Song of songs; or, sacred idyls / translated from the original Hebrew, with notes critical and explanatory by John Mason Good.

  • Old Testament [Bible].
Date:
1803
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Song of songs; or, sacred idyls / translated from the original Hebrew, with notes critical and explanatory by John Mason Good. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    commencement of it, at least, to the bride on account of the Massoretic P] thee, which, thus pointed, is of the masculine gender: by all the Greek fathers, however, and many of the Latin, the Massora is disregarded, and it is attributed to the bridegroom. The whole address indeed, to the end of the Wyl, is ascribed to the latter by Dr. Geddes, who was a greater enemy to the Massoretic punctuation than even Capellus him- self. 1 have acceded to the conjecture which refers it to the bridegroom, though not to the extent recommended by my late learned friend ; the marks of a colloquy being in my opi- nion too obvious for rejection. 1. The whole phrase which is literally ‘ 1 raised % or stirred thee up,’ is elegantly supposed by Mercerus to mean ad (tmorem ‘ to love,’ Excitavi te—ntmpe ad amorem, ' 1 ex- cited thee to love.’ There thy mother, continues he, pledged or engaged thee—’ for at least in conjug. Kal the verb *8 allowed to possess this sense, and no reason can be assigned why it should not, and even in a more solemn and obligatory manner, retain it in conjug. Pihcl.—This illustra- tion is so ingenious, and in my estimation so correct, that I .could not avoid adopting it. It is also followed by Dr. Percy .and Mr. Green, while Dr. Hodgson adheres to the Bible ver- sion with but little variation. Michaflis renders it ‘ under the citron-tree 1 found thee: there thy mother contracted thee to me.’ '^rhe pastoral costume i.s heie well preserved; which sup- poses that the fair one yields to the suit of her lover, and that the consent of her parents is obtained beneath the shade of ^ some picturesque or favorite tree. Klopstok has so elegantly adverted to this passage in hisad- inirable representation of the bloomiirg and beautiful daughter