Hebrew Humor and Other Essays

sted entirely of purely theological matter. This idea originated from the circumstance that most of the commentators of the Bible living in those times ha

met with here and there in other parts of the Bible. Fortunately, however, a book appeared about the middle of the eighteenth century, which brought about a great modification in these ideas. It contained a number of lectures which Bishop Lowth (1710–87) had delivered in Latin at the University of Oxford on "Ancient Hebrew Poetry[13-1]," and in which he essayed to

entalists of the day, wrote about it as follows: "I have regularly and attentively perused the Old Testament, and am of opinion that this book, independently of its divine origin, contains more true sublimity, more exquisite beauty, more important history, and finer strains of poetry and eloquence than can be collected from all other books that may have been written[14-1]." One of the most interesting parts of Bishop Lowth's book is that which deals with the metaphors and similes of

ume, as well as in Josephus (comp. Gen. x. 2–5; Isa. lxvi. 19; Josephus, Apion, i. 22), this intercourse is fully recorded as an historical fact. Particularly interesting is the passage in the Book of Joel (iv. 6), in which it is stated that the Ionian Greeks living on the

ts, another important circumstance is taken into consideration, namely, that the famous Greek translation of the Bible, called the Septuagint, had in olden times circulated widely in various countries, what objection can be raised to the assumption that it attracted the attention of some Greek and Roman writers, and influenced them to a certain extent in the composition of se

way in which they are there employed varies greatly, and they derive their inspiration from both animate and inanimate life. Space, however, will not permit of more t

hall we see light" (Ps. xxxvi. 10). The same term is frequently employed by the prophet Isaiah as the emblem of enlightenment as well as that of joy and exultation. In fact, some of Isaiah's most beautiful metaphors are taken from this very word, one of which runs thus:-"The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death upon them has a light shined" (Isa. ix. 1). In another place (ibid. xlii. 6) he says: "I the Lord have called

book of Horace, in which the latter implores the absent Emperor Augustus to return speedily to the Roman capit

tuae, dux bo

s enim vult

pulo, grati

s meliu

t Sir, your c

ing the sun is

thy countenance

r, and smile o'er

some instances quite of a Biblical type. Take, for instance, th

ar shows his

clouds, and now

ranks appear'd

rear, or blaz

parkles, restle

rms, as lightnin

ch it may be seen that in his time a notion was prevalent among the Greeks that a miraculous l

thus dazzles

ws the radiant

ein my wonderin

dst a blaze o

nt of pure

sence, deigns the d

metaphors of the same

poetical imitation of another found in the last chapter of the Book of Proverbs, in which the model housewife-the Esheth Chayil-is so b

ight her middle

lumbers had ref

arly housewives

ers on the hear

s, and call the

uth, and with h

istaff by the

labour add th

nd the waters, generally that mostly serve to typify calamity. So Job (vi. 15) has a long and quite Homeric metaphor, formed from a t

vasion of Palestine by the king of Assyria: "Behold, the Lord bringeth up upon thee the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria: and he shall come up over all his channel

n billow that

l'n river disem

th is stopp'd t

ean works from

mbles to his

ocks re-bello

charge great Hect

died rush'd wit

e and the torrent at the same time as similes of uproar and destruction, which usually take plac

g the lofty wo

es, and both by

ackle in the s

lvans from thei

bouring torrent

un; the foam

sea with unre

ocks precipita

rage the riv

ways; nor less d

alm may be quoted: "As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone: and the place thereof knoweth it no more." To this may be added a similar, but shorter, metaphor, the author of which was the often-quoted Ben-Sira. Of this only a small part has been preserved in the Talmud (Erubin, p. 54),

to it in the sixth book of his

trees the race

th, now witherin

he following s

essive, and su

ns in their

se, when those

d of the fifty-fifth chapter of the Book of Isaiah, viz. "As the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not hither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower an

iful Mont

ng month is

en to his bri

r with a h

r's joy will

, however, worth mentioning in connexion with it is that Homer also used it in the same sense, whenever he referred to the influence which his deities exercised on the human mind. There are likewise several fine Biblical metaphors modelled on Ruach ("the wind"), when it is employed either in its ordi

with the wind" (Isa. vii. 2), has found a pretty pa

inds their ai

every quarte

at the mountain

shatter, and h

allings most they

alleys echo

oyal plant the

ngs more close

in the Iliad (xvii. 57), which bears a great resemblance to the lovely one found

olive in some

h fountains wit

head, in snowy

dances to th

lwind from high

t, and withers

oted from it

n, now defac

hat symbolizes an invading army, working all kinds of mischief. Thus we read in Isaiah (vii. 18):-"On that day will the Lord hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the river of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land

ocky cleft the

eaps on heaps t

kening, swarms s

rmur and more

ead, a close e

ale descends t

ts and ships, a

each, and wide o'

ion runs a de

tsteps groans the

ly loses his white locks and an almond-tree that sheds its white blossoms. Anacreon has in one of his Od

m by wo

eon! thou

y hairs are

reon! how

e been known and partly reproduced by Virgil in the first book of the Aeneid,

ults rise the

tions, and their

brands in rattl

tic arms that f

grave and pio

noise, and lend

sober words th

ir innate desire

ject[23-2]. Many volumes are annually devoted to the study of the Old Testament, but these are almost exclusively written from a reli

tno

oesi Hebraeorum,

ed were found on the fly-l

writer, who maintains that Homer derived the noblest conception of his poetry from t

Annales

o Flacco,

atirae,

Satirae

courtesy is recorded in the f

a non

s non s

ot furnishe

ld not hav

oetical writings quoted in this essay are from the renderings of Pope and Dryden.

7-

θα?μα τ?δ' ?φθ

οι μεγ?ρων καλ

οκο? κα? κ?ονε

μο?? ?? ε? πυρ

?νδον, ο? ο?ραν?

8-

quies medio iam

erat somnum; cu

colo vitam te

rem et sopitos

peri, famulasqu

cet

3-

in populo quum

tque animis ig

saxa volant; fur

vem ac meritis s

ent arrectisque

tis animos et

e written by Mr. C. G. Montefiore appeared in