, aqua copiosa. hearts, and soften them, as the drops of tarum multitudine Deut. xxxii. 2. Arab. rain and the dew do the earth, and produce such fruits of obedience as might make them happy. I am Rosen., Imbres tenues quales maxime nascentibus herbis () conducunt, ita dicti, uti videtur, quod cadentes capillorum speciem oculis objiciunt; est enim a Distil. So most commentators. Bp. Horsley.-Spread abroad. much mistaken if what the verb properly predicates of water, is not that characteristic, pilus, est herba virgo, tenera, semen property (the symptom of perfect fluidity) nondum habens, vid. Gen. i. 11, cum 1, of diffusing itself infinitely upon a level, herba adultior sit. 7, Multæ guttulæ, when it is left to itself without confinement, tenuiores pluviæ, ut Ps. lxv. 11; lxxii. 6; &c. The word "distil" of our public translation, answers but ill to the original word, and conveys perhaps a false notion of the formation of dew, by a precipitation of the moisture of the atmosphere. Prof. Lee.-. Arab., descendit loco; Új, catarrholaboravit; J5, plavia. (a) Sunk down. (b) Dropped down, as water or dew. (c) Dropped water. (d) Metaph. Rained righteousness. (a) Judg. v. 5. (b) Num. xxiv. 7; Deut. xxxii. 2, Ps. cxlvii. 18; Cant. iv. 17. (c) Job xxxvi. 28; Jer. ix. 18. (d) Is. xlv. 8. herb, So Bp. As the small rain upon the tender and as the showers upon the grass. Patrick, Ken., Rosen., and most mentators. Bp. Horsley.-Rather, com As showers upon the grass, Dr. A. Clarke.-1s the small rain.], seirim, from, saar, to be rough or tem-! pestuous; sweeping showers, accompanied with a strong gale of wind. Jer. iii. 3. Ver. 3, 4. .4 .v צ' רבתי 3 ὅτι τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου ἐκάλεσα. δότε μεγαλωσύνην τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν. 4 θεὸς, ἀληθινὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ, καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ κρίσεις. θεὸς πιστὸς, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀδικία, δίκαιος καὶ öorios Kúpios. Au. Ver.-3 Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. A He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgement: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. 3 Because. Ken.-Verily. Ged. For in [Sam., Onk., Arab.] the name of the Lord I address you." That this should be joined to verse 2 is to me evident. And as the showers.] [22, rebibim, from 7127, rabah, to multiply, to increase greatly; Bp. Patrick.-3 Because I will publish the shower after shower, or rather a continual name of the Lord.] For my song shall be rain, whose drops are multiplied beyond concerning the Lord of heaven and earth, calculation, upon the earth; alluding perhaps whose glorious perfections I will proclaim; to the rainy seasons in the East, or to those which make him the sole object of your carly and latter rains so essentially necessary worship. for the vegetation and perfection of the grain. No doubt these various expressions point out that great variety in the Word or Revelation of God whereby it is suited to every place, occasion, person, and state; being "profitable for doctrine, reproof, and edification in righteousness."' Ascribe ye greatness unto our God.] Acknowledge therefore the infinite power of our God; and his sovereign dominion over all; and give honour and service to none besides him. These first three verses seem to be the preface to the song; and now follows the song itself; which Josephus calls Toiŋow ¿§áμetpov, "a poem in hexameter verse pl. (a rad. 117), pluvia, a gut-(lib. iv. Antiq., cap, 8). Gesen. 4) pl. imbres (Regenschauer), Angl. showers. Deut. xxxii, 2, cf. y, hor ruit. Pool. The name of the Lord, i. e., his Dr. A. Clarke.-The word , tsur is glorious excellencies and righteous and rendered creator by some eminent critics; worthy actions, by which he hath made himand self known, as a man is known by his name. , khalyk is the reading in the Rosen.