The works of the Reverend and learned John Lightfoot D. D., late Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge such as were, and such as never before were printed : in two volumes : with the authors life and large and useful tables to each volume : also three maps : one of the temple drawn by the author himself, the others of Jervsalem and the Holy Land drawn according to the author's chorography, with a description collected out of his writings.

VERS. XL.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.

The Son of Man shall be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

I. THE Jewish Writers extend that memorable station of the unmoving Sun at Joshua's Prayer, to six and thirty hours; for so Kimchi upon that place, According to more exact interpretation, The Sun and Moon stood still for six and thrity hours: For when the fight was on the Eve of the Sabbath, Joshua feared lest the Israelites might break the Sabbath; therefore he spread abroad his hands, that the Sun might stand still on the sixth day, according to the measure of the day of the Sabbath, and the Moon, according to the measure of the night of the Sabbath, and of the going out of the Sabbath, which amounts to six and thirty hours.

II. If you number the hours that passed from our Saviours giving up the Ghost upon the Cross to his Resurrection, you shall find almost the same number of hours; and yet that space is called by him three days and three nights, when as two nights only came between and only one compleat day. Nevertheless, while he speaks these words, he is not without the consent both of the Je••ish Schools, and their computation. Weigh well that which is disputed in the Tract x 1.1 Schabbath, concerning the uncleanness of a woman for three days; where many things are discussed by the Gemarists, concerning the computation of this space of three days. Among other things these words occur, R. Ismael saith, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 y 1.2 Sometimes it contains four 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Onoth, sometimes five, sometimes six. z 1.3 But how much is the space of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 an Onah? R. Jochanan saith, Either a day or a night. And so also the Jerusalem Talmud; a R. Akiba sixed a day for an Onah, and a night for an Onah: But the Tradition is, That R. Eliazar ben Azariah said, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 a Day and a night make an Onah, and a part of an Onah is as the whole. And a little after, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 R. Ismael computed a part of the Onah for the whole.

It is not easie to translate the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Onah into good Latin: For to some it is the same with the half of a natural day; to some it is all one with 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, a whole na∣tural day. According to the first sense, we may observe from the words of R. Ismael, that sometimes four 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Onoth, or Halves of a natural day may be accounted for three days: And that they also are so numbred that one part or the other of those halves may be ac∣counted for an whole. Compare the latter sense with the words of our Saviour which are now before us. A day and a night (saith the Tradition) make an Onah, and a part of an Onah is as the whole. Therefore Christ may truly be said to have been in his Grave three Onath, or 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Three natural days, (when yet the greatest part of the first day was wanting, and the night altogether, and the greatest part by far of the third day also) the consent of the Schools and Dialect of the Nation agreeing thereunto. For, The least part of the Onah concluded the whole. So that according to this Idiom, that diminutive part of the third day upon which Christ arose may be computed for the whole day, and the night following it.

Notes

• x 1.1

  Cap. 9. Ha••. 3.
• y 1.2

  Bab. fol 86. 1.
• z 1.3

  Bab. Avod. Zar. fol. 75. 1. a Schabb. fol. 12. 1.