phetically describes the return of Ifrael from Babylon.

The paffage I mean is in the clofe of the 62d chapter: "Go through, go through the "gates; prepare you the way of the people, "caft up, caft up the highway; gather out "the ftones; lift up a ftandard for the peo"ple-Behold the Lord hath proclaimed "unto the end of the world, Say you to "the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy falva❝tion cometh."

Irwin, fpeaking of his paffing through the deferts on the eastern fide of the Nile, in his going from Upper Ægypt to Cairo, tells us, that after leaving a certain valley which he mentions, their road lay " over level ground. "As it would be next to an impoffibility "to find the way over these ftony flats, where "the heavy foot of a camel leaves no im

preffion, the different bands of robbers" (wild Arabs he means, who frequent that defert,) "have heaped up ftones, at unequal

distances, for their direction through this "defert. We have derived great affistance "from the robbers in this refpect, who are our guides when the marks either fail, or

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are unintelligible to us." After which he remarks, that if it be confidered, that this road to Cairo is feldom trodden, it is no wonder that those persons they had with them, as

conductors, were frequently at a lofs to determine their way through this desert.

The learned know very well, that there were many great deferts in various parts of the East, and in particular a great desert between Babylon and Judæa; and as Judæa was, in the time of the captivity, an abandoned country, at least as to a great part of it, and the road through that defert might have been much neglected, is it not reasonable to fuppofe, that the piling up heaps of ftones might actually be of confiderable importance, to facilitate the return of Ifrael into their own country? And if not, is it not natural to fuppofe the difficulties in the way of their return might be reprefented by the want of fuch works? And confequently that that clause fhould be rendered, not gather out the ftones, but throw ye up heaps of ftones, that you may be directed in your march through the most difficult and dangerous places where you are to país.

It is certain the word that is ufed here is, confeffedly, in every other place but one (If. v. 2.) ufed to fignify the throwing ftones at a perfon, after which they were wont to cover them with a heap of them, as a memorial of what was done, (fee particularly the account of the punishment of Achan, Jofh. vii. 25, 26;) now it muft appear somewhat ftrange, that the fame word fhould fignify gathering ftones up in order to take them away,

and

and also, on the contrary, to cover over a perfon or a spot with them, thrown up on an heap. And especially when the foning the ways, that is, pouring down heaps of stone, at proper distances, to direct travellers in danger of mistaking their way, is so natural a thought in this paffage; while we find few or no traces of the gathering stones out of an Eastern road, to make journeying more pleafant to the traveller.

The other paffage, in the 5th Ifaiah, may be understood in fomething of the fame manner, even if we take the firft word to fignify fencing, as our tranflators do, which neverthelefs is very uncertain: "He fenced it," (his vineyard;) "and ftoned it," (that is, piled up ftones, in form of a wall, instead of fun-dried bricks, which foon moulder away;) "and planted it with the choiceft vine."

The Septuagint however, I must acknowledge, translates neither of these paffages in the manner that feems moft natural to me, though their tranflation was made in Ægypt, in the wild part of which country, towards the Red-Sea, these heaps of ftone are now found. But it is to be remembered, that they lived under a more fettled form of government, which made travelling through that part of the defert where these ftones are now found unnecessary. Their way of travelling in Egypt being almost entirely upon the Nile, and it's numerous canals, or where the country was filled with people: this circum

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ftance then might not occur to thefe tranflators, especially as there is no occafion, to this day, of fuch affiftances in the defert between Egypt and the Jewish country, through which thefe tranflators might only have had occafion to pass.

The fame writer has taken notice, in his travels, of the banks thrown up in Ægypt, on which the overflowing of the Nile obliges them to pafs; which muft in like manner have been neceffary in the marshes about Babylon, to the fenny nature of which country the Pfalmift refers, when he fays, "By "the rivers of Babylon, there we fat down, "We hanged our harps upon the willows, "in the midft thereof." To thefe Ifaiah appears to refer, in these words, "Caft up, caft up the highway;" or, as the Bishop of London tranflates it, "Caft ye up the cau"fey."

Irwin alfo takes notice of it's having been customary to light up fires on the mountains, within view of Cofire, (a town on the RedSea, in which he then was,) to give notice of the approach of the caravans that came from the Nile to Cofire, though that custom was fufpended, when he was there, on the account of the wild Arabs, who had been for fome time roving about in that neighbourhood, and who, it was feared, would have made a þad ufe of fuch fignals'. These notices are of

ufe on various accounts, and particularly to meet caravans with affiftance.

It is to fome fimilar management, I prefume, Ifaiah refers in this place, where he fpeaks of the lifting up a standard, or as the original word is of a much more general fignification, and is used for any fign', "Lift

up a fign above the nations," (upon the tops of their hills,) announcing the approach of the captivity of Ifrael, returning to their own country, that they may meet them with refreshments, and fuch afliftances as may help them forward in their way to the land of their forefathers.

How lively the comparing the benefits derived from the edict of Cyrus, giving liberty and encouragement to Ifrael to return to the land of their ancestors, to the making caufeys through marshy countries, piling up heaps of ftone in unfrequented deferts, and meeting travellers with refreshments, and every other affistance that they might want.

The first clause, "Go through, go through "the gates," feems to refer to the cuftom of the East for travellers to affemble together, in fome place out of the city, in order to get ready for journeying together in company, which I have elsewhere taken notice of3, and therefore need not to repeat it here.

See Numb 26. 10; and perhaps it directly fignifies fire, fed as a fign, If. 31. 9.

Deut. 23. 4.

3 Vol. 1, ch. 5, obf. 6.

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