be idolatry -their un- 9. armed state -her obli gations. Among the forty thousands in Israel? She shows 10. The riders on white asses, their humi. liation fear-sense of the Di vine dis pleasure. Those who sat in judgment, Were humbled and walked on the road; || The archers between the places of watering: § She recites 12. Then came down to the gates the people of Jehovah, ¶ the Invo cation of the people in their extremity. Barak enu merates the valiant. Deborah commends some, and censures others. Crying, Awake, awake, Deborah! Awake, awake, utter the song !** And lead captive thy captivity! 13. Upon this marched a remnant of the illustrious, †† The people of Jehovah marched down to me with the Mighty. Out of Machir marched the chieftains; 15. But with Deborah were the princes of Issachar, When with his footsoldiers he was sent into the valley. With a mind great in deliberations! 16. Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, Reuben remained by the streams, With a mind great in deliberations!¶¶ * The Israelites were an agricultural people. Of their unarmed state and consequent inability to meet an invading enemy, this is not the only example. See 1 Sam. xiii. 19–22. .לבי + Bochart. I Asses of the Zebra kind. Michaelis and Dr. Geddes render counes or litters; and think there is, in the 10th ver., an allusion to the 'three modes of travelling usual in the East. See Michael. Comment. vol. ii. p. 469. § Probably bands of the enemy, shouting in the hope of victory and plunder. Terrified by these, e nobles "rehearsed the judgments of Jehovah", and perhaps repented that their besetting sin, idolatry, had brought them into this fresh affliction. Comp. ch. ii. ver. 11-13, and iv. ver. 1. with verse 8, above. "They assembled to deliberate on what might be done, to obtain deliverance, and to supplicate Divine aid." Boothroyd's Imp. Vers. note. **Extemporaneous songs are common in the East. See Harmer; and the Arabian Nights' Entertainments. It was probably one of this description, combining words, sounds, and gestures, calculated to rouse Barak and the people to war, that Deborah uttered. tt The effect of Deborah's song, or animating appeal, seems intimated by the march being described so quickly; and indeed while the imagination is yet employed on the words and manner of the prophetess. The name of a mountain, in the country of the Ephraimites. "They that handle the pen of the writer." Engl. transl. What these could have to do in a battle, it is difficult to conceive. The only way in which we could justify this rendering, is by supposing them to be mustermasters. The Heb. and connexion appear to support the above. ¶¶ An ironical but severe reproof. The repetition leads us to think, On the Sacred Poetry of the Hebrews* OF FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE. HAVING treated of the metre and parallelism of the Hebrew Poetry, we now advance to the consideration of its figurative style. Figurative language always implies some departure from simplicity of expression; the idea which we intend to convey, not only enunciated to others, but enunciated in a particular manner, and with some circumstance added, which is designed to render the impression more strong and vivid. When it is said, for instance, That a good man enjoys comfort in the midst of adversity"; it just expresses the thought in the simplest manner possible. But when it is said, "To the upright their ariseth light in darkness"; the sentiment is expressed in a figurative style; a new circumstance is introduced; light is put in the place of comfort, and darkness is used to suggest the idea of adversity. In the same manner, to say, "It is impossible, by any search we can make, fully to explore the divine nature", is to make a simple proposition. But when we say, Canst thou, by searching, find out God? It is high as heaven, what canst thou do? this introduces a figure into style; the proposition being not only expressed, but admiration and astonishment expressed along with it. Figures, in general, may be described to be that language, which is prompted either by the imagination, or by the passions. Rhetoricians commonly divide them into two great classes; figures of words, and figures of thought. Figures of words are commonly termed tropes, and consist in a word's being employed to signify something that is different from its original and primitive meaning; so that, if you alter the word, you destroy the figure. Thus, in the instance before given; "light ariseth to the upright in darkness;" the trope consists in "light and darkness," being not meant literally, but substituted for comfort and adversity, on account of some resemblance or analogy which they are supposed to bear to those conditions of life. The other class, termed figures of thought, supposes the words to be used in their proper and literal meaning, and the figure to consist in the turn of the thought; as is the case in exclamations, interrogations, apostrophes, and comparisons; where, though you vary the words, or translate them from one language into another, you may, nevertheless, still preserve the same figure. This distinction is, however, of no great use; as nothing can be built upon it in practice; neither is it always very clear. It is of little importance, whether * Continued from. p. 234. we give to some particular mode of expression the name of a trope or a figure, provided that we remember that figurative language always imparts some colouring of the imagination, or some emotion of passion expressed in our style: and, perhaps, figures of imagination, and figures of passion, might be a more useful distribution of the subject.