.Y^ILE«¥MU¥EIESIir¥«

DIVINITY SCHOOL
TROWBRIDGE LIBRARY

CLABK'S

FOREIGN

THEOLOGICAL LIBRARY.

THIED SEEIES.
VOL. VI

fraptaikerj/s Cmrararateg rra (Bczlmmstm, tk.

EDIJSTBUEGH:
T. & T. CLAEK, 38 GEOEGE STEEET.
LONDON J J. GLADDING; WABD AND CO. ; AND JACKSON AND WALFOBD.
DUBLIN : JOHN EOBEETSON.

MDCCCLX.

COMMENTARY

ECCLESIASTES,

WITH OTHER TREATISES.

BY E. W. HENGSTENBERG, D.D.
PROFESSOR OF THEOLOGY, BERLIN. ,

TRANSLATED FKOM THE GERMAN

By D. W. SIMON".

EDINBURGH:
T. & T. CLAEK, 38 GEOEGE STEEET
LONDON: HAMILTON, ADAMS, & CO. DUBLIN: JOHN ROBERTSON^.

MDCCCLX.

CONTENTS.

Pagb
commentary on ecclesiastes  1-268
prolegomena to the song oe solomon, y . . 269-305
the book oe job,  . 307-339
the prophet isaiah,  341-365
the sacrifices of holy scripture, .... 367-409
the jews and the christian church, . . . 411-478
indexes- index I. Hebrew Words Explained, ... . . 479
Index n. Passages op Sckiptube Explained and Illustrated, . 480
Index III. Principal Subjects tbeated op, ob incidentally
discussed,  482

INTRODUCTION.

It is of great importance accurately to determine the circum
stances of the time at which this Book was written. In this
way, not only will a sure foundation be laid for investigations
respecting its authorship, but a point be secured from which
we may start in endeavouring to unfold its meaning. For
this latter purpose the inquiry is a specially pertinent one,
inasmuch as the book evidently, in the first instance, took its
occasion from passing events, was addressed to a particular
generation of men, and intended for their admonition and
comfort. The Author has studiously maintained a certain tone of
reserve in respect of the circumstances of his time ; and of
design rather glanced at them, than entered into details. This
explains why so many false views have been entertained of
the situation of affairs, to the great prejudice of the interpre
tation and practical application of the book. He had two
reasons for restricting himself to bare allusions to the events
of his time. In the first place, he felt that though writing
primarily for his own generation, his book was destined to
form part of the Canonical Scriptures, and, consequently, to be
of service to the Church of God in all ages. This conscious
ness he gives express utterance to in chap. xii. 1 1 : "The words
of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters
of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd." This being
the case, the writer would naturally endeavour to give pro
minence to that which was general and eternal in its character,
over that which was special and temporaiy, only lightly glanc
ing at the latter, in order that his teachings might be easier
of universal application. The Psalms were generally composed
on the same principle. Though connected with, and owing

Z INTRODUCTION.
their origin to certain historical events, as a general rule they
allude so sparingly and gently to actual occurrences, that a
microscopical investigation is required to bring them out with
any degree of clearness, precision and fulness. A second reason
for his reticence is expressly assigned by the Author himself
in chap. x. 20 : " Curse not the king, no not in thy thought :
and curse not the rich in thy bed-chamber : for a bird of the
air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall carry
the matter.'' According to this, it would seem to have been
dangerous for the Hebrews to use plain language concerning
things, because of the numerous spies and informers employed
by their tyrannical heathen rulers. Despite this reserve, how
ever, by gathering up and combining scattered traits we may
form a tolerably accurate and complete picture of the period
to which the book of Ecclesiastes owes its origin. ,
First of all, let us bring into view the detached and frag
mentary hints which the work itself gives relative to the ex
ternal circumstances of the people of God at the time of its
composition. Evidently they were in a state of deep misery, and had
fallen a prey to vanity ; for in chap. i. 2-11, the writer holds
up to the view of his nation the worthlessness of this entire
earthly existence, intending thus to bring his fellow-country
men to regard the wretched lot under which they were
groaning in a more favourable light. If misery is the destined
portion of man, if man is born to evil, as it is said in Job v.
7, it surely cannot be of great consequence whether his lot be
a shade brighter or a shade darker. For one whose sufferings
are peculiarly severe, there is sweet consolation in the thought,
that to a certain extent, or rather, that in all the essential
characteristics of his condition, all men are his associates. If
all is vanity, why need we vex ourselves so much about having
a handful or so more of it \
This was a time when all the splendour of the age of
Solomon had passed away : for, from chap. i. 1 2, to the end
of chap, ii., the writer labours to show that that also was
vanity, hoping thus to console and tranquillise under their
loss, the minds of those who were consuming themselves with
looking back upon, and yearning for bygone glories. Van
ished also was the radiant wisdom pf the generation of Solo-

INTRODUCTION. 3
mon ; for in chap. i. 1 2-1 8, those are cheered who were
bewailing the past : vanished, according to chap, ii., were its
great works and projects, its rich possessions, its brilliant
relations, its glorious and joyous life, for the author takes the
greatest pains to show that it was all " vanity and vexation
of spirit," to the end, that the people might feel less keenly its
present lack of wealth and enjoyment.
From chap. iii. 1-1 5, we learn that for Israel there had begun
a time of death, of the uprooting of what was planted, of the
breaking down of what was built up, of mourning, a time when
God had gone far away from them and withdrawn His help
and grace. The nation was persecuted, was being tried in
the furnace of affliction, was under the dominion of heathen
rulers. Chap. iv. 1 -3, teaches us that the earth was then a scene of
injustice and of violence : the times were such as to force on
men's minds the thought that it is better to die than to live,
nay more, that it had been best never to have been born. In
chap. iv. 4-6, the writer seeks to console his miserable fellow-
countrymen by the consideration that, at all events, they have
not to bear the heavy burden of envy. This consolation im
plies of course, that they were in anything but an enviable
condition. According to chap. iv. 7-1 2, Israel was then a poor
people in contrast with their rich heathen tyrants. The ob
ject of the author in pointing this out was to lead. his nation
to form a just estimate of that wliich the heathen possessed,
and of which they were destitute, to counteract the envy of
the riches of the world to which their own circumstances ren
dered them so liable. From the 7th to the 12th verse, he
consoles the people in their beggary for the loss of their pos
sessions ; from the 13th to the 16th verse, in their bondage
for their loss of liberty.
The heathen tyranny under which the people of God lay
groaning, constitutes the point of departure for chap. v. 7-8.
According to ver. 7, the Inheritance of the Lord, destined
originally to universal dominion, but now degraded to the rank
of a mere province, was the scene of oppression of the poor
and of perversion of justice and judgment.
In chap. v. 9-1 9, and chap, vi., the nation, sighing beneath
the extortions of the Gentiles, is again comforted for the loss

4 INTRODUCTION.
of earthly good ; the rich man represents the Gentile, the poor
man Israel.
According to chap. vii. Israel was then in the house of
mourning, the heathen, on the contrary, sat in the house of
feasting (ver. 2), in the house of mirth (ver. 4), had the upper
hand, and were floating on a sea of pleasures and delights (ver.
5). The times were such as to incline men strongly to deem
the day of death better than the day of birth (ver. 1). These
were times when men asked, " What is the cause that the
former days were better than these V (ver. 1 0) — when Israel
was compelled to listen to the rebukes of the wise, who took
occasion from their misery to reproach them for their sins
(ver. 5) — when the temptation to cherish a bitter and discon
tented spirit lay especially near (ver. 9) — when there was
abundant opportunity of exercising the virtue of patience
(ver. 8) — when no signs were discernible of the victory over
the world promised to the Church of God, but in that respect
it was left entirely to faith and hope (ver. 6, 8). According
to verses 11, 12, Israel was then without possessions, and had
fallen into the hands of death. Every other portion which
should belong, and once had belonged to the people of God,
was now taken away, and it was reduced to the one inherit
ance of the wisdom coming from above — an inheritance, how
ever, the author teaches, which must bring all other bless
ings in its train, inasmuch as it was itself the good of chief
value at that time. In verses 19 and 20, also, power is
represented as being entirely on the side of the heathen, whilst
to Israel there remained only its inalienable prerogative and
birthright of wisdom. Verses 15-18 complain that Israel
is unfortunate, despite its righteousness, and that, on the con
trary, the heathens, or the heathen tyrants, are fortunate,
notwithstanding their wickedness. According to verses 21
and 2 2 Israel was forced to listen without reply to the curses
and slanders heaped upon them by the Gentiles ; and those
held the upper hand who, of right, and by God's ordination,
should have been the bondsmen of the nation which, from its
very commencement, was exalted to the throne of the world.
From chap. viii. 9 we learn that it was a time when " one
man ruled over other men to their hurt" — when the wicked
had in their possession Jerusalem, "the place of the holy"

INTRODUCTION. 5
(ver. 1 0) — when this state of things had already lasted long
(ver. 1 2) — when the earnestly expected decree of their heavenly
king against the usurpers had been long delayed (ver. 11).
(Throughout the entire book no other king than the heavenly
one is spoken of as their own ; and it is a very characteristic
feature that He is without hesitation designated " ihe king"
(viii. 2). Everywhere the Gentiles are introduced as holding
external earthly rule over the people of God.)
The commencement of chap. ix. gives us to understand
that the present position of affairs proved a serious stumbling-
block in the way of faith, and caused men to err in respect
to God and the righteousness of His rule in the earth, as they
saw how the lot of the righteous was interwoven and con
founded with the lot of the wicked. So truly hopeless and
forlorn did the condition of the covenanted people appear to
those who looked on it with eyes of flesh alone that they
were in danger of utterly despairing. Whilst in other and hap
pier days the men of God regarded it as their bounden duty
to counteract frivolity, and to draw attention to the earnestness
of life, the author of this work strives, on the contrary, with all
diligence to impress on his readers the lesson, " Eat thy bread
with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart" (ix. 7) —
a plain proof that his generation was ih great danger of yield
ing to a gloomy and discontented spirit, and that their Hfe
was threatened with the loss of all that made it desirable and
joyful. The desperate nature of their circumstances is clear
also from the earnestness with which the writer warns them
against listless inactivity (ix. 10 ; xi. 4-6). Sluggish hands
are to be found wherever men's circumstances seem hopelessly
bad^; see Isa. xiii. 7 ; xxxv. 3 ; Ezek. vii. 1 7 ; Job. iv. 3.
Characteristic of the posture of affairs are the words of
chap. x. 6, 7 : " Folly (which is everywhere set forth in the
book as the soul of Heathendom) has been set on great heights,
and the rich (i.e., those who, according to God's word and pro
mise, should be rich) sit in a low place. I saw servants (i.e.,
those who by right, and by God's law, ought to be servants)
on horses, and princes (i.e., members of the nation whose
vocation it is to rule over the world, Exod. xix. 6), walking
on foot like servants." The condition of the power which
then ruled the world is depicted in chap. x. 11-20. It pre-

6 INTRODUCTION.
sented a spectacle at once of wickedness and folly (iv; 11-15);
the king and his nobles had surrendered themselves to rioting
and drunkenness (iv. 16, 17); nowhere had morality any
hold ; rottenness, wantonness, and gold prevailed everywhere,
consequently ruin was inevitable. '
Now, the picture thus drawn corresponds to no period but
that when the Persians held dominion over the people of God.
During the time embraced by the canonical books of the Old
Testament, this was the only power to whose tyranny the
people of God was subjected in its own land, the temple at
the same time standing, and the worship thereof being kept
up (compare chap. v. 17).
The time of the Persian rule corresponds to the descrip
tions given in this book, not only as respects the external,
but also as respects the internal condition of the people. Con
siderable importance must be attached to the fact, that idola
try, the temptation to which had beset the nation so strongly
from the days of Solomon to the Babylonish exile, never
appears in the delineation of internal evils. During the resi
dence in Babylon false gods seem to have lost their attrac
tions for Israel. On the other hand, however, we find them
assailed by enemies and dangers which, from other sources, we
know to have been peculiar to the time which succeeded the
exile. Malachi, the last of the prophets, delivered his pro
phecy during the Persian dominion, and in particular during
the reign of Artaxerxes, and his warnings and attacks are
directed to the same evils as those set forth in this book
Israel's temptation, then, was to Pharisaism — to a resting
contented with a hollow righteousness which sought to sup
ply the lack of living fear of God and spiritual devotion by
beggarly outward works, sacrifices (iv. 17), long prayers, and
the hke. We encounter here, as in Malachi, that moroseness
which ever accompanies unspiritual religion and soulless mo
rahty, when the expectations on which they were based prove
to be a delusion, and when painful experience teaches the
lesson that godliness is not an affair of gain. Covetousness
also is here, which can only be uprooted in a soul that rises
steadily and truly towards God, and which a Pharisaical piety,
instead of destroying, stimulates and fosters. • By this sin
men are especially tempted, in times of distress ; then we fall

INTRODUCTION. 7
very easily into a habit of scratching and scraping for gain
Finally, in chap. viii. 11, our attention is drawn to the exist
ence of a power tempting men to utter apostacy from God
and law, to transgress into the way of the wicked ; and from
this also we should judge the period to have been one of
heavy misfortune.
If such were the external and internal circumstances of the
people of God, the idea cannot for a moment be entertained
that the book dates from the time of Solomon, and that he
was himself the author. For a long time this opinion pre
vailed both in the Jewish and Christian Church. The true
mterpretation of the work thus suffered serious detriment,
for its practical significance depends in great measure on
our clearly and distinctly understanding the historical cir
cumstances to which it owed its origin, and in adaptation to
which it was written. The first step towards the overthrow of
this prejudice was taken by the Chaldee Paraphrast. It is
true, he. holds to the opinion that Solomon was its author,
but at the same time supposes that through the spirit of pro
phecy he was transported to, and described the time when,
Jerusalem was destroyed and the nation was carried away
into exile* We may remark also in passing, that those who
start with the groundless prejudice that David composed all
the Psalms, resort to a similar mode of explanation in regard
to several whose contents it is plainly impossible to under
stand from the events and circumstances of that particular
period. To Grotius belongs the merit of having first clearly
recognised the invalidity of the opinion that Solomon wrote this
bookt He failed, however, to enter into a closer discussion
of the main argument for his view, namely, the hints given
by the book itself regarding the historical circumstances in
the midst of which it was composed. The only ground urged
by him was the character of the style and language, which
indicated a later period. But he erroneously maintained that
* He gives the following pharaphrase of chap. i. 2 : Cum videret Salomo
rex Israel per spiritum propheticum, regnum Roboam filii sui divisum iri cum
Jeroboam, filio Nebat, Jerusalem etiam domumque sanetuarii destructum iri, et
populum filiorum Israel exulaturum, dixit in verbo suo, " vanitas," &c.
f Ego tamen Salomonis non esse puto, sed scriptum serius, sub illius regis
tanquam poenitentia ducti nomine. Argumenta ejus rei habeo multa vocabula
quae non alibi quam in Daniele, Esdra et Chaldseis interpretibus reperias.

8 INTRODUCTION.
it was written under the name of Solomon as the Penitent.
In this respect he followed too closely, in the footsteps of the
older commentators of the Church, who looked upon Ecclesiastes
as the fruit of Solomons repentance. Grotius found an ad
herent of his view in the marvellous Hermann, v.d. Hardt
(de libro Coheleth, 1716), who, however, was quite incom
petent to bring convincing evidence of the correctness of his
opinion. Both these men were justly a scandal to the theo
logy of the Church, and, in respect of this question as well as
of others it has maintained an attitude of coolness towards
them. The Church should take shame to itself for having
left Rationalism to make good the truth as to the composition
of this book, especially as its very commencement is decidedly
against the prevalent prejudice ; to its honour, however, be it
said that on its revival it gave willing ear to the truth, and
since then only a few isolated and unimportant attempts have
been made to return to the lower position. In the present
work, by more carefully examining the historical relations of
the book, we have endeavoured to lay a firmer foundation for
the more correct view, and hope thus to render impossible a
revival of the old prejudice.
The only argument which is urged with any force in favour
of the authorship by Solomon, is the one drawn from the fact
that he is named as the author in the title, and is intro
duced as speaking in the work. The nullity of this argument
we shall endeavour to show at chap. i. I. We shall prove
that Solomon is not only not the direct author of the book,
but that it does not even profess to be by him, that, on the
contrary, the very first words indicate him not to have writ
ten it.
Evidence against the authorship of Solomon has been im
properly drawn from chap. i. 12-16, ii. 7, where it is said
that the fictitious character of the work is for the moment
thrown aside ; see the remarks on the passage. On the other
hand, it is inconsistent with the composition of the book by
Solomon that he is represented in tphap. ii. 3, 9, as prosecut
ing his search after sensual enjoyments, possessions, and
renown, in the manner of a philosophical experimenter. Solo
mon is evidently here introduced, not in his actual historical
character, but as an ideal person, as the ideal of wisdom.

