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as the indefinite article; of the participle, and infinitive for the finite verb; neglect of the old distinction between the common and the apocopate and paragogic form of the future, (hence and ,) and prefixing to the accusative* and nominative, &c. The reception of Persian words belongs to this period, and is more frequent in the Aramaan parts of Scripture.

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IDIOMS OF PARTICULAR WRITERS AND BOOKS.

JOB, AND EZEKIEL.

PENTATEUCH,

To the foregoing remarks on the varying usage of the two periods, some special observations may be added, on particular writers of both periods. Here, in conformity with our purpose, we limit ourselves to the language in its narrowest sense, that is, to the vocabulary, the peculiar forms, and inflections.

1. The language and usage of the Pentateuch, in the historical passages, agree perfectly with those of the other historical books. This has been said above, and is generally admitted. However, the Pentateuch has some peculiarities. is used as the feminine pronoun she, in which sense, the common form, occurs only eleven times in the Pentateuch. is also used in the feminine for a girl, while, the common term in the other books, only occurs once, (Deut. xxii. 19.) From Ruth ii. 21, it is highly probable it was used at a later period. Both these forms have commonly

a See Vater, 1. c. p. 668. The Masorites and the Samaritan text have erased both of these peculiarities by substituting and wherever the other words occur. Michaelis reckons among these peculiarities the defective writing of before the suffixes; but the opposite may be shown from the collections made by Hiller, Arcan. Keri, &c. p. 46. The pronouns and for 7 and 8, might, with more justice, be cited; for they often occur in the Pentateuch, and only once out of it, namely, 1 Ch. xxviii. 8.

The same which is expressed, in verse 21, by, is expressed in verses 8, 22, 23, by ♫i, and verses 8 and 23 especially render it necessary to understand the word in a feminine sense. So the LXX., μετά τῶν noodoor. Dathe, who saw the necessity of giving it a feminine sense, very uncritically wished to amend it by . More justly Michaelis, 1. c. The Masorites left it untouched, probably because some sense can be made of it as it stands.

been considered as archaisms; and they have been used as proofs of the high antiquity of these books. This may be conceded, and they may be paralleled with the Latin forms Tulli, terrai, senatuis, dies, (in the genitive,) which were somewhat more ancient, but were used by some writers along with the common form. From this it follows, either that a lower degree of antiquity is to be ascribed to them, which is readily granted,—or that this usage was a peculiarity of the author or compiler. From the circumstance that these idioms appear also in the later book of Deuteronomy, it is in the highest degree probable that a conforming hand has been busy with them. The example of the Chaldees shows that the poverty of the language is no proof of high antiquity; for, with them, forms which once were separated are frequently reunited; thus, is used

. אַתְ and אַתָּה for

But a remarkably different style prevails in Deuteronomy. Its most remarkable characteristic consists in a certain diffuse, rhetorical, and moralizing tone, and the constant return of favorite phrases. The usage approaches the modern form. Some favorite words and phrases are, apa, to rely upon Jehovah ;=, great

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put away the evil from the midst of you, (a later for the more usual form, that soul shall be rooted out;) the accumulated synonymes,

,the rhetorical form, heaven of heavens ; מִצְוֹתֶיךָ, מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ, וְחֶנּוֹתֶיךָ

God of gods, &c., (x. 14, 17; compare 1 Kings viii. 27, 2 Ch. ii. 5.)

, law, is a word decidedly later, (xxxiii. 2.) To judge from the historical allusion, especially verse 7, the whole chapter could not easily have been written before the exile. It is particularly instructive to compare chap. xxviii. and xxxiii. with Levit. xxvi. and Gen. xlix. The tone and usage agree, for the most part, with certain of the Prophets. The book has several phrases, almost peculiar, in common with Jeremiah; e. g., to give up, (xxviii. 25; compare Jer. xv. 4, xxiv. 9, xxix. 18, xxxiv. 17; the phrase is nowhere else except 2 Ch. xxix. 8;), strange gods, (xxxii. 16; compare Jer. iii. 13, v. 19;), to teach apostasy from God, (xiii. 5; compare Jer. xxviii. 16, xxix. 32;), to cut off the young men, (xxxii. 25; compare

a Michaelis, 1. c. § 31. Eichhorn, l. c. § 406. On the other hand, Vater, 1. c. p. 616.

See Vater, 1. c. p. 493. De Wette, Diss. de Deuteron. p. 7—10. [In the In. troduction, vol. ii., below, § 160.]

Jer. xv. 7, xxxvi. 13—15, Lam. i. 20;), stubbornness of heart, (xxix. 18; compare Jer. iii. 17, vii. 24, ix. 13, xi. 8.)

2. In the book of Job, observation discloses to us two phenomena, namely, that the usage and the circle of ideas in this poem, on the one side, correspond closely with many of the most excellent psalms, but in a manner peculiarly striking with the Proverbs of Solomon. But, on the other side, they incline decidedly to the modern writings of the second period. Besides this, many Arabisms have been ascribed to it; to which this reply may be made, that certainly there is found

in the book much that is analogous to the Arabic usage, or which may be explained from this language; but this is at the same time Hebrew also, and belongs to the poetic style; or it is also Aramæan, and has been borrowed by the poet from the Aramæan popular language. So it appears in this book not as an Arabism, but an Aramaism. The style is not more conformable to the Arabic in this, than in other poetic books and passages, and it would be utterly unjust to conclude from this that the poet had a direct intercourse with Arabia and its literature.

