always existing in pairs), the dilating of the nostrils,* and quick- This sense of the word, with the pointing in, is well expressed ened breathing through them, being the most marked physical by Ewald;* though he prefers to read min (ning the plur. of indication of it. Zöckler's fanciful suggestion, that the two parties | the part. i, formed from marrow), to those who enervate. to the strife are intended by the dual form (as though the two So Fürst, in his lexicon. Böttcher (Neue Aehrenl. 1372) with nostrils could be conceived as pitted against each other in strife) the same reading, but with the sense to stroke, to caress,† would is properly corrected by Dr. Aiken (Lange's Bible-work, Am. ed. | translate, those who caress kings (die liebkosende Schmeichp. 252).

V. 1. King Lemuel. See the note on ch. 30: 1, No. 10 (of answers to objections) p. 129.†—Oracle (xx); see the note on ch. 30: 1, second paragraph.

lerinnen. Hitzig, on quite uncertain grounds, renders, who leer after kings.‡

from the first member, as often in such connections.—Or: "N Fourth member. Nor: the force of the negative continued pointed as is, its distributive use being too nearly allied to the

V. 2. What, my son? Some translators and interpreters in-ground meaning to be justly questioned. See the passages terpolate the words, “shall I say,”—what [shall I say] my son ? But this by no means exhausts, or rather is far from truly expressing, the import of the question; and it would be better to

leave the reader to his own reflections, than thus limit him to a single point of view, and that not the true one. See Explanatory Notes.-, as in Ps. 2 : 12.

V. 3. ninab (for nab, Hiph. Infin.) to the destroying — destroying influence, that which destroys; ‡ namely, a course of conduct that is destructive in its effects, a life of licentious indulgence.

* Compare its expression in the Apollo Belvedere; and Shakspeare (King Henry V. iii. 1) "Now set the teeth, and stretch the nostril wide."

referred to by Hitzig, ch. 30:31, and Job 22: 1, improperly objected to by Muehlau, p. 57. Some, with the pointing 18, make it the subject nominative, nor for princes the desire of strong drink (Gesenius, Lex. 1, 1).||.

The reading of the Keri, Nor for princes (to say) where is strong drink, as in the majority of cases, is not to be preferred. V. 5. ppm (Pual part) what is prescribed=statute, or law. * Eigentlich und (gib oder mache nicht) deine Wege oder Handlungen zum Vernichten von Königen so dass Könige vernichtet werden, also auch du; welches eben am meisten durch Wollust geschiet.

† Denn das semitischen (x) umfasst deutlich latein. mulcere und mulcare. He fails, however, to make out his case,

† Kamphausen: Worte von König Lemuel; ein Ausspruch and does not even justify his wohl auch. womit ihn seine Mutter unterwies.

Ewald: zum Vernichten von Königen =so dass Könige vernichtet werden, also auch du.

¿ The reference which some make to destructive wars, is out of place in this connection.

Die blinzen nach Königen.

? Maurer: Quum vero quae viget significatio aut a loce non abhorreat, eam hic quoque tenendam putamus.

Fürst (Lex.), with the pointing is, takes it interrogatively (Keri TM, where ?), nor for princes (to say) where is strỏng drink?

and acquired, which fit one for the station of a wife and mother, and mistress of a household. So she is described in the following verses.

V. 8. Orphan children: Gesenius Thes. and Lex.; Fürst Lex. | reference here is not to moral excellences alone, as would now be V. 10. A capable woman: as the meaning is well expressed by understood by the term virtuous, but to all the qualities natural Dr. Robinson, Heb. lex., 3, 4. The phrase is so used in Gen. 47: 6, properly, “if thou knowest that there are capable men among them;" common English version, less accurately, "men of activity."* So it is used in Ex. 18: 21, 25, well rendered in the common English version, "able men."†

A "virtuous woman" (common version) is not meant. The * Men of capacity, is the meaning; men able to perform the duties required, as the phrase is used in Ex. 18: 21, 25. † It may interest the reader to trace the rendering of this phrase in the early English versions. Coverdale: Gen. 47: 6, men of activity; Ex. 18: 21, 25, honest men; Prov. 31: 10, an honest, faithful woman. Matthews, Cranmer, Taverner, Bishops: Gen. 47 : 6, men (Cr. and Bish. man) of activity; Ex. 18: 21, men of activity, v. 25, active men; Prov. 31: 10 (as Cov.). Genevan: Gen. 47 : 6, men of activity; Ex. 18:21, 25, men of courage; Prov. 31: 10, a virtuous woman. Common English version: Gen. 47: 6, men of activity; Ex. 18: 21, 25, able men; Prov. 31: 10, a virtuous woman.

