24, where it is said of Enoch: "And he was no more, for God had _taken_ him."--_And His generation who can think it out?_ דור, properly "circle," is not only the communion of those who are connected by co-existence, but also of those who are connected by disposition, be it good or bad.[6] Thus, the generation of the children of God in Ps. lxxiii. 15; the generation of the righteous, Ps. xiv. 5; the generation of the upright, in Ps. cxii. 2. Here, the generation of the Servant of God is the communion of those who are animated by His Spirit, filled with His life. This company will, after His death, increase to an infinite greatness. שוח and שיח "to meditate," is commonly connected with ב of the object, but occurs also with [Pg 291] the simple Accusative, in the signification "to meditate upon something," in Ps. cxlv. 5. There is, as it appears, an allusion to the promise to Abraham, Gen. xiii. 16: "And I make thy seed as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered,"--a promise which received its complete fulfilment just by the Servant of God. The explanation which we have given was adopted by the LXX.: τὴν γενέαν αὐτοῦ τίς διηγήσεται. Next to it, comes the explanation: "Who can think out His _posterity_;" but against this, it is conclusive that דור never occurs in the signification "posterity." The parallel passage in ver. 10: "He shall see seed," or "posterity," holds good even for our view; for since the posterity is a _spiritual_ one, it is substantially identical with _generation_ here. But it may, _a priori_, be expected that the same thing shall be designated from various aspects. If "generation" be taken in the signification "posterity," then the words: "He shall see seed" would be a mere repetition. The appropriateness of the sense which, according to our explanation, comes out, will become especially evident, if we consider that, in vers. 8-10, we have the carrying out of that which, in the sketch, was said of the respectful homage of the many nations and kings. A whole host of explanations assigns to דור significations which cannot be vindicated. Thus, the translation of _Luther_: "Who shall disclose the length of His life?" that of _Hitzig_: His destiny; that of _Beck_: His importance and influence in the history of the world; that of _Knobel_: His dwelling place, _i.e._, His grave, who considered? The signification, "dwelling place," does not at all belong to דור. In Isaiah xxxviii. 12, דור are the cotemporaries from whom the dying man is taken away, and who are withdrawn from him: "My _generation_ is taken away, and removed from me like a shepherd's tent"--dying Hezekiah there laments. Inadmissible, likewise, is the explanation: "Who of His cotemporaries will consider, or considered, it" for את, the sign of the Accusative, cannot stand before the _Nomin. Absol._ In Nehem. ix. 34, this use is by no means