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tomary aorist, i. q., "arrived," like the usage in English biography, "He would often do so and so;" to render it directly by a preterite tense, however, as translators generally do, is to fail to represent the idiom. The employment of phrases significant of Jehovah's coming for his appearance in miraculous exhibitions, especially of a national character, is too frequent in Scripture, from the first theophany or record down to the intimations of the final Advent, to require special elucidation. The key-note in the lyrist's theme is here struck, and it was a chord that ever vibrated in symphony with the pulsations of the Jewish heart. The opening stanza introduces us "in medias res," to the main topic of the poem. But for the distinctive musical notation at the close of this couplet, it might seem to be more naturally joined to the following; and yet, from the reflection that a Father's hand still guides the penal rod, the transition is not very abrupt to the thought that the great King will not fail to avenge the oppression of his peculiar subjects by their fellow-mortals. The latter eminently Hebraistic idea at once kindles the seer into rhapsody. The word п, Sélah, which is subjoined as a separatrix of the strophes, is generally conceded to have the exclamatory force of "Stop!" like the modern rest in music, being probably designed to allow an instrumental interlude in the vocal performance. By a suspension of the chant it thus naturally gives impressiveness to the sentiment just preceding it. It seems to be derived, by an interchange of sibilants, from the root n, to "suspend," hence to "be silent."

Strophe II describes the splendid phenomena and dread attendants of the divine Shekinah, which, in the figurative representations of Scripture, is always assumed as the special symbol of Jehovah's presence and power. (a.) In general terms, the celestial radiance was reflected by the whole land beneath. b, "laudation," is evidently the correlative, as the appropriate effect in the human sphere, of Tin, "majesty," the exhibition in the supernal vault. There is an idiomatic transposition in the members of the parallelism, "Covered the heavens, his glory, And (with) his praise, was full the earth."

Verse 4. (b.) The picture proceeds to the active state of this preternatural splendor. Brilliant beams emanated from the hands that now appear as more palpable indications of con

crete potency. Henderson renders ix, "like that of the sun," regarding the kamets of the prefix as equivalent to the article, and thus rendering the noun emphatic; but it is simply the regular pointing before an accented syllable, and the noun (as in Job xxxvi, 32) is significant of lightning, which renders the mention of the right hand appropriate, and is tantamount to the parallel 2, "two horns," that is, forked flashes, as if it were said, thunderbolts. Yet even this halo is but the screen of his more awful energy. The obscurity of this clause is enhanced by the ambiguity of , which, if pointed as in the Masoretic text, signifies "there" or "then;" if as in the Septuagint (VETO) p, will signify "he put" or "caused." The leading idea is, in either case, essentially the same, that these visible tokens were not the full development, but the mere, or vail, of the Almighty's ability to vindicate the cause of his people.

Verse 5. (c.) A glance is allowed at some of these direr messengers of God's vengeance. The plague stalks as his vanguard, and its fiercest symptom attends close behind him. In the poetic "machinery" of the Hebrews the angel of death is always depicted as bearing a special commission from divine providence. Compare 2 Samuel xxii, 10-17.

Strophe III contains a representation of some of the ́terrestrial or physical convulsions that evince the divine sovereignty over the realm of nature, and tend to inspire awe in his subjects. This is the well-known scriptural imagery for national disturbances and political overthrow.

Verse 6. The mere presence of Jehovah, although silent and stationary, is like the tread of an earthquake; his gaze alone throws consternation amid the ranks of his enemies. The verb is ambiguous, like "shook," so that, the "land," may be either its subject or object; but the parallelism seems to show that it is here transitive. The granite peaks of the enduring hills are riven by the volcanic shock, and fall in ruins at their Maker's approach. The concluding clause of the triplet is somewhat uncertain in its construction and application, some rendering it simply "His ancient paths," referring merely to the mountains. But this is rather jejune. The words are literally, "goings of old [are] to him,” iii. The sentiment seems to be, that God's march

עוֹלָם

is not to be obstructed by such puny barriers, inasmuch as the avenues of his power were prior to the oldest monuments of earth.

Strophe IV shows more particularly what was the occasion of this wrathful demonstration on the part of Jehovah, or at least points out those who were most immediately affected by its occurrence in their midst. The first couplet describes the consternation of the inhabitants of the land, and the concluding triplet intimates that the very waters seemed to sympathize in the terror.

