Page images
PDF
EPUB

Neh.VIII. 18. &c. There feems to be no Occafion to add any Epithet; for if they be not true according to the Standard, they are not then Weights or Balances; and ftill lefs can they be called the Lord's Appointment. They are therefore here used xar xw, as when Solomon fays, that whofo findeth a Wife, findeth a good Thing, Ch. XVIII. 22. V. 13. -and they love him that speaketh right. :ans 771]. Rather AND THE WORDS OF THE UPRIGHT ARE BELOVED, or LOVED by them.

[ocr errors]

V. 17. At the End of this Verfe the Maffora adds ", to denote that we are arrived precifely at the Middle of this Book. Instead of thefe Sorts of Remarks (and these are by no means the most frivolous. that appear in this Book) it is much to be wifhed, that the Compilers of it had spent their Time in collating the feveral Copies of their Texts, in order to correct the Mistakes, which have crept into them.

[ocr errors]

ומתק

V. 21. and the Sweetness of the Lips increafeth Learning. p :mps A'D' 'Now] Here the old Verfion has this Note, "The fweet "Words of Confolation, which come forth of a godly Heart." But how Learning can hereby be increased, I cannot conceive. I would therefore give pn the Senfe of, viz. FAITHFULNESS, understanding by the Faithfulness of the Lips the declaring without Referve and with Sincerity of fuch useful Obfervations as are stored up in the Memory. Or by Sweetness of Lips may be meant Eloquence; as in Homer, II. I. 249.

Του γαρ απο γλώσσης μελιτος γλυκίων ρεεν αυδή.

V. 24. Pleasant Words are as an Honey-Comb, fweet to the Soul, and

[צוף דבש אמרי נעם - מתוק לנפש ומרפא לעצם: .Health to the Bones

The latter Hemiftic ought I think to be thus rendered- SWEETNESS TO THE SOUL, (or TASTE,) AND A MEDICINE TO THE BODY: for pin, as an Adjective, cannot agree with 8: and Dyy in the Singular muft here fignify Body.

V. 26. He that laboureth, laboureth for himself: for his Mouth

Our [נפש עמל עמלה לו - כי אכף עליו פיהו : .craveth it of him - :

Verfions appear to me to have totally mistaken the Sense of this Verse, which notwithstanding is very obvious, viz. THE SOUL OF THE AFFLICTED LABOURETH WITHIN HIM, WHEN HIS MOUTH (or, UTTERANCE) PRESSETH HARD UPON HIM: i. e. "when he

"" strives

"strives to give Vent to his Sorrow, but cannot." Thus Ovid, Trift. Lib. V. El. I. v. 59. & alibi.

Strangulat inclufus dolor, atque æftuat intus,

Cogitur et vires multiplicare fuas.

איש בליעל כרה רעה

V.27. An ungodly Man diggeth up Evil: — byba ws] Rather, I think PREPARETH EVIL: thus is ufed, 2 Chron. XVI. 14.

V. 28.

[ocr errors]

ונרגן מפריד

and a Whisperer Separateth chief Friends. ought here I think to be rendered CHIEFS, or GovERNOURS; fo alfo Ch. XVII. 9. It seems to be used as a Noun of Multitude.

איש חמס יפתה רעהו -:

V.29. A violent Man enticeth his Neighbour :· Rather A FALSE MAN &c. as Exod. XXIII. 1.

V.

[ocr errors]

32.

and be that ruleth his Spirit than he that taketh a City:

.Thus Horace to the fame Efect, Lii. I [ומשל ברוחו מלחד. עיר :

Ode ii.

Latius regnes avidum domando
Spiritum, quam fi Lybiam remotis
Gadibus jungas, et uterque Pænus
Serviat uni.

And Claudian de 4to. Conf. Honor. V. 257.

Tu licet extremos late dominere per Indos,

Te Medus, te mollis Arabs, te Seres adorent :
Si metuis, fi prava cupis, fi duceris ira;
Servitii patiere jugum; tolerabis iniquas
Interius leges: tunc omnia jure tenebis,
Cum poteris rex effe tui.

