The Pulpit Commentary — Micah — Section 8

of Judah. (For its ,iLuation, see note on pulvere vos conspergits. 1'he Septuagint he.a Amos vi. 2.) The paronoma.sias in this an iuexplioable rendering, ,,..,.a -yb,,.,,-a -y;J11 passage, whioh seem to modern ears e.rtiftcie.l Ka.-,i,r.ia-ua-9,, "a.go.inst laughter sprinkle e.nd puC'rile, a.re paralleled in many writings earth," which Brenton translates, "sprinkle both Hebrew e.nd classio, e.nd were ne.ture.l dust in the pince of your laughter." With to e. people who looked for myeticAl meo.ning this section (vers. 10-15) should be com- in words e.nd no.mes. Thus Ge.th is to.ken pared Isa. x. 28-82, which desoribes the to signify "Tell-town," e.nd the olauee is, alarm ocoe.sioued by Sennacherib's invasion " In Tell-town tell it not." Weep ye not of Judah from the north-east, 118 Miooh at all; Vu Igate, lacrymi, ne ploretis; i.e. represents his progress to the south-west. "weep in silence," or "hide your tee.re," Ver. 11.-Pe.aa ye away. Leave your that the enemy may not know your grief. house. Thou inhabitant of Saphir. The As in <'noh of the other cle.uses e. town is Hebrew is "inhabitress," the population menti,ined, some editors would here ree.d, being personified as a virgin (comp. 2 Kings "In Ace,-,(' Weep-town') weep not"-Aooo xix. 21; Isa. xlvii. 1). "Saphir" means hcing the le.tcr Ptoleme.is, the modern St. "Fair city." It is placed by Eusebius Jp,m d'Acre, and taken here to represent (' Onomast.') between Ascalon and Eleu- another foreign city which would rejoice e.t theropolis; it is uow identified with some Jndnh's misfortunes (see Judg. i. 81). The ruins named Snafir, five miles south-east of Septuagint a.lone of all the versions seems to Ashdod. Raving thy she.me naked; " in countenance this reading, by translating, 0/ nakedness and she.me" (Pusey); Vulgate, 'Eva,.-,)µ µ't} a.voutoSoµ•..,-•• "Ye Enakim, do eonfusa igMminia. The prophet contrasts not rebuild," which has been resolved into ol the sharuo of theil' treatment with the mean- lv 'A1«lµ., supposed to be an error for ol /-,, ing of their city's name," Go, Fair-town, into 'Axi. The objections against this reading foul dishonour." Septuagint, 1ea.-o,1eovt1<1 may be seen in Keil and Pusey. There is 1ea.>..ii>s .-as ,..JA.,< o.oTijr, "fairly dnhabiting a play on the words in both these clauses her cities." St. Jerome, in despair of ex- (as in the following five verses), which is plaining these Greek renderings, says here, not seen in the English Version, begath al "Multum Hebraicum a LXX. interpre- taggidu., and balco «l tibeku. Knabenbauer tatione discordat, et tantis tam mea que.m imit.ates the paronome.sia in Latin," Cannis illorum translatio difficultatibus involuta ne ca.nite ; Anconm ne ange.mini;" Ewald est, ut si que.ndo indiguimus Spiritus Dei and Schegg in German, " In. Molln meldet (semper autem in exponendis Soripturis nioht; in Weins berg, weinet nicht;" Reuss sanctis illius indigemue adventu), nunc vcl in Frenah, " N'e.llez pas le dire a Dijon I maxime eum adesse oupiamus." Ze.a.na.n is JI.Tiallez pas plenrer a Plcermel I " In these supposed to be the so.me as Zenan, mentioned puns, as we should call them, the prophet is in Josh. xv. 87. The meaning of the name far, indeed, from jesting. "He sees," says is doubtful. It is taken to signify "abound- Dr. Cheyne, "like lseia.h, in Isa. L 80, a ing in flocks" or "going out." Came not preordained correspondence between names forth; or, is not come forth. The pe.rono- and fortunes; " e.nd he wiBhes to impress masie. seems to lie rather in sound than this on his countrymen, the.t the judgment sense, and is variously explained, "The may not come upon ihem nnwarned. In inhabitants of Flock-town went not forth the house of Aphrah ; better, at Beth-le- with their flocks." "The dwellers of Forth- .Aphrah, i.e. "House of dust;" Vulgate, coming co.me not forth," i.e. to flee, or to in dorno pulveris. The site of Aphrah is fight, or to aid their brethren; or did not unknown. Some identify it with Ophrah in escape destruction. Vulge.te, Non est egressa Benjamin (Josh. xviiL 28), four miles north- qua, habitat in ezitu; Septuagint, O,',,c /(ijMe east of Bethel ; others, with Ophre.h in 1e<1.-011eovt1<1, :1.•vvaa.p, "She who dwelt at Philistia (1 Chron. iv. 14). Most of the Senne.ar co.me not forth." In the mourning, towns naoed below lie in the Shephelah. etc. These words are best joined with the Keil notes that the word is pointed with following clause, thus: The mourning of pathach here for the sake of the paronomasia. Beth-ezel taketh from you its standing ; i.e. Roll thyself in the dust; sprinkle dUllt upon refuge or shelter. Beth-ezel is explained, thyself. This was a common sign of mourn- "House at one's side." "Neighbour-town;" ing ( cowp. 2 Sam. xiii. 19; Jer. vi. 26). eo the prophet would say," Neighbour-town The Hebrew text (in contradistinction to is 110 neighbour to you," affords you no help. the rne.rgin, Keri) gives," I roll myself," or Bnt various other explanations are given, " I have besprinkled myself," the prophet e.g. " Lamentation makes its sure abode e.t identifying himself with the people. But Beth-ezel from your calamity." 'l'his may, as in all the subsequent passages, not what perhaps, be supported by the rendering of 11.Jc prophet does, but what the inhabitants the LXX., A~,S,•.-a• If ilµ.ii,11 ,rMn¾w oUwqs, do, is the poiut impressed, the reading of " She shall receive of you the stroke of tl,e Keri is here t.o be preferred. V ulge.te, anguish." Dr. Cheyne connects the whole  THE BOOlr OF MICAH. 5