6 express; but the felicitousness of the figure is enhanced from the evidence supplied by scriptural references and monumental pictures, showing that the vine was very elaborately and scientifically cultivated in Egypt. To affirm that 'it filled the land' (ver. 9), and that the hills were covered with the shadow of it' (ver. 10), was an allusion to the ancient custom of planting the vine on hill-sides, and carrying it by festoons, stretching from tree to tree, almost to incredible distances. In the language of Greek poetry, "the vine was 'the mistress of trees,' because supporting herself on them as on the shoulders of domestics." V. II. HER BOUGHS—HER BRANCHES] Hebrew, qetziriha—yonqothiha, ‘her boughs-her suckers.' V. 14. THIS VINE] Hebrew, gephen zoth, this vine.' V. 15. AND THE VINEYARD] Hebrew, vě-kannah, 'and the plant.' AND THE BRANCH] Hebrew, vě-al-ban, and upon the son,' poetically used for offshoot.' The Lxx. has 'upon the son of man.' PSALM CIV. VERSES 14, 15. 14 He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man that he may bring forth food out of the earth; 15 And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart. A more literal translation of the fourteenth verse would be, "Causing grass to grow for the cattle, and grain for the cultivation of man, (so as) to bring forth bread (food) from the earth.” V. 15. AND WINE THAT MAKETH GLAD THE HEART OF MAN] Hebrew, ve-yayin yě-sammakh lě-vav enosh, ‘and wine (that) cheers the heart of man.' The Lxx. reads, kai oinos euphrainei kardian anthrōpou, ‘and wine delights the heart of man'; the V., et vinum lætificet cor hominis, 'and wine may cheer the heart of man.' St Jerome has latificat, 'cheers.' AND OIL TO MAKE HIS FACE TO SHINE] The Hebrew is lehatzhil penim minshemen, 'to cause the face to shine from oil.' A question arises here,-Does the Psalmist (as construed in the A. V.) refer to oil as the agent making the face to shine? The arguments in favour of an affirmative are derived from (1) the probability that in enumerating the produce of the earth, a reference would be made to shemen (oil) as well as to lekhem (bread) and yayin; (2) the authority of the LXX., which reads [delights the heart of man], tou hilarunai prosōpon en elaiō, 'making the face to be cheerful with oil'; also the V., ut exhilaret faciem in oleo, 'that he may brighten his face with oil.' On behalf of the negative it may be urged (1) that the construction would have been different had the Psalmist wished to refer to oil as the agent, for he would have written, 'and oil makes the face to shine'; (2) that the grammatical concord of the original does not admit of the rendering given by the LXX., the V., and the A. V. On this point even the non-Hebrew scholar can form an intelligent judgment. "And wine to make cheerful the heart of man, and to brighten (his) face from oil," is an arrangement of words quite inconsistent with the opinion that it is the oil which brightens the face. But a very excellent sense is certainly afforded by taking the particle min (rendered 'from') to signify 'more than': "And wine to make cheerful the heart of man, and to brighten his face more than oil (does)." (3) The Eastern versions resemble the Hebrew too closely in the peculiarity of their prepositions to make them conclusive witnesses in a case of this kind; though the Syriac sustains the rendering suggested. On the whole the weight of translation is with the A. V., but the weight of internal evidence with the proposed rendering. AND BREAD WHICH STRENGTHENETH MAN'S HEART] Hebrew, ve-lekhem le-vav enosh yisad, and bread (food) to the heart of man gives support.' The LXX. reads, kai artos kardian anthrōpou steerizei,,' and bread makes firm the heart of man'; the V., et panis cor hominis confirmet, ‘and bread may strengthen the heart of man.' The Psalmist in this Song of Thanksgiving passes in review the provision made by the bountiful Creator for the wants of His creatures; and in the course of this review he refers to the grass springing up for the cattle, and to all the grainbearing plants which offer themselves to the culture of man (and