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to be supposed. But leave

seems to path between the vineyards. Comp., the

Professor Lee.-Sirip, m. r. r, once.

have been given him; and the context hollow hand.
requires, that in ver.
be rendered, for as
come-go with them

20, the words should much as the men are and we are therefore

Arab. Jo, fauces, locus ubi tussitur. to assign the cause of this Divine displeasure. Conf. fauces montium. A narrow way. With the leave to go, was given a caution as Rosen., In semita vinearum, to behaviour; and reason enough there was, i. e., in angusta calle, inter vineas maceriis because Balaam loved the wages of un-( 12 ) cinctas. birzip, h. l. righteousness and, if he went with such a tantum obvium coll. rv, pugillus (Jes. xl. bias on his mind, 'tis no wonder, that God 12) videtur proprie esse spatiolum, quod in was angry for that wrong disposition. This pugno seu contracta manu cernitur. wickedness of his intention, and perverseness of his way, seem to have been set before

Ver. 32.

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הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי יָצָאתִי לְשָׂטָן כִּי־יָרַט : lim by the vision of an angel reproving him

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καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐξῆλθον εἰς διαβολήν σου, ὅτι οὐκ ἀστεία ἡ ὁδός σου ἐναντίον μου.

Au. Ver.-32 And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee [Heb., to be an adversary unto thee], because thy way is perverse before me:

and he himself twice says, that he saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open, or opened. See xxii. 31, 34, 35; and xxiv. 4, 16. Observe also, that the angel still bids him go, but commands him to be cautious and obedient. On these repeated authorities from the context, we may safely adopt the reading preserved here in the Arab. version; in which there is a word expressing this very disposition. God was angry with him, because he went (avare) with a covetous inclination. And the Arab. version will be were not sincere and honest; for pretending the more easily admitted now; because of the proofs lately given, that it agrees with Heb. MSS. in several places, where it does not agree with the versions either Greek or Syriac consequently it has a right to be considered, as being sometimes a primary version likewise. See my Gen. Dissert., p. 20.-Kennicott.

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Because thy way is perverse before me.
Bp. Patrick. His intentions and purposes

to obey God, he designed, if he could, to serve Balak. The word we translate perverse signifies perplexed and intricate in the Arabian language: and so Bochartus thinks it should be translated here.

Gesen. only in Kal, probably, to be destructive. (Arabic, b, to precipitate into ruin) Numb, xxii. 32: 2, for the way is destructive in my eyes, ove doтeia ἡ ὁδός σου ἐναντίον μου. Vulg., quia perversa est via tua, mihique contraria. The Samaritan has (from a gloss), 177.

Prof. Lee.—, Arab. b, præcipitem dedit in exitium; conj. v. lapsus fuit in See my note. exitium. Precipitating into ruin, Job xvi. 11. Numb. xxii. 32,, ellip. for 121 ης της, thou art lost as to way, i.e., art in a ruinous state: taking as a verbal noun.

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Rosen.-32 In verborum interpretatione et veteres et recentiores ob præter hune locum duntaxat Job. xvi. 11, Illorum con

Ged, Booth. In a path between two obvium admodum variant. vineyards. jecturas aut somnia si quis scire cupit, adeat Gesen.-, m. A narrow path, hollow Michaelis Suppl., p. 1164. Illustrandum way, Numb. xxii. 24 only:

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est

ex Arab. 7, præceps ruit, exitialis,

I will tell thee.

Ged. I will tell thee. So Balak stood by his holocausts; while Balaam went to enquire of God [LXX].

periculosus fuit, ut verba ita sint vertenda: I will tell thee. And he went to an high
præceps, i. e., periculosa est via coram me, place [or, he went solitary].
video tibi ingens periculum imminere, ut
tutius tibi sit in via non pergere. Ita
Saadias: præceps, periculosa est via. In
cod. Sam. legitur,, quoniam
mala est via tua. Sed ea videtur esse critici
Samaritæ emendatio, quales plurimæ in
cod. Sam. occurrunt. Affixum tamen
secundæ personæ addendum esse Te
lectione Samaritana, Dathius existimat cum
Clerico.

