by the arm of divine power, exerting itself wonderfully in their 
 behalf, and attended with the most benificial consequences; such as living 
 waters going forth out of Jerusalem ; the name and majesty of the true 
 God acknowledged through the whole earth ; and the entire re-establish- 
 ment of Jerusalem in security. In the mean time the hostile invaders, 
 debilitated by sickness, thrown into confusion, and falling foul upon each 
 other, will yield themselves and their wealth an easy conquest to the 
 assailing Jews. After this a conformity in religious worship will be 
 
374 ZECHARIAH. [CH. XIV. 
 
 2 For I will gather all the nations 
 Against Jerusalem to war : 
 
 And the city shall be taken, and the houses plundered, 
 And the women defiled. 
 
 And f half of the city shall go into captivity ; 
 And the % residue of the people shall not be cut off from 
 the city. 
 
 t Or, a portion. | Or, a residue. 
 
 required of all the nations under a severe penalty ; and all things in Judah 
 and Jeruscxlem, from the least to the greatest, shall thenceforward be 
 accounted holy. Such are the great outlines of this extraordinary prophecy ; 
 to fill up which with any tolerable certainty, it will be necessary perhaps to 
 wait the times of its accomplishment. Blayney. 
 
 2. all the nations. — Many nations served under the Romans. 
 
 defiled. — So Lam. v. 11. 
 
 half. — That the Hebrew word may be rendered a portion, see 
 
 Judges ix. 43. Dan. xi. 4. Here the city is spoken of; but ch. xiii. 8 
 refers to the whole land. 
 
 the residue. — The Romans spared the young and useful part of the 
 
 Jews. Jos. B. J. VI. ix. 2. However these were either condemned to the 
 mines in Egypt, or exposed to the sword and to the wild beasts in the 
 provincial theatres, or sold for slaves, ib. It must be observed that the 
 forty thousand, who were permitted to go where they pleased, were 
 Idumeans. B. J. VI. viii. 2. 
 
 shall not he cut off" from the city. — " Si illi, qui post urbem expug- 
 
 natam superstites erunt, non delebuntur ex urbe, ergo ipsa urbs non dele- 
 
 bitnr. Ergo haec relinquenda sunt ad tempora reditus Juda;orum." — 
 
 Houbigant. Juda'i hffic sub Gog diuunt esse complenda. Hieron. 
 
 If the reader should think that these words cannot be interpreted of 
 excision before the destruction of the city by the Romans, we may suppose 
 that the unconverted Jews will rebuild Jerusalem ; that this city will 
 l)e taken, ch. xiv. 1, 2; that the Jews will be converted by a glorious 
 appearance of their Messiah, and will express great humiliation at the 
 conduct of their ancestors towards him, ch. xii. 10 — 14 ; that Jehovah 
 will then interpose in their behalf, ch. xii. 2 — 9 ; that at this period 
 the Jews will be pure from moral pollution, and will abhor the idolatry 
 and false prophesying which were so prevalent when this prediction w;is 
 uttered, ch. xiii. 1—0; that ch. xiii. 7 — 9 refer to Christ, to the destruc- 
 tion by the Romans, and to the partial conversion of the Jews, and serve as an 
 introduction to another calamity, ch. xiv. .3, 4, .5 ; and that the glories <il 
 
CH. XIV.] ZECHARIAH. 375 
 
 3 And Jehovah shall go forth, and shall fight against those 
 
 nations, 
 As when he fighteth in the day of battle. 
 
 4 And his feet shall stand in that day 
 Upon the mount of Olives, 
 
 Which is before Jerusalem on the east. 
 And the mount of Olives shall be rent 
 From the § midst thereof, eastward and westward ; 
 So that there shall he a very great valley : 
 And half of the mountain shall remove northward, and 
 half thereof southward. 
 
 5 And ye shall flee hy the valley of the mountains : 
 
 For the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal : 
 
 $ Heb. half. 
 
 the future Jerusalem, and God's vengeance on her enemies, are the subject 
 of ch. xir. 6—21 . 
 
 From its being said, that "a residue shall not be cut off from the city," 
 together with what follows, the course of proceeding it should seem will be 
 this : upon ihe city being taken, the most warlike part of the inhabitants 
 will retire in a body to some strong post near at hand, and stand upon their 
 defence ; till being encouraged by manifest tokens of God's declaring him- 
 self in their favour, and perhaps reinforced by their brethren of Judah at 
 large, they shall sally forth, and with the divine assistance completely 
 defeat their enemies and effect their own deliverance ; so that it is said, 
 " Jerusalem shall again sit in her own place at Jerusalem." Compare ch, 
 Xii. 5 — 7. Blayney. 
 
 3. those natiotis. — If, as I am disposed to think, the Romans are 
 
 meant in the foregoing verse, we may here understand the descendants of 
 the many people who warred under the Roman standard, and who will be 
 confederates with Gog and Magog, or with the Turks who were originally 
 Scythians. See Boch. Geogr. L. III. c. xii. xiii. I consider this prophecy 
 as coinciding with Ezek. xxxviii. xxxix. See also Rev. xx. 8, 9. 
 
 in the day of battle. — " ^^Dl kd- by, at the Red Sea. Chald. 
 
 "Videtur latere nomen aliquod proprium." Seeker. 
 
 5. ye shall Jke. — Even you who are to be preserved shall be struck 
 
 with terror at this event ; much more the enemies of God. 
 
 of the mountains. — Read a-in with 6. MS. A. Syr. Chald. and one 
 
 MS. The 7nem final has probably been omitted by the abbreviated way of 
 writing, "nn. 
 
 Azal. — Probably a place so called because it was near Jerusalem. 
 
 E E 
 
376 ZECHARIAH. [CH. XIV 
 
 Ye shall even flee, as ye fled before the earthquake 
 In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. 
 And Jehovah my God shall come, 
 And all his saints with him. 
 
 earthquake. — See Amos i. 1. 
 
 And all. — So the versions and Cliald. many MSS. and one ed. 
 
 " And the valley of the mountains shall be choked up : 
 
 (For the valley of the mountains will reach near) 
 
 And it shall be choked up, as it was choked up by the earthquake 
 
 In the days of Uzziah King of Judah." 
 
 6. Chald. and Arab, by a different punctuation, make nnr: the preter 
 in Nijihal of the verb qhd, km (ppaxOrjcrtrai, et obthurahitur, instead of 
 deriving it from did, so as to signify et f^tgietis. A sufficient proof, at least, 
 among others, that the vowel points were not in use when those versions 
 were made, or, at least, were not the same as those affixed by the 
 Masoretes. If, in order to determine which of the two interpretations is 
 best, we consider the context, and the history of the earthquake referred 
 to, as well as the age of the interpreters, all will concur in deciding in 
 favour of the former. Scripture is altogether silent in respect to the earth- 
 quake in the days of Uzziah, except that it is just mentioned as an era, or 
 date, Amos i. 1. But Josephus describes it as having taken place at the 
 time when Uzziah invaded the priestly office, and was smitten with 
 leprosy, and adds, " Before the city, at a place called the Cleft, one half 
 of the mountain, on the western side, was broken off, and having rolled 
 four furlongs towards the eastern mountain stopped, so that the roads were 
 choked up, and the king's gardens." What then can be more apposite 
 than to render, " And the valley of the mountains shall be choked up, as 
 it was choked up by the earthquake in the days of Uzziah ?" The valley 
 of the mountains was probably that valley which lay between the hills on 
 which Jerusalem was built, one of which was to the south, the other to the 
 north ; of course the valley extended itself east and west ; and the eastern 
 entrance of it, being opposite to the Mount of Olives, would be filled up 
 by the loose earth and rubbish rolling and tumbling into it, as the moun- 
 tain parted to the north and south, not far from it. And this seems to be 
 expressed by the words b)iK bx ann k»j rv o, which seem to come in by 
 way of parenthesis. For bvK is not a proper name, as it has generally 
 been taken to be, but a preposition or adverb, signifying hard by, near at 
 hand, and is considered by the Vulg. as used for a noun, governed by ba, 
 and translated, nsfjne ad proximum. There is no doubt but we should 
 read onn n*3 (not nn) in the first instance as well as the second. Blayney. 
 
 his saints. — So Syr. Ar. Chald. 
 
CH. XIV.] ZECHARIAH. 377 
 
 6 And it shall come to pass, in that day, 
 
 That there shall not be a 1| bright light and darkness ; 
 
 7 But there shall be one day : 
 This is known unto Jehovah : 
 
 There shall not be day, and there shall not be night: 
 But it shall come to pass that at even-tide th^re shall be 
 light. 
 
 8 And it shall come to pass, in that day, 
 
 II Heb. a light of clearnesses. 
 
 " The God of all holy ones with thee." This is a literal translation of 
 the Hebrew text, as it stands at present, and aifords a sense beyond 
 exception or improvement. The same Jehovah, of whom it is said, v. 3, 
 that he would go forth and fight against the unsanctified nations; he, as 
 the God, the patron, and protector of all holy ones, all true believers, it is 
 here said, will march with thee, O Jerusalem, as thine ally and auxiliary. 
 So the preposition, dv, properly imports. The address is here to Jerusalem 
 in the second person, as it evidently is also, v. 1. Blayney. 
 
 with him. — So the versions and Chald. and many MSS. 
 
 6. a bright light. — See "ip". Job xxxi. 26. Lux claritatum, glo- 
 
 riarum. 
 
 and darkness. — Read with Keri, very many MSS. and nine ed. 
 
 ]iK3pi, from NSp, coagulare, condensare; whence, says Cappellus, the sub- 
 stantive signifies densa caligo, atra nox. 
 
 " There shall not be light, but cold and a thick fog." All the ancient 
 versions appear uniformly to have read pNSpT tw'^px Nothing is more com- 
 mon than to find darkness introduced among the adjuncts of God's coming 
 to execute judgment or wrath. See Ps. xviii. 11. Isa xiii. 10. Joel ii. 31. 
 iii. 15. Amos. viii. 9. Matt. xxiv. 29, and many other places. But par- 
 ticularly it is said, Ezek xxxii. 7, " I will cover the sun with a cloud," 
 which exactly answers to pjop, " a thick fog," necessarily occasioning both 
 cold and darkness by intercepting the genial warmth and light of the 
 sun's rays. Blayney. 
 
 7. one daij. — That is, for one whole day, from morning until 
 
 evening, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon and stars shall not give 
 their light, therefore it will, with respect to light, be " neither day nor 
 night ;" but, it is added, " at eventide there shall be light," the thick fog, 
 px3p, being then withdrawn. Blayney. 
 
 This is known. — When this glorious period shall arrive, is known 
 
 to God only. See Rev. xxi. 23. xxii. 5. 
 
 E E 2 
 
378 ZECHATIIAH. [CH. XIV. 
 
 That living waters shall go out from Jerusalem ; 
 Half of them toward the * eastern sea, 
 And half of them toward the f western sea : 
 In summer and in winter shall it be. 
 9 And Jehovah shall be X King over all the earth : 
 
 In that day thei'e shall be one Jehovah, and his name one. 
 10 And he shall encompass the whole land as a plain, 
 From Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem : 
 And she shall be exalted, and shall be inhabited in her 
 place, 
 
 • Heb. former. t Heb. hinder. J Ileb. for King. 
 
 8. living waters. — Tliat is, running waters. The passage refers to 
 
 the wide effusion of divine knowledge from Jerusalem when restored. 
 
