Note 107 — FIRST SECTION.

Yet this would appear to have been no serious loss, for the disease was quite able indeed to weaken the power of the Jews, but not to actually destroy it. So Balaam says in Josephus (loco cit. § 6.): Hebraeorum quidem genus nunquam funditus peribit, nec bello, nec peste, nec inopia terrae fructuum, nec alio casu inopinato delebitur.—In mala autem nonnulla et calamitates ad breve tempus incident; a quibus licet deprimi humique affligi videantur, postea tamen reflorescent, cum eos timere coeperint qui damna illis intulerant. (The nation of the Hebrews in fact will never utterly perish, and can be destroyed neither by war, nor plague, nor famine of the fruits of the earth, nor any other unlooked for disaster.—They will fall however for a brief space into sundry ills and calamities; whereby they may well seem to be broken down and brought to the earth. But they will flourish again, when once they have learned to fear the enemies that brought the disasters upon them). It was in order to bring about this consummation that Balaam gave his advice just cited.