which they agree, to engage in and perform the duty. Let us go
And though, if the words be thus understood, we must suppose an ellipsis in the text, something understood that is not expressed, as if it had been said, those of other cities shall say, I will go also; yet, this is not difficult to be supposed, for such ellipses are very common in Scripture. We have one exactly parallel with it in Jer. 3:22. "Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the Lord our God," i.e. the backsliding children shall say, "Behold, we come unto thee," &c. And in Cant. 4:16. and 5:1. "Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits. I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse," i.e. her beloved shall say, "I am come into my garden." We have the like throughout that song. So Psal. 50:6, 7. "The heavens shall declare his righteousness; for God is Judge himself. Hear, O my people, and I will speak," i.e. the Judge shall say, "Hear, O my people," &c. So Psal. 82:1, 2.—The psalms and prophets abound with such figures of speech.
5. We may observe the manner of prayer agreed on, or the manner in which they agree, to engage in and perform the duty. Let us go SPEEDILY to pray; or as it is in the margin, Let us go continually. The words literally translated are, Let us go in going. Such an ingemination, or doubling of words, is very common in the Hebrew language, when it is intended that a thing shall be very strongly expressed. It generally implies the superlative degree of a thing; as the holy of holies signifies the most holy. But it commonly denotes, not only the utmost degree of a thing, but also the utmost certainty; as when God said to Abraham, "In multiplying, I will multiply thy seed," (Gen. 22:17.) it implies both that God would certainly multiply his seed, and also multiply it exceedingly. So when God said to Adam, "In the day that thou eatest thereof, in dying thou shalt die," (as the words are in the original,) it implies, both that he should surely die, and also that he should die most terribly, should utterly perish, and be destroyed to the utmost degree.
In short, as the ingemination of words in the Hebrew, generally denotes the strength of expression, so it is used to signify almost all