I am oome up to the height of the moun- waters; rather, perh3ps, I dig, and drink tains. "The height of the mounte.ins" is . . . and dry up-the preterite he.ving again hero the high ground which an nrmy would a present sense. Senne.cherih means that have to tmveree in po.Being from the Urele- this is what he is wont to do. ,\~ mountains Byrian ve.lley into Pe.leetine. It is not do not stop him (ver. 23), so deserts do not exactly Lebanon, which rune parallel with stop him-he dig3 wells in them, and drinks the coast, anll carte.inly does not "guard we.ter "strange" to the soil-never before Pe.leetine to the north," as Keil supposes ; seen there. And with the sole of my feet but it me.y be viewed as e. " aide" or have I dried up all the rivers of beBieged " fle.nk" of Lebo.non. In point of fa.et, places; rather, will I dry up all the rivers Lebanon and Hermon unite their roots to of Egypt (compare the Revised Version. form a barrier between the Crele-Syrian plain " Mazor" is need for "Egypt" in Isa. xix. (El BuT,a'a) and the valley of the Jordan, and 6 and Micah vii. 12). It is the old singular an invader from the north must cross this from which was formed the dual Mizraim. barrier. It is not so difficult or rugged but Whether it meant "land of strength" the.t the Assyriane could bring their chariots (Pusey), or "land of distress" (Ewald), may over it. T_hey were e.ccustomed to traverse be doubted, since we have no right to far more difficult regions in Zagros and assume a Hebrew derivalion. There was Niphe.tes and Te.urns, and to carry their probably o. native word, from which the chariots with them, dismounting when neces- Hebrew Mazor, the Assyrian Muzr, and the sary, and he.ving the vehicles lifted over Arabic Misr were taken. Senne.cherib'e obstacles by human hands (see 'Ancient boast is tllat, BB he makes deserts travers- Monarchies,' vol ii. p. 74). To the aidea of e.hie by digging well3, so, if rivers try to Lebanon. Au army which inndes Pales- stop him, he will find a way of drying them tine by the Crele-Syrian valley-----quite the up. Compare the boasts of Alaric in Clau- easiest and most usual line of invasion- dian (' Bell. Get.,' pp. 525-532), who hnd necessarily passes along the entire eastern probably this passage of Kings in his " side," or "flank," of Lebanon, which is thoughts- the proper meaning of n;;i~:, and not "lofti- est height" (Keil), or "innermost recess" " Teownis patior snadente fuge.m, cum ceeserit (Revised Version). The plural, 'i:!:?7:, is Obseqniis nature. meis? Subsidere nostris natural when a mountain range, like Leba- Sub pedibus montes, arescere vidimus am- non, is spoken of. And will cut down the nes. tall oede.r trees thereof, and the choioe :fir Fregi Alpes, galeisque Padnm Yictricibns trees thereof. The felling of timber in the hausi." Syrian mountain-chains we.s a common practice of the Assyrian invaders, and he.d Ver. 25.-Hast thou not heard long ago two quite distinct objects. Sometimes it bow I have done l The strain suddenly i t
was mere cruel devastation, done to injure changes-the person of the speaker is altered. and impoverish the inhabitants; but more It is no longer Sennacherib who revee.ls the often it we.a done for the sake of the timber, thoughts of his own heart, but Jehovah which the conqueror carried off into hie own who addresses the proud monarch. "Hast country. "The mounte.ins of Amanus I thou not heard, how from long ago I have o.ecended," says Asshur-ne.zir-pal; " wood acted thus? Hast thou never been taught for bridges, pines, box, cypress, I out down that revolutioM, conquests, the rise and fall . . . ce<lar-wood from Ame.nus I destined of nations, a.re God's doing, decreed by him for Bit-Him and my pleasure-house called long, long ago-ay, from the creation of Azmaku, and for the temple of the moon the world? Art thou not a.wo.re that this and sun, the exalted gods. I proceeded to is so, either from tradition, or by listening to the lo.nd of Iz-mehri, and took possession the voice of r,·ason within thine own heart?" of it throughout: I cut down beams for It is implied that such knowledge ought to bridges, and carried them to Nineveh " be in the possession of every man. And of (' Records of the Past,' vol. iii. p. 74). The anoient times that I have formed i t lA cedar (erez) and the pine, or juniper (btroBh), rhetorical repetition of the previous question, were iu special request. And I will enter needful for the be.la.nee of cle.uses, in which into the lodgings of his bordere-rathor, the Hebrew poetry delights, but adding nothing lodge of its border-perhaps a palace or to the sense. Now have I brought it to huuting-loclgo on the outskirt of the Leba- pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste non forest region (comp. Cant. vii. 4)-e.ud fenced oities into ruinous heaps. The idea. into the forest of his Carmel; rather, the was vel'y familiar to IsaiRh aud his contem- forest of itB orohard; i.e. the choicest part poro.ries. Years before, when Assyria first of tho Lebo.non forest region-the po.rt which became threatening, Isaiah, speaking in the is ruther park or orchard than mere forest. person of Jehovah, had exclRimed, "0 As- Ver. 21.-I have digged and drunk strange syrio.n, the rod of mine anger, and the s\d 388 THE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS. [err. XIX. 1-37.