The last clause of this verse in the Targum is, Niwa Nai vumlee bisra techotah; which is the literal translation of ,vanisgor baasaar tachtenah ויסגר בשר תחתנה the Hebrew rendered in the common version, and closed up the flesh instead thereof. The Chaldee word cumlee, means to fill, to replenish. And the word techotah, which is the Chaldee translation of the Hebrew in tachtenah, rendered in the common version instead thereof, refers to the subject under consideration, the woman. It is a reference to the substantive y gneezer, a help, the woman, in the 18th verse; viz. I will make a help, i. e. a woman; and to ♫ achath, one, viz. and he brought ONE, i. e. the woman, in the same proposition in this 21st verse. The 19th and 20th verses are to be read parenthetically, as the subject of the creation of the woman is suspended, and resumed in this 21st The word nn techotah, therefore, having a feminine termination in immediate connexion with W bisra, flesh, shows that Onkelos applied this word to the generation of the human race, and not to the flesh of the man, as in the application of the word ejus, which has been followed in the English, and in other translations. This last clause of the Chaldee of Onkelos .reads-Thus he replenished flesh under her, or subject to her, as the mother of all living. The passage plainly signifies what the fact proves ; God had ended all his work, his creation ceased on the sixth day, and he planted life in the first created mother, to be communicated for the birth of all flesh. Some there are indeed, who, contrary to the grammar of the language, will say, that the feminineha, is once used as a masculine pronoun. But this is inconsistent with the rationale of the grammar of the language. Thus agreably to the feminine termination of the word an tachtenah, also with the Chaldee translation of Onkelos, the greatest of all authorities except Scripture, so admitted by all the Rabbies since his time; it is evident that he applied the word Пn techotuh, i. e. under her, to the woman, and not to the closing up of the flesh of the man. This being the true translation, it cannot, consistently with the Hebrew, or with the Chaldee, mean that a rib was taken from the body of Adam to make Eve, or that God closed up the flesh of the man, because, as observed, the word techotah, has no masculine termination to authorise the translation but that the clause which Onkelos translates, thus he replenished flesh under her, evidently refers, as the Hebrew does, to that order which God established for the creation of the human race. Here I shall close my remarks on the assertions of this writer; assertions which, the learned reader will see, are made in ignorance both of the Hebrew and Chaldee languages. But I cannot quit this subject without observing, that as the English language seems to have arrived at its ultimate degree of perfection, and as the Hebrew language is now far better understood than it ever was at any other period since the dispersion of the Hebrews; if the incorrect readings in the common version are observed, every man who wishes to see the English Bible speak agreably to the original, will be convinced that there is an absolute necessity. for a speedy revision. And what confirms this the more, is the opinion of the most learned Hebrew scholars that ever this country produced, who have left their testimony on the necessity of a revision. Their names I have given in the preface. All parties now appear to be sensible that this most important work ought to be done, and that the people ought to have the word of God pure. The necessity of this cannot be more obvious than it is at this very -moment, when deistical publications, containing numerous selections of contradictions from the common version, are circulating throughout the kingdom. If the circulation of these pernicious publications be stopped by the interference of government, this will not satisfy the great majority of the people; it will only make them the more earnest to know whether these things be so, and if not, to know what is the truth. That the objections brought forward in this formidable manner, are false and groundless, I aver, without the fear of a contradiction; and it is only by a literal translation from the original Hebrew, that such objections as are (I am sorry to say) made on the ground of the present translation, can be finally done away. If there be any among the clergy, or among the ministers of dissenting congregations, or among the people, who will presume to affect a kind of indifference or contempt for so desirable an object as that of a national revision of the Word of God, such men can be friends neither to the government, to religion, to the Bible, to good order among the people, nor to posterity. Nay those, who declare themselves averse from a literal translation of the Scripture, when it is shown, as in these pages, that the present translation stands opposed in so many instances to the original Hebrew, may tremble at the application of that passage: Mark vii. 13, Making the word of God of none effect, through your tradition which ye have delivered; and many such like things do ye. The necessity of a new revision cannot be better stated