indicates the prodigious abundance of this fruit, because a far greater quantity of its juice may be taken in the simple form than after it has undergone the action of spiritualization. A wide distinction, therefore, is to be made betwixt the expression as used by Moses, "the pure blood of the grape," which implies the simple juice of this fruit, and the more general phrase "blood of the grape," which unites the idea of that fermented luxury produced from it. It will be noticed that the particulars here stated refer to the future condition of the Israelites in Canaan; the whole passage is prophetic. The same may be said of the fifth verse of the chapter They have corrupted themselves, Their spot is not the spot of his children: which, though it may refer to the idolatries of the Israelites before their entrance into Canaan, in a secondary sense, points principally to their spiritual degeneracy after, when they reached the very acme of moral turpitude. CHAPTER XVI. The prophetic ode continued. "THE third part of this prophetic song," writes Dr. Hales, "to the end of the eighteenth verse, describes the usual but ungenerous effect of prosperity upon "Jeshurun," or righteous Israel heretofore, in their adoption of the false gods of the neighbouring nations, and forgetfulness of the true God, their Creator and protector. This is expressed in the most animated and glowing apostrophes, or changes of person, which this most highly wrought composition abounds; uniting all the fire and richness of oriental eloquence with the close and accurate reasoning of occidental composition." But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: Thou art covered with fatness; Then he forsook God which made him, And lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. in Upon the first line of this passage Dr. Dodd has the following note. "Israel is called Jeshurun both here and in chap. xxxiii. 5, 26, and Isaiah xliv. 2. The word may be derived either from Jeshur, righteousness, because they were a people professing righteousness, or governed by righteous laws; or from Shur, to see, because they were favoured with divine manifestations. See Ainsworth. Vitringa and Venema prefer the first sense. Le Clerc and Calmet think that Jeshurun is a diminutive for Israel. The metaphor is taken from a pampered horse, which grows wanton and vicious with kindness and good keeping. The reader is to consider Moses here speaking as a prophet, of things future as past, which Venema thinks have a particular reference to the rebellion and ingratitude of the Israelites, from the time of Solomon down to the coming of the Saviour. Vitringa well observes that the Jews never so much dishonoured the rock of their salvation as when rejecting Jesus Christ. Houbigant observes upon this verse, that the confusion of persons and things evidently proves the order to be changed, which he would thus restore; reading after the words 66 Thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape, Thou art waxen fat, grown thick, and covered with fatness ; Jacob hath eaten, and is filled, Israel is made fat, and hath kicked; He hath forsaken God who made him; He hath despised the God of his salvation " From Why Israel is called Jeshurun," says Patrick, "is not easy to resolve. Cocceius in his Ultima Mosis, sect. 973, derives it from Shur, which signifies to see, behold or descry. whence in the future tense and the plural number comes Jeshuru, which by the addition of nun,* paragogicum, as they speak, makes Nun is here a paragogic particle. Jeshurun, that is, 'the people who had the vision of God.' I know nothing more simple nor more probable than this, which highly aggravated their sin, who, having God so nigh unto them, (ver. 4, 7.) and their elders having had a sight of him (Exodus xxiv. 10,) was so ungrateful as to rebel against him and worship other gods." Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked. What can be more expressive of insensible ingratitude and fatuitous presumption than this most significant image! Israel is represented as enjoying all the temporal blessings of the promised land with that brutal indifference towards Him who bestowed those blessings, evinced by animals which have no better guide than their instincts in the manifestation of their feelings. As a vigorous steer which has been allowed to grow fat in rich pastures kicks at him who placed it there in the mere wantonness of unrestraint, so will the Israelites (for this is all said by way of anticipation, the prophetic afflatus now evidently swaying the mind of the poet) rebel against "the Lord that bought them" and do evil in his sight. How completely was this prospective announcement verified in the issue! the Israelites became at once presumptuous and dissolute. Thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, Thou art covered with fatness. Here the cognate comparisons multiply, as if the prophet was unable to abandon the thought of Israel's disgraceful requital for God's manifold and great mercies. He seems to dwell upon their baseness, as if it was a predominating impression of his mind, gradually increasing the force of this one prevailing idea, which for the moment appears to have absorbed his whole thoughts. We shall perceive, that although the image of fatness is repeated in each clause of the passage, it is each time with additional emphasis. Thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick; 'Not only art thou become fat, but the bulk of thy body is greatly increased, and this to such a degree, that Thou art covered with fatness thou hast reached to such an excess of grossness that thy pampered appetites have made thee unmindful of anything but how thou mayest best gratify them. This has rendered thee selfish, presumptuous, and ungrateful.' Thus the several comparisons gradually advance in effect of signification, without in the least abating their close cognation, the graduating force of each being, on the contrary, increased by it. This rapid duplication of the metaphor with its gradational adjunct, elevating it at every break of the sentence where the new impulse of emphasis is given, is among the most effective things to be found in this extraordinary poem, which so profusely abounds with them. It beautifully exhibits the excited state |