5.
In the first place, what meaneth, 1 "Perchance our soul hath passed over"? (ver. 5). Understand however the meaning to be this: "Thinkest thou our soul hath passed over?" and why do they say, "Thinkest thou"? Because the greatness of the danger maketh it hardly credible that he hath escaped. They have endured a great death: they have been in great dangers; they have been so much oppressed, that they almost gave consent while alive, and were all but swallowed up alive: now therefore that they have escaped, now that they are secure, but still remember the danger, the great danger, say, "Thinkest thou our soul hath passed over the water without substance?"
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Gesenius, Monum. Phoen. p. 390, thinks both may be from the first root, signifying "difficulty;" or the latter possibly='ry, 'ry" "let one see." [Our author says: "The Latin interpreters have thus rendered as far as they were able the Greek word ?ra. For thus the Greek copies have it; ?ra: and as it is an expression of doubt, it is rendered by an expression of doubt, the word perchance' (fortasse): but this is not the exact sense. We may express this Greek word by one not so Latin in its use, but adapted to your comprehension. The Punic word, iar, I mean not that which signifieth a wood, but the expression of doubt, is the Greek ?ra. This the Latins may or usually do express by Putas: as in this instance, Dost thou think (putas) I have escaped this? If we say, Perchance I have escaped, ye see that it hath not this meaning: but the word, Thinkest thou, is commonly used: but not in Latin in this sense. Although I may use it, when expounding to you; for I often use words that are not Latin, that ye may understand. But in Scripture this could not be used, because it was not Latin; and as Latin failed, that was used for it which had not this meaning."--C.] ↩
