Quiver blunted; and the illiterate Vulgar, who always depart reluctantly from old Inftitutions, would foon be reconciled; when, inftead of an Invafion of their Property, they experienced that the old debafed Coin was only called in, in order that they might be repaid in new, of true Sterling Value.

The Minds of the People cannot hereby be unfettled. All the leading Articles of Religion will remain undisturbed; neither will the Ground of their Faith or Practice be ever jo remotely affected. If there be any Foundation for this Plea, it feems to me (with due Deference to Government may I be understood to bint it!) to be derived from the Legiflature itself; which, in it's Acts of perpetual Duration, does not appear to allow fufficiently for the Mutability of Human Affairs, or the Changes incident to Time: whereas were it enacted, that thefe Acts should all be revifed at the Diftance of half a Century, many of the Inconveniences complained of would no longer exift, and the almoft facred Veneration the People have for Things, which not their Merit, but Antiquity alone, bas confecrated, would gradually fubfide, and leave no Traces in their Minds'.

But may not the Eagerness for Reformation carry Matters to too great a Length? Innovations, it is confeffed, are often dangerous; and the Spirit of Zealots, the most uncontroulable of any other: but in this Cafe, the Bounds would be clear and diftinct; and there would be no Caufe to fear, when the Commiffion expressly fet forth the Limits of it's Extent, that cool and difcreet Subjects would overleap them. But, to give the Argument it's full Scope; Would the Innovator herewith reft fatisfied? Would be not defire after this a Revifal of the Liturgy, with the XXXIX Articles; and proceed from ecclefiaftical, to civil, Matters? These are not necessary, perhaps not probable, Confequences: but allowing they were; what nobler Object could the Parliament, could the Convocation, have under their Contemplation, than the Petitions of ferious and well difpofed Men; prefented, at proper Intervals, with becoming Humility; praying, not to be releafed (as in a late Inftance) from the Bands by which Society is united, but that Means might be devised the moft efficacious for quieting their confcientious Scruples, and fetting them forward in the Way of religious Improvement?

Laftly; How is this Motion to be made, and who will undertake it? If the Convocation fate, it ought perhaps to originate there. But, if it

Sir William Blackstone fhews clearly the Defects in our Criminal Law; and the Inconveniences it labours under, from Want of the new Statutes being referred by the legislative Power to the learned Judges before they are enacted; and afferts that the Mischief complained of would be remedied, were a Committee appointed but once in an hundred Years to revise them. Comment. B. IV. C. I.

were not judged expedient to apply to the Sovereign to convene the Houfes
for that Purpofe, the venerable Bench of Bishops might eafily agree among
themselves, to take an Opportunity in the Vifitation of their respective
Diocefes, to collect the Sentiments of the Clergy, (and of fome of the
Laity too perhaps,) on this Point: and, as the general Report (it is
prefumed) could not but be favourable, any one of their Lordships after-
wards making the Motion, his Majesty having previously confented, an
Act would most probably be obtained, without a fingle Divifion in either
Part of the Senate".

But to return to my Subject; (from which an honest, but perhaps too
ardent Zeal bas infenfibly carried me too far; and for which I must again
beg Leave to apologize to all concerned :) it should be here obferved, once
for all, that in the following Remarks it has been thought fufficient to point
out perhaps only in one Inftance the Senfe of fome particular Appellatives, as

; which generally fignifies the Grave, or lower Regions of the Earth,

though almoft conftantly rendered Hell in our Verfion: that as my Defign was

not to appear in the Light of a professed Commentator or Paraphraft, I have

feldom touched on thefe Provinces, but where the Reading propofed by me feemed

to require it. Laftly, I doubt not but fome of my Obfervations may have

been anticipated by other Critics, as many are fufficiently obvious: but, if

that be the Cafe, it is more than is come to my Knowledge; for I have pur-.

pofely avoided having Recourfe to fuch Authors, except perhaps in fome per-

plexing Places, that my Remarks might be my own. Such, however as the

Public is already in Poffeffion of, bave doubtless no Pretenfions to Novelty :

they have nevertheless the Advantage of being fresh, independent, and un-

biaffed Evidences in Support of Truth.

I cannot conclude without publicly acknowledging my Obligations to

my Friend, Mr. Blayney, Fellow of Hertford College; whofe Labour,
Judgment, and Accuracy in the Edition of the Oxford Standard Copy
of the Bible have done him great Honour. He has been fo kind as to
revife with close Attention my MS. Copy; and to him I am indebted
for the Correction of feveral Miftakes, and for many important Remarks,
and judicious Emendations in every Part of this Work.

z As Dr. Kennicott's Collation is faid to be in great Forwardness, it may perhaps be thought
convenient to wait for the Publication before any fuch Measure be taken.

VERSE 5.

CHAPTER I.

and offered Burnt Offerings according to the Number

There is no Occafion to [והעלה עלות מספר כלם : of them all

exprefs according in another Character; for DDD is compounded of the Prepofition, which here fignifies according, and DD Number. See Noldius' Concordance. D. 32.

