Rather Two are BETTER THAN ONE; BECAUSE THEY HAVE A GREATER ADVANTAGE IN THEIR LABOUR: for this Senfe is more confiftent with Truth, as well as the Context: and it is well known that the Hebrews are unacquainted with the comparative Degree, which the Exigentia loci alone can determine.

V. 14. For out of Prifon he cometh to reign; whereas also he that is

כי מבית הסורים יצא למלך - כי .born in bis Kingdom becometb poor are often confounded, I שור and סור As [גם במלכותו נולד רש :

read here, and render - THOUGH HE COME TO REIGN FROM THE HOUSE OF PRINCES, YET HE WILL CERTAINLY BECOME POOR IN HIS KINGDOM. See the Verb thus ufed, Pf. H. 7. Or thus, according to the Reading of the Text mentioned in the preceding Verfe) COMETH HOUSE OF THE REVOLTERS, &c. i. e. is by the Throne.

FOR HE (the Child TO REIGN FROM THE a Revolution fet upon

V. 15. I confidered all the living which walk under the Sun, with the Second Child that shall stand up in his Stead.

ראיתי את כל החיים עם הילד השני - אשר יעמד תחתיו : Here [המהלכים תחת השמש - עם הילד השני

we seem to have an Hyfteron Proteron, and a wrong Senfe given to n. The natural Order and Meaning of the Verfe is, as I conceive, this I CONSIDERED THAT ALL THE LIVING UNDER THE SUN WALKED WITH (or, ATTACHED THEMSELVES TO) THE NEXT CHILD, WHO WOULD SUCCEED IN HIS STEAD. The Phrafe to walk with another in Scripture denotes to be obedient to his Will: thus Enoch is faid to have walked with God. Gen. V. 22, 24. So Noah, Gen. VI. 9. That is not always used for fecond appears from V. 8. where it fignifies another: that Word is perhaps ufed here in Preference to another Word, to denote that the Heir apparent is fecond in Dignity to the reigning Prince; and indeed the Words which immediately follow countenance this Conjecture: but furely it can have no Reference to the fecond Child, in Prejudice to his elder Brother; who among the Hebrews, as well as in all other civilifed Countries, was. intitled to the Rights of Primogeniture.

V. 16. There is no End of all the People, even of all that have been before them; they alfo that come after fhall not rejoice in him. R. IN

גם האחרונים לא ישמחו בו לכל אשר היה לפניהם

[לכל העם

I read with the Syriac and Vulgate D, and render There is NO END OF ALL THE PEOPLE, OF ALL THAT ARE IN HIS PRESENCE:

BUT

BUT THEY THAT COME AFTER WILL NOT REJOICE IN HIM; i.e. "The Number of those who from Vanity or Interest pay their "Devotions to the prefumptive Heir of the Crown is innumerable: "but it will probably happen, that he, who has been for a Time fur"rounded with a Troop of flatterers, when he comes to fway the "Sceptre, may make it a Rod of Iron, to their Sorrow, and that "of their Pofterity." This Prediction was verified in Rehoboam, Solomon's Son and Succeffor.

CHAP. V.

V. 1. Keep thy Foot when thou goest to the House of God, ban 720

Rather [כאשר תלך אל בית האלהים

711

ATTEND TO THY GoINGS; OF KEEP A GUARD ON THY FEET, WHEN &c. i. e. " to thy Affections, or the Difpofitions of thy Mind." has this Sense, Job. XXXI. 5. Prov. VI. 8. Ifa. LII. 7.

Rather [מתת הכסילים זבח - : than to give the Sacrifice of fools

--- THAN TO OFFER with FOOLS A SACRIFICE; for the Order and Form of the Words prevents their being confidered as in regimine.

V. 3. For a Dream cometh through the Multitude of Bufinefs; and a fool's Voice is known by Multitude of Words.

כי בא החלום ברב ענין Rather --- FoR as A DREAM COMETH [ וקול כסיל ברב דברים:

THROUGH A MULTITUDE OF BUSINESS, SO FOOL THROUGH A MULTITUDE OF WORDS. who talks a great deal will neceffarily talk foolishly.

