in obscurity." For they had eyes, and yet they saw not; light came into the world, but they loved darkness rather than light. -"we stumble," &c. Is not for ? Like the owl, we stumble at noon-day; In the midst of rich viands,* we are like dead men. -"like dead men," unable to use and enjoy the good things placed before us. Verse 12.-" and our sins testify against us;" rather, with Bishop Lowth, "and our sins accuse Verse 13. This verse specifies the particulars of the sins generally acknowledged in the preceding. Houbigant's emendations seem quite unnecessary; is the infinitive of the verb D, used as a noun, the inserted being the formative of the infinitive. y and r are infinitives used also for nouns, though in these the formative is omitted. A semicolon or colon should be placed at the word, and the verb tacked to the following clause. And without any other emendation, than this transposition of a stop, the whole verse may be thus rendered; * See Cocceius, voce ¡pw. 13 Apostacy and treachery towards Jehovah, A turning away from following our God, Deceiving speech and revolt: Words of falsehood have been conceived and studied in the heart. The "words of falsehood" I take to be the sophisms of philosophers and the quibbles of hypocrites on the side of scepticism, or for the support of superstitious ceremonies in prejudice of true religion. Deceiving speech is the same thing. Verse 15. " Yea, truth faileth;" rather, truth is weeded out.", to hoe." "And "maketh himself a prey." Here the verse should end. Verse 17." for clothing." with Dr Jubb. See Bishop Lowth. תלבשת Expunge Verse 18. Read, with Bishop Lowth, בעל עלמות הוא בעל עלמות ישלם He is Lord of retribution; The Lord of retribution will requite Fury to his adversaries, &c. -" to the isles." This is a common denunciation of wrath against the unbelieving Jews and the impenitent idolaters. Verses 16-18. - he saw-wondered-his arm -his righteousness-he put on-he put on-was The unnamed subjects of all clad-will requite" these propositions is the Messiah. Verse 19." when the enemy shall come," &c. This passage is very difficult. None of the antient 3. as a substantive, the subject of the verb ", but an adjective agreeing with . Aquila, Symmachus, and the LXX, make the subject of the verb NJ”. The Vulgate seems to predicate the coming of the unnamed subject of the preceding verses. They differ greatly in rendering the words DD, or whatever were the words which in their copies closed the verse. The version of Symmachus and the LXX express a repetition of the verb . We have a remaining vestige perhaps of this repeated verb in, which otherwise is not at all expressed in the Greek of Symmachus or the LXX. Aquila's version expresses the pronoun, but as if he read it with the prefix instead of; ", not ". All this considered, I am inclined to correct the passage thus: VOL. II. כי ובא כנהר צר רוח יהוה נססה לו: 20 בוא יבא D D Surely he shall come as a river, straitened in its course; The Spirit of Jehovah setteth up the standard for him. 20 Assuredly the Redeemer shall come "he shall come as a river straitened in its course." The river straitened in its course, and acquiring force and velocity from its confinement, is an image of the suddenness and irresistible force of the Messiah's coming in the latter ages, when the reasons that have so long restrained the full display of his might shall no longer operate. "The Spirit of Jehovah set up the standard for him" at the time of his first advent, in the preaching of John the Baptist, and in the miracles which accompanied the word after his ascension. And the standard will probably be set up again, in new miracles, at his second advent. Verse 20. "And the Redeemer shall come to Zion," &c. St Paul read, -יבא מציון גואל והשיב פשץ מיעקב -the Redeemer shall come out of Zion, And turn away apostacy from Jacob. And it is particularly to be remarked, that the Chal dee paraphrase is agreeable to this reading. CHAP. LX. In the form of an ode of congratulation, addressed to Sion, the prophet describes the finished prosperity of the church. A considerable correspondence may easily be discerned between some parts of the prophecy and the circumstances of the first promulgation of the gospel; which was a light first rising on the Jews, and from them propagated to the Gentiles. But the images of the prophecy so far exceed any thing that has yet taken place, that it is reasonable to think the accomplishment is reserved for the second advent of our Lord. This even St Jerome is obliged to confess; though from his great aversion to the reveries of the chiliasts of antiquity, he was very unwilling to admit any other restoration of the Jews than the conversion of them to Christianity. And to leave himself at liberty to oppose their hopes, while he refers the prophecy to the times of the second advent, he chooses to understand it as an allegorical exhibition of the future state of the saints in heaven. Verse 2." come to kings to" rather, "walk by-kings by." thy rising;" rather, with Bishop Lowth, "thy |