appeal. God is eternal and unchanging, and therefore His faithful people cannot perish. The tradition of the so-called Tikkun Sopherim, that the original text was 'thou diest not,' is probably a mere fancy of Jewish Rabbis.

p. 135, 1. 20. The prophet has pressed his plea upon God, and now, like a watchman on his tower, awaits the Divine message in reply. The answer bids him set the vision plainly on tablets that all may read. In v. 4 the promised message is given, Behold, puffed up is his soul, it is not upright in him; but the righteous by his faithfulness shall live.' Though there is some little doubt as to the text of the first hemistich, its meaning can be seen on the whole by help of the antithesis following. The metaphor is that of ground irregular and not even. Those who are such are unstable, unenduring. The righteous, however, shall endure by his 'faithfulness.' This word is used primarily of steadiness (see Exod. xvii. 12), and so of trustworthiness generally (2 Kings xii. 16). St. Paul, accepting the Greek rendering, elevates the term from the mere passive aspect to the active principle of faith (Rom. i. 17; Gal. iii. 11). Yet, even in Hebrew, the active meaning must not be ignored, for in Gen. xv. 6 we have the root-verb used of Abraham's faith.

p. 136, 1. 8. The text of the first clause is very doubtful, and the versions differ. Taking our present text, the general sense must be something of this sort: The enemy is puffed up in his arrogance, but, when flushed with wine, how much more arrogant and headstrong. He will not be content at home with what he has, but will aim at fresh and fresh conquests, till the crash comes.

p. 136, 1. 17. 'a taunting proverb.' Lit., 'a riddle,' as though the point were yet hidden. Of these, five now follow, all save the last (vv. 18, 19) introduced by the word 'Woe.'

p. 136, 1. 21. thick clay.' This is to treat the Hebrew word as a compound; more probably it simply means 'pledges.'

p. 137, 11. 2-11. The second woe. Of ancient empires none attained so vast a power as the short-lived second Babylonian kingdom: Yet the dynasty of Nebuchadnezzar, who

had built Babylon' by the might of his power, and for the honour of his majesty,' fell ignominiously.

P. 137, 1. 21-p. 138, l. 1. The third woe. The 'in the very fire' (v. 13) should be for . . .' The mighty works, such as those which Nebuchadnezzar had built, are built only to be burned.

p. 138, 11. 2-8. The fourth woe. In v. 15, for 'thy bottle,' we should render 'thy venom'; and in v. 17 (a change of one letter being made in accordance with the versions), we get the idea 'the wrong done to Lebanon, when the cedars were recklessly hewn down' (see Isa. xiv. 8), 'shall cover thee, and the destruction of the beasts, wantonly slaughtered by the Chaldean hunters, shall make thee afraid.'

p. 138, 11. 9-21. The fifth woe. The folly of the idolatry of the Chaldeans. In v. 19 'it shall teach' should be either a scornful question, or simply irony. The concluding verse serves as a natural prelude to the glorious imagery of the Theophany.

p. 138, 1. 23. In this wondrous psalm, second in majesty and beauty to none in Scripture, two thoughts are wrought together throughout; the knowledge that a mighty and pitiless race was to work God's decree of punishment on His people, while beyond, nay, amid it, God's purpose of mercy held unchangeably. Like Bunyan's pilgrims, who could see the streets of the Golden City before their feet had come to the edge of the Dark River, so Habakkuk realises the certainty of the glory of God's deliverance while the doom itself is still distant. Thus we must understand the psalm as blending the thought of the certainty of the coming mercy with that of the like mercies of the past, and thus we explain the varying tenses in the Theophany (vv. 3-15), where now one side, now the other, is dwelt on. It is not indeed that the proof for the future does but rest on the evidence of the past, but that no believer can lose sight of the past and its call for thanksgiving in his trust for the future.

p. 138, 1. 23. 'Shigionoth,' i.e., 'a wild, wandering strain,' with a reference to the constant varying of the melody.

p. 139, 1. 2. came.' Rather, will come,' or even 'cometh.'

The prophet looks onward to God's future mercies, though he views them on the lines of God's dealings in the past: the opening verses of Deut. xxxiii., Judges v. and Ps. lxviii. should be compared. The thought goes back to the ancient deliverances, amid the perils of the wilderness, and the solemn giving forth of the law on Sinai. So again will God be the champion of His people against greater dangers and mightier foes. p. 139, 1. 7. horns,' i.e., rays of light.

p. 139, l. 15. 'Cushan.' Possibly another spelling of Cush, but more probably the same as Cushan-Rishathaim, the oppressor-king of Mesopotamia.

