first half of the 10th verse, of the preceding assertion, that Jehovah is not angry with and does not curse Israel.-From the rocky heights, 2, (literally, from the top of the rocks,) and from the hills, i, are different designations of the high places of Baal, bi, on which Balaam stood. See p. 368.—I see him,

=

, first pers. sing. fut. from the verb Greek ógάw to see, and sing. suffix pronoun referring to the collective noun in the 3 stichoi. The Hebrew writer, when carried along by the excitement of his theme, frequently employed a personal pronoun without any immediate antecedent; and the noun to which the pronoun refers is sometimes introduced in a subsequent clause. Nordheimer, § 867, 1. I survey him,

from , meaning primarily, to go around or about, and secondarily, to look around. Here it seems to designate the act of running the eye over any space or body of men to distinguish peculiarities, numbers, etc. The future is used in both these stichoi to indicate an action going on in the time of narration. See Nordheimer, § 964. 2. b.

Lo,, a demonstrative adverb or interjection, like the Arab. , Latin, en. Much less frequently used than the form with paragogic.- is used in contrast with in the next stichoi, which in the plural is generally used for other nations than Israel, foreign nations. Dwelleth by itself, 7. The verb means, to let one's self down, to settle down, and hence like the Arabic, to abide, to dwell, followed by a preposition with the noun designating the place in Gen. 26: 2, et saepe. Here it is used without a specification of the place, but with a designation of the manner, alone.—77 is compounded of a preposition, in respect to, and 77, separation, hence, apart, alone. In Deut. 33: 28: Israel dwelleth in safety, alone, the fountains of Jacob, etc., where corresponds to na, safely, securely, in the first stichos; the ground of the security appears in v. 27: "He shall thrust out the enemy from before thee, and shall say, Destroy them." Jer. 44:31 is a good commentary upon this passage: "Arise get you up into the nation that is at ease, that dwelleth without care, saith the Lord, which have neither gates nor bars, which dwell alone." See also Judges 18: 7. Israel dwelleth apart from other nations, does not mingle with them and is secure against all their assaults. This is spoken generally of Israel, as the true Israel of God. When they revolted from him and transgressed, their security was gone; they no longer, in the full sense of this passage, dwelt,

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The number of Israel.

375

77, alone. Dicit autem habitatarum esse solum, ut alienis auxiliis minime indigeat. enim tantundem valet ac solitarie, vel seorsum. Dicitur ergo populus ita habitaturus esse, ut, sua sorte contentus sit, non desiderat alienas opes, neque aversat aliena auxilia -Calvin, Com. in Num. 28: 9 sq.-It is not reckoned,, the Hithpael fut. from , lit. he reckons not himself. This clause is parallel with the last in meaning. See Hengstenberg's remarks upon this verse, Gesch. Bil. S. 84 sq.

We are not to suppose that a mere physical view of the camp of Israel is all that is meant by seeing and beholding in this verse. God made this view a medium of unfolding to Balaam more fully the peculiar relation of this people to himself, of giving him, in connection with his knowledge of the promise to the Patriarch Abraham, a deeper insight into the future destinies of this people which he had been called to curse.

Verse 10. Who can compute the dust of Jacob, p. There is an evident, and apparently an intentional allusion here to Gen. 13: 16, "I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can number the dust of the earth then shall thy seed also be numbered." So Balaam: "The posterity of Jacob is as innumerable as the dust of the earth, and whenever that can be numbered they may be." This seems to be strong language to use in reference to a people no more numerous than the Israelites at this time, but it is justified by the allusion to the promise, which was already then taking effect, and would go on to its fulfilment. The idiom by which a thing now in the process of accomplishment is spoken of as if already completed, is very common in poetic and especially in the prophetic style of the Hebrews, and for this purpose the praeter tense is often employed, thus denoting the absolute certainty of the occurrence of the thing stated. See Nordh. Heb. Gr. § 966. 1. a. It should not be forgotten, too, that the reason given for the terror of the Moabites is that the "people are many," Num. 22: 3; and that in Deut. 10: 22 it is said: "The Lord thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude." Calvin says in reference to this declaration of the number of Israel: Tenendum est, quamvis populi scelere ad. exiguam numerum redacta fuerit illa multitudo, non tamen frustra hoc fuisse pronuntiatum ; quia paucitas illa tandem exundavit, ut totum mundum expleret.

And the number, p. The noun is strictly an accusative used adverbially (see Stuart's Heb. Gr. § 428. (2), and Gesenius,

clear to renand govas a noun

in the

116) having implied before it: Who shall compute by number, etc., but the meaning is the same and more der it in English as in the construct state before erned by implied. Rosenmüller considers used for the verb in the infinitive and governing accusative. The fourth of Israel, b. There is without doubt a reference here to the division of the camp of Israel in Num. ii. and x. where the different tribes are arranged for marching, on the east, south, west and north sides of the tabernacle.

Let me die, non, literally, let my soul die, etc. According to a very common idiom in Hebrew, the personal pronoun is here supplied by the most distinguished and essential part of the man.

is often so used; also, and some other nouns.

