fifty buffaloes in the neighbourhood of the nearer (eastern) side of the Euphrates, and eight buffaloes I caught alive; and among the tribute paid to that king by Tangara, king of Syria, were horns of buffaloes' (Inscript., col. iii. §§ 48, 68; comp. also Inscript. of Tiglath-pileser i. § 35; the Statistical Tablet of the Egyptian king Thotmes III.; the Great Harris' Papyrus of Ramses III., Plate 20. a, § 9, etc.; see Rec. of the Past, ii. 24; iii. 69; v. 21; vi. 47, etc.).—More uncertain is the quality ninyin associated with the DN7; it seems simplest to connect the root with to fly (Arab., to move rapidly), and to take that word in the sense of fleetness, which attribute is elsewhere also ascribed to the DN7 (Ps. xxix. 6), especially as the noun is found in the meaning of swift course (Dan. ix. 21; Michael. celeritas; Herd., Vater, starker Lauf; Rosenm. Behendigkeit; De Wette, Schnelligkeit; Hengstb. Rüstigkeit, etc.; but, following uncertain etymologies, Sept. dóža; Vulg. fortitudo; Luth. Freudigkeit; Onkel., Syr., Ebn Ezra, Kimchi, Engl. Vers. strength; Rosenm. elatio—' capite sursum elato erectisque auribus adstare,' Germ. fröhlich umherschauen;' similarly Lowth—Sacr. Poes., Præl. xx.—qualis remotis liber in jugis oryx fert celsa cœlo cornua; Ewald, hehrer Glanz, etc.; though some of these qualities are indeed collaterally included in the 'fleetness' of the buffalo).—In Ps. xcv. 4 and Job xxii. 25, nyin is treasures, from ;, that which is acquired by fatiguing labour, as y from V, p. 109. The plural nyn is, of course, poetically used instead of the singular, and the word is never found in prose.-The Hebrews are so successful in all their undertakings, because they do not and need not rely on enchantment and auguries, but enjoy God's constant communications, which He reveals to them in His own manner and in the right time. This is the tenor of the last verses (22-24). The reason introduced by (ver. 23) explains, in the first instance, the words nyin DN, which are easily understood as a metaphor for victory, prosperity, and success; all this the Hebrews owe to the circumstance that they do not require and DDP, and, therefore, do not practise such obnoxious arts-which is another mark of their piety (comp. Philo, Vit. Mos. i. 51, οἰωνῶν ἀλογοῦσι καὶ πάντων τῶν κατὰ μαντικήν). The clause

cannot be intended as the reason of Israel's כי לא נחש וכי

deliverance from Egypt (Hengstenb., Bil., pp. 106, 127); nor does signify so that, introducing a consequence (Knob., Num., p. 141; the passages adduced in support of that meaning are not conclusive, as Isa. v. 10; xxix. 16; Job x. 6, etc.). About see Comm. on Lev. i. 375; about DDP supra p. 108; in this context n has indeed, like DD, the sense of augury or divination; but technical exactness cannot be expected in poetry. and are, therefore, in Jacob' and 'in Israel' (in ver. 23 as in ver. .21); and so explains also Jewish tradition. But not even in the comments on this sublime and lucid speech has the usual distortion of Balaam's conduct been abandoned, and surprising is the insinuation of modern theologians, that the best proof of the Divine power with which Balaam had been moved, is the manner in which he disparages those means of ascertaining the future, which he himself was habitually employing' (Hengstenb., Bil., p. 125, and others). Thus misinterpreted, this section, instead of testifying to the large-minded liberality and enlightenment of the Hebrew writer, would most painfully reveal narrowness, pride, and superstition; and if Hebrew prophecy were so mechanical a process as that assumption implies, it would hardly possess any real or human interest. The author so entirely identifies himself with Balaam, that the ordinary views of both concerning divination must be considered to coincide, and the words 'There is no enchantment in Jacob,' etc., are meant to rebuke Balak's paganism, not that of Balaam, of which there is no trace whatever. The explanation frequently adopted, 'No enchantment prevails against Jacob, nor any divination against Israel' (Calv., Herd., Mendelss., Houbigant, Michael., Dathe, Vat., Rosenm., De Wette, Gramb., Maur., Steudel, De Geer, Ewald, Luzzatto, and others), though perhaps philologically unobjectionable, yields no clear and satisfactory connection either with the preceding or the following verses. The incredible number and variety of superstitious omens which prevailed in Middle Asia and were worked out into elaborate systems, are being more and more brought to light by excavations and decipherments, and they may be gathered from the very curious Babylonian Tablets

