LETTER, & c.

DEAR SIR:

NAYLAND, Oct. 29th, 1795.

the light is the most beautiful of all things; ovparos, the heaven; and many others. So You will want little persuasion to the simple is the Hebrew, and so perfect in its study of the Hebrew language, when you construction, that even light itself is not an know how valuable it is in itself, and what original sense; for is from, a biliteral help you will find from the use of it in your root, which signifies to flow; light being in other studies: for it will be of service to you perpetual flux, and the most perfect of all as a critic, a mythologist, an antiquarian, a fluids; perhaps the only absolute fluid in philosopher, and a divine. If the Hebrew nature. were the original language (which, however, is disputed, as all other things are,) the different languages of the world must partake of it more or less; and consequently they may be traced up to it. Unless a scholar is able to do this, he will be wanting in a very material part of his business: and, though I would not affront any man of learning, who is an able critic in Greek and Latin, as if he were a person of no knowledge, I am nevertheless very certain he would see much farther, and find great satisfaction, if the Hebrew were added to his other learning.

Nothing is more common than for large families of words to arrange themselves under some simple root in the Hebrew. Thus the words fruit, fructus, fertilis, fero, in Latin, pepe in Greek, Freya the northern goddess of fertility (whence our Fryday) all come from the Hebrew FeRA, to bear fruit. Even in the English tongue, where you would little suspect it, the Hebrew word will account for the English. What is the word sweat but the nyi zet of the Hebrew ? Cypher in English, is a SePheR in Hebrew: dumb in English, is 1 to be still : shiver in English is in Hebrew sheber or I must leave it to the compiler of the Lex- shever, to break in pieces: hush, be still, is icon to collect the various instances in which from n HaSHaH, to be silent: track is later languages may be traced up to this from the Hebrew 17 DRACH a way, which original: but I will give you a few examples, in Arabic is taracq: earth is from re to show how easily it may be done, and to ARETZ or ERETZ, a word of the same tempt you to find others for yourself at a sense. Is in English, and s in Greek, and esse and est in Latin, are all from the HeThe word aurum, gold, is Latin; which brew substance: shed is from the Hebrew can be traced up to no Latin original; but in, to pour out. In Latin words, which Hebrew the word aur expresses a kindred have no affinity with any other word, the idea; it signifies light, to which gold is more like agreement is frequently discovered with nearly allied than any other substance, from the Hebrew. The world olim, hereafter, or its color and its splendor; and, in the sym-long ago, is not a word of a Latin form, but bolical language of the chemists, gold stands is the same with by olem an age, ever, &c. for the sun. When we have once obtained a Thus in Greek the word xr, tunica, admits of no Greek derivation, but in CheTeN in Hebrew has the same sense.

future time.

leading idea in Hebrew, it is pleasant to see how other words in abundance will fall in with it for hence we have the word Aurora, for the light of the morning; Horus, a name of the sun with the Egyptians; Orion, the the bright constellation, the brightest in the heavens; wrx and wgaros, beautiful; because

In multitudes of Greek words, where the Lexicons force an etymology upon them, their deduction from the Hebrew is evident and natural. In their mythology nothing is more common than for the Greeks to use

terms of which their own language knows | Hebrew signifies burning fire (whence our nothing. Their religion was more ancient word ashes.) Now it seems rash to say that than themselves; and so has many names the Latin Vesta is from the Hebrew Ash; but which their own language was not ancient it is plainly so: for from the original Ash is enough to interpret: though they often at- the dialectical Chaldee x Ashta, whence tempt it in an absurd and ridiculous manner. the Greek Esia, and thence (with the soft F What can we make of the word paves, prefixed, as in vinum from ovos) is the Latin Sirens, first mentioned by Homer, as nymphs Vesta. that enchant and destroy men with their singing? The lexicons derive it from cepa a chain, which is nonsense; but go to the Hebrew, and you will find that SYeR is a song, and will therefore very naturally give a name to singers.