 By living waters, there is good reason to believe, are meant the gifts 
 and graces of the gospel dispensation. See Isa. xii. 3. xliv. 3. Iv. 1. Jer. 
 ii. 13. Ezek xlvii. 1, and Joel iii. 18. John iv. 10. and vii. 38, 39. That 
 these benefits will be diffused more extensively by the restoration of the 
 Jews is not obscurely intimated, Rom. xi. 15. Blayney. 
 
 eastern — western sea. — See the note on Joel ii. 20. 
 
 It is probable, that the eastern quarter of the heavens may have been 
 called "Dionpn, because the sun visits it first every d<ay ; if so, the western 
 should be denominated pnnKH, for a contrary reason. Blayney. 
 
 In summer. — In those countries most springs failed during that 
 
 season. 
 
 9. one Jehovah. — "Jehovah shall be one, and his name one." 
 
 He shall be one and the same God alike to all the earth, and not confined, 
 as heretofore, to one people. Compare Rom. iii. 29, 30. x. 12, and Eph. 
 iv. 5, 6. By the name of Jehovah I conceive to be meant, the profession 
 of his true religion, which, it is here foretold, should compass or pervade 
 the whole earth, as it had done the country of Judea, included within the 
 plain extending from Geba north to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. 
 Blayney. 
 
 10. And he shall encompass. — I suppose the true reading to be 2Di, or 
 aiD'i. V, and Syr. have the conjunction and. Jehovah shall encompass 
 the whole land for the purpose of protection, as a plain is encompassed by 
 mountains. 
 
 Geba — In Benjamin, north of Jerusalem, Josh. xxi. 17. 
 
 Rimmon. — In Judah, to the south of Jerusalem, Josh. xv. 32. 
 
 • shall he exalted. — One MS. reads noii. 8ee on Amos ii. 7. 
 
 " And she shall be raised up." That i.s, Jerusalem, which is here as 
 
CH. XIV.] ZECHARIAH. 379 
 
 From the gate of Benjamin to the place of the former 
 gate, 
 
 And unto the corner-gate ; 
 
 And from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's § wane- 
 presses : 
 
 1 1 And men shall dwell therein, and there shall be no more 
 
 II curse ; 
 And Jerusalem shall be inhabited in security. 
 
 12 And this shall be the calamity 
 
 With which Jehovah will smite all the * people 
 
 Who warred against Jerusalem. 
 
 Their flesh shall consume away while they stand on their 
 
 feet; 
 And their eyes shall consume away in their sockets ; 
 And their tongue shall consume away in their mouths. 
 
 § Heb. vats, || Or, utter destruction. * Heb. peoples. 
 
 elsewhere represented as a female figure, raised from the ground and 
 sitting tranquil on her ancient seat. See eh. xii. 6. Blayney. 
 
 the gate of Benjamin. — That this gate was probably to the north of 
 
 Jerusalem. See Jer. xxxvii. 12, 13. 
 
 the former gate. — Supposed to be that called the old gate, Neh. iii. 
 
 6. xii. 39 ; placed by Lightfoot towards the southwest, V. ii. p. 28. 
 
 And unto. — Five MSS. read ^y^. So V. Syr, 
 
 — the corner-gate. — See 2 Kings xiv. 13. 2 Chron. xxv. 23. Jer. xxxi. 
 
 38. 
 
 totver of Hananeel. — Placed by Cocceius eastward; who observes 
 
 that the tower and the comer-gate seem mentioned as the two extremities 
 of the city. Syr. Vulg. read 'jijooi. 
 
 winepresses. — Near the king's garden, southward. Cocceius. 
 
 " The king's vats." What the king's vats were, or where they were to 
 be found, we have not, as far as J know, any scriptural information. But, 
 from a passage in Josephus (Bell. Jud. L. v. c. 4. ed. Haverc), I am led to 
 think, they were what are there called, (XTrrjXaia paaiXiKa, certain caves or 
 hollows, to which from a resemblance in figure the name of vats or ivine- 
 tubs was given, with the addition of ^aciXiKa, " the king's," because of 
 their size, being too vast for common use. Blayney. 
 
 12. shall consume away. — The versions and Chald. read in the 
 
 future piT. A description of famine or of consumption. Mr. Lowth. 
 
380 ZECHARIAH. [CH. XIV. 
 
 13 And it shall come to pass, in that day, 
 
 That there shall be a great f tumult among them from 
 Jehovah ; 
 
 And they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his 
 neighbour, 
 
 But his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neigh- 
 bour. 
 
 14 And Judah also shall fight in Jerusalem : 
 
 And the wealth of all the nations round about shall be 
 
 gathered together, 
 Gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance. 
 
 15 And in like manner shall be the calamity 
 
 Of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, 
 
 And of X every beast which shall be 
 
 In those camps ; even according to this calamity. 
 
 16 And it shall come to pass that every one who is left 
 
 among all the nations. 
 Which came against Jerusalem, 
 Shall go up from year to year 
 To worship the King Jehovali God of hosts, 
 
 t Or, destruction. X Heb. all the cattle. 
 
 13. they shall lay hold. — That is, they shall seek help from one 
 
 another, hut instead of helpinp^, they shall turn their arms against one 
 another. See Judg. vii 22. 1 Sam. xiv. 20. 2 Chron. xx. 23. Blayney. 
 
 his hand shall rise up. — Intestine divisions and hostilities, where 
 
 friendship was expected, shall be added to the foregoing tlivine judg- 
 ments. 
 
 14. in Jerusalem. — So 6. 
 
 15. heast u-hich shall be. — Fourteen MSS. read n-nn " But n^n- is 
 
 also regular, being in agreement with each of the niasculine nouns, 
 DiDn, m3n, '703n, Tionn. Convenit verbum cum digniore." Blayney. 
 
 this calamity. — " As this plague." It is very evident that this 
 
 verse should regularly have followed immediately after v. 12. But it is 
 very much in the style of this writer to digress, and after a while to return 
 to his subject, as if nothing had intervened. The two preceding verses, 
 13, and 14, would properly connect with v. 7, and should have come in 
 there, but that tlie prophet seemed in haste to tell of the blessings in store 
 for his country. Blayney. 
 
CH. XIV.] ZECHARIAH. 381 
 
 And to keep the feast of tabernacles. 
 IT And it shall come to pass that whoever will not go up, 
 
 Of the families of the earth, unto Jerusalem, 
 
 To worship the King- Jehovah God of hosts, 
 
 Upon them shall be no rain. 
 J 8 But if the family of Egypt 
 
 16. feast of tabernacles. — Shall abide for some days in Jerusalem, 
 
 to behold the day of God's glory. Tlie prophet speaks according to Jewish 
 ideas, here and v. 20, 21. "A feast of joy, at the end of the year after 
 harvest, to commemorate their former unsettled state How this may 
 suit the Christian times, and especially the latter times, see Michaelis." 
 Seeker. 
 
 "Non quidem Levitice, sed in spiritu et veritate, perinde ac festum 
 Paschatos et Pentecostes, 1 Cor. v. 7, 8 : — sub exitura anni gratis, seu finem 
 mundi — uberrimam tunc habituri messem donorum gratiae et Spiritus 
 Sancti," Michaelis, Bib. Hala;. 1720. 
 
 Whether what is said in this verse is to be understood in any degree of 
 literal acceptation, or whether Jewish usages and expressions are here ac- 
 commodated only to the purpose of indicating that the heathen nations 
 would be expected to conform to the established worship of the true church 
 of God, which should exist in those latter days, is a matter which it vvill be 
 safer to leave to future discovery, than to take upon us peremptorily and 
 prematurely to decide upon at present. The feast of tabernacles, it 
 may be observed, was designed both for a joyful and thankful comme- 
 moration of past mercies, and also for the acknowledgment of God's 
 sovereignty iu the disposal of future good among his creatures. Of course, 
 the whole race of human beings are interested in the observance of it. 
 Blayney. 
 
 17. Of the families of the earth. — There is a restriction, v. 16. to 
 
 such nations as warred against Jerusalem. But if, according to the opinion 
 of many learned commentators, by going up to Jerusalem to worship, and 
 to keep the feast of tabernacles, be only meant a conformity to the 
 established worship of the one true God, or, which is the same thing, to 
 the Christian religion, there can be no objection to understanding a strict 
 universality of the nations. For it is repeatedly foretold, that a time would 
 come when all the ends of the world shall remember and return unto the 
 Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before him. Ps. 
 xxii. 27. Compare Ps. Ixxii. 11. Ixxxvi. 9. Rev. xi. 15. Blayney. 
 
 rain. — Spiritual. Vitr. on Isa. xliv. 3. where see. Seeker. 
 
 18. Egypt. — Where, by the situation of the country, there is no 
 
 rain. 
 
382 ZECHARIAH. [CH. XIV 
 
 Go not up, and come not ; 
 
 Upon them shall be the calamity 
 
 With which Jehovah shall smite the nations 
 
 Who go not up 
 
 To keep the feast of tabernacles. 
 
 19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt ; 
 And the punishment of all the nations 
 Who go not up 
 
 To keep the feast of tabernacles. 
 
 20 In that day shall there be 
 
 On the bells of the horses, Holiness to Jehovah. 
 And it shall come to pass that the pots in the House of 
 
 Jehovah 
 Shall he as the bowls before the altar. 
 
 " iEgyptus sine nube ferax." Claud, 
 
 «' Terra suis contenta bonis, non indiga mercis, 
 
 Aut Jovis." Luc. 
 
 Vid. et Plin. 1. v. c. ix. 
 
 Mr. Greaves, in his MS. works, p. 444, speaking of the rains of Alex- 
 andria says ; media praecipue hyeme, contra receptam opinionetn, et crebras 
 et violentas esse sensi. Ward. Gresham Coll. p. 141. Whilst I was at 
 Arsinoe,it hailed and rained almost all one morning, and rained very hard 
 the night following ; which is not looked on as an advantage, and often 
 doth harm, and, as they told me, causes a scarcity, the Nile being sufficient 
 to water the country. Pocock's Obs. on Egypt, p. 59. [Ov yap 5»j ixrai ra 
 av<i) Ttic AiyvTTTov to -jrapanav. Herod. 1. iii. c. 10, Rari sunt imbres. 
 Col. de re rust. 1. ii. c. 12. Chandler against Morgan : p. 374.] See also 
 Arnold. Wisd. xvi. 16. But also Ps. cv. 32. Yet again, Deut. xi. 10, 11. 
 'Yat yap tiQa fir] t^l^iKafft irort. Dion. Cass. 1. li. p. 455, speaking of 
 Egypt. Ev AiywTU) Kai Jia[3v\uvi Kai BaKTpoig, ottov {ir\ vtrai i) x^P<* 9 
 anaviiog, ai Spoaoi to 6\ov tKTpe<povai. Theophrast. Hist. Plant. 6. Granger 
 says, in lower Egypt it rains much and often, in middle seldom, in upper 
 not at all. See 2. 375. At Payta in Peru it rains not for many years. 
 Anson's Voyage. [Book II. c. vi. p. 189. 4to.] Seeker. 
 
 Upon them shall be. — Four MSS. and 6. Syr. omit the second Hb\ 
 
 the calamity. — Famine ; which would be the consequence, if the 
 
 rains did not fall in Ethiopia so as to cause an overflowing of the Nile. 
 
