Ethiopic Didascalia

Platt historical English notes, source page 160

NOTES. P. 8. 1. 12. 'J^A : ■I'C^"^ = *"'MA»^'^ : " The force or power of the interpretation of the Scriptures." It is not easy to see how this should be derived more from the Books of Kings than from other portions of Scripture. The corresponding passage in the Greek is, eiTs yap icnopiKa. diKei^ Siep^ecfdat, £%£/? rag (3a(n?^tovg, which is clear enough. There has been here some of the accustomed omission of clauses, and confusion of one sentence with another, which has been noticed in the preface to this work, and of which we shall find numerous instances, as we proceed. P. 9. 1. 6, 9. ^^90 : rhTI : This is the Ethiopic title of the Book of Deuteronomy; and it seems probable that the words would convey to the Ethiopic reader the idea of that book, in these passages, as well as elsewhere. Here, however, the corresponding Greek words have a very diflPerent sense. We do not find Sevrepovoixiov, but devrepucrii, and to. eVe/aaKTa ; which expressions are explained immediately after, in a passage omitted in the Ethiopic Version, to mean, the Additions made to the Original Law or Decalogue ; that is, the cere- monial observances and rites, which are described as burdens imposed upon the Israelites for their sin in worshipping the golden calf. I have therefore translated the words ^"19^ : rh"l : according to this explanation. P. 10. 1. antepenult. ^TIT- : This must be formed from the verb ^^^^a>'^a) : contr. ^i^*l^(D : Ludolf has only ?iTnP : to which however he gives the same sense as the context here also requires. Ibid, penult. (D^i■lH■t• : 0)110""+ : These verbs are in the Past Tense ; the Aorist being used in the Greek Text, iTtLKa^ofiivr} i(f>l\ri(s-ev. P. 11. 1. 9. ^TDCiQOC = The form lh.V*^CSi^ '■ (or perhaps — 0<|^ 🙂 is not given by Ludolf. Under the root cnjf^(^ ; he has ?it*flO<i«i^ : only. He has however the participial adjective "D*^Ct\C : which is of the same form as the verb in the text. P. 13. 1. 4. ''t'n.'H't' : I do not find this word in the Lexicons. I have translated it, conjecturally, " spinning," guided by the context, and by the Greek word which corre- sponds to it, fx.rjpva-afJ.evij. Ibid. 1. 9. YV'tf : , MS. Yl^/V" : I have altered this, to make the construction right ; but perhaps it was originally written Yl'-fv> : (or Yl^A 0 Ai/\.T : for the Greek is, " Her candle goeth not out all night." Ibid, penult. Xlffl't' : The Greek is direSoTo, " she hath sold," or " selleth," not, " she giveth." The Translator seems to have mistaken the compound for the simple Greek verb. Ibid. ult. ^«|»^n3^'t' : This word is not foimd in the Lexicons. It appears to corre- spond to the Greek Trep/ ^u/iara, " girdles." The verb "fl^n : has been observed in one passage only, where Castell, from the analogy of the cognate dialects, proposes to trans- late it, transfixvbs est ; but Ludolf, from the context, thinks it must mean, perfusus est, vel tale quid, P. 13. ult. ?i^*| : This word, both here and in the second line of the next page, would be perhaps more correctly written ?k4.*l : See Ludolf s observations on the forms of the word Y\Q, : with Pronominal affixes, Gramm. ^thiop. lib. VI. cap. 3. pag. 153.