The above peculiarities of the language can only be explained on the supposition that this book was composed between the two periods, that is, in the exile: other circumstances render this supposition probable." The following words and significations are entirely peculiar : , for heart, breast; 7, the lower world;, for the work of God;, for the organ of speech, not that of taste, -vau inserted between sentences to be compared together, (v. 7, xii. 11; compare Prov. xxv. 25, et al.;) nimpin, proofs, warnings;, deliverance, wisdom;, prudent direction, counsel;, to strike hands, as a pledge of suretiship. The terms father, brother, and sister, are used metaphorically, xvii. 14, xxx. 29; compare Prov. vii. 4, xviii. 9.

a See Bernstein, in Keil and Tzschirners, Anal. iii. 37, sqq. See Rosenmüller, Prol. ad Jobum, p. 32-34. See Jerome, Præf. in Dan. Leclerc, Sentimens, &c., P. 183.

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LATER WORDS AND SIGNIFICATIONS. -pin, name of an evil angel; i. 7, ii. 2, sqq.; compare 1 Ch. xxi. 1., to begin; iii. 2, xxxiv. 1. Dp, thoughts, applied to night visions, dreams; iv. 13, xx. 2; compare xxxiii. 15, Dan. ii. 29, 30, iv. 16., cause; v.8. m2, to arrange, appoint; vii. 3. , like as; ix. 26, xxi. 8; compare Eccl. ii. 16, vii. 11. 2, to command; ix. 7. (See Lexicon, sub voce, No. 3.), quodcunque; xiii. 13; a circumlocutory form of negation, xvi. 6, xxxi. 1. 7, to conceive; xxi. 10. 7, study, business; xxi. 21, xxii. 3., to decide, determine. ", not; xxii. 30. xxviii. 8., the wise; xxxiv. 2; compare Eccl. ix. 11. πpp, to command; xxxiv. 13, xxxvi. 23; compare 2 Ch. xxxvi. 23, Ezra i. 2. , work; xxxiv. 25; compare Dan. iv. 34; xxxvi. 2 is entirely

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;Lord , מָרֵא = מוֹרֶה .indulge me a little , כַּתַּר לִי זְעֵיר .Aramean

xxxvi. 22.

pare

a

LATER PHRASES. - ix. 12, Who says to them, What doest thou? comxxi. 22, Eccl. viii. 4; still stronger, Dan. iv. 35. ; xiv. 9; compare, Dan. iii. 27. , in the midst of peace, for suddenly; xv. 21; compare, Dan. viii. 25, xi. 21, 24. 77, not by the hand, (of men ;) xxxiv. 20; compare 7 DEN, Dan. viii. 25, and 3, ii. 34, 35., when God shall draw his soul out (of his body ;) xxvii. 8; compare the image (Dan. vii. 15) of the body as a sheath for the soul."

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LATER ORTHOGRAPHY AND GRAMMATICAL FORMS. -, for; vi. 27. 7, for DN7; xxxix. 9, 10. ; viii. 8. ; xxxi. 6. 17, for

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3. Ezekiel also stands on the borders of the two periods. His book belongs to the scanty class of books, that, from beginning to end, preserve a unity of tone, distinguished by favorite expressions and peculiar phrases, by which all suspicion of spuriousness is removed from particular chapters. He shares many peculiar terms and Chaldaic expressions with his contemporary, Jeremiah. But they were more numerous in Ezekiel, and among all the writers of

a Where no parallels are given, see the Lexicon.

b Buxtorf's Lex. p. 1307.

the Old Testament, perhaps he has proportionally the greatest number of grammatical anomalies and inaccuracies."

4. Of all the books of the second period, the book of Ecclesiastes is tinged most deeply with the Aramæan dye, and the greatest part of its favorite expressions, that constantly recur, are peculiar to it. Some approach very nearly to the usage of the Talmud.'

• On the peculiarities of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, see Eichhorn, 1. c. § 536, et sqq., and below, vol. ii. § 217-224.

Ezekiel has, in common with Jeremiah, the form,, for s, up, (see Hiller, 1. c. p. 381;) the suffix ",", for,; the form, and

.the latter occurs in the books of Kings : אִתָּם and, אִתִּי for, אוֹתָם

These are some of his favorite expressions. -, son of man, as title of a prophet; ii. 1, 18, iii. 1, 17, et al. The hand of Jehovah came upon me; i. 3, iii. 14, 22, xxxvii. 1; comp. xi. 5, xxxiii. 32. Behold, I am against you; xiii. 8, xxi. 8, xxxiv. 10; comp. v.8. To break the staff of bread; iv. 16, v. 16, xiv. 12. 37, ozúvdažov in its different applications; iii. 20, vii. 14, xiv. 3, 7, xviii. 30, xxi. 28, xliv. 12, et al.

E. g. the prevalent use of, for, of, for TN; viii. 17. 17, office, affair, thing. 7, the capper berry; xii. 9., to weigh, prove; xii. 9. 17, besides; ii. 25. (See Mishna, Tr. Kilaim, ii. 5, vol. i. p. 117, of Surenhusius's ed.; note the Chaldee, 1.), to enjoy sensually; ii. 25. , alas! iv. 10, x. 16, &c.

The following are Aramaisms.—; vi. 6., that which. ; i. 9, iii. 15, 22, vi. 10, vii. 24. ; i. 11, ii. 12, 16., word, thing.

MODERN HEBRAISMS AND FAVORITE EXPRESSIONS.

i. 14, ii. 11, 17, 26, iv. 4, vi. 9; also

;vain effort ,רָעוּת רוּחַ

; i. 17, iv. 16.

9, 14, ii. 18, 19, 22, iv. 1, 3, 7, 15, et al.; and
, pains-taking, trouble; iv. 4, with the verb.

, the things that go on there; ii. 17, iv. 3. haps the same as xóquos, in the N. T. sense of world. Nouns in and are frequent. See above, § 7.

; i. 3,

; i. 14, ii. 3, iii. 1.

; ii. 11, 18, 19, 20.

; iii. 11, per

Ban, &c.

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