was Mahanaim. The town of Mahanaim was in the tribe of Gad, on the northern side of the brook Jabbok; and the utmost distance of this place, from Jerusalem, could not be more than seventy-two Roman miles, which is not quite sixty English. For, by Reland's map of distances, the whole distance from Jerusalem to Scythopolis was sixty-one Roman miles; namely, From Jerusalem to Scythopolis, ...... 61 Mahanaim is not laid down in Reland's map. But by D'Anville's map of Palestine, the distance of Mahanaim from Scythopolis appears to be more than two-thirds, but much less than three-fourths, of the distance of Gadara. And again, by Reland's map of distance, Gadara was sixteen Roman miles from Scythopolis. Take eleven Roman miles, then, as the distance of Mahanaim from Scythopolis, which cannot be far from the truth, and add this to sixty-one, and you have seventy-two Roman miles (i. e. as was said before, sixty English very nearly) for the whole distance of Mahanaim from Jerusalem. And that it could hardly be so much, appear from another argument. Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, was murdered in his house, at Mahanaim, about noon. (2 Samuel iv, 5, 6. Compare with this, ii, 8.) The two assassins may gat them away through the plain all night," (iv, 7); and the next day arrived with the murdered Prince's head at Hebron, where David then resided. The distance, therefore, of Hebron from Mahanaim was not more, than men, fleeing for their lives, could traverse in twenty-four hours. And yet this distance must have been greater than the distance between Mahanaim and Jerusalem. For Mahanaim lay NE. or perhaps NNE. of Jerusalem. Hebron lay south of Jerusalem, a little declining to the west, at the distance of twenty-two Roman miles. From all these circumstances, it appears, that David, at Mahanaim, is not the person represented by the suppliant in this Psalm. The Arabic interpreter seems to have better divined the true subject, who gives both this 42d and the following Psalm the title of "A prayer for the Jews who had fallen." חסד לא חסיד [G] (PSALM XLIII.) from a nation of no pity." " TON . Ton is, properly, "abundant goodness," or, "abundant in goodness." The privation of this describes a character, destitute of the feelings of humanity, void of the milk of human kindness. [H] The 3d and 4th verses might, perhaps, be better divided, thus ; 3 Lead forth thy light and thy truth; let them lead me; Let them bring me to thy holy hill, and to thy dwellings. 4 So shall I come to the altar of God, To God in whom is all my joy *,, And I shall praise thee upon the harp, Thus the 3d verse is still a distich, and the 4th a tetrastich: but the last line of the tetrastich is a short one, as it is in the two preceding stanzas. PSALM XLIV. למנצח לבני קרח משכיל It is difficult to find any times in the Jewish history which this Psalm may suit. When could the Jewish people say, with truth, "All this is come upon us, yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we been false to thy covenant." This Psalm, therefore, like the former, I take to be a prayer of the new Hebrew Church, in the latter times, suffering under Antichrist's persecutions. Ver. 2. and cast them out;" rather, "and madest them to flourish," namely, our fathers. "Germinare fecisti *Literally," the gladness of my joy." eos." Houbigant. And to the same effect exactly the Syriac. For the Syriac verb; renders literally the Hebrew .שלח Ver. 4.-command;" rather, "commanding," or, "that hast commanded." The LXX certainly read "Thou art my King and God commanding." And not one of the ancient versions, except the Chaldee, Jerome, and Symmachus, render my as an imperative. Thou thyself art my King, O God, Thou hast commanded * deliverances for Jacob. Ver. 7. But-;" rather, For-." "This has been our case, that whenever we have been saved, whenever our enemies have been put to shame, it has been thy doing, and this is the reason, that I trust not in my bow." Ver. 12. —and dost not increase thy wealth by their price." "Auctionem non fecisti in venditionibus eorum.' Houbigant. "Ad literam," he says in his notes, "in pretiis, sine mercaturis; i. e. sic fecisti, ut domini qui servos vili vendunt, non tam spe lucri, quàm ut liberentur ab inutilibus mancipiis. Ita docet et explanat Hugo Grotius." * Ordained. Symmachus, perhaps, had the same notion of the passage; και πολλὴν ἐποίησας τὴν τιμὴν αὐτῶν. Ver. 13. to our neighbours." . Literally, perhaps," "to those who give us a lodging;" -a reproach to the inhabitants of the countries who permit us to dwell among them. It might be rendered, -a reproach to those who afford us a dwelling." Ver. 19.in the place of dragons." Locis desertis, inter feras et serpentes." Hare. ἐν ἐρημίαις πλανώμενοι, και ὄρεσι, καὶ σπηλαίοις, καὶ ταῖς ἐπαῖς τῆς γῆς. Hebrews xi, 98. Ver. 24. -cast us not off;" rather, "be not far off.” This whole Psalm might be divided into parts, for different voices, thus: Ver. 1-3. Full chorus. 4. The leader of the band. 5. Full chorus. 6. The leader of the band. 7, 8. Full chorus. 9-14. Air for a single voice, one of the Priests. 15, 16. The leader of the band. 17-22. Air for a single voice, one of the Priests. |