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without the Prepofition; but the is not unfrequently prefixed to the Nominative, as well as other Cafes: fee Exod. XXXII. 22. 1 Kings XIII. 34. Or may fignify the fame as J, A WEAPON.

-

but the Excellency of Knowledge is, that Wisdom giveth Life to

Rather [ ויתרון דעת החכמה תחיה בעליה : .them that have it

BUT THE EXCELLENT KNOWLEDGE OF WISDOM GIVETH LIFE TO THEM THAT HAVE IT.

V. 13. Confider the Work of God: for who can make that straight

ראה את מעשה האלהים - כי מי יוכל ?which be bath made grooked Rather [לתקן את אשר עותו :

-CONSIDER THE WORK OF GOD,

WHETHER ANY ONE CAN MAKE STRAIGHT THAT WHICH HE

HATH MADE CROOKED. See thefe feveral Particles thus used in Noldius's Concordance.

V. 14. In the Day of Profperity be joyful, but in the Day of Adverfity confider: God alfo bath fet the one over against the other, to the

ביום טובה היה בטוב .End that Man bould find nothing after bim וביום רעה ראה גם את זה לעמת זה עשה האלהים על דברת Our Tranflators explain the latter [ שלא ימצא האדם אחריו מאומה :

Clause thus "That Man should be able to controul nothing in his (God's) Works." See the Margin of the old Verfion. But that does not seem to be the Meaning, neither will the Words bear that Sense. I would render them, with all the ancient Verfions, thus - TO THE END THAT MAN MIGHT FIND NO BLAME AGAINST HIM. That is, God hath ordered that Good and Evil should be fo intermixed, that no Man is without his Share of either, and therefore cannot arraign his Providence. A may here fignify any Thing: but as

Blame is twice written D, it may be alfo confidered as having the paragogic: it occurs exactly in this Form and Sense, 1 Sam.XXIX. 3. and is here ufed as Lev. XXVI. 33. viz. Don 'npm and I will unfbeath the Sword AGAINST YOU. See also

חרב

I Sam. XIV. 37. &c.

והריקתי אחריכם

V. 15. All Things have I feen in the Days of my Vanity: ban ng ALL THIS HAVE I SEEN &c. as Gen. XXIV. 50. 777 XY — THIS THING cometh from the Lord. See alfo Ch. VIII. 9.

Rather - ALL THIS HAVE [ראיתי בימי הבלי

מיהוה יצא הדבר

there is a juft Man that perisheth in his Righteousness, and there is a wicked Man that prolongeth his Life in his Wickedness.

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PT 78] Rather, I think

THERE

IS

- ויש רשע מאריך ברעתו :

IS A JUST Man THAT IS DISAPPOINTED IN HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS; AND A WICKED Man THAT CONTINUETH LONG IN HIS WICKEDNESS. 728 has the Senfe of lofing or miffing the Way of Life or Happiness, Job. VI. 18. Pf. II. 12. See Taylor. 78, fimply, fignifies to continue long, Ch. VIII. 12.

V. 16. — why shouldeft thou destroy thyself? :Downs] Rather -BE DESOLATE; or left alone, as in the Margin, and in the old Verfion for a Man overrighteous or overwife (i. e. one who carries his Religion as far as Superftition, or whofe Prudence degenerates into Pyrrhonifm) bids fair to be forfaken by all his Companions.

[ירא אלהים יצא את כלם:

V. 18. for be that feareth God fhall come forth of them all. 3 : bbɔ ma xy, D] Rather SHALL PROCEED IN (or, ACCORDING TO ALL THESE, viz. Precepts. See Noldius, Art. 10 & 19. and to know the Wickedness of Folly,, even of Foolishness

V. 25.

-The old Ver [ולדעת רשע כסל והסכלות הוללות : .and Madnes

fion is here more agreeable to the Text, viz. AND TO KNOW the WICKEDNESS OF FOLLY, AND THE FOOLISHNESS OF MADNESS.

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whofe Heart is Snares and Nets, and her Hands as Bands:

- Rather, I think [ אשר היא מצודים וחרמים לבה אסורים ידיה

WHO HERSELF is SNARES, WHOSE HEART is NETS, and WHOSE
HANDS are BANDS: for the Pronoun seems here to be emphatical.