INTRODUCTION. 9
The tacit allusion in chap. ii. 1 2, 1 8, 1 9, to Solomon's evil
successor, would lead also to the conclusion we are advocating.
Besides, the author, in designating himself "a wise man"
(chap. xii. 9), gives up any pretence of being personaUy iden
tical with Solomon.
Hand in hand with the evidence against Solomon drawn
from the historical circumstances of the work, goes that which
is derived from peculiarities of style and language. These
are undeniably not those of the time of Solomon, but of the
later post-exile period, as we shall show in specific instances in
our commentary. Compare, for example, our observations on
mjn and jpjn, chap. i. 14; |d pn, in the sense of " be
sides" chap. ii. 25 ; on rWD, chap. v. 7 ; on mm by, in the
sense of " in order that," chap. vii. 1 4 ; on "ib>S, chap. viii. 1 ;
on pD^, chap. vii. 4 ; on pa, chap. viii. 10; on nana,
chap. viii. 11 ; on fDU, chap. x. 8 ; on jno, chap. x. 20;
and on btS2, chap. xii. 3.
Finally, the position the book occupies in the Canon is a
proof that Solomon was not its author— it stands, namely,
separated from the writings of that period, and is placed after
the "Book of the Lamentations" of Jeremiah, with which
last of all the poetical books it is directly associated. It
comes also immediately before those writings whose history
and prophecy find their explanation in the circumstances of
the time succeeding the exile. Had the collectors of the
canonical books regarded this as the work of Solomon they
would certainly not have given it a place between " Lamen
tations " and " Esther." For remarks on the arrangement of
the third part of the Canon and the Hagiographa, see the
" Christology of the Old Testament," pt. iii.
If we may consider it proved that the book originated
within the period of the Persian dominion, our next duty is
to examine whether we can determine more exactly the
precise date of its composition. In doing this we must be
principally guided by the fact that the nation which held
the supremacy is represented as deeply deteriorated, as having
fallen a prey to folly (chap. x. 1), as demoralised by the exer
cise of despotic power (chap. vii. 7), as sunk in sloth, luxury,
debauchery, and mammonism, and as everywhere exhibiting
symptoms of the speedy downfall of the entire edifice of the

] 0 INTRODUCTION.
state (chap. x. 18-19, vii. 1 - 6). These representations do not
permit us to think of the time of Cyrus, but at the same time
do not necessitate us to look beyond Xerxes, during whose
reign internal corruption and external decay had made the
mightiest advances. In these historical circumstances we find
then a significant point d'appui for the conviction running
through the entire book, that a terrible catastrophe was
shortly to befal the Persian empire. From looking beyond
the period of Xerxes and Artaxerxes we are prevented by
the consideration that then the collection of the canonical
scriptures was finally completed ; and no book or part of a
book can be shown to have had a later origin. Another circum
stance also leads us to fix on this time, namely, that this
book has strong points of affinity with other productions
which then appeared, especially with the prophecies of Malachi,
who flourished during the reign of Artaxerxes. The pecuhar
resemblance between Ecclesiastes v. 5, and Malachi ii. 7, is
in itself startling. But of much more decided importance is
their agreement in reference to the inner condition of the
people. Both writers draw attention to the superficial and
external spirit, the self-righteousness, and to the germs of
Pharisaism which were then in operation, so that in this
respect no two others stand so nearly related to each other as
these.' With the remarks we have made in reference to
Ecclesiastes compare our observations on Malachi in the
" Christology," part iii., which are to the following effect :
" Immediately after the reproaches uttered by the Prophet
follows regularly an inquiry on the part of those who are
upbraided as to how they have merited such treatment : and
then comes the Prophet's further and fuller exposition. To
regard punishment in this light is essentially the tendency of
that Pelagian blindness which knows neither God nor itself
No better delineation of the constancy with which this ten
dency remains true to itself could be given than that which
is afforded by the repetition of the same question through
the whole book. Pharisaism, in its main features, was
already in existence when Malachi spoke. Consider only
the predominance of the priestly order, the total want of
deeper knowledge of the nature of sin and righteousness, the
boasting of external obedience to law, the thirst after judg-

INTRODUCTION. 1 1
ments on the heathen, who are alone regarded as the object
of divine retribution, and, lastly, the murmurs against God,
and the truth of our remarks will be apparent." The words,
"Be not righteous overmuch" (chap. vii. 16), find their
proper comment in Malachi iii. 7, where the people are re
presented as replying to the summons, " Return to the Lord,"
and saying, " Wherein shall we return ? "' on which Abar
banel remarks — i/mpudenter dicitis acsi nesciatis peccatum
aut iniquitatem. In Malachi the people consider themselves
clear as to their own performances, it is only God who is
behind-hand in His. To the reproach (chap. v. 3-5) regard
ing the bad fulfilment of vows — a thing perfectly natural in
such a condition, seeing that a dead orthodoxy can never
overcome a living selfishness — corresponds what Malachi says
chap i. 8. "And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not
evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil?"
i. 1 4, also, " Cursed be the deceiver which hath in his flock
a male, and when he hath a vow sacrificeth unto the Lord a
corrupt thing." Moroseness and discontent with the arrange
ments of God's providence we encounter in Malachi ii. 17,
" You weary the Lord with your words : yet ye say, wherein
do we weary Him? In that you say, — every one that
doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord and He delighteth
in them ; or, where is the God of judgment V How strong
a hold avarice had taken of their souls is clear from Malachi
iii. 8, where they are accused of having cheated God in the
matter of tithes and offerings. Finally, with the unfavour
able picture of the internal condition of the nation drawn
from the book of Ecclesiastes accords perfectly the super
scription to the prophecies of Malachi — " This is the burden
which the Lord utters against Israel by Malachi :" a super
scription which would not be at all appropriate to those of
Haggai and Zechariah, the immediate predecessors of Malachi
In equal accordance also is the circumstance that Malachi so
emphatically announces the approaching judgment.
Ewald has advanced a twofold argument against assigning
the composition of this book to the time of Ezra and Nehe
miah, and in favour of, " the last century of the Persian
dominion." The first is, that the writer complains, " in an
entirely new and unheard of manner, of an excess of book-

1 2 INTRODUCTION.
making and reading." It cannot, however, be shown, that a
difference in this respect existed between the last century and
the last but one of the Persian rule : and to a time subse
quent to this, it is by no means allowable to look. For fur
ther remarks, we refer to our comments on chap. xii. 1 2., The
second reason urged, is that " such harrowing pain, and des
perate cries of agony did not characterise the earher period of
the Persian rule." It must have become, Ewald thinks, in its
last years, more oppressive and violent. On this matter, how
ever, history furnishes no authentic information. Nor must
we allow ourselves to be led away by the special mention
made, in the canonical records of the time, of occasional
brighter spots in the history of the nation whilst subject to
the Persian yoke ; — -such as, for example, the permission given
by Cyrus to rebuild the Temple, and that accorded by Artax
erxes for the building of the wall of the city. It was rather
in accordance with the peculiar purpose of these books, to lay
stress on such things, in proof that the Jews were still the
chosen people, and that God's grace continued to watch over
them. If we keep in mind that what is said in chap. x. 20,
indicating that writers were obhged to maintain a certain
degree of reserve, holds true also of other works composed
during the time of the Persian dominion ; and if we carefully
gather up scattered hints, it will appear that the people were
from the commencement in an extremely oppressed position;
that they led a cramped existence, that deep sadness filled
all hearts, and that to sink themselves in God was the only
remedy against despair.
The characteristic tone of those "Pilgrim Songs," which
belong to the time immediately subsequent to the dehverance
from exile, to the years when the building of the Temple was
interrupted, is one of deep sadness, which has found consola
tion in God. In Psalm cxxiii. 3, 4, we read, " Have mercy
upon us, 0 Lord, have mercy upon us ; for we are exceedingly
filled with contempt. Our soul is exceedingly filled with the
scorning of those that are at ease, and with the contempt of
the proud." The proud and such as live in security, are no
other than their Persian tyrants. Again, in Psalm xxv. 3, we
read, " For the sceptre of wickedness shall not rest on the lot
of the righteous, lest the righteous put forth their hands unto

INTRODUCTION. 1 3
iniqiiity." The sceptre of wickedness is the Persian dominion,
which was so pertinacious and cruel in its outrages and pro
vocations, that the chosen people were sorely tempted to fall
into utter perplexity about God's dealings, to apostatise from
Him their Lord, and to become partakers in the wickedness
of the wicked. The very same temptation presents itself to
our notice in chap. viii. 1 1 of this book. In Psalm cxxvi. 5, 6,
it is said, " They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. They who
go forth weeping bearing the seed-train come again with re
joicing, bringing their sheaves with them." Those who sow in
tears are themselves. The present has only tears : joy belongs
to the future, to the region of hope. Finally, Psalm cxxx.
begins with the words, " Out of the depths do I cry unto thee,
0 Lord." Not without cause has the Church set this apart as
a funereal Psalm. It is the cry for help sent up by Israel
when encompassed with the bands of death.
The words of chap. vii. 7, "a gift destroyeth the heart,"
and of chap. x. 1 9, " Money answereth all things," find their
explanation and justification in chap. iv. 5 of the book of Ezra,
where the Persian officials are clearly charged with being open
to bribes ; — " and hired counsellors against them to frustrate
their purpose, all the days of Cyrus King of Persia, even until
the reign of Darius,"on which Michaelis remarks, " mercede
conducebant, qui pecunia a Cuthceis accepta auctoritate sua
effecerunt ne Judaeis nunc pergere liceret." And in chap. ix.
7, of the same book, the state of the Jews under their heath
enish oppressors, which still continued, is described as one of
extreme wretchedness : — " they were delivered over to spoil
and confusion of face ;" through the mission of Ezra they
received a httle hfe in their bondage. " We are bondsmen,"
it is said in ver. 9, " but our God has not forsaken us in our
bondage." According to Nehemiah i. 3, news is brought to Nehemiah
from Jerusalem, " that the remnant in the country are in
great affliction and reproach." What utter poverty was the
result of the oppressive tribute, from which, according to
Ezra vii. 24, only the Priests and Levites were exempt, is
plain from Nehemiah v. 4, where such as had been reduced to
personal bondage by the usurers, address Nehemiah in the
words, " We have borrowed money for the king's taxes on our

1 4 INTRODUCTION.
lands and vineyards ;" — their produce consequently was not
sufficient to pay the high imposts. In chap. v. 15, Nehemiah
relates that "the former governors who had been before him"
— who were without doubt Gentiles, for, as it appears, Seru-
babel and Nehemiah were the only Jews who had held that
office — " had been burdensome to the people, and had taken
from them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver,
(daily ;) their servants also had used violence towards the
people : but so did not I because of the fear of God." ivbw
Dyn by compare Ecclesiastes viii. 9, "a day when one man
exercises power over another to his hurt." In chap. v. 1 8,
Nehemiah says, "The bread of the governor have I not required,
because the service was heavy upon this people:" it was
already heavily enough burdened with the taxes which it had
to pay to its tyrant rulers. At the solemnization of the Feast
of Tabernacles under Nehemiah, we read (chap. viii. 9,) that
Ezra said to the people, " this day is holy to the Lord your
God : therefore mourn not, nor weep." For all the people, it
is observed, wept " when they heard the words of the law," —
words which had found such a sad fulfilment in their present
misery. The description given in Nehemiah ix. 36-37, is of
itself a sufficient proof that the circumstances alluded to in
Ecclesiastes are in no respect more sad and gloomy than those
of the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. There the existence of
the people appears to ,be entirely precarious : they have only
so much as is left them after the utterly lawless, unjust and
arbitrary exactions of their oppressors. Not only does the
produce of their lands stand at their disposal, but the cattle,
and even the men themselves must do service whenever their
heathen tyrants please to claim it : " and over our bodies do
they rule, and over our cattle, as they please, and. we are in
great distress." In consequence of their wretched condition,
rehgious indifference had gained ground amongst the people ;
the spirit of sacrifice had died out ; and the portion of the
Levites was not given to them, so that they fled, every man
to his own lands, and the house of God was forsaken, (Neh.
xiii. 1 0-1 1 ;) the Sabbath was in many ways desecrated (xiii.
15-22,) and an usurious disposition gained the upper -hand
amongst the people, in that every man believed himself forced
to care for himself, (chap, v.)

INTRODUCTION. 1 5
The Book of Esther presents a picture of the Persian Em
pire in a state of deep moral degradation, the direct result of
which was " oppression," (Eccles. vii. 7,) and violence. Every
thing was dependent on the humours of the king and his
great officers. All moral considerations were disregarded ; and
there was recognised no higher standard than the pleasure of
the king. The Book of Esther furnishes vouchers for the
complaints in Ecclesiastes of the drunkenness of the tyrants, of
the unbounded influence of money : Haman urged as a reason
for the destruction of the Jews, that it would bring ten
thousand talents of silver into the treasury.
The arguments brought forward by Ewald to prove that
this book was written towards the close of the Persian rule,
are thus shown to be untenable, unsound. On the other
hand, even Ewald himself is compelled to acknowledge that
"of all bibhcal books Malachi's prophecies bear the closest
resemblance to Ecclesiastes."
What are we to say now regarding the plan of the book,
which under such circumstances was meant to exercise an
influence on the people of God ? Herder has given the right
answer to this question. "Theologians," says he, "have
taken great pains to ascertain the plan of the book ; but the
best course is to make as free a use of it as one can, and for
such a purpose the individual parts will serve." A connected
and orderly argument, an elaborate arrangement of parts, is
as httle to be looked for here as in the special portion of the
Book of Proverbs which begins with chapter x., or as in the
alphabetical Psalms. Such matters of plan and connection
have been thrust into the book by interpreters who were
incapable of passing out of their own circle of ideas, as by
degrees became evident from the fact that no one of these
arrangements gained anything like general recognition, but
that on the contrary each remained the sole property of its
originator and of his slavish followers. Carpzov betrays a
narrow estimate of Inspiration when, in his " Introduction,"
he speaks of it as necessarily implying and producing the
" ordo concinnus." The same limitation of view is charge
able also upon certain more recent writers, who think that
a definite plan must be found in the book in order to save
the credit of the author. It is a part of the pecuUarity of

1 6 INTRODUCTION.
the book to have no such plan : and this characteristic greatly
conduces to the breadth of its views and the variety of its
modes of representation. The thread which connects all the
parts together is simply the pervading reference to the cir
cumstances and moods, the necessities and grievances of the
time. This it is that gives it unity : and its author sets a
good example to aU those who are called to address the men
of our own generation in that he never soars away into the
clouds, nor wastes his time in general reflections and com
mon-places, but keeps constantly in view the very Jews who
were then groaning under Persian tyranny, to whose sick souls
it was his first duty to administer the wholesome medicine
with which God had entrusted him : by ever fresh strokes
and features he depicts their condition to them, little by httle
he communicates the wisdom that is from above, and in the
varying turns of his discourse sets before them constantly
the most important and essentially saving truths. It is quite
misleading to represent the work as occupied with a single
narrow theme, as for example Knobel does when he says that
" the affirmation of the vanity of human life and human en
deavours forms the subject of the book." Such also is Ken's
mistake, who says (see Havernick's "Introduction,") "The
aim of the book is to teach how to enjoy life truly, that is,
how to realise in life that sohd pleasure of which content
ment and piety are constituent elements." A superficial
glance at its contents will amply show that they are of far
too rich and varied a nature to be comprehended under one
such single theme. And if we are determined that the book
shall have one leading topic, we must give it as wide and
general a scope as the author himself does in the words of
chap. xii. 1 3, " Fear God." To further the fear of God and
hfe in Him is the great purpose of the writer in all that he
advances : hence his assertion of the vanity of all earthly
things, for he alone can fully appreciate what a precious
treasure man has in God, who has learnt by living exper'.
ence the truth, " Vanity of vanities, all is vanity."
Let us now pass to a more careful examination of the con
tents of the book. Written in the midst of circumstances
such as have been just described, its tone is partly one of
consolation, and partly one of admonition and reproof, so that

