feature of the prophets' day of Yahweh. Cf. Am. 5'^- ^^ Is. 13^^*
Ez. 34*^. The figure was probably learned from observation of
eclipses of the sun, though it may reflect the darkness that so fre-
quently precedes and accompanies a great storm.

Str. IX continues the description, passing from the terrors of
nature to those of war. — 15e. A day of cloud and thunder-cloud]
The same phenomenon is described in Ez. 34*^, where the refer-
ence is to the fall of Jerusalem and the deportation which lay be-



!»"• 205

hind the speaker. This is a characteristic frequently connected
with theophanies in OT.; the word "cloud" occurs no less than
fifty-eight times in such connections.* — 16. A day of the trumpet
and battle-cry] The prophet now turns to the horrors of war. The
combination of the blowing of homsf and shouting is found also
in Am. i^^ 2^ Je. V« Jos. 6^ Cf. Ju. f'- ^\~Against the fortified
cities and against the lofty battlements] Cf. Is. 2^^ The word
rendered "battlements" is literally "comers," but here and in 3°
2 Ch. 26'^ BS. 50^ it probably denotes special fortifications con-
structed for the protection of the angles of the walls. J The char-
acter and strength of the walls and fortifications of ancient cities
in Palestine may now be learned not only from an examination of
the walls of Jerusalem, but also those of Jericho, Gezer, Lachish,
Taanach, Megiddo, Tell-Zakariya, Tell-es-Safi and Samaria. §
The number and size of such fortresses may be inferred from the
fact that Sennacherib in his report of the campaign against Heze-
kiah claims to have captured "forty-six of his strong cities, for-
tresses and smaller to^vns without number." Not only so, but the
great fortress of Jericho as revealed by the recent excavations was
only about eleven hundred feet long and five hundred feet wide.

Str. X leaves the fortresses and turns attention to their occu-
pants. — 17. And I will press hard upon mankind and they shall
walk like blind men] Men will be reduced to such straits by Yah-
weh that their attempts to discover a way of escape will be like
the uncertain and hopeless steps of the blind. Cf. Dt. 28^^ Na. 3"
Is. 59^° Jb. 12^. There is no causal connection in the prophet's
mind between the darkness of v. ^^ and the groping here predicted.**
"Mankind" here does not comprise the human race as a whole,
but rather sets human beings in contrast with city walls and forti-
fications. As a matter of fact, the citizens of Judah are in the fore-

* So BDB.. t V. H/H 43 /..

X Tacitus describes the walls of Jerusalem as, "per artem obliques et introrsum sinuatos ut
latera oppugnantium ad ictus patescerent" (Hist., lib. V, cap. ii, § $).

§ For reports on Jericho, v. Millhejlungen d. Deutschen Orient-Cesellschajt, Nos. 39 and 41.
For Taanach, v. E. Seilin, Tell Taanek. For Megiddo, v. G. Schumacher, Tell-el-Mutesellim.
For Lachish, v. F. J. Bliss, A Mound oj Many Cities. For Tell-es-Safi and Tell-Zakariya, v.
F. J. Bliss and R. A. S. Macalister, Excavations in Palestine, 1898-1900. Cj. Dr., Modern
Research as Illustrating the Bible, 54 #., 92. The work at Samaria is not yet finished, but pre-
liminarv announcements appear from time to time in the Harvard Theological Review.