V. 33. The Lot is caft into the Lap: ——bian x boi pina ] The prefixed to the Nominative is juftified by other fimilar Instances, Gen. XVII. 5. Exod. X. 8. &c. What our Tranflators underftood by Lap in this Place, I do not know: but am clear, that p ought to be rendered INTO THE MIDST, (as 1 Kings XXII. 35.) viz. of the Urn, or Veffel, into which the different Billets were caft. In Homer we find they were put in an Helmet, Iliad. H. V. 175, & 181.

[ocr errors]

OL κληρον εσημηναντο έκαςος,

Εκ δ' έβαλον κυνέη Αγαμέμνονος Ατρείδαν

παλλεν δε Γερήνιος ιπποτα Νεσωρ

Εκ δ' εθορε κληρος κυνέης, ον αρ' ηθελον αυτοι.

Gg

but

but the whole difpofing thereof is of the Lord.: minibi] Rather BUT THE SOLE (or WHOLE) DISPOSAL &c. Among the Jews their most important Concerns were determined by Lot. The whole Country of Canaan was thus divided among the Tribes, and again fubdivided among the Heads of Families and I have endeavoured to fhew that the Hand of an overruling Providence was eafily perceivable in the wife Allotment of the refpective Portions. (See Par. Proph.) The laft Inftance of deciding by Lot recorded in Holy Writ, is that Acts I. 26. for the Purpose of filling up the Apostleship of the Traitor Judas.

CHAP. XVII.

מבית מלא

V. 1. than a Houfe full of Sacrifices with Strife. anna] As 'at is in regimine, and fignifies the Sacrifices of Strife, it would be more accurate to render these two Words-CONTENTIOUS SACRIFICES, or the riotous Feafts after Sacrifices, which are here very properly opposed to a dry Morfel with Quietness. See Ch. VII. 14.

V.3. The fining Pot is for Silver, and the Furnace for Gold: but

[מצרף לכסף וכור לזהב - ובחן לבות יהוה : .the Lord trictb the Hearts

[ocr errors]

Rather thus THE FINING POT TRIETH SILVER, AND THE FURNACE GOLD: BUT GOD, THE HEARTS.

V. 8.

[ ישכיל :

[ocr errors]

אל כל אשר יפנה

- whitherfoever it turneth, it profpereth. by be The Antecedent here is un, which generally fignifies a Bribe, as V. 23. As it cannot have that Senfe here, it must mean either a Reward, as in the old Verfion; or a Gift, as in the laft; either of which, wherever they are bestowed, generally fucceed in gaining Favour to the liberal Donor.

V. 16. Wherefore is there a Price in the Hand of a fool to get Wif

[ocr errors]

למה זה מחיר ביד כסיל - לקנות ? dom, Jeeing he hath no Heart to it The Divifion of the Hemiftics feems to require [חמכה ולב אין :

that we should render thus --- WHEREFORE is THIS, that there fhould be A PRICE IN THE HAND OF A FOOL, SINCE HE HATH NO HEART TO ACQUIRE WISDOM?

V. 19. and he that exalteth his Gate feeketh Destruction.

[ocr errors]

: raw upay inno] This may be understood literally, for raising the Gates about a Man's Houfe for Oftentation or figuratively, for a

haughty

haughty Carriage in general, as in the old Verfion; or we may confider this Expreffion as parallel to Mic. VII. 5. and by Gate mean the Door of the Lips; i. e. proud difdainful Language.

[ocr errors]

[ ונהפך

V. 20. —and he that hath a perverse Tongueba 7971] Rather perhaps AND HE THAT HATH A DOUBLE TONGUE; or (as the Words fignify literally) HE THAT IS VARIABLE IN HIS TONGUE, .e. "the Man who uses Duplicity in his Speech."

[לתוגה לו

V. 21. He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his Sorrow: SIDS 93, Rather HE THAT BEGETTETH A FOOL HATH SORROW for an is here used as the Nominative, not the Dative Cafe. See Ch. XIV. 23.