INTRODUCTION. 1 7
in it may be discerned " the rebuke of the wise," (chap. vii. 5.)
Nor is it by accident that the author girds himself first of all
to the discharge of his office as a comforter, using therein all
diligence. His prime object was to turn the hearts of the
people again to God, for notwithstanding its great weaknesses
it was still God's heritage, and in its midst God had His
dwelling-place. Only when this end had been attained could
a hearing be gained for admonitions and reproofs. The people
had fallen into error regarding God and His ways, and this
was the real root of their moral corruption, — on this account
were the hearts of the children of men fully set to do evil,
(chap. viii. 11.)
The manner in which the author opens his mission of con
solation may at first sight strike us as somewhat singular:
from all sides there rose the complaint, " vanity of vanities," —
how evil are our times compared with earher ones, especially as
compared with the glorious days of Solomon ? Then the
writer breaks in with the proclamation, that the hfe of man is
altogether vanity, that this world is a vale of tears, that the
difference between happy and troublous times is much less
decided than it appears on a superficial examination, (chap. i.
2-11.) The cross is much easier to bear when it is seen to be
the universal destiny of man. From chap. i. 12, to the end
of chap, ii., Solomon, whom the writer introduces as the
speaker, shows from his own example and experience,, the
emptiness of everything earthly. He begins with wisdom.
This was one of the splendid possessions of the age of Solomon,
upon which the after-world looked back in astonished admira^
tion and with painful yearnings : and all the more earnestly,
because this had been imposing, even in the eyes of that Gen
tile world, beneath whose contempt and scorn they now sighed.
From wisdom, Solomon then turns to the possession and en
joyment of the good things of this world. Everywhere the
author discovers the hollo wness which lies concealed beneath
ghtter and show, the pain which is covered by the mask of
pleasure. In this way, he tears up envy and discontent by
the roots, and exhorts his fellow countrymen to seek elsewhere
their happiness, to draw it from those inexhaustible eternal
fountains, which even at that time were open to all who chose
to come. B

1 8 INTRODUCTION.
In other places also' the author offers to his unhappy con
temporaries the consolation which is derivable from a just
estimate of earthly possessions. He exhibits most earnestness
and keenness in unmasking the hoUowness of those riches for
the sake of which the Gentile world was an object of envy.
"Man's hfe consisteth not in the abundance of the things
which he possesseth," is the theme of which he treats in chap.
vi. 4 ; — " Riches expose to envy and involve in uneasiness"
is the text of chap. iv. 7-12, chap. v. 9-19, and of the whole
of chap. vi. Here are to be found the properly classical pas
sages of Holy Scripture, on which may be based a true esti
mate of riches. Nowhere else is the vanity of riches exposed
with such depth of penetration, with such fulness of detail,
with such caustic pungency. After laying bare the vanity of
riches, he proceeds to show the prevalence of folly and falsity
in the government of kingdoms, (chap. iv. 13-16.)
Hand in hand with the exposure of the vanity of what was
mourned as lost, attention is directed to sources of joy still
remaining open to the people of God, even in its poverty-
stricken state, and out of which it is bound thankfully to draw.
Life itself is a noble possession, (chap. xi. 7, 8 ;) and the godly
heart may still always find in it a multitude of lesser joys, of
which it is its duty, living only for the present moment, to
avail itself in freedom from care and covetousness, (chap. ii.
24 ; iii. 12, 22 ; viii. 15 ; xi. 9, 10.) Despite all their losses
in wealth and power, they may continue to " eat, drink and
be glad."
But that consolation which springs from setting a true value
on earthly happiness and earthly endowments is not sufficient
by itself. For on the one hand, however httle importance is
to be attached to earthly good in itself, God gave a pledge
to His people in the earliest days of its existence, that He
would never forsake nor neglect it, even as regards external
matters, and it must therefore give rise to doubts of God's
omnipotence and love if no evidence can be adduced of the
fulfilment of His promises. And, on the other hand, it was
not a question here merely of lower blessings and possessions.
The real sting of the grief was the prostrate position of the
people of God, the crying contradiction existing between its
inward idea and its outward manifestation, between -the word

INTRODUCTION. 1 9
of God and the realities around them. Koheleth must there
fore open up new fountains of comfort if his mission of con
solation is to be satisfactorily fulfilled.
In chap. iii. 1-15, he comforts the poor and wretched who
seek water and find it not, by directing their thoughts to the
all-superintending providence of God, "who maketh everything
beautiful in its time," who even in days of suffering has
thoughts of peace, from whom it behoves to accept everything
without reluctance because whatever He does is done well,
whose beneficent hand is upon us even when we fail to see it,
and who will at last bring all things to a glorious termination.
The writer exhorts men also in chap. vii. 13, 14, to commit
themselves to the fatherly care of God who proceeds ever on
the wisest method.
So repeatedly and emphaticaUy does the author refer to an
exaltation of Israel impending in the immediate future, to the
revelation of the retributive righteousness of God, to the change
of relative positions which their king was about to introduce
on a large scale, that we may regard it as one of the prominent
ideas of the book. In chap. hi. 16, 1 7, he expatiates on the
thought that so certainly as there is a righteous God in
Heaven, who watches over the maintenance of His laws and
order upon earth, so certainly must the disorder which charac
terised the tyrannies of heathendom come to an end, and Israel,
which, notwithstanding the false seed that had been mixed up
with it, was still God's people, the congregation of the
"righteous" and "upright," lift up its head amongst the nations.
In chap. v. 7, 8, he teaches that the heavenly King and Judge
will bring aU things again into order at the proper time.
According to chap. vii. 5-10, the prosperity of the world is
the precursor of impending destruction : the people of God
on the contrary wiU receive its best portion at the end, if it
only exercise patience and wait on the leadings of divine
providence. According to chap. viii. 5-8, and 9-13, God will
one day deliver His own, punish their oppressors, and no power
in the world will be able to interrupt the course of His judg
ments. According to chap. ix. 7-10, God takes pleasure in
the works of His own people, and therefore at the proper time
the now failing recompence will be effected. In chap. ix. 11,
1 2, we are reminded that sudden catastrophes very frequently

20 INTRODUCTION.
cast down to the ground that which had exalted itself. In
chap. x. 5-1 0,it is foretold that at some future day God wiU take
away the reproach which is offered by the humfliation of His
own people, and by the triumph of the world. Several pas
sages hint still more definitely at the imminent downfaU of
the Persian Empire : as for example, chap. vi. 2, where the'
stranger who wiU consume the wealth of the rich man, is the
successor of the Persian on the throne of the world ; and
chap. vi. 3, where the words " and he shall have no burial," set
before the Persians the prospect of a mighty and bloody over
throw ; and chap. vii. 6, where the prosperity of the Per
sians is compared to a fire of crackling thorns which blazes
violently up, but is quickly extinguished; and ver. 7, where
the demoralization of the Persians, a result of their exercise of
tyrannical power, is represented as the herald of their speedy
destruction. Of the same tendency are chap. x. 1-3, where
the writer dweUs on the thought, that whenever folly prevails
as it did at that time amongst the Persians, ruin cannot be far
off: also chap. x. 11-20, where the moral decay of the Per
sians, which had now reached its extreme point, is conceived
to portend a swift extinction ; and lastly, chap. xi. 3, which
teaches that the storm of divine wrath wiU soon uproot and
cast down the" haughty tree of the Persian Empire : " When
the clouds are fuU of rain, they empty themselves upon the
earth ; and if a tree faUs, be it in the south or be it in the
north, in the place where it falleth there shaU it be."
That a great change would at some future day take place
in the position of affairs, the people of God might hope
with the greater confidence, because they continued to possess
the wisdom which is from above — not the ghttering and bril
liant wisdom of the age of Solomon, but the secret and hidden
wisdom peculiar to the children of God, of which they alone
amongst aU the nations of the earth were the depositaries.
This advantage over others was of itself a pledge of their
future victory over the world. The Gentile nations are fool
ish because they are left to the guidance of their own reason,
and are cut off from the source of all wisdom. But in the
midst of Israel, on the contrary, the nation of revelation, to
which God had made known His nature and will, thus de
livering it from the sophistries by whose chains the natural

INTEODUCTION. 21
man has been completely bound ever since the FaU, wisdom
has established its abode. At the fitting time, too, power
must certainly foUow in the footsteps of wisdom. According
to chap. vii. 11, 12, wisdom and hfe go hard in hand. On
this ground, Israel may comfort itself even in death. Accord
ing to chap. vii. 19, 20, wisdom is the only defence against
divine judgments, because it alone preserves from sins which
inevitably draw judgments in their train. In chap. ix. 1 3-1 8,
the theme is discussed, — wisdom, the treasure that remains,
is nobler than the strength which is lost: "wisdom is better
than weapons of war, and one sinner destroys much good."
StiU, to point attention merely to a future reconcihation to
be brought about between realization and idea, between the
destiny assigned to the people of God and its actual visible
condition; was not a fuU discharge of the writer's mission of
consolation. His business was further to open to his fellow-
countrymen an insight into the causes of the temporal dis
turbances of the true and normal relations of things, for until
it was shown to have an adequate ground and reason, it
would be impossible to look forward with any confidence to
a final restoration. If God is capable in any sense or degree
of being unrighteous and hard towards the people of His
choice, towards those whom He had pledged himself to love,
the fear that He might continue so to the end would present
itself again and again with fresh force.
The first thing to be learnt is to recognise in temporal
afflictions the ordainments of that divine righteousness which
cannot leave even the sin of its own children unpunished; —
nay more, which must discover itself especially in its treat
ment of them, as those who .by God's grace "know how to
walk before the living," (chap. vi. 8.) This is as certain as
that the servant who knows his Lord's will and doeth it not
shaU be beaten with many stripes; as that God wiU fulfil
what is said in Leviticus x. 3 : "I wiU be sanctified in them
that come nigh me;" as that it is said (Amos hi. 2): "You
only have I known of aU the famihes of the earth, therefore I
visit upon you aU your iniquities," and "Judgment must
begin at the house of God." The author leads his sorrowing
and afflicted people to this at once painful and consolatory
point of view in chap. vii. 21, 22. He works also indirectly

22 INTRODUCTION.
towards this end whenever he lays bare their sins before the
eyes of the people. Their duty was to be content with God,
to see Hght and justice in His providential arrangements, in
the same degree in which they were dissatisfied with them
selves. When the writer, in chap. iv. 1 7 — v. 6, reproaches
the nation with a superficial piety, which sought to satisfy
God by sacrifices instead of honouring Him with obedience
to His laws, which endeavoured to substitute high sounding
words for the lacking devotion, and which acted frivolously
in respect of vows: and when further, in chap. vii. 15-18, he
demonstrates that the pretended "righteousness" of Israel,
that foundation of its proud claims, when more closely exa
mined proves to be but another form of godlessness, and
p'oints to the open apostacy of which they were at the same
time guilty, he furnishes the people with the key to their
troubles, and throws hght upon the arrangements of God,
which hitherto through the want of self-knowledge had been
enshrouded in darkness. He thus treads in the footsteps of
Moses, who drew an exalted picture of such a Theodicy in
Deut. xxxii, where his theme was : " God is faithful and
without iniquity, just and upright is He. Hath He acted
corruptly towards His people ? The blot is on His sons, a
perverse and corrupt generation."
The second thing to be learnt is to recognise in suffering
an ordainment of divi/ne love — to see that it is grace concealed
under the form of severity, that there dwells in it a reforma
tory virtue for aU those who love God, that it is an indispens
able means of progress of which God cannot without cruelty
deprive His chudren. " Whom the Lord ldveth, He chastiseth."
Where is there a father who does not chastise his son?
Koheleth directs the attention of his sorrowing people to this
sweet kernel which lay hidden within the bitter husk of
affliction, in chap. vii. 2-4: "It is better to go to the house of
mourning than to the house of feasting. Sorrow is better.
than laughter, for by the sadness of the countenance the heart
is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of
mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth."
Suffering gives the peaceable fruit of righteousness to such as
are exercised thereby. The same purpose is subserved by
chap, iii 18, "I said in my heart, For the sake of the chfldren

INTRODUCTION. 23
of men such things happen, in order that God may purify
them, and in order that they may see that by themselves
they are beasts." Suffering is a means of refinement to the
people of God, serving especiaUy to strip them of all pride
and to lead them to humihty. Purification is the general
aim of tribulation : but special mention is here made of pride
as the root and foundation of sin. That such is its character
is evident even from the wonds which the Old Serpent whis
pered in his temptation of our first parents : " In that day ye
shall be as God ;" and by which he caused them to faU. The
greater the privileges vouchsafed by God to the nation to
which He specially revealed himself, the more liable was
it to this particular form of sin. From the same point of
view, namely, as a means of " hiding pride from man," (Job
xxxiii. 1 7) are afflictions regarded also in chap. vii. 13, 14.
God permits evil days to alternate with good, " in order that
man may not find anything behind himself;" in order that
he may not be1 able to fathom in any measure that which lies
behind his present condition, and stiU less arrange any part
thereof according to his own wiU ; and finally, in prder that
thus he may be fuUy conscious of his dependence, may become
a httle chUd and thoroughly humble.
In this manner did the writer of Ecclesiastes fulfil his mis
sion as a comforter. Many things may be missed here, speci
ally any definite reference to Christ, the central point of all
consolation, and to that future glory with which the suffer
ings of this present time are not worthy to be compared, but
which the Lord will bestow on his own foUowers. We must
bear in mind, however, that the Scriptures are an organic
whole consisting of very different members, and that it is
therefore preposterous to expect to find the same thing every
where. To " wisdom," in the narrower sense of that word,
but a limited sphere was assigned amongst the Israelites. Its
business lay not with what was hidden but with that which
was manifest, not with the proper mysteries of the Faith,
which, under the Old Covenant, belonged to the domain of
prophecy, but with the truths which had already become
thoroughly a part of the consciousness of the community.
With these the mind Of thoughtful Israehtes occupied itself;
these it sought to make clear, and bring home to the under-

24 INTRODUCTION.
standing and the heart* The prophecies of Daniel, and of
the three post-exUe prophets, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi,
constitute the nearest supplement to Koheleth.
The human side of this book, as to which it belongs to the
sphere of sacred phUosophy,— for the writer does not profess
himself to be an organ of immediate divine revelations, — is
brought to view especiaUy in chap. vii. 23-29, where the
author himself reflects on the way and manner of his acquaint
ance with higher truth. Compare particularly verse 25: "I
apphed myself with my heart to know and to search and to
seek out wisdom and thoughts," and verse 27: "Lo, this
have I found, said Koheleth, one by one, finding thoughts."
His method he describes to have been that of taking separ
ately single thoughts, and by meditation drawing i out their
fulness and significance. This is the reflective and speculative
method, not that of direct intuition. That there is a higher
degree of, wisdom in its more general sense, the degree to
which a Moses or an Isaiah arose, who received truth by
direct revelation, the writer himself confesses in chap. vii. 28.
But he does not for this reason relinquish the claim to be
inspired: his inspiration must be conceived speciaUy as pre
serving, purifying, and heightening the natural powers of his
mind. In chap. xii. 11, he expressly co-ordinates his work
with the sacred writings, the distinguishing characteristic of
which in relation to aU other hterary productions is, as he
himself states, " that they are given by the one shepherd,"
who ever relieves the wants of his people, who feeds them in
green pastures, and leads them by the fresh waters, and in
consequence are Hving and mighty, laying hold of heart and
spirit in their inmost depths. With this expression of the
author aU wiU agree whom God's Spirit has quahfied for
forming a judgment in this sphere. What Picus of Mirandola
* Oehler, in his " Prolegomena zur Theologie des Alten Testaments," justly
characterises most of the Hagiographa as " the product of the Israelitish mind,
partly, when endeavouring, by feeling, to penetrate into the depths of the divine
revelation and the experiences to which that revelation gave rise in life, and
partlywhen musing on the same," (page 92) and deduces their origin (pages
88, 89) " from the struggle of Hebrew intellect to enter into the task assigned
to, and the view given of, life by Mosaism, the effort to appropriate inwardly,
and to attain to a thorough understanding of, the substance of revelation, and
hy reflection to solve its enigmas and contradictions."

