ficient in valuable qualities, they became more fond, and more lavish of fine words.

5. "Of the course of Abijah," gnuegias Aßia. This was one of the twenty-four sacerdotal families into which the whole order was divided by David, (1 Chron. 24: 3, etc.), and which served in the temple by turns.

9. "The sanctuary," rov vaov. E. T. "The temple." Had the word been to gov, it could not have been rendered otherwise than the temple;' but o vaós, though commonly translated the same way, is not synonymous. The former comprehended the whole edifice, with all its enclosures, piazzas, and other buildings; the latter included only what was termed, by way of eminence, the house, consisting of the vestibule, the holy place or sanctuary, and the most holy. The altar of incense, on which the perfumes were burnt, was in the sanctuary; the people who were praying without, were in the temple, v to isow, in the court of Israel, though not in what was strictly called the house of God, that is, iv z vaq. In order to render the version as explicit as the original, it behoves us to avoid confounding things in the one, which are not confounded in the other.

15. "Any fermented liquor," olxeoa. E. T. "Strong drink." Some think that by this name was meant a liquor made of dates, the fruit of the palm tree, a drink much used in the East. But I see no reason for confining the term to this signification. The word is Heb. shecher, and has been retained by the Seventy interpreters in those passages where the law of the Nazarites is laid down, and in the rules to be observed by the priests when it should be their turn to officiate in the temple. The Heb. root signifies to inebriate,' or 'make drunk.' All fermented liquors, therefore, as being capable of producing this effect, were understood as implied in the term. Strong drink is not the meaning. It might be impossible by words to define intelligibly, the precise degree of strength forbidden, or for judges to ascertain the transgression. For this reason, the proper subject of positive law is kinds, not degrees in quality, whereof no standard can be assigned. For this reason, all liquors, however weak, which had undergone fermentation, were understood to be prohibited, both to the Nazarites, and to the priests during the week wherein they officiated in the temple.

17. "And, by the wisdom of the righteous, to render the disobedient a people well-disposed for the Lord," xai aneiveis, év 900νήσει δικαίων, ἑτοιμάσαι Κυρίῳ λαὸν κατεσκευασμένον. Ε. Τ. "And the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." The construction, in this way of rendering the words must be καὶ ἐπιστρέψαι ἀπειθεῖς ἐν φρονήσει δικαίων, ἑτοιμάσαι λαὸν κατεσκευασμένον Κυρίῳ. I readily admit

that in the N. T. is sometimes used according to the Heb. idiom, for sis or iní, and sometimes for our or for dia; but this concession is not to be understood as implying, that such a use may happen equally in whatever way the words be connected. I question whether the verb noroiva will ever be found joined with the preposition &v, for expressing to turn to, or to convert to. It renders it the more improbable that this should be the case here, as in the preceding clause we find the verb inorgia followed by the preposition ini, for expressing this very idea, turning to, or converting to. That in two parallel and similar clauses, depending on the same verb, such an alteration should be made in the construction, is very improbable, being repugnant at once to simplicity, perspicuity, and propriety. It has some weight also, that as in that explanation the sentence has three clauses, though the first and the second are coupled by the conjunction xai, there is no copulative prefixed to the third. This, at least, is unusual, and suits neither the Heb. idiom nor the Gr. In the way I understand the sentence, it has but two clauses. Απειθεῖς is not governed by ἐπιστρέψαι, but by the following verb trouaoa. The placing of a comma ἑτοιμάσαι. after anvis, is all the change necessary in the pointing. This makes iv qoovnosi dixaior fall between two commas, and express the manner in which the Baptist was to effect those changes, namely, by inculcating that disposition of mind which, with righteous men, is the only genuine wisdom or prudence. Bishop Pearce has given the same turn to the sentence; only he seems to think that the word dixaiov peculiarly relates to John himself. This supposition is quite unnecessary, and, as the word is in the plural number, embarrasses the construction. The wisdom of the righteous may well be understood as opposed to the wisdom of the ungodly, in like manner as the wisdom which is from above (another phrase for the same thing) is opposed to the wisdom which is from beneath.

