mies, and particularly the Canaanites, and of their fecure poffeffion and quiet enjoyment of the land afterwards, and particularly in the reigns of David and Solomon. It is remarkable too, that God hath here put into the mouth of Balaam much the fame things which Jacob had before predicted of Judah, (Gen. XLIX. 9.) Judah is a lion's whelp; from the prey, my fon, thou art gone up: be ftroped down, be couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who fhall roufe him up? and Ifaac had predicted of Jacob, (Gen. XXVII. 29) Curfed be every one that curfeth thee, and bleed be he that blesseth thee: there is fuch analogy and harmony between the prophecies of scripture.

At the fame time Balaam declared, (ver. 7.) His king fhall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom fhall be exalted. Some copies have Gog inftead of Agag, which reading is embraced by the (7) authors of the Univerfal Hiftory, who fay that "as the Samaritan, Septuagint, Sy-. riac, and Arabic read Gog inftead of Agag. " and

(7) See Univerf. Hift. Book I. Chap. 7. Sect. 2. Vol. 1. p. 534. Fol. Edit. note Y.

(8) Extolleturque præ Gog rex ejus. Samar. Και ὑψωθήσεται ἡ Γωγ βασιAux. Sept.

ὑψωθήσεται ὑπερ Γωγ βασιλευς

αυτό.

Symm. apud Grot. (9) Extolletur præ Agag rege, et exaltabitur regnum. Syr. Exaltabitur plufquam Agag rex ejus, et extolletur regnum ejus. Arab.

Robora

" and Gog doth generally fignify the Scythians' " and northern nations, feveral interpreters "have preferred this latter reading to the firft, But it is a "and not without good grounds. mistake to say, that the Syriac and Arabic read Gog it is found only in the (8) Samaritan and the Septuagint, and in Symmachus according to Grotius: the (9) Syriac and Arabic have Agag, as well as the Targum of Onkelos and the Vulgate, tho' this latter with a different fense and conftruction of the words. Neither have we any account that Gog was a famous king at that time, and much less that the king of Ifrael was ever exalted above him and indeed the Scythians and northern nations lay too remote to be the proper fubject of a comparison. The reading of the Hebrew copies, his king fhall be higher than Agag, is without doubt the true reading: and we must either suppose that Agag was prophefied of by name particularly, as Cyrus and Jofiah were feveral they were born: or we must say with (1)

Roborabitur magis quam Agag rex ejus, et elavabitur regnum illius. Onk.

Tolletur propter Agag rex ejus, et auferetur regnum illius. Vulg.

(1) Et fecundum Mofen Ge

years

before

Mofes

rundenfem, quilibet rex Amalekitarum fuit vocatus Agag, tranfitque primi regis nomen in omnes pofteros folium regni occupantes; ficut a Cæfare primo omnes Romanorum reges Cafares appellantur. Munfterus. (2) Et

Mofes Gerundenfis, a learned rabbi quoted by Munfter, that Agag was the general name of the kings of Amalek, which appears very probable, it being the custom of thofe times and of thofe countries to give one certain name to all their kings, as Pharach was the general name for the kings of Egypt, and Abimelech for the kings of the Philiftines. Amalek too was a neighbouring country, and therefore is fitly introduced, upon the prefent occafion and it was likewife at that time a great and florishing kingdom, for (in ver. 20.) it is filed the first of the nations and therefore for the king of Ifrael to be exalted above the king of Amalek was really a wonderful exaltation. But wonderful as it was, it was accomplished by Saul, who fmote the Amalekites from Havilab, until thou comeft to Shur, that is over against Egypt: and he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly defroyed all the people with the edge of the fword. (1 Sam. XV. 7, 8.) The first king of Ifrael fubdued Agag the king of the Amalekites, fo that it might truly and properly be faid, his king fhall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom fhall be exalted, as it was afterwards greatly by

David and Solomon.

His latter prophecies Balaam ufhers in with a remarkable preface, Balaam the Son of Bear bath

bath faid, and the man whofe eyes are open, bath faid; He hath faid, which heard the words of God, which faw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open. (ver. 3, 4, and 15, 16.) Which hath occafioned much perplexity and confufion, but the words rightly rendered will admit of an easy interpretation. Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whofe eyes are open hath faid: It should be the man whofe eye was fhut; for the word On fhatam is used only here and in Lamentations, (III. 8.) and there it fignifies to shut; and the word no fatam which is very near of kin to it, I think, hath always that fignification. St. Jerome tranflates it cujus obturatus eft oculus: and in the margin of our bibles it is rendered who had his eyes fhut, but with this addition but now open. It plainly alludes to Balaam's not feeing the angel of the Lord, at the fame time that the ass faw him. He hath faid, which heard the words of God, which faw the vifion of the Almighty; for in this story we read several times, that God came unto Balaam and faid unto him; and poffibly he might allude too to former revelations. Falling into a trance, but having bis eyes open; in the original there is no mention of a trance; the paffage should be rendered, falling and his eyes were opened, alluding to

VOL. I.

К

what

what happened in the way, to Balaam's falling with his falling ass, and then having his eyes opened: And when the afs faw the angel of the Lord, he fell down under Balaam―Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he faw the angel of the Lord Standing in the way, and his ford drawn in his hand; and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face. (XXII. 27. &c.) A contraft is intended between having his eyes hut, and having his eyes opened; the one anfwers to the other. The defign of this preface was to excite attention: and fo Balaam proceeds to advertise Balak what this people fall do to his people in the latter days, by which phrase is meant the time to come, be it more or lefs fernote.

He begins with what more immediately concerns the Moabites, the people to whom he is fpeaking, (ver. 17, 18, 19.) I fall fee him, but not now; I shall behold him, but not nigh; or rather I fee him, but not now; I behold him, but not nigh; the future tenfe in Hebrew being often used for the prefent. He faw with the eyes of prophecy, and prophets are emphatically filed feers. There fhall come a far out of Jacob, and a feepter fhall rife out of Ifrael. The far