V. II.

[אם לא על פניך יברכך .and be will cure thee to thy face

Our Verfion takes no Notice here of the compounded Particles & DN, except in the Margin, where they are rendered if not, which is not their Senfe in this Place: they ought to be rendered TRULY, or INDEED, as they are Numb. XIV. 35. Joshua XIV. 9. &c. Qu. might not this Place be translated thus — AND WILL HE then INDEED BLESS THEE TO THY FACE, or, BID THEE FAREWELL? See also Ch. II. v. 5. & 9.

is here בקר [הבקר היו חרשות,The Oren were plowing

V. 14. used, as in fome other Places, collectively: but cannot agree with , on account of the Discord of Number and Gender. fignifies here A Wood, or Foreft, as 1 Sam. XXIII. 15. This Place

A

therefore

therefore ought to be rendered-THE OXEN WERE in THE WOODS. What follows confirms this Senfe - the Affes were feeding by the Side of them.

Naked came I out of my Mother's Womb, and naked shall

Our old [ ערם יצתי מבטן אמי - וערם אשוב שמה : I return tbitber

Version has here this Note, viz. "that is, into the Belly of the Earth,
"which is the Mother of us all." Others, who take the Words in
the Proper Sense, suppose Job to have pointed to the Earth. But, with-
out having recourfe to that Figure or this Hypothefis, may not these
Words, without Violence, be rendered - NAKED CAME I OUT OF
MY MOTHER'S WOMB, AND NAKED SHALL I DEPART with
DESOLATION? has this Sense Isa. XXIV. 12. and seems parti-
cularly fuitable here to Job after all the Disasters which had just be-
fore happened to him. The Targum has here
the Houfe of the Grave: and this may probably be the Sense here;
for Job (Ch. X. 19.) puts the Grave in Oppofition to the Womb, viz.-
"I should have been carried from the Womb to the Grave."

to לבית קבורתא

CHA P. II.

V. 5.

-

See Ch. I. v. II.

[ אם לא אל פניך יברכך .and be toill curfe thee to thy Face

in ברך The Verb [ברך אלהים ומת .cure God, and die

V.9.

Chaldee, and in Arabic, is ufed for taking Leave or bidding Farewell; and ought I think to be thus rendered here.

and Sprinkled Duft upon their Heads toward Heaven.

,This Place would be more intelligible [ויזרקו עפר על ראשיהם השמימה :

were it rendered, AND THREW DUST THROUGH THE AIR UPON THEIR HEADS. See Acts XXII. 23. where this Custom is alluded to.

CHAP. III.

V.3. and the Night in which it conceived. : 128 bbm] read thus — AND THE

והליל האמר

was faid, There is a Man Child
Qu. ought not the Text to be
NIGHT WHICH SAID, a Man

CHILD IS BROUGHT FORTH? For is of the Masculine Gender; and

is here more neceffary, confidered as articular and relative, than as

paragogic.

paragogic. If it be objected that it is too bold a Figure to make the Night speak, I answer that it is not bolder than to wish the Day to perish; which strictly speaking it can no more do, than the Night speak.

V. 5. - let the Blackness of the Day terrify it.] Our Verfion does not exprefs the Senfe of the Original: and indeed it is no wonder; for this is a very obfcure Place; and the ancient Verfions give us but little Light. However, from the LXX and Vulgate we may perhaps collect the true Reading of ", by fuppofing that

and that has crept מארות or מארירי is defective for מרירי the Word

into the Place of ; Inftances of both which Miftakes are not unfrequent. If this Reading be admitted, the Words before us may be rendered LET THEM DISTURB IT WITH CURSES CONTINUALLY. See thus used, Pf. LX. 8. &c. The 8th Verfe feems to confirm this Senfe.

V.8.—who are ready to raise up their Mourning. ¡

'nyn]

Rather WHO ARE READY TO RAISE UP THE LEVIATHAN: (whether by this Word be meant the CROCODILE with Bochart, or a great SERPENT with Schultens :) For it is certain that we have no other Authority for the Signification of Mourning here given to this Word, than that of the Rabbi's, which has no Weight. On the other Hand, it is well known that the ancients were killed in the Methods of charming Serpents, (fee Pf. LVIII. 4, 5.) fo that Job may reasonably be supposed to be wifhing here, that these Inchanters might practise their Arts, to add to the Horrors of that terrible Night, against which Evil is here fo folemnly imprecated.

ואל יראה בעפעפי .neither let it Jee the Datening of the Day

V.9. Qu. might not the literal Verfion of these Words be here admitted, viz. NEITHER LET IT SEE THE EYELIDS OF THE MORNING? This beautiful Image could not I think fail of being understood by the Vulgar; and it is countenanced by much obfcurer enigmatical Expreffions. It furpaffes in my Opinion Homer's favourite pododantuλos Hws—rofy-finger'd Morn.

V. 10. Because it but not up the Doors of my Mother's Womb:

.with the Vulg בטן We muft here read fimply לא סגר דלתי בטני

and Targum; or, with the other Verfions, 28 jo, as Ch. I. v. 21.

V. 12. Why did the Knees prevent me? or why the Breafts that I

The Word [מדוע קדמוני ברקים - ומה שדים כי אינק ? bould luck

A 2

prevent