MENI, s=, Is. lxv. II, the only place where the word occurs. It is rendered by the LXX.
although some copies have Ti aaLgOViy, and in the former clause as the equivalent of11 This transposition is adopted by Jerome (et paratis fortune niensam, et impletis demoni potionem), who also in his commentary 'exerte monet Tan '0 vocem +.11D reddidisse TK;) Sattcovt4o.' But Vitringa, `suspieatur, Hieronymum, cum ex doctrina Magistri yuderi alte sibi impressisset esse fortunam, locum festinante occulo sic legisse, ut alterum pro altero sumpserit' (Schleusneri Lex, s. v. ri,x77). The Vulg., following a peculiar various reading, has super eam, referring to Mensam' in the preceding clause. Similar must have been the reading which the Syr. translator had before him, as he renders 001L for them. Luther retains the Hebrew word, Meni. De Wette renders it, Verhiingniss ; Alexander, fate; the A. V., number. The whole verse in which the word occurs runs thus : Ye are forsakers of Jehovah, forgetters of his holy moun tain, who prepare for Gad a table, and fill up for Meni a mixture.' There can be little doubt that Gad and Meni are proper names of certain objects of idolatrous reverence among the apostate Jews. The only question is, What are the objects denoted by the names ? On this point opinions are very much divided. Omitting the former word [see GAD], we confine ourselves to the latter. The radical meaning of the word is, allotting, apportion ing, measuring out, from ii)a Most of the inter pretations proposed keep this in view. A sample of these follow Number, because the Jews referred to in the context, after the manner of the Pythagoreans, worshipped number. 2. The Stars, because they are so numerous. 3. Idols, because they were innumerable. 4. A certain deity called Menu, worshipped in Armenia and Phrygia. The ancient name of Armenia, Minni, it is said, was derived from an illustrious king who reigned over that country in ancient times, and who, after his death, was translated among the gods. 5. The planet Mercury, ' the god of numbers,' which was regarded as exercising an influence on human affairs, and to which libations were poured out to secure a happy issue of events. 6. The Moon,
because most peoples were accustomed to mea sure their time according to it, following the lunar rather than the solar year. The similarity of bok to the Hebrew word is regarded as a confirma tion of this view. 7. The planet Saturn, Gad denoting Jupiter (Ewald), 8. The same as the idol worshipped by the Arabians before the time of Mohammed, and called in Arabic Manah. [See for authorities, Poll Synop. Crit., in loco ; Alexander's Earlier and Later Prophecies of Isaiah; Henderson's Isaiah; Ges., Thes., etc.] 9. Fiirst takes the word as denoting fate—the goddess of fate. It is, he says, N. pr. idoli vel sideris quod super stitiose lectisterniis et libationibus a Judmis in Baby lonia extorribus colebatur, a v. adsignare, attribuere, hint, attributio, fortuna, deinde Dea fati (Schicksalsgottin), Fortuna, arab. al,nn, una ex tribus Dei filiis ut fert Mythologia Arabum vetusta' (Vet. Test. Concord. Ileb. et Chal., in v.) To. Gesenius says, Fortuna significatio ex com. 12. certa est, et non potest non numen aliquod dici, quod fortunte, s. fato prxesse credebatur. Intelligenda igitur Veneris stella, quam ut fortun datricem uno cum Gado (4 e., Jove Stella) cole bant veteres Semitm ' (Thes. 798). Amidst this diversity of theories and explanations . . it is satisfactory to find that there is a perfect unanimity upon the only point of exegetical importance, that the passage is a description of idolatrous worship' (Alexander). The kind of worship given to Gad and Meni is supposed to be identical with the lectisternia of Roman writers, 'feasts offered to the gods, in which their images were placed on couches before tables covered with viands' (Smith's Lat. Die.) The 1;?nn filled for Meni denotes a mixture, i. e., most probably, of spiced wine. The custom mentioned by as having existed in ancient Egypt is thought to illustrate the present passage. On the last day of the year the Egyptians placed a table covered with dishes of various kinds, and a cup filled with mead [the mixture], as an offering in acknowledgment of the fertility of the past year, and to secure a continuance of the blessing (see Com., in loco).—I. J.