 20. On the hells. — God's name shall be honoiued in every circumstance. 
 
CH. XIV.] ZECHARIAH. 383 
 
 21 And it shall come to pass that every pot, in Jerusalem 
 and in Judah, 
 Shall be § holy to Jehovah God of hosts : 
 And all who sacrifice shall come, 
 And shall take of them, and prepare food therein : 
 And there shall be no more a trafficker 
 In the House of Jehovah God of hosts, in that day. 
 
 $ Heb. holiness. 
 
 " War horses not being wanted, their ornaments shall be converted to sacred 
 uses. Vitr. in Isa. Ix. 21." Seeker. 
 
 The horses and bells I understand here to be such as the Jews would 
 take from their vanquished enemies, who are characterized as " riding upon 
 horses," ch. x, 5. xii. 4. These they would consecrate to God as trophies 
 of victory and peace obtained through his assistance and favour. Blayney. 
 
 the pots. — The meanest utensil in the House of God, see Neh. x. 
 
 39, shall be as the vessels of silver and gold used in solemn sacrifice. 
 
 21. And it shall come to pass. — ^The utensils of the Jews shall be treated 
 as holy, and the worshippers shall use them reverently. (The idea of pre- 
 paring food in them is taken from the custom of feasting after a sacrifice.) 
 And no trafficker, see Ezek. xvii. 4, shall pollute the House of God, as was 
 the custom when the Messiah cleansed the temple. " Every thing shall be 
 equally holy, and therefore the ceremonial law abolished. Michaelis. 
 There shall be no tradesman to sell vessels ; the liberality of all nations 
 shall make them so plentiful. Grot." Seeker. 
 
THE BOOK 
 
 M AL ACHI 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The Prophecy of the word of Jehovah to Israel, by 
 * Malaehi. 
 
 I have loved you, saith Jehovah, 
 But ye have said, Wherein hast thou loved us ? 
 Was not Esau Jacob's brother, saith Jehovah ? 
 Yet I loved Jacob, 
 And Esau I hated; 
 And have made his mountains a desolation, 
 
 * Heb. by the hand of. 
 
 Chap. I. 1. hy Malaehi. — He lived after Zccliariah, because in his 
 
 time the temple was built, ch.iii. 10. It is probable that he was contemporary 
 with Nehemiah. Comp. ch. ii. 11. Neb. xiii. 23 — 27. ch. iii. 8. Neh. xiii. 10. 
 We may also conclude, from ch. iv. 4, 5, 6, that he was the last of the 
 Hebrew prophets till John the Baptist appeared. Usher places him before 
 Christ, 416 ; and Blair, 436. 
 
 In V. 2 — 5, the prophet shows how much Jacob and the Israelites were 
 favoured by Jehovah beyond Esau and the Edomites. 
 
 2. Jacob. — In giving him great external privileges. 
 
 3. Esau I hated. — I showed him less love. Gen. xxix. 30, 31. 1 
 
 comparatively hated him, by giving him an inferior lot. And now I have 
 not only laid waste the dwelling-place of the Edomites, by the incursions 
 of their enemies ; but v. 4, they shall remain the perpetual monument of 
 my vengeance. 
 
CH. I.] MALACHI. 385 
 
 And his inheritance to be for the serpents of the desert. 
 
 4 Although Edom say, We are impoverished, 
 But we will f build again the waste places ; 
 Thus saith Jehovah God of hosts. 
 
 They shall build, but I will throw down. 
 And men % shall call them. The border of wickedness, 
 And, The people against whom Jehovah hath indignation 
 for ever. 
 
 5 And your eyes shall see it ; and ye shall say, 
 Jehovah is magnified beyond the border of Israel. 
 
 6 A son honoureth a father, and a servant his master. 
 If then I 6e a father, where is mine honour ? 
 
 And if I 6e a master, where is my fear ? 
 
 Saith Jehovah God of hosts unto you, 
 
 O priests, that despise my name. 
 
 But ye say. Wherein have we despised thy name ? 
 
 7 Ye bring polluted food to mine altar. 
 
 t Heb. return and build. % Or, they shall be called. 
 
 serpents. — Sei-pentes fseminae. From the Hebrew nw, or the Arab. 
 
 ri'^n, to double, to fold. 
 
 4. throw down. — By Judas Maccabeus, 1 Mace. v. 65 ; and by 
 
 John Hyrcanus, Jos. Ant. XI 11. ix. 1. 
 
 5. your eyes. — The eyes of the Jews in succeeding ages. 
 
 beyond the border. — ^iityakwQi] vTnpavio, 6. H& showeth his gi'eat 
 
 power in other countries besides Israel. 
 
 6. honoureth a father. — Syr. Ar. read rnx, his father. 6. MS. 
 
 Pachom. render fcat dovkog tov Kvpiov avrov 0o/3>j0>j(7trat ; and ov 
 fr}l5r)9T)(TtTai is found in ed. Aid., as if the clause were to be read interroga- 
 tively, and xn-* nb had stood in the text. The reading of the Pachomian 
 MS. occurs in Chald. and is confirmed by the context : 
 
 " A son honoureth a father. 
 And a servant feareth his master. 
 If then, &c. 
 And if, &c." 
 
 From this v. to ch. ii. 9, the prophet reproves the priests and the people 
 for sacrificing the refuse of beasts ; and denounces punishment against the 
 priests for not teaching the people their duty in this respect. 
 
386 MALACHI. [CH. I. 
 
 Yet ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee ? 
 
 In that ye say, The table of Jehovah, it is despicable. 
 
 8 Now if ye bring the blind § for sacrifice, is it not evil ? 
 And if ye bring the lame and the sick, is it not evil ? 
 Present it, I pray you, unto thy Governor ; will he be 
 
 pleased with thee. 
 Or will he || favourably accept thee ? 
 Saith Jehovah God of hosts. 
 
 9 And now, I pray you, entreat the face of Jehovah that he 
 
 would be gracious unto us. 
 From your hand hath this been ; 
 Shall I favourably accept any of you ? 
 Would Jehovah God of hosts say. 
 10 Surely the doors shall be closed against you : 
 
 Neither shall ye kindle the fire of mine altar in vain. 
 
 I have no pleasure in you, 
 
 Saith Jehovah God of hosts ; 
 
 Neither will I accept an * offering at your hand. 
 
 § Or, to sacrifice it. \\ Heb. accept thy face, 
 
 * Heb. aa offering of flour. 
 
 7. The table.— The altar, Ezek. xli.22. xliv. 15, 16. They said in 
 
 effect that the altar of Jehovah was vile and contemptible, by offering on 
 it torn, blind, lame, and sick victims. 
 
 8. Now if. — Two MSS. read o, to which -31 is equivalent. Comp. Isa. 
 xxxvi. 19. 2 Kings xviii. 34. 
 
 " Mactant lectas de more bidentes." Virg. 
 
 See Lev. xxii. 20. 
 
 unlo thy governor. — Gifts of this nature were customarily made in 
 
 the east : and are to this day. Harmer, ii. 25. 
 
 9. Shall I. — V. Ar. Syr. read xu-xn ; and the present reading is on 
 
 a rasure in two MSS. 
 
 Would — say — See Judges viii. 8. 
 
 10. Surely. — 6. and one MS. read o for *d; which Houbigant approves 
 of. 
 
 shall he closed. — 6. and Houbigant read n3D\ One MS. reads ^3D•, 
 
 claudet quis, i. e. claudentur. 
 
 in vain. — To no purpose as to propitiating me. See D3n, Prov. i. 
 
 17. 
 
CH. I.] MALACHI. 387 
 
 1 1 For, from the rising of the sun even unto the going down 
 
 thereof, 
 My name shall be great among the nations ; 
 And in every place shall incense be brought unto my 
 
 name. 
 And a pure offering : 
 
 For great shall my name be among the nations, 
 Saith Jehovah God of hosts. 
 
 12 But ye profane it, in that ye say. 
 The table of Jehovah, it is polluted : 
 
 And what is offered thereon even its food, is despicable : 
 
 13 Ye say also, Behold, it is of weariness : 
 And ye snuff at it : 
 
 Saith Jehovah God of hosts. 
 
 And ye have brought that which was torn, and the lame, 
 
 and the sick : 
 And ye have also brought an offering of flour : 
 
 11. 'incense. Seven MSS. read lupiD, suffumigatum. We have 
 
 here a prophecy of the conversion of the Gentiles ; and as usual, under 
 Jewish images, Zech. xiv. 16. 
 
 12. polluted. — -Ye treat it as if it were impure, and unworthy of the 
 
 choicest offerings. 
 
 what is offered thereon. — 'Called 2*3, proventus, because the priest 
 
 had a portion of it. We may render this verse : 
 
 •' Aud as to what is offered thereon, its food is despicable." 
 
 13. -ye snuff at it. — See Haggai i. 2. Ye say. Attendance on the 
 
 altar, and partaking of its sacrifices, are a burdensome task: and ye 
 turn from them with disgust. Two MSS. read 'mx ; and Jarchi says (see 
 Cappellus), that this is one of the eleven places which the scribes have 
 corrected. According to this various lection we must render, " And ye snuff 
 at me." The i and " are often confounded. Great beauty would be 
 restored to Ps. xcv. if, at v. 7, we read «bip3 for ibpa ; and suppose that 
 God speaks from these words, " To day if ye shall hear my voice." 
 
 torn. — By wild beasts. What had been violently taken by them as 
 
 their prey, and rescued from them, or left by them. 
 
 And ye have also brought. — The rendering in 6. MS. Pachora. is 
 
 Trpoaeiptptrt avra eig dvaiav, which leads us to read nnjo nnx, " Ye have 
 even brought it for a sacrifice." 
 
e 
 
 388 MALACHI. [CH. II. 
 
 Shall I accept it from your hand, 
 Saith Jehovah God of hosts ? 
 14 But cursed be the deceiver, who hath a male in liis flock, 
 And vovveth and sacrificeth unto Jehovah that which is 
 
 marred. 
 For I am a great King, 
 Saith Jehovah God of hosts : 
 And my name shall be f had in reverence among the 
 
 nations. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 1 And now to you is this commandment, O ye priests. 
 
 2 If ye will not hearken. 
 
 If ye will not lay it to heart. 
 
 To give glory imto my name, 
 
 Saith Jehovah God of hosts ; 
 
 I will send a curse upon you. 
 
 And I will curse your blessing : 
 
 And moreover I have cursed it already/. 
 
 Because ye lay it not to heart. 
 
 3 Behold, I will take away from you the shoulder, 
 
 + Or, dreadful, or, fearful. 
 
 14. a male. — See Lev. xxii. 19. 
 
 unto Jehovah. — Chald. many MSS. and six ed. read r^^r^-b fol•*3^x'7. 
 
 God of hosts. — V. 6. Ar. Syr. and three MSS. sui)ply "nbx. 
 
 Chap. II. 2. your blessing. — Read D3n3~i3 with <5. Ar. Chald. one 
 
 MS. and Doctor Durell. The vati is omitted in eighteen MSS., which 
 brings us nearer to the true reading. By blessing is meant the portion of 
 the priests, which a dearth would lessen. See ch. iii. 10, 11. The word 
 is sometimes used for a present. See Joel ii. 14. 
 
 / have cursed it. — By sending you unfruitful seasons. 
 
 3. take away — the shoulder.— \\o\x\ngM\i reads yiJ with d. Ar. 
 
CH. II.] MALACHr. 389 
 
 And I will scatter dung in your faces, 
 
 Even the dung of your solemn sacrifices. 
 
