Commentary on the Holy Bible

rriHROUGH many dela^ occaiioned by avariety onunderaDoai, "Sie detail of iriikh wonldbe omless to the reader, I hare at length brought this part of my work to its conch^^ mdnowsendit to the pdUie, not without ameacnre of amdety j for thoii|^ perfectly Batiafied with the piin^ of 117 motiveM, and the timplicity my intention, I am ikr from being pleased with the wi^ itself. The viae and the learned will no dotdit find many things d^ecHve, and perhaps some incorrect. Defects necessarUy attach themselves to my plan: the perpetual endeavour to be as eoneiee as poBBible, bast no doubt, in several cases produced obaenri^. Whatever errors may bQ i^erved, must be attributed to my scantiness of knowledge, when compared with the learning and information necessary fta the tolendde perfection of such a work.

To an undertaking of this kind, a man's whole time should be dedicated— to me this is impoBsible, having a variety of other avocations, most of which have an equal claim on my time and attention. Although I had been making collections for many years past, I have begun the work anew, aet availing myself of a single page of what I had before written: I have Te-trnnsrribai the whole, and made innumerable retreDchmenlB and additions. I do not pretend to write for the learned; I look up to them myself for instruction. aU pretensions of my work are included in the seflMtnce that stands in the title: it is designed as a help to a better underetanding of the Sacred WHtings. Here its daims end. If there be but a few spots, such aa may be fairly attribated to human frailty, and comparatively inefficient means, the candid will pass them by, in favour of the general principle. -

I had at first designed to introduce a considerable portion of criticism on the sacred text, accompanied with illustrations ttom ancient authors; but after having made many coUectioos of this kind, on some particular parts, I was induced to throw almost the whole of them aside, for two reasons, 1. Because a continuation of my original plan, through the whole work, would have necessarily taken up more time than I could have well spared: and, 2. Because luiving designed my notes not for the learned, but for comparatively simple people, or those whose avocations prevent them from entering deeply into subjects of this kind, I thought it best tobring everything as much as possible within their reach, and thos study rather to be useful, than appear to be learned. The criticiem which appears in the work, is of a very humble description; its chief merit consisting in pointing out the force and meaning of oertain egressions which no simple transIotiMi can reacb; and the doing this, in sach away, as tocause the subjectto be the more easUy understood. By the standard therefore of sincere endeavour to be netful, I wish alone My work to be tried: and hope that none will look for more in it than the title will authorize him to expect. What is now before the reader is a fair specimm of the whole; iT he be pleased, and in any measure profited by it, should- God spare him and the author, he may expect farther improvement. In the mean time let him remembef, that fliough even Paul should plant, and ApoUos water, it is Qoo alone that gives the npHB diflforent nadiHit of the earth which have reMived the OU end Kew Testaments as a divine revelation, hava X not only had then carefully translated into their respective languages, but have also agreed in the propriety and neceaaity of illustrating them by commenta. At first, the tosertion of a word or »mtence m the mar^n, exptainji^ aome partinUar word in the text, constituted the whole of the commehL Afterward, these were mingled with the tazt, but with such marks as served to distinguish them from the words they were intended to illustrate: sometimes the comment interlined with the text; and at other times it occupied a space at the bottom of the page.

Ancient comments, whttea in all these various ways, I have often seen; and a Bible now lies before me, written, probably, b^ore the time of Wtd^e, where the gltwsea are all incorporated with the text, and only distinguishea firom it by a line ludemealb, evidently added 1^ a later hand. As a muter of citrion^, I shall introduce a fov ■pscimen*.

Comments written in this way, have given birth to multitudes of the various r^idingt afibrded by ancient manu- ■eripts: for, the notes of distinction being omitted or n^leeted, the gioaa was considered as an int^ral part of the text, and entered accordingly by succeeding copyists.

liiis is particularly remorliable in the Vulgate, which abounds with explanatory words and phrases similar to those in the preceding quotations. In the Septuagint also, traces of this custom are easily discernible, and to tliis circum- BAance many of its various readings may be attributed.

Perhaps the most ancient comments of this kind were tlie Ckaldee Paraphraaes, or Targvnu, particularly tlioso of Okkbloo on the laa, and Jokatuam on the propk^i the former written a short time before the Christian era. the latter about fifty years after the Incarnation- These comments are rather glotaea on words, than an exposition of OUni^! and the former is little more than a verbal translation of the Hebrew text into pure Chaldee.

The Taiouh Vbedbhijuizt is written tn the manner of the two former, and contains a Parapliraae, in veiy eomipt Chaldee, on select parts of the five books of Moses.

The T^rgum, ascribed lo Jwathan btn Dcziel, embraces the whole of the Pentateuch; but is disgraced with the moot ridiculHui and incredible fiibhs.

