m- f THEOLOGICAL SrEMINARY,!; Princeton, N. J. ^ # BS A13 .B5S V.9 Brown, John, 1784-1858, Philological tracts / n / THE BIBLICAL CABINET ^/ HERMENEUTICAL, EXEGETICAL, AND PHILOLOGICAL LIBRARY. VOL. IX. PHILOLOGICAL TRACTS, &c. EDINBURGH: THOMAS CLARK, 38. GEORGE STREET J. G. & F. RIVINGTOX, LONDON ; AND W. CURRY, JUN. & CO. DUBLIN. MDCCCXXXV. THOMSON, PC.rNIER, MIL.VE SQLAKK. TRACTS, PHILOLOGICAL AND EXEGETICAL, ON SEVERAL IMPORTANT AND DIFFICULT SUBJECTS OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS. VOL. II. EDINBURGH: THOMAS CLARK, 38. GEORGE STREET. MDCCCXXXV. CONTENTS SECOND VOLUME OF PHILOLOGICAL TRACTS, (Forming Volume Ninth of the Biblical Cabinet. J Page DISSERTATION ON THE MEANING OF " THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN 1 BY PROFESSOR GOTTLOB CHRISTIAN STORR. DISSERTATION ON THE PARABLES OF CHRIST . 59 BY PROFESSOR GOTTLOB CHRISTIAN STORR. ON THE WORD nAHPXlMA | 139 BY PROFESSOR GOTTLOB CHRISTIAN STORR. ON THE INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH, CHAPTER LII. 12. LIII 175 BY PROFESSOR HENGSTENBERG OF BERLIN. CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME OF PHILOLOGICAL TRACTS, (Forming Volume Second of the Biblical Cabinet.) I. Dr. Pfannkouche on the Language of Palestine in the Age of Christ and the Apostles. II. Dr. Plaxck on the Greek Diction of the New Testament. III. Dr. Tholuck on the Importance of the Study of the Old Testament. IV. Dr. Beckhaus on the Tropical Language of the New Testament. " There is in the four tracts which compose this small but very neatly printed volume, a mass of sacred erudition, a depth of judgment, a comprehensive reach of understanding, &c — The Importance of Studying the Old Testament, a disserta- tion by Professor Tholuck of Halle, is maintained with great ability." — Monthly Review. " This volume (the second) contains a good essay on the language of Palestine, by Pfannkouche ; one by Planck on the language of the New Testament ; and several others by Tholuck, Beckhaus," &c. — British Magazine. " The plan which Dr. Beckhaus has adopted, in explain- ing the tropical language of Scripture, proceeds on right prin- ciples, avoiding all controverted passages, and taking his ex- amples from such as have any difficulties in the language and not in the doctrine. " It deserves, therefore, to be carefully studied ; and may serve as an example by which others may pursue similar in- vestigations. This volume will be read, both with pleasure and instruction. " Planck on the genius of the diction of the New Testa- ment is a very learned production, and evinces the author's qualifications to investigate such a theme. Tholuck on the study of the Old Testament is a most beautiful production, and may be very beneficially perxised by the humble and devotional disciple of Christ. The book ought to be purchased by all who wish to have a knowledge of the oracles of God." — Chris- tian Advocate. " The publication before us, in its external form, is as re- markably neat as its contents are richly useful. Dr Tholttck's Tract is interesting and instructive. " Our wishes are justly called forth, and our recommenda- tion is c/)rdially given, that this new contribution to the science of Biblical Criticism and Interpretation, may be received by the Public as it deserves ; and that will be with warm appro- bation and extensive siipport." — Eclectic Review. -H.- ^^, i^n ^'^m^. The following introductory observations by the American translators, will sufficiently ex- plain the object and character of the tracts in- cluded in this volume, and it is hoped they will amply justify the republication of them in this country. '' The object of the work is to advance the cause of Biblical Literature, principally by placing within the reach of students some treatises, which are not now readily accessible. At the present time, this department of theological science is receiving a thorough investigation. Scholars, celebrated for the accuracy and the extent of their erudition, are devoting their talents to the illustration of the Bible, by cultivating a funda- mental acquaintance with its languages, and with the whole circle of knowledge connected with it, and by applying to the subject all the light, afforded by historical research and philo- sophical investigation. In our ow^n country, there is an increasing interest in Sacred Litera- ture ; and the Clergy, of all denominations, are more and more impressed with the importance Vm PREFACE. of searching the Scriptures, in order to ascer- tain and defend the fundamental truths of reve- lation. Our Seminaries of theology are direct- ing the attention of their «^tudents, to the care- ful study of the Bible in its original Languages, and supplying them with aids, to prosecute this study with success. In England, several of our critical works have been reprinted ; a few produc- tions of continental scholars have been translated ; and some original publications have been added to the sacred treasury. " But of all those who apply their learning to the explanation of the Scriptures, not only the largest number, but we must say, the clearest in arrangement, and the most satisfactory in col- lecting knowledge, are to be found among the German writers. We are well aware, that there is a prejudice in some minds, against German divinity and philology in general, arising from that looseness of interpretation, which has cha- racterized the modern neological school. We would by no means vindicate their views ; but it is unreasonable to condemn the whole, for the errors of a part only, even if that part should be considerable. And it is possible that the works of many, even of that part, may contain much that is of great interest and value. Is it wise, then, to forego the advantage to be derived from the study of these authors, because some ot their sentiments are loose xiii. 11, 24, 31, 33, " THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. 7 heaven ; sometimes, also, it is called the kingdom'' %ar i^fjyri'j, as being that which was so well known, both from the sacred books of the Jews, and from the gospel, of which it is the sum and substance,^ that none could fail to understand the true signification of the term. II. It cannot indeed be denied, that the prevalent opinion in the time of Christ with regard to Messiah's kingdom, was far removed from the true conception of its character ; and that the Jews, whose thoughts entirely overlooked those prophecies which related to the death of Christ, and the rest of his humilia- tion,^ supposed the grandeur of the kingdom of heaven to consist in temporal riches and power, and * Luke xxir. 20 s. 25 s. ; xviii. 34. John xii. 34. V. 3, xix. 23,) instead of which, both the Greek interpreter of St. IMatthew, ( e. g. xii. 28, xix. 24, comp. Uber den zweck der e%'I. Gesch. Joh. p. 369.) and more frequently still the other evangehsts, e.g. Mark i. 15. Luke x. 9, 11, viii. 10. Mark iv. 11, 26, 30. Luke xiii. 18, 20, xi. 20. Mark x. 23—25.) make mention of the kingdom of God. I have no doubt that the word heaven, in that phrase of St. IMatthew, has the signifi- cation of the God of heaven. (Dan. ii. 44, note 1.) See Matt, xxi. 25. Luke xx. 4 s. xv. 18. Dan. iv. 23, and ^^etstein, ad ]Matt. 1. c. " ]\Iatt. iv. 23, ix. 35, xiii. 19, xxiv. 14. 5 Mark i. 14 ; Luke iv. 43, viii. 1, ix. 2, 11, 60, xvi. 16 ; Acts i. 3, viii. 12, xix. 8, xx. 25, xxviii. 23, 31. 8 THE MEANING OF in the splendour of their capital ;^ * and while they were deceived by the vain expectation, that, having expelled the Romans,^ they should ere long^ re- cover'* and extend*^ their dominion, in regard to the real grandeur and glory of the Messiah's reign^ were shamefully ignorant/ We are not, however, to " Luke xix. 11. ^ Luke xxiv. 21. Acts xvii. 7. John xix. 12, compare Luke xxiii. 2. '^ Luke xix. 11. ^ Acts i. 6. ^ Matt. xxii. 43 s. ^ V. 46. ^ That the Jews connected the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem with the commencement of the kingdom of heaven, cannot be proved from the example of the apostles ; (Matt. xxiv. 3. ) for these had been informed of that catastrophe not through Jewish instruction, but by the prediction of our Lord ; {v. 2. Luke xix. 44.) and they were so struck with the strangeness of the annunciation, that they thought the world itself, with whose duration they had connected that of their temple, would be overwhelmed in the same overthrow. Nor am I at all influ- enced by that passage of the Gemarists, adduced by Lightfoot at Matt. ii. 1 ; since, as it is allowed even by Keil himself, who lays great stress upon the citation just mentioned, (p. 9.) [Keil, Opus. Acad. p. 32, Lips. 1821. — Tr.] the talmudical writings are to be referred to not so much for the purpose of proof, as for that of illustrating and confirming points already, from other quarters, well ascertained and established. We have the testimony, moreover, of Josephus, (see note 2) that by the ex- pectation of the Messiah, (comp. IMatt. xxiv. 4, s. 23 — 26,) the Jews were rather led into the hope, that it might become their duty to contend fiercely with the Romans for their liberty, city, and temple. Other traces of the opinion respecting the wonder- ful security of the temple, are to be fotmd in Acts vi. 11, ss ; and in Josephus, L. vi. de BeU. Jud. c. 2, § 1. '° See several well-known passages of Josephus, Tacitus, (note 2,) and Suetonius (in Vespasian 4.) " THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. 9 imagine, that Jesus and his apostles were obliged, on this account, either to make no mention at all of the kingdom of heaven, or to maintain that notion of it which, though by no means correct, was yet the only one known to their hearers. It may be observed, on the one hand, that it was altogether becoming in divine teachers generally, and peculiarly so in the Messiah, to restore that true idea of the kingdom of heaven which had been pointed out by the prophets. But, besides this, the prevalent opinion of the Jews is not to be deemed so entirely false, but that they may have had some little insight, at least, into that true sense, which is defined in the ancient prophecies, and repeated in the New Testament ; and that while, under the teaching of Jesus and his ambassadors, they unlearned what had been superadded by the erroneous interpretation of the Jews, and discover- ed what it had hidden from the view, they may have been, meanwhile, led to a change of views, by the general* doctrine which they held, concerning the great benefits they were to receive from that king of theirs,^ who was expected from the family of David.^ But let us turn for information to the New Testament itself ; from which it seems to me to be clearly established, that so far were Jesus and his apostles from accommodating themselves to the Jew- ish opinion concerning Christ's kingdom, that, on the ^ Comp. Matt. xx. 21 with JMark x. 37- ^ John i. 50 comp. 46. Luke xxiii. 2. JMatt. ii. 4 s. comp. 2. ' Mark xi. 10. Matt, xxii, 42. John vii. 42. 10 THE MEANING OF Other hand, they reduced it strictly to the standard of truth, and of the ancient prophecies.* §111. I. THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. Upon one topic, the subject indeed of ancient pro- phecy,* but more than any other overlooked by the Jews, Jesus and the apostles were so much the more particular in their instructions ; setting forth the mul- tiplied griefs, and painful punishment, that were to be, or had already been endured by Jesus, previously to the occupancy of that promised heavenly dominion. Among numerous passages^ ^ we read some more ex- press than others, in which, were the order of time to be regarded, it would be proper to begin with our Lord's predictions ; but, as I have determined first to take notice of those passages where the ancient prophe- cies^ 2 jiad been clearly mentioned, another commence- ment must be adopted. When St. Peter, then, after ^ Isa. liii. 10 ss. Ps. xvi. 9 ss. • Comp. Diss. i. in LL. N. T. hist, aliquot loca ad Matt. v. — vii. Diss. iii. ad John vi. 26 s. " See particularly Luke xvii. 25, xxiv. 2G s ; 1. Pet. i. 11 ; Phil. ii. 7 ss ; Heb. ii. 9 ; Eph. i. 20 ss. ^'^ To these, indeed, Jesus did not omit to bear testimony ; as in Matt. xxii. 41 ss. he clearly declared, that the offspring of David was to possess a kingdom so truly divine, that he deserved to be called Lord by the parent himself ; but in that place. " THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN." 1 1 the ascension of our Lord into heaven, delivered his first pubhc discourse, the substance of what he wished his hearers to understand was this ; that the miracle which had brought the multitude together was a proof, that that same Jesus whom they had cru- cified^ had not only been restored to life,^ but had ascended into heaven^ and, as Ps. ex. expresses it, had sat down on the right hand of God,^ and had thus, through the divine power, been exalted to a station so pre-eminent, that he was both able to send forth this gift which was evident to the senses of the whole assembly,^ and ought to be regarded by all as one whom God had made Lord, and that Lord^ too,^ who, wider the name of Christ^^ i. e. the king, about to arise out of the family of David,^ had been all along the object of their expectations.^ With this representation harmonizes that of St. Paul, that, in his day, it had come to pass, that God had performed^ -^ his promise concerning the offspring of David,^ by making Jesus king ;^^ J who, in pursuance of the pre- ^ Acts ii. 36, 23. ^ V. 24, 32. '^ Acts ii. 34 s. ^ V. 33. ^ V. 36. ^ Ps. ii. 2. s V. 6, 2 Sam. vii. 12 ss. ^ Acts ii. 30. ' Acts xiii. 2? J V. 32. which I shall make use of hereafter in reference to my subject, there is certainly no mention made of predictions. ^5 On the construction of Acts, xiii. 32, See Bengel. ^* Since by that promise which the Apostle says was now ac- complished, an expectation had been raised of some great king of the stock of David, (v. 23,) and also a subsequent verse, 33, refers to the kingdom of the Messiah (note 16) ; without doubt amffTritrois is to be taken in the same sense as in the promise it- 12 THE MEANING OF dictions of the prophets,* having suffered death, and been recalled^ to life eternal,^ that that time had ar- rived,*^ which the divine prophet had long ago^ in- troduced as actually present ;^"^ — that now, since Jesus by his sacrifice had expiated our sins,^ the declara- tion in Ps. ex. had had this issue,^ that Jesus was made greater than all things which are subject to God,^ and even than the angels themselves, and thus had obtained that name and glory > which had been promised to David's offspring ;J that now he is per- ceived to be that begotten Son of God, who, in pre- ference to all the kings of the stock of David, de- serves to be called the Son of God,^^ being possessed ^ Acts ii. 27, 29, 34. ^ V. 27—31. '' V. 34. «* V. 32, 33. « Ps. ii. 7. * Heb. i. 3, x. 12. 5 Heb. i. 3, comp. 13, x. 12 s. ^ i. 2. * V. 4. > V. 5. self (2 Sam. vii. 12) : " I will make king {kvcctrrriffu) thine off- spring after thee, and I will establish his kingdom.'''' Comp. Acts vii. 18. '^ I do not apprehend that there wiU be very many, at the present day, disposed to doubt whether C3"i*n ^^ ^^^* P^^^^ ^^" dicates some certain and definite period, (Heb. iv. 7>) which was present, not indeed in the Psalmist's time, but in that to which the Psalm had reference, (comp. x. 5.) '^ The Apostle, very suitably to the sense of the prophecy, (2 Sam. vii. 14 ; Ps. ii. 7, comp. Ps. Ixxxix. 27, s. ; Ps. ii. 0.) infers from that name of Son of God the dignity of Christ's em- pire ; (Heb. i. 5, comp. with 2 — 4, comp. liuke i. 32 s. Matt. xxvi. G3 s.) but at the same time very clearly shews, that the offspring of David (Heb. i. 5, comp. with 2 Sam. vii. 14,) fould not have obtained the name and dignity of Son of God, " THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN." 13 of the same divine empire as the Father.* But let us hear also what our Lord himself says. We find, then, that to the disciples who acknowledged him^ to be the Christ the Son of God,^ he expressly shews, on the very same occasion,^ the sorrow and death he was to undergo before he commenced his kingly life ; and publicly before the multitude^ he also bids his friends expect not wealth, and a prosperous con- dition, but a similar destiny of calamities and of death ; and, at last, when he should make a most splendid exhibition of his glory, life, truly so called, and a most certain recompense of reward :*" but he adds,^ that, although that most glorious appearance of the kingdom of heaven*^ was neither so near at hand, nor of that earthly form, that any one ought to shrink even from undergoing death, for the gospel's sake,' yet those who are standing here^ 7 shall, a part » Heb. i. 2, 3, 13, 8 s. ^ Matt. xvi. 16. ■= Ps. ii. 2, 7- d Matt. xvi. 21. « Mark viii. 34. Luke ix. 23. f V. 23_2G. g V. 27. ^ V. 26. ' V. 25. in the sense that he Avas made far superior to the angels, (Heb. i. 4) and had sat down at the right hand of God, (v^. 3,) and was appointed Lord of all things, (v. 2,) unless, besides his hu- man nature, he possessed also one much more exalted, nay, higher than all others, which had founded, and which supports all things, (v. 10 — 12, 3,) and in reference to which God may be said (v. 2,) to have made the world by his Son. Compare Roos, Lehre und Lebensgeschichte Jesu Chrsti, P. i. p. 295. ^" The apostles appear to have stood next to Jesus, (comp. Mark iii. 34) having been the only persons present with him while he was praying. (Luke ix. 18, 21,) before the people Avere called. (Mark viii. 34.) It is probable that he meant 14 THE MEANING OF of them, ^*^ not die, till they shall have seen the king- dom of God, or, as St. Mark expresses it, ix. 1, WW they shall have seen the kingdom of God come with power, which, according to the interpretation of St. Matthew,^ means, until they shall have seen this man, who now appears so abject and miserable,** coming^^ to his kingdom. Jesus, therefore, some little time after that discourse, but while the apostles^^ however were, a great part of them, living, entered upon his government ; so that it was permitted to them surviving to see^* his kingdom coming, and also * xvi. 28. ^ V. 21. these, therefore, and perhaps pointed them out, by some vi- sible sign, (Mark iii. 34. Matt. xii. 49,) when he uttered the words above cited. '^ Tivis, in the passage referred to, signifies a part, in general ; which may also be a great part. (John vi. 64, comp. with ii6 ; 1 Cor. x. 7 ss.) And Judas, whom our Lord usually excepts in other places also, ^\•hen he is speaking of the apos- tles, (John xiii. 10 s) certainly died before the commencement of the kingdom of God. ^^ 'E^_^o^£voy iv r^ ^aviXiia, Seems to mean the same thing, (comp. 2 Kings xiii. 20; Job. v. 26,) as i^;^ofjt,iyov il; rh ^ct- ciXiittv, and this phrase to signify coming to the kingdom, ob- taining possession of the government. Comp. Theodotion, Dan. iv. 33, and the word {|^^>^, which, though it properly T T signifies to come to any thing (Obss. gramm. p. 272,) frequently means to obtain possession of any thing. Perhaps also Luke xxiii. 42, ought to be rendered : " when thou shalt have obtain- ed possession o/thy kingdom." '^" Compare above Acts xiii. 32. 2' In like manner. Matt. xxvi. 64, it is said that the Jews shall hereafter see this same Jesus, whom they were now so ignoraiiiiously treating, sitting at the right hand of God, as " THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN." 15 with power : that is, they were enabled, from many and great events, (among which,) besides the history of the ascension into heaven,* we reckon, for example, that remarkable and public gift of the promised Spirit,^ a power which, through the divine efficacy of Christ sitting on the right hand of God,*= the apostles sensibly felt to be communicated to them, for teaching, defending, and by miracles establishing the gospel; — and, last of all, the destruction of Je- rusalem ;) to perceive and know, that that despised and crucified Jesus now possessed powerful and uni- versal dominion. And this is the very point I wished to enforce; — that, after the death of Jesus,^ from the period of his resurrection and ascension into heaven,^ that heavenly kingdom which the ancient prophets had predicted, was entered upon by the offspring of David.f IV. But if the commencement of the kingdom of heaven is to be reckoned from the period, when Jesus, having ^ Acts i. i>, 11. ^ Acts ii. 33—36. « Mark xvi. ID s. ^ Heb. i. 3. ^ Acts ii. 31 s. 34. ' V. 30, 33, 3G. Heb. i. 3—5, 13. the Christ, the Son of God, (v. 63, note 16,) and possessed of his divine government. But in this place, as in that under discussion, (xvi. 27,) there is added the mention of a most illustrious, though far distant, proof of his glory, for the ex- hibition of which he shall come again from heaven, (Acts i. 11, as he went up to heaven, when (ii. 34. IMark xvi. 19,) he would enter upon his kingdom, and sit down at the right hand of God. 16 THE MEANING OF passed through his allotment of suffering and death, ascended into heaven ; it is evident, that, during the time of John the Baptist, and of Christ's residence on the earth, it was as near at hand as possible,^ nay, was actually present.^ For not only, as it is well known, does the usus loquendi, as well generally, ai5 in the sacred writings in particular, 22 allow things to be spoken of as present which are near at hand ; but the kingdom of heaven was not merely at hand, but in a certain sense was come, when Jesus was born. For since it was promised to the offspring of David,'^^ its commencement could not in any way be imagined, unless he who was to reign had first been conceived and born ; and, on the other hand, when he was born the time was already come to which the prophets had referred, when they foretold the government of a man, about to spring from David. We know^"* certainly that Jesus was born for the ^ Matt, iii 2 ; iv. 17 ; x. 7. Luke x. 9, 11. ^ Matt. xii. 28. Luke xi. 20 ; xvii. 21. ^^ Comp. Rev. xi. 15, xvi. 17; Matt. xxvi. 64; Luke xxii. 69 ; 2 Tim. iv. 6 s. '^~' As I am inquiring only about that kingdom, which the prophets promised, but which the gospel shows to have come ; it is plain, that I am not here referring to the divine nature of Christ, in itself considered, whose government could not be the subject of promise or of expectation, (comp. John i. 3, and note IG,) but to the kingdom of that man, who, as it had been shewn in the ancient prophecies, was one day to spring from the family of David. '^* " I am a king, being born for this end, that T might be a king, (comp. liuke i. 32 s.) and therefore (Matt. iv. 17, 23, comp. note 7-) I came into the world, that I might confirm this truth (this doctrine concerning my kingdom.") Johu " THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN." 17 very purpose, that he might publicly appear as the promised king ; and Christ's human nature was, from the period of his conception,^ joined in that intimate union*' with his divine, in order that*^ it might be pro- perly qualified to enter upon the august empire** of the Son of God.^ There are discoverable, moreover, in all those places in which Christ saj's that his king- dom is come, clear indications that a royal person^^ is chiefly referred to. Thus, in Matt. xii. 28, he shewed ^ Luke i. 35. *> John i. 14. ^ Note IC. ^ Luke i. 32 s. ^ V. 35. John i. 14. xviii. 37. I give to the article r»j, the same sense which it has in Acts ix. 2, comp. xxii. 4, and Heb. iii. 3. " In propor- tion to the greater honour which redounds from this house, over which Jesus presides, (v. 2,) to him who built it, than from the other, over which Moses presided." Comp. Obss. Gramm. p. 110, n. 1. [That the article, however, has in Acts ix. 2, the force assigned to it by Storr, may well be questioned. See a judicious note of Bishop Middleton, in his ' Doctrine of the Greek Article,' in loco. — Tr.'\ ^ The kingdom had so far come, that the king by whom it was to be administered was certainly present. Unless, indeed, as is often the case, with the words il,ovffl ^'*^ '^' 26 THE MEANING OF tained that high dignity, the power was not given* to that death which he voluntarily underwent, of sub- jecting his flesh to the dominion of destruction or decay, or of at all retarding the attainment of that eternal^ life and happiness at the right hand of God,*^ to which he was advancing. More explicitly, how- ever, and plainly than all, does the angel who fore- told the conception of Jesus declare,*^ that the son of Mary^ who was to arise from the stock of David, ^ should reign g/'c rovg uJmag, and that of his hingdom there should be no end; where that ambiguous ex- I)ression iig rovg aioJmc^ (2 Sam. vii. 13, 16'*'*) is, in the parallel part of the declaration, clearly explained in such a manner, as to make it evident that we are to understand an infinite and eternal duration. The declarations, therefore, of David^ and of St. Paul,^ ought not to be taken in an opposite sense. Nor does it seem difficult to perceive, that their meaning is far different from this. For since an eternal priesthood^-^ " Comp. ii. 24. ^ Ps. xvi. 11. " Comp. ex. 1. ^ Luke i. 33. « V. 31. ^ V. 32. e Ps. ex. 1. h 1 coj.. XV. 24—28. 'perpetual^ (comp. Gen. ix. 16), sign in the clouds (v. 13 ss.), explain in this sense : J3 7"] V ti3^. Finally, perpetual foun- tains are said to be Q^jj/^}^^, Isa. xxxiii. 16; Jer. xv. 18. — The blessing, or kingdom, promised to David, had a cha- racter far different from the unstable and fine/kingdom of Sauh (2 Sam. vii. 16, comp, with 15.) '*'' That that primary proj)hecy is referred to by the angel, is clear from a comparison of the two places, (Luke i. 32, and 2 Sam. vii. 14, 16.) ^^ Eig ro9 amm (Ps. cx. 4 ; Heb. vii. 17, 21, 24), is not only 27 is attributed to the Messiah, and this is very closely allied'*^ to his kingdom^^ it is evident that they do not intend to deny eternity to the latter. Therefore s^uc in Psalm ex. 1, does not mean,'*^ that, when every enemy has been subdued, the governmenf*® is to be ^ Ps. ex. 4, comp. with Heb. vii. 1 — 3. taken by St. Paul in the sense of eternity (v. 3, 23 — 25), but the Psaknist himself also pretty clearly interprets it in the same way, while he derives the Messiah's priesthood from a divine decree, of a very solemn and sacred character (Heb vii. 20), and never to be changed. See Bib. Cab. Vol. iii. Tittmann's Synon. p. 66. ^^ Compare also Heb. v. 5, where it is shewn that Jesus ob- tained from God a most glorious priesthood, from a passage which refers more properly to his kingdom (note 16.) *' Compare the passages cited by Glass (Philol. S. p. 382 s. vol. 1. Ed. Dathe. Lips. 1776.) Isa. xlvi. 4. Matt, xxviii. 20. 1 Tim. iv. 13. *** That sitting at the right hand of God is in this passage in- dicative of divine government, I gather from 1 Cor. xv. 25 ; Heb. viii. 1, to say nothing of other passages (xii. 2, Eph. i. 20 ss. Mark xvi. 19 s.), which not quite so clearly refer to the Psalm in question, treating of the kingly priest (comp. Heb. viii. 1.) and considered at large in Ch. vi. 20, vii. But if it be inquired, for what reason mention is made of the right hand of God, the answer is easy. For, as there was evidently no danger (1. Cor. XV. 27), that he who bade the Messiah to sit on his right hand, should be thought inferior to him, and as, on the other hand^ it was necessary to take particular care to place the wonderful dignity of the Messiah clearly before the view, it was certainly proper to speak not of the left, but the right hand, which is a token of honour (Comp. Matt. xxv. 33 s. ; Gen. xlviii. 13 ss. and Miintinghe kurze Anm. zu den Psalmen, p. 187 s.) But the meaning is, that the Messiah, generally near God, sits on the very throne of God. AVhence immediately aftarwards (Ps. ex. 5), God is in turn (Comp. Comm. in ep. ad 28 THE MEANING OF taken away from Christ ; but as the general object of this whole Psalm is to shew,* that the designs of his enemies against the divine prince would at length have an ending altogether different from that which they expected, it was in exact conformity with such a design to estabUsh this point especially, that the divine- ly appointed Lord should reign, until all his enemies should be subjected to his own^ power. Which does not mean, that he to whose government the enemies shall be subjected, (which circumstance proves of itself the continuance of that government,) should then re- sign his power ; but, on the other hand, the result of the whole matter is declared to be this, that they who had refused to acknowledge this prince, and wished to remove him by force from his government, are all overthrown and confounded, while he himself, on the contrary, is sitting at the right hand of God. He shall reign for a considerable time in the midst of enemies,*^ securely*^ expecting® an end of the rebellion ; but, while he himself is sitting at the right hand of ' V. 2 ss. compared with ii. 1 ss. '' ex. 1 . •^ V. 2. ^ ii. 4. ^ Heb. s. 13. Hebr. p. 81), said to be at the right hand, that is, (comp. Her- der, vom Geist der heb. Poesie, P. ii. p. 404, 409), at the side of the kingly priest. But the reason why I hesitate to refer the term ^j'^{^ v. 5, to the Messiahhim&e^ is that otherwise the pronoun of the secorac? person in the word ^J^J^^ would have to be transferred to God, although the Psalm in other places usually speaks of God in the third (v. Is. 4), but of the Messiah in the second (v. 2 s. 4, I), person, (comp. MUntinghe Beson- dre Anm. p. 170.) " THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN." 29 God, it shall at length come to pass, that all his ad- versaries shall be reduced under subjection to his au- thority. Such being the meaning of the Psalm, and this sense of it being recognized by St. Paul himself, who has evidently made the dignity of the Messiah, described in the Psalm, coequal* with his life, which he shews to be eternal ;'^ we seem to be going quite in opposition to his design, by supposing that in 1 Cor. XV. any end is assigned to the Messiah's king- dom. Therefore the government, which it is said in r. 24, he shall restore'*^ to God, even the Father, must not be supposed to mean Christ'' s goverment, but that of every opposing^^ power, which is evidently declared to be destroyed, that the power may be restored to God. For since those who set themselves against Christ, at the same time resist God ^so f the govern- ment is restored to God,^ when it is restored to Christ, subduing^ ^ those who are at the same time the enemies of himself and of God, and thus recovering the go- vernment for God and for himself,® from the enemies who had usurped it. That this is the meaning of the passage under discussion, appears to me to be con- ^ Heb. vii. 23—25. " ^^^^ ^^ 9, jjgb^ vii. 26, 24. = Ps. ii. 2. ^ Rev. xi. 17 ; xix. 6. ^ xi. 15. ♦^ Comp. 2 Chron. viii, 2, Obss. Gramm. p. 357- ^ That hostile power is meant, is sbewn not only by the ex- planation (flrafTfltf rtvs 'ExePOT'S) subjoined in v. 25, but by the very v^'ord xartt^yfiTfi in v. 24, which, like the word a^7 it ^ V. 24 s. b V. 24. '= V. 25. strength, &c., and has nothing to boast of (Acts v. 36; Gal. vi. 3); so, on the contrary, God is all things (1 Cor. xv. 28), because ever^' created thing, however excellent, owes every- thing it has to glory in to God; and even the man (v. 21) Jesus himself, constituted by God the Lord of all things (v. 27, comp. with Ps. viii. 7, 5), possesses this his kingdom as a divine gift (Phil. ii. 9.) In this sense, indeed, (which is set forth in 1 Cor. xv. 28) God is all things every where, even be- fore his enemies have been subdued, in whose foolish and im- pious (Ps. ii. 4) opinion God passes for nothing, or who account him as nothing, although he is aU things, and despise him (x. 4 ; xiv. 1), or, at any rate, prevent (1 Cor. xv. 26) the glory of his kingdom from shining evidently forth. But Christ shall restore the government to the Father, or shaU vindicate his glory and authority, by the conquest of all his enemies ; that, as God is in fact all in all, so he may every where be acknow- ledged to be such, and may no more be accounted as nothing, but may every where possess supreme authority. Comp. Kypke, ad V. 28. ^ Comp. Rev. xxi. 3, 7 ; xxii. 3. ^^ xxi. 6, 4 s. «» xxii. 1, 5 ; xxi. 22 s. ^2 ^xii. 4. ^3 y. 3, 4. «4 XX. 10, 15 ; xxi. 8. 2 Thess. i. 8. ^^ Rev. vi. 15 ss. ^^ 2 Thess. i. 9, 5 s. Rev. xxii. 12 ; xiv. 10. ^' He delivers up the kingdom to the Father (1 Cor. xv. D 34 THE MEANING OF was said, should destroy every opposing power, to the Father^ to whom the kingdom is said to be de- livered up by Christ. The reason of this the Apostle adds in v. 27, 28: " when it is written,C8 that all things are put under him (by another), it is manifest, that he is to be excepted who put all things under him. Since,^^ moreover, ^o all things are put under 24) he must reign (v. 25) until all enemies are subdued. This same person, therefore, uses his own power for the destruction of every opposing power. Comp. note 51. ^^ So tl'T'A must be rendered, being put for il^tj/iiyev Luke iv. 12), or (v. 8, 10) yiy^afifiivev z. Comp. Heb. iv. 3, 4, and Obss. Gramm. p. 412. But it appears from this place, that the preceding M'ords were taken from the Scripture. The Apostle has elsewhere (Heb. ii. G — 9) quoted the same pro- phecy (Ps. viii. 7.) ''^ "We are no more compelled to consider orav in this place as indicative of time, than we are the same word in v. 27 ;— the sense, on the contrary, seems to be this : " since it is said, that all things are put under him, it is evident, that there is some one person to be excepted from the number of all, he, namely, who put all things under him ; yes, I say, since all things are put U7ider him, it is still further most clear, that there is a certain person superior, he, namely, who was able to put all things under his power. Comp. oruv Rom. ii. 14, and Aristot. de mundo. c. 4, (in Hoogeveen, Doctr. partic. graec ex ed Schuzii. p. 577, [p. 380, Ed. Glasg. 1813.)— Tr.] ■*' Comp. h Heb. iii. 17, 18. " When it is said (Ps. xcv. 7, 8) : to-day, while ye hear the voice of God, do not be perverse, as in the place of rebellion (3Ieribah) ; who (comp. Raphel. Annot. ex Xenoph. ad Matt, xxvii. 23, and Loesner. Obss. e. Phil, ad Act. xix. 35), when they had heard, rebelled ? Did not all they (ajmp. Raphel. Annot. ex Arriano ad Jac. i. 17) that were brought out of Egypt by Moses ? (was it not clearly such as were on the \\ay to Palestine, and also had a promise of rest before them ?) With whom, moreover, was God dis- « THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEX." 35 hini^^ (by the Father), the Son himself also will be subject^- to him, who has put all things under him, pleased, but with those who sinned against him (comp. Num. xiv. 34, with xxxiii. 9, Add Heb. x. 26) ? Whom, moreover, did he deprive by an oath of the promised rest, but (Numb, xiv. 3) those that had no faith in God ?" There are three points which the Apostle establishes, Heb. iii. 15 ss. by the example of the Israelites : 1. that the simple hearing and knowledge of a promise are of Httle avail to us, (comp. iv. 2), 2. that apostasy, after a knowledge of the truth, (x. 2G) pre- cludes an entrance into the promised blessedness ; but that this apostasy, 3. arises from avKTria, (iii. 19 ; iv. 2 s. 11), comp. iii. 12. " Lest there be perceived to be in any one (comp. 2 Cor. iv. 7, and Obss. Gramm. p. 14. n. 2) an evil ei-nffTos heart, by its departure from God." '^ The words do not mean, that at the period when all things shall be put under the Son, and every enemy subdued, the Son also himself will be sul)ject ; but that, since all tilings are (comp. u^ersTXKrat v. 27, put under him by the decree VMt vrercc^Kvro;, who, before all could see it with their own eyes (Heb. ii. 8), travra 'TIIETASEN vvo tou; ^o^us aurou (1 Cor. XV. 27,) it follows, that the Son also is subject to him, from whom he has received this extensive dominion (comp. note 3o.) But if we take the words of St. Paul in the former sense, we shall thereby deny, that the Son, who is nevertheless evidently considered in reference to his human nature (v. 21, 45 ss. oomp. with Phil. iii. 21), to which po-wer is given over all things (1 Cor. xv. 27 ; Heb. ii. G — 9), was subject to the Father before he had delivered up the kingdom to him, having vanquished his enemies. But the ^Messiah jJainly declares, in Ps. xvi. 2, that he derives all his happiness and dignity (v. 11) from Jehovah, or, in other words, that God is all, even to him, and not simply to the things which are subjected to his govern- ment. Comp. Schnurrer, Anim. ad quredam loca Psalmorum, p. 7j Fascic. i. '^ Both this future, and 'r'erx which precedes it, seem to mean a logical inference, not something /o//o?rJr?p in the course 36 THE MEANING OF SO that God is therefore all in all."* When St. Paul magnificently describes that great power of the mar^ Jesus J which is able to overthrow every enemy, *^ and ^ Comp. note 58, 71. ^ Note 71. *= V. 24. of time^ and to have the same force as if it had been said : on ti v^orirKxrut alru ra, <;ra,VTa, AHAON OTI (comp. V. 27.) xa< ahros o iiioi TIIGTASSETAI. And tats may either be rendered therefore (comp. Jer. xxii. 15 s. in the Hebrew;) or it may be redundant (Ps. Ixix. 5 ; or rather it may answer to the preceding oVav, as in that passage of Plato (0pp. Lugd. 1590, p. 158. [Ed. Bipont. Vol. ii. p. 248 Ed. Bekker, Part ii. Vol. ii. p. 177. — Tr.'\ — OTAN rs^J ro (^avTaafj^a. a.hrh (ffapffrviy) tt.To.rS.v (p&if/.iv xoci T>jy ri^vvtv nvat rivet ocTrarnrixm avra, TOTE TOTi^OV '4/tvh» 'ho^U^UV TYiV -^U^YIV YlfiCaJv (^ndOfJI-lV V'TO TfJS IXliVfi T«;^v»» ^ r/ TOT loifiiv ; comp. Ixx. ; Prov. ii. 5 ; Ps. xix. 14 ; cxix. 92. But I understand the future here in the same way as in Rom. vi. 5, (Avhere akka is used instead of rort, to connect the in- ference with the premises) ii. 26 ; I Cor. xiv. 7 — 9? 1 1 ; and in the argument which immediately follows (I Cor. xv. 29,) the passage under discussion (v. 28 :) '' else (if it should be other- wise, than as we have above, v. 20 — 23, endeavoured to shew,) what SHALL THEY DO, who are baptized for the dead (comp. John xi. 4 ; Rom. xv. 8 ; Acts xv. 26,) with this de- sign, namely, that (John iii. 5 ; Tit. iii. 5, 7 ; Gal. iii. 26 ss. comp. with iv. 7?) they may have the privilege of entering (1 Thess. iv. 17 ; 2 Thess. ii. 1 ; John xvii. 24 ; Heb. xii. 23 s.) into eternal fellowship, not only with Jesus himself, but with those who IxoifA'^B-tiffecv (I Cor. xv. 18. 1 Thess. iv. 16,) h at/Tu i. e. ovn; (Rom. xvi. 11, 7j comp. with 13,) as it were, o't etiirou (1 Cor. xv. 23, comp. at Phil. i. 1, a.) But if the dead rise not at all, and thus (I Cor. xv. 16, 18,) both Jesus and 01 xii/u,yjBivTts 5v aliTM aTuXovre, and are no more, why are they baptized for them ? How absurd will be the conduct of those who, in the exjjectation of enjoying salvation and eternal life, witli Jesus and his friends who have departed this life, become baptized, if there be no life after death ; so that Jesus " THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN." 37 even death itself,^ this kingdom of Christ, thus august, and delivered from the injury and destruction of every opposing power, he gives to God the Father,^ not in order to shew that it ceases to be Christ's^ but that all things may at last be referred to the glory of God the Father ;73 especially^ as the Psalms which he had in his mind, when he spoke of that ri/.os,'^ treated the same subject in a similar manner.^ But dt& we read, both that the Father subjected all ene- mies to Christ,^ and that Christ subjected them to himself,^ so he who is said in 1 Cor. xv. 24 to restore the kingdom to the Father, after the discomfiture of his enemies, may also be said to assert the authority and dignity o^ his own government. In other places we certainly find it said, that, even after the conque>t of his enemies, Christ shall continue to reign.^ §VI. III. ITS EXTENT. As of all who have been seated upon the throne of * V. 26, 21s. ^ V. 24. <= V. 27 s. ^ V. 24. « V. 25, 27, comp. with Ps. ex. 1 ; viii. 7, 1, 2. *■ Note 56. s Note 67. ^ Rev. xxii. 1, 3; xxi. 22. s. xi. 15. has not risen again, and all the pious dead who received baptism were miserably deceived in the hopes \vhich they entertained ! '^ Comp. Phil. ii. 11; Heb. iii. 4 r. The same design is pursued by the Book of Revelation, (comp. neue Apol. der Offenb. Joh. § 26, 22, note 6,) which I think is referred to by St. Paul in this same loth Chap, of 1 Cor. ; (1. c. § 13,) and for that reason I have the more frequently compared it with the declarations of the Apostle. 38 THE MEANING OF David, he who sits last upon it,* is infinitely the greatest in respect to the duration of his life and kingdom ; so his authority and empire are not cir- cumscribed with the narrow boundaries of Palestine, over which David reigned. For although he is call- ed king of Sion^ and of the Israelites f yet we are not warranted thereby in limiting his empire to these regions. For, in the first place, under that illustri- ous ofl^spring of David, the boundaries of his father's kingdom are said to be so extended (Ps. ex. 2),74 that the king of Sion*^ has possession of t/te ivhole earth,^ and all its inhabitants have either submitted to his authority,*" or are forcibly controlled by hira.^ But further, not even by these limits is Christ's king- dom circumscribed or bounded, but we read that it extends as far (v. 1 ; Eph. i. 20—22 ; 1 Cor. xv. 27 ;"J Phil. ii. 9 — 11 ; Matt, xxviii. 18) as the king- dom of God himself. For although the man Jesus both has the peculiar charge^ of human affairs gene- rally, whether as it respects men living on this earth,"'^ or the dead, and attends particularly to the ^ Luke i. 32. Acts ii. 30. ^ Ps. ii. 6. '= Luke i. 33. John xii. 13, 15, comp. '«'ith IG. •* ii. 6. « V. 8. f V. 10. ss. Isa. hi. 15 ; liii. 10 ss. Amos ix. 12. e Ps. ex. 2 ; ii. 4 s. 9, 12 ; ex. 3, 1, 5 s. comp. note 67, 56. ^ John X. 16, V. 27—29. Rom. xiv. 9. Acts x. 42;xvii. 31. "< " Jehovah shall extend (comp. Ezek. ii. 9 ; Exod. xxii. 7) the sceptre of thy kingdom out of Sion ; i. e. thou shalt not reigii here only, but other regions also shall obey thy sceptre, Avhich belongs to them also." " Comp. Reussii Opusc. Fascic. i. p. 400 s. '^ Hence the world has very pi-operly received the name of (iafikiia. Tou XotiTTov (3Iatt. xiii, 41) or, the pro^-ince of Christ. " THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN." 39 administration* oi the faithful commonwealth of men, or the church f*"^ yet, for the good of the church,^ he governs all things without exception,*^ even angels themselves.*^ From all which it is easy to perceive, that the sitting of Christ upon the throne of David may, on the one hand, be reckoned a real succession to David's place, inaiimuch as^ for the purpose of fulfiUingf the divine promises made to David, Christ actually sprang from David, in that same land which his father had possessed, and on account of this pe- culiar relationship with the Jewish people,^ in the first place, thought proper to present himself^ par- ticularly to thenii as their king so long expected and desired, and announce to them the approach of his kingdom ;^ in the next place, when he had ascended to heaven, made the first proofs of his exaltation to =» Eph. V. 23 ss. Col. i. 13. ^ Eph. i. 22. ^ V. 20 ss. ^ Heb. i. 2—4, 6. 1 Pet. iii. 22. ^ Luke i. 32. f Rom. XV. 8. g ix. 5. ^ Matt. xxi. 1 ss. note 82. ' Acts iii. 25 s. Matt. viii. 12. ^ John xviii. 37, § iv. For the Lord compares it (v. 38) with a field, which, after the good fruits have for a long time been mingled with the tares, shall at length be purified. But it is clear from many passages {e. g. Mark vi. 23; Esth. i. 22 ; iii. 13; viii. 12 s.) that jSa- viXiia. not only signifies empire itself, or supreme power {e. g. Ps. ciii. 19; cxlv. 11—13; Rev. xii. 10; xvii. 12, 18), but also the region or province over which this authority extends. "' Hence the multitude of those who yield a pious obedience to Jesus, their king, or the church, is sometimes, with pro- priety, called the p>ct V. 5, Luke i. 32. '^ V. 32. ^ V. 33. « Note 77. that former sense he sat on a divine throne, and knew that by the time this remote offspring of his should reign, he would have been long since dead (2 Sam. vii. 12, 19), yet declared that he himself would nevertheless be within the kingdom and jurisdiction of this his own progeny. See Ps. ex. 1, where I have preserved the reading ^j'^J"^ (Matt. xxii. 44), which declares, that David regarded the Messiah as his own lord, or willingly submitted to him (comp. v. 43, 45, with 1 Pet. iii. 6), in a manner worthy of a lord reigning for ever (Ps. ex. 4, note 45) with God (v. 1, note 48, 75. (Comp. IMUntinghe, Besondre Anm. zu den Psalmen, p. 168 ss. Annotations on the Psalms.) ^'^ In Amos ix. lis. it is said that other nations also, dif- ferent from the Israelites, shall profess the name of God, and thus be in the kingdom and empire of David, or among the number of the Israelites (Acts xv. 17, 14, comp. with 2 Chron. vii. 14, add Rom. ii. 26 ss. iv. 16 ss. 12 ; xi. 17 ss. Gal. vi. 16). But let us look into this passage of Amos : " At a certain (comp. Neue Apol. der Offenb. Joh. p. 325) time, or, at length {fAiTo, Tuuret Acts XV. 16), unless you would prefer, — at that remarkable period (comp. 2 Tim. i. 18, and Obss. Gramm. p. 122), the time of the Messiah, I will most completely (this 42 THE MEANING OF § VII. IV. ITS ADMINISTRATION. Since, therefore, the kingdom of heaven neither has any limit to its duration,* nor is confined within certain regions of the universe ;^ its form must be in meaning is clearly indicated by the accumulation of expressions, all convejang the same idea,) renew the kingdom of David, which is so desolated (Amos ix. 5 ss.) that it seems like a cot- tage (Is. i. 8) ; and, as in other days, and particularly in the time of David, it was adorned by me, so now also I Avill im- prove and enlarge it, so that in the renewed tabernacle of David, or within his kingdom and empire, may dwell (Ps. Ixix. 36. Ezek. xxxvi. 12.) both the remnant of the Idumeans (to whom Amos i. 11 s. had threatened a terrible destruction), even as formerly (comp. ix. 11.) David had reduced this people under his authority (2 Sam. viii. 14), and all other nations, that are called by my name. The word r-»s> (Amos ix. 12), I consider with Louis de Dieu (Animad. ad Acts xv. 17), Fessel, (Adv. SS. T. i. p. 390), and perhaps also Bengel, to be the sign not of the accusative, but of the nominative (Obss. Gramm. p. 264 s.) ; both because we cannot otherwise easily explain, to what the plural 1^*^^) refers, and especially because {^"^l when it refers to persons^ usually signifies to succeed to their wealth, which shall be left by them ; nor indeed do I think it was the design of the prophet to threaten the nations, who pro- fessed the name of God, as he certainly would have done, if he had foretold that they were to be driven out from their dwell- ing-places by the Jews. Now the Idumeans are said by Jose- phus (Antiq. Jud. L. xiii. c. 9, § 1), to have embraced the Jewish religion, a hundred years and more, before the birth of " THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN." 43 alt respects and widely different^^ fpQjjj an earthly commonwealth. For he Mho possesses an eternal government over all thmgs, not only can perform many things, which come within the reach of no earthly power, however mighty, but easily dispenses with many external aids, which, though splendid in appearance, are after all only covers for human weak- ness. As the government of David, even in its best days, was certainly by no means adequate to the per- Christ. But as Amos foretold, that many other nations also should profess the name of God, and enter into the kingdom of David ; we must go on a little farther, even to those times, when not only many Idumeans, who had been long united with the Jews (Acts xxi. 20), in civil compact, but great numbers also of other nations, exulted in being citizens of the kingdom of David, so wonderfully enlarged (Am. ix. 11), when Jesus sat upon the throne of his father, and in being a people devoted to God (v. 12, comp. with Acts xv. 14). This passage St. Luke has designedly (v. 14 s.) copied (v. 17,) from the LXX. who pro- bably, when they lighted upon it, were ignorant of its meaning ; being led in the translation of it, as they frequently were in difficult places, rather by conjecture, than by certain reasoning. One thing I must add, that «^T•£.vffris, 3Iatt. xvi. 19, (also Bar-Hebi-aeus in his Chron. Syriac. p. 593. {«^*1^'^ "^pj*^ means one, possessed of ^Mjor^m^jDOttrr 48 THE MEANING OF by Hezekiah.* Wherefore St. Paul, also declared that he should estimate the merits of the inflated* teachers,^ not by their boasting words, but by what they had done, since the kingdom of God^ or the su- perintending providence of Christ, and his care for the welfare of the church, did not consist in words, but is distinguished by its power and effects,^ in which, therefore, those persons ought to be conspi- cuous, if they wished to be compared with Paul, the legate of the divine king, and under that title holding the keys of the kingdom of heaven.^ This same providence of Christ, by which he gathers togetlier, and governs the church, seems also to be meant in Matt. xiii. 52, where one who is so taught as to be able to subserve the Lord's designs, by the spread of the gospel, is said to be instructed for the benefit of the kingdom of heaven (rfj ^uGiXiicc roJv ohoa^jm.) In like manner, su^srog s/; rnv BA2IAEIAN toZ "^zoZ^, may be interpreted^^, in reference to^^ that charge of the divine king, in virtue of which he provides that there shall be no deficiency of heralds of the doc- ^ 1 Cor. iv. 18 s. b V. 15. <= V. 20. ^ Comp. 2 Cor. xii. 12. ^ Luke ix. 62. ^ V. 69. • [Or rather by Manasseh, to whose appointment of Elia- kim as his minister of state, after that king's repentance, and return from captivity, the prophecy contained in Isa. xxii. here quoted by Storr, properly refers Ehakim had, indeed, filled the office of master of the household under Hezekiah ; but the words of Isaiah relate to his elevation, after the death of Shebna at Babylon, and the restoration of IManasseh to his throne. See Prideaux's Connection, Vol. i. p. 152. — Tr.] ^^ Comp. note 36, and Diss, de sensu vocis -x'Kri^ufji.a,^ note 28. " THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN." 49 ^rme of salvation : *' he who, having put his hand to the plough, ^7 looks back, is an unsuitable person to be employed by the providence of the Lord in pro- mulgating the gospel."* In this same sense, those who laboured with St. Paul, in reference to that same office of the divine king, or, in other words, who toiled zealously and faithfully in the service of the divine government, by delivering and inculcating the gospely he terms, in Col. iv. 11, (S-jvzoyoi si; -r,v BxlSIAEIAN rou ^sov. Wherefore also the kingdom of God is said to be given^ to those, among whom is perceived that function of the divine government which relates to the promulgation of the gospel ; and, on the other hand, to be taken aioay from those, to whom the gospel is no more delivered. But let us proceed to these passages, which do not refer to one department only of the divine government, as, for instance, that which provides for, and is employed respecting the proclamation of the gospel ; but which embrace many species of actions ; as, in Matt. xxii. 2, Ti jSotffU.iia, ruv oy^ai/wv^^ is said to attend boih to a V. 60. ^ 3Iatt. xxi. 43. ^7 The reader need scarcely be reminded, how frequently figures, drawn from agriculture, are made use of in the Scrip- tures, in reference to the instructions of a teacher of the gos- pel. Comp. Luke viii. 1 1 ; 1 Cor. iii. 6 ss. ^^ As the kingdom is conferred upon Christ by the Father (note 38), his government, and the administration of this king- dom, may be attributed in general to the Father (note 5.) In this passage, however, there is a particular reason for Christ's ascribing his own (comp. IMatt. xxiii. 