cause a peftilence is not recorded among the ten plagues inflicted upon Egypt. This objection he removes by tranflating 'nnbw I might have ftretched out; and fhews by feveral inftances, that the circumftances of a verb, ufually præter or future, may be thus qualified by might, would, should, &c. Exod. xvi. 15. in the common verfion is abfurdly rendered, And they faid one to another, it is Manna, for they wist not what it was. Dr. K.'s verfion, though not new, is ftriétly properAnd they faid one to another, D, what is this? for they wist not what it was. From these words the Manna afterwards derived its name. Numb. xxii. 22. Dr. K. thinks it cannot be fuppofed that God would have been angry with Balaam, merely for going with the fervants of Balak, when he had before expressly given him permiffion to go, in verse 20. He propofes, therefore, to adopt the reading which is preferved in the Arabic verfion-And God's anger was kindled because he went b avare, with a covetous inclination. This is perfectly confiftent with the character of Balaam, who is faid by St. Peter to have loved the wages of unrighteousness. Numb. xxiii. 21. Dr. K. changes 'n the third perfon præter Hiphil into the firft perfon future, and refers it to Balaam-I do not behold iniquity in Jacob; neither do I fee perverfeness in Ifrael. This correction appears to us totally unneceffary. For it may be obferved, that the particle often fignifies contra, adverfus ;, that the word 11 may be tranflated injuria, contumelia, and y moleftia, vexatio, inquietatio, perturbatio: and that the verbs and an are used to exprefs not merely the fimple act of beholding, but the beholding with fome degree of pleasure and fatisfaction. Thus Habak. i. 13. טהור עינים מראות רע והביט אל עמל לא תוכל THOU ART of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canft not look on iniquity. Now God does, indeed, behold evil, but not with fatiffaction; he does look on iniquity, but not with approbation. From the words, therefore, thus explained, without having recourfe to correction, may be deduced a verfion intelligible in itself, and perfectly confiftent with the context. Jofhua, iv. 9. Dr. K. boldly afferts, that this verfe, as it now ftands in the Hebrew Text, flatly contradicts the rest of the chapter, and that the difficulty can only be folved by reading but we deny that the prefent reading - בתוך inftead of מתוך involves in it either difficulty or contradiction. The facred writer is not here fpeaking of the ftones mentioned in the preceding verfe, which were fet up in Gilgal; but of twelve other ftones, which Joshua fet up in the midst of Jordan. In this interpretation we are juftified by the authority of the Chaldee L12 Para Paraphrafe, and the Septuagint verfion-Esnσe de Inous mai adhes δωδεκα λίθες εν αύτω τω Ιορδάνη. Of the celebrated triumphal Song of Deborah and Barak, Judges, v. Dr. K. has given a new verfion, in which he has endeavoured, with fome degree of probability at leaft, to affign to the different speakers their respective parts. But on the propriety of this diftribution, and on the merits of the verfion itfelf, we think it improper to decide, because, from the want of the Author's Notes, we know not on what authority they reft. 1 Sam. xxiii. 22. Go, I pray you, prepare yet, and know and fee his place, where his haunt is. Dr. K. propofes, on the authority of two MSS. and the first printed edition, to read understand further, learn more particularly, instead of prepare yet. 2 Sam. xviii. 3. But the people answered David, thou shalt not go forth; for if we flee away, they will not care for us, neither if half of us die will they care for us, but NOw thou art worth ten thousand of us. Dr. K. reads the pronoun N THOU art worth ten thousand of us, instead of the adverby now. The Tranflators themselves were fenfible of the neceffity of this alteration, and accordingly inferted the words thou art in Italics. There is a remarkable inftance of each of these words being exchanged for the other, in I Kings, chap. i. ver. 18 and 20. And now bebold Adonijah reigneth, ny and Now, my Lord the King, knoweft it not. And in verfe 20. and THOU, my Lord, O King, the eyes of all Ifrael are upon thee. Dr. K.'s obfervations on the book of Job are highly deserving the attention of every reader, who wishes to obtain an accurate knowledge of that fublime but difficult poem. The integrity of Job's character being not only infifted on by himself, but also exprefsly admitted by God, and the whole poem turning on the multiplied miferies of a man eminently good, one grand difficulty has been, how to reconcile thefe pofitions with the feveral paffages in chapters vii. ix. and xlii. where