23. His days of officiating;" that is, bis week (for it lasted no longer at one turn), during which time he was not permitted to leave the precincts of the temple, or to have any intercourse with his wife.

28. "Favorite of Heaven," zezaoitwμévɛ. Vul. "Gratia plena." There is no doubt that, in the sense wherein this last expression was used by Jerom, it was of the same import with that given here after Dod. and with that used in the E. T. " thou that art highly favored." But at present, the phrase full of grace would not convey the same meaning. Be. "Gratis dilecta." This, though in strictness (if we consider only the import of the words taken severally) it may be defended, conveys an insinuation exceedingly improper and unjust. Gratis dilecta is precisely such a compellation as we should reckon suitable, had it been given to the woman whom our Lord permitted to anoint his feet in the house VOL. II.

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of Simon, to the great scandal of that Pharisee, who knew her former life. What might even but obliquely suggest a conception so remote from the scope of the evangelist, ought carefully to be avoided.

2 "The Lord be with thee," Kugios μerà σov. E. T. "The Lord is with thee." Vul. Er. and Zu. " Dominus tecum." Be. "Dominus tecum est." As the substantive verb is not expressed in the original, it may be interpreted either in the indicative or in the optative. When rendered as an affirmation, we cannot question its truth. But it seems more suitable to the form of salutation, which is always expressive of good wishes, to understand it in the latter of these ways. The word yaipe, which immediately precedes, suits this interpretation, and so did all the forms of saluting customary among the Hebrews, such as "Peace be to this house;" "the Lord be with you ;" and, "the Lord bless you." See chap. 10: 5. Ruth 2: 4.

3 Thou happiest of women," tuloynμévn où èv yvvaiživ. E. T. "Blessed art thou among women.' "" I conceive this expression here as more properly a compellation than either an affirmation or a salutation; and I understand the pronoun as emphatical, and in the vocative. Such a phrase as εὐλογημένη ἐν γυναιξίν is, in the Heb. idiom, an expression of the superlative. It is accordingly so rendered by Cas. in this place, " mulierum fortunatissima." The same idiom is sometimes similary used in the E. T. Thus, ἡ κάλη ἐν γυναιξίν in the Sep. which is literally from the Heb. is, with us," thou fairest among women," Cant. 1:8; and in

laish gibbor babbehemah, "a lion, which is strongest among beasts," Prov. 30: 30. The expression used here by the evangelist we find repeated ver. 42; but as it is coupled with another clause, καὶ εὐλογημένος ὁ καρπὸς τῆς κολίας σου, it must be understood as an affirmation.

29. "At his appearance and words she was perplexed,” j de ἰδοῦσα, διεταράχθη ἐπὶ τῷ λόγῳ αὐτοῦ. Vul. “ Quæ cum audisset, turbata est in sermone ejus." This version would appear to have sprung from a different reading; yet there is no known reading that is entirely conformable to it. The Cam. and two other MSS. omit idovoa. Si. thinks that the Vul. fully expresses the meaning of the original, and that the evangelist, in saying idovoa, has, by a trope not usual with the sacred authors, expressed the operation of one of our senses by a terin which, in strictness, belongs to another. I admit that there are examples of this kind, but I see no occasion for recurring to them here. It cannot be questioned that such an extraordinary appearance, as well as the words spoken, would contribute to affect the mind of the Virgin with apprehension and fear.

35. "The holy progeny,"to yevroμevov äziov. E. T. “That holy thing which shall be born of thee." Vul. "Quod nascetur

ex te sanctum." This is one of the few instances in which our translators have deserted the common Gr. and preferred the present reading of the Vul. There are indeed four MSS., only one of them of note, and the first Sy. with some other versions, which concur with the Vul. in reading ἐκ σου after τὸ γεννώμενον. But though this is the reading of the authorized editions of the Vul. it is not the reading of most of the MS. copies. Some of the Fathers read these words in some MSS. and attempted to account for the omission of them in the much greater number, by imputing it to the Eutychians and other heretics, who (they would have us believe) expunged them, because unfavorable to their errors. But it is far more probable that the orthodox, or ruling party, who were as chargeable with frauds of this sort as any heretics, should have had it in their power to foist the words in question into four or five copies, which are all as yet found to have them, than that any sectaries should have had it in their power to expunge them out of more than fifty times that number, in which they are wanting. As the sense is complete without them, the greater number of copies, especially where the difference in number is so considerable, ought to determine the point. Wet. suspects, and not implausibly, that the inserted words have been transferred hither from Gal. 4: 4. As there is nothing in the words themselves that is not strictly conformable to truth, it is easy to assign a reason why some modern editors, and even translators, have thought it more eligible to insert than to omit them. In such cases, this will be found the most common way of deciding.

