without war," &c.; rather, " And three years went

off without war," &c. See Houbigant.

Verse 34. " at a venture."

VOTOXWS, LXX.

Verse 47." a deputy was king." A governor appointed by the king of Judah, for as yet the Edomites were in subjection to the Jewish kings. See 2 Sam. viii, 14; 1 Chron. xviii, 13; and 1 Kings xi, 15, 16. But compare 2 Kings iii, 9, 12; viii, 20; and 2 Chron. xxi, 8.

Verse 48. —" made ships." For wy, read, with many of Kennicott's best Codd. y.

Verse 51.-"the seventeenth year;" perhaps "the nineteenth." See Houbigant.

II. KINGS.

CHAP. I, 17. -" and Jehoram reigned in his

stead." Read, with Vulgate, "

108 071 12011, " and Jehoram his brother reigned in his stead.” -"in the second year of Joram the son of Jehoshaphat." The commencement of Joram's reign in Israel could not be later than the twenty-second (I rather think it was in the twenty-first) of Jehoshaphat himself. See Houbigant.

CHAP. ii, 14. "Et pallio Eliæ, quod ceciderat ei, percussit aquas, et non sunt divisæ: et dixit, Ubi est Deus Eliæ etiam nunc? Percussitque aquas, et divisæ sunt huc atque illuc, et transiit Elisæus." Vulg.

CHAP. iii, 1." the eighteenth year." See note, chap. i, 17.

Verse 9.-"the king of Edom." See 1 Kings, xxii, 47.

Verse 13.

gate makes it a question;

"Nay; for the Lord"

The Vul,

Quare congregavit Do

minus?" Their reading must have beeny, in

stead of : unless, which would be nearer to the modern text, may interrogate,

Verse 16." ditches;" rather, "banks."

Verse 23, "this is blood; the kings are surely slain" rather, with the Vulgate, "this is blood of

the sword; the kings have fought"—

Verse 24." but they went forward smiting the Moabites, even in their country." Read, with Hou

and they went * ; ויבאו באים והכים את מואב,bigant

on, going on and smiting the Moabites."

CHAP. iv, 38. —" were sitting before him;" rather, with Vulgate and Queen Elizabeth's Bible, "dwelt with him." Compare chap, vi, 1.

CHAP. vi, 22.

"wouldst thou smite?" rather, Art thou about to smite?" The force of the question is this, Are they whom thou art about to smite captives made by thy own sword and thy own bow? The prophet would insinuate that the king of Israel had no right over these persons, and so the Vulgate takes it. "Non percuties; neque enim cepisti eos gladio et arcu tuo, ut percutias."

Verse 23. "So the bands of Syria came no more

into" rather, "So the Syrians came no more in pillaging parties into❞—

Verses 31, 32. "Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day. And he sent a man from before him. 32. But Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. Then ere the messenger came to him, he said," &c. See Houbigant.

Verse 33." and he said"- Who said? certainly the king; for that the king himself came after his messenger, appears from what Elisha says in the pre

ceding verse, and from chap. vii, 17.

CHAP. Vii, 2.

המלך

For, several good MSS. have

Verse 13. It is difficult to make sense of this verse as it stands. Many of Kennicott's best Codd., after the words ¬¬, omit these seven,

-With this omis נשארו בה הנס ככל המון ישראל אשר

sion, the text may render the sense expressed by Josephus, προσαριθμησεις δε φησι τοις ύπο του λιμου τεθνη κοσι τους ἱππεις, καν ὑπο των έχθρων ληφθέντες ἀπολωνται. Lib. ix, cap. iv, § 8.

Verse 17. " who spake"- Three of Kennicott's Codd. omit the two words . Another,

of the כאשר דבר repeats the expression,אשר דבר for

preceding clause. And this I take to be the true reading," as the man of God had said, as he said when," &c.

Verses 18, 19. "For it was so, that when the man of God spake to the king, saying, Two measures— Samaria :

"Then that lord answered the man of God," &c.

may

CHAP. viii, 10. "Go, say unto him, Thou est certainly recover." According to the Cetib, the sense is just the reverse: "Go, say, Certainly thou shalt not recover." Dr Kennicott prefers the Cetib, and I agree, notwithstanding the consent of the antient versions in the sense given by the Keri. Houbigant's observation, that the repetition of the verb

is a form never used but לא חיה תחיה in the phrase

in affirmation, is erroneous. See Gen. iii, 3.

Verse 16." Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah," Expunge these words, with two Codd. of Kennicott's.

Verse 20. "In his days Edom revolted-and made a king over themselves." The king of Edom therefore, mentioned in chap. iii, must have been a vassal of the kings of Judah, perhaps of their appoint