and they in obeying it. And therefore Joab, who was sensible of this, and unwilling to execute the command, asks David, Why he would be the cause of trespass in Israel? 1 For by that means, he reduced them to the difficulty of disobeying God, or himself, as their prince. It was doubtless their duty to have obeyed God; but we find, as it generally happens in such cases, that the majority, at least, chose to obey the king. However, it appears that Joab was weary of the office, and did not go through it. Probably he might find many of the people uneasy, and averse to submit to the order. Besides, it was expressly enjoined, that when the people were to be numbered from twenty years old and upwards, the Levites should be excepted, as being appointed for the service of the tabernacle. And as they were not called out to war, so they had no share in the land of Canaan allotted to them, when it was conquered by the other tribes; who were therefore ordered to give them a number of cities, each tribe out of their portion, which was accordingly done. And Josephus assigns that reason for it, when he says:-"Moses, because the tribe of Levi were exempted from war and expeditions, being devoted to the service of God, lest being needy and destitute of the necessaries of life, they should neglect the care of their sacred function; ordered the Hebrews, that when by the will of God they possessed the land of Canaan, they should give to the Levites fortyeight large and handsome cities, with two thousand cubits of land round the walls." 5 But David seems to have ordered them likewise to be mustered, with a military view; which, perhaps, was an aggravation. For, it is said, that when Joab, by his command, numbered the people, they were eleven hundred thousand men that drew sword. And it is added: But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them, for the king's word was abominable to Joab.6 So that it looks as if his orders were to count them with the rest. Indeed, we find them once armed upon an extraordinary occasion, which was to guard the temple at the coronation of Joash, king of Judah. For, at that time, they were ordered to encompass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand,7 But that was in the temple, where the rest of the people were not permitted to enter. besides their religious function, they were sometimes employed in other civil offices. So David, when he was making preparations for building the temple, appointed six thousand of them for officers and judges. Grotius, indeed, observes, with regard to this fact of David, that he declared the people innocent: 9 which he seems to have concluded from what David says, I Chron. xxi. 17. But it does not appear, from what has been said above, that they were al And 11 Chron. xxi. 3. 21 Chron. xxvii. 23. Numb. xv.; Joshua xxi. 61 Chron. xxi. 5, 6. 3 Numb. i. 47. 5 Ant. Jud. lib. iv. cap. 4. § 3. 1 Chron. xxiii. 4. 72 Chron. xxxiii. 7. De jure bell. et pac. lib. ii. cap. 21. § 17. together blameless, though not equally criminal with himself. And in such a case, the equity of a national punishment is acknowledged both by Philo and Josephus, in the passages cited from them by Grotius. 1 On the Sacred Poetry of the Hebrews. o OF THE SUBLIME. DURING our preceding investigations into the peculiarities and style of the Sacred poets, many passages have been quoted from their writings, which are characterized, by the highest sublimity, both in sentiment and language. As this quality, however, so generally pervades the productions of the Hebrew poets, it demands a particular consideration. Dr. Lowth, in his admirable Lectures on Hebrew Poetry, to which we have been so largely indebted throughout this enquiry, has shewn that the Hebrew word Mashal, rendered Parable, by our translators, and which is expressive of power, or supreme authority, is, when applied to style, indicative of something eminent or energetic, excellent or important; and being the word used by the Sacred writers, as properly expressive of the poetical style, warrants us to expect that this quality will be found to enter into those compositions. The very first instance in which the phrase occurs, will serve as an example in point. For in this manner Balaam "took up," as our translation renders it, "his parable, and said: " From Aram I am brought by Balak, By the king of Moab from the mountains of the east: Come, curse me Jacob; And come, execrate Israel. How shall I curse whom God hath not cursed? And how shall I execrate whom God hath not execrated? For from the tops of the rocks I see him, And from the hills I behold him ; Lo! the people, who shall dwell alone, Nor shall number themselves among the nations! Who shall count the dust of Jacob? Or the number of the fourth of Israel? Let my soul die the death of the righteous, And let my end be as his." 3 I Ward's Dissertations. 2 Continued from p. 28. 3 Numb. xxiii. 7-10. here rendered end, and in the common version latter end, properly signifies posterity; as in Psal. cix. 13; Amos iv. 2; Dan. xi. 4.-The Seventy translate it gua. It should be remembered that Balaam is here speaking of the righteous not in their individual, but in their aggregate capacity, and therefore had either a retrospect, in his wish, to the promise which had been made to Abraham concerning his posterity; or else, to an immediate communication on the occasion then present.-HENLEY. Let us now consider, on what account this address of the prophet is entitled Mashal. The sentences are indeed accurately distributed in parallelisms, as may be discovered even in the translation, which has not entirely obscured the elegance of the arrangement: and compositions in this form, we have already remarked, are commonly classed among the proverbs and adages, which are properly called Mashalim, though perhaps they contain nothing of a proverbial or didactic nature. But if we attentively consider this very passage, or others introduced by the same form of expression, we shall find, in all of them, either an extraordinary variety of figure and imagery; or an elevation of style and sentiment; or perhaps an union of all these excellencies; which will induce us to conclude, that something more is meant by the term to which we are alluding, than the bare merit of a sententious neatness. If again we examine the same pas sage in another point of view, we shall discover in it little or nothing of the figurative kind, at least according to our ideas, or according to that acceptation of the word Mashal, which denotes figurative language; there is evidently nothing in it of the mystical kind, nothing allegorical, no pomp of imagery, no comparison, and in fourteen verses but a single metaphor: as far, therefore, as figurative language is a characteristic of the parabolic style, this is no instance of it. We must then admit the word parable, when applied to this passage, to be expressive of those exalted sentiments, that spirit of sublimity, that energy and enthusiasm, with which the answer of the prophet is animated. This example is given by Bishop Lowth, for the purpose of explaining on what reasons he was induced to suppose, that the term Mashal, as well from its proper power or meaning, as from its usual acceptation, involves an idea of sublimity; and to shew, that the Hebrew poetry expresses in its very name and title, the particular quality in which it so greatly excels the poetry of all other nations. The word Sublimity, is here used in its most extensive sense : we speak not merely of that sublimity which exhibits great objects with a magnificent display of imagery and diction; but that force of composition, whatever it be, which strikes and overpowers the mind, which excites the passions, and which expresses ideas at once with perspicuity and elevation; not solicitous whether the language be plain or ornamented, refined or familiar: in this use of the word we copy Longinus, the most accomplished author on this subject, whether we consider his precepts or his example. 