the close of the verse, where, certainly, he
would not have put [Hebrew: wmh] for [Hebrew: wM]. These are the
instances adduced by _Winer_. _Gesenius_, further, refers [Pg 264] to
Is. xxxiv. 15: "_Thither_ makes her nest;" but the making of the nest
implies the placing of it. _Ewald_, moreover, appeals to Ps. cxxii. 5:
"_Thither_ sit the thrones for judgment." It is true that [Hebrew: iwb]
never signifies "to sit down," but it frequently implies it. He
appeals, further, to the Song of Solomon viii. 5: "_Thither_ thy mother
brought thee forth;" which is tantamount to--there she brought thee
forth, and put thee down. But [Hebrew: wmh] can so much the less
signify "there," that the instances alleged for the weakening of the
[Hebrew: h] _locale_ in other passages, will not stand the test.
_Ewald_ appeals to Ps. lxviii. 7: "God makes the solitary to dwell
[Hebrew: bith];" which, however, does not mean "_in_ the house," as
_Ewald_ translates, but "_into_ the house"--He leads them thither, and
makes them to dwell there. The idea of motion being sufficiently
indicated by the [Hebrew: h] itself, no other designation was required
in poetry, which delights in brevity. _Further_--Hab. iii. 11: "Sun and
moon stand [Hebrew: zblh], towards their habitation," __i.e.__, go into
their habitation and stand there. 2. The verb [Hebrew: enh] signifies
neither "to begin the discourse," nor "to sing," nor "to sing
alternately," nor "to correspond," nor "to be favourably disposed"
(_Ewald_), nor "to obey" (_Hitzig_), but always, and everywhere, "to
answer." All these explanations will lose their plausibility, if
we only consider, that it is not always necessary that a question
be expressed by words, but that it may be implied in the thing
itself--especially in the case of the lively Orientals, for whom
things, even the most mute, have a language. As examples, we cite only
1 Sam. xxi. 12:--"Did they not answer to him in dances, saying, Saul
has slain his thousands, but David his ten thousands!" Similarly also
xxix. 5. That even here, the signification "to answer" ought to be
retained, is plain from xviii. 7, compared with ver. 6. The coming
together of David and Saul was a silent question as to which was the
greater. Ps. cxlvii.: "Answer the Lord with praise." The real addresses
of the Lord were His blessings; compare vers. 2-6, 8 ff. By everything
which God gives He asks. What art thou doing to Me, since I am doing
that to thee? [Hebrew: enh] is