Now as this Divine Spirit thus acted upon free and cheerful souls, so the evil spirit actuated sad, melancholy minds, as we heard before, and as we may see in the example of Saul. And, indeed, that evil spirit which is said to have possessed him, seems to be nothing else originally but anguish and grief of mind, however wrought upon by some tempting insinuations of an evil spirit. And this sometimes instigated him to prophesy after the fashion of such melancholy fury: "And it came to pass, on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house1;" which Jonathan renders by insanivit in medio domus2, or, as Kimchi expounds the paraphrast, locutus est verba stultitia. So also R. Solomon Jarchi upon this place expounds it to the same purpose.

So that, according to the strain of all the Jewish scholiasts, by this evil spirit of Saul nothing else is here meant but a melancholy kind of madness, which made him prophesy, or speak distractedly and inconsistently. To these we may add R. L. B. Gersom: 'He spake in the midst of the house very confusedly, by reason of that evil spirit.' Now as this evil spirit was indeed fundamentally, as I said, nothing else but a sour and distracted temper of mind, arising from the terrene dregs of melancholy, grief, and malice, whereby Saul was at that time vexed; so the proper cure of it was the harmony and melody of David's music, which was therefore made use of to compose his mind, and to allay these turbulent passions. And that was the reason (as I hope by this time it appears) why this music was so frequently used,

1 Sam. xviii. 10.

When the evil spint הרוח הרעה ממנו :

from God came upon Saul, and he spake in the midst of the house very confusedly,

אִשְׁתַּמִּי בְנוֹ בֵיתָא 2

היה מדבר דברי שטות: 3

by reason of that evil spirit, then it was כשבאה רוח אלהים רעה אל שאול 4 והיה מדבר בתוך הבית דברים מבולבלים בסבת הרוח הרעה והיה מדרך דוד לנגן לפניו בידיו להסיר

David's custom to play with his hands before him, to remove the evil spirit from him.'

viz. to compose the animal part, that, all kinds of perturbations being dispelled, and a fine gentle yaλývn, or tranquillity, ushered in, the soul might be the better disposed for the divine breathings of the prophetical spirit, which enter not at random into any sort of men. Μόνος γὰρ σοφὸς ὄργανον Θεοῦ ἐστιν ἠχοῦν, κρουόμενον καὶ πληττόμενον ἀοράτως ὑπ' αὐτοῦ, as Philo hath well expressed upon this occasion'; these divine breathings enter only into those minds that are fitly disposed for them by moral and acquisite qualifications.

it

CHAPTER IX.

Of the sons or disciples of the prophets. An account of several schools of prophetical education, as at Naioth in Rama, at Jerusalem, Bethel, Jericho, Gilgal, &c. Several passages in the historical books of Scripture pertinent to this argument explained.

ND, therefore, we find also frequently such passages

AND

many were so trained up in a way of school-discipline, that they might become candidati prophetiæ, and were as probationers to these degrees, which none but God Himself conferred upon them: yet while they heard others prophesy, there was sometimes an afflatus upon them also, their souls, as it were, sympathizing, like unisons in music, with the souls of those which were touched by the spirit. And this seems to be the meaning of that story?, where all Saul's messengers sent to Naioth in Rama to apprehend David, and at last he himself, are said to fall a prophesying. For it is probable that the prophecies there spoken of were anthems divinely dictated, or doxologies, with such elegant strains of devotion and fancy as might also excite and stir up the spirits of the auditors: as we

1 Tom. IV. p. 116.

2

I Sam. xix.

often find that any admirable discourses, in which there is a cheerful and free flowing forth of a rich fancy in an intelligible, and yet extraordinary way, are apt to beget a symbolizing quality of mind in a bystander.

And the above-mentioned notion is clearly suggested by the Jewish writers, who tell us that this Naioth in Rama was, indeed, a school of prophetical education; and so the Targum expounds the word Naioth, domus doctrinæ, i. e. prophetia'. And R. Levi Ben Gersom: 'Our masters say that there was a school for the prophets near the city of Ramah, where Samuel dwelt:' and to the like purpose R. Solomon3. And it is further insinuated that Samuel was the president of this school or college; as disciplining those young scholars, and training them up to those preparatory qualifications, which might more fully dispose them for prophecy; and also prophesying to them in sacred hymns, or otherwise, whereby their spirits might receive some tincture of a like kind. For so we find it, ver. 20: "And when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied." Where the Chaldee paraphrast translates 'prophesying,' by 'praising' God with sacred hymns and hallelujahs, according to the common strain of the prophetical degree which was called Spiritus Sanctus. And so R. Kimchi and R. Levi Ben Gersom ascribe it to the Holy Spirit'.'

