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rendered Hell, as in our Verfion. (Ch. II. 2.) Its moft general Senfe is the Grave, or common Receptacle of the dead. It can I think fignify the Region of the damned but in two Places, viz. Pf. IX. 17. Prov. XV. 24. if it does fo there.

Rather [מאחז פני כסה - פרשן ונו'

V. 9. He holdeth back the Face of his Throne, and Spreadeth, &c. HE BARRETH THE FRONT of his THRONE, SPREADING &c. Thus Ch. XXII. 14. Thick Clouds He made Darkness are a Covering to him. So alfo Pfalms XVIII. 11. his fecret Place; his Pavilion round about him were dark Waters, and thick Clouds of the Skies. And XCVII. 2. Clouds and Darkness are round about him.

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V. 12. He divideth the Sea with his Power, and by his Understanding

[ בכחו רגע הים - ובתבונתו מחץ רהב : .be mitetb through the Proud

Were it not for a feeming Incongruity in introducing an Act of God's
particular Providence among the other Inftances of Almighty Power,
which are general ones, I should be apt to think that there was a plain
Allufion here to the miraculous Paffage of the Ifraelites through the
Red Sea, and that the Word an was used not as an Appellative, but
as a Proper Name for Egypt, as Pf. LXXXVII. 4. Ifa. LI. 9. and parti-
cularly Pf. LXXXIX. 10; which last might be confidered as a parallel
Place to this. But though it might appear allowable in the favoured
Nation, especially in their Songs of Praife, to break out of the com-
mon Road, in order to commemorate fo fignal a Deliverance; it may
be thought a Violation of Character in an Alien, an Idumean, as Job
was, one in no wife particularly interested in the Event. If there be
any Force in this Objection, we may in the former Hemiftic give to
ya the Signification it fometimes has of refting or causing to rest, and
render it --- HE STILLETH THE SEA BY HIS POWER. The old
Verfion reads, The Sea is calm by his Power. As to the latter Hemiftic,
we may render a spacious or wide, (in which Senfe it is applied to
the Sea, Pf. CIV. 25.) fupplying after it the Word Ocean, to render it
more intelligible; or with the fame Addition may continue to it the
Signification we find in our present Verfion, the proud, which Epithet
is also applied to the fwelling Waves, Ch. XXXVIII. 11. Thus
HE SMITETH, or SUBDUETH BY HIS UNDERSTANDING THE
WIDE, (or PROUD) Ocean. The Sentiment will then correspond with
what is faid of God's Power and Wisdom, Pf. LXXXIX. 9. Thou ruleft
the Raging of the Sea; when the Waves thereof arife, thou ftilleft them.
But as the Verfion stands at present, it seems in this latter Claufe to

denote

denote an Act of God's Moral Government in bringing down proud or lofty Men, which, how true foever, would be unsuitable to the Context.

V. 13. By his Spirit he hath garnished the Heavens:

ברוחו שמים

Rather - BY HIS SPIRIT THE HEAVENS are BRIGHTNESS; for feems rather to be a Noun than a Verb.

-bis Hand bath formed the crooked Serpent. :) 172 Abbn] Bochart makes this Animal to be the Zygana, fo called because it has a Luyov, or tranfverfe Bar, in the Forehead but allows that it may be properly confidered here (as many Rabbi's have done) for the Conftellation of DRACO. The Evolutions and Distortions of this Animal are well defcribed by Virgil, Geo. Lib. I. V. 244.

Maximus hic flexu finuofo elabitur Anguis,
Circum perque duas, in morem fluminis, Arctos.

CHAP.

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XXVII.

חי אל

V. 2. As God liveth, who hath taken away my Judgment; 'bbw ion] Our Verfion adds three Particles in this Verfe, and omits two other Particles in the two following Verfes. For this there seems to be no Neceffity; as the whole Paffage will be equally clear, if literally rendered thus THE LIVING GOD HATH TAKEN AWAY MY JUDGMENT; AND THE ALMIGHTY HATH IMBITTERED MY SOUL: BUT ALL THE WHILE MY BREATH is IN ME, AND THE SPIRIT OF GOD is IN MY NOSTRILS: SURELY MY LIPS SHALL NOT SPEAK WICKEDNESS, NOR MY TONGUE UTTER DECEIT.

Rather

[אורה אתכם ביד אל

V. 11. I will teach you by the Hand of God; -08 7718] I WILL INSTRUCT YOU IN THE POWER OF GOD. See thus rendered Prov. XVIII. 21.

111

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שרידיו .

V. 15. Those that remain of him fhall be buried in Death: 1770 Map] Ought not this Place to be rendered-SUCH OF HIS WHO HAVE ESCAPED FROM DEATH SHALL BE BURIED? that is, those who have escaped a violent Death (fee V. 14.) fhall nevertheless furvive but a fhort Time.

114

V. 18. - and as a Booth that the Keeper maketh. WY NODOI] Rather AND HE MAKETH A BRANCH IN THE FORM OF A BOOTH; that is, "whatever he builds will be of very fhort Duration."

V. 19. The

[ עשיר ישכב ולא יאסף

V. 19. The rich Man fhall lie down, but shall not be gathered : Ny] Rather — THE RICH LIETH DOWN, AND NOTHING IS TAKEN AWAY. Thus DN is rendered, Ifa. XVI. 10. and LVII. 1.

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he openeth his Eyes, and he is not. 1981 MPD ] Rather HE OPENETH HIS EYES, AND there is NOTHING left.

CHAP. XXVIII.

V. 3. He fetteth an End to Darkness, and fearcheth out all Perfection; the Stones of Darkness and the Shadow of Death. punh Dv rp

- הוא חוקר אבן אפל וצלמות : This Verfe in our [ ולכל תכלית

Verfion does not seem to be rightly divided. There appear only two Hemiftics, viz. Man SETTETH AN END TO DARKNESS AND TO EVERY PURPOSE; HE SEARCHETH OUT THE STONES OF DARKNESS, AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH; i. e. the Stones buried under Ground.

