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of

in this Place: thus Jer.XXIX.11. we meet with the fame two Words, viz. p, the End and Expectation, which are an Hendyadis for the expected Reward. has also the fame Sense, Pf. XXXVII. 37. and is rendered a REWARD, Ch. XXIV. 14. & 20.

V. 20.

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אחרית

- amongst riotous Eaters of Flesh.] Rather --- AMONGST THEM THAT RIOTOUSLY EAT FLESH WITH EACH OTHER: for this I apprehend is the Meaning of

in this

Place; which our Verfion paffes over, except in the Margin, where we read of their Flesh; which cannot poffibly be the Senfe.

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V. 21. and Drowfinefs fhall clothe a Man with Rags. yapı

Rather [תלביש נומה:

וקרעים

—AND DROWSINESS SHALL PUT ON RAGS; for thus this Verb in the fame Voice is rendered, Exod. XXVIII. 41. XXIX. 5. XL. 13. or, SHALL CLOTHE ITSELF WITH; as Jer. IV. 30. for Hiphil in this Verb includes the Signification of Hithpabel, which is never used.

V. 22. Hearken unto thy Father that begat thee, and despise not thy Mother, when he is old. api man 581

שמע לאביך זה ילדך the Antithefis זקנה inftead of,,ינקכה Were we to read [אמך :

would be more direct, thus-AND DESPISE NOT THY MOTHER, BECAUSE SHE GAVE THEE SUCK.

V. 25. Thy Father and thy Mother shall be glad, and he that bare

Rather, I think [ ישמח אביך ואמך ותגל יולדתך : .thee fhall rejoice

--

THY FATHER AND THY PEOPLE (or, COUNTRY) WILL BE GLAD &c.

138

V. 26. My Son, give me thine Heart, — man] Rather MY SON, APPLY THINE HEART TO ME..

I would [כי שוחה עמוקה זונה - ובאר צרה נכריה :

V. 27. For a Whore is a deep Ditch; and a strange Woman is a narrow Pit. render the latter Hemiftic thus AND A PROSTITUTE is A WELL OF DISTRESS, or A FOUNTAIN OF TRIBULATION.

[ אף היא כחתף תארב

V.28. She alfo lieth in wait as for a Prey; - 8 Rather, with the Margin, AS A ROBBER. For the Verb nn, in the only Place where it occurs befides, fignifies to take away; viz. Job.

IX. 12.

V. 29. who hath Babbling?] Rather WHO HATH COMPLAINT? as Job. VII. 13. XXIII. 2. &c. who hath Wounds without Cause? —

למי פצעים חנם

] Rather, I think - WITHOUT COST, or RECOMPENSE; having no Profpect of Advantage, as 1 Chron. XXI. 24. Jer. XXII. 13.

V. 31. Rather

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[כי יתן בכיס

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when it giveth his Colour in the Cup,' WHEN IT SHEWETH IT'S COLOUR IN THE CUP: thus

is ufed, Deut. XIII. 1, 17.

when it moveth itself aright.

Verfion -or goeth down pleasantly. Neither of exact but the Truth lies between both; thus

DOWN ARIGHT; viz. the Throat.

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] In the old which feems strictly that IT MAY GO

[ עיניך יראו זרות

V. 33. Thine Eyes fhall behold ftrange Women, Rather THINE EYES then SHALL GAZE UPON STRANGE WOMEN; for fo is used, Ecclef. IX. 9. or― BEHOLD WITH PLEA-. SURE as Gen. XVI. 13. Pf. LIV. 7. &c. The Particle is here added to preserve the Connection.

-

V.35. when shall I awake? I will feek it yet again. PN D : PN 'D] Rather, without Interrogation WHEN I SHALL AWAKE I WILL REPEAT it; AND WILL SEEK IT AGAIN: as Pf. CI. 2.

CHAP. XXIV.