37. "Nothing is impossible with God," oux advvarýjori ragà Tô e nãν óña. Vul. "Non erit impossibile apud Deum omne verbum." Diss. IX. Part ii. sect. 9.

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Happy is she who believed,” μακαρία ἡ πιστεύσασα. Vul. "Beata quæ credidisti." In like manner Cas. "Beatam te quæ credideris." A little after, in the same verse, both have tibi, where in the original it is aury. Agreeable to these is the Sax. This expression of the sentiment by, the second person instead of the third, seems peculiar to these translators, but does not affect the sense.

2 That the things which the Lord hath promised her shall be performed,” ὅτι ἔσται τελείωσις τοῖς λελαλημένοις αὐτῇ παρὰ Κυ plov. E. T. "For there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord." Vul. "Quoniam perficientur ea quæ dicta sunt tibi a Domino." To the same purpose, Be. "Nam consummabuntur ea quæ dicta sunt ei a Domino." Cas. differently, "Perfectum iri quæ tibi a Domino significata sunt." The instances in the N. T. wherein or does not signify because, but that, are very many. The. understands it so in this place. So also does Gro. and some other expositors of name. It must at the

same time be acknowledged, that the words are susceptible of either interpretation. The reasons which have induced me to prefer the latter are the following. After torów, when a clause is subjoined representing the thing believed, it is invariably introduced by on, which in those cases cannot be rendered otherwise than that. See Mt. 9: 28. Mr. 11: 23, 24. J. 11: 27, 42. 13: 19. 14: 10, 11. 16: 27, 30. 17: 8, 21. 20: 31. I have, for the sake of brevity, referred only to examples which occur in the Gospels. 2dly, The person or subject believed is always subjoined, unless there be something in the preceding words which show clearly what it is. Now there is nothing here in the preceding words which can suggest what was believed. It is then highly probable, that it is contained in the words succeeding. 3dly, That this clause expresses, not the reward of belief, but the thing believed, is probable from this consideration, that Elizabeth had doubtless in view the superiority of Mary above her own husband Zacharias, inasmuch as the former readily believed the heavenly messenger, which the latter did not. Now, if Elizabeth meant to point out the superior felicity of Mary, on account of her faith, she would never have specified a circuinstance which happened equally to her who believed, and to him who did not believe; for to both there was a performance of those things which had been told them from the Lord. It would have been rather inopportune to mention this circumstance as the special reward of her faith, though very apposite to subjoin it as the subject.

3 Soine have thought that the words nagd Kvolov, in the end, are better connected with relɛiwois, and that, therefore, rois leλɑAnμévois aviy should be included between commas. When the effect is equal in respect of the sense, the simplest manner of construing the sentence ought to be preferred. Admitting, then, that παρὰ Κυρίου may be properly conjoined either with τελείωσις or with λελαλημένοις αὐτῇ, it is preferable to adopt the construction which suits the order of the words, where there is no special reason for deserting that order. The phrase, things spoken or promised to her, does not necessarily imply that it was the Lord who spoke them, even though he be mentioned as the author of the events; but, in speaking of the performance of things promised by the Lord, it is manifestly implied that the Lord hath performed them. A promise is performed only by the promiser. This is therefore better, as it is a fuller expression of what is admitted on all sides to be the meaning. One would almost think of some critics, that they dislike an exposition because it is obvious, and prefer one palpably worse, which requires some transposition of the words. To transpose the words is sometimes necessary in explaining these writings; but the presumption is always against the transposition, when the words, as they lic, yield as good and as pertinent a meaning.