Ancient Book Of Jasher.1st Ed (with all the prefaces)

Front matter

The Ancient Book of Jasher

in a translation based on the original hebrew

with the original introductory notes to the english edition.

Index

Certificates pp. 4 - 5

Preface pp. 6 - 8

Translator's Preface pp. 9 - 12

Translation of Preface to Hebrew Edition pp. 13 - 16

The Printer's Preface to the Hebrew Edition of 1625 pp. 17- 18

The Ancient Book of Jasher (ch. 1 to 9 1) pp. 19 - 1 87

A Final Note on Second Samuel p. 188

Analytical Index pp. 189 - 201

CERTIFICATES.

University of New York, April, 10, 1840.

I have compared a large portion of the translation of the Book of Jasher with the original Hebrew, and find it faithgfully and eloquently rendered into English. The Hebrew itself is of a very pure character.

ISAAC NORDIEMER

Professor of Oriental Literature

To Messrs. Noah and Gould,

GENTLEMEN,

I am acquainted with the Book of Jasher, having read a considerable part of it while in the hands of the translator in England. The Hebrew is very purely written, and the translator is an eminent scholar and has done it ample justice. It is full of interest throughout, and breathes a pure spirit of piety and religion, and I am satisfied that this is the first English translation ever made of that work, the Royal Asiatic Society at Calcutta never having completed the translation of their copy as anticipated.

The followng letter is from Professor Turner, an able Hebrew scholar.

GENTLEMEN,

Agreeably to a request made to me yesterday by Mr. Noah, I have sufficiently examined the English version of the Rabbinical work, which heads the title of "the Book of Jasher" , to satisfy myself of its general correctness. I have carefully compared three chapters of the translation with the original, and have no hesitation in saying that in general they give a correct representation of the author's meaning, and as literal as the different idioms of the two languages would allow. In some instances however, it would have been desirable that every word of the Hebrew should have been rendered into English. For instance, in ch. i, v. 2, the translator has omitted the word dust, in mentioning man's formation "from the ground", and in v. 4, the literal version after middle part would be "and he took away one of his ribs and built flesh upon it, and made a woman and brought her to the man." In v. 6 also, the Rabbinical writer does not say "called their names Adam and Eve, "but in the very words of the Hebrew bible, v. 2, "called their name Adam." In ch. xx, v. 4, the version reads thus ; "and the servants of Abimelech went to Abimelech, saying", in the original it is "and the servants of Abimelech came and praised Sarah to the kin, saying, &c." In v. 19, the name of Pharaoh is omitted, and occasionally the word "subjects", is substituted for "servants".

It is possible that the translator made use of a copy of some other edition which may have varied in a few words from that examined by me. The points referred to, are, on the whole, unimportant, and do not detract from the general accuracy of the translation.

I am respectfully,

Your obt. Serv't

SAMUEL H. TURNER To Messrs. Noah & Gould

The following is from Professor Bush of New York.

New York, April 30, 1840.

GENTLEMEN,

I have examined portions of several chapters of the "Book of Jasher" in the original, cartefully comparing with it the translation put into my hands by the publishers. The work itself is evidently composed in the purest Rabbinical Hebrew, with a large intermixture of the Biblical idiom, and I consider the translation as a whole, not only as decidedly faithful, but as peculiarly happy in retaining the air of antique simplicity which distinguishes the original, and which constitutes the matchless excellence of our English version of the Hebrew Scriptures. In a few instances I have noticed slight verbal variations from the original, similar to those adverted to by Prof. Turner, as in one case "choice of our sepulchres" for "choice of our land" ; but they are of too little moment to detract from the character of general fidelity which I do not hesitate to assign to the translation.

Very respectfully,

Yours, &c,

GEO. BUSH To Messrs. Noah & Gould

Ju

Preface

It is with pleasure that I am able to present to the American public the translation of the Book of Jasher, as referred to in Joshua and Second Samuel, which, after several years' negotiation with the owner and translator of the work in England, I have succeeded in obtaining.

