V. 4. He afked Life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even Length of חיים שאל ממך נתתה לו ארך ימים עולם ועד: .Days for ever and euer Rather 119 HE ASKED LIFE OF THEE; THOU GAVEST HIM LENGTH OF DAYS FOR EVER AND EVER. V. 9. Thou shalt make them as a fiery Oven in the Time of thine Anger: the Lord fhall swallow them in his Wrath,, and the Fire fhall dethem.) 1983—nın תשיתמו כתנור אש - לעת פניך יהוה באפו יבלעם ותאכלס .our them N] Rather, I think, thus - THOU, O LORD, SHALT MAKE THEM AS A FIERY OVEN IN THE TIME OF THINE ANGER: THE FIRE IN IT'S RAGE SHALL DEVOUR THEM AND CONSUME THEM. V. 11. they imagined a mischievous Device, which they are not able to perform. think to be thus rendered-but THEY HAVE NOT PREVAILED, or HAVE NOT EFFECTED it for the Verb has this Senfe, Gen. XXX. 8.- XXXII. 25. &c. [שכם The two laft Words ought I [חשבו מזמה בל יוכלו : V. 12. Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back: DO] The marginal Lection is-Thou shalt fet them as a Butt. But the Words of the Text will not I think juftify either Sense; for is never used as a Verb, except when it fignifies to rife early; and there is not the least Foundation for tranflating it a Butt, or Mark to shoot at. In the two Places where that Sentiment occurs, ya or oh are the Words, which express it: (See Job. VII. 20. and XVI. 12.) Words well known, and eafily deduced from their kindred Root. I cannot therefore but think that the in has dropped out from between the second and third Letter. In that Cafe, the Sense would be -THEREFORE SHALT THOU MAKE THEM THORNS. See and , Numb. XXXIII. 55. Prov. XV. 19. &c. After the wicked bad been made as a fiery Oven, whom the Fire in its Rage would confume; what can be more natural, or better connected, than to suppose a Continuation of the fame Metaphor, by rendering the Word THORNS, as a Means to that End? Thus Ifaiah - Wickedness burneth as FIRE: it fhall devour the BRIERS AND THORNS. IX. 18. And the Light of Ifrael fhall be for a FIRE, and the Holy One for a FLAME; and it shall devour bis THORNS AND BRIERS. X. 17. And the People full be as the BURNING OF LIME; as THORNS cut up fhall they be BURNT IN THE FIRE. XXXIII. 12. V. 12. when thou shalt make ready thine Arrows upon thy Strings - It is evident [ במיתריך תכונן על פניהם : .againft the Face of them that Arrows are not mentioned in the Text; and this Senfe is fuggested merely from the fuppofed Signification of 3. But, if there be no Foundation for the Senfe given to by our Verfion in the preceding Hemiftic, this Senfe alfo of Arrows must be given up, as foreign to the Purpose. I therefore tranflate this Claufe thus THOU SHALT PREPARE THY WITHES FOR THEM. has this Senfe Judg. XVI. 7,8,9. It has not indeed there the Heemantic: but this is well known not to be effential. The Verb 1 is not unfrequently conftrued with a; fee Numb. XXIII. 1, 29. &c. See also the Prepofition y, Noldius 23. and confidered as an expletive, Gen. XXI. 19. Jer. XVII. 16. &c. This Interpretation adds great Weight to the Sense given to viz. Thorns מיתר by making it nearly fynonymous to,שכים or שכם and a Bundle of Twigs; both intended for the fame Purpose, of lighting the Fire to heat the Oven, in order to confume God's Enemies: Or, might not the in D have been a Corruption of 3, and then if from the End of the preceding Word be prefixed to this, it will furnish a well known Word, viz. DAVID, THEIR ABODE, or Refidence? which Senfe will also be very fuitable to the Context, thus 413 THEREFORE THOU WILT PLACE THEIR ABODE IN THE CORDS (or NETS) which THOU HAST PREPARED FOR THEM. See Pf. CXL. 5. Thus, thou broughteft us into THE NET denotes bringing into Calamity, as plucking the Feet out of the Net does Deliverance out of it. See Pf. LXVI. 11. — XXV. 15. And the Word a feems also to denote not a tranfient, but a permanent, Calamity. See the Notes Pf. XXII. 3. XXIII. 