38 Mr. Beke on the former Extent of the Persian Gulf 



Babylon of the prophets were in it, that we have here two 

 places of the same name, — both moreover built in the very 

 infancy of society, and both by ' the Assyrian,' is an inference 

 not sanctioned by true historical construction." But upon 

 what construction, I would venture to inquire, is the former 

 part of this text of Isaiah, " the Assyrian founded it," to be 

 referred to " the Assyrian Nimrod," and the latter portion of 

 the same text, " they set up the towers thereof," to be ap- 

 plied to "the Assyrian of later da^s"? And again, upon what 

 construction is the epithet " the Assyrian " given to Nimrod, 

 who, according to Mr. Carter's own interpretation of Gen. x. 

 10, vfafi no Assyrian at all, but a foreigner who founded an 

 intrusive monarchy in the land of Asshur ? 



In citing this text, " Behold the land of the Chaldeans : 

 this people was not, till the Assyrian founded it for them that 

 dwell in the wilderness : they set up the towers thereof, they 

 raised the palaces thereof, a7id he brought it to ruin, " (This 

 last portion of the verse is omitted to be quoted,) Mr. Carter 

 says, " No one can doubt that this refers to the celebrated 

 Babylon." Unfortunately, it happens that a very great many 

 do doubt it, among whom it will be sufficient to name R. 

 Jonathan ben Uzriel, the translator of the Peshito, Jerome, 

 Theodosion, Saadias, Jarchi, and Kimchi, without enumera- 

 ting a whole host of modern translators and commentators. 

 In fact, Gesenius says that the last three portions of this verse 

 are, almost unanimously, referred to the destiuction of Tyre by 

 the Chaldeans*. As rendered in our authorized version 

 (agreeing with Diodati) the meaning is not all obvious ; but 

 our translators could certainly never have intended to refer it 

 (as Mr. Carter reads their words,) merely to the foundation of 

 Babylon, or else what is the meaning of the last portion of it, 

 *' and he brought it to ruin " ? Mr. Carter does not, indeed, 

 cite these words, but it is impossible to detach them from those 

 which precede them ; and I apprehend that gentleman would 

 find a difficulty in showing their applicability to the founder 

 of Babylon, whether that founder were Nimrod "in the in- 

 fancy of society," or " the Assyrian of later days f." 



*" Diedrei letztenVersgliederbeziehen sich fastohneWiderspruchaufdie 

 Zerstorung von Tyrus durcli die Chaldaer." — Commentar. u. d. Jesaias; in loc. 



t In explanation of this passage it may be allowed me to remark, that the 

 "towers" have generally been understood to be the war-toivers of the be- 

 sieging Chaldeans, and the "palaces" to be those of Tyre which were, 

 either (according to Saadias and Theodosion,) " raised (or roused) up " 

 with affright or tumult through the siege, or (according to the Targum of 

 Jonathan, the Vulgate, Jarchi, and Kimchi,) demolished by the enemy. I 

 have for several years past had this very difficult and still unintelligible text 