Mulciber, one of the names of Vulcan, the god of fire (the same in character with the Moloch of the east,) which the Latins account for from mulcendo ferrum, because they will needs have it from their own language: but it is such Latin as never was used; and besides, f never changes into b, in the syllable ber, but the change is the contrary way. All is plain enough, if we go back to the original Vulcan, which is Moloch; for then the word Mulciber becomes 7 Melech Abir, the Mighty King, which is Moloch. All the deities, which are many, whose names give them an alliance with Moloch, are from the Hebrew Melech, a king; such as Adramelech, Anamelech, Milcom, Milicus, &c. Melicartus, the Tyrian Hercules, is of no sense in Greek or Latin; but in the Hebrew it resolves itself into Melech Aretz, king of the

earth.

Saturnus, the god Saturn, and the Satyri of the woods, are names to which the Latin can give no interpretation: but if Saturn, according to his physical character, be taken for that secret first matter of nature, out of which all forms arise, and into which they are again resolved; and if Satyrs are considered as beings hiding themselves in woods and mountains; then they are all accounted for from the Hebrew SaTaR, to hide: and even the discourse called a Satire, in which the meaning is always obscure and hidden, is best derived from the same word SaTaR, to hide; as I remember I once mentioned to Dr. Johnson, and he affirmed the derivation to be right. Near of kin to this is the Egyptian Isis, the first matter of the world, from the Hebrew substance. This first matter is concealed under the forms or species of things, and never to be discovered as it is in itself; to signify which the image of Isis had a veil on.

They, who have no practice in the pursuit of etymologies, will hardly believe with what reason and certainty a derivation may be hunted down, which at first sight appears very wild and remote. ws, ash, or esh, in

In accounting for customs which we find in antiquity, we shall often be much at a loss, unless we are prepared to have recourse to the Hebrew. When you read in Xenophon, that the war-shout or signal for battle was λachev, this word being not Greek, you may take it for an unmeaning, barbarous outcry, like the war-whoop among the American Indians: but it is no other than the ancient Hebrew acclamation Hallelu, so often repeated in songs of praise. It is also written aλ; and was probably the customary acclamation for mutual encouragement in the wars of the Hebrews with the Heathen nations of Canaan ; from whom the later Heathens took it.

The Phonicians spoke very nearly the same language with the Hebrews; and Virgil acted with judgment in giving Phoenician names to Phoenician people in his poem. The name Dido is the beloved one, from the same root with DUD or David; her other name, Eliza, is one of the Hebrew names of the New Testament; and her sister Anna is the Hebrew Hannah of the Scripture. In Sallust, &c. the famous name of Hannibal is Hebrew, and signifies Gracious Lord, or my gracious Lord: Hiempsal is Imeshal, He shall reign, or be a ruler; and there are other like names which can be interpreted only in the same way. In one of the plays of Plautus (the Panulus) a Carthaginian is brought upon the stage, as we should bring a Frenchman to laugh at his broken English. The language he is there made to speak was taken for unmeaning gibberish; till Bochart was able, by a most happy stroke of criticism, to interpret it throughout, from the affinity of the Carthaginian to the Hebrew. As the antiquity which is most remote brings us nearer to the time when all men spoke some dialect of the Hebrew, it is impossible to interpret the ancient names of persons and people, but from a familiarity with the Hebrew. The Greeks derived themselves from a most ancient ancestor by the name of Japetus: and who can he be, but their real ancestor Japhet? Their letters were derived to them from the East; and the tradition is preserved under the fabulous person of Cadmus: which is from p Cadom, the East or a man of the East. Every body knows there was such a city as Babylon; but the Hebrew reader only knows it had its original from the

f

word Babel, which being interpreted means in confusion, because language was there first confounded: and, to this day, a man that talks unintelligibly or nonsensically, is said in English to babble.

as are used by the Jews; against whom we are to provide ourselves with weapons, as against the most dangerous enemies of the Gospel: and who but a Hebrew Christian can be a match for them in their own way In the New Testament there is a sort of Greek, which cannot be reconciled with ordi

?

quent use of such forms of language (we call them idioms) as are transferred to the Greek from the Hebrew of the Old Testament, and which cannot otherwise be accounted for.

