STRIPPED. See n joined to, in the fame Manner as here, V. 21. He that delicately bringeth up his Servant from a Child, fhall מפנק מנער עבדו - ואחריתו .have bim become his Son at the lengtb [ יהיה מנון : Rather SHALL HAVE HIM WEAK AT LAST; for fo fignifies, this Word occurring nowhere else in Hebrew ; it does not seem to have any Affinity with a Son; neither do any of the ancient Verfions give it that Sense. V. 25. -but whofo putteth his Truft in the Lord fhall be fafe. : Dawn'a no] Rather - SHALL BE EXALTED. ובוטח ביהוה ישגב [אגור בן יקה המשא XXX. V. 1. The Words of Agur the Son of Jakeh, even the Prophecy: 17 8 m2 118] Rather- THE WORDS OF AGUR, THE SON OF JAKEH, THE CHARGE (or, LESSON) which HE SPAKE &c. -THE LESSON WHICH KING LEMUEL'S fo alfo in the next Ch. V. 1. MOTHER TAUGHT HIM. N is ufed frequently by the Prophets to fignify what they were charged with, and thence called a Burden. נאם הגבר לאיתיאל - the Man Jbake unto Itbiel, even unto It biel ] This Repetition of the Word Ithiel is doubtless an Error of the Transcriber; for the two Words are not even joined by the connexive Particle, neither do any of the old Verfions (except the Chaldee) acknowledge more than one of them. כי בער אנכי מאיש V. 2. Surely I am more brutish than any Man:-INDON'] Rather THAN ANY ONE, as w frequently fignifies; and becaufe follows, which is rendered Man immediately after. V.3. -nor have the Knowledge of the holy. V D'P YI] Rather --- (with the old Verfion) NOR HAVE ATTAINED TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF HOLY THINGS: for holy Things correfponds better with Wisdom in the preceding Hemiftic; and holy Men would have קדושים been expreffed by V. 4. who hath bound the Waters in a Garment?' 3 'D how] So Job talking of the Sea fays when I made the Cloud [ בשמלה L12 the the GARMENT thereof, and thick Darkness A SwADDLING BAND for it. Ch. XXXVIII. 9. See also Isa. XL. 12. what is his Name, and what is his Son's Name, if thou canst Some of the Fathers thought [מה שמו ומה שם בנו כי תדע : ? tell that Agur here referred to God the Father and his only begotten Son; and interpreted alfo the latter Claufe of V. 19. of the Incarnation of the fame Divine Perfon: but this Senfe feems inconfiftent with what he fays in his Exordium, V. 2, 3: befides that it would imply a Degree of Communication of Divine Truths beyond what Providence chose to reveal in fo early a Period by any of his Prophets. I should therefore understand the Phrafe, what is his Son's Name, to fignify only in general, "What are his Connections, or the Name of his "Family?" For before the Introduction of Sirnames, it was usual among most Nations, and among the Jews particularly, to distinguish the Son by the Father's Name. Or if the Son happened to be of greater Eminence than the Father, the Addition of the Son's Name was made Part of the Father's Defcription; as Ham, the Father of Canaan, Gen. IX. 18. Kifh, Saul's Father, 1 Sam. IX. 3. Obed, the Father of Jee, the Father of David, Ruth. IV. 17. &c. V.9. — and take the Name of my God in vain. :bs by nwon] There is nothing wanting in the Text to complete the Sense; for the Verb won sometimes fignifies to lay hold with Violence, right or wrong. I would therefore render LEST I VIOLATE (or, PROFANE) THE NAME OF MY GOD; i. e. fwear audaciously and prefumptuously. See Taylor. Rather furely [רמו עיניו 161 דור מה V. 13. There is a Generation, O how lofty are their Eyes! 717 There is A GENERATION WHOSE EYES ARE LOFTY: for is here a Relative undeclined; but the fubfequent Affix gives it the Force of the Genitive. V. 15. The Horfeleech hath two Daughters, crying, Give, give. Or - THE HORSELEECH HATH TWO לעלוקה שתי בנות הב הב DAUGHTERS, viz. GIVE, GIVE: or each of whom is called Hab, that is, Give. By this Image the Infatiableness of Avarice is strongly painted. [ דרך נחש עלי צור V. 19. the Way of a Serpent upon a Rock, A Serpent seems here specified rather than any other Animal; because he would be more likely to discover himself by the Marks left behind him upon the Duft: but upon a Rock he leaves no more Traces of his Track, than the Eagle in the Air, or the Ship in the Sea. [ ודרך גבר בעלמה: and the Way of a Man with a Maid. Agur's Meaning feems to be, not that the Tokens of Virginity were fallacious, as fome have thought; but, as the next Verfe fhews, that a Man could no more difcover by his Wife when she had been unfaithful to the Marriage Bed, than he could difcern the Path of the Eagle through the Air, &c. V. 20. -She eateth and wipeth her Mouth - on] That is, a Man of no Principles, in affluent Circumstances and pampered, is to be confidered as a Pest to Society. V. 24. ther [אכלה ומחתה פיה ונבל כי ישבע .and a fool cuben be is filled with Meat -Ra [והמה חכמים מחכמים: .but they are exceeding wife [הנמלים עם לא עז BUT THEY ARE WISER THAN THE WISE. V. 25. The Ants are a People not strong ; — wy ab oy o'bon] So Phocylides in his