-

[כי קנאה חמת גבר

V. 34. For Jealoufy is the Rage of a Man: on xp "] Rather --- FOR THE RAGE OF A MAN (or rather, OF THE HUSBAND) IS MOVED BY JEALOUSY.

CHAP. VII.

ותורתי כאישון עיניך : .and my Law as the Apple of tbine Eye

V. 2.- and Rather - AND let MY LAW be AS THE PUPIL OF THINE EYES.

V.

-Solo [ קשרם על אצבעתיך

3. Bind them upon thy Fingers, mon could not mean that this Precept fhould be understood literally, any more than the next, write them upon the Table of thine Heart; and yet it was upon fuch Texts as these (see Exod. XIII.16. Deut.VI.5. XI. 18.) that the Pharifees founded their Practice of binding Philacteries upon their Foreheads. And hence perhaps alfo the popular Phrase among us of having a Thing at the Finger's End, when we are perfectly acquainted with it.

[המיה היא וסררת

המה The Verb

V. 11. She is loud and stubborn, —1101 8' 7'27] RatherSHE CANNOT REST QUIET, BUT BACKSLIDETH. fignifies to be difquieted, burried, or violently agitated: and the primary Senfe of D is to go backward or backflide. This Senfe is in perfect Harmony with the next Hemistic, ber Feet abide not in her Houfe. Befides that the being loud and stubborn are Qualities which do not correspond with the meretricious Arts of captivating.

That זבחי שמלים עלי

V. 14. I have Peace Offerings with me; — by obow is, "I have an Entertainment, or Feaft, at my House:" for in these Sorts of Sacrifices the Perfon that offered referved a Part of the Victim for convivial Purposes. See the Note Pf. LXIX.22. and Ch. XVII. 1.

V. 15. diligently to feek thy Face, and I have found thee. s :78YANT 720] Rather TO SEEK THEE, or THY COMPANY: for D has frequently thefe Senfes.

[פניך ואמצאך

V. 16. -with carved Works, with fine Linen of Egypt. maon DAY 1108] Rather (I think with all the ancient Verfions) with TAPESTRY OF THE TEXTURE OF EGYPT. For an in Chaldee fignifies, effigiavit, figuravit, figuris aliquid exornavit, &c: and in respect to D, as it occurs in no other Place, and no Affiftance is to be derived in the Explanation of it from the Eastern Languages,

we

we can follow no better Guide than the old Verfions; except we give it the Sense of Am, which in Coptic fignifies, Incenfum, Aroma; (and this may not be thought improper, as it relates to fome coftly Egyptian Manufacture;) in this Cafe, the Hemiftic ought to be rendered--- with PERFUMED TAPESTRY, or COVERLETS FROM EGYPT. The next Verse may be thought to countenance this Sense. Note, that as the Word D in the preceding Hemiftic (which is another ama λeyoμevov) is rendered Tapestry, I would give it the Senfe of Blankets with the old Verfions, and from the Arabic which fignifies, diverficolores lanæ partes, or , Manipulus lanæ, Panniculus.

دريد

V. 18. Come, let us take our fill of Love unto the Morning; let us

עד הבקר נתעלסה .Jalace our elves with Loves לכה נרוה דדים - עד הבקר נתעלסה

Dan8] Thus I think the Hemiftics ought to be rendered COME, LET US TAKE OUR FILL OF LOVE; LET US SOLACE OURSELVES WITH ARDENT LOVE UNTIL THE MORNING. I give 'n the Force of the Superlative, because the Hebrews having properly no fuch Degree of Comparison, express it by an additional Particle, or by a Repetition of the fame Word, or by a Plural.

[ברב לקחה

הטתן

V. 21. With her much fair Speech fhe caufed him to yield; — p] Rather - BY THE MULTITUDE OF HER ALLUREMENTS SHE PERVERTED HIM, BY THE FLATTERY OF HER LIPS SHE SEDUCED HIM. Allurements is a Word not only more expreffive, as it extends to Signs, Acts and Geftures, but is more immediately connected with the Verb np, to catch. So in English the Words Lure, or Allure, (fomething fet up to entice Birds, or other Things, to it) are derived from a Verb of the fame Sense as the Hebrew.