P

which have recently been translated; for instance: If a yellow dog enters into a palace, exit from that palace will be baleful'; 'if a spotted dog enters into the palace, that palace gives its peace to the enemy'; 'if a black dog enters into a temple, the foundation of that temple is not stable'; or 'when a woman bears a child and its right ear is wanting, the days of the prince are long'; 'when a woman bears a child and the upper lip overhangs the lower, there is prosperity to the multitude,' etc. (see Records of the Past, v. 169-176); such auguries would probably fall under the category of , at least according to later conceptions of the Jews.―ny, at the time, or in the right time (Sept., karà Kaιpóv; Vulg., temporibus suis; Origen, in tempore, i.e., cum oportet et cum expedit; Rashi, 1 ny b; Luth., Vat., zu seiner Zeit; Herd., nach Zeitumständen, etc.); not as at present (referring to Balaam's own oracles, comp. Judg. xiii. 23); much less next year at this time (comp. Gen. xviii. 10), when the Hebrews shall have crossed the Jordan; nor soon (Maurer), or when (Lengerke, comp. Job xxxix. 18, like Лy, Job vi. 17). by, what He doeth, or what He hath resolved to do, the preterite denoting the unfailing certainty or the immediate execution of an action (so that it is unnecessary to read by), while the future describes the customary performance (comp. DP, etc., in ver. 24; see Gram. §§ 93.4; 94.7): against the context is the reference to the future or Messianic Israel; so Origen, In Num. Homil. xvi 8, 'de illo populo dicit de quo in psalmis (xxii. 32) scriptum est, "et annuntiabunt cœli justitiam ejus populo, qui nascetur, quem fecit Dominus,' and some others. The words ' apy, taken literally, give a most suitable sense (so Sept., ῥηθήσεται τῷ Ἰσραὴλ τί Émiteλéσel ¿ Ðɛós; Rashi, Ebn Ezra, Rashbam, and others); but they are rendered by many: 'It shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought'! (Eng. Vers.) and similarly Turg. Jon. and Jerus.; Luth., Zur Zeit wird man von Jacob sagen : welche Wunder Gott thut! Calv., Deum præclara opera exinde editurum pro defensione populi sui, quæ cum admiratione narrentur; Rosenm., Maur., quanta fecit Deus! Ewald, so lange es heissen wird in Jacob . . . . 'was thut Gott'! i. e., so lange man die Grossthaten Israels

....

bewundern und rühmen werde, and others.

Curious is Luz

zatto's explanation: Jacob, also called Israel, deserves a third name, viz., Mah-paal-El, i.e., 'destined by God for great things.' About the comparison of heroes and conquerors with the lion and other animals, see Comm. on Genes. p. 748. In the Annals of the Egyptian king Thotmes III. (line 19) it is promised: 'I let thy enemies see thy majesty like a raging lion;' and the king is described (line 20) as a 'swooping hawk which takes at his glance what he chooses'; on the Luxor Obelisk (Paris) Ramses II. is called 'magnanimous lion, golden hawk'; 'powerful Bull is the name of the Egyptian monarchs in their divine character;' and the god Ra himself, 'the chief of the great cycle of gods, the one alone without equal,' bears the names of 'beautiful Bull' and 'great Hawk' (comp. Records of the Past, ii, 34, 154, 135; iv. 11, 20-24, 56; vi. 73, etc.).

11. AGAIN REMONSTRANCES AND PREPARATIONS.

XXIII. 25-XXIV. 2.

25. And Balak said to Balaam, Neither shalt thou curse them, nor shalt thou bless them. 26. And Balaam answered and said to Balak, Have I not told thee, saying, All that the Lord speaks, that I must do? 27. And Balak said to Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will take thee to another place; perhaps it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence. 28. And Balak took Balaam to the summit of Peor, that looks over the plain of the wilderness. 29. And Balaam said to Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams. 30. And Balak did as Balaam had said, and he offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.

XXIV.-1. And when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he went not, as the first and second time, to seek for inspirations, and he turned his face towards the wilderness. 2. And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel encamped according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him.

Is Balak's obduracy vanquished at last? Will he at last desist from his audacious scheme? His defiance is not conquered, but it is curbed and checked. He still clinches the old design with a convulsive grasp, but with a faint-heartedness which involves the germ and foreboding of failure. No more does he now, as he did after the first speech, say determinedly and energetically, 'Come with me to another place . . . and curse me them from thence, a but he exclaims almost plaintively, 'Neither shalt thou curse them nor shalt thou bless them.' Writhing under the stinging impression of the words still filling his ears, that the Hebrews 'do not lie down till they eat their prey and drink the blood of the slain,' he abandons the hope of a curse, and is content if the prophet withholds his blessing from the terrible and wonderful people. However, this frame of mind lasts but a short moment. The king has imbued his heart too strongly with an infatuated desire, not to cleave to it even against hope; and when, accordingly, Balaam reminds him again that, as he had from the beginning declared himself in absolute dependence and subjection of Jahveh, he cannot fairly be reproached with a breach of faith, the monarch, as before, utterly disregards this emphatic protest and, apparently both unwilling and unable to realise its full scope, invites the seer to make a third attempt at prostrating Israel by imprecations. But in what form does he make the request? He says

a Ver. 13.

b Ver. 25.

c xxii. 38.