 And one * shall carry you to the same place therewith. 
 
 4 And ye shall know that I have sent unto you 
 This commandment, 
 
 That my covenant may remain with Levi ; 
 Saith Jehovah God of hosts. 
 
 5 My covenant was with him, even that of life and peace j 
 And I gave them unto him, for the fear wherewith he 
 
 feared me, 
 And was dismayed before my face. 
 
 6 The law of truth was in his mouth. 
 
 And unrighteousness was not found in his lips : 
 In peace and uprightness he walked with me. 
 And he turned away many from iniquity. 
 
 7 For the lips of the priest should f keep knowledge, 
 And wiew should seek the law from his mouth: 
 
 For he is the messenger of Jehovah God of hosts. 
 
 8 But Ye have departed out of the way ; 
 
 * Or, And ye shall be carried. t Or, retain. 
 
 The shoulder, ynr, which is also the reading of 6. Ar. Houbigant, was 
 the part which belonged to the priest. See Lev. vii. 32. Deut. xviii. 3. 
 " Perhaps the true reading is, vnj, will cut off." Seeker. 
 
 dung. — The maw was also the priest's. See Deut. xviii. 3. But 
 
 such priests deserved only the dung which it contained. 
 
 solemn sacrifices. — Or victims. See the Hebrew word, Ex. xxiii. 
 
 18. Ps. cxviii. 27. 
 
 And one shall carry. — Or, as 6. And I will carry : et auferens ero. 
 
 Ye shall be destroyed, and cast on a dunghill. 
 
 4. my covenant may remain. — That you may reform, and not be 
 
 cast of. 
 
 5. gave them. — Life and peace. One MS. reads ihki, and this, or 
 
 njnxi, with the n paragogic, which might easily pass into the Mem final, is 
 the reading of V. 6. Ar. Chald. 
 
 " And I gave him reverence that he might fear me ; 
 And he was dismayed," &c. 
 
 7. should keep. — Preserve, store up, so as to distribute it. 
 
390 MALACHI, [CH. 11. 
 
 Ye liave caused many to stumble at the law ; 
 Ye have made % void the covenant with Levi ; 
 Saith Jehovah God of hosts. 
 9 Therefore have I also made you 
 
 Despicable and base before all the people ; 
 According as ye keep not my ways, 
 But have respect to persons in the law. 
 
 10 Have we not all one Father ? 
 Hath not one God created us ? 
 
 Why do we deal unfaithfully, every man against his 
 
 brother, 
 By breaking the covenant § made with our fathers ? 
 
 1 1 Judah hath dealt unfaithfully. 
 
 And abomination is committed in Israel and in Jeru- 
 salem : 
 
 For Judah hath profaned the holiness of Jehovah which 
 he loveth, 
 
 And hath married the daughter of a strange god. 
 
 t Heb. corrupted. $ Heb. of our fathers. 
 
 8. caused many to stumble. — To sin by offering blemished sacri- 
 
 iiceSi 
 
 9. have respect to persons. — Having one decision for the poor, and 
 
 another for the rich. See Lev. xix. 15. 
 
 10. From this v. to v. 10. the prophet censures intermarriages of Israel- 
 ites with women of another country, which Moses had forbidden, Deut. 
 vii. 3 ; and also divorces, which seem to have been multiplied for the pur- 
 pose of contracting these prohibited mamages. 
 
 deal unfailhfidly. — Act an unjust and inhuman part by putting 
 
 away the daughter of a brother Jew. 
 
 breaking the covenant. — See Deut. vii. 3. bbn signifies to perforate ; 
 
 and as one ancient way of cancelling bonds was by striking a nail through 
 them, see Col. ii. 14, hence the word signifies to make void. See Tayl. 
 Cone, in voc. 
 
 11. hath dealt unfaithfully. — Heb. So Ephraim is used in the 
 
 feminine, Hos. iv. 18, 19. v. 9. ix. 13. 
 
 which he loveth. — Which Jehovah hath always loved. Or, rather, by 
 
 a change of the points, which lie [Jehovah] loveth, amx. 
 
 the daughter of a strange god. — That is, the worshipper of a different 
 
 god from Jehovah. See Deut. xxxii. 19. 
 
CH. II.] MALACHI. 391 
 
 12 Jehovah will cut oiF the man that doeth this, 
 
 Him that || teacheth and him that answereth, from the 
 
 tents of Jacob: 
 And him that bringeth an * offering to Jehovah, God of 
 
 hosts. 
 
 1 3 And this also ye do : 
 
 Ye cover with tears the altar of Jehovah, 
 
 With weeping and tvith crying out. 
 
 Insomuch that he regardeth not an offering any more. 
 
 Nor receiveth it with good-will from your hand. 
 
 14 Yet ye say, Wherefore? 
 
 II Or, wakeneth. * Heb. an offering of flour. 
 
 12. the man. — w-ab may be equivalent to vk nx, or may be rendererl 
 
 to the man. 
 
 Him that teacheth. — We have here a proverbial expression for the 
 
 whole family, as ai?j;i Ti5fj;, 1 Kings xiv. 10, vinctus et liber ; that is, all. 
 Bahrdt. So Ezek. xxxv. 7. 
 
 " I will cut off him that passeth out and him that returneth :" that is, 
 all. See also 2 Chron. xv, 5. Possibly -)V, he. may be a substantive sig- 
 nifying the ivaker; that is, the speaker, or the caller. To waken the ear, 
 Isa. 1. 4, is to pour instruction into it. Hence Vulg. may translate magis- 
 trum et discipulum, and the words may mean " the priest and the people." 
 That some of the priests married strange wives, see Neh. xiii. 23 — 30. 
 
 And him that bringeth. — Notwithstanding his oblations. But Hou- 
 
 bigant observes that Syr. and Chald. read w-vit^ : " So that there shall be 
 none to bring near, &c." This reading would oblige us to interpret ly in 
 a sense applicable to the priest. 
 
 " Jehovah will cut off the man that doeth this, 
 "Even him that teacheth," &c. 
 
 13. also. — o. Ar. read ^nxDU*. 
 
 " And this which I hate ye do." 
 
 This furnishes a very good sense. 
 
 Ye cover. — Or, overwhelm. The infinitive is here used as in Latin. 
 
 See Ezek. i. 14. Isa. xxi. 5. The passage refers to the tears and groans of 
 wives, divorced by priests, or referring to them for decisions. 
 
 Nor receiveth it with good'unll. — See Chald. We may render, 
 
 " Nor receiveth an acceptable sacrifice," or, " what is acceptable." Placa- 
 bile quid. V. StKrov, 6. The natural cause of good-will. See Prov. x. 32. 
 
 F F 
 
392 MALACHI. [CH. II. 
 
 Because Jehovah was a witness 
 
 Between thee f and the wife of thy youth, 
 
 Against whom thou hast dealt unfaithfully : 
 
 Yet she was thy companion, and thy X covenanted wife. 
 
 15 And did not he make one flesh? 
 And is there not one spirit thereto ? 
 
 And what doth he seek? A § godly seed. 
 
 Therefore take heed to your spirit, 
 
 And deal not thou imfaithfuUy to the wife of thy youth. 
 
 16 For I hate him that putteth away, 
 
 Saith Jehovah \_Lord of hosts] the God of Israel : 
 
 t Heb. and between. X Heb. the wife of thy covenant. 
 
 if Heb. a seed of God. 
 
 14. was a witness. — He having Leen solemnly appealed to as a wit- 
 ness of the contract. 
 
 dealt unfaithfully. — man is found in twelve MSS. and four ed. 
 
 15. And did not. — I much question whether sense can be made of 
 
 the text, as it now stands. "And did he not make one?" Did not God 
 
 malce man and wife one flesh. Here the ellipses are harsh. " And hath 
 
 he the residue of the spirit ?" No, he hath its fulness ; and can do what 
 
 he pleaseth. " And wherefore one :" Wherefore did he make two one ? 
 
 " He sought a goodly seed," as opposed to a sensual one. 
 
 Or thus: 
 
 " And did not One make us ?" See v. 10. 
 
 " And hath he the residue of the spirit? 
 
 And what doth the One God seek ? An holy seed." 
 
 See Thelyphthora, i. 1-36. ed. 2. 
 But I prefer transposing thus, 
 
 : iKtt' nu'V nnx vh-\ 
 
 So one MS. 
 
 : nnsn ib nm 
 
 The allusion is to Gen. ii. 24. Man and wife are one flesh and one soul. 
 
 to your spirit. — To your mind, or disposition. 
 
 deal not thou unfaithfully. — V. 6. Houbigant, and ten or clex en 
 
 MSS. read njan or m^an. 
 
 16. / hate. — Both xju- and n'^u- are participles. 
 
 Jehovah. — After this word 0. MS. A. and Syr. read mK3y of hosts. 
 
CH. III.] MALACHI. 393 
 
 And him that covereth violence with his garment ; 
 Saith Jehovah God of hosts. 
 
 Therefore take heed unto your spirit, and deal thou not 
 unfaithfully. 
 1 7 Ye have wearied Jehovah by your words. 
 Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him ? 
 In that ye say, Every one that doeth evil 
 Is \\ good in the eyes of Jehovah ; 
 And in them he delighteth : 
 Or, Where is the God of judgment? 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 1 Behold I will send my Messenger, 
 
 II Or, acceptable. 
 
 And him. — As I do him that endeavoureth to conceal under his 
 
 garment what he hath taken by violence : sub vestimento suo. See Syr. 
 Chald. Nold. by. Sec. 30. But nD3 is often construed with bv before its 
 transitive case. See on Hab. ii. 14, This led De Dieu to render thus, 
 
 " For violence covereth his garment :" 
 
 That is, overspreadeth or defileth it. Jude 23. Nocturnam maculat 
 violentia vestem. His second marriage is an act of injustice and violence 
 to his former wife. 
 6. Ar. Chald. read lu'ia'?, thy garment : and 6, MS. Pachom. read ODwnnb, 
 
 17. From this v. to the end of ch. iii. 6, the prophet reproves the Jews 
 for their immoralities : and reminds them of fJim who was to erect a pure 
 religion among them. 
 
 ivearied hhn. — One MS. reads Ti^yain, and another at present. 
 
 " Wearied thee." 
 
 Or. — Three MSS. omit ix ; and 6. Ar. read n-t<\ " And where," &c. 
 
 CuAP. III. I. mt/ Messenger. — John the Baptist. 
 
 prepare. — Like pioneers on the march of an eastern monarch. See 
 
 Bp. Lowth on Isa. xl. 2. 
 
 F F 2 
 
394 MALACHI. [CH. III. 
 
 And he shall prepare the way before me : 
 And the Lord whom ye seek 
 Shall suddenly come to his temple, 
 Even the Messenger of the covenant in whom ye de- 
 light: 
 Behold he shall come, saith Jehovah God of hosts. 
 2 But who shall abide the day of his coming? 
 And who shall stand when he appeareth ? 
 For he is like the fire of a refiner, 
 And like the soap of fullers. 
 
 the way, — In N. T. Matt. xi. 10. Mark i. 2. Luke vii. 27. we read 
 
 Tfiv oSov aov, as if the Hebrew had been nann. 
 
 before me. — Before the Messiah who shall act in my name. In the 
 
 three places of the gospels we find tfiirpoaOtv auv, TD3'7. But in Luke these 
 two words are wanting in the Cambridge MS. ; and there is much better 
 authority for omitting them, Mark i. 2. 
 