There are many books named in the Old Testament, which are now classed among the missing books, or books supposed to have been lost amidst the many revolutions which have occurred in Judea. These books are not included in the Jewish Canons, and it is questionable whether there are any missing of what were considered as emanating from inspired writers ; for, when the works enumerated in the Bible could not be found after the most diligent search, the inference was, that the names applied to other books, or that they were different versions of the same work.

Thus, the Book of the Covenant, [Exodus xxiv. 7.] was a mere collection of the injunctions and institutions delivered by the Almighty to Moses. So it might also be said of the Book of the Law, [Deut. xxxi v. 9.] The Book of the wars of the Lord [Numbers xxi v. 14.] cannot be found, and is everywhere spoken of as one of the missing books. Dr. Lightfoot, in his Chronicles, thinks that Moses refers to a book of his own composing, written by command of God, [Exodus xvii v. 14.] We think, however, that the Book of Judges is the one referred to as the Book of the Wars of the Lord ; because, in that book we have all the exploits of the Hebrews detailed at length. We find in Chronicles and Kings a number of books named, which are not to be found. The acts of David the King, written in the Book of Samuel the Seer, also in the Book of Nathan the Prophet, and also in the Book of Gad the Seer ; the acts of Solomon are in the Book of Nathan the Prophet, and also in the Book of Abijah the Shulamite ; the acts of Rehoboam in the Book of Shemaiah the Prophet ; the acts of Jehoshaphat in the Book of Jehu. The journals of the kings of Judah and Israel ; the three thousand and five songs, and a treatise on botany and animated nature, by this learned king, are lost ; so also are the 'Acts of Manasseh." These works, not having been found by Ezra, could not have been inserted in the Old Testament, and consequently cannot be considered as having been written by divine inspiration. Nevertheless, it would be assuming more than is required or necessary, to say that there were no other books in the time of Ezra, than those considered as divinely inspired.

St. Austin says, " The penmen of the Sacred Scripture writ some things as they are, men with historical lore and diligence : other things they writ as prophets, by inspiration from God." We thus have a classification of their labors, both as historians and as prophets. The negligence of the Jews in ancient days, and their constant transition from one country to another, occasioned many losses of the sacred writings. The Book of Deuteronomy was lost for a long time. There were many books rejected by the Canons which are still objects of curiosity, and venerable for their antiquity. The prayer of King Manasseh, Bel and the Dragon, the two Books ofEsdras, the Book of the Maccabees, and the Book of Enoch, recently found and translated from the Ethiopic. The Book of Jasher, referred to in Joshua and Second Samuel, has been long an object of great curiosity. Some of the Hebrew writers contend that it was the lives and acts of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and other patriarchs, who were called Jasherim, the Just. Dr. Lightfoot thinks it is the Book of the Wars of God, and so the reader may think in perusing the various battles it recounts. Grotius calls it a triumphal poem. Josephus says, " That by this book are to be understood certain records kept in some safe place on purpose, giving an account of what happened among the Hebrews from year to year, and called Jasher, or the upright, on account of the fidelity of the annals."