P. 139, 1. 26. The second clause of this verse is one of extreme difficulty. We think the simplest_translation is 'sworn are the punishments of the solemn decree,' ¿.e., 'Thy threats of punishment upon Thy foes are now put on solemn record.'

p. 140, 1. 3. Here is the only later reference in Scripture to the great wonder wrought in the valley of Ajalon. The allusion is a natural one, following as it does the miracle of the passage of the Red Sea and of the Jordan, especially as the victory in connection with which it was wrought was the turning-point in the conquest of the Holy Land.

p. 140, 1. 15. 'villages.' The word, so translated, occurs nowhere else in the O.T., but it perhaps means 'chieftains' or 'leaders' (see Judges v. 7, 11). It is, however, possible that the meaning is 'hordes,' or swarms of invaders. The appeal is that the spears of the enemy may be turned against themselves, and their onward rush stayed by the might of Israel's protector.

ZEPHANIAH

p. 142, 1. 5. this place.' Evidently Jerusalem. From it every trace of the Baal worship which had lurked there should be swept away. The 'Chemarims' (only here, 2 Kings xxiii. 5, Hosea x. 5) are doubtless the idolatrous, non-Aaronite priesthood, while the 'priests' may be the apostate priests of Jehovah.

p. 142, 1. 7. The worship of the heavenly bodies in Judah was an imitation of Assyrian practice, perhaps due, in the first instance, to Ahaz (2 Kings xxiii. 12).

p. 142, 1. 8. Swear by the Lord.' Lit., to the Lord. Men were found professing to worship Jehovah, and yet swearing by, and doing homage to, their idol-king.

p. 142, 1. 17. the king's children.' Not, of course, Josiah's own children, but the royal house in general. p. 142, l. 19. 'leap on the threshold.' There may be an allusion here to the custom of the priests of Dagon (1 Sam. v. 5), but the following words rather point to violent breaking into houses for robbing.

P. 142, l. 23. the second.' 'The second quarter' of the city. Here the prophetess Huldah lived (2 Kings xxii. 14).

p. 142, l. 24. Maktesh.' 'The Mortar,' possibly what was afterwards known as the Tyropœon Valley.

p. 142, 1, 28. Settled on their lees.' A metaphor from wine becoming thick. So these men had become regardless of God's rule till the sudden judgment roused them (see Jer. xlviii. 11).

p. 144, l. I. The sense is obscure. Possibly the first clause may mean 'collect yourselves,' i.e., reflect. 'Not desired.' According to Hebrew usage, this should be 'not desirous' (see A.V. margin and R. V. margin), i.e., with no longing for any. thing nobler or better.

p. 144, l. 16. There is a play on the names Gaza and Ekron, which cannot be reproduced in English.

p. 145, 1. 16. breeding.' Rather a possession' of nettles, a place where nothing but nettles would grow. p. 147, 1. 3. they gnaw not the bones,' This meaning is very doubtful, though perhaps supported by Numb. xxiv. 8. (See also R. V.).

p. 147. 1. 6. have polluted the sanctuary' (see Ezek. xxii. 26).

p. 148, 1. 9. The R. V. margin is to be preferred. The sup plicants, the dispersed Israelites, are themselves the offering.

HAGGAI

p. 152, 1. 4. 'the desire of all nations shall come.' This rendering, due to the Veniet Desideratus cunctis gentibus of the Vulgate, has now generally been given up in favour of that of the R.V., 'the desirable things of all nations shall come '; that is to say, the prophecy is not directly Messianic, but only indirectly so. The grammatical ground for the change is that the verb 'come' is in the plural, and thus must imply a plurality of idea in the subject of the verb. The whole thought is that of Isa. lx. 5 f., where the abundance of the sea' and 'the wealth of the nations' are viewed as the offering brought to Zion.

ZECHARIAH

p. 154, 1. 1. Zechariah's first message comes in time between the third and fourth of the utterances of Haggai. It is the appeal, as urgent as it is simple, Turn to the Lord: age after age passes away, but God's word abides for ever.

p. 154, 1. 20-p. 156, 1. 3. The first of the eight visions, that of the angel among the myrtle trees. Messengers bring reports of heathen resting, undisturbed by war, and the Lord declares that He is jealous for Jerusalem, and promises comfort to Zion.

p. 156, 1. 4. The second vision of the 'four horns' and the 'four carpenters' ('smiths,' R.V.). In these we are to see the forces that have scattered Israel, and those that are to 'fray' and destroy the power of these Gentile oppressors.

p. 156, l. 16-p. 157, 1. 10. The third vision, of the man with a measuring line to measure Jerusalem, The city is to be increased beyond measure, because of the multitude pouring therein. It shall be like an unwalled town, but the Lord Himself shall be a wall of fire about her.'