Verse 36.-" smitten, for the men of Israel gave place," &c.; rather, "smitten. For the men of Israel had given place," &c.

Verse 37.-" drew themselves along;" rather, "advanced."

Verse 38.-" that they should make a great flame, with smoke to rise up out of the city." The word ♫ is rendered ugros by the LXX: and by Tugoos they certainly understood not a single torch, but a pile of combustibles on fire. The words

by

are not easily reduced to any regular משאת העשן

Now it had » הרבותם משאת להעלות עשן,been thus

construction. Perhaps the original reading may have

been agreed upon between the men of Israel and the ambuscade, that they [the persons of the ambuscade] should make a large pile, to send up smoke from the city." The alteration consists only in a transposition of the two words nibyn and nsw, which brings the accusative of the transitive verb next to its verb, which is its proper place; a removal of the letters from the end of the word nyn to the end of the word, with an insertion of a " between and, to make the infinitive in Hiphil of the verb in the regular form; and, lastly, a change of, prefixed without any meaning to y,

into a , for the termination of the next preceding word, the infinitive nn. See Jer. vi, 1.

Verse 40. "But when the flame began to arise up out of the city with a pillar of smoke;" rather, "But when the pile began to send up from the city a pillar of smoke"

-"the flame;" rather," the conflagration."

Verse 41. "But when the men of Israel-the men of Benjamin were amazed;" rather, " And the men of Israel faced about, and the men of Benjamin were panic-struck."

Verses 42, 43. " but the battle overtook them

and them Thus they inclosed-round

about, and chased them," &c. Read,

והמלחמה הדביקתהו ואשר מהערים משחיתים אותו בתוכה :

כתרו

"But the army pressed hard upon them, and the people from the cities, destroying them in the midst.

66

They surrounded the Benjaminites without ceas

ing, they trode them down," &c.

which is the only) בתוכה into בתוכו The change of

alteration) has the authority of a MS.

CHAP. XXI, 2. —"to the house of God;" rather, "to Bethel." See chap. xx, 18.

Verse 4.-" and built there an altar;" probably

because the altar of burnt-offerings at the tabernacle was too small for the sacrifices of the whole army. See 1 Kings viii, 64.

Verse 11.-" "hath lien by man." The Vulgate adds, "but save the virgins."

Verse 17.-" there must be an inheritance for them that are escaped of Benjamin," &c.; rather, "The right of inheritance to Benjamin belongs to them that are escaped;" or, "The escaped have the right of inheritance to Benjamin, and a tribe must not be abolished in Israel." The sense is, that the few that remain were the rightful heirs of the possessions of the whole tribe, and that it would not be lawful to suffer the tribe to become extinct, and to divide its property among the rest.

RUTH.

CHAP. I, 12. "if I should say," &c.; rather,

66 suppose that I should say, I have hope, that I were even to be married this very night, and were even to bear children [this night].

.

Verse 13.-"for them for them."

For

להן

Verse 14. " and Orpah kissed her mother-in

law." The LXX add, -"and returned to her

people." Unquestionably they found in their MSS. between the words and, the words

.See Houbigant ותשב אל עמה

Verse 19." they two." . Read with a

,שתיהן .great number of MSS

CHAP. ii, 13. “

"though I be not like unto one"For, read, with Houbigant, "; " but would I

were as one".

CHAP. iii, 1.-"rest for thee, that it may be well with thee;" rather, "a settlement for thee, which may be for thy happiness." The original expresses that the settlement should be both advantageous and agreeable to her inclination.

Verse 2.

"winnoweth barley to-night in the threshing-floor;" rather, "winnoweth this night a floor of barley."

Verse 3. —" put thy raiment upon thee, and get

and ושמת read וירדתי and ושמתי thee down. For

7. MSS.

Verse 4.-" and lay thee down.", read

. MSS.

Verse 5.-" sayest unto me."

MSS.

תאמרי אלי Read

CHAP. iv, 4. " but if thou wilt not redeem it.”

.MSS ואם לא תגאל read ואם לא יגאל For

Verse 5. "what day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess." For л, read ; and for ", read with many MSS. ."what day thou gettest possession of the field at the hand of Naomi, thou must take possession of Ruth the Moabitess." See the antient versions. Compare verse 10, and see Houbigant.