Ver. 35.

And he went to an high place.

Bishop Patrick.-He went to an high place.] Or rather, into a valley: for he was now in a high place when he sacrificed, and did not go into another high place, but down into the plain (as the Hebrew word properly signifies), where he might, in some solitary retirement, address himself to God, and expect his presence with him. So we trans

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.late it in the margin, he went solitary אֲשֶׁר אֲדַבֵּר אֵלֶיךָ אֹתוֹ תְדַבֵּר וגו'

Therefore, if we retain the other translation,

- συμπορεύθητι μετὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. πλὴν it must be understood of some part of the

τὸ ῥῆμα ὃ ἐὰν εἴπω πρὸς σε, τοῦτο φυλάξῃ high place, where he might be solitary, viz.,

λαλῆσαι, κ.τ.λ.

Au. Ver.-35 And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak, &c.

Pool. That thou shalt speak: these words may express either, 1. The event; or, 2. His duty. See above on ver. 20.

Ged., Booth. But take heed [Sam., LXX] to speak only what I speak unto thee.

Ver. 38.

Au. Ver. That shall I speak. Ged., Booth. I will take heed [Sam.] to speak.

Ver. 40.

Au. Ver. And sent, &c.

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into the grove, which high places seldom
wanted. In these high places they built
their temples, and had their oracles: as we
learn from Justin, lib. xxiv., cap. 6, where
he saith, the temple of Apollo positum est
in monte Parnasso, &c., was scated upon
the mountain Parnassus:" and from Pau-
sanias, who, speaking of the cave of Tropho-
nius in Boeotia, saith, eσri de Tò pavтéîov iπèр
rò aλσos ènì тоû öpovs, "the oracle is in a
grove upon a mountain." The like might
be observed of other oracles: which may
countenance this conjecture, that some such
pretended oracle might be in this high place,
where Balaam went for direction from God.

Ged. Now he went in anxious silence.
Booth.—And he went to an open place.
Gesen., a hill, but particularly a
bare hill, not covered with wood. Jer. iv.
11; xii. 12: 770, hills in the desert,
Isa. xli. 18 (parall. ), xlix. 9; Jer. iii.
2, 21; vii. 29; xiv. 6; Numb. xxiii. 3:
naba by, and he went up a hill. (In Syr.

Ged., Booth. And sent portions, &c.
CHAP. XXIII. 3.

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Prof. Lee.-, An elevated and con-
spicuous place, having an extensive view.

Rosen.-Verba varie exponuntur.
Onkelos et Arabs Erp.: abiit solus; Vul-
Ex Chaldaico
gatus vertit velociter.

καὶ εἶπε Βαλαὰμ πρὸς Βαλάκ. παράστηθι Tì Ts Ovoías σоν, κаì порEvσoμat e poi φανεῖται ὁ θεὸς ἐν συναντήσει, καὶ ῥῆμα, ὁ ἐάν μοι δείξῃ, ἀναγγελῶ σοι. Kai Taрéστη Baλak, contrivit, attrivit, nonnulli ex Judæis ἐπὶ τῆς θυσίας αὐτοῦ. καὶ Βαλαὰμ ἐπορεύθη vocem illam interpretati sunt de animo ἐπερωτῆσαι τὸν θεόν. καὶ ἐπορεύθη εὐθεῖαν. Bileami quasi attrito, h. c., sollicito et

Au. Ver.-3 And Balaam said unto anxio. Equidem sequi mallem LXX, qui Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I habent: enopeion eidéîav, sc. eis xópav, abiit will go peradventure the LORD will come in regionem planum, subaud. montis ubi to meet me and whatsoever he sheweth me sacra fiebant.

