Note 92:8 — Chapter IV
Reading edition
Cf. W. Robertson Smith's admirable account of the Semitic religions:
"What is requisite to religion is a practical acquaintance with the rules on which the deity acts and on which he expects his worshippers to frame their conduct—what in II Kings, 17:26 is called the 'manner,' or rather the 'customary law' (mishpat), of the god of the land. This is true even of the religion of Israel. When the prophets speak of the knowledge of God, they always mean a practical knowledge of the laws and principles of His government in Israel, and a summary expression for religion as a whole is 'the knowledge and fear of Jehovah,' i. e., the knowledge of what Jehovah prescribes, combined with a reverent obedience." The Religion of the Semites, p. 23.