Verse 11. Verse 12. Verse 13. Verse 14. Verse 15.

covered with a garment {l} white as snow, {m} and the brightness of the glory of the Lord, whose face shines as fire, because of the greatness of wisdom and knowledge, for he is making new things every day, and will manifest them to his people in the {n} great day, and his banner is over ten thousand times ten thousand angels, who minister before him. Verse 11. His head is as the most fine gold, &c.] His law, {o} which is more desirable than the best gold, and the interpretation of the words thereof, in which are senses, {p} heaps upon heaps, and the commandments to them that keep them are white as snow; but to those that do not keep them are black as the wings of a raven.

Verse 12. His eyes are as the eyes of doves, &c.] His eyes look continually {q} upon Jerusalem, to do good unto it, and to bless it, from the beginning of the year unto the end of the year, as doves which stand and look upon the water-courses, because of the righteousness of those who sit in the sanhedrin, who study in the law, and give light to a cause, that it may be smooth as milk; and they sit in the house of the school, and {r} wait in judgment until they have finished either for absolution or condemnation. Verse 13. His cheeks are as a bed of spices, &c.] The {s} two tables of stone which he gave unto his people are written in {t} ten lines, like to the rows of a spice garden, producing acute meanings and senses, even as a garden produces spices; and the lips of his wise men which study in the law, drop senses on every side, and the speech of their mouths is as the choice myrrh.

Verse 14. His hands are as gold rings, &c.] The twelve tribes of Jacob his servants are included in the plate of the holy crown of gold, and are engraven upon the twelve {u} precious stones with the three fathers of the world, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Reuben is engraven on achmad, Simeon is engraven upon akik, Levi is engraven on barkan and affran, Judah is engraven on cachale, Issachar is engraven on ismorad, Zebulun is engraven on gihar, Dan is engraven on birla, Naphtali is engraven on esphor, Gad is engraven on tabeag, Asher is engraven on frozag, Joseph is engraven on meribag, Benjamin is engraven on apantor: these are like to the twelve celestial signs, shining as lamps, polished in their works like ivory, and bright as sapphires.

Verse 15. His legs are as pillars of marble, &c.] And the righteous they are the pillars of the world, set upon sockets of the best gold; these are {x} the words of the law, in which they study, and reprove the people of the house of Israel, that they may do his will who is filled with compassion to them, as an old man; and makes the transgressions of the house of Israel as white as snow, and is ready to make victory and war among the nations who have transgressed his word, as a man who is strong and robust as the cedars.

Verse 16. His mouth is most sweet, &c.] The words of his mouth are sweet as honey, and all his commandments are more desirable to his wise men than gold and silver; this is the praise of God, who is my beloved, and this is the power of the mighty of the Lord, who is dear to me, O ye prophets who prophesy in Jerusalem.

ENDNOTES — CHAPTER 5.

{a} These words are similarly paraphrased in Shirhashirim Rabba, and by Jarchi in loc., and in Bemidbar Rabba, Parash. 13.

{b} See note on chap. 1:10.

{c} Chald. The stroke of his might.

{d} See 2 Kings 17:6; 18:11; 1 Chronicles 5:26. {e} Leshem being taken by the tribe of Dan, Joshua 19:47, they call it Dan, after the name of their father; and it seems it was also called Pamias. Both Baal Aruch, and David de Pomis, say that saymp Pamias was a cave at the head of the river Jordan: and it is asserted by several of the rabbins, that Jordan took its rise from hence, who therefore say that the river was so called, ˆdm drwyv sheiyored middan, “because it descended from Dan,” i.e., from Leshem, Dan, or Pamias, Talmud Baba Bathra, fol. 74, col. 2; and Bechoroth. fol. 55, col. 1; Jarchi in Deuteronomy 33:22; Kimchi in Jos. 19:47. This in Bereshith Rabba, Parash. 63, is called saynp Panias, as it is also by Josephus, and no doubt is the same which Pliny, in Nat. Hist. 1. 5, c. 18, calls Paneas, who also makes mention in c. 15 of a fountain of the same name, from whence he says the river Jordan sprung. The same is observed by Solinus, in his Polyhistor. c. 48, who calls it by the name of Peneas. Eusebius, in his Eccl. Hist. 50:7, c. 17, says that the Phoenicians called Caesarea Philippi Paneas, and speaks of a mountain called Paneius, from whence the river Jordan has its original. {f} In Shirhashirim Rabba, in chap. 5, 2, mention is made of tbwvt lv jtp “the gate of repentance,” which the Lord desired the Israelites to open to him. Agreeably to this phrase, it is observed, in Acts 14:27, that “God had opened unto the Gentiles quran pistewv, the door of faith.”

{g} See Lamentations 3:44.

{h} Jarchi by these watchmen understands Nebuchadnezzar and his army. R. Aben Ezra, the kings of Greece. Shirhashirim Rabba, the tribe of Levi. {i} See Jeremiah 3:7, 9, 11.

{k} Vide Jarchi, and Shirhashirim Rabba in loc.