לב ייטב

V. 22. A merry Heart doeth good like a Medicine: — now as na] Or-A MERRY HEART MAKETH A MEDICINE GOOD, or EFFECTUAL. Or is A MEDICINE that DOETH GOOD. The old Verfions however feem to have read, viz. DOETH GOOD TO THE BODY.

[ocr errors]

[כסיל בקצה ארץ :

[ocr errors]

V. 24. but the Eyes of a fool are in the Ends of the Earth. "That is, (fays the old Verfion) wander to and "fro, and feek not after Wisdom." But may not the contrary be the Senfe? In the preceding Hemiftic, the Man of Understanding is faid to have Wisdom always prefent with him: but the fool upon every Emergency, which requires more than ordinary Circumfpection, is reduced to caft about, and wander for Counsel to direct him in his Proceedings.

V. 26. Also to punish the just is not good, nor to ftrike Princes for

Rather [גם ענוש לצדיק לא טוב - להכות נדיבים על ישר : .Equity

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

thus SURELY it is NOT GOOD TO PUNISH THE JUST: it is CONTRARY TO RIGHT TO STRIKE PRINCES. See both these Particles thus ufed in Noldius.

[blocks in formation]

and a Man of Underftanding is of an excellent Spirit. pr

; of A PRECIOUS Spirit - ויקר The Maflora reads [רוח איש תבונה :

which Lection is followed by the Vulgate only. The other Verfions read with our Text, viz. of A COOL Spirit; which feems preferable.

V. 28. Even a fool, when he holdeth his Peace, is counted wife: and be that shutteth his Lips is esteemed a Man of Understanding. E Gg 2

אויר

Thus the Hemiltics [ אויל מחריש חכם - יחשב אטם שפתיו נבון :

[ocr errors]

feem to require to be divided; the Conftruction of which is this EVEN A FOOL, WHEN HE HOLDETH HIS PEACE, IS WISE: THAT SHUTTETH HIS LIPS IS COUNTED A MAN OF UNDER

STANDING.

HE

CHAP. XVIII.

V. 1. Through Defire a Man, having feparated himself, feeketh and

לתאוה יבקש נפרד - בכל תושיה : intermedaleth with all ijdom

Wisdom:

yan] Rather-THE CONTEMPLATIVE MAN SEEKETH THAT which is DESIRABLE, and INTERMEDDLETH WITH ALL WISDOM.

V. 4. The Words of a Man's Mouth are as deep Waters, and the Well

מים עמקים דברי פי איש - נחל .Jpring of Wildom as a flowing Brook

M ] Our Verfions confider, these Hemistics as explanatory of each other: for the Note upon deep is, "which can never "be drawn empty, but bring ever Profit." But the two Propofitions appear to me adverfative. A Man's Words are very properly compared to deep Waters, which are unfathomable, as the other are infcrutable in refpect to his Thoughts. That this is the Meaning, will I think be evident from Ch. XX. V. 4. where it is faid, that Counsel in the Heart of Man is as deep Water, but a Man of Underfanding will (rather may) draw it out; for God is the fole Kapdiayvans. The first Hemistics in both Places I confider as parallel; for the Words of the Mouth and Counsel differ only as Caufes and Effects, which the best Writers ufe frequently one for the other; fee V. 6. On the other Hand, the Source of Wisdom is faid to be a flowing Brook, which is generally clear as well as fhallow, a fit Emblem of the ingenuous Mind, which knows no Difguife or Diffimulation, and whofe Defigns are eafily discovered; because, as Good is always it's Object, it affects not Concealment. In Confirmation of what is here advanced, I would obferve, that when Deepness is predicated of Heart, Thoughts, &c. it. always means in Scripture Unfcrutableness, deep Schemes, or the like. If therefore any Particle is fupplied to connect the Hemistics, it ought to be BUT, to denote the Oppofition.

V. 8. The Words of a Talebearer are as Wounds; "37

דברי נרגן

occurs only כמתלהמים,This combination of Letters [כמתלהמים

in another Place, viz. Ch. XXVI. 22. where the fame Verse is repeated. Our Tranflators fuppofe that D is here used by a Metathefis

for

« PreviousContinue »