APPENDIX. NOTE I. THE NAME ELOHIM. In the note on ch. v. 8, an alternative rendering to "they chose new gods," that of the Vulgate "God chose new things," is mentioned. It should perhaps be explained that the word for "God" in Hebrew is in the plural, not, as might be expected, in the singular. The word Elohim is the plural of Eloah, a name derived from El, strength, also one of the names by which God is known to the Israelites. It is by many supposed to be what is called a pluralis excellentiae, that is to say a plural denoting some special dignity or excellence, just as monarchs call themselves "we," and the plural “you” has absurdly taken the place of the singular "thou" as the accustomed mode of address in many modern languages. Some, however, have regarded it as an indication of a plurality of persons in the Godhead. But it is perhaps best to understand it as expressive of the sum of many attributes. It is worthy of note that as the first idea of God entertained by the Aryan nations is brightness (Dyaus, Zeus, Deus), that of the Hebrews connected itself with power, until the attribute of perpetual self-existence (Ehveh, I am, from which comes Jahveh, "he is," commonly, but incorrectly pointed Jehovah) was revealed to Moses. For the name Jehovah see Note II. in Samuel. NOTE II. SISERA. The tradition about Sisera mentioned in the note on ch. iv. 2 is also to be found in a continuation of Jahn's Hebrew Commonwealth, by Professor Stuart, of the Theological College, Andover, U.S. This work was published in 1829. Here the descent of Rabbi Akiba from Sisera is mentioned with unhesitating confidence, but the only reference given is to Ganz, who wrote about a century after the Liber Jochassin. On examination, it appears that Ganz refers his readers to the Liber Jochassin aforesaid. JUDGES 14 NOTE III. DEBORAH'S SONG. The following version of Deborah's song is offered to the student as indicating (1) its parallelisms, and (2) the construction of the poem. An attempt has also been made to indicate (3) the alliteration, which is, however, by no means a prominent feature in this ode. PART I. The Gathering of the Tribes. 1. Prelude. For that our leaders took the lead, For that the people willingly offered themselves, Hear, O ye kings! The glories of Jehovah. Give ear, O ye chieftains! I to Jehovah, even I, will sing: I will sing praise to Jehovah, the God of Israel. The mountains melted 1 from the presence of Jehovah, 3. Strophe. Israel's affliction. In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, The highways were unoccupied 2, And the travellers walked through by-ways. Rulers ceased3 in Israel, they ceased Until that I Deborah arose, That I arose a mother in Israel. They chose new gods; Then was war in the gates: Was a shield to be seen, or a spear Among forty thousand in Israel? 4. Antistrophe. Israel's thanksgiving. My heart is with the governors of Israel! With those who willingly offered themselves among the people. 1 Or, "flowed down." Or, "the villages ceased." 2 Or, "the caravans ceased." Safe home among the water-troughs from amid the shout of the archers, There they rehearse the righteous acts of Jehovah, The righteous acts of His rule1 in Israel. Then went down to the gates the people of Jehovah. Awake, awake, Deborah ! Awake, awake, utter a song! Arise, Barak! and lead thy captivity captive, O son of Abinoam ! 2. Strophe I. The Praise of the Patriots. Then came down a remnant to the great ones, The people of Jehovah came down to2 me against the valiant; From Ephraim came those whose root is in Amalek; Benjamin followed thee among thy people. From Machir came down rulers, From Zebulun those who muster the array; And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah, And if Issachar, then Barak : Into the valley was he sent on foot3. 3. Antistrophe I. The Reproach of the Laggards. Amid the water-courses of Reuben, High were the resolves of heart; Why didst thou abide among the sheep-folds, Listening to the pipings for the flocks? By the water-courses of Reuben great were the searchings of heart. Gilead dwelt beyond Jordan. Dan, why sojourned he by the ships? Asher sat still by the sea shore, And on his creeks he kept his dwelling. 4. Chorus. The praises of Zebulun and Naphtali. Zebulun is a people that jeoparded his life even unto death, And Naphtali, on the heights of the field. 