 I suspect that, in the gospels, Trpo irpoffioirov aov, and ffnrpoaOiv aov, are 
 different renderings of the same Hebrew word. The Hebrew text fur- 
 nishes a very good sense as it now stands ; and probably the Greek text, 
 which the evangelists copied, was corrupt, though in substance sufficiently 
 foithful. 
 
 suddenli/. — After the messenger ; or unawares, as Christ's first 
 
 coming was, and second will be. Poc. Seeker. 
 
 Even. — All the old versions, and. But most of the Jew s say it 
 
 is the same person. May it not be understood of God acting by his angel, 
 as Gen. xlviii. 15, 16? Where God which fed me — the Angel which 
 redeemed me, are joined without i. Seeker. 
 
 the Messenger of the covenant. — He who shall establish a new 
 
 covenant between me and mankind. " The Messenger or Angel of the 
 covenant is a phrase no where else in scripture. It may mean the person 
 by whose intervention a covenant is made, or by whom a covenant proposed 
 by one party is sent to the other. Now the voice of the angel in whom 
 God's name was, the Israelites were to obey, and t^do all that God spoke, 
 Ilxod. xxiii. 20 — 23 ; and this angel was with them before the covenant 
 was made with them, Ex. xiv. 19; and the law was ordained by angels, 
 Gal. iii. 19; so that this angel, of whom see the note on Isa. Ixiii. 9, may 
 be the angel of the covenant here. — God, and an, or the angel, are joined 
 close together, Zee. xii. 8. Gen. xlviii. 16." Seeker. 
 
 2. who shall abide. — He shall show that I delight in him that doeth 
 
 good, and that I execute vengeance on the wicked. See ch. ii. 17. 
 
CH. III.] MALACHI. 395 
 
 3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver ; 
 And he shall purify the sons of Levi, 
 
 And shall * refine them as gold and as silver ; 
 And they f shall bring near unto Jehovah an offering in 
 righteousness. 
 
 4 Then shall the offering of Judah and of Jerusalem be 
 
 pleasing unto Jehovah, 
 As in the days of old, and as in former years. 
 
 5 And I will draw near unto you to judgment; 
 And I will be a swift witness 
 
 Against sorcerers, and against adulterers, and against 
 
 ij: false swearers ; 
 And against those who oppress the § hireling in his hire, 
 
 and the widow and the fatherless ; 
 
 * Or, cleanse. 
 
 f Heb. shall be unto Jehovah the bringers near of an offering of flour. 
 
 } lleb. those who swear to a falsehood. § Heb. the hire of the hireling. 
 
 3. he shall sil as a refiner-- — He shall be diligently employed in liis 
 
 office, in whicli he shall resemble a refiner. 
 
 6. Ar. read, " And he shall sit a refiner and purifier as of silver and 
 gold." And Syr. transposes the particle of similitude in the same manner; 
 but omits ann, and gold. 
 
 the sons of Levi. — Those who shall minister in their stead under the 
 
 new covenant. 
 
 5. sorcerers. — Those who pretend to foretel future events by rites 
 
 which the law forbad. Arab, manifestavit, revelavit. 
 
 false swearers.' — 6. Ar. add -Dira, bi/ my name, with fifteen MSS. 
 
 three ed. and Talm. Babyl. 
 
 uho oppress. — Houbigant reads with 6. Ar. ^Sirnoi ; and again 
 
 DDobK "puyi. But Bahrdt justly observes, that the Hebrews often prefix a 
 verb to many nouns, which suits only one. See on Hos. ii. 1 8. 
 
 the hireling in his fire. — n-Dir n^it*. Sic 6. V. Syr. Ch. Videtur 
 
 tamen prius expungendum ; nam de personis dicitur pirjr, et speciatim de 
 mercenario, Deut. xxiv. 14 ; de viduo et orphano, Jer. vii. 6; nusquam de 
 rebus, nisi Job xl. 18, ubi videtur fluvio persona tribui. Addit Syr. pere^ 
 grinum post vaii-. Inter «ddt et ii interponunt judicium Ch. 6. quod 
 exhibet Deut. xxvii. 19. quo videtur hie propheta respicere. Seeker. 
 
 — ' — and the uidoiv.—Ohsex\e that three MSS. read nJoVxi. 
 
396 MALACHI. [CH. III. 
 
 And who turn aside the poor, and fear not me ; 
 Saith Jehovah God of hosts. 
 
 6 For I am Jehovah [your God,] I change not: 
 Therefore ye, the sons of Jacob, are not consumed. 
 
 7 From the days of your fathers ye have turned aside 
 
 from my statutes, and have not kept them : 
 Turn ye unto me, and I will turn unto you, 
 Saith Jehovah God of hosts, 
 But ye say, Wherein shall we turn ? 
 
 8 Shall a man rob God ? 
 Yet ye rob me. 
 
 But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? 
 In II tithes and * offerings. 
 
 9 Ye are cursed with a curse : 
 
 For ye have robbed me ; even this f whole nation. 
 10 Bring ye all the % tithes 
 Into the storehouse, 
 And let there be food in mine house : 
 And prove me now herewith, 
 Saith Jehovah God of hosts ; 
 If 1 will not open unto you 
 
 II Heb. the tithe. * Heb. the heave-offering. 
 
 t Heb. the nation, ail of it, X Heb. tithe. 
 
 . — And who turn aside. — See Ainos v. 12. Hoiibigant observes, that 6. 
 
 C'luild. supply lasii'n, the judgment ; which is unnecessary. The Greek is 
 rather an explanation of this and the foregoing line, than a verbal ren- 
 dering. 
 
 6. Jehovah [j/onr God.] — 6. Ar. supply aa^nbx. 
 
 are not consumed, — Because of my everlasting covenant with your 
 
 fathers, ye are not totally consumed. 
 
 7, From this ver. to the end of v. 12, the people are reprehended for with- 
 holding the legal tithes and oblations; are assured tliat they are under a 
 curse for this breach of the law, and that an opposite conduct will derive on 
 them a blessing. 
 
 From the days. — See ob, Nold. Zech. xiv. 10. Some render, " In like 
 manner as from," &c. 
 
 H. tithes. — See Neh. xiii. 10. 
 
 offerings. — See Numb, xviii. 19. 
 
 10. food. — For the priests. Sec ^iid, Prov. x.\x. 8. xxxi. 15. 
 
CH. III.] MALACHI. 397 
 
 The windows of the heavens, 
 
 And pour out unto you a blessing, until there he not 
 room enough to receive it. 
 
 1 1 And I will rebuke for you the devourer, 
 
 And he shall not destroy the fruit of your ground ; 
 Neither shall your vine § cast its fruit in the field ; 
 Saith Jehovah God of hosts. 
 
 12 And all the nations shall call you blessed : 
 For ye shall be || a pleasant land, 
 
 Saith Jehovah, God of hosts. 
 
 13 Your words have waxen bold against me, 
 Saith Jehovah {^God of hosts.] 
 
 Yet ye say. What have we spoken against thee ? 
 
 14 Ye have said, " It is * vain to serve Jehovah : 
 
 And what profit is there that we have kept his ordinance. 
 And that we have walked mournfully 
 Before Jehovah God of hosts ? 
 
 15 And now we call the proud happy : 
 
 Yea, the workers of wickedness are set f up : 
 Yea, they have proved God, and have escaped." 
 
 16 Then they who feared Jehovah spake 
 
 § Or, be barren. || Keb. a land of desire. 
 
 * Heb. vanity. t Heb. built. 
 
 not room enough. — Immensge ruperunt horrea messes. Virg. 
 
 11. the devourer. — The locust, catei-pillar, cankerworm, &c. 
 
 13. From this verse to the end of ch. iv. v. 3, the prophet expostulates 
 with the wicked for their hard speeches, and declares that God will make 
 a fearful distinction between them and the righteous. 
 
 God of hosts. — mxnv is supplied by Chald. and 6. Pachom. 
 
 14. walked mournfully. — With prayer and fasting, in sackcloth 
 
 and ashes. 
 
 15. the proud. — Those who behave themselves an'ogantly against 
 
 God. 
 
 are set up. — Are raised to prosperity, as buildings are to their 
 
 height. 
 
 These who spake thus seem to have expected an exact distribution of 
 temporal rewards and punishments to good and bad men. 
 
398 MALACHI. [CH. IV. 
 
 Every one to his neighbour. 
 And Jehovah X gave ear and heard : 
 And a book of remembrance was written before him, 
 For them who feared Jehovah, and for them who thought 
 on his name. 
 
 17 They shall be unto me, said Jehovah God of hosts, 
 In the day which I shall appoint, a peculiar treasure. 
 And I will spare them, as a man spareth 
 
 His son who serveth him, 
 
 18 And ye shall § again discern 
 Between the righteous and the \vicked ; 
 Between him who serveth God, 
 
 And him who serveth him not. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 For behold, the day cometh which shall burn as a 
 furnace ; 
 And all the proud. 
 
 And all that do wickedness, shall be stubble. 
 And the day which cometh shall burn them up, 
 t Or, hearkened. $ Heb. return and discern. 
 
 16. gave ear and heard. — Heard attentively. 
 
 a book of remembrance. — A beaiUiful allusion to the records kept by 
 
 kings, Estli. vi. 1. 
 
 17. T/iet/ shall be. — Erunt. V. tlie vau being merely conversive. 
 
 appoint. — See c. iv. 3. So V. 6. Ps. cxviii. 24. The period referred 
 
 to may be the Roman war under Titus. 
 
 • a peculiar treasure. — b:D, Cbald. lucratus est, collegit. 
 
 18. again discern. — As your fathers did, when chastised by the 
 
 Assyrians and Bal)ylonians. 
 
 and the nicked. — For the Hebrew form, see on Joel ii. 17. 
 
 Chap. IV. 1. root or branch. — It shall totally consume them. A 
 
 proverbial exprcs.sion. 
 
CH. IV.] .MALACHI. 399 
 
 Saith Jehovah God of hosts : 
 For it shall not leave them root or branch. 
 2 But unto you that fear my name, 
 
 Shall the sun of righteousness arise, * with healing- in 
 
 his wings. 
 And ye shall go forth, and thrive, as bullocks of the 
 stall. 
 .3 And ye shall tread down the wicked : for they shall be 
 as dust 
 Under the soles of your feet, 
 In the day which I shall appoint ; 
 Saith Jehovah God of hosts. 
 
 4 Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, 
 Which I commanded him in Horeb 
 
 Concerning all Israel : even the statutes and the judg- 
 ments. 
 
 5 Behold, I will send unto you 
 Elijah the prophet, 
 
 Before the great and terrible day of Jehovah come : 
 
 * Heb. and. 
 
 2. that fear. — Or, O ye that fear. Arab. Bahrdt. 
 
 %ci7U)s. — jkletaphorically, for rays. The disciples of the Messiah 
 
 shall be preserved from the destruction by the Romans. 
 
 go forth. — To the pasture. 
 
 and thrive. — Some render the original word ex'diit. See 6. 
 
 3. ye shall tread doivn. — Ye shall know that they are wholly 
 
 subdued. 
 
 as dust. — Some say that here is an allusion to the treading of 
 
 mortar, made one part of sand and two of ashes. Harmer I. 179. 
 