It is known that such have been the curiosity and anxiety to discover this missing book, that several forgeries under that name have appeared from time to time ; and the Rev. Mr. Home, in his Introduction to Study of the Scripture, has been at some pains to collect a history of the various fabrications of Jasher ; the most remarkable of which was originally published in England, in the year 1751, by a person called Illive, and purported to be a translation from a Hebrew work of that name, found in Persia by Alcuinus. It was republished in Bristol in the year 1829, and a copy is now in my possession. It is a miserable fabrication, occupying but sixty two and a half pages, with copious notes, making out Jasher to be one of the Judges, whereas the translation of the word is the upright, or the upright record. In the same work of Dr. Home, a slight reference is made to the Book of Jasher, written in Rabbinical Hebrew, said to have been discovered in Jerusalem at its capture under Titus, and printed in Venice in 1613. This is the book now translated into English for the first time. Long prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, the Jews had established themselves in various parts of Spain and Italy ; they traded to the bay of Gibraltar, as historians affirm, in the earliest periods of history ; and Basnage mentions that in Sagunto, a town in Spain, a tombstone was discovered, bearing the following inscription in the Hebrew language : " This is the tomb of Adoniram, an officer of King Solomon, who came to collect the tribute, and died the day," &c. There can be no doubt that Spain, probably France and Italy, were tributary to Solomon. It is, however, certain, that the Jews carried with them into Spain, on their dispersion, an immense number of manuscripts and sacred rolls, where they remained many years, and were, in the eleventh century, placed in their great college at Cordova, and from thence were conveyed to Venice on the first discovery of printing. The printer's Hebrew preface to Jasher shows that it was a painful transcript from a very old and almost illegible Hebrew record, and printed by and with the consent of the Great Consistory of Rabbins at Venice, who alone had the power of publishing such works from the Hebrew records as they deemed authentic. From the Venice edition of Jasher, another edition was many years subsequently published, in Lemberg, in Gallicia. Both editions, in Hebrew, are now in my possession ; and the Royal Asiatic Society, having found a copy of Jasher in Calcutta, gave orders to have it translated, which order was countermanded when it was ascertained that considerable progress had been made in England in this translation. The following copy of a letter from the secretary to the translator, shows the estimate which that learned Society placed upon the work.

ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY HOUSE.

DEAR SIR :

I am extremely obliged by your having favored me with the sight of Mr. Noah's letter, and in reply to your letter, mention that the Oriental Translation Committee does not consider that it has any claims on your work, and if that ever the Rev. Mr. Adams translates the Book of Jasher, it will not be in the lapse of several years. Hoping that your praiseworthy and valuable labors in that interesting work will soon, in one shape or other, be presented to the public,

I remain, Dear Sir,

Wm. huttman,

Whatever may have been written and published by commentators, relative to the fabrications of Jasher, I am persuaded they had no reference to this work, although this is the work slightly touched upon by Dr. Home, as the publication in Venice, on the first discovery of printing ; but of its origin and history he knew nothing beyond the rumor that it had originally been brought from Jerusalem. There are some events recorded in Jasher, that are found in the Talmud, no doubt copied from Jasher ; for although we find in the Talmud, the Mishnah, and Gemarrah, many parables and fanciful tales, to effect moral and religious purposes, yet every thing that we have in Jasher we find recorded in the Bible, with this difference, that in Jasher the occurrences of the Bible are amplified and detailed at length. The celebrated philosopher, Mendelsohn, expresses a high opinion of this work. There are, nevertheless, some events which are recorded in Jasher that may create surprise, particularly a detail of the rape of the Sabines, which, at the first glance, I was disposed to consider as an interpolation ; but a little reflection satisfied me that it was an event placed in proper chronological order. Pizron, in his Revolution of Empires, or Antiquities of Nations, says, [page 164,] " It is therefore likely from what I have said, that several of the Titans, in the reign of Uranus, or, at least, in that of Saturn, staying and fixing themselves in that part of Italy which is adjacent to the Tiber and the Appenines, were after ward called Umbrians. If such were the case, as it seems it was, the settlement of the Titans in Italy was made about the time of the calling of Abraham, that is, when he left Chaldea, to go and dwell in the land of Canaan." Page 175, " Now, if all this came to pass, it must have happened about the time Deucalion reigned in Greece, or some years after the deluge that happened under that prince." If as Pizron says, the separation of the Sabines from the Umbrians took place 1500 years before Christ, it will not be far distant from the time at which Jasher places the rape of the Sabine women, in the 91st year of the life of Abraham.

