12 Unwittingly had my longing soul brought me
To the chariots of the companions of the prince.
(She goes away).
that which pleases, Gen. vi. 2. [HE: 'a:biy han.oHal], the green or vegetables growing by the river side; so the Sept. [GR: genê/mati tou= cheima/r)r(ou], and Rashbam, [HE: `l Spt hnHl]. The Sept. has here [HE: S/om/ 'et.En/ 'et d.vOday lok/^e], from chap. vii. 14, which the Arabic, Ethiopic, and several modern commentators wrongly follow, as it has no MS. authority, and has evidently arisen from a misunderstanding of this passage.
12. Unwittingly, &c. This verse has caused much perplexity to interpreters. The ancient versions, finding the sense obscure, have altered almost every word, and hence increased the difficulty. Thus the Sept. has [GR: ou)k e)/gnô ê( psychê/ mou; e)/theto/ me a(/rmata A)minada/b], which Luther follows: "Meine Seele wusste es nicht, dass er mich zum Wagen Aminadib gezetzt hatte:" They take [HE: nepeS/] as the subject, alter [HE: lO' yoda`^et.iy], the first person com., into [HE: lO' yod^e`oh], the third fem., to agree with [HE: nepeS/], a fem. noun, [HE: S\omat^eniy], the third fem., into [HE: S\am^eniy], the third masc. referring it to Solomon, and regard [HE: `am.iy nodyb] as a proper name. The Vulg. has Nescivi, anima mea conturbavit me propter quadrigas Aminadab; altering [HE: S\omat^eniy], the Kal of [HE: S\v.m/], to put, to place, into the Hiphil of [HE: S\omEm/], to be astonished, [HE: mar^ek.^ebvOt] into [HE: mErik^ebvOt], the plural of [HE: rekeb], with the preposition [HE: m], and taking [HE: `am.iy nodiyb] as a proper name. Passing over these textual alterations, and the emendations proposed by modern commentators, as unauthorized, we shall first examine the words as they are in the text, and then the most plausible interpretations deducible therefrom. [HE: lO' yoda`^et.iy] are rightly taken by most, though differing in their opinion as to the rendering of the remainder of the verse, as adverbial, in the sense of suddenly, unwittingly, and as subordinate to [HE: nap^eS/iy S\omat^eniy], my soul has unwittingly put me, or placed me; comp. Job v. 9; Isa. xlvii. 11; Jer. l. 24. The verb [HE: S\v.m/], to put, to place, may be construed with two accusatives, one of the person, and the other of the thing; and [HE: mar^ek.^ebvOt] may be taken as the second accusative (comp. Ps. xxxix. 9; 1 Sam. viii. 1; Mich. i. 7), or [HE: mar^ek.^ebvOt] may be taken as a designation of place after [HE: S\v.m/], a verb of motion; comp. Isa. xl. 26. [HE: mer^ek.oboh], a chariot, used for warlike purposes, or for state or pleasure, Gen. xlvi. 29; Exod. xv. 4; 2 Sam. xv. 1. The expression [HE: `am.iy] may either mean populares mei—(the Hebrews having no separate word for "countryman," use this expression to denote one of their own people (Gesen. xxiii. 11; Lam. ii. 11), and [HE: nodiyb] may be an adjective for [HE: han.adiyb], as the article is sometimes omitted through following a noun with suffix)—or [HE: `am.iy] may here be used, like [HE: `iyS/], for companions, attendants, followers, (Eccl. iv. 16,) the [HE: y] in [HE: `am.iy] not being a suffix, but paragogic, and a mark of the const. state (Deut. xxxiii. 16; Lam. i. 1), and [HE: nodiyb], a noun in the genitive of the king or prince. As to how much stress there is to be laid on the Sept., which takes [HE: `am.iy nodiyb] as a proper name, and is followed by the Arabic, Æthiop., Vulg., and which also produced some variations in the orthography of these words, we need only refer to vii. 2, where the same version renders [HE: b.at nodiyb] by [GR: thy/gathêr A)minada\b]. The verse, therefore, may either be translated: "My soul has unwittingly made me the chariots of my noble countrymen," or, "My soul has unwittingly placed at, or brought me to the chariots of my noble people, or to the chariots of the companions of the prince." Now against the first rendering we urge, in the first place, that if the chariots be taken in the accusative, and hence in a figurative sense, we are unavoidably led into a bewildering maze of conjectural and fanciful opinions. The following may serve as a specimen. Rashi takes the chariots to be a sign of ignominy. [HE: npSy Smtny lhyvt mrkbvt lhrkyb `ly ndybvt S'r 'vmvt], "My soul has made me to be chariots for foreign princes to ride upon"; i.e. I have willingly brought upon me a foreign yoke. Ibn