In proportion to the. distance of times from the period in which the sacred oracles were deltvMred, the necessity of comments became more appareBl: for, the political state of the people to whom the scriptures were ar%ina)ly given, as wall as that of the surrouoding nations, being, in (he lapse of time, essentially ehuiged; hence was found the neeessi^ ot Afstoneof and chronMigical notes, to illustrate the bos related in the Sacred Bo<Aa.

Did tue nature of this preface permit, it might be useful to enter into a detailed history of commentators and their works, and show by what sjadations they proceeded from simple verbal glosses, to those colossal accumulations, In which, Ihe worda qf God Tie buried in the sayings ((f vwn. But this, at present, is impractienble i a short sketch must uterefore suffice.

Among the Jeuw, several eminent commentators appeared at different times, besides the Targundtts alreaity mentioned, who endeavoured to illustrate di^rent parte of the law and the prophets. Philo Joojnre m^y bo redconed among these; whose works contain eaveial curious inatiMo in explication of difirent porta of the Hetrew Scriptures. He flourished about A. D. 40.

JooxTHDs may be fiurly ranked among commentators; the first twelve books of his Jewish Antiquities are a regular eoromeot oa the political and ecclesiastic history of the Jews, as given in the Bible, from the foondviim of die world to the time of the Asmoneansj or Afooooieef. He flourished about A. D. 60.

It ie well known ihM the Subiimj^ or <M Law of the Jews, is a pretended comment tn the five books of Uosta. TU« wa« eom(»Ied fimn innomeraUo tndittoitt by Rabbi Jttdah ffamtodeA, about tbeyear of our Lord 160.

The TALBfuDo, both of Jerusalem and Babylon, are a comment on the MtJmah. The former was compiled about A. D. 300, the latter about two hundred years after.

Chaldee TKrgtun8,-or Par^ihraKs, have been written on all the books of the Old Testament, the two books of CAronietes, Sxra, and Daniel, excepted: all that could then be found, were published in the X.ondon Polygloit. After that work was printed, a Targum on the two books of Chronicles was discovered in the university of Cambridge, and printed at Amsterdam, with a Latin translation, 4to. 1715, by Mr. D. JVUHns. It is attributed to Rabbi JosejM A« bUndj who flomMied about A. D. 400.

TTie Hazoums were the most extensive Jewish commentltora whichthat nation could ever boast The system of punotaatUm, probably invented by them, is a oonftnuo^ gloss on die law and propliets: their voted points, sod prosaic and metrical aocents, give every word, te which they are affixed, a peculiar kind of meaning, which, in their ■bayris state, nniltiitidBi of man can by no means bear. Tbo vowel points alone, add vJioU confugations to the lan- 0MVt. TUa syat^iaoM of tba moat artificial, particular, and extensive ennunenti erer vritien on Ae Word of

Godi for there la nol one ward in the Bilile Llicil ia nut suhjeeL of b. pCirlicinW glotia^ through Ila lEil^uenr?. "^lim sehco! U (uppu^^d to Imve '■MniannrAi rtboui -IsO ^c-^m bi-rnrc aur Litri], mid lo hnve extended tbwn to A. H. 1030.

Hiibbi Sa Aoi AS (ijio?*, iibMit i)3tl, ■wrutD a coin mt!i fury upon Dami;!, and eo\nc other puria of Hirnpliir*: i uid

Haiflti SoioMKT Jkoftii ot- I^auJ.!, v-'ha flouriahgd in A. D. I: HO, ^-roie a commcnlaTy on iJie whole Bible bo compleiclv obacuiv, ij-i require a v^ry Urge ciJinmeni to make it inr -Hisil?!*.

la llf>d, Aaiin EzKA, a jiustiy celehrnccd Sp^iiEi robbm^ flaLinshed; hia cosunentariea od ihc Bible arc demmtOj Aileemed, both by Je^v.t oiuJ 'Cicnt.iks.

Jtabbi MoEEs ficu Mav^ox, comtndnly called Mniitmnides, aIbo ranki bifh amoitEr tht Jc\<ritli comcnenL&ton; hia ■work ciiiillwl jl/itrt'i Ncbodiim, ur 3V(*er i?^ wrn/trfrf, n most escellent illuatraiion of aoine of Uw mott diHi-i;ii)t \vori33 unri itiin^ in tho Sacred Wrilingg, He fltmriahed about A. D, llliO.