The following is the translator's preface, and with all his admitted learning and ability, he has been unable to do justice to the beauty, grandeur, and alike the simplicity of the original Hebrew. I also subjoin a translation of the Hebrew preface and a translation of the printer's preface, being all the documents in my possession.

Without giving it to the world as a work of Divine inspiration, or assuming the responsibility to say that it is not an inspired book, I have no hesitation in pronouncing it a work of great antiquity and interest, and a work that is entitled, even regarding it as a literary curiosity, to a great circulation among those who take pleasure in studying the Scriptures.

Mordecai Manuel NOAH.

New-York, April, 1839.

Ju

TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE

**

THE age in which we live has been, and continues to be, particularly distinguished by a laudable desire in the minds of men to inquire into the various states of knowledge and of the arts, as they existed in times anterior to the Christian era. Animated with these noble and elevated views, a considerable number of individuals, greatly distinguished for their genius and learning, have in succession turned their attention to the East— to those celebrated countries, in which the arts of civilization and the lights of science first dawned upon, enlightened, and embellished human society. The magnificent and unequalled remains of the arts in Egypt, Babylonia, Assyria, Palestine, and Persia, have, from time to time, been visited and explored ; and it has been amidst these fallen monuments of human grandeur, that the adventurous and enlightened traveller has found himself amply rewarded for his laborious and hazardous undertakings ; for, amidst these wrecks of human greatness, he has succeeded in gathering ample evidence in confirmation of many of the most important truths recorded in sacred history.

Profane histories have, indeed, conveyed down to us some account of these kingdoms, and of the mighty monarchs who, during a long succession of ages, ruled over them ; but the events which they relate are evidently so mixed up with exaggeration, and so adulterated with fable, that, however celebrated their authors might have been, and however fascinating may be the style of their composition, the religious and philosophic student turns from them with dissatisfaction, to the divinely authenticated annals of the Hebrews ; because, it is from these alone that he can derive true information concerning the rise, the splendour, the decline, and the real causes of the ruin of those celebrated empires.

In the sacred history we are presented with the only authentic, and, of course, the only valuable information concerning the origin of the universe,— of men and all other animated creatures,— of the gradual increase of the human race,— of the flood in the year A. M. 1656 (Anno Mundi, or, after the birth of Adam), of which mighty event there are existing evidences to the present day ; evidences, so universal and so ponderous, that all the ingenuity of the sceptical geologists will never be able to remove them in order to make room for their plausible hypotheses.

The ever memorable events and transactions recorded in Scripture are with many others of the most interesting nature, comprehended in the Book of Jasher ; and they are all arrayed in that style of simple, unadorned majesty and precision, which so peculiarly distinguishes the genius of the Hebrew language ; and this, together with other numerous internal evidences, it is presumed, will go far to convince the Hebrew scholar that the book is, with the exception of some doubtful parts, a venerable monument of antiquity ; and that, notwithstanding some few additions (that) may have been made to it in comparatively modern times, it still retains sufficient (evidence) to prove it a copy of the book referred to in Joshua x , and II Samuel i. There are not more than seven or eight words in the whole book that by construction can be derived from the Chaldean language.

The printed Hebrew copy, in the hands of the translator, is without points. During his first perusal of it, some perplexities and doubts rose up in his mind respecting its authenticity : but the more closely he studied it, the more its irresistible evidence satisfied him that it contained a treasure of information concerning those early times, upon which the histories of other nations are either silent, or cast not a single ray of real light ; and he was more especially delighted to find that the evidence of the whole of its contents went to illustrate and confirm the great and inestimable truths which are recorded in divine history, down to a few years later than the death of Joshua, at which period the book closes.

In this extraordinary book the reader will meet with models of the most sublime virtue, devotion and magnanimity, that cannot fail to raise his admiration, and, at the same time, to excite a generous feeling of emulation to follow the glorious examples set before him.

