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ferve alive, yet would this Obfervation be unconnected with the general Scope of the Pfalm. But that the Text is here corrupt, we have almost all poffible Evidence to prove; for the Syriac, Arabic, Ethiopic, Vulgate, LXX, Aquila, Symmachus, Theodotion, the fifth, fixth, and feventh Greek Verfions of Origen's Hexapla, all read thus

ונפשי לו חיה

MY SOUL ALSO SHALL LIVE UNTO HIM: viz. unto His Glory and Service: in the fame Sense as Rom. XIV. 8. 2 Cor. V. 15. which makes an excellent Senfe, and may be confidered as an Epiphonema, or as a Summary of the Bleffings which the Pfalmift, with other faithful, was affured of receiving through the Merits of

Christ.

V. 30. it fhall be accounted to the Lord for a Generation. D' 775] Rather — IT SHALL BE ACCOUNTED THE Lord's

[לאדני לדור :

FOR THE GENERATIONS TO COME.

. יבוא or יבא I connect here

from the following Verse according to all the ancient Verfions, except the Syriac.

V. 31. They shall come, and shall declare his Righteousness unto a People that shall be born, that he hath done this.

Rather [לעס נילד כי עשה

יבא) ויגידו צדקתו

AND THEY SHALL DECLARE HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, THAT HE HATH WROUGHT, UNTO A PEOPLE

THAT SHALL BE BORN.

PSALM XXIII.

V.6. and I will dwell in the Houfe of the Lord for ever. naw

Rather [בבית יהוה לארך ימים:

the old Verfion.

PSALM

FOR A LONG SEASON, with

XXIV.

V.6. This is the Generation of them that feek him, that feek thy

מבקשי פניך יעקב : - .Face, O jacob

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I here read [ זה דור דרשו

with the Maffora : but detach the to join it to "pas: and, with the LXX, Vulgate, Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic Verfions, fupply before apy. The Verfe may then be thus rendered --

אלהי

יעקב

THIS IS

THE GENERATION OF THEM THAT SEEK, EVEN OF THEM THAT DESIRE, THY COUNTENANCE, O GOD OF JACOB.

PSALM

PSALM XXV.

V. 8.

therefore will be teach Sinners in the Way. i by

Rather חטאים בדרך :

על כן יורה

THEREFORE WILL HE TEACH SIN

NERS THE WAY; or INSTRUCT SINNERS IN THE WAY, viz: of Righteousness.

V. 11. For thy Name's Sake, O Lord, pardon mine Iniquity. 1975

feems to indicate that סלחת The before [שמך יהוה וסלחת לעוני

some Verb is wanting before it; or it ought to be rendered, I PRAY THEE; fee Noldius, Art. 44.

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V.7. That I may publish with the Voice of Thanksgiving, pa vawb

Rather [תודה

THAT I MAY HEAR THE VOICE OF THANKSGIVING: for you is in Kal, and is construed with the Prepofition 2.

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V. 2. and my Foes came upon me to eat up my Flesh;] So Xenophon fpeaking of Enemies fays, wɣs xaτaQayev, Hellen. L. III. and wpov εiew, Anab. L. IV. And Homer, Iliad IV. v. 34.

Ει δε συ γ', εισελθέσα πυλας και τείχεα μακρά,

Ωμον βεβρωθοις Πρίαμον, Πριαμοιο τε παίδας,

Αλλος τε Τρώας, τοτε κεν χολον εξακεσαιο.

שמע יהוה קולי אקרא

V.7. Hear, Lord, when I cry with my Voice:
HEAR MY VOICE, O LORD, when I CRY.

Rather

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V. 8. When thou faidft, Seek ye my Face: my Heart faid unto thee,

I

לך אמר לבי בקשו פני - את פניך יהוה .Thy Face, Lord, oill I Jeek

pa] Rather, I think thus - MY HEART SAID UNTO THEE, MY FACE WILL SEEK thee; LORD I WILL SEEK THY FACE. The feems to be omitted after pa. The Vulgate, LXX, Arabic, &c. read fo.

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This [לולא האמנתי

V. 13. I had fainted, unless I had believed Place is generally confidered as eliptical, or as an Apofiopefis: but I

P

think

think it may not improperly be joined to the preceding Verse thus for falfe Witnefes would have rifen up against me — UNLESS I HAD BELIEVED. Or may not & be a Miftake for 1, in this Sense Oh that I MIGHT BELIEVE TO SEE! What makes this Conjecture the more probable is that there is no such Particle known in Hebrew

.לולא as

V. 14. Wait on the Lord: be of good Courage, and he shall ftrengthen thine Heart: wait, I fay, on the Lord. "-pin mini b8 aip

This does not feem to be precitely the fame לבן וקוה אל יהוה :

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Figure as we had Pf. XXII. 8. for here we have an Enallage of Moods from the Imperative to the Future, thus WAIT ON THE LORD; BE OF GOOD COURAGE AND HE WILL STRENGTHEN THINE HEART, AND IT WILL WAIT ON THE LORD; i. e. earnestly endeavour, and God will profper thine Endeavours. Virg. Æn. V.231. •poffunt, quia poffe videntur.

PSALM XXVIII.

V. 1. Unto thee will I cry, O Lord my Rock, be not filent to me:

0 ,Rather-UNTO THEE [אליך יהוה אקרא - צורי אל תחרש ממני

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LORD, WILL I CRY; O MY ROCK BE NOT DEAF UNTO ME. See
PL. V. 2.