It will be seen that King James' revisers abandoned all the early English versions for their own better rendering in Ex. 18: 21, 25, ani for that of the Puritan exiles in Prov. 31: 10.

Second member. Pearls. See the note on ch. 3: 15.

V. 11. Gain (35). See Roediger, Ges. Thes., p. 1420, 2nd col. ima.

V. 13. With her willing hands; strictly, with the delight of her hands, Gesenius, Thes. Vol. II. p. 1075 (m, 1): et laborat lubenti manu (Sie schaffet mit Lust ihrer Hände). Ewald:

mit ihrer Hände Lust.

her maids.* See the note on ch. 30 : 8, 2d paragraph. But in this rendering one important duty of a mistress is omitted, and the former sense of pr seems more appropriate in this connection. V. 16. With the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard, is the true sense and the best expression of it, whether we read (as Kɛthib) y in the constr. st., from the fruit of her hands is the planting of a vineyard (Bertheau†), or with the Qeri, she plants (Böttcher).

Less well, Hitzig and Zöckler take □ yo as a vineyard (Rebenpflanzung), making it a second object of the verb pin the first member.‡

V. 18, first member. See explanatory notes. Another view of the sense (with the same rendering) is taken by Bertheau & and others; namely, she perceives that her gain is good in the sense of pleasant, acceptable (wie lieblich ihr Erwerb, Ewald), that her activity has good results, is gainful (guten Erfolg hat, Kamphausen; vortheilhaft, gewinnbringend ist, Hitzig), and by this is encouraged and spurred on (was zu noch grösserer Thätigkeit anspornt, Kamphausen) to continued diligence,"her lamp goes not out by night." This has the merit of showing a connection between the two members, which is certainly desirable; but it is gained at the sacrifice of significance and point in the first member. It is not much to say of her, that she finds her diligence agreeably rewarded, and is thereby encouraged to persevere in it. The relation of parallel members * Bertheau: die Zehrung, ... die, weil sie nach bestimmtem Masse jedem zugetheilt wird,

חק

genannt werden kann. † Von der Frucht seiner Hände ist Bepflanzung (ketib stat. constr. von y Jes. 5:7) des Weinbergs; den Gewinn

verwendet es den Grundbesitz zu vermehren.

REVISED VERSION.

16 She considers a field, and ob- 16 tains it

with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.

17 She girds her loins with 17 strength,

and strengthens her arms. 18 She perceives that her gains 18 are good;

her lamp goes not out by night. 19 She puts forth her hands to the 19 distaff,

and her hands lay hold on the spindle.

in this alphabetic poem is not so rigidly exact, as to require such a sacrifice to show a connection here. She perceives, an; properly tests (Ps. 34:9, taste, and see), and perceives by testing.

V. 19. The distaff-the spindle. "I saw a woman sitting at the door of her hut on Zion, spinning woolen yarn with a spindle, while another near her was twirling nimbly the ancient distaff” (Thomson, The Land and the Book, II. 572.)

Wlkinson (Manners and Customs of the Ancient Egyptians) on page 136 of Vol. III. shows the different forms of spindles used by the Egyptians, and on page 134, and page 60 of Vol. II., the manner of using them, as exhibited in the ancient sculptures. But none of the sculptures there copied show the manner of disposing the material from which the thread was drawn in spinning. On the frieze of the Forum Palladium at Rome, a woman is represented in the act of spinning, holding in her left hand the distaff to which the material is attached, while with the thumb and finger of her right hand she twirls the spindle for twisting the thread. (Smith's Dict. of Greek and Rom. Antiq., p. 565). Some similar device for supporting the material seems to have been necessary in the oriental process of spinning.*

tached to the upper (not the lower) part, to give it a more rapid On the spindle in Egyptian sculptures is a disc, or a ring, atand steadier rotary motion. This, called the whorl, is supposed by some to be the in the second member. So Gesenius (after Kimchi, and the earlier christian Hebraists, Vatable, Mercier, and others), Hitzig, Zöckler in his note. But neither the parallelism nor the expression is very happy; repeating the thought, and designating the instrument by its name in the first member, and by one of its parts in the second.

