I know not. Symmachus and St Jerome certainly read thus,

-as a parti מארב and they both render ,ישב מארב בחצרים

ciple." He sitteth prowling about the farm-houses." This I take to be the true reading, and the true rendering. The image is that of a beast of prey of the lesser order, a fox or a wolf, lying upon the watch about the farm-yard in the even

ing.

For

--his eyes are privily set," E. T. or "hide themselves." from the root "to hide," I would read my from the root “to look out.”. "His eyes are always upon the watch for the poor." See Psalm Ivi, 6. Bishop Hare thought of this emendation, but judged it unnecessary. The LXX. and St Jerome both had some word which they referred to

צפן not to צפה the root

[F] Ver. 10. the bulwark of the oppressed." For

And he renders .לחכאים Houbigant would read חלכאים

the whole verse thus: "And the helpless man [77] is cast down, and falls, way with all his substance, 'n into the snares. The emendation is ingenious, and might be admitted, if this sense of the word ' could be justified. Doubtful of this, I write on with the Masora as two words, which I translate "the bulwark of the oppressed,"

[G] Ver. 15. ——seek the impious and find him not." These are the oracular words, corruptly written in the ori

ginal, and for that reason ill translated. For 5w, read bayon. In three MSS. of Kennicott's the is omitted.

Bishop Hare, I find, proposed to join the 1 to 2, and Archbishop Secker approved the emendation.

[H] Ver. 16. out of his land." Upon this expression Mudge, as it should seem, builds his opinion, that the oppressors, described in this Psalm, were some public enemies of the Jewish nation; conceiving that God's land must be the land of Judea.

PSALM XI.

[Á] Ver. 1. ——flee sparrows to your hill." Sparrows 3. This word, like most names of animals in the Hebrew language, signifies either the individual or the species. And as the name of the species, it may be used in the singular number for many individuals; and thus used, it may be constructed with plural verbs, adjectives, and pronouns, as here. The expression, I take to be proverbial, denoting a situation of helplessness and danger, in which there was no hope of safety but in flight. It is in this place, the insolent taunt of the persecutor over the defenceless saint.

PSALM XII.

This Psalm consists of three parts. The first two verses make the first part; the three following, the second; and the three remaining, the third. The first part is complaint; the second, recollection of God's promise; the third, trust in the promise.

[A] Ver. 1.

-godly sort." Ton is here used, though in the singular number, as a collective noun, the name of a whole species. I render it, therefore, "the godly-sort," not as I usually render this singular noun," the godly-man," or, *the godly-one."

[B] Ver. 3. (Every) tongue." I insert the word “ every," because I conceive the adjective to belong as much to

.שפתי as to

--speaking proud things," i. e. talking big.

-I

[C] Ver. 5. ——I will put (every one) in safety," &c. Perhaps this line might be rendered thus:

"I will put in safety him for whom the snare is laid."

The pronoun being understood after y, and the verb

taken impersonally.

[D] Ver. 8.

-getting them out of the way." I think

20 may signify on one side, out of the way.

[E] ——are exalted." For

the copies followed by

the LXX. seem to have given

a xutà tò üfos c8.

PSALM XIII.

A PRAYER OF THE CHURCH, OR OF A BELIEVER, FOR DELIVER

ANCE FROM THE ATHEISTICAL FACTION.

TITLE-TO THE GIVER OF VICTORY, AN ODE OF [OR FOR] DAVID.

Ver. 2.

take counsel in my soul." For My Bishop

.עצבות Hare would read

"How long shall I have vexation

soul." The emendation is probable.

-daily,” after □ the Alex. LXX. supplies

day and night."

Ver. 4.

-prevailed against him, and those," &c. For

The emendation is יכלתי וצרי,Dr Durell reads ,יכלתיו צרי

unnecessary.

PSALMS XIV. AND LIII.

TITLE OF PSALM XIV. D. TO THE GIver of vicOF [OR FOR] DAVID.

TORY.

TO THE למנצח על מחלת משכיל לדוד-.TITLE OF PSALM LIII

GIVER OF VICTORY.

UPON THE DISEASES [i. e. THE MORAL DISEASES OF THE WORLD.] A LESSON OF [OR FOR] DAVID.

These two Psalms appear to be but different copies of the same song. Whatever might be the special occasion of the composition, the general subject of the Psalm is the extermination of the irreligious faction. The fourth verse manifestly alludes to the tyranny of some atheistical idolatrous power in the world; and the last verse, referring to the restoration of the Jewish people in both branches, and to the going forth of the salvation from Zion, points, without ambiguity, to the

last ages.

In the Hebrew they are as follow,

VOL. I.

M