8. The Ufim and Thuomam (Num. xxvii, 27), wiik seem, to have had the same relation in true diriioika that the Teropkim (q. v.), or idohmemcy, had m & idolatrous system (see Hos. iii, 4). See Tbdi sal Thummim. Similar to this was divinatioa by meifis of the Ephod (q. v.).
4. Phmomancy, by means of the J7a<&-Aro^(Vp T*. daughter of the voice, i. e. direct tfoecd conunoniatko), which God vouchsafed especially to Moses (see Deo. xxxiv, 10). Various concomitanis of revelatiofi wm employed by the Deity : as the Rod-Serpent (Exod. tr, 3) ; the Leprous Hand (ver. 4) ; the £urim^ Bud (m, 4) ; the Pltigues (vii-xii); the Cloud (xvi, 10, 11); bit most instances are without phenomena (Deut tv, IS; 1 Kings xix, 12, l.S, 15, and perhaps Matt m, 13V This, the tmo Bath-Kpl, must not be confoaoded wiA
DIVESTATION
829
DIVmATION
tie fabolons one of the Rabbis, which Dr. Lightfoot alls ** a fiction of their own brain to bring their doo- jTS and their doctrines into credit" {Works^ iii, 132). ;ee Bath-Kol.
5. The Oracles : first, of the Ark of the Testimony, or Covenant (nn^n lilK), described in Exod. xxv, 22, Dd 1 Kings vi, 16-81 (comp. Psa. xxviii, 2) ; second- er, of the Tabernacle of the €!ongregation, or Testi- Qony (nsi'ljn ink), described in Exod. xxix, 42, 48. n the account of the Temple, both in 1 Kings vi and I Chron., the word "y^yi is used fifteen times to desig- lato the ^'Oracle,''' i. e. the Holy of Holies (see 1 ^ings Ti, 16), in wliich was placed the Ark of the [k>venant (ver. 19), whose golden cover, called the Vlercy-seat, was the actual sUus oracuU (Hottinger, TJies. Phil, p. 866). That there were several oracles >f heathen gods known to the Jews we may infer both Trom the mention of that of Baal-zebub at Eluttn (2 Kings i, 2-6), and from the towns named Debir. ** De- bir quod nos oraatlum sive retponswn possumus appel- lare, et ut contentiosins verbum exprimamus e verbo XoX^n^piov, vel locatorium dicere" (Jerome, ad Eph, I). The word " oracles*' is applied in the N. T. to the Scriptures (Acts vii, 88 ; Rom. iii, 2, etc.). On the general subject of oracles, see Anton, v. Dale, De ora- cuUs ; Smith, Diet, of Clast. Ant. art. Oraculum ; Pot- ter's Aniiq. i, 286-826 ; Sir T. Browne, Tract xi, and Vulff, Err, vii, 12, etc. See Oracle.
6. The AngeHc Voice, r\^h^ in"! (e. g. Gen. xxii, 15 ; Jndg. xiil, 8, 13). See Anobl.
7. The Prophetic IruHtution (TlKiinp, see Buxtorf, Lex, Rahb. col. 1286). This was the most illustrious and perfect means of holy divination (as the oracular system in the heathen world was the most eminent perv'ersion and imitation of it), and was often accompa- nied with symbolical action (2 Kings xiii, 17 ; Jer. 11, 63, 64). We may learn the importance of the place it was designed to occupy in the Theocracy as a means of divination, by the express contrast drawn between it, on the one hand, and the divinations of idolatry on the other. Comp. ver. 14 with ver. 16 of Deut xviii. (See Michaelis's Law$ of Motes^ art. xxxvi.) Under this head of prophecy we must, of course, include the ISnjsn ri^n, as the Jews call the Inspiration of the Hobf Spirit. The revelations of the Old Testament are most suitably included in these heavenly utter- ances, Aoyia 9io5. (See Heb. v, 12 ; 1 Pet. iv, 11.) Such are the chief modes of divine communication to men, or inspired divination : they are referred to in Heb. i, 1. The antithesis there points to the Son of God as the Ultimate Oracle (the L4}gos of John), the fulfiller of the promise, which Moses gave when he prohibited all spurious divination. See Prophet.
8. Before we close our notice of divination in a good sense, we must adduce two instances of the Hebrew word at the head of this article, DDp Qetm), Of the thirty-one occurrences of this expressive term in the O. T., no less than twenty-nine bear an evil meaning. In Prov. xvi, 10, and Isa. iii, 2, we claim for it a good sense. In the former of these passages the noun QD]D (Sept. lutvTuov ; Vulg. divinaiu)) is rendered in the A. V.a dkine sentence [marg. "divination'*], and de- notes ^^ sagacity such as of diviners" (Poll Synops. \n loc. Melancthon, as quoted by bishop Patrick in loc., refers to the acute wisdom of Solomon in his celebra- ted judgment, and of Qonzaga in his sentence on the governor of Milan, as instances of this DDp ; we might add the case supposed by Solomon himself of the sa- gacioiu poor man who successfully defended the city against ttie mighty invader, Eccl. ix, 15). In Isa. iii, 2, the word occurs in the Poel form, DDp (Sept. trro- Xatrriii; Vulg. ariolus), and is rightly rendered in the A. V. prudent ; the company in which the term is found requires for it a good signification. See above.
9. It only remains under this head to allude to the fact that great importance was peculiarly attached to the words of dying men. Now although the observed fact that " men sometimes, at the hour of their depar- ture, do speak and reason above themselves" (BeUg, Medici, xi), does not, of course, take away fh>m the death-bed prophecies of Scripture their supernatural character (Gen. xlix ; 2 Kings xiii, etc.), yet it is in- teresting to find that there are analogies which re- semble them (//. xxii, 855 ; and the story of Calanus ; Cicero, De Div. i, 80; Shaksp. Rich. II, 2, 1 ; Daniell, CivU Wars, m,G2, etc.).