1 1 The sublime consists either in language or sentiment, or more frequently in an union of both, since they reciprocally assist each other, and since there is a necessary and indissoluble connexion between them this, however, will not prevent our considering them apart Whose own example strengthens all his laws, -POPE. with convenience and advantage. The first object, therefore, which presents itself for our investigation, is, upon what grounds the poetic diction of the Hebrews, whether considered in itself, or in comparison with prose composition, is deserving of an appellation immediately expressive of sublimity. The poetry of every language has a style and form of expression peculiar to itself; forcible, magnificent, and sonorous; the words pompous and energetic; the composition singular and artificial; the whole form and complexion different from what we meet with in common life, and frequently (as with a noble indignation) breaking down the boundaries by which the popular dialect is confined. The language of Reason is cool, temperate, rather humble than elevated, well arranged and perspicuous, with an evident care and anxiety lest any thing should escape which might appear perplexed or obscure. The language of the Passions is totally different: the conceptions burst out in a turbid stream, expressive in a manner of the internal conflict; the more vehement, break out in hasty confusion; they catch (without search or study) whatever is impetuous, vivid, or energetic. In a word, Reason speaks literally, the Passions poetically. The mind, with whatever passion it be agitated, remains fixed upon the object that excited it: and while it is earnest to display it, is not satisfied with a plain and exact description; but adopts one agreeable to its own sensations, splendid or gloomy, jocund or unpleasant. For the passions are naturally inclined to amplification; they wonderfully magnify and exaggerate whatever dwells upon the mind, and labour to express it in animated, bold, and magnificent terms. This they commonly effect by two different methods; partly by illustrating the subject with splendid imagery, and partly by em ploying new and extraordinary forms of expression, which are indeed possessed of great force and efficacy in this respect especially, that they in some degree imitate or represent the present habit and state of the soul. Hence those theories of Rhetoricians, which they have so pompously detailed, attributing that to art, which above all things is due to nature alone: For nature to each change of fortune forms The tongue these various movements must express. 1 A principle which pervades all poetry, may easily be conceived to prevail, in a high degree, in the poetry of the Hebrews. Indeed, we have already seen how daring these writers are in the selection of their imagery, how forcible in the application of it; and what ele gance, splendour, and sublimity they have, by these means, been enabled to infuse into their compositions. With respect to the diction also, we have had an opportunity of remarking the peculiar force and dignity of their poetic dialect; as well as the artificial distribution of the sentences, which appears to have been originally closely connected with the metrical arrangement, though the latter be now totally lost. We are therefore, in the next place, to consider whether there be any other remarkable qualities in the poetical language of the Hebrews, which serve to distinguish it from prose composition. It is impossible to conceive any thing more simple and unadorned than the common language of the Hebrews. It is plain, correct, chaste, and temperate; the words are uncommon neither in their meaning nor application; there is no appearance of study, nor even of the least attention to the harmony of the periods. The order of the words is generally regular and uniform. The verb is the first word in the sentence; the noun, which is the agent, immediately succeeds; and the other words follow in their natural order. Each circumstance is exhibited at a single effort, without the least perplexity or confusion of the different parts: and, what is remarkable, by the help of a simple particle, the whole is connected from the beginning to the end in a continued series, so that nothing appears inconsistent, abrupt, or confused. The whole composition, in fine, is disposed in such an order, and so connected by the continued succession of the different parts, as to demonstrate clearly the regular state of the author, and to exhibit the image of a sedate and tranquil mind. But, in the Hebrew poetry the case is different, in part at least, if not in the whole. The free spirit is hurried along, and has neither leisure nor inclination to descend to those minute and frigid attentions. Frequently, instead of disguising the secret feelings of the author, it lays them quite open to pubiic view; and the veil being, as it were, suddenly removed, all the affections and emotions of the soul, its sudden impulses, its hasty sallies and irregularities, are conspicuously displayed. Should the curious inquirer be desirous of more perfect information upon this subject, he may satisfy himself with no great labour or difficulty. Let him take the book of Job; let him read the historical proem of that book; let him proceed to the metrical parts, and let him diligently attend to the first speech of Job. He will confess, that, when arrived at the metrical part, he feels as if he were reading another language; and is surprised at a dissimilarity in the style of the two passages, much greater than between that of Livy and Virgil, or even Herodotus and Homer. Nor, indeed, could the fact be otherwise, according to the nature of things; since in the latter passage the most exquisite pathos is displayed-such, indeed, as has not been exceeded, and scarcely equalled, by any effort of the Muses. Not only the force, the beauty, the sublimity of the sentiments are unrivalled; but such is the character of the diction in ge |