 4. Remember. — This precept well suits the last of the prophets. 6. Ar. 
 place this v. after v. 5, 6, and it forms as apt a conclusion as repeating the 
 prophecy of Christ's harbinger. See ch. iii. 1. " MS Copt, also places 
 this verse last." Mr. Woide. 
 
 5. Elijah. — John the Baptist, who should come in the spirit and 
 
 power of Elijah, Lute i. 17. 
 
 day of Jehovah. — When he shall take vengeance on the Jews Jjy 
 
 the Roman armies. 
 
400 MAI.ACIII. [ClI. IV. 
 
 6 Tliat lie may convert the heart of the fathers togetlier 
 with the ehiklren, 
 And tin' heart of the children tot^ether with their fathers : 
 Lest I come and smite the land with a f curse. 
 
 1 Or, utter destruction. 
 
 (i. together with. — See bv, in the sense of una cum. Gen. xxxii. 1 1 . 
 
 Amos iii 15, where 6. have itti tov oikov, wliich cinswers to firi riKva, 
 Luke i. 17. fJos, x. 14, where 6. have nri rtKvoiQ. Exod. xxx. 22. Mic. 
 V. 3, where v. have tTrt Tovg v'tovc. See Nold. bv, Sec. 9. That he may 
 convert many. See Matt. iii. 5. 
 
 the land. — Three MSS. and one in the marf^in add b^,all (he laud; 
 
 which is the reading of Chald. 
 
INDEX OF PERSONS 
 
 OCCASIONALLY REFERRED TO. 
 
 Abarbinel, 94. 119. 281. 
 
 Abuwalid, 133. 
 
 Adanson, 212. 214. 
 
 Addison, xxxviii. 
 
 Aeschylus, 158. 
 
 Ainswortli, xxii. 
 
 Alschech, R., 281. 
 
 Ammianus Marcellinus, 18. 
 
 Amos, 14. 
 
 Aquila, 9. 48. 93. 99. 112. 115. 119. 123. 
 
 132. 147. 157. 161. 193. 233. 240. 252. 
 274. 
 
 Arrian, 205. 
 
 Augustin, 358. 
 
 Bahrdt, 94. 111. 118. 121. 122. 125. 129. 
 
 133. 134. 140. 146. 147. 149. 217. 220. 
 224. 225. 244. 247. 248. 255. 257. 261. 
 274. 278. 279. 
 
 Barrington, Bishop, 94. 
 
 Beza, xxix. 27. 
 
 Blair, John, xlv. 125. 206. 267. 273. 276. 
 
 291. 
 Blanchini, 358. 
 BlajTiey, xxi. xxii. xxv. xxxiv. xxxvi. 
 
 XXX vii. xl. and notes on Zechariah. 
 Bochart, 2, and frequently. 
 Borromeo, Cardinal, xi. 
 Bryant, 16. 
 Butler, Bishop, 180. 
 Buxtorf, xiii. 3. 28. 45. 61. 82. 201. 321. 
 Calasio, xiv. 
 
 Calmet, 54. 126. 305. 333. 
 Cappellus, 3. 54. 83. 172. 197. 204. 230. 
 
 235. 243. 252. 260. 263. 267. 271. 290. 
 
 305. 306. 311. 312. 315. 
 Castell, xiii. 
 Catullus, 278. 
 Celsius, 11. 48. 86. 236. 
 Chandler, Bishop, 173.190. 278.279.262. 
 Chandler, Doctor, 211. 217. 
 Cicero, 116. 143. 278. 
 Claudian, 107. 216. 
 Cocceius, 2. 173. 
 Columella, 134. 
 Constantine L'Empereur, 281. 
 Cornelius a Lapide, 83. 
 Ctesias, 206. 
 Curtius, 13. 17. 
 
 Cyril, 130. 215. 221. 
 
 Dathius, 16. 89. 138. 243. 273. 
 
 David, a future king of the Jews, 79. 
 
 De Dieu, 393. 
 
 Delaney, xxiv. 
 
 De Lisle, 160. 366. 
 
 Demetrius Phalereus, xiv. 
 
 Dimock, 96. 118. 128. 148. 
 
 Diodorus Siculus, 8. 38. 193. 204, 206. 
 
 Dion Cassius, 382. 
 
 Dionysius, 8. 
 
 Doddridge, xxxvii. 
 
 Dow, 70. 
 
 Drusius, 14. 39. 84. 99. 190. 206. 207. 
 
 219. 
 Durell, xvii. .34. 180. 183. 257. 
 Ennius, 54. 
 Erasmus, xxvii. 
 Euripides, 74, 158. 
 Eusebius, xi. 56. 160. 
 Eustathius, 8. 246. 
 Forsayeth, 8. 27. 39. 40. 42. 95. 116. 
 
 123. 124. 131. 184. 140. 158. 164. 190. 
 
 194. 196. 209. 231. 239. 249. 
 Fuller, 254. 
 Golius, 169, 211. 
 Grabe, xii, 253. 
 Greaves, 382. 
 
 Green, 6. 8. 245. 247. 253. 262. 263. 264. 
 Griesbach, 358. 
 Grotius, 38. 89. 119. 130. 224. 
 Gussetius, 50, 260. 
 Habakkuk, 244. 
 Hammond, 39. 
 Harmer, 11. 26. 27. 30. 38. 42. 45. 64. 
 
 57. 77. 107. 197. 208. 220. 223. 246. 
 
 262. 
 Heberden, xviii. 282. 
 Herodotus, 9. 191. 201. 205. 286. 
 Hiller, 11. 
 Hirtius, 54. 
 Homer, 22. 27. 33. .36. 73. 158. 196. 199. 
 
 200. 203. 224. 
 Horace, 4. 22. 27. 34. 36. 37. 42. 65. 76. 
 
 87. 107. 139. 
 Horsley, Bishop, and notes and render- 
 ings through Hosea. 
 Hosea, 59. 
 
402 
 
 INDEX OF PERSON'S. 
 
 Houbigant on all the Minor Propliets 
 
 frequently occurs. 
 Hulsius, 281. 
 Hutchinson, 24G. 
 Hyde, 34. 
 Hyrcanus, 18. 272. 
 Jackson, 200. 
 Jarchi, 94. 
 
 Jeroin, 9. 130. 134. 191. 219. 230. 2.58. 
 Joel, 207. 
 Jonah 1, 11. 
 Joseph, R., 281. 
 Josephus, vi. -15. 17. 18. 42. 199. 20,5. 
 
 214. 267. 272. 276. 279. 281. 283. 29.5. 
 Isaac, R., 358. 
 Isaiah, 238. 283. 
 Judas Maccabeus, 18. 
 Justin, 205. 286. 
 Justin Martyr, 40. 
 Juvenal, xv. 34. 76. 255. 
 Kennicott, ix. x. xli. 3. 8. 57- 88. 100. 
 
 146. 147. 172. 185. 258. 
 Kidder, 330. 358. 
 Kimchi, 14. 127. 134. 314. 
 Kuster, 222. 
 La Roque, 151. 
 Le Clerc, 150. 269. 271. 272. 
 Lewis, xxxix. 
 Lightfoot, 272. 
 Lilienthal, 133. 264. 
 Longinus, 96. 
 Lowth, Mr., 230. 272, 
 Lowth, Bishop, frequently. 
 Lucan, 246. 
 Lucas, Brugensis, 858. 
 Lucian, 193. 
 Lucilius, 36. 
 Lucretius, 151. 1,55. 
 Ludolphus, 213.214. 
 Macrobius, 126. 
 Maddan, 393. 
 Maimonides, 35. 281. 
 Manger, 94. 128. 134. 151. 
 Marccllus Virgilius, 213. 
 Masius, xii. 
 Maundrell, 26. 
 Mead, 219. 
 
 Mede, 50. 149. ,307. 334. 
 Menander, 99. 
 Mercer, 198. 
 Merrick, 194. 
 Micali, 154. 
 Michaelis, I. D., xlil. 27. 41. 55. 57. 94. 
 
 99. 105. 109. 132. 134. l.'](>. 137. 144. 
 
 146. 150. 234. 269. 278. 280. 
 Michaelis, I. H., 29. 48. 
 Moerlius, 3. 79. 82. 102. 269. 
 Molyneux, 214. 
 
 Montfaufon. 99. 112. 126. 134. 
 
 Murctus, 1 K). , 
 
 Nahuni, 188. 
 
 Nathan, R., 281. 
 
 Newton, Sir Isaac, 236. 
 
 Newton, Bishop, 291. 
 
 Nimrod, 190. 
 
 Noldhis, 3. 10. 31. 44. 53. 70. 76. 97. 
 
 106. 155. 162. 174. 218. 232. 276. 277- 
 
 309. 
 Obadiah, 267. 
 Oppian, 246. 
 Origen, xi. 358. 
 Orpheus, 3. 208. 
 
 Ovid, 51. 157, 158. 184. 200. 226. 
 Owen, 172. 365. 
 Pachomius, x. 
 Pamphilus, xi. 
 Peritsol, 12. 
 Petavius, 291. 
 Peters, 38. 180. 247. 
 Peirce, 283. 
 
 Plinv, 11. 114, 145, 211, 212, 215. 
 Plutarch, 10. 
 Pocock, 16. 48. 70. 76. 80. 82. 83. 86. 
 
 93. 94. 97. 98. 102. 107. 109. 112. 114. 
 
 122. 124. 125. 126. 134. 1,35. 147. 148. 
 
 1.57. 158. 164. 172. 174. 189. 223. 
 Prideaux, 202. 280. 286. 291 . 296. 
 Priestley, xxxvii. 
 Propertius, 107. 
 Pul, 9. 
 
 Randolph, 3-30. 357. 358. 
 Ray, 208, 214. 
 Remigius, 214. 
 Robertson, 146. 
 Saadias, R., 364. 
 Sallust, xxxviii. 151. 
 Sappho, 51. 
 Schrocder, 264. 
 Schultcns, 34. 87. 113. 147. 179. 204. 
 
 232. 246. 293. 303. 
 Scott, xxiv. 
 Seeker's critical notes on all the Minor 
 
 Prophets frequently occur. 
 Selden, 35. 39. 122. 126. 231. 
 Seneca, 25. 38. 143. 
 Scrvius, 69. 126. 270. 
 Shaw, 156. 212. 
 Sixtus Quintus, xi. 
 Sloan c, 213. 
 Sophocles, 52. 
 
 Spencer, 22. 29. 37. 38. ,39. 77. 119. 122. 
 Statins, 145. 
 
 Stephanus de Urbibus, 1. 
 Stephens, Rob., 100. 
 Stephens, Hen., xxix. 
 Strabo, 8. 118. 201. 205. 
 
INDEX OF PERSONS. 
 
 403 
 
 Symmaclius, 4. 7. 9. 12. 76. 88. 98, 99. 
 
 101. 102. 115. 123. 127. 132. 134. 157- 
 
 238. 240. 248. 252. 255. 256. 
 Swift, XXXV. 
 Tacitus, 67. 106. 
 Tanclium, R., 97. 124. 133. 
 Taylor, ix. xiv. xxix. xlii. 2. 4. 37. 77. 
 
 88. 94. 98. 124. 190. 258. 294. 
 Terence, 99. 116. 
 Theocritus, 290. 
 Theodotion, 9. 18. 70. 76. 99. 112. 132. 
 
 143. 193. 231. 240. 252. 255. 
 Theophrastus, 382. 
 Thevenot, 219. 
 Thuanus, 212, 
 Tibullus, 51. 74. 
 Tobit, 206. 
 Usher, 125. 267. 
 Velleius Paterculus, 205, 
 
 Virgil, XV. xvi. 10. 19. 22. 34. 46. 53. 
 
