But, if we look back beyond the present Hebrew text, to that text from which the ancient Jews translated, we may be able to discover, that this prophecy is in entire concord with that of Ezekiel; for it was thus read by the Septuagint.

66

"A MAN (i. e. Messiah) shall come out

of his seed (i. e. the seed of Israel), and "shall rule over many nations; and HIS "kingdom shall be exalted over Gogue, înг. "God brought HIM forth out of Egypt; HIS

66

glory is as that of the Unicorn. He shall

"eat up the nations HIS enemies, and shall “draw the marrow from their bones, and "shall pierce HIS adversary with HIS arrows. "He lay down as a lion, and as the whelp of

66

a lion; who shall make HIM rise up? They

are blessed who bless THEE, and cursed who curseTHEE. A STAR shall arise out of Jacob, "and A MAN shall arise out of Israel," &c.

Here we read, in the most ancient version of this Prophecy, that it was not Agag, over whom the final kingdom of THE MES-SIAH would triumph; but GoGUE, гor, the last enemy and tyrant in His Church.

The Samaritan text, the Greek text of Symmachus (according to Montfaucon), and also the old Italic version quoted by Cyprian, read the same; and we are told that the same reading is preserved in the Sclavonian, Russian, and Armenian versions. And this is in exact agreement with the succeeding Prophecies of Ezekiel and of St. John. Hence then we may be authorised, to account this prophecy of Balaam as one of those which expressly foretold the final triumph of the Messiah's kingdom, over the last enemy of THE CHRISTIAN NATIONS prophetically denominated GOGUE: "him, namely, of whom God spake in former days, by His servants the Prophets of Israel, that He would bring "him against HIS CHURCH."

66

V. 19. A GREAT COMMOTION.] "Com"motio magna." (Hieron.) Archbishop Newcome incautiously observed: "Hou

bigant says rightly, that an earthquake is "described in this aud the following verse." The observation of David Levi is far more judicious, and more consonant to the imagery of the Prophets. "The great

'shaking' does not denote an earthquake, "as Archbishop Newcome (after Houbigant) has erroneously thought: but, under "this figure, the Prophet has shown the "dreadful slaughter of the nations, who "are compared to the fishes of the sea,' &c. "(Compare Habakkuk, i. 14.) And 'the

fall of the mountains,' &c. denotes the fall "of their kings, princes, and great men; "the same as the heavens,' &c. denote "thrones and dignities; and therefore the Prophet immediately explains the figure; And I will call for a sword against him throughout all My mountains, "saith the LORD GOD*,'" &c. This GREAT COMMOTION among the nations, was to distinguish the Age of GOGUE.

66

ver. 21.

V. 21. I will call for a sword against HIM;] i. e. against GOGUE. See ver. 6, chap. xxxix.

Ibid. Throughout all My holy mountains:] i. e. throughout all that portion of the earth, where the Church of THE MESSIAH is chiefly seated and established.

"Dissert. on Proph." vol, ii, p. 317.

Ibid. Man's sword, &c.] i. e. every man's sword shall be directed against his fellow. "Gladius uniuscujusque (sive ho"minis) in fratrem suum dirigetur." (Hieron.) There shall be a state of UNIVERSAL WAR against GOGUE and his people, immediately consequent upon his repulse from Ros.

V. 22. I will plead against him with pesilence, and with blood, &c.] "Peste, sive "morte." (Hieron.) This menace, declares a powerful intervention of Providence for the overthrow of THE TYRANT; according to the Commentary of Vitringa, "GOD will exe"cute a signal example of His vengeance, "for the welfare of HIS CHURCH; and will "destroy the formidable hosts by tremen"dous judgments, causing them either to be "cast down by tempests with which HE "will oppose them from heaven, or to be "consumed by pestilence and other plagues, "or mutually to destroy each other." See above, page 12:

CHAPTER XXXIX.

VERSE 2. And I will lead Thee forth.]The Hebrew word in the existing Mss. and in the printed Bible, is 'nsww; in some copies, according to Kennicott, are found

This .שישאתי and ,שאשיתי,,שאשאתי שאשתי

verb is no where else to be met with in the Hebrew language, (for the LXX, and the sense, show that it erroneously assumed in Ezekiel, xlv. 13); and it is evident, that both the Greek Interpreters, and St. Jerom who translated from the Hebrew in the fourth century, read here simply nsw, or ns, from sw, deportare*; the former rendering the passage by xaraw, and the latter by educam, I will lead thee forth. The Rabbins, (to whom the science of sound criticism is unknown,) according to their customary reverence of the written letter

* See Judges, xvi. 31. 1 Sam. iv. 4.