through that culture) for his daily food. From the same source also comes 'wine,' that juice of the grape which cheers the heart and makes the face to shine more than when anointed with oil; and as this delights by its pleasantness, so food builds up the body and enables man to labour for himself and others. Yayin may here stand for tirosh (vine-fruit), to which a similar quality is ascribed (Judg. ix. 13, and Psa. iv. 7), being, with corn, the chief of foods: but if it be held that a designed contrast is presented between food as solid sustenance and wine as drink, it by no means follows that the Psalmist referred to a power of giving pleasure by alcoholic narcotism of the nerves. The ideas really contrasted are sustenance and sweetness; for it is well known that the love of sweet drinks is a passion among Orientals. One thing is certain,—that the wine which is drunk as God has formed it in nature must be the kind on which this blessing rests; and if men find more delight in wine or other fluids that have acquired an intoxicating character, they cannot plead for their use either a Divine creation or commendation. The Psalmist, beyond all controversy, regarded the wine to which he alluded as a creature of God, the natural, uncorrupted product of His power, and to such wine the eulogy pronounced upon it in this verse must be absolutely restricted. [See Note on Gen. i. 29.] PSALM CV. VERSE 33. He smote their vines also and their fig trees; and brake the trees of their coasts. HE SMOTE THEIR VINES ALSO] Hebrew, vay-yak gaphnam, 'and he struck their vines.' PSALM CVII. VERSE 27. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit's end. THEY REEL TO AND FRO] Hebrew, yakhogu, they are giddy.' Khagag signi fies to move in a circle,' hence to feel giddy or confused. Every one knows the children's custom of running round—reeling—and the giddiness resulting. The LXX. has etarachtheesan, 'they were dismayed'; the V., turbati sunt, they were confounded.' The Syriac and Targum give the idea of trembling. AND STAGGER] Hebrew, vě-yanuhu, ‘and move to and fro.' The Lxx. has esaleutheesan, 'they stagger'; the V., moti sunt, they moved about.' LIKE A DRUNKEN MAN] Hebrew, kash-shikkor, as a deep drinker.' The LXX. reads, hōs ho methuōn, ‘as he who drinks deeply'; the V., sicut ebrius, ‘as one drunk.' So the other versions. The T. has 'the deep drinker of wine' (ravyah dakhamar). AND ARE AT THEIR WIT'S END] Hebrew, vě-kahl khakmatham tithbalah, 'and all their wisdom (or intelligence) is swallowed up.' The LXX. has kai pasa hee sophia auton katepothee, and all their wisdom is drunk down.' * The V. reads, et omnis sapientia eorum devorata est, and all their wisdom was devoured.' The metaphor contained in tethbalah, 'swallowed-up,' is an obvious extension of the comparison between the state to which drinkers of intoxicating shakar as well as imperilled mariners are reduced. Not only does such drink make those who indulge in it giddy and roll about, but it swallows up the wisdom of the user. Can it be a mark of wisdom to imbibe any quantity of an article so voracious and dangerous? (Solomon takes up the same figure, Prov. xxiii. 33.) PSALM CVII. VERSE 37. And sow the fields, and plant vineyards, which may yield fruits of increase. AND PLANT VINEYARDS] Hebrew, vay-yithu kerahmim, and plant vineyards.' So the Lxx. and V. read, ‘have planted vineyards.' PSALM CX. VERSE 7. He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head. HE SHALL DRINK OF THE BROOK IN THE WAY] Hebrew, min-nakhal bad-derek yishteh, 'from the brook in the way he shall drink.' This being a Messianic psalm, the allusion to 'drinking of the brook' is allegorical; though it is no doubt true that the Saviour often refreshed Himself in His journeys of mercy by drinking of the wayside stream not yet dried up by the summer's heat. Some commentators conceive that the 'waters of affliction' are here referred to, but the concluding clause, 'therefore shall he lift up the head,' seems to point to the refreshing result of the draught received. The image is drawn from the act of a pursuing leader, who, exhausted and with drooping head, drinks of a neighbouring brook, and by drinking 'lifts up his head,' i. e. feels as if he had acquired new energy and life. In Eastern lands the full meaning of living waters is well understood. "Traverse the desert, and then you can tell PSALM CXXVIII. VERSE 3. