; _Antarae Moallakah_, ed. _Menil._ p.
18.) The poet _Lebid_, who attained to the age of 157 years (compare
_Reiske prolegg. ad Thar. Moall._ p. xxx.; _De Sacy_, _Memoires de
l'Academie des inscriptions_, p. 403 ff.), composed a poem when he was
dying; compare _Herbelot Bibl. Or._ p. 513. The poet _Hareth_ was 135
years old when he recited extempore his _Moallakah_, which is still
extant; compare _Reiske_ l.c. The objection, too, that it is
inconceivable how the blessing spoken by Jacob could have been handed
down _verbatim_ to Moses, finds its best refutation in the history of
Arabic poetry. The art of writing was introduced among the Arabs only a
short time before Mohammed. (Compare _de Sacy_ l.c. pp. 306, 348;
_Amrulkeisi Moall._ ed. _Hengstenberg_, p. 3.) Up to that time, even
the longest poems, of which some consisted of more than a hundred
verses, were preserved by mere oral tradition (compare _Nuweiri_ in
_Rosenmueller_, _Zoheiri Moall._ p. 11); and the internal condition of
those which have been preserved to us bears the best testimony to their
having been faithfully handed down. But in the case before us,
something altogether different from a poem was concerned.

Footnote 16: _Onkelos_ paraphrases these words very correctly, thus:
"Hear, O Lord, the prayers of Judah when he goes out to war, and bring
him safely back to his people."

Footnote 17: It is probable also, that in the passage, Josh. xvi. 6,
where Shiloh occurs for the first time as the name of a place, and
which we have already discussed, there is not, as we assumed, a
connection of the former name with the latter, but the complete
appellation, of which the latter--Shiloh--is only an abbreviation. From
the well ascertained and common signification of the verb [Hebrew:
anh], we are entitled to explain Taanath-Shiloh: "the futurity, or the
appearance of Shiloh." Shiloh shall come! Such was the watchword at
that time. The word [Hebrew: tanh] would then correspond to the
[Hebrew: iba] of the fundamental passage.

Footnote 18: That there exists a connection between Shiloh and Solomon
has often been guessed at and expressed; but expositors have not
succeeded well in determining it more closely. The Samarit. Arab.
Translation here says expressly: "Until Solomon cometh." (Comp. _Lib.
Genes. sec. Arab. Pent._ _Samarit. vers. ed. Kuenen_. _Leyden_, 51.)

Footnote 19: _Kimchi_ says: "As long as the Jews were doing the will of
God, they could lie down like th