THE VOICE OF A
Meaning, that he

V. 4. for he hath no Pleasure in fools: pa ron 1' 'I There ought to be here no Italics; as on is a Verb.

[פיך לחטיא את בשרך

אל תתן את

V. 6. Suffer not thy Mouth to caufe thy Flesh to fin; - m8jno ba on 75] Rather, I think-SUFFER NOT THY MOUTH TO SIN AGAINST THY BODY, viz. by rafh Vows of Self-Denial, Abstinence, or Mortification, as the preceding Verse seems to fhew. neither fay thou before the Angel,

ואל תאמר לפני המלאך

Rather, I think DETH FOR THEE. This Periphrafis is explained by the Word God in the next Claufe, which is exegetical.

NEITHER SAY THOU BEFORE HIM WHO PROV1

V.7. For in the Multitude of Dreams, and many Words there are

Rather [כי ברב חלמות והבלים ודברים הרבה - alle divers Vanities

alfo

FOR

---FOR as IN THE MULTITUDE OF DREAMS there are SURELY VANITIES, SO IN MANY WORDS. See Noldius.

– for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there

Rather [כי גבה מעל גבה שמר וגבהים עליהם: .be bigber than they

---FOR he that is HIGH OBSERVETH him THAT IS HIGHER; AND THERE are HIGHER THAN THEY. That is, it is not to be wondered that a Country should be plundered, when the feveral Officers are countenanced by their Superiors, and these by the fupreme Authority itself. This Sense seems more agreeable to the Context, than to interpret it, with our Verfion, of the Divine Providence.

V..10. He that loveth Silver &c.

HE THAT LOVETH MONEY.

- Rather [ אהב כסף וגו

·

גם כל ימיו בחשך

V. 17. All his Days alfo he eateth in Darkness:
HE CONSUMETH ALSO ALL HIS DAYS IN

Rather [ יאכל

DARKNESS.

[הרבה וחליו וקצף

and he hath much Sorrow and Wrath with his Sickness. DYST #p1 1'm nan] Rather AND ANGER, SICKNESS, AND WRATH MULTIPLY for a does not seem to be an Adverb here, but the Preter Hiphil, as Deut. I. 10. Hof. VIII. 14. which agrees with each of the fingular Nouns feparately; and the final in is plainly a Miftake, occafioned by the next Word beginning with the fame Letter; for not one of the ancient Verfions acknowledge it.

V. 19. Every Man alfo to whom God hath given Riches and Wealth, and hath given him Power to eat thereof, and to take his Portion, and to rejoice in his Labour; this is the Gift of God.] Our Verfion in this Place is scarcely intelligible, the Words not being reducible to a Propofition. How much better is this expreffed in the old Verfion - AND TO EVERY MAN TO WHOM GOD &c? The fame Mode of Expreffion occurs Ch. VI. 2. and ought to be rendered - To WHOMSOEVER GOD &c.

V. 20. For he shall not much remember the Days of his Life:

Rather in the prefent Tenfe – FoR HE [הרבה יזכר את ימי חייו

DOTH NOT &c.

·because God anfwereth him in the Joy of his Heart. an ɔ BECAUSE GOD MINISTRETH

Rather [מענה בשמחת לבו :

GROUND

GROUND FOR THE JOY OF HIS HEART; viz. by the Gifts beftowed on him: for this Verb when conftrued with the Prepofition has that Sense.

CHAP. VI.

[ אם יוליד איש מאה

V.3. If a Man beget an hundred Children, — 8D w's Thu O8] Rather ---THOUGH HE BEGET AN HUNDRED MALES; i. e. Sons, and Grandfons. That this is the Conftruction of this Place is evident; for s of the preceding Verfe is certainly the Nominative, which would therefore be unneceffarily repeated here; neither would it in that Cafe be placed after the Verb; and this fhews that it is governed by it in an oblique Cafe, as it cannot be used abfolutely, on which account our Verfion adds the Word Children. But N is here more proper than ; because it reftrains the Offspring to the Iffue Male: and it is well known that in Hebrew this Word is ufed with any Number, how great foever.