שפיא .enim coll. Syr שְׁפִי

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יִשְׂרָאֵל תָּמָת נַפְשִׁי מְוֹת יְשָׁרִים וּתְהִי significat locum complanatum, hine h. 1. ubi

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sermo est de monte, significari videtur locus planus in monte, in quo liber detur prospectus quoquo versum. Durior quidem τίς ἐξηκριβάσατο τὸ σπέρμα Ἰακώβ, καὶ Dathio videtur ellipsis præpositionis in τίς ἐξαριθμήσεται δήμους Ισραήλ; ἀποθάνοι Ἐν του. Sed observandum est, Hebræos ἡ ψυχή μου ἐν ψυχαῖς δικαίων, καὶ γένοιτο τὸ interrogantibus quorsum ? respondere accu- σépμa μov és tò σñépμa toÚTWv. sativo usurpando, sive nomen urbis commemorandum sit, ut 1 Reg. xiv. 2; 2 Chr. xx. 36, sive nomen regionis aut loci appellativum, ut Ps. civ. 8; 2 Sam. xv. 27; Num. xiv. 26. Plura exempla vid. in Gesenii Lehrg., p. 685. Accommodate igitur ad Hebræorum loquendi modum h. 1.

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in locum, ex quo prospectum haberet minus impeditum.

Ver. 7, 8.

Au. Ver.-10 Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me [Heb., my soul, or, my life] die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!

Ged., Booth.

10 Who shall count the dust-like seed of Jacob?

Who shall number the multitude of

Israel? &c.

Pool. The dust of Jacob, i. e., the numberless people of Jacob or Israel, who, according to God's promise, Gen. xiii. 16;

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xxviii. 1, are now become as the dust of בָלָק מֶלֶךְ-מוֹאָב מֵהַרְרֵי־קֶדֶם לְכָה אָרָה־

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Βαλάκ

καὶ ἀναλαβὼν τὴν παραβολὴν αὐτοῦ εἶπεν. ἐκ Μεσοποταμίας μετεπέμψατό με βασιλεὺς Μωὼβ ἐξ ὀρέων ἀπ ̓ ἀνατολῶν, λέγων. δεῦρο ἄρασαί μοι τὸν Ἰακώβ, καὶ δεῦρο ἐπικατάρασαί μοι τὸν Ἰσραήλ.

Au. Ver.-7 And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel.

Bp. Patrick. He took up.] A Hebrew phrase for speaking aloud.

the earth. Of the fourth part [so Gesen., Lee, Rosen.] of Israel, i.e., of one of the camps of Israel; for they were divided into this height could easily discover; much less four camps, Numb. ii., which Balaam from can any man number all their host. Of the righteous, i. c., of this holy and righteous people, the Israelites, called Jeshurun, Deut. xxxii. 15, which word signifies upright or righteous. The sense is, they are not only happy above other nations in this life, as I have said, and therefore in vain should I curse them, but they have this peculiar priHis parable.] Or, prophetical speech; their happiness begins where the happiness vilege, that they are happy after death; which was sometimes delivered in parables, of other people ends; and therefore I properly so called; that is, not in plain heartily wish that my soul may have its words, but in apt figures and resemblances portion with theirs when I die. My last (concerning which see Maimonides, par. ii., end, i. e., my death, as the word is used. cap. 13). But here the word parable sig- Or, my posterity, as this Hebrew word signifies (as it doth in the book of Job) a nifies, Psal. cix. 13; Dan. xi. 4; Amos iv. 2. weighty speech expressed in sublime and And as the covenant and blessing of God majestic words, Job xxvii. 1; xxix. 1. 7, 8. Defy. given to Abraham did reach to his posterity, so this might not be unknown to Balaam, Or, my reward, as the word is taken, Prov. which might give him occasion for this wish. xxiii. 18; xxiv. 20. But the first sense seems the most true, because it agrees best with the usage of Scripture to repeat the the third sense, to wit, the reward, which is same thing in other words, and this includes here supposed to follow death: and for posterity, it doth not appear that he had any, or, if he had, that he was so very solicitous for them or that he knew the tenour of

Ged., Booth., Gesen.-Execrate. Bp. Patrick.—Curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel.] Two different expressions for the same thing; only the latter word (which we translate defy) imports something of fury; because he would have had him curse them in such a prophetic rage as should have the most direful effects upon them.

Ver. 10.

