mitted in the midst of the people of Israel, a people highly favoured of God. Aben Ezra supposes, that the preterite is put for the future, and that the sense is, In a little time I shall be involved in all evil.

the congregation and assembly]-"Verum conjunctæ hæ voces p sæpissime cœtum Israelitarum, sive Synagogam V. T. significant."-Geier.

15. Drink waters, &c.]-After a dissuasive against incontinence, Solomon now recommends the proper remedy, namely, the enjoyment of connubial love. The context, and especially verses 18, 19, 20, prove that the discourse touches upon marriage. It is a beautiful allegory, in which a wife is represented by a well, and a legitimate offspring by the streams which issue from it. But the elegance and propriety of the image will not be discerned, without taking into consideration, that wells are a valuable possession in many Eastern countries, and that their cool waters afford the most refreshing draught in these hot and parched regions. It would not, perhaps, be unreasonable to infer from 2 Kings, xviii. 31, that every man anciently had his own cistern for containing water for his own use, which, if true, gives additional energy to the imagery. The bride in the Song of Solomon is called

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a spring shut up, a fountain sealed;" (ch. iv. 12. See Percy's translation and notes, p. 75;) and the same image is, probably, alluded to Prov. ix. 17; Numb. xxiv. 7; Deut. xxxiii. 28; Ps. lxviii. 27, Heb.; Isaiah, xlviii. 1.

16. Then shall thy springs, &c.]—If thou contract a lawful marriage, thou wilt be blessed with a numerous progeny, playing in the streets during childhood, and when grown to maturity, inhabiting them. p a stream or rill, here used metaphorically for children, which issue from a wife, as rills from a fountain.-So Aben Ezra. The copulative is to be

R

supplied before 1', and translated "then," as by Schultens and Dathe.

- even as rivers of waters]-Perhaps this expression is stronger than the original requires; for is applied to tears Ps. cxix. 136; Lam, iii. 48. The meaning, however, cannot be mistaken by any one who attends to the context. It is a bold figure, denoting a numerous offspring.

17. They shall belong, &c.]-Thou shalt not only have a numerous offspring, but thou shalt have no doubt of their being really thine own, as must be the case with children sprung from promiscuous concubinage. See Buxtorf, Vindiciæ, p. 600.

18. Let thy fountain]-That is, thy wife, spoken of ver. 15, as is clear from the second hemistich: "let her be blessed," i. e. regarded as a blessing, and treated with every respect.

19. Rejoice with]-Participate with her in the pleasures and happiness of the conjugal state. The same expression occurs Deut. xxiv. 5; a good illustration of this text.—(See Parkh. now.) The particle in no signifies cum, with. Noldius, 11; so the ancient versions.

19. Let her be, &c.]-For an account of the animals here mentioned, (ny and ns,) see Bochart, Hieroz. par. i. lib. iii. cap. 18, &c.; an abridgment of whose remarks would require a space disproportionate to a note. Various are the reasons alleged by commentators why a wife is compared to these animals, and much learned trifling may be seen in Poli Synop.; but it is sufficient, to vindicate the comparison, to show that these animals were greatly admired in the age of Solomon. In Canticles, the bride desires her husband to be "like a

foe or young hart upon the mountains of Bether; (ch. ii. 17, viii. 14;) and though the word translated " the pleasant roe" occurs only here, yet its application shows that it was an animal much admired. It may be observed, that ny, is the ibex, or mountain goat.—Bochart, Parkhurst, Cocceius, and particularly Michal. Suppl. See likewise Harmer's Outlines of a Commentary on Song of Solomon, p. 156.

--

And be thou ravished]-It is obvious that a cannot mean here, as it usually does, to err, though Buxtorf (Vindiciæ, p. 870) and others would so explain it.-(See Capelli Critica Sacra, p. 944, ed. Vogel. Halæ, 1775.) Parkhurst is probably right in asserting, that its primary meaning is to expatiate, luxuriate, run wild; hence, to give a loose, indulge, or lose oneself, as it were, in love. Durell thinks that it may be illustrated by the Arabic, to which Castell does, indeed, give the sense of lætitiam attulit, illum exhilaravit, but Golius does not, and the proper meaning is anxit, moerore affecit.See Willmet, Lex. Arab.

