[fn72 In my first work I had alleged this prophecy of Daniel, and had inserted this word "in" enclosed in a parenthesis, in order to signify, that it was not in the original, but was suggested by it as necessary to the sense of the original. This "in," in a parenthesis, the zealous Mr. Everett, who loves to find fault, pronounces to be "an absolute interpolation," "and a shameless one too." p. 157 of his work.]
[fn73 The reader will see that I suppose the original to make one period of seven weeks, and one of sixty-two. "The English translation renders it "seven weeks and threescore and two weeks," making one period of the two. This appears to me to be inadmissible: because if the prophet meant to signify but one period, he would, as I think, have said, according to the analogy of the Hebrew language, not "seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks," but "nine weeks and threescore, weeks," In the Hebrew the clauses of the seven weeks, and sixty and two weeks, are separated by a character which frequently, in the Hebrew Bible, performs the function of a full stop.]
[fn74 delete "Joshua]
[fn75 read "heels over head">[
[fn76 Mr. Everett appear; himself to have been somewhat embarrassed by the gravity he is obliged to maintain in holding forth this antithetical "analogy." For he says, that he forbears "to pursue analogies like these, which though they abound in the writings of the Old Testament, [I challenge him to point out a single such instance] and are familiar to all the nations of the East, have long been succeeded among us by a stricter style of reasoning" p. 178. They have indeed been long since exploded by the Modern Biblical Critics: and I doubt not that if this curious analogy should ever be subject to the notice of Eichorn or Lessing, they would in their closets peruse it "with a smile or a sigh.">[
[fn77 "Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength?—I that speak in righteousness mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat—I have trodden the wine press alone; and of the peoples there vas none with me: for I trode them in mine anger, and trampled them in my fury, and Their blood sprinkled upon my garments, and I have stained all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. And I looked, and there was none to help: and I wondered there was none to uphold, therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury it upheld me, and I trode down the peoples in mine anger, and made them drunk in my fury, and I brought down their strength to the earth." See Is. ch. lxiii. in the Hebrew. This passage relates to the "Great and Terrible Day of Jehovah." mentioned in Malachi. The Psalms of the Prophets abound with descriptions of [fn78] it both terrible and magnificent. See for example Ezekiel xxxviii: & xv-xix chapters. Joel ch. iii. and Zech. ch. xiv.]
[fn78 for "of" read "and">[
[fn79 The enumerations given by the Jews themselves are always below the truth. They conceal the real amount for particular reasons. In Spain and Portugal, where it is dangerous for a man to be known to be a Jew, there are notwithstanding, many thousands; probably one third of the population of Portugal is of Jewish descent. I have seen a Jew at Paris, who had resided several years in Spain, who has told me, that the number of his nation in Spain is great and unsuspected. I believe him, for Orobio and Acosta, both Jews of the Peninsula, affirm that Jews disguised as Christians, were to be found not only among the populace of the Peninsula, but among the nobles and bishops. In those countries (Spain and Portugal,) where the Inquisition obliged every body to be educated as Christians, the fathers who were secretly Jews, were accustomed, when their children came to the years of discretion, to inform them of their descent, and to engage them secretly to conform to the religion of their fathers. If they found their conversion impracticable, these wretched parents were accustomed to poison such children, to prevent their communicating the dangerous secret to the Inquisition, which would occasion the whole family to be burned alive. See the Biography of Orobio and Acosta for some interesting information upon this subject.]
[fn80 for "exonerated" read "consecrated">[
[fn81 "David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel, neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me," i. e. the house of David and the tribe of Levi shall never be extinct, when called upon to fulfil the prophecies of the kingdom of the Messiah, and the re-establishment of the ritual of the temple, David will not want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel, neither will the priests the Levites want a man to do sacrifice. And how was this to be secured, because says God, "as the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites the priests that minister unto me." That this is the sense of the phrase "shall not want a. man," is evident from the employment of the same expression by Jeremiah in xxxv. of his Prophecies: "Thus saith Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel: Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me for ever, ch. xxxv. 19. i. e. not that a particular descendant of Jonadab the son of Rechab should always be standing in the presence of the Lord for ever: but that he should never want a representative, his posterity should never be cut off. It is a singular fact that the descendants of Jonadab the son of Rechab still exist in Arabia, preserving' the customs of their fathers; they are called "Beni al Khaib," i. e. descendants of Heber. See Jud. ch. iv. 11.