is properly translated there he offered burnt offerings;' but in Genesis the construction is totally different, and can be trans

,את אשר עשה lated only as it appears in the Common

Version

what he had done,' as in Exod. xviii. 1.

' all that God had done.'

Esther ii. 1,

ba nwy hwn bɔ n, What she had done,' violent construction, and perverse interpretation, is altogether unequalled.

.את אשר עשתה

This whole paragraph, for

'Chap xi. 4. And they said, Come, we will build for us a city, and a tower with his top like heaven; thus shall be made for us a name or we shall be scattered upon the face of all the earth.'

With his top like heaven.' The preposition is not a particle of similitude. Mr. Bellamy indeed is pleased to assert that the beth prefixed to Dow shaamayim, i. e. heaven, is rendered in other parts of Scripture, with the same construction, by like; that is, with his top, or inside of the dome, like heaven.' ws however, does not mean dome, or, inside of a dome. He has not given any examples of the use of the particle with bow to denote likeness, nor is he able to give them: the 2 beth is in this passage, used precisely as in Deut. i. 28. ix. 1. walled up to heaven,' w; fenced up to heaven,' pow. Our learned commentator takes to himself the credit of forming an opinion, that this tower was built for idolatrous worship, an image of the sun being the principal object; whereas it is well known, that archbishop Tenison, in his work on idolatry, conjectures that the tower was built as a temple for the worship of the sun. Mr. Bellamy is original only in his errors.

xi. 6. Then Jehovah said, Behold, another people, all of them with a vain lip: even at this time they profane with offerings and now shall nothing be restrained from them, all that they have imagined for offerings.'

Mr. Bellamy charges the translators of the public version with taking unwarrantable liberties in rendering 8 Dy the people 'is one,' and he remarks,

Echaad, in this verse, according to rule, is to be rendered by the word, another. See Exod. xxxvii. 8; 1 Sam. xviii. 18; 1 Kings xviii. 6; Ezek. xvii. 17;-xix. 5;-xxxvii. 16, 17;-xli. 11; Dan. viii. 13.

Admirable grammarian! according to rule means another! Let us exemplify this rule. Deut. vi. 4, will then read,' Je"hovah our God, is another Jehovah.' Exod. ix. 6. Of the cattle of the children of Israel died not another,' importing that some of their cattle had died. Josh. xxiii. 14. Not another thing has failed:' some parts of God's promises therefore had failed. Now great as are Mr. Bellamy's attainments in Hebrew, we think it may be well for him to be taught the correct rule for translating this word. Whenever N

mas

means another, it is preceded always by a relative term, and often as it occurs alone, and without reference to another similar, word in the sentence, it must be rendered by a word expressive of unity, or, as in Gen xix. 9, as a demonstrative pronoun

this one,' this fellow' In every one of Mr. B.'s examples, the construction is of the former kind; in none of them is 778 absolute, or at all parallel with Gen. i 6. Exod. xxxvii. 8, One cherub on the end on this side, and another cherub, &c.' 1 Kings xviii. 6, Aliab went one way, and Obadiah went · another way.' Ezek. xix. 3, 5, One of her whelps, another of her whelps.' xvii. 3. 7, a great eagle,-another great eagle.' xxxvii. 16, 17, One stick,-another stick.' xli. II, One door,-another door.' Dan viii. 13. One saint, another saint.' Could Mr. B. have consulted his Hebrew Bible or his Concordance for these examples, when he published as the result of his examination, that means another' where there is no foregoing word to which it bears relation?

Equally unfortunate and unfounded are his remarks on web® lagnasoth, which, he asserts, means, to offer, and, in this passage, offerings to idols, as it is so applied, Josh. xxii. 23. • EN or if to offer. 2 Kings x. 24, 25, sacrifices and burnt offerings.' A more disingenuous proceeding it is scarcely possible for an author to adopt, determined as he may be to support an hypothesis, per fus et nefas. The indisputable meaning of ney is to do, or make, or constitute; its determination being always evident from the words with which it is connected. It never means to offer, unless additional words occur to define and limit its application, as in the very examples to which Mr. B. refers. Joshua xxii. 23. Down by wys" to offer peace offerings upon it." 2 Kings x. 24, 25, o'nat n'y in "When they came to offer "sacrifices" byn mwys" offering the burnt offering." But these examples entirely differ from the expression in Gien. xi. 6, which is accurately translated in the Common Version.