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. * Compare this phrase and idea with the same in 1 Pet. v. 8. A FRUITFUL VINE] Hebrew, kě-gephen poriah, 'and a vine bearing-fruit'; the Lxx., hōs ampelos eutheenousa, as a fruitful vine.' So the V., sicut vitis abundans. PSALM CXL. VERSE 3. They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders' poison is under their lips. Selah. THEY HAVE SHARPENED THEIR TONGUES LIKE A SERPENT] Hebrew, shannu lě-shonam kěmo nakhash, 'they have sharpened (= made ready for striking) their tongues like as a serpent.' Some think the metaphor is drawn from resemblance of motion between a serpent darting out his tongue and the action of a person sharpening an instrument. ADDERS' POISON IS UNDER THEIR LIPS] Hebrew, khamath ak-shav takhath sephathaimo, the heat (= inflammatory poison) of an asp is under their lips.' The LXX. translates khamath by ios, 'dart' = poison; the V. by venenum, 'venom,' poison. [See Note on Psa. lviii. 4.] Obs. This is the word thrice applied to wine in the Bible, while in Prov. xxiii. 32, the above comparison-stinging like a serpent's fang—is also employed. Can such language be rationally understood of a good thing? · THE BOOK OF PROVERBS. CHAPTER III. VERSES 9, 10. 9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: 10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. V. 10. AND THY PRESSES SHALL BURST OUT WITH NEW WINE] Hebrew, větirosh yeqavikah yiphrotzu, ‘and (as to) vine-fruit thy wine-presses shall break down.' The LXX. has oinō de ai leenoi sou ekbluzōsin, ‘and (so that) with wine thy presses may burst forth'; one MS. has huper ekbluzōsin, 'overflow'; the V., et vino torcularia tua redundabunt, ‘and with wine thy presses shall abound.' This is one of the rare passages which (in the versions) can be cited as lending some apparent countenance to the common notion of tirosh as the liquid (and not the solid) fruit of the vine. The English translators as usual give 'new wine' as the meaning of the word, which would make it correspond to the Greek gleukos and the Latin mustum; but even supposing that yiphrotzu is rightly rendered by 'shall burst out with,' it is clear that a liquid sense is not thereby assigned to tirosh. A bag may figuratively be said to burst out with ' money, and a warehouse with dry goods. When, however, we examine the verb phahratz we see that it gives no support to the notion of tirosh as a fluid. The radical signification of phahratz is to 'break' or 'break down,' and this sense well agrees with the context, "Thy barns shall be filled with plenty, and thy wine-presses shall break down with vinefruit." If the secondary sense of 'increase' be preferred, there will be the same compatibility of the phrase with tirosh as a solid : ‘And with tirosh thy wine-presses shall increase (or abound).' This rendering is selected by the V. and Syriac. Gesenius justly objects to the translation 'shall burst with,' on the ground that "neither can the vat of a wine-press, nor yet the wine-press itself, burst with plenty of new wine; that, a cask or wine-skin alone can." He therefore suggests "overflow with,' phraseology quite consistent with the solid nature of tirosh, since nothing is more common than the use of such figures of speech as an overflowing assembly,' 'the streets overflowed with people,' etc. The connection of tirosh with the wine-press has no doubt favoured its conception as a liquid, but this error arises from inattention. The writer is not speaking of what is done in the wine-press, but of the fruit collected in it, just as in the first clause of the verse he does not refer to threshing the corn, but to its being stored in the barn. The whole passage may be thus expounded:-'Let the Lord be honoured with thy substance by a dedication to Him of the firstfruits of thy increase, and in return He K |