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Arias Montanus, the passage will admit an easy interpretation, without any other emendation than the change of

into, which has the authority of the LXX, Vulgate, Syriac, and three MSS. Thus, "the oracular advice of the Apostate is to the impious in the innermost of his heart;" i. e. the maxims of the Apostate are deeply rooted in the heart of the impious. "There is no fear of God before his eyes." The verb substantive is understood in the first line, ON being the nominative case.

[B] Ver. 2. He giveth things a fair appearance." So I paraphrase the verb p. See Psalm v, 9. and xii, 2. This verse is well explained by Merrick; and his interpretation met with the approbation of Bishop Lowth. "He flattereth himself (or dealeth deceitfully with himself) as to the finding out," &c. i. e. so as not to find out. The same sense is expressed in the version of the LXX, notwithstanding the ignorant criticism of Le Clerc (well answered by Merrick), and in the literal translation of Arias Montanus. "Quoniam lenivit ad se in oculis ipsius, ad inveniendum iniquitatem suam ad odiendam." "For he has smoothed over, (or set a polish to himself), in his own eyes, with respect to the finding out of his own iniquity to hate it." He sets such a false gloss, in his own eyes, upon his worst actions, that he never finds out the blackness of his iniquity, which, were it perceived by him, would be hateful even to himself. The prefix 5 may certainly signify "with respect to," and the verb

NY sometimes signifies "find out," "to discover," "to discern," what was unknown or unperceived. See Eccl. vii, 29.

[C] Ver. 13. See there!" U deixTixas.

PSALM XXXVII.

לדוד

[A] The Messiah, if not exclusively, is principally the subject of this Psalm. The stanzas ), i, 4, A, D, Y, are hardly applicable to any other. The admonitions of the Psalm seem chiefly addressed to him. Many parts of it, indeed, predict the final prosperity of the Church, but these predictions are, I think, in the shape of promises to the Messiah. The comminatory parts seem to respect the nation of the Jews immediately, and the antichristian faction of the latter times ultimately.

[B] Ver. 3. thou shalt be fed." Bishop Lowth, for

and feed in security;"" and verily E. T. Bishop Hare, Houbigant, and

N would read, upon the au

thority, as they think, of the LXX. But Archbishop Secker thinks that may signify plenty, as the root DN signifiesto nurse, or nourish." See Merrick's Annotations. But the Archbishop proposes another interpretation, which

Mr Parkhurst adopts, and is, I believe, the true one; in "seN. See Parkhurst's

curity;"

being understood before

Lexicon 111; and Secker, as before, in Merrick.

[C] Ver. 20. and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs, they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away." E. T. Houbigant, guided in great measure by the version of the LXX, corrects the passage thus:

ואיבי יהוה כיקרם בלו כרומם כעשן כלו:

"And the enemies of Jehovah shall wither as soon as they are

in honour;

As soon as they are exalted, like smoke they shall vanish away.”

Bishop Lowth thinks these.alterations great. They are, however, in great part at least, countenanced by the versions of the LXX and Vulg. The change indeed of the first into is unnecessary, and in no degree warranted either by the LXX or Vulg. I would give the passage thus:

ואיבי יהוה ביקר כרומם

כלו כעשן כלו.

According to the LXX and the Vulg. only one of the and , should have the pronoun suffixed.

two words,

The change of p into p' is supported by three MSS. of

Kennicott's. That of

Vulgate. That of wy into

into D by the LXX and

y3 by 33 Codd. of Kennicott's

and 22 of De Rossi's, in addition to the authority of the LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac. With these alterations the text would give this sense:

" And the enemies of Jehovah so soon as they are exalted

to honour

Vanish. Like smoke they vanish."

[D] Ver. 22. I suspect that the 22d and 26th verses have changed places.

[E] Ver. 23. The steps of a good man." E. T. Literally, "The steps of a man are directed by Jehovah, and he will take pleasure in his way;" i. e. when a man's steps are directed by Jehovah, [when a man submits himself to the direction of God's word] then Jehovah takes pleasure in that man's way. Or perhaps the words may be thus rendered, with reference to Christ in particular,

"The steps of the mighty man are ordered by Jehovah,
And in his way he delighteth."

1. The mighty man: "Heroe" is one of the titles of the Messiah.

Isaiah ix, 6.

[F] Ver. 24. Shall he not be raised up?"—". I take interrogatively, and from the root in the Chaldee

sense.

[G] Ver. 28, 29. It is certain that the latter part of the 28th verse with the 29th, belongs to the stanza which began with the letter y; but the beginning is lost. The restoration of it has been attempted in different ways by Bishop Hare, and Houbigant. Bishop Hare makes the stanza end with the word ", "his saints." He throws the two next words into the first line of the stanza in question, prefixing, for the nominative of the verb, the nouny," the meek." Thus,

ענוים לעולם נשמרו

"The meek are preserved for ever."

Houbigant connects this clause, "they are preserved for ever," with the D stanza, of which he makes it the close. And he supplies the first line of the y stanza, thus,

עולים נשמרו

"The unjust shall be punished, and the seed," &c.

Either of these emendations makes very good sense; but of

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