With these preliminary observations, the translator now respectfully proceeds to lay before the readers a few remarks upon the contents of the book. The title Sefer Ha-Jasher is literally, "the upright or correct record ;" but because the book was not known, it was therefore termed the " Book of Jasher." This has caused some persons, who are ignorant of the Hebrew language, to suppose that Jasher was the name of a prophet, or of one of the Judges of Israel ; an instance of which appears in a publication which came from the press about the middle of the last century, and which purported to have been a translation into English of the Hebrew manuscript of Jasher, found at Gazna in Persia ; which translation only was said to have been thence brought by Alcuin. When the translator wrote to the Editor of the London Courier, in November last, he was not aware that the copy of Jasher, announced in the Bristol Gazette as an important discovery, had reference to that fictitious book, which, through the kindness of a friend, he had previously obtained a sight of. He was soon convinced that the whole book was the work of some sceptic in England, in imitation of the language of Scripture, as it was sent forth from the press without the name of printer, bookseller, editor or publisher ; and it is evident that those who were concerned in getting it up, in making Jasher the name of a Judge of Israel were ignorant of the very rudiments of the language, from which they pretended to have translated it, as it is well known, even to a tyro in the Hebrew language, that the definite article, the letter He is never prefixed to proper names.

The important transactions which are narrated with so remarkable a brevity in the Bible, are, in Jasher, more circumstantially detailed ; as in the instance of the murder of Abel by his brother Cain, a particular account is given of the disagreement which preceded it, and of the pretext which Cain sought for the commission of the crime. It appears, also, that when the divine judgment condemned him to wander upon the earth, his wife accompanied him, not to the land of Nod, for no such place is mentioned ; but, from this book it appears that the word Nod, in the Scripture, has been given for the participle of the verb : gadad [gimel, daleth, daleth] ; to move or wander about. Jasher has it thus :

" And at that time Cain went forth from the presence of the Lord, from the place where he was ; and he went moving and wandering in the land at the east of Eden, he and all belonging to him."

In the passage respecting the birth of Cain and Abel, three daughters are also mentioned. According to Jasher, the art of writing appears to have been known and practised from the earliest periods ; it is stated that Cainan was informed beforehand by God, of the intended destruction of mankind by the flood, which he engraved upon tablets of stone, and preserved amongst his treasures.

This book contains a more detailed account of the awful circumstances attending the commencement of the flood, and of the conduct of Noah toward the terrified multitude who had assembled about the ark, when the fatal moment had arrived, and their doom was irrevocably fixed.

A particular delineation of the life and character of Enoch is given, showing, that by his wisdom he reigned over the sons of men, continually instructing them in truth, righteousness, and a knowledge of the Most High.

Jasher informs us, that in the days of Peleg, not only the families of the human race were separated and spread abroad, but that the earth itself was divided ; and of both these facts, it may be presumed, there are sufficient existing evidences, even at this day. This book gives, also, a more detailed account of the genealogies of the descendants of Japheth, Shem, and Ham, and of the various parts of the earth which were colonized by them.

Connected with this period of the history is given an account of Nimrod ; in which is strikingly depicted the arbitrary and violent character of his conduct and government. The contested point, as to whether Nimrod was the founder of the Assyrian Empire, is here decided. The cause of the dispute amongst commentators proceeded from the word :

asher [aleph, shin, waw, resh] ; in Gen. chapter x. ver. 1 1 , signifying either the name of a man, or the name of the land of Assyria. Jasher has it thus :

" And Asher, the son of Shem, went forth, he and his sons, and the children of his household, &c, and they there built four cities." Jasher clearly elucidates a number of genealogical and chronological difficulties, which occur in the Bible ; an instance is here adduced of the genealogy of Seir, the Horite, upon which the Bible is silent.

" Seir, his genealogy we do not know ;" and the word hachore [he, chet, resh, yod] is supposed to come from chore [chet, waw, resh]: a noble ; but Jasher gives us the descent of Seir, [ which accounts for his being called the Horite,] in the following words :

" And Seir, the son of Hur, the son of Hivi, the son of Canaan, went," &c. ; hence he was called the Horite, from Hur, his father.