INTRODUCTION. 25
says of the entire sacred Scriptures, holds perfectly true of
this book: "Nothing so strongly affects both heart and judg
ment as the reading of Holy Scripture, and yet they are but
simple words without art, which thus overpower us. These
words, however, are fuU of Hfe, soul, and fire, — they penetrate
deeply into the spirit, and transform the whole man."* In
agreement with the circumstances of the time wisdom walks
here in the form of a servant, and in the utterly unadorned
garment of poverty; but its words are as goads and nails,
and there dwells in them a power to refresh and sanctify the
spirit and heart.
The writer's peculiar use of the name of God furnishes
a noteworthy indication that he deliberately purposed to con
fine himself to a circumscribed sphere of thought. Amongst
the Hebrew names of God Elohim had the most general
signification : and this name occurs in the book no fewer than
thirty-nine times, seven times with, and thirty-two times
without the article. Nowhere do we meet with another de
signation ; especially, be it remarked, we do not find the
name Jehovah, which answered to the fully developed rehgi
ous consciousness, and the use of which absolutely predomi
nates in the Prophets who preceded and were contempo
rary with Koheleth. The writer thus emphaticaUy shows
that he makes no pretensions to be an organ of direct revela
tions from God, but that his purpose is to unfold a sacred
philosophy. That the author refrains from employing the designation
Jehovah has been ascribed by some to the superstitious fear
which the later Jews had of giving utterance to that name.
Such dread, however, belonged to the post-canonical period:
within the canon itself there is nowhere a trace of it. Within
the canon the use of the names of God is everywhere deter
mined by their inherent difference of signification, and it was a
matter for the free choice of the several writers which of the
two names was employed. It is so in the Pentateuch : it is
so in the Psalms.t To the use of these names here, that of
the book of Job bears the nearest resemblance : and with it
» v. Raumer, Geschichte der Pcedagogik, p. i., s. 49.
t Compare my Commentary, part iv.

26 INTRODUCTION.
Koheleth was without doubt weU acquainted* In the Pro
logue to the book of Job miT is generally used ; — as also
in the EpUogue and in the historical remarks which are in
terspersed. In the discourses of Job and his friends, on the
contrary, the general names of God, Eloah, El, &c, are em
ployed, with the single exception of chap, xii 9, where we
find Jehovah. The problem before the writer is considered
from' the point of view of Natural Theology with the aid of
experience, and of reason as purified by the Spirit of God.
If the author's intention was to treat his subject from the
point of view afforded by that consciousness of God which is
common to men in general, then it was perfectly natural that
he should confine his speakers to the corresponding divine
name. Once only does he permit Job to break through this
rule, and then in order that the avoidance elsewhere of the
name Jehovah might be more distinctly seen to be inten
tional, and might not be traced to any merely external rea
sons. The Book of Nehemiah, which was nearly contempo
raneous with Ecclesiastes, also furnishes an analogy. The
facts of the case are presented as foUows by Kleinert in the
Dorpat Beitr&ge zu den TheologiscKen WissensctMften," 1. §.
132. "In the entire Book of Nehemiah," (i.e., in chapters
i.-vii. and xi-xiii; for chapters viii-x. were written by Ezra,
and only adopted into his work by Nehemiah), "the name
Jehovah occurs only once, namely, in chap, i 5, in conjunc
tion with Elohim : besides, Adonai occurs only twice : and
elsewhere Nehemiah always designates God by the term Elo
him." In the Book of Ezra, on the contrary, and in chapters
viii.-x. of Nehemiah, which, as was observed before, are by
Ezra, the name Jehovah predominates. Nehemiah wrote as
a layman, as a politician mixed up with the affairs of the
world. His humility did not permit him frequently to take
God's holiest name upon his lips. In aU these cases, and in
Ecclesiastes as weU, there was no absolute necessity for ab
staining from the use of the name Jehovah ; other reasons
might have decided for its employment ; but the authors
* Hitzig remarks in his Commentary, " The Book of Job, which, as to its
general views and tendency, is so nearly related to Ecclesiastes, must undoubt
edly have been read by Koheleth," v. 14, vii. 28. (The other passages adduced
by Hitzig, viz., vi. 3, vii. 14, 16, are less certain).

INTRODUCTION. 27
were guided by such considerations as seemed to them to
favour their abstinence^
It being the purpose of the writer to expound a sacred
philosophy, and not to touch upon the sphere of the mysteries
of the faith, we might thence explain why nothing was said
about immortality and eternal life, if this were actuaUy the
case, as Rationalistic interpreters with one voice affirm. In
the course of our Commentary we shaU plainly show that ,
such is not the case. According to chap. in. 11, God has put
eternity into the heart of man : according to chap. iii. 21, the
spirit of man rises upwards at death, whilst the souls of
beasts perish with their bodies ; according to chap. xii. 7, the
spirit of man returns at death to God who gave it, in order
that it may receive that which its deeds have deserved (chap.
xii. 14). It is, however, so far correct that the author main
tains a gentle reserve in respect of this doctrine, limiting
himself to slight though distinct and unambiguous hints, in
order thus not to pass the boundary line which separates
" wisdom " from prophecy. The comparison of Isaiah xxv. 7,
8, xxvi. 1 9, and of Daniel xii. 2, 3, wiU throw Hght on this
distinction. Thus far we have occupied ourselves only with the conso
latory part of the mission of Koheleth : let us now turn our
attention to its admonitory and punitive aspect.
Several of the admonitions of the Preacher are so general
in their character, that they are equaUy weU adapted to all
times. In chap. xii. 13, he exhorts to the fear of God and
the keeping of his commandments. This he describes as a
duty universally binding upon men, and as the only preser
vative from the judgments of God who cannot permit that
man, whom He made in His own image, should emancipate
himself from Him. That, says he, is the conclusion and sum
of the whole matter ; this is the Alpha and Omega of an up
right life, the starting-point and basis of aU the special
teachings and exhortations of the book. "Fear God" — in
these two words he sums up, in chap. v. 7 also, aU that he
has to say to his readers. Hand in hand with this goes
another brief saying which appHes to the faithful of aU times,
namely, " Do good," (chap. iii. 1 2, with which compare chap.
vn. 20). "Remember thy Creator :" such is the writer's ex-

28 INTRODUCTION.
hortation in chap. xii. 1, and the strongest motive he can
urge for the following of his advice is, that those who refuse
to hsten to it, being separated from God, the source of all
health, wiU have to mourn in this world a misspent existence,
and -after death will fall under Divine judgment. The
author makes repeated and emphatic reference to the judg
ment of God both in this hfe and in that which is to come,
which visits inevitably every deed however secret ; and he
shows himself to be most livingly penetrated by the thought
that God wiU recompense to every man according to his
works (compare chap. vii. 16, 17, xi. 10, xii. 7, 14).
Along with general exhortations Hke these we find such as
have a special bearing on the circumstances and tendencies of
the time. The writer lays bare the evils of the time, and
seeks to effect their removal, not after the manner of the
Prophets by raising his voice in trumpet tones against
them, but by calmly reasoning and exposing their preposter
ous character.
At aU periods in which the powers of this world have
weighed oppressively on the people of God, the temptation has
been peculiarly strong to approve and adopt the worldly wis
dom which prevailed amongst the surrounding heathen nations.
The danger lay very near of coming, in that manner, to terms
with the world, and seeking thus to be on equal footing with
it. Against this false heathenish wisdom, which seeks out
many inventions, (chap, vii: 29,) and which should be regarded
as the great foe of their welfare and safety, the writer utters
his warning in chap. vn. 25, 26 ; he further admonishes the
Israelites to offer energetic resistance to > its attacks upon
themselves. In chap. xii. 12, he warns them against famili
arising themselves with worldly hterature. In opposition
to the false foreign wisdom he sets before them the genuine,
viz., their own native wisdom, which " knows the meaning of
things," which leads men to a knowledge of their true nature,
and thus affords the basis for a right practical conduct in rela
tion to them. With the manifold divisions of heathendom
which though ever learning never comes to a knowledge of
the truth, he contrasts their own book of books, (chap. xu. 11,)
which, whUst seeming to have many authors had in reahty
but one, even the Shepherd of Israel, and the words thereof

INTRODUCTION. 29
are consequently as goads and nails, penetrating heart and
spirit and laying hold of their inmost depths.
Hand in hand with the temptation to adopt the wisdom of
the heathens went that of falling into their sinful way of hfe.
Those who saw misery weighing heavily on the people of God,
and on the contrary all things going weU and happily with
the heathen in their hfe of sin : those who saw how these
latter "tempted God and escaped," and how the "doers of crime
were established," (Mai. ih. 15,) must have felt a strong temp
tation to doubt and despair of God, and to let the evU desires
of the heart have fuU and free play. Against this danger the
author warns men in chap. viii. 1-4, 11 ; vii. 17.
StUl even these temptations were by no means the most
dangerous. The most critical and suspicious elements of the
present condition of the Jews, were those which prepared the
way for the later Pharisaism.
The prime evU of the time, was that righteousness which
owed its origin to speculations on the advantages it would
bring, which was full of claims, full of merits, and fuU of mur
murs against God, who refused to honour the drafts drawn on
Him. Ih chap. vii. 1 5-1 8, he enters the lists against this destruc
tive tendency, which at a later period grew so much more
hardened and decided that the Lord was driven to utter,
against those who in His day were its representatives, the
terrible words: "ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how
cun ye escape the damnation of heU?" This counterfeit right
eousness which then gave itself such pretentious airs, he des
cribes as but another form of ungodliness, running paraUel
with open apostacy ; and he shows, that so far from ensuring
salvation, it involves us in the divine condemnation : for God
cannot allow himself to be put off with such a hollow and
heartless piety, but demands, and must have genuine fear and
faith. In chap. viii. 14, 15, the book speaks out against the hire
ling spirit which was bound up with such an evU righteous
ness. Godliness ought not to be a question of gain, nor right
eousness to originate in speculations of future good. Therefore
are the ways of the recompensing God quite darkened : and
things go very differently from men's fancies. If they went
according to men's thoughts, that is, in other words, if for

30 INTRODUCTION.
every work really or apparently good, and for every evil deed,
the reward were forthwith weighed and measured out piece
by piece, there would soon be no genuine uprightness left on
earth, for true righteousness is the daughter of hearty and un
selfish love. The happiness of life must not then be regarded
as a hireling regards his wages ; it must not have this basis.
Our duty is rather cheerfully to enjoy in the present what
God graciously bestows, to use the present moment and not to
speculate on the future.
Moroseness also is inseparably conjoined with false righteous
ness, as was clearly shown in the example of Cain at the very
commencement of the human race. The punishment inflicted
on sin, where there is defective knowledge of the sin itself,
produces dark despondency, and discontent with God's arrange
ments, (Isaiah lviii 3 ; Malachi Hi 14.)
With this spirit of gloom, dejection and iU humour the self-
righteous had more or less infected the whole people. This
too was the one amongst the chief evfls of the age, which even
the reaUy righteous were least able to resist. To the healing
of this disorder the author has directed his special attention.
See chap. h. 24; ih. 12, 22; viii. 15: "Then I commended
mirth because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than
to eat and to drink and be merry:" compare also chap. ix. 7 ;
xi. 8-10. Koheleth is from his heart an enemy to extravagant
mirth and sensual feasting. He says to laughter, "thou art
mad, and to mirth, what doest thou?" (chap. ii. 2.) "The
heart of fools is in the house of mirth," (chap. vii. 4.) Indeed
the entire book, and in particular chap. vii. 1-5, breathes the
intensest earnestness. In chap. xii. 1, he points out how
devotion is the foundation of all happiness, of all joy, and in
chap xi. 9, warns the extravagant and dissolute that God wiU
bring aU their doings and ways into judgment. At the same
time, he recommends that cheerful confidence in God which
does not aUow itself to be led astray by the aspect of affairs
at the present moment, but waits joyfully in hope of a better
future : and enjoins an unbroken courage which can proceed
steadily forward in the path of duty, and can calmly wait
until the actual arrangements of this world are once more
brought into agreement with the word and nature of God.
He warns against thanklessly despising that which God gra-

INTRODUCTION. 31
ciously offers. The Saviour set His seal of confirmation to the
utterances of this book, when, with a reference to it, he said,
"the Son of man is come eating and drinking." And the
offence which the Pharisees took at His manner of hfe, proves
that in them was still perpetuated the tendency against which
the author of this book directs his observations.
In conjunction with this morose and melancholy spirit were
found a slothful feebleness and timidity. Men had no courage
or pleasure in doing anything, because they regarded it all as
useless. Against such conduct the author raises his voice in
chap. ix. 10, and again in chap. xi. 4-6. Precisely in dark
and troublous times ought we to be the more earnest in ful
filling the vocation wherewith God has caUed us : we should
sow incessantly in tears that we may reap in joy.
The rehgious superficiahty of the age, the want of a hving
fear of God, manifested itself not only in self-righteousness,
and in the gloomy discontent and hopeless inactivity which it
produced, but also in a disposition to put off God with soul
less sacrifices instead of honouring Him by obedience, in the
efforts made to cover the absence of a heart which constantly
seeks and supphcates God by the show and pretence of offering
long prayers, and finaUy, in the extreme readiness to vow
vows in the fulfilment of which they showed Httle conscien
tiousness, and the obligations of which they thought them
selves able to discharge by a mere formality. Against such
things the writer speaks in chap. iv. 17 ; v. 6.
It is not a superficial piety that can give in arduous circum
stances the precious pearl of peace of soul, and preserve from
that irritability, whose inevitable result is a heightening of
our suffering. Only a deep and hearty godliness, which sees
in aU, even in the most afflictive events a Father's hand, and
submits itself with quiet resignation, can do this. Against
that dangerous enemy irritability the author warns his fellow-
countrymen in chap. x. 4. Side by side with this we may
place his recommendation oi patience, (chap. vii. 8.)
The Pharisees, as the New Testament says, were covetous.
Covetousness flourishes most luxuriantly where a religiousness
which is merely external, and changes not the heart, presents
it with a covering of fig leaves. When men conclude a peace
with God by means of services which do not flow from the

32 INTRODUCTION.
heart, their darling inclinations come aU the more freely into
play. In batthng with this enemy of the divine Hfe, the book
displays peculiar zeal — a plain proof that it was then speciaUy
dangerous. They are the same passages as those in which the
author opposes the prevalent envy of the riches of the heathen;
and envy has the same root as avarice, (chap. iv. 7-1 2 ; v. 9-
19; vi.)
The preacher rightly discerned the signs of the times. He
saw that a great catastrophe drew nigh, that a time approached
when the " the peoples wiU rage and the kingdoms be moved"
(Psalm xlvi 7). Whilst teaching how men should make pre
parations for this, so that they may feel that they have a
gracious God through it aU, he sets in opposition to the bosom
sin of the age, namely, covetous narrow-heartedness, that
generous-minded liberality which is closely aUied with a true
love of God and is a proof that we are his children (chap.
xi. 1-3).
In this manner has the writer discharged the mission of
reproof and admonition, with which, as well as with that of
consolation, he was intrusted.
Various judgments have been passed upon this book. As
the representative of the theology of the Church let us hear
what Luther says about it. He styles it — " This noble little
book, which for good reasons it were exceedingly worth
whUe that it should be read of aU men with great carefulness
every day." "The main point (or more correctly, a main
point) in this book," says he, "is, that there is no higher
wisdom on earth under the sun than that every man should
fill his post industriously and in the fear of God, not troub-
Hng himself whether or no his work turn out as he would fain
have it, but contenting himself, and leaving the ordering of
aU things great and smaU entirely to God. In fine, that he
be contented, and abide by that which God gives him at the
present moment, taking for motto the words, 'The Lord's
behest will turn out best.' And thus a man should not
worry and question and trouble himself how things wiU or
should turn out in the future, but think within himself—
God has entrusted me with this office, with this work, and I
am resolved to discharge it dihgently : if my counsels and
plans do not succeed as I expected, let God dispose, ordain,

