Judg. xix. 22; xx. 13; 1 Sam. i. 16; ii. 12; X. 27; XXV. 17; XXX. 22; 2 Sam. xvi. 7.

The word Belial is sometimes kept in the English verfion without any marginal reference or explanation; the tranflators probably judging that it had been interpreted often enough before. See 2 Sam. XX. 1; xxiii. 5, 6; 1 Kings xxi. 10, 13.

It deferves particular attention, that the Greek Septuagint tranflators in no one instance retain the original word Belial. This clearly manifefts that they did not confider it as a proper name, but as an appellative. The terms alfo by which they render by

are general ones, namely, apavoμos, in thirteen places ; λοιμος, in fix; ανομία, in two; αφρων, in two; in one, avoμnua; in another, eva In Nahum i. 15, they have omitted to give any translation of this word.

Further, from the explanations which are given in the margin of the English version, in the first passage in which Belial occurs, Deut. xiii. 13; from the introduction of the proper meaning of the word into the text, the fecond time it is ufed, Deut. xv. 9; from the uniform reference which is made to the text already explained (Deut. xiii. 13) in all subsequent places as far as the 25th ch. of the ift of Samuel; from the occafional introduction of this explanatory reference in feveral inftances afterwards; and from the frequent infertion of the proper tranflation and meaning of the word in the text of the books of Job,

Pfalms, Proverbs, and Nahum; from all these premises taken together, it is evident that the English tranflators confidered the term Belial as an appellalative, not as a proper name.

Neither do the Greek nor the English translators, then, interpret this word to fignify a supreme evil principle; though the Septuagint verfion did thus appropriate the term διαβολος.

The only inftance in which the word Belial occurs in the New Teft. is 2 Cor. vi. 15. By Archbishop Newcome it is here explained to fignify, "The falfe "god who profiteth not; as the etymology of the "word imports." Mr. Locke fays, " it is the gene❝ral name for the falfe gods of the gentiles." The connection in which the word is here introduced, feems to require it to be understood of an allegorical perfon. The manner in which it is used throughout all the Old Testament, forbids the limited appropriation of the term to any individual, in a plain literal fenfe. In this fenfe, therefore, it cannot be used by the Apostle Paul. It fignifies worthless, wicked; fee Parkhurft. It may, then, be employed here to denote heathen idols, which are vain and useless, and which were worshipped by immoral, impious, and fuperftitious rites.

I Theff. iii. 5." Left by fome means the tempter σε ὁ πειράξων had tempted you, and our labour "might be in vain." gav here fignifies, one that folicits and perfuades another to a criminal action, by whatever methods it may be. Profane

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authors use it in the fame fenfe.

"Left the tempter

"should have tempted you;" i. e. left he who by perfecution endeavours to feduce you by views of fecurity and other worldly advantages, and terrify you by the fear of dangers, from your Christian profeffion, fhould have prevailed against you fo far as to render our labour in your converfion entirely in vain; i. e. fhould have tempted you with fuccefs, and induced you to renounce and forfake your Chriftian principles and worship. See Chandler's paraphr.

In like manner σalavas is ufed for human perfecutors of the Chriftians; 1 Theff. ii. 18; 2 Cor. ii. 11; &c. &c. Διαβολος and σαβανας, the emblems of temptation, and weigαwv, are used synonymously, Matt. iv. 1, 3, 5, 8, 10, 11. See fec. iv. fubd. 2.

Eph. ii. 2. Dead in fins, wherein ye walked "according to the prince of the power of the air," &c. What the Apostle means by walking according to the powerful ruler of the air, plainly appears from the feveral expreffions which he uses as parallel to it, in the 1st, 2d, and 3d verfes; namely, being dead in trefpaffes and fins, walking according to the course of this world, to the Spirit (difpofition or temper, as in Pfa. li. 10; Rom. viii. 10, 15; 2 Tim. i. 7; Luke ix. 55; 1 Cor. iv. 21; vi. 17; Gal. iv. 6; vi. 1) that now worketh in the children of difobedience, fulfilling the defires of the flcfb, and being, in their natu ral or gentile ftate, children of anger, or deferving of anger; Gal ii. 15. Thefe phrafes denote a high degree of vice, and point out the ideas which are

intended to be conveyed by the words

walking according to the powerful ruler of the air. The repetition of the expreffion, dead in trespasses and fins, in the 5th verfe, and the contents of the chapter in general, manifest this parallelifm. The plain expreffions must interpret the figurative.

Mr. Farmer on Miracles, ch. iii. fec. i. fubd. 2, p. 157, &c. makes the following obfervations on this text:-"The Apostle is here evidently defcribing "not the natural, but the moral state of the world. "If he refers to the prince of the heathen deities, "who were thought to have their ftation in the

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higher regions of the air, the very scope and defign "of this paffage, as well as the principles which the Apostle avows upon other occafions, are fufficient to "convince us, that he could only intend to defcribe "the heathen deities by their ufual appellations, with"out allowing their claims. (The fcripture reprefents "the winds and the waves as fubject to the controul "of God alone; Pfa. lxv. 7; cxxxv. 7; cxlvii. 18; “Prov. xxx. 4; Ifa. xxvii. 8; Jer. x. 13; Amos iv. 13;

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Job. xxxvii. 10, 11.) He muft, therefore, be "understood, not as allowing their having any domi"nion over the aërial regions, but as reproaching "the Ephefians for regarding these idols as having "real and divine power. Suppofe the Apostle, to "make them afhamed of their former debaucheries, "had reproached them with having been the votaries "of the god Bacchus, or the goddess Venus; who "would have inferred from this language, that he

"believed Venus and Bacchus to be powerful divi"nities? Our Lord himself uses language fimilar to "this, when he speaks of men ferving Mammon, the god of riches. But if, as it is more generally sup

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pofed, Paul refers to the Devil, or any spirit noto"rious for his difaffection to God, and for having ❝feduced others from their allegiance; he defigned "to upbraid the world with following fuch a leader "and example, who was confidered by the Jews as "the prince or chief of all those wicked fpirits, who were believed to have their refidence in the air.

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John xii. 31. "Now is the judgment of this "world; now the prince of this world will be caft "out." See on the two following texts.

John xiv. 30. "Hereafter I fhall not talk much "with you; for the prince of this world cometh, "and hath nothing in me." The prince of this world, here, is a plain unfigurative expreffion. It is not meant of the Devil, as is generally imagined; but of the rulers of that part of the world, who came in the perfon of their emiffaries that very evening, headed by Judas, to take Jefus, and to bring him before them in their judicial capacity. These magistrates or governors prevented Chrift from talking much much more with his followers, for they terrified and difperfed them, and crucified him. Thefe rulers, then, had nothing in him, no part or fhare in his fpiritual kingdom on earth. In 1 Cor. ii. 6 to 8, the Apostle Paul himself uses the phrafe, the princes of this world, to fignify the Roman and Jewish gover