Job now appears to confefs himself a very grievous finner. Dr. K. thinks that this difficulty will be removed, by fuppofing-that in chap. vii. ver. 20. where Job, in the English verfion, is represented as confeffing his fins to God, he is really fpeaking in reply to Eliphaz and the general fenfe of the paflage is as follows; You fay, I must have been a finner; what then? I have not finned against thee! O thou spy upon mankind! Why haft thou fet up me, as a butt, or mark, to shoot at? Why am I become a burden unti thee? Why not rather overlook my tranfgreffion, and pass by mine iniquity? I am now finking to the duft! To-morrow, perhaps, : So the Greek verfion and thus both Grey and Houbigant; with Ladvocat, in Thefis Sorbon. 1765, p. 21.' I fball I fhall be fought in vain !'-That in chap. ix. from verfe 2 to 22, Job is really expofing his friends by ironically quoting fome of their abfurd maxims, and that in verfes 28 and 31 he is speaking, not to God, but in reply to Bildad.-And laftly, that in chap. xlii. 6. we should add after by, and read interrogatively, על (מה) כן אמם ונחמתי על עפר ועפר and that the whole paffage fhould be thus tranflated: 4. Hear, I befeech, thee, and I will speak; I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. 5. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye feeth thee. 6. WHEREFORE am I thus become loathfome; and am fcorched up, upon duft and ashes * ?' Dr. K. adopts, and confirms by additional arguments, the idea of Mr. Heath, that the first fourteen verfes of chapter xl. were originally the conclufion of the whole poem, and that they have by fome accident been removed from their natural fituation, and improperly inferted here. Chap. xxxi. 35, 36, 37. is tranflated by Dr. K. with fingular propriety, and in exact conformity to the Hebrew, though from the wonderful difference between Oriental and European manners and opinions, we fear that his verfion will convey to many of our Readers but a very small portion of that dignity and fublimity, which he fo warmly, and fo juftly, admires in the original : 35. Oh, that one would grant me a hearing! Behold, my defire is, that the Almighty would answer me; With what earnestnefs, would I take it on my fhoulders! I would bind it upon me, as a diadem! The number of my steps would I fet forth unto Him Even as a prince, would I approach before Him!' Our Author has given us a verfion of the celebrated paffage, I know that my Redeemer liveth, &c. effentially different from any which we recollect to have hitherto feen. He is of opinion, and we think on very good grounds, that Job does not here make any reference at all to a future ftate. One difficulty, however, ftill remains, and that is the unusual folemnity with which this Speech of Job, whatever may be its exact meaning, is introduced-a folemnity, which naturally excites us to expect fomething extraordinary. Oh, that my words were now written! Oh! that they were printed in a book! That they were graven with an See vii. 5. My flesh is clothed with worms, and clods of duft; my fkin is broken, (DND) and become loathfome. And xxx. 30. My skin is black upon me; and my bones are burnt with heat. See alfo ii. 8. x. 2.: xvi. 15.' L13 iron iron pen, and lead, in the rock for ever!-On this interesting fubject, our Readers will, doubtlefs, be obliged to us for giving them the opinion of Dr. K. at full length : Before we lofe fight of thefe feveral paffages, expreffive of Job's most ardent wish to plead his innocence; this may perhaps be the moft proper place for introducing that very important and most celebrated paffage, I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVETH, &C. This paffage is generally confined to verfes 25, 26 and 27 in ch. xix. ; but fhould be extended to ver. 29. Thefe 5 verfes, though they contain but 12 lines, have occafioned controverfies without number; as to the general-meaning of Job in this place: whether he here expreffed his firm belief of a refurrection to happiness after death, or of a refteration to profperity during the remainder of his life. Each of thefe pofitions has found powerful, as well as numerous, advocates: and the fhort iffue of the whole feems to be that each party has confuted the oppofite opinion, yet without eftablishing its own, For, how could Job here exprefs his conviction of a reverse of things in this world, and of a restoration to temporal profperity; at the very time, when he ftrongly afferts, that his miferies would be foon terminated by death? See ch. vi. 11.; vii. 21.; xvii. 11-15.; xix. 10.; and particularly, in vii. 7.