34. John xvii. 18. JMatt. X. 23, XXV. 30 ss.) actions to the Father. For, as he wished to mention his oivn and John's embassy (xxii. 3), — E 50 THE MEANING OF whatever relates to the spread of the gospel,* and also to the punishment of contempt and negligence.'' Likewise in Matt. xiii. 24, 31, 33, 47. Mark iv. 26, 30. Luke xiii. 18, 20, the offices of the king- dom of heaven are said to be these : to supply and make provision for persons, needed for spreading the gospel, and for producing from thence, gently and by degrees, the fairest and most abundant fruits f and at length to separate the good from the wicked, who have been so long tolerated, and to conduct the former to that felicity promised in the gospel, but to inflict most grievous punishment upon the latter.^ §. YUL V. ITS PERIODS. Since, therefore, the administration of the kingdom of heaven has such various forms,® it is evident that this kingdom may be variously divided. The first, and that a most extensive division, is into two parts, separated one from the other by the victory which is to be gained over every enemy. For Christ either « V. 4, 9. ^ V. 7, 13. <= Mark iv. 26—32. JMatt. xiii. 33, 37. d V. 25—30, 47 ss. e § vii. which were included, in a certain sense, within the idea of the kingdom of heaven (§ iv.), — separately from the teaching of the apostles, who were to invite the Jews, when all things were prepared (v. 4), and the kingdom, which was at hand during the life-time of Jesus, was actually present, he could not con- veniently, in this parable, sustain the principal part himself, and therefore ascribed it to the Father (v. 2.) " THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN." 51 reigns in the midst of his enemies,^ expecting, till they shall all be overthrown,^ or he sits at the right hand of God, while his adversaries are lying prostrate.^ Though, during the first of these two periods, the sway of Christ is no less real and powerful,*^ yet we find that the latter has the name /Satf/Xs/a apphed to it xar' lgo;^5^v (2 Tim. iv. 1.^^ Luke xxi, 31 ; xxii. SO, comp. with Matt. xix. 28. Luke xxii. 18.^0 Matt. xxvi. 29. Mark xiv. 25). For as during that period which comes Jirst in order, God is said to reign^^ when he makes such use^of his power, that all perceive that he reigns ;^^ so it will have to be said with peculiar force that he ^ Ps. ex. 2. b y. 1. Heb. x. 13. « § v. ^ Comp. § vii. ^ Rev. xix. 6. '^ V. 2 ; xviii. 8. ®^ As it is said that Jesus shall judge the quick and dead at the time of his coming and Miigdom, it is evident that the com- mencement of the kingdom^ xoct l^ox^iv, is connected Avith the resurrection of the dead, and is thus (note 54, seq.) referred to that time, when everg enemy shall he destroyed. ^ From this passage it seems probable that in v. 16, we ought to understand 5rX>j^a;S'/j Iv tJJ /3a^^*i) h (iatriXiia t5 ^ii, " until the kingdom of God is in perfect and complete prosperity." 91 In like manner God is said (Rev. xii. 10, xi. 17-) iS««- XzZtrcct (to be acknowledged king, to be perceived to reign ; comp. note 70, at the end), since (comp. note 22), he has taken to himself {Xa/^Sdcvu) his great power to (v. 18), punish his enemies (ch. xvi XX. 3). Add xi. 15, where God and Christ are said to obtain the gov^ernment over the earth, because it is evident, in the eyes of all, that the earth belongs to God and Christ. (Comp. Neue Apol. der Offenb. Joh. p. 330, note 18 ; and To- bler, Gedanken und Antworten zur Ehre J. C. und seines Reichs, p. 2/1.) 52 THE MEANING OT reigns, when every enemy being subdued, his supreme power is acknoiuledged even by those very persons, who treated with contempt the idea that the kingdom must be thus far restored by Christ.* But even in this period of the kingdom of heaven there will be a twofold diversity of administration. For some^ will perceive the majesty of the divine government from the severity of their punishment, or rather, they will be enemies subdued, it is true, but still rebels, paying the punishment of their folly ; but others vvilj, as the pious people of God,*^ reap the blessings of the divine government, and be, in a far higher sense, in the king' dom of God \^ even as now, all men are in the king- dom of heaven,^ but in a far different sense those, to whom the gospel has been presented,^ and in the most distinguished sense of all, those who obey it.^ That province (region), therefore, of the kingdom of God, in which after^'^ the resurrection of the dead^ the pious ^ 1 Cor. XV. 24, note 58. ^ Comp. notes 59 — 66. "= Rev. xxi. 3. ^ xxii. 3. ^ § vi. ^ Matt. xxi. 43, § vii. s Col. i. 13, note 77. ^ 1 Cor. XV. 50. 2 Thess. i. 5, comp. with 7. Matt. xiii. 43 ; XXV. 34, add Luke xiv. 15, comp. with 14. ^'^ As God and Christ are said fitKriXivitv particularly at the period, when all enemies shall have been destroyed, and (note 89), the dead shall have been raised ; so also that province (note 76), to which the most glorious fruits shall redound from this perfect splendour and magnificence of the kingdom of God, takes by a peculiar right the appellation of the kingdom of heaven. But since, before that time, in those regions to which the spirits of departed believers are conducted, the majesty of the divine government is certainly eveiy where acknowledged, and the grandeur of its kingly offices much more clearly perceived than in the present life (2 Cor. v. 6. — 8. Phil. i. 23) ; there was " THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN." 53 people of God shall dwell, who are to receive, from the benignant and all-powerful government of Christ,^ a marvellous and everlasting salvation,^ is by a certain peculiar right called the kingdom of heaven, or of God, in which no place is allowed to the wicked,*^ although they are under the authority of God. Of this kind are those passages generally, in which are used the forms of expression zkOJiTv dg ryjv (3cc€iXiiav tZjv w^avujv (Matt. vii. 21.^^ v. 20,^"* » 2 Thess. i. 10. ^ Matt. XXV. 34, comp. with 46. Mark ix. 47, comp. with 43, 45, and Matt, xviii. 8 s. John iii. 3, 5, comp. with 36, and Titus iii. 5, 7- IVIatt. xix. 23 s., comp. with 16, 25. Mark x. 23 — 25, comp. with 26, 1 7- Luke xviii. 24 s. ccenp. with 26, 18- 1 Thess. ii. 12. Acts xiv. 22, comp. with Rom. viii. 17, and Luke xxiv. 26. <= Luke xiii. 28. Matt. viii. 11, 12. 1 Cor. vi. 9 s. Gal. V. 21. Eph. V. 5, comp. with Rev. xxii. 15. surely no reason why St. Paul should not give to these seats of the blessed, also, the name of heavenly kingdom, in 2 Tim. iv. 18. Though it cannot be denied, that even this passage may be understood to refer to that future happiness (comp. v. 6 — 8), upon which the blessed shall enter after their resurrection, and the coming of the liord. ^•■^ What follows in v. 22, 23, shews, with sufficient clear- ness, that this passage does not refer to the kingdom of God, which is gathered together on the earth from the period of our Lord's ascension into heaven, and Avhose privileges were eagerly desired by many during the lifetime of Jesus (note 36.) But in Matt. xxi. 31 ; xxiiL 13, it admits of a doubt, whether h Ptettrt'kua. rou B-ioS is to be understood in this sense (comp. Luke xi. 52), or as referring to the seats of the blessed. I ^* If this place be compared with v, 3 — 12; vi. 19 ss., it syiJI readily be admitted, that both here, and vi. 33 ; Luke xiL 54 THE MEANING OF xviii. 3.9^ 2 Pet. i« 11.), hi'/zts^ai rriv ^atfiXstav rou ^£ou,* v/MTs^cc sar/v tj [SafftXsIa rov SsoD,*' all which are used promiscuously by St. Mark x. 15, 14, and St. Luke xviii. 17, 16. More frequently instead of ds^agdai^^'^ is substituted xXTjgoco^s/t/ rrjv (SacfiXslav rov ^lou^ to occupy those blissful seats,^ so that each individual may have his own share in the possession.' Hence the term xXti^ovo/j^oi tt^s j3a,gi\siag,^ or v'/oi rr^g jSatr/Xs/ag,^ is applied to those to whom the kingdom of heaven belongs, or who shall enter into the region ' Mark x. 15. Luke xviii. 17. ^ vi. 20. Matt. V. 3, 10 ; xix. 14. "^ Comp. 1 Mace. ii. 51. d Matt. XXV. 34. 1 Cor. vi. 9 ». Gal. v. 21. * Comp. Gen. xv. 7 s. xxviii. 4, &c. ^ Eph. v. 5. s Jam. ii. 5. ^ Matt. xiii. 38. 31, the discourse is concerning the dwelling-place and region of the blessed. Nor is there any reason why a different sense should be given to the expression in the preceding verse, Matt. V. 19 : " Whoever shall wantonly, and without hesi- tation, violate one precept, however small, and shall teach others to do the same thing, and much more, therefore, he who, like the teachers of the law and the Pharisees (v. 20), shall neglect so many and great precepts, and shall be a leader and promoter of neghgence in others (v. 21 ss. xxiii. 16 ss.) he, though highly esteemed on earth (Luke xvi. 15), shall, in the regions of the blessed, be reckoned of the least account (tX»» Xt^ros xXfiS^eople, but also the heaven. 1°^ net^ecXetf^^Kvuv also in Jer. xlix. 1, 2, means the same as K\yi^ovofji.i7* ; but the present participle has the sense of the future (comp. Acts XV. 27), as, in Heb. xii. 27, ra. va.'kiuofi.ita. signifies things that are to be shaken, moveable. Comp. Obss. Gramm. p. 134 s. 1*^1 Comp. Doederlein, Instit. Theol. Christ, p. 748 s. [p. 291, Vol. II. Ed. Junge. Nor. et Alt. 1797.— Tr.] " THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN." 57 a much broader signification of the expression.* And that same idea of the kingdom of heaven, which in- cludes the whole government of Christ from his ascen- sion into heaven, seems to have been in the mind of the apostles in those places also, which, — because** that empire is now established, whose extent and dignity will bring to pass, in its own time, all that re- mains to be done, and could perform it forthwith, did not the long-suffering^ of the judge prevent it, — shew thai an end is at hand (Heb. ix. 26.^^2 \ (^q^^ x. 11. 1 Pet. iv. 7. 1 John ii. 18.*o3^. ^nd exhort to /xsrct- i/o/a and the cultivation of holiness*^ with this motive, that that av'ho now reigns^ by whom God will judge men,^ ^ § Hi. vii. ^ Comp. note 30. <= 2 Pet. iii. 9, 15. Heb. x. 1.3. ^ Acts xvii. 31. 1 Pet. iv 7- Jam. v. 8 s. Heb. x. 25, 35 — 37, comp. Luke xxi. 34 ss. ^ Acts xvii. 31. ^*^^ At the end of the ivorld (comp. also Heb. i. 2. 1 Pet. i. 20), it was that Jesus was born, because, at his birth, the commencement was at hand of a kingdom (§ iv.), which shall make all things new (Rev. xxi. 5), and which would immedi- ately have proceeded to make heaven and earth new and per- manent (Heb. xii. 26 s.), and to display its glorious (v. 28, § viii.) and grand appearance, but for that divine goodness which desires first to make men new creatures (2 Cor. v. 17), and that completely, too, that they may be able to rejoice in this wonderful change of things (2 Pet. iii. 9—15.) ^'^ From the time that the king, descended from the family of David (Ps. ii. G) reigns, that last time is present (comp. note 30, 102), to which the ancient prophets looked. In it, also, are contained uvrix^iffrot (comp. Ps. ii. 2), who, before the kingdom of Christ, had no existence. Comp. 2 Tim. iii. I. 2 Peter iii. 3. Jud.v. 18. 58 THE MEANING OF, &C. and is ready and prepared to make the exhibition of his majesty* whenever it pleases him.^^* 3 James v. 9, 8. 1 Pet. iv. 5. ^°* Although the coming of the Judge did not overtake the first readers of the New Testament, while they were yet alive, yet of the whole number (Mark xiii. 37- Luke xii. 41, comp. with 45), of those to whom the instructions of Christ and the apostles are directed (comp. Diss, de sensu historic©, note 18, 183), there will be certainly not a few whom that decisive period of the kingdom of heaven, though it be long delayed (v. 45, Matt. xxiv. 48 ; xxv. 5, 19), shall at length come upon unawares, while they are alive. But as this time was to be unknown (Luke xii. 39 s. 46. Mark xiii. 35. Matt. xxiv. 36. —xxv. 13. 1 Thess. v. 2 ss.) ; teachers merely human could not exhort to watchfulness those during whose life-time the des- tined period for retribution will be just at hand, unless they gave this advice to men of all periods of the world. But further : men of former ages, who were negUgent of this precept, certainly will be taken unprepared, by that signal period of retribution ; since by the advantage of death they neither become more pre- pared, nor do they escape out of the power of the judge, so that he cannot subsequently appoint a day for them, 2 Cor. v. 10, DISSERTATION ON THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. BY GOTTLOB CHRISTIAN STORR. TBANSLATKD FROM THE LATIN BY WILLIAM R. WHITTINGHAM, A.M. rHAPLAIN AND SUPERINTENDENT OF THE NEW-TORK PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL PUBLIC SCHOOL. THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. §1- The word ■-raoaCoXri is derived from tlie verb rrapa- CaXAs/v,* which signifies to collate, compare, assimilate. Quinctilian interprets it^ by the words simiHtudo, col« latio ; Seneca^ uses imago. It is, therefore, a compa- rison (collatio), or, to use the definition of Cicero,^ " a form of speech, in which we compare one thing with some other, on account of a resemblance between the two, which is designated by the Greek word parable (parabola, -ra^aCoX?;). In this sense^ Christ a Mar. iv. 30. ^ Ep. lix. = Lib. i. de Inv. c. 30. 1 De Institut. Orat. L. V. c. xi. VIII. iii. p. 298, 302, 470. [p. 256, 2G0, 399, ed. Oxon. 1693.] "^ The woi'd has the same signification in Luke xii. 41 ; xv. 3; xxi. 29; 3Iatt. xxiv. 32; Mar. xiii. 28, [in all which passages the comparison is indicated by the subsequent use of owTiw.] There is nothing strange in the application of the name rra^aQoXvi to an allegory, even though metaphorical as in Luke V. 36 ; (that also being o- form of speech in which one thing is compared, although less evidently, with some other), or even to a thing which is the image, or type, of some other, as in Heb. ix. 9. See Wemyss' Dictionary of the Symbohcal Language of the Sacred Scriptures, Edinburgh 1835 — a work which should be in the hand of every student of the Bible ; also Beckhaus on the Tropical Language of Scripture — Bibli- cal Cabinet, Vol. II. 62 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. is said* to have spoken in parables (iv Ta^aQoXaTg) when he proved, by various similitudes,^ that he cast out demons, not by tlie aid of Satan, but by a higher power. §11. Parables are carefully distinguished by Aristotle*^ from that species of composition which is known in Greek by the names of Xoyog and ahog, and in Latin by that of fabula,^ principally as appears from the ex- amples which ^he adduces,'* and as has been more fully shown by Lessing,^ on the ground that in a parable the object or event which is given as the image of some other, is merely contemplated in the mind as possible, while in a fable an event is related, as having actually taken place at some definite time. So the well known fable of Menenius Agrippa, re- lating to the dissension between the members of the body and the belly, narrates that the other members took umbrage at the belly, and conspired against it ;^ and the 32d of Lokman's Fables, which greatly re- sembles it, recounts, that when the feet boasted that they supported the body, the belly made answer: * what would they be able to do, if it should prepare no food to afford them strength ?' On the other * Mai-, iii. 23. ^ Mar. iii. 24—27. ' «= Rhet. L. ii. 20. 3 Comp. Quinctilian. L. V. c. xi. p. 301 s. [259 s. ed. Ox.] * See below, note 9, and § v. ^ In liis First Dissertation appended to his Fables in the German language, p. IGO ss. ^ See Livii Hist. Lib. ii. c. xxxii. THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 6S hand when Paul, in 1 Cor. xii. 12 — 27, makes use of a parable derived from the same objects, he does not relate,^ that the foot denied that it was a member of the bod}', because it was not the hand, or that the eye reproached the hand with being useless to it ; but says " if the foot should deny that it was a member of the bod}', because it was not the hand, would it therefore not belong to the body ? or, if the eye should desire to reproach the hand with its having no need of it, it could have no right to do so. The case is just the same with those who envy the gifts of others, or des- pise their inferiors." The illustration given by our Saviour in Luke xiii. 19, has the form of a fable. In Mark iv. 30 s. the same illustration is given as a parable, for it does not assume as a fact that any certain man committed to the ground in his garden any given grain of mustard seed, but merely sets forth what was customary and might happen at any time or in any placed §111. The object with which, in a parable, some other object is compared on account of its resemblance, must be possible, either under the actually existing state of things, or else on some hypothetical and feign- ed condition. To the first class belong not only those objects or events, the possibility of which is so certain ^ V. 15 s. 21. "^ In like manner in Luke xviii. 2 ss. Christ himself substi- tutes a/or w o/co/r/joo5i7 ion (Xoyon) which recounts the subject 64 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. that they customarily occnv^^ but also, such, as although they do not customarily occur,^ yet certainly may ex- as a fact, for the parable in Luke xi. 5 ss. which merely re- gards it as possible, and perhaps about to happen. ^ It is altogether possible that the facts, the reality of which is assumed in a parable, may have actually occurred a thousand times. But the parable does not narrate any one of these oc- currences, but merely affirms the possibility of the fact inferred from them, and describes what may noxv and hereafter happen. ^ Eustathius (in II. B. p. 176, ed. Rom.) says that a parable is a species of composition in which the truth intended to be conveyed is taught and confirmed (p. 253,) by such things as are wont to happen ahvays, or every day. And certainly we find that the resemblance which, as Aristotle has taught (loc. citat.) it is necessary to observe in the composition of parables, is most generally taken (as Eustathius has remarked, II. B. II. p. 176, 1065,) as well from the natural history either of animals, both rational and irrational,^ or of inanimate things,'' as from common life and circumstances of daily occurrence among men.'^ Of this sort is the parable of Sextius, in Seneca, ubi supra. But the example given by Aristotle furnishes proof that the use of the term parable is not confined to this species of comparison. He gives the following as a specimen of a parable. " A magistrate ought not to be chosen by lot. For this would be like appointing as wi-estlers, or as pilots of vessels, not such men as were most skilful, but such as should happen to obtain the office by lot." The absurdity of electing magistrates by lot is illustrated in this parable not by events which customarily take place, but by such as are merely possible. It is better, therefore, to embrace the more general idea of a parable ; which is given even by Eustathius himself, when he says (Odyss. A. p. 1406,) that a parable is a comparison (irapciha-iy o/Aoiu//.ari>ir,y) instituted for the illustration of any subject under consideration. =* Jer. xiii. 23. IMatt. xxiii. 37. ^ Luke xxi. 29 ss. <= Kings xxi. 13. Luke xi. 5 ss. xv. 3—10. xii. 36 ss. xiv. 28 ss. Mark iii. 24 ss. THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 65 ist. The second class consists of such as are possible on the supposition of some change in the nature or state of things, as, for instance, that irrational things might have the power of speech, which is assumed in the parable of St. Paul,^ in which he compares Chris- tians with the several members of the human body. In both these classes o^ parables, the object or event, whether customary, or merely possible, or only hypo- thetical, is only considered as possible — a thing that might have existed or happened. But if we change the statement, and suppose the object or event to have actually existed or happened}^ they become -§ii. ^^ Even such events as frequently occur, may be felled by tlie author of a [fable. For example, it is not necessary to suppose that Christ had in view (I\Iat. xiii. 3 ss.) any parti- cular man, to whom he recollected such circumstances to have happened as he was sowing grain. He may have mei'ely as- signed occurrences which he knew might at any time take place to a supposed individual (rf ^£^7]nLD loathe, ubi supra. ^^ On the other hand, the word ra^et/ita. which properly answers to the Hebrew 7^^,^ in its signification of a proverb, T T is made to receive the other sense of the Hebrew word in Avhich it expresses an image, an allegory, e. g. Jo. x. 6. See by all means Vorstii Philol. Sac. P. i. c. iv. end. THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 71 tigation of the nature of a fable. In the first place, then, it is well known, *^ that the name o^ fable (Xoyog) belongs only to that species of narration of fictitious events, which inculcates some moral instruction adapt- ed to reclaim from sin, and to recommend the prac- tice of virtue and prudence.* With this view, it may either delineate an image of human manners,^ or set before the eyes the melancholy consequences of sin,*^ or by declaring the principles of the divine govern- ment,^ remove the occasions for rash judgments and attempts, and the other vices which spring from igno- rance of those principles; or, as is generally the case, serve for several of these moral uses. Now a fable may illustrate such a moral doctrine either generally, or with a particular reference to some certain event, or to some impending emergency, which may have furnished occasion for it. There are there- fore two sorts of fables, the simple and the compound. The first sort, or simple fable, is not to be reckoned among metaphorical allegories. There is no simili- tude between it and the doctrine which it expresses, inasmuch as the subject and predicate of the latter form the genus of which the subject and predicate of the fable are a species. There cannot be said to be a similitude between a genus and any species or indivi- » Matt, xviii. 35. Luke x. 37; xii. 21 ; xvi. 8 ss. 19 ss. ; xviii. 1, 9, 14; xv. 32. comp. 2. Matt. xx. 15 s. ; xiii. 44 — 46 ; XXV. 1 ss. corap. 13, and xxiv. 47 ss. *» Matt. xiii. 19 ss ; xxi. 31 s. Luke vii. 44 ss. *= Matt. xxi. 43 s. ; xxii. 7, 13. Luke xiv. 24. ^ Matt. xiii. 24—33. Luke xiii. 6 ss. Lessing, Diss. i. p. 131 ss. 72 THE PARABLES OF CHUrsT. dual comprehended in it ; and therefore a simple fkWe is rather an example of moral doctrine than an alle- gory. But a compound fable may be considered as an allegory of ike iking or event on occasion of wfiich it teas narrated.'^^ For example, the fable of the con- spiracy of the human members for the destruction of the belly* is simple^ if intended merely to teach the general truth, that dissensions are injurious to both the contending parties. For the hand, and mouth, and teeth, and belly, bear no resemblance to contend- ing parties, considered generally, but are among their number. Nor does the conspiracy of the other mem- bers to subdue the belly by starvation resemble dis- cord, considered generally, but it is a dissension with the adverse member, one of the several kinds of dis- cord. Nor, lastly, is the extreme wasting of the whole body similar to the unhappy consequences of chssen- sion, but it is comprised m the class of the evils which arise from dissension generally, and is an example of them. But Menenius used this fable for the purpose of comparison, that is, as a fable of the compound class, and consequently allegorical. For he compared the belly to the patricians, the other members to the Roman people, the intestine strife between the mem- bers of the body to the hatred of the people against the patricians, and the starvation of the body to the impending ruin of the city. To give another instance ; Stesichorus, as quoted '^'^ Lessingj p. 114 ss- THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 73 by Aristotle,* compared the Himerians to the horse,* who, desirous of revenge upon the stag, permitted the hunter to bridle, saddle, and mount him for the chase; their enemies, to the stag; Phalaris, whom they had elected their commander in chief (ffr§ccTr,yov aurox^aTo^a,) to the man ; his government to the bridle, already put on ; and the grant of body guards, from which the fable was intended to dissuade them, to the act of mounting. But if this same fable were used for the purpose of persuading any one not, in avoiding one extreme, to hurry to the other, or not to make use of a remedy worse than the disease, the allegory would vanish. The horse could not be said to resemble a person, who, to shun a lesser evil, runs into a greater, but as he actually does so, would be an example of that fault, displaying the need of prudence in avoid- ing difficulties.f § VI. Whenever, therefore, any fable of our Lord is so constructed, as that its subject and predicate are in- cluded as a species in the subject and predicate of the moral precept which it is intended to express ; ^ Rhetor. Lib. ii. c. xx. * Quern cervus, pugna melior, communibus herbis Pellebat, donee minor in certamine longo Imploravit opes horainis, frenumque recepit ; Sed, postquam victor violens discessit ab hoste, Non equitem dorso, non frenum depulit ore. HoRAT. Epist. i. xi. 34 ss. -|- Incidat in Syllam cupiens vitare Charybdim. 74 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. such fable is rather, with respect to moral doctrine, an examphy than a similitude. Yet on another ac- count, namely, with respect to the fact which occa- sioned its composition, it may be a similitude or com- parison of one example of a general truth or precept with another. Thus the Pharisee and the publican* have no resemblance to the whole class^ of men who indulge in self-complacency, or who are mindful of their own sinfulness, but each is an example of the class to which he belongs. In like manner, the rich men, the end of whose course is described by Christ,*^ are comprised in that class of men who, neglecting religious matters, set their affections on the good things of this world, and experience a great and me- lancholy change at the time of death. Yet the ob- ject, particularly pointed at in Luke xviii. 9, is not the class of self-righteous men, but a certain species included in that class equally with the Pharisee who is represented in the fable. Now as individuals may resemble an individual, the persons against whom the fable is especially directed, may be said to be like the Pharisee, and those whom they despised to be like the publican. So in the second instance, the person who disagreed with his brother concerning his inheritance,'^ and such of the others® as, like the rich man described by Christ,*" displayed an over- fondness for earthly things, were all of the number of those who care only for the comforts of this life, and neglect the things of God,^ — and therefore might ^ Luke xviii. 10 ss. *• V. 14. '^ Luke xii. 16, ss. xvi. 19 ss. ^ Luke xii. 13. « V. 15. f V. 16, ss. 8 V. 21. THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 75 and ought to be compared with that rich man. Again, the Pharisees, who were covetous,* proud,^ given to pleasure,^ and disobedient to the law and the pro- phets, '^ 21 might with propriety compare their present prosperity and manners with the prosperity and cha- racter of the rich man,^ and learn what a sudden change of circumstances might ensue.^ §VII. There are, however, other fables which, in reality, are not examples of the general doctrine which they inculcate, but are images aiid allegories of the doctrine itself. For it may happen that a fable is used to ex- press some general doctrine, which again is com- prized in some other still more general, in which case the subject and predicate of the fable will be included as species in the subject and predicate of the latter, and not in those of the former. 22 Thus a xvi. 14. b V. 15. «= V. 13, comp. Matt. v. 20, 31 s. d Luke xxi. 16, comp. vii. 30. * xvi. 19 ss. 30. f V. 22, 25 s. 21 It is probable that the rich man described in the parable, Luke xvi. 19, ss., is intended to be censured for a want of re- gard for the Holy Scriptures, as his brothers, who resembled himself (v. 28), are represented (v. 30) as hkely to pay no re- spect to their authority. 22 We do not deny it to be possible, that the subject and predicate of the fable may be comprized, as species in a genus, in the subjects and predicates both of the more general doc- trine and of that which is subordinate. So the horse in the fable of Stesichorus may be an example not only of such as, for the sake of avoiding a lesser evil, incur a greater (§ v.), but 76 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. the fable of Menenius not only admits of being used for the purpose of reconciling the Roman plebeian party with the patricians,^ or of teaching the injuri- ous effects of dissensions upon both the contending parties generally, but is also capable of being em- ployed to show that mutual contentions between any magistrates and subjects whatsoever, or if you please, between the citizens of a state or in a family or among Christians, are productive of evil to the contending parties, none of which can dispense with the services of the others. Now it is plain that the contending members of the human body are not to be considered as parts of the class of citizens (to select this from the preceding examples), but that the latter are one species of the class of contending parties, the former another, so that the one may be used as an image, or similitude, of the other, but not as an in- stance or example. The fable of Menenius, there- fore, becomes an allegory when applied to the dis- sensions of citizens, while, on the other hand, both the less general precept which it would then convey, -^that dissensions among citizens are injurious to also in particular of those who give up their liberty to keep oui of poverty, in which way it is applied by Horace (Epist. Lib. i. Ep. X.), who, after recounting the fable (§ v. note f) sub- joins the following moral {ionfAuitti), v. 39 — 41 : Sic, qui pauperiem veritus potio-re metallis Libertate caret, dominum vehet improbus, atque Serviet aetemum, que parvo nesciet uti. This doctrine is comprized in the other of a more general na- ture, which is pointed out in § v. THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 77 both, — and the allegorical illustration of that precept in the fable itself, would be distinct examples of the more general doctrine — that all dissensions are hurt- ful to both contending parties. To give another in- stance, the fox in the fable, who despises the bunch of grapes above his reach, belongs to the number of those who pretend, in a case of necessity, to be guid- ed by deliberation and choice, and therefore the fable may be considered as an example of the general doctrine which it inculcates, if applied to such as make a merit of necessity {ro-j^ co/oDfrag rriv dmy/.rii' ^/>.or//x/av.) But suppose the fable to be addressed to those who despise the liberal arts, which they are unable to acquire, and to convey the moral, that the arts are despised by the ignorant only, which is a branch of the more general doctrine. In this case the fox would be an image or similitude, not an ex- ample, of those against whom the fable would be directed, and the bunch of grapes, which, in the first instance, was an example of things which are not at- tainable, would now be an image of another sort of impossibility, — the acquisition of the arts by those who profess to despise them, because above their ca- pacity. Many of the fables (Xoyot) of Christ, are of a si- milar description; for the Saviour, in pursuance of the object of his mission, was accustomed to incul- cate morals having a particular reference to God and the truths of religion, rather than merely general precepts. So, in Matt. xiii. 3 ss., 24 ss., 31 s. his design was not to declare the general truths ; that the best instructions are, with respect to a majority of the hearers, thrown away; that evils are to be 78 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. borne with, lest their removal be attended with that of good also ; and, that great events often spring from small beginnings: but to teach the following, comprized respectively in those just mentioned ; that from various causes the generality of men would re- ceive little or no benefit from the most salutary doc- trines, divinely promulgated ; that even wicked men are to be tolerated in the Christian church till they may be separated from the number of the citizens of the heavenly kingdom, at the command of the Lord, without any injury to the good, whom we should not be able always to exempt from sharing in their fate ; and that there is no reason to despair, if the com- mencement of the divine kingdom be but small. The fable of the grain of mustard seed, therefore, although it might have been an example of the ge- neral truth, that great events often take their rise from small beginnings, yet in the intention of Christ was rather an allegory inculcating a doctrine included in that general truth, respecting the great increase which the kingdom of God should receive, notwith- standing its small beginnings. With respect to the others (the other afi/o/,)* no one will deny that they are allegories, who has reflected on the interpreta- tions given by Christ himself,^ in which the subject and the image used are plainly compared. § VIII. Even the less general doctrine thus conveyed by a fable, may be applied, in the same manner as the » iMatt. xiii. 3 ss., 24 ss. ^ Luke viii. 1 1 ss. Matt. xiii. 37 ss. THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 79 most general truth,* to the instruction of particular individuals. The fable of the fox and grapes, for instance, may be applied, not only to ignorant de- spisers of the arts in general,^ but also specifically to some particular despisers of a certain art. Not a few of this sort of fables, too, occur in the New Tes- tament. That in Matt. xxi. 28, ss., for instance, might, in a general sense, apply to all who promise readily, but perform less than those who at first dis- play same degree of unwillingness. But Christ makes use of it to rebuke such as were disobedient to God, although they boasted of their piety ; and among these, it relates in particular to the Pharisees and Jewish nobles,*^ who esteemed themselves much better than the rest of their nation, and yet made much more opposition to the will of God, declared to them by John,^ than the very persons whom they despised as sinners. The father, therefore, is not to be con- sidered as a?i example of ani/ o?ie that makes some request to another ; the first mentioned son, of one that denies a request, yet at length performs it, and the other son, of one that promises without perform- ance : but the father is an image, or allegorical repre- sentation, of GOD ; the first son, of men now pious, although at first of a different character, and yet not of these in general, but properly of the publicans and sinners, who had suffered themselves to be con- verted by John ; and the other son, of men really wicked, although professing to be pious, and among these more particularly of the Pharisees. In like ^ S vi. ^ S vii. c V. 23, 45. ^ V. 25 s. 33 80 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. manner, the object of the fable in Luke xiv. 16 ss., is not to inculcate the general truth, that contempt of benefits affords so much the greater cause for indig- nation, but to show how GOD will regard the con- tempt of his benefits, and particularly of those which related to the eternal salvation of the Jews. It is therefore an allegory^ in which the feast represents the future happiness of the good ;^ the giver of the feast, is not an example of a benefactor in general, but strictly an image of GOD ; and the guests who ex- cuse themselves represent^ not generally, those who despised proffered benefits, but in particular the Jews who rejected the divine benefit offered them by Christ. The preceding remarks^ we deem sufficient to show that even the fables employed by Christ are a sort of similitudes,^^ and on that account may rightly receive the name of Parables.'^ §IX. The use of a fable agrees with that of an example, properly so called, in this respect, that its object is to illustrate the doctrine of which it hdi fictitious example.^ For as an example serves to reduce a general doctrine to a particular case, and so conduces to the intuitive knowledge of that doctrine, ^^ in the same way a fable, =^ V. 14 s. *> § vi viii. '' § iv. «* § vi. '^5 Of this description are evidently 3Iatt. xiii. 24, 31, 33, 44, 47; xviii. 23 ; xx. 1 ; xxii. 2; xxv. 1. Luke xiii. 18 — 21. 21 Comp. Wolfius Philos. Pract. Univers. P. II. § 258 ss. [*' Examples give a quicker impression than arguments," says THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 81 SO far as it is an example of a general doctrine, assists the acquisition of an intuitive knowledge of the truth.* Nor is it any objection, that the example thus present- ed to our consideration, is merely fictitious. For although true examples possess this peculiar advan- tage, that they confirm the doctrine which is deduced from them,2^ yet those of o. fictitious character are equally serviceable in producing a clear and vivid knowledge of a doctrine, the truth of which is already ascertained from other sources. Rational fables, moreover, (to which description all those of Christ belong), assume nothing which is at all at variance with the natural course of things,^ and therefore are the h:ss likely to convey to the mind, intent upon the doctrine which they teach, the notion of their ficti- tious character. The folly, for example, of men who are solel}' intent upon heaping up riches which they never have an opportunity to enjoy, is much more clear- ly and vividly perceived, when we place before our eyes as it were, the rich man, Luke xii. 16 ss., with his possessions and his hopes and projects, and the awful circumstance of his unlooked for death, about to take place that very night, than it would be in any other way. This effect will be in no wise lessened by the knowledge that the stor^^ is but a fiction, because the ^ § iii- Bacon, which is the purport of Storr's " conducing to an in- tuitive knowledge." — Tr.\ * [Seneca declares " Parabolas crebro usurpandas esse, ut imbecilitatis nostrse adminicula sint." Ep. LIX. p. 149. Tom. ii. Opp. ed. Gronov. — Tr.\ -^ See Wolfius, ubi supra, § 265 ss. G 82 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. frail and transitory nature of earthly things is already so well known from experience, that it is not proof of this by argument, but a vivid sense of the truth already acknowledged, that is needed, and the very fable, which is used to produce this sense, contains only such circumstances as our previous knowledge of this general truth convinces us may have actually occurred, and therefore may be assumed as facts. It may be objected, that this use cannot pertain to all the fables of Christ, inasmuch as it is undeniable that many of these are not examples of the doctrine which they inculcate, but allegories.^ But certainly the less general doctrine which they convey is sub- ordinate to another of a more general character, of which the fables themselves may be considered as examples^ and so assisting to the intuitive knowledge of that doctrine, which knowledge produces the effect of rendering the less general doctrine^ which it was the immediate object of Christ to inculcate in such fables, more easily proved and more distinctly known. For example, the analogy of natural events, made use of in Matt. xiii. 3 ss., 24 ss., 31 ss., re- markably illustrates the facts that divine truth is not defective although it may produce no good to many ; that it may be prudent to tolerate wicked persons in the church ; and that the small beginnings of the Christian dispensation might produce a great and salutary change in the condition of the human race. The fables there given are examples of the general truths already pointed out,*^ (as, for instance, of this ^ § vii. viii. »> § viii. "^ § vii. THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 83 that small beginnings often give rise to great events,) assisting the attainment of an intuitive knowledge of those truths, and even, (inasmuch as experience teaches us that the circumstances related by Christ do often occur, although the histories are feigned,* confirming their truth. In this way they induce us readily to acknowledge that the case may be similar in the Christian dispensation, e. g. that great events may spring from small beginnings. — To give another instance, the fable which occurs in Matt, xviii. 23, ss. is a7i example of the ^ewera/ doctrine, that we must not do to others what we would not that others should do to us, and that we have no just ground for complaint when we receive the same usage that we have not scrupled to give to them ; and is very useful in con- veying an intuitive knowledge of that doctrine. The effect of this is, that it is impossible to disapprove of the precept, subordinate to the same general doctrine, which it ivas the object of the Saviour to convey, "^ and as our own judgment has approved of the sentence passed by the king in the fable,^ we cannot do other- wise than allow the justice of the divine determination not to forgive the sins of the implacable, who refuse to forgive the sins of others, since this determination is another example comprized in the same general ride of conduct. The great utility of fables in general, -^ consists, in ^ Note 10. f V. 35. <= V. 32 ss. '^ If a fable were used as an example (§ vi.) of the general principle contained in it, its application to any particular per- sons, either by the author or by the hearer or reader, would be a discovery oi something similar, ho the general rule, that he (S4 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. this, that they declare the doctrine or truth, which if it were directly pressed upon us would doubtless be much weakened by the force of our passions, by ano- ther example, similar to our case, and comprized under the same general rule. In proportion, too, as fables assist the acquisition of intuitive knowledge in a remarkable degree, they also facilitate the recollec- tion of the doctrines which they inculcate, and conse- quently, their use. For the more clearly and distinctly we know a thing, the more deeply is it impressed on our memory. Comp. Chrysostom in Joan. iv. 35. who extorts from his inferior au article which he himself pos- sesses in abundance, acts most unjustly, and is deserving of very heavy punishment, might be exemplified by the fable in 2 Sam. xii. 1 — 4, in which case the act of David, v. 7 — 9 would be a similar insta7ice. But Nathan very wisely avoided a di- rect introduction of the general principle in his reproof of David, and first induced the king to acknowledge its truth in another example, where there was no danger of his being sway- ed by partiality. After this acknowledgment, he could not deny the correctness of the principle (v. 13,) even though turned upon himself (v. 7 ss.); (comp. Luke x. 37-)* In the same manner as a general rule is much more readily and vividlv perceived Avhen conveyed in a fable which is an example of that very principle, (§ vi.) and admits of a much readier application to particular individuals ; so the apphcation of a general principle to oiie less general is much facilitated by a fable which exemplifies the former, (§ vii.) as we have seen in the instance from 3Iatt. xviii. 23 ss., and it thus becomes much more effectual with relation to particular individuals (comp. jMatt. xxi. 31, 41. Luke vii. 43,) if the less general principle, to whicli the application of the more general has been made (§ vii.) be again apphed (§ viii.) to them. • [See this STibject happily treated in Porteus' Lectures, Lect.xi. vol. i. p. 283 ss. ed. Lond. 1808.] THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 85 §x. But although even the fables which are to be rank- ed as allegories, serve to illustrate the subjects to which they are applied;* yet they may also answer the end of clothing them in obscurity, ^"^ and become obscure allegories, or enigmas, if propounded without any ex- planation. Many 28 of this sort were uttered by Christ, 2^ Comp. Flacii Clavem Script. P. ii. p. 2G7, and the cele- brated Teller's note * * on Turretini Tract, de S. Scripturae interpretatione, p. 254. 2® This is so plainly affirmed by Matthew (xiii. 3,) and Mark (iv. 2, 13,) that there seems to be hardly any doubt that more Avere spoken to the people than the four which Matthew relates (xiii. 3 ss., 24 ss. 31 — 33,) as having been uttered in the public discourse. The three others given in that chapter (v. 44 ss.) cannot be taken into account, as they were propounded to the disciples li/ themselves (v. 36, 51 s.) But the testimony of Mark in iv. 33, is even more express than the preceding, for he makes mention of man^ other pa- rables, beside those which he himself has given. Now 3IattheAv (xiii. 24, ss. 33,) only relates two which are not recorded by Mark, as having been publicly spoken. If, then, we suppose that he has given all the " other parables" to which oMark re- fers, we must allow that the expression " man^ others" may signify only two. And even in this case it must be taken for granted that the parable related Matt. xiii. 24, ss, is different from the similar one in Mark iv. 26 ss., else there will be but one sliort parable pecuhar to I\Iatthew (xiii. 33.) which, surely, is not the " many" spoken of by I\Iark — But the pa- rable in Mark iv. 26 ss. seems to be no less distinct from that in Matt. xiii. 24 ss., than the latter is from the one which so much resembles it in v. 47 ss. For in Mark there is no men- 86 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. especially at the time described by Matthew c. xiii. Mark c. iv. and Luke c. viii., he having determined to discourse of the heavenly,^ i. e.^^ divine^ kingdom of the Messiah and his Father,*^ more fully than at other times. His object was to show at length, that the character of this kingdom would certainly in the end appear to be in the highest degree glorious,*^ but that notwithstanding this, its condition would at first be different, and its foundation be laid in the very preaching of the gospel M'hich was so much despised, by which, although extended to many with no effect, the subjects of the heavenly kingdom should be col- lected and prepared^ for future glory/ But as this world is a nursery^ for heaven, it is absolutely neces- sar}-- that the evil be mingled with the good,^ lest either such as might afterwards reform, should be ^ Matt. xiii. 11, 24, 31, 33, 44 s. 4?. »> Mark iv. 11, 26, 30. Luke xiii. 18, 20. <= Dan. vii. 13 s. Matt. xiii. 37, 41, 43. "^ Matt. xiii. 43. ' V, 43. f V. 3 ss. s V. 38. "^ V. 30, 47- tion of the tares, which in i\Iatt. xiii. 25 ss. are the prin- cipal feature of the parable, (v. 36 ;) and, on the other hand, IVIatthew is entirely silent respecting the unobserved progress of the kingdom of heaven, -which it is the chief object of the parable given by Mark to represent. Now, if the parable given by 3Iark is diiferent from that in Matthew, it is evident that INIatthew does not relate all the parables spoken publicly on that occasion, and that it is one of the " many others" omitted by Matthew, that has been preserved by Mark iv. 26 ss. 2^ Comp. Dan. iv. 23. Luke xv. 18, and Koppe, Nov. Test. Gr. VoL i. p. 216. [also the author*s Dissertation De notione regni ccelestis, Note 6 — Tr. ] THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 87 untimely removed, or such as were really better than they appeared, should be reckoned among the bad, and destroyed together with them.* For both the extensive and, ultimately, splendid kingdom of God generally, and the excellence and happiness of each of its members in particular, would take their rise from small beginnings,^ and increase by imperceptible de- gress.^ Nevertheless, the privileges of this invisible kingdom would be so greatly prized by all that were truly wise^ that, setting aside all the enjoyments and advantages of this life, they would pant after tl)at alone But the notion of the kingdom of the Messiah entertained by the Jews® was so different from this, that it was impossible they should be pleased with those beginnings, so far removed from every sort of pomp, and with such a long delay^ of its ultimate splendour. Besides, by far the greater part had been so deaf to the other instructions and admo- nitions of Christ, and so blind to the evidence afford- ed by miracles so many and so great,^ that they were neither desirous of salvation,^ nor possessed of a teach- able disposition, nor willing to believe in such doctrines as were mysterious* (i. e. till then unknown, and out of the range of popular opinion,) on the sole autho- rity of Jesus, as a divinely commissioned teacher. On accountJ of this their general ignorance of religious things, our Lord in teaching them made use of parables without explanations,^ that seeing the image they a V. 29. b V. .31—33. •: Mark iv. 27 s. d Matt. xii: i. 44—46. e Luke xvii. 20. f Comp. Luke xix. 1 1. g Matt. xiii. 13- -15. i^V. 15. i V. 11. j V. 13. ^ Mark iv. 34. 88 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. might not perceive the object which it was intended to represent, and that they might hear the words in- deed, but not comprehend their meaning,* if perad- venture^^ they might in this way be led to reform and obtain the pardon of their sins.^ This proceeding might be adopted^ ^ for this reason ; that so the very obscurity of the obnoxious doctrine taught would pre- vent the worst of the people from deriding Jesus on account of his preaching a kingdom of the Messiah so different from that which they expected, and from thus increasing their crime, (a measure particularly necessary at that time, on account of the detestable*^ re- ports lately spread among the populace)*^ while at the same time others might be roused by this enigmatic teach- ing out of the stupid indifference with which they had been accustomed to regard the deeds and instructions of Jesus, and brought to reflection^ which might, in the better disposed at least, result in a more careful atten- tion to the precepts of our Lord, and a more diligent examination of his conduct, for the time to come, and so produce their gradual conversion. Even to the disciples themselves, who, unlike the rest,^ wei-e so far led by the authority of Christ, as to be able to hear the truth undisguised without offence,^ the enig- 3 Luke viii. 10. ^ Mark iv. 12. '' ]\Iatt. xii. 31 ss. d V. 24. ^ Mark iv. 33. *" Matt. xiii. 1 1 . ^ Comp. fji,v«07i2 Tim. ii. 25 ; Lukeiii. 