litornry rcnsons and purposes, to be dateless. They are, firstly, Samuel Cox's Book of Ruth, a Popular Ex_position,' and Dr. Andrew Thomson's 'Hom& Life in Ancient Palestine, or Studies in the Book of Ruth,' both of them fresh o.nd charming little volumes. A very different and much more scholarly group of works consists of such o.s the following :-Dereser' e 'Bi.ichlein Ruth, ein Gemalde hauslicher Tugenden, Aus dem Hebraischen i.ibersetzt, erklart, und fi.ir Pfarrer auf dem Lande bear- beitet,' 1806; Riegler's 'Das Buch Ruth. Aus dem Hebraischen ins Deutsche tibersetzt, mit einer vollstandigen Einleitnng, philologischen und exegetischen Erlauterungen,' 1812; Mezger's 'Liber Ruth ex Hcbrreo in Lat. versus per- petuaque interpretatione illustratus,' 1856. To these may be added 'Ruth ein Familien-gemalde,' in Augusti's 'Memorabilien des Orients,' pp. 65-96, 1802; and Umbreit's 'Ueber Geist und Zweck des Buchs Ruth,' in the 'Studien und Kritiken' of 1834. In this group of works Riegler's volume, in particular, is conspicuous for its taste. The author had a good ear for detecting and appre- ciating the rhythmic element in the style of the ancient story, and in this respect he anticipated the judgment of Ewald, who takes special note of the rhythmic elevation of the composition in eh. i. 20, 21 for example (' Geschichte,' vol. i. p. 154, Eng. trans.). To this group of expositions we may add, as deserving of special notice for the interpretation of Ruth, Bertheau's Commentary in the 'Kurzgefasstes exege- tisches Handbuch zum Alten Testament,' and the Commentary of Cassel, as contained in,Lange's 'Bibelwerk.' The former appeared in 1845; the latter in 1865. An excellent English translation of the latter, with valuable notes, by P. H. Steenstra, appeared in New York in 1872, as part and parcel of the English reproduction of Lange's ' Bibelwerk.' A very important appendix to the more critical expositions of the Book of Ruth consists of-(1) Charles H. H. W right's 'Book of Ruth in Hebrew, with a critically-revised Text, various readings, &c., including a grammatical and critical Commentary; to which is appended the Chaldee Targum, with various read- ings, grammatical notes, and a Chaldee Glossary,' ~864. - (2) Raabe's 'Da.s Buch Ruth und das Hohe Lied im urtext nach neuester Kenntniss der Sprnche behandelt, tibersetzt, mit Anmerkungen und einem Glossar versehen,' 1879. The former of these two works will be of the utmost value to young students of Hebrew, as an assistant and guide. Tho latter is of high philological significance, resting as it does on the most recent lines of linguistic science.
ARRANGEMENT 01.1' THE BOOK IN SECTIONS.
For the purposes of this Commentary the following arrangement into sections h ts Deen adopted:- Section 1 (eh. i. 1-5). A certain Hebrew family, driven by stress of fmnh', ~migrated from Bethlehem to Monb, where still greater trials befell them. :rviii lNTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF RUTH.