The character of Abraham, for piety, true dignity and hospitality, appears to stand unrivalled ; but the most affecting and beautiful account in this book, is that of Abraham offering up his son Isaac. The mutual affection of the father and son, and their willing devotion and obedience to the commands of their Maker, are so exquisitely described, that the heart of him who can peruse the narrative without being deeply affected, must be callous indeed. The conduct of Sarah, as connected with this unexampled and glorious event, was altogether worthy of the wife of Abraham, and the mother of Isaac. At this time Sarah died at Kireath-Arba. Her funeral is described as having been magnificent ; and it is expressly mentioned, that it was attended by Shem, the son of Noah, Eber his son, king Abimelech, together with Anar, Ashcol and Mamre, and other great people of the land.

In the Bible, Sarah is the only woman whose age is given at her death ; but it may be interesting to the reader to know, that Jasher generally states the ages of all the women who are particularly mentioned in the course of the history.

From this book we learn that Noah and Abraham were contemporaries. How beautiful the contemplation of the meeting of these two Patriarchs, the one being a monument of God's mercy, and the other having the promise of the favour and grace of God, not only to himself, but to his seed after him. This fact might be proved from Scripture ; but from the 32nd verse in the 11th chapter of Genesis, most of the Christian commentators have erroneously dated the birth of Abraham 60 years later than it actually took place ; as it is generally stated that he was born A. M. 2008, whereas the regular calculation in the Bible leads us to 60 years earlier, viz. 1948. The only cause of this error has been that Abraham's departure from Haran, at the age of 75, is recorded close to the description of the death of Terah, at the age of 205, in Gen. ch. xi, v. 32. Although this is the frequent manner of Scripture, to record events out of the regular order of succession, [an instance of which we find in Isaac, whose death is recorded in Gen. ch. xxxv, v. 29, when we know from the calculations given us in Scripture, that Isaac's death, must have taken place when Joseph was about 29 years old ; and the description given in Jasher, of Isaac's coming from Hebron to comfort Jacob upon the loss of Joseph, is beautiful,] it is of great importance, in its making a difference of 60 years in the chronology of the world.

This book gives a particular account of the instruction received by Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, from Shem and Eber, through which they became so excellent in piety and wisdom, their tutors in learning having lived to so great an age ; and Shem particularly, who, being acquainted with all that was known before the flood, could therefore strengthen his precepts of virtue, the true worship of God, and the necessary dependance upon Him alone, by recording the awful events which he had seen.

The history of Joseph has always been considered one of the most admirable and interesting on record. It is composed in a style of simple and artless eloquence, which touches every feeling heart. A judicious critic has observed that he considers it a perfect composition. This history, in Jasher, enters more into detail concerning the affairs of Potiphar's wife, Zelicah ; Joseph's magnificent procession through the cities of Egypt on coming into power ; the pomp with which he was attended by Pharaoh's chariots, officers, and people, when he went up to meet his father ; affecting scene which then took place, together with other remarkable incidents. This beautiful narrative might justly be entitled, the triumph of virtue and piety ; and it is presumed that few can peruse it, unmoved by sentiments of the highest admiration, mixed with the deepest feelings of sympathy. The history of the Israelites during their sojourning in Egypt, contains an account of many interesting particulars not noticed in the Bible. Toward the latter end of this period, Balaam, Job, Jannes, and Jambres, appear to have acted their respective parts in some memorable transactions.

This book clears up the reference in 2 Samuel, ch. i, by showing that David, in the commencement of his beautiful elegy on the death of Saul and Jonathan, revived an injunction given by Jacob in his dying charge to his son Judah, contained in Jasher in these

" But teach, I pray thee, thy children the use of the bow, and all in struments of war," &c. This goes far to prove the authenticity of the book, as it beautifully clears up what was always considered obscure.