6. why art thou fo far from helping me, and from the Words Rather, I think [רחוק מישועתי דברי שאגתי : of my Roaring? ROARED OUT MY V.2.—and in the Night-Season, I am not filent. : bi mbibi] Rather --- AND IN THE NIGHT SEASON TRULY I AM NOT SILENT. The has this Senfe, Numb. XXI. 8. *) I —— when be looketh upon it, he fhall SURELY live. So alfo Ifa. XLIV. 8. V. 3. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabiteft the Praifes of Ifrael. The whole is rather to be ren [ ואתה קדוש יושב תהלות ישראל dered as a folemn Invocation, thus BUT, O'THOU HOLY ONE THAT INHABITEST THE BOASTED Places OF ISRAEL! the Word Place being feldom expreffed in Hebrew. Or, if we retain the Word Praises, it must be understood by a Metonymy for the Places where God received the Praises of his People, for the Mercies immediately before commemorated. There is yet a third Senfe, in which God may be faid to inhabit the Praifes of Ifrael. In our own Language to dwell, or abide, befides their primary Senfe, are used in a secondary one, to denote Permanency, or long habitual Continuance; thus our Tongue, Thoughts, Inclinations, and Defires are faid to dwell upon an Object, when they are conftantly, or frequently, turned to, or engaged upon, it. A Person is also said to dwell and refide in the good Graces and Affections of another, when he enjoys them for a long Time without Interruption. Thus in Scripture we are faid to abide in the Love, Fear, and Favour of God, to dwell in God, and God and his Word to dwell in us. The Hebrew Word ", which is here rendered inhabit, with others of the fame Import, admits of the like Signification; fee Gen. XLIX. 24. P. LV. 19.- LXI. 7. &c. and fo do the Verbs new, evonew, and HatoIXE in the New Teftament; fee Rom. VIII. 17, 18, 20. Col. III. 16. Eph. III. 17. Why then may not the Text before us be likewife fo interpreted; and by God's inhabiting, or dwelling in the Praifes of Ifrael, be understood his being the constant Theme and Object of thofe Praifes? - [ואנכי תולעת ולא איש V. 6. But I am a Worm, and no Man: That is, "a Creature too mean and defpicable to merit Attention.' The Antithefis between the first Person and the third is finely kept up from V. I. and fhould be attended to. גל אל V. 8. He trusted on the Lord, that he would deliver him: - ba [יהוה יפלטהו non] Rather-HE REJOICED IN THE LORD; LET HIM DELIVER HIM for is the Preter of 1 to rejoice, not of a to roll, as our Verfion makes it. And that this is the Senfe is moreover evident from the next Hemiftic, where the fame Words are repeated in an inverse Order, viz. let Him deliver him, feeing he delighted in Him: as Pf. XXVII. 14. or as Virgil, Ecl. VIII. 49, 50. Crudelis mater magis, an puer improbus ille? V. 9. thou didst make me hope, when I was upon my Mother's Simply thus [מבטיחי על שדי אמי : .Breats ME HOPE UPON MY MOTHER'S BREASTS. V. 12. Many Bulls have compaffed me: ftrong Bulls of Bahan have אבירי בשן כתרוני : .belet me round It feems [סבבוני פרים רבים - אבירי בשן כתרוני : THE rather unnecessary to repeat the Word Bulls in the last Clause: MIGHTY ONES would be fufficiently understood. Ezekiel uses. the fame Phrase to point out the Princes of the Earth. XXXIX. 