Carm. admonit. ΦΥΛΟΝ δ' ΟΛΙΓΟΝ τελεθει πολυμοχθον And Ælian calls them likewife a People, AHMOZ. Lib. VI. Cap. 43. So Joel, Ch. I. V. 6. calls the Locusts, a Nation. V. 26. The Conies are but a feeble Folk, yet they make their Houfes in the Rocks. Rather [ שפנים עם לא עצום - וישימו בסלע ביתם: THE MOUNTAIN-MICE, though A PEOPLE NOT STOUT ----: for this is not true of Rabbits, who burrow in the Ground only: but the other Animal is found in the Crevices and Interftices of Rocks. See Bochart's Hieroz. and Shaw's Travels. V.27: ·yet go they forth all of them by Bands. :15ɔ pun avi] Tought I think to be rendered TO PLUNDER, OF TO DESTROY. [שממית בירים V.28. The Spider taketh bold with her Hands-onn b’7') n’bby] This Animal is not the Spider, but the Stellio, (according to most of the old Verfions) which is a Species of the Lizard, whofe fore Paws, fays Bochart, are not unlike a Man's Hand, which it uses very dexteroufly; and, on account of it's Smalnefs, might as well be in Palaces as the Spider. V. 29. There be three Things which go well, yea, four, are comely in going. This is [שלשה המה מיטיבי צעד - וארבעה מטבי לכת: the fifth Time that Agur uses this Mode of Expreffion in the Compafs of a few Verfes: it is not inelegant in itself, but may perhaps be thought to recur too often. The Phrafes and are equivalent, and mean moving or advancing in a stately and majestic Manner. V. 31. A Greyhound; ] In the Margin A Horse: but neither of thefe Animals feem here to be meant. All the ancient Interpreters, both Eastern and Greek, agree in the fame Signification, viz. that of A COCK. But what the Defcription, girt in the Loins, implies, it is difficult to account for. Our Tranflators fixed upon a Greyhound and a Horfe, from their Speed: but that Idea is foreign to the Purpofe. The Syriac feems to have read inftead of ; fignifying a Crown or Creft, gave the Name I imagine to that Bird. If this Reading be admitted, the Words may be rendered-THE COCK, PROUDER THAN A WHALE: which Creature, confcious of it's great Strength, muft neceffarily look with Difdain on inferior Animals. – lay thine Hand upon thy Mouth. V. 32. ] Rather let THE HAND be UPON THE MOUTH; for there is no Pronoun in the Text. In Judges we have the fame Phrafe more fully expreffed, .19 .Ch. XVIII חרש שים ידך על פיך .viz CHAP. XXXI. מה ברי ומה בר בטני - ומה בר נדרי : V. 2. What, my Son? and what, the Son of my Womb? and what, the Son of my Vos? ml Our Verfion is here almoft unintelligible for Want of fupplying a Verb in one of thefe elliptical Expreffions. It would doubtless be better to render the Verfe in fome fuch Manner-WHAT fhall I fay, MY SON? OR WHAT, O SON OF MY WOMB OR WHAT, O SON OF MY Vows? -it is not for Kings to drink Wine, nor for Princes ftrong -Our Verfion in אל למלכים שתו יין - ולרוזנים או שכר : V. 4. Drink. tirely omits the Word 8, or, as written in the Maffora; which appears to be defective for 8, in the fame Manner as 1, for min. This Place ought therefore to be rendered it is NOT FOR KINGS TO DRINK WINE; NOR FOR PRINCES TO COVET STRONG DRINK. V. 21. ·for all her Houfhold are clothed with Scarlet.] Due would be more properly rendered DOUBLE GARMENTS, as thefe are a better Security against the Cold than Scarlet. V. 28. - her Husband allo, and he praiseth her. :bn” mbya] Our Tranflators by adding here the Word alfo feem to have thought that there was fomething wanting in the Text: and doubtlefs there is, for the Hemiftic is too fhort by one Word, and the Order of the two remaining Words plainly fhew it. They feem to have judged that it wasp that was defective: but, befides that it is not suitable to the Dignity of the Hufband to arife, in token of Subjection, to the Wife, the Arabic Verfion has preferved the Word fought for: for we read Lestu her Husband praiseth her and applaudeth her whence it is probable, that the Text was read thus رجلها سبدها ومدحها ـ there . ויודה בעלה ויהללה V. 29. Many Daughters have done virtuously, but thou excelleft them all.] This muft neceffarily be fuppofed to be faid by the Husband, as the Words immediately preceding intimate. The Word faying, fo frequently omitted in the Text, ought therefore to precede this Verfe. V.30. - but a Woman that feareth the Lord, fhe fhall be praised.] The Picture which is drawn in this Chapter of a good Housewife is perhaps the most finished of all Antiquity. It is drawn at full Length, and equally pleafing in every Point of View. The Character which Ifchomachus gives of his Wife in Xenophon's Oeconomics is also very engaging, and very fimilar in moft refpects to this Child of Fancy, which Solomon's Mother produced, in order to engage him in the Search of fuch a one to blefs himself with. But by neglecting this pious Advice, his Wives and Concubines made him drink deep of the Cup of Bitterness, shook his Throne, and from the moft exalted Pitch of Wisdom reduced him to the Condition of the Beafts that perish. |