V. 27. Behold, this have I found, (faith the Preacher) counting one

ראה זה מצאתי אמרה קהלת אחת .by one, to find out the Account

pawn as on] Rather, I think thus - BEHOLD THIS HAVE I FOUND, SAITH THE PREACHER, OF ONE WITH THE OTHER, IN THE END OF THE ACCOUNT. NY is here confidered as a Substantive derived from xy, and fignifying literally the going forth. The has the Force of the Prepofition in; or it denotes that the Verb Substantive is understood. Qu. ought not we to read npn 1728 ?

V.29. Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made Man upright:

לבד ראה זה מצאתי אשר .but they have fought out many Inventions Rather, I think, thus - THIS [ עשה האלהים את האדם ישר וגו"

ONLY BY EXAMINING HAVE I FOUND, THAT GOD HATH MADE
MEN UPRIGHT &c. For is not here I apprehend an Interjection,
or the Imperative; if it were, it would claim the firft Place in the
Sentence,

Nn 2

Sentence, like ; but it is the Participle present of the Verb 8, which has this Senfe, Lev. XIII. 10. &c. and □ fignifies not only the first Man so called, or any other particular Man; but also the whole Aggregate of Mankind.

CHAP. VIII.

V. 1.—a Man's Wisdom maketh his Face to fhine, '87 078 00ɔn ENLIGHTENETH HIS FACE, or MAKETH IT GLO

Rather [פניו

RIOUS; as the Word is rendered in other Places.

13.

and the Boldness of his Face shall be changed. VIÐ 191] Rather --- BUT HE THAT HATH AN IMPUDENT COUNTENANCE SHALL BE HATED: thus ty is rendered, Prov. VII. Here the Prepofitionis fupplied before ; the literal Conftruction being-He that is impudent in his Face. In regard to N, it is the regular Future Niphal from &, as Prov. XIV. 17. which is there rendered in our Verfion HATED: fo that it is amazing our Tranflators would prefer to torture this Word by deriving it from ; and this too, for the fake of adopting a worse Sense.

V. 2. I counsel thee to keep the King's Commandment:

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,אנה or אנא is a Miftake for אני I think it is more probable that [שמר

than that a Word should have dropped from the Text; wherefore I would render KEEP, I PRAY THEE, &c. None of the old Verfions, the Vulgate excepted, feem to have had this Word in their Texts.

V.

3. Be not hafty to go out of his Sight: Stand not in an evil Thing :

Rather [אל תבהל מפניו תלך אל תעמד בדבר רע

RUSH NOT

HASTILY FROM HIS PRESENCE: (viz. as impatient) GO THY WAY, STAND NOT IN AN EVIL THING.

V. 6. Because to every Purpose there is Time and Judgment; therefore the Mifery of Man is great upon him.

כי לכל חפץ יש עת ומשפט

There feems to be no Connection be [כי רעת האדם רבה עליו :

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BECAUSE THERE IS A SEA-
FOR EVERY PURPOSE, or
BUT THE MISERY OF

tween these Claufes; and for this Reafon, I imagine, because they are Parts of different Verfes. The firft ought to be connected with the preceding Verfe, and rendered thus SON AND AN ESTABLISHED ORDER PURSUIT; and the latter Clause thus MAN IS GREAT UPON HIM, BECAUSE HE KNOWETH NOT THAT WHICH SHALL BE &c.

--

V. 12.

yet furely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him.

כי גם יודע אני אשר יהיה טוב ליראי The latter Claufe ought I think to be [האלהים אשר ייראו מלפניו :

rendered -WHO REVERENCE HIM: for preceded by the Verb is only an expletive Sign of the Accufative Cafe or thus, wнO STAND IN AWE OF HIS PRESENCE, as Jer. V. 22.

. CHA P. IX.

V. 1. the righteous, and the wife, and their Works are in the Hand of God: no Man knoweth Love, or Hatred by all that is before them.

