An Expofition of the2,7. Prdlrne. Verf.8 o Lord, will feek., For the right underftanding whereof we muff know, that the fpeech, or fettence in the originali to make it plain, requires the fupply offorne words, which are fitly' added in our bibles : when thou faideit : as the like is elfewhere, i Kings 20. 34. And I (faid Ahab) r ill fend thee away with this covenant. This defect ofa word, tobe fupplied for plainneffe fake, hath caufed great variety amongft tranflatours. The molt ancient of them, as the Septuagint, Aquila, Sirnmachus, the vulgar latine, and 7erom(whommolt of the Fopith ex- pofitors, and the Doway bible doe follow) tranflate the words to this effe' : c_tyface bathfought our, or fought thee out, making the word face the nominative cafe to the verb fought, whereas our tranflations make theword face the accufative cafe following the verbe feek : and, though the words in the originali will beareeither of the former, yet feeing both were not intended by the holyghon, for this reafondo I prefer our own tranflations before the an- cients, becaufe in the bible, the words in the originali are ordinarily tranflated by the forefaid ancients, as ours have done as 2 Chron. 7. 14. and not once, I take it, in all the bible, can their tranflationbe warranted, by [hewing the like difpofìng of the words, where face is the nomina- tive cafe to theverb feek. Now then, taking the words in that fenfe, which our tranflation gives, we have two things to note in them : fir{}, Gods commandement unto his people for the feeking ofhis face : Secondly, Davids readinefle to yeeld obedience thereto. For thefiat, the words tranflated,feek,yemyface, are in theoriginal!, not a queiltion,but a command; for the verb is of the imparative mood,which biddeth orcomman- deth to feek. The thing to be fought is Gods face, which here noteth, not (imply God himfelf, as Exod.. 20.3. Thou {halt have noneother Gods before my face, that is, before me : but Gods graceand favour in his Sanctuary, where God did manifeft his prefence, between the Cherubims, a- bove the mercy feat, there communingwith thehigh prieff,
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