V. 2. She ftandeth in the Top of high Places, by the Way in the Places

This [בראש מרמים עלי דרך - בית נתיבת נצבה:. .of the Paths

Verfe would I think be more juftly translated thus SHE is ON THE TOP OF EMINENCES NEAR THE ROAD; SHE STANDETH IN THE HIGHWAYS. I fupply the Verb Subftantive in the first Hemiftic, as fome Verb is there wanted; or connect this with the preceding Verfe, thus --- DOTH NOT UNDERSTANDING PUT FORTH HER VOICE FROM THE TOP OF EMINENCES &c?

V. 3. She crieth at the Gates y ] Rather

[ליד שערים - תרנה

BY THE SIDE OF THE GATES, as in feveral other Places: which correfponds to and 8, AT THE ENTRANCE, and AT THE THRESHOLD, immediately after.

- וכסילים הבינו לב : [הבינו פתאים ערמה

- לב:

V. 5. O ye fimple, underftand Wisdom; and ye fools, be ye of an understanding Heart. Rather --- O YE SIMPLE, DISCERN PRUDENCE; AND, YE FOOLS, UNDERSTAND JUDGMENT. For my feems to have this Sense here, and is fo rendered at V. 12. See Ch. I. 4. And is ufed figuratively for Judgment or Difcretion; fee Ch. VI. 32. XIV. · 33.

&c.

V. 6. and the Opening of my Lips fhall be right Things. nnoDI :] Rather-WITH RIGHT THINGS, or WITH EQUITY. For the prefixed to is here a Prepofition; which is wanted to complete the Sense: or, by conftruing as the Participle Benoni, thus --- AND OPEN MY LIPS WITH EQUITY.

111

V. 10. Receive my Instruction, and not Silver ; — 0 1 101 Imp] Rather - RECEIVE MY INSTRUCTION WITHOUT MONEY: thus is rendered, Job. XII. 25. and ought to be Jer. XVII. 11.

יראת יהוה שנאת רע

V. I 3 The Fear of the Lord is to hate evil: Wisdom, which is here perfonified, fpeaks in the preceding Verse in the first Person, so likewise in this Verfe, and throughout the Remainder of the Chapter. The religious Precept before us (though most worthy to be inculcated) must therefore appear to be here unseasonable; whence I conclude that Solomon did not put these Words in her Mouth: but made her say '', and 'nxɔ, viz. I FEAR THE LORD; I HATE THE EVIL OF PRIDE AND ARROGANCY; BOTH THE WICKED PATH, AND THE PERVERTED MOUTH, DO I HATE.

-The latter He [בי שרים ישרו - ונדיבים כל שפטי ארץ:

V. 16. By me Princes rule, and Nobles, even all the Judges of the Earth. mistic ought I think to be thus rendered—AND THE NOBLES are ALL GOVERNOURS OF THE EARTH. The Verb Dow is used for governing. 2 Chron. I. 10. Gen. XIX. 9. &c.

- and my Revenue than choice Silver.

V. 19. Rather -MY PRODUCE; which anfwers better to MY FRUIT in the preceding Hemiftic.

,ואצרתיהם אמלא

V. 21. That I may cause those that love me to inherit Subftance; and I will fill their Treafures.] The latter Hemiftic-: box Dmnynı, might be rendered WHOSE TREASURES I WILL SURELY FILL.

ראשית דרכו

יהוה

V. 22. The Lord possessed me in the Beginning of his Way ; —— 18 ] Rather - THE LORD POSSESSED ME when HE FIRST WENT FORTH: viz. when He exerted Himfelf in the Work of Creation.