 57. 70. 74. 76. 85. 120. 136. 142. 192. 
 
 202. 208. 209. 217- 225. 226. 228. 238. 
 Vitringa, 39. 191. 268. 286. 289. 290. 
 
 291. 293. 295. 296. 316. 
 Wesseling, 39. 
 Westerhovius, 116. 
 Wetstein, 222. 252. 
 Wheeler, frequently. 
 White, xii. xiii. 
 Wintle, 220. 253. 255. 257. 
 Woide, xviii. xlii. 26. 27. 35. 57. 65. 79. 
 
 127. 130. 132. 134. 136. 160. 172. 177, 
 
 229. 245. 257. 263. 299. 
 Xenophon, 9. 203. 246. 
 Zechariah, whether the author of chap. 
 
 ix.— xiv. 329, 383, 
 Zephaniah beautiful, 232, 
 
INDEX OF THINGS. 
 
 Abbreviations in writing Hebrew words, 
 
 3. 15. 34. 57. 298. 
 Achor, 71. 
 Additions to the Hebrew text in o, 19. 
 
 27. 82. 116. 143. 183. 211. 278. 285. 
 
 289. 
 Adulteress, how punished, 67. 
 Affixes signify passivelj', 116. 
 in the oblique case repeated in 
 
 the nominative, 321. 
 Ammonites, 18. 
 Angel of tlic covenant, 395. 
 Arabism, aloph for vau, 21. 130 ; beth, 
 
 146. 
 Ashdod, 17. 
 
 Ashes, custom of sitting on, 9. 
 Ashkelon, 17. 
 Ass, wild, 114. 
 Baal, 70. 72. 
 Baalim, 70, 
 Baal Peor, 122. 
 
 Baldness in mourning, 61. 160. 
 Bashan, 28. 
 Bear, 145. 
 Beersheba, 33. 
 Belial, 193. 
 Besor, 45. 
 Bethaven, 87. 
 Betheden, 16. 
 Bethel, 27. 
 Bcth-Ezel, 158. 
 Bozrah, 18. 
 
 Calf, why worshipped, 113. 
 Calneh, 41. 
 
 Cakes, how prepared in the East, 107. 
 Camillus, whence derived, 126. 
 Caphtor, 55. 
 Carmcl, 15. 
 Caverns, 53. 268. 
 Chaffer, 214. 
 Chaldeans, 246. 
 Cherethitcs, 55. 235. 
 Chiun, 39. 
 
 Cici, a plant so called, 11. 
 City Remembrancer, 219. 
 Comparison, implied, 182. 
 Concordance, xiii. 
 Conjectural criticism, xiv. xlii. xliii. 
 
 Conjectural readings. Am. iii. 11, iv. 3, 
 V. *7, viii. 4, 12, ix. 1 ; Hos. i. *9, v. 
 7, vii. "^16, viii. 12, x. *5, 11, 14, xii. 
 *4; Mic. i. *12; Nah. i. 12, iii. 16; 
 Zeph. iii. 9; Hab. i. *12, iii. 7, *14; 
 Zech. iv. -^^12. 
 
 Corner-stone, 346. 
 
 Clms, 54. 
 
 Chusites, ib. 
 
 Darkness, for calamity, 37, 181. 
 
 attends earthquakes, 32. 
 
 David, what meant by this in the pro- 
 phets, 79. 
 
 Divinations, by rods or staves, 86, 
 
 Dower, anciently paid by the husband, 
 76. 
 
 Drop, to drop a word, 48. 
 
 Dust, grief shown by rolling in it, 157. 
 
 Eagle, 160. 
 
 Earthquake, 15. 32. 50. 
 
 East wind, 12. 138. 
 
 Ebn Awi, 156. 
 
 Eder, 169. 
 
 Edom, 17. 20. 270. 272. 
 
 Egypt, its diseases, 31. 
 
 its reverence for kings, 110. 
 
 whether rain there, 381. 382. 
 
 Ekron, 17. 
 
 Encyclopedic, 32, 215. 
 
 Ephraim, of the feminine gender, 89. 
 
 used plurally, 348. 
 
 Ethiopia, 54. 241. 
 
 Family, for people, 24. 
 
 Fasting, how practised in the East, 10. 
 
 Feast, on a sacrifice, 29. 
 
 Figs, early, 112. 
 
 Fig-tree, 265. 
 
 Fort}' days, a solemn period of time, 9. 
 
 Foxes, 156. 
 
 Frequentative substantive, 67- 
 
 Future tense, has the force of the pre- 
 sent, 3. 
 
 frequentative, 25. 44. 
 
 converted by the distant 
 
 vau, 22. 
 
 not always converted by 
 
 vau, 7. 
 Garments, torn in grief, 217. 
 
 Those marked ♦ seem most worthy of attentioD. 
 
INDKX OF THINGS. 
 
 405 
 
 15 ; Hab. i. 9. * 15, ii. *3. *6, iii. "■ 13; 
 Zecli. i. 3, ii. *6, iv. *9, v. * 6, vii. 
 7. *10, viii. 16, ix. 16, x. ^a. *12, xii. 
 *7, xiv. *5. 10. *15. *18; Mai. ii. 
 5. 14. 15. 
 
 in words : Am. ii. 15, iii. 1, 
 
 Gate, the place of judgment, 36. 
 
 Gath, 41. 
 
 Gaza, 16. 
 
 Gibeah, 93. 
 
 Gilgal, 29. 
 
 God, great unto God for very great, 9. 
 
 Grape, for wine, "6. 
 
 Hadrach, 333. 
 
 Hamath, 41. 45. 
 
 Harvest, for time of destruction, or rather 
 
 for time of mercy, 102. 
 Hebraisms, xxxvii. xxxviii. 
 Hebrew language, viii. 
 Hieroglj-phics, 44. 
 Horn, the sjnnbol of strength, 44. 
 Horns of the altar, 27. 
 Horses, not shod anciently, 44. 
 Hosts, God of hosts, 27. 
 Housetops, places of worship, 229. 
 Jakale, 156. 
 Jareb, 95. 127. 
 Jezreel, 61. 62. 64. 74. 
 Infinitive mood, Amos v. 11 ; Mai. ii. 
 
 13. 
 Journey of one day, 9. 
 Islands, 55. 236. 
 Judah, feminine, Mai. ii. 11. 
 Judge, chief magistrate, 20. 
 Ivory, houses of, 27. 
 Kir, 16. 55. 
 Kirioth, 20. 
 
 Kiss, bestowed on statues, 143. 
 Lakes called seas, 202. 
 Lamentation, women skilled in it, 36. 
 
 used for elegy, 32. 
 
 Lebanon, its wine, 152. 
 
 Leopard, 145. 
 
 Lib3a, whence derived, 144. 
 
 Light, for prosperity, 37. 
 
 Lion, 24. 198. 
 
 Locust, 31. 45. 93. 203. 204. 208. and 
 
 through Joel. 
 Lots cast for captives, 202. 
 Malchom, 38. 
 Manuscript, Ambrosian, xi. 
 
 Coptic, xviii. 
 
 Manuscripts furnish variations in letters: 
 
 Jon. iii. 2; Am. iv. 7, *13. v. 8, vi. 
 
 10, vii. 2, viii. 8, ix. 14; Hos. ii. 3, 
 
 iv. 4. 6. *8. 18, V. 3, vi. 4, vii. 1, *6. 
 
 viii, * 10. ix. * 2. 8. 12. x. *10, 14. 15. 
 
 xiii. 8. 10. 13, 15, xiv. 1. 3 ; Mic. i. 
 
 5. 8, ii. *2, iv. 9. *11, v. 6. 8. 12, vi. 
 
 5. *9. *10. 14, vii. 5. ■'•12; Nah. i. * 
 
 2, ii. -^3. *4, iii. *15 ; Joel i. 20, ii. 
 
 *1. * 12. '^ 23 ; Zeph. i. 4, ii. 10, iii.* 
 
 The various lections marked * will serve to illustrate the great importance of the late Dr. 
 Kennicott's collatioDS. 
 
 V. *6. 8. 16, vi. 1, vii. *7; Hos. ii. 
 
 16, iv. *18, ix. *6. 9, xii. * 9, xiii. *4; 
 
 Mic. i. *5, V. *6. *7. 12; Joel i. 8. 
 
 13, ii. *20 ; Zeph. i. 8, iii. 6 ; Hab. i. 
 
 *8, ii. 2; Obad. *16; Hagg. ii. 2; 
 
 Zech. ii. 21, vi. 10, viii.*l. *3. * 20, 
 
 xii. *6. =*13; Mai. i. 14, iii. *5, iv. 6. 
 
 One MS. omits a clause Am. vi. 8. 
 
 with o. Ar. 
 Memphis, 119. 
 Metre, Hebrew, xv. xxxviii. 
 Mizpah, 90. 
 Moab, 19. 
 Moloch, 38. 
 Mood, the indicative form in Hebrew 
 
 verbs ,has the force of the potential, 
 
 12. 349. 
 Mountains, gods denominated from 
 
 them, 121. 
 Mowing, 45. 
 Nail, 316. 
 Naked, its extended signification, 156. 
 
 , captives made so, 69. 201. 
 
 Nile, eminently The river, 50. 
 Nineveh, 1. 8. 13. 188. 189. 205. 206. 
 No Ammon, 189. 201. 
 Nominative absolute, 121. 
 North, applied to Assyria and Baby- 
 lonia, 237. 
 Nose-jewel, 70. 
 
 Number, definite for indefinite, 97. 174. 
 Omer, 76. 
 
 Omission in the Hebrew text, 144. 
 On, valley of, 16. 
 Ophel, 169. 
 Ostrich, 157. 
 Parallelism, synonymous, xiv. xv. xvi. 
 
 xvii. 
 Paran, 259. 
 Paronomasia, 29. 49. 158. 159. 211. 
 
 234. 
 Participle, change from it to the preter 
 
 tense, 21. 
 Pelican, 237. 
 Person, transition from the second to 
 
 the third. Am. v. 12; Zeph. ii. 3. 
 Philistine, meaning of the word, 55. 
 Pits, prisons in the East, 313. 
 Plural termination masculine, written 
 
 contractedly, 45. 204. 210. 222. 
 
40G 
 
 INDEX OF THINGS. 
 
 Plural terminalion, omitted wholly or 
 
 partly, at the end of a line 121. 
 Preposition, often omitted in Hebrew, 
 
 7. 28. 182. 2G2. 
 Preter tense, its form has the force of 
 
 the preterpliiperfect, 11. 
 Pronoun redundant, 23. 
 ■ repeated in the nominative 
 
 case, after being used as an affix, 
 
 273. 
 
 placed at the end of a sen- 
 
 tence, 183. 
 
 Prophets, why sent to the Hebrews, v. 
 
 authors of the Hebrew Scrip- 
 tures, V. vi. 
 
 -their writings of divine autho- 
 
 rity, vi. 
 
 their writings useful, vii. 
 
 the Twelve Minor, obscure, 
 
 viii. 
 their conduct sometimes mo- 
 rally wrong, 1. 11, 
 Punctuation, a difierent one of the sen- 
 tence, 30. 35. 107. 110. 112. 116. 118. 
 Put, 202. 
 Rain, 30. 98. 220. 
 
 in Egypt, 381. 
 
