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INTRODUCTION

TO THE

CRITICAL STUDY AND KNOWLEDGE

OF

THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

ON THE CRITICISM AND INTERPRETATION OF THE

SCRIPTURES.

PART I.

ON SCRIPTURE-CRITICISM.

CHAPTER I.

ON THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGES OF SCRIPTURE.

SECTION I.

ON THE HEBREW LANGUAGE.

1. Antiquity of the Hebrew Language;-II. And of its characters. -III. Of the Vowel Points.

A KNOWLEDGE of the original languages of Scripture is of the utmost importance, and indeed absolutely necessary, to him who is desirous of ascertaining the genuine meaning of the Sacred Volume. Happily, the means for acquiring these languages are now so numerous and easy of access, that the student, who wishes to derive his knowledge of the Oracles of God from pure sources, can be at no loss for guides to direct him in this delightful pursuit.

1. The HEBREW LANGUAGE, in which the Old Testament is written, with the exception of a few words and passages that are in the Chaldæan dialect1, is generally allowed to have derived its name

1 Besides some Chaldee words occasionally inserted in the historical and pro phetical books, after the Israelites became acquainted with the Babylonians, the following passages of the Old Testament are written in the Chaldee dialect, viz. Jer. x. 11. Dan. ii. 4. to the end of chap. vii. and Ezra iv. 8. to vi. 19. and vii. 12. to 17,

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