doctrinam et ecclesiam colliguntur cives divini. 6) de vocatione ad hoc regnum. c) de imperio, quod Jesus dominus hujus regni exercet. d) de auctore regni Christo." Of all these, which are brought forward merely as subordinate significations, that under a, somewhat modified, should have been given as the fundamental idea of the phrase in the New Testament. Modified it must be certainly; for what is the res christiana, if it is neither doctrine nor church, but is first by means of these collected? The meaning d we never expected to find again in a second edition. The passages referred to it are Luke 17: 21. Mark 11: 10. But who would believe, when Christ says "The kingdom of God is among you,' that he means merely "auctor hujus regni adest!" In this auctor regni the very regnum itself had appeared. Still more strange is another meaning of Baocheia adduced from Matt. 11: 12, "The kingdom of God suffereth violence," where faoikeia is made to mean, "nuntii regni divini."

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The article under consideration is unquestionably composed upon a better plan in Wahl. He prefixes a definition of the Messiah's kingdom according to the Jewish notion; but immediately subjoins, that from the words of Jesus it is evident, that he did not in any way look upon himself as a Messiah in the low Jewish sense; and consequently, under the kingdom of the Messiah he must also have understood something of higher import, viz. the peace, felicity, of his followers in this and the future life. This definition, however, does not exhaust the subject; and we also miss the point of connexion with the Old Testament idea. The true definition would have been: 'Christ designates by βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν the community of those, who, united through his Spirit under him as their Head, rejoice in the truth and enjoy a holy and blissful life; all of which is effected through communion with him." The article, as it already stands in Pasor and Schoettgen, is good.-The article xóoμos is also treated better in Wahl. He begins with the definition of ὁ κόσμος οὗτος, e. g. ὁ αἰων οὗτος; explains this correctly on the basis of the Jewish notions, though without pointing them out; then makes the subdivisions plene and minus plene; and takes κόσμος in the same sense as ὁ κόσμος οὗτος. He needed only to have gone on consistently, and derived the subordinate bad sense which xóoμos has in the New Testament from the circumstance, that xóoμos denotes what does not belong to the Messiah's kingdom, and consequently that which is not chris

tian, i. e. all which is not in relation with Christ. Instead of this he has without any motive given the definition: "universitas hominum hujus mundi, imperfectionis, vitiositatis notione inclusa." But whence then, we may ask, comes this bad sense of κόσμος? The ground lies simply in the fact, that κόσμος designates the world as opposed to the kingdom of Christ, the αἰων οὗτος.

We are prevented by want of room from giving further details of the same kind. We would gladly do it, and may perhaps resume the subject at some other opportunity.

ART. VII. INTERPRETATION OF JUDGES, CHAP. V.

THE SONG OF DEBORAH AND BARAK.

By the Editor.

IN preparing the following article, I have made use of the ordinary commentaries upon the Hebrew Bible at large,—of which that of Le Clerc, in regard to philology, is the best on the book of Judges, and also of the following works on this portion of Scripture in particular.

HIERONYMI in Canticum Deborae Commentarius, in Hieron. Opp. Tom. II. Append. ed. Martianay.

C. F. SCHNURRER, Carmen Deborae, Iud. V. in Schnurreri Dissertt. philologico-crit. Goth. et Amst. 1790.

J. B. KOEHLER, Nachlese einiger Anmerkungen über das Siegeslied der Debora, in Eichhorn's Repertorium, Th. VI. p. 163.--Also, Nachtrag noch einiger Erläuterungen des Liedes der Debora, in Eich. Rep. Th. XII. p. 235.

J. G. v. HERDER's Briefe das Studium der Theologie betreffend, Th. I.—Also, Geist der Hebräischen Poesie, Th. II. VII. This is perhaps the best translation.

C. W. JUSTI, National-Gesänge der Hebraer, Marb. und Leipz. 1803-18. Band II. p. 210.-Also in his Blumen althebräischer Dichtkunst, Giessen, 1809. Bd. I. p. 14.

G. H. HOLLMANN, Commentarius philologico-criticus in Carmen Deborae, Iud. V. Lips. 1818. The author was at the time a pupil of Gesenius, and gives in general his views.

Other less important monograms upon this chapter may be found in the work of Justi first above quoted.

The following triumphal song belongs indisputably in the first rank of Hebrew poetry, and is one of its most splendid and difficult specimens. In the ecstasy and energy of inspiration, the prophetess pours out her whole soul in (thanksgiving to God for his divine aid; and in gratitude to the people of Israel for their patriotism in rising spontaneously to throw off the yoke of oppression. Her strains are bold, varied, and sublime; she is every where full of abrupt and impassioned appeals and personifications; she bursts away from earth to heaven, and again returns to human things; she touches now upon the present, now dwells upon the past; and closes at length with the grand promise and result of all prophecy and of all the dealings of God's providence, that the wicked shall be overthrown, while the righteous shall ever triumph in Jehovah's name.

