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will, and it shall be done unto you;" or, "Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do"? If they had been acquainted with these and like gracious promises, or if they had really believed them; or if their hard thoughts of God had not prevented their believing them; or if they believed what they are so often accustomed to tell the Lord, that He is more ready to hear than they to pray; how could they have thought it necessary to enter into a combination, simultaneously to importune "the throne of grace," every Monday morning? The combined army of supplicants appear to think that the use of prayer is merely to change the Divine purposes, or to urge the Divine attributes into activity, by a vigorous attack upon them ;-they do not appear to know that the only use of prayer is to promote spiritual-moral affections in those who pray! They profess to desire to promote feelings of affection in Solifidian Justificationists (calling themselves "Evangelicals") towards each other, but they seem to be quite unaware that the only way to promote these feelings permanently, is not by importunate prayer for them once a week, but by habitually placing charity above faith, that is, by putting away every proud, self-willed, and narrow feeling, which does not, consist with the Lord's most blessed command,"Love one another as I have loved you," and which is, or should be, a very important elementary truth believed, and thus should, and must be, an essential of faith wherever faith is genuine. What truly rational mind can doubt, after reading this extraordinary Old Church resolution, that a New Christian Church is much wanted?

SIMPLEX.

NEW VERSION OF THE PROPHET NAHUM.

[The following new version of the Prophet Nahum has been sent to us for insertion by the "New Church Bible Society," which our readers will remember was instituted in London last year. The principal object of this Society is to bring out a new version of the Scriptures, which shall present, as adequately and correctly as can possibly be done in a translation, the Hebrew Text as the "basis, continent, and firmament of the Divine Word. The great importance of this undertaking, and the responsibility connected with it, are at once obvious. The following version is executed by one of the most learned Hebrew and Oriental scholars in this country; and who is at the same time fully impressed with the momentous importance of giving that basis of the Hebrew text

in English, upon which, by a correct view of the correspondences in the letter, the spiritual sense may be more easily and accurately perceived. We will only add, that Nahum is one of the most difficult of the prophets; being in an eminent sense the prophet of judgment. The language is elliptical and abrupt, and in many respects it is not only a verbal description of the awful scenes and catastrophes of judgment, but a divine hieroglyph or representation, depicting them to view.—ED,]

CHAPTER I.

1. The decree of Nineveh: The book of the vision of Nachûm the Elqoshite.

2. Jehovah is a jealous and avenging God; Jehovah avengeth, and is a possessor of wrath; Jehovah avengeth towards his enemies, and he (a) keepeth [anger] towards his foes.

3. Jehovah is long of nostrils, (b) and great of power; and acquit,

(a) The he here, and in v. 9 (as well as the they in chap. ii. 9), is emphatic. The personal pronoun, when it is the subject of the verb, is rarely expressed in Hebrew; but when it is, as in these instances, it gives great prominence to the person to whom the act is ascribed.

(b) Long of nostrils. In most of the passages in which our authorised version uses the terms "anger," 99 66 'anger kindled," "slow to anger," and the like, the Hebrew text has the word nose, or its dual number, which is rendered nostrils. It is not doubted that the authorised version (which has, in fact, only followed the Septuagint and Vulgate in this), is substantially right in assigning to these words the metaphorical sense of anger; but the metaphor, if a true one, must be founded on some natural connection between the nose and the passion of anger, or, at least, on some connection traceable in the Hebrew language. Now the root anaph, from which the word for nose is derived, means primarily to breathe hard, to snort, and then, in a secondary sense, to be angry. The word for nose is derived from that root in its primary sense, as being the outward instrument of our respiration; and as the passion of anger, in its more violent forms, is characterised by a hurried, snorting respiration, the connection between the nose and anger appears to be that between the passion and the sign by which it is manifested. Such phrases as "his nose glowed," in the sense of "his anger was excited," are explained by the fact that violent anger flushes the whole countenance, and especially kindles the nose as the centre of the face. Long, in this common phrase, is to be understood in reference to time, and thus to mean long in the act of respiring, of slow and equal respiration. This use of long for slow finds its exact parellel in the Greek and Latin μakpovμos, longanimis. The Hebrews even employ an active verb from this root, as "The understanding of a man lengtheneth his nose," i.e. renders him slow to anger. (Prov. xix. 11.) Its opposite is consistently expressed in Hebrew by shortness of nose or spirit. (Prov. xiv. 17.) We also speak of a short temper, for an irritable The same connexion between respiration and anger, is found in the root nasham, and its derivatives.

one.

he will not acquit ; (c) Jehovah, in storm (cc) and whirlwind is his way, and clouds are the dust of his feet.

