• [ 465 ] 
How long before this the Babylonians themfelves 
were acquainted with the ufe of the gnomon, is un- 
known, the Greeks being poorly informed, as to the 
hiftory of them, in thefe early times*, and the Jews, 
the only people belides whofe hiftory of them is ex- 
tant, applied themfelves but little to faience at home, 
and, by their conftitution, had but a fmall connection 
with their neighbours abroad. With regard to the 
fcience of aftronomy, in particular, it mult have 
been, as then taught and pradtifed, in a manner, for- 
bidden them, as it was nothing more than geneth- 
liacal aftrology ; a thing vain and futile in itfelf, if 
not impious. 
Among the Jews, however, we find, under the 
reign of Hezekiah, that the Sun is faid to have gone 
back 10 degrees on the dial of Ahaz(q2). What 
the 
(42) Ifa. xxxviii. 8. ,and 2 Kings xx. 11. In the Hebrew, the 
words are only IPltf .ni7^0, the laft of which words the LXX 
render the Arab. ; the Vulgate by Linca, Ho- 
rologium , and Gradus. The Chaldee Paraphraftlabourstunder equal 
perplexity. Rabbi Kimchi, on 2 Kings xx. renders DP^DbypK 
nvn ny* T? J1JD1DD, a Jlone creeled to tell the boars of the 
day by. And to the fame purpofe R. Solom. Jarch. on Ifaiab. It 
may not be improper to add in this place, perhaps, that as the 1 1 
fars correfpond to Jofeph’s 11 brethren , Gen. xxxvii. 9. and the 3 
branches , and 3 bafkeis , refpedtively denote 3 days, in ch. xl. 12. 18. 
and 7 bine , and 7 ears of corn , .reprefent 7 years ; fo, in the pafiage 
before us, the number of JTITPO ought, for the fame reafon, to 
correfpond with the years added to Hezekiah’s life. If 15 years 
were added to his life, then muft the fhadow have gone back 15 
maahtb ; but if the fhadow went back only 10 maalotb , then muft 
io years only have been added to his life. The numbers in this 
place, therefore, are, fome how, or other, undoubtedly corrupted. 
I am inclined, then, to think, that, inftead of / will add to thy life 
15 
N n n 