1 Or, "of His villages." "Or, "fur." • Or, " 'into the valley they poured at his feet." 5. Epode. The Defeat. Kings came; they fought; Then fought the kings of Canaan, At Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo: From heaven they fought, The stars in their courses fought against Sisera! The torrent Kishon swept them away; That ancient torrent, the torrent of Kishon : March on, my soul, in strength ! Then clanged the horse-hoofs In the mad career1, the mad career of the mighty ones. Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of Jehovah ; 7. Antistrophe 2. The praises of Jael. Blessed above women be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite! He asked water; she gave him milk; She brought him butter in a lordly dish; She put forth her hand to the tent-pin, And her right hand to the workmen's hammer. She smote Sisera with the hammer, crushed his head : At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down, At her feet he bowed, he fell; Where he bowed, there he fell down dead! 8. Epode. The mother of Sisera awaiting his arrival. "Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarry the wheels of his chariots?" Her wise princesses answered her, Yea, she herself answered her own words; "Surely they are finding, dividing the spoil! One damsel, two damsels for each man of war, A spoil of divers colours for Sisera, A spoil of divers colours embroidered, Dyed and double embroidered, for3 the necks of the spoil!" 9. Chorus. So perish all Thine enemies, Jehovah! And let them that love Thee be as the going forth of the sun in his might! 1 This may either refer to the fugitives or the pursuers. NOTE IV. JEPHTHAH'S Vow. On a point where so much difference of opinion exists, the student may wish to have a list of the principal authorities on either side. As has been said, the early authorities, including Josephus and the Chaldee Paraphrast, Jonathan Ben Uzziel, were unanimous in favour of the belief that Jephthah put his daughter to death in strict fulfilment of his vow. Jonathan introduces a curious passage to this effect in his Targum. The passage runs as follows: "And he fulfilled the vow which he had vowed upon her, and she knew no man: and it was made a statute in Israel that no man should offer his son or his daughter for a burntoffering, as did Jephthah the Gileadite, who did not consult Phinehas the priest; for if he had consulted Phinehas the priest, he would have redeemed her with money." The anachronism of about 250 years here is singular, but it does not of course affect the question how the Targum regards Jephthah as having acted. Rabbi David Kimchi (circ. 1200) appears to have been the first who held a contrary opinion. He was followed, after an interval of three centuries and a half, by Grotius, who says that he cannot believe that a man of whom faith was predicated (Heb. xi. 32) could have done such a deed. About a century later Ludovicus Capellus wrote a careful dissertation on the point, taking the same view, and Hengstenberg and other later authorities have also adopted it, some supposing that the Jewish virgins went to condole with Jephthah's daughter (see marg. ch. xi. 40) for four days in each year. Bp. Horsley believes that what "for two thousand years has puzzled all translators and expositors" has been "cleared up" by a sermon preached before the University of Oxford by Dr Randolph, Margaret Professor of Divinity, in 1766. This interpretation supposes that Jephthah vowed to the Lord what first came out of his house, and promised Him also a burnt-offering. Dr Adam Clarke inclined to this opinion. But the great weight of authority is on the other side. The Christian fathers are unanimous on the point. From the time of Tertullian (if the five metrical books against Marcion be his) onward, they with one consent explain the passage of a burnt-offering. They discuss the question whether the act be compatible with the saintliness ascribed to Jephthah in Heb. xi., and on the whole decide that it was not incompatible with it, on the ground that Jephthah must afterwards have repented. This is the view of Aquinas, in his questions (2, 2, quest. 88, Art. 2). Cornelius a Lapide follows on the same side. So does Calmet. Drusius asks why Jephthah did not redeem his daughter, referring to Levit. xxvii. 4 (see note on ch. xi. 35), and suggests that he was probably ignorant of the law on that point. Lightfoot (1602-1675) and Rosenmüller (1768-1835) both believe that Jephthah offered his daughter in sacrifice. Thomas Scott (1747-1821) anticipates the remark of Hitzig (ch. xi. 37, note) that Jephthah's daughter would have had a whole life-time in which to bewail her virginity, so that she would not have needed the two months she asked for that purpose. Of writers |