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V.8. The Lord is their Strength, — There is no Antecedent to the Pronoun their (or his, as in the Margin) in the Text. Our old Verfion will have David's Soldiers to be here meant: but it is probable that, inftead of 1, we ought to read 1, or y, as in the next Verse, and as all the ancient Verfions, except the Chaldee, read --- THE LORD is THE STRENGTH OF HIS PEOPLE: than which no Senfe can better fuit this Place.

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V. 1. Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty,—obe ua minh 1an) All the ancient Verfions, the Chaldee excepted, read here DN, RAMS, which have no Impropriety here; for as the chief of the Flock they might by an apt Figure be put for the Princes of the People. Accordingly in Daniel's Vifion (VIII. 20.) the Ram with two Horns is interpreted to be the Kings of Media and Perfia.

V. 2. worship the Lord in the Beauty of Holiness.

Rather [בהדרת קדש :

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WITH DECENT HOLINESS, or HOLY HONOUR; the Common Prayer Version reads with holy Worship.

V.

9. The Voice of the Lord maketh the Hinds to calve, and discover

ויחשף יערות : eth the Forets Bochart [קול יהוה יחולל אילות

afferts from this Text, that Thunder is of great Service to Hinds in
bringing forth their young, as they are naturally timorous, and have
great Difficulty in calving: but fupports his Affertion by no other
Authority. However, though the Fact were allowed, I fee no Con-
nection between the calving of Hinds, and making bare the Trees of
a Foreft. I would therefore render both the Members of this Sentence
thus THE VOICE OF THE LORD SHAKETH THE OAKS, AND
MAKETH BARE THE FORESTS. fignifies an Oak, Ifa. LVII.5.
has this Senfe, Verfe 8. and en, Ifa. LII. 10. and Joel. I. 7.
and in his Temple doth every one speak of his Glory. igna

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ובהיכלו

היכל .This Obfervation feems here out of Place [כלו אמר כבוד : :

fignifies indeed a Temple: but it is also a Verb: na may be the Infinitive Hiphil, from ; (which, like, does not change its first Radical into in that Conjugation) with the Prepofition and Affix, The Sense arifing from this Construction is- AND BY THE POWER IT HATH EVERY WHIT OF IT UTTERETH GLORY: or BY IT'S POWER IT ALTOGETHER PROCLAIMETH GLORY; viz. the Glory of its Author. See the Margin: and alfo this very Word, in this Voice and Form, and exactly in this Senfe, Numb. XXII. 38. There needs no Comment to fhew how this is applicable to Thunder, or connected with the Context. See the like beautiful Defcription, Job. XXXVI. and XXXVII.

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V. 5. For his Anger endureth but a Moment; in his Favour is Life.

Rather - FoR HE SHAKETH WITH [כי רגע באפו - חיים ברצונו

— yan]

VIOLENCE (or BREAKETH DOWN) IN HIS ANGER; but IN HIS
FAVOUR &c. See ya thus ufed, Job. VII. 5. XXVI. 12. By this
Interpretation the latter Part of the Verfe will more exactly correfpond
with this Part.

V.7. Lord, by thy Favour thou haft made my Mountain to fland
frong: 17 m
] The LXX, Syriac,
Vulgate, Arabic, and Ethiopic Verfions read here; for they all

P 2

render

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render to this Effect LORD BY THY FAVOUR THOU HAST APPOINTED (or ADDED) STRENGTH TO MY GLORY; which feems to be the true Reading.

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V. 9. -mine Eye is confumed with Grief, yea, my Soul and

Rather [ עששה בכעס עיני נפשי ובטני :

-

my Belly. MINE EYE, MY SOUL AND MY BODY ARE CONSUMED WITH GRIEF: all the Nouns being in the Singular may admit of a Verb in that Number. Thus is . rendered, Deut. XXVIII. 4, 11, 18, 53. XXX. 9. Job. XIX. 17. &c.

V. 11. I was a Reproach among all mine Enemies, but especially among my Neighbours, and a Fear to mine Acquaintance: p

Rather [הייתי חרפה - ולשכני מאד ופחד למידעי :

I WAS A REPROACH ABOVE ALL MINE ENEMIES, EVEN TO MY NEIGHBOURS EXCEEDINGLY, AND A TERROR TO THOSE THAT KNEW ME.

V. 13. For I have heard the Slander of many: Fear was on every

Rather-WHEN I HEARD [כי שמעתי דבת רבים מגור מסביב : Side

THE SLANDER OF THE MIGHTY, FEAR &c.

Rather - THOU תסתירם בסתר פניך מרכסי איש

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V. 20. Thou shalt hide them in the Secret of thy Prefence from the Pride of Man : SHALT HIDE THEM UNDER THE COVERT OF THY PRESENCE FROM THE INSULTS (or VEXATIONS) OF MEN. no fignifies a Covert, Ifa. IV. 6. XVI. 4. &c. and the Senfe of the Verb D is to bind, and to treat roughly.

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כי החרשתי בלו עצמי - Bones tuased old

V.3. When I kept Silence my Rather WERE CONSUMED: as Pf. XLIX. 14. Job. XIII. 28.

-

V. 8. I will inftruct thee, and teach thee in the Way which thou fhalt go.] The Words immediately preceding are addreffed to God; and fo ought thefe by the general Rule of Interpretation, were it not for the Profanenefs which would enfue. Our old Verfion has this Note, viz. "David promiseth to make the Reft of God's Children "Partakers of the Benefits which he left &c." But I much doubt whether this be the Senfe. We have indeed many abrupt Transitions

from

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