ורב שיהיו ימי שניו ; fo that the Days of bis Years be many

,שיהו שיהיו

The Construction here according to the prefent Reading and Translation is very harsh and ungrammatical, and the Sense a mere Tautology; for where is the Difference between a Man's living many Years, and the Days of his Years being many? But if instead of 1 we read nu, which Word is ufed 1 Sam. XIV. 34. and tranflated HIS SHEEP, which may be here taken for SUBSTANCE in general, we shall not only avoid the Tautology, and remedy the Defects of Conftruction, but find a Senfe much more fuited to the Context; thus - THOUGH HE BEGET AN HUNDRED MALES, AND LIVE MANY YEARS, AND HIS SUBSTANCE BE GREAT all THE DAYS OF HIS LIFE, BUT HIS SOUL BE NOT FILLED WITH GOOD, AND ALSO HE HAVE NO BURIAL, &c. Three Species of Good are enumerated, a numerous Progeny, long Life, and great Poffeffions, during the whole Course of that Life; in Oppofition to these are placed Want of Contentment in this Life, and Want of Burial after Death; which Solomon fays are fuch Abatements of Happiness, that an Abortion is preferable to Life in fuch Circumstances.

V.

Rather [גם שמש לא ראה ולא ידע

5. Moreover he hath not feen the Sun, nor known any Thing: MOREOVER HE HATH NOT SEEN NOR KNOWN THE SUN: i. e. the Embryo, which can neither fee nor feel it's Influence.

V. 8. For what hath the wife more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living?> 1 ‘>

The latter Part of this [הכסיל - מה לעני יודע להלך נגד החיים:

Verse seems to be an Answer to the Question proposed in the former Part, and ought I think to be thus rendered THAT which THE POOR HATH, WHO KNOWETH &c. i. e. in Point of Morals the wife has no Advantage over the poor who knows and practises his Duty.

Rather [טוב מראה עינים מהלך נפש - : Jire

V.9. Better is the Sight of the Eyes, than the Wandering of the De- BETTER is THE SIGHT OF THE EYES THAN THE PURSUIT OF THE APPETITE, as Verfe 7. The Sight of the Eyes is here ufed by a Metonymy for every Object of Sight, or whatever may be seen.

V. 12. For who knoweth what is good for Man in this Life, all the Days of his vain Life which he spendeth as a Shadow ? y "D"

Rather [מה טוב לאדם בחיים מספר ימי חיי הבלו ויעשם כצל

BUT WHO KNOWETH WHAT is BETTER IN LIFE FOR A MAN, THAN TO NUMBER THE DAYS OF HIS LIFE &c? that is, to take an Account of them, so as to turn them to Profit.

CHAP. VII.

[ טוב אחרית דבר מראשיתו טוב וגו" .the patient &c

V. 8. Better is the End of a Thing than the Beginning thereof and 1218 ] The two last Words ought to be thus read, ; and the Verse thus rendered BETTER is THE END OF A THING THAN THE BEGINNING AND THE PATIENT &c..

V. 10. Say not thou, What is the Cause that the former Days were

אל תאמר מה היה שהימים הראשנים היו טובים ?better than tbefe Rather [מאלה

938

SAY NOT, WHY DOTH IT HAPPEN THAT &c.

V. 11. Wisdom is good with an Inheritance: and by it there is Pro

טובה חכמה עם נחלה ויתר לראי השמש : .fit to them that fee the Sun

111

Rather, with the Margin WISDOM is AS GOOD AS AN IN

HERITANCE; NAY BETTER TO THEM &C..

V. 12. For Wisdom is a Defence, and Money is a Defence: pun mann] occurs Numb. XIV. 9. in this Senfe, but

[החכמה בצל הכסף

N n

without