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God's covenant with Abraham and his pos- meum sicut illius? aliis non est finis terity. Nay, he rather seems to have had dierum sive vitæ, sed tempus futurum, ut some hope of ruining Abraham's posterity, Gen. xlix. 1. Doederlinio in Biblioth. which he attempted both here and after- Theolog., par. i., p. 299. est felix wards. rerum in hac vita successus posteritatisque prosperitas. Innuit Bileamus, totum populum Israeliticum per omnia futura tempora felicissimum fore, neque ullum malum esse experturum. Ceterum quisque sponte intelligit, Bileamum non de singulis Israelitis, sed de toto populo simul sumto hæc verba protulisse, sibique ejusdem fata esse

Bp. Patrick.—And let my last end be like his.] Or, "let my posterity" (for so the word we here translate last end often signifies, Ps. cix. 13; Dan. xi. 4), or, "those that come after me," be like unto his descendants.

Rosen.-10, Quis numerat,

i. e., potest numerare pulverem Jacobi? i. e., adprecatum. posteros Jacobi pulverem multitudine

Ver. 14.

וגו'

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Onkelos: parvulos domus Jacobi, de quibus dictum est: multiplicabuntur instar pulveris

terræ.

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καὶ παρέλαβεν αὐτὸν εἰς ἀγροῦ σκοπιὰν ἐπὶ

Au. Ver.-14 And he brought him into

[or, the hill], and built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.

Bp. Patrick. He brought him into the

reddunt: et numerum quartæ partis populi Kopvphy dedagevμévov, K.T.X. Israelitici. volunt esse Genitivi notam, ut x. 2: nipong, profectio castrorum, the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah et Jes. xi. 9; Deut. xi. 22; Hab. iii. 13. Sed hisce locis nomina posita sunt pro infinitivis, quæ casus verborum suorum regunt. Sunt, qui pro h. 1. divisim legi velint , ut respondeat rin membro field of Zophim.] Or, as some translate it, antecedenti. Verum etsi huic conjectura unto Sede-Zophim; a place by the very faveant 3 Codd. Samaritani et LXX, qui sic name apt to enchant a superstitious mind vertunt: kai rís éέapılμýjσerai dýμovs 'Iσ- with expectation of success, as Dr. Jackson pand; tamen vix credibile, scripturam illam, speaks. It is thought by some to be so sensum faciliorem reddentem, si unquam in called from the watchers that were placed Codd. Hebrr. exstitisset, ex iis ita eva-here, which the word Zophim imports. nuisse, ut ne in uno quidem illorum servata sit. Sed nihil difficultatis verbis

inerit, si nomen pro verbo unde est derivatum positum capiamus, quod in poetico stylo haud raro fieri observat Gesen. Lehrg., p. 726, veluti Gen. xlix. 4, pro

Rosen.-Igitur secum cum duxit per campos speculatorum in fastigium Pisga. Campus speculatorum videtur planities fuisse in summo monte, in qua speculatores collocari solebant. In iis enim regionibus, perpetuis pæne latrociniis infestis, erant in altis jugis homines, qui voce aut signo adventum latronum significarent, vid. Jes. xxi. 11; lii. 8.

Ver. 18.

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ἐνώτισαι μάρτυς υἱὸς Σεπφώρ.

Au. Ver.-18 And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor.

, Jes. viii. 6, i pro ty, vid. et Jud. v. 8; Job. xxxvi. 18. Erunt igitur verba illa sic reddenda: et quis numerabit vel quartam partem Israelis? 2 procul dubio est quatuor illarum castrorum Israeliticorum partium, in quas duodecim tribus erant divisa (Num. ii.), una, quam fortasse Bileamus eminus prospectabat. Ita Onkelos: aut quis numerabit unum e quatuor castris Israelis ? Moriatur Rosen.-8, Audi me. anima mea, i. e., utinam moriar mortem jus- quente occurrit et Job. xxxii. 11. Hie torum, i. e., Israelitarum, uti ex serie orationis non est opus, ut cum Michaele pro, ad liquet, allusione ad literas facta, a quibus me, legamus 72, testis meus (sey aufmerksam Israelitarum nomen incipit. Sensus esse und sey mein Zeuge), præeuntibus LXX, videtur: Israelito tanta fruentur felicitate, éváriσai μápтvs (77) viòs Zeñ¶óр. Syrus et qualem ipse mihi usque ad mortem opto; interpres Samaritanus: audi testimonium q. d., utinam mihi contingat æque fortuna-meum., Fili Zipporis! i ad est tum mori., Sitque ultimum paragogicum, vid. ad Ps. L. 10.

