Rev. Francis Woodcock, M. A. Prebendary of Hereford.

Rev. Nutcombe Nutcombe, Chancellor of the Church of Exeter.

PRELIMINARY

PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS.

THAT the present Hebrew text is greatly corrupted cannot remain a question with any unprejudiced impartial reader; for, as Morinus observes, (see Kennicott's first dissertation,) "Hebræam linguam sine lege usurpasse genera, numeros, et personas, negare quis dubitabit?" That the various errors in the grammatical construction, occasioned by the change of gender, number, and person, and the many considerable mistakes arising from the carelessness and oversight of transcribers, by additions, mutilations, and the alteration of letters, (which the Hebrew is more subject to than any other language, from their great similarity, and which make a very considerable difference in the sense,) should be corrected, must be the ardent wish of every true friend to sacred literature. And, to use the words of Bishop Hare, “Quæ ratio idonea reddi possit, cur magni illi in omni literarum genere, et præstantes viri, qui in ethnicorum scriptis recensendis tam præclare operam posuerunt, totque in iis loca pristino nitori atque integritati curis suis feliciter restituerunt, in sacris tamen excolendis nihil simile, nihil egregii fecerint, nec eandem ulla ex parte gloriam adepti sunt; nisi quod in illis liberi, libere agerent, et quicquid rationes critica suadebant, id pronis animis ipsi exciperent,

nullo

nullo partium studio, affectu nullo præpediti, et quod ipsis videbatur lectori palam exponerent et aperte? In his contra, omnem judicii libertatem exuisse videntur, quasi non amplius sui juris essent, sed partium, quibus addicti erant, mancipia." And, from comparing the Samaritan and the Hebrew together, which I have particularly attended to in Genesis and Exodus, it is past all doubt that the latter has, from time to time, been deprived of the vowels; the want of which has occasioned great uncertainty and obscurity and one important use of the collation of the MSS. is to supply that grand defect. To obtain, therefore, a more perfect edition of the Hebrew Bible, after the manner of Mill's edition of the Greek Testament, by the joint labours and endeavours of learned men, in conferring with the MSS. and antient versions, and, where these cannot give any assistance, in the remarks of sober criticism, exigentia loci, the same method pursued by the authors of the Septuagint version and of the English translation might be adopted, in a great measure, with success; which I shall subjoin in the words of the learned Walton, in his ninth Prolegomenon ; "Cum Alexandriæ convenissent Septuaginta duo viri ad transferendum Biblia Hebræa in Græcum idioma, haud probabile est omnes simul in unaquaque sectione, vel libro vertendo laborasse, sed totum opus inter se partitos fuisse; aliis hanc partem, aliis illam assignando; cumque singuli pensum suum, vel ejus partem aliquam confecissent, statis horis, vel diebus, inter se convenisse, ubi singulorum lucubrationes reliquorum judicio submissæ; et si dubium aliquod occurrebat, communi consilio explicatum, omnibusque mature perpensis et discussis, quod ab uno vel pluribus primo confectum fuerat, communi omnium suffragio approbatum, pro totius conventus versione receptum et evulgatum fuit." Vide Bonfrer. Præloq. c. xvi. "In celebri nostra versione Anglicana, auspiciis Regis Jacobi factâ, in qua plurimi per totum regnum viri doctissimi sudarunt, tale quid ob

servatum fuit. Primo inter se regulas quasdam observandas in versione suâ formarunt. Dein tota Biblia in partes diviserunt, tot pro unaquaque parte designatis; qui etiam inter se pensum suum subdiviserunt, certisque temporibus, quod a singulis paratum erat, reliquorum judicio submiserunt, donec totum opus, omnium calculis approbatum, omnium nomine in lucem prodiit."

The following specimen of an essay towards a more complete edition of the Hebrew Bible is humbly submitted to the consideration of those of superior judgement; and, if by my mean endeavours I have recovered one true reading, I shall not think I have laboured in vain. The Samaritan text is taken upon the authority of the learned Dr Kennicott, in his collation of the MSS.; and the oriental versions on the veracity of Walton's translation of the Polyglot. -If a revision of our English version should ever take place, which my late learned friend, Dr Newcome, the Primate of all Ireland, had in view, from a very early period of his life, his various readings and notes on the old Testament (which laborious work, contained in four volumes folio, employed his studies more than thirty years, and is now deposited in the MS. library of Lambeth, subject, with the permission of the Archbishop, to the search of persons skilled in sacred literature) would be of singular use to such an undertaking.

It may be proper to observe, that the remarks on Isaiah are chiefly what occurred to me on reading Bishop Lowth's very learned work ; and it will probably be deemed great presumption in me to attempt emendations after this very able writer. The Bishop of Killalla having done me the honour of presenting me with his learned work on this prophet, just before I was taking mine to the press, I made use of such observations as fell in with my design. It may be thought

that

that I should have consulted Dr Blayney's remarks on Jeremiah, and his MSS. on Isaiah, which, together with the rest of his MSS. on the Psalms, &c. are deposited also in the MS. library at Lambeth, under the same rules as Archbishop Seckers's and Archbishop Newcome's, but my work being complete some years before, I was unwilling to swell it to a greater size, and thereby increase the expense of the publication; though they would certainly have made it much more valuable, and would be very useful whenever a new version of the Bible shall be set on foot, which should be delayed at least till that laborious work, the collation of the MSS. of the Septuagint, by the Rev. Dr Holmes, Dean of Winchester, is completed, as it will no doubt throw great light on many obscure passages of the old Testament.

The Sermon on Jeremiah, c. xviii. 14, was shewn to the learned Dr Kennicott, as long ago as the year 1781, and he was pleased to speak thus favourably of it, in a letter to Dr Adams, the late worthy master of Pembroke-College, Oxford: "Your papers have done you great credit with Dr Kennicott. He speaks in very high terms, especially on your discourse on Jeremiah. He admires your courage in attempting so difficult a text, and your skill and success in explaining it." As, therefore, it could not have been brought within the compass of a note, I was willing to offer it in its original form, not having had any opportunity of using it on the intended oc

casion.

I take this opportunity of mentioning an erratum, not noticed in my work on the Psalms, &c. Ps. cxi. 5, where was supposed to be written, by mistake, for ; for, the alphabetical order of the Psalm evidently requires a word beginning with a .