_Ewald_, moreover, appeals to Ps. cxxii. 5: "_Thither_ sit the thrones for judgment." It is true that ישב never signifies "to sit down," but it frequently implies it. He appeals, further, to the Song of Solomon viii. 5: "_Thither_ thy mother brought thee forth;" which is tantamount to--there she brought thee forth, and put thee down. But שמה can so much the less signify "there," that the instances alleged for the weakening of the ה _locale_ in other passages, will not stand the test. _Ewald_ appeals to Ps. lxviii. 7: "God makes the solitary to dwell ביתה;" which, however, does not mean "_in_ the house," as _Ewald_ translates, but "_into_ the house"--He leads them thither, and makes them to dwell there. The idea of motion being sufficiently indicated by the ה itself, no other designation was required in poetry, which delights in brevity. _Further_--Hab. iii. 11: "Sun and moon stand זבלה, towards their habitation," _i.e._, go into their habitation and stand there. 2. The verb ענה signifies neither "to begin the discourse," nor "to sing," nor "to sing alternately," nor "to correspond," nor "to be favourably disposed" (_Ewald_), nor "to obey" (_Hitzig_), but always, and everywhere, "to answer." All these explanations will lose their plausibility, if we only consider, that it is not always necessary that a question be expressed by words, but that it may be implied in the thing itself--especially in the case of the lively Orientals, for whom things, even the most mute, have a language. As examples, we cite only 1 Sam. xxi. 12:--"Did they not answer to him in dances, saying, Saul has slain his thousands, but David his ten thousands!" Similarly also xxix. 5. That even here, the signification "to answer" ought to be retained, is plain from xviii. 7, compared with ver. 6. The coming together of David and Saul was a silent question as to which was the greater. Ps. cxlvii.: "Answer the Lord with praise." The real addresses of the Lord were His blessings; compare vers. 2-6, 8 ff. By everything which God gives He asks. What art thou doing to Me, since I am doing that to thee? ענה is often used of God, although no formal question or prayer preceded; but the very relation itself implies prayer and asking. It is in this sense that even the ravens are said to cry to God. It is in this sense that God _answers_ His people before they cry to Him. He who has nothing, prays by this very circumstance, even without words, [Pg 265]yea, even without the gestures and posture of one who is praying. Since, in these remarks, we have already refuted the arguments which seemed most plausible, we may pass over other objections which are less to the purpose. There is only the passage Exod. xv. 21, which requires to be specially noticed, as it is in that passage that the signification "to sing alternately" is supposed, beyond any doubt, to be; and many interpreters assume that there is a verbal reference to it in the passage under consideration.