PART III.

OF THE DIFFERENT SPECIES OF POETRY EXTANT IN THE

WRITINGS OF THE HEBREWS.

OF PROPHETIC POETRY.

גְבוּאָה

LECTURE XVIII.

THE

WRITINGS OF THE PROPHETS ARE IN GENERAL POETICAL.

The poetry of the Hebrews classed according to its different characters; this mode of arrangement results rather from the nature of the subject, than from any authority of the Hebrews themselves-The Prophetic Poetry-The writings of the prophets in general poetical and metrical-The opinion of the modern Jews and of Jerome on this point refuted-In the books of the prophets the same evidences are found of a metrical arrangement as in the poetical books in the dialect, the style, and poetical conformation of the sentences-Obvious in respect to the two former circumstances; the latter requires a more minute investigation, and also illustration by examples-The intimate relation between poetry and prophecy-The college of prophets; a part of whose discipline it was to sing hymns to the different instruments and this exercise was called prophecy: the same word, therefore, denotes a prophet, a poet, and a musician-Elisha, when about to pronounce the oracle of God, orders a minstrel to be brought to him-Poetry excellently adapted to the purpose of prophecy-A review of the most ancient predictions extant in the historical books, which are proved to be truly poetical.

Or the general nature and properties of the Hebrew poetry I have already treated: diffusely enough, if the extent of the disquisitions be considered; but too briefly, I fear, and too imperfectly, if respect be had to the copiousness and importance of the subject. My original design, however, extended no farther than to notice the most remarkable passages, and such as I conceived to be immediately illustrative of the peculiarities of the Hebrew style. Even these it was my wish and intention rather to point out and recommend to your own consideration, than minutely to investigate and explain, esteeming it my province rather to exhort and stimulate to these studies, than to intrude upon this audience a formal plan of instruction. It would be superfluous, I am persuaded, to remind you, that the importance of the subject is not to be estimated by the feeble

ness

of my endeavours; and, I trust, it would be still more unnecessary to caution you against a hasty acquiescence in any interpretation of those passages, which I have quoted, much less in my own : though I will frankly confess, that I have bestowed no small degree of labour and attention upon this part of my undertaking. What remains at present, is to distribute into its different classes the whole of the Hebrew poetry, and to mark whatever is worthy of observation in each species. In forming this arrangement it will hardly be expected that I should uniformly proceed according to the testimony of the Hebrews, or on all occasions confirm the propriety of my classification by their authority; since it is plain that they were but little versed in these nice and artificial distinctions. It will be sufficient for our purpose; that is, it will be sufficient for the accurate explanation of the different characters of the Hebrew poetry, if I demonstrate that these characters are stamped by the hand of nature, and that they are displayed either in the subject itself, the disposition of its constituent parts, the diversity of style, or in the general form and arrangement of the poem.

The first rank I assign to the PROPHETIC, or that species of poetry which is found to pervade the predictions of the prophets, as well those contained in the books properly called prophetical, as those which occasionally occur in other parts of the Scriptures. These, I apprehend, will be generally allowed to be written in a style truly poetical, indeed admirable in its kind; as the many examples, which we have already produced, will sufficiently demonstrate. I fear, however, it will not be so readily granted that their claim is equally well founded with that of the books, which are commonly called poetical, to the other characteristic of poetry, I mean verse, or metrical composition. This fact is denied by the Jews; and it is denied by Jerome,1 who was a diligent scholar of the Rabbinical writers after these, it is unnecessary to refer to more recent authors, who partly deny that the Hebrews were possessed of any metre at all, and partly allow it to those compositions only, which are commonly called poetical, or at most extend the concession to a few canticles scattered through other parts of the Scriptures. A thinking person, however, will not be misled by such authorities as these, before he examines whether they are to be accounted competent judges in this case, and what weight and credit is due to their testimony.

1 See Jerome, Preface to ISAIAH.

The Jews, by their own confession, are no longer, nor have been indeed for many ages, masters of the system of the ancient metre. All remembrance of it has ceased from those times in which the Hebrew became a dead language; and it really seems probable, that the Masorites (of whom so little is known) who afterwards distinguished the sacred volumes by accents and vowel points, as they are now extant, were possessed of so trifling and imperfect a knowledge of this subject, that they were even incapable of distinguishing what was written in metre from plain prose. For when, according to their manner, they marked certain books as metrical, namely, the Psalms, the Proverbs, and the book of Job; they accounted others, which are no less evidently metrical, absolutely prosaic, such as the Song of Solomon, and the Lamentations of Jeremiah, and consequently assigned to them the common prose accent only. In this opinion the Jews universally remain, and deny that these books are at all metrical, or to be classed with the three former. Now the disciple is hardly to be supposed to have more information than his masters; and although Jerome speaks very fluently about the Tetrameters, the Hexameters, the Sapphics, and Iambics, of the Hebrews, the very state and circumstances of the case demonstrate how little credit is due to his authority. Indeed his reasoning evidently proceeds from a confused head, when he attempts to trace a sort of remote similarity between the Greek and Hebrew metres; and to explain by some coarse analogies a subject, which he appears to have very imperfectly understood: in treating of which, after all, he is not able to preserve even the appearance of consistency. For instance, after Josephus and Origen, he contends, that the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy is composed in Hexameter and Pentameter verse; in another place, however, he affirms that the very same poem consists of Iambic Tetrameters. In proof of his opinion he appeals to the testimony of Philo, Josephus, Origen, and Eusebius, who were no less ignorant of the nature of the Hebrew metres than himself. Notwithstanding the opinion therefore of Jerome and the Rabbinical writers, I shall beg leave to offer a few remarks upon the other side of the question; after which it will not perhaps be thought altogether improbable, that most of the predictions of the prophets, as well as many other of the remains of Hebrew literature, were originally published in a metrical form. (A)