4. He chideth the sea so that he maketh it dry, and parcheth up all the rivers: Bashan and Carmel wither, and the flower of Lebanon withereth.

5. Mountains tremble before him; and the hills melt themselves; and the earth heaveth (d) from his faces; and the world and all that dwell in it.

6. At the faces of his anger, who shall stand? and who abide in the kindling of his nose? His wrath is poured out like fire; and the rocks are overturned before him.

7. Jehovah is good;—is for a refuge in a day of distress: and knoweth them that trust in him.

8. And with an inundation which overfloweth, he will make her place a consummation: and darkness shall pursue his enemies.

9. What do ye devise towards Jehovah? He maketh consummation: distress shall not arise two times.

10. Although they be twisted (e) even to thorns, and soaked like their wine: they shall be eaten up, like stubble fully dry.

(c) Acquit, he will not acquit. The Hebrew language adds great emphasis to a verb, by using it twice successively, the first time in the infinitive mood, and the second, in whatever mood, tense or person, is required by the context. (Ewald's Hebrew Gram. § 559-584.) It is, therefore, a strict imitation of the original when such combinations are rendered in this manner; for, in such combinations as "acquit, he will not acquit," 99 66 reign, wilt thou reign," "buy, I will buy," the first verb is in the infinitive mood in English also, as an attempt to render those phrases into German will at once shew. The same structure occurs again in the words, " open, opened," in Chap. iii., 13.

(cc) Jehovah, in storm. This pause after the word "Jehovah " is in imitation of the original, in which the subject is, contrary to the usual order (Ewald, § 558) put first, to render it very prominent, and is then separated by an accent which marks this effect. (d) The earth heaveth. The authorised version has rendered this word "is burned"; but that sense can only be obtained from a reading which, though differing only in one letter from our received text, yet belongs to a perfectly distinct root, and is not sanctioned by any MS.

(e) Although they be twisted. This verse is literally rendered; nothing being added but the words they be, and they are both implied in the original; the they being contained in the number of the word for twisted, which is in the plural; and the be being implied in our language, in the though. (The Latin quamquam implexi would necessarily imply the same words.) Even to thorns, is taken to mean to the degree of thorns, as much twisted as even thorns are: and, the more twisted they are, the more difficult it is to deal with them with impunity. The point of the comparison of the people of Ninevah to thorns, lies in the fact that thorns were commonly used as fuel (Ps. cxviii. 12., Is. xxxiii, 12.); and the reference to the degree of their entanglement conveys the force of

11. Out of thee went forth one who plotted against Jehovah :—who counselled evil. (ƒ)

12. Thus saith Jehovah, if complete (g) and so many, yet they were so shorn, and be passed away: so I will afflict thee; I will not afflict thee again.

13. And now I will break his yoke from off thee: and will burst thy bonds. (h)

14. And Jehovah commandeth concerning thee, there shall not be sown of thy name again: from the house of thy gods I cut off graven and molten image; I appoint thy grave, for thou art light. (i)

CHAPTER. II.

1. (a) Behold upon the mountains the feet of a herald proclaiming an asseveration that, in spite of all difficulties and resistance, they shall be used as fuel for the remainder of the verse turns upon burning with fire. The words soaked as their wine contain a double meaning; one referring to the notorious intemperance of the inhabitants of Nineveh; the other, which is chiefly occupied with the image of burning, compares drunkenness to wetness, and threatens that though they be wet as their wine, and therefore difficult to ignite, they shall nevertheless be consumed like dry stubble. Fire is commonly said to eat in Hebrew.