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Ver. 19.

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οὐχ ὡς ἄνθρωπος ὁ θεὸς διαρτηθῆναι, οὐδ' ὡς υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου ἀπειληθῆναι. αὐτὸς εἴπας, οὐχὶ ποιήσει; λαλήσει, καὶ οὐχὶ ἐμμενεῖ.

Au. Ver.-19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

Son of man.

Booth.

I behold [Sam.] no trouble in Jacob,
Nor do I see distress in Israel.

Bp. Patrick.-21 He hath not beheld Miniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel.] Both the word aven (which we translate iniquity), and the word amal (which we translate perverseness) sigwickedness, viz., idolatry. And so Onkelos nify frequently in Scripture the highest here understood it, when he thus paraphrased these words: "I see that there are none who worship idols in the house of Jacob, nor any servants of trouble and vanity (so they called idols) in Israel." And accordingly the Vulgar Latin expressly translates this verse thus, "There is no idol in Jacob, nor is there any image seen in Israel" which seemed so clear a truth to Johannes Forsterus, a famous professor of the Hebrew tongue in the beginning of the

So most commentators. Ged., Booth.--Son of Adam.

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Reformation, that, in his explication of botli בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהָיו עִמּוֹ וּתְרוּעַת

: ip The

οὐκ ἔσται μόχθος ἐν Ἰακώβ, οὐδὲ ὀφθήσεται πόνος ἐν Ἰσραήλ. κύριος ὁ θεὸς αὐτοῦ μετ ̓ αὐτοῦ τὰ ἔνδοξα ἀρχόντων ἐν αὐτῷ.

Au. Ver.-21 He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among

them.

these words in his Lexicon, he saith, "From this place all the prophets borrow these phrases, and translated them to express impiety, i.e., idolatrous worship, devised according to men's own humours and desires, and by the instinct of the devil: for Moses was the fountain of all the prophets." Thus he writes upon the word 78, and he repeats it again upon the word r. So that this is the reason Balaam gives why God had blessed, and he could not curse them, because they were free from idolatry; unto which, unless they could be seduced, there was no hope that God would deliver them into the power of their enemies; for which reason Balaam afterward counselled this prince to entice them to this sin by beautiful women, as the only way to move God to be angry with them.

Ken.-HE (GOD) hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel.] This account is contrary to that given by Moses, in many places, particularly Deut. ix. 6-21. Tis happy, therefore, that the Samaritan Pentateuch reads here 8, in the first person; which makes a good and consistent sense. Balaam, from an high place viewing the Israelites, saw them regular and decent, not noisy or There are, indeed, a great many that take tumultuous; without any disorderly violence these words in the common sense, for all or idolatrous outrage, on which he could at manner of sin, which God is said not to see all fix, as a ground for censure or maledic-, in this people, i.e., so as to mark it out for tion. He therefore says, as the words punishment; fer, though they were many should be expressed-"I do not behold ways great offenders, yet he had such an iniquity in Jacob, neither do I see perverse-indulgent kindness to them, that he would ness in Israel." The word (if not origi- not correct them for every sin which they a participle, videns; and committed. But this returns to the former videns sum is video. The Syriac version is exposition; that they were safe as long as rendered here, non video, nec aspicio; and they kept themselves from the great transin the Chald. par. the first verb is rendered gression, that is, idolatry.

is (אראה nally

intucor.

The Lord his God is with him.] They Ged. I behold [Sam.] nothing harmful worshipping God alone, were therefore under in Jacob; I see nothing disastrous in Israel. his special care and protection. Onkelos

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