15, and Brit. 3Iagaz. T. iii. p. 721 s. ^^ It was well said by Sallust, as we find it quoted by Black- wall (Critica Sacra N. T. p. 274, ed. \roIlii. ro '^ik ui6tat ffva^aiot/s ^iXe Mark iv. 34. ^ Luke viii. 9. 3Iatt. xiii. 36. *! y. 11, 51. « Matt. xiii. *" § ix. e Matt. xiii. 52, comp Mark iv. 21 s. 90 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. object of this essay to teach, are rational fables, or fictitious narration bearing the semblance of truth,^ by means of which our Lord illustrated ** some moral doctrine.'^ There are, therefore, two things in them to be considered, the doctrine which they convey, that is, the thing signified ; and the narration, or similitude, ^'^ by which it is signified. But the para- ble itself,^ that is,® the sense of the parable can only be perceived by those^^ who understand the doctrine conveyed, by means o^ the narration used. For ex- ample, David did not understand the meaning of Nathan,^ so long as he only understood and passed judgment on the fact narrated by the prophet.^ For the object of the latter was not to obtain a decision a § iii. iv. b § ix. X. <= § V. •^Mark iv. 10. Matt. xiii. 18, 36. ^ Luke viii. 9, 11. f 2 Sam. xii. 5 s. 6 2 Sam. xii. 1—4. ^2 It is true there are some parables of our Lord, which, con- sidered in themselves, ought rathei' to be designated as exam- pies than as similitudes (§ vi.) But as the majority are to be classed as allegories ( § vii. viii.,) and as even those just men- tioned, in as far as they are compound (§ v.) partake of the nature oi a. similitude (§ vi.) we may for the rest of the essay make use of the term similitude {or par able, '\ in reference to all. By this the whole comparison (§ i.,) that is, both the image and the object, are usually intended, although occasion- ally it is applied to the image alone. See Quinctilian, L. viii. c. iii. 470, [p. 398, ed. Ox.] Others use the name similitude to express the T^oTao-i; ?r«^*Vii7/;, (first member of the compa- rison) which, in a regularly drawn comparison, is connected by the uvTecTo^oa-ii or reciprocal reference, with the object of which it is the image. Quinctil. ubi supra, p. 471, [p. 399.] ^ Comp. CaUxti Concordia iv. evangel, scriptorum, L. iv. c. vii. p. 184 s. THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 91 against the rich man whom he represented as acting with so much injustice. The king's idea did not correspond with that of the prophet, till the former perceived the object* for which the history had been invented and narrated.^ — It would be no less a de- parture from the meaning of Christ, if any one should read such parables as those in Luke xvi, 1 — 8, and xviii. ] — 5, as histories. Their design was cer- tainly neither to hold out a pattern for imitation, nor to warn against the sorts of conduct which they de- scribe, but of a very different character.*^ On the other hand, any one who understands the passage in Matt. vi. 15, will certainly perceive the doctrine taught in xviii. 23, ss., but he will not be able to comprehend the parable in v. 23, ss.) until he has learned to apply the narration to that doctrine. This intimate con- nection of the similitude with the thing signified oc- casionally produces the insertion of words in the similitude which properly belong only to the object connected with it in the mind of a person who under- stands the parable. So in Matt. xxii. 10,^^ the ser- vants are said to have brought in " both bad and good," meaning " guests both suitably and unsuitably clothed''^ which in the parable represent the good and bad. On the other hand, an occasional feature of the image may be retained even in the explanation^ M^ 13. >^V. 7ss. ^ xvi. 8 s. : xviii. 6 ss. -^ V. 11. •'^* The description in v. 13 of this chapter, and in c xxv, 30, is to be understood of a prison, very remote from the place of the feast and from all human society, and very dark. This is an image of the punishments which will be inflicted upon the wicked in the world to come. See viii. 12. 92 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. if the interpretation of the other parts is so clear as to leave no difficulty in comprehending the meta- phor. Such is the case in Matt. xiii. 19, 22, 23. So also Horace* inserts a tropical word'' in the ap- phcation*^ of his fable : vehet^ having reference to the T^orac/s^ of the fable of the horse and the stag which he had used. §XII. It is evident, then, that three things are requisite to the discovery of the grammatical sense of a parable. First, that the fictitious narration, or similitude, be understood. Second, that the thing signified be as« certained. Third, that the correspondence of the si- militude, or narration, with its object be learned. With the first of these requisites we are at pre- sent not concerned, as nothing more than the or- dinary rules of interpretation, such as are applicable to any true history, is needed for its attainment. However, not to pass it over entirely, we may sub- join the single remark, that in order to give the feigned history all its concinnity, it is sometimes ne- cessary to imagine a circumstance not expressed. So in Matt, xxii., we must supply in imagination the circumstance, that the guests were not led directly into the banqueting room, but allowed a sufficient opportunity to change their dress. This is not ex- pressly affirmed in the narration, but it may be in- ferred from the expression sp/xudi^ in v. 12, and =• Epist. Lib. i. Ep. X. b V. 40. * See above, note 22. ^ V. 36, 38. THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 93 must be assumed, because the command in v. 13 would otherwise be liable to the imputation of great injustice. Yet it is not necessary to determine whence the wedding garment was to be procured ; whether, for example, we are to suppose that the man, who appeared without one, had a suitable garment at home, but had neglected the opportunity given him to go thither and procure it ; or whether it is to be assumed that the king, who had invited his guests in such an unusual way,^ had also, contrary to the ge- neral practice,^^ taken care to offer them garments suitable to the occasion. Neither of these hypo- theses is susceptible of proof, for Christ himself has said nothing determinate upon the subject, his design being merely to show generally that the soul must be clothed anew with righteousness^ before an ad- mission to eternal happiness can be obtained, without any intention to teach the method of procuring the necessary vesture. § XIII. The thing signified, or doctrine with reference to which a fable is propounded (the ascertaining of ^ V. 9. ^ Y. 10. ^' It cannot be shown by any good arguments that it was customary to present the guests with garments suited to the festal occasion. See Krebs Observ. e Flav. Josepho, in Matt, xxii. 12. We leave it to others to decide whether the custom of presenting a Caftan to those who are admitted to an audience of the Turkish Sultan has any bearing on this subject. Comp. Luedeke Expositio Locorum Script, ad. orientem se referen- tium, § 49, and Michaelis Orient. Biblioth. P. viii. p. 140, 94 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. wliich is the second requisite to the discovery of th^ grammatical sense of a parable) is usually indicated in the moral, called by Apthonius t^o/mvOiov, but more commonly Iri/M-j^iov. Our Lord himself* not unfre- quently subjoined to his parables some indication of their object, or even a somewhat copious exposition; e. g. Luke xii. 21 ; xviii. 14. Matt, xviii. 35 ; xiii. 49, s. xxi. 42, ss. Luke vii. 44, ss. ; xvi. 8, s. xviii. 6, ss. Occasionally, such notices both precede and follow, as in Matt. xix. 30; xx. 16. But the parables of Christ differ from other fables in being generally given, not, like them, in a separate state, but in some definite connection with a context. This peculiarity affords a means of eliciting their meaning, so that a moral, or s-rifMv&iov, is not always needed. The context of a parable remarkably conduces to a knowledge of its meaning, by pointing out the occa- sion in which it was uttered. This will be found to be either the actions and opinions of the hearers of Christ, as in Luke xv. 11, ss. comp. v. 1, 2; xix. 12, ss. comp. V. 11; or some of our Lord's discourses with which it is in connection, as in Matt. xxv. 1 — 30, which passage contains two parables, one teaching the necessity of prudence, the other recommending fidelity, both of which virtues had been previously mentioned.* So in the parable of the wedding feast,^ a xxiv. 45. ^ Matt. xxii. 7, 9. • The Evangelist has prefixed an indication of the subject of the parable in Luke xviii. 1, 9. xix. 11. ^^ This may directly impugn the opinions of the hearers, and on that account, be properly continued in the parabolic form, as in Luke xiii. 2 — 2. THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 95 it is the more certain that the invited guests, of whom but few were admitted to the feast,* represent the Jeios and Gentiles, because it appears from the con- text^ t!j;it there was then occasion for Christ to dis- cuss that subject. Lastly, as in interpretation generally, great assist- ance may be derived from the use o^ parallel passages, so occasionally the sense of a parable may be ascer- tained or confirmed by means of some other, similar to it. For instance, if there were no other reasons, a comparison of Matt. xxii. ss., alone, would render it credible that the similar parable, in Luke xiv. 16, ss., relates, like the former passage, to the con- tempt of the preached gospel by the Jews, and its propagation among the heathen. We may reason- ably infer that our Lord himself intended this re- semblance between his parables to be observed and used for their interpretation, from the fact that when he uttered a parable,^ which contained an image si- milar to that previously used by him in another pa- rable,*^ he considered it easier to be understood than others.® § XIV. Besides these external aids,*" there are others prin- cipally contained in the parable itself, that assist the discovery of its meaning. The meaning of that class of fables whieli consists of examples of the thing signified, is to be discovered « V. 8, 13 s. ^ xxi. 43. « Mark iv. 3 ss. •^ John iv. 35 ss. '^ Mark iv. 13. S xiii. 96 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. ' by abstraction, which substitutes generals for particu- lars, and classes for individuals.^'^ This rule may be tried by the fables of iEsop and others of that kind ; but we will proceed to its application to the parables of Christ. In the parable in Luke xviii. 10, ss., for instance, in order to ascertain its meaning, we must substitute for the Pharisee, who exalts himself above other men, and particularly above the publican, and boasts in his prayers which he offers in the temple, of his fasts and giving of tithes, all arrogant men and contemners of others, whatsoever, who are inflated with an exalted opinion of their own merits, of whatever description they may be, and who betray this despo- tism, in any way. By the publican who stands afar off from the Pharisee, with downcast eyes, and beat- ing his breast, prays God to be merciful to him a sinner, we must understand all such as, although de- spised by others, are impressed with a deep sense of their own sinfulness, are desirous of the divine mercy, and indicate this disposition in any way. The result is that we must conclude that the latter description of persons will receive the approbation of God, while the former will be rejected and humbled by him. So, again, from the example of the Samaritan, Luke X. 33, ss., who being strongly moved by pity, and of a liberal disposition, bound up the wounds of a Jew •'' That is to say, as far as the subject admits of it. There are particular ideas (for instance, those of death, and sepulture. Luke xii. 20. xvi. 22), which do not admit of generalization, such as that by wliicli a copious harvest (Luke xii. IG, ss.) is understood to mean riches of every kind, and begging (Luke xvi. 20), misery in general (v. 25). THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 97 who had been cruelly maltreated, had been left with- out aid by his countrymen, the priest and Levite, and must perish for want of speedy help, — conveyed him to an inn, and even provided for his future sus- tenance, — this too, in a road infested by the incur- sions of robbers,^®'^ and when he could hardly spare the two denarii paid for the support of the wounded man :^ from this example, we learn that it is our duty to afford assistance to any man who may ab- solutely need it, even though he he of different nation, customs, religion, or dispositions from ourselves,^ and even if such assistance be attended with difficulty, ex- pense, and peril ; much more to do any kind offices, attended with less difficulty and danger, that may be needful, even to an enemy .^ ^^ But there are many other fictitious narrations,® which cannot be considered as examples of the thing signified, but are included as species under the more general doctrine, which includes, in like manner, the precept intended to be conveyed. Here abstraction ^ V. 30. ^ V. 35. c Comp. John iv. 9. Ecclus. i. 27, s. ^ Luke X. 37. ^ § vi. vii. ^"^ Comp. Michaelis Gedanken von Sunde und Geneigthung, p. 452, 448. ■'^ There is reason for laying stress upon this circumstance, as the lawyer (v. 29) betrayed a disposition to consider strangers and enemies as having no claim upon him (comp. Matt. v. 43), and our Lord introduced a Samaritan as more benevolent to a Jew than the Jews themselves, for the very purpose of shaming tlie Jews, who were unwilling to aiford any assistance to Sama- ritans, and showed little kindness to strangers in general. [See Porteus' Lectures, Lect. xi. Vol. i. p. 280, ss. ed. Lond. 1800 Tr.] H 98 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. alone will not suffice to ascertain the meaning of the parable, as it will discover only the more general doctrine, to which both the example given and the thing signified are subordinate, but cannot define the latter. In this case, the general doctrine being first discovered by abstraction^ other aids * must then be used to ascertain the specific difference between the example in the parable, and the thing intended to be signified. So, in the parable in Matt. xiii. 31 s., we first learn by the process of abstraction, that it con- veys the general rule, that often a thing from small beginnings attains to an exalted eminence. But that this general truth is applied by Christ peculiarly to the heavenly kingdom, is to be learned from the words prefixed to the parable : 6/x&/a ksrh r, /Satr/Xs/a rwv ^pccvuv.'^^ Again, in Matt. xxi. 28 ss., we discover, by abstraction, that the parable conveys the general declaration, that it is not he who makes a boast of his obedience, but he who renders it, although at first he may have refused, that does the will of him who imposes a command.^ But it is from the moral or application of the parable in v. 31 s., that we learn lis, particular reference to the Pharisees, who boasted of their obedience to the divine commands, and the publicans, who reall}' rendered such obedience. From all this it appears, that even in this class of parables there remain some particulars which must ^ § xiii, ^ Comp. v. 31. ^^ These form a sort of introductory moral {voofji.vSiot), which, however, only indicates the subject of the fable, the predicate appearing with sufficient clearness from the general doctrine, which may be found by abstraction. THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 99 be converted into generals. For example, the par- ticulars in the parable of the grain of mustard seed,* that it is less than all seeds, and that in its growth it surpasses all herbs, and becomes a tree of such a size as to afford shelter in its branches to the birds, that is,*' becomes a large^ tree ; convey this general mean- ing ; that great progress may be made from a small beginning. There is no danger of running into error by this process of generalization, for we are sure to find all that the general truths thus arrived at may contain, in the less general, which are subor- dinate to them, and form the subject of the parable. But when we proceed to determine the particular application of these general truths to the doctrine taught in the parable, there are two things to be avoided. First, we must not suppose that there is any necessary correspondence between ^he particular idea conveyed by the narration, and the thing which the parable is intended to signify. Secondly, we must not take it for granted that all the particulars dis-. tinguishable in the narration, answer to as many [/ar- ticulars in the thing signified.* 3 jMatt. xiii. 32. ^ Comp. Dan. iv. D, 18, with v. 7, f^, 17- ^ Luke xiii. 19. * [" Ante omnia scopns cujusque parabolfe est conside- randus, et non modo, quod huic adversatur, sed etiam, quod ad eum nihil confert, pro sensu loci alieno habiendum, quern auc- tor parabolae nee intenderit, nee intendere potuerit. Unde cou- sequens est, magis ad ostentationem ingenii et foecundae ima- ginationis facere, illas doctrinas et usus, qua? ex omnibus et singiilis parabolae circumstantiis petuntur, et mysteria, quae u\ iis queruntur, quam ad parabola* interpretationem, vernmque J 00 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. We do not deny that it is possible that things be- longing to the same class, may possess the same at- tributes in common, and thus agree in many particu- lars, as well as in their generic character. It would even be wise, if the natures of the thing narrated and of that signified would admit such an agreement, to express such predicates in the narration, as would equally suit the thing signified. This may be exem- plified by the parable of the wedding feast,* where the general truth conveyed, when obtained from the narrative by abstraction, is, that the rejection of repeat' edly proffered benefits will afford ground for heavy punishment, and procure the transfer of those benefits to others, if they will receive them as they ought. To this is subordinate the doctrine which it was the in- tention of our Lord to teach, that the contempt of the blessings of the heavenly kingdom by the Jews would draw down upon them heavy punishment, and that, on the other hand, such of the Gentiles as should prove worthy, should be admitted to the enjoyment of those blessings. In this instance, the punishment to be inflicted on the Jews was of such a kind, that it would be explicitly described in the narration, as in V. 7. — But very often the case is otherwise. So in this same parable, the general idea of being not un- worthy of a benefit,^ is in the narrative converted into the special circumstance o^ being clothed in a ivedding garment; whereas the import of the parable requires ^ 3Iatt. xxii. 2 ss. "^ Comp. v. 8. et a loquente intentum earum sensum in dagandum et decla- randum," Werenfels. Opusc. ii. 352 — Tr.\ THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 101 a different special notion, thsit of being good,^ possess- ing a habit of mind adapted to the heavenly kingdom. To use another example : the general idea of obedience to the will of another, is expressed in the narration of the parable of the two sons,^ by the particular action of going into the vineyard, which does not at all suit the thing signified, in which it must be changed to the repentance (fMrdvoia),^ productive of obedience to the will of God, which had been preached by John.** It would be improper, therefore, to conclude from Luke xix, 27, that on the return of our Lord,^ and his glo- rious manifestation, (after having suffered his kingdom to exist some time in comparative obscurity, for the purpose of affording an opportunity to its enemies to display their fury,^ and to his servants to show their faithfulness,)^ his enemies should be slain, although that punishment is named in the narration. For it does not follow that the punishment to be inflicted on the enemies signified in v. 14 and 27, now for the most part dead, must be the same as that said to be in- flicted on the enemies of the nobleman (suyivrig) whose history is recounted in the narrative.'*^ In like man- » V. 10, ^ Matt. xxi. 29. «= V. 33. '' iii. 2. *^ V. 15. f V. 11. g V. 14. h V. 13, 15 ss. *^ For the same reason a distinction must be made between the form of the sentence of the king in Matt, xviii. 34, and the form of the divine judgment, and no stress is to be laid on the expression ^itfaviffra,) or, on the Other, %u{ ov- From the special sentence of the king against this merciless servant, that he should be deliver- ed to the tormentors " until the payment of his debi*^ we are mere- ly to collect the general idea, that the king refused to forgive the debt due him by his unforgiving servant, and that, in like 102 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. ner, v. 17, 19, afford no proof that the faithful servants of Christ shall be appointed, some to the government of ten cities, some to that of five. For this particular method of reward, accommodated to the worldly na^ ture of the fictitious history, may only signify 2 w ^cw€- ral, that a reward proportioned to the degree of fide- lity will be given, and more particularly, that each should receive employment and enjoy felicity in the kingdom of heaven in proportion to his faithfulness.* With relation to the second rule above given, '^ it cannot be denied that it 7nay happen that the parti- culars given in the protasis, or similitude, may corres- pond to as many in the thing signified. It is, for instance, altogether probable that the parable of the wedding feast^ not only expresses the general idea of repeated invitations to the Jews to partake of the blessings of the kingdom of heaven, but also morepar^ ticularly distinguishes two'^'^ distinct times of offering, ^ I\Iatt. XXV. 21, 23. ^ P. 99. " Matt. xxii. 3 ssl manner, God will not forgive the sons of those who show no mercy to their fellow men (comp. vi. 15.) The same remark applies to a parable of another class (note 21) in ]Matt. v. 25, s. where the particulars in the narration, of the officer despatched to seize the debtor, and of the dtiration of the imprisonment un- til the entire payment, relate only to the human judgment, which is an image of the divine. ^^ The word kix\-/,[/,ivh^ , v. 3, does not necessarily prove a prior invitation, as, according to Hebrew usage (See Obss. ad Anal, et Synt. Heb. p. 135,* and add 1 Peter i. 13. 2 Peter iii. 11, comp. v. 10), it may indicate the persons to he invited^^ that is, the guests generally. Comp. Krebsii Obss. Flavianas ad. 3Iatt. xxii. 3. * r The author has there shown bv a multitude of examples^ THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 103 owe,* that in which the Jews were called by tliQ pro- phets^ the other,^ that in which, on the nearer approach of the heavenly kingdom,'^ the call was repeated bi/ Jo/irii and b?/ C/mst and his apostles. So too, the invitation by the prophets seems to be distinguished from that given by Christ in Luke xiv. 16 s. And as this last parable was spoken before the Pharisees,*^ ^^ to whom our Lord on another occasion, making use of asimilar^ parable,^ had preferred both the publi- cans and harlots° dwelling among them,'^^ and the heathen '^ it is very probable that Luke xiv. 21, 23, a V. 3 ^ V. 4. *= iii. 2; iv. 17- ^ Luke xiv. 1. « § xiii. f Matt. xxii. § JMatt. xxi. 31 s. ^ Matt. xxi. 43. *^ It was addressed to one of them in particular (v. 16,) in whom the recollection of the resurrection to happiness, whicli Was an article of belief among the Pharisees, had excited a de- sire of the blessings of the kingdom of heaven (v. 14 ss.,) but the love of worldly things, (comp. xvi. 14. lo. xii. 42 s.) seems to have hindered him from embracing the doctrine of Christ; This circumstance sho^\-s the wisdom of our Lord, in miking no mention in this place (comp. IMatt. xxii. 6.) of open hatred against himself, from which this comparatively well dis- posed Pharisee seems to have been free, but confining his reproof to the immoderate lo%^e of worldly goods, Luke xiv. 18 — 20. ■** Comp. rr,? ■TToXiuf. Luke xiv. 21. (pp. 133 ss.) that the Hebrew participles BenoniBxiA Paoulare used indifferently to express the past, the present, and the future. Among other instances, he gives p^*"j I "^^j vastanda, T ; Ps. cxxxvii. 8, and *7^'jj, qui nascetur, Ps. xxii. 32, comp. T Ixxviii. G Tr.] 104 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. is intended to distinguish the invitation given to the publicans and heathen. — But it is to be maintained that it may also happen otherwise in this respect ; lest we be led to seek for some particular signification for every particular in the protasis or similitude even when it does not spontaneously present itself,* and so fall into forced, or rash and absurd interpretations. In the Jirst place, then, it is to be assumed, that the general enunciation may, agreeably to Hebrew usage, be distributed mio fewer or mmc p^'^ticular or integral parts.'^sf So in Luke xx. 10 — 12, we are not to seek for three prophets, who may have exercised their * f 'Otf ^(m Tuvra rx h 'ra,^apta>.et7i xatra Xi^iv vt^H^yu^iffBat a.kX« TO* ffftaxov /uecB-ovra; t/ ov ffuviTiS'/t rVToy o^ivirBat) xut fiidh -Trokw^uyfjLoviiv ^rtf aiTi^a. Chrysost. Horn. Ixiv. in Matt.] ^^ See Num. vii. 12 ss. ix. 17 ss. Rev. vii. 4 ss. Mark xii. 20 ss. Luke xx. 29 ss. f [ So in the fable of Jotham, the disinclination of persons who, by their endowments, are best qualified for the office of governing ( Ju. ix. 9, 11, 13,) to undertake that office, is re- presented under the general similitude of a tree valuable for its usefulness (v. 9, 11, 13,) refusing the government of the other trees. But to give a more vivid idea of the superiority of their claims, and to increase the evidence of a general disposition to decline the office by the inti-oduction of a repeated refusal, three several offers to particular trees are specified. That the par- ticular application of the offers of the tiees to the olive, the fig, and the vine, to distinct and unsuccessful offers of the crown to Othneil, Deborah, and Gideon, which has been made by some (Saurin. Disc. Hist. iii. 405,) could not have been in the mind of Jotham, is proved by his confining his application (v. 16 ss.) to the choice of Abimelech, and the injury done thereby to the house of Gideon ; not to mention the far-fetched resemblance between the several particulars in the narrative and those sup- posed to belong to its application. — Tr.] THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 105 commissions in the order given, and suffered the insults ascribed to the several servants. For Matthew c. xxi. 34 — 36, and Mark c. xii. 2 — 5, expressly add, that there were many others sent, and even as to the three who are mentioned, those evangelists do not entirely agree with each other or with St. Luke, in their accounts of the treatment received by them, and the order in which they were sent. The object of our Lord was merely to inform us^- that many servants having been repeatedii/ sent^ were teceived with i^arious insults and harsh treatment. This general declaration admitting of division into many of a more special na- ture, some of these, of any of the different kinds, might be selected for the sake of illustration.* Nor is it any more necessary to beat pains to Jix the definite periods oftime^^ at which men are represented as divinely called, in the parable of the labourers,^ and even the words of the narration will bear this general significa- tion, that some ivere sent earliery some later, into the vineyard by its master. Secondly, as one great use of parables is to assist in affording a vivid knowledge of what they teach,^ it is the more proper in such narrations to substitute ^ Comp. Luke xiv. 18—20; xvi. 5.-.7. ^ Matt. XX. 2—6. ^ § ix. *^ The varietVj and uncertain and precarious nature, of the interpretations which have arisen out of an attempt to do this, will be very evident to any one who compares Theophylact (Comm. in 3Iatt. xx.) with Jerome (in loc.) or consults Peter- sen's work, entitled : das Geheimniss von den Arbeitern in Weinber^e ;* c. vi. * [ The IVIystery of the Labourers in the Vineyard. ] 106 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. for generah, or conjoin with I hem, particulars which may contribute to bring the matter as it were before the eyes. For although in this way the several par- ticulars will not have each its peculiar signification ; 5'et the thing expressed by them conjointly, or by such particulars in connexion with generals, will be more clearly and strongly represented to the mind than it would be in any other way. Thus the ex- pression " my oxen and my fatlings are killed," in Matt. xxii. 4, means nothing more^ than the phrase which immediately follows, " all things are ready ;" but it conveys that meaning with more force. The words in the parable of the prodigal,*' " I have sinned against God," have no signification other than that conveyed by the expression " I have sinned against thee," as the father himself is there an image of God. But as they are well adapted to the human father and son to whom the narrative relates, they serve to express a deep sense of sin much better than the mere ac- knowledgment " I have sinned against thee," which in that case would not sufficiently convey the idea of Si lively sense of sin in the returning prodigal. — The particulars mentioned in Matt. xxi. 33, express no- thing more^ than that the vineyard, when planted, was furnished witli every necessary, so that there was nothing wanting. But although neither the hedge, nor the tower, nor the press, have scny particular s\g- nification, yet the introduction of these circumstances adds much force to the representation, that God bad omitted nothing to effect the salvation of the ■^ Comp. Luke xiv. 17. ^ Luke xv. 18, 2L '^ Comp. Isa. V. 2, with v, 4. THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 107 Jews, and yet neither the prophets nor Christ him- self had found any fruits^ worthy of such extraordi- nary care, in that people, whose chiefs were so far from aiding in the counsels of the divine Providence, that they rather sought onl}' to increase their own enjoyments, by obtaining offices for themselves.'' — In Luke XV. 20, 22 — 24, too, who would wish to de- prive the admirable narrative of the particulars which so strikingly represent the parental tenderness and joy, notwithstanding that the ring, the calf, &c., can- not be said to have any signification in themselves, but merely, taken altogether, have the sanie'^7 mean- ing that a general mention of great tenderness and extraordinary pleasure received from the safety of the son, would have conveyed, although with less significancy ; viz. the great mercy of God towards sinners, his pleasure in their conversion, and the great benefits by which he is accustomed to declare that pleasure. § XV. But, as there are vadiuy particulars in the narra- tion,^ which do not apply to the thing signified : so, the narration may also have other parts which must ^ V. 43. ^ Comp. John xi. 48. <= § xiv. "^^ So our Lord himself, in Matt, xviii. 33, expresses by the single general term x'^i^tty, what he had elsewhere, by the in- troduction of particulars brought as it were before the eyes, Luke XV. 5, 6. Even in the latter passage, in the tfrohoat? (v. 7,) he substitutes the general word ;^a^av for all the particu^ lav signs of great joy which he had previously recapitulated^ 108 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. not be insisted on by those who institute a comparison* between the object and the narrative, or similitude^* § 3^"- *^ This same rule is given, with relation to parables or (comp. note 15,) fables, generally by Eustathius (IX. B'. A.' p. 177j 856.) among the ancients, and among the moderns by Sulzer, Allg. Theorie der shoenen Kuenste, P. i. p. 107. With respect to the parables of Christ in particular, it is con- firmed by Tertullian, as quoted by Semler, Antt. Hermeneut. ex TertuU. Spec. i. p. 27., by Chrysostom, Comm. in Matt. XX. I ss., and by other fathers, cited by Suicer, Thesaur. Eccles. Tom. ii. p. 570. So also Luther, Postil. in Evang. Dom. Septuag., 0pp. T. xiii. p. 387 ; Bucer, Enarrat. in Matth. XX. xxii. xxv. Luke xvi (fol. 154, 101, 178, 215) ; Fla- dus, p. 40; Glassius, p. 489 ; Calixtus, p. 186 s. ; Wollius, Herm. Nov. Foed. p. 131 ss. ; Turretin, p. 262 ss., 148 ; Ernesti, Inst. Interp. P. i. S. ii. c iv. extr. ; and many others. Even Cocceius himself does not deny that the literal sense of the parables may be found without a nice accommo- dation of each, and every circumstance in the narrative to the object of the parable ; although he thinks that those circum- stances may receive a mystic and prophetic sense. Such is his declaration (Schol. in Luc. xv. Opp. Tom. iv. 54.) " that the misery of the prodigal son, and the indignation of his elder brother, which are so minutely described, are intended^ perhaps, for a description of the misery of those who ivallow in sin, and for an illustration of the affection of the father (comp. below, § xviii. extr.) ; yet perhaps they also contain a mystical signification, which may be ascertained from other prophecies.^* But that Christ had in view, beside the proper signification of the parable, other future events, is entirely without proof in Scripture, unless we admit as proof the existence of parts of the narration to which there are no correspondent particulars in the thing signified. The inadmissibility of this will appear when we shall have shown, as we propose to do, that there THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 109 We will readily grant to Petersen''^ that nothing is introduced into the narration without some reason : but that the cause why this or that circumstance is related, must necessarily exist in its agreement with the subject, we deny. Yet we would not have any thing considered as merely or?mmental, for though it is allowable in poetry to make use of circumstantial narrative merely for the purpose of giving pleasure, yet in fables, the object of which is to assist the ac- quisition of intuitive kiioivledge of the truth, the only ornament ought to consist in brevity and simpli- city,^^ as the careful exclusion of every thing fo- reign to the subject, however agreeable in other re- spects, tends greatly to secure the accomplishment of their object, and a ready recollection^ of the fables themselves. There can, therefore, be no adequate reason assigned for the use of any thing that is not serviceable in the parabolic illustration of doctrine. But then the parabolic illustration of doctrine re- - §ix. were sufficient reasons why our Lord should interweave such parts in the narration, even though he did not intend to repre- sent by them any thing similar either in the subject properly signified, or, in something else to be mystically understood. Nor is any great credit done to this hypothesis by the preca- rious interpretations of C'ccceius (Disp. Sel. xxxv. § i. p. 89, Opp. T. VI.) and his disciples, specimens of which are given by Pfaff, in the Dissertation already cited, p. 16 ss., where that author also enumerates the principal defenders of this opi- nion, p. 21. ^"^ Ubi supra, p. 123, and in his work : die Gleichnisse des Hern, etc. p. 285, 338, 302 s. 393, 507, 746. 5° See Lessing's Fourth Dissertation ; ubi supra. 110 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. quires, not only that the doctrine be illustrated, but also that it be illustrated by a parable. It was not our Lord's intention in his parables to afford an il- lustration of his teaching of any kind whatever, but to illustrate it by parables.* Any thing, therefore, required by the nature of a parable, was necessary, although devoid of any particular correspondence with the subject of the parable.f Now a parable is a narrative bearing the resemblance of truth. ^ §XVI. In the^r^^ place, then, things which, so far as re- lates to the signification of the parable only, might have been omitted, are sometimes necessary to give the narrative designed to convey instruction the ap- pearance of a real history, and to render it agreeable to the ordinary course of things. For example, the =^ § xi. * ["Licet non existimemiis, quamlibet parabolse circum- stautiam psculiarem habere significationem, illas propterea non vanas et inutiles esse credimiis ; faciunt enim ad parabo- laniin non modo elegantiam, sed ad earum etiam natnram, quae haec est ; iit narrentur cum quibusdam c^rcumstantii^;, ali')<|uinenim narrationum historicarinn S])eciem non haberent." Werenfels. Opusc. ii. 352 Tr.] -f- [" Non seulement il n'est pas necessaire que chacuii de leurs membres ait une veu particuliere, qui se rapporte directe- nient au but de celui qui la propose ; il faut meme que ce }»ut soit en quelque sort cache sous des images etrangeres, iies- tinees a I'enveloper." S^aurin Disc. Histor. Tom. iii. p. 405 s T/-.] THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. Ill mention of the man, who sowed the grain of mustard seed* was altogether unnecessary, taking into con- sideration only the nature of the thing signified.^ But, without it, the comparison would have been a parable in the strictest sense.*^ In order to change this into the kind*^ of which alone our Lord made use,^ it was necessary to introduce a particular man as having sowed the seed, in place of the general statement of its being sown. The same principle applies to the introduction of the woman in Matt. xiii. 33, which is merely for the purpose of reducing an event which daily occurred to women making bread, to a single definite example. So again in Luke xvi. 28, it was much better to represent the I'ich man as speaking of a certain number of brothers, than to make him speak of them in a general way, as if he had been ignorant of their number. In this case, it is unnecessary to inquire the reason for choosing the number _^t'e. As it suited the historical form of the parable best to speak of a definite number, all that was needful was, to fix some certain number not in itself incredible, and in doing this, it mattered not which might be selected, there being no more reason for the choice otlfive than for that of any other num- ber, say, for instance, ^wr. The same remark may be made of the use of the number ten in Luke xix. 13, and Matt. xxv. 1., where it only occurs because, as in every single event, the number concerned in it, e. g. of human agents, is necessarily definite, the case « 3Iatt. xiii. 31. '' Comp. Mark iv. 31. ^ § i. 'J § iv. - § ii. 112 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. must be the same in a fictitious history. Our Lord, therefore, intending to fix the number of the talents, and of the virgins, was unable in that respect to have any reference to the thing signified in the parable, and so took the first that occurred, e. g. that, which it was usual to employ in expressing generally an indefinite number,* or, perhaps, was commonly preferred in different kinds of business.^! As the virgins in Matt. XXV. 1, were to be distinguished into two sorts, the whole number, ten, was divided into two smaller num- bers. These were made equals because that method of division is the most simple possible, not with any intention to signify that the number of watchful Chris- tians and that of persons of the opposite description will be equal ; unless we choose to believe that c. xxi. 28 ss., proves the equality of numbers of both classes, or to infer from c. xxv. 15, that the number of faith- ful Christians will be greater than that of the wicked, because two faithful servants are mentioned, while but one is slothful.^^ — \^ ^^ parable of the leaven** the ^ Dan. i. 20. Neh. iv. 6. ^ Matt. xiii. 33. Luke xiii. 21. ''^ Comp. Lightfoot, Hor. Heb. in 3Iatt. xxv. 1 ; and Rhen- ferdii Opera Philologica, p. 729, s. ^'^ There was, it is true, a weighty reason for the mention of two faithful servants ; but this related, not to the number of faithful and careless Christians, but to the proportion of the goods entrusted to the faithful servants respectively, with the increase made by them. For if no mention had been made of a second servant (v. 17), it could not have been learned from the parable that most will be expected from him to whom most has been entrusted (v. 16, comp. v. 17), and must be rendered, if he wishes to obtain the credit of being faithful (v. 21), and to retain his place (v. 28, s.) So in Luke xix. the express in- THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 113 narrative is rendered much more neat and probable by the mention of the particular number of three mea- sures of the meal, as some definite number must cer- tainly have been employed in a real event of that kind.* This alone was a sufficient reason why Christ, when intending to frame a fictitious narrative on the subject, should mention 2^ particular number of mea- sures of meal, (perhaps the number most commonly used,) although there is no discoverable relation be- tween the object of the parable and the number three.^^ — For similar reasons we dare not attach any parti- cular importance to the mention of three years in Luke xiii. 7, especially as the Jews were allowed not merely the third year^ of the ministry of Jesus, but also several others in addition, for the purpose of hearing the preached gospel, and bringing forth cor- responding fruits. It seems rather to convey this ^ So Gen. xviii. 6. ^ Comp. v. c. ti'oduction of the other servant (v. 18 s.) was necessary, as without it we could not have known that the extent of reward GOuli be proportioned to the degree of faithfulness, which now appears from a comparison of the services of each servant (v. 16, 18) with his respective reward (v. 17, 19, 24 ss.) — So in other places, as in Luke vii. 41, comp. v. 43, and in Matt, xviii. 24, 28, comp. v. 32, the mutual relations of the numbers introduced are of great importance. ■'•^ Interpreters, indeed, have invented several. But as these differ from each other, and each has as much right to credence as the rest, their variety itself gives rise to suspicion. Ex- amples may be found in the work of Petersen ; Gleichnisse des Hern. p. 2G0, although the number might easily be en- larged. 114 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. general truth, that God, who for a long while^ had discovered in them no fruits worthy of the excellent instructions they had received, would yet grant to the Jewish nation a period, short indeed, but well supplied with the means and opportunities of improvements,'* after the expiration of which without any great con- version of the people, certain destruction would befal their country. § XVII. In the second place, the narration ought to be apt and consistent in all its parts. If it were otherwise, it would not please, and therefore would excite no desire to learn f and as it would be in many respects de- fective, it would do little for the general recommenda' lion of the doctrine, the intuitive knowledge and easy recollection of which it was designed to aid ;^ least of all would it wear the garb of probability.^ The subjects of the narration, therefore, must be such, that the predicates necessary to express the na- ture of the subject of the parable, may suit them. Hence it may happen that a thing may be taken for the subject of the protasis, or fictitious history, although it bear no close resemblance to the subject of the apo- dosis, or truth conveyed, ^^ on account of the agree- ^ Comp. IMatt. xxi. 34 ss. ^ Luke xiii. 8, comp. xix. 44 ; xxiv. 47* Acts iii. 19 ss. <= § X. ■! § ix. « § xi. ^^ Where the predicates do not absolutely require any par- ticular subject as the most suitable, that would doubtless be preferred which may be most signijicant. So what is related THE PARABLES OF CHRIST, 115 merit of its predicates with those of the apodosis. Of this the parable of the wise and foolish virgins may serve as an example. Our Saviour, designing to re- prove the folly of temporary Christians,* who would be ready to accompany him^ to the regions of eternal happiness, if his advent were to be immediate, but neglected to lay a solid foundation of faith and piety, capable of enduring a longer period,^^ represented in a parable a number of persons preparing to go out by night and meet a bridegroom, but not reflecting on the possibility that his coming might be delayed, and neglecting to provide themselves with a sufficient supply of oil, to feed their lamps, which in conse- quence, go out, and they, while gone to purchase oil, are excluded from the wedding. In this case, it is evident, a bride, who was usually brought from her father's house by the bridegroom himself, and would neither come late, nor be excluded from the wedding, would not be a suitable object to represent » Comp. Luke viii. 13. ^ Matt. xxv. 13. in Luke x. 33 ss. might be attributed to others as well as to the Samaritan, but the latter is designedly introduced. See note 39. ^^ The principal cause assigned (v. 13) for watchfulness, lest our Lord at his return may find us unprepared (v. 10), is the ignorance of the time when that return will take place, and the possibility that it may be farther off than we anticipate (v. 5.) ^\'^e are therefore to take care, that in case we be found alivCy we may be ready, not having lost our faith and Christian vir- tue ; and that if he is to find us dead^ the vmcertain time of death, which, as it finds us, will leave us for the judge (2 Cor. V. 10 ; 2 Tim. iv. 7s) may not have surprized us Avhile un- prepared, and slackened in our zeal by the lapse of time. 116 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. the procrastinating Christians in question, as the pre- dicates necessary to express their character, would not apply to her ; while, on the other hand, they would perfectly suit the virgins who were wont to go forth to meet the bridegroom, whom it was proper, for that reason, to make the subject of the narrative. A sufficient reason for the choice of the subject, then, being discoverable in its predicates, which certainly have their proper significations, no other was needed, nor can the use of this image afford any ground for the inquir}', in what the difference between the Chris- tians whom it designates, and those who are elsewhere called the bride of Christ, consists, — To make use of another example, in Matt. xiii. 44, the reason why the treasure is represented as hidden in the Jield^ ap- pears to be, that if it had been represented as exposed, it would either have belonged to no one, and so have been obtainable without expense^ which would not have suited the design of our Lord in his parable ; or, it must have been the subject of a direct purchase, in which case this similitude would differ in no respect from the other of the pearl, ^ as that is a species of merchantable treasure. Supposing it, then, to have been the design of our Lord to convey the same in- struction in a twofold manner,^^ ^g would not have ^ V. 45 s. 56 There could be no objection to thus illustrating the same truth by means of several parables, as the object of parabolic instruction is to convey a more vivid knowledge of the subject than could be otherwise obtained (§ ix.), and variety of illus- tration will more effectually accomplish that very end. In Matt. xiii. 44, for instance, we learn, it is true, that the worth THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 117 done otherwise than represent the treasure to be bought, as hidden.* It follows of course that nothing can be necessarily inferred from the concealment of the treasure as to any occult state of the heavenly kingdom.f of the kingdom is so great as to deserve our efforts to obtain it, in preference to all other matters ; and this is the more Jwcibly pourtrayed by the significant manner in Avhich we are informed of the value of the treasure, it being represented as sufficient to warrant the purchase of the field under the necessity of parting with every other possession, simply because it contain- ed that treasure, the image of the heavenly kingdom. But the reasonableness of setting aside every other pursuit in com- parison with that of the kingdom of heaven is still more strong- ly felt, when, in another example, (v. 45 s.) we are reminded how plainly accordant with common sense it is, to acquire what is more valuable by foregoing things of less worth. In the same chapter, the possibility of the great increase of the kingdom of God from small beginnings, is more fully shown by two examples of the increase of little things (v. 31 s. and 33,) than it could possibly have been by one. — The propriety of the great pleasure taken by all good persons in the conversion of sinners is held up to view too by our Lord, in Luke xv., with the more vividness, in proportion as he has shown, in a man- ner adapted to the common sense of all, shepherd, woman, and father,:]: that in similar cases all are actuated by the general principle of taking most pleasure in the safety and preserva- tion of such things as had previously been thought in danger. * [Another reason for the insertion of this circumstance is given in § xviii. p. 122. — Tr.'\ + [In the parable of the leaven, on the other hand, while the actor in the transaction represented (p. Ill), and the par- X [ See an excellent sermon on these three parables in connec- tion, by AVaterland, Sermons, VoL 1. Serm. xvi. p. IJO ss. ed. 177G.-.rr.] 118 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. § XVIII. To render the narration apt,^ especial care mast be taken in the arrangement and connexion of its several parts.^7 Whenever, therefore, it is imprac- ticable to reduce the principal parts of the narration, on which the knowledg-e of the thing signified pro- perly depends, into some certain and apt order, without the introduction of other parts having no resemblance to the thing signi/tedy such adjectitious parts may with propriety be inserted.^* Of this the ticular quantity of tlie meal (p. 113) are both unconnected with the signification of the parable, the cireumstance of the pro- duction of a change in the state of the whole quantity of meal by a little leaven hidden within it, is the principal point in the protasis. " Peculiar as this comparison is, none could be found which should more justly characterize the nature of the progress of the gospel. Not compelling proselytes by force of arms, as the religion of Mohammed afterwards ; but so hidden at first, that we are obliged to seek carefully for traces of its growth in the history of nations ; yet maintaining its place, and efl'^ecting its purpose ; gradually meliorating the laws, and changing the moral aspect of the countries where it was re- ceived : and insinuating its renovating views of God and man into the heart of those with whom it came in contact." Sumner, Evidences, p. 130, ed. Am. who refers to Benson, Hulsean Lectures, Disc. xi. Vol. i Tr.] ^^ Comp. Lessing, Diss. i. p. 135 ss. ^^ These are of no disservice to the more essential parts, as the latter are even brought more plainly into notice by the obviousness of the fact that the others are subordinate to them, and invented and interwoven with them solely on their ac- count. THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 119 parable of the tares* may serve as an example, since Christ himself, when interpreting that parable,^ lays no stress upon the questions of the servants,^ thus intimating that it was not his intention to foreshow by them any wonder on the part of the apostles at the admission of bad men into his church, or any attempt of theirs by prayer to obtain divine direc- tions on the subject : all occasion for such wonder he was at that very time removing, by the doctrine conveyed in the parable itself.