-3 m2, Nomen enim Arabic version. Rab. Moses ben Maimon, Jova, i.e., Jovam invocabo, celebrabo, pro in his valuable work, Moreh Nebochim, ob8, ut Jes. xii. 4; Jer. x. 25; serves that the word, tsur, which is ordiPs. cv. 1. Nam in toto hoc carmine Deus narily translated rock, signifies origin, founnon tam invocatur quam celebratur et lau- tain, first cause, &c., and in this way it datur. cum accus., ut hic, construitur should be translated here: He is the first et Ps. xciv. 6; Thren. iii. 55. Date Deo principle, his work is perfect." As he is the magnitudinem, magnificate eum, laudate cause of all things, he must be infinitely ejus potentiam et benevolentiam. Est hic perfect; and consequently all his works must principium quasi Cantici, præcedentia be perfect in their respective kinds. As is proœmii locum tenent. the cause, so must the effect be. Some think 4 The Rock. So Pool, Patrick, Gesen., the word rock gives a very good sense; for, Lee, Rosen. as in those lands, rocks were the ordinary See places of defence and security, God may be metaphorically represented thus, to signify his protection of his followers. I prefer the opinion of Maimon. Saad., Ged., Booth.-The creator. note of Rosenmüller below. Bp. Patrick.—He is the Rock.] Always endures, and never changes; so that in him we may find at all times a sure refuge. Bp. Horsley. This word occurs six Maimonides takes the first words of this times in this song as an appellation of the verse, He is the Rock," to signify the first Deity, or something taken for a Deity; principle, and the efficient cause of all things namely, in this place, in verses 15 and 18, without himself. For so the word Rock is twice in verse 31, and once again in verse used, when God bids the children of Israel 37. In all these six places it is an appella"look to the rock out of which they were tion of the true God, except in the second hewn” (Isa. li. 1), that is, to Abraham their place of verse 31, where it is applied to the father, from whom they were descended. Gods of the Gentiles. But in none of these And so he thinks it signifies, ver. 18, of this six, either the LXX or the Vulgate express chapter, "Of the Rock that begat thee, thou it by a word rendering a "Rock;" but the art unmindful," i.e., of God, the author of LXX express it by Ocos, and the Vulgate their being. And again, ver. 30, "their by Deus. Aquila expressed it by otepeos, Rock (i.e., the Lord) sold them" (see Symmachus and Theodotion by qudağ. See More Nevochim, par. i., cap. 16). And Hexapl. v. 31. Aquila's translation is the then by the next words, "his way is perfect," best, as it gives the exact sense, without he thinks is meant, that as he is the creator of all things, so there is no defect or superfluity in his works. For he takes these words to be the same with those, Gen. i. 31, "God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good" (see there, par. ii., cap. 21, and par. iii., cap. 25). And as his works of creation are most perfect, so are his works of providence; for he governs the world with the greatest judgment and justice. So he seems to understand the next words (par. iii., cap. 17), "all his ways are judgment." We are ignorant of the methods and reasons of his judgments, yet no injustice or iniquity is to be ascribed to him. But all the evil and all the good that befalls any man, or the whole Church, proceeds from the just and equal judgment of God. losing the image of the original word. The original word expresses, the immutability of purpose, the unassailable strength of power in God, and the stability of effect, under the image of the solidity of a rock. Qucen Elizabeth's translators render it, in verse 15, “the strong God," in verse 31, simply “God," and in the three other places, "the mighty God." The English language has certainly no word that will clearly and adequately convey the same idea under the same image. The different expressions of "The Almighty,' The irresistible God, "The unchangeable God," "The Strength," The Almighty! his work is perfect. perseverantiam, quia stat promissis suis. tractable, and crooked, i. e., irregular and Alii voc. ex significatione verbi, disorderly, not agreeing with the straight formandi (1 Reg. vii, 15; Jer. i. 5), vertere and righteous nature of God and of his law. malunt creatorem, quod petra Deus tum Compare Isa. xlii. 16. demum vocetur, si sermo est de salute præ- Bp. Patrick.