in the third person singular masculine, rejecting first their final

שָׂדֵהוּ ;a field שָׂדֶה ;his leaf עָלֵהוּ ; a leaf עָלֶה,as : ה letter ; a

his field. In like manner they reject their final letter when they receive the feminine affix of the same person, which is either

IT

ITT

; an accident מִקְרֶה ;her field שָׂרָה ;a field שָׂדֶה,or [: as לָהּ

her accident, Ruth ii. 3; 7 an appearance;

appearance.

18.

ין

Anomalies.

his flock (of sheep), Deut. xxii. 1, from . The affix is occasionally found attached to other nouns : as, his concubine, Judg. xix. 24; his yoke, Nah. i. 13; his light, Job xxv. 3. And also with plurals: as, a

his heroes, Nah. ii. 4.

2 Pers. masc.

19. The following examples are also anomalous. nb Ps. x. 14. 2 Pers. fem. thy third part, with

⚫ inserted, Ezek. v. 12;

A the whole of it.

Of the first person plural

our substance, Job xxii.

your baseness, Ezek. xxiii. 48.

Of the third masc. all of them, 2 Sam. xxiii. 6. Of the

third fem.

the whole of them. So Gen. xli. 21;

1 the midst of them.

With Nouns Plural.

for

20. 1 Pers. sing. ity for The union vowels of the affix contracted: as, is for Ezek. xvi. 52, &c., in which case the sometimes takes place with the masc. pronoun: as, strokes, for Tie Deut. xxviii. 59. sengers, Nah. ii. 14. the 2d. masc.

in my testimonies, Ps. cxxxii. 12. of the 3 fem. sing. are sometimes pins (Art. 87. 3.) thy sisters, Yod is dropped. This thy

וד

-thy mes מַלְאָכָכָה So

Of the

It. 2d fem. nine your pillows. Of his benefits, Ps. cxvi. 12. in their posts. 3d fem. PAN its gal

21. The affix of the 2d pers. plur. masc. is, in one instance,

preceded by (.);* as, nision your dispersions, Jer. xxv. 34. These may all perhaps be errors of transcription.

22. The ', which precedes the affixed pronouns in the plural numbers of nouns, is frequently dropped: as, 7 for 7 thy ways, &c. But, many of these anomalies will come under the rules detailed in Art. 189. 7, and will, therefore, be rather apparent than real; the rest perhaps are the mere mistakes of the copyists.

N. B. The demonstrative and other separable pronouns will be given when we come to treat on the particles.

On the Use, Signification, and Forms of Words generally.

146. Words are nothing more than sounds, simple or compounded, which have been adopted in order to represent the ideas conceived in the mind of one person to that of another. Whether any of these were first imparted to man by the Creator, or whether he had only the powers given sufficient for appropriating such sounds for the purposes of life, it is impossible now to say: nor is it very important; for, in either case, their adoption will be traced to the appointment of the Deity, either mediately, or immediately. From what is revealed in the Scriptures, however, I am inclined to believe, that it was an immediate appointment, as far at least as the necessities of society at first went; leaving to his ingenuity the further extension and cultivation of this power, as the increasing wants or refinements of life might suggest. If then the boon was immediate, nothing can be more probable, than that the use of words would be regulated by some analogy; which, it is likely, would also have been the case, had unassisted reason been left to shift for itself. In any case, therefore, we might

* In some editions regularly ...

expect to find that some analogy had been resorted to in the structure of language, whether we originally possessed the skeleton of it as given by inspiration, or, as made by man for his own use. Things must have had names; and these must have been such, as would generally be allowed and understood, whether we can now see their suitableness or not. Actions and events must likewise have had names; and, whether we can now see the reason why certain words or sorts of words have been employed for these purposes, or not, it must be next to certain, that there once was an immediate cause both for their adoption and forms.

2. If then this be the true state of the case, it may be worth while to consider, in the next place, how the primitive significations of words would, in process of time, be varied in order to meet the necessities which would daily arise. Let us first take the word walking, going, proceeding. This, we can suppose, was the name given to that sort of action, by which a person removes himself from one place to another. If then we add another word, or words, the whole may now mean, proceeding towards, either as a friend or an enemy:-from, with, &c. with the additional notions of co-operation, resistance, haste, delay, or the like. This action might, in the next place, be applied to the mind, and then signify its progress, improvement, general conduct, conversation, &c. and, in such acceptations is this word used. Hence Enoch is said to have walked with God, Dunbgp-ng aig a Gen. v. 22. Again, it may be applied to any thing in the sense of progress, and this may be understood to intimate either increase or diminution: as, Gen. xxvi. 13. So, he proceeded, proceeding and becoming great, i. e. gradually. And, Ib. viii. 3, &c. ih gibp own n

and returning, so they decrease, &c. And, accordingly, this word is often used in the sense of proceeding gradually.* Again, let us take the word hy rising, mounting up, &c. This with certain adjuncts may signify, to become superior to, or to get the upper hand of, another; to conquer him, to humble him; also to excel in state, dignity, power, &c.: the being conversant upon, or about, any thing: being near a place or thing, before it, or, as we say in English, over against it: also, over and above, implying excess; being incumbent upon, as a duty, &c. all of which might arise out of the primitive word, by considering it either in its proximate or remote bearings: and such are the acceptations, in which, in one form or other, it is actually found.

3. If then we can conceive how words would thus be made to vary from their primitive significations, in consequence of their different bearings, as just noticed, we shall find no difficulty in seeing, how the cause, beginning, continuation, completion, consequence, &c. of any action may be likewise intimated by such words, as also the ability, duty, right, will, endeavour, custom, occasion, permission, or notification, &c. which may also be intimated or implied by their various forms; and this in their more remote significations, according to the Grammarians and Commentators, has actually taken place in many instances in the Hebrew; as, indeed, it has, in a greater or less degree, in all languages; but which is nothing more than what the necessity of the case absolutely requires.

4. The law or necessity by which this variety has

* So also the Persian going going, for gradually. So Virgil, Vires acquirit eundo.

+ See Glass. Philolog. Sacr. Ed. Dathe. p. 178-249. &c. Storr. Observ. p. 1, &c.

been brought about, has, for the sake of convenience, been termed Tropology, and this, for the same reason, has been divided into Metonymy, Irony, Metaphor, and Synecdoche. METONYMY respects cause and effect; subject and adjunct: IRONY, contrariety: METAPHOR, comparison: SYNECDOCHE, distribution, as to the whole with reference to its parts, the genus to its species, the material to the thing composed out of it, &c. For a full account of which the reader is referred to the second volume of the Philologia Sacra of Glassius, or the work of Storr, books which every student of the Hebrew Language ought to have.

5. Let it be remembered, however, we are not to recur to these figures for the purpose of reconciling any passage of Scripture with our own preconceived notions. It must appear clearly from the context, considered in conjunction with the character of the writer we may be consulting, whether such figure has really been used or not, otherwise we shall make the sacred writers occasionally to talk like madmen: and shall, perhaps, extract from the same writer, nay the very same passage, the most incongruous and discordant notions.

6. When, therefore, we have to ascertain the meaning of any given word, we must carefully consider, whether the primitive or some derived signification is to be taken. When the literal acceptation of such word will answer our purpose, the work is done, and we need proceed no further: but, when this is not the case, we must try in what way our principles will help us: e. g. We find in Job ii. 9, the following passage, which has given considerable trouble to the Translators and Commentators :

,which in our authorised version is בָּרֵךְ אֱלֹהִים וָמֶת

"Curse God and die." The word, about which the principal difficulty has here arisen, is 7. The best