V. 5. A wife Man is ftrong; yea, a Man of Knowledge increaseth

Rather -THE [גבר חכם בעוז - ואיש דעת מאמץ כח: .Strength

WISE IS MIGHTY IN POWER, AND THE MAN OF UNDERSTANDING PREVAILETH IN STRENGTH. The two Verbs 1 and 2 are fynonymous. But I should still prefer the Senfe given by all the old Verfions, except the Vulgate, thus-THE WISE IS MORE EXCELLENT THAN THE POWERFUL, AND THE MAN OF UNDERSTANDING THAN THE MIGHTY IN STRENGTH.

this Senfe, 1 Chron. V. 2. XI. 21.

is conftrued with a in גבר

V. 10. If thou faint in the Day of Adverfity, -73 013 019707] Rather DOST THOU FAINT &c? for the n is here interrogative as well as formative..

V. 16..

כי

V. 16. For a juft Man falleth feven times, and rifeth up again ; THOUGH THE JUST FALL SEVEN

Rather [שבע יפול צדיק וקם

TIMES, YET WILL HE RISE UP AGAIN.

V. 21.

and meddle not with them that are given to change. Dy

עם

Rather - and BE NOT SURETY FOR UNSTEADY [שונים אל תתערב :

MEN. Thus this Verb is rendered, 2 Kings XVIII. 23. Ifa. XXXVI. 8. And the Prepofition is so used, 1 Sam. XIV. 45. Daň. XI. 39.

V. 22.

and who knoweth the Ruin of them both? D7' 7'51 T] The Note on this Place in the old Verfion is

[ מי יודע :

mean

ing, either of the wicked and feditious, as V. 19. & 21. or of them "that fear not God, nor obey the King." But neither of these References feems to the Purpose. Whereas if the Interpretation of in the last Verse be admitted, the two Perfons expofed to Ruin are the Surety, and the unfteady Perfon, for whom the other is bound.

גם אלה לחכמים

V. 23. Thefe Things also belong to the wife. D'on ne Da] The old Verfion diftinguishes thefe Words by other Characters, as it does all the other fuppofed Interpolations. That this is the Addition of fome later Hand feems fufficiently clear from internal Marks: probably the fame that added the first Verse, or more properly the Title, to the next Chapter.

V. 26. Every Man fhall kifs his Lips that giveth a right Anfwer.

The obvious Conftruction of this [ שפתים ישק משיב דברים נכחים:

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Sentence is HE MAY KISS THE LIPS WHO GIVETH A RIGHT ANSWER: the Senfe of which feems plainly to be this in general "the Person who fpeaks properly, fuitably to the Occafion, whatever "it be, fhall have particular Marks of Attention paid to him; or, in "a more confined Senfe, he may be admitted to kifs the Lips of his Superiors, who confult him, whenever a pleasing Answer is given."

V. 28. and deceive not with thy Lips. Tnowa 'nom] Rather furely - --- NOR DECEIVE WITH THY LIPS: for 1 is negative, when a negative Particle has preceded, which is the Cafe here. This is fo general a Rule, that I am furprized it efcaped our Tranflators in this Place, as they have obferved it elsewhere.

V. I.

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which the Men of Hezekiah, King of Judah, copied out. ]

Rather, I think [ אשר העתיקו אנשי חזקיה מלך יהודה:

COLLECTED

LECTED TOGETHER. The Verb pny fignifies primarily to remove from one Place to another: and the Notion of collecting Scattered Pieces into one whole feems as confiftent with that Idea, as that of transcribing. The old Verfion, I find, explains the Word as I do. This is the only Place where it occurs in either of thefe Senfes.

V. 2. It is the Glory of God to conceal a Thing: but the Honour of

כבד אלהים הסתר דבר וכבד מלכים .Kings is to fearch out a latter [ חקר דבר:

:37 pm These Hemistics are not I apprehend adverfative, but exegetical. For though God reveal not always to us the Caufes of His Difpenfations, or the final Causes of the Works of Nature; yet the Concealment here meant feems more applicable to Magiftrates, whofe Glory it is to keep State Matters impenetrably fecret, till they are ripe for Execution. An unremitted Investigation of the leaft Difpofition to form Cabals, either at home or abroad, in order to quash them in their Birth, is another Characteristic of a wife Prince. And these two may be confidered as cardinal Points in every well regulated Administration. I would therefore render the first Hemiftic thus It is THE GLORY OF MAGISTRATES TO CONCEAL A THING, AND &c. See what was faid on the Word ns, Pf. LXXXII. 1, 6.

