this difficulty: "Emblema prophetæ, ex meo sensu hic desumptum est à marito, qui licet ipse paratus esset indulgentiâ uti erga conjugem, officii et honestatis limites longè excedentem, a foro judiciali obligatur et cogitur ad uxorem suam dimittendam ; ut adeo non tam ipse, quàm judicium forense, in causâ esse censeatur dimissionis uxoris. Quod observatum, ut satisfacit omni dubio hujus loci, sic perfectè respondet emblemati sequenti, quo Deus negat, se eos vendidisse creditoribus suis, cùm verè ipsi a foro judiciali, tanquam debitores, propter debita sua venditi sint." Vitringa in Is. vol. ii, p. 603, 1. Nor according to this interpretation is the case of the Jewish nation hopeless." Licebat enim viro, conjugem suam, a se per libellum dimissam, si hactenus fidem suam alii marito non obstrinxisset, et resipisceret, rapto divortio domum reducere, et consuetudinem priorem instaurare." Vitringa in Is. vol. ii, p. 604, 1. -"have you sold yourselves;" rather, " sold." Bishop Lowth. ye are Verses 2, 3: "Idem loquitur, qui mox dicturus est, corpus meum dedi percutientibus'-ut non relinquatur dubitandi locus, totum hunc sermonem esse Hominis-Dei." Houbigant ad locum, Verses 4, 5. —" that I should know opened mine ear." The construction is wonderfully obscure in the original, and the version of the LXX seems to indicate that they followed another reading. Houbigant proposes emendations, which make an easy construction and good sense. But I think the easiest emendation would be to affix the pronoun" to the word (which, as the next word begins with ", may easily be admitted), and to alter the stops, thus: 4 The Lord Jehovah hath given unto me A learned tongue, to know to be in season [i. e. to time my instructions well]. My word shall enliven the weary: Each morn he [i. e. the weary] shall raise the ear to me [arriget mihi aurem], To hearken, after the manner of disciples. 5 The Lord Jehovah hath opened mine own ear, &c. 1 Verse 6. "I gave my back," &c. See the excellent note of Houbigant upon this passage, in which he exposes the absurdity of Grotius's attempt to apply these things to the prophet Isaiah. Verse 9. they all shall wax old-eat them and כלכם the LXX read,יאכלם and כלם up. For יבלו and for ,יאכלכם ye “ תכלו perhaps all shall Verse 10." that obeyed" For you, Bishop Lowth, with the LXX, reads you, which adds much to the spirit and elegance of the sentence. him hearken to the voice". t -- "let "that walketh in darkness, and hath no light;" rather, "no sunshine." -"Id accipiendum ab una parte de afflictionibus et casibus tristibus atque injucundis, qui credentibus in Christum acciderent; ab alterâ de tenebris mentis inde ortis; h. e. de anxietate, sollicitudine, metu, tristitiâ quæ gaudium illorum, non extinguerent quidem attamen imminuerent; et spem non tollerent quidem verum labefactarent; et fiduciam, quam mente conceperant maximam infirmarent.-Vates verum ואין אור לו- noster non scripsit hoc in loco ,ואין נוגה 1. Innuit se loqui de subjectis, quorum imminuta fuerit consolatio et attenuata spes, non 4 vere extincta est enim, splendor,' plus quam ,lux.' Significatur electos hosce credentes eo esse statu, ut non perspiciant clarè et serenè, quæ consequentia essent, quis exitus esset, eorum eventuum qui ipsis accidebant. Animi illorum erant Merewgiroμevo." Vitringa in Is. vol. ii, p. 614, 1. μετεωριτομενοι. -"Scena hujus alloquii figenda est in ipso tempore, quo Filius Dei in terris versatus est, proximus exitur ex mundo. Sed extenditur usque ad tempora Trajani et Hadriani." Ibid. Verse 11." that compass yourselves about with sparks;" rather, " forming a ring round the flames." Instead of walking by the light of God's holy doctrine, ye endeavour to raise a light of your own; the light of false philosophy and human imaginations. CHAP. LI. In the beginning of this fifty-first chapter Messiah is still the speaker, and perhaps through the whole of it, but certainly to the end of the 16th verse. Vitringa puts the 9th, 10th, and 11th verses into the mouth of a chorus of the saints, praying in the two former for God's interposition in behalf of his church, and in the last prophetically promising themselves that their prayer will be granted. In this I believe he is right. The five verses following (viz. 12-16) he assigns to God the Father. But they seem to me not improper in the mouth of the Son. He speaks to the few pious Jews who received him as the Saviour, and he apprises them of the call of the Gentiles, and promises the final deliverance and prosperity of the church. Verse 4. "O my nation;" rather, "O my countrymen." "Contributes mei.". Houbigant. But Bishop Lowth, upon the authority of the Syriac and some MSS, changes by and into y and , that the address may be made not to the Jews, but to the Gentiles. -" of the people."" of the peoples." "of Verse 6." shall die in like manner." "y. From these words St Jerome draws an argument, that the heavens and the earth are not to be destroyed, but to undergo a change for the better. But the true rendering of is not in like manner,' but like lice.' See Vitringa in Is. vol. ii, p. 626, not. a. - Verses 12, 13. " Fige scenam ejus quod hic exhibetur, cùm in aliis persecutionibus quæ in tentatæ sunt populo Christi, primo illo tempore nascentis VOL. II. A A |