* It is the peculiar design of the figurative style, taken in the sense in which it has been explained, to exhibit objects in a clearer or more striking, in a sublimer or a more forcible manner. Since, therefore, whatever is employed with a view to the illustration and elevation of another subject, ought itself to be as familiar and obvious, at the same time as grand and magnificent as possible, it becomes necessary to adduce images from those objects, with which both the writers and the persons they address are well acquainted, and which have been constantly esteemed of the highest dignity and importance. On the other hand, if the reader be accustomed to habits of life totally different from those of the author, and be conversant only with different objects; in that case many descriptions and sentiments, which were clearly illustrated and magnificently expressed by the one, will appear to the other mean and obscure, harsh and unnatural: and this will be the case more or less, in proportion as they differ or are more remote from each other in time, situation, customs sacred or profane, in fine, in all the forms of public and private life. On this account difficulties must occur in the perusal of almost every work of literature, and particularly in poetry, where every thing is depicted and illustrated with the greatest variety and abundance of imagery; they must be still more numerous in such of the poets as are foreign and ancient; in the Orientals above all foreigners, they being the farthest removed from our customs and manners; and of all the Orientals, more especially in the Hebrews, theirs being confessedly the most ancient compositions extant. To all who apply themselves to the study of their poetry, for the reasons above enumerated, difficulties and inconveniencies must necessarily occur. Not only the antiquity of these writings forms a principal obstruction in many respects; but the manner of living, of speaking, of thinking, which prevailed in those times, will be found altogether different from our customs and habits. There is, therefore, great danger, lest, viewing them from an improper situation, and rashly estimating all things by our own standard, we form an erroneous judgment. Of this kind of mistake we are to be always aware, and these inconveniencies are to be counteracted by all possible diligence: nor is it enough to be acquainted with the language of this people, their manners, discipline, rites, and ceremonies; we must even investigate their inmost sentiments, the manner and connexion of their thoughts; in one word, we must see all things with their eyes, * Blair's Lectures on Rhetoric, Lect. xiv. The Overthrow of Tyre. ISAIAH XXIII, The warrior's of Chittim are valiant and bold; In vain! are you fix'd on a rock in the sea. In vain! you prepare the red bucklers, that flee He, turning in vengeance, more fiercely will push, The glory and pride of your struggling host. Your fate is decreed! and tho' long you withstand Macedonia's contest, you'll fall by her hand, Then howl, ships of Tarshish! for see where your tower, Now where are your divers, your vessels of fire? Your wisdom, that chain'd the bright god of the lyre? Not Hercules' strength can avert a decree, Jehovah, in council, has destin'd to be. Adieu! to your merchants, your riches, your pride, MRS. J. H. R. MOTT Characteristic Notices of Biblical Works. 1.—BIBLIOTHECA Biblica: A select List of Books on Sacred Literature; with Notices Biographical, Critical, and Bibliographical. By WILLIAM Örme. 8vo. pp. 491. Longman, 1824. 128. boards. We have waited for the appearance of this work with considerable impatience, and we confess that we were scarcely ever more disappointed than upon its perusal. The importance of such a work to the Biblical and Theological student is unquestionable, and if ably executed would certainly command an extensive sale. Not so, however, with Mr. Orme's book, which is so grossly defective, that possessing as we already do, the well known lists of Mr. Horne, Bishop Marsh, and others, we feel the price paid for it, as a heavy tax upon our pocket. With the books of these writers before him, we cannot account for Mr. Orme having omitted so many works of importance as he has done. We had commenced making out a list of popular Biblical Works which he has omitted to notice in any way, but it speedily became so lengthy that we laid aside our design. In proof, however, of the defects of the Bibliotheca Biblica, we feel it our duty to state, that among the books omitted will be found such well known works as Mant and D'Oyley, Hewlett, and Benson's Commentaries; Gilpin, and Beausobre on the New Testament; Heylin's Theological Lectures; Gauntlett on the Apocalypse; Lowman on the Civil Government, and Ritual of the Hebrews. We supposed for some time that no notice had been taken of Bagster's beautiful Polyglott, but at length found it incidentally referred to, under a notice of another work! Among foreign well known biblical works which are omitted, we may notice, Gesenii Lex. Hæb. Lat. etc., Stockii. Clavis Ling. Vet. Test., Jahnii Introd. in Lib. Sac. Vet. Foed, etc. etc. etc. Our limits will not allow a fuller specification, and, indeed, we have no disposition to pursue it further. As far as Mr. Orme has gone we are in general satisfied with his remarks, although it sometimes happens that in books which he does notice or allude to, he betrays a want of information which disqualifies him for the office of a bibliographer. He knows not whether the fourth edition of Calmet has a general Index of reference, consequently he has not seen it; and his remarks are upon a very different book. Any Theological student might have told him, it did not possess such an Iudex, but that, in the edition in question, its want was to a certain extent supplied by very copious references. Mr. Orme "thinks" he has seen a work announced similar to " Fox's New Testament:" any bookseller could have informed him that work was the "Scientia Biblica," which has been in a course of publication for upwards of twelve months, and to our knowledge, has been reviewed in no fewer than twelve different publi'cations!! Were it not that the price again obtruded itself in the way, we should say, that the Bibliotheca Biblica might still be rendered a valuable work by a supplementary addition. 11.-CALMET'S DICTIONARY OF THE HOLY BIBLE: Historical, Critical, Geographical, and Chronological, etc. etc. etc. With Fragments, forming a continued Appendix; Illustrating the Manners, Incidents, and Phraseology of the Holy Scriptures. Fourth edition, revised, corrected, and augmented with an extensive series of Plates, Explanatory, Illustrative, and Ornamental, under the direction of C. TAYLOR. 5 vols 4to. pp. 3320, and 200 plates. £10. 10s. boards; and in numbers, at 1s., and parts at 68. each. C. Taylor. 1824. We have hitherto deferred our notice of this important and valuable work, from a desire to obtain an opportunity of doing justice to its merits; this, however, appearing to be as far from us as ever, from our arrears in this department of our labours, we have determined, without further loss of time, to introduce it to our readers. Upon the original work of Father Calmet we are not here called to speak particularly; it is too well known to every biblical student to call for any remarks from our pen. The work before us, edited by the late Charles Taylor, was originally published in three volumes, and from the cordial reception with which it met, the worthy and indefatigable editor was induced to VOL. 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