A NEW AND IMPROVED COMMENTARY ON THE BIBLE. WHEREIN THE AUTHOR GIVES MORE RATIONAL INTTRPRETA VOLUME V. BY REV. W. E. MANLEY, D. D. AUBURN : PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR. 1874. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year A. D., 1874, by W. E. MANLEY, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. Stereotyped and Printed by WILLIAM J. MOSES, Auburn. N. Y. 135 1151 M3 1.5 PREFACE. We do not propose to offer any more apologies for delay in issuing these volumes. The patrons of the work may be assured that they will be prepared and published as fast as our scanty supply of health and means will possibly allow. The chapters on Important Words, Archæology, etc., are omitted in this volume, and will be in the next, for the reason that the discussion of these subjects in vol. iv. covers all the historical books after the Pentateuch. The chapter on the Character of the Books, in the present volume, treats of all these books not discussed before; so that the next volume will have no such chapter, being occupied wholly with the exposition of the text. It will commence where the present leaves off, and will end with the book of Esther. The Scripture text, in the present volume, is put into type a size smaller than usual, in order to bring all the rest of the historical books into this and the next volume. For the same reason, some of the comments are printed in small type, and put in the margin. This was thought better than to leave them out. It is believed that the reader will not regret our giving more attention than we have done before, to the “various readings," by showing how they originated, etc. With these brief remarks, we commend the volume to the charitable judgment of the reader. Auburn, N. Y., 1874. W. E. M. INDEX OF SUBJECTS. Authenticity of Books, 17; Authorities consulted by the author of |