Seeming Contradictions of the Bible.
SINCE so much knowledge is proved to be necessary to a right understanding of the Bible, we may easily believe that difficulties or seeming contradictions, which occur to us in reading it, most probably arise from our ignorance or inattention; and this admits of abundant illustrations. Judges i, 19. The Lord was with Judah; and he drove out the inhabitants of the mountain, but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron. Voltaire scoffs at this, as if it implied that the Lord of heaven and earth is represented as being baffled by the chariots of iron; whereas the term "he" refers to Judah and not to the Lord. Judah's faith failed him, and he found that according to his faith, so it was to him. Matt. ix, 29. Weak in faith, he was weak in power. Voltaire was one of the most acute of infidels. But the frivolity of such objections, made by such men, shows how hatred of the truth blinds the mind to the perception of it. Prov. xxvi, 4. Answer not a fool according to his folly, &c. The next verse is, Answer a fool according to his folly, &c. But a little attention to the reason given in each case removes the seeming contradiction. We ought not to answer a fool according to his folly so as to be like him; i. e., so as to betray, in manner of answering him, the same evil temper which he showed. This Moses did at Meribah [Num. xx, 12; Ps. cvi, 33]; and David in his answer to Nabal [1 Sam. xxv, 21, 22]; and the men of Judah and Israel in their disputes with David. 2 Sam. xix, 41-43. We ought therefore to answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit; i. e., we ought to answer him in such a manner as to expose his folly. Thus, Job answered his wife [Job ii, 10]; and our blessed Lord affords abundant instances; as when he was attacked by the Scribes and Pharisees because his disciples transgressed the tradition of the elders [Matt xv, 2-9]; when they desired of him a sign from heaven [Matt. xvi, 1-4]; when they questioned the authority by which he acted [chap. xxi, 23-27]; and when they inquired of him the lawfulness of giving tribute to Cæsar. 2 Kings xvi, 9. The king of Assyria is said to have "hearkened unto Ahaz;" but in 2 Chron. xxviii, 20, we read that he "distressed him, and strengthened him not." Both statements are true. He did help him against the king of Syria, took Damascus and delivered Ahaz from the power of the Syrians. But the service was of little value, for the Assyrian monarch did not assist Ahaz against the Edomites or Philistines; and he distressed him by taking the royal treasures and the treasures of the temple, and rendered him but little service for so great a sacrifice. To illustrate: The Britons invited the Saxons to help them against the Scots and Picts. The Saxons accordingly came and assisted them for a time, but at length they made themselves masters of the country. Acts i, 18. Now this man (Judas) purchased a field, &c.; but Matthew tells us [chap. xxvii, 7] that the chief priests bought the field with the money which Judas threw down in the midst of them. Many commentators remark that an action is sometimes said in Scripture to be done by a person who was the occasion of doing it. Thus in one place [John iii, 22] it is said that "Jesus baptized;" in another [chap. iv, 1], that "Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples." The passages are easily reconciled; his disciples baptized by his authority, but he did not baptize with his own hands. See Gen. xlii, 38; Ex. xxiii, 8; 1 Kings xiv, 16; 2 Kings xxii, 16; Rom. xiv, 15; 1 Cor. vii, 16; 1 Tim. iv, 16. Acts xvi, 12. Luke, in relating the first introduction of christianity into Europe, speaks of Philippi in Macedonia as the chief city in that part of Macedonia, and a colony; while verse 21 implies that it was a Roman colony. The silence of contemporary profane history as to this fact rendered it a difficulty, even to learned men, and threw the suspicion of inaccuracy upon Luke's narration; but some ancient coins have been discovered, on which Philippi is recorded under character; particularly one which states that Julius Cæsar himself bestowed on this city the dignity and privileges of a Roman colony, which were afterward confirmed and augmented by Augustus. Sometimes (though comparatively very seldom), the translation might be improved, or the original will admit of another rendering, and thus the difficulty might be removed. The Hebrews express their numbers by letters, and some of their letters are very much alike; hence, as Dr. Kennicott has shown satisfactorily, some seeming contradictions with regard to numbers have arisen from one number being inadvertently written instead of another. The only apparent difference between one and one thousand is simply one little dot, so that the careless making or reading a tittle upon a letter might change units into thousands. Thus are such passages as 2 Sam. viii, 4, and 1 Chron. xviii, 4, reconciled. The letter zayin, with a dot upon it stands for 7000, and the final letter noon, with a dot upon its side is 700; the great similarity of the letters or characters might easily cause the one for the other, and so produce the above contradiction in number. 2 Samuel. David is said to have put the Ammonites under saws, and under harrows of iron, &c., which gives the impression of great cruelty on his part. Were there no answer to this, we must not shrink from charging him with whatever guilt might properly attach to the act; the Bible itself furnishes the principle by which to do so. But the original Hebrew admits of its being rendered instead of "under," "to" saws, &c., which implies nothing more than employing them as slaves in the most mean and laborious offices. The word translated "harrows of iron," may also be rendered "iron mines." It is indeed said that David cut them with saws [1 Chron. xx, 3]; but seven of the Hebrew manuscripts collated by Dr. Kennicott, have the word which means "he put them to saws," &c. It is very expedient that somewhat should be covered, to make us more diligent in reading, more desirous to understand, more fervent in prayer, more willing to ask the judgment of superiors, and to presume less on our own judgment. None of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand. Dan. xii, 10. The scorner seeketh wisdom and findeth it not. Prov. xiv, 6; Isa. cxlix, 4. —Mine Explored.