B. C. cir. 200.

Or, I got under

grape was ripe hath my heart delighted in her my foot went the right way, from my youth up sought I after her.

16 I bowed down mine ear a little, and received her, and gat much learning.

17 profited therein, therefore will I ascribe the glory unto him that giveth me wisdom.

18 For I purposed to do after her, and earnestly I followed that which is good; so shall I not be confounded.

19 My soul hath wrestled with her, and in my doings I was exact: I stretched forth my hands to the heaven above, and bewailed my ignorances of her.

20 I directed my soul unto her, standing. and I found her in pureness: I have

sought, and in which experience had confirmed the wisdom and goodness of his choice.

bowels.

21 My heart was troubled in 10r,, seeking her: therefore have I gotten a good possession.

22 The Lord hath given me a tongue for my reward, and I will praise him therewith.

23 Draw near unto me, ye unlearned, and dwell in the house of learning.

24 Wherefore are ye slow, and what say ye of these things, seeing your souls are very thirsty?

25 I opened my mouth, and said, "Buy her for yourselves without a Isai. 55money.

26 Put your neck under the yoke, and let your soul receive instruction: she is hard at hand to find.

I.

20. The order of the clauses in the T. R. is as follows: "I directed my soul," "I have had," "I found her." It is clear that the order of the A. V. is correct, which is supported by A and S.

γενύσι φαίνων τέρειναν ματέρ' οινάνθας ὑπώραν will occur to many readers. Most MSS., however, have us, “as,” for ews, “till," giving a difficult verse, which might be explained with Fritzsche: "from her [Wisdom's] flower, as from the ripening grape," &c.

16. and gat myself, &c.] Compare the phrase in the Prologue.

17. I profited.] Rather, I made progress. Syr. "her yoke became a glory to me." Perhaps by has been confused

עלה with

18. This verse begins a new stanza.

19. bath wrestled with her.] Syr. "clung to her." Can there be any reference here to the wrestling of Jacob? But the word is not the same as that used in Gen. xxxii. 21.

and in my doings I was exact.] The best MSS. have "and in the doing of hunger," which is evidently impossible. The reading of the A. V. is found in a few MSS. Possibly we should accept Fritzsche's correction, TоinσEι vóμov, "doing of the law:" comp.

xix. 18.

The Syr. omits the phrase. with her.] The T. R. has “with them."

21. My heart.] The marginal reading is that of all the best authorities, doubtless altered for decency's sake. Syr. "my entrails burned like an oven."

14

23. This verse begins a new stanza. The Orientals feel no modesty in praising their own works. In an Arabic letter shewn the commentator, the author of a poem in honour of Mohammad writes: "Have you not heard what the author of it says of it?— Blessed are all they that read it; lost are all they that cast it aside.'" At the same time the praise in this verse may be intended rather for what formed the subject of the work than for the writer's mode of presenting it.

24. and what say ye of these things.] These words are omitted by the best MSS., and are shewn to be spurious by the Syr. In reality they represent a gloss ri Anyere upon the Stór vσTepeire, "why are ye slow," of

the text.

25. A recommendation willingly to submit themselves. The expression "yoke" for "obligation" is common in Jewish writings:

Deut. 30.

§ I. CONTENTS AND DIVISION. The Book of Baruch, as it stands in the Authorized Version, consists of several parts distinctly marked :—

Chap. i. 1-14. Historical Preface, describing the origin of the book.

Chap. i. 15-iii. 8. Israel's Confession and Prayer in the time of captivity. Chap. iii. 9-iv. 4. Israel admonished to return to the Fountain of Wisdom. Chap. iv. 5-v. 9. Encouragement and promise of a happy deliverance.

THE EPISTLE OF JEREMY, which appears in the A.V. as Baruch chap. vi., is a distinct work, which it will be better to consider in a separate Introduction.

The first step towards determining the relation of these several parts to each other, and to the whole, is to state briefly the contents of each, before attempting to examine them critically.

Chap. i. 1-14. THE HISTORICAL PREFACE. (a) Origin of the Book in Babylon (i. 1-9). (6) Message sent with the Book to Jerusalem (i. 10-14).

(a) This is the Book which Baruch wrote in Babylon, in the fifth year after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans, and read in the ears of King Jechonias and all the captives who dwelt by the river Sud. Whereupon they wept, fasted, and prayed before the Apoc.-Vol. II.

§ VIII. PLACE IN CANON

APPENDIX: THE TITLES OF GOD
IN BARUCH

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Lord;" and, having collected money, sent it to Jerusalem with the book (v. 14), and with the silver vessels brought from the Temple, which Zedekiah had made after Jechonias had been carried away captive by Nebuchadnezzar (1-9).