*^ But there would have been no suitable place in the narration for the answer in which that doctrine is contained, if pre- vious mention had not been made of the notice of the tares by the servants and their conversation with their master ; these incidents affording the occasion for that principal part of the narration, in v. 26 s.^^ — Nor does the divine teacher, in his interpretation,* give any warning to his apostles and other teachers of his religion, to beware of becoming sources of evils in the church through their drowsiness and ^ IMatt. xiii. 24 ss. ^ V. 37 ss. "= V. 27 s. d V. 29 s. « V. 37 ss. ^^ In like manner the notice of the murmurs of the labour- ers in IVIatt. XX. lis. is not to be considered as a prophecy of any disposition of men in this life to dispute against the ar- rangements of Providence ; much less of any conduct of theirs in the life to come ; provoked in either case by the Divine de- termination to reward with the same benefits as he will confer on others (xx. 9 s. 12,) and perhaps even more speedily, (v. 8, 16, xix. 30,) either in this life or in the next, (v. 29,) such per- sons, as although they may seem to have done less in his service, and to have been less time devoted to it, nevertheless possess a 120 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. negligence of their official duties. This rule, how- ever true and salutary in itself, is certainly not con- veyed in the parable in question,* since in that it is not the servants of the master,^ but men in general that are introduced as sleeping, and the reply of the master to his servants'^ is entirely devoid of any ap- pearance of rebuke. It was in order to introduce the declaration in v. 29 s., an essential part of the narration, that the tares are represented as having ^ V. 25. ^ V. 27. «= V. 28 ss. higher degree of excellence of character ( iKXtxrc), v. \ 6,*) are free from reliance on their own deservings (comp. xix. 27), and are thoroughly imbued with a sense of his free and unmerited favour towards them. On the contrary, the only object of the mention of those murmurs was, to introduce the answer (xx. 13 — 15,) which is the principal point in connexion with the apodosis, and by declaring the supreme right of God to dis- pense the blessings of this hfe and that to come according to his pleasure, rather tends to prevent the occurrence of such murmurs. * [Such a meaning is undoubtedly attributable to ixkixros in some passages of the N. T. (See Schleusner, in voce No. 1,4; Wahl, No. 2, a. b.) But in Matt. xx. 16, the ex- ])ression ^okXo) ya^ tla) xXyito), oX'tyoi Vi iKXixTo) is certainly of similar import with the same expression as used in xsii. 14, and in this latter passage, no mere excellence of character, but separation^ distinction from the great mass, is evidently the idea which ixXixros is intended to convey. The contrast is in both places between the many who make pretensions to the cliaracter of followers of Christ, and the comparatively few who really possess that character, and are distinguished by it from the rest, in this case, of the Jewish nation, — in other pas- sages where the word is used, of the Avorld. See Matt. xxiv. 22, 24, 31, and comp. Tit. i. 1. 1 Pet. i. 1 Tr] THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 121 been sown without the knowledge of the servants, and thus, when noticed,* exciting their surprise ;^ for such a proceeding, the night'^ when men are ac- customed to sleep,^ would be the most appropriate time. If the tares had been represented as sown with the knowledge of the servants, it would have been their duty to have hindered the enemy from doing it, there would have been no room for their complaint, and the promise of extirpation made to them,^ and the lenient recommendation of patience by the master,^ which is of so much importance to the subject of the parable, would have been impro- per. — The same account may be given of the sleep in the parable of the virgins.^ It undoubtedly was introduced, not as a defect in the wise virgins, who, on the contrary, are an example of vigilance,^ and prudent circumspection ;^ but on account of its being necessary to the order of the narrative. The design of our Saviour in the parableJ required that the cause of the exclusion of the foolish virgins should be, their neglect to furnish themselves with oil. They would not have been excluded, had they perceived the approaching extinction of their lamps before the oil was quite exhausted. For if the bridegroom had come early, the oil that yet remained would have been sufficient for their purpose ; or if his coming had not been more timely known,^ there would have a V. 26. ^ V. 27. c Comp. Job xxxiii. 15. ^ And that without affording any ground of censure ; i\Iar. iv. 27. e JMatt. xiii. 27 s. ^ V. 29 s. s 3Iatt. xxv. 5. ^ V. 13. i V. 4. J § xvii. ^ V. 6. 122 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. been an opportunity of purchasing* a fresh supply. It was therefore necessary to represent them as having only perceived the extinction of their lamps when the oil was already exhausted, and the bride- groom near at hand. It was also necessary to sup- pose the wise virgins to have slept as well as the others, lest it might have been objected to their an- swer in V. 9, that they had neglected to admonish their companions of their danger while there was yet an opportunity to avoid it, although, having been awake, they must have known it. — It would be equally improper to lay stress on the word stc^v-^s in Matt. xiii. 44, which has no bearing on the subject of the parable, but is necessary to make the narra- tive complete, as it would have been folly to pur- chase a field on account of the treasure it contained^ while that very treasure was left exposed^ and liable to be removed in the meanwhile. In Matt, xviii. 23 ss. it is in order to render the commencement of the parable less abrupt,^^ and to smooth the transi- tion to its proper subject in v. 24, that the king is represented as taking account of his servants gene- rally ^ and by that means occupied in hearing others^ while the merciless servant withdrew,^ ^ and ignorant ^ V. 9 s. ''V. 23. <= Crnip. v. 24. ^° So in Luke xvi. the compulsion of the steward to render his account is not abruptly introduced, but the way to that event is prepared by the mention of the accusation (^/f 6a.«V«) in V. 1. ^^ Our Saviour's representation of the cruelty of the man to his fellow servant, as having occurred when he was scarce- ly out of the presence of his judge, who was yet sitting, and THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 123 of what he did without.^^ Thus the passage in v. 31, became necessary, to connect this portion with the remainder of the parable,* although it has no part in the application of the whole, since a relation of the kind which it describes must certainly be unne> cessary to the Deity. ^ There are many things of this sort in the parable of the prodigal son f where, for instance, we are not to look for any particular signification in the division of the father's goods, '^ or in the departure of the prodigal.*® The latter was « V. 32 ss. ^V.3o. '^ Lukexv. 11 ss. ^ V. 12. ^ V. 13. taking account of his fellow servants, tends to excite in us the greater detestation of the man who can so far forget the mercy and indulgence of God, of which he continually stands in need, as to be unmerciful to his fellow men. ^2 The subject of the narration being a human monarch, was to be described with all the characteristics of a man. Comp. also ktu; in Luke xx. 13, and also Luke xv. 18, 21, (§ xiv. end). • [With respect to the former of these examples, it is so evidently a piece of the necessary machinery of the story, and so little connected with the general scope of the parable, that there can be no doubt of the correctness of Storr's remark. But it appears very questionable whether the removal of the prodigal to a far country has no bearing on the apodosis of the parable. The sin against the father (v. 18, 21,) could only have consisted in the demand of a division of his goods, and this departure. The latter alone can be alluded to in the ex- pressions uK^oi vv, and a-ToXukus «v (v. 24, 32,) which are the only epithets used by the father to designate the former miser- able condition of his son. In fact, in any case, the entire separation from the paternal care and superintendence would be a weighty cause of complaint, but is more particularly heinous 124 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. introduced because it would be incongruous to repre- sent an indulgent^ father suffering his son to sink to such a pitch of disgrace and misery'^ if he were resi- dent in the same place, so that his necessity must have come to the knowledge of the father. The other was introduced in order that we might perceive the poverty,*^ which so strongly depicts the misery of sinners,'^ to be the consequence of the son's own crimes, and for the purpose of setting in a stronger light the mercy of the father towards his son. who had no right to expect any more from him than he had already received.^ See the passage of Cocceius, quoted in note 48. § XIX. All these minor discrepancies between the narration and the thing signified^ will create less difficulty to us, if we carefully attend to the fact, that the great cause of the utility of parables is that they do not im- ^ V. 20. ^ V. 15 s. *= V. 14^16. ^ § xiv. end. ^ V. 19, end^ and v. 30. ^ § xvi_xviii. in the East, Avhere the distinction of tribes, &c., is religiously observed, and the paternal authority is much more strictly ex- ercised than in western nations. Now the sins of the prodigal against his father are certainly an important part of the pro- tasis of the parable, corresponding to the sinfulness of men^ and their liability to the just wrath of God in the apodosis. If, then, the departure of the prodigal be a prominent part of his offences against his father, and these essential to the meaning of the parable, it is surely improper to place the former in the low rank assigned to it by Storr — Tr,] THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 125 mediately present to notice the thing signified itself, but first prove that with reference to some other thing, which they are designed to teach concerning it The construction of language, therefore, in which the narra- tive is clothed, should be such that it may bear in- spection by itself as an independent whole, and aiford satisfaction lohen so considered, and be perfect in its kind. Now as the thing narrated is distinct from the thing signified, some things may be required to make the narration of the former perfect, which are un- necessary in the signification of the latter. The ex- istence of this distinction cannot be any hindrance to the perception of the signification, if we only acknotv^ ledge it, and seek to discover the signification, not so much from particular parts of the narration, as from its tvhole context. This course is plainly taught by our Lord himself,^^ who, for example, compares the kingdom of heaven^ indifferently to a treasure, and to a merchant seeking pearls,^'^ which he could not have done unless his intention had been that the whole con- text of his narrations should relate to the kingdom of heaven, and so should be understood to signify that the case of the kingdom of heaven was similar to those of a man discovering a treasure, or a merchant seek- ing pearls.*^^ For certainly, in the latter instance, the kingdom of heaven does not resemble the single part of the narration which the merchant constitutes, but rather that of the joenY.^ But the case of the heavenly 2 Matt- xiii. 44. ^ V. 46. ^^ Comp. Calixtus, p. 185 s. ^* Comp. similar formulae, v. 24 ; xxii. 2 ; xviii. 23. 65 Comp. xiii. 18. 126 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. kingdom — its value, and the manner in which it is to be sought — agrees remarkably well with the whole history of the merchant. Again, if it were part of the nature of a parable that the thing signified and the narration should cor- respond so perfectly, as that the former should be in- telligible, not from the whole structure of the latter, but from its several individual parts ; how then, to use the words of Augustin,66 could the parable prove any thing/row its very dissimilitude ? In the parable of the unjust judge,* for instance, there certainly is no resemblance between the latter and the Deity, but it is the whole history concerning him,*' that conveys the purport of the parable.*^ From this we learn that even an unjust judge, wearied with the continual re- petition of prayers for justice, will deliver the innocent from injury ; there is far greater^ reason to expect that the perfectly just^ judge of all will williiigly grant the continual^ prayers of men who are the objects of his love.^ In the parable of the unjust steward,*^ the repentant publicans^ who spent their unjustly gotten gains in acts of beneficence to the poor,J and especially to the pious poor,*^ bear no resemblance to the steward who aggravates his former guilt* by a new act of dishonesty ;'" nor is God like the master^ who praised an act of wicked cunning. The object of our » Luke xviii. 1. ^ V. 2—5. «= V. 6—8. d Comp. xi. 13. « Comp. 2 Thess. i. 6. ^ V. 1. s iKXiKTuv, Luke xviii. 7* ^ Luke xvi. 1 ss. ' xv. \. J xix. 8. ^ xvi. 9. 1 xvi. L «» V. 6, 7. "V. 8. ^^ Lib. ii. Quaest. Evang. v. xiv. 0pp. Tom. iv. p. 358. THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 127 Lord is to teach by the whole narration ; that " if that master praised the cunning injury done himself, by which his steward, making a dishonest use of his master's property, provided for his own future wants in such a way that when he should have no further control over his master's goods, there should be some at any rate that would receive him ; much more will God approve the faithful^ use of ill-gotten riches, in a way agreeable to his will,^ by a distribution of them among the poor of your generation,*^ i. e. among my disciples,*^ in consequence of which those benefi- ciaries will receive you, when the goods of this world shall fail you, into the eternal habitations of the blest,® — in other words, it will have the effect, that you, having thus b?/ the communication of i/our benefactions to my worshippers, shown the sincere conversion of your mind from its former covetousness to me, and proved your faithfulness by your care of greater riches,^ shall receive from me^ on whom you will have been conferring the same benefits bestowed on them^ the reward of everlasting happiness."' In the parable of the prodigal son, the Pharisees are not directly represented by the elder son,J for they, who blamed the kindness of Christ to publicans and sin- ners,^ were nevertheless as much degenerate sons of God as the publicans and sinners yet unconverted from their sinful lives.' The reasoning of Christ ap- pears to be as follows : " if even they who have long ^ V. 10—12. ^ xii. 21, 33. « yincti, xvi. 8. ^ V. 1. « V. 9. f V. 10—12. g Matt. xxv. 34. ^ V. 35—40. * V. 46. J Luke xv. 25 ss. ^ V. 2. ' Comp. Matt. xxi. 30, 32, xxiii. 128 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. worshipped God,^ — if even those just ones who have never departed from his ways,^ have no right to make any objection*^ to the great pleasure which is taken by the good^ in the conversion of sinners ; how much less ought you, who in fact are ?io better than the sinners whom you despise, to find fault with my care for the salvation of sinners?" ® — Lastly, the import of the pa- rable of the debtors,^ is, that to whomsoever most sins are forgiven, that man will be the most grateful in will and deed,» a truth which is remarkably confirmed by the instance of St. Paul.*^ Yet there is no need of concluding from this parable, that Simon, to whom in particular it was applied, had been forgiven fewer sins' than the penitent woman. The argument is this : " if he who has heen forgiven fewest sins, is less at pains to show the love of which in reahty he feels less than one who has been forgiven so many ; how much more is to be expected that thou, who hast received no for- giveiiess,%\\o\i\die?,t come far short in thy demonstrations of respect and love,J of this woman who has received from me^ forgiveness of many sins ?" * §XX. Any thing intentionally signified by Christ in any of his parables, is equally sufficient for the proof of doctrine with any other of the sayings of our Lord. Such proof, therefore, may be very properl}^ derived, - V. 29, 31. i' V. 7. '' V. 32. J V. 7, 10, 32. ^ V. 1 s. ^ Luke vii. 41 s. s V. 47. ^ 1 Tim. i. 12 ss. ■ Comp. Luke vii, 47- -i V. 44 ss. ^ V. 49. ' V. 39, 48. THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 129 not only from the authentic interpretation of any pa- rable, whether full, as in Matt. xiii. 19 ss., 37 ss., or more general and brief ;^ but also from the Jictitious narration, or all such parts of it as are not inserted merely for the purpose of preserving its historical form or keeping up the connection,^ but are plainly either altogether superfluous, or else invested ivith a certain signification: whatever signification can be deduced from these by legitimate'^ interpretation, is properly ^ a proof of the truth of any doctrine which it may contain.* But no such use can be made of a rash accommodation of a parable to a subject foreign from the known® design of the Saviour, as has been done by those who have found in the parable of the good Samaritan,*" Adam under the figure of the way- laid traveller. Christ^^ under that of the good Sa- maritan,-)- " and a number of other allegorical and mistico-prophetical senses.^ Nor can any thing be positively proved from such parts of the narrative as may have been admitted only on account of its his- torical form and connection,"^ or from a too minute^^ ^ § xiii. beginning. ^ § xvi. xviii. ^ § xiii. xiv, d § XV. e § xiii. xiv. f Luke x. 30. e V. 33. ^ See note 48. ' § xv — xix. * [" Though every thing in a parable be not argumentative, yet the scope of it is, as all divines acknowledge." Bull's Ser- mons; Vol. i. Serm. iii. p. 63.— Tr.] '^'^ Comp. Franzius de Interp. Orac. cxxiii. p. 763 s. •f- [See Ernesti's Elements of Interpretation. Stuart's Trans. § 158, note, p. 80 Tn] ^^ Such, for instance, as should not recognize the existence of synecdoche, nor allow the possibihty of a substitution of a K 130 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. interpretation * of even the principal parts. To give an instance of the legitimate use of parables in proof of doctrine ; — in Matt. xxii. the parts of the parable which occupy verses 8 — 10 and 11 — 13, might have been omitted without anj^ injury to the completeness of the narration ; but, as they cannot have been al- together useless, they must have a necessary apodosis of their own, and it may be very certainly inferred from them, that the calling of the Gentiles was fore- told by Christ, and that he inculcated a diligent study to prepare the soul for the possession of the blessings proffered by the gospel.69 In like manner, we need not hesitate to found an argument, as has been done by Bucer'^ and Weisman,^ on the phrase Wo ruv dyyiXuv^^ in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus; since there is nothing in all the structure of the nar- rative to render that addition necessary, the narra- tion being perfectly complete without it. There could, therefore, be no reason ^^ why our Lord should have mentioned the conveyance of the soul of Laza- rus to Paradise by a company of angels, except a de- sign to signify some circumstance of the blessedness * § xiv. ^ Comm. in loc. " Inst. Theol. exegetico-dogm. p. 283. ^ Luke xvi. 22. species or individual for a genus ; but should every where con- sider the same species or individual object to be intended. ^^ We have already seen (note 52) that the gradation of future rewards can be proved from Luke xix. 17 ss. "^ Tlie reasons why the mention of this circumstance cannot be attributed to accommodation to a common, but false, opi- nion of the Jews, are given at length in the Dissertation on the Historic sense. THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 131 of the pious dead. Nor can his intention be to con- vey a general notion by this special illustration ; for that it was by the providence of God that Lazarus was brought to Abraham's bosom, is so evident, that the phrase xj-tto r^v dyysXwv, if designed to convey that meaning, would have been perfectly needless. Hence we may believe 71 that our Saviour intended to point out,72 in the example of the dying Lazarus, the manner in which the divine providence is exer- cised towards the good in the hour of death. — But, on the other hand, there is no more reason for con- cluding, from the same parable,^ that the souls of the blessed hold intercourse with other spirits of the de- parted, than there is to infer from Luke xii. 20, that men are usually divinely premonished of their death. For those who neither spoke nor acted, might be in- troduced by Christ, in accordance with the parabolic usage,^ as speaking or acting, whenever there was a sufficient reason for the fiction. But the precepts in xvi. 25 s. 31, would not have been inserted in the narration, if some conversation had not been invent- ed. It cannot, therefore, be proved that the conver- sation, which the historical form of the parable,^ of ^ V. 23 ss. ^ § iii. « § xvi. "^ Nor does any objection arise from the nature of the thing itself, as certainly the ministration of angels (Heb. i. 14) is of all things least incredible in that most important change of our condition. '^ We have already seen (§ xiv.) that this may take place in parables which are not e.ramples of the thing signified. It ouglit to create much less surprise in such as are examples of the very thing signified, (n. 37-) 132 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. itself, rendered necessary, was introduced for the pur- pose of giving us to understand that there is some in- tercourse between the departed spirits of the good and of the wicked. — Nor does it seem to follow from the speech of the rich man in v. 27 s. that we ought to suppose the wicked solicitous for the salvation of their survivors. We are rather to consider all that is said by the rich man in v. 24, 27 s. as insert- ed merely for the purpose of introducing* the in- structions of Abraham,^ which form one of the prin- cipal parts of the parable, and, if rightly explained, afford an ample fund of most important and substan- tial doctrinal proofs. § XXI. There is no reason to consider the rules of inter- pretation thus laid down as imposing needless re- straint upon the preacher who may take a parable for his subject ; although it be our firm persuasion that the popular interpreter should be governed by the same laws, and that the knowledge of Christians ge- nerally should be founded, not on human ingenuity, but on sure oracles of God, the force of which is be- yond a doubt. For, in the first place, the inadmissibility of mak- ing every thing out of any thing in a parabolic text, creates no peculiar difficulty. The ordinary helps in homiletical interpretation are not excluded from application to such passages. The part of the » § xviii. * V. 25 s. 29, 31. THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 133 preacher is to make use of the doctrine legitimately* derived from the parable, just as he would of that drawn from any other part of the Scriptures: — to confirm it with proof from holy writ, and from the nature of the subject ; — to define its meaning accu- rately and illustrate it by examples : — to show its connexion with other doctrines and their mutual de- pendance on each other ; — and to apply the whole to practical use. Take for example that one point of the immoderate care for earthly goods, which is the true object of the parable in Luke xiv. 16 ss. What ample field of disquisition and what useful matter it affords, if the preacher be prepared rightly to explain the vice, and prudently distinguish it from a lawful regard for earthly things ; — to explain the evils of such immo- derate care from the context'^ and other passages of Scripture, considered together with the nature of the subject ; — and to produce incitements of different kinds, and helps, for surmounting an immoderate at- tachment to this world ! — In like manner, the pa- rable of the good Samaritan is already sufficiently full of meaning and useful in its application to obviate all necessity of resorting to the allegorical interpre- tation already mentioned*^ or any like it. Often it is even possible to introduce the particu- lar applications which it would be rash to deduce from the parable itself, in a discussion of the general doctrine which the parable really does convey. So in the parable of the prodigal it would be improper *» § XX. b Note 43. *= § xx. ^ Luke xvi. 22 s. 134 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. to consider the several marks of the father's joy and pity as proofs of so many benefits of God to men ;* but as these particulars, collectively taken, designate generally the great mercy of God towards repentant sinners, for that very reason they afford an oppor- tunity of recounting particularly these benefits from other parts of Scripture. Secondly, the parabolic method may be turned into an advantage to the hearer, if the desire* of ap- plying every particular of the parable directly to the thing signified, be avoided. — For instance, the justice of the punishment of those who esteem the things of heaven more lightly than those of earth, may be much more vividly represented to the hearer than it would be otherwise, if the master of the feast intro- duced in the narrative, Luke xiv. 16, be first propos- ed to his consideration separately from any reference to God, and it be left to his own judgment to decide whether that man might not be justly offended with his guests, who at his previous invitation had given him hopes of their appearance, but, when he had * [Sumner, for instance, a writer generally remarkable for sound judgment, has certainly erred in considering the cir- cumstance in the narration that when the returning prodigal " was yet a great way off " his father ran to him, and affec- tionately greeted him — as a representation of the co-operating grace of God. Apostolical Preaching, p. 127. The design of the parable is to express the wiUingness of God to receive repentant sinners, and his pleasure in their conversion ; it does not relate to the means by which that event is brought about Tr.] THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 135 made every preparation on their account, had not scrupled to refuse to come. The effect of this will be, that the hearer having perceived in another case, that the contempt of proffered benefits may justly provoke indignation, will so much the more readily allow that contempt of the joys of heaven,* even though unaccompanied by any enormous sin against men, is a grievous crime.^ In the same way, it may be practicable to throw no small degree of light upon the minor parts of the narration,^^ and thus to prove generally the great wisdom of its author ; — a popular method of defending the authority of Scripture which seems worthy of particular attention. For example, if we examine the whole series of the narration in Luke xiv. 16 ss. it will appear much more plainly how ill the giver of the feast must have taken the contempt of his entertainment, since he preferred in- viting the most abject,^ to leaving room for any of those who had despised his invitation.^^ For al- though God has invited the publicans^ and gen- tiles,*" to a participation of eternal happiness, on the same terms as others ; yet Christ in this place de- signedly omits to mention the great change^ which such persons must undergo if desirous of partaking of the offered blessings, and considers them with re- ference only to their first condition.* This he did ^ V. 14 s. "^ Add § ix. end. « V. 21, 23. d V. 24. ^ V. 21. f V. 23. s Matt. xxii. 11 ss. "' Comp. Luke x. Matt, xviii. (note 61.) * [The very same peculiarity is observable in the parable of the pharisee and publican. The latter is represented as 136 THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. for the purpose of more vividly representing to the man for whose use the parable was especially design- ed,^ that persons longing after this world's goods, be they ever so much more disposed toward Christ than others, — be they ever so often affected with good desires,^ are so displeasing in the sight of God, that he will admit rather than them the very persons whom they despise as wicked and idolaters,*^ to the possession of eternal happiness. Lastly^ as even the Apostles often adopted the language of the sacred writings, although in a sense different from that which it possessed in the Old Testament ;74 it is certainly allowable in the preacher to accommodate the particular parts even of the pa- rables of Christ to his own purpose, although that may differ from the orignal intention of our Lord, provided he do it with prudence and moderation. In doing this, however, he must be careful never to appear to prove whatever doctrine he may ad- vance, by the declarations of Christ, but to speak plainly in his own name, and merely borrow his ex- pressions from the parable. — This liberty of accomo- * Note 43. ^ Luke xiv. 15. «= Matt. viii. lis. xxi 31. filled with the deepest contrition and humility, it is true, but no mention is made of any previous reformation. " The true purport of the parable appears to be, that an hvmble Publican, disposed towards repentance, is, with all his vices, more acceptable to God, than a proud censorious Pharisee, with all his strictness, sobriety, and regularity." Water- land, Serm. Vol. i. p. 193. Of course the application is a fortiori — Tr.] ^^ Comp. Diss, de sensu historico, § xxiv. THE PARABLES OF CHRIST. 137 dation may be exemplified by Matt. xiii. 24 ss. To the demonstration derived thence, that the Lord wisely tolerates for the present the wicked in his church, whence they are ultimately to be separated, the preacher might with the utmost propriety, join an admonition that every one for his own part guard against evil as carefully as possible. In doing this, we see no reason why he might not make use of the expression, " it is therefore not allowable in us to sleeps although the words of our Lord* to which it alludes, have not the signification it would attribute to them.'^ But we take for granted that this pas- sage would not be adduced as proof, but that the proof of the doctrine would be derived from other passages of Scripture, and from the very nature of the subject. ^ V. 25. " 8 xviii. THE WORD nAHPHMA. BY GOTTLOB CHRISTIAN STORR. THE WORD nAHPnMA. §1- In many places in the New Testament, and espe- cially in the Epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians, the chief difficulty to interpreters, has arisen from this word, whose meaning, for this very reason, we have determined to investigate with considerable care. We shall, in the first place, make some general remarks concerning the word, and then proceed to examine the particular places in the New Testament in which it occurs. §11. Verbal nouns ending in /xa, as they are derived from the preterite tense passive, have generally a passive signification. But as the preterite passive is sometimes to be understood actively, or rather, as the passive form of ihe preterite, like that of the imperfect and present, may be used for the middle, as in dsbi- y.rcci, Acts viii. 14, rrPogzhXrira,!, xiii. 2; xvi. 10, 142 ON THE WORD dsdoj^'^Tai, Gen. xxx. 20 (in the LXX.), diduPi^/J^svrtg. 2 Pet. i. 3, where the Obss. Krebsii. e Fl. Josepho ought to be consulted, we are not to wonder that verbals in fMa also assume an active signification. Just as ax£(r,aa and /a/xa, a cure {di^aviia) by meto- nomy, denotes a medicine, that which cures; Ta^//- yop/j/Moe, consolation, that which consoles: '/.^T/Jjo., judg- ment or decision, becomes equivalent to xa-a/i|//xa cotidemnation. We find several words of this kind in connection, Rom. v. 16. For to %e/^aa and xara;tf //xa, in this place condemnation, are opposed y^doi(r/Ma, which here signifies not that which is given, but a judg- ment different from condemnation {tlpTijjol), to yj^i'i- ^jff^a/, Eph. iv. '^1, forgiveness ; and h%aLi^ij.a, which denotes the opposite of xarax^//xa, that is, absolution, dr/,(x,iMm rrii X^mi',, Rom. v. 13 ; where the apostle makes mention, ver. 14, of the similitude between Christ and Adam, which is explained more fully in ver. 17 ; and also their dissimilitude in ver. 13, 16, and that in two respects. The first difference he places in this, that the things for which we are indebted to Christ are totally different from those things which we have received from Adam. For Adam brought death, that is misery, upon a great multitude, but Christ, the grace and gift of God propitiated, that is life or felicity, ver. 17, 21 ; vii. 23. Another differ- ence consists in this, that condemnation arose from one sin ; pardon relates to many, ver. 16, which may be thus expressed : " And not as it was by one sin ' ^ The words i^ Ivaj which follow, seem to demonstrate that the reading of «^a^T>!^a7-«f is to be preferred to the common reading of a^a^TJiVayraj v/hich also appears from the opposite nAHPXlMA. 143 so is the gift, which divine grace has conferred (Rom. V. 15), on account of the favour of one man, Jesus Christ, towards us (comp. 2 Cor. viii. 9.) For the (xp//xa) judgment, in which we are held on account of Adam, is s/'c /card'/c^i/Jja,^ that is, condemns ; but the forgiveness {yjx^i6[j.a) which is by another Adam, after many sins, is (s/'g ^/xa/w/^a) to absolution, that is absolves. Nor is the word ^/xa/w/xa used otherwise in ver. 18, where we read: " as by the cra^a-rrw/xa (fall) of one man, judgment has come upon all men sic '/.ardx^i/jLa, to condemnation ; so also by the righte- ousness, drA,aiufMa, of one, has forgiveness come to all men unto justification of life, sJg btxcciuatv ^(^ut^c.^ In this place dizaioj/j^a, appears to be the buaiMGig of Christ, who in the spirit kv cri^rj/xar/, that is in a con- dition opposed to T'fi ffa^xi his humility. (Heb. v. 7. expression Ik 'roXkuv Ta.ga.-TtTufLa.iruv. It is therefore to be taken as if we read \i bo? -ra^ocTrrufji.a.'ros. Nor can the passage be understood unless ufjia^rnfj^aro? precede, to which the word ivoi can refer. For the meaning oi'hik in ver. 1 fi, ^/ bo?, examine Rom. ii. 27 ; iv. 11. 1 Tim. ii. 15, and 3, in Deut. i. 32. Ps. Ixxviii. 32. -^ E ri ^uvktu denotes one that has a death-bringing command. 144 ON THE WORD 2 Cor. V. 16), and thus in that better condition in which, his life being restored, was declared just, 6/xa/og, by God, 1 Tim. iii. 16. That very glory ^ to which he is advanced, is an evidence that he has perfectly obey- ed all the laws which, for the sake of our salvation, were imposed upon him, and especially that one which demanded an expiatory death, to be undergone on the cross, (Rom. v. 8, 10 ; Heb. x. 11, 18 ; John x. 17). But the same dixaiM^ig of Christ also became ours (Rom. iv. 25), when, in the divine counsel concerning making expiation for man by the dtxaio^vvri of Christ, that is, in this place, his obedience even unto death, satisfaction could not be made without our being de- clared atoned for, that is, dixaioiy or free from punish- ment and made partakers of salvation. Nor does the opposite word 'Tra^d-Trroj/j^a oppose this, which not only signifies an offence or sin, but also after the Hebrew manner, punishment and misery conjoined with it. For if ra^acrw/xa were rrapaxoy} itself and di>iaiojfMcc v-razc-n itself, then ver. 18 and 19 would hardly differ from each other. But the one illustrates the other, if you translate the former : " as by the fall ca^acrw/xa of one (Adam) condemnation, or sin and misery, came upon all men ; so by the righteousness of one, (Christ), righteousness (3;xa/w/^a), came to all men bringing salvation," which sentence is explained by ver. 19; since the causes of the condemnation of Adam and the righteousness or absolution of Christ, namely of the former 'ra^axon of the latter i/craxo?^, are more expressly mentioned, and a great number of men, on account of the dixaioGvvriv or Ocaxoj^v, not of themselves, but of Christ, are said not less to be constituted dixaiot, nAHPXiMA. 145 that is, not less to obtain di/caioxfiv ^w^s than on ac- count of disobedience, 'rraoax-oriv, not their own, but Adam's, to be constituted clfMu^ruXoly'^ that is, said to be obnoxious to %araz^//>ta (ver. 18). The same meaning of rrapaTTOj/Mcc is found in ver. 15, where it is opposed to yjioiaijja ; and a little after is explained more clearly by xsz/xa substituted in its place, which in ver. 16, answers oppositely to •xd^tcij.a. In like manner pass- ing by ver. 20, in which we find rraod^ruiMa to be a^aag- r/a, but in 21, connected with ^dvarog (vide vii. 10, ^ ' Afjkfi^reoXoi xecrKrru^nffKv, were constituted sinners, that is, were bruuglit into the condition of sinners, and treated as such and punished (See 1 Kings i. 21.) So also the opposite phrase %iKaiot xa.To.ffTcc^movrai denotes constituted righteous, treated as righteous. But that those who have not committed Adam's act of disobedience ; nay, those who have not had the divine law expressed in words, as those that lived before Moses [Rom. V. 14] and Gentiles, and those who do not at all know the divine will, as infants, are, notwithstanding, on account of Adam's disobedience, ?ra^axo^, numbered among sinners and under the same condemnation, x.ot.rd,x.^tfAct,, as Adam [v. 18,] the proof of which is before us constantly in the universality of death, appears more fully in ver. 12, to which ver. 18 subjoins a further illustration, where by one man, or by the disobedience of one (ver. 19), sin, or corruption af^a^rla, [comp. vii. 8, and ver. following] is said to have been introduced into the world and by it dealh, -which for this reason, that is, the introduction of sin, has come upon all men, because all have sinned, UfAuprov) tliat is, because all, equally with Adam, have been brought into the condition of sinners. Because all are partakers, not less of tlie condemnation xccTCix^if/.a, than of the corruption «^a^rjv^ of which God himself is the head or chief, and the rest embraces those natures next to God in excel- lence (a notion derived from a perversion of Col. ii. 9), was first and properly called cXj^^w/xa ; but that the seat or abode of this Pieroma, by metonomy, was called at length by the same name. In this way the sect of the Valentinians did not adopt the passive but the active signification of T/^s^-y/xa, as denoting multitude, ccetus, and from this, by the same word "^ That Cerintlms used the word ■z^.i^oajficc in this sense is to me doubtful. ^ Compare Pseudo-Tertullianum de prfescript. adv. haeret. c. xlix. p. 216. ed. Franek. A. 1597. s See Irenseus L. I. c. iv. § i. p. 18, (ed JMassueti) where beyond ^u$ xai vk^^tk/fca there are said to be oa signifies, either, the perfection, consummation of a thing, and by metonomy of effect for the cause (see § ii.) that which perfects and makes entire any thing, or finishes it, that is, a supplement, or compliment, boun- dary ; or the impletion of a thing, and by metonomy, that \^\i\c\\ fills. This latter meaning is very common in the Greek writers, among whom the 'TtXr^^ujixoi.ra vsZv are those things which fill ships ; which are in ships, especially the rower s,^^ mariiies, and those things which pertain to fitting out a ship. In like manner also Aristides, (see Eisner upon Eph. i. 23) calls that which is in a city, namely, its inhabitants, ta'/^^w//^ rrig 'jtoXiug, and the LXX. translate the Hebrew word '^ See John iii. 29; xv. 11. Col. iv. 12, and comp. Dan. X. 3, in version Theodotioii, £&>? -rXn^axnui r^tuv if^^ofAo^eifv, with the LXX. icos rod (rv\iriXia-a.i rocs T^iTs l/S^a^aJaj. ^^ Suidas, and after him Phavorinus, affirms that not only the men on hoard of a ship, but also the burthen or cargo, is called ■rXjj^^y^ara. But as Kuster well remarks, no more is estabiiisLfcd by the examples adduced by Suidas than that the sailers and marines are called l)y this appellation. nAHPriMA. 149 K V/tD very frequently by rrXrjic^fMa, and use the ex- pressions crXyjoojfjja rrig yrig^ Ps.xxiv. 1, oixa/xsvrjg, Ps. 1. 12, '^rx}M\,. K-xiPc^jv appears to be the dispensation, or administra* tion, of the times which remain, or of the affairs to be accomplished in future times. The whole passage seems to denote this, namely, that the hidden counsel of God, according to his most gracious decree, is made known to us, in which he determined within himself (Col. i. 27, and Eph. ii. 4 ; i. 20, in which compare rjV for xa^' Tiv) to commit, in relation to the administration of things in future times, that is, the times of the dispensation of the new covenant, the ^' Otxcvcf^tci which properly denotes the administration of family affairs, (Luke x\'i. 1. 4), and also from that, the admi- nistration of other things, the office or management of any thing (Col. i. 25. 1 Cor. ix. 17 ; iv. 1, &c.), sometimes is used in a general sense to denote the constitution and nature of a thing, as Eph. iii. 2, 8, whence, in the place under consideration, it may mean the manner and aiature of the time to come, unless the word uvxKi(p»>.a.iu(Tatr^a.t compel us to prefer the meaning of dispensation. nAHPnMA. 151 chief authority ^2 Qver all things that are done either in heaven or earth to Christ, which is very fitly said in that place [comp. Matt, xxviii. 12, and fol. Is. liii. 10], in which [see Eph. i. 9, 11, 14] the subject is the salvation both of the Jews and Gentiles (Mark xvi. 20 ; Eph. iv. 10 ; i. 22), which would be effected by the gospel. The passage in Rom. xi. 11, 12, may be thus para- phrased ; Have they therefore stumbled, or offended, namely by unbelief, v. 20, 23, ix. 32, that they might fall, [might perish, might fall into punishment and misery, xi. 9, 10, 22.] ? May it not be so I But out of the very evil into which the Jews fell, by their own fault, divine benignity has brought blessings as well for the Gentiles as for the Jews themselves. For tlirough their caeacrrw/xa (fall and ruin conjoined, a-Ts/Sg/a!/ ver. 30, and punishment following ver. 15, 17, comp. § II.) salvation has happened to the Gentiles, (comp. Acts xiii. 46) that they also (the Jews) may be provoked to jealousy with the Gentiles, and to the ^'■^ Ki(pa.\utou, [Sirac. xxxii. 8], a.va,x,i(pa>.aiou, Rom. xiii. 9, and (TuyKi^paAuiifAKiy (vide RapLelii Annot. ed Polybio ad I. n. ] signify to comprehend summarily. Thence irvyKi(ptt.>.aiiBcxi ras •Tpa,z,us. that is, to reduce to a summary, things to be done, (vide Raphelii Annott. ex Xenophonte) is said to be done by one, who, that he may not himself manage things, commits them to others, and making known to them his will in a sum- mary manner, rests secure about the details of his affairs. From this form of expression might arise the custoiii of using euyxiipci.Xeii'id^ai or a,vccxi.»j^w/a,ara, Mark viii. 20, those things which fill tha baskets. But the fol- lowing genitive ?tXa.kaymut Tu hS ver. 10, is explained by XaSuv rh KKruXkuynv', tliat is, in ver 1, hKctluffiv, juslification. nA.HpnMA. 161 also determined to bind together mankind by mutual benevolence, and by this divine and human reconci- liation he abrogated (Eph. ii. 13), or annulled the law (ceremonial) which had separated the Jews from the Gentiles, and had been a barrier to the union and harmony of men. But seeing that the fulness of the divine nature dwells in him, he is a fit person to go- vern the universal family of God, whether in heaven or earth (Eph. iii. 15). And since he has effected a reconciliation betwixt the sons of God, it is be- coming that they should be reconciled to him (Col. i. 20,) that is, that they should become subject to him, and become his people, whom he should govern, that at the same time he should have supreme authority over all things, Eph. i. 10, 20, that he might the more per- fectly consult for the interests of this divine family. Therefore, having undergone death. Acts ii. 24 ; iii. 15, which it was necessary he should undergo in effecting this peace, but in which he could not be held, inasmuch as the fulness of the divinity dwells in him; and having himself first obtained a glorious life, which he has made accessible to men by his own death, he now presides over the whole family of God, and espe- cially the church, Eph. i. 22. Therefore also for two causes, (Col. i. 19, 20, ver. 19, or/), Christ is Lord of the Church, namely, because every divine attribute dwells in him, so that he possesses the power of govern- ing the universe, and because what he has done for the church gives him the right to preside over it. He also ought to be the Jirsf to obtain a glorious resur- i^ection from the dead, since among the number of diose whom this glory awaits, he is incomparably the 162 ON THE WORD most eminent, whether we consider the dignity of his person, or his claim as founded on his merits, Col. i. 18, 19, 20. — For in him dwells the perfection of the deity, and those who shall obtain a glorious resurrection of the body, are indebted to him, its author and finisher. The same signification do we attach to the phrase cravrog rS crXTj^w^aaro; rS %h in Eph. iii. 19. The apostle had been supplicating great blessings for the Ephesians, which he particularizes in ver. 16 and 18; and subjoins this general petition, viz. " that ye may be filled sJg Tav rb 'TrXvi^uf/^a, ry Ss^." The ex- pression to Jill any one, sometimes means to satiate any one (comp. Phil. iv. 18, and K 7/tD Jer. xxxi. 25), and that not so much with food or drink, which pro- perly fills, as, metaphorically, by satisfying the de- sires. And as in Eph. iv. 10, the expression, that he might Jill all things, means that he might Jill all things ivith gifts, so the phrase, which we are considering, denotes a petition that the Ephesians, in addition to the great blessings just before supplicated, might all be Jilted loith good things, according to (j/'s) that which is in God, that is, according to the divine at- tributes of benignity, wisdom, and power. With this explanation the two following verses coincide very beautifully, in which the apostle proceeds to laud him whose favours exceed our highest conceptions. § XI. THE PRECEDING PASSAGES COMPARED ^^1TH EPH. I. 23. He must be guilty of deliberate obstinacy who re- fuses to hear Paul, who is the best interpreter of his nAHPXlMA. 163 own language, and understands him as speaking of the church in the passages just treated (§ x.), m hich, however, the apostle himself, Eph. i. 23, declares to be ro -rXj^giai/xa 7*2 ra cavra h 'Xa(ji, crX^j^s/xsvi?. If, with the most of critics, we should say, that it is Christ ihsit Jilleth all in all, we must, with Chrysos- tora, Zegerus, and others, understand '^Xyi^oj/j.cc as de- noting the supplement of Christ, whom, as the head, the church, which is his body, supplies and renders perfect. But the church cannot be called the sup- plement of God ; for it is not usual to call it the body of God. Nor therefore does it follow, that the church is meant in those places (§ x.) which speak of the fulness of God, or, of the divine nature, although we should take the expression fidness of Christ (Eph. i. 23), as referring to the church. But if the word rry.YiOMijM, Eph. i. 23, refers to the church, it must be taken in the sense of supplement ; for this meaning of the word can be supported by authorities (see § vi. and vii.) But if any one thinks that to 'TrX-l^oMij^a, m this place, denotes that which is filled, that is, filled with good things^ or inhabited, we readily concede that the church may be called, in this sense, the j.a of Christ, and also of God; but we deny that this meaning of the expression is either confirm- ed by a customary mode of speaking (comp. § iii.), or is assisted by the analogy of the other significations of the word, all of which we think to be active (§ iv.) We are utterly unable to perceive how the expression 'TT'kYti'jjij.a rri; y^i in the LXX., which does not denote that which is filled, but that which fills, can lead any one into that opinion. The opinion of Koppe, who 164 ON THE WORD thinks that crX'/^5w,aa, in Eph. i. 23, is simply synony- mous with the word ctaJj^oc, is more probable. For this signification of the word can be clearly established by examples (§xiv.) And although the genitive case, when added to the word crXJj^oj, in by far the majority of passages in the LXX. Apocryphal books of the Old Testament, and also the New Testament, usually de- signates the subject concerning which the idea of the multitude is predicated, yet it cannot be denied that it is sometimes used to denote those that are appoint- ed over a multitude or army. See Ezek. xxxi. 2, 18; xxxii. 32; xxxix. 1 1, 12. But since these passages, when compared with those that convey the idea first mentioned, are very i'ew, and since the people of God, of whom there is frequent mention both in the Old and New Testaments, are not called 'xXn^og ^sS, we very much doubt whether 'rX'/joufj^oc rS '^iS can with propriety be interpreted to denote the nume- rous people or church of God. But granting that -}.ri^oo/jM, &c. in Eph. i. 23, is the church, and that be- cause it is adorned with gifts, or is inhabited by God ; the form of expression, in the passages explained in § X. is not adapted to denote the church. If we take Eph. iii. 19, for instance, we shall find that the idea of a church is not suitable to the passage. For if, with Teller, we translate -TrX-zj^w^^va; s/g rrav to tXtjpc/j/jm r'i ^s2, by the phrase, to be fully united i?ito onefamih/ of God, that is, itito one church, the word crav is convert- ed into sv, which w^e confess to be necessary, yet onl}-- that it may not be apparent how destitute of meaning the expression of the Apostle is, when thus rendered. For who can endure such an expression as, to be per- nAHPXlMA. 165 fectly united into all the church, or, tJie whole church ? Nor is the place freed from difficulty, if, with the learned Koppe, we translate the expression TX^j^w^'/jva/ J/;, &c. by the phrase — to he received into tlie univer- sal church, that is, into the universal kingdom of God. For it is much to be doubted whether crX^jpSff^a/ ever has that meaning. For neither do cA^j^sffSa/ Gal. v. 14, and avaxj^aXa/Str^a/ Rom. xiii. 9, necessarily mean the same thing ; since the former passage may be pro- perly translated— ^r all the law is fulfilled in one com- mand {^ iv.) Again, if the words were usually syno- nymous, so that each of them might denote, to be sum- marily comprehended, yet it would not necessarily follow that the unusual signification of dvaxs^aAa/w- caG^ai in Eph. i. 10, could interchange with t/z/i^^v ; since in that passage the word does not mean to em- brace in a common dominion, but has another sense, and one tliat is more similar, to the ordinary use of the word. It remains, therefore, that the phrase tXtjou/mo, r^ hS, (Col. ii. 9; i. 19. Eph. iii. 19), does not relate immediately to the church, although the other -Xj^ow/xa, &c. in Eph. i. 23, may ; nor is the idea of a church suitable to the passages explained in § X. Notwithstanding, however, we have not said that the sentence under consideration, Eph. i. 23, does certainly relate to the church.