Her hands lay hold on; strictly, her bended hands, closing on † Böttcher: nach Jes. 5 : 7 es als Nomen zu fassen, wofür the object held. We have no corresponding term, answering to doch eher stehen müsste (Mi. 1:6), ist keinem alten Ueber-hand as the Hebrew does to. There is the same difficulty setzer eingefallen, und giebt einen schwerfälligen, durch so viele in distinguishing these terms in the following verse; where, in Beispiele, die mit Vb. fin. zeigen, gar nicht empfohlenen Sinn. Vgl. Gen. 9:20. Dt. 6 : 11. 2 R. 19 : 29. Am. 9 : 14. Ec. 2 : 4, u. a. (Neue Aehrenl., 1377.)

8 Es schmeckt dass gut ist sein Erwerb, und das schmeckend arbeitet es unverdrossen ganze Nächte hindurch um noch mehr zu gewinnen.

* “The ordinary distaff does not occur in these subjects, but we may conclude they had it; and Homer mentions one of gold, given to Helen by 'Alcandra the wife of Polybus,' who lived in Egyptian Thebes. Od. iv. 131." (Wilkinson, as above, Vol. III p. 137).

the first member, the bended (hollowed) hand contains the gift for the poor. The distinction is not necessary, however, to the expression of the sense, but only of the writer's manner. Here might be rendered (though not accurately) by "fingers;" but not in the following verse.

24

26

27

28

gates,

when he sits with the elders of

the land.

Fine undergarments she makes 24

and sells,

and delivers girdles to the merchant.

Dignity and honor are her 25 clothing;

and she laughs at the time to

come.

She opens

wisdom,

her mouth with 26

and the law of kindness is on

her tongue.

She watches the ways of her 27

household,

and eats not the bread of idleness.

Her children rise up and call 28

her happy;

her husband, and he praises her :

V. 25. Dignity; as in the lexicons of Gesenius and Fürst.
Not strength, as some translate.
*
Strength and honor" are not

a very apt association. Laughable is the reference by Bertheau
and Zöckler to v. 17, as though the "strength" with which she
clothes herself were the strength of her loins! With more reason
it is said by Hitzig: Hier in a tritt nunmehr bildliches Gewand
an die Stelle des eigentlichen 22, b.

V. 27. She watches: is on the watch, to see that all goes ou rightly, and to provide for every exigency. The significance and emphasis of the Hebrew word is lost in the common rendering,

V. 21. In crimson: the most luxurious and expensive apparel; compare 2 Sam. 1:24, who clothed you in scarlet [crimson]. There was therefore no lack of means to provide all needful clothing; and it is no just objection to this rendering, that crimson is not a protection against cold. The LXX and the Vulgate treat the Heb. form as a Dual,, double clothing (zweifach, Bött-"looks well to." cher), which is preferred by Rosenmüller, and by Böttcher (Neue Aehrenl. 1378). But this falls below the tone of the description. V. 24. Fine undergarments. See the lexicons of Gesenius and Fürst. The latter properly remarks, that comparison with the Coptic shendo (fine linen), the Sanscrit sindhu, and the Greek owdav, is probably incorrect, the n of the first syllable being there essential.*

in tertia sede radicalia sint, in oudov v extremum a Graecis adjectum (Gesenius, Thes., ¡70).

* Nicht kraft,' die gar wunderlich zur kleidung' passt, sondern Würde, urspr. Steife (Böttcher, Neue Aehrenl. 1380).— Ewald: Ruhm Pracht und Glanz war ihr Gewand.

* Mihi quidem haec incerta videntur, quum in Semiticis n et † Kamphausen: preisen sie glückselig.

V. 29. Worthily: as the Hebrew is well rendered in the com- mere external beauty, an outward show representing no inward mon English version, in Ruth 4: 11.*

THE END.