Mr. Bellamy assures us that

had Abram never gone into Canaan till after the death of Terah, it could not, according to the express words of Scripture, be said, that he had gone forth from the household of his father; for the household of a man has no existence as his, after his death. Abram must therefore have gone forth to Canaan while his father was yet living' p. 60..

Yet it was long after the death of Terah that Abraham directed his servant to go to his "father's house," for a wife for his son Isaac, Gen. xxiv. 38. 40. Joseph and his father's house," vas na dwelt in Egypt after the death of Jacob, ch. 50. 22. In all these passages the expression is pre

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cisely the same as in Gen. xii. 1. and furnishes the most complete refutation of this imaginary distinction.

In the same connexion, (p. 60.) it is remarked, that

The verbs leke, leka, depart, go, do not necessarily import that he (Abram) was at this period, to remove finally to Canaan! but when Abran went from Haran finally at 75 years of age after the death of Terah, a different verb is used, which embraces the idea of going forth finally, returning not to the same state or place.'

Ny is used Gen. xxiv. 11, in relation to women going forth, () to draw water, who certainly returned to their habitations with the customary supplies for the family. It is applied, Exod xvi. 4, to the Israelites going out every day to collect the manna; Did they not return to the same place? is applied, Judges vi. 21, to the angel's departure from Gideon, which was not probably repeated; to the going of the cart containing the ark, 1 Sam vi. 8, which certainly did not return, since it was broken up at Bethshemesh, ver. 11. The words Ny and are frequently used precisely in the same manner to denote motion or action; the former therefore does not, any more than the latter, necessarily signify finally to go forth.

Ch. xii. 8. Moreover he had removed from thence to a mountain, eastward of Beth-el, where he pitched his tabernacle: Beth-el by the sea, with Hai enstward.”

• Bethel by the sea! Mr. Bellamy's knowledge of sacred Geography appears to be equal to his acquaintance with Hebrew philology. One of the most inland towns in all Judea is here described by a gentleman who, of all translators of the Bible for the last two thousand years, alone understands the import of the original words of the scriptures, as situated by the sea!" When he shall by his schooling have advanced a few steps further in Hebrew grammar, he will perhaps be able to give the meaning of ¤, which he has yet to learn. Bethel by the sea, with Hai eastward! Did it never occur to Mr. Bellamy to ask himself what sense he was conveying to his readers by these expressions? A reader of the Hebrew Bible or of the Common Version would learn, that the place where Abraham pitched his tent was between Bethel and Hai, the former being to the west, D', the latter lying eastward.

Ch. xiii 13. But the men of Sodom were wicked, even exceedingly sinful before Jehovah.

13. The authorised translation of this verse is very objectionable. No doubt, the wicked are sinners. But from expressions of this kind in scripture, which have been noticed, the reader will readily understand this, they were wicked. There are various degrees of wickedness persons may be wicked and yet have a respect for the worship of God. But these idolaters, it appears, carried their hatred for the worship of God, as taught by Lot, to such a pitch, that it is

said, they were exceedingly sinful before Jehovah. Not before Jeliovah according to the common acceptation of the words, because in a general sense, all persons who are sinners, are so before him. By these words in a scriptural sense, is always meant, before the face of Jehovah that is, they were sinners before the very altar of God. From which we may understand, that they interrupted the public worship of God, by persecuting the worshippers when they assembled together.'

