10 Song of Sol. vii. 6, according to the Septuagint. It is very doubtful, however, whether the LXX. themselves held the meaning drawn from their version by Augustine. It seems all to depend on where they inserted the point of interrogation (;); and the Mss. vary. The Vatican, that in common use, places it after a0ga/ph (love), which could hardly have been Augustine's reading. Other Mss. place it at the end of the verse, making the whole a single sentence, as in our English version. Augustine must have found the point immediately after h9du/nqhj ("thou art pleasant"), thus disjoining a0ga/ph from what precedes, and making it, with e0n trufai=j sou, a clause by itself. The Masoretic punctuation of the Hebrew gives some grounds for Augustine's reading: for there is a larger disjunctive accent over hmcg
("thou art pleasant"), indicating the central pause of the verse; while the minor disjunctive under hbh)
may only be intended to make up by emphasis for the abruptness of the language.-Tr.
6 Matt. xxvi. 34, 69-74, and Luke xxii. 55-60.
1 A few of the Mss. have "ye believe," after the Vulgate: the Greek verb also, pisteu/ete which occurs twice in this clause, is doubtful, signifying, ye believe, or, believe (imperative).-Migne.
1 The apparent contrariety that Augustine here deals with, partly arises from a mistaken interpretation of the second half of verse 2, as given above. His Latin version read, si quo minus, dixissem vobis quia vado,etc., and is a close verbal rendering of the original text, as found in several Mss.,-ei0 de\ mh\, ei\pon a@n u9mi=n, o@ti poreu/omai,-although some others omit the oti. But while verbally exact, grammatical accuracy and a fair exegesis will admit of a pause after u9mi=n (vobis), as the general sense of the passage requires. Oti might thus be used in the sense of "because;" or, as it often is, as a particle introducing a direct statement.-Tr.
2 Isa. xlv. 11, according to the Septuagint, whose reading, as usual, is followed by Augustine, although here a very manifest mistranslation of the Hebrew. The words are, "Thus saith Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel (ygwr) twty)h wdcyw
) and his Maker, Ask me of things to come," etc. This is the rendering really in accordance with the usual Hebrew idiom, with the sense of the passage itself, and with the frequent use of Yotser (Maker) by Isaiah. It is that also approved by the Masoretic pointing, and followed generally by the other translations, including the Vulgate, which has: plastes ejus: ventura interrogate me, etc. The LXX., however, make ha'othiyyoth dependent on yots' ro (notwithstanding its own suffix), instead of the verb that follows, and reads, o9 poih/saj (au0ton in some copies) ta\ e0perxomena, which Augustine renders in the text: qui fecit quae futura sunt.-Tr.
4 Isa. vii. 9, according to LXX., which reads, e0a\n mh\ pisteu/shte, ou0de\ mh\ sunh=te. z@gm')/t'
, however, will scarcely admit the meaning of "understand" (sunh=te). There is a play in the Hebrew upon the verb ym')/
, which is the one used in both clauses, first in the Hiphil, where it means to cleave fast to, to show a firm trust in; and secondly, in the Niphal, to be held fast, to be confirmed in one's trust. Hence the rendering of our English Bible is more correct: "If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established."-Tr.
3 That is, those who ascribed suffering to the Father; because the Sabellians, denying the distinct personality of the Son, and regarding Him as only a special revelation of God the Father, were chargeable, therefore, with holding that it was God the Father who really suffered and died on the cross.-Tr.