^ ^ For we see nothing ^9 This also, interpreters who differ among themselves deny ; —both those that strenuously insist upon connecting ro j.a aurS im- mediately preceding. For in the very similar con- nection of words in 1 Tim. iii. 15, scarcely any one now hesitates to separate the words ffruXog xa/ g^- ^aiu/Mx rrig dXrj'^siag from the preceding T^rtg ssrh szyJ.yjffja ^s? ^covroc. But the subsequent context, in the second chapter (Eph. ii.), seems to demand that we should make some remarks upon it, beginning with the controverted clause. The arrangement of these sentences appears to us to be exceedingly in- tricate : — 1. Ka/ u/xScs ovrag vsz^yg roTg rraPo.'^T'JjfjjUffi zc/J raTg aijja.oriuig (ver. 1.) 2. h ajg 'rrorz TSPis'ra.TTigarB, and what follows, ver. 2 and 3, to be considered as parenthetical. 3. OS ^socy ^rrksGiog wv si/ sXhi, did ty,v '7:oWr,v dyurrr,v avrS, riv Tjyd'rrriGsv rj/j^otg. 4. zcci ovrag rj/jjug vr/.o^g roTg 'rraoa-Trro^iJja^i ff'jvs^ojO" rroir^ffi roj %«'/o'rw, ver. 5. For it is manifest that the words which we place in the 3d paragraph (ver. 4) are to be placed at the beginning, if we would make the discourse complete. But it will read smoothly, if a nominative belonging to the 1st paragraph answer to 6 Qiog in the 3d, as the similar expression in the 1st answers to that in the 4tli. Now we suppose rh rrXriOc^iMa r? rd rrdvra h rrdsi rrXriP^fMsva, to be that nominative. But the mean- ing of this whole passage we shall presently investi- gate more particularly. nAHPiiMA. 367 § XII. JOHN i. 16. EPH. i. 23. We understand the word 'TrXri^u/Mo, in Eph. i. 23, as denoting that which is in God, as we have explained the passages in § x. only with the additional idea that '^rXrjPOjfMa in the text before us denotes that which may be said to be abundant in God. The same idea we also find in John i. 16, where the 'zX^m/mu, or fulness, of Christ means that with which he abounds, (see ver. 14), namely, grace and truth,20 " And of his fulness, says John, have all we received, grace for grace," that is, grace upon grace in abundance. In the same way the Apostle Paul, in Eph. i. 23, appears to speak of some divine quality which is so abundantly in God, that it may be called ro 'xXyjooj/j.a rS ^sS. What this quality is, we readily ascertain from the additional phrase, r^ ra cavra sv ntaci 'TrX'^oa- fLsva ; just as we learn from verse 14 of John i., what -rXjjow/xa aur^ in ver. 16 denotes, namely, grace and truth. Truly, no one can comprehend the abundance '^'^ X,"-^'? ''«' u,Xn6iiex, may be considered as meaning true grace. Certainly in Eph. v. 9, a,ya6eoirvv7i xai ^taaiuffvvtj xui oiX'/ihia de- notes goodness and true piety (r>?f aXvihictiy iv. 24.) Rom. ii. 20, yvuiTii Kcc) oikn^uo!,) as Bengelius suggests, is true know- ledge, orthodoxy. John iv. 23, Iv 9rvivfjt,a,Ti ku) a,Xn6iitt is equi- valent to h 'TinuyM'Ti k7^-/\&i))M. And many other places are more readily understood when attention is paid to the Hendiadys. For instance, there is no difficulty in Phil. i. 19, if we render it thus : " Through the supply of the spirit of Jesus Christ, supplicated for me by you, by which being aided I shall be able b ■ru.a'/] Tra^^/ifn^to defend the honour of Christ." 168 ON THE WORD of the divine benignity and grace which the Apostle most expressively calls the fulness of him that complete* ly filleth,2i or satisfies, all with his blessings. Nor can a nominative, (§ xi.), be found which could either more beautifully correspond with the other nominative (6 ^sk TAo6s TU'j af/Loc^TiZv were written in the margin as explanatory of the words cjjf ffu^xo;, and afterwards slided into the text. -^ This is again a genitive of apposition, and is equivalent to TYiv l^ovffiav. The genitive t5 Trviv/zccTos has the force of the ac- cusative, being like the word i^mriat in apposition with tav uo^ovru. 170 ON THE WORD of darknesSy'^^ the spirit that, (as formerly in you that are rescued from this misery), even now worketh (by means of his angels, Eph. vi. 12), in those who do not believe and obey the Gospel ; with whom we also, al- though descended from the Jews, have had our conver- sation in the lusts of our flesh, doing what our carnal hearts desired, and were liable by nature, [through the eao^ above mentioned, with which we were born, John iii. 6, and which in after life manifested its dis- position, or nature, by many acts of wickedness] to divine, (Eph. v. 6), punishment as were others, to whom the Jews so readily apply this sad description, Rom. ii. 1, 17; Eph. ii. 1, 2, and to whom they con- sider themselves far superior even on account of their birth, Gal. ii. 15 ; Matt. iii. 9 ; John viii. 41 ; Rom. iii. 29. But God, who is rich in pity, on account of his great love wherewith he loved us, whether deriving 2'' This translation of the word 'Aj^«?, which "Wolfius, Koppe, and Dcederlein have preferred, we adopt, because in vi. 12, Satan and his angels are described as the rulers of the darkness, t5 ffxoT6v; of this world. And this lamentable dominion which Satan holds over miserable men, who are called in this same Epistle to the Ephesians [ver. 8] crxores, as it is in many other places [2 Cor. iv. 4. John xvi. 11 ; vii. 44], so also in the passage before us [Eph. ii. 2], is very strikingly described. Nor does the expression h roT; l-sra^civlois lead us to think that ah' is here the meaning of ui^of [vi. 12.] For this form of ex- pression seems to be a circumlocution for the adjective heavenly, as in i. 3. Evil spirits are called heavenly, not because they dwell in heaven, but because they are celestial in their origin, as are the good angels, to whom the epithet heavenly h applied, iii. 10. JMatt. xviii. 10; xxii. 30. But the evil spirits are dis- tinguislier] fj-om good l)y the epithet tJJ; ■^ovri^lai. nAHPnMA. 171 our origin from Gentiles or Jews, not only raised up Christ, but vs also, who were dead in sins, to life with Christ, (by grace have ye received salvation,^ that he might display to the ages to come, Col. iii. 4, ihe exceed- ing riches of his grace, through his benignity to us for the sake of Christ Jesus. For not by any merit of yours, Rom. iii. 22, but by the grace alone of God, have ye received salvation by faith yielded to the account of what has been done by others, namely God and Christ, Rom. x. 6, 7, through confidence in the death and resurrection of Christ (ver. 9, iii. 25, Eph. ii. 4, 6), a?id that, viz. your receiving salvation by faith, teas not attained of yourselves ; not even your believing the evangelical history so mercifully made known to you, has left you room for boasting, for it is the gift of God ; not of ivorks, lest any one might boast. For we are his workmanship, created anew by Jesus Christ, that we might be qualified for those good works for which God alone prepared, or destined us^ when he created man." § XIII. ROMANS XIII. 10. We come now to another place in which the word vX^^ufj^a signifies that ichich fills (§ iv.), or, by a me- taphor similar to one in § ix., that which is in, the law, viz. the sum or the entire of the law. Unless that meaning of the word crX'/j^w/o-ct which denotes satiety, as the primitive word -ttA'/^^ouv sometimes means, § x., be preferred. In this case, the word would denote the fulfilling or satisfying of the law ; just as we often speak q{ fulfilling a duty or oflfice. 172 ON THE WORD Love^ says the apostle, ver. 10, doth not injure an- other. TJierefore love is the sum, or substance of the law ; or love is that which fulfills the law, that is, satisfies it. But surely to do no injury to another ^^ does not satisfy the divine law. The apostle appears to be treating, in this place, of those duties which in- dividuals owe to individuals in society, and by the performance of which peace and harmony among men are promoted. For having spoken of the duties which men owe to magistrates, ver. 1, he proceeds, in ver. 8, to treat of those social duties which would be discharged by owing no man any thing but the love which the law of Christ requires. Possessing '^'^ That the law is fulfilled by love, is proved from this, that love doth not injure any one. From whence it appears, that the law concerning which the apostle is speaking cannot be the divine law, which requires the performance of all duties posl' tive as well as negative, but the civil, which, as far as relates to the mutual duties of citizens, especially requires that one shall yiot injure another. But the meaning of Gal. v. 14 is different. For there the whole law is said to be fulfilled (§ xi.) by one precept, namely this — thou shall love thy neighbour as thyself. This certainly means more than not to injure any one, and expresses the spirit of the law of Christ (vi. 2.) There are two things (ver. 6. 1 John iii. 23. Eph. i. 15. Col. i. 4) which the gospel requires ; — faith towards Christ and love towards men. Gratitude for favours received, and love towards a benefactor, arise spontaneously [1 John iv. 16, comp. with 9, &c.] But if together with faith, which the apostles assume as the founda- tion, a man have love to God, he will not only be observant of those things which relate immediately to God, but he will endeavour to keep all the other commands of God. Whoever loves God truly, will study to do his will (1 John v. 3), nor can he be negligent of the duties which he owes to his neigh- bour (iv. 29; ii. 9 ; iii. 10, 14, I7.) HAHPriMA. 173 this love, Christians at Rome would certainly fulfil those duties which, according to the civil law, they owed to their fellow citizens. For all the divine com- mandments, which have also the authority of civil law, as far as they relate to the public good, and those statutes of the nation which contemplate the mutual duties of citizens, are contained in this one precept thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself? ver. 9. The requirements of the civil law amount to this, that one should do no injury to another. He therefore is certainly free from a violation of this law, who prO' ceeds further, and endeavours to love others. It is plain then, that love satisfies the civil law which pre- scribes the mutual duties of citizens. §XIV. ROMANS xi. 25 ; xv. 29. Finally, since the word crX;7^(w/xa may be applied to a multitude of material things, or to any thing which occupies space, (§ iv. viii) ; it may also be applied to a multitude of all other things. Accordingly we read in Rom. xi. 25, that blindness has happened, not to all Israel, but to a part, until rh 'xkr^^oiiha ruv s%c1jv, the multitude of the Gentiles, that is, many Gentiles have come in, that is, into the society of that better part of Israel to which blindness has not happened, ver. 5, 7, Or, according to the metaphor here used by the Apostle, — until many Gentiles shall have been graft- ed into the good olive tree, some of whose branches have been broken oflT. 174 ON THE WORD nAHPHMA. The same signification of the word cX-^f w/a,a appears in XV. 29, where the Apostle expresses a hope that he should come, with a multitude of the blessings, h 'rr'/^rr I'li'La-i ilXoyiag, of the Gospel, to Rome ; that is, that he should bring to them the richest blessings of the Gospel. We are not unwilling, however, that the word rrXyiPUfMoc should here be considered as denoting a supplement (^ iv. vi.) and should be thus interpreted ; — I trust that when I come, I shall bring with me a supply of the blessings of the Gospel of Christ, that is, the remaining ^a^iff/j^ara, 'rvsv/j^artxcc, Rom. i. 11, which the church at Rome, for the most part, needed. For the church of Rome had not yet been visited bj^ any one of the apostles, whose pecuHar office it was, as we learn from a few remarkable facts, 2 Tim. i. 6, to impart extraordinary gifts. INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH, CHAP. Lir. 12.— LIII. BY ERNEST WILHELM HENGSTENBERG, rROFKSSOR OF THEOLOGY AT EERLTN. TRANSLATED BY JAME.S F. WARNER, OF THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, ANDOVEK. PRELIMINARY REMARKS, BY PROFESSOR ROBIXSON OF ANDOVER. The object of this work is, to exhibit the results of a cahn and very extensive and complete investigation of those prophecies of the Old Testament, which have reference to a future Messiah ; or, in other words, to point out how far the events and doctrines recorded in the New Testament in relation to the Messiah and his kingdom, are the fulfilment and re- sults of predictions and principles revealed in the Old Testament. A work of this kind had never be- fore been attempted, at least to such an extent. Guhch, Hulsius, and Giirtler, had indeed laid the ground-work, in the end of the seventeenth and be- ginning of the eighteenth centuries ; and more re- cently Kocher, Anton, Kuinoel, and Jahn, (the two latter in separate works,) had turned their attention to the subject ; but all these labours were compara- tively unimportant. But the time had now come in Germany, when the need of such a work began to be very extensively felt. The system of rationalism, while it professed to receive the Christ of the New 178 PRELIMINARY REMARKS. Testament as a teacher of righteousness and sub- lime morality, ever strove to strip him of his divine honours as Messiah, and banish him from the Old Testament ; and as yet no systematic and scientific effort had been made to counteract these endeavours. But the spirit of reaction which has been awakened in that country in recent years, and which leads very many to perceive the cold and unsatisfying nature of such speculations, soon caused the attention of pious theologians to be turned to this subject, and made them aware of the need of giving to it a thorough examination. It is within the Editor's knowledge, that Professor Tholuck long entertained the purpose of composing such a work, and that, during his visit to England in 1825, he made many collections and extracts from oriental and rabbinic manuscripts, existing in the public Hbraries of that country, with particular reference to this object. Other important duties, however, hindered him from undertaking the work ; and it therefore passed into the hands of Professor Hengstenberg, who may be regarded as in some respects still better qualified for this department of labour. It was undertaken by him with the entire concurrence and approbation of Professor Tholuck, if not at his suggestion ; and the manuscript collections and extracts above men- tioned, were at once placed by the latter at the dis- posal of Professor Hengstenberg. The book has produced a sensation in the theolo- gical world in Germany ; because it often runs coun- ter to the current M'hich has so long prevailed ; and because the unquestionable talent and profound learn- PRELIMINARY REMARKS. 179 ing with which it is written, present formidable ob- stacles in the way of those, who have been accustom- ed to put down every thing of a similar nature by dogmatical assertion or scornful ridicule. It was vehemently attacked in the AUgemeine Literatur- Zeitung of Halle, in an article written by the elder Professor Fritzsche from materials furnished by Ge- senius ; but the remark made by candid inquirers was, that they were disappointed in finding that the work could be assailed with no stronger arguments. De Wette, also, has taken occasion, (in the preface to his Commentar}^ on the Psalms, 1829,) to express his most thorough dissent from Hengstenberg ; thougii he styles him at the same time ein kenntnissreicher junger Gelehrte, a young scholar of great learning. In the mean time, Professor Hengstenberg, al- though deeply (and sometimes perhaps injudiciously) involved in the theological polemics of the day, has busily prosecuted his great work ; of which the se- cond volume is announced as about to appear during the present year, 1832. This volume of course must comprehend the prophecies of Daniel ; and as that book has of late years been the subject of much discussion, and has been very generally set down as a spurious production of the age of Antiochus Epi- phanes, it became absolutely necessary to discuss fully the question of its genuineness and authority. This discussion the author has recenth' given to the public in a separate work, under the title die Authentie des Daniel, etc. Berlin, 1831. It is said by him to be the commencement of an Introduction to the Old Testament ; although in its present form, it is in 180 PRELIMINARY REMARKS. fact nothing more than an excursus to his Christo- logy. The plan pursued in it is precisely similar to that followed in examining the genuineness of the latter part of Isaiah ; for which essay the reader is referred to Vol. I. of the Biblical Repository, p. 700. The passage of Isaiah which is the subject of dis- cussion in the following article, is doubtless one of the most important prophecies of the Old Testament, in reference to the character of the Messiah. In- deed, his character as a suffering Messiah may be said to rest mainly upon this passage, so far as it de- rives support from the prophetic writings ; and, in this light too, the passage is viewed and applied by the writers of the New Testament, as is admitted by Gesenius. (Comm. zu Jesa. II. p. 160.) The places in the New Testament in which this passage is either directly quoted or alluded to, are : («) Luke xxii. 37, and Mark xv. 28, for Isa. liii. 12— (6) John xii. 38, and Rom. x. 16, for Isa. liii. 1 (c) 1 Peter ii. 22—25, for Isa. liii. 4, 5, 6, 9.—{d) Acts viii. 28 — 35, for Isa. liii. 7, seq. — (e) Matt. viii. 17, for Isa. liii. 4. — For general allusions only, we may refer per- haps to Mark ix. 12, Rom. iv. 25, 2 Cor. v. 21, 1 John iii. 5. This passage has ever received profound attention, from many and able commentators. Professor Hengstenberg is the latest and one of the most learned ; and has enjoyed the benefit of the labours of all his predecessors. It is for this reason, in con- nexion with others, that in bringing this important passage of Scripture under the notice of the readers PRELIMINARY REMARKS. 181 of this work, the Editor has selected the discus- sion of Professor Hengstenberg in preference to any other. It will be perceived, that he has here also prominently interwoven his peculiar views on the nature of prophecy. For his own opinion of these views, the Editor would refer to the Pre- liminary Remarks prefixed to the article on Prophecy, in the Biblical Repository, Vol. II, p. 138. INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH, CHAP. LII. 12.-Lni. We come now to a passage of Scripture, which in many respects may be regarded as the most impor- tant in all the writings of the Old Testament, and which is better adapted than any other to lead us to a right understanding of the whole. The partial obscurity which usually accompanies the representa- tions of the prophets, seems here to have entirely vanished. The highest operation of the divine Spi- rit, is united with the most entire suppression of the prophet's own agency. Thus, like a pure mirror, he has imparted to us the sublime truths which he received ; or rather, the Spirit of Christ, operating in him, employed him as an instrument to reveal the sufferings which the Messiah must undergo after his appearance in the flesh, and the glory that should follow. IPet. i. 11. Our plan will be to give, first, a history of the va- rious interpretations of this passage ; then, our own exposition ; and, finally, the arguments for and against the Messianic* interpretation. '^ I have ventured to adopt the adjective Messianic^ on ac- count of its great convenience ; just as Ave speak of the Ahra- hamic covenant, etc. — Tr. 1 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION. 183 PART I. HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION. § 1. INTERPRETATION OF THE PASSAGE BY THE JEWS. I. There can be no doubt that the Messianic in- terpretation of the passage was the prevaiUng one, at least among the better part of the Jewish people, in earlier times ; when they adhered more rigidly to the traditions of the fathers, when their carnal dis- position was not so entirely predominant, and their controversy with the Christians had not yet render- ed them so very partial in their exegesis. This is con • ceded even by those later Jewish interpreters who pervert the passage ; as Abenezra, Jarchi, Abarba- nel, and Moses Nachmanides. Gesenius also says : *' Without doubt the later Jews abandoned this inter- pretation from polemic views in reference to the Christians." We will here bring together the principal passages of the Jewish writings now extant, in which this ex- position is found. The whole translation of the Chaldee paraphrast, Jonathan, keeps in view the Messiah ; although, as we shall hereafter see, he ad- mits of many perversions. He pai'aphrases the very first sentence : " Behold my servant, the Messiah, shall prosper."* In the Medrasch Tanchu- ^ : j^^n^TTD '•T^r TiV^^ iDxb)2 y^ ni^i timjt^tz mw^i onnriK p '' In the tract Abkat Rokel (bDI'n Hpix) printed in a se- parate form at Venice, 1597, and copied in Hulsii Theologia II Judaica, where this passage is found, p. 309. 771277 ?<"11U^D nx bix:ibi nixninb nnx nsfi^ ib *7)2k n^wtzn II Dx lb ^72X v^ '^^ ^>2x D^Dbx n^rw ^nx ^:i i3^>bn px :i^nDT ^^^^^ D3iy p^iz^ ^mo^n biion : nrfi2v::i dd^x biiDX ib niox s^wa HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION. 1-85 Messiah, which is rejected by the later Jews, is con- tained in this passage as well as in several others that follow, and is derived from Isa. c. liii. In like man- ner, Rabbi Moses Haddarshan says on Gen. i. 3.* " Jehovah said : Messiah, my holy one, those who are hidden with thee will be of that kind, that their sins will bring a heavy yoke upon thee. The Mes- siah answered : Lord of the world, I freely take upon myself these plagues and sorrows. Immediately, therefore, the Messiah, out of love, took upon himself all afflictions and sufferings, as it is written in Is. c. Vm. he was abused and oppressed.'"^ In the Talmud*^ it is said of the Messiah : " He sits before the gates of the city of Rome among the sick and the leprous ;" the literal acceptation of verse 3. To the question, what the Messiah is called, it is replied, he is named K^TVn " the leper;" and for proof, reference is made to verse 4, according to the false interpretation of the word J^ljlj by leprosus, which is found also even in Jerome. — In the book Rabboth,'^ the 5th verse is quoted and referred to the sufferings of the * In Latin in Galatinus de arcanis Cath. ver. p. 329 ; in tlie original in Raymund Martini Pug. Fid. fol. 333. Comp. Wolfii Bibl. Hebr. I. p. 818. ^ Comp. another passage in Raym. IMart. fol. 430, where verse 5 is referred to the JMessiah. *= Gemera, Tract Sanhedrin, cap. 11. ^ A commentary on the Pentateuch and the five Megilloth, which is very ancient so far as respects its fundamental parts, although it has received numerous interpolations by later hands. According to the assertion of the Jews, it was written about the year of Christ 300. Comp. Wolf 1. c. II. p. 1423 sq The reference above is to page 46, ed. Cracov. on Ruth ii. 14. 186 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 12. LIII. Messiah. — In the Medrasch Tillim* it is said : " The things relating to the Messiah and mysteries concern- ing him, are announced in the Law, the Prophets, and the Hagiographa. In the Prophets, e. g., in the passage, Is. lii. 13, and xHi. 1. In the Hagiogra- pha, Ps. ex. and Dan. vii. 13." — In the book Cha- sidim,'' the following relation is found : " There was a devout man among the Jews, who, in summer made his bed among the fleas, and in winter put his feet into cold water, in the freezing of which his feet were also frozen. When he was asked why he did this, he replied, that he also must do some penance, since the Messiah bears the sins of Israel."*^ Among the later interpreters, Rabbi Alshech as- sents to the more ancient exposition.'^ He says : *« Our old Rabbins, according to the testimony of tra- dition, have ever unanimously admitted, that the lan- guage here refers to the king Messiah. Following them, therefore, we also conclude, that David, i. e. the Messiah, must be regarded as the subject of this prophecy, which is indeed evident." We shall, how- ever, see hereafter, that he followed the correct in- ^ An allegorical commentary on the Psalms, printed at Venice, 1546. See on Ps. ii. 7, fol. 4. *> A collection of moral tales printed at Venice and at Basil, 1581. Page 60. "" : hiiDW ni2*ir biiD n>"ii;)2. ^ His commentary on Isaiah liii. is found printed entire in Hulsii Theologia Judaica, p. 321, sq. His words are : // ii-i^ n^u^nn -|b72 hv o ibip*i iTo^^p nnx ns br^ n^iy)2 K*in "i^n N^n o nvn^ >d tu;d3 Dnnnxi HISTORICAL Introduction. 187 terpretation only in the first three verses, and then abandoned it. — The cabalistic book Sohar contains some passages, which are worthy of special remark. The age of this book is indeed quite uncertain, but it cannot be proved to have been composed under Christian influence. We quote here only a few of the principal passages.^ " When the suffering of Israel in their captivity, was told to the Messiah, and they themselves were declared to be the cause of it, inasmuch as they had not cared for the knowledge of their Lord, he wept aloud over their sins. Where- fore it is said in the Scriptures, (Is. liii. 5,) He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities. — In the garden of Eden, there is an apartment which is called the sick- chamber. The Messiah went into this, and called all the disea.3s, all the pains, and all the chastisements of Israel, that they should come upon him, and they all came upon him. And if he had not taken ^ Sohar, ed. Amstelod. p. II. fol. 212. Ed. Solisbac. p. II. f. 85. Sommeri Theol. Sohar. p. 94. Y^IZHl MHr^^ Kan N^p Dnx pn'»^K)3b ri^TD^? '•bDnoTD ahi pnm b"'pN inwT Nb)2bN*i TThv Y^DH inbDi n>br lin^n h^vnh h'^^^i u^3ii ^in Nb n^br b'-D^i bNnu;n in''>by?2 // li^^bn px 'inn Nnnixn u;3ir br bx^xy^i pnniD^ 188 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 12 LIII. them away from Israel, and laid them upon himself, no man could have borne the chastisements which must have fallen upon Israel on account of the law ; as it is said : He took upon himself our diseases, etc." In another place, it is said :* " When God wishes to provide a remedy for the world, he smites one holy man among them, and for his sake, grants relief and cure to the whole world. Where do we find this confirmed in the Scriptures ? In Is. liii. 5, where it is said. He was wounded for our transgres- sions, he was bruised for our iniquities." Enough has been said to show, that the more an- cient Jews, in conformity with tradition, referred the passage to the Messiah, and indeed, as appears from most of the passages quoted, to a suffering Messiah. But it would really be a remarkable phenomenon, had this interpretation continued to be the prevailing one among the Jews. The cross of Christ is, according to the expression of the apostle, " to the Jews an of- fence, and to the heathen foolishness." The idea of a suffering and atoning Messiah, was repugnant to the carnally minded Jews ; because they did not possess that which alone could render it acceptable, viz. the consciousness of sin and of the need of redemption ; and because, not knowing the holiness of God, nor consequently, the meaning of the law, they supposed that they could be justified before God, through their own strength, by the works of the law. They wished only for an external deliverance from suffering, and from their oppressors, not for an internal one from * Sohar, ed. Amstelod. p. III. f. 218. ed. Solisbac. III. f. 88. Sommeri Theol. Sohar, p. 89. HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION. 189 sin. Hence, they confined themselves entirely to those passages of the Old Testament, which, inter- preted in accordance with their carnal disposition, announced the Messiah in glory. There were also other causes which must have rendered the applica- tion of the passage to the suffering Messiah, disagree- able to them. As they were unable to compare the prediction with its fulfilment ; so the deep humilia- tion of the Messiah here announced, the contempt cast upon him, his violent death, appeared to them incompatible with those passages in which nothing of the kind is mentioned, but onlj-^ a glorified Messiah is exhibited. They had too little knowledge of the mode of prophetic vision, to understand, that the pro- phecies consist only of individual fragments, which must first be arranged together before the complete picture of the object can be obtained. They suppos- ed, that as the Messiah is in many passages presented to us immediately in glory, since he exhibited himself thus to the eye of the prophet ; so he must also ac- tually appear at once in glory. Finally, they were led by their controversies with the Christians, to seek for other interpretations. So long as they explained the passage of a suffering Messiah, they could not deny, that there was the most striking agreement be- tween these predictions and the history of Christ. Now, as the Christians in their controversy with the Jews, make this passage, which is aptly called by Hulsius a carnificina Judaeorum^ the point from which they always set out, and to which they always return ; and, as the Jews saw what an impression was made in numerous cases, by the arguments of Chris- 190 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 12. LIII. tians grounded on this passage : nothing was more natural, than that they should endeavour to find some means of extricating themselves from this difficulty. This they were able to do the more easily, inasmuch as they were wanting, generally, in a sensitive regard to truth, and particularly in exegetical tact ; so that the circumstance that an interpretation was forced and constrained, was with them no reason for reject- ing it. In proof of what has been said, we will here briefly exhibit the arguments with which Abarbanel contests the interpretation of the passage, as referring to a suf- fering and atoning divine Redeemer. He endeavours, in the first place, to invalidate the authority of tradi- tion, (to which the later Jews, in other cases, where it coincides with their own inchnations, attach so much weight,) by the absurd remark, that the ancient teachers did not aim to give a literal, but an allegori- cal interpretation ; and he, at the same time, affirms, that they referred only the first four verses to the Messiah, — an assertion which is shown to be incorrect by the passages already cited. After having combat- ed the doctrine of original sin, he proceeds : " Sup- pose even, that there is such a thing as original sin, still, if God, whose power is infinite, had been dispos- ed to pardon, was his hand so short that he was unable to redeem, (Is. 1. 2) ? so that, on this account, he was compelled to assume flesh and inflict chastisements on himself? — And should I even admit it to be ne- cessary, that an individual of the human race should bear this punishment alone in order to make satis- HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION. 191 faction for all, yet it would at least have been more suitable, that one from among ourselves, a wise man or a prophet, should have undergone this punish- ment, than that God himself should have done it. For suppose even that he had assumed flesh, still he would not have been like one of us. — It is perfectly impossible and self-contradictory, that God should make himself corporeal. For God is the first cause, infinite and almighty. Consequently he cannot as- sume flesh and subsist as a finite being, and undergo the spiritual punishment due to men. There is no- thing of this kind contained in the Scriptures. — If the prediction refers to the Messiah, it must then re- fer either to Ben Joseph or to Ben David. The former will die in the beginning of his wars ; and, neither that which is said of the exaltation, nor what is said of the humiliation, of the servant of God, can happen to him. Much less can the latter be intend- ed." (Here he quotes numerous passages which treat of the Messiah in a state of exaltation.) These are the a priori arguments, with which Abarbanel, and with him every natural man, combats the doc- trine of the vicarious satisfaction of a divine Redeem- er, and justifies his rejection of the traditional exposi- tion of the passage before us. Still, that it was difficult even for the carnally minded among the Jews, to reject this tradition, is apparent from the paraphrase of Jonathan. This work holds a middle ground between the more an- cient mode of interpretation, which the better part retained at a still later period, and the more modern 192 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 12. — LIII. mode. Jonathan* does homage to tradition, so far as to refer the whole prediction to the Messiah ; but, on the other hand, he endeavours to gratify his op- position to the doctrine of a suffering and atoning Messiah, by explaining all that is said here about the state of humiliation, so as to make it apply to a state of glory. This he does by means of the most vio- lent perversions and the most arbitrary insertions. Still, a trace of the correct interpretation occurs perhaps on the 12th verse, where Jonathan says that the Messiah will give his soul unto death ; unless he understands by this, merely, the undaunted cou- rage with which the Messiah will expose himself to all dangers, in his struggle against the enemies of the covenant people. This mode of treatment, however, could please only a few. It was necessary to go farther, and dis- cover an entirely different subject for the prediction. To show how little certainty they felt in their views, we have only to notice the example of Abarbanel, who goes through at length with two interpretations which are entirely diverse ; and then leaves his read- ers to choose between them. Unity and certainty are connected only with the truth. Error brings with it discord and fluctuation. This is apparent also from the following enumeration of the various expositions of this passage, which have been current * See his paraplirase on the passage^ in Lowth's Commen- tary as publisiied by Koppe ; also Ilulsii Theol. Jud. and else- where. HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION. 193 in later times among the Jevvs.^ The interpreters may be divided into two principal classes. 1. Such as understand by the phrase nitl* ^2.V^ servant of tlte Lord, a collective subject. 2. Those who refer the prediction to an individual person. The first class falls again into two subdivisions. («) Such as understand the subject to be the whole Jewish people, in oppo- sition to the heathen, (b) Those who take for the subject the pious part of the Jewish people in oppo- sition to the wicked. These different views, and their defenders, we will now proceed to consider more par- ticularly. J I. The most common opinion among those who reject the Messianic interpretation, is, that the Jew- ish people are the subject of the passage. This opi- nion is found even in quite early times, — a fact which cannot appear strange, inasmuch as the cause which produced a departure from the Messianic ex- position, existed also very early. When Origen makes use of this passage against some learned Jews, they reply :^ " These things are predicted concern- ing one whole people, who are in a state of disper- sion and affliction." This interpretation is followed by R. Salomoh Jarchi, Abenezra, Kimchi, Abarba- ^ The most distinguished of the interpreters who reject the ^Messianic exposition of the passage, are fovind in the Rabbinic Bibles ; and also, printed in the original together with a trans- lation, in Hulsius, 1. c. p. 339. ^ TecvTBt ':TiX^''(P'/i'rivff^at us 'ttip) ho; tou oXou Xaa xa) ytvof/Avou iv Tn oiaff'TTo^a xk'i Trkriyivro;. Origines c. Cels. ed. b'pencer, I. j>'. 42. O 194 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 12. LIIl. riel, and Lipraann.* The main features of this view are as follows. " This prophecy was intended to describe the suffering of the people in their present exile ; the firmness with which they endured it for the honour of God, and refused to forsake his law and his wor- ship ; and the prosperity, the honour and glory, which they shall enjoy at the time of their deliver- ance. Verses 1 — 10 introduce the heathen as speak- ing and making a humble and penitent confession, that hitherto they have misapprehended the people of God, and unjustly despised them on account of their afflictions ; since it now appears from their ele- vated and happy condition, that these afflictions had not been sent upon them from God as a punishment for their sins." And though some among these in- terpreters, as Abenezra and Rabbi Lipmann, under- stand by the phrase nlil^ 12.^9 servant of the Lord, T : V ••• only the pious part of the nation, who remained faithful to Jehovah, still this does not form an- other principal division ; for they also place IHJ^ nin* i" opposition to the heathen ; and not, as the interpreters of the following class, in opposition to the wicked or the less pious part of the nation. III. Others regard the appellation jlln* *1I1J/ as a collective designation of the pious, and find ii^ the passage the idea of a kind of vicarious satisfac- tion, made by them for the wicked. These inter- preters come nearer the true exposition, in so far as " pnxa -ISD fol. 131. HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION. 195 they do not, like the foregoing class, take away the doctrine of a vicarious satisfaction, either by a figura- tive explanation, or, like Kimchi, by the absurd re- mark, that it is an error put into the mouth of the heathen. On the other hand, they depart from the correct, interpretation, in so far as they generalize what belongs to a specific subject, and in accordance with the pride of the natural heart, ascribe to mere men that which is appropriate only to the God-man. This view has been expressed with the most distinct- ness, by the glossator on the very frequently printed book Ipj;^ ]^y or '^Kn:^^ yV, which contains all sorts of stories taken from the Talmud. He says : *' It is reasonable to assume, that the whole passage is a prediction concerning the righteous, who are tried by afflictions." He then makes two classes of the righteous ; such as must in general suffer many cala- mities and much distress ; and such as are publicly executed, as Rabbi Akibah and others. He thinks that the prophet points at the dignity of both classes ; and that the appellation servant of God properly be- longs to both. — In like manner Rabbi Alshech. As we have already seen, he refers c. lii. 13 — 15 exclu- sively to the Messiah, and to his glory obtained through great suffering. He thinks that the pro- phet then speaks in the name of all Israel, that he approves of what God had said, and confesses that this divine explanation of the Messiah's sufferings throws light upon the sufferings of the pious gene- rally. They now find that their attributing these sufferings to guilt was rash and without foundation, and resolve that henceforth^ when they see a right- 196 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 12. — LIII. ecus man in affliction, they will ascribe it to no other cause than that he bears their diseases, and that his chastisements conduce to their welfare. Thus the phrase Jllil^ I^V is a kind of personification of the T ; V V righteous. — Probably a similar view lies at the foun- dation of those passages in the Talmud, where one part of this prophecy is referred to Moses, and an- other to Rabbi Akiba, whom the Jews revere as a martyr. It does not appear that they limited the prediction to Moses or Akiba, but referred it to them only in so far as they belonged to the proposed col- lective subject. IV. Comparatively a small number of the Jews supported the opinion, that some single individual other than the Messiah was the subject of the pre- diction. We have seen above, that Abarbanel, be- sides his interpretation of the passage as applicable to the Jewish people, proposes still another, in which he refers it to king Josiah. Rabbi Saadias Haggaon explained the whole passage as relating to Jeremiah. Still, the Rabbins have not been able, after all their exertions, to supplant entirely the true exposi- tion, and thus remove all danger from the passage. Ainong the cabalistic Jews it is still the prevailing one. In numerous instances, this very chapter has been the first ground of Christian conviction among proselytes from Judaism to Christianity. So says John Isaac Levita :^ " I frankly confess, that this * In the work Defensio veritatis Hehraicae S. Sc. p. 82. *' Ingenue profiteor iUud ipsum caput ad fidem Christianam HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION. 197 very chapter brought me over to the Christian faith. For I have read it through more than a thousand times, and have carefully compared it with many translations. I have found that the Hebrew text contains a hundred times more mysteries concerning Christ, than appear in any other version." Many similar cases are furnished by the reports of the Jewish missionaries, particularly by those of the Cal- lenberg Institute.* § 2. INTERPRETATION OF THE PASSAGE BY CHRISTIANS. The interpretation of this passage has taken about the same course among Christians, as with the Jews. Like causes have produced like effects in both cases. Both abandoned the true interpretation, when the pre- vailing opinions had become opposed to its necessary results. If also we descend to particulars, we find in the various modes of interpretation proposed by both parties a great similarity. 1. Reasoning a priori^ we could come to no other conclusion, than that the Christian church, so long as it adhered to Christ, must find him here, where he is so distinctly and clearly exhibited to our view ; that so long as the church acknowledged the authority of me perduxisse. Nam plus millies caput illud perlegi, contuli accurate cum multis translationibus. Deprehendi centies plus de Chxisto mysteria in textu Hebraeo contineri, quam uUa alia in versione reperiantur." ^ "This was a society for missions among the Jews, esta- blished at Halle, under the care of Professor Callenberg, about the middle of the last century. It does not exist at present. 198 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 12. — LIII. Christ and the apostles generally, it must also follow their decided and manifold testimonies here. And such we find to be the fact. With the exception of Grotius, and a Silesian by the name of Seidel, — the latter of whom, in utter infidelity, asserted that the Messiah never had come and never would come ;* and both of whom made Jeremiah to be the subject of the passage, — no one in the Christian church, for the space of seventeen centuries, presumed to call in question the Messianic interpretation. On the con- trary, this passage has ever been regarded as the most clear and splendid of the Messianic predictions. From the great mass of testimonies we will here quote only a few. Augustin says;^ <' Isaiah, besides the iniquities he reproved, the duties he taught, and the future cala- mities he predicted to a sinful people, prophesied also concerning Christ and the church, i. e. concerning the king and the kingdom which he established, much more than all the other prophets ; so that by some he has been called an evangelist rather than a prophet.'* He then quotes this passage for proof, and concludes with the following words ;<= " But these are sufficient ; ' Compare Jac. Martini, lib. 3, de trihus Elohim, p. 592. ^ De civitate Dei, xviii. 29, T. II. p. 194, ed Tauchn. " Jesaias inter ilia, qnae arguit iniqua et justa praecepit, et peccatori populo mala futura praedixit, etiam de Christo et ecclesia, h. e. de rege et ea, quam condidit civitate, multo plura, quam ceteri prophetavit : ita ut a quibusdam evangelista, quam propheta potius diceretur." ° " Verum ista sint satis ; et in eis sunt exponenda nonnulla ; sed sufficere arbitror, quae ita sunt aperta, ut etiam inimici in- telligere cogantur inviti." HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION. 199 and though some things in them may need explanation, yet I think that alone is enough which is so plain, that even our enemies, in spite of their disinclination, are compelled to understand it." In a similar manner he expresses himself in another pl^ce.* Theodoret remarks on the passage :^ " The prophet then pro- ceeds to represent his (Christ's) humiliation even to the suffering of death. Here too is the highest energy of the Holy Spirit. For, things which were to take place after the lapse of many ages, it foreshowed so clearly to the holy prophets, that they did not say, we hear, but we see." Of the same character are the de- clarations of Justin, Irenaeus, Cyril of Alexandria, and Jerome. From the protestant church we will quote here only the testimonies of two of its founders, viz. those of Zuingle and Luther. Zuingle says :^ ** What now follows affords so plain a testimony con- cerning Christ, that I know not whether any thing more definite can be found in the Scriptures, or even whether a more explicit passage could be framed. All the perverse attempts of the Jews upon it are in vain." » De consensu Evangelistarum, I. 31. 0pp. ed. Clerici T. III. p. 2, p. 15. '' Opp. ed. Hal. T. II. p. 358. 'Ev roTs i^m fhv raWtvuffit ecu sq. HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION. 205 true to the Messianic exposition : Cube, Dathe, Do- derlein,* Hensler, Hezel, Kocher, Koppe, Lowtli, Michaelis, Van der Palm, Rieger, and Vaupel. Its principal advocates, besides these, are ^ Hess, M. F. Roos, Storr, J. I. Hansi, Martini, C. F. A. Werner, Spohn, an anonymous writer (Schleusner ?) in the Gottingen Bibliothek, Olaus Sunden, Lindemann, an anonymous writer in the Dutch Bibliotheeky etc. Kruiger, Jahn, Zollich, Keller, and Steudel.*^ * In the last edition of his translation, however, he is doubt- ful. ^ To some extent Bertholdt may also be reckoned among the defenders of the Messianic interpretation ; since he supposes that the passage treats of an ideal JMessiah, who is represented as struggling with the severest toil and suffering. Compare his Dissertatio de ortu theoL vet. Heh. I. p. 135, sq. and his Einl. p. 1383. *= Hess in his Gesch. d. Konige von Juda ; (History of the Kings of Judah ;) and in the work vom Reiche Gottes ; (Kingdom of God.)— M. F. Roos, Jesus der Erloser der Menschen ; (Jesus the Redeemer of Mankind,) Jes, 53. Tub. 1788. 8 Storr, Dis- sertatio, qua insigne de Christo oraculum Jes. 53. illustr. Tub. 1790, 4. very thorough, but tedious on account of the useless ac- cumulation of quotations, and marred by many forced interpreta- tions : compare his Erkl'drung des Briefes an die Hebr'der, p. 475. sqq. ; (Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews.) — Jo. Imm. Hansi, Commentatiophil. theol. in vat. Jes. 53, Lips. 1791. 8. a thoroughly wrought treatise — Martini, Commentatio philo- logica-critica in locum JesaicB c. 63. Rostochii 1791. 8. This work belongs, in a philological point of view, to the most dis- tinguished commentaries that have been written on the Old Testament. Yet the theological sentiments of the author, who is rather inclined to neology, have exerted a prejudicial in- fluence upon his exposition. Thus e. g. he denies that the doctrine of a vicarious satisfaction exists in the passage ; al- though Gesenius himself is compelled to admit it — Nova 206 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 1:^. LIIl. We assume, for the present, the Messianic inter- pretation as the correct one ; since the confutation of the interpretations, which are opposed to it, can best be given after the exposition of the passage. We shall now proceed to this, after a few preliminary re- marks ; and, in conclusion, shall endeavour to prove, that the Messianic interpretation is the true one. We have already seen, in the general introductory remarks, that the deliverance of God's people forms commentatio in locum Jes. 53, quam prtBside Dresdio....C. Y. A. Werner, Wittemb. 1793, not very important, and too ac- commodating — Spohn in the Programm against Staudlin al- ready quoted above — An anonymous writer (Sclileusner ?) in der Gottingischen Bibliothek fur theologische Litteratur, Bd. I. p. 118, sqq — Disputatio polemico-theologica in cap. Jesaim 63, quam press. A. Hy lander — auctor Olaus Sunden, Lunda? 1803, not important ; directed chiefly against the hypothesis of Pau- las. — Lindemann in an article in Henke's Museum, ii. 4 An anonymous writer in the Bibliothek van Theologische Let- terkunde voor het Jaar 1805, p. 485 — 531. — Kruiger, Commen- tatio de verisimillima orac. Jes. 53 interpretandi ratione, Li]>s. 1809. 