V. 26. While as yet he had not made the Earth, nor the Fields:

ער

is a Street, as חוץ The ufual Signification of [לא עשה ארץ וחוצות

in the Margin; but that of Fields is not much better: in either Cafe we may conclude this could never have been Solomon's Idea. The Chaldee, Syriac, and Vulgate have here the Rivers: but that does not yet seem to come up to the Thing intended. I would therefore give this Word the Senfe of Pifcina, Conceptaculum aquæ majus ; and understand by it THE GRAND COLLECTION OF WATERS, which were mixed with the Firmament at the Creation of the World, to which Mofes gives no particular Name. This Interpretation agrees with the whole Context.

nor the highest Part of the Duft of the World. Y W871 ban] What Idea can be affixed to thefe Words, I cannot conceive. In the old Verfion there is no Note; which feems to be a tacit Acknowledgment of the Translators' Ignorance of the Meaning. I would therefore with Submiffion propose this Verfion—NOR THE FIRST PART OF THE WORLDS OF THE UNIVERSE. Now by frequently fignifies this Earth that we Inhabit, the fame as . Solomon does not ufe this latter Expreffion, probably because it goes immediately before. He uses the Plural, I imagine, because he wanted to give an Idea of other Earths or Worlds befides, viz. the whole Planetary System. And the Hebrew has no other Word to exprefs thofe fpacious Regions, in which they all move, than an.

CHAP. IX.

V. 9. Give Inftruction to a wife Man, and he will yet be wifer: DIRECT THE WISE &c. The

Rather [תן לחכם ויחכם עוד

Verb n has that Senfe, Ifa. LXI. 8.

V. 12. If thou be wife, thou shalt be wife for thyself: but if thou

אם חכמת חכמת לך ולצת לבדך תשא : .Jcornet, thou alone halt bear it

The

AND TO

The LXX, Syriac, and Arabic, Verfions add after thyself. THY FRIENDS: probably because others befides the wife Man receive Benefit from his Wifdom. But the Senfe of the Maxim feems to be this" If thou art truly religious, thou thyfelf fhalt fare the better "for it but if thou art a Scorner, thou shalt alfo fuffer in thine own "Perfon:"7737, Separately, and diftinctly, from any Evil it may occafion to others. This is the true Senfe of 772, fee Pf. LI. 4. It is remarkable that the three Verfions abovementioned fubjoin here the following Hemiftics: which I fhall not attempt to restore to their original Hebrew; (as that might be deemed too prefumptuous an Attempt;) but content myself with tranflating their Verfions, which are to the following Effect,

HE that TRUSTETH IN FALSEHOOD FEEDETH THE WINDS: HE ALSO PURSUETH THE BIRDS OF THE AIR:

HE FORSAKETH THE WAY OF HIS OWN VINEYARD; AND FORGETTETH THE PATHS TO HIS FIELD:

THAT HE MAY WANDER THROUGH DESOLATE AND PARCHED PLACES, WHERE there is NO WATER TO QUENCH THE THIRST, AND HE GATHERETH WITH HIS HANDS UNPROFITABLENESS.

As these Hemistics were doubtless in their Copies, (which in this respect seem to have been better than those which have come down to us,) and they have befides all the internal Marks of Genuineness, I would restore them in our Verfion, but diftinguish them by Brackets, and another Character.

V. 13. She is fimple, n] This Word occurs only in this Place: but we may notwithstanding conclude that it is the feminine Plural of ', which is rendered SIMPLICITY, Ch. I. 22. The Abftract is here, as it often is, put for the Concrete, and the Plural used for the Superlative, in the fame manner as, the most excellent Wisdom, Pf. XLIX. 3. Ch. I. 20. IX. 1. &c. The Word therefore fignifies SHE IS SIMPLICITY ITSELF IN THE HIGHEST DEGREE, yet the fitteth &c. or fhe alfo fitteth &c. i. e. as well as Wisdom. See explained, Ch. VII. 11.

V. 16. — and as for him that wanteth Understanding, she faith to bim. :15 x 50m] Neither the prefent Lection of the Hebrew feems genuine, nor is our Verfion exact. I would therefore read and render, AND TO HIM THAT IS BEREAVED OF HIS UNDERSTANDING, SHE SAITH &c. or omit the 1 as in V. 4.

לבו אמרה -לבן