(ƒ) The word rendered by evil, here and in chap. ii, 1, is belija'al, which the authorised version often gives as if it were a proper name, Belial. However, it is not a proper name, but a common noun, which literally signifies what is not high, i. e. what is low and vile, and thence evil. The Septuagint has always rendered it as a common noun; and the authorised version is not even consistent with itself, as is seen in these and other passages where it is rendered by wicked or wickedness.

(g) If complete. Ewald considers this verse to refer to the former overthrow of the Assyrians under Sancherib (Is. xxxvi—xxxvii.), when Nineveh was much more powerful in number of allied and subject states, than at the time of which Nachûm spoke. The sense then would be, If, when the forces of Nineveh were complete and so very numerous (both adjectives being, in the original, in the plural number masculine), they were yet so terribly shorn down (still keeping up the image of the stubble), and he passed away (¿.e. Sancherib); if I did so much then, I will assuredly visit thee now in thy weakness, with an utter and final humiliation.

(h) The thee and thy are both feminine suffixes, and therefore refer to Judah; whereas the thee and thy of v. 14, are masculine, and belong to Ashshûr (Assyria), whose yoke is called his yoke in v. 13. This change of gender marks the change of person.

(2) The accents indicate a different sense here. They connect the word appoint with the preceding words, in a manner which is equivalent to using "graven and molten image" twice; once as the object of the verb "cut off," and then again as one of the objects of "appoint." This produces the sense, "From the house of thy Gods I cut off graven and molten image, so that I make them thy grave."

(a) This chapter begins with a joyful announcement that Nineveh is already fallen; but it then immediately goes back to the period prior to that event, and gives a most vivid description of the successive stages of its accomplishment.

peace; celebrate, O Judah, thy feasts, fulfil thy vows: because evil shall not add to pass through thee again, the whole of it is cut off.

2. (b) A battle-axe goeth up over thy faces, guard fortress: watch way, strengthen loins, confirm strength greatly.

3. (c) Because Jehovah restoreth the might of Jacob like the might of Israel for spoilers spoiled them, and destroyed their tendrils.

4. (d) The shield of his warriors is reddened, men of valour crimsoned; the chariots are in fire of steel, in the day of his preparation : and the pines are shaken.

5. (e) The chariots are mad in the streets, they run over each other in the open places: their aspects are like torches, like lightnings which run about.

6. (e) He remembereth his nobles; they stumble in their goings: they hasten to her walls, and the van-guard is appointed.

7.(ƒ) The gates of the streams are opened: and the palace is melted. 8. And Hussab is discovered, made to mount: and her maids are moaning like the voice of doves, tabouring on their hearts.

9. (ƒ) And Nineveh is as a pool of waters since the days that it was : and they fly; stop! stop! and there is not any that turneth back.

10. (g) Plunder silver, plunder gold: and there is no end to the fur niture, to splendour above every vessel of desire.

(b) This battle-axe that is raised up over the face of Nineveh to descend upon it with terrible force, is the invading enemy (see especially Jer. li. 20); and the suddenness of their approach is strikingly depicted by the hurried words of exhortation to watchfulness against them.

(c) V. 3 assigns the sufficient reason why the Divine Providence purposes this visitation of Nineveh.

(d) V. 4 describes the advance of the enemy in battle array, brandishing their spears. The use of the word 'pines' for spears, is also seen in Virgil: "Transverberat abiete pectus." (Æn. xi. 667.)

(e) V. 5 describes the haste and confusion which mark all the attempts of the people of Nineveh to order their means of defence.

(e) The effeminate king of Nineveh is supposed to be the person who, hearing of this imminent peril, remembers that he has ministers and generals, and wonders why they do not exert themselves in this emergency. They do indeed hasten to the ramparts, and appoint the defence of the out-works.

(f) But, as if to shew how fruitless all these defensive efforts are, the Prophet hurries us, with fearful abruptness, to the catastrophe; the enemy actually enter the city, and flood the palace; Hussab, the queen, is captured and carried off on horseback, or on a litter; and although Nineveh overflows with the most abundant population, nevertheless, her multitudes fly in hopeless consternation. The authority for interpreting "pool of waters" of the dense population of Nineveh, is found in Rev. xvii. 15, where the waters are said to be the "peoples, and multitudes, and nations."

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(g) The city is sacked.

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