4. It contains many very good general remarks, esj)e- cially upon the natural causes which gave rise to the idea of a suffering Messiah — Jahn, Appendix ad Hermeneuticam, fasc. ii. p. 1 — 66. — Zollich^ Das Orakel von Chris to vom Geiste der Weissagung ausgesprochen durch den Propheten Jesaias. (The Oracle of Christ from the Spirit of Prophecy, delivered by the Prophet Isaiah.) Cap. 52, 53, in Zimmermanns und Heiden- reichs Monatsschrift fiir Prediger-Wissensch. Bd. iv. p. 121, sqq — Keller, in an article in Bengel's Neues Arcfiiv fur die Theol. Bd. II.p. 151, sqq. and p. 253, sqq. Worthy of commen- dation, though the author has gone too deeply into the refutation of the self-refuted perversions of Eckermann and Eichhorn. — Steudel, Observationes ad Jes. 53, in two Academische Abhand- lungen, Tiib. 1825 — 2C, an excellent treatise, though its man- ner is somewhat tedious. HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION. 207 the main subject of the two parts of Isaiah's prophecy. This deliverance is twofold; deliverance from the Babylonish exile, and deliverance from sin and error. The two are not kept perfectly distinct from each other ; though it may be remarked in general, that the former is most prominent in the first part, as far as to the 49th chapter, and the latter in the second part. Each of these deliverances was to be effected by a servant and messenger of Jehovah; the first by Cyrus, and the other by Christ. The prophet had already, in a preceding part of the book, described the former with such clearness, that scarcely a single trait was left to be added. Moreover the latter also, the servant and chosen of God, him in whom his soul delights, the Israel in whom he shews himself glori- ous, — him too the prophet had not forgotten. But the features which he had hitherto drawn, did not make out a complete picture. He had described hirp as the divine teacher and ambassador, who being furnished with rich gifts from God, humbled himself, and appeared in gentleness and meekness to save that which was lost. He had represented him as a glorious king, who was to establish a kingdom of peace and righteousness, to extend continually its borders, to receive all the Gentiles into it, to bestow rich blessings upon his adherents, and to punish se- verely the despisers of his name. But one great feature of the picture was still wanting. The pro- phet had announced that Cyrus would achieve this temporal deliverance by his military valour, and through the victories which God would grant him. But the means and manner of the spiritual deliver- 208 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 12. — LIII. .ance had not yet been imparted to him. He had, indeed, spoken of the deep humiliation of the Mes- siah ; he had predicted (c. 1.) the severe sufferings, the scorn and contempt of the people, which must fall upon the servant of God. But he had not said, that these very sufferings would be the only efficient cause of our salvation. Here, therefore, he first com- pletes the picture ; when he declares that the servant of Jehovah, as priest and sacrifice at the same time, will make atonement for us by his blood, and present himself to God a sacrifice for our sins ; that he will beai* our infirmities, and by his wounds, ours shall be healed. God had established three offices in the theocracy, the prophetic, the priestly, and the regal. In a higher and more perfect sense, the Messiah should unite all three in his own person. The contents and order of the prediction are as follows : In c. lii. 13 — 15, Jehovah speaks. They contain a brief summary of what is expressed more at large in c. liii. The highest exaltation of the servant of God is to follow his deepest abasement ; the nations of the earth are to be redeemed by him, and their kings with reverence bow before him. In c. liii. 1 — 10, the prophet speaks. The first verse stands out of the connection, and contains a sort of introduction or plaintive exclamation. While the prophet here includes with himself all those who pro- claimed a Messiah, either as future or as being al- ready come, he declares that many will not believe their annunciation, many will not acknowledge the glorious exhibition of the divine omnipotence and favour as such. He then proceeds in his discourse, HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION. 209 with this difference only, that he henceforth regards himself as a member of the people, or rather of that better part of them, who mistook, indeed, at first, the character of the Redeemer while he was in a state of humihation, but after his exaltation acknowledged him as their Saviour and highest benefactor, and perceived that his sufferings were endured only for our salvation. This is the sum of the whole : The servant of Jehovah will go about destitute of all external splendour. Suf- ferings, more severe than have ever been exjDerienced by men, are to fall upon him. He will bear them willingly and with patience. He will finally be taken away by a violent death. The insatiable rage of his enemies will still endeavour, though in vain, to insult him, che righteous, the innocent, even in death. (Ver. 2, 3, 7 — 9.) The people, beholding his sufferings, and being ignorant of the cause, believed that they were the merited punishment of his own sins ; but — as those here speaking now perceive — this was an error. He was punished, not for his own sins, but for ours. His sufferings were voluntarily endured for the salva- tion of men, who without this were given over to de- struction. God was pleased to adopt this means of reuniting to himself, those who had departed from him and gone on in their own ways, (ver. 4 — 6.) The sufferer is to be exalted to the highest glory, after having thus made expiation to Jehovah by the free- will oiFering of his life. The knowledge and love of God will, through him, be established upon the earth, and a numerous community be gathered, ver. 10. In ver. 11 and 12, Jehovah again speaks, and confirms what had thus been said by the prophet, p 210 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13. — LIII. PART II. EXPOSITION. CHAPTER LII. Verse 13. Jehovah speaks. The commentators are here divided ; some regarding this verse as con- nected with the preceding one, while others suppose that it begins a new paragraph having no connection with the former. The first opinion is unquestionably the more correct. It is indeed true, that, in the pre- ceding section, c. 52, I — 12, the prophet had in a special manner been treating of the nearer deliverance from the Babylonish exile. But yet, under the veil of this temporal deUverance, lay concealed at tha same time the spiritual one. And as his view had in the foregoing paragraph been directed to the deliverance, so in this, his attention is very naturally turned to the author of it. Calvin justly remarks :* " After Isaiah had been speaking of the restoration of the church, he makes a transition to Christ, in whom all things centre. He speaks concerning the prosperity of the church, and since this was not yet manifested, he refers them to its king, by whom all things are to be restored, and directs them to wait for his coming/' Behold my servant in wisdom shall reign prosper- ^ " Postquam Jesaias de restitutione ecclesiae locutus erat, transit ad Christum, in quo omnia colliguntur. Loquitur de prospero ecclesiae successu, qui cum minime appareret, eos re- vocat ad suum regem, a quo omnia restituenda sunt, eumque expectari jubet." CHAP. Lll. V. 13. 211 ously ; he shall be high and elevated and very exalted. The prophets do not proceed in the manner of histo- rians, who make the earlier events precede the later, but they go directly in mediam rem, and frequently begin where they should strictly end. This occurs in the present case. Instead of commencing with Christ's humiliation, the prophet begins with his glorification. By the word H^Jl the prophet indicates that a new object presents itself to his view. Jehovah, as it were, points to the Messiah, as if present. This appears from the following verse, where the Messiah is ad- dressed. The point of time to which the internal view of the prophet is directed, is that between the suffering and the glorification of the Messiah. The glorifica- tion is designated here, and for the most part in what follows, by the future tense ; the suffering, by the pre - terite. The verb 7^3ti^n has a double signification, to act ivisely, and to be prosperous. The connection of these two meanings is explained from the view pre- valent among the Hebrews, which associated wisdom ?". e. piety, with prosperity, and folly i. e. impiety, with adversity ; on the principle of cause and effect. The ancient translators* have, nearly without exception, adopted the first signification ; and many of the earlier interpreters^ have followed them. The more modern expositors, on the contrary, have for the most part, chosen the second meaning, after the example of the Chaldee, which translates the verb by 11^':*% prospere ^ Alex, ffvr/iffu. Aq. Symm. lT<5-T>j,a«v/(rSr^!r=ra/ Vulg. in- telliget. Syr. jl-> AmVo . ^ Joh. H. Michaelis in der Bibl. Hal. 212 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13. — LIIl. ayet ; and they appeal particularly to the parallelism which is thus formed with the second member of the verse. But it is better still, to join both significations together ; he shall in wisdom reign prosperously : or shorter, he shall reign ivell. By this means, we indi- cate that the glorified Messiah, who appears as usual under the figure of a mighty king, will govern his kingdom both wisely and prosperously. In this sense the verb unquestionably occurs with reference to the Messiah, in Jer. xxiii. 3. Compare also 1 Kings ii. 3. — In the second member of the verse, the prophet combines all the words in the Hebrevv language which express elevation, and still adds the term *Ti^^, in order to denote with great intensity the exaltation of the Messiali. Ver. 14. As this verse is closely connected with the 13th, we give the translation of both at the same time. " Like as many were shocked at my servant, — so disfigured was his countenance that it was no longer the countenance of a man; and his form, that it was no more the form of a man, — soke shall sprinkle many heathen nations ; kings shall shut their mouths before him ; for what had not been announced to them they see, and what they had never heard they perceived Ver. 14 contains the protasis, or primary member of the sentence, and ver. 13, the apodosis or secondary member. The sense is : As the humilia- tion of the Son of Man was the greatest possible ; as he was abhorred by all who saw him in this condi- tion ; so his exaltation shall be the greatest possible ; nations and kings filled with awe shall bow before CHAP. LIl. V, 14. 213 him. The first p, sic, adeo, does not designate the apodosis, for this commences with ver. 15 ; but it re- fers to the preceding member, and assigns the reason why many were shocked ; and the words from *3 to the end of the verse are to be put into a parenthe- sis. In the protasis, Jehovah addresses himself to the Messiah, ^^^J/ ; in the apodosis, he speaks of him in » V T . the third person, HT^ and V7^- ^"ch a sudden V - T T change of persons is very frequent in the poetic and prophetical writings generally; but here there is further a particular reason for it, in the circumstance that the second person could not be used in the in- termediate parenthesis, which assigns the cause of the astonishment, and is not directed to the Messiah. — The verb UDti^ with 7^, signifying to be astonish- ed at or over any one, whether from admiration or aversion, must be determined in its meaning by the connection. In the latter signification, as here, it is found also in Jer. xviii. 16; xix. 8. — The word f^nSi^/tD is properly a noun, corruptio, derived from r\T\il} io corrupt, to destroy: but here it stands as abstract for concrete, — disfiguration for disfigured. The form would regularly be like 7DpD> with Ka- mets;*'and riHCi^Dj with Pattahh, is in the construct state, which, besides preceding the genitive, stands also before prepositions ; here before *,t3, as in Isa. xxiii. 23. Hos. vii. 5, et al.^ — The preposition ^0 * Geseniiis Lehrgebaude der Heb. Sprache, p. 494. ^ Gesanius Lehrgebaude der Heb. Sprache; p. G79" 214 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13. LIII. in t^'f^f2 and D^K ^^^D we may best take as ne* • •• T T •• ; • gative or privative, and suppose an ellipsis of the infinitive Dl^n* " His countenance is disfigured from the countenance of a man, i. e. so that it is no longer the countenance of a man ; and his form, so that it is no longer a human form." Indeed, 1f2 is frequently to be resolved by so that not. Thus in Jer. xxiii. 1, " he has rejected thee, ^/f^'O, from king," i. e. so that thou art no longer king. Jer. ii. 25, " withhold thy foot, f^IlVt^, that it be not bare." Isa. vii. 8, D^D> " so that it is no longer a people ;" T •• ^\^Vf2) "so that it is no more a city."* The phrase fully expressed, would be nVnp ^Hi^nD DH^p p : ant^ ^^r\ nvnp inK/ni W^^f n^^ip It is usual with the Hebrews in comparisons, when the same thing is to be mentioned twice, to leave it out the second time. Comp. e. g. Ps. xviii. 34. Ps. ex. 3, etc.^ If a thing is entirely degenerated and disfigured, the Hebrews are accustomed to say, that it is not what it is. Entirely parallel to the passage before us, is Ps. xxii. 7, " I am a worm and no man." Comp. also Deut. xxxii. 21, QJ^ ^^7, a T people that does not deserve the name of a people, gens co7itemtissima, Isa. Iv. 2, DH? ^;, panisvilis, ^ Gesenius Lehrgeb. p. 786. — Storr, Observationes ad ana- loffiam et syntamn, p. 253. Ewald Heb. Gramm. p. 599. '■ Other examples may be found in Schnurrer, Dissertatioties philologicoe, p. 1G9, and in howih de Sac. poesi Heb. p. 207, ed. II. Gott. CHAP. LII. V. 14. 215 and finally c. liii. 3. Many understand 1f2 as a com- parative in the sense ofprae. They explain the sentence thus: iiKhi ^^K n^?nD/:? "^^^^.^ ^^^^ i? DIN ^^S *1K/^D ^^^^ countenance teas more dis- T T •• S — • figured than that of a man, etc. But it is evident, that the former explanation gives a much stronger, and therefore a much more appropriate sense. — The word "i*lj^/n is used instead of the regular form T\^r\. as in Isa. i. 31 i^^D for 'i^yp).a_In ^*>'^ t; T -; t: T and OIK *-32» many interpreters, as Jahn, find a T T •• ; climax and an antithesis. They suppose t^^{^ to denote persons of rank, and D^K *^3 the lower T T •• ; class. But although this antithesis does unquestion- ablj" exist in some cases, still here it would evidently very much weaken the sense ; and hence we must here understand the two expressions, as often else- where, to be entirely synonymous. As to the meaning of the whole parenthesis, inter- preters very justly remark, that the disfiguration of the Messiah's countenance and form does not refer merely to his exterior, but must also be understood figuratively and metaphorically. According to Van der Palm, the comparison of a sick person, who is en- tirely disfigured by a severe disease, forms the ground of this representation. As his acquaintances start back with astonishment when they see him, so ver^^ many are shocked at the view of the Messiah. Luther remarks : " The prophet does not speak of Christ's ^ Gesenius Lehrgeb. p. 571. 216 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 14 LIII. personal appearance, but of the political and royal ap- pearance of a regent, who is to become an earthlj^ king, and yet does not come in kingly style, but as the most abject of all servants, so that no man was ever more despised than he." But most interpreters err, in referring the figurative expression solely to the humble and abject condition of the Messiah, and not also to his sufferings. So Jerome :^ " Not that it means disfiguration of the body, but that he came in a state of humiliation and poverty." Also Martini, whom the more modern expositors follow, as usual :^ " The meaning of the passage is not to be referred in a proper sense to deformity of person, but to a con- dition which was in the utmost degree mean, low, and abject." But the expression is much too strong for this. Moreover, a compendium is here given of what follows, and we are unable to see any reason why re- gard should be had, exclusively, to that which is com- paratively of less importance. Calvin therefore very appropriately remarks :*^ " He so made his appear- ance in the world, that he was every where despised. His glory was concealed under the humiliation of his ^ " Non quo formae significet foeditatem, sed quo in humili- tate venerit et paupertate." T. IV. P. 1. p. 612, ed Vallarsi. T. V. ed. Francof. ^ " Sententia loci non proprio sensu ad vultus foeditatem, sed ad conditionem externam universam tenuem, vilem, et ab- jectam referenda." '^ " Sic prodiit in miindum, ut passim contemtibilis esset. Delituit ejus gloria sub humilitate carnis. Atque haec causa stuporis fuit, quod sine uUo splendore inter homines versaretur, nee redemtorem eo statu et habitu venturum Judaei existima- rent. Cum ad crucem venlwn esset, illic loiiyephis stuporis f nil.'''' CHAP. LII. V. 15. 217 body. And this was a cause of amazement, that he appeared among men without any external splendour ; nor did the Jews expect the Redeemer to come in such a condition and mien. But ichen he was condemned to the cross, then the astonishment became far greater.^' So also Van der Palm :* " These expressions cannot be fully explained by a reference to the obscure poverty and degradation of our Redeemer ; we must represent him to ourselves in his sufferings, in the most dreadful contempt and misery ; and then we may be able to justify the strong language of the prophet." Ver. 15. The verb HT^ signifies, in all the nu- TT merous places where it occurs, to sprinkle, besprinkle. It is used to denote the act of the high priest, who was annually to sprinkle blood towards the ark of the covenant, in order to obtain forgiveness for the people ; Lev. iv. 6 ; xvi. 18, 19. It is apphed to the sprink- ling of the healed leper. Lev. xiv. 7, and other pas- sages ; and to the sprinkling of the unclean with con- secrated water. The consequence of these sprinklings was the restoration of external, theocratic purity ; compare the passages quoted. But it is very usual in the Old Testament, to describe spiritual and inter- nal purification and sanctification, by images and ex- pressions borrowed from the external purifications and sanctifications. This was the more natural, inasmuch ^ " Wie kunnen deze uitdrukkingen niet geheel verklaren van de unanzienlicke geringheid en armoede onzes Verlossers ; wij moeten hem ons voorstellen in zijn lijden, en onder hetze- loe, in de verschrikkelijkste versmading en ellende, en dan kuniie wij de sterke gezeyden van den Profeet Avettigen." 218 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13. LIII. as the latter had, in addition to their principal design, the secondary one of symbolizing that which is spiri- tual. Ezekiel, in c. xxxvi. 25, alludes to the custom of sprinkling with consecrated water for the purpose of purification; " And I will sprinkle pure water upon you, that you may be clean. From all your pollution and from all your idols will I purify you." David alludes to the same custom in Ps. li. 9, [7]. " Purify me with hyssop, that I may be clean."^ These parallel passages fully justify us in giving to the verb ^t^ the sense of "purify^ sanctify. This expo- sition is confirmed by what is said in ver. 3 — 10, of atoning for the sins of others by the sufferings and death of the servant of God ; but more especially by the expression, " When he has made an offering for sin," (ver. 10), and by pHV* " he will justify, or sanctify," (ver. 11,) which corresponds exactly with the expression now under consideration. Of the ancient translations, the Syriac follows the same ex- position and has |'-\,v^ the Vulgate, asperget, which Jerome explains:^ "*He shall sprinkle many nations, purifying them by his blood, and through baptism consecrating them to the service of God " In this explanation, however, he is too specific. The same in- terpretation is followed by the writers of the New Testament, when they speak of a '^avriff/Mog rov alfj^arbc. ^oiffrou. Comp. 1 Peter i. 2. Heb. xii. 24. It was the prevailing one among Christian interpreters gene- ^ Comp. Lev. xli. 7- ^ " Ipse asperget gentes niultas, mundans eas sanguine siio et in baptismate dei consecraus servituti." CHAP. LII. V. 15. 219 rally ; as Luther, Vitringa, Dathe, Kocher, Jahn, etc. After the example of Schroder,* recent interpreters, as Martini, Rosenmiiller, Gesenius, Winer, have raised several objections against it. 1. It is urged that, according to this exposition, the verb ought not to be construed with the accusa- tive, but, as in the other passages, with ^y before the thing to be sprinkled. But as there is the great- est variety in the construction of Hebrew verbs ge- nerally ; e. g. as in the first verse of the following chapter, the verb Jl /il is construed with 7^, which is elsewhere always found connected with 7 and 7^^; so it is very frequent that a verb, elsewhere joined with the accusative, is sometimes construed with a preposition, and vice versa. We have a striking example in c. liii. v. 11, where the verb p^"lVn is construed with 7, though in every other in- stance it is joined with the accusative. In the case of the verb nT^» the construction with the T T accusative may be accounted for by a slight mo- dification of the signification. Construed with 7y, it means to sprinkle ; with the accusative, to besprinkle. This variation, moreover, has the analogy of other languages for its vindication. In the kindred Ethiopic dialect, the verb nT-3> cor- responding to the Hebrew HT-^j is used to denote TT * Observationes selectaead Origines Hebraeas, cap. viii. § 10. 220 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13. LIII. the besprinkling of things and of persons. Compare Heb. ix. 19; xi. 28 ; Ps. H. 9. In Latin also we can say, spargere aquam, and also, spargere corpus aqua, aspergere quid alicui ; and further, re aliquem con- spergere, perspergere, respergere. " The Hebrews," says Kocher, " being deprived of this liberty of con- struction for the want of compounds, supply the de- fect by various uses of the simple verbs."* 2. It is objected, that the context is opposed to this interpretation ; that the antithesis to the verb DDCi^ leads us to expect something corresponding to - T it. But it is this very interpretation which affords the most appropriate antithesis. No one is sanctified by the Messiah, who does not wish to be sanctified by him ; and no one desires this, who does not put his entire trust in him and acknowledge him as his King and Lord. Hence, in opposition to the con- tempt and abhorrence which the Jews felt for the Messiah in a state of humiliation, is placed the be- lieving and humble confidence with M'hich the heathen approach the glorified Messiah. Also in the second member, " Kings shall shut their mouth before him," there is then a most appropriate paral- lelism. In like manner, it is adduced in c. liii. 11, as a reward which the glorified servant of God shall obtain, that he shall bring many to righteous- ness. 3. It is said again : " If to sprinkle signifies to sanc- tify or expiate with bloody then the tnaterial used for ^ " Id cur non potius Hebraeis liceat, quibus compositonan defectum per varies usus verl)a simplicia sarciunt." CHAP. LII. V. 15. 221 this purification would not be omitted. Should it be replied to this, that the word blood may easily be supplied from the customary use of the verb with reference to purification with blood, still this argu- ment would not be valid, because the purification was not made, with blood merely, but likewise with water and with oil." This objection, at any rate, does not affect the exposition which we have given, but at most only those who find in the verb Ht^ the speci- fic idea of sanctification by the blood of Christ. If we take the verb in the general sense of sanctify, the figure may be derived both from sprinkling with blood and with water, and it is not necessary that the material should be expressed. Compare Ps. li. 9, " Purify me, that I may be clean," where the mate- rial is not added, more than in the case before us. Van der Palm very properly paraphrases the sen- tence thus ;* Yet he thereby becomes the priest of many nations, and explains it ; " To sprinkle is a work of the priest, and Jesus is here the great high priest of the whole world, who purifies it and makes expiation for it." Comp. Ps. ex. 4. Recent expositors, abandoning the usus loquendi of the Hebrew language, have endeavoured to give several interpretations from the Arabic. Martini, RosenmiAller, and Gesenius compare the Arabic ^y (HT^) ^o spring, to leap. Martini proposes * " Doch dardoor werd hij veler Volker Preester." " Besprengen is een priesterlijk Werk, en Jesus is hier de groote Hogepriester der gansche Wereld, die haur reinigt en A'erzoent." 222 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13. LIII. this explanation with much hesitation and a feeling of uncertainty :* " I am myself sufficiently aware, how far what I am now about to propose, though with hesitation, as to the sense of the received reading, ntS may be from the exact and true interpretation." He apologizes for his attempt only with the remark, that the received explication is untenable, for the reasons already given. According to Rosenmuller and Gesenius it ought to be, He will cause many na- tions to leap, meaning, he will fill them with joy. In support of this they allege, that in Golius the verb YA has among other meanings that of exultavit prae hilaritate ; which, however, has not hitherto been confirmed by a single passage from an Arabic writer. Martini goes still farther. He appeals to the circumstance, that with the Orientals, verbs which designate one specific emotion of the mind, are fre- quently employed to designate all the rest. Thus he thinks that this verb is used also to denote the effects of terror, surprise, and admiration. He translates as follows:^ He smites them with a kind of sacred hor- ror^ and fixes in their minds a reverence for himself. Thus he approaches, though in a wrong way, the sense which we have claimed for the verb T]*1' TT What induced him thus to go farther than Gesenius 3 " Quae vero de sensu lectionis receptae jnM ipse jam, quanquam timide, in medium prolaturus sum, ea quantum absint ab interpretations justa et carta ipse satis sentio." ^ " Eos sacro quodam horrore percellet suiqiie reverentiam animis eorum infiget." CHAP. Lii. V. 15. 2'23 and Rosenniuller, was unquestionably the feeling that their interpretation, he will make them leap for joy, gives an incongruous sense. — Against this mode of interpretation, besides the arguments already al- leged in favour of the received exposition, it may be further remarked, that we are never at liberty to abandon the established Hebrew usus loquendi, and least of all in a word of so frequent occurrence, with- out an urgent necessity.* This is a principle which most of the recent defenders of this exposition them- selves adhere to in theory, and by the practical ap- plication of which, in other cases, they have merited great praise for their solid and judicious interpreta- tion of the Old Testament. To confirm this inter- pretation, an appeal has also been made to the LXX., who translate o\)r(,i ^aviMaGovrai 'i^vri 'ToXacc l-r' a-jrw. But even Martini remarks upon this version :^ " Here in an obscure passage, they have endeavoured, through felicity of apprehension, to obtain a sense some-how or other by conjecture." The phrase HD Y^P^ ^^ "^^"^ ^^^^ mouth, like the kindred one to lay the hand upon the mouth, denotes a humble, reverential subjection. In the presence of a more distinguished person, one does not presume to speak. , Corap. Job xxix. Ps. cvii. 42. Ezek. xvi. 63. Micah vii. 16. The reason of this humble sub- mission is given in the second part of the verse. ^ Comp. Schelling von dem Gebrauche der Arab. Sprache, p. 71, sq. (On the Use of the Arabic language.) ^ " In loco obscuro per ingenii felicitatem sensum utcunque conjectando assequi studebant." 224 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13. LIII. The heathen* are to become acquainted with the wonderful exaltation of the great servant of God, and with the mystery of redemption through him, which was never before communicated to them as it had been to the Jews. Theodoret remarks :^ " Those who have not received the communications of the pro- phets, but have been devoted to idols, shall see, through the preachers of the truth, the might of him who is proclaimed, and shall know his power." Je- rome says:^ " The princes of this world, who had not the law nor the prophets, and to whom he (the Mes- siah) had not been announced, shall themselves see and understand. In comparison with them the ob- duracy of the Jews is reprehended, who, seeing and hearing, have fulfilled tlie prophecy of Isaiah against themselves." In like manner Calvin :^ " The Jews had heard something about Christ from the law and ^ Tliat the heathen are here the subject of discourse, appears partly from the expressions Q^"!^ and Q*^SD» ^^^ partly . -r • from the parallel passage in c. liii. 11, 12. '' Oi yap Tx; 'Tfoo^virixa.? oh ^i,t,ctfitvoi 97'iJoppr,.'/i^ucci tou Kriovr- lOfJtfivou TJ KParo; ko.) yva/irovTUi cchrov rhv "^vvKfiiv. Theodoret Opp. t. ii. p. 357, ed. Hal. " " Principes secuh, qui non habuerunt legem et prophetas, et quibus de eo non fuerit nuntiatum, ipsi videbunt, et intelli- gent. In quorum comparatione Judseorum duritia reprehendi- tur, qui videntes et audientes Jesaiae in se vaticinium comple- verunt." ^ " Judaei aliquid audierant de Christo ex lege et prophetis, sed gentibus penitus ignotus erat. Unde sequitur, heec verba proprie ad gentes pertinei-e." CHAP. Llll. V. 1. 225 the prophets, but to the Gentiles he was entirely un- known. Whence it follows, that these words belong properly to the Gentiles.'' — Of the two possible in- terpretations, " Those to whom it was not announced have seen," etc. and " That which was not announced to them have the}^ seen," the latter is unquestionably preferable, and has been adopted by all the ancient trarfslators except the LXX. These, and after them Paul in Rom. xv. 21, read oJg ovx dvnyysXr} 'ttzdi auroD, b-^ovrai, xat o'l ouz dzrixoaffiy gvvrjaovffi. The verb nK1» to see, not unfrequently denotes to perceive, to T T apprehend in general, whether, by the other senses, or by the mind. Compare Jer. xxxiii. 24, " Hast thou not seen what this people say ?" Eccl. i. 16, " My heart has seen much wisdom and knowledge.'* CHAPTER LIIT. Before the prophet, in order to carry out ver. 13 — 15 of the foregoing chapter, commences a description of the Messiah's vicarious sufferings, he complains over the unbelief of a great part of mankind, occa- sioned by the deep humiliation of the Messiah ; and more especially (as is remarked by Van der Palm) with reference to the Jews, since the beheving sub- mission of a great part of the heathen had already been announced in the preceding verse. The sense is thus very happily given by Calvin :* " The pro- ^ " Prapheta hie veluti in medio orationis cursu resistit. Si quidem cum antea nomen Christi ubique promulgandiim atque ignotis gentibus patefaciendum esse diceret : interea vero tam humile futurum, ut h T • a man of chastisements, one who is frequently chas- tised, — who has chastisements, as it were, for his peculiar possession. Symmachus, avno I'Tri-z-ovoc. — Most interpreters explain ^7n J^^H* as signifying, known, distinguished on account of disease, for afflict- ed with disease in an uncommon manner. Martini has it : Exemplum sive monumentum insigne hominis ignominia injuriisque affecti. So Symmachus, among the ancient translators, yvuffrhg voVw. But the other meaning is far more appropriate and better adapted to the parallelism, viz. an acquaintance of disease, for one who is intimate with disease, one who is connected to disease as it were by the bonds of friendship ; corresponding to a man of suffer- ings. The participle J/^1> is then taken entirely in - T its proper sense.* So the old translators ; though it » Comp. Dent. i. 13, 15. In like manner, the Pual par- ticiple in Job xix. 14. 236 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13. — LIII. has been falsely presumed that they read the active participle instead of the passive. Sept. s/ddjg pouv ,aa- Xax/ai/. Vulg. sciens injirmitatem. Syriac, \mm \^- They only resolve the personification of disease, which lies here at the foundation. As the passive participle may here be taken in its proper significa- tion, there is no occasion for appealing to the circum- stance, that it is often used directly for the active participle ; e. g. ^THK? tenentes, Cant. iii. 8, n^DH confidens, Ps. cxii. 7, lOT recordans, Ps. ciii. 14.^ , T — The word ^/h) with Hholem here on account of the accent, otherwise ^^n» denotes not merely a disease produced by ordinary natural causes, but it is used also of wounds. Compare 1 Kings xxii. 34 ; Jer. vi. 7 ; x. 19. Hence it might also here signify loounds. Compare in verse .5, 77inD> pierced. But it is better to understand here disease, and also in what follows, as a figurative designation of severe sufferings of both body and mind. It often has this meaning, as e. g. Isa. i. 4 — 6; Ezek. xxxiii. 10 ; Ps. ciii. 3. Koppe and Amnion suppose, and not with- out reason, that the figure is taken from the leprosy, which was not only one of the most terrible diseases, but was also in a special manner regarded as a di- vine punishment. This will explain many things in what follows. The words ^l^^/t^ D^JS ^nDDDI are variously explained. The best mode is that which takes ^ Compare the examples in IVIichaelis; Lumina Syriaca, § 26. CHAP. LIII. V. S* 237 IDD^ as a substantive, formed from the participle in Hiphil,* signifying concealment. " He was as a concealment of the face before it," i. e. as a thing or person before whom a man covers his face, because he cannot endure the disgusting sight. In this case, the suffix in ^^J^^ does not refer to the servant of God, but to the object of comparison. Martini fol- lows this interpretation, except that he connects the clause with the one which follows : Sicuti rem, a quafaciem avertimt, ita cum fastidio eum sprevimus. Most interpreters regard *ir)D/-j as a participle in Hiphil, for n^HD/tD* Against this, however, it must be remarked, that this form with Tseri never occurs in the masculine singular, though sometimes in the fe- minine singular, and often in the plural ; but still only in the later usage, borrowed from the Aramaean dia- lect.^ — On the above principle these words have then been explained in various ways. 1. Some render the passage : " He was as one who conceals his face before us" so that the suffix in ^^f^i2 is not to be taken as the suffix of the third person singular, but of the first person plural. So the LXX., Vulgate, Chaldee, Aquila, Jarchi, Van der Palm, and Jahn. Those who render thus, find here eithei* an allusion to the Mosaic law, according to which lepers must cover their faces, Lev. iii. 45 ; or to the custom of covering the face in mourning, '2 Sam. XV. 30. Ezek. xiv. 17 ; or to the concealing of the face for shame, Micah iii. 7. But this inter- ^ a >eseniiis Lelirgeb p. 49G. ^ Gesen. Lelirg. § 94, 8. 238 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LIl. 13. — LIII. pretation gives a feeble sense. Moreover, it cannot be the object of the whole passage to shew, how the servant of God will demean himself, but how men will regard him and conduct themselves towards him. 2. Others suppose, that the expression is elliptical and stands for D^JfJ "^riD/tD ^2DD ^^i^3' «* o?ie before whom he covers the face, i. e. before whom a person covers his face. So Gesenius. But this forced exposition could hardly be justified in a philological point of view. 3. Others translate : He was as one causing to con- ceal the face before him, i. e. he occasioned others to cover their faces before him ; the sight of his suffer- ing was so shocking that those who saw him covered their faces. So Rosenmiiller, among others, adopt- ing the words of J. H. Michaelis, only with the mo- dification, that he takes the alleged participle "iriDD in the neuter : quodfacit, ut alii abscondant faciem, i. e. sicuti res tain foeda et abominanda, ut homines earn adspicere dedignati faciem tegant et averiant. This interpretation undoubtedly deserves the pre- ference among the three which take l/nD/tD ^P)*1^ is the praeter of Niphal, and ■•■ : . properly signifies, it is healed to us, or healing has happened to us. This construction may be explained by a slight modification of the meaning of KD^' ^^ heal, i. q. to impart healing. In a similar manner we may explain the construction, in ver. 11, of p^■T^^^ with 7, to justify, i. q. to impart justification. As suffering and the punishment of sin are frequently represented under the figure of disease, so deliverance from suffering and from the punishment of sin, is often represented under the figure of healing. Comp. c. xix. 22. Jer. viii. 22 ; xxx. 17. Verse 6. We have here the reason which induced the Messiah to take upon himself such severe suffer- ings ; it was the miserable condition of mankind estranged from God, who were by his sufferings to be brought into a state of reconciliation with God. — We all like sheep were going astray, we turned each to his own way ; but Jehovah cast upon him the ^ Compare Hassenkamp, Briefe uber wichtige Wahrheiten der Religion, (Letters on the important truths of Religion), Buisburg 1794. Th. II. p. 161, sqq. CHAP. Liii. V. 6. 245 sins of us all.— The sense is thus given by Calvin :^ " In order to fix the benefit of Christ's death the more firmly in the minds of men, he shows how ne- cessary that healing was, which he had before meii- tioned. — There is here an elegant antithesis. In our- selves we are scattered abroad, in Christ we are brought together ; by nature we are wandering away and rushing to destruction, in Christ we find the way which leads us to the gate of safety ; our sins sink us down, but they are transferred to Christ, and by him we are disburdened." The prophet represents the miserable condition of mankind, while alienated from God and sunk in sin and error, under the figure of sheep without a shepherd, which are exposed un- defended to every danger. Theodoret remarks :^ " Neither are the sins of all alike, nor is there merely one kind of error. For the Egyptians have one kind of idols, the Phenicians another, the Greeks a third, and the Scythians still another. But, although the modes of error are various, we have all, in like ^ " Ut melius infigat animis hominum beneficium mortis Christi, ostendit, quam necessaria sit ista sanatio, cujus prius mentionem fecit. — Est hie elegans antithesis. Nam in nobis dissipati sumus, in Christo coUecti ; aberraraus natura atque in exitium praecipites agimur, in Christo viam reperimus, qua ad salutis portam ducamur; obruunt nos scelera nostra, at transferuntur in Cliristum, a quo exoneramur." ciXXa yko ra AlyvrTtav t'l^uXa xa.) aXka to, omKuv, x.ai to. 'E>.XriVi/v 'iri^x xu) cLxXa, tuv "XxvS^aJV uXX' ofZio;, tl xa) ^id ^e was dragged away T'. to punishment, — Judicii violentia ad supplicium rapi- tur : so Doderlein and Dathe. Yet, with Rosen- miiller and others, we may translate. He was taken away, scil. from this life, as is said in the second hemistich. Comp. Ezek. xxxiii. 4, 6. This explana- tion is indeed more favoured by the parallehsm than the former. The older interpreters, for the most part, refer the preceding words to the exaltation of the Messiah. They take 1f^ not as causative, but in the sense of from ; and render the verb Hp 7 either to exempt, to free, or, to take up, to take away, viz. to God. So the Vulgate, de angustia etjudicio sublatus est. Jerome on the passage has it, de trihulatione atque judicio ad patrem victor ascendiL J. H. Michaelis, exemtus et ad dextram majestatis assumtus est. The interpreta- tion of Gesenius is similar ; " death at last delivered him from his distresses." This is borrowed from Mar- tini, who paraphrases thus : exantlatis cruciatihus et diris animam effavit. But this explanation is opposed by the whole context. It would make the words, even here, refer to the better condition of the Messiah, whereas the description of this first commences with ^ Comp. examples in Martin?, p. 79. CHAP. Liii. V. 8. 233 ver. 10. That the words must mean a violent death, is evident from ver. 9, where it is said that the wicked, not satisfied with his being murdered, endeavoured to insult him even in his death. And, moreover, even admitting that in some places T^p? does not signify '- T a violent death ; yet, in the present instance, the parallel member, " he was torn away from the land of the living," shows that we must here understand it in that sense, or at least as denoting a procedure which causes violent death. Consequently T,^ must here designate the causa efficiens, the efficient cause, as it does in J/^S^t^? and several times elsewhere in this section, as e. g. in ver. 3. The words which follow are difficult, Ilil'HKI nnli^' ^^• The verb ni^ or ryb signifies (1) to reflect^ and (2) to relate, to announce. The most prevalent interpretations are as follows. 1. Many, as Luther, Calvin, Vitringa, and others, translate : Who will express the length of his life ?" I.e. who can define the duration of his future life? There is no ground for objecting to this, as many have done, that the prophet would in this case anticipate himself, because the annunciation of the Messiah's glory first commences with ver. 10. For, according to ever\^ interpretation, the words here stand out of the con- nection, and contain an incidental idea, which must be put in a parenthesis. There is more weight in the remark, that the word "lil is never used to denote length of life. 254 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13.— LIIl. 2. After the example of Storr, others, as Doderlein, Dathe, Martini, Rosenmiiller, and Gesenius, explain thus : " Who of his contemporaries will consider," or " did consider?" According to them, ill^'DK V is so be regarded as the accusative absolute, equivalent to the nominative absolute, quod attinet cequales ei homines. To this there are the following objections ; (a) *' That f^K ^^^ never designate the subject ; for this would be directly contrary to its origin and nature. The examples which are alleged in support of such a use, show rather that J^^, according to the V meaning of the writer, was employed as a designation of the object ; and the cases which are certain and correct, must here be carefully separated from the few real deviations."* But granting that this asser- tion is not in its full extent true ; (for even Ewald himself must admit, that the later less exact writers sometimes used ^^ to denote the subject ;) still so much as this must at least be conceded, that in most cases where HK is usually understood to be a desig- nation of the subject, it is really a designation of the object. Hence it follows, that we ought not so abso- lutely, nor without an urgent necessity, to understand this particle as a sign of the subject, (h) According to this exposition we must suppose a hard ellipsis : " Who of his contemporaries considered," scil. the true cause of his death ? Gesenius indeed, after the example of Martini, endeavours to get over this dif- " Ewald, Grainm. p. 596. CHAP. Liii. V. 8. 255 fictilty, by connecting these words with what follows :* " Who of his contemporaries considered, that he would be taken away from the land of the living for the sins of my people ?*' But this would destroy the evi- dent parallelism between jlp^ and Q^^pf *OND ^T^> 3. Lowth, Van der Palm, and others, translate : " Who of all his contemporaries spoke ?'* i. e* there was no one among all his contemporaries who ut- tered a word in his defence. The first objec- tion brought against the preceding interpretation, may also among others be urged against this. 4. Le Clerc translates : " Vitae ejus in his terris praestantiam, quis est qui pro dignitate laudare pos- sit." Against this it may be remarked, that '^,'j"^ never signifies manner of life, 5. Others translate, and this appears to be the best interpretation : " Who can express his kindred, the number of his posterity?" So also the Sept. rr^ yivsav ai/roD r/g dirjy/jffsrai. In like manner Kimchi : (juis dicturus esset ejus generationem tarn magnam fore ? The prophet, as it were hastening on before himself, points, by an incidental remark, from the deep- est humiliation of the Messiah to this exaltation. The word ^i'n, generation, race, is frequently used to sig- nify posterity ; e. g. Lev. xxiii. 43. For the sense here, compare y^T HJ^^^ in verse 10. It has been objected that the verb ni^> when used in the sense " ^' Hominum istlus setatis quis est, qui acl animum revocet mortem adeo ipsain virum ilium non propter sua ipsius cnmiiia, sed projiter populi mei scelera subiisse." 3!artini. 256 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13. LIII. o^ reflecting and speaking, is connected with ^. But this objection is not valid ; (compare the remarks above on chap. hi. 15;) particularly since verbs en- tirely similar are construed both with 21 and with the accusative. JE. g. the verb njlH i* synonymous T T with niti^v stands in parallelism with it in Ps. Ixxvii. 13; cxliii. 5, and has moreover nearly all its signifi- cations in common with it.* The verb njlH is usu- T T ally construed with ^ ; but in Ps. ii. 1, and Isa. xxxiii. 18, it occurs with the accusative^ The particle ^3 is here not causal, but merely con- nects what precedes with what follows. So not un- frequently, as e. g. in 1 Sam. ii. 21, Hiil^ 1p£3 '3 n^n'DK' "and Jehovah visited Hannah." Ezra T ~ X. 1, DVn Ol '3. "and the people wept.''^— The T T T • verb ""itilX properly to be cut off, to be torn away, never occurs in the sense of a peaceful and natural death, not even in the passages quoted as examples of such a meaning, viz. Ps. Ixxxviii. 6, and Lament, iii. 34 ; but it always de notes a violent premature death. This figurative expression seems to be em- ployed here, with reference to the previous figure of a shoot or sprout, introduced in verse 2. — Paulus, fol- lowing the example of many of the older interpreters, ' Comp. Gesenius Lex. under 77371. T T '' Comp. Noldii Concordant. Partic. p. 395. No. 6. CHAP. Liii. V. 9. 257 incorrectly concludes from the word ^^J7 in the last member of the verse, that Jehovah here again speaks. But Jehovah is not again introduced as speaking until verse 11. The expression, ^br the sins of MY people, is nothing more than, for our sins. The speaker does not put himself in opposition to his people, but he includes himself with them. — The word iitD^j a poetic form for QH?' must be referred T V T to the collective noun Qj/. The relative HSi^N is to be supplied before yj^, thus : " For the sins of my people, to whom punishment," scil. was deter- mined or belonged. Many interpreters understand the suffix in ^^7 as singular, and translate : " For T the sins of my people punishment has fallen upon him." Gesenius and Rosenmiiller, on the contrary, after the example of Abenezra and Abarbanel, main- tain that ^^7 can never be singular. They translate, T " For the sins of my people is punishment to them" and hence conclude, that the subject of the passage cannot be a single individual, but must be a collec- tive. But Jahn, on the other hand, very aptly re- marks :^ " The discourse would be too abrupt, if, in what precedes and what follows, the servant of God was addressed in the singular number, and now in this single intermediate sentence there was a sudden * " Nimis abruptus esset sermo, si in praecedentibus et subsequentibus in singulari numero compellaret dei servnm, nunc \n hac unica intermedia sententia subito %^erteretur in pluralem." s 258 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13. LIII. change to the plural." And even admitting that the assertion with respect to "1,^7 is correct, still no ar- T gument can be derived from this clause against the Messianic interpretation ; for as Gesenius himself must concede, no objection could arise against the correctness of the former exposition, according to which 'i/^7 is taken as plural. But the assertion it- T self is not correct. "Although "if^ is properly plu- ral, yet it has gradually lost its etymology and its signification, and is used also, though seldom, for the masculine singular. That it has this improper usage cannot be denied. In all probability it is singular in Job XX. 23 ; xxvii. 23, where the whole connexion of ten or twenty verses, in which the singular is constantly used, favours this opinion. But the fol- lowing cases are certain, viz. Isa. liii. 8, where the con- nexion exhibits the singular only and exclusively ; xiiv. 15, where the plural is not at all adapted to the sense, and the poet himself in the same connexion, ver. 17, explains ^/^^ by ']^ ; Ps. xi. 7, where his T countenance can refer only to God. Habakkuk, in chap. iii. 4, explains the "j/t^*^ of Deut. xxxiii. 2 by *J7."* In Ethiopic also, the suffix *]^, which usually designates the plural, is sometimes used likewise as singular. 7?. g. Luke ii. 4 ; John xix. 27 ; Acts i. 20.^ The Seventy translate '\u) by £/c ^ai/arov, pro- T bably because they regarded it as an abbreviation ^ Ewald, Grammatik, p. 365. ^ Comp. Ludov. de Dieu Oratio de convitiis in Judaeos. — ad calcem Observat. miscel. Leovard. 1714, p. 56. CHAP. LIU. V. 9. 259 fo^' DID /• Many interpreters have erroneously fol- lowed them. Verse 9. They appointedfor him among the wicked his grave (but he ivas with a rich man after his death ; ) although he had done no unrighteous deed, and there ivas no guile i?i his mouth. Sense : Not satisfied with his sufferings and his death, they in- tended to insult him, the innocent and the righteous even in his death, by interring his corpse among criminals. It is then incidentally remarked, that this design was not accomplished. Christ was interred by Joseph of Arimathea, who is called, as here TJ^y? so in Matt, xxvii. 57, av^ooi'-rog -TrXo-jGiog. This exposition has, after Cappell, been supported by many interpreters, particularly by Pfeiffer,'* Dathe,^' Jahn, and Van der Palm. According to this, the verb ?ni is here to be taken in the sense of deter mining, appointing, a signification which it often takes from the context. Comp. e. g. c. Iv. 4. Gen. XV. 18, where the verb ]r\^ denotes determination and purpose, Jer. i. 4. Verbs frequently also have an inchoative meaning,*^ as / give, equivalent to / design to give.^ Indeed Abenezra says, Textus dicit, * Honor divitis Christo cum impiis sepeliendo in morte ob- tingens, ad Es. 53, 9. Erl. 1702. '° Ad Glassii PhUologtam Sacvam, T. I. p. 180. " See examples in Ikeii on the passage in the Bibl. Hayana. II. p. 245 Glassius PhiloL S. III. Tract 3, Can. 7, 8- ^ Yet we may with Iken translate : " They prepared for him a grave." The verb "jriS often ^igni'aQi, facere ut quid sit. Comp, examples in Iken., 1. c. p. 247, sq. 260 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13. — LIII. Et dedit soil, in cogitatione sua.^ The form tfl*"^ either stands as an impersonal verb, he gave, for some one gave; (comp. Ps. Ixxii. 15. Eccl. ii. 21;) or the subject must be supplied from the foregoing noun ^^ j;, my people appointed. Others supply the word Jehovah as the subject, and render •Jl*!, he ap- pointed, equivalent to he seemed to give. Et dedit sepulchrum ejus cum mahficis (ut videbatur fore ) at, etc. The sense then would be, One w^ould naturally suppose that he who died as a criminal, would also be buried as a criminal. But this interpretation is encumbered witlf many difficulties. The ^^? before Lj^JT^I is not a sign of the accusative, but the pre- position cum, with. The objection of Rosenmiiller, that this particle after the verb ]y\'^ always serves as a designation of the accusative, has but little weight. For the verb ?n^ ^" ^^is respect stands on a level with all other active verbs ; and that JIN ^^er them not unfrequently has the sense of cum, is evident from examples like Gen. xliii. 32 ; xv. 18, etc.^ Criminals, D'yCi^l) received among the Hebrews a disgraceful burial. So Josephus :•= " Let him who blasphemes God be stoned and then hanged for a day, and let him have a disgraceful and obscure burial." Mai- ^ Comp. Iken on the passage. "^ Antiq. IV. 8, 6. 'O o\ (!>/,a(j(fyt(iy,ffa.i SsflK xa.ra'kivff^Ui CHAP. LIII. V. 9. 261 monides remarks :^ " Those who are condemned to death by a judicial tribunal, are not interred in the sepulchres of their ancestors, but two places of burial are appointed for them by the court, one for those stoned and burned, another for those beheaded and strangled." As now the prophet had said in the preceding verse, that the Messiah would die a violent death like a criminal ; so he here adds, that a burial also was appointed for him, or, according to Iken's interpretation, was prepared for him, in common with the executed criminals. " The prophet," says Iken, " being under the influence of the Spirit, sees those to whom this charge was committed, engaged with their utmost efforts in making all necessary preparations, that they might bury the dead body of the Saviour in a disgraceful manner ; and what he thus sees, he communicates to his readers by saying : They pre- pared his grave with criminals. How vivid, how perspicuous."^ The *] in ^^^'^ is adversative — but he was with a rich man in his death, where he was must be supplied. The plural D^Dl/tD is used instead of the singular, as in Ezek. xxviii. 