105Lastly，inordertounderstand，inthecaseofmiracles，whatactuallytookplace，weoughttobefamiliarwithJewishphrasesandmetaphors；
anyonewhodidnotmakesufficientallowanceforthese，wouldbecontinuallyseeingmiraclesinScripturewherenothingofthekindisintendedbythewriter；hewouldthusmisstheknowledgenotonlyofwhatactuallyhappened，butalsoofthemindofthewritersofthesacredtext。106Forinstance，Zechariahspeakingofsomefuturewarsayschap。xiv；7:\"ItshallbeonedaywhichshallbeknowntotheLord，notday，nornight；butateventimeitshallbelight。\"Inthesewordsheseemstopredictagreatmiracle，yetheonlymeansthatthebattlewillbedoubtfulthewholeday，thattheissuewillbeknownonlytoGod，butthatintheeveningtheywillgainthevictory:theprophetsfrequentlyusedtopredictvictoriesanddefeatsofthenationsinsimilarphrases。107ThusIsaiah，describingthedestructionofBabylon，sayschap。xiii。:\"Thestarsofheaven，andtheconstellationsthereof，shallnotgivetheirlight；thesunshallbedarkenedinhisgoingforth，andthemoonshallnotcauseherlighttoshine。\"108NowIsupposenooneimaginesthatatthedestructionofBabylonthesephenomenaactuallyoccurredanymorethanthatwhichtheprophetadds，\"ForIwillmaketheheavenstotremble，andremovetheearthoutofherplace。\"
109So，too，IsaiahinforetellingtotheJewsthattheywouldreturnfromBabylontoJerusaleminsafety，andwouldnotsufferfromthirstontheirjourney，says:\"AndtheythirstednotwhenHeledthemthroughthedeserts；
Hecausedthewaterstoflowoutoftherocksforthem；Heclavetherocks，andthewatersgushedout。\"110ThesewordsmerelymeanthattheJews，likeotherpeople，foundspringsinthedesert，atwhichtheyquenchedtheirthirst；forwhentheJewsreturnedtoJerusalemwiththeconsentofCyrus，itisadmittedthatnosimilarmiraclesbefellthem。
111InthiswaymanyoccurrencesintheBiblearetoberegardedmerelyasJewishexpressions。112Thereisnoneedformetogothroughthemindetail；butIwillcallattentiongenerallytothefactthattheJewsemployedsuchphrasesnotonlyrhetorically，butalso，andindeedchiefly，fromdevotionalmotives。113Suchisthereasonforthesubstitutionof\"blessGod\"for\"curseGod\"in1Kingsxxi:10，andJobii:9，andforallthingsbeingreferredtoGod，whenceitappearsthattheBibleseemstorelatenothingbutmiracles，evenwhenspeakingofthemostordinaryoccurrences，asintheexamplesgivenabove。