in the New Testament, both as to fidelity of sentiment, and felicity of expression, which distinguishes the French translation of Isaac le Maistre de Sacy, one of the illustrious Society of Port Royal, and a noble sufferer for truth and conscience. He died in 1684. See a most accurate, instructive, and interesting memoir of him, by the Rev. S. C. Wilks, in the Christian Observer, June, 1846.

To assist in this useful work, I here place together a close representation of four versions which cannot be very generally accessible to English readers, at least till the importance of the German language shall be understood, and its study more generally cultivated among us. And though these are but translations of translations, yet the affinity of our own language affords great facilities for a literal version, and for rendering very perceptible the character of each. The first is by the distinguished scholar, to whom the preceding pages have shewn that I am so much indebted, Sir John David Michaelis, the celebrated Professor at Göttingen, who died in 1791.* The second is by Dr. Seiler, mentioned in the preceding note, concerning whose new translation of the Prophet Isaiah the younger Rosenmüller makes the following observation: "The eminent Dr. Seiler, whose merits in sacred literature are of the highest order, composed this version of Isaiah for popular use; to which purpose it is admirably adapted. But, on account of the profound knowledge and experience of the author in scriptural interpretation, the

*It is not without reluctance that I expose to the English reader the strange translation which that great man adopted of the second clause in v. 10; but I cannot honestly suppress it. The difficulty of determining the person, and of course the nominative of in seems to have betrayed him, in a fit of eccentricity, to substitute a mother, for if; and his interpretation was, that the church and nation of the Jews, personified as is usual with the prophets in the character of a female, rejected Jesus, and with unnatural cruelty gave him up to death. But surely any one of the three constructions is far preferable; (1.) as the second person, "Thou, i. e. Jehovah, (whose good pleasure was declared thus to smite him) wilt make his soul [life, or blood, as evidently signifies in Gen. ix. 5. Levit. xvii. 11; and which Michaelis judiciously applies to v. 12, in his Suppl. ad Lex. Hebr. No. 1622, § 13,] a trespass-offering:" or (2.) making ip the nominative, and understanding it again as the object of the verb, "He himself shall make his own self," &c. or (3.) taking the verb in the reflexive sense, "his soul shall yield itself;" which Gesenius prefers, and supports it by referring to 1 Sam. xv. 2. 1 Kings xx. 12. Ps. iii. 7.

T

learned also will find in this work many valuable elucidations, and such as no other interpreter has touched upon." Scholia in Jes. vol. i. præf. p. xxv. The third is by the consummate Hebraician, though deplorable Neologist, Professor Gesenius. 'The fourth is from Rosenmüller's Latin. With regard to the latter two, how should we lament the power of prejudice and unbelief, which can make those eminent men insensible to the holy beauty of this exquisite passage, and can prevent their beholding in it the grace and glory of our Divine Redeemer !

I earnestly request my reader to improve this comparative view, by placing by its side the correspondent portion in Dr. Henderson's learned and judicious Translation and Commentary on the Book of Isaiah; 1840.

The necessity of printing the four versions in such a manner that their parallelism may plainly appear, would, in this edition, make the immediately preceding page a blank. I have therefore thought it advisable to occupy it with a close rendering of the version by Dr. Ferdinand Hitzig, Professor of Divinity in the University of Zurich, published at Heidel. berg, in 1833; an able scholar, but deeply tinctured with the irreligious character on which we have had painfully to animadvert. The words in brackets are inserted to prevent the German expressions from being misunderstood.

ISAIAH LII. 13, to LIII. 12.

13 See! well proceeds my servant, mounts on high, raises up himself, and is very greatly exalted. 14 As many were terrified before him,- -so disfigured, not human, was his look, and his form not that of men's children,-15 So will he make many nations to leap [for joy ;] before him kings will close their mouth; for what had not been told them, they see, and what they had not heard, they descry.

1 Who hath believed our announcement; and, the arm of Jehovah, to whom is it manifested? 2 And he grew up

as a sprig before him, as a shoot out of dry ground, not form hath he, nor beauty, that we should look at him [with admiration ;] and no look [of attraction,] that we should long for him. 3 Despised and abandoned by men, a man of sorrows, and well knowing disease, and as one before whom men covered their faces; despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 But our diseases-he bore them, and our sorrows he took upon himself; and we regarded him smitten, stricken by God and tortured. 5 And he was wounded on account of our sins, crushed on account of our transgressions; the punish. ment, which was our benefit, lay upon him; and through his stripe-wheals is healing brought to us. 6 We all as sheep were wandering, we took each to his own way; but Jehovah threw upon him the guilt of us all. 7 Cruelly treated was he; and though tortured yet he opened not his mouth as a lamb which is led to the slaughter-bench, as a sheep before its shearers silent; and he opened not his mouth. 8 By oppression and judicial punishment he is snatched away; and his fate, who minds it? that he was torn out of the land of the living, [that] for the sin of my people a stroke hit him? 9 And with wicked men his grave was made, and with the malefactor in his death; though he no wrong had done, and no fraud [was] in his mouth. 10 But it pleased Jehovah that the disease should crush him: when thou makest his life a sacrifice for guilt! He will see children, [he will] long live, and the charge of Jehovah will be successful in his hand! 11 Free from sufferings, his soul will be delighted with the sight: Through his discernment, my righteous servant will make many righteous; and their sins he will bear. 12 Therefore give I him a share among mighty ones, and with strong ones will he share booty; for this, that he poured out his life unto death, and was reckoned with sinners; while yet he bore the guilt of many, and became answerable for sinners.

GESENIUS.

13 Behold! my servant shall be prosperous; high and exalted and greatly honoured. 14 As now many are astonished before him (-so disfigured is his aspect before men, and his figure before the children of men,-)

15

ROSENMUELLER.

13 Behold! my servant shall act prosperously: he shall be illustrious and exalted and very high. 14 As many were astonished at thee, (so deformed was his aspect more than that of any one, and his appearance more than that 15 so shall many of any child of man,) so he shall rouse up many nations; before him kings shall shut their mouths: for things untold them they shall see, things unheard they shall understand.

nations exult in him; kings shall close their mouths before him for what had not been related to them, shall they see; and understand what they had never heard.

1 Who trusts our message? The arm of Jehovah, to whom is it made known?

2 He grew up like a sprig before him; as a root-shoot out of dry land. Appearance he had none, nor beauty, that we should feel joy in him; no aspect, that we should have pleasure in him.

3 Disdained was he, and deserted by men; sorrow-laden and marked with disease as one before whom men conceal their countenances, we disdained him and gave him no esteem.

1 Who hath believed what we have understood by hearing? Who perceives what the arm of Jehovah is preparing?

2 He hath grown up as a twig before him, as a shoot out of dry ground. He had no form nor beauty. We looked at him, but there was no fair appearance that we should be desirous of him.

The most despised and rejected of men, he was; a man afflicted with sorrows, eminently marked with disease: as an object from which men turn away their faces, he was so despised that we regarded him as nothing.

4 But he was bearing our 4 Truly, he disease; with our sorrows hath borne our sicknesses and