1848.] .28 .V רִגְמָתָם and רָדַם Sense of 333 descend; Mendelssohn and Ewald render their leader. The word is rendered by Sept., Vulg., Syr., Saad., leaders or rulers; by Jerome, M. ben Seruk, and Mendels., purple, i. q. 1978; by Rosenmüller and others stone, i. e. support, comparing the expression stone of Israel, Gen. 49: 24. These interpretations are all opposed to the obvious etymology of the words or to the context. The following is De Wette's translation: There was Benjamin the youngest (and) their ruler, The princes of Judah (and) their band. TT Which is essentially that of our English version. De Wette owns that it does not satisfy him; and in fact it is open to serious objections, both on the score of construction and meaning. The awkwardness of the sudden transition from the singular to the plural number, which arises from referring the suff. to 12 and 7, notwithstanding that they are collectives, is heightened by the omission in each case of the copula and. Besides, the verb means to trample on, to subdue enemies; and then to hold in subjection, to have dominion over, scil. the people or kings of another nation. It is never used of a prince simply ruling over his own people, not even in Ps. 72: 8; comp. 1 Kings 5: 4 [4: 24]. As the word is thus used only in an unfavorable sense, we are naturally led to refer its suffix not to Benjamin, but to the enemies who are spoken of both in what precedes and in what follows. An examination of the corresponding word in the next clause confirms the correctness of this interpretation. The Arab. verb means to stone, to cast stones at any one, and رجم also to heap up stones; and its derivative signifies accordingly a stoning, lapidation, and also a heap of stones. The Heb. verb and the Aram. Da are used only in the first of the above meanings, viz. to cast stones; and hence the Syr. and the Chald. ", mean only a stoning. The inference is clear that the corresponding Heb. noun is restricted to the same meaning with the Aramæan, i. e. stoning, lapidation. Hence we are not at liberty to render it, after the Arabic, heap of stones; much less can we suppose that this expression is used to denote heap in general, and then multitude, troop, i. e. soldiers (so Kimchi, De Wette, and others), or council (Seb. Münster and Eng. Vers.). I therefore render, with Böttcher and Lengerke: There is little Benjamin, their subduer; The princes of Judah, who showered stones upon them. and suppose with them that the abstract noun stoning is used collectively to denote those who cast stones,' and that reference is had to the hurling or slinging of stones, which was an important part of ancient warfare; see further in Böttcher. VERSE 29. Thy God (O Israel) hath ordained thy might, or rather thy glory; see next clause. God, who is here spoken of in the third person, is immediately afterwards addressed in the second; comp. similar transitions of person in vv. 2 and 3, 8 and 9 seq.— 3. The Sept., Vulg., and Syr. render, Strengthen, O God, what thou hast wrought for us, i. e. do still greater things than thou hast already done for us. But a careful examination of the passages in which this verb occurs, shows that this causative meaning cannot properly be imputed to the Kal form; nor does it here yield a proper sense, because the prayer to which this forms the introduction is, not that God will confer yet greater favors on his people, but that he will cause himself to be glorified of men in consequence of the great things which he has done for Israel. Accordingly we must render, with Ewald, De Wette, and Lengerke, Be thou glorious (i. e. glorify thyself), O God, who hast wrought for us. The meaning thus given to the verb is supported by that of its derivative 1, which signifies might, power, and also glorious might, glory; and by the like meaning of the Arab..