The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1876-10-18
Poor Pictures Painted over Good Ones.
BY REV. JOHN MILLER. =
Let us take down four pictures from the
Translator's gallery:

g Let us take down four pictures from tn
Translator's gallery:
u /.
"Though ye have lain among the pots, ye
% shall ye be as the wings of a dove covere
with silver, and her feathers with yellow
gold" Psalms xviii 13.
"Why leap ye, ye high hills this is th'
hill which God desireth to dwell in. Ps
xviii: 16.
"And 1 said, This is my in6rmity: but
will remember the years of the right hand Of
the Most High" Ps. lxxvii: TO-
w.
"There is a river, the streams whereof
shall make glad the city of God, the holy
place of the tabernacles.of of the Most High. "
Pr. XVI: 4.
These texts all mean the same. Who
would ever think it? With beautiful varia.
tions in the form they might all have one
title, and it would be this: MANS Neces
sity, Gods Opportunity" Let us scrape
off the translator's paint, and bring out the
divine original; and as each is precious by
itself, let us complete one before We touch
another.
The sixty-eighth is military Psalm, and
therefore, lying "among the pots" would not
seem a natural part of the Psalmist's imagery.
The word translated spots" is found but
twice in the Bible. The only other place
where it occurs is Ezekiel xl: 43; and it is
there translated 'hooks;" and they are said
to be ga hand broad" which would amount
to another proof that the translatorS were in
a puzzled attitude of mind in divining the
idea. Let me give the whole passage: "And
within were hooks marg, andirons or the
two hearthstones hand broad, fastened
round about; and upon the tables was the
flesh of the Offering"
Now the verb from which this troublesome
substantive was derived is yet in existence,
and means to fix. 1t occurs in another
Psalm: "Thou dost fix me in the dust of
DEATH psalm xii: 15.) A substantive
begotten of such a verb, would naturally
mean something fixed; and this, doubtless,
is the origin of the thought of hooks" in
the passage in Ezekiel But take simpler
fancy. Suppose it means stakes. Suppose
the simplest form of the noun means some
thing fixed in the ground, naturally enough
stake, and then paling. Suppose the pas
sage in Ezekiel refers not to "hooks," but
to stats or pales. Suppose it is not hooks
hand broad, but Stats hand broad, which
would have infinitely better sense and sup
pose the setting Ground and round" was not
a setting of hooks, but a fixing of pales round
about the temple; that is, the forming of
closets round about the walls, fronted with
stats, to hold, in that hot country, the meat
Of the sacrifice.
Now, that this is not all at random, con-
slider very sufficient evidence. There is
another word, very nearly akin to this, de-
rived from the same verb, occurring also
twice in holy writ, but occurring in such cir
cumstances in its logical connection as that
no one now doubts its meaning. 1t means
sheepfolds. "Issachar is strong ass,
COUGHING down among the sheepfolds. -
Gen. xix: 14)* "Why abodest thou
among the sheepfolds?" (E. V. Judges v:
16.) And it means sheepfolds, because they
were built of stats or stakes, which, with no.
madic tribes, would be made at last into
panels, not to be fixed in the ground, but to
be carried about in their migrations; and to
prop each other at night, 80 as to explain the
cause of the dual form of the expression.-
(See the Hebrew.)
Now for our restored picture! What
would do for sheep, would be found by no.
madic tribes to answer for men. "Though
ye have lain among the sheepfolds" would
answer we'll enough for the word, but would
be utterly variant from the military sense
Let God arise, let his enemies be scatter
ed: let them also that hate Him fee before
Him." Verse l. The song is throughout
warlike. 1t contains that grand clause,
"Thou hast led captivity captive" Under
the beauties Of Israeitish history lies couch.
ed the whole enterprise of grace. As the
fierce serpent was lifted.as the very type of
rescue; as death was to be re-enacted as the
very instrument of life; as the law was to
wreak its thunders, and yet "the consump-
ton decreed was to overflow with righteous.
ness" so the captivity itself, falling upon
Christ, was to release captivity, and the bars
of the pit were to be broken by one who was
to "receive gifts as man. +
The psalm, therefore, would admit of moth
ing peaceful.
But as stakes con6ning sheep would be
used also inevitably by nomadic warriors as
a prison-house for men, the word, past the
possibility of doubt, is to have this signifca-
ton. "Thoughi ye have laid between the
prison stakes" though TRANSLATED into gos-
pei language) ye have been slaves to infamy
and sin: though ye have been crushed by
wrath, and weighed down upon by the load
of its horrible oppressions-yes grief itself
shall be the sweet instrument of blessing
The very bars of your dungeon shall correc,
you and reprove you, (Jer. ii 49, nay the