-5 They have corrupted standa, ut vs. 15 et sæpissime in Psalmis, themselves, &c.] I know not how to justify sed quæ in hoc vs. leguntur, manifeste nos this translation, nor that in the margin, ducere ad illam creatoris notionem. Saa- "He hath corrupted himself." Maimonides dias creator. Ceterum Syrus et Saadias translates them better; making these words 727 conjungunt cum (vs. 3), ut a question, and the next words an answer to sensus sit: Deo nostro fortissimo. them, in this manner; “Did he (i.e., God, the Rock before spoken of) do him any hurt?'' For the Hebrew word scecheth, with lamed after it, signifies to hurt, or destroy, Numb. xxxii. 15; 1 Sam. xxiii. 10 (as Joh. Cocceius observes, in his Ultima Mosis, sect. 701). And so the meaning is, "Is God to blame for the evils that befall him? i. e., Israel." Unto which the answer follows in the next words, which we thus translate , Nam omnes viæ ejus sunt justitia, omnia quæ agit justa et æqua sunt. Ver. 5. : babapa tiny nig ἡμάρτησαν οὐκ αὐτῷ τέκνα μωμητά. σκολιὰ καὶ διεστραμμένη. γενεὰ Au. Ver.-5 They have corrupted them- Their spot is not the spot of his children.] selves [Heb., he hath corrupted to himself], In the Hebrew the first word of this sentheir spot is not the spot of his children tence is lo, i.e., not, or no. Which the [or, that they are not his children, that is accent tipcha (as they call it) under it, their blot]: they are a perverse and crooked shows is not to be joined with the words generation. that follow (banan mumam), but taken by Houb., Ken., Horsley. They are cor- itself, being a denial of the foregoing quesrupted; they are not his [LXX, Sam., tion. And these words are thus to be trans21 20 19 ad vnne }; children of pollution. lated, "No, his children are their blot " Pool.-They, i.e., the Israelites, as the [Rosen., are their own blot; see below]: following words manifest. Corrupted them- i, e., all the evil that befalls them is the fruit selves: this phrase sometimes in Scripture of their children's wickedness. And so notes sin, and sometimes destruction. And these words are in effect the same with those so the sense may be either, 1. Their wicked- of Solomon, Prov. xix., "The foolishness of ness is not from God, but from themselves, man perverteth his way, and his heart and their own choice; they have wilfully fretteth against the Lord:" he complains of and industriously depraved themselves, and God, when the fault is in himself (see More sold themselves to sin. Or rather, 2. Their Nevochim, par. iii., cap. 12). destruction is not from God, who is just and Onkelos translates it thus: "They cortrue, &c., as was now said, but wholly and rupted to themselves, not to him, children solely from themselves, and from their own that served idols;” i. e., as Paulus Fagius wickedness, as it here follows. Their spot observes, They hurt themselves, not God, is not the spot of his children, i. e., their when, leaving him the true God, they turned blemishes or sins are not committed through to idols; for the word corrupt is commonly ignorance, or frailty, or surprisal, as good used in Scripture, where it speaks of the men sometimes sin, but they proceed from sin of idolatry. The Jerusalem paraphrast design and deliberation, are accompanied aims at the same sense. with malice, and wilfulness, and contempt, | Ged.—5 "Yet corrupted are his own deand followed with obstinacy, impenitency, generate children: a generation perverse, and incorrigibleness. So that they carry and prevaricating." It would be useless to themselves not like my children and people, rehearse all the attempts that have been as they seem to be and profess to be, but made to make sense of this colon; I shall like mine enemies. They are a perverse and mention one or two. Delgado corrects our crooked generation; not only some few of common version thus: "Did he destroy them, but the whole body or generation of them wantonly? No; their spot is of his them, are perverse, i. e., froward and un-children," that is, says he in a note, the The interpretation commonly given to these blame lieth on themselves who are his children. Dathe, after Lowth and Green, takes words is as unfounded as it is exceptionable: to be the nom. of , and renders, Cor- "God's