8, 10. So also in many other words ; ^ In Iken 1. c. " Interfecti a domo judicii nequaquam se- peliuntur in sepulchris majorum suorum, sed duo sepulchreta a domo judicii ordinata sunt pro iisdem, unum pro lapidatis et corabustis, alterum pro decollatis atque strangulatis." ^ " Videt propheta, spiritu agitatus, eos, quibus cura haec incumbebat omni nisu jam occupatos, ut cuncta pararent, mor- tuumque servatorem inhoneste sepelirent, et quod videt lecto- ribus suis enarraturus ait : Pararant cura maleficis sepulchrum ejus. Quam vive, quam perspicue !" 262 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH Lll. 13 LIII. as in Job xxi. 32, he is borne to the graves, for t/te grave. Such a use of the plural for the singular is peculiarly frequent in poetry. Examples are furnish- ed in the grammars of Gesenius and Ewald.* Paulus, Gesenius, and Rosenmuller, after the example of Abarbanel and Rabbi Lipmann, would prove from this plural that the subject of this prophecy must be a collective one. But in that case, not the notm but the suffix ought to be plural. The expression VDlDS means after his death. This is demanded by the parallelism with il^p. For the use of ^ in the sense of «/?er, see e. g. Isa. xvi. 14, "w three years, " for after three years ; Lev. xi. 31, " every one who touches them i?i their death," for every one who touches them after they are dead.^ The objec- tion is thus removed, which has often been urged against our interpretation, that in his death Jesus was with transgressors ; in the grave, with a rich man. The particle 7y here signifies although; comp. Job xvi. 17, ^9^2 DDH ii^ 7y> quamvis rwn sit T - : T T — injuria in manihus meis. So also in Job x. 7 ; xxxiv. 6 ; Jer. ii. 34. It does not refer to the second mem- ber, standing in a parenthesis, but to the first. Most interpreters who follow this exposition understand 7j/ in the sense of because, and refer it to the second member of the verse. But to this it may be objected, first, that the second member cannot be appropriate * Gesen. Lehrgeb. p. 665. Ewald, Gramm. p. 326. '• See many other examples in Noldii Concordant. Partic. p. 157. No. 20, and in Rosenmuller on the passage. CHAP. Liii. V. 9. 263 here, except it be taken, like HnlSi^* ^0 I'll'I'DKI ill the preceding verse, as a parenthesis, in which the prophet as it were anticipates himself. For this verse belongs to the description of the Messiah's sufferings, which is still continued ; and the description of his reward first commences with the following verse. Secondly, it would give a very weak sense to say: " The servant of God is buried with a rich man, be- cause he was perfectly righteous." He had done no unrighteous deed, etc. He had sinned neither in word nor in deed, a poetic enumera- tion for the purpose of expressing his entire innocence. In accordance with this passage, Peter says, og d^a^- 1 Pet. ii. 22. The arguments which Martini, Rosenmiiller, and Gesenius, after the example of I ken,* have brought against this interpretation of the whole verse, so far as they merit attention, we have already refuted in establishing this exposition. Arguments like the following refute themselves ; viz. (a) that J^in f>i* n^H T T ought not to be wanting after ^i^)J,^ though they are in fact omitted in numberless instances ; (b) that the expression, he ivas loith a rich man after his death, cannot mean so much as he was interred with a rich man, notwithstanding prophetic poetry allows infinite- ly bolder expressions than this, and the clearness of historic prose cannot be demanded of prophecy ; (c) =* L. C. p 272, sq. '' f'onip on the contrary Glassius iii. 3, Can. 56. 264 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13. LIII. that the grave and death are here put in opposition, and clearly distinguished from each other ; whereas it is the fact rather, that the two stand in a parallelism with each other, and hence there is no reason why we should not understand the true rendering of VDlDS T to be, after his death, in which case, the Hysteron- proteron urged particularly by Iken, disappears ; (c?) finally, that a prophecy so definite is contrary to the analogy of prophecies, as they do not usually have so specific a reference. This has already been sufficiently refuted, by what was brought forward in the general introduction. Let us now direct our attention to the more recent expositions of this verse. I. Gesenius, after the example of many others, in- terprets : " They gave to him his grave with the un- godly, and with a wicked one in his death," scil. they gave to him his grave. According to this interpre- tation, the word *n*Ji^J/ must mean a wicked person.^ • T Many endeavour to show that it has this sense, by a comparison of the Arabic wjU? stumbling. But that this word means sinning, in the sense assumed, is very doubtful. Castell indeed gives this signification, but he has not succeeded in supporting it by examples. What Rosenmiiller alleges, after Martini, does not prove the point. And besides, the sense of crimina- lity does not occur in the other derivatives of the verb ^ So Rabbi Jona in Salomoh B. ]\f elech on the passage. Also Calvin, as likewise Luther in a marginal gloss : " A rich man, one who gives himself to the pursuit of wealth, i. e. an ungodly man." Lakemacher Obs. Phil. VIII. 5. 5. CHAP. LIU. V. 9. 265 ji£.. In addition to this, it is contrary to a funda- mental principle with respect to the comparison of dialects, to endeavour, without an urgent necessity, to obtain in this way in a solitary passage, and for a word of so frequent occurrence, a new meaning, — one which is not connected with the others that are certain. Gesenius himself remarks against this com- parison : " I have some scruple about applying this word, since it is not otherwise, in point of etymology, at all related to the Hebrew Iji^j;." Several inter- - T preters, as Luther, Calvin, and finally Gesenius, would deduce the sense of ungodly from the Hebrew usage itself. Now it is certainly true, that the words in Hebrew which denote power and wealth, often have the secondary idea of haughty arrogance and violence ; as viceversa^ the words which signify poverty and weakness, stand also for innocence. But that the word "l^Jt^y, a rich man, can signify directly an un- • T godly man, thus setting aside entirely its principal idea, has by no means been proved, and is in itself altogether improbable.^ In the passage of Job, c. xxvii, 19, to vvhich an appeal is made, the secondary idea of haughtiness and crime is indicated with sufficient dis- tinctness by the connection, and the principal idea of wealth still remains. But here, on the contrary, the principal idea would so completely disappear, that • we could not at all translate, a rich ungodly man. And besides, the singular l^tJ^J? shows that the word • T ^ Comp. on the contrary, Iken. 1. c. p. 207, sq^. '266 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13 LIII. is not to be taken as in a parallelism with the plural O^'Vt^l- But if, notwithstanding these difficulties, • T : this interpretation is still adhered to, yet the verse would contain nothing that could militate against the Messianic exposition. We need only translate : The^ appointed for him among criminals his grave^ and with the ungodly ivhen he was dead. 2. Martini translates :* " They prepared for him a sepulchre with the wicked, a sepulchral tumulus with the violent, though he had done violence to no man, and had been without guile." According to this, the ^ in l^nlDIl must be regarded as a radical, and not as a servile ; and Hi^^ hillock is equivalent to tu- T mulus. Abenezra and Oecolampadius adopted also this interpretation, and it has since received the ap- probation of Zuingle, Schindler, Drusius, Iken, Lowth, Kuinol, Amnion, and many others. But the follow- ing objections lie against it. (a) That the first Ka- mets in HD^ is impure (as if from a verb D^^) and T T therefore it can never be changed into Sheva.^ The form with a suffix is iQ^nlD!!!? Deut. xxxii. 29, and T in the construct state, ^yf ^\^'0'^^> Micah iii. 12. ~ ■* T {h) But even if we admit here a change of vowels, (for which however there is no sufficient reason,) after the example of three of De Rossi's manuscripts, "" " Pararunt illi sepulchrum cum scelestis, tumulum sepul- chralem cum violentis, quanquam ille vim nemini intu^erat et a fraude fuerat alienus." ^ Gesenius, LeJirg, p. 594. CHAP. Liii. V. 9, 10. 267 still it is an objection to this interpretation, that the noun r)1/tD3' which occurs also as singular, never T has the sense of a sepulchral tumulus ; and indeed such a meaning would have little analogy with the usual significations of the word. For ntoS <^oes T not mean a mound of earth, such as it was usual to throw up over a grave, but a hill^ an emiyience. 3. Rosenmiiller translates : " He left to the un- godly his burial, and to the wicked he committed it, after he was dead." But to this exposition there are many objections. What adaptation has the phrase, he left, he committed, to the phrase although he had dmie no unrighteous deed ? which last e^dently de- mands that what precedes should have respect to some injury inflicted. How can it be said of a per- son who is already dead, that he committed^ entrust- ed, his burial? How could the heathen, who are (according to Rosenraiiller) still speaking in this verse, call themselves 0*^52^*1 ^ Moreover, the noun **Qp never signifies the act of interment, but always the place. Finally, the same arguments are valid against this interpretation, which we have adduced against the first one above examined. Verse 10. With this verse commences the descrip- tion of the exaltation of the Servant of God. The sense is : All the suffering described, is sent by Je- hovah upon his servant, and will terminate with his exaltation and the establishment of the divine king- dom on the earth. — But it pleased Jehovah, to bruise him ; he hath subjected him to disease [inflicted se- 268 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13. — LIII. vere suffering upon him.] When he has brought a sin-offering^ he shall behold a posterity ^ he shall pro- long his days, and the purpose of Jehovah shall pros- per through him. According to Van der Palm, this verse is connected with the preceding. He was in- nocent ; why then was he so tormented and plagued ? For this reason, that it was the will of Jehovah ; not because the Lord was too weak to rescue him from the hands of his enemies. And what was the ground of this will? That he should bring a voluntary sin- offering, should redeem mankind by his sufferings. The form iKSI i* infin. Piel. Before the verb ^^HH the copula is wanting. The sufRx is to be supplied from the preceding verb "^^^^1. The verb phWl : — T v: r signifies, as we have already shown, not merely to make sick, but also plaga letali aliquem afficere, to in- flict a mortal wound upon any one. But here, dis- ease and wounding are only a figure to express the severe suffering sent from Jehovah upon the Mes- siah. Comp. ver. 3 and 4. The form vHil stands for n /nn* This form,* which is seldom in Hebrew, is in Aramaean the usual one.'^ The ground of this variation of form in Hebrew, appears to lie in the not unfrequent interchange of verbs H? and ^^7.^ That such an interchange takes place in the particular verb n?!!? is shown by the future i>^7n*1) 2 Chron. xvi. 12, and by the derivative D^N^lvn/^* The in- ^ Comp. Josh. xiv. 8. ^ Gesenius, Lehrg. 432. ' Gesenius, 1. c. p. 418. l^o. 8. CHAP. LIII. V. 10. 269 terpretatioi) of the first member, given above, is easy and unconstrained. Not so that of others, as Mar- tini and Gesenius, who translate: It pleased J eliovah to make his wound diseased^ for, to icoiind him se- verely. This supposes that "1^31 stands for ij*^^^, with Daghesh forte euphonic,^ or as the infinitive nominascens in Piel ; arxf that the Praeter ^7nn stands for the infinitive with 7. There is indeed some plausibility given to this exposition by the pas- sage in Micah vi. 13, where : " I make thy wound diseased," stands for, " I inflict upon thee a mortal wound." Comp. Nahum iii. 19. — Before the last member, Jahn suppUes *l/t2t^^1 (which is indeed not unfrequently left out) and supposes that from thence onward Jehovah speaks. But, as in the last mem- ber, Jehovah is still spoken of in the third person, (mn* Vr?'^^ *^ ^^ better to assume that the prophet still proceeds with his discourse, and that Jehovah is first introduced as speaking in ver. 11 and 12, and confirming what had been said by the prophet. — The form D^ti^ri is to be taken as third pers. fern, and to T be connected with 2i^£33« The verb Q'jj^ is often sy- nonymous with ^n^ ; comp. the Lexicons. The sub- stantive ^5^' ^s i=5 known, often stands like the Arabic /yJu) ^or the personal pronoun. When HIS soul offers, i. e. ichen he offers. It is unneces- sary to give the verb Q^JJ^, as some interpreters do, ■^ Gesenius, Lehrg. p. ofj. 270 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13. — LIII. the intransitive sense, to place, or present one^ s self ; or to assume, with others, an ellipsis, ^tl}^^ D^ti^D DN for it:^£): Dcs;^^^ isi^D^ D^^n dk ; ' ^vhich is op- . - T T : - • T • posed by the fact that we cannot say of the soul, that it brings the soul for a sin offering, even if examples, otherwise satisfactory, could be adduced for the el- lipsis of Ji^S-3* Nor is it necessary with others even to translate : When thou shalt have placed, regarded, his soul as a siii'-offering, as an address to Jehovah, v/ho in this and the preceding verses is always spoken of in the third person. The fact that the Mes- siah shall not only be the priest who presents the sin-of- fering, but also the offering itself, does not indeed lie in the mere expression itself, in this place ; nor is this necessary, since it is already sufficiently evident from what precedes. The word DS^^? signifies guilt, T T error, and then sin-offering^ As by the typical offerings, which were presented by the typical priests, purity was again obtained and the offence was expiated as to the external theocracy, while there was also a reference to the great future offering : so the pro- phet here announces that by the antitypical offering, which the antitypical and only true priest^ should bring, purity and the forgiveness of sins should be obtained as to the internal theocracy. Here also, according to the usual custom of the prophets, things of the new dispensation are described under figures borrowed from things of the old. With an allusion to this passage, Paul says in 2 Cor. v. 21, God has made ^ Comp. Jahn Archaologie, Th. III. § 100, and § 102. ^ Comp. c. liii. 15. CHAP. LIII. V. 10. 271 Christ to he siii {uiMa^ria,) i. e. a sin offering, that toe might he righteous hefore God. So also in Rom. viii. 3, God has sent Christ for sin (m^i afia^Tiag') as a sin offering, and Christ is called, in Rom. iii. 25. 1 John ii. 2, 4 — 10, }Xa()fi6g, 'iXatsr^m, propitiatory sacrifice, for all sins. Comp. Heb. ix. 14, og laurhv '7rP0ffr,vsy7.vj u/MCfj/Mov ruj ^£w. Divested of figure, the sense is as follows : When he has voluntarily given himself up to bitter suffering and a sanguinary death, in order, by atoning for our sins, to obtain for us forgiveness and righteousness. — The particle D^ is here in the usual sense when, not as Rosenmiiller explains it, postq?iam. The passages which he, after the example of Noldius,^ adduces for this, are not appropriate, either because the verb in them is not as here in the future, but in the praeter ;^ or because the signification, postquam, depends only upon an incorrect interpretation.^ In the description of the rewards which the servant of God shall obtain for the accomplishment of the work committed to him, the lower must again serve as a figure to designate the higher. Long life and a nu- merous train of descendants are regarded by the He- brews as the greatest prosperity, as a theocratic blessing and a reward of piety. In a higher and spiritual sense, this reward will be bestowed upon the Messiah. The Seventy,*^ the Vulgate,^ and Lowth, would connect together the two members j;*^t HJ^"^^ and D^tD^ *nnK* ; but they are far more appropriate, ^ Concord. Part, sub voce. No. 11. ^ Amos vii. 2. ^ Job xiv. 14. ^ 'H ypv;^)} vf/,uv o'^/ZTOii tr-Tri^fA afAXK^'ofoiov- *■ '^ Posteritalem videbit long^e^-am. 272 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13 LIII. when separated from each other ; D^^D^ *^^1^C^ h^ shall make his days long, for, he shall live long : J/*"lT ^J^*^^ ^6 shall see his seed^ for, he shall enjoy a numerous posterity. This posterity (i^i'^ ^er. 8) is no other than the many and the mighty whom God has allotted (ver. 12) as a possession to the Messiah, who were to be sanctified by him (c. lii. 13) and to be justified through him (ver. 11) ; those, the punishment of whose sins he took upon himself (ver. 5), and for whom he interceded with God (ver. 12). The na- tural relation between father and son is often trans- ferred to spiritual relations. The prophets bore the name o^ father — their disciples, the name of sons of the prophets, 1 Kings ii. 35. In a higher sense be- lievers, spiritually begotten of God, obedient to him, as being his dutiful children, and as it were composing his family, are called the posterity of God, or of the Messiah. Ps. xxii. 31, " The seed who shall serve him shall be reckoned to the Lord as his posterit}'," i. e. the followers of the Messiah shall be regarded as the kindred of God, as his children. Ps. ex. 3. Gen. vi. 2, where the worshippers of God are designated by] D^n /KPl'^JS* Even to the present time Chris- tians are in the East called ^^y^^ \\ :ii]U-o ■■ the kindred or family of the Mossiah.^ — According to Martini, H/lk^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^t member should not desig- nate the future, but the past. He translates : Jehovae enim mandata felicissime executus est. But without ^ Comp. Schulz b, Pauhis in der 5»'ammlung der Reisen Th. VII. p. 4'J. CHAP. Llil. V. 11. 273 reason. The prophet here describes the reward which the Messiah is to receive. This consists in the cir- cumstance, that the concerns, the cause of God, reli- gion and its extension, shall be promoted by him, which is in fact synonymous with : " He shall behold a posterity." Verse 11. Jehovah is again introduced as speaking. — Because of the labour ofhissoul^ he shall behold, he shall satisfy himself ; by his knowledge shall he, the righteous one, my servant, justify many and shall bear their sins. — The preposition 1^ in 7/t2V/^ indicates the causa efficiejis. The Vulgate translates correctly : Pro eo, quod laboravit anima ejus. Others : Free from the suffering of his soul, or after the suffering of his soul. But it suits the connection better, that here, as in the foregoing verse, the suffering should be ad- duced as the cause of the glorification. The noun y'i^V ^^^s ^oth the idea of labour and of suffering. — T T After the verb nX*!* the object is wanting. Michaelis: " From his oppressive labour he shall again look up with joy." But there is no certain proof for this meaning of the verb ^^?'^ ; and, moreover, J/^j^> is T T T : • then not exactly appropriate. The ellipsis is differ- ently supplied b}^ different interpreters ; some would understand ^'i^3 good; others j;*lt- But it is most direct and obvious, to supply the fruits and rewards of his suffering, which were announced in the pre- ceding verse. The verbs HKI^ and ^^£i^* are also combined in various ways. Some apply here the He- T 274 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13- LIII. brew usus loquendi, according to which two verbs are employed, where other languages put a verb with an ad- jective or an adverb ; thus, he will see himself satisfied. Rosenmliller supplies ^^KS between the two verbs; but this gives a weak sense. The correct view be- comes evident from the remark, overlooked by almost all interpreters, that the figure of a husbandman lies at the foundation. He cultivates his field with labour and care, then with delight first beholds the ripe fruits, then gathers them in and satiates himself upon them ; he sowed in tears, and now reaps in joy. Hence then ;t appears, that the two verbs must be separated, and that there is a kind of climax in thenl. Clericus:* " Here is a tacit comparion ; as the husbandman, liaving gathered a copious harvest, is satiated with the fiuit of his toil; so the Messiah, after having ascend- ed into heaven, shall feed his soul upon the wonder- ful success of the gospel." Yet many interpreters connect the following "iri^*!!!! ^^'ith tliis first member. Among these. Martini refers the suffix in IriJ/l^ to Jehovah ; and takes niPI^ DJ^I ^" the sense o^ piety , fear of God. He then explains the clause: Pietatis suae largissimos fructus percipiat. But to this it is one objection among others, that the suffix must necessarily refer to the Messiah, as he only is spoken of in the third person ; whereas Jehovah is introduced ^ " Hie latet comparatio : quemadmodum agricola coUecta copiosa messe fructu laboris sui satiatur, sic IMessias animiim siium successu miro Evangelii, postquam in coelum ascenderit, pascet." CHAP. Llll. V. 11. 275 as himself speaking (^I^J^). Jahn, somewhat better, understands the suffix passively : Saturabitur cogni- tione sni, i. e.fruetur ilia beatitudine abunde, ut per- midti eum agnoscant celsissimum benefactor em. But this interpretation also is forced, and the word iriy"13 is without doubt to be connected, in conformity to tlie accents, with what follows. The expression, Inj^nS? is variously understood* The form H^T is the Infinitive of J/*]^* But Participles and Infini- tives in connection with suffixes, may be regarded either as parts of the verb, or also as nouns. In the first case the pronoun denotes the object of the action ; in the last, the subject ; in the former it is in the ac- cusative ; in the latter, in the genitive.^ Many in- terpreters understand the suffix here subjectively. So Gesenius : " By his wisdom." This is opposed by the fact, that not the wisdom but the expiatory suflfering of the Messiah, as we shall see in the expla- nation of the word p^'^VJlj is to be the effective cause of justification. Others : " By his religion." But on the contrary, the word HJ^I alone does not designate religion, piety, but only in the phrase niH^ TSV^ '•> and this not objective, but subjective religion, which is not here appropriate. Others : " By his doctrine ;" scil. by the doctrine of his suffering and the expiation thereby effected. This explanation will indeed admit of our taking the verb p^'H^^n i» the right sense ; but it is an objection, that HV*^ as a noun never means ^ See examples in Gesenius, Lehrg. p. 299. 276 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13. Llli, doctrine, but always only knowledge, discretion, un- derstanding. We are hence under the necessity of taking the suffix objectively, or passively. By his knowledge^ i. e. by their knowledge of him, by their ])ecoming acquainted with him. This is the condition oil which the righteousness obtained by the Messiah may be appropriated by them. So J. H. Michaelis ;•* Per scientiam sui,^ 7ion qua ipse cognoscit, sed qua vera fide etfiducia ipse tanquam propitiator cognos- citur. John xvii. 3. Rom. iii. 22, 25. Van der Palm :^ " By his knowledge, that is, by the know- ledge of him, by knowing him, on the ground of his mission and by virtue of his merits." The verb p^lVH is taken by Gesenius in the sense to bring to the true religion, to convert, com- paring Dan. xii. 4. But p^"^':*^ is explained by the following parallel member : " He will bear their sins." Hence it must be translated, justify ; and be referred to the deliverance from the penalties of sin effected by the sufferings of the servant of God. The forensic sense, significutio forensis, is the pre- vailing one in Niphal of the verb piy. Comp. e. g. V. 23. The whole context shows, that the discourse here respects justification, in the proper sense, and not merely instruction. The Messiah is described throughout the whole section, not as a teacher, but ^ In the Bii)l. Kal. ^ Clericus, cognitione sui. *• " Door zijne Kenntnis, dat is door de Kenntnis van hem, door hem te kennen, in den aard zijner zending en de Kracht zijner verdiensten." CHAP. LIII. V. 11. 277 as a priest, M'ho has presented himself as a vo- luntary sin-offering, in order to deliver us from punishment. This is favoured also by the con- struction with ^5 and finally by the position of p^^i*- The construction of the verb with 7 ex- plains itself by a certain modification of the idea which the verb conveys ; thus p^'IVH ^vith the ace. justificare, to justify ; with ^^justitiam affere, to im- part justification to some one. The verb ^IH ex- _ T hibits a similar modification, as 2 Sam. iii. 30, ^^*in l-DHK /> mortem intulerunt Abnero, they infiicted death upon Abner. So n^^H) with the accusative, to cause to rest; with 75 to grant rest; J/^Ji^in? ^^ deliver, but with 7, to grant deliverance.^ — The words ^l^y p^lV the righteous one, my servant, signify my righteous servant. The adjective some- times stands first, when an emphasis falls upon it.^ Still, however, this observation is not adequate to explain the construction before us,^ — a fact which in- terpreters have overlooked. The word p^lV ^^'^^' not be directly connected, as an epithet, with ^*1^J/, for this reason, that the former is indefinite, while the latter is made definite by the suflfix. But when the substantive has the article, or is rendered definite * Gesenius, Lehrgeb. p. 8I7. ^ Gesenius, p. 705. 278 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13. LIII. by a suffix or a genitive, the adjective must have the article also.* Hence we must assume, that p^lV stands first independently, as supplying the place of a noun. There is a similar construction in ,Jer. iii. 7, 10, ni^rw ^n^^^? n*Tl:i2, "the faithless, her T : T — : T T sister Judah, did not convert herself to me." The prominence of p^'^y and its immediate connexion with P^^^^^iIj are meant to indicate the close con- nexion in which the righteousness of the servant of God, (who although perfectly innocent and without sin,^ yet suffered the punishment of sin,) stands with the justification to be imparted through him. Thus by these words, the verb Hp in chap. Iii. 15, is ex- plained J also what is said in verses 3 — 6 is confirm- ed, particularly the expression in verse 5, " by his wounds we are healed." — Martini translates : Serva- tor legatus mens salvos praestabit multos, i. e./elici- tate augehit et ornabit. But this explanation is as little suited to the context, as it is capable of being justified philologicall3% The word p^liC cannot signify Saviour, nor p^VH to bless. In the last words of the verse, as in verse 4, sin and its punishment are figuratively represented as a heavy burden. Lam. v. 4. In Arabic, '^ bur- den is a usual name for sin. So XjaS onera. * Gesenius, p. 704. ^ Comp. v. 9. CHAP. LIII. V. 11. 279 Calvin :* " It is surely a remarkable exchange, Christ justifies men by giving them his righteous- ness, and, in return, takes upon himself their sins, that he may expiate them." Jerome :^ " And he himself shall bear their iniquities, which they were unable to bear, and by the burden of which they were oppressed." Many interpreters, as Martini, Hensler, etc. would translate the verb VbD^ in the praeter: " He bore or took away their sufferings." Against this Gesenius justly remarks, that all the preceding and the following futures refer to the state of exal- tation.*^ Moreover, in the whole verse, the dis- course does not relate to the acquiring of righteous- ness, (for this was done in the state of humiliation, verses 2 — 9,) but to the imparting of it ; the subjec- tive condition of which was, in the foregoing mem- ber, declared to be the knowledge and perception of the servant of God. In behalf of every one who, after the exaltation of the Messiah, fulfils this condi- tion, the Messiah takes his sins upon himself, i. e. he causes his own vicarious obedience to be reckoned to him and imparts to him forgiveness. The expres- * " Egregia nimirum est permutatio. Christus justificat homines dando ipsis justitiam suam, et vicissim in se suscipit peccata ipsorum^ ut ea expiet." ^ " Et iniquitates eorura ipse portabit, quas illi portare non poterant, et quarum pondere opprimebantur. ^ The expression /BD* NIH DHJlj^ is evidently s}tio- nymous with p^'Hit * and cannot well be taken as praeter, on account of the parallelism. Sept. xa< -raj «^a^r/aj air&Jv auroi uvoiffti. Symm. v'Tiviyxti. 280 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13. LIII. sion, lie will hear their sins, is the same- as, he will justify them, except merely the difference of the figure. Gesenius interprets thus : " He lightens the burden of their sins, scil. by his instruction ; he will improve them and thereby procure pardon for them." But Gesenius here contradicts himself ; for in verse 4, he explains ^Spf K*5!^^ and 7^0 '• T; T T - T Q^^j^^/^ of the vicarious satisfaction; and the cor- responding J^Ji^J D^^l KDn and V^-TlS* ^" ^^^^^ 12, must necessarily be explained in the same way. The phrase ?"iy 7^D moreover does not here mean, to lighten the burde?i of sin, but to take it entirely upon himself; and that this can be equiva- lent to improving by instruction, is neither philologi- cally demonstrable, nor reconcileable with the whole context. Compare the remarks on p'lV* above. Verse 1 2. Therefore will I allot to him the mighty, and he shall distribute the strong as a spoil: as a reward, because he gave up his life unto death, and suffered himself to be numbered with transgressors. And he shall take upon him the sins of many, and shall make intercession for transgressors. The verb p^n has, in Job xxxix. 17, the signification to allot, to apportion. So also here, many interpre- ters very justly give it this sense. Others:^ " I give him his lot among the mighty ;" either equiva- lent to " I will grant him his place among the ^ Sept. A/a TatJfs cil/To; »Xti^ovo/u,y,y« I" either case, it is unnecessary to sup- ply, with Rosenmiiller, Q^"i^ or D^^J/ in connexion with D^3*1 and D^tDVi^y- — The second member is translated by many 'J^ " He will divide the spoil with the strong." But a far more forcible and elegant sense is obtained by understanding the particle HJ^ not as a preposition, but as the sign of the accusative. " He shall distribute the strong as a spoil," scil. among his companions. This is nothing more nor less than : He shall have them in his power, and be able to do with them as he pleases. Martini :^ " It is the part of a conqueror to dispose of the booty obtained, •and, the best portion of it being reserved for himself, ^ Gesenius, etc. ^ " Victoris est de pra^d* parta disponere, ejusque optima parte sibi vindicata, reliquae inter socios partitionem facere." 282 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13. LIII. to distribute the rest among his companions." Com- pare Gen. xlix. 27. Exod. xv. 9. Ps. Ixviii. 13. Judges V. 30. After the example of Jewish inter- preters,^ some modern ones^ would borrow from these words a proof against the reference of the pro- phecy to Christ, who surely did not participate in any worldly triumph. But such a misapprehension of the figurative expression scarcely admits of expla- nation, otherwise than from doctrinal prejudice. Ac- cording to the usual custom adopted by the prophets, of representing that which is spiritual under the figure of that which is temporal, the spiritual victory of Christ over those who take upon themselves his gentle yoke, is here announced under the figure of a worldly victory. Martini : '^ " Here is a description of an extensive and splendid empire, expressed by images taken from a human monarch, who, after having conquered a country, takes possession of the sovereignty^ and enjoys the spoils which had been won.'* That the language does not here relate to worldly triumphs, appears, ^r*^, from the manner, as (Exhibited above, in which the Messiah arrives at this exaltation. Worldly triumphs are not obtained by the deepest humihation, by sufferings and death, vo- luntarily undertaken, and that for the salvation of ^ Abarbanel: " Hoc in Christum non competit, niyy nh O ^ Paulus, Gesenius, etc. ■^ " Inest descriptio amplissimi et splendissimi imperii ex- pressa imaginibus ab imperatore humano, qui terra sub di- tionem suam redacta regmim occupat, praedaque parta potitur repetita." CHAP. Liii. V. 12. 283 mankind. Secondly, it appears from that which the Messiah in his glorified state, is to do for those who apply to him. He is to sprinkle them with his blood, c. lii. 15 ; he is to justify them and bear their sins, ver. 11 : and he is to stand in the place of sinners, ver. 12; all which surely are not designations of a worldly conqueror. The D^^^ and D^tD1i^V ^^^ no other than the people and kings mentioned in c. lii. 15 ; and the kindred and posterity of the Messiah, in ver. 8 and 10. Similar figurative representations are found in Ps. ii. 8, where Jehovah says to the Messiah : " Ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for an inheritance and the ends of the world for thy possession." Comp. Isa. xi. 10. After this, the merits of the servant of God are once more repeated, for the reward of which, God has granted him these great spiritual conquests. In the words ^^^^ DM^h TV^VT^^ properly he has poured out his life to death, or into death, there is a metaphor taken from slaughtered animals, which with their blood lose their life ; for which reason the blood was regarded as the seat of the soul. Compare Gen. ix. 4. Lev. xvii. 11. There is also an allusion to the figure of a victim in verse 10. Compare Ps. cxli. 8, and numerous examples of a similar mode of expression in the Arabic poets.* The verb HXtiD^^ he was numbered, has here, as we have already seen, in ver. 7, the secondary meaning, he suffered himself to be numbered. This is demanded by the context * In Schultens Ad excerpta Hamasae, p. 452, and in ]\Iar- tini and Gesenius on the passage. 284 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH Lll. 13. — LIII. and by the parallelism with, " He has poured out his life." The mere fact that the Messiah was numbered with transgressors, was not the ground of his glorifi- cation ; but that he voluntarily suffered himself to be numbered with them. The evangelist Mark quotes this passage, when he relates that Christ was fastened to the cross between thieves, without designing to exhaust the whole sense of the expression by this spe- cific application. With many interpreters, after the example of the LXX. we must understand the verb V*il£3^ ^^ re- ferring to the state of humiliation.^ But the con- text, in which the discourse relates exclusively to the exaltation, determines the tense of ^J^^ to heaorist rather than future ; and this corresponds to 7^0^* Compare the i-emarks on the preceding verse. — The verb J/JlQ has in Kal, among other significations, that o? io meet J in Hiphii, consequently, to cause to meet. Then, to cause something to meet or occur to any 07ie, (whether petitions or actions, must be de- termined from the context,) stands for, to intercede with him ; in like manner as the Greek bruyy^cimv. Most interpreters here falsely understand V^ilSH of mere prayer. Martini correctly says :^ " We must ^ So also Gesenius, directly in contradiction to the remark made by him on ver. 11, that all the futures in what precedes and what follows, refer to the state of exaltation. If V*il5^ should stand for the praeter here, then must /^D^ also stand for the praeter there. ^ " Intelligendum est illud auxilium, quod miserias easque CHAP. Liii. V. 12. 285 here understand that aid which the Messiah afforded to his friends in the enduring of miseries, and those the most severe and dreadful, and even death itself." The servant of God does not intercede with Jehovah for sinners merely by prayer, as is quite evident from what precedes, but by presenting before God his vicarious suffering and his merits, as the ground for their receiving favour and the forgiveness of their sins. Calvin very happily expresses tlie idea :^ " As under the ancient law the priest, who never entered into the holy place without blood, at the same time interceded for the people; so that which was there typified, was in Christ fulfilled. For, in the first place, he oflfered the sacrifice of his own body and poured out his blood, that he might bear the penalty due to us. Then, to insure the eflicacy of the expia- tion, he performed the office of advocate, and made intercession for all who should by faith embrace this sacrifice." Compare also the following passages : Rom. viii. 34, "Oj xai kvr-jyyjivzi \j-~io yjfxojv. Heb. ix. 24, Christ has entered into the sanctuary vvv s/j,(pa- viG^rjvai t'Sj T^otTou'Tw rov ^soD vrs^ yiijjOjv. 1 John ii. 1. YlapdyJ.YiTov 'iy^oiMv T^hg tw rrars^a 'ItjcoDv X^iffrov 6'r/.atov. gravissimas et dirissimas mortemque adeo ipsam subeundo 3Iessias popularibus suis praestitit." * " Ut in veteri lege sacerdos, qui nunquam sine sanguine ingrediebatur, simul pro populo intercedebat, ita quod illic adumbratum fuit, in Christo impletum est. Primum enim sacriticium corporis sui obtulit et sanguinen fudit, ut poenam nobis debitam persolveret. Deinde ut valeret expiatio advo- cati officio functus est, atque intercessit pro omnibus, qui tide hoc sacrificium amplectereutur." 286 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13.— LIII. — The word K'lm indicates, that we are not to re- gard the last two members as depending upon ncj^K nnn. Note. It may perhaps interest the reader, to see the whole of the proposed translation brought to- gether into one view — Ed. TRANSLATION. Ch. LII. 13. "Behold my servant in wisdom shall reign pros- perously ; He shall be high and elevated and very exalted. 14. Like as many were shocked at my servant, — So disfigured was his countenance that it was no longer the countenance of a man ; And his form, that it was no more the form of a man, — 15. So shall he sprinkle many heathen nations ; Kings shall shut their mouths before him ; For what had not been announced to them they see, And what they had never heard they perceive. Ch. LIII. 1. Who then believes our annunciation ? And the arm of the Lord, to whom is it re- vealed ? 2. He grew up before him as a sprout. As a shoot out of a dry soil ; He had no form nor beauty, that we should look upon him ; No comely appearance, that we should desire him. TRANSLATION. 287 3. He was despised and the most abject of men, A man of suffering and familiar with disease ; He was as one before whom a man covers his face ; We despised him and esteemed him not. 4. But he bore our diseases, . And took our pains upon liimself ; And we regarded Mm as one afflicted of God, Smitten and tormented of God. 5. And he was pierced for our iniquities. And was bruised for our sins ; He was punished that we might have peace, And by his wounds we are healed. C. We all like sheep were gone astray. We turned each one to his own w^ay ; But Jehovah cast on him the sins of us all. 7. He was abused, but he endured patiently, And opened not his mouth ; As a lamb which is brought to the slaughter, And as a sheep that is dumb before its shearers, He opened not his mouth. 8 By oppression and a judicial sentence he was dragged to punishment ; — Yet who can declare his })Osterity ? — He was torn away from the land of the living for the sins of my people. Upon whom the punishment should ha\'e fallen. 9. They appointed for him among the wicked his grave ; — But he was with a rich man after his deatli ; — Although he had done no unrighteous deed. And there was no guile in his mouth. 10: But it pleased Jehovah to bruise him. He hath subjected him to disease. When he has brought a sin-ofFering, He shall behold a posterity. 288 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13. LIII. He shall prolong his days, And the purpose of Jehovah shall prosper through him ; 11. Because of the labour of his soul he shall behold ; By his knowledge shall he, the righteous one, my servant, justify many, And shall bear their sins. 12. Therefore will I allot to him the mighty, And he shall distribute the strong as a spoil ; As a reward, because he gave up his life unto deatli. And suffered himself to be numbered with transgressors. And he shall take upon him the sins of many, And shall make intercession for transgressors. PART III. ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST THE MESSIANIC INTER- PRETATION. It now remains, firsts to disprove the arguments against the Messianic interpretation ; secondly^ to bring forward the arguments in favour of this exposi- tion ; and, thirdly^ to show that no interpretation other than the Messianic, is admissible. § 1. ARGUMENTS AGAINST THE MESSIANIC INTERPRE- TATION CONSIDERED. The arguments against the Messianic interpreta- tion we borrow from Gesenius, who has collected every thing at all plausible, which earlier writers, and especially the Jews, have ever alleged.* * A refutation of the arguments employed by Ammon in his Bibl. Theol. II. p. 40, sq. may be found in Jahn, 1. c. p. C3. OBJECTIONS TO THE MESSIANIC INTERPRETATION. 289 I. " Though there is here a great similarity in the condition of the innocent sufferer to that of Christ, yet there is much also, which will not apply to him." All that Gesenius here alleges has already been set aside in our exposition ; with this exception only, that according to c. lii. 15, kings are to pay homage to the servant of God in person. This, however, refutes itself; for this passage no more contains any thing of a personal kind, than the parallel one in c. xlix. 7. But that kings have bowed their knees before the glorified Messiah, and still continue to do so, who can deny, without casting reproach upon all history ? Thus this argument is as little tenable, as the remark of Abarbanel on ver. 10, from which this argument seems to have been moulded : " The verb HN*^ de- notes a seeing which belongs to a man, who is yet alive."* II. " The name, servant of God^ is never employ- ed to designate the Messiah." Admitting this asser- tion to be correct, still it would prove nothing. The appellation, servant of Jehovah^ designates in a more limited sense, as we have already seen, every one who is called to the execution of any divine pur- pose, — one who stands in a similar relation to God, as those employed in the service of a court, called among the Hebrews Q^HUVj do, to earthly kings. Moses is called " the servant of Jehovah," Num. xii. 7. Joshua also, Judges ii. 8. Every Israelitish These arguments are probably now rejected by the author himself. * V?3^i1 V^n;2, dum adhuc vivit et superstes est. U 290 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13. — LIII. king was a servant of Jehovah ; David is not unfre- quently so called, e. g. Ps. Ixxxix. 21. Eliakim bears this name, chap. xxii. 20. The prophet names himself thus, chap. xx. 3. The Jewish people also, in so far as it was destined to maintain the know- ledge and worship of the true God, has this name in many passages. It is given to the angels in Job iv. 18, where V^T^J/? ^^s servants, stands in parallel- ,T T— ; ism with VDf^^/tD^ his messengers. Nebuchad- nezzar himself is called, in Jer. xxv. 9 ; xxvii. 6, a servant of Jehovah, in so far as he was an instrument in the hand of God, though without his own know- ledge and will. It is merely incidental, that Cyrus does not bear this name ; all the properties of a ser- vant of God are attributed to him. Thus we can perceive no ground, whatever, why the Messiah, the great messenger of God,* he who, having assumed the form of a servant, was obedient to God even unto death^, who came, not to do his own will, but the will of him who had sent him,^ might not receive this appellation ; since he was strictly that which the appellation designates — an appellation^ which cannot at all be regarded as the proper name of an indivi- dual rank or class, or of an individual person ; but is common to all the servants and instruments of God. In addition to all this, the assertion itself is by no means correct. The Messiah actually bears this name in Zech. iii. 8, a passage which is unanimously explained as referring to the Messiah. " I will bring « •':3Kb)2 Mai. iii. 1. b piiii. i. 7. c joi^n vi. 38. OBJECTIONS TO THE MESSIANIC INTERPRETATION. 291 forward my servant Tsemah (HDif )>" says God ; which the Chaldee explains by ^S^Jl^T KIl^ti^D. Messiam et revelahitur.^ He bears this name also, in chap. xlii. 1 ;^ xlix. 3, 6 ; 1. 10 : consequently in nearly all the Messianic predictions in the second part of Isaiah. III. " The idea of a suffering and atoning Mes- siah is foreign to the Old Testament, and even stands in contradiction to its prevailing representations ; even admitting it to have been entertained by some about the time of Christ." This argument also is borrowed from the Jews. It is sufficiently refuted by what has been said in the general introduction to this work. The argument can never be valid, so long as the authority of Christ holds good in the church; for he himself says, that all his sufferings were foretold in the writings of the Old Testament, and explains to his disciples the predictions which relate to it. Besides, if the idea of a suffering and atoning Messiah occurred in no other passage of the Old Testament, still this would prove nothing. We cannot justly come to the conclusion a priori, that God might not impart to an individual prophet, who showed himself adapted to this very revelation, illu- mination on a particular subject which he concealed from" others. It is indeed true, that in the Messianic predictions, the prophetic and regal office of Christ * Comp. Rosenmiiller ad h. 1. ^ Where the Chaldee explains, J^H^-U;): ^nij/- XH Kiniclii, 292 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13 LIII. is more frequently described, than the sacerdotal. The great mass of the people, who were to be re- tained by the Messianic predictions in an adherence to Jehovah, even though it were but an external one, were as little capable of comprehending this doctrine, as were even the apostles, previous to the out-pouring of the Spirit; while for the pious, in whose hearts this doctrine found a welcome reception, the intima- tions given (and which are collected in the place re- ferred to) were sufficient. We here, in addition to chap. 1. refer to the passage in chap. xi. 1, which is explained even by Gesenius as relating to the Mes- siah ; where the coming of the Messiah in a state of humiliation, is indicated (as also in liii. 2) by the figure of a slender shoot springing up from the de- cayed stock of Jesse. But it is difficult to conceive in what the alleged contradiction between the doc- trine of the suffering Messiah and the doctrine of the glorified Messiah, can consist. Even if there were a seeming contradiction, still it would be removed by the history of Christ. Indeed, the suffering appears in the prediction before us, as the very condition of the glorification ; the latter as a consequence and re- ward of the former. Even here, too, the Messiah appears as a king, to whom all earthly kings with their people will become subject. — The whole asser- tion proceeds upon the false idea, that each indivi- dual Messianic prediction must contain a full picture of the Messiah ; whereas, on the contrary, these va- rious prophecies mutually supply each other, and for the most part exhibit Christ to us, each only in a single point of view. OBJECTIONS TO THE MESSIANIC INTERPRETATION. 29S IV. " In the Messianic exposition, every thing is taken as future ; but this, the language will not admit. The suffering, the being despised, and the death of the servant of God, are here described throughout as past; for every thing in c. liii. 1 — 10, is expressed in the praeter. The exaltation only appears as future, and is expressed by futures. Thus the writer stands between the suffering and the exaltation, and declares that he who has hitherto suffered, shall hereafter be exalted. The last only is still impending." The answer to this has already been given in the note on c. lii. 13.* The position of the prophet is not an his- torical, but a prophetic one. The prophetic view moreover was not an external one, but an internal ; and the prophets describe events, as they follow one another in this view. That which forms the condition, is expressed in the present or past ; that which forms the consequence is expressed in the future. Compare the general introductory remarks on the second part of Isaiah.** As the prophet there took his position in the Babylonish exile, and thence viewed the deliver- ance as future ; so he here takes his stand between the suffering and the exaltation of the Messiah, From this point, the suffering appears to him as past ; the exaltation, as future. In this way only could he dis- tinguish the condition and the consequence from each other, and exhibit the suffering and the exaltation in their proper relation.*^ Moreover it is hy no means ^ See page 210 above. ^ See Bibl. Repos. Vol. i. p. 705, sq. ^ The ancient translators also have not taken these praeters as designating the real past ; but have frequently rendered them 294 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13. LIII. true^ that the "prophet always represents the suffering as past, and speaks of it in the praeter. In some pas- sages he has involuntarily passed from the prophetic position into the historical, and has used the future where he speaks of the suffering. So ver. 7, JIDD^ » ver. 8, nniSi^^ ; ver. 10, D^ti^ri ; and according to the explanation of Gesenius, ver. 12, J^^il^^ On the contrary, he makes use of the praeter ^^^ in ver. T T 12, with respect to the future state of exaltation.* Compare on 7BD^ ver. 11. V. " It is perfectly evident, that the servant of God here, is the same person spoken of in the parallel passages, c. xlii. 1—7 ; xlix. 1—9 ; L 4—11 ; Ixi. 1—3. But in these passages there occurs still much more, which cannot be true of Christ." We here fully agree with our opponents, that the subject of this passage must be one and the same with that of the other passages designated ; and we must with them complain of the mischievous inconsistency of those interpreters, who in those passages find the Messiah, but in the present one, a different subject. But we believe it to have been sufficiently demonstrated in our comments on by futures. So the Seventy ver. 14, 8*i7T>5}^^1» cind there shall come forth a V : • T T T • •••••: rod from the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow from his roots. This has so striking a similarity to c. Hi. 2, that both cannot but be referred to the same subject. IV. To these external arguments, are to be added the internal evidences, derived from the characteristics ascribed to the subject of the prophecy. Although each individual trait can be pointed out as fulfilled in Christ, yet we will here confine ourselves to those things only, which are exclusively appropriate to him, and which cannot without entire arbitrariness, be re- ferred to any one else. Here belongs, first of all, the doctrine, that by the vicarious suffering of the great ARGUIVIENTS FOR THE MESSIANIC INTERPRETATION. 