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fat, son of fatness, is here used to mean a fruitful mountain. But, do these words acquire new significations from this figurative use of them? The sons of the quiver, i. e. arrows. Lem. iii. 13. Shall we say that ben, means an arrow? Ben kasheth, the son of the bow, (cannot make him flee,) i. e. the arrow, Job xli. 20, (the 28th of the English text.) Shall we indeed then say that ben means an arrow? Ben shahor, the son of blackness, here used to express night,―son of the night,-used to convey our idea, the morning star. Shall we say that ben means a star? or, that blackness means the morning? Isa. xiv., 12 ben yonah, the son of a dove, i. e. a young dove, a squab? Lev. xii. 6. Shall we say that ben means a squab? Lev. xii. 8, beni yonah, sons of a dove, i. e. two young doves or squabs. Shall we then, surely say that beni means two squabs? But, in Lev. xiv. 22, we have the same words used in the same sense: must we say that this word means squabs? bene oreb, the sons of the raven, i. e. young ravens, Ps. cxlvii. 9: does beni then mean young ravens also?, ben baker, the son of an ox, i. e. a calf, Ex. xxix. 1. What, does ben mean a calf? Num. xxix. 2-8, son of an ox, also; ben the son of an ox-meaning a calf, does ben most surely mean a calf? Job xxxix. 16, speaking of ostricheggs, calls them, ', the plural: what! does this word also mean ostrich-eggs? But, Eccl. ii. 7, canithi, I purchased, ebadim, male slaves, shepaphath, and female slaves, and sons, bayith, of my house, haya, there were, li, to me:-here bené is used to express the idea "home-born slaves." But, shall we say that this word means such young slaves? Would such a catalogue of significations placed to the word ben, a son, be legitimate or truthful?

But, in Jer. ii. 14, we again find this word bayith, preceded by yelid, born of the house, meaning a house-born slave. The same words are used to mean the same thing in Gen. xiv. 14, meaning house-born slaves; and again, Gen. xvii. 12, meaning a house-born slave; also, idem. 13, meaning a slave born in thy house-thy house-born slave.

God did not speak to Abraham in an unintelligible language: every one knew what the idea was, even down to this day. Yet, are either of these words a synonyme of ebed, a slave?

But we will close this portion of our remarks by stating that the lexicographers might, in the manner here pointed out, (which

they have pursued to great extent,) have still increased their catalogue of significations to the word ebed.

Let us show an instance. It is well known that the ancient eastern nations punished great offenders by cutting them in pieces. The term expressing and threatening this punishment was used somewhat technically, as is now the term to guillotine, meaning to cut off a man's head. The term used by the ancients to express this cutting in pieces, as introduced in Hebrew, was, abad haddamin, which literally was "to enslave in pieces." The term is expressed thus in Dan. ii. 5:

in pieces.'

in pieces ye shall be enslaved, i. e. "Ye shall be cut

The lexicographers might have continued their catalogue with the same truthfulness with which they have extended it to such length, and have said that Ty ebed also meant to hew, to cut, &c., and have cited this instance in proof.

But in Dan. iii. 29, the term is used again thus

in pieces shall be enslaved, i. e. "shall be cut in pieces." Surely, they should have added, that ebed means to cut. It is true that the literal meaning of this term cannot always be given in English so as to be in pleasant accordance with our use of language.

But the same is true as to many other phrases and terms, and perhaps applicable to every other language. This form and use of this word as here used by Daniel, is rather a Persian adulteration than pure Hebrew, of which several instances may be found in some of the later books. The Babylonian and Persian kings considered even all their subjects as slaves to them, and this word was evidently used with greater latitude among them than it appears to have been among the Hebrews at the time of Moses.

LESSON III.

AT:

THE lexicons seem tenacious that a very usual signification of the word y ebed is labour, both as a noun and verb; and inasmuch as to many there may seem some relation between the ideas slavery and labour, we wish to be particular in examining the Hebrew use of the terms expressive of these ideas. It appears to us that the Hebrew word yaga, and its derivations, carries with it simply our idea of labour, more closely than any other word. Yet this word is never disconnected with the idea fatigue and weariness, and perhaps something of the same character will be perceived to be attached to our word labour. In Gen. xxxi. 42, it is used and translated, "the labour of my hands." Deut. xxv. 18, "and when thou wast faint and weary." Josh. vii. 3: “And make not all the people to labour thither." xxiv. 13: "And I gave you a land for which you did not my labour." 2 Sam. xvii. 2: "And I will come upon him while he is y weary." Neh. v. 13: "So shall God shake out every man from his house and from his labour." Job iii. 17: "And the ''' weary be at rest." ix. 29: "If I be wicked, why then 'N labour I in vain." x. 13: **"despised the work of thy hands * *.” xxviii. 18: "That which he laboured for shall he restore." xxxix. 11: ** * "Wilt thou leave thy labour to him." 16: ***"her labour is in vain without fear?" Ps. lxix. 4: "They that hate me without a cause;" the idea is, they that labour to injure, &c. "And their labour unto