The circumstances which gave birth to this remarkable poem are recorded in the fourth chapter of the book of Judges; and, so far as they are necessary to our present purpose, are these. The Lord had sold Israel, after the death of Ehud, into the hand of Jabin, a king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor, situated not far to the N. W. of the lake Merom. This had been of old a powerful city, and had been destroyed by Joshua about one hundred and twenty years before, after a decisive victory over Jabin its king and the kings of the vicinity; Josh. 11: 13. The present Jabin was also powerful; for he possessed nine hundred chariots of iron,' i. e. armed with iron hooks and scythes. His whole army seems to have been under the control of Sisera, the captain of his host,' whose head-quarters were at Harosheth of the Gentiles, a city a short distance to the south of Hazor. It is stated, that for the space of twenty years, he mightily oppressed- Israel.'

In the mean time, Deborah the prophetess, who had fixed her habitation (probably in a tent) beneath a well known palm tree between Ramah and Bethel in Mount Ephraim, to the northward of Jerusalem, 'judged Israel;' i. e. was the organ of communication between God and his people, and probably, on account of the influence and authority of her character, was accounted in some measure as head of the nation, to whom questions of doubt and difficulty were referred for decision. From the tenor of her triumphal song, as well as from other circumstances, the people would appear to have sunk into a state of total discouragement under the severe oppression of the Cannaanites; so that it was difficult to rouse them from No. III.

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their despondency, and induce them to burst the fetters of their bondage. From the gratitude which Deborah expresses towards the people for the effort which they finally made, we are warranted in drawing the conclusion, that she had long endeavoured to instigate them to this step in vain. At length she summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh, a city in Naphtali, on a mountain not far from Hazor, and made known to him the will of God, that he should undertake an enterprise for the deliverance of his country. But such was his disheartened state of feeling, and at the same time such his confidence in the superior authority and character of Deborah, that he assents to go only on condition that she will accompany him. To this she at length yields consent. They repair both of them to Kedesh, and collect there, in the immediate vicinity of Hazor, ten thousand men, with whom they march southward and encamp on mount Tabor. Sisera immediately collects his army, pursues them, and encamps in the great plain of Jezreel or Esdraelon. Barak descends with his ten thousand men from Tabor, attacks and discomfits the Canaanites, and pursues them northward to Harosheth. Sisera alights from his chariot and flees on foot, as far as to the tents of Heber the Kenite in the vicinity of Kedesh, by whose wife he is slain.

In consequence of this victory, and probably for the purpose of an immediate triumphal celebration on account of it, this song was composed. The situation was similar to that of the people after the destruction of the Egyptian army in the Red Sea, when Moses and the children of Israel sang the splendid song of triumph: "The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea;" to which Miriam and the daughters of the people responded; Ex. c. xv. So also when Saul and David returned from the slaughter of the Philistines after the death of Goliath, the women came out from all the cities with singing and dancing and instruments, chanting in response: "Saul hath slain his thousands and David his ten thousands." 1 Sam. 18: 6 seq. In like manner, we may reasonably suppose that Deborah indited her song of triumph to be sung on the return of Barak and his warriors from the pursuit, laden doubtless with spoil, and rejoicing in a victory obtained with the visible assistance of Jehovah out of heaven. All the circumstances tend to support this supposition; and these will be more fully discussed in the following notes.

After these preliminary remarks, we may trace the course

and connexion of the thoughts in the poem in the following manner. In verse 2 the prophetess calls upon the people to praise the Lord for the burst of patriotic feeling in the nation, which led them to rise and avenge their wrongs. Verse 3 calls proudly on the heathen kings, to listen to her song of triumph over their allies. Verses 3-5 describe the theophania or appearance of Jehovah in a tempest for the help of Israel. In verses 6-8 she goes back to describe the state of despondency and degradation into which the nation was fallen; and in verse 9, which is parallel to verse 2, she again declares her gratitude to the rulers and the people, for having thrown off this despondent feeling. Verses 10 and 11 are an invocation to all, both high and low, to join in a song of praise and triumph with the returning warriors, who are dividing the spoil; and verse 12 is a vivid invocation to herself and Barak to lead in this song.

Thus far all may be said to be only introductory; for the actual song of triumph properly begins with verse 13. In this verse she relates her appeal to the people and her invocation to Jehovah for aid. In verses 14-18 the tribes who volunteered are named and applauded, while those who remained at home are censured; and this the poetess has contrived to make one of the most beautiful portions of the whole. In verses 19—23 the battle is most vividly described. In verse 23 the prophetess bursts away abruptly to invoke curses on the inhabitants of Meroz; and then by contrast goes on to pronounce blessings on Jael, and describes the death of Sisera, verses 24-27. By a master-stroke of poetical skill, the scene now changes, and the mother of Sisera is introduced in anxious impatience for his return, verses 28-30; and the whole concludes with the prophetic assurance, that they who love the Lord shall triumph.

In the following translation I have endeavoured to keep as near as possible to the Hebrew, both in the choice and the position of the words; and to exhibit, as well as I could, the conciseness and abruptness of the original, so far as it could be done without rendering the translation obscure. Without some special reason to the contrary, I have also preferred to retain every where the language of our English version. In many parts, however, this latter is wholly unintelligible; as are also the Septuagint and Vulgate. This fault certainly does not belong to the original Hebrew.