18. V. 14. all my Bones are out of Joint: my Heart is like melted Wax:] Thus Ovid, Sic mea perpetuis liquefiunt pectora curis, The [המה יביטו יראו בי : V. 17. they look and ftare upon me. before has doubtless dropped out of the Text on account of the preceding Word ending with that Letter; for it is found in all the old Verfions. V. 20. my Darling from the Power of the Dog. : 'T' >> TD] The Word 'n' comes from the Verb ', which is nearly related to, one, and from thence borrows it's Signification of being isolated, or left alone, fingle, unfupported: it fhould accordingly be here tranflated my folitary or friendless one, (Soul being mentioned in the preceding Hemiftic, to which this Word refers by an Hendyadis) in Allufion to what the Pfalmift had faid of his being forfaken of God, (V. 1.) and of there being no Help, (V. 11.) This Word must be taken in the fame Sense, Pf. XXV. 16. XXXV. 17. V.21. for thou haft beard me from the Horns of the Unicorns. Rather [ומקרני רמים עניתני: YEA THOU HAST DELIVERED ME FROM THE HORNS OF THE MIGHTY ONES. For p, with the Difference of the Mafforetic Points only, is thus used in feveral Places, 2 Sam. XXII. 28. Job. XXI. 22. &c. The Word fignifying an Unicorn is conftantly written D, and once. As for Horns, they are the Symbols of Strength, and figuratively attributed to Men, Pf. LXXV. 10. &c. The Change of Mood, from the Imperative to the Indicative, deserves Notice; as it feems not to be without Design, especially as it happens in the very Place where the Transition is made from the Sufferer's Complaint, to the Song of Praise and Triumph for Mercies received received and expected. Instead therefore of the caufal Particle, for, the is to be rendered, yea, or indeed, to mark out the Tranfition more precisely: it is fo ufed, Ifa. XLIV. 8. This Paffage, if applied to Christ, must denote his Rescue from the Power of Death and the Grave, which had haughtily tyrannifed over all Mankind. V. 26. — they shall praife the Lord that feek him; rını 15ba'] Rather All the THEY SHALL PRAISE THE LORD, SEEKING HIM. your Heart hall live for ever. ancient Verfions read here, as the Context requires, a THEIR HEART &c. V. 29. All they that be fat upon Earth shall eat and worship: As the Phrafe eating the Word of God is ufed [וישתחוו כל דשני ארץ Rather [לפניו יכרעו כל יורדי עפר for digesting and understanding it, (fee Jer. XV. 10. and Pf. XXXVII. 3.) ought not this Place to be rendered — ALL THE FAT ONES OF THE EARTH SHALL UNDERSTAND AND WORSHIP? V. 26. is also to be thus understood. How else this can be applicable to the Calling of the chief among all Nations to the Gospel of Christ, I do not understand. all they that go down to the Duft shall worship before him : — ALL THE DESCENDANTS OF THE DUST &C. By which Phrase may be meant all Mankind sprung from Adam, to whom it was faid, DUST thou art; Gen. III. 9. So likewife, All are of THE DUST. Eccl. III. 20. After the Call of the meek and poor had been noticed, V. 26. then follows --- All the Ends of the World fhall be mindful, and turn unto the Lord; and all the Families of the Nations fhall worship before Him. In like manner to denote the Univerfality of Chrift's Kingdom, when the rich are here particularly brought into View, it follows immediately, yea all the Sons of Adam, defcribed by their Origin, perhaps on Purpose to check the Pride of the wealthy, and to fhew them their Vanity without the Help of their Redeemer. Or, if we read 77, the Senfe will be THE GOVERNOURS OF THE EARTH &c. and this Hemiftic will be exegetical of the foregoing one: the Prophecy may then alfo be confidered as having had its Completion, when Sovereigns became nurfing Fathers and nurfing Mothers to the Church of Christ. and none can keep alive his own Soul. 111 ALL The [ונפשו לא חיה plain and natural Senfe of thefe Words as we now read them is and his Soul fhall not live. But of whofe Soul is this faid? Nay, can it be faid of any Soul? But admitting that the Verb were in Pihel, in which Conjugation as well as in Hipbil, it fignifies to quicken, or pre |