22. His own iniquities, &c.]—An image borrowed from the toils of the hunter; and it implies, that a man shall be ensnared and held fast, like a bird in a net, and finally brought to destruction by his sins, whatever present gratification they may afford. The affix in 175 is pleonastic, or rather, though not necessary, is added for the sake of emphasis.(Glassii Phil. Sac. p. 176.) The Nun also, in the same word, is epenthetic.-Altingii Fundam. Punct. Ling. Sanct. p. 399

and 447.

23. did not mind instruction]-01D PN, literally, "in there not being instruction," i. e. for the want of instruction, or, in other words, "because he did not attend to it."-So Aben Ezra and Gersom. Quod castigari nullus queat."(Schultens.) Quod adeo proterve repudiârit omnia sana

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-

superiorum æqualiumve monita, quæ ab his tendiculis eum avocârint. ♫ valet propter, ut Gen. xviii. 28; Jer. xvii. 3, imo in eadem phrasi, cum particula neg. ' constructum, sic occurrit Prov. xi. 14, xv. 22, xxix. 16."-Geier. See Noldius, 18, 3.

CHAPTER VI.

1. My son, if thou become surety for thy neighbour]-The authorized version is, "if thou become surety for thy friend;" but an admonition against becoming surety for a friend is so cruel, so uncharitable, so abhorrent from the spirit of the law, (Levit. xix. 18,) and so opposite to the advice of Solomon himself in other passages, (ch. xiv. 21, xvii. 17, xviii. 24, xxvii. 10,) that it is impossible to conceive this to be the meaning. Some examples of suretiship are recorded in Scripture; as, for instance, Judah became surety to his father for his brother Benjamin, (Gen. xliii. 9,) and St. Paul for Philemon, (Philem. 18, 19.) The original word (7) should, therefore, be translated, "for thy neighbour;" and it denotes a neighbour with whom thou art little acquainted; as appears, both from the second hemistich, which is explanatory of the first, and also from the parallel passages in this book, namely, ch. xi. 15, xx. 16, xxvii. 13. Even in this case, it can only be considered as a maxim of economical prudence, advising great caution and circumspection in becoming surety; for the offices of love and kindness were to be shown to strangers dwelling in Israel, -(Exod. xii. 49; Levit. xix. 34, xxv. 35; Deut. x. 19.) "Non enim animus Salomonis est omni tempore et casu pecuniaria sponsione interdicere. Inconsideratam juventutem, aliosque male consultos facultatum suarum dilapidatores, a temeritate spondendi avocat, qua sibi suisque noceant, et illi aliquando ipsi pro quo spondent."-Witsius, Miscellanea Saera, vol. i. p. 226. Lug. Bat. 1695.

per

Concerning suretiship, or warranty," says Michalis, "I recollect nothing in the Mosaic writings, except that the term expressing it, Tesumat-jad, (†' nown,) that is, giving or striking hands, once occurs, where the circumstances of jury are enumerated, Lev. vi. 2. It is mentioned more frequently in the Proverbs of Solomon, who gives very earnest admonitions respecting it."-(Commentaries on the Laws of Moses, Art. 151.) But the phrase "nown only occurs in the place here specified, and its meaning, moreover, is very doubtful. The practice, however, though it may not be alluded to by Moses, existed in his days; for it is mentioned in Job, ch. xvii. 3; a book as old, if not older, than the time of Moses.

If thou joins if, is to be supplied from the first clause. vpn pangere, is here used, and in ch. xi. 15, xvii. 18, xxii. 26; Job, xvii. 3, for striking or joining hands in making an agreement or contract, which was anciently the usual way of plighting faith. Numerous examples might be adduced of this custom, which, for the sake of brevity, I omit; and refer to Parkh. 7, 5, and ypл, 5; Durell and Scott on Job, xvii. 3; Potter's Antiq. of Greece, l. ii. c. 6.

2. Thou art snared, &c.]—If thou become surety for a stranger without due caution, thou wilt fall into a snare, and be caught, as a bird in a net, to thy own ruin.

3. Do this, &c.]-When thou art fallen into a snare by indiscreet suretiship, hasten, and stir up thy friends to thy assistance. NDN now, therefore, 2 Kings, x. 10. Dathe, Schulz, Schleusner (Opuscula, p. 285) refer it to the Arabic si dicere, and the LXX, Vulg. Arab. have "quod dico;" but, though the word occurs several times, it is always as a particle.