sage in which it is found is Genesis xxxii. 21, where Jacob, desirous of reconciliation with his brother, and approach

אֲכַפְּרָה פָּנָיו בַּמִּנְחָה,ing him with bountiful presents, says

Akaffrah phanaiv bam-mincha, in our Bible, " I will appease him with the present." Here we have the verb in another form, in Pignel; as Kal denotes the simple, momentaneous action, so the verb in Pignel means the intensity' or continuance of the action. There is a peculiar energy in this Hebrew phrase, and almost intranslatable ad literam. The sense, however, is preserved in our common version. It may be paraphrased thus: "I will effectually overspread his coun tenance with my offering." That is, I will operate on his feelings, and thus his returning affection will manifest itself in his face, the index of the mind. The suffusion of bitumen on wood, &c. changes its appearance, and preserves it, and this simple action is expressed only by the verb in Kal; but continued everlasting obliteration, and, figuratively, reconciliation and atonement, are most properly and metaphorically denoted in the Pignel form. Thus, in these two first passages in which the verb occurs, we have at once an instance of the true sublime, a beautiful yet natural transition from the simple to the figurative sense, and, in my humble opinion, one among many of the satisfactory examples of the necessity of the points; by the means of which this form of the verb is chiefly distinguished. Prov. xvi. 15. is completely parallel.

We now proceed to the passages in which this verb, still in the Pignel form, but in composition with the preposition by signifies to atone. The primary signifi

cation of is over, and from this notion we have that of protection naturally suggesting itself, also in the figurative sense of "for the sake of;" and more than 60 times, as noted before, this particle appears most clearly with these significations. I quote a few of the numerous passages: De Exod. xxix. 37. "Thou shalt make atonement for the altar."

xxx. 10. " And Aaron shall make atonement on the horns of it."

I

It is worth remark, that the despised Septuagint, in about 70 passages, expresses this Hebrew verb, not by the primary indokeobal, but by the intensive dokeσ0α: an evident proof that the Pignel form of the verb, and of course the points, existed in the time of those translators..

Exod. xxx. 15. * To atone for your לְכַפֶּר עַל־נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם

souls."

Lev. i. 4. "To make atonement for him."

make atonement for them." with all the remaining passages in which the verb invariably appears in Pignel, and compounded with the above preposition by (gnal), meaning to "atone," the best word our language furnishes; but it does not come near the descriptive energy of the original, by which the mind's eye beholds the impressive ceremonial, the supplicant congregation in the attitude of humility and confession, and the high priest at the altar as mediator, and as the third quotation literally translated would be, over their souls. Before the Christian Hebraist is depicted the exaltation of the Great Redeemer; and in the united verb, and the preposition in this form Pignel, the perpetuity of redemption, and, under the visible shedding of the blood of the victim, is typified the overspreading oblivion and obliteration of crime: or, to use the words of our excellent Church Catechism, "the outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace." If Noah be considered in the character of priest of his family, which at the time of his officiation made up the entire human race, we must of course suppose the ceremonial of sacrifice, and that, therefore, the sacred writer (Moses) would have used precisely the same phrase to express the command, as he and the other writers do in all the 60 or 70 passages; and therefore, kafár-eth, cannot and does not signify the same as by kiffeír gnal. As to the argument of Mr. B., (more plausible than sound,) viz. that because in the other passages, where mention is made of bitumen, another Hebrew word ♫ is used to express it, therefore cannot be in that signification! To this it may be replied that Л and are cognate words in their primary sense, and refer to two distinct pro

'This word is expressed exactly by the Latin propitiari-pro is gnal, signifying for or for the sake of, and the other part of the word from I dropping the reduplicate: liquidum præbeo: alluding to the ancient libations and the shedding of the blood of the victim. Here we may trace the ancient Roman ritual to the Mosaic.

perties of bitumen, or pitch. The figure ellipsis reigns universally throughout the Hebrew language: a very great number of the words commonly denominated substantives, are evidently, and may be traced as, nouns appellative or participial. Thus Kofer, from the participle Kofeir, covering, overspreading, or that which covers or overspreads; hence the word л, which primarily signifies exudation, is understood, and the ellipsis supplied would be

Zéfeth hakkófer, the covering exudation, which idea the context of the chapter under notice would obviously suggest to a native Israelite, when the Hebrew was a living language. Hence the epithet is altogether appropriate and self-intelligible; as nothing more completely covers nad preserves the substance or material to which it is applied than pitch. The letters and are cognate. From D tzouf, to ooze out, exudate, or distil, we have the Hiphil form Dy tzif, which, connected with the extensively formative particle П, produces the substantive ny exudation; but, on account of the kindred of the letters above noted, the Lexicons show only.