Haliffi DaVid Kiml'iii, b. Spanish Jcu', wrote a very niu^rul CL)7iim«iit on most bixikn of ihe Old TcHtamcQl: hia comment on tlie prc-fjliei Isatah, js peoihsirlj excelUnL flouriHheii oliout A. D. 1220.

liabbi Jacob Baal Hattuoui, aoufidliea A. D. TJOP, uid wiol« ebon notes <7r obKrvtviiom on iha Pentateuch, pnncipally cabal ill inn I.

llaolii Leoi ben Geuhom, a Portugiiexe Jqw and phyjiciiuii dourtHhed A. D. and vrote aCmc eateemed Fom- mctils on diir«n'iil p&rls of ScrifHnrf, wpecially ihc j^rc &ODi-« of Ma^es,

Rnhbi Is-i *c AriKABAfiEL or Aeabsa^'iil, h Poriupicus Jeu*, uho floitmhod A. D, Ki30> wrote also some voJuaible commciiianc^ on Ihe S^riiiiiures, wlnf li arc hiD;lily eainemfd bv Llie IperriFJ.

K\BBr?ioo Isaiah topoIc select noipa or cibBarvn-tionH pn Ihe Bookc of Samuel.

Thia lial inight be CreiUi; enlEu^ed uilh wrilcre of minor imporCance WnnTig Lht [ Iwt pffibiiLI? [hft rtader asj think ihat cno*.igli hu ulrcady been said cm \i\<i Aibject. 1 ehai] only add, that aa meat of the JewiF'h commeau (WB wriiien an tlie corrupt ChaMe^ ninleei, and ttrc in g&neral printed in the rahbi-niatl diarader^ wtm h ifevTi evMl amoo'j Bcholars, ran read; liem-e 0ie7 we, compnraiiViely, hiu link known. Il rai±Bt bn howEver aJlowr*!, thut they &re of ^cal acrviir-c ill iLliulrating the ritta aad ctrtmonia of ihe Mosaic Ictw; and of gretit uae to die Chrisimna in ihcic controvTfica wiih the Juwa.

As sevetAl cf ray reiwiera jtiity wiah to linow ■where ihesw eommenta may be found } it *Ul gi*'e ihecn pkaaiirt 10 ba informed, iViiUthe Wc^itnu or Chaldee riLraphraa»a of O^^kblOb aud JoyAfHAx; ihe 7*nrpiini JuaueHLKMEY; tiw Masorau; ihe commniiiii of Habar, \, c, Itahbi [hivid Ki'fKhi; Rahi;i, i- p. Rabbi Solam-on Jarchi; IIauiai;, i. e, liablii Ijtvi hen Gerehon { Rambam, i.e. Rabbi jl/osea ben Aluytiion, at Maim onides; Raehag, 1. 1: /inbbi Saadiax GasiX; Aw-a E^sA, u'itl;i llie eisinly Dbaetvulions of Rabbi Joseph Baal HATTtniM, on the live booVa of Mcis^ca; and tho«e of Rtbiii IsAiAii, on the twn booki O'f Samuel, are &1I pnnt>ed in the second cdiLion oF Bom^rsi'a Rrc&i Bible, Vcniep, 1M7, At 2 vols, folio: The incisl ussfil, ihe mist correct, ajid ih-e most vul'tioble tJcbri-w Bible ever piWiahed, It mnv be just ninxasariHa aaji ^mt Jtadak^ Rimki, ffalbm^, Ae. are lerlinvral nam&a f^ven to Ibeao rfibhins from ths initinlf or^thf Lf proper nnme-% -with *»in» inieninBed voweJa; as RdDaK, elanda for Rabbi Datid Kinicht; "RaShl, Car Riibbi ^ialomon JanJd; RaI.13eG, for Rablil L^eei htn Q/gtkom; and ao of the rest, Tll& Tarritm* of OnkeJoa ■nd Jtjn/sihon, stb also primed m Iha lliree firet volumea Qftilfl Jjondan J^olyploU, with a pener^ly' oorreci lii«ral Latin Twaicic. Tiie TarFum ojcribed to Jonalhan, btti U^Titl, an,d ihe Tarq^tm Jeniwklemeij on the Penislfuoli, are printpd, with a litprfll I^alin version, in the fourth vDhimc of ih? ahcve wort. Ttie Miikntih hss Itecn prinicd in a fnost elegant fntuuier by SuTenhuaias, Amaterdniti, 169^ 6 vob. folii-o, with a L&LiB tranaiatign, luiU ui tOnindniics «f notea.

(%rujura rommpntntors, both arjeient isnd modem, are ^ii^ily irinre miTnefOMs, more picelleni, and hotter known, than those oinrijin ths Jewa. On tlua loiter aceounC I may lie well excused for nasaing bv mcuiT, wliich have all their re«[>ective exijellelU'ies^ ud mentioning only & few out of the vast multiliide, wKidi tae eiihcr tnore enuDent, or mora eaw of ocrcai.

ConinicDiB may be divided into _/"ot(r diflCir^ei otHSea Thoae of the TVimiiiw F'aSierg and DoHort of Ae Gaivflii 3. Thoee wriCtra by Roman Cathaliesa; 3. Those wiitCea hy Prgiulaniai and 4. Compiimiom from bath, onJ ColUciiam <jf B^Ueal CritieB.