Niphal, it should signify to be found guilty,' or ' to be condemned.' Here it denotes the imputation of guilt to the Messiah.

"the rod of men," the rod due to men. See Kennicott's Posthumous Dissertations.

This rendering of this clause entirely removes its apparent incoherence, as it has been generally understood, with the rest of the prophecy. This clause as it has been generally understood, is inapplicable to the Messiah. All the rest of the prophecy is applicable to him, and some parts of it, in the full extent of the terms, is inapplicable to any one else. It is very remarkable, however, that the whole clause, "if he commit iniquity--men," is omitted in the parallel place in the first Book of Chronicles.

Verse 16. " before thee." Read, with LXX, and some MSS. of Kennicott's and De Rossi's, "", "before me."

"thy house-thy kingdom--thy throne"-" his house-his kingdom-his throne"- LXX. This whole verse is conceived in much stronger terms in the parallel place of the First Book of Chronicles, xvii, 14.

"But I will establish him in MY house and in

MY kingdom for ever, and his throne shall be firm for evermore."

Verse 19." and is this the manner of man, O

Lord God?"

וזאת תורת האדם אדני יהוה וראיתני בתור * האדם המעלה יהוה אלהים

2 Sam. vii, 19.

1 Chron. xvii, 17.

When these two passages are considered in their respective contexts, it is manifest that they are exactly parallel; and both, when rightly understood, must render the very same sense. The varieties in the expression being only such, as the writer of the Book of Chronicles has introduced, according to his manner for the sake of greater accuracy in relating the words of another, or to explain words and phrases that might seem doubtful in the narrative of the more antient author. Hence it is to be inferred that the words in Samuel, and in the Book of Chronicles, are words of the very same import, and are to be referred to the same root, differing only in the gender, which is feminine in Samuel, and mäs

Some of Kennicott's MSS. have 2, which seems to be the better reading of the two. The sense according to either will be the same.

culine in Chronicles.

The writer of the Book of

Chronicles probably prefered the masculine form to prevent the necessity of referring the noun to the root, from which the feminine may, but the masculine cannot, be derived. The true root, therefore, in the judgment of the inspired writer of the Book of Chronicles, was ; and the two passages may be thus expounded:

2 Sam. vii, 19. "And this [namely, what was said about his house in distant times] is the arrangement about The MAN, O Lord Jehovah."

1 Chron. xvii, 17. "And thou hast regarded me in the arrangement about The MAN that is to be from above, O God Jehovah." That is, in forming the scheme of the Incarnation, regard was had to the honour of David and his house as a secondary object, by making it a part of the plan, that the Messiah should be born in his family. This is indisputably the sense of both passages, though far more clearly expressed by the later writer. Compare Dr Kennicott's Posth. Dr Kennicott, not perceiv ing the identity of the two words and , was not aware that the two passages render the very same sense, with no other difference than the advantage of perspicuity, and perhaps of accuracy, in

reciting David's very words, on the side of the author of the Book of Chronicles. I owe, however, to Dr Kennicott the important hint, that, in Samuel, and hyn, in Chronicles, allude to Christ, and to none else, which led me to the right understanding of both passages.

Verse 23. —“to do for you." Read, with Vulgate and some MSS. ; " for them.”

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—“ for thy land,” &c. For 7, which has no meaning, read ¬¬. See 1 Chron. xvii, 21. And for at the end of the verse, read, with a MS. -" that thou mightst drive out from before thy people, which thou hadst redeemed unto thyself from Egypt, nations, and their gods."

.ואלהים

CHAP. viii, 1. tributi," Vulg.

"Metheg-ammah," —“ frenum

"the bridle of bondage," Queen Elizabeth's Bible. Whatever may be the meaning of the name, Gath is the place meant. See 1 Chron. xviii, 1.

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Verse 2. —" casting them down to the ground;' rather, "laying them along upon the ground."

Verse 3.-"to recover;" rather, "to establish." 1 Chron. xviii, 3, LXX, and Vulgate.

Verse 4. a thousand chariots, and seven hundred horsemen, and," &c. The word chariots is

very properly inserted upon the authority of the parallel place in Chronicles, and the version of the LXX here. In the parallel place in the book of Chronicles, and in the version of the LXX, the number of horsemen is 7000, instead of 700, as we read here in the Hebrew text. I am much inclined. to think that the true reading in both places is thus, "seven hundred chariots and a thousand horsemen." If these horsemen were, as I vehemently suspect, men riding astride on the horses that drew the cars, if each car was drawn by a pair of horses, the number of horsemen, if all were taken, should be double the number of the cars. See 1 Sam. xiii, 5. But of 1400 such horsemen it may easily be imagined 400 were killed.

-"houghed all the chariot - horses; " rather, crippled all the chariots, except that he reserved of them," &c. Crippled,' namely, by breaking the wheels, or the axles. See LXX, Queen Elizabeth's Bible, and Parkhurst, py.

-"shields." See LXX, and Aquila.

Verse 8. "Betah-Berothai," called Tibhath

and Chun in the parallel place in the book of Chronicles.

Verse 13." Syrians." From the parallel place