** Contra Hi..



2o6 ZEPHANIAH

front of the prophet's thought, if they do not even exclude all
others from consideration. — Because they have sinned against me]
This sin is practically rebellion against Yahweh; for a similar
usage of the word 'sin' as = 'rebellion,' cf. 2 K. 18" and the reg-
ular sense of its Assyrian equivalent, hllu. This clause is omitted
as a gloss by several interpreters* on the ground that the change to
the third person (M = against Yahweh) is too abrupt so soon after
the occurrence of the first person and that it is superfluous met-
rically. The emendation of the text necessary to conform it to
the first person is very slight {v. i.) and at the same time eases the
metrical difficulty. — And their blood shall be poured out like dust]
Cf. Ps. 79^ 18^^. Human life will be as worthless as the dust of the
streets. For a radically difi'erent estimate of the value of the peo-
ple of God, cf. Ps. 72". — And their flesh like dung] Cf. Je. 9'^ 16*
Ps. 83*° Jb. 26'. The word "flesh" occurs only here and in Jb.
20^, where the text and meaning are as uncertain as here. It has
been variously rendered, e. g., viscera,f carcasses,J vigour,§ sap.**
The rendering ' flesh ' ff rests upon (g (v. i.) and is supported also
by the usage in Arabic.

Str. XI brings the poem to a close with a representation of the
completeness and inevitableness of the coming destruction. — 18.
Neither their silver nor their gold can deliver them] The things they
have held most dear will be of no avail in the great day. Cf. Is.
13'^, where the Medes, the agents of Yahweh, are said to care
nothing for silver and gold. The Scythian invasion, according to
Herodotus, was halted at the borders of Egypt by the receipt of a
great sum of money as ransom. But Yahweh cannot be turned
aside from his punitive purpose by such means; cf. Pr. n*. This
line and the following clause occur also in Ez. 7^^, where it is an
interpolation and does not appear in d. — In the day of the wrath
of Yahweh and in the fire of his zeal, all the earth will be consumed]
This line is made up of elements appearing also in i*^ 3^. It is
probably a later expansion, interrupting as it does the close con-
nection between the first and last lines of this verse and being

* So, e. g., Marti, Now.^, Siev., Fag., Roth., Du., Kent

t So, e. g., Mau., Dl.P'"!- ^^, BDB..

t So van H.. § So We.. ** So Ew..

tt So, e. g., Hd., Da v., G.ASm., Dr..



V'-'" 207

identical in meaning with the latter* The judgment here an-
nounced is probably universal, as in i^- ^ 3^ Cf. Is. 2??'^.—For a
full destruction, yea, a fearful one, will Yahweh make of all the in-
habitants of the land] Cf Is. lo^^ Je. 5^^ 46'' Ez. 1 1^^ 20^^ For the
text, V. i.. M may be rendered "altogether fearful" (cf. Dt. 16*'
28-® Is. 16O ; but the reading of the Vrss. is preferable. The use
of the third person here furnishes insufficient warrant for treat-
ing the whole verse as a later addition,! or for changing it to the
first person ;t v. on v.'. The remaining considerations urged in
favour of discarding the verse are of slight weight. The fact that
the first line occurs also in Ez. 7'" proves nothing in itself as to the
priority of either passage; but the structure of Ez. 7^" throws doubt
upon the originality of that passage as it now stands. The custom
of buying deliverance from an attack was so common (cf. 2 K.
J ^16-20 j^7-9 i8i3-i8^g ^^^^ j|. jg hardly necessary to suppose that this
must be an allusion to the manner in which Egypt escaped the
scourge of the Scythian invasion. The claim that those who are
represented as dead in v. ^^ cannot be thought of in v. ^* as attempt-
ing to buy their deliverance makes no allowance for the agility of
thought. The indefiniteness of our knowledge regarding the de-
velopment of Hebrew eschatology is no basis for saying that the
idea of a universal destruction here presented demonstrates the
late origin of the passage. It is by no means certain that the
destruction here contemplated is thought of as universal. The
thought in w. ^^- ^^ concerns itself with Judah and Jerusalem and
the language here does not forbid the same limitation of the
judgment. But if, as seems probable, the thought of universality
is present, such a conception is not at all out of keeping with the
authorship of Zephaniah himself (v. Int., § 4).

A smooth, regular and uniform metre throughout this poem can be
produced only by taking undue liberties with the text. The parallelism,
fortunately, is very marked and thus indicates the poetic lines clearly.
The metre of the first four strs. is prevailingly pentameter or qina.