INTRODUCTION. 33
and rale as He wiU." Even on profounder minds, who held
a freer position in relation to Holy Scripture, this book has
exercised an attracting influence. Herder, for example, says
— " No ancient book that I am acquainted with describes
more fully, impressively, and concisely the sum of human
life, the uncertainty and vanity of its business plans, specula
tions and pleasures, along with that in it which is alone
true, lasting, progressive, and compensatory." On the con
trary, the souUess, spiritless, vulgar Rationalism has been
capable of httle sympathy with the book A. Th. Hartman
gave most open expression to his antipathy to it* He de
scribes it as "the work of a morose Hebrew Philosopher, com
posed when he was in a dismal mood, and in places thoroughly
tedious." Even at an early period objections were raised against this
book amongst the Jews. In the Talmud, in Tractate Schab-
bath, f. 30, b., it is said that the wise men wished to suppress
the book of Koheleth, because it contains contradictions. "But
why have they not suppressed it? Because its beginning
and its end are words of the law." According to the Mid-
rasch, the wise men wished to suppress Koheleth, because all
its wisdom ended in the injunction of chap. xi. 9 : "Rejoice, 0
young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the
days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in
the sight of thine eyes," which passage contradicts Numbers xv.
39. Inasmuch, however, as Solomon has added, "But know
thou that for all these things God will bring thee into judg
ment," therefore, they said, "Solomon has spoken well," n»!?B>
IDS ns*. Jerome has reported similar words as uttered by
Jews ; for which see the quotation given at chap. xh. 1 4.
Some have supposed that by the " wise men " are meant
the coUectors of the Canon — but wrongly. Had these been
meant they would have been more distinctly designated. We
have before us reflections on the book as one which had
already had its place assigned to it in the Canon. A
distinction should further be drawn between the thoughts
and their dress, between the mode of saying and the thing
said. The thought is, that examining the book only super-
* Linguistical Introduction to the Book of Koheleth in "Winer's Zeits
chnft," 1 s., 23 f. C

34 INTRODUCTION.
ficially it awakens hesitations, but these vanish after deeper
consideration. The opinion is not, that we should be content
to put up with the offensive passages for the sake of such
as are of an edifying nature, but that the latter should be
our guide in investigating and understanding the former.
The assertion which Augusti, Schmidt, and, in part also,
Knobel have ventured lo make, that the author of the " Book
of Wisdom " attacks Koheleth in chap, ii, has so Httle founda
tion that it is not worth the trouble of examining and
refuting. Early in the Christian era also single individuals raised
their voices against this book. PhUastrius in his " Ecer. 130"
speaks of heretics who reject Solornon's Ecclesiastes, because,
after having declared aU things' to be vanity, he leaves but
one thing worth caring for, namely, to eat, drink, and gratify
one's own soul
Knobel has, last of aU, summed up the rationalistic attacks,
bringing against the book the reproach of fatalism, moral
scepticism, and moral Epicureanism. " AU the rnoral lessons
and admonitions of Koheleth," he maintains, "end in recom
mending ease and enjoyment in life." > Ewald has already
given a partial, though a very striking refutation of this
assertion : a complete one is contained in the investigation of
the contents which has preceded, and in the commentary
which foUows. Such charges it would be impossible to ad-
vance but for the low state to which exegesis has been re
duced. But in face of such attacks we feel ourselves able
confidently to say, " Come and see."
Against any such profane view of the book as brings it
into conflict with the remaining Old Testament canonical
Hterature one fact is by itself a sufficient argument, viz., that
the author stands in a most friendly relation thereto. The
passage of most importance in this respect is chap. xii. 11,
where the writer incorporates his work with the other can
onical Scriptures of the Old Testament, ascribes to it a deeply
penetrating influence, and finds its origin in that divine in
spiration which constitutes the boundary line between the
Hterature of revelation and the literature of the world, against
which latter, moreover, he gives an emphatic warning in the
following verse. In chap. xii. 7 and in chap. v. 3, 4, he re-

INTRODUCTION. 35
fers to the Pentateuch ; to the book of Job in the passages
already adduced ; to Psalm cxviii. 1 2, in chap. vii. 6 ; to
Psalm cxxxix. 15, in chap. xi. 5 ; probably to Psalm xii, in
chap. xi. 1-3; to Proverbs xxii. 1, in chap. vii. 1; to
Zechariah iv. 3, in chap. xii. 6.
A guide to a true estimate of the book may be found in
the numerous hnks of connection between it and the New
Testament — especiaUy in the frequent aUusions made to it
in the discourses of our Lord. Amongst the passages ad
duced from the New Testament by Carpzov in his Introd.
ii, p. 212, which he supposes to have reference to Koheleth,
only one wiU bear examination, namely John ih. 8, with
which compare Eccles. xi. 5, " As thou knowest not the way
of the wind." There are, however, other undeniable refer
ences which he overlooked. Compare with chap. i. 1 of Ko
heleth, Luke xiii. 34; with chap. H. 1-2, Luke xii 16-21 ;
with chap. ii. 24, and its paraUels, Matthew xi. 19 ; with
chap. Hi. 1, John vH. 30 ; with chap. Hi. 2, John xvi. 21 ;
with chap. iv. 17, Luke xxiii. 34; with chap. iv. 17, v. 1,
James i 19 ; with chap. v. 1, Matthew vi. 7, 8; with chap. v.
5, xH. 6, James iii. 6 ; with chap. vH. 18, Matthew xxih. 23;
with chap. ix. 10, John ix. 4.
Through a too great dependence on exegetical works such
as that of Knobel, a respectable and esteemed representative
and upholder of the theology of the church, Dr Oehler, has
aUowed himself in his Prolegomena to the Theology of the Old
Testament, and in his V. T. sententia de rebus post mortem
futuris, to be led into views of this book which in reahty
do endanger its canonical dignity, however strongly he may
disclaim any such intention. According to his opinion the
writer is involved in a'conflict between faith and knowledge.
"The contradiction between the divine perfection and the
vanity of the world (more correctly, the sufferings of the
people of God) is set before us without any reconciliation
being effected. The latter is treated as a matter of undeni
able experience : the former is assumed as a religious postu
late. The only real wisdom, therefore, in life is resignation,
which enables a man to use this vain and empty life as weU
as he can, and at the same time leaves all at the disposal of
God." On the one hand, the author teaches that there is a

36 INTRODUCTION.
providence and a retribution, and on the other hand, omnia
vana et consilii expertia esse. From the point of view of
faith, he teaches, in chap. xh. 7, that there is an eternal Hfe :
from the point of view of reason, he judges that the soul
perishes with the body (chap. ih. 1 9), that between the good and
evil in and after death there is no difference (chap. ix. 2 f.) On
this view the book of Koheleth would be the work, and present
us the picture, of a distracted heart, of a divided spirit, av?j»
dtyvxos, such as are produced in masses in our own time ; and
the Holy Scriptures themselves would thus be involved in
the conflict they were destined to heal.
Against this we would observe, that it is not correct to say
that the book presents to us an unadjusted discord between
faith and knowledge, idea and experience. There is of course
no denying that, just as in the Psalms, the writer lets scepti
cism have its say. So far there is truth in the view which
distinguishes in the work two voices : but wherever that of
scepticism is aUowed to speak, it is only for the purpose of at
once overcoming it. Nowhere, as a sort of model for the
Theology of a de Wette, do doubt and faith stand in front of
each other, as forces equaUy entitled to hearing and existence, .
but everywhere when the voice of the flesh has spoken, the
voice of the Spirit replies in confutation. Such is precisely
the case in Psalm xxxix. This is most remarkably evi-,
dent just in that passage, (chap. ix. 1-10,) in which scepti
cism pours itself forth like a mighty stream. The expression
of " the mood of scepticism and of discontent with Hfe" goes
there only as far as ver. 6 : in verses 7-10, it is vanquished
by the sword of faith. The pretended dualism in regard to
the doctrine of eternal life is set aside by the observation that
in chap, ix 2, the voice of the flesh is'aUowed to be heard in
order that immediately afterwards it may be judged and con
victed. Chap. iii. 21, when interpreted on correct phUological
principles, so far from containing a denial, is an express
affirmation of eternal Hfe.
Nor is it just to maintain that the author knows of no higher
wisdom in life than resignation. Without doubt he teaches
that human hfe often presents difficult enigmas, that it is very
hard to understand God's arrangements, and that not unfre
quently we find ourselves reduced to blind faith. In chap.

INTRODUCTION. 37
in. 1 1 , for example, he says : " Man cannot find out the whole
of the work which God doeth, neither beginning nor end ;" in
chap. vH. 24 : " far off is that which was made, and deep, deep,
who can find it?" in chap. viii. 17 : "Man cannot find out
the work that is done under the sun ;" in chap. xi. 5 : " As
thou knowest not what is the way of the wind, like the bones
in the womb of her that is with child, even so thou knowest
not the work of God, who doeth ah." But who does not see
that these are truths which apply still even to those who live
in the hght of the Gospel? It was not in vain and for
nought that the Lord pronounced those blessed who see not
and yet beheve. The Apostle recommends it to our considera
tion that we walk by faith and not by sight.*
To recognise everywhere the causes, of the divine arrange
ments, to thread the ways of God so often intricate, demands
an eye clearer than the clearest possessed by man. Ever afresh
is attention caUed to the fact that aU our knowledge is but
fragmentary. In the times of the writer of this book, it was
specially important to give prominence to this side, for there
were too many who were destitute of clearly seeing eyes, and
above aU, of that knowledge of sin which gives the key to the
sanctuary of God to all those who desire to find there the
solution of the problem of this earthly hfe. But he has not
the slightest intention of leaving us altogether to bhnd faith.
The idea never occurs to him of handing over the region of
knowledge to unbehef. " Who is as the wise man," he
exclaims in chap. vih. 1, " and who knoweth the interpretation
of things 1" He believes, therefore, that there exists a wisdom
which introduces men into the essence of things, which espe
ciaUy throws Hght into the dark depths of the cross, and
justifies the ways of God. The consciousness that he himself,
in strugghng for wisdom, has attained to important results is
expressed in chap. vii. 25, 27 : according to chap. xh. 9, he
is, by God's grace, a wise man, and competent to instruct the
people in a wisdom which harmonises with what was taught
* Even the Christian Poet sings —
" Da werd' ich das im Licht erkennen
"Was ich auf Erden dunkel sah
Das wunderbar und heilig nennen
Was unerf orschlich hier geschah."

38 INTRODUCTION.
by the wise of former ages, who were aU sent by the one
Shepherd, (chap. xh. 11.) How far the writer's 'counsels are
from ending in simple "Resignation," to which none are Hmited
but those whom God, because of unbelief, has forsaken, and to
whom the gates of the sanctuary do not stand open, (Psalm
lxxii. 7,) is plain from the long series of passages in which he
announces a termination to the sufferings of the people of God
and their approaching victory, at the same time laying bare
the causes of their present depression, and justifying it as
ordered of the ordering of divine love and righteousness.

COMMENTARY.

THE SUPERSCRIPTION, CHAPTER I. ].
The words of the Koheleth, the Son of David, the King in
Jerusalem. It is not a question of words in general, but of
the words. There exist no other words spoken by Solomon to
the generation then existing. Only in virtue of this mission
did he bear the title Koheleth, (compare under chap. xii. 9.)
There can be no doubt whatever that Koheleth properly sig
nifies — " The Assembler," (in the feminine.) The Kal form of
bnp does not occur otherwise. The participle in Kal must
be employed here for the participle in Hiphil — a thing which
'might the more eashy take place as it stands for the noun.
/Tire verb is always used of persons, never of things. It is the
standing form employed for the caUing together of the whole
Israelitish community, of the entire people of God. Compare
Deut. iv. 1 0, where we read — " On the day that thou stoodest
before the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the Lord said unto
me, gather me the people together, and I wiU make them hear
my words that they may learn to fear me :" Exodus xxxv. 1,
— " And Moses gathered together aU the congregation of the
children of Israel, and said unto them, these are the words
which the Lord hath commanded that ye should do
them : Leviticus viii. 3, — " and gather thou aU the congrega
tion together unto the door of the Tabernacle," (Numbers viii.
9 ; x. 7 :) 1 Kings viii. 1, "then Solomon assembled the
elders of Israel, &c." The fact of the person who speaks bear
ing the. name Koheleth — which name was as to essentials cor
rectly explained even by Jerome* — indicates the ecclesiastical
* Coeleth, id est Ecclesiastes. Eccl. autem Grasco sermone appellatur, qui
coetum, id est ecclesiam congreget, quem nos nuncupare possumus concionatorem,

40 CHAPTER I. 1.
character of the book, and its high significance in relation to
the entire church of God. In this respect it accords with the
commencement of Psalm xlix. : " Hear this aU ye people, give
ear aU ye inhabitants of the world : both low and high, rich
and poor together. My mouth shaU speak of wisdom, and
the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding." The
wisdom of the Israelites was animated by a spirit moving its
possessors to become witnesses of its excellence : it had a
thoroughly popular character, it belonged not to the narrow
limits of the school but to the spacious courts of the temple :
it was a leaven intended to leaven the whole lump. Wisdom,
within the Church, was to address itself not merely to a few
peculiarly gifted individuals, but has something of importance
to communicate to ah alike. It is fuU of compassion Hke the
God who is its fountain : it dehghts to seek out those who
are lost : whereas the wisdom of this world cannot find a
bridge over to the simple and ignorant, and has no disposition
to interest itself in them. The tendency to association, which
has its root in the wisdom coming from above, belongs only to
the Church, and therefore, outside its pale, and where its path
has been forsaken, we find only isolation and infatuated dis
solution. The world is compelled to make the confession,
" we aU go astray like sheep, we turn, every one of us, to his
own way." The name Koheleth occurs three times in the first
chapter, namely, in verses 1, 2, 12, three times in' the last chap
ter xh. 9, 1 0 : once in the middle, where it is joined with the
feminine, whereas elsewhere it is joined always with the mascu
line. In chap. xh. 8, the article is joined with it : in the other
places the word stands without article as an ideal proper name.
That Solomon is intended to be designated by it is plain from
the addition of the words, " Son of David, King in Jerusalem,"
the purpose of which evidently is to anticipate and prevent aU
doubt in this respect. But in what sense is this apphed to
Solomon, seeing that in reahty it can signify nothing more
than "The Assembler" (feminine)? This is a matter of con
troversy ; but there can be no doubt whatever that the title,
an explanation of which is given in chap. xii. 9, " Moreover
Koheleth was a wise man, and taught the people knowledge,"
eo quod loquatur ad populum, et sermo ejus non specialiter ad unum, sed ad
universos generaliter dirigatur.

