The apparently indiscriminate use of the past and future tenses, in scriptural and prophetic language, has perplexed the best Hebrew scholars. On the conversive power of the ו, Granville Sharpe’s is perhaps the best treatise. In the present case, unless the ו retain that power when disjoined from the verb, there is no reason for rendering the future אפקוד (or דוקפא) as a perfect, or, _I punished_, instead of _I will punish_. And, as Mr. Lowth observes, the כי (or יכ) which follows would be more properly rendered _But_ than _For_, and it will then be—_mine anger is kindled against the shepherds, and I will punish the goats; But the Lord of Hosts_, &c. The shepherds and the goats both signify leaders of the flock. Verse 4. :ממנו פנה ממנו יתד ממנו קשת מלחמה ממנו יצא כל נוגש יחדו _Out of him came forth the corner, out of him the nail, out of him the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together._ The words _corner_, _nail_, and _oppressor_, must be rather perplexing to the English reader, nor can the Hebrew scholar be certain of the precise meaning of each, though their general import is obvious enough. Thus פנה (or הנפ) _corner_, signifies in the root to _turn_, and as the _corner stone_ is a guide to the builder in laying the others, it comes to signify a guide or leader. So יתד (or דתי), _a nail_, signifies one on whom others depend. And נוגש (or שגונ), _an oppressor_, like the Greek τυραννος, signifies generally, _a prince_, as well as a _tyrant_. Thus these terms are each of them equivalent to a _chief_ or _leader_. The verb יצא (or אצי), which follows, may be either past or future, but the latter accords best with the context, as in the proposed translation. _Out of him shall come forth the corner-stone, __ out of him the nail, out of him the battle bow, out of him every leader together._ Verse 8. אשרקה להם.—_I will hiss for them._ The word _hiss_, does not to the English reader convey the correct meaning here. In many parts of Europe, and, probably, in some of Asia, the common made of call is by a shrill sound, very different from either a hiss or a whistle. In some countries it is effected by pressing the tongue against the teeth with the lips open, and sounding the letters—tsz. In others, it is usual to begin with the lips compressed, and without closing the teeth, thus making the sound of the letters psh—but in both, the sibilant sound predominates, and is heard to a considerable distance, while its peculiarity instantly attracts attention from all that are within hearing; and this is no doubt the sense of the term, as here used. The Hebrew closely resembles, and probably gives the etymology of the English word, _shriek_. (See Parkhurst.) Verse 11. :ועבר בים צרה והכה בים גלים _And he shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall smite the waves of the sea._