-O remember that my life is wind: mine eje fhall no more fee good. Still lefs could Job here exprefs an hope full of immortality; which fenfe cannot be extorted from the words, without very evident violence. And as the poffeffion of fuch belief is not to be reconciled with Job's fo bitterly curfing the day of his birth, in ch. iii.; fo the declaration of fuch belief would have folved at once the whole difculty in difpute. But, if neither of the preceding and oppofite opinions can be admitted; if the words are not meant to exprefs Job's belief either of a restoration or of a resurrection: what then are we to do? It does not appear to me, that any other interpretation has been yet propofed by the learned yet I will now venture to offer a third interpretation, different from both the former; and which, whilft it is free from the preceding difficulties, does not feem liable to equal objections. Let the Reader proceed to examine it with the fame candour, with which it is now proposed to him. The conviction then, which I fuppofe Job to exprefs here, is this--That, though his diffolution was haftening on, amidst the unjuft accufations of his pretended friends, and the cruel infults of his hoftile relations; and though, whilft he was thus fingularly oppreffed with anguish of mind, he was alfo tortured with pains of body; torn by fores and ulcers from head to foot, and fitting upon duft and afhes: yet that still, out of that miferable body, in his flesh thus stripped of kin, and nearly dropping into the grave, HE SHOULD SEE GOD; who would appear in his favour, and vindicate THE INTEGRITY of his character. This opinion may, perhaps, be fairly and fully fupported by the fenfe of the words themselves-by the context and by the following remarks. We read, in ii. 7.-that Job was fmitten with fore boils, from the fole of his foot unto his crown: and (ver. 8.) he fat down among the ASHES. In vii. 5. Job fays-My flesh is clothed with worms, and clods clods of DUST: my skin is broken, and become loathfeme. In xvi. 19. Alfo now, behold my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high. Then come the words of Job, in xix. 25-29. And then, in oppofition to what Job had juft faid--that GOD would foon appear to vindicate him-and that even his accufing friends would acquit himZophar fays (xx. 27.) that the Heaven would reveal his iniquity; and the Earth would rife up against him. Laftly, this opinion concerning Job's words (as to GOD's vindication of him) is confirmed strongly at the end of the book which records the conclufion of Job's hiftory. His firm hope is here fuppofed to be, that, before his death, he should with his bodily eyes fee GOD, appearing and vindicating his character. And from the conclufion we learn, that God did thus appear—now (fays Job) mine eye feeth thee. And then did GOD moft effectually, and for ever, brighten the glory of Job's fame, by four times calling him HIS SERVANT, and, as his anger was kindled against Job's friends, by speaking to them in the following words-Ye have not Spoken of me the thing that is right, as MY SERVANT Job bath-Go to MY SERVANT Job-and MY SERVANT Job shall pray for you--in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like MY SERVANT Job. xlii. 7, 8.'. The new version of this paffage now follows: 25. For I know, that my Vindicator liveth; and He, at the last, shall arise over this dust. 26. And, after that mine adverfaries have mangled me thus, even in my flefh fhall I fee GOD: 27. Whom I fhall fee on my fide; and mine eyes fhall behold, but not estranged from me : 28. Verily ye shall fay, "Why have we perfecuted him; for the fword waxeth hot against iniquities: therefore be affured, that judgment will take place.' The Pfalms, of which new verfions are given, are ii. viii. xvi. xviii. xxii. xxv. xxxiv, xxxvi. xl. xli, xlii, xliii. xlv. xlix. 1. liii. lv. lxvii. lxviii. Ixix. lxxx. lxxxv. lxxxvii. cvii. cx. cxiv. cxvii. cxviii. cxx. cxxix, and cxxxii. Pfalm lxviii. 13, 14. is thus tranflated by Dr. K. Though ye have lien down among the pots; ye are as the wings of a dove, which is covered with filver; and its feathers with burnished gold. Since the Almighty fcattered thefe Kings; as to her, she is white as the fnow upon Tzalmon.' But this version, we think, by no means removes the obfcurity in which this paffage has long been inveloped. Numerous and irreconcilable are the interpretations to which these two verfes have given rife. Perhaps, it is impoffible to throw any confiderable light on them without having recourse to conjectural criticifm, to the intemperate use of which we are no friends. We fhall, however, hazard a conjecture, not with a hope, or even a wish, that any reliance should be placed on it, as fuch; but because others, more learned, or more fortunate L14 |