In order to prove that the predictions of the prophets are metri

2 See JEROME, Pref. to Job. Pref. to Chron. Eusebii Epist. clv. ad P. Urbicam.

cal, I must in part have recourse to the same arguments, by which I formerly endeavoured to evince that the Hebrew poetry in general consisted of a kind of metre: every one of which arguments, I must observe, is strictly applicable to this part of my subject, that alone excepted which regards the alphabetic poems. That it would be unnatural and absurd to look for instances of that kind in the prophetic poetry is evident; since such an artificial arrangement would be utterly repugnant to the nature of prophecy; it is plainly the ef fect of study and diligence, not of imagination and enthusiasm; a. contrivance to assist the memory, not to affect the passions. The other arguments, however, ought to be particularly adverted to upon this subject the poetic dialect, for instance, the diction so totally different from the language of common life, and other similar circumstances, which an attentive reader will easily discover, but which cannot be explained by a few examples; for circumstances which, taken separately, appear but of small account, are in a united view frequently of the greatest importance. To these we may add the artificial conformation of the sentences; which, as it has always appeared to me a necessary concomitant of metrical composition, the only one indeed which is now apparent, I shall afterwards endeavour to explain more at large, having especial regard to the prophetic writers. I must now premise a few other arguments, which will probably lead to the establishment of my opinion.

The prophets were chosen by God himself, and were certainly excellently prepared for the execution of their office. They were in general taken from those, who had been educated from childhood in a course of discipline adapted to the ministerial function. It is evident, from many parts of the sacred history, that even from the earliest times of the Hebrew republic, there existed certain colleges of prophets, in which the candidates for the prophetic office, removed altogether from an intercourse with the world, devoted themselves entirely to the exercises and study of religion: over each of these some prophet of superior authority, and more peculiarly under the divine influence, presided, as the moderator and preceptor of the whole assembly. Though the sacred history affords us but little information, and that in a cursory manner, concerning their institutes and discipline; we nevertheless understand that a principal part of their occupation con. sisted in celebrating the praises of Almighty God in hymns and poetry, with choral chants accompanied by stringed instruments and

3 See LECT. III.

pipes. (B) There is a remarkable passage which occurs to this purpose: Saul being nominated king, and, pursuant to the command of God, consecrated by a solemn unction, a company of the prophets, as Samuel had foretold, descending from the mount of God, (that being the place in which the sacred college was situated) met him; and, preceded by a variety of musical instruments, prophesied upon hearing which, he himself, as if actuated by the same spirit, immediately joined them, and prophesied also. The same thing again occurred to him, and the persons sent by him to take David prisoner at Naioth; who, when they saw the prophets prophesying, and Samuel presiding over them, seized with the same divine spirit and enthusiasm, began to prophesy along with them.5 I find no discordance among authors concerning the nature of this mode of prophesying all are, I believe, agreed in this point, and all understand by it the praises of God celebrated, by the impulse of the Holy Spirit, with music and song. In this they follow the authority of the Chaldee interpreters, or rather the evidence of reason itself: for exactly in the same manner, Asaph, Heman, Iduthun, who were the chief musicians in the temple, are said "to have prophesied upon the harp, the psaltery, and the cymbal, when praise and thanksgiving were offered to Jehovah."6 From these instances it is sufficiently apparent, that the word ? was used by the Hebrews in an ambiguous sense, and that it equally denoted a prophet, a poet, or a musician, under the influence of divine inspiration. To these we may add the prophetesses, Miriam the sister of Aaron, and Deborah, who were distinguished by that title, not only because they pronounced the oracles of Jehovah, but on account of their excellence in music and poetry; for these sister arts were united by the Hebrews, as well as by all other nations, during the first stages of society. After these proofs there can scarcely be any occasion to remark, that Solomon, or at least the editor or compiler of his proverbs, twice makes use of the word, which, in its ordinary sense, means prophecy, strictly so called, to denote the language of poetry. For he calls the words of Agur and Lemuel 2, which Jerome renders vision, the seventy Greek translators an oracle, the Chaldee prophecy: when in reality those passages have nothing in them which can be properly said to bear any resemblance to prophecy; but are mere rhapsodies of morality, ornamented indeed with the

41 SAM. X. 5-10. 51 SAM. xix. 20-24.

61 CHRON. Xxv. 1-3.