Our readers by this time will have consulted their English Bible; and what is the authorized translation of this verse? "But the men of Sodom were wicked, and sinners before "the Lord exceedingly." This rendering, Mr. Bellamy asserts, is very objectionable! In what respects does it differ from his own? Are they not both alike? This translator is determined to make himself ridiculous. The words wicked' and 'sinful exceedingly,' are applied to the inhabitants of Sodom, as descriptive of their character previously to Lot's removal thither, and do not therefore relate to the worship of God as taught by Lot, of which nothing is said. 'NO Mr. Bellamy will have to mean nothing else than violence done to the true worship of God. By these words, he asserts,' is always meant sinners before the very altar of God, persons who 'interrupted Divine worship, and persecuted the worshippers of 'Jehovah.' Achan's offence did not however consist in either insulting or persecuting the true worshippers of God; yet the very same expressions are used in relation to it, Josh. vii. 20, "I have sinned before Jehovah" mno. David's offence did not include violent opposition to the worshippers of God; adultery and murder were the crimes which the prophet's address awakened in his recollection; "I have sinned before Jehovah," the expressions in this confession are the very same as those in Genesis.

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Chap. xviii. 1. Moreover Jehovah appeared unto him; in the plains of Mamre; where he continued opening the tabernacle, about the heat of the day.

2. Then he raised his eyes and looked; and beheld three men, deputies to him; when he saw, then he hastened to meet them before the opening of the tabernacle; and he bowed himself toward the ground.'

In accordance with the translation of this passage in the Common Version, it has been generally supposed, that Abraham is here described as reposing himself at the entrance of his tent during the heat of the day, when, on the appearance of three strangers, he rose up and went forth to meet them, to offer them the accommodations which might be acceptable. But, according to Mr. Bellamy's translation, Abraham was preparing to officiate at the altar, at the time the three persons came to

t worship in the tabernacle!' We must again venture to look a little narrowly into his Hebrew.

The word лn pattach, is rendered the tent door; but it is here to be translated as it is in Josh. viii. 29, entering, or opening, xx. 4; Judg. ix. 85, 40, 44 ;—xviii. 16, 17.'

Our readers will perceive that nn is rendered in the text, as the participle of a verb active, opening;' but the word in Josh. viii. 29, signifies the aperture or opening of a gate: 'Cast it at the opening (or entering) of the gate of the city,'

6

b. at the entrance.' The word has precisely the same meaning in the next example; Josh. xx. 4, at the entring of 'the gate of the city,' where the manslayer was to wait (0) stand) till the report had been made to the elders, who, on his cause being declared, were to grant him admission. Judges ix. 35, Gaal stood at the entring' of the gate. v. 40,

' to the entrance' of the city gate. xviii. 16, the six hundred

.17 .v .נצבים פתח השער ',men stood at the entrance of the gate הכהן נצב פתח השער,f the priest stood at the entring of the gate

These are the whole of Mr. Bellamy's examples, not one of which supports his translation, the word in all of them being a noun. Nothing is said respecting worship, in the whole narrative; and notwithstanding we are again under the necessity of opposing our distinguished Hebraist, we retain our opinion that the scene represented in the first two verses of this chapter, corresponds to the description at the commencement of the following, with the slight difference, that in the former case it is laid in the open country, and in the latter at the gate of a populous city. Now two inessengers came to Sodom at 'even, as Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: then Lot looked, and 'he rose to meet them; and bowed his face to the ground.' Mr. Bellamy's translation.

The word 2 nitsaabim, which is in the authorized version rendered stood, viz. three men stood by him; cannot be so translated: for if they stood by him, it could not have been said in the same verse, that he ran to meet them. When this word is applied to persons, it means officers, or deputies, 1 Kings iv. 7, 19;-xxii. 47. Also in Chap. v. 16, the same word, both consonants and vowels, means officers.

Might not Abraham run to meet three persons who on approaching his tent had halted? As for the remark that Y when applied to persons, means officers or deputies,' nothing can be more unfounded than its application to the use of the word in the example before us; stood' is its determinate meaning in numerous other passages of the Bible.

In his note on Gen. xix. 4. 5. Mr. Bellamy is pleased to say that, there is not any authority in the Hebrew for the abomi'nable crime attributed to these men, by Commentators ancient VOL. X. N.S.

2 A