—The same general sense is expressed by the Chaldee: Show thyself mighty (or glorious), O God, in what thou hast made for us, scil. the temple, mentioned in the following verse. But this construction, which is adopted in a different sense by Schnurrer and Rosenmüller, supposes an ellipsis which is not readily supplied. VERSE 30. at thy temple. The use of the prep. ? to denote direction and then locality, which is found e. g. in the well known term (see Ges. Lex. 1 3. h), seems to be extended to the simi .9 :45 .both in this place and in Ps מִן הֵיכָל or מֵהֵיכָל lar expression By adopting this rendering we are freed from the unsatisfactory interpretation of Symmachus, because of thy temple, which has found favor with most modern commentators; and without having recourse to De Wette's objectionable expedient of connecting this clause with the preceding verse. The only versions in which I find the rendering here proposed are the Ethiopic and Arabic.-lit. to thee let kings bring gifts in procession, scil. in token of homage; an allusion to the well known oriental custom, both in ancient and modern times, of bearing gifts to a great man with much pomp and display. This last phrase may assist us in estimating the date of the 1848.] Meaning of "beast of the reeds." 335 psalm. The first writer who makes use of the verb band whose age is known with historical certainty is Isaiah. It is afterwards employed by Jeremiah, Hosea, and Zephaniah, and it occurs repeatedly in the Psalms and in Job; see Ges. Lex. where all the passages are cited. The word " is found only in connection with the verb just mentioned. It is used by Isaiah in the phrase " presents shall be brought, scil. from Ethiopia, Is. 18:7; and also in Ps. 76: 12, which speaks of bringing presents to God. VERSE 31. the beast of the reeds. Aben Ezra explains to mean spears, after the Arabic usage, and renders the company of spearmen, in which he is followed by Kimchi and the English version. But this interpretation is opposed by the following clause; fi om which it is evident that the words must be taken in their primary signification to denote a savage beast of some kind, and that this beast must represent some inimical prince or people. Jarchi accordingly supposes it to mean the wild boar, and to typify the Edomites; but he has found few to acquiesce in his views. The common opinion among modern commentators is, that it denotes the crocodile, and that this is a figure for Egypt. They base it on the supposition that this verse and the next refer to the same people. But this is not necessarily the case; on the contrary they seem, when closely compared with each other and with what follows, to speak in a different tone and not improbably of different nations. Hence the opinion of Saadiah, Lowth, Schnurrer, and Böttcher is to be preferred, who suppose the animal intended to be the lion. That the cane-brakes which fringe the banks of the Jordan were in ancient times the common resort of lions, is evident from Jer. 49: 19. 50: 44. Zech. 11: 3; comp. Relandi Palest. p. 274. It is not unlikely too that these animals infested more particularly the northern parts of the river, owing to the frequently disturbed state of the regions round about it; and this would render the lion a peculiarly appropriate representative of a northern or north-eastern enemy, comp. Jer. 4: 6, 7. The repeated allusions to Bashan in an unfavorable sense (v. 16 and 23) and the bulls of אַבִּירֵי בָשָׁן bulls in the same manner as אַבִּירִים use of the word Bashan, Ps. 22: 13, cause me to refer the terms of this verse, with Schnurrer and Böttcher, to an enemy situated to the north-east, say the Syrians. The mention of kings in the preceding verse authorizes us to understand with Schnurrer as denoting the enemy's king, just as crocodile is used to represent the king of Egypt, Ezek. 29: 3. 32: 2. The terms bulls and calves in the next clause will then fitly designate the military leaders and the soldiers or common people. lit. the calves of the nations, i. e. of the heathen countries; comp. the phrase in i. q. vas in Zeph. 2: 14. The Chald. and Syr. who humbleth himself for bits מִתְרַפֶּס בְּרַצֵי כָּסֶף .explain this of idols of silver. This phrase is usually applied to the enemies collectively. De Wette adopts the construction of the Sept., Vulg., Aben Ezra, Eng. Vers., and Ros., and renders that they may prostrate themselves with pieces of silver; but he candidly owns that such a use of the participle is without a parallel. It is better to adhere to the relative construction of the Chald., Ewald, and Lengerke, which is so common in Hebrew poetry; at the same time referring it, not to the enemies in general, but to their king, an, with which expression it logically agrees in the masc. singular. With Sachs I have assigned to the preposition the meaning for, for the sake of, as in Gen. 29: 18. According to this rendering, the enemy's king is represented as subjecting himself to the shame of defeat in battle for the sake of the booty which he had vainly hoped to carry away (as in Judg. 5: 19); comp. the concluding expression of the other member of the parallel, “the nations that delight in war."