LT.-COL. G. MACKINLAY OX BIBLICAL ASTRONOMY. 147 



immensity of stellar distances greatly adds point to the words 

 of Eliphaz, " Behold the height of the stars, how high they are " 

 (Job xxii, 12). 



(7) Figurative Allusions. 



When the human race was a few thousand years younger 

 than it is at present, sunrise was pre-eminently the type of 

 increasing power ; but we modern English in our northern 

 latitudes have a very early daybreak in the summer time when 

 the weather is fine and clear, and our present habits of late 

 rising prevent most of us from being astir at that time of 

 day ; in our winter the skies are frequently cloudy and dull, 

 and the glories of sunrise are veiled ; the consequence is 

 that we have little practical experience of the beauties of 

 daybreak, and so the Bible accounts of it do not come 

 with so much force to us as to those who lived in more 

 southern countries, and frequently witnessed it. There are 

 still, however, two powerful eastern nations, Persia and 

 Japan, which employ the symbol of the rising sun as their 

 national emblem. In the Scriptures abundant use is made of 

 sunrise as a figure of strength and joy : the sun is said " to 

 rejoice as a strong man to run a race " (Ps. xix, 5). Other 

 joyful references to it are, " The day spring from on high hath 

 visited us " (Luke i, 73). " The path of the righteous is as the 

 light of dawn, that shineth more and more unto the perfect 

 day " (Prov. iv, 18, K.V. marg.). " Then shall thy light break 

 forth as the morning " (Is. lviii, 8). 



On the other hand, the withdrawal of the light of the sun, 

 and also of that of the moon and stars, is an emblem of sorrow: 

 " The sun and the moon are darkened and the stars withdraw 

 their shining " (Joel iii, 15). Intensity of sorrow is shown by 

 an unexpected quenching of the grateful light of day. " Her 

 sun is gone down while it is yet day " (Jer. xv, 9). In the 

 same strain a period of lasting joy after sorrow is spoken of as 

 a time when " Thy sun shall no more go down . . . the days 

 of thy mourning shall be ended " (Is. lx, 20). 



In this connection it is interesting to note the text, " Until 

 the day dawn, and the shadows flee away " (Song of Solomon, 

 ii, 17, and iv, 6, A.V.), which certainly gives the idea of dawn, and 

 it has consequently been taken as a type of resurrection. The 

 words " be cool " in R.V., however, make it appear that evening 

 is the time intended: according to Professor Margoliouth, 

 the word used for " fleeing away " refers to odours diffusing 

 themselves, and one would think might as well refer to the 