Verse 7. The vividness and earnestness of the representation is heightened by the statement of the clear impression upon the mental vision of the seer: ", "I beheld," as if it were said, Lo! The disturbance of the inmates is evinced by the agitation of their tenements, the hangings (ni¬¬¬, tremulous awnings) of their canvas tabernacles betray the internal commotion. The nomadic natives were not simply in (-) dismay, but under (n) a burden of fear and anxiety. The cause of this is not expressed, but the national appellations following suggest that it was the unprecedented phenomena attending, the progress of the Israelitish host in its exodus, so like a hostile invasion. By Cushan (, a prolonged or locative form that occurs uncombined in this passage only for the simple and frequent Cush, w) or Ethiopia, we must understand the Arabian branch of that people, (who bordered either side of the Red Sea,) as is evident from the synonym Midian of the parallel clause, the latter being the well-known title of the Bedouin tribe inhabiting the central part of the Sinaitic peninsula. Their roving mode of life is here hinted at in the terms applied to their frail and movable dwellings. There is no historical statement of their alarm at the approach of the Hebrew camp, as here set forth; perhaps their previous familiarity with Moses, while resident among them, had neutralized any such apprehensions; it is sufficient for the poetic imagery here employed, to know that such a terror was inspired among other nations through whom the route of the Israelites lay. (See Joshua ii, 9-11, and compare Exodus xv, 14-16.)

Verse 8. The question here implies that inanimate nature, which felt the first shocks of Jehovah's power, was not the object really intended to be impressed; there was a moral effect

designed by these exhibitions, calculated to convince intelligent creation of his sovereignty. The omission of the article with the first, as if it were said, "mere streams," is significant. The Red Sea is evidently intended, a branch of which the poet represents as having been unceremoniously treated for the passage of the Hebrews, as if their divine Leader had indignantly thrust aside this obstacle. The words expressing this violent treatment are climactic: n, to "kindle," etc., passion, as incipient; n, hard "breathing," in the cumulative force of ire; 3, "outburst" of ebullient wrath. The construction of the words in, however, is uncertain. Some, following the Septuagint and Vulgate, render them directly, "Wast thou angry, Jehovah?" But this is clearly against the usus loquendi, which would require the form. Most later interpreters (Maurer, Delitzsch, Henderson, Hitzig) render, "Did it burn, O Jehovah?" insisting that usage demands

to be taken impersonally, or with the of the following member. Gesenius, Winer, and Fürst, however, (in their respective Hebrew Lexicons,) construe directly with nin as its subject in a neuter-passive sense, Jehovah burned, etc., with anger. It is true this passage is the only instance of such a construction, but in favor of its adoption the following arguments may be adduced: [1.] This is the most simple, smooth, and natural method of rendering, and that which the Masoretic interpunction seems most to countenance, (these two words being connected by a conjunctive accent, with the disjunctive on the preceding; compare Nordheimer's Hebrew Grammar, ii, 338, c. d.) [2.] The distinctive use of the two introductory interrogative particles and D, forbids the transfer of p from the second clause as the subject of in the first, (it being moreover required where it stands by the substantive verb evidently to be supplied there, as well as by the repetition of ) while usage does not allow the omission at once of the nominative and the subject indicated by 3, in connection with . [3.] The name in is indeed appropriate as a vocative to the second persons following, but equally apposite as a nominative to the third persons preceding, and perhaps most apt as a link, in the latter view, between the two forms. Strophe V portrays this divine act of interference under the symbol of a horseman in battle at the head of a rescuing troop

of charioteers, ready armed as an archer, and dealing determined blows of vengeance on every foe. The connective particle is here inaptly rendered "that" by many expositors; the clause which it serves to introduce no doubt contains an exemplification of the wrathful demonstration just referred to, but the change of figure is too great to allow so close a relation; the sea is not the appropriate field for the maneuvers of cavalry, although in this case it was really the scene of contest. The horses and chariots perhaps contain an allusion to the Egyptian army there overthrown, but they are a frequent emblem of the divine prowess, and are here used synonymously of the vehicle of Jehovah's power. The term is to be taken as an adjective, as if it were said, "delivering," to indicate the design of the martial array.

Verse 9. The weapon of vengeance is that adapted to a distant and flying foe; the quiver of arrows is, moreover, the constant accompaniment of the war chariot upon the Egyptian monuments. The bow appears to have been kept in a sheath or case, (like the shield, Isaiah xxii, 6,) from which it was drawn forth at the time of battle; this act seems to be referred to in the phrase in, literally, "(in) nakedness will be made naked;" that is, was wont to be fully uncovered, the intensive form of the expression apparently referring to the complete determination and equipment for combat. The next clause is quite obscure from its terseness, and has been very variously rendered: a nip niya, literally, "(like) oaths (are) the rods of (the) word;" the Septuagint is evidently at fault, ἐπὶ τὰ σκῆπτρα, λέγει Κύριος ; the Vulgate little better, juramenta tribubus quæ locutus es; Rosenmüller paraphrastically, ut tribubus jurejurando promissum erat; Maurer ingeniously, satiata [reading ni] sanguine sunt hasta, epicinium!; Delitzsch prosaically, Beschworen sind die Geschosse durch dein Machtwort; Henderson idiomatically, "Sevens of spears," was the word; Ewald vaguely, siebenfache Geschosse des Wortes; Hitzig simply, Eidschwüre, Ruthen des Wortes, etc. The only real ambiguities allowable, as to the signification of the several words, are: nip in the sense of sevens; but this very rarely occurs, (Ezekiel xlv, 21,) and not in such a construction as to justify such a rendering here. (2.) ni in the sense of tribes is of frequent occurrence, with reference to the subdivisions of

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