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Bible. O.T. PRoverbs. English. 1866,

PROPERTY OF

THE HARRIS HALL LIBRAR'

NOT TO BE REMOVED

BOOK OF PROVERBS.

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1466 M95

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1866, by

JOSEPH MUENSCHER,

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Uuited States, for the Northern District of Ohio.

4-3-47

PREFACE,

THE Exegetical labors of Biblical scholars in this country have hitherto been chiefly bestowed on the canonical and inspired books of the New Testament; and but little has been done by them to elucidate those of the Old. Accordingly, the common, as well as the learned reader of the Bible may find excellent helps to the understanding of the Christian Scriptures, but the former especially will seek in vain for works adapted to his wants on a large portion of the Jewish Scriptures. This is the more to be regretted, because the particular attention now directed to the study of the Old Testament in Seminaries of learning, Bible Classes and Sunday Schools, seems to require that Ministers and Laymen who are engaged in the religious instruction of the young, should have access to such works as are calculated to afford them the needed assistance in the explanation of that large and invaluable portion of the sacred volume. The following work is an humble contribution towards supplying the needed help in regard to the Book of Proverbs. This book has been almost entirely overlooked by Commentators, and yet it would be difficult to name one within the compass of the Sacred Scriptures more worthy the attentive study of the rising generation than this, for the obvious reason that much of it is addressed particularly to the young, while at the same time the whole of it is specially adapted to the formative period of life, and its precepts and monitions apply with peculiar force to those, whose inexperience exposes them to danger from almost every species of temptation. In the rendering of the text, it has been the aim of the writer not to depart unnecessarily from our excellent standard version. The deviations from that version are chiefly such as perspicuity and fidelity to the original seemed

to require. The renderings of other interpreters have in many instances been given in foot notes, some of which will at least be found suggestive.

The exegetical works which have been most frequently consulted, and from which the greatest assistance has been derived in the preparation of this volume, are the following:

MATTHEW POOLE.-Synopsis Criticorum. 5 vols. folio. London. 1671.

MATTHEW GEIER.-Commentaria in Prov. Sal. (Opera.) 2 vols. folio. Lugd. Bat. 1696.

JOHN PISCATOR.-Commentarius in Omnes libros Veteris Test. 2 vols. folio. Herbor. Nassor. 1644-6.

ALBERT SCHULTENS.-Com. in Prov. Salomonis. 4to. Lugd. Bat. 1748.

GEORGE HOLDEN.-An Attempt towards an Improved Translation of the Proverbs, with notes Critical and Explanatory. 8vo.

London.

1831.

E. F. K. ROSENMUELLER.-Scholia in Prov. Sal. 2 vols. 8vo. Leipsic. 1829.

B. BOOTHROYD.-Version of the Proverbs in his New Translation of the Bible. royal 8vo. London. 1843.

GEORGE R. NOYES.-A new translation of the Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Canticles. 12mo. Boston. 1846.

MOSES STUART.-Commentary on the Book of Proverbs. 12mo. New York. 1852.

Mt. Vernon, Feb., 1866.

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