V.4. The Flood breaketh out from the Inhabitant ;- by bap] Rather FROM THE SPRING; for is not derived from, but fromto pour down.

לא הדריכהו בני

V. 8. The Lion's Whelps have not trodden it: — 191977 85.

Rather [ שחץ

-THE WHELPS OF THE WILD BEAST &c. For

Th, according to Bochart, is only a generic Name, denoting any large, fierce, and untameable Beast.

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and the Exchange of it shall be for Jewels of fine Gold. NOR are VESSELS OF FINE GOLD

Rather ותמורתה כלי פז :

IT'S RECOMPENSE. So is n ufed Ch. XV. 31.

V. 27. Then did he fee it, and declare it; he prepared it,

yea, and he

Rather [אז ראה ויספרה - הכינה וגם חקרה: .Jearched it out

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HE ESTA

THEN DID HE SEE IT, AND SHEWED IT FORTH; BLISHED IT, FOR SURELY HE HAD FOUND IT OUT. For otherwife there seems to be an Anticlimax.

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V. 4. As I was in the Days of my Youth: 'D' '" ¬~8>] never fignifies Youth in that Senfe it can have no Connection

with the Root, which, among other Senfes, fignifies to pluck or strip off Fruit: hence AUTUMN, the Seafon when Fruits are plucked. See Ifa. XVIII. 6. MY AUTUMN here means "that Part of my Life "when my Body was vigorous, and I enjoyed Prosperity." When the Secret of God was upon my Tabernacle ;-WHEN GOD was SECRETLY UPON MY TA

Rather [עלי אהלי :

BERNACLE.

בסוד אלוה - Tabernacle

V. 12. Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him.] This latter Hemiftic, viz. Din” 15, might be rendered with more Exactness, thus

THE FATHERLESS WHO HAD NO HELPER.

AND

[ואמר עם קני אגוע

V. 18. Then I faid, I fhall die in my Neft; VAN UP DY 7281] The Word is ufed for A CELL, A ROOM, or APARTMENT, p Gen. VI. 14.

V. 24.

Or [ פני לא יפילון :

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and the Light of my Countenance they caft not down. 181 NEITHER DID THEY SUFFER THE LIGHT OF MY COUNTENANCE TO FALL. The Countenance falls when the Marks of Chagrin, Uneafinefs or Shame appear on it. See Gen. IV. 5. In this Place either the Particle or might feem redundant but fee a fimilar Inftance Exod. XX. 4.

CHA P. XXX.

V. 2. in whom old Age was perished. : TN ] By this obfcure Phrafe our Tranflators feem to have understood, "That "their Fathers died for Famine before they came to Age;" as appears by a Note in the old Verfion. But it is most probable that the printed Text is corrupt in this Place; for n is not acknowledged by any of the ancient Verfions, except one of the Targums; and the LXX, Syriac, Arabic, and Symmachus read, which makes an excellent Sense when connected with the preceding Part of the Verfe; thus Yea, what was the Strength of their Hands to me, when THE WHOLE OF IT WAS SPENT UPON THEMSELVES. However, if this Lection be not admitted, I would at least render the Text, as it is now read, thus WHOSE OLD AGE WAS WITHERED.

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Tax thus ufed, Jon. IV. 10.

See the Verb

V. 3.- fleeing

V. 3.

fleeing into the Wilderness in former Time defolate and waste.

,Thefe Words would be clearer [הערקים ציה אמש שואה ומשאה :

were they rendered thus

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FLEEING LATELY INTO THE WIL

DERNESS, which is DESOLATE AND WASTE: or --- INTO THE
WILDERNESS, UNTO DESOLATION AND DESTRUCTION.

V. 4. Who cut up Mallows by the Bushes;

הקטפים מלוח עלי שיח

That Mallows were used for Food appears from Horace, viz. me pafcunt oliva

Me cichorea, levefque MALVE.

aut gravi

Lib. I. Ode 31.

MALVA falubres corpori. Epod. II.

Again

So alfo Martial

Utere lactucis, et mollibus utere MALVIS.

Lib. III. Epig. 88.

[ ושרש רתמים לחמם :

and Juniper Roots for their Meat. Out of the Root of the □ grew an Excrefcence, which also fometimes ferved for Food to the poorest People. See Bochart Hierob. P. II. P. 246.

ས.

5. They were driven from among Men: ] The Word 1 never fignifies any Thing elfe than a Carcafe, Body, or Back. None of which Senfes can be here applicable. I would therefore read the Text thus er in and render it-THEY WERE DRIVEN FORTH FROM THE PEOPLE.

V.7.

- מן גוי גרשו

under the Nettles they were gathered together.

Rather [ יספחו :

-UNDER THE SHRUBS. For properly fignifies the Paliurus, a THORNY SHRUB, according to Bochart. See Hierobot.

V. 8. They were Children of Fools,] Rather, I think -They were a CONTEMPTIBLE GENERATION: for in Scripture generally fignifies one who has no Reputation; or who is deftitute of Wisdom, Goodnefs, and every Principle of Virtue. The Words which immediately follow feem to determine for this Senfe.

yea, Children of base Men: ] I fee no Reafon for departing from the Proper Senfe of the Words; for CHILDREN OF NO NAME, or OF NO ACCOUNT, is a Phrase univerfally understood. We use it in Profe, as well as Verfe. Thus Bacon fays; "Visit "eminent Perfons of great Name abroad:" And Shakespear "What "Men of Name refort to him." So in Latin, magnum NOMEN in ora

F

toribus

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