than it is by one of the learned Clergy, who observes, in a pamphlet addressed to the Archbishop of Canterbury, in the Pamphleteer of February last" It cannot have escaped your Lordship, that the Roman Catholics, the Dissenters, and the Unitarians, are at this time separately employed in producing new translations of the Scriptures, and that they do not pursue their labors without attacking the integrity of our authorised copy, and challenging our church to produce men sufficiently acquainted with oriental learning, either to defend our own version, or to compile a correct one." Therefore, as there is no want of ability to produce a more correct translation, it is devoutly hoped that those, who have the management of truths of such vast importance, will not suffer themselves to be charged with torpid selfishness in withholding the purity of the original Hebrew, the pure stream of Siloa, "which flows fast by the oracle of God." Notwithstanding the unmerited abuse, which this writer has heaped on me, as "vanity, arrogance, and presumption;" I disclaim having said in any part of my writings, that I only am capable of giving a perfect translation. I have been laboring at this work during twenty-one years, with a design to adduce such facts, as may induce the Clergy to come forward, and to second the laudable efforts of those learned men whom I have quoted, 'who have left their testimony concerning the necessity of a new revision. For however accurately any person might translate, it is the congregated body of the Clergy only, that can give energy to the reception of a NATIONAL REVISION OF SCRIPTURE.' 4. piam] pia [ut N. H.] 14. es-piam] est MS. D.-pia. 18. ossa] MSS. orsa recte. 22. MSS. D. et R. pars lucis primaque noctis. recte: cf. 77. 23. templa-tyranni] tecta-Pelasgi [ut V.] 36. audibam] audieram [ut V.] We shall readily insert any temperate observations, either on the preceding article, or on criticisms on Mr. Bellamy's work.-En. 42. dederant] MS. D. dederam. 47. Utrum At rursus monitis jussuque coacta parentis an Admovi jugulo sine me tibi vera fateri exhibeat MS. D. parum liquet e Bentl. Notis. 83. pedibus] laribus: at MS. D. manibus. 93. umbra] MS. D. unda. 100. MS. D. dura et pro var. lect. uda. 107. portus] portas. 109. senectus] vetustas. EPIST. XV. 4. veniret] movetur. 11. celebrat] celebras. 8. ulla] illa. 32. rependo] repende. 17. candida Cydno] crede Gyrino. 19. non] nec [ut Burm.] 33. sum] sim: cf. Heroid. Ep. xvii. 19. 49. consumpta] confusa. 53. At] Aut ut Gronovius Epist. 76. 63. Arsit inops-captus] Carpsit opes-vinctus [at MS. Wittianus vinctus: V. victus.] 66. Quasque-nunc] Quamque-tam. 75. crinibus] cruribus [ut N. H.] 79. levibus cor] levibusque cor [ut Burm. e MS.] 83. artesque magistra] artisque magistra [scil. Thalia; et sic N. H.] 89. conspicias-conspicis] conspiciat—conspicit. 92. vidit] videt. 134. te-libet-mihi] te-licet-tibi. cf. Her. Ep. xix. 57. 157. vitreoque-amni] vitroque-omni [ut N. H.] 162. una] uda [ut N. H.] 185. mittis] mittit. 178. Hac] Et. 191. At] Ah. 202. citharas turba-meas] citharæ verba-mea. 211. parantur] paramus [ut V.] 212. laceras] crucias [ut MS.] EPIST. XVI. Abjudicari videntur 219, 220. 1. Ledea] Ledai [ut N. H.] 15. sit] sint [ut MS.] immo rata sit: i. e. spes. MS. D. sit. 22. MS. D. Feraclea. 33. veluti] lentus [MS. D. tanquam.] 39. oporteat] Apollinis cf. Cupidinis arcu. Ibid. Idem defectus in MSS. D. et R. qui in aliis est. 45. ingentem] in partu: cf. Her. Ep. xvii. 237. 50. Post h. v. desunt plura. 53. media nemorosis vallibus] madidis nemorosa collibus cf. Amor. i. 14. 11. Clivosæ madidis in vallibus Idæ, et Heroid. Ep. xvii. vallibus Idæ [ubi Bentl. collibus.] 69. forma] nudis cf. Her. Ep. xvii. 116. vel sumtus cf. Met. iii. 332. 75. verebar] querebar [ut N. H.] 76. vincere posse] posse tenere [ut Francius.] 83. nec te] me [at voluit, ni fallor, mea.] 87. probata] probatis. 91. per] post. 96. curaque amorque] cura dolorque vel laborque: cf. Horat. laborantes in uno Penelopen vitreamque Circen. 99. oculis, animo] oculis animi. 100. victa] vincta [ut Franc.] 101. facies] faceres [ut N. H.] 113. vehor] vehar. 114. sui] tui [ut Nauger.] 102. hinc] tam. 117. Et] At. 133. obstupui] Ut stupui [ut Francius.] 134. intumuisse] incaluisse. 138. palma futura fuit] palma abitura foret: 143. Credis et] Crede sed [ut D. H.] 145. promiserit] promiserat. 153. MS. Dun. cruenta et pro var. lect. recisa. 167. videbor] fatebor [ut MSS.] 175. sceptra] Regna. 186. quamvis] MS. D. et R. quævis [ut V.] 205. tibi clara] Titana. 206. Lumina-trepidos-equos] Numina-trepidis equis vel cum trepidos a dape vertit equos MS. D. vertit. 221. tamen] non [ut MSS. 2.] 241. juvenum―amores] MS. D. aliquem—amorem [ut V.] et pro var, lect. juvénum—amores. 249. tuamque] tuamve [ut Francius.] 256. nutum] nictum: cf. Her. Ep. xvii. 82, sed cf. Met. iii. 460. 264. MS. D. Hippodamia sinus. MS. R. et alterum quoque habet quod est in not. N. H. 267. fortior isset] fortiter [ut V.] vel protinus iret. 274. ego] MS. D. hic. 277. repeto] recolo [ut N. H.] 295. corrigat.] MSS. D. et R. corriget. 298. tui] sui. 301. Ivit] Risit. MS. D. Esset: et pro var. lect. Ivit. 301. nando] MS. D. cum jam. 302. agas] MS. D. habe. 303. illa] ille. |