CHAPTER I. 1. 41
was applied to Solomon, because through him wisdom spake
to the people of God, because he was regarded as wisdom per
sonified, besides being its mouth and organ. It is precisely
on this ground that his discourses have so decided a signifi
cance and importance : for this reason do they bear a canoni
cal character; just as the words of the prophets derived their
weight from the presence of the Spirit of Christ in them,
(1 Peter i. 11,) from their speaking as they were moved by
the Holy Ghost, (2 Peter i. 21,) and as the Apostles also, ac
cording to Acts xv. 28, were organs of the Holy Spirit.
By his employment of this title, the author indicates that
Solomon is not here regarded by him in the light of a philo
sopher, but as the representative of a higher spirit than his
own — of that mind which is alone capable of uttering such
things as are of thorough and lasting importance for the people
of God. For this, as the only correct explanation of the term,
the passage chap. vH. 27, is plainly decisive. There, a con
trast is drawn between the Koheleth and the stranger, the
foreigner, i. e., philosophy and wanton seduction : and the
evidently intentional construction of Koheleth with the feminine,
can only be explained by its being descriptive of the wisdom
which is from above. A further proof of the correctness of
this view is afforded by a comparison with the first nine
chapters of the Book of Proverbs, where in fact we have the
true key to the designation. The writer would never have
chosen this title had he not been able to calculate on readers
who would look to those chapters of Proverbs for its meaning,
for the solution of his enigma — for with an enigma we evi
dently have to do here. Those chapters form a kind of porch-
way or introduction, and before an exposition was given of
the particular doctrines of the wisdom which, by God's grace,
had fixed its seat in Israel, they were intended to exhibit its
real nature, and to kindle a love of it in the hearts of the
readers : they were further meant at the same time, to unmask
and stir up hatred of its rival false wisdom, the foreigner,
which, by its seductive arts, was trying to gain admittance
amongst the people of God. Wisdom is then introduced as a
person, and as speaking to men* In its character as Kohe-
i * Ch. B. Michaelis on Chap. viii. Quod sapientia hie non ut qualitas sedut
persona inducatur, non inde solum liquet, quod vox, labia, os aliaque, quas per-

42 CHAPTER I. 1.
leth, as the. Assembler, it is clearly brought forward in chap.
i 20, 2.1, "wisdom crieth without, she uttereth her voice in
the streets. She preacheth in the chief place of concourse :
she utters her words in the gates of the city :" further also
in chap. viii. 1, ff From such a personification of wisdom
there is but a step to its becoming as it were personal in an
individual, as in this Book of Ecclesiastes. To assume such an
embodiment of wisdom in a person here is matter of less diffi
culty, seeing that the Hke thing occurs undeniably in the New
Testament. A comparison of Luke xi. 49, 50, with Matthew
xxiii. 34, wiU leave no room to doubt that in the first passage
Christ represents himself as the personal embodiment of wis
dom. That there is a connection between these passages and
Solomon's appearance as Koheleth, was recognised already by
Bengelf in his time, and that the two stand in a certain
measure on the same line. He says in his Gnomon, on Luke
xi. 49, ij eo<pia rov hou, sapientia dei. Suave nomen. Koheleth
congregatrix. Chap. xiii. 34, -ffoso\xig nQiXrim emevv&!*at ra rkva
sou. In these words from Matthew xxin. 37, quoted by Bengel,
Christ appears to allude to himself as the true Koheleth. The
objections which have been urged against the explanation now
given of the name Koheleth, especially of the feminine form of it,
are untenable. Those who affirm that the author must have
expressed himself much more distinctly had he intended to
apply to Solomon the title Koheleth because of his standing
as the representative of wisdom, overlook the fact that this
explanation is •involved in the relation existing between this
book and the exordium of the book of Proverbs ; and further
that we are driven to it by chap. vii. 27. When it is objected
that a multitude of expressions do not at all correspond to
what we might expect from the lips of Wisdom, as, for example,
when the person speaking is represented as having contem
plated, sought to obtain, and actually gained possession of,
wisdom, there is an overlooking of the consideration that
Koheleth is not wisdom absolutely, but only so far as it has
found an embodiment in Solomon : or, in other words, that
sonarum potius quam rerum sint, ei tribuuntur, v. 1 sqq,, sed maxime ex consid-
eratione illorum characterum, qui, v 22 sqq, expressi sunt, ad quos in prologo
evangelii Johannis, ubi divina Christi natura adseritur, respectum fuisse, vix
quisquam negabit.

CHAPTER!. 1. 43
Solomon is designated Koheleth from the principle by which
he was animated. We have thus also met the objection that
Solomon always comes on the scene in the distinctest manner
as an actual person, and not as the personification of an idea,
and that accordingly reference is made to the experiences of
a hving person, to the fortunes of a definite individual. Ko
heleth is not, Hke Wisdom in the book of Proverbs, a "per
sonified idea," but Solomon himself, who is regarded as the
representative, or so to say, as the incarnation of wisdom.
The usual course has been to assume without further proof
that Koheleth is a sort of surname of Solomon's. " He under
takes the office of a public teacher of truth, and the word
Koheleth is intended to point out that he enters here on this
definite vocation." A decisive ground against this notion is,
that the name is conjoined with the feminine in chap. vh. 27.
The assumption that Solomon bears the title Koheleth as the
representative of wisdom furnishes the only satisfactory ex
planation of the alternating conjunction of the word with the
masculine, which plainly predominates, and with the feminine.
Moreover, on the view above mentioned the feminine form
cannot be satisfactorily accounted for. Some appeal to the
frequent employment in titles of office, of the abstract word,
for persons. " The official is totus in the business assigned to
him in life, and receives its name as his title." r6np signifies
properly "preaching," the office and business of a pubhc
speaker -. it is then used also of the public speaker himself.
So some argue. There are however many difficulties in the
way of this position. The feminine termination does un
doubtedly serve for forming abstract names (see Ewald, s. 1 6 6),
but this never takes place with an active participle, and for a
very simple reason. From iij> "bhnd," we may indeed
form miy " blindness ;" from nan " sinful," riNiin " sin, sin
fulness ;" but from bnp " the assembhng one, " we cannot
form rbnp, in the sense of "preaching sermon." Then, no
case can be actuaUy adduced of a concrete word being made
abstract, and afterwards again employed in a personal sense.
For the question, who is the author of this book, it is of no
Httle significance that Solomon does not appear here under his
own name, but under that of Koheleth. AU the other publi
cations of Solomon bear his usual name on their title-page :

44 CHAPTER I. 2-11.
for example, " The Proverbs," whose inscription runs, " The
Proverbs of Solomon, the Son of David, the King of Israel ¦"
the "Son of Songs;" Psalms lxxii, cxxvii: and it is a per
fectly natural thing that he who wishes himself to be re
garded as the author of any work should employ no other de
signation than that by which he is already known. To use
enigmas, and to play at hide and seek, would be little in
place in such a matter. Consequently the writer of this
work, in styling Solomon Koheleth pretty clearly indicates
that it is only in an ideal sense he is introduced as the
author, that he was concerned with the book only as a repre
sentative of Wisdom. The very name, which is strictly an
impersonal one, shows that the person to whom it is ap
phed belongs to the region of poetry, not to that of reality.
Thus we find that the only argument, with any show of
reason, for Solomon's authorship, changes sides altogether as
soon as it is more carefuUy examined. The book of Ecclesi
astes was not only not actually composed by Sblomon, but'
does not even pretend to have been.*

CHAPTER I. 2-11.
Human hfe, according to the judgment pronounced on it in
Genesis Hi 17-19, is at its best but brilliant misery. Our
first parents felt this deeply even in their day. They named
one of their two sons Hebel (Abel), that is to say, Vanity.
The parents of Noah also confessed this, for they spake at his
birth ; " this shall comfort us in our toU and work upon the
earth, which the Lord hath cursed," (Genesis v. 29). In
Genesis xlvii. 9, Jacob says, "few and evil are the days of my
Hfe :" in Psalm xc. 1 0, Moses says, " the days of our years
are threescore and ten, and if by reason of strength they be
fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow :" and
in Psalm xxxix. 6-7, David exclaims, " Only to utter vanity
was every man ordained. Only as a vain show walketh
* What A. Eabricus says of the " Book of Wisdom " in the Bibl. Gr. 3,
s. 736, holds quite good in the present instance, viz. : Perinde ut Sahianus nun-
quam voluit existimari libros suos a Timotheo esse scriptos discipulo apostolorum,
sed satis ipsifu.it sub nobili hoc persona delituisse.

CHAPTER I. 2-11. 45
every man : surely they disquiet themselves in vain ; he
heapeth up and knoweth not who shaU receive it." It is of
great importance that this character of our earthly existence,
depicted in so affecting a manner in the hymns, " Ah ! how
empty! ah! how fleeting!" and "alas! what is the hfe of
man?" should become so distinctly a matter of consciousness,
that men shaU not seek to gild over their misery by vain
fancies. Only thus can the vanity to which we are sub
jected have its right operation, answer its purpose, which is
to drive us back to God whom we have forsaken, to bring us
into the position of saying with entire truthfulness, " Thou
alone, 0 Jehovah, remainest to me what thou art, in thee I
put my trust." It is one of the principal aims of the extra
ordinary sufferings with which God visits His children, His
whole church and individuals, to impress deeply on the mind
this vanity of earthly things. It is, however, a difficult pro
cess : man proves herein a hard learner. He is ever slow to
reconcile himself to the emptiness of earth ; he is easily
brought to fancy his lot a pecuHarly hard one, and he does
aU in his power to put an end to a condition of things which
he deems exceptional. And when he finds it impossible to
accomplish his design, he falls a prey to despair. This book
is unintelligible except on the historical presupposition that
the people of God was in a very miserable condition at the
time of its composition. They were bondsmen in their own
native land : heathens ruled over them : everywhere reigned
degradation and misery. When the foundation of the second
temple was laid, the people were moved to bitter tears, as
they contrasted the present with the past. Vanity of vani
ties was the universal cry : alas ! on what evU days have we
faUen ! They said one to another, " How is it that the former
days were better than these ?" Ecclesiastes vh. 1 0. In parti- >
cular did they look back on Solomon and his day with the
desperate yearnings of a Tantallus. And then on the ears
of the people in such a condition bursts the proclamation of
our author, that human life is altogether vanity. Thus on the
one hand he administered the consolation lying at the basis ol
the words, duloe est solamen miseris socios habere malorwm.
The cross is much easier to bear when we see that it is the
universal destiny of mankind. And on the other hand, he

46 CHAPTER I. 2-11.

su

--ggests powerful motives to a sincere return to God, whose
very name Jehovah or Jahve, signifying "the One who abso
lutely is, Pure Being," constitutes a perfect contrast to the
vanity with which every creature separated from Him is
justly chargeable.
Ver. 2. Vanity of vanities, said Koheleth, vanity of vani
ties ; all is vanity. Ver. 3. What profit hath man of all his
labour which he taketh under the sun ? Ver. 4. One genera
tion passeth away and another generation eometh, and the
earth abideth for ever. Ver. 5. The sun also riseth, and the
sun goeth down, and (goeth) to his place where he eagerly
riseth. Ver. 6. The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth
about unto the north, it whirleth about continually ; and the
wind returneth again to its circuits. Ver. 7. All rivers run
into the sea, yet the sea is not full : unto the place whence the
rivers come, thither they return agam. Ver. 8. All words ;
become weary, none can utter it ; the eye is not satisfied with
seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. Ver. 9. The thing
that hath been, it is that which shall be ; and that which has
been done is that which shall be clone, aud there is nothing :
at all new under the sun. Ver. 10. Is there a thing whereof
it may be said, see this ts new ? It hath been already of
old time which was before us. Ver. 11. No memorial have;
they of old ; nor shall they who are to come have any remem
brance with those that shall come after.
Ver. 2. That it was the mission of this book to impress on
the Church of God the vanity of all earthly things, to con
vince it that " the world is but a vale of tears, and that
everywhere are to be found only needs, troubles, and fears,"
is externaUy indicated with sufficient clearness by the fact
that the word bin, "vanity," occurs in it thirty-seven
times, whhst in the entire remaining portion of the Old
Testament it occurs only thirty-three times. "Vanity of
vanities," according to the well known usage of speech, signi-v
fies "the utmost vanity." The word "all 'Ms more precisely
defined afterwards as " aU that is under the sun, whatever
belongs to the sublunary world, to this poor earth." It does
not include the Creator, whose very name Jehovah, signifying
" The self-existent One," " pure, true, absolute being," stands
in the completest opposition to vanity : nor does it refer to

CHAPTER I. 2-11. 47
union with Him and the joy which is sought in Him (compare
chap. xii. 13), but to the poor creatures which since the time
spoken of in Genesis Hi. have been subjected to vanity (Ro^
mans viii. 20). The earth can offer nothing capable of afford
ing true satisfaction and contentment to man. The assertion
that "here at the beginning of the work its author gives
strongest expression to the bitterness of his own spirit ;" rests
on an utter misunderstanding. If that were true in this case,
it would be equally true in the case of Thomas a Kempis, who
commences his " de Imitatione Christi " with the words :
Vanitas vanitatum et omnia vanitas prceter amare Deum et
UU soli servire. Vanitas igitur est divitias perituras qucerere
et in illis sperare. Vanitas quoque est honores ambire et in
altum statum se extollere. Vanitas est carnis desideria sequi,
etc. There can be no word of subjective bitterness, for the
simple reason that the vanity of aU the possessions of this
world, and of the efforts spent upon them, is an undeniable
fact. To recognize this is of the utmost importance, and who
soever helps us to gain this knowledge is an exceUent preacher,
for he prevents us seeking any longer happiness where it is
not to be found, he moderates the pain we feel at losing and
being deprived of what is in itself really worthless, and makes
us intensely eager to attain to the true source of joy. Nega
tive wisdom is the condition and groundwork of positive. We
cannot really see in God the highest good unless we have first
of aU discerned the vanity of that pretended good which is
laid before us by the world. " Soul, why weariest thou thy
self with the things of this world ?" — such words constitute
an admirable commencement when we wish to lead men to
God. Vanity of vanities and all is vanity, — to know that is
the prehminary condition of a true enjoyment of those plea
sures which stUl spring up in the barren wastes of hfe. He
who has given up making undue claims on life will be able
to take with a contented and thankful spirit those joys which
present themselves unsought on his path, he will be able to
live for the present moment, free from cares and covetousness.
" I have laid my account with possessing nothing, and there
fore the whole world is mine."
Jerome asks the question how it is reconcileable with God's

48 CHAPTER I. 2-11.
having created aU things good, to say that aU is vanity?*
He did not find the proper answer to this question, nor did
Luther, who supposes that the writer "does not say this against
the creatures, but against the naughtiness of the human heart
which will not rest, but makes for itself aU kinds of sorrow
and misfortune." He does not speak of God's works, " but of
those wretched objects beneath the sun with which men are
bound up as to their physical constitution, for whose sake they
give themselves so much fruitless unrest, trouble and labour."
To limit his words entirely to human efforts, contradicts the
subsequent carrying out of the thought. Besides, the vanity
of human efforts is specially grounded in. the vanity of the
sphere in which they are put forth. And that vanity is pre-
dicable of the whole of that sphere in respect to which God
spake the words " very good," (Genesis i,) is evident from the
sentence, "in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt die,"
— die a death whose crowning point is Death personaUy so
designated. Other evidence to the same effect is borne by
Romans viii. 20, according to which the irrational creation is
subjected to vanity, and by James iv. 14, where our Hfe is
described as arpii;, the same word as that by which Aquila has
translated bin. Not only, then, are human efforts vain,
but creation also, in its merely natural aspect, may be included
under the description " aU is vanity." The true solution of the
problem lies here : — Between the words " and behold, every
thing was good," and those of our author, " aU is vanity," the
fall of man has intervened. With that, an entirely new order
of things was inaugurated. To man in his, degeneracy God's
creation, though good in itself, was no' longer fitted. Hence
the complaint, " aU is vanity," is not a charge against God,
but, on the contrary, when we carefully consider the nature
and constitution of man, rather a praise of God. It is just in
the decreeing of punishment, and the establishment of the
economy of the cross, that God specially manifests His glory
and greatness. The Berleburger Bible observes : " As it was
said in the beginning, everything is good, everything is very
* Si cuncta qua? fecit Deus valde bona sunt, quomodo omnia vanitas, et
non solum vanitas, sed etiam vanitas vanitatum ? Ut sicut in Canticis Canti-
corum inter omnia carmina excellens carmen ostenditur ita in vanitate vanita
tum vanitatis magnitudo monstretur.