301 servant of God, mankind are freed from the punish- ment of sin, reconciled to God, and made righteous. Many have sought, in various ways, to remove this doctrine from the passage. Kimchi remarks : " We must not suppose that the thing is so in fact, that Israel in exile really bears the sins and diseases of the heathen ; (for this would militate against the justice of God ;) but that the heathen, when they shall see the splendid redemption of Israel, will pass such a judgment upon it." It is easy to see, that the argu- ment of Kimchi against the vicarious satisfaction, is an idle one; for this doctrine would then only miHtate against the justice of God, when the sufferer did not, as was the case according to the passage, assume his suffering voluntarily ; and besides, such a priori and dogmatic objections have no weight, since corrupt reason is not in a condition to sit in judgment upon the doctrines of revelation. The manner, too, which Kimchi adopts in getting rid of the argument, is in the highest degree violent, and leaves nothing certain in all the Scriptures — Several modern interpreters* have adopted another method. They are of opinion, that the expressions should be taken only figuratively ; and that we are not in them to look for the doctrine of a vicarious satisfaction for our sins, provided by the justice of God, through the Messiah. According to Martini, all the expressions should announce nothing further than this :^ " All those severe calamities, to ^ Martini ad h. 1 — De \rette De Morte Expiatoria, p. 22, sq. — In some measure also Umbreit, Theol. Studien u. CriL i. 2, p. 328. But he expresses himself very obscurely. ^ L. c. p. CO. " Calamitates illas gravissimas niinistro isti 302 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13 LIII, be endured by this divine servant, will be useful and salutary to his people." But it is decisive in favour of the literal interpretation, that the prophet speaks of this subject not merely in a single passage, but is always recurring to it, and always connects the redemption of the people with the suffering of the Messiah, in the relation of effect and cause. Thus he says in c. lii. 15, the Messiah will deliver many of the heathen from their sins ; in c. liii. 4, he has taken upon himself our disease and our pains ; ver. 5, he was pierced for our iniquities, etc. v. 6, Jehovah has cast upon him the sins of us all ; ver. 8, he has borne the punishment which the people should bear ; ver. 10, he has presented himself to God as a sin-offering, etc. To this it may still be added, that the expressions, HI* in c. lii. 15, and Oti^t^ ^^ c. liii. V ~ T T 10, are taken from sacrifices; and the suffering and death of the Messiah are represented as effecting an internal reconciliation with God, in the same manner as the death of the victim signified objectively, that outward purity was thereby again restored as to the external theocracy. Indeed, substitution evidently took place in the sacrifices, so far as it respects ex- ternal theocratic purity, though by no means in re- ference to internal sanctification ; and this might well be done without any prejudice to the divine institu- tion of sacrifices. So much as this is certain, that had the prophet wished to state the doctrine of a vi- carious satisfaction, he could not possibly have used divino perferendas po])ularibus ejus utiles futuras atque salu- tares." AR6I/MEKTS FORfttE MESSIANIC INTERPRETATION. 303 stronger expressions. No passage of the New Tes- tament upon the propitiatory death of Jesus, is, in point of sentiment, more definite than this ; and yet the doctrine of a vicarious satisfaction is found in the New Testament by numerous rationalist interpreters of more modern times ;* those only excepted who possess so strong a doctrinal prepossession (as Paulus), that they entirely sacrifice exegesis to it. But upon these time has already passed sentence. The argu- ments are indeed so forcible, that even Rosenmiiller,'' Gesenius, and others, cannot but acknowledge that the doctrine of a vicarious satisfaction is contained in the passage ; and Alshech among the Jews does ho- nour to the truth by acknowledging the same. We will now consider the arguments which De Wette adduces in opposition to the literal interpre- tation. 1. He appeals to two passages where the word *^t3Jj, ransom, occurs in a figurative sense. The first is Isa. xliii. 3, where Jehovah says, he has given Egypt, Ethiopia, and Seba, as a ransom for the Israelites. We must here entirely agree with De Wette, in opposition to Gesenius, who finds in this passage the doctrine of a vicarious satisfaction.*^ Such ^ .Compare e. g. De Wette Dogmatik,!. § 293, sq — Bietsch- neider Dogm. I. § 154, 155. ^ Gabler's Journal, II. p. 365. •^ L. c. p. 190. " The divine justice was not yet satisfied by the suffering of the people in exile, and therefore other na- tions are given up for them." What Gesenius remarks, p. "b, on the passage itself, stands in contradiction with this. Je- hovah gives " great, rich, and powerful nations, as Egypt, 304 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13 Llll. a kind of satisfaction here contradicts all the repre- = sentations of the Old Testament respecting the di- vine justice, and, as we shall hereafter see, nothing analogous can be brought in support of it. De Wette correctly says :* " To illustrate the love of Jehovah towards his people, the prophet compares the lot of the Israelites with that of other nations, who, while the Israelites were liberated from cap- tivity, were reduced under bondage to the Persians ; so that it might in a manner be said, that these nations succeeded to the place of the Israelites, and purchased the liberty of the latter with their own." The second passage is Prov. xxi. 18, y^^ p^^^-^^b ^Q3 *lJ!i2 D^nti^^ nnnij ^^^ evU-doer is a ransom for the righteous^ and the ungodly for the pious. This passage, as Gesenius acknowledges, and thereby himself confirms the correctness of the figurative acceptation of Isa. xhii. 3, means nothing more than this : * The sufferings which the pious have long en- dured, are afterwards imposed upon the wicked in theif . stead ; the latter must as it were redeem the former.' But yet, both these passages cannot prove what they are brought forward to prove; for the existence of the doctrine of a vicarious satisfaction in Ethiopia, and Seba, as a prize to the conqueror, instead of Is- rael ; and as it were, a ransom for them. ^ " Ad amorem Jehovae erga populum suum demonstran- dum comparat propheta Israelitarum sortem cum sorte aliorura populorum, qui dum illi captivitate Uberarentur, in ditionem Persarum redacti sint, ita ut quasi dici posset hos populos in locum Israelitarum succedere et eorum libei'tatem sua redimere." ARGUMENTS FOR THE MESSIANIC INTERPRETATION. 305 the prophec}'^ before us, does not rest upon a single expression, which might indeed be explained figu- ratively, but upon the constant recurrence of the same doctrine under the greatest diversity of ex- pression. Moreover the expression ^53 does not occur in passages quoted, in the same manner as does the word D&i^}^ (comp. HtO ^^ ^^^^^ passage ; where T T V~ this last does not so easily admit of being understood figuratively. 2. " The prophet is so free from all superstition, that he ahiiost rejects the sacrifices and the whole ex- ternal worship ; comp. c. Ixvi. 3. But one cannot well perceive, what difference there should be between an expiation accomplished by means of animals, and one accomplished by a man." The prophet in the passage quoted speaks with zeal, as all the prophets do, against the erroneous opinion that sacrifices ex opero operatn obtain the divine favour and forgiveness of sins ; which is entirely contrary to the original de- sign and the original import of sacrifices. That he need not, on this account, have rejected the doctrine of the vicarious satisfaction, is very evident from the example of the writers of the New Testament, who, with a hke mode of thinking as to sacrifices, still taught the doctrine of a vicarious satisfaction ; as was the case also with the whole Christian church. When De Wette compares expiation by means of animals, and expiation by a man, he falsely assumes, that the servant of God was in the view of the prophet a mere man. That which the prophet says of the glorified Messiah, is surely inappropriate to a mere man ; and X 306 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13. Llll. that the divine nature of the Messiah was well known to Isaiah, appears also from the other Messianic pas- sages, in which the divine names and attributes are ascribed by him to the Messiah. That a man could make satisfaction for men, would, as we shall hereafter see, be contrary to the doctrinal representations of the Old Testament. Hence also the passage quoted by De Wette, from Micah vi. 6 — 8, does not at all belong here, — where, to the question of the people, whereby they should appease Jehovah, and whether they should present their own children as a sin-offer- ing, it is replied, Jehovah does not require this, but justice, love, and humility. It is only by virtue of his perfect innocence and righteousness, such as do not exist in any man, that the servant of God cleanses us from sin ; and to this very circumstance is attach- ed peculiar importance. Comp. c. ix. 11. 3. De Wette maintains that the prophet cannot have advanced the doctrine of a vicarious satisfaction, because it would be destructive of piety, the promo- tion of which was an object very dear to his heart. With this apriori argument, which proceeded from a want of experience, and which, it is hoped, is no longer regarded as valid by the author himself, we might also prove that the whole Christian church, that the apostles, that Luther, Arndt, and Spener, never held this doctrine. Thus the doctrine of the vicarious satisfaction is decidedly and clearly contained in this passage. Now, we further find, that in the New Testament the same things are said of Christ, which are here said with respect to the subject of the prediction. It is true NON-MESSIANIC INTERPRETATIONS. 307 indeed, that Christ, during his life, more rarely ex- pressed himself definitely and clearly with regard to the object of his death and his vicarious satisfaction.* The reason was, that the carnally^minded disciples were not prepared to comprehend the doctrine in its true import, before the death of Christ and the com- munication of the Spirit which depended upon this. On this account, the doctrine is eminently to be reckoned among the many things which Christ had yet to say to the disciples, but which they could not now bear. But after his resurrection, Christ gave his dis- ciples full information on the subject ;'' and it is partly from this and partly from the immediate illumination promised and granted to the apostles, that the copious instructions have flowed which the apostles give us on this point.*^ We may add, moreover, the specific circumstance presented in verse 9, that the servant of God should be buried with a rich man, Joseph of Arimathea. Any further exhibition of the similarity between the pro- phecy and the fulfilment, will not here be necessary, since it must be obvious to every one who is acquaint- ed with the New Testament history. § 3. ARGUMENTS AGAINST OTHER INTERPRETATIONS. The positive arguments already adduced in favour of the Messianic exposition, are at the same time so " See however Matt. xx. 28 ; xxvi. 28. John iii. 14 ; \i. 51 — 55 ; xii. 27, etc — Compare Bretschneider 1. c. § 154. ^ Compare Luke xxiv. 27- •^ Compare Storr, Abhandlung iiber den Versohnungstod .7esu, as Appendix to his Coinmentar zum Hebriierbrief. 308 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13. — LIII. many negative ones against every other. It would be a useless waste of time and room, to attempt a re- futation of the opinions of those who would refer the prophecyto any individual subject besides the Messiah, from King Uzziah, to the Maccabees ; — opinions which have been adopted only by the authors of them. All these interpreters have been satisfied with seizing hold of some single trait, which is found again in the history of some individual. The rest they have either not at all taken into account, or have endeavoured to set it aside by false and forced explanations. By such a procedure we might find, besides the expositions already alluded to, an innumerable multitude of others. The refutation would therefore become endless ; since it is merely accidental, whether this or that person may not have suggested some individual, who no more belongs here, than a hundred others. It is a circumstance against all these interpretations with re- ference to distinct individuals, that the latter all appear here as a deus ex machina, a mere expedient to get out of difficulty, without our knowing whence they come or whither they go, and without a single reason why the prophet should all at once bring them be- fore us. There are only three interpretations, which partly by their general prevalence, and partly from their greater plausibility^ have a claim to our attention. The first regards the whole Jewish people as the sub- ject of the prophecy ; the second, the pious part of them ; and the third, the collective body of the He- brew prophets. All three have this in common, that according to them the subject of the prophecy is not NON-MESSIANIC INTERPRETATIONS. 309 a real, but merely an ideal person, a plurality of indi- viduals, personified as one collective whole. I. Against the first interpretation, which makes the subject of this prophecy to be the whole Jewish people, we may urge chiefly the following arguments. 1. The Jewish people are indeed sometimes perso- nified as a collective whole, and called nlH^ ^HlV* But, such a personification, carried through a whole paragraph, without the least intimation that the dis- course does not relate to a single individual, cannot be confirmed by one analogous example. In verse 3, the subject is termed Z^''^ ; in v. 10, a soul is ascrib- ed to him ; death and the grave are spoken of with reference to a subject of the singular number. If the prophet designed to be understood, he must have added, at least, some intimation how he was to be understood. Martini appropriately re- marks :* " I presume that no example can be ad- duced, in which the prophets will be found to have spoken of the whole people taken as an indivi- dual in a continued allegory, in such a way, that not even the slightest intimation appears to show that the language is not to be referred to an individual, but to the whole nation." The case is entirely difl^erent in the other passages, where the prophet designates the Israelitish people by the term nlH^ ^'2.V' In them * " Vix exemphim afferri posse puta^'erim, quod prophetne continuata allegoria de populo universo tanquam de singular! persona, ita loquuti fuisse deprehendantur, ut argumertti non ad individuum quoddam, sed ad nationem ipsam referendi, nulhim, ne levissimum ouidem, vestieiuni eliiceat." 310 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13. — LIII. the prophet prevents all uncertainty, by adding the names ^pV^ and 7K'^ii^* 5 compare c. xli. 8, 9 ; xliv. 1, 2, 21 ; xiv. 4 ; xlviii. 20. Moreover, to show that Ditl'' ^y^ is there a collective, he uses, besides the singular, the plural also, when he speaks of or to the Israelites. Comp. e. g. c. xlii. 24, 25 ; xlviii. 20, 21 ; xliii. 10 — 14; xliv. 8. In the passage before us, there is nothing of the kind. To this, it may be add- ed, that an allegory carried out in such a manner, and which, as has already been remarked, is without ex- ample in Hebrew literature, would be very weak and inappropriate. Moreover, the very argument of this prophecy, which is of a more grave and sublime cha- racter, does not favour this sentiment. Indeed, under such a figure, the prophet could scarcely have paint- ed the whole Jewish nation, most miserable as it was, and exposed to the odium and contempt of all nations, without his discourse often and justly appearing too pompous and frigid."^ 2. The subject of this passage assumed his suffer- ings voluntarily ;^ himself innocent^ he bore the sins of others ;^ his sufferings are the efficient cause of the ^ Porro ipsius hujus oraculi argumentum gravius et sublimius illi sententiae non favet. Sub tali enim imagine propheta vix depingere potuisset nationem totam .Tudaicam vel miserrimam et omnium gentium odio et contemtui expositam, quin oratio saepius tumidius atque frigidius justo videretur." Hansi. '' According to v. 10, the servant of God presents himself as a sin-offering ; according to v. 12, he is crowned with glory, because he poured out his life unto death ; which the usage of the language permits us to understand only of a voluntary of- fering up of himself. " Verses 4 — 6, and v. 9. NON-MESSIANIC INTERPRETATIONS. 311 righteousness of the people;^ he suffers quietly a.nd patiently, not allowing himself to be irritated to bitter- ness against the authors of his suffering.^ Of all these four particulars or marks, not one applies to the Israelitish people. {a) The Israelites did not go into the Babylonish exile voluntarily, but were dragged into it by force. {b) The Jewish people did not suffer innocently, but they endured in exile the punishment of their ^wn sins. This had been predicted by Moses as a theocratic judgment ; Lev. xxvi. 14 ; Deut. xxviii. 13; xxix. 19; xxxii. 1. All the prophets represent it as a theocratic judgment. Jeremiah and Ezekiel repeatedly and continually inculcate the truth, that this punishment will certainly fall upon the people on account of the great vices that were prevalent, espe- cially on account of idolatry. Isaiah, in the second part, often admonishes the Jews, that they were driven into exile by the divine justice, and will be delivered from it only by the divine mercy ; comp. e. g. chap. Ivi. — hx. especially the penitent confession of the people themselves in the last chapter. If we regard even the immediate occasion of the exile, what is said of the sufferer in verse 9, will not ap- ply to the Israelites : " He has done no unright- eous deed, and there has been no deceit in his mouth." The immediate occasion of the exile was the perjured alliance with Egypt against Nebu- chadnezzar, which was so strongly censured by Jere- miah. * Verse 7* ^ Verse 7- 312 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. J3. LIII. Rosenmuller seeks to remove this difficulty by the remark, that the prophet does not speak in his own person, but introduces the heathen as speaking, who would gladly by this flattery obtain the favour of the Israelites. " When he chides and reproves his people in his own name, he must adopt a manner of speaking different from that which he employs, when he introduces other nations as speaking of them, — nations before hostile to the Hebrew people, but now repenting and desiring to become associated with them."* But this solution is not valid ; even if we leave out of view the fact, that the prophet could not without further remark put a speech into the mouth of others, which he did not himself approve ; since he could not fail to see, that every one would suppose that he did approve of it. The solution is not valid, because the innocence of the subject is contained not merely in chap. liii. 1 — 10, which Rosenmiiller, after the example of the Jews, ascribes to the heathen ; but is asserted like- wise in the speech of Jehovah, chap. lii. 13 — 15, and chap. liii. 11, 12. Only a sufferer who was himself innocent could deliver the heathen from their sins. In verse 11, he is expressly called the righteous ; in verse 12, it is mentioned as a meritorious circum- stance that he suffered himself to be numbered with malefactors. (c) The sufferings of the Jewish people cannot be * " AHter enim loqui necesse est, ubi suo ipsius nomine suos objurgat et redarguit, aliter ubi alias gentes, an tea populo Hebraeo adversarias, sed nunc ad meliorem mentem rede- untes iisque sese associare cupientes de eo dicentes in medium producit." NON-MESSIANIC INTERPRETATIONS. 313 represented as the efficient cause of the righteousness of the heathen, as vicarious for them. Their suffer- ings could not be vicarious, for this reason, that they neither undertook them voluntarily, nor were inno- cently involved in them ; but suffered them through their own guilt and against their own will. And in general, no example is found in the Old Testament, and from the nature of the case none can be found, in which the sufferings of any man were regarded as vicarious for others. Here we have De Wette on our side. He very correctly remarks,^ that the doc- trine of vicarious satisfaction by man is not found in the Old Testament, nor, according to the doctrines there prevailing, can be.^ But afterwards, this argu- ment, which goes to favour the Messianic interpreta- tion, he falsely employs against it, as has already been shown. De Wette himself proves, that the He- brews neither held the doctrine of a vicarious satis- faction by man, nor could hold it. Since there- fore it has been proved, that a vicarious satisfaction is taught in Isaiah, he cannot avoid the Messianic ex- position. The first condition of a vicarious satisfaction, which in our passage is represented as such, is the perfect innocence of the suffering subject. He who is himself sinful, cannot assume the punishment due to the sins of others ; but his suffering is either a punishment from the divine justice, or a corrective from the divine mercy. Thus the doctrine of a vi- carious satisfaction by man, would stand in direct '^ h. c. p. 22. ^ :>Iiaih ^ i (;— c. 314 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13. — LIII. contradiction to the doctrine of the Old Testament with respect to the universal sinfulness of mankind ; comp. Gen. vi. 5 ; viii. 21. Job xv. 14 — ^16. Ps- xiv. 3 ; li. 7 ; Uii. 4. Prov. xx. 9. The prophets themselves, the best and noblest part of the nation, often include themselves with the people, when they speak of their sinfulness. Isaiah, when he is thought worthy to receive a view of the divine glory, says : " Wo is me, for I am a man of unclean lips, and dwell amidst a people of unclean lips ;" chap. vi. 5. Moreover, besides the passage in Micah vi. 6 — 8, that in Ps. xlix. 8 — 10 speaks most decidedly against a vicarious satisfaction by man : " None can by any means redeem a brother, nor give to God a ransom for him. So precious is the ransom of their souls, that he must wait forever, even though he should Hve forever and not see the grave." This doctrine is opposed also by the passage in Ezek. xviii. 20, " The soul that sinneth shall die ; the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son ; but the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him- self." Should any one here, with Kimchi, seek re- lief by supposing that the prophet merely exhibits the thoughts of the heathen, without approving of them, still he would effect nothing by this supposi- tion ; for the doctrine of vicarious satisfaction is just as much contained in the speech of Jehovah, as in those verses in which the heathen are supposed to be introduced as speaking. But we must here also enter into an examination NON-MESSIANIC INTERPRETATIONS. 315 of the passages by which Gesenius* endeavours, in opposition to De Wette, to prove, that the doctrine of vicarious satisfaction by man is very widely dif- fused elsewhere in the Old Testament, and is deeply impressed in the mode of thinking among the He- brews. How little the passages which he has quoted belong here, has been amply shown by Steudel.^ These passages are as follows : Exod. xx. 5, " The iniquity of the fathers is visited upon the children." Here, however, the language cannot relate to vica- rious satisfaction ; because this does not consist in another's being punished together with the guilty, but in the circumstance that he who has committed the sin is thereby entirely freed from punishment, — that another takes this punishment upon himself. But this law had an entirely different object and an entirely different import. The physical impression of physical punishments and rewards, was to be ren- dered still more forcible by their extension to the posterity of the pious and the wicked. All ancient lawgivers regarded it as necessary to secure the maintenance of their laws by the same means. Ci- cero says on this subject :^ " 1 am not ignorant, how hard it is that the sins of parents should be visited upon their children. But this was wisely provided by the laws, in order that affection for their children « L. c. p. 189, sq. ^ L. c. i. p. 37, sq. ° " Nee vero me fugit, quam sit acerbum, parentium Rcelera filiomm poenis lui. Sed hoc praeclare legibus coni- }>aratum est, iit caritas liberorum amiciores parentes rei- publicae retlderef." Ep. 12 ad Brutum, ed. Ern. 1774, T. iii. p. 1155. 316 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13. — LIII. might render parents better members of the com- monwealth." Now if in other states such a law was considered indispensably necessary for attaining the object of the state, we shall find it so much the more tolerable in the theocracy, as the object of the latter was more exalted than that of all other states. — " According to 2 Sam. xxi. 1 — 14, punishment is executed upon the posterity, when it had not taken place before." Nearly the same also holds good here. The crime which Saul had perpetrated upon the Gibeonites remained unpunished, and had brought a plague upon the land of the Israelites, who suffered it to remain unpunished. As the proper author of the offence could not be punished, and j'et the pun- ishment must be executed in order to preserve the sanctity of the law inviolate among the people ; the posterity, who, according to the law referred to, might also be subjected to punishment, were pun- ished; or, the perpetrator was punished in them. It is sometimes inevitable that a part suffers, in order to effect the preservation of the whole ; which last could be effected in the theocracy, only by most strictly maintaining the sanctity of the law. More- over the language here cannot refer to a vicarious satisfaction, because in this transaction, not the per- petrator, but the people who had suffered the deed to go unpunished, were freed from the penalty in- curred. — " David's sin in numbering the people, Je- hovah caused to be expiated by a pestilence during three days, and by the death of 7000 men ; 2 Sam. xxiv. 10 — 25." Here also the narrative has nothing to do with a vicarious satisfaction. The punishment NON-MESSIANIC INTERPRETATIONS. 317 was not voluntarily assumed, nor did the people suf- fer innocently ; for even if they had not in this spe- cific case participated in the guilt, still they could not complain of the punishment as being unjust, because on account of their general sinfulness aside from this, no punishment too severe could fall upon them. That David was not exempted from punishment through the punishment of the people, appears from the circumstance, that in verse 17 he prays to God in deep distress, that he would rather punish him and his family. The object of the punishment inflicted upon the people in this case, was to establish the sanctity of the law, and to excite a feeling of awe before the divine justice in a people, who being as yet rude and carnal, must be led and kept in obe- dience by these external chastisements, because it could not yet be led by love. — " The sin which David committed with Bathsheba was expiated by the death of the child; 2 Sam. xii. 15—18." This case does not at all prove what it is brought for- ward to prove ; for Nathan had already declared to David the forgiveness of the sin (ver. 13) before he announced to him the death of the child. Hence this death cannot be regarded as vicarious. Indeed, the loss of the child was so painful to David himself, (ver. 22) that the suffering surely affected him more than it did the child. The reason why the child must die is given in the narration itself, ver. 14. Had David been permitted to go without punishment, the enemies of the Lord would have accused him of par- tiality, and would have taken occasion to blaspheme his name. Moreover, the pain of David for the loss 318 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH Lll. 13. — LIII. of the child must have added intensity to his pain for the cause of it, the sin which he had committed. — " Because Achan seized upon the consecrated thing, the whole army of Joshua was given over to the enemy, Josh. vii. 1." Here likewise the whole affair has nothing to do with a vicarious satisfaction ; for the delinquent himself was not freed from punish- ment by the calamity which fell upon the people. On the contrary, he was burned, together with all his property and his family, comp. v. 15, 24. The object in punishing the people, was to excite them to zeal for the extirpation of every crime and every misdemeanour from their midst. The individual will be subjected to a close inspection, when the whole mass of community is made responsible for his ac- tions. It was nothing more than a theocratic punish- ment, inflicted as a warning. — " Even in the book of Isaiah itself, c. Ixv. 7, sinners are punished also for the sin of their fathers, as well as their own." That here is no vicarious satisfaction, (which demands the personal innocence of the sufferer as well as the vo- luntary assumption of the suffering,) appears from the fact, that Jehovah says : " I will recompense your transgressions and the transgression of your fathers together." The sense is no other than the following : Ye, who are so much the more deserving of punishment because ye will not suffer the for- bearance of God to lead you to repentance, shall re- ceive in full measure the punishment merited by your ancestors, of whom ye fall no whit short in point of wickedness. — " The passage in Daniel xi. 35, ap- proaches still nearer the one before us. Here the NON-MESSIANIC INTERPRETATIONS. 319 language relates to the death of the pious as martyrs under religious persecution, and it is said : ' The pious shall fall, in order to purge them (the others), to purify and sanctify them ;' which can hardly be understood otherwise than of deliverance from the penalty of sin through the death of these martyrs." But the sense of this passage is evidently no other, than that the example, given by the pious, of self- denial and of firmness in the faith of their fathers, — a firmness not to be shaken even by death itself, — will exert a salutary influence upon the rest of the people and confirm the wavering. Such an influence is con- firmed by the history of all religious oppressions. — " Among the Arabians, also, a very common proverbial expression is founded upon this idea, viz. c^wJu iT! tXij i^y f^if^ ^6 thy ransom ; and several that are similar. All this shows at least, that the idea of vicarious satisfaction is very familiar to the Orientals, and hence passed over into the language itself." What these expressions have to do here, can scarcely be conceived. They signify nothing more, than : Thou art so dear to me, that 1 would willingly give up the dearest object, even my own life and that of my father, could I thereby rescue thee from impending danger. The result of our examination is this. Among all the passages brought forward by Gesenius, there is not one which contains the idea of a vicarious satis- faction made by man for man. Moreover, the doc- trinal views of the Old Testament entirely exclude this idea. Least of all can we assume a vicarious satisfaction made by the Israelitish people ; because, 320 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13. LIII. in them, the essential requisites for this were vib'' . wanting, viz. innocence and the voluntary assui of the suffering. i'. ' (d) The fourth characteristic also of the suffering subject, the entire and devoted patience manifested towards the will of God, is not applicable to the Israelitish people. How can it be said of the whole people, that they did not open their mouth in com- plaint, when their noblest and best members poured out their sadness in complaints and imprecations ? Comp. Jer. xx. 7, sq. xv. 10 — 21. Ps. cxxxvii. 8, 9. Lam. iii. 64 — 66. Surely the Israelites must have been an entirely different people from what they are described to be by the prophets, and especially by Isaiah himself, if the prophet could bestow this com- mendation upon them. 3. In this interpretation it has been assumed al- together arbitrarily, that in ver. 1 — 10 the heathen, or the foreign nations hitherto inimical to the Jews, are introduced as speaking. The heathen are never in this manner introduced as speaking, without some intimation of it in what precedes and follows. And should we be willing not to insist on this point; still, how could these nations, or how could the prophet in their name, say, that it is the burden of their sins which lies upon the exiled Jews ? 4. In this hypothesis, it is assumed without ground, that the death and burial of the servant of God, is to be referred only to the misfortunes and fall of the Israelitish people. It is true, that in Ezek. c. xxxvii. the carrying away into exile is described under the figure of death ; and the deliverance from the same, NON-MESSIANIC INTERPRETATIONS. 321 " the figure of a resurrection ; compare also Is. 9. But there, everything leads us to take the lai.^ ^e merely as figurative ; while here, on the contrary, there is not the least intimation of this kind. 5. This exposition is opposed by the parallel pas- sages, in which the servant of God is clearly distin- guished from the people. Compare c. xlii. 6 ; xlix. 5, 6 ; 1. 9. 6. According to this hypothesis, many verses must be subjected to a very forced interpretation. So e. g. c. liii. 1.* Likewise v. 2, where Rosenmiiller explains the words, " He grew up before him as a shoot, and as a root out of a dry soil," after the example of Jarchi : Priusquam ad hanc magnitudinem ascende- ret, gens erat perquam Immilis et ascendit e terra sicut surculus^ But, such a figure would be entirely in- appropriate ; since the Israelites were at first pro- sperous, and did not experience adversity until after- wards. Compare Ps. Ixxx. 9. Ezek. xix. 10 — 13. Jer. ii. 21.^ II. We shall not need to dwell so long upon the interpretation, which makes the pious part of the Jewish people the subject of the prophecy. It has much similarity to the hypothesis of the collective body of the prophets, and is met by many of the ar- * Compare the exposition above, p. 328 — 330. ^ Compare the refutation of the preceding hypothesis in Origen contra Celsum I. 11. § 7, according to the divisions of 31osheim Hulsii Nucleus propketiae, hugd. 1683, p. 6*72, sq, — Jahn Jpp. Hcrm. II. 40, sq JMartini, Hansi, StevKlel, Keller, etc. 322 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13. LlII. guments immediatoly to be adduced against that In- pothesis. Of the arguments which go to show that the interpretation with reference to tlie whole Jewish people, is inadmissible, those adduced above under Nos. 1, 2, and 4, will, with some slight modifications, apply also to the present exposition. What may be further specifically urged against it, is the following : The persons speaking, represent themselves as entire- ly free from all suffering, v. 1 — 9 ; they put them- selves in contrast with that suffering servant of God who took upon himself the misery due to them. But how could the wicked part of the people say this, who shared in the same exile, the unhappy lot of the righteous ? How could the suffering of the righteous be vicarious for the wicked, when the latter them- selves suffered ? That the wicked did in exile enjoy comparatively a better lot than the righteous, is a groundless hypothesis. It is opposed by the example of Daniel, of Esther and Mordecai, of Ezra, and of the opulent Nehemiah. Neh. v, 14 — 19. Against this exposition, we may also refer particu- larly to the treatise of Jahn above mentioned,* and also to the " Letters on Isaiah c. liii."^ In these last, another turn which has been given to this hypothesis, though properly deserving no refutation, is fully re- futed. It supposes nin^ ly^ to designate only the more distinguished part of the nation, who were carried away into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar, and during the seventy years, made expiation for the sins Appendix Herm. II, 40, sq. Briefe liber Jes. c. 53, in Vol. VI, of Eichhorn's Bibliothek. NON'MESSIANIC INTERPRETATIONS. 323 of their brethren and died, but afterwards returned from exile in their posterity. These now, the author of this prophecy, being himself one of the Jews left , behind, presents and commends to his countrymen in Palestine, as their deliverers and sanctifiers. Some of the principal arguments against this perfectly strange idea, are the following : 1. The supposition, that only the best and most distinguished were deported, is contradicted by the passage in Ezek. xx. 38, where it is said, that the re- bellious and faithless should be singled out by Jehovah and carried away. Also by the passage in Jer. xxxix. 9, 10, where it is said, that only a mass of the lowest people was left behind. Indeed, it was among the distinguished, and the nobles, that the corruption was peculiarly great, as appears from the animadversions of the prophets ; and hence they, in a special manner, were subjected to punishment. Compare 2 Chron. xxxvi. 14, sq. 2. The Israehtes who were left in Palestine, fled to Egypt; Jer. xliii. 4 — 8 ; xliv. 1, 2. 2 Kings xxv. '26. Consequently, no settled inhabitants remained in the country. Palestine became a wild land of nomades. There no where occurs even a single word to intimate, that the returning exiles found any part of the earlier inhabitants still in the country. These arguments are so cogent, that we scarcely need further to call attention to the fact, that this hy- pothesis can be carried out only by many distortions of the text, that it erroneously'- presupposes the pas- sage not to have been written b}' Isaiah, etc. etc. III. We come now to the last hypothesis which we 324 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13. LIII. are to notice, viz. to the opinion of those who regard the collective body of the prophets as the subject of the prophec}^, and suppose that this contains as it were an apotheosis of the prophetic order. The prophets, who, before the exile, had already to encounter much suffering, were exposed during the exile to still greater contempt and derision ; to which may be further added contempt and derision on the part of the heathen. Hence we may explain, it is said, the apology of the prophetic order for themselves, on the one hand ; and, on the other, the origin of hopes so splendid and enthusiastic, as we find here and in the parallel pas- sages, c. xlii. etc.^ — Against this hypothesis we remark as follows : 1. The assumption of such a personification of the prophetic order rests upon arguments which prove nothing. This will appear from an examination of tJie passages to w^iich its defenders appeal. The first is c. xliv. 26, where Jehovah says *)^^ 0^pi2 \2'h^^_ lOK^D nVVl illV' " I am he that con- firms the word of his servant, and fulfils the prophecy of his messengers." Here the parallel VDJ^^/tD de- T T ; - notes, it is said, that ^^y stands collectively. But there is here no ground whatever for supposing that the parallelism is synonymous, and not rather a syn- thetic one. Indeed the latter is rendered much more probable, by the second member of the verse : " Who says of Jerusalem, it shall be inhabited ; of the cities of Judah, they shall again be built up;'' where Jeru- ' Compare GeseniuSj 1. c. p. 11, 12. NON-MESSlANlC INTERPRETATION'S. 325 salem and the cities of Judah in like manner do not form a synonymous, but a synthetic parallelism.*^ By the expression, servant of Jehovah, we are here to understand Isaiah himself, as in c. xx. 3. What he says in the first member with respect to himself, he says in the second with reference to all the prophets of the true God. — The second passage, which is alleged only by De Wette, and is passed over by Gesenius as not affording decisive proof, is c. lix. 21. " And 1 make this covenant with them, saith the Lord ; my Spirit which is upon thee, and my words which I have put into thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from hence- forth and for ever." This is said to be equivalent to the following : " The communications which thou hast made under the inspiration of my Spirit, shall be repeated by all the prophets of later times, Mho are, as it were, the sons of that prophet."'' Admitting even that this explanation is correct, still the passage would not even then prove a personification of the prophetic order. But Rosenmiiller, after the ex- ample of the best interpreters, very justly remarks:^ ^ Compare Moller, De Authentia Or. Jes. c. 40 — 66, p. 184. ^ " Quae tu spiritus mei afflatu protulisti, ea ab omnibus seriorum temporum prophetis, qui sunt quasi filii illius pro- phetae, repetentur." ^ " Xon prophetam, ut HieronjTnus et alii existimarunt, alloquitur, sed populum Hebraeum, uti et verba praemissa et quae sequuntur clarissime ostendunt. Est autem hie persona- rum enallage, quum enim in tertia plur. persona {DmK) loqui coepisset vates, pergit in persona secunda singularisj oratione ad populum ipsum directa." Cf. c. xxxii. 2. 326 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13. — LIIl. " He does not here address the prophet, as Jerome and others have supposed, but the Hebrew people ; as also the preceding and following words most clear- ly show. There is here an enallage of persons ; the prophet begins to speak of the people in the third person plural (Dm^^) i t)"t proceeds in the second person singular, directing his discourse to the people." All the preceding and following promises refer to the wliole community ; and it would be a singular transla- tion, if the prophet first announced a covenant to be made with this communit}^, and then, in assigning its object, passed suddenly to the mercies that would ac- crue, not to the people, but to the prophetic order. — Upon the third passage, c. liii. 6, we need not dwell, since it has already been refuted by the proof derived from the terra 'if^/-^ T But the hypothesis of a personification of the pro- phetic order, is not merely incapable of proof; it is also wholly destitute of probability. It depends upon the entirely false supposition, that the prophets formed a sort of close corporation or guild. They differed from the priests by the very circumstance, that the latter constituted a separate order which al- ways supplied its own members ; whereas the ap- pointment to the prophetic oflSce depended solely upon the will of Jehovah, and every prophet stood in a certain relation to him, and not to the other prophets. Thus the argument which was adduced against the hypothesis of the whole Jewish people under No. 1, (p. 309 above,) applies to the advocates ^ See above, p. 25G — 259. NON-MESSIANIC INTERPRETATIONS. 327 oPthe present interpretation in a still higher degree. The defenders of the former hypothesis can indeed appeal to passages where the Jewish people appear as an individual ; but these latter cannot with justice appeal to a single passage, where the prophets are thus represented. 2. But this opinion appears most untenable, if we take the position of its defenders, and deny the ge- nuineness of the second part of Isaiah. Immediately after the Babylonish exile, the prophetic ofRce ceases; Jewish tradition, with one voice, represents Haggai, Zochariah, and Malachi, as the last prophets, and reckons prophecy among those things which were wanting to the second temple. The further com- munication of the prophetic spirit was awaited only in a future period. All the Jewish chronologists as- sume the cessation of the prophetic office as a chro- nological epoch, and begin with it a new era ; as is done in 1 Mace. ix. 27 ; comp. 1 Mace. iv. 46 ; xiv. 41.^ Now, even leaving entirely out of view the true idea of a prophet, it is difficult to conceive how the prophet could here speak of a great corporation of the prophets, while there were but few prophets in existence, and these, in respect to the power, the abundance, and the purity of the spirit, so far infe- rior to the more ancient prophets. It can also ^ Numerous passages fi-om the Talmud and from other Jewish writers are collected in Knibbe's Ilistorie der Prophe- ten, ubers. von Freytag, Bern, 1709, p. 347, sq. and in J. Smuth's Dissertatio de Propketia et Propheiis, c. 12 ; reprinted at the end of Clerici Comm. in Proph. Amst. 1731, fol. p. XXVI. 328 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LI!. 13. LIII. hardly be conceived, how the prophet could indulge the enthusiastic hope, that they whose standing had already sunk so low among the people before the exile, should hereafter arrive at such glory, should spread the true religion over the whole earth, and even, as the defenders of this hypothesis maintain, should live to enjoy a worldly triumph. 3. Of the arguments which have been exhibited above against the interpretation with respect to the whole people, those adduced under Nos. 2 and 4, (p. 310, 320) apply also to this. We find no ex- ample to show, that the prophets voluntarily devoted themselves for others, in the hope of delivering them from sin by their own sufferings. On the contrary, when sufferings are inflicted upon them, they always declare that a severe punishment from God will fall upon the authors of these sufferings. Comp. e. g. Jer. XX. 12. That the prophets were very far from regarding themselves as entirely free from sin and guilt, we have already seen. 4. The servant of Jehovah can here be no other than he who forms the subject of the parallel pro- phecies, c. xlii. etc. In these there occur still other things, which can in no way be referred to the pro- phetic order. Thus in c. xlix. 3, the servant of God is said to be Israel, — a difficulty which Gesenius knows not how to remove otherwise, than by de- claring, contrary to the authority of the manuscripts and versions, the word Israel to be spurious. 5. The prophet regards himself as distinct from the servant of God, and puts himself in opposition to him, ver. 2, sq. He includes himself with the people. NON-MESSIANIC INTERPRETATIONS. 329 How could now the prophet say, that he took part in despising the prophetic order, that he endured his sufferings for himself, regarded himself as one smit- ten of God, etc ? Gesenius appeals^ to c. lix. 9 — 13, where the prophet reckons himself with the people, and calls their sins his own. So also c. xlii. 24 This however, is a different case. The prophet, like every other member of the nation, had a real part in their sins ; comp. Dan. ix. 5, sq. But how could he take a part in despising his own order ? how could the vi- carious sufferings, in which he himself participated, be borne for him ? 6. The sufferings which the prophets endured in exile, were the same as those which the people en- dured. The example of Jeremiah proves, that the prophets were in no wise peculiarly oppressed by the heathen. Nebuchadnezzar, after the conquest of the city, showed him great attention, and left him free to choose the place of his residence. Comp. Jer. xxxix. 11, sq. How then could the people despise them? how could they regard them as smitten of God ? 7. The sufferings of the prophets could not be re- garded as substituted for the sufferings of the wicked part of the people ; for the latter suffered as well as the former. 8. The prophets, according to this hypothesis, in- dulge the hope, that they should become the rulers of the restored and flourishing state, and should cele- brate worldly triumphs. Aside from the folly of this hope, it would have been contrary to the very desti- =» L. c. p. 159. 330 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13. — LIII, nation of the prophetic order. The government in the theocracy was, by divine appointment, for ever assigned to the posterity of David. The prophets, then, by usurping it, M'ould have rebelled against the God vi'hose rights they were appointed to defend. The prophets were extraordinary messengers of God, the invisible head of the theocracy ; they were called to teach, to reprove, to warn, and to console ; they were messengers of peace and righteousness to a rebellious people. That they ever remained true to this destiiiation, is shown by the whole Israelitish history. 9. But if we take what is said of the servant of God figuratively, as indeed it must be taken ; and find in the passage, not worldly, but spiritual triumphs ; still, what is said would not even then apply to the prophetic order. It would be contrary to the analogy of all the other prophecies respecting the conversion of the heathen, were the prophets here to ascribe this work to themselves. We no- where fin 1 an example to show, that the prophets mistook their destination to act only upon the cove- nant people ; there is no where mention of any at- tempt made by them, to extend their sphere of action to the heathen also. They never attribute to them- selves the accomplishment of the high hopes which they had with respect to the future ; but always to the Messiah alone. Indeed, they are so little influ- enced by prejudices in behalf of their own order, they give themselves up so entirely to the guidance of the Holy Sj.nrit, as even repeatedly to declare, that in the times of the Messiah the nece^^sity for tlie KON-MESSIANIC INTERPRETATIONS. 331 prophetic office will entirely cease, because all will then be immediately taught of God. Compare e. g. Joel chap. iii. ; Isa. liv. 13; lix. 21; iv. 3; xi. 9; Ezek. xi. 19; xxxvi. 27 ; Jer. xxxi. 33. 10. It is an unnatural supposition of these inter- preters, that the death and burial refer to one part of the prophetic order ; the exaltation, on the con- trary, to the survivors ; while yet it is obviously one and the same subject, who suffers, dies, and is ex- alted. Thus, then, the interpretation which rests upon the infallible testimony of the New Testament, is proved, by the weight of internal and external evidence, to be the correct one, in opposition to all those who reject that testimony. If now the ground which has pro- duced these devious expositions, be once removed ; there will then be as little occasion for a detailed refu- tation of them, as there now is, that the interpreter should still notice the perverse interpretations of the Socinians. We conclude with the words of Storr ^ " Let others deride so great a king ; he with more ^ " Rideant alii tantum regeni, ridet ille majori jure ho- munciones, quos sibi, si et hoc vaticinium et alia multa veritatis argumenta serio meditari pertinaciter noKnt, nihilo secius, at conterendos, datos esse noyit (Ps. ii.) Utinam ii saltern, qui semen Christi salutari volunt, in rectam viam se reduci et peccato, quod cum summa patientia dudum Christus portavit, liberari paterentur, sicque justitiae viv^ere, vestigiis domini in- sistere et doctrinae ejus eiRcaciam, quam midti jam experti sunt, siio quoque exemplo docere discerent." 332 INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH LII. 13 Lll. justice, derides the insignificant men, whom he knows to be given to himself to be broken in pieces, if they obstinately refuse to regard this prophecy, and other numerous evidences of the truth, (Ps. ii.) O that those, at least, who wish to be called the seed of Christ, would suffer themselves to be brought back into the right way, and to be delivered from those sins, which Christ, with the severest suffering, has long since born ; arid would thus learn to live unto righteousness, to walk in the steps of the Lord, and thus teach, by their example also, the efficacy of his doctrine, which many have already experienced." FINIS. .T. THOMSON, r-fllNTKR, MjC.NE SQUAR'E. Princeton Theological Seminary-Speer Library 1 1012 145 3661