Japheth; and they groan under their dominion at this day. Hitherto we have explained the prophecy according to the prefent copies of our bible: but if we were to correct the text, as we should any ancient claffic author in a like cafe, the whole perhaps might be made eafier and plainer. Ham the father of Canaan is mentioned in the preceding part of the story; and how then came the perfon of a fudden to be changed into Canaan? The (8) Arabic verfion in these three verses hath the father of Canaan inftead of Canaan. Some (9) copies of the Septuagint likewife have Ham inftead of Canaan, as if Canaan was a corruption of the text. Vatablus and others (1) by Canaan understand the father of Canaan, which was expreffed twice before. And if we regard the metre, this line Curfed be Canaan, is much fhorter than the reft, (2) as if something was deficient. May we not suppose therefore, (without taking fuch liberties as Father Houbigant hath with the Hebrew (2) My fufpicion hath fince been confirmed by the reverend and learned Mr. Green, Fellow of Clare-Hall in Cambridge; whois admirably well skilled in the Hebrew language and Hebrew metre, and hath given abundant proofs of his know lege and judgment in thefe matters, in his new tranflation and commentary on the fong of Deborah, the prayer of Habakuk, &c. He afferts, that according to Bishop Hare's metre, the words ham abi are neceffary to fill up the verfe. He pro C 3 pofes Hebrew text) that the copyift by mistake wrote only Canaan instead of Ham the father of Canaan, and that the whole paffage was originally thus? And Ham the father of Canaan faw the nakedness of his father, ana told his two brethren without.And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger Son bad done unto bim. And he faid Curfed be Ham the father of Canaan; a fervant of fervants fhali he be unto his brethren. And he faid, Bieffed be the Lord God of Shem; and Ham the father of Canaan fhall be Jervant to them. God fhall inlarge Japheth; and he fhall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Ham the father of Canaan fhall be fervant to them. By this reading all the three fons of Noah are included in the prophecy, whereas other wife Ham, who was the offender, is excluded, or is only punished in one of his children. Ham is characterized as the father of Canaan particularly, for the greater encouragement of the Ifraelites, who were going to invade the land of Canaan : pofes a farther emendation of the text, by the omiffion of one line, and the tranfpofition of And Noah faid, another, and would read the whole prophecy thus, according to the metre. Curfed be Ham the father of Canaan ; A fervant of fervants fhall he be to his brethren. And he said, Bleffed be Jehovah the God of Shem; For Canaan: and when it is faid Curfed be Ham the father of Canaan; a fervant of lervants shall he be unto his brethren; it is implied that his whole race was devoted to fervitude, but particularly the Canaanites. Not that this was to take effect immediately, but was to be fulfilled in process of time, when they should forfeit their liberties by their wickedness. Ham at first subdued fome of the pofterity of Shem, as Canaan fometimes conquered Japheth; the Carthaginians, who were originally Canaanites, did particularly in Spain and Italy: but in time they were to be fubdued, and to become fervants to Shem and Japheth; and the change of their fortune from good to bad would render the curfe ftill more vifible. Egypt was the land of Ham, as it is often called in fcripture; and for many years it was a great and florishing kingdom: but it was fubdued by the Perfians, who de fcended from Shem, and afterwards by the Grecians, who defcended from Japheth; and from that time to this it hath conftantly been in For he fhall dwell in the tents of Shem. And Canaan fhall be their fervant. If you will not allow this emendation to be right and certain, yet I think you must allow it to be probable and ingenious, to render the fenfe clearer and C 4 in fubjection to fome or other of the posterity of Shem or Japheth. The whole continent of (3) Africa was peopled principally by the children of Ham: and for how many ages have the better parts of that country lain under the dominion of the Romans, and then of the Saracens, and now of the Turks? in what wickednefs, ignorance, barbarity, flavery, mitery, live most of the inhabitants? and of the poor negroes how many hundreds every year are fold and bought like beafts in the market, and are conveyed from one quarter of the world to do the work of beats in another? Nothing can be more complete than the exccution of the fentence upon Ham as well as upon Canaan; and now let us confider the promises made to Shem and Japheth. And be faid (ver. 26.) Bleffed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan fhall be his fervant: or rather, and Canaan shall be fervant to them, or their fervant, that is to his brethren; for that, as we obferved before, is the main part of the prophecy, and therefore is fo frequently repeated. A learned (4) critic in the Hebrew language, who hath lately publifhed fome remarks on the printed Hebrew text, (3) Cham licet maledictus, in mundi divifione, illi præter non tamen fuit exclufus a terre- Ægyptum atque Africam uninis benedi&tionibus-Quippe veríam, Syria magna pars ob text, faith that "if it should be thought prefe"rable to refer the word blessed directly to "Shem, as the word curfed is to Canaan; the "words may be (and perhaps more pertinently) rendered-bleffed of Jehovah, my God, "be Shem! See Gen. XXIV. 31." Or if we choose (as moft perhaps will choofe) to follow our own as well as all the ancient verfions, we may obferve that the old patriarch doth not fay Bleffed be Shem, as he faid, Curfed be Canaan; for mens evil springeth of themselves, but their good from God: and therefore in a strain of devotion he breaketh forth into thanksgiving to God as the author of all good to Shem. Neither doth he say the fame to Japheth; for God certainly may difpenfe his particular favors according to his good pleasure, and falvation was to be derived to mankind thro' Shem and his pofterity. God prefers Shem to his elder brother Japheth, as Jacob was afterwards preferred to Efau, and David to his elder brothers, to show that the order of grace is not always the fame as the order of nature. The Lord being called the God of Shem particularly, it is plainly intimated that the Lord would be bis God in a tigit &c. Bocharti Phaleg. Lib. 4. Cap. 1. Col. 203. particular (4) See Kennicott's Differtation. p. 561. 篷 (5) Bochart |