a good sense,) we should read "," the desire of nations," a periphrasis, denoting the Messiah or Christ, made use of by Haggai, also, c. ii. 7. And the Apostle, in 2 Thess. c. ii. 4, seems to refer to this passage; and the expression, "that is worshipped," signifying Christ, answers to that of the prophet, "the desire of nations."

38th. Twenty-five MSS. read, which is justified by the context and a great many other places, and twelve have 7, which is more grammatical. But, might we venture to read D instead of ɔ, and translate the words thus: "But for the god of strength, (i. e. Mars,) he is worshipped upon his throne; (see 2 Thess. ii. 4;) and, for the God whom his fathers knew not, (i. e. Jehovah,) he is worshipped with gold, with silver, with precious stones, and with desirable things;" i. e. he arrogates to himself all the glory of his victories and conquests, neither ascribing his success to the pagan god of war or to the Jewish God of Hosts." For, may as well be understood in the passive as the active sense, see Isai. lxvi. 5; and none of the MSS. read . This construction of the words seems more suitable to the foregoing

verse.

By supplying the word

39th. after ny, as in v. 36, I would render it thus: "And he shall do according to his will to the fortresses of Mahurim, and with, or against, the strange God which he knew not; (reading before, or, as fourteen MSS. with the Keri, have '';) he shall magnify his glory, and shall rule over them with his mighty ones, and shall divide the land, or the earth, for gain.” One MS. has won, and this is explained in the following part of the chapter, which gives a full account of the destruction of Egypt and Judæa. Six MSS. have 1128.

43d. Is not this a more proper version of the latter part of this verse?" And over all the precious things of Egypt, and of the Lybians and of the Ethiopians in his marches." See the Sept.

Twenty-three MSS. have, which is more gramma

C. xii. 4th. If we retain the word wow, it may refer to the propagation of the Gospel under the ministry of the apostles; who, in the space of forty years, preached it in every part of the then-known world, which was foretold by Isai. c. xi. 9; or to the universal reception of the Gospel at the end of the world, predicted by St Paul, Rom, xi. 25, 26: but the Sept, reads some other word, what is not easy to guess; might it be 1, "they shall make many to understand;" or in Kal, “ many shall understand?" which is equivolent to didexo.

6th.

,ישכילו ;

The Vulg. and Alex. vers. read 1, "and I said," and this seems to be right.

7th. The Sept. omits the words T, &c. and translates the words thus; "in the completing, or finishing, the dispersion;" and this appears to be a good sense of the words, and may refer to that event, Rom. xi. 26, which is so often foretold by the prophets; but perhaps

.וככלות נפץ העם קדש,,the true reading was this

CRITICAL REMARKS

ON THE

MINOR PROPHETS,

Which may be considered as additions to the Bishop of WATERFORD's, late Primate of Ireland, learned work on the same; or as farther emendations, if deserving that name,

The twelve Minor Prophets are placed in the order in which they are generally supposed to have written their several prophecies.

C. i. 14th.

JONAH.

Should we not render &, as an adverb of time, "we beseech thee, O Jehovah, let us not perish now?” &c.

C. ii. 7th.Would not the two last lines of this verse afford a better sense if rendered interrogatively: "shall the earth, with her bars, be upon me for ever? or wilt thou bring my life from destruction, O Jehovah, my God?"

C. iii. 4th.

read

The grammatical construction requires that we should instead of the second, agreeably to the Chald. which

יומין has

Would it not be more regular to read " in Hiph. et

חרישת The genuine reading seems to be

A MO S.

It would be more regular to read, with ten MSS.

.שמר לנצח we should probably read ,שמרה נצח Instead of

See Jerem. iii. 5.

13th.

One old MS. reads instead of n," the mountains of Gilead;" and that reading is followed by Mercer and Lucas Brugensis. See Poole's Synopsis.

,על שור or לשור might we venture to read לשיר Instead of

C. ii. 1st."because he burned the bones of the king of Edom upon the wall?" See 2 Kings, iii. 27.

2d.

Three MSS. and the Sept. read p," and with the sound of the trumpet."

7th. -The construction of the words in the beginning of this verse has its difficulties, see Bishop Newcome; and the commentators are much divided in their interpretations of them. Instead, then, of by Don, might we ready," casting, or dusting, the dust of the earth upon the head of the poor;" i. e. by way of contempt? See the same phrase, 2 Sam. xvi. 13, to which the prophet may allude.

השאפים על

8th. The vers. differ much in the interpretation of the present text, nor is the sense of any of them very clear; and might not a better sense be had in roading y instead of y, rendering the whole thus; "and upon corrupted garments they recline themselves before every altar; and they drink the wine of their iniquity in the house of their gods?" alluding perhaps to the rites observed in the temples of their idol-deities. The preposition 2 seems to have been dropped before n'a, through the sameness of the letters, in this and many other places.

10th. Would it not be better to read, with two MSS. 7?

11th. - Would it not be more emphatical, and still more literal, to render, &c. thus; "surely is this nothing, O children of Israel?”

C. iii. 2d.

Fifty MSS. ready, which is more grammatical.

6th. The latter part of this verse does not accord very well with the former, though the sense, as the text now stands, is in itself a good one; but, if I might be allowed a conjecture, I would read " for ; and, putting a sense upon the word ny more correspondent to the preceding sentence, translate the words in this manner; "shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? Shall there be a shout in the city, and shall there be no doer of it?"

7th.

The conjunction is probably written at the beginning of this verse instead of D, and redundant in the latter part; and, to keep up the sense of the context, should we not render it interrogatively; "shall not the Lord Jehovah perform the word, when he revealeth his secret unto his servants, the prophets?"