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the locust." cix. 11: "let the stranger spoil his 1

cxxviii. 2: “For thou shalt eat the

Prov. xxiii. 4: "y labour not to be rich."

study is weariness to the flesh."

labour."

labour of thy hands."

Eccl. xii. 12: “Much

Isa. xliii. 22, 23, 24:

"But thou hast been weary of me-nor in wearied

thee with incense." "Thou hast ny

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wearied me with thine

iniquities." xlv. 14: "The labour of Egypt." xlvii. 15:

"with whom thou hast laboured." lv. 2: "And your

labours thereof."

labour for that which satisfieth not." lxv. 23: "They shall not y labour in vain." Jer. iii. 24: "For shame hath devoured the labour." xx. 5: "And all the xlv. 3: "I ny fainted in my sighing." sighing was a labour of great weariness, &c. "And shall take away all thy

upon all the

labour."

The idea is, my

Ezek. xxiii. 29: Hag. i. 11: “And

labour of thy hands." Mal. ii. 17: "Ye have

Dny wearied the Lord with your words, yet ye say, Wherein wearied him?" Eccl. i. 8: "All things are full

have we

:

”.labour יָגֶעִים of

x. 15: "The amal) labour of the foolish (1) wearieth every one of them." The word labour in this sentence is translated from amal, another Hebrew word, which signifies labour, but in its signification is implied the association of the idea grief, sorrow, &c. The adjective quality of this word is mental-in yaga, it is physical. This word amal seems to be derived from the Arabic amelan, and from

thence the Syriac, having nearly the same signification. In Arabic the signification is put down by Castell, operator, mercenarius; and in Syriac, labore defessus. It is used in Hebrew as follows: Gen. xli. 51: "And Joseph called the name of his firstborn Manessa; for God, said he, hath made me forget all my by toil," (labour, sorrow.) forget, to cause to forget, &c. beheld iniquity in Jacob," trouble, perplexity, or sorrow.

The word manessa means to Num. xxiii. 21: "He hath not i. e. labour designed to give Deut. xxvi. 7: "The Lord heard

labour עֲמָלֵנוּ

our voice and looked upon our affliction, and our and our oppression." Judg. v. 26: "And her right hand to the workman's (y labourer's) hammer." Job iii. 10: “Nor hid

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sorrow from mine eyes." 20: "Wherefore is light given unto him that is in misery." iv. 8: "They that plough. iniquity by wickedness shall reap the same." v. 7: “Yet man

and sow

is born to trouble." vii. 3: "So I am made to possess by months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me." xv. 35: "They conceive mischief and bring forth vanity." xvi. 2: "Miserable comforters are ye all.” xx. 22: “In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in by straits."

But it should be remembered that the Hebrew copy of Job is itself a translation. Ps. vii. 15: "He made a pit and digged it, and has fallen into the ditch (sorrow bringing labour) which he made." 16: "His hy mischiefs shall return upon his own head." x. 7: “Under his tongue is by mischief and vanity.” 14: "Thou beholdest mischief and spite." xxv. 18: “Look upon mine affliction and my pain, and forgive my sin.” "Yet is their strength they inherit the labour of the people." cxxvii. 1: “Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain." Prov. xvi. 26: "He that laboureth by by laboureth for himself.”

labour and sorrow." cv. 44: "And

Isa. lii. 11: “He shall see of the

not

phay

travail of his soul,”

(labour producing sorrow, &c.) " And that write y grievousness which they have prescribed," (a labour producing sorrow, &c.) Jonah iv. 10: "Thou hast had pity on the gourd for which thou hast laboured." Eccl. i. 3: "What profit hath a man of all labour which he taketh under the sun?" ii. 10: "For my heart rejoiced in all my labour." 11: “And then I looked on all the work that my hands had wrought, and on all

his

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I hated all my

laboured." 18: "Yea,

labour which I had taken (laboured)

under the sun." 19: “Yet shall he have rule over all my y

labour wherein I have 'py laboured." 20: "Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the

labour

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