446 LECTURES AND ESSAYS [1874- 



of Jotham or of Nathan, 1 and ceases to shape itself in 

 rhythmic form. But even the poetical Chokma in the 

 narrower sense of the word sometimes teaches by means 

 of a moral tale, as in the picture of the foolish young man 

 of Prov. vii. 6, ff . 



In later times this kind of composition was greatly 

 developed, and the apocryphal books of Tobit and Judith 

 are full-blown moral romances. Nor is it so plain as many 

 suppose that something of the same kind is not to be found 

 within the canonical books. That the Book of Job stands 

 in the canon is scarcely a proof that the narrative is 

 historical ; and many modern critics are disposed to 

 regard the Book of Jonah as a didactic parable, written 

 partly to enforce the truth that God regards the lives and 

 accepts the repentance of Gentiles as well as Jews, and 

 partly to explain that the forgiving mercy of God does 

 not discredit the Divine commission of prophets of 

 judgment. 



In another class of compositions the sarcastic humour 

 which we have seen to animate some of the Hebrew 

 proverbs finds more elaborate expression. The humour 

 of the Old Testament is always grim and caustic, as we 

 see in the life of Samson ; in the answer of the Danites to 

 Micah ; 2 in the parable of Jehoash ; 3 or in the merciless 

 ridicule with which the Book of Isaiah covers the idolaters. 4 

 Hence arises a peculiar species of mocking satire, which is 

 so intimately connected with the proverb, that the same 

 name (Mashal) covers both. Of this Mashal the prophetic 

 books contain several examples, of which the most 

 powerful is the elegy on the king of Babylon in Isa. xiv. 

 But the most ancient and peculiar of these poems is the 

 mocking song in which the children of Israel invite the 

 Amorites to return and fortify the demolished fastness of 

 their king, Sihon, exalting that monarch s prowess against 

 Moab, in order to bring into stronger light the valour of 



1 Judges ix. ; 2 Sam. xii. 2 Ibid, xviii. 22-26. 



3 2 Kings xiv. 9. 4 Isa. xli. 6, 7 ; xliv. 12 seq. 