children have their spots, i. e., their rupit illi filios, non jam suos, ipsorum pro- sins, but sin in them is not like sin in tervitas. He owns, however, that the others; in others sin is exceedingly sinful, Samaritan lection gives a more obvious, and but God does not see the sins of his chilperhaps (adds he) the genuine meaning. dren as he sees the sins of his enemies," &c. The Sam. reading is: &, with- Unfortunately for this bad doctrine, there is out any manuscript variety of lection by no foundation for it in the sacred text, which, Houbigant, who adopts it, rendered, Cor- though very obscure, may be thus transrupti sunt, non sunt ejus, filii maculee. In lated: He (Israel) hath corrupted himself. favour of all, or at least a part, of this They (the Israelites) are not his children: reading, are most of the antient versions. they are spotted. Coverdale renders the The Septuagint literally, uaproσav, OUK whole passage thus: "The froward and AUTO, TEKVа poμnra: in the old Ital. ren- overthwart generation have marred themdered, Peccaverunt, non ei, filii maculati. selves to himward, and are not his children Aquila and Sym. seem also to have read because of their deformity." This is the , but they follow the order of the sense of the verse. Let it be observed that present Heb. in the two next words, ; the word spot, which is repeated in our and the former read in his copy. Their translation, occurs but once in the original, versions are : Aγ., Διέφθειραν αυτῷ οὐχ οἱ and the marginal reading is greatly to be υιοι αυτου. Sym., Aieteipar рos avrov preferred: He hath corrupted to himself, oux vio To σvroλov. Jerom also read 2, that they are not his children; that is their and found before . Peccaverunt ei, blot. And because they had the blot of sin non filii ejus, &c. Of the other versions, on them, because they were spotted with Onk., Tharg., Syr., Arab., Erp., and Pers. iniquity and marked idolaters, therefore God appear to have read in their copies; renounces them. There may be here an and most of them 8: although they differ allusion to the marks, which the worshippers in rendering the whole comma. What Saa- of particular idols had on different parts of dias saw, it is not easy to say: but he read their bodies, especially on their foreheads— in the singular. He read also, and as idolatry is the crime with which they but how he found is (in amicos ejus) in are here charged, the spot or mark menthe Hebrew words, I cannot pos- tioned, may refer to the mark or stigma of sibly conceive. The Greek of Venice is a their idol. The different sects of idolaters very literal version of the present Hebrew in the East, are distinguished by their sectext; save that its author seems to have read tarian marks, the stigma of their respective 11, instead of . Eleiper auto, oux' idols. These sectarian marks, particularly υεις αυτού, μωμος αυτῳ. After an attentive on the forehead, amount to nearly one huninspection and comparison of all these ver-dred among the Hindoos, and especially sions, and of the readings of both texts, I among the two sects, the worshippers of am apt to think that the true reading ought Seeva, and the worshippers of Vishnoo. In to be made out of both; namely, many cases these marks are renewed daily; In my version, I have given what I for they account it irreligious to perform any deemed the sentential, not the verbal, mean- sacred rite to their god, without his mark on ing of my original: a meaning which every, the forehead; the marks are generally horireader must allow, perfectly corresponds zontal and perpendicular lines, crescents, . מימם with the context. Booth. circles, leaves, eyes, &c., in red, black, white, and yellow. This very custom is referred to 5 Corrupt are his own polluted children: in Rev. xx. 4, where the beast gives his mark A generation perverse and prevaricating. to his followers, and it is very likely that Dr. A. Clarke.—5 This verse is variously: Moses refers to such a custom among the translated and variously understood. They idolatrous of his own day. This removes all are corrupted, not his, children of pollution. the difficulty of the text. God's children -Kennicott. They are corrupt, they are have no sinful spots, because Christ saves not his children, they are blotted.