CHAPTER I. 2-11. 49
good, so also wiU it once again be said regarding the creature,
everything is precious and new, everything is very precious,
good, and glorious." " All is vanity," — cannot be the end of
God's ways : it can only be a point of transition. The end
must correspond to the beginning. The words — "all is
vanity," — will lose the sad truth they have as respects the
present course of the world, in the " regeneration" of which
our Lord speaks in Matthew xix. 28, in that blessed age de
picted by Isaiah in chap. xi. of his prophecies, and by Paul in
Romans vhi. As vanity is not the original, so can it not be
the final character of the world's constitution and course.
Death, the chmax of vanity, entered into the world with sin,
(see Genesis ii. 17; Romans v. 12.) And therefore when sin
has been completely overcome, death also wiU cease, (1 Cor. xv.
54 f.) and as it is said in Revelations xxi. 4, " God shall wipe
away aU tears from their eyes ; and there shaU be no more
death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any
more pain, for the former things are passed away." AU the
descriptions of this future contained in the Scriptures, pre-sup-
pose what is expressed in the words, " All is vanity," for they
are intended to give courage to those who sigh and groan
under vanity, and to save them from despair. So, for example,
Isaiah xxv. 6-8, — " And in this mountain the Lord of Hosts
prepareth unto aU people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines
on the lees, of fat things fuU of marrow, of wines on the lees
weU refined. And He destroyeth in this mountain the face
of the covering with which aU nations are covered over.
(The veU as the sign of sorrow.) He destroyeth death for
ever, and the Lord God wipeth away the tears from aU faces."
Further, Isaiah xxxv. Iff: " The wilderness and the sohtary
place will be glad, and the desert wiU rejoice and blossom
as the rose. Then wUl the lame man leap as a hart, and the
tongue of the dumb sing : for in the wUderness wiU waters
break out and streams in the desert. The parched ground
wiU become a pool, and the thirsty land streams of water.
Then wiU the eyes of the bhnd be opened, and the ears of the
deaf be unstopped." But a fundamental condition of our pa -
ticipating in this future glory, is that we attain to a clear and
deep insight into the significance of the saying, " AU is vanity,"
that we do not gUd over our present misery. Only as this
D

50 CHAPTER I. 2-11.
truth is distinctly understood and intensely felt, wiU its effect
be to drive us to God, who is our everlasting dweUing-place,
(Psalm xc.,) and to arouse us to repentance, in that we estimate
the extent of our guilt by the severity of the sufferings we
have to endure. Such was the feeling of Perthes when he
wrote after the death of his beloved wife, " an immeasurable
load of guilt must rest on us, seeing we have to suffer such a
loss." De Wette brought against St Paul the reproach, that
in his writings we 'encounter sometimes "the discordant tone
of contempt of the world." He who with such eyes considers
the words "all is vanity," wiU not only retain his share of trouble,
— for say what we may, the world is, and continues to be a vale of
tears, notwithstanding that by our forced laughter we should
fancy we have changed it into a house of gladness,- — but wiU
wantonly rob himself of the wholesome fruit of his sufferings.
The bringing in of the new covenant has effected no alteration
in that vanity of vanities which our author speaks of so em
phatically. The blessings which already accrue to us therefrom
belong to an order of things entirely different from that which
is here spoken of. They spring not forth from the region
beneath the sun but from the kingdom of heaven. The earth
meanwhile continues its existence of vanity, and in this its
character is a powerful motive pressing men to appropriate the
heavenly treasures offered by the Church.
Ver. 3. In ver. 3, is given the result which foUows from
ver. 2. If " aU is vanity," what profit hath man ? or strictly
" the earthly one, (Geier, cum aculeo terrenes fragilitatis) of
all the labour which he taketh under the sun ?" There is
much ado about nothing, One who has arrived at a know
ledge of the true nature of this world receives a strange, yea
even a tragicomical impression when he sees men running to
and fro, and seeking to snatch the prey from each other's
grasp. The results, too, are in the end of scarcely greater
compass and importance than those of the movements of an
anthill. And then joined with aU this, the airs of importance,
and the pompous phrases about progress and the Hke. The
best commentary on this verse is furnished by the beautiful
hymn of Gryphius beginning^-" The glory of the earth, must
at last become smoke and ashes." Interpreting these facts
according to the mind of the Preacher the practical result

CHAPTER I. 2-11. ' 51
would be to " quit the world, and honour, fear, hope, favour
and learning, and to foUow only the Lord, who wiU ever rule,
whom time cannot change, and who can confer upon us eternal
blessedness." Ver. 4. The subject of discourse in the context is the
vanity of everything earthly, and the consequent fruitlessness
of human efforts. Ver. 4. would not at all suit the connection
in which it stands, unless the earth be regarded as the scene
of vanity and misery which it really is. The generations of
men are continually changing, ceaselessly do fresh ones appear on
the scene, but 0 ! misery ! the earth, against which the curse
recorded in Genesis Hi 17-19 was pronounced, on which it is
impossible to reahse permanent results, or to arrive at abiding
happiness, and where men find themselves hemmed in on all
hands — that remains. The new generations are compelled
always to begin where the old ones ended. That old fable,
the roUing of the Sisyphus-stone, is illustrated ever afresh*
Dbyyb does not stand in contradiction with the doctrine of the
impending termination of the present phase of the earth's
existence found elsewhere in the Old Testament. As in
Genesis vi. 4, D$>iy, " Time far back beyond the memory of
men," so here it designates a future of unmeasured extent :
as Rambach has it, diutissimo tempore, cujus termvnus nobis
occultus est.
Ver. 5. The sun here, can only be employed as an image of
human existence which is straitly confined within the limits
of vanity. The natural event cannot, considered in itself, be
treated as a subject of complaint, but only as one of joyous
wonder and admiration, as is clear from Psalm xix. The mere
natural rising and setting of the sun would not form a suitable
step in the development of the thought, " vanity of vanities,"
which is the subject of the writer's comments on to the 1 1th
verse, and which must consequently furnish the test of the
correctness of our explanation of all that occurs up to that
point. The sun eagerly running through a long course, in
order at last to return to the goal from which it started is a
true image of human hfe shut up within the impassable magio-
* Quite improperly says Jerome, " quid hac vanius vanitate, quam terram,
manere, quse honvinum causa facta est, et ipsum boniinem, t?rraj doroinure, in
pulverem repente dissolvi."

52 CHAPTER I. 2-11.
circle of vanity. The human race seems unable to move a step.
A new generation always begins where the old one ended.
Notwithstanding aU our much vaunted progress, we continue
mainly such as we were of old, " burdened with an inheritance
of sin, with weakness, with want and death." " That there is
motion, cannot be denied : but it is motion in a circle, and
consequently leads to no result," (Hitzig.) FoUowing the
example of the Chaldee version, of the Septuagint and of the
Vulgate Luther connects «iiOtj> IDlpD but — " And hasteth to his
place that he may there rise again." But this mode of con
necting the words is contrary to the accents, according to
which «iKit2> must belong to what succeeds : and besides,
without any justification from usage, it takes the word *inb>
in the signification of " to run, to hasten." The usual mean
ing of ike* is " to snap at, to hanker after, anything ;" in which »
sense it is employed here also — " And (comes then agam) to
its place where it longingly arises." laos? corresponds to the
expression found in Psalm xix. 6, " He rejoices as a hero to run
his course." The first verb furnishes greater definiteness to
the second; Ewald, § 285. A new generation advancing to
life with fresh courage, resembles the sun in its longing, its
joyousness, its eagerness, bn includes the verb.
Ver. 6. In this verse " is described the vanity of the wind,
which is continually moving round and round in a circle, and
through its swiftness does not succeed in passing beyond this
circle." Here also it is quite plain that the author has no in
tention of blaming- anything in the order and arrangements of
nature — a thing which would have been revolting and ab
surd — but that the wind comes under consideration only as a
symbol of human existence revolving constantly in the circle
of vanity and unable to transcend its bounds however mighty
may be the efforts put forth. The entire verse has reference
to the wind, and it is fruitless when the Septuagint, the
Syriac, Geier, and others, try to refer the first clause to the
sun : " which turns not towards the North." South and North
are mentioned in the case of the wind, because East and
West were used of the sun. The nu^D of the wind are the
turns which it has already made.
Ver. 7. As the water of brooks goes first into the sea and
then returns back to the brooks, so is there in human affairs

CHAPTER I. 2-11. 53
no real result, no progress, no overstepping of the limit of
vanity : the old misery manifests itself ever afresh. Luther
recognised the symbohcal character of the verse, but did not
altogether hit upon a right view of the thought contained in
it. Says he, " we have in these words a subtle comparison :
all men's proposals, aU their devices, efforts, care, by which
they hope to help the matter, rise with the sun, and go down
again ; Hke the water, too, they flow hither and thither ; that
is, being mere human thoughts, without God's work and fur
therance, they remain just what they were. Let that man
whose thoughts either do not, or have not come to nought,
blot out what Solomon says." That the sea never becomes
fuU is a proof that the streams must return again to the place
whence they came. We must render the words, " to the
place from which the streams go out." Luther's translation is
correct, " to the place whence they flow, they flow back again."
The Construct State which causes the whole foUowing sentence
to be treated as a noun is employed in the same manner in
Psalm civ. 8, "unto the place which thou hast founded for
them." As to the way and inanner in which the waters re
turn to their source commentators are not agreed. Luther
thinks " the waters run without ceasing into the sea, and
then by secret subterraneous passages or channels run from
the sea as fountains and brooks filtering through the earth at
their place, penetrating and running through mountains and
rocks." It is, however, much simpler to assume that the
streams return to their sources through the medium of the
clouds. Compare Genesis H. 6, "and there went up mists
from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground :"
Job xxxvi. 27, 28, " For he draws forth the drops of water,
they pour down rain from the vapour thereof. Thence run
the clouds, distil much upon men." In respect of natural
processes the Scriptures do not enter upon doubtful hypo
theses. They always confine themselves to that which pre
sents itself to the eye of the general observer, to that which
is undeniable. Some have deemed it possible entirely to
evade the consideration of the problem here presented, and
they translate, "Whither the streams go, thither go they
ever again :" i.e., they pursue incessantly the same course into
the sea. According to this version there would be no refer-

54 CHAPTER I. 2-11.
ence whatever to the return of the rivers to their sources.
In such a case, however, it is impossible to see what purpose
is served by the words, " and the sea becomes not fuU."
Ver. 8. In interpreting the first half of this verse aU de
pends on whether we take anan in the sense of thmgs, in
which it is employed in chap. vi. 11, vH. 8, or in that of
words. The former view is adopted by Luther. He trans
lates, "All men's doing is so full of toU, that no one can
utter it." * On this view the words would be more accurately
rendered — "All things are so weary, that no one can utter
it," that is, they are inexpressibly weary. Usage does not
aUow of any further meaning being given to yji than that of
" weary." Tediousness or weariness in the things corresponds
to ennui in the individual person. Nothing goes on with
vigour and freshness : spur and whip are everywhere neces
sary : the world seems to have outlived itself, for ever since
the time spoken of in Genesis Hi, it has been under the bovXiia
rrn <p6ogag (Romans viii. 21). From Genesis iii. 17, "cursed
be the ground for thy sake, with pain shalt thou eat of it
all the days of thy Hfe," we should judge the ground itself
to be weary : it no longer hastens to give unto man ita
strength : all has to be pressed and wrung from it by labour.
This interpretation, though in some respects very admir
able, has against it the correspondence between D'nm and
"QT " to speak " — a correspondence which is scarcely to be
denied. This would lead to the conclusion that the former
word is employed here in the signification " words," which is
the original one, besides being predominant in this book
Accordingly we should find a paraUel to the whole of the
first half of the verse in Psalm xl. 5, where it is said in re
spect of the wonderful works of God, " I wiU declare and
speak of them ; they are more than can be numbered." What
is unutterable, inexpressible, we are not here distinctly in
formed : but the context leaves us in no doubt on that
matter, inasmuch as from verse 2 onwards nothing else is
spoken of but human misery. Words fail to describe it, and
however many we may employ, the description ever falls far
* On this view Rambach gives the sense as follows : Dici non potest quan
tum laboris et defatigationis rebus et negotiis, humanis omnibus insit. Quid-
quid dixeris, semper major restabit dicendi materia.

CHAPTER L 2-11. 55
short of the reahty. Ever since the day referred to in Gene
sis Hi. man has been the prey of an indescribable sorrow. The
words, ihe eye is not satisfied with seemg, nor the ear with
hearing, find their commentary in chapter iv. 8, where "his
eye is not satisfied with riches," describes an insatiable desire
for them ; and further in Proverbs xxvh. 20, where the in
satiability of , the eyes of men also stands for desire that con-
not be satisfied ; " Hell and destruction are never fuU, so the
eyes of man are never satisfied." That man never finds satis
faction in earthly things, but on the contrary is ever asking
for yet more and more, is a sign of their emptiness. Such
being their nature they can never fill the heart. It is in
this respect that they come under consideration in this place,
and the two halves of the verse agree therefore in the thought
of the vanity of aU things earthly. The first describes it as
unutterable ; the second appeals for proof of the assertion to
their inabihty to appease and fiU the heart of man. Luther
says, " an exemplification of this may be found in that re
nowned king and praiseworthy hero, Alexander the Great.
In a very brief space of time (for in aU he did not reign more
than twelve years) he subjugated to himself a large portion of
the whole world : and notwithstanding, once upon a time,
when he heard a philosopher arguing that there are more
worlds than one, he sighed deeply, and said, ' Alas ! that I
have not as yet subdued more than one world !' So, if he
had at once gained ten other worlds, his heart would not
have found rest : nay more- it would not have been satisfied
with a thousand, or even with countless worlds." What we
have already fails to please us, and we long for that which
we have not. Knobel's view of the passage, that " the satis
fying of the eye and the fiUing of the ear describes the com
ing to a termination with the study and meditation of things,"
is opposed to the parallel place, besides being contrary to the
natural meaning of such modes of speech. The eye is satisfied
when we have no desire to see more, the ear is filled when
we wish to hear no more. In the Berleburger Bible it is re
marked, " by the entrances of the soul so many thousands of
objects or things are carried into the heart, that man wearies
and distracts himself with them as with an infinite sandhill.
Out of these his heart forms for him innumerable images which

56 CHAPTER I. 2-11.
he contemplates and inwardly busies himself with. Thence
arise the manifold thoughts and distracted feelings of us
miserable men. This is the cause that, through apostacy
from the eternal good, from the Creator, our hearts go forth
towards a multiplicity of objects, and, instead of desiring and
laying hold on God alone, who would have been an eternaUy
satisfying portion, long for and grasp at thousands of created
objects, and stiU never reahse contentment. It is indeed im
possible that the immortal soul of man should rest in crea
tures which are vanity. It seeks ever further and desires
ever more : it is Hke a fire which burns on without ceasing,
and would fain bring aU within its grasp. But now that it
is faint, and out of its true element and Hfe, which is God,
behold, the soul finds itself deceived, led astray and threat
ened with ruin by all creatures, finds that it has wasted its
time and energies on things without use, and knows not an
object to which it may cling."
Ver. 9. Notwithstanding all the fancies and Illusions re^
garding new and glorious things which men bring forward it
is now as it was of old. " That which is done" is here con
sidered in its results, and is consequently closely connected
with that which is. Being (Seyn) continues ever what it was
of old : consequently the results of doing, of action, cannot
showany very important difference. Because the old was bad, it
is a great evU that there is nothing new under the sun. There
is no alternative but to recur ever to the words, " Cursed is
the ground for thy sake." Man cannot escape out of the
charmed circle into which he was driven bythe sentence pro
nounced in Genesis Hi, be his exertions what they may. All
progress is but vain show and loose varnish. For example,
the old covenant, " thou shalt die," still retains its force, not
withstanding aU the progress that has been made in the heal
ing art. Luther remarks, " if we understand these words of
the works of God, they are not true : for God works and ever
produces something new : it is only men and children of Adam
who effect nothing new." This is perfectly weU grounded.
We have here to do with Negative Philosophy, which searches
into the nature of things apart from God. The author's intent is
to show what is the matter with earthly and human affairs
considered in themselves, to tear up by the roots the countless