V. 3. The Heavens for Height, and the Earth for Depth;

שמים

.Here is no Propofition according to our Verfion [לרום וארץ לעמק

Some Verb appears to be wanting: but that is not the Cafe; for there are two Verbs in this Sentence. and pays are both Infinitives, and these Infinitives have here the Force of Preters or Prefent Tenfes. (See Inftances in Noldius, P. 415.) This Place ought therefore to be rendered THE HEAVENS ARE HIGH, AND THE EARTH DEEP. It is fo in the Chaldee and Syriac Verfions.

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V. 5.
Take away

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חגו רשע לפני מלך ; the twicked from before the King

Rather REMOVE THE WICKED FROM THE KING. " has that Force as well as ; fee Noldius. 2.

אל תתהדר

V.6. Put not forth thyself in the Prefence of the King, non s

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Rather [לפני מלך :

[כי טוב אמר לך עלה הנה וגו"

V. 7. For better it is that it be faid unto thee, Come up hither; &c. This Verse is almost parallel to what our Saviour faid, Luke XIV. 8,9,10. Sit down in the lowest Room, that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher, &c.

whom

] This Hemistic

whom thine Eyes have feen. y seems to be not only fuperfluous both as to the Sense and Metre, but alfo imperfect and out of Place. According to the LXX and Arabic the Word is wanting. In my Opinion it ought to begin the 9th Verfe, and be rendered thus --- SPEAK WHAT THINE EYES HAVE SEEN; and difcover not a Secret to another.

V. 8. Go not forth hastily to ftrive, left thou know not what to do in the End thereof, when thy Neighbour hath put thee to Shame.

[לרב מהר - פן מה תעשה באחריתה - בהכלים אתך רעך :

Rather --- Go NOT HASTILY TO STRIVE, LEST THOU DO ANY THING IN THE END THEREOF, WHEREBY THY NEIGHBOUR MAY PUT THEE TO SHAME.

[ריבך ריב את רעך - וסוד אחר אל תגל :

V. 9. Debate thy Caufe with thy Neighbour himself; and difcover not thy Secret to another. There is neither Affinity nor Oppofition between thefe Precepts. The Fault lies evidently in the Union of Parts of diftinct Verses for the first Hemiftic feems to belong to those three other which immediately precede, with which it ought to be connected by fupplying the Part. But.

ver.

V. 11. A Word fitly spoken is like Apples of Gold in Pictures of Sil

-The mar [תפוחי זהב במשכיות כסף - דבר דבר על אפניו :

ginal Explanation of fitly Spoken is, viz. upon it's Wheels; a bold Figure truly! But as it favours too much of a Catachrefis; and does not answer the Purpose of the Comparison; (for the only Idea that a Word upon it's Wheels feems to convey is a Word spoken rapidly, not fitly) I should chufe to give DN the Chaldee Sense: now 'DN fignifies, occurfus, obviam itio, è contra, and accordingly the Phrafe Ny would hence mean literally, in it's Meeting, in it's Defence, or, by a more liberal Conftruction, in Reply, or in Repartee; and a good Repartee, it is allowed, is the strongest Indication that can be given of true Wit. The Words ann may either be understood of golden Balls for Ornament, or of Citrons or Oranges, which have alfo that Name in Hebrew, as well as in Latin. n properly fignifies the Thoughts of the Mind, or the Imagination; with refpect to outward Objects, it is used for any Works curiously wrought or figured; and in this Place may therefore be understood of any Vellel, Basket, or the like. Hence this Verfe may not improperly be thus rendered - A WORD SPOKEN IN REPLY is like ORANGES (or, GOLDEN APPLES) IN SILVER VESSELS. The Reply or Repartee is doubtlefs to be conftrued xar' oxle, as the

Weights

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