(b) With the money and the book was sent this message: "Spend the money in sacrifices, pray for Nebuchadnezzar and his son Balthasar, that we may live long and happily under their shadow, and that God may forgive us our sins, and turn his anger from us. Read this book of confession and prayer in the Temple upon the solemn Feasts" (10-14).

Chap. i. 15-iii. 8. ISRAEL'S CONFESSION AND PRAYER. (a) Confession of sins (i. 15-ii. 10). (b) Prayer for forgiveness and deliverance (ii. 11-iii. 8).

(a) The Lord is righteous, but we and our fathers have sinned against Him since the day that He brought them out of the land of Egypt (i. 15-19). The judgments therefore which God foretold by Moses and the Prophets have justly fallen upon us; yet, notwithstanding all God's terrible chastisements, we have not repented and turned to Him (i. 20— ii. 10).

(b) And now, Lord, remembering Thy mercy to our fathers in Egypt, we acknowledge our sins, and pray Thee to "deliver us for thine own sake," that our

R

afflicted souls may live to praise Thee (11-18). We plead not any righteousness of our fathers, or of our kings. Thy prophets warned us to submit to the king of Babylon, but we hearkened not to the warnings which Thou hast now made good upon our fathers, upon us, and on Thy holy House (19-26). Yet in all this Thou hast dealt mercifully with us, according to Thy word by Moses, that, after being made few in number and scattered among the heathen, Thy people should remember themselves and turn unto Thee, and be brought back to the land promised to their forefathers, and be joined to Thee in an everlasting covenant, and be no more cast out of the land (27-35).

We cry to Thee in anguish: hear us in Thy great mercy: hear the prayers of Thy people, and remember not their iniquities: for now Thou hast put Thy fear in our hearts, and we praise Thee this day in the midst of our captivity (iii. I-8).

Chap. iii. 9-iv. 4. ADMONITION TO RETURN TO THE FOUNTAIN OF WISDOM. Why art thou in captivity, Israel? Because thou hast forsaken the Fountain of Wisdom. Where Wisdom is, there is life and peace (9-14). But who has found the place of Wisdom? Not the rulers of the earth, nor those whose hearts were set upon riches; neither they, nor their children after them, nor the wise of all nations, nor the giants of old time have found Wisdom. None hath found her in all the wide world, in the sky, or beyond the sea; none but the All-Wise, the Maker of the world and all that is therein, whom the light and the stars obey (15-34). This is our God, and He hath given wisdom unto Israel in the Law that endureth for ever. Happy art thou, O Israel, if thou wilt walk in that light (iv. 1-4).

Chap. iv. 5-v. 9. ENCOURAGEMENT, AND PROMISE OF A HAPPY RETURN. Let Israel take courage. The remnant shall not perish, though they have provoked God to jealousy by idolatry, and have grieved Jerusalem their mother (5-8).

Sion appeals to her neighbours for pity, because her children have departed from God's law, and been carried into

captivity by a strange and terrible nation (9-16). Turning now to her children, she cries, How can I help you? He that hath sent these evils on you will deliver you. Go your way; and while I in sackcloth cry unto the Eternal, cry ye also to Him for deliverance. For He has given me a joyful hope that ye shall return with gladness. Therefore bear His chastisement patiently, and ye shall see the destruction of your enemies. Seek Him with tenfold earnestness, and He will save you (17–29).

Jerusalem herself now receives a message of comfort. Woe to thy enemies! Woe to the city where thy children are in bondage! She shall be desolate, burned with fire, a habitation of demons.

See thy children gathered to thee again. Put on again thy glorious apparel. God giveth thee a new name. Arise! Stand upon the height, and see every valley exalted, every mountain brought low, that thy children may be brought back to thee in the light of the glory of God (iv. 30—v. 9).

Looking back over this summary of the contents, we see clearly that there is no essential connexion between the first portion i. 1-iii. 8, consisting of the Prayer and its historical preface, and the second part iii. 9-v., containing the Praise of Wisdom and the Promise of speedy deliverance.

Accordingly, in considering the questions of Authorship, of the Time and Place of Composition, and of the Original Language, we cannot admit any argument which rests on the supposed unity of the Book, but must examine the two parts separately, before attempting to discover how they came to be connected.

§ II. THE REPUTED AUTHOR.

We do not propose in this section to discuss the authenticity of the book, but only to review the historical and traditional notices of Baruch, the reputed author.

The book which bears the name "Baruch" ("Blessed") professes to contain "the words of the book which Baruch the son of Neriah ... wrote in Babylon