* So Marti (?). Schw. hesiUtes between '"' and '^c; Pag. om. '8";; Kent om. both; Du. om.
all after "zeal."

t So Maru, Now.^ (?), Siev.. t So Now.k (?), Fag..

§ It was a frequent experience in the campaigns of such conquerors as Tiglath-pileser I,
Shalmanezer II, Sargon and Ashurbanipal.



2o8 ZEPHANIAH

Through the remainder of the poem, hexameter prevails. The move-
ment of thought from str. to str. is easily recognisable and the whole
closes with a splendid climax of universal doom.

The arrangement here presented involves few textual changes that
are not called for on grounds wholly independent of the poetic form.
From the reconstructed poem, the following materials found in M are
lacking, viz., i'" ("and it shall be in the day of '^'s sacrifice") '» ("in
that day"), '"^ ("and it shall be in that day, it is the oracle of '"), '">. c
13b. c. 18 b, The gj-st two of these are simple prosaic introductions by
some editor. The third is shown to be extraneous to the movement of
thought by the interruption it occasions between " ^ and ^', in both of
which the speaker deals with Jerusalem; and also by its marked varia-
tion from the metrical movement of the context. The fourth addition
(13 b. c) is betrayed by its hackneyed phraseology as well as its metrical
variation. The last one ('^ ^) is plainly identical in thought with '» '; but
the latter makes a little closer connection with 's. than is^ does and,
therefore, has the right of way. It is worthy of notice also that '^t is
practically a duplicate of ^^'^.

The rearrangement of w. 'â–  ' here accepted was first proposed by
Schw. and followed by Now. and Fag. (cf. Siev. who rearranges thus:
w. 5. 8 b. 9 b. 8 c. 9 a. io)_ The rcason for the transposition is found in the
excellent sense thereby secured ; in the fact that v. ' », as it stands in flj,
lacks the necessary balancing clause, stating the cause of the judgment
it announces; and in the further fact that the two clauses dealing with
foreign practices are thus brought together.

7. D.-i] gi, fear. Gr. adds -\U'3 So as in Zc. 2^ — nar] 05 = ''naj. —
cnpn] & invited. — 8. I'^cn ^ja h-p] ffi om.— 'J3] 05= n>3; so We. (?),
Gr., Dav., GASm., Oort^â„¢-, Now., van H., Fag.. For the same inter-
change, cf. Gn. 45" Ex. i63i Jos. 17I' iS^ i Ch. 2'" Ne. 7=8 Je. i65- " Ez.
2' Ho. i^. Cf the use of ni3 in v. '. — O'B'aSn] Rd. U'i'yn; so Schw.,
Now., Fag.; c is a dittog. from the foil, word; cf. jSnn. — 9. jSnn Ss Sy
inenn-'^;-] (S'^'-^Q &^, itrl Trdvras ifKpavQ^ iwl to, irpbirvKa. (^^ om. Sd Si*.
2, iirl TrdvTas toi)s ewL^aivovrai ac.t.X.. U, super omnem qui arroganter
ingreditur super limen. &, ttpon all extortioners and spoilers. 21, all
those who walk in the laws of the Philistines. Wkl., AOF., Ill, 381^.,
would render, "against all who mount the throne." This involves a
new meaning for both words. jSn is connected by Wkl. with the
Arabic drg and made to mean 'mount' or 'climb.' Cf 2 S. 22'" where
'scale' furnishes an admirable meaning for the Pi' el. But 'skip,'
'dance' or 'leap' is required by Is. 35* Ct. 2^65. 362' and is suitable both
here and in 2 S. 2230. Furthermore, the meaning 'mount' or 'climb' is
doubtful for the Arabic drg, aside from some derived stems where it is
used figuratively; the ordinary usage is 'walk slowly.' ]r^!iT: is taken by
Wkl. as designating primarily the pedestal upon which the image of the