CHAPTER I. 2-11. 57
Ulusions to which the natural man so readily resigns himself,
and by which he frustrates the purpose of the divine judgment
pronounced in Genesis iii. The vanity of earthly things can
only lead men to God when it is thoroughly felt and under
stood. For parallels to the words, there is nothing new
under the sun, reference may be made to Jeremiah xxxi. 22,
" behold I create a new thing in the land," and to Isaiah Ixv.
1 7, " behold I create new heavens and a new earth, and the
former shall not be remembered nor come into mind," (compare
Ixvi. 22.) In Matthew xix. 28, the Lord promises the regen
eration or the renewal of the world. According to 2 Peter
ih. 1 3, " we look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein
dweUeth righteousness." In the Apocalypse, chapter xxi. 1,
John sees a "new heaven and a new earth, for the first
heaven and the first earth were passed away." He who sits
on the throne says there, in verse 5, "behold I make all things
new." According to chapter xxi. 2, " the holy city, the new
Jerusalem, descends from heaven." At the bottom of aU these
passages Hes the tacit presupposition that " there is nothing
new under the sun." The assumption from which they start
is that the old earth is a scene of vanity, that aU efforts to
change it, originating in and depending on its own resources,
are utterly fruitless, and that a true alteration cannot be
effected from below, but only from above. They comfort us
also in the midst of the misery which is our lot, by the as
surance that a renewal from above will in fact be accomphshed.
The new creation wiU begin at the point where vanity took
its rise, even with man : " if any man be in Christ, he is
a new creature, old things are passed away, behold all things
are become new," (2 Corinthians v. 17.) Thence wiU. the
renovation pass to the rest of creation. Nothing new is
done under the sun — this should serve to bring down the
lofty imaginations which would gather grapes from the thorns
of this world, but not to discourage the friends of the king
dom of God, whose true seat is not under the sun, but above
it, and whose heavenly protector, by ever creating new things,
furnishes materials for new songs, (Psalm xl. 3.)
Ver. 1 0. Many an undertaking gives promise at its com
mencement of passing beyond the limits fixed by the old
curse-laden world. The world exultingly shouts them wel-

58 CHAPTER I. 2-11.
come. But very soon it becomes evident that in them also a
worm is concealed, and they sink down to a level with that
which our poor earth has produced in former ages. So was it
with the happiness of the days of Solomon, in the background
of which there lay decay and ruin, and whose end was such,
that men were driven to exclaim, " Lord have mercy," and,
" Oh ! that thou wouldest rend the heavens and wouldest
come down !" It still remains a truth that "here is no true
good to be found, and what the world holds in itself must
vanish in a moment."
Ver. 11. A fond dream of this world is to possess the im
mortahty of renown. Even this barren consolation is here
taken away, and so a conclusion is made to the development
of the thought contained in ver. 3, that man has no profit of
aU the labour which he taketh under the sun. In accordance
with the sentiment of this verse is the hymn by Joh.' Pappus,
"I have committed my cause to God;"* and another by
Andreas Gryphius, of which verses are quoted below.-f- Con
trary to the divergent explanations of these verses, it is to be
observed that aye»ta and a^nnx are always " the earher" and
"the later." See Leviticus xxvi. 45 ; Deuteronomy xix. 14;
Psalm Ixxix. 8 ; Isaiah Ixi. 4 ; xii 4 ; Ecclesiastes iv. 1 6. "The
earlier," (neuter gender,) is nutPNl in Isaiah xiii. 9. The
paraUel passages also in chap. H. 1 6 ; ix. 5, serve to put aside
every other explanation.

In chap, i 12,-H. 26, Koheleth demonstrates the vanity of
earthly things, from his own example — from his own personal •

»

" Man tragt eins nach dem Andern hin
Wohl aus den Augen und aus dem Sinn
Die Welt vergisset unser bald
Sey jung oder alt
Auch unserer Ehren marinigfalt,"
" Der Ruhm nach dem wir trachten
Den wir unsterblich achten
Ist nur ein falscher Wahn.
Sobald der Geist gewichen
Und dieser Mund verblichen
Eragt Reiner was man hier gethan."

CHAPTER I. 12-18. 59
experience* He begins in chap. i. 12-18, with Wisdom.
This was one of the briUiant possessions of the age of Solomon,
as may be seen from 1 Kings x. 8, where the Queen of Sheba
says, " Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants,
which stand continually before thee and behold thy wisdom,"
(compare Matthew xH. 42,) and back to it the after-world
looked, with aU the more i astonished admiration and painful long
ing, because even the heathen nations, under whose scorn and
contempt they sighed, were struck by it with amazement. In
the delineation of the glory of Solomon given in 1 Kings x.,
wisdom occupies the first place : then follows riches. Hitzig's
account of the contents and connection of verses 12-18 is as
follows : " the speaker teUs who he is and how he has come
thus to express himself. He has maturely reflected on the
works and ways of men, and found that they are feeble and
foolish, verses 12-15. Moreover, according to his experience,
the wisdom which one may gain is not to be regarded as a
good." The subject of the entire section is rather wisdom, and
the vanity of earthly things and of human efforts comes under
consideration only so far as it conditions the vanity of wisdom.
In verse 1 3, the assertion is made, the thesis is maintained,
that " wisdom is not a good but a plague." The following is
the proof. Earthly things which are the object of wisdom are
vanity, and the more deeply we search, the more distinctly is
their vanity seen. Wisdom destroys illusions. The possession
of wisdom, therefore, can only bring distress and pain. The
wiser a man is, the more unhappy. If the world is nothmg
and vanity, the wisdom, the science of this' world cannot be
of much value.
FaUing to see that this section has exclusive reference to
wisdom, we shaU also mistake the entire course of thought.
In the foUowing verses, there is a continuation of the proof of
the vanity of earthly things from Solomon's own personal
experience. Here wisdom is the subject : before, it was the
possession and enjoyment of the good things of this world.
Ver. 1 2. / Koheleth was King over Israel in Jerusalem.

* Hieronymus : hue usque prsefatio generaliter de omnibus disputantis : nunc
ad semitipsum redit, et quis fuerit, quomodo experimento universa cognoverit
docet.

60 CHAPTER I. 12-18.
Ver. 13. And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wis
dom concerning everything that is done under the sun : this
is a sore travail which God hath given to the sons of men, that
they may exercise themselves therewith. Ver. 14./ saw all
the worlcs that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity
and delusive effort. Ver. 15. That which is crooked cannot
be made straight, and that which is wanti/ng cannot be reck
oned. Ver. 16./ communed with mi/ne own heart and said,
Lo, I have increased and gotten more wisdom than all that
were before me in Jerusalem, and my heart saw much wisdom
and knowledge. Ver. 1 7. And I gave my heart to know wisdom
and the knowledge of madness and folly : I perceived that this
also is delusive effort. \ Ver. 18. For in much wisdom is
much grief, and he that increaseth knowledge mcreaseth
sorrow. Ver. 1 2. Koheleth refers first of all to his royal position.
For the matter in hand this is of no smaU importance. If
the life of earth could offer genuine good it must undoubtedly
have been at the command of the king* Even in regard to
wisdom his position has its advantages. He has a wide and
extensive view of aU that is done under heaven (ver. 13).
The whole region of human hfe Hes spread out before him.
His position is much more favourable than that of the man
who philosophizes in a narrow corner. He is stiU more
favoured as regards those regions which are spoken of in
chap. H. 1 ff. Koheleth says — / was king. According to
Ewald, Elster, and others, the preterite employed here is in
tended to indicate the historical point of view of the author,
for which Solomon's Hfe was so completely a something past
and gone, that he involuntarily represents Solomon as speak
ing of his own Hfe in the preterite. In point of fact, how
ever, the use of the preterite is no argument, against Solo
mon's being the author of the book. Nor, if the composition
is assigned to a later period, is it a proof of its fictitious char
acter that the writer in this place forgets himself. The pre
terite is very frequently employed in descriptions of a past
which stretches forward into the present, and therefore is it

* Cartwright, " ut nihil subsidii deesset, cujus beneficio, quod assectatus sum,
assequerer."

CHAPTER I. 12-18. 61
remarked, with perfect justice, in the Berleburger Bible — " I
the preacher have been king thus far, and am one stUl : to
him therefore there has been ho lack of opportunity of trying
experiments and of getting experience." The words, In Jeru
salem, need not, as has been affirmed, be supposed to refer to
another kingship which had not its seat in Jerusalem. They
are meant to remind us that Koheleth had gone through the
experiences of which he speaks in that very place whose com
plainings and sighings gave rise to the composition of this
work. Ver. 13. Koheleth informs us that his efforts to search
out the nature of things had yielded wretched results. Con
cerning the relation to each other of the two verbs m and
Tin Hitzig remarks — " That which withdrew itself from the
gaze of the {jnn, that which lay deeper, that which was secret
he sought to explore!' But -iin is not " search after, spy out,"
but " try thoroughly, test," (see Deuteronomy i 33, Numbers
x. 33, Ezekiel xx. 6) ; taken strictly it signifies "to follow
the trace of things," as opposed to a decision which is arrived
at from preconceived opinions. Hitzig says further — " It is
not meant that he set himself to coUect facts : he did not
need to inquire what it is that takes place, but what is the
nature of that which takes place." To this view we are
directed not only by the word nin, here rightly explained, but
further also by the construction with by. Investigations are
set on foot in respect of material lying ready to hand. The
Vulgate translates noam by sapienter ; Luther by " wisely."
But this rather dissipates the force of the word. It is wis
dom that is the catchword. Nor is it without good reason
that the word is pointed with the article. Wisdom is the
instrument employed in carrying out the investigation. The
object of the investigation is aU that is done or happens
under the sun. We are not to suppose, however, that it re
fers predominantly, much less exclusively, to the moral as
pects of human action, but rather, as appears from a comparison
of ver. 1 5 with chap. vii. 1 3, mainly to the results thereof. AU
that takes place beneath the sun belongs to the sphere which
had its origin in the fall of man, is tainted with sin, and is
attended by sin's feU train of suffering and punishment.
Everywhere the earth shows itself to be a scene of vanity.

62 CHAPTER I. 12-18.
" Ah ! how vain, how fleeting, are the days of man ! Like a
stream that begins its flow and never stays in its course, so
hurries our time away. Ah ! how vain, how fleeting are the
joys of men ! As the hours and seasons, as Hght and dark
ness, as peace and conflict, so change our pleasures." The
business of searching more deeply into earthly things by
means of wisdom is described as a vexing misfortune which
God has apportioned to the sons of men that they may vex
themselves with it. Following in the steps of the LXX. seve
ral commentators explain the words as foUow — "that is an
evU business which God has appointed to the children of men,
that they may busy themselves with it." But my elsewhere
occurs only in the signification of " to suffer ;" for this reason
therefore the word $S?, which is never met with out of this
book, and which here stands in the Stat, constr., can only
signify " suffering, vexation." It has the same meaning also
in chap. v. 2, and in all other places. In ver. 18 chagrin
and pain correspond. Hitzig wishes to refer the words —
This is a sore travail which God hath given to the sons of men
that they may exercise themselves therewith — to that which
happens, which is done. It is quite clear, however, that they
refer to the search instituted by means of wisdom. The as
sertion that in this way verses 17 and 18 are anticipated
rests on a mistaken view of the connection between the verses
of this section. The words at the close — / recognised also
that this is empty effort — manifestly take up again the theme
of the commencement after proof has been advanced. To our
mind verses 1 7 and 1 8 render it impossible to understand by
the "sore travaU" any thing but wisdom in search of truth;
The affliction does not consist, as Clericus conceived, merely
in the misuse of the gift, but in the gift itself. More deeply
examined, however, it is a wholesome affliction. That which
is bitter to the mouth is healthy for the heart. That deeper
view of the vanity of earthly things which wisdom affords
drives us nearer to God. Thus we see that wisdom is a
part of the great apparatus by which God humbles faUen
man and prepares the way for his redemption. Wisdom pre
sents other aspects also for consideration besides that which
has here been noted. And even if that which has been here
especiaUy under view is but one side of the truth, it is stiU

CHAPTER I. 12-18. 63
the most important side. Thus much may be regarded as
settled — that inasmuch as wisdom yields so melancholy a re
sult, it cannot be the highest good, it cannot be that good
which wUl satisfy the wretched heart of man. Earthly thing,1
must be far other than they are, before wisdom can quicker
and refresh the soul. Some have thought that the author's
reason for calling the efforts put forth in search of wisdom a
sore travail was, " that they do not afford distinct informa
tion relative to the cause and connection of the processes of
human hfe." This is however a mere guess. Koheleth in
forms us afterwards why he deems wisdom a sore travail.
The only ground assigned by him is, that that which has
only the effect of placing in a clearer light the vanity under
which men groan, must itself also be vanity : that is, con
sidered simply in itself and apart from the service it renders
as a means to another end, wisdom is not a good but a sor
row, is not at all a thing for whose sake Solomon and his age
sliould be envied, for whose loss we should vex ourselves. It
is thoroughly true, as has been said, that " a man is foolish
who vexes himself about a handful of vanity when God pre
sents him with treasures which ever abide. If thy gains are
counted by thousands why trouble thyself about a mite ?'
Ver. 14. As part of the proof of his thesis — this is a
sore travail,, the author now asserts the vanity of the object
with which wisdom is occupied. Ewald translates — " aU the
deeds which take place under the sun;" but nwya does not
signify " deed" but " matter of fact." Of course " the ways of
men" are referred to, but specially in respect to their
consequences, to such facts as those which gave rise to the
heathenish saying, " the Gods are envious," and which the
Poet had in his eye when he wrote, " He who had showr
himself as a Lion, who had wrestled with the Giant, wat
overcome by a little straw." The words nijn and pijn are pecu
har to Koheleth. The usage of speech in Chaldee from which
they are evidently borrowed, decides their meaning. In Ezra
v. 17, we find mjn used in the sense of "wUl:" in Daniel
several times in the sense of " thought." The derivation of
the words is consequently sought in njn, " to feed," then " to
feed oneself on anything," " to busy oneself with anything ;"
Bee Hosea xH. 1, " Ephraim feedeth on the wind, and hunieth

64 CHAPTER I. 12-18.
after the East wind ;" Isaiah xhv. 20 ; Proverbs xiii. 20 ; xv.
1 4. An "empty striving, " (LXX. irgoaigstis irvivp,uros,) is a striv
ing without result, such a striving as brings no true genuine
good to realization.
Ver. 1 5. That which is croolced cannot be brought i/nto posi
tion : |pn does not signify " straight," but " to be in position,"
to "come into position,'' in Syriac, "to be arranged, to be
ordered ;" LXX. 8iigrga[/,p,emv ob Sw^eirai evixog/i^dritoii. From
the paraUel passage, chap. vii. 1 3, it is evident that the writer
speaks of imperfections, not only as seen in human ways,
but also in the arrangement of the world, i. e. of those
things in the order of the world which wear an appearance of
imperfection as long as the faU of man is foohshly ignored.
Hitzig gives the meaning therefore correctly as fohows,—
" Man cannot alter that which is unjust in the divine arrange
ment of the world ; he cannot bring it from a state of imper
fection to one of perfection." Knobel thinks that the writer
here "betrays his fatalistic view of the world, according to
which everything pursues so firm and unalterable a course that
no modification whatever thereof is possible." The question
here however is not one of opi/nion, but of undeniable facts.
The world is actually a vale of tears, everywhere are wants,
trouble, fears : and on this rock break aU the attempts made
to estabhsh what men deem the best system of things. For
the rest, the author is not discoursing of the "fixed and unalter
able course" of things in particular, but only of the general
character of human affairs and of earthly relations, which must
necessarily, are by God intended to, reduce to despair those
who seek their satisfaction in them : — " man is not to that
end here that he may possess earth." That which is wanting
cannot be reckoned, which is as much as to say that, where ,
nothing is nothing can be counted, human Hfe consists entirely
of nulls. In opposition to usage, several translate, "that
which is wanting cannot be supplied." ruo signifies only "to
reckon, to count." Luther has several exceUent remarks on
this verse of which we must make mention. " Cicero writing
from his own experience says, " Alas ! how constantly it hap
pens that as sure as anything has been devised and planned
for the best, and with the greatest industry, it turns out so
badly and so strangely!" God however herein does weU, that

CHAPTER I. 12-18. 65
He blows away and brings to nought whatever man meditates
and undertakes. For as soon as any plan of us men succeeds
a Httle, from that hour we begin to take the honour to our
selves. Forthwith ambition begins to stir within us, and we
think to ourselves, this have I done, for this are my country
and fellow men indebted to me ; and we grasp at the honour
which belongs alone and entirely to God. Wherefore, if God
is to continue Lord, and to assert and maintain His first com
mandment, He must only suffer the lesser part of our thoughts
to turn out weU, and both in the courts and councUs of
kings and princes, and in all other affairs, so soon as, and
whenever anything has been deliberated and determined, show
that the words "if God wiUs it" stiU retain their fuU force.
Heathen and ungodly men, who alike fancy that it is enough
if they themselves have resