tion permitted': suffice it to say, therefore, that in this department, as in many other respects, this work is indebted to the valuable edition of the Hebrew Psalter, entitled, "The Book of Psalms in Hebrew, metrically arranged, with selections from the various readings of Kennicott and De Rossi, and from the Ancient Versions. By J. Rogers, M. A., Canon residentiary of Exeter Cathedral, and Rector of Mawnan. In two volumes. Oxford, J. H. Parker; Rivingtons, London: 1833;"-the arrangement of which, as to the metre or division of the lines, has been followed throughout, with a few exceptions, which are noticed in their place, where it would have necessitated an alteration of the Authorized Version. His Essay, also, "On the Character and Construction of the Hebrew Poetry," prefixed to his second volume, is full of information on this subject.

But, further considering the Psalms as poems, another distinguishing peculiarity of them is that which has been most fully illustrated by Bishop Horsley, namely, the dramatic style, according to which different parts of a Psalm are spoken by different persons: as, for example, the second, where the speakers are successively-The Confederate Nations-Jehovah-the Messiah-and the Psalmist: a more general characteristic of which, however, is an alternate succession of parts adapted to the purpose of alternate recitation by two semi-choruses, or two divisions of the choir by which they were intended to be sung in the worship of the temple, followed by a full chorus between the parts, or, it may be, at the end; as in Ps. cvii. 8, 15, 21, 31, &c.3 This it was also practicable to express in a certain degree, without

1 An excellent abstract of the arguments of both these authors will be found in "Horne's Introduction to the Study of the Scriptures," vol. 11. part 1. chap. x.

2 In this Essay he notices the statement of Dr. Kennicott, at the end of the Psalms in his edition of the Hebrew Bible,-that of the MSS. of the Book of Psalms, which he consulted, he found as many as seventynine metrically or poetically arranged; in some of which, however, he observes, the arrangement is only partial. At the same

time, it should be observed that, in every copy of the Hebrew furnished with the Masoretic punctuation, the metrical arrangement is, in fact, marked by the distinctive accents.

3 Our Cathedral Service still exemplifies this form of chanting the Psalms, with the exception that the semi-chorus is alternately a whole verse, instead of alternating, as of old, the half verse; while the full chorus is the "Gloria" at end of each Psalm.

departing from the Authorized Version, merely by means of varying the spaces between the stanzas: the only other particular in which a deviation has been sometimes made from the edition of the Hebrew Psalter just referred to, where it appeared that the change of parts might be thereby more effectively presented to the reader. And generally, even where there are no dramatis persona, and the speaker is the same, it was thought that the perception of the scope of the Psalm and mutual dependence of its parts, as well as the transitions in the theme-e. g., from complaint to prayer, and from prayer to praise, &c.-would be much facilitated by a division into sections; in which the author desires especially to acknowledge the assistance he has had from the elaborate Commentary of Professor Hengstenberg of Berlin, who has bestowed much pains on this point, though he has not thought it advisable to adopt his "strophe arrangement" in the minuter subdivisions of the "strophes" into their several "members," nor has always adopted his division of the "strophes" themselves, or larger sections, which in some instances seems to have been influenced more by the desire to assimilate them in the number of verses or stanzas in each relatively to the others, than by the sense and the context.

III. CRITICAL NOTES.

These, which must have accompanied a new translation, it was conceived might be made, for all necessary purposes, an adequate substitute for it. Accordingly, they contain:

1. In the first place, every material marginal reading of the Authorized Version1; even where cause may be shown for retaining the reading of the text, or substituting another preferable to either; and this because it was thought desirable that the reader should have before him that version complete, and not have occasion in any case to refer to a Bible for it.

But besides these, other improved translations, or new marginal readings, are in many instances given; by which extension

1 Some are mere literal renderings of idiomatic phrases: as, hill of my holiness, for my holy hill, Ps. ii. 6; before thine

eyes, for in thy sight, Ps. iii. 5; and the man of bloods and deceit, for the bloody and deceitful man, ver. 6, &c.

of a medium of correction recognised by our translators it is suggested that every needful improvement may be secured to a version, which, even if desirable (which it is not), it were impossible now to supersede.

The principle on which these readings have been proposed is one that will, it is hoped, commend them to universal approbation, namely, that of assimilating the translation as far as possible to the original; and, with this view, where emendation was thought necessary, giving the preference to some rendering of the same word already adopted in other passages by the translators. This principle has been too much overlooked in such works. For, while by far the most serious imperfection of the Authorized Version-(one unavoidable, owing to the circumstances under which it was made)-is, that the same original word is in it often rendered by various English words, those authors who have since undertaken to give new translations have, generally speaking, rather increased the evil than dimi. nished it, by proposing in each instance their emendation with respect only to the particular passage in question, without previously ascertaining whether the translators had not already elsewhere provided a reading which would equally answer the purpose, and have the advantage of producing uniformity; always bearing in mind that the perfection of a translation is, that it be-so far as, consistently with the idiom, it can be—a fac-simile of the original. A criticism pursued on this principle must, it is evident, be above all suspicion of being rash or arbitrary; while it possesses this great recommendation, that the reader, however unacquainted with the original, must be satisfied that he is not taking the proposed reading or emendation on the private judgment or authority of the individual author, but on that of the Authorized Version itself and its translators.

2. To these improvements of our version are added all such emendations of the Hebrew Textus Receptus (viz., that of Vander

1 It was with this design-of affording, as far as might be, the English student of the Scriptures the benefit of such an improved translation-that the author was led to devise the plan of "The Englishman's

Hebrew and Greek Concordances," in which every occurrence of the original word is given, with its renderings in the Authorized Version, in one view, distinguished by a particular type.

Hooght's Hebrew Bible, now generally adopted as the Masoretic standard text) as are of any importance; for which this work is again mainly indebted to the "Metrical Psalter" of Canon Rogers already mentioned, who, in an appendix, has given the result, as regards the Psalms, of a comparison of the laborious collation of the manuscripts and editions of the Hebrew Bible by Dr. Kennicott and De Rossi, as well as of the ancient versions-the Septuagint, Syriac, &c. While,

3. For the benefit of the Hebrew student, all difficulties of construction and all unusual grammatical inflections are noticed and resolved, and all words of rare occurrence distinguished; so as, it is hoped, to render the work valuable to such for this department alone, in which the author desires also to acknowledge the aid afforded, among other works, by "The Psalms in Hebrew, with a critical, exegetical, and philological Commentary: by the Rev. George Phillips, B. D., Fellow and Tutor of Queen's College, Cambridge," &c., in two volumes; London, 1846:-a compendium of Biblical criticism which will be found very useful by those for whom it was specially undertaken-persons engaged in the acquisition of Hebrew literature.

IV. THE EXPOSITION.

The principle of the Exposition has been already stated. As to the plan of it, the aim has been-divesting it altogether of a critical character-to make it popularly useful; adapted for reading in the family, or for an aid to private meditation. In which respect it differs, on the one hand, from works purely critical, as that of Bishop Horsley, which, being a new translation, gives no explanation except in the hints occasionally thrown out in the

Mr. Rogers observes, vol. II., Essay ii., "On the Various Readings of the Hebrew Bible," p. 53, note,-"Kennicott collated, with the assistance of Burns, 628 MSS. of the whole or part of the Hebrew Bible, and forty-nine editions. De Rossi's own MSS. amounted to 691, and the editions to 333." The gratifying result of which (as he adds, p. 76) is, that "by far the greater number of readings make no

difference whatever in the sense of the passage; that in many instances the error of the various reading so manifest that it cannot mislead; and that in comparatively very few cases is the text at all affected."

On the age and authority of the manuscripts so compared, see Horne's Introduction, vol. II, part 1., ch. ii., sect. i. ; and of the principal editions of the Hebrew Bible, ib., ch. iii., sect. i.

titles to the Psalms and scattered observations in the Notes; or that of Mr. Phillips, just noticed, in which the "critical" and "philological" far preponderate over the "exegetical," and the doctrinal or practical remarks are, as stated in the preface, only those which immediately follow from the criticisms, and are suggested by them: and, on the other, from a class of commentaries, more properly so called, in which, however, the critical is so intermixed with the expository as to render them wholly unfit for general reading; as in the instance of Professor Hengstenberg's, in which (waiving his very defective appreciation of the prophetical character of this Book of Scripture) the practical matter, which is often excellent, is continually interrupted with remarks on the Hebrew, very appropriate indeed in notes, but in a "Commentary" quite out of place. While again (as already intimated), this work aims at affording an exposition in a sense which the writers of a large and increasing number of commentaries, purely practical and devotional, do not seem to have proposed to themselves; which consist rather of detached remarks on each verse, with a view to an accommodation of its language to individual experience, than of a connected exegesis, having regard to the scope of the whole Psalm, and to the context as well as the strict meaning of the words, which, in the Psalms, no less than in other Scriptures, is the only true basis of a sound practical and spiritual application.

In conclusion, the Author is conscious of the many imperfections necessarily attaching to a work subjected, as this has been, to frequent interruptions, sometimes of weeks and months; being written in the short intervals of leisure allowed him by the constant calls of ministerial duties, as well as by other studies. Some repetitions especially there would unavoidably be from this cause. "But" (to adopt the plea for these of a distinguished labourer in the same field before him, already