Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1861-08-18
MEMPHIS, Argu5t Il, 1861. P.
mANAssAs-.EES TRUE SIGNTFICA-
'EEDN

EEON.
EDITORS APPEAL: When In your Office, some
days since, you asked me whether the name
Manass1s was Hebrew and what might be its
meaning. replied that I had not examined
the matter, but that I would do it. Accord
irgly upon my return home I went into my IL
brary and mads The examination, the result Of
which now briefly give you.
The name Hanqs5q5 is Of Hebrew origin and
significance Tie name in the original He
brew IS HGnGsssh, and you will find it in the
415s chapter OF Genesis and the 5Ist verse ::
And Joseph called the name of the first born
Msnasseh: for G5d said he hath made me for
get all my toll, and all my fathers house"
Some minister at Richmond, in open
ing the Confederate Congress with pray
er not long since, prayed God to so
impress his people with a sense Of his
goodness in the recent great victory at Manas-
sas, as that they might ever remember that the
meaning Of Manassas w7s "God hath made US
forget all our tci.' This minister was mis-
taken in thus interpreting the actual meaning
Of the word. n SO doing he makes Joseph
much poorer Hebrew scholar than | suppose
he was. The words Of Joseph C"For God
hath made me forget all my toll" etc. }
are not an actual definition Of the word Me-
nasseh, but a statement OF the reason Why hs
had named his first born sen Menasseh. Tie
literal and true meaning Of the name, accord
ing to the Hebrew, is making 10 forget. The
meaning Of Joseph, therefore, in the record Of
Genesis is this: " | name nay first born Me-
nasseh," which signifies "oblivion," "fOrget-
ing > or cGusiag to forget, and I give him a
name ct such signitIcancy because "God hath
made me (by my present blessing and prosper
ity) forget all my toii," and all tie mal,reat-
ment Of my brethren.
II you will compare the Greek OF the Sep
tuagin! and the Latin of she Vulgate with the
Hebrew, you will see how easily and naturally
we get our form of the name MsAaysa or Ma
nassas. The Hebrew, yCu observe, is Menas-
sch, the Septusgint rendern, is Manassa, or
MaaaGsa with a long. and the Latin Vulgate
rendering is Manassas or our Manassas.
Wonderfully had God deliverei Joseph out
Of all his troubles and trials, and honored him
with distinguished promotion; and he in turn
honors God by giving his frst born son name
which might ever be a'gTateful remem5rGRcsr of
all Gods goodnes to him in the darkness OF
bis trial. 50 name him, says Joseph, be-
cause Good hath made me forget q Il my toii''
that Is the affection and hard lakor of his
false imprisonment-'fan all my fathers
house." that is the unkindness Of bis brethren,
who were the cause Of all bis trouble. And is
it not wonderful that God, in bis o yn wise and
controlling providence, should bring Us, in this
our great political crisis, to meet our enemies
at a point and place previously so named as
that the first OF hrst born of our battles and
victories should be called Msnasseh or Ma
nassas? And the more remarkable is this
when we see the ancient reason and Hebrew
sisnidcancy Of the name SO completely fulfill
ed in the public a1G universal rejoicing Of the
people in their songs IF religious praise and
prayers OF thanksgiving to God. So it was
when the news reached the Confederate Con-
gress; and 80 up0l the Sabbath following, in
all the assenblages for worship throughout the
| Confederate States. Ana everywhere the rea-
son of all this was in the single word HanGs-
sGS; or because God had made uH, by the sig
nal manifestation Of his presence and power,
forget ali our toll, end al our fathers house, CT
the unkjadness Of our brethren OF the old po-
IItical household, who are the cause OF all our
trouble.
And nov, sirs, in this striking historic coin
cidence, touching the deliveraHce Of Joseph
and that cf ours in The recent great fight, and
the application Of the same name and for the
same reason, leave you aud your numerous
readers to see and admire the clear revelation
Of the hand Of God in our behalf; "and if God
be for us who can be against us?7
Very respectfully, r. c. GRUNDY.