 Repentance, on God's part, 46. 148. 
 Repetitions, Jon. ii. 3, 1. 3 ; Ps. xlii. 7 ; 
 Am. i. 2, 1. 1. 2; Joel iii. 16. 
 iv. 13 ; 1. 4 ; Mic. i. 3. 
 V. 13, 1. 2, Mic. ii. 3. 
 V. 13, 1. 4 ; Joel iii. 18. 
 Hos. iv. 10, 1. l.Mic. vi. 10. 
 V. 3, 1. 3. 4, vi. 10. 
 V. 5, 1. 1, vii. 10. 
 vi. 4, 1. 3. 4, xiii. 3. 
 ■s-iii. 13, 1. 3, ix. 9 ; Jer. xiv. 10. 
 Mic. iii. 12 ; Jer. xxvi. 18. 
 iv. 1.2. 8; Isai. ii. 2.3. 4. 
 iv. 6,1. 2; Zeph. iii. 19. 
 Nah. i. 15, 1. 1. 2 ; Isai. Iii. 7. 
 
 ii. 10, 1. 4 ; Joel ii. 0. 
 Joel i. 15, 1. 2. 3; Isai. xiii. 6. 
 Zeph. ii. 15, 1. 1. 2; Isai. xlvii. 8. 
 
 iii. 4, 1. 2 ; Ezck. xxii. 26. 
 Hab. ii. 13, 1. 2. 3 ; Jer. 11. 58. 
 ii. 14 ; Isai. xi. 9. 
 iii. 19, 1. 2. 3 ; Ps. xviii. 33. 
 Obad. 1. Jer. xlix. 14. 
 
 2. 15. 
 
 3. 4. 16. 
 Zech. i. 3, 1,3.4; Mai. iii. 7. 
 
 vii. 10, 1. 3. 4, viii. 17. 
 11.1. 2; Neh. ix. 29. 
 liicinus, 11. 
 
 Rods, divination by them, 8G. 
 
 Roofs, flat in the East, 25. 
 
 Rooms, upper ones tlie cliicf, 54. 
 
 Samaria, 26. 40. 
 
 Saying, why omitted, 91. 
 
 Sea, eastern and western, 219. 
 
 Selah, 259. 
 
 Sepharad, 272. 
 
 Septuagint, proofs that its MSS. and 
 
 editions should be collated, frequently 
 
 occur. 
 Serpents, some live in water, 53. 
 Seventy years, from the destruction of 
 
 the temple to its restoration, 276. 
 
 captivity, 291. 
 
 Shechem, 101. 
 
 Shepherds used for Rulers, 204. 
 
 Shields, coloured, 196. 
 
 Shittim, 226. 
 
 Sibylla, its derivation, 190. 
 
 Similitude, particle of, omitted, 107. 
 
 Sin, the Hebrew words denoting it, 
 
 why used for the punishment of sin, 
 
 130. 
 Songs, accompanied sacrifice, 38. 
 Staff, divination by it, 86. 
 Star, symbol of a deity, 39. 
 Storehouses, subterraneous, 54. 
 Suffetes, 20- 
 
 Superlative, how expressed in Hebrew, 8. 
 Sycamore, 48. 
 Tabor, 86. 
 Tarshish, 1. 
 Teman, 18. 259. 
 Teraphim, 77. 
 Thrashing-wain 15. 
 Translation, rules for a new one, xviii. — 
 
 xliv. 
 Trumpet, danger proclaimed by it, 212. 
 Tyre, 17. 
 Vargi, 200. 
 
 Vau, not always conversive, 7- 
 removed from the beginning of a 
 
 sentence to join the verb, 131. 
 
 its omission, 261. 
 
 Verb, not applicable to all the substan- 
 tives governed by it, 72. 73. 
 
 the nominative case often to be 
 
 supplied, 9. 
 
 Viol, accompanied sacrifice, 38. 
 
 Vineyards, scenes of jo}-, 37. 
 
 Way, for worsliip, 52. 
 
 Wine, grape used for it, 76. 
 
 Winter-house, 27. 
 
 Yoke, custom of raising it, 133. 134. 
 
 Zanan, 158. 
 
INDEX OF HEBREW WORDS AND PHRASES 
 
 TREATED OF IM THE NOTES. 
 
 mjx STOREHOUSE, 54. 
 
 '31N Lord, often a g\oss on Jehovah, 36. 
 
 "nN magnificence, 856. 
 
 ^^K one, often understood before a verb 
 
 active, 9. 
 innK hinder. Why tlie Mediterranean 
 
 is called the hinder sea, 219. 
 'K whether an island, 54. 55. 236. 
 K13*N n»N where now, 146. 
 v*t< some one, often understood before a 
 
 verb active, 9. 
 bti sometimes transitive, 80. 
 nbn green-oak, 86. 
 V^H oak, why, 86. 
 D-nbN unto God, for great, 8. 
 d'sVn heads of thousands, 172. 
 DK if, sometimes omitted, 10. 
 OH mother city, 88. 
 njiax faithfulness, 252. 
 '3N repeated in the nominative after affix, 
 
 321. 
 w-iK with 3 prefixed, 73. 
 DB'N the punishment of guilt, 130. 
 HK before the nominative case, 321. 
 
 sign of the genitive case, 263. 
 3 used after transitive verbs, 21. 
 
 Arabism, as Tnyz thine helper, 146. 
 r^nr}^ beast, its etymology, 9. 
 V'ja Belial, explained, 192. 
 Dba to gather, sc. sycamore fruit, 48. 
 PP^ to cast, to empty, 124. 
 n3-i3 a blessing, or abundance, 217- 
 nbma a virgin, abride. Its etymology, 209. 
 niKj its import, 92. 
 aia locust, 45. 
 b-3 to exult, 117. 
 Di: locust, 31. 208. 
 D-'^ba idols, why so called, 94. 
 DWi great rain, 98. 
 
 man or some feminine substantive, un- 
 derstood, 46. 94. 207. 
 not to destroy, 131. 
 ^p^ to pierce, used of mortal wound?, 
 
 366. 
 
 n emphatic, whether used before a word 
 
 which has a pronoun suffixed, 167. 
 
 197. 
 Kirt he, at the end of a sentence, 18-3. 
 N*n she, at the end of a sentence, 197. 
 a^ia-n doing well, benefacicndo, explained 
 
 11. to do a thing earnestly, effectually, 
 
 183. 
 bD^n palace, its etymolog}-, 197. 
 ibn with another verb, to go on increas- 
 ing or decreasing, 3. 
 non of their own accord, 114. 
 on irregularly formed to express silence, 
 
 44. 
 mmn very much, multiplicando, 31. 
 l-in to hasten, 137. 
 1 See Vai(. 
 
 n:7 followed by an infinitive, 60. 
 jn a sacrifice, 37. 
 bin to fear greatly, 386. 
 HKun the punishment of sin, 130. 
 mon desire, 278. 
 nvn followed by a 99. 
 vnn fine gold, 3.35. 
 n^ti-nn still, applied to wind. Another 
 
 sense, 12. 
 Yin to cut, to cut off", 335. 
 * paragogic, 129. 268. 
 ■nx- the river Nile, 50. 
 vy what is acquired by labour, 140. 
 1- border, 161. 
 
 mn* written contractedly "' 9. 56. 298. 
 ba* to endure, with an accusative case, 
 
 112. 
 pb* locust, 208. 
 a-n" years, 29. 
 tlD- to add, how the verb is used after it, 
 
 64. Hos. i. 6. 
 KT transitively, to send forth, 33. 
 
 to be born, 173. 
 mr springing rain, 97- 
 m* See Jareb. 
 nnyw salvation, 7. 
 bxiii" written, bx by 34. '' 
 
408 
 
 7NUEX llK HICBRKW WOIllWI. 
 
 3 the particleofsiniiliUule often omitted 
 
 100. its force in connexion, 96. 
 nno the Hyades, 34. 
 ^n^ a sacrificer, IIG. 
 noa to cover, used with b 256 
 b'DO Arcturus, 34. 
 
 b its sense when prefixed to the infini- 
 tive mood, 44. 
 
 transitive, 101. 232. 
 
 for ra between, 218. 
 nb with prefix 3 and b 07. 
 Dnb flesh, 232. 
 
 flesli-sacrificcs, ibid. 
 npb to take away, 86. 
 li'pb the second growth of corn mowed, 
 
 45. 
 <i"ipbo crop rain, 97. 
 'tz used of things, 2. 
 1230 an object looked on with confidence 
 
 in it, 365. 
 pain a stall, its true sense, 42. 
 Kvo to suffice, 139. 
 Kii'D a prophecy, 189. 
 -inii'D the place of breaking forth, its 
 
 meaning, 147. 
 bifD may be rendered to taunt, not to 
 
 rule, 218; a proverb, 161. 
 DBiro judgment, its latitude, 234. 
 313 to utter, to make to speak, 344. 
 wm a lie, a failure, 103. 
 an nose-jewel, 70. 
 bm to weigh, 231. 
 t)U5 to drop, in the sense of prophesying, 
 
 48. 
 1133 to reserve, sc. anger ; or, to observe, 
 
 sc. with anger, 191. 
 n33 to snufFat, to blow upon, reject, 275. 
 u'33 soul, for self, 12. 
 
 to refresh, 119. 
 ip3 why shepherd, 14. 
 Tiy does not mean for ever, 33. 
 rv the punishment of iniquity, 130. 
 mTj; a solemn assembly, why so called, 
 
 37. 
 by together with, Hos. x. 14, 130. i ^ 
 
 P by its force, 86. 
 
 bby and its derivatives explained, 91 . 
 
 D'oy used of God's people, 354. 
 
 nnv near, its sense, 371. 
 
 nay what its import, 92. 
 
 D'Dy sweet wine, 58. 
 
 3Ty its construction, 85. 
 
 3vy why an idol, 84. 
 
 bys explained, 103. 
 
 ■'■13 its signification, 87. 
 
 '''S a village, why, 264. 
 
 ni3 to shoot, 265. 
 
 I313 to sing, why, 42. 
 
 xav host, 27. 
 
 NV or nxv dung, perhaps an idol, 94. 
 
 npt!^ abundance, 220. 
 
 nby to rush, how used, 34. 
 
 ybv lame, 169. 
 
 yjv to be humble, 179. 
 
 mv to cry out, 232. 
 
 DKp to rise, for Dip, why so written, 21. 
 
 V^p to bury, 215. 
 
 o-<P why the east, 219. 
 
 ^"'P why to prepare, 165. 
 
 nrp an elegv, 33. 
 
 ^-'P a ray, 259. 
 
 P3T see p3nD a stall, 42. 
 
 Dm to cherish with tenderness, 63. 
 
 ns-i why a stall, 265. 
 
 u- for D, 123. 
 
 Ihtir to bruise, for e)iir, why so written, 21 . 
 
 Niir vanity, idols, 94. 
 
 b^^^' for nnir, a black lion, 96. 
 
 D'pnir why clouds, 191. 
 
 tnvf the dusk, 322. 
 
 iDir wages, 355. 
 
 Dii* then, its peculiar signification, 100. 
 
 nnn place, 23. 
 
 with n, from under the dominion, 
 86. 
 vTn choice wine, 69. 
 D«:n Jakales, 156. 
 m3n serpents, 385. 
 D'3-in Teraphim, 77. 
 
 J. Haddon and Co., Docton' Commoni. 
 
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