— scatter thou. In this single instance I reluctantly depart from the Masoretic punctuation, along with the ancient versions and most modern interpreters, and read the verb in the imperative; which the context seems almost absolutely to require. If we retain the preterite pointing, we must render, Yea, he scatters the nations, etc.; but this interrupts the continuity too much. VERSE 32. out of Egypt. This poetic form of the preposition is used twice in Judg. 5: 14, in similar phrases.-7 let Ethiopia quickly stretch forth her hands, lit. make its hands run. The verb 7, which immediately follows the subject, agrees with it as the name of a country in the fem. sing.; but in the word ", which is removed a degree further from it, the agreement is neglected as far as the gender is concerned, the suffix being put in the masculine. Comp. the similar instances in 1 Kings 19: 11. 7 Ps. 63: 2. The verse expresses the wish that Egypt and Ethiopia may soon come as tributaries to Jehovah, and join his chosen people in acknowledging his sovereignty. It is only by taking the verse in this favorable sense that we obtain a natural transition to the following stanza. Comp. the like kindly predictions respecting these nations in Is. 18: 7. 19: 19-25. Ps. 87: 4. VERSE 33. The psalmist, reverting to the general theme of the second stanza, but introducing different expressions in accordance with what has gone before, now calls upon all the kingdoms of the earth to sing the praises of God. 1848.] Occasion and Date. VERSE 34. Pa 337 to him that rideth upon the heavens, the ancient mountains Num. 23: 7. the heavens of old; comp. Deut. 33:15. b that ancient river Judg. 5: 21. As the writer designedly introduces specific differences between this and the second stanza, we are not to force upon the phrase i v. 5 an exact conformity of meaning with the present clause; comp. the closing remarks on v. 19. As to the two construct nouns in apposition, see the same construction Judg. 19: 22. Ps. 78: 9, and comp. the expression jag na nang etc. so often used by Isaiah and Jeremiah (Ges. Lehrg. p. 677). bip ip he utters (i. e. speaks) with his voice, a mighty voice, alluding to the thunder, as in Ps. 46: 7. We have here a repetition for the sake of emphasis like that in the first clause; comp. Ps. 106: 7. VERSE 35. by his majesty is over Israel, scil. as a protection. This and the preceding verse seem to contain a reminis cence of Deut. 33: 26; comp. Ps. 36: 6. 57: 11. 103: 19. VERSE 36.pen in thy sanctuaries; comp. v. 30 and Ps. 135: 21. The plural is used here as elsewhere of the temple on Zion, which formed an assemblage of many parts; comp. Jer. 51:51. Ezek. 21: 7. Ps. 73: 17. 74: 7. The tabernacle is always called in the singular app; for the plur. p which occurs in Lev. 21: 23 means hallowed things i. q. p 22: 2, 3, 4, etc. Comp. the like use of the plur. in courts Ps. 84: 3, 11. dwellings Ps. 46: 5. 84: 2. the 132: 5.-The Hebrews often employ the definite article where we should make use of a passive pronoun; so here the expression people is equivalent to my his people in Ps. 29: 11. Occasion and Date. The most difficult of all the difficult questions that belong to the interpretation of this psalm-viz. What is the occasion that called it forth and the date of its composition?—I have purposely deferred to the last; because our only reliable guide to a solution of it is to be looked for in hints scattered up and down the psalm itself, and in order to understand their force, it is necessary that they should first be examined in detail. The chief opinions that have been broached respecting the origin of this psalm are the following: 1. It was composed by David, to celebrate the exodus from Egypt and the giving of the Law on Sinai. So the older rabbins. 2. Composed by David, on the occasion of bringing the ark from .VOL. V. No. 18. 29 |