Resinous gums and tar, of which pitch is manufactured, exudate from various trees by the sun's heat, or the application of fire. But why, for the pitch on the ark, in preference to Л? We are now approaching the stone over which Mr. Bellamy has so unfortunately stumbled. Commentators agree, not that Noah was commanded to atone, but that the preservation of himself and family is indeed typical of the Mediation through Christ. The sacred writer, to convey that solemn symbol, seems to have given especial and just preference to the word (the epithet indicative of protection and preservation) before. The covering of pitch over the timber of the ark was, during the angry deluge, most strictly and locally intermediate! it was between the entire human race and destruction.

Mr. Bellamy, in your last Journal for March, page 128, affirms that the word na is " not noticed in the common version," and is "surprised how the translators have dared

"See Gusset, page 399. Ams. Ed. 1702.
Cl. Jl.

VOL. XXIV.

NO. XLVIII. U

to reject it!!"-One weak position requires others to defend it. Aware of the universal conviction that the ceremonial of the atonement was instituted by Moses and Aaron, he makes a vain effort to support his novel opinion by the assertion that God communicated with Noah from the mercy seat in the ark.

As to a being rejected by our translators, permit Mr. Bellamy to be told that this is an unjust charge against them; and a shock to the common sense of a Tyro in the Hebrew language. Below are the Hebrew, the despised Septuagint, the Vulgate, and the version of Tremellius, with our own:

May as Aukufarthé authah mib

ומחוץ
מִבַּיִת

báith u michuz bakkofer. τῇ ἀσφάλτω καὶ ἔξωθεν ἔσωθεν + αὐτὴν καὶ ἀσφαλτώσεις Septuaginta. pice et-extrinsecus intrinsecus eamet-picabis-Tremellius et Junius. bitumine et-extrinsecus intrinsecus eam et-linies-Vulgate. with pitch and without within it and thou shalt pitchall these translations are verbatim, and your readers will please to read them from right to left in the Hebrew manner, and let them judge whether map be translated or not!! Then, as to this word meaning " Mercy-seat," Mr. Bellamy does not produce a single authority. Wherever Mercy-seat is meant, it is uniformly expressed by , and it occurs no where in the Bible till the history of the institution of the Levitical priesthood.

Mr. Bellamy remarks, "this word na is truly translated by house or temple, a place of divine worship," and directs us to "Kings xi. 10 and 13, Isaiah Ivi. 7, 1 Chron. vi. 10, 2 Chron. xxiii. 10, xxxv. 20, Prov. xvii. 1." Truly translated house or temple! indeed? When in his four first references this nap is translated IN the TEMPLE! in the 5th FROM the house: in 2 Chron. xxxv. 20. the word does not occur; and in Prov. xvii. 1. it is translated, and property," than a house!!" Here then, Mr. Editor, is either misrepresentation, designed to protect his version of Gen. vi. 14, or ignorance of the sub ject, and of the language, in the knowledge of which he claims exclusive pre-eminence. But, fortunately for the cause of truth, here is a passage exactly parallel to the one in question, where, besides in numerous other instances, the words and are translated," within and without:"

" and thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it." This places the accuracy of the received version of Gen. vi. 14. on a basis immoveable against the attacks of infidelity or fanaticism. And by the way we have here another proof of the kindred meaning in the rationale of the words and Л, and that they respect

ively may denote pitch or its properties.

And finally, it appears that the common version of this verse reposes on the authority and collected opinion of ages; and it is not, as Mr. Bellamy has presumed to designate it, "a consecrated error," but firmly established and consecrated truth. To controvert this, Mr. Bellamy disputes, and would disturb, the tenor of the divine dispensation, as universally believed and clearly apparent in the Bible; he must abjure the doctrine of the points, inasmuch as he disregards all grammarians and lexicographers, subjecting them to his own opinions: and what he writes is plainly tantamount to the assertion that the Jews, Arabians, Chaldeans, and Syrians, have not understood their own languages!

I must defer for another opportunity the notice of Mr. Bellamy's translation of 2 Kings v. 18; I now merely affirm, as I shall endeavour to prove, that our present version of the passage is correct-that Elijah's answer to Naahman is in no respect derogatory to his high character as a prophet, or the least compromise of his holy religion. Liverpool, July, 1821. J. W.: ᎫᎳ.

IN HISTORIAM ANTIQUIORUM TEMPORUM ET SERIORIS ÆTATIS OBSERVATIONES CRITICÆ. 1

QUE U ad historiam vel antiquiorum temporum, monumentorum, hominum et populorum, vel serioris ætatis, ejusque institutorum, et civitatum pervestigandam et judicandam nuper variam in partem quæsita sunt et tum conjiciendo et colligendo inventa tum concludendo et comparando effecta, non solum deinceps enarrare constitui, sed etiam ad certiorem quamdam rationem adducere, et ita persequi, ut, quæ et quantum quæque probabilia sint, de quibus aliter statuendum videatur, appareat, provideaturque, ne decretis nonnullis rationibusve temere adsentiamur.