1

4

בֵּית אוּלִפְנָא אמרו שהיה בית מדרש לנביאים 2 נִבְּאִים' תרגומו משבחין כלומר היו 5 אצל עיר הרמה שהיה יושב בה שמואל: אומרים שירות ותושבחות לאל ברוח

הקדש ואפשר שהיו מתנבאין נבואות ,Prophesying עתידות קרובות בזמנם:

היה זה המקום מקום לבני הנביאים שהיו יושבים שם ולומדים לפני שמואל:

3 Probably Kimchi was intended by our author-not R. Solomon Jarchi.

'This (i. e. Naioth) was a place for the sons of the prophets who dwelt there and learned in the presence of Samuel.'-Kimchi in loco.

i. e. according to the Targumist, "praising," meaning thereby, uttering songs and praises to God by the Holy Spirit; or perhaps they were foretelling future events, the accomplishment of which was soon to take place.' Kimchi.

"Samuel stood as

Among these prophets it is said, appointed over them;" that is, 'He stood as a teacher or master over them,' as the Chaldee paraphrast reads it1. But R. Levi Ben Gersom strains a little higher, and perhaps too high: 'He derived forth from himself, of his own prophetical spirit, by way of emanation, upon them." Though this kind of language be very suitable to the notions of those masters, who would fain persuade us that almost all the prophets prophesied by virtue of some influence raying forth from the spirit of some other prophet into them: and Moses himself they make the common conduit through whom all prophetical influence was conveyed to the rest of the prophets. A conceit, I think, a little too nice and subtile to be understood.

But to return: upon this ground we have suggested, these disciples of the prophets are called 'sons of the prophets; and these are they which are meant in the place we named before, and in those words, 'a company of the prophets' that is, as the Targum renders it, 'a company of scribes,' for so these young scholars were anciently called; or, if you please rather, in Kimchi's language, 'a company of scribes, that is, scholars for the scholars of the wise men were called scribes: for they were the scholars of the greater prophets, and these scholars were called the sons of the prophets. Now the greater prophets which lived in that time from Eli to David were Samuel, Gad, Nathan, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun".'

So Jarchi,

it were, derived forth from himself,' &c. R. L. Ben Gersom in loco.

בני הנביאים 3

4 I Sam. xix. 20.

5

6

I Sam. x. 5.

1

קָאֵם מַלִּיף עָלַבִּיהוֹן .teaching them * מלמד אותם

הנה זאת הנבואה היתה ממין רוח 2 חקדש בהשתמש החושים על מנהגיהם וכאלו השפיע שמואל מן הרוח אשר עליו

This prophesying of theirs was: עליהם: סִיעַת סָפְרַיָּא

סִיעַת סָפְרַיָא ר'ל תלמידים כי י תלמידי חכמים נקראו סופרים ואלה היו תלמידי הנביאים הגדולים והתלמידים

of that sort to be attributed to the Holy Spirit, inasmuch as the ordinary use of the senses was preserved; and Samuel, as

And thus we must understand the meaning of that question, "Who is their father'?" which gave occasion to that proverbial speech afterwards commonly used amongst the Jews, "Is Saul also amongst the prophets?" used of one that was suddenly raised up to some dignity or perfection which, by his education, he was not fitted for. And, therefore, the Chaldee paraphrast, minding the scope of the place, renders "Who is their father?" by Who is their master??' which Kimchi approves3, and accordingly expounds that proverb in this manner: When any one was raised from a low state to any dignity, they used to say, "Is Saul also among the prophets'?" But R. Solomon Jarchi would rather keep the literal sense of those words, "Who is their father?" and, therefore, supposeth something more than we here contend for, viz. That prophecy was a kind of hereditary thing. For so he speaks: 'Do not wonder for that he is called the father of them, for prophecy is an hereditary things. But I think we may content ourselves with what our former authors have told us, to which we may add the testimony of R. Levi B. Gersom, who tells us that these prophets, here spoken of, were the scholars of Samuel, who trained them up to a degree of prophetical perfection, and so is called their father, because Samuel instructed them, and trained

the spirit of prophecy to rest on them? Nor is there any cause of astonishment in

היו נקראים בני הנביאים והנביאים שהיו באותו הזמן מעלי עד דוד היו

this ; for the same Holy Blessed One who אלקנה ושמואל וגד ונתן והימן וידותון:

teacheth these prophets teacheth also this one' (i. e. Saul).