הצדיקים והחכמים ועבדיהם ביד האלהים גם אהבה וגם שנאה אין Rather [יודע האדם הכל לפניהם :

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THE RIGHTEOUS, AND THE WISE, AND THEIR HOUSHOLDS are IN THE HAND OF GOD; but MEN KNOW NOT by ALL that is BEFORE THEM EITHER LOVE OR HATRED: i. e. "It is impoffible for Men to determine by God's Difpenfations of Profperity or Adverfity, whether he love, or do not love, them who are apparently righteous and wife." From this Circumstance, among others, one might be led to conclude that God's equal Adminiftration of temporal good and evil in the Jewish Commonwealth was at an End, which is generally fuppofed not to have happened till about the Time of the Babylonish Captivity. For David fays expreffly that he NEVER faw the righteous forfaken, nor his Seed begging Bread. P. XXXVII. 25.

V.3.

and after that, they go to the dead. * 1781} viz. the Madness Rather AND PURSUETH THEM to THE DEAD, juft before mentioned.

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but the dead know not any Thing, neither have they any

[והמתים אינם יודעים מאומה

ואין עוד להם שכר ;more a Reward

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V. 5. The whole of what is here faid from V. 1. to the End of V. 10. I confider as intended to fet forth the Principles of Epicureans; (for their System prevailed among the Jews, as well as the Greeks ;) for the Immortality of the Soul feems here to be denied, and at V. 7. an Exhortation begins to the Purfuit of all Manner of fenfual Gratifications.

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V.8. Let thy Garments be always white;—as
White Clothes are not only the pleafanteft in a warm Country, as was
Palestine, but also the most expenfive; as they cannot be worn fo
long as thofe of other Colours; Luxury is therefore here combined with
Coft.

V.9.

V. 9. Live joyfully with the Wife whom thou loveft all the Days of the Life of thy Vanity, which he hath given thee under the Sun, all the

ראה חיים עם אשה אשר אהבת כל ימי חיי הבלך .Days of thy Vanity As none of the ancient [ אשר נתן לך תחת השמש כל ימי הבלך :

100

Verfions acknowledge the laft Claufe, it is probable that it is repeated from the former Part by Miftake. I would therefore omit it, and render ENJOY LIFE (i. e. indulge) WITH THE WIFE WHOM THOU LOVEST ALL THE DAYS OF THY VAIN LIFE, WHICH IS GIVEN THEE UNDER THE SUN. The Sensualist, in order to pass over no Incentive to stimulate the Paffions, feems here to recommend Polygamy; for, by recommending a favourite Wife, he infinuates that the Perfon he spoke to had other Wives, or Concubines; a Practice but too much countenanced by Solomon himself, and all the opulent in every Part of the East.

V. 10. Whatsoever thy Hand findeth to do, do it with thy Might:

That is, * If there be any [ אשר תמצא ידך לעשות בכחך עשה

"other Means of pleafing the Senses not before enumerated that thou "canft think of, fail not to have Recourse to it:" for there is no Work, nor Device, nor Knowledge, nor Wisdom in the Grave whither thou goeft, i. e. (according to the fame System) after this Life the Body moulders into Duft, and the Soul is annihilated.

V. 11. I returned, and faw &c.] Qu. does it not seem that the Author would here be understood as giving an Account of a Progress he had made in different Parts, and exhibiting the several striking Characters he had met with in his Tour?

V. 17. The Words of wife Men are heard in Quiet, more than the

דברי חכמים בנחת נשמעים מזעקת .Cry of him that ruletb among fools [מושל בכסילים:

:Sippa berp] Rather-THE WORDS OF THE WISE OUGHT TO BE HEARD &c. as Mal. I. 6. A Son honoureth his Father, for OUGHT

TO HONOUR.

V. 18.

וחוטא אחד יאבד .but one Sinner detroyeth much good Rather [טובה הרבה:

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BUT ONE THAT ERRETH in Judgment &c. So Non fignifies, Job. V. 24.

CHAP. X.

V. 1. Dead Flies cause the Ointment of the Apothecary to fend forth

Rather [ זבובי מות יבאיש יביע שמן רוקח :a tinking Savour

DEAD

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