--Houbi- ' them from their sins, and their motto or gant. This is according to the Samaritan, mark is, Holiness to the Lord. sese, поп dici T autem haud לֹא בָנָיו מוּמָם Verba Ver. 6. Rosen.-5 Docet Moses hoc et sq. vs. fieri solet in oratione forti et animosa, hoc Israelitas adeo corruptos et perversos esse, modo restituendum : & bajopa tipy na 15 and ut prorsus indigni sint, qui a Deo ut filii, corrupit se generatio perversa et habeantur et ut tales ab eo tractentur. contorta: non filii ejus, sunt sua ipsorum Verba difficilioris sunt macula. cum ita construi, ut hoc interpretationis. LXX, peccaverunt, non ei Latine in dativo sit vertendum, probat ex filii vituperabiles. Videntur vel per hypal- Num. xxxii. 15, o, perdetis lagen pro accepisse, vel ita, totum hunc populum, et 1 Sam. xxiii. 10. , peccarunt ei non, filii vituperabiles, et, perdere urbem. Neque abhorhoc voluisse dicere: peccarunt, sc. sibi, non rere ullo modo a natura linguæ Hebrææ, ut ipsi, Deo, quia sibi, non Deo, nocuerunt pronomen in referatur ad ipsum subsuo peccato, filii vituperabiles. Eodem jectum agens, ut Deut. xxiii. 3; Cant. ii. sensu illa interpretati sunt paraphrasta 10, 11. Chaldæi. Aliter explicat et construit hæc procul ab initio commatis posita esse, ut verba R. Moses Ben-Nachman, sic videlicet: attentionem ferirent, quia pronomen occorrupit, ei, se. rupi (vs. 4) i. e., Deo vitium currens in relationem habet ad rupem ipsorum, non filios suos, ita ut non sint vel Deum, cujus paulo ante facta erat mentio. amplius ejus filii. Haud absimili modo Lud. , Contumax, pravus; coll. Arab. Cappellus (Crit. S., p. 682): corruperunt, torsit funem, convertit, dimovit ab insunt filii ejus, i. e., indigni stituto, en, recalcitrans camela. sunt, qui dicantur filii sui; nempe existimat pro a D, sunt ipsi macula, quod | linguæ usus vix admittat. Fagius verborum hujus vs. ordinem inversum arbitratur, illaque sie ordinanda, ut initium sit faciendum a verbis, hoc modo: generatio prava atque perversa (appositive), quæ¦ non est filii ejus, quæ non habet Deum pro patre, non agnoscit Deum creatorem suum, corrupit se, depravavit ingenium suum, in ταῦτα κυρίῳ ἀνταποδίδοτε ; οὕτω λαὸς μωρὸς ignominiam scilicet illi, se. Deo, hoc est, in καὶ οὐχὶ σοφός; οὐκ αὐτὸς οὗτός σου πατὴρ dedecus Dei. Vel: in ignominiam suam, éktýσató σe kai étoiŋσé σe kai ëñdavé σe; h.e., quod est illi probro. Similiter et alii Au. Ter.-6 Do ye thus requite the hunc locum explicare studuerunt; veluti LORD, O foolish people and unwise? is not Lowth Prælect. xv., p. 157, ed. Lips. he thy father that hath bought thee? hath Quibus tamen interpretationibus omnibus he not made thee, and established thee? haud favent accentus. Nam sicut accentus Dominus s. distinctivus Tipheha sub impedit, quo minus illam negandi particulam connectas cum sq. voce 7, ita accentus and mighty people (see Ps. c. 3). itidem Dominus, quamvis paulo minoris Bp. Horsley.-6 Divide the two last lines, dignitatis, Tebhir sub ", connectit quidem and place the stops thus, ה' רבתי נ''א הל' להיר יי' לחור Bp. Patrick.-Hath he not made thee.] Advanced [so Pool] them (for so the word asa is translated, 1 Sam. xii. 6) to be a great הלוא היא אביך קנך היא עשך ויכננך: "Is he not thy father? Thy owner [so Ged.] he? illud cum anteced. verbo per accentum servum Merca, sed vetat transpositionem verborum textus tentare. Interstinctioni Masorethicæ congrue vero si locum interpretari velis sanus sensus vix prodibit, nisi He made thee, and set thee in order." ad ng interrogationem intelligas. Unde The making and setting in order intended ita interpretandum erit: Corrupitne, sc. here, are the making of the Jewish nation, Deus ex vs. 1, illi, Israeli, se. vias suas, and the setting in order of their polity. (vs. 4 coll. Gen. vi. 12), i. e., num Deus est. "set thee in order." 166 illis causa peccati et exitii? Non, nequaquam, thee," Queen Elizabeth's Bible. minime! sed filii jus macula ipsorum sunt, idque est ipsorum vitium. Seb. Ravins in Farreit. II. ad Iubigantii Prolegomm., p. 61 | sqq. orationis ordinem inversum putat, ut Ken. -"proportioned Is not he thy father, thy redeemer? |