In divinity it often happens, in particular cases, that you cannot so well judge what is right or what is wrong, nor detect the per-nary Greek authors: because there is a freverse glosses of wanton or evil minded critics, unless you are well enough acquainted with the Hebrew to use some critical judgment in it: of which Mr. Parkhurst's pamphlet against Priestley is a remarkable instance, and opens But now, lastly, I recommend the Hebrew a mine of evidence, which that juggler chiefly on this consideration: because the knows not what to make of. We live in an language is in itself instructive; its words age fond of novelty; when literary adventu- give us light into things, in a manner differrers are rather too free and bold in their ex-ent from those of any other language in the periments upon the sacred text. Dr. Kenni- world: and this, beyond all other arguments, cott promised great things, and raised the convinces me of its divine original. I will expectations of the public. His pretensions were examined and disputed by some persons who were learned in the Hebrew; and we narrowly escaped the danger of a new text and new version. On any future occasion of the same kind, the like danger may not be escaped, if the Hebrew language and its scholastic history should be neglected.

give you some examples:-The word clothe, in Latin vestio, in Greek duw, gives us no instruction; but the Hebrew w LeBeSH to clothe, comprehends the idea of a BeSH shame, (whence the English bashful and abash,) and, with the y prefixed, it is for, or on account of shame: so the term not only stands for the thing, as in other languages, but gives us the reason of the thing; it refers us to the moral history and origin of clothing; and all this in three letters.

The English word hail, in Latin grando, in Greek xaλala, gives us no information about the nature of the thing: but, if we take the word 17 BeReD in Hebrew, as we took LeBeSH, it resolves itself into 7-, which signifies in descensu, and so describes to us the physiological formation of hail; which, as philosophers agree, is first formed into drops of rain, and, as it falls, is frozen into hail.*

When we consult Mr. Parkhurst's Hebrew Lexicon, it is pleasant to see how many passages of Scripture are illustrated, how many difficulties cleared up by the author; and whoever follows his example, will soon discover how much his prospects are enlarged, when he studies the Bible in the original. He that should read the New Testament in the Greek, and be under the necessity of taking all his knowledge of it from the Latin of the Vulgate, would be thought very deficient in his learning: and the case is parallel, if, in the interpretation of the Old Testament, we are unable to compare the Greek version In roots of the Hebrew language, which of the Septuagint with the original Hebrew; consist mostly of two letters, some idea is which it is often necessary to do. Many taken from nature; and the word, with some discoveries arise, if this comparison is faith- new modification, is carried on, and applied fully made among other things it appears, to other objects: and, if there were no other from the different manner in which the Greek translators have pronounced many proper names, that they did not translate from a copy with the present vowel points, such

*

* The Hexapla of Origen is a work to which I have at present no access; but I set down what I suppose to be a faithful account of it. He gives the formly expresses what the Masorites call the quiescent letters, the Aleph, He, Vau, and Jod, by Vowels; but so variously, that it is clear he considered it to be a matter of indifference by what Vowel he shonld denote them. He always treats the Ain and Heth as vowels: and, when two consonants occur, he seems to have considered it optional what vowel he should admit between them. All this is diametrically opposite to the system of the Masorites." Hora Biblicæ, p. 77.

Hebrew text in Greek letters: wherein he "uni

argument, this alone would convince me that the Hebrew, from the simple fabrication of its terms, is not only the first of languages, but of a construction beyond the invention of human wisdom. Thus, for example, the word hy Tzelem signifies an image: but why so? because y Tzel is a shadow, the first of images, such as nature itself makes: the light of the sun forms it naturally, and