{l} So the Ancient of days is represented in Daniel 7:9. {m} In some exemplars these following words are inserted:—”And studies in the twenty-four books of the law, and in the words of prophecy, and in the Holy Writings, and in the night-time employs himself in the six parts of the Mishna,” which Buxtorf has omitted in his Bible, though he makes mention of them in his Recensio operis Talmud, p. 232; and indeed they greatly lessen the glory of the Divine Being, though they are designed to extol and magnify the Mishna or oral law.

{n} That is, the day of judgment, which in Jude, Jude 1:6, is called krisiv megalhv hmerav, “the judgment of the great day,” when not only the hidden things of darkness and the counsels of the hearts will be made manifest, 1 Corinthians 4:5, but the judgments of God also, Revelation 15:4.

{o} The same way the words are explained in Shirhashirim Rabba, and by Jarchi in loc., and in Vajikra Rabba, Parash. 19. By this head R. Aben Ezra understands the throne of glory.

{p} That is, a variety or great multitude of them; for the Jews suppose the law may be interpreted various ways and that there is not the least thing in it but what contains a great many mysteries. See notes on chap. 1:11. {q} Vide Shirhashirim Rabba in loc.

{r} That is, they proceed in trying causes slowly and gradually, and not rashly and precipitately, being willing to search thoroughly into them, that they may do justice and pass a right sentence; this is one of the three things the men of the great congregation advised to in Pirke Aboth, c. 1, s. 1, where they say ˆydb ˆynwtm wwh havu mittonin bedin, “Be slow in judgment, settle many disciples, and make a hedge for the law.” {s} So Jarchi by “his cheeks” understands the words of Mount Sinai. {t} Every commandment was written in a distinct line by itself, five on one table and five on the other.

{u} In the same order are the names of the twelve tribes as engraved on so many precious stones, mentioned in Targum Jerus. in Exodus 28:17, 18, 19, 20; in Shemoth Rabba, Parash. 38; and in Bemidbar Rabba, Parash.

2. Though different names are given of the precious stones, the names of them in the Rabboth are the same with those in Exodus 28:17-20. In the Targum Jeremiah are Chaldee names, and in this paraphrase they are different from them. Reuben’s stone was the Sardius, Hebrews odem, Onk. samkan, Jon. semuktha, Jerus. samkatha. It is so called by all those names from the redness of its colour; here it is called achmad, perhaps from dmj chamad, because it is very desirable. Simeon’s stone was the topaz, Hebrews pitdah, Onk. yarkan, Jon. and Jerus. yarketha, because of its green colour; here it is called akik: but what gem is intended by it is not certain. Levi’s stone was the carbuncle, Hebrews barketh, Jon. and Jerus., barketha, and here barkan, and so in Onk.; and is so called because of its bright and glittering light. Judah’s stone was the emerald, Hebrews nophec, Onk. ismaragdin, Jon. ismorad: both seem to mean the smaragd. Jerus. cadcedana, or the chalcedony; here it is called cachale; it is thought to be the smaragd. See Eliae Levitae Methurgeman, Buxtorf and Schindler in voce. Issachar’s stone was the sapphire, Hebrews saphir, Onk. shabzez, Jon. sapphirinon, Jerus. sampuryana: all intend the sapphire; here it is called ismorad, or the smaragd. Zebulon’s stone was the diamond, Hebrews yahalom, Onk. sabhalon, it bears those names from the hardness of it. Jon. cadcodin or chalcedony, Jerus. ein egla, the calves eye; here it is called gihar, which some think to be the jasper. See Buxtorf in voce. Dan’s stone was the ligure, Hebrews leshem Onk. kankire, Jon. kankirinum, Jerus. zuzin; here it is called birla, which seems to be the beryl. Naphtali’s stone was the agate, Hebrews shebo, Onk. yarkia, Jon. arkin, Jerus. birzalin; and here it is called espor, which may be thought to be the sapphire. Gad’s stone was the amethyst, Hebrews achlamah, Onk. and Jon. ein egla, the calves eye, Jerus. smaragdin, the smaragd; and here it is called yabeag: but what is meant by it I know not. Asher’s stone was the beryl, Hebrews tarshish. Onk. Jon. and Jerus. crum yamma; here it is called frozag. Elias in his Methurgeman says, that a topaz, in the German language, is called frozam. Joseph’s stone was the onyx, Hebrews shoham, Onk. burla, Jon. berlevath; both seem to intend the beryl, Jerus. bdolcha or bdellium, here it is called meribag, which some take to be the onyx. See Buxtorf in voce. Benjamin’s stone was the jasper, Hebrews jashpeh, Jerus. margalita, a pearl, Onk. pantere, Jon. apanturin; and here apantor, which Elias in his Methurgeman says is so called because it comes from Pontus; but rather because some sorts of jaspers are variegated and spotted like panthers. In the same order were the names of the twelve tribes engraven both upon the stones in the breastplate, and on the two onyx stones upon the shoulders of the ephod, according to Maimon, Tract. Cele Hamikdash. c. 9, s. 1, 7, 9.

{x} So these sockets of fine gold are explained in Shirhashirim Rabba, and by Jarchi in loc., in Vajikra Rabba, Parash. 25, and in Bemidbar Rabba, Parash. 10.