But-to pass from the Rabbinical Hebrew-how large is the catalogue of works on the Continent in pure Biblical Hebrew ! The zeal that has of late been manifested in this country, and more particularly in the Universities, for the cultivation and spread of Hebrew literature, warrants the expectation that, in a few years hence, questions, such as that upon which this note is founded, will give place to others of a higher description :-Is Klopstock's Messiah, or Milton's Paradise Lost, or Wessley's

, more calculated to fire the reader's breast, and move him to devotion?—Are Young's Night Thoughts, or Solomon Poppnam's 2, more likely to dispose the mind for serious meditation ?-Is Plato's Phadon more beautiful in the original Greek, or in Mendelsfohn's German, or in Jesse Bär's Hebrew translation from the latter?-Are the scenes of the witches in Shakspeare's Macbeth more awful and imposing, or those of the witch of En-dor in Troplowitz's* Tragedy entitled biaw naiba?-Which was the cleverest Periodical of its day,

Is - ?צפירה or the שולמית the מאסף the Spectator, the

there any language, ancient or modern, that can boast of an Allegorical Drama in any way to be compared with Luzatto's

–? לישרים תהלה

Questions such as these, it may now be fairly anticipated, will ere long form the topics of conversation in this country. It will not be an easy task to answer them.

of Christ with Nicodemus, and the Epistle to the Romans, are very imperfectly understood by those who are unacquainted with the Rabbinical language and Rabbinical doctrines."

* Should the names of any of these Authors be inaccurately quoted, the Editor craves indulgence, as, not being in possession of their works, he has given the quotations from memory.

On the Continent, the question is viewed in quite a different light; where the opinion is unanimous, that the so-called Rabbinical Hebrew stamps the Hebrew Scholar. Divest him of his Rabbinical Hebrew (be his acquaintance with it greater or less), and he is not able to construe a Hebrew title-page, not even that of a common Prayer-book, or a penny Almanac. Divest him of his Rabbinical Hebrew, and he stands aghast at the Commentaries on the Hebrew Bible, nay, at the very Marginal Notes that crowd its pages. The Buxtorfs, the Rosenmüllers, the Wolfsfohns, the Ben Zeebs, the Chiarinis,-all the Hebraists on the Continent, will shrug their shoulders, and disown him in their learned fraternity.*

* It must, however, be admitted, that the Rabbinical Hebrew has not been without its votaries and advocates even in this country. The Rev. Dr. French and the Rev. George Skinner, in the Preface to their masterly Translation of the Book of Psalms, acknowledge to have consulted the Rabbins. Bishop Lowth quotes passages communicated to him by Dr. Kennicott from the Mishnah and the Gemara of Babylon, which explained satisfactorily to his mind Isaiah liii. 8 (first part). It is well known what use Dr. Lightfoot has made of the Talmudical writings in his elaborate works. Of the Rabbins he gives this character, "That the doctrine of the Gospel had no more bitter enemies than they, and yet the text no more plain interpreters." The Rev. George Phillips, in the Preface to his very valuable Syriac Grammar, strongly recommends the study of the Talmud and other Rabbinical works, and supports his commendation by cogent arguments. A perusal of this Preface will richly repay the Hebrew Student. The Editor would conclude this note by a quotation from Bishop Marsh's Michaelis; who, speaking of the language of the Rabbins, thus remarks: "This new Hebrew language is called Talmudical, or Rabbinical, from the writings in which it is used. It is true that all these writings are of a much later date than the New Testament; but it appears, from the coincidence of expressions, that even in the time of Christ this was the learned language of the Rabbins. In the New Testament we find a considerable mixture of this Rabbinical language, especially in passages where matters of learning are the subjects of discourse; and though the assistance which it affords in explaining the Hebrew of the Old Testament is very uncertain, as we cannot argue from the modern use of a dead language to its ancient use among the classic writers, it is yet absolutely necessary for explaining the New Testament. The Sermon on the Mount, the conversations

But-to pass from the Rabbinical Hebrew-how large is the catalogue of works on the Continent in pure Biblical Hebrew! The zeal that has of late been manifested in this country, and more particularly in the Universities, for the cultivation and spread of Hebrew literature, warrants the expectation that, in a few years hence, questions, such as that upon which this note is founded, will give place to others of a higher description :-Is Klopstock's Messiah, or Milton's Paradise Lost, or Wessley's

, more calculated to fire the reader's breast, and move him to devotion ?-Are Young's Night Thoughts, or Solomon Poppnam's, more likely to dispose the mind for serious meditation ?-Is Plato's Phadon more beautiful in the original Greek, or in Mendelsfohn's German, or in Jesse Bär's Hebrew translation from the latter? —Are the scenes of the witches in Shakspeare's Macbeth more awful and imposing, or those of the witch of En-dor in Troplowitz's* Tragedy entitled bin naiba?-Which was the cleverest Periodical of its day,

Is - ?צפירה or the שולמית the,מאסף the Spectator, the

there any language, ancient or modern, that can boast of an Allegorical Drama in any way to be compared with Luzatto's

–? לישרים תהלה

Questions such as these, it may now be fairly anticipated, will ere long form the topics of conversation in this country. It will not be an easy task to answer them.

of Christ with Nicodemus, and the Epistle to the Romans, are very imperfectly understood by those who are unacquainted with the Rabbinical language and Rabbinical doctrines."

* Should the names of any of these Authors be inaccurately quoted, the Editor craves indulgence, as, not being in possession of their works, he has given the quotations from memory.

.שְׁשָׁה the constructive form of שֵׁשֶׁת 1 יום 2 צְבָא 3

*.קוה 4

5 the force of the in this instance is, with

reference to, in relation to.†

.ראה 6 .ברא 7 .צְמַח 8 words of which only one form is given in the :עֵץ 10

.מִין 9

Glossary either retain the same form, or are not commonly used,

The roots of verbs will be given without the vowel-points through the whole of the Keys, as well as the Glossary; all the other parts of speech will be pointed.

†The terms above and under or beneath being relative, the prefix ↳ with reference to, or in relation to, when put after them, adds greatly to the perspicuity of expression. Compare Gen. i. 7.

B

.דָּג 11 .10 see note :עוף 12 .מְלָאכָה 13

in construction.

14 15 by literally, upon [consideration that the thing is] so;

.צוה 16 .שמר 17 קדש 18

that is, therefore.

tense is very often used in the Hebrew to denote frequent or habitual occurrence (compare Gen. ii. 6), and the passive voice to supply the deficiency of an indefinite pronoun corresponding to the French on (just as the French on dit may be Englished by-it is said), the word in the text, which literally signifies-he or it shall be called, may, in this instance, be

* The substantive verb to be is commonly understood, but not expressed, in the Hebrew; and so is also the impersonal verb there is or there are, which must be supplied after the word ' in the text.