l'-" 209

deity was placed (i S. 5*- '). and secondarily, the king's throne. The
phrase as a whole would thus point to the king's advisers, those who stood
upon the steps of the throne. But though this meaning of 'c would yield
good sense in i S. 5«- ' Ez. 9' 10* • •«, it hardly suits in Ez. 46^ and is im-
possible in Ez. 47'. Furthermore, neither on the numerous Babylonian
and Assyrian seals nor in any known relief is a god represented as placed
upon a pedestal, or a royal throne as raised upon a dais; the god and the
king alike sit in a chair of state with a footstool attached.— an>jiN] (S
B = an^n^x >j-in. &, their storerooms, an inner Syriac error of ? for i.
Better treated as sg. than as pi. ; Ges. ^ '^^ «. 10 . au^^] (g, dTroKevro^prcvv
= o^rT} icf. 2 Ch, 33") or a>J"\n; so &.— njr::n] (g ^ T3 = second
(^ate)l— 11. t:'r3=n ••arii iS>So] Rd. srocn ]o n^^M; so Marti, Fag.
and Kent who retains >arv,— ttTDcn] <g, t^v KaTaKeKoixfj.ivr,y. B, pilae.
& transliterates as a proper name. ©, by the brook Kidron. A, S, tQv
i\fiMv. e, ^i' T(? /3d^£t.— na-ij] (g, diMOtii^??.— t>'J3] ©, fieTap6\ui>. — S^aj]
<S, ol iirrip/jLi^voi. E, gwj exaltatUur {in argento et auro). H, invoMi.
The word is a,7r. and is ordinarily treated as a passive formation =
"weighed down" (c/. i^Di:' , n^rn ,d-d;); but it is better taken as active
(c/. -\^?s ,-('iT' ,i'D.-i); t;, Barth, 7VB.^>».— 12. cshn] (S^, HP. 36, 51,
97, 238, have a double rendering, viz., 7 will search Jerusalem with a
lamp and I will visit Jerusalem with a lamp {and I will visit, etc.). Marti,
B>Bnsi; so Siev., Now.^ Fag..— m->:2] Rd., with (S *, nn; so Schw. (?);
Marti (?), Fag., Roth., Kent, Eth., with a lamp 0/ wisdom.— S'-'^'iH']
Rd., with Now^, d>jjnc-':i; so Fag., Kent. — a^NDpn] 35, qui contemptores
sunt. 1, defixos. §, those despising.— ■aT^>-\TiZ''\ (6, rk (pvXdyixara
avTuv. HP. 86 mg. ^deXvyfjLara. H, ne custodiant mandata. U, in
faecibus suis. S, who in tranquillity enjoy, 't is always in the pi., v.
Is. 25' Je. 48" Ps. 75'. The meaning is clear, but the root uncertain.
HWB.'^^ connects it with 'r, to keep; may it not, however, be better
traced to Assy, lamdru, 'to rage,' being so named as that which causes
turmoil either in the process of fermentation or in the brain of the
drinker? — 13. nos'a'^] (S, «is diapiray-^v. H, in direptionem. — i3S'^] <§ B
add in them. — 14. nin> Dv] Marti suggests "cv in both cases because
of the ist pers. in v. "; so Fag..— insi] (g, Kal raxeia.. Rd., with Schw.,
tn-cv, so We., Now., Marti, Siev., Fag., Roth.. Bach., N^;jn oi'n. £S,
was formerly treated as an inf., the impf. that ordinarily accompanies
such a construction being understood (Ew. ^ ^^O'; Hd.) ; but this is without
analo<^. For a similar case of a prtc. without initial c, v. jsr (Ex. 7" 9'
loO; cf. Ges. ^52., HIKB." treats it here and in Is. S'-' as a verbal adj.
(so Or., GASm.); but it is better here to correct the text.— '^^■'] Kenn.
145. ^^'ip; so Marti, Now.k, pag.. Roth.. Siev. om..— -^c] Rd., with
Marti, -^p^i; so Now.k, pag.. Roth. (?), Du., Kent. (S, TriKicd.—sv ms
-\i3j] Rd. lUJO vn, dropping is as dittog. of rv^^ in foil. line. This
yields a text in perfect conformity with the corresponding portion of " •.



