SCIENCE AND POETRY. 



here indicated was attributable to the translators, rather than 

 the author, of the book of Job, I have had recourse to the original 

 Hebrew ; and desiring on such a point to be supported by higher 

 authority than I can myself lay claim to, I requested the aid of 

 two eminent Hebraists? Dr. Alexander McCaul, of King's College, 

 and the Rev. Professor Marks, of University College, London, 

 both of whom have favoured me with their opinions and sug- 

 gestions on the subject ; and, as they do not materially differ, 

 there can be no doubt that their interpretation is substantially 

 correct. It appears, as I anticipated, that the translation is 

 faulty ; but, on the other hand, the Hebrew word which has been 

 translated thunder never means lightning. 



22. Gesenius says that the primitive sense of the term used is 

 tremor, or trembling, being derived from the verb Raam, which 

 signifies to tremble. In verse 19, he says, that it has the 

 primary sense, tremor, and that it is used poetically for the mane 

 of a horse, as in the Greek fytfi-r}. Here, however, are his words 

 from the Thesaurus : 



" nnsn f. 1, tremor ; poet, pro juba equi, quae in equis uobilioribus 

 propter cervicis obesitatem contremiscit, unde gr. 4*^7;, juba, a 

 tffrs. (Job. xxxix. 19.) " 



23. The famous Ewald, the other great authority in Hebrew, 

 in his "Poetische Biicher des Alten-Bundes," gives the same 

 sense, and translates the word by the German Zittern, trembling. 

 Both understand the trembling mane, and therefore find no 

 allusion to thunder or lightning. The word is by none inter- 

 preted lightning, and cannot have that meaning. The LXX have 

 <j)6ftov, tremor, which Gesenius supposes to be equivalent to <(>d@ii, 

 mane. Symmachus has K\ayyi\v. Theodotion, xP e / UTt<r A t <* I/ > which 

 sense is also given by the Yulgate, Hinnitum. The moderns, 

 who prefer this sense, take "neck" as poetic for " throat," or 

 explain the thunder of the sound of the long shaking mane. 



24. Schultens translates the word " tremore alacri," (with 

 rapid quivering). Parkhurst translates the word thus, " With 

 the shaking mane." 



25. On the whole, therefore, it appears that the English version 

 of the second member of v. 19, chap, xxxix. is incorrect. " Hast 

 thou clothed his neck with thunder ? " is not the sense of the 

 original Hebrew, which would be correctly rendered thus, " Hast 

 thou clothed his neck with a shaking (or flowing) mane ? " 



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