,straight, יָשָׁר is from יְשָׁרִים . מוֹת יְשָׁרִים,The death of the righteous

right. The omission of the article may be accounted for, from the poetic style which often omits it where it would be used in prose. But an additional reason may be, that it is used here for the Israelites, and substantially as a proper name, the Jesharîm, like, Jeshurûn in Deut. 32: 15. 33: 5, 26. The Israelites are spoken of as emphatically the Jesharim. See Hengst. Gesch. Bil. S. 97. If it be asked how this term, right or righteous, can be properly applied to the Israelites, who so often erred from the right way of the Lord, and rebelled against him; it may be replied that there were always some among them, an exλorý, to whom this term was appropriate, and who were ready to lift up their voice against the prevailing defection. And repentance and return always succeeded revolt, showing that there was among them a foundation for rectitude, which did not exist among heathen nations. And besides, a reason furnished by Calvin in his commentary on this verse, may have weight, though not to the exclusion of the one before given: Recti vocantur Israelitae sicut aliis locis, non propria rectitudine, sed Dei beneplacito, qui eos dignatus fuerat segregari ab immundis gentibus. The propriety of this name, then, depends both upon objective and subjective reasons, the promises of God and real character.

-literal , כָּמֹהוּ. וּתְהִי אַחֲרִיתִי כָּמֹהוּ,And let my last end be like his

ly, like him, i. e. like his end. means the end, the extreme part of anything, as of the sea in Ps. 139: 9; but it is oftenest used of time, to designate the end, event, the last days, , Isa. 2: 2; and it is evident from the parallel phrase

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Balaam's Desire for the Death of the Righteous.

377

that it here signifies, the end of life, death. But what was the definite idea in Balaam's mind? Did he connect with a happy death the idea of immortal blessedness? Many have so interpreted this passage, but, as it seems to us, without good reason. There appears to be no sufficient evidence, that Balaam's thoughts, when he gave utterance to his desire for the death of the righteous, , extended beyond the grave. The whole prophecy has reference to prosperity in this life. The effect to be produced by his curse is a temporal effect. The Israelites had become so numerous and powerful that their enemies could not expel them; even execrations were of no avail. The promises in the Pentateuch respecting the Israelites, which Balaam seems to have in mind while uttering this and the preceding verses, have reference to prosperity in this world. The probability, then, is that Balaam, as he beholds the present good estate of Israel, and recalls the promises of God, that it shall continue until the end of this life, feeling his own ill deserts for the course he is now taking, and having, perhaps, some premonition of his unfortunate end, breathes forth the longing desire, that even to the end of his life, the good fortune which now belongs to the righteous, the Israelites, and will attend them, may be his. This seems to be the most natural and easy explanation of the words in their connection.

And here we might leave the discussion; for the natural import of the language and the whole spirit of the context, should seem to be sufficient grounds for an interpretation, especially where there are no stronger objections to it than in the present case. But one other argument may be adduced. It is in accordance with the spirit of the whole Pentateuch, to suppose that temporal death only is referred to by Balaam. A happy and peaceful death is frequently spoken of as an especial object of desire, and promised as a particular favor to the faithful, when there is no allusion to a happy existence beyond the grave. In Gen. 15: 15, it is said to Abraham, that he shall go to his fathers in peace, and shall be buried in a good old age; and passages of similar nature are frequent; Gesch. Bil. S. 95. On the other hand, to say the least, no other so distinct expression of a belief in immortality is found in the whole Pentateuch, as here, (see Hengstenberg's Beitr. III. S. 576, 7,) if the common interpretation among the older expositors is the right one. If Balaam gives. utterance to his desire for the happy immortality of the righteous, the passage stands without a parallel in the Books of Moses, and

God vouchsafed to the false prophet a clear view of that, which the apostle Paul says, was brought to light by Jesus Christ through the Gospel. Surely there ought to be more solid reasons for adopting such an interpretation than have yet been given.

[To be continued].

ARTICLE VI.

REDEPENNING'S LIFE OF ORIGEN.

By Rev. B. Sears, D. D. President of Theol. Institution, Newton.

Origenes. Eine Darstellung seines Lebens und seiner Lehre von Ernst Rud. Redepenning, Doctor und ordentlichem Professor der Theologie zu Göttingen. Erste Abtheilung, pp. 461. Bonn. 1841. A GREAT man is not only the product of the age in which he was born and educated, but also the originator of some peculiarities which mark the age next succeeding. He is an essential link in society, connecting the past with the future, but transmitting more than he received. In order to form a right estimate of the character and merits of Origen, it is necessary to keep in mind both the time and the place of his birth and education, as well as the peculiar events which rendered his life so remarkable. Alexandria was at that time the principal seat of Grecian culture. Its Museum in the quarter of the city, called Bruchium, with its colonnades and walks, its stupendous library and large hall for public disputation, its numerous smaller apartments for study and for copying from books, and its dining hall for the accommodation of those who were supported there as men of learning, resembled rather an academy of sciences than a university, but was more extensive and magnificent than either. To increase the accommodations, the Serapeum had, long before Origen's time, been added. In this city, there was by far more of mere learning and knowledge than there had ever been in Greece, but infinitely less of genius. The Alexandrian scholars were mostly philologists and eclectic philosophers. Their philosophy, now both Grecian and oriental, had more surface than depth. Their theosophic and Gnostic speculations, had led even many pagans to contemplate subjects kindred with some of the more mysterious truths of revelation.