2IO ZEPHANIAH

Cf. -i?n and Siijn , tj'n and incc. Note the same juxtaposition of rn
and i"io in Is. 8'- '. For other cases of vertical dittography, cf. 2^ Mi.
i2 0. 11 » 2'3 b ^i b YjZ. 124-26 7'3 '•, This correction is based upon the sug-
gestion of Miiller, SK., LXXX, 309 /., who reads ti3JD tn nx. (5, koX
CK\r]pa r^raKTai dwarri (5' being joined with v. 'O- "B, tribulahitur,
etc.. Gr.^°-, iiaj? nnx\ Marti, zi (for O'v:-); so Now.^ (?), Siev. (?)
Roth. (?). nns occurs again only in Is. 42", but this with the Assy.
sarahu, 'cry aloud,' renders its meaning clear. — aa*] Of the passages usu-
ally cited in support of a temporal sense (so here, e. g., Hi., Mau., We. ( ?),
Now. (?), HWB.^^, Du.) several are due to a corrupt text (viz., Ps. 666 jg.
50' Jb. 23'), while in others a local sense is equally good, if not better (e. g.,
Jb. 35'2 Ps. 145 36" 666 132W 1333 Pr. 8" Ho. lo' Ju. 5").— 15. 'di ms]
The same phrase occurs in Jb. 15-^; other formations from the same root
are conjoined in Is. 306 Je. 19' Dt. 28"- ^^- " Pr. i". Such cases are
due to the Hebrew liking for assonance. — 'si nxr] Also in Jb. 30' 38*'
BS. 51'°. In addition to the assonance, increased emphasis is secured by
such junction of two slightly different formations from one root; e. g.,
npUDi n,-ii3, Na. 2"; nctr'Ci nona', Ez. 3329; n>jxi n>iKD, Is. 29'; y;pn
J?ipn3, Ez. 6'*. — Sfinj?] Schw., on the analogy of Spn|i and S^nx (Is.
^;i''), regards Sen;? as the original form; cf. Syr. 'arpeld. Barth, NB.
k 106 b^ treats it as a qiitalib form; but it is better taken with Vol., ZA.,
XVII, 310/., as a composite noun, with '^n used as an intensifying epi-
thet; cf. Assy, erpu = 'cloud,' and the various usages of the Ar. equiva-
lent which may be traced back to a primary meaning, 'cloud.' On the
divine name as giving superlative significance, v. Kelso, AJSL., XIX,
152 ff.; cf. I S. i4'5. — 17. mn^^] Rd. ■'':. — iDC'-] 05, Kal iKxeei, but in
HP. 36, 51, 62, 86, 95, 97, 147, 185, 228a, ^KX«w; cf. ?n, effundam. — D"n'-]
Some mss. 'anrh, but better without dag.; v. Baer and Ginsburg. The
meaning is wholly uncertain. Dl.'''"'' '" derives from an'?, 'be close,
firm' (so BDB.), and renders Eingeweide, which fits better here than
'flesh,' but is unsuitable in Jb. 20-3. No., ZZ3MG., XL (1886), 721, sug-
gests the meaning 'wrath,' connecting it with Syriac Ihm, 'to threaten';
this is fitting in Jb. 20'^ but wholly out of place here. The rendering
'flesh,' against which both Dl. and No. urge weighty objections, suits
fairly well here, but is inadmissible in Jb. 20". The text there is almost
certainly corrupt {cf. 05, 6Mvas) and the same difl&culty may exist here.
(5, rhsffdpKas avrQv. Schw. (?) ipnS (from \^ !^nS), cf. adj. nS Gr.^â„¢-,
nS^ni (?). Bach., a^a -inSi. Schw., an^; so Now., Marti, Roth., Du.; cf.
Je. II''. — a^'SSjo] IS, sicut slercor a; so ^. ®, ws ^6X/3iTa. ^, sicul slercora
bourn. Bach., a'-Vpj?. — 18. inNjp . . . nint m3>] Fag. changes to ist
pers., viz. ^r^mp . . . ''nna^. — IN] Rd. <ix, with (S, Kal and §>; so Schw.,
Gr.Em •, We., GASm., Now., Mard, Hal., Dr., Du., Kent. Cf. B, cum.—
:i'^n2i] (&, ffirovd'^v. Gr.^"- nSna; so Now. (?), Mard, Roth.. Butthisis
unnecessary since the prtc. makes excellent sense and the same construction



211



occurs in Is. lo" 28" Dn. 9". — pn niyp' . . . nSj] The vb. takes two
ace, or the first ace. is so closely welded to and identified with the vb. that
the combined expression is treated as a vb. and takes an obj. in the
ace; so also Je. 5" (rd. sjrs) 301' 46" Ez. 11" 20" Ne. 9". Now.^
changes nc;-' to ^y'^.^.



§4. A DAY OF DOOM UPON PHILISTIA (2^-^).

In a poem that has suffered many things at the hands of editors,
the prophet foretells woe upon the Philistines. The reasons for
the divine anger against Israel's ancient foe were apparently so
well knowTi to the prophet's audience that they did not need to be
rehearsed here. The poem is composed of four strs. of two lines
each. Str. I sounds the note of warning to Philistia in view of the
near approach of her day of judgment (2*- ^^). Str. II specifies
four of the five great PhiUstine towns as doomed to destruction
(2^). Str. Ill announces the complete depopulation of the whole
Philistine coast (2'^). Str. IV represents this former abode of
men as given over to the pasturage of flocks (2"- ''^).

A SSEMBLE yourselves, yea, assemble, O nation unabashed!

Before ye become fine dust, like cha£f which passes away.
ITOR Gaza will be forsaken and Ashkelon a waste.

As for Ashdod — at noon they will drive her out; and Ekron will be uprooted.
TyOE to the inhabitants of the coast of the sea, the nation of the Cherethitcs;

For I will make thee perish, without an inhabitant, O land of the Philistines.
A XD thou wilt become pastures for shepherds and folds for flocks;

By the sea will they feed; in the houses of Ashkelon at evening will they lie
down.

Str. I calls upon Philistia to brace herself for the shock that
awaits her. — 2^. Assemble yourselves, yea, assemble] This rendering
is somewhat uncertain, being directly supported only by (S S* 01 B 2
(v. i.). The verb does not occur elsewhere in the forms here used,
but in another stem it is used of the gathering of straw and sticks.
Various renderings have been proposed for it here; e. g., 'end your-
selves, etc.';* 'turn pale and be pale';t 'test yourselves, yea,
test';t 'crowd and crouch down';§ 'gather yourselves firmly to-

* E. g., Mau., Hd., Ke.. t Ew.. X De W.. § Or..



212 ZEPHANIAH

gether and be firm ' ;* ' purify yourselves and then purge others ' ;t
'conform yourselves to law and be regular.' J But none of these
finds adequate support either in the Hebrew usage of this root,
or in the related dialects, or in the Vrss.. Several scholars aban-
don as hopeless the attempt to interpret. § The least objection-
able of the emendations proposed yields the meaning, 'get you
shame and be ye ashamed'; but this is scarcely possible for two
reasons: (i) it is difficult to see how so clear and easy a reading
could have given way to so difficult a one as M now offers; (2)
the thought of v. ^ presupposes in v. * either a call to flee from the
wrath to come, or to repent and so escape, or an ironical summons
to prepare for the coming conflict. 'Be ashamed' seems too mild
a term for this context. For the difficulty of the translation here
given, V. i.. For similar calls to assemble in order to ward oflf in-
evitable destruction, cf. Jo. i^ 2^^ 3" Je. 4^. — O nation unabashed/]
Here again we can attain no certainty as to the meaning. The obscu-
rity lies in the word rendered 'unabashed.'** Among many other
renderings, we may cite 'undisciplined,' ff ' unlovable,' JJ 'that
does not desire to be converted to the law,' §§ 'that never paled (sc.
with terror),*** 'not desired (= hated), 'ttt 'that hath no long-
ing.' XXX Here again the attempt to discover the sense is abandoned
by some.§§§ The Hebrew usage of this word affords no basis for
any other meaning than 'not longing for,' 'not desirous of; cf. Ps.
84^ 17'^ Jb. 14'^ Gn. 31^''. But this is too vague and indefinite in the
present passage.**** The idea of 'shame' is associated with this
root in Aramaic, in late Hebrew and in colloquial Arabic. This
furnishes a good meaning in this place and, in default of anything
better, may be adopted. The nation addressed is probably not
the Jewish ;tttt ^^^ ^^ i* the pious element vdthin the Jewish na-
tion, JJtt for Zephaniah would scarcely address a mere fragment of

* Stei.. t Fiirst {Concordance). % Van H..

§ Schw., We., Dav., GASm., Stk., Roth..

** So many interpreters, e. g., Rosenm., Dav., Or., GASm., Dr., Fag.,
tt®*. «B. §§®.

♦** Mau., Ew., Ke.. ttt Hd.. til RVm..

§§§ E. g., Schw., We., Now., Marti, Stk., Roth., Kent.

**** Cf. TJ, which retains this sense here, but puts it in the passive, whereas elsewhere
it is always active,
tttt Contra Hd., Or., Schw., We. Dav. GASm., Marti, van H., et al..
tut Contra Dr., Stk., el al..



2 213

the people as 'nation.' It is rather the Philistines, against whom
the bulk of this section is directed. This becomes much clearer after
the secondary elements in vv. ^"^ are recognised. — 2. Before ye he-
come fine dust] The Philistines are now addressed as individuals
and warned to seek some way of escape before it is too late. The
figure in itself might picture either the completeness of the coming
destruction (Ps. i8^^), or the worthlessness of the vanquished (i*^
Zc. 9^), or the wide dispersion of the stricken people. In view of
the added comparison to chaff, the latter is probably the real point
of the simile; cf. Is. 2(f 4I^ For the text upon which this transla-
tion rests, V. i.. HI is open to objection on the ground of serious
grammatical difficulty and the inappropriateness of the terms used.
A literal rendering of M yields, "before the bringing forth of a
decree," which might mean either "before a decree brings forth"
{cf. Pr. 27^), or "before a decree is brought forth." It has been
variously interpreted, e. g., "before the decree brings forth,"* i. e.,
before the events befall you that are decreed by God; "before
the term is bom,"f i. e., before the day fixed by God breaks
forth from the dark womb of the future; "before the law bring
forth," I i. e., the Mosaic law fulfilling the curse it pronounces in
Dt. 31". But these all leave too much to the imagination of the
interpreter. — Like chaff that passes away] Everywhere that refer-
ence is made to chaff, except possibly in Is. 41^^, it is as a simile of
scattering (e. g., Is. 17^^ Ho. 13^ Jb. 21^^ Ps. i*). The text of (g is
here followed (v. i.) . M is very difficult, if not impossible. RV.
renders, "before the day pass as the chaff," supplying the word
'before.' RVm. offers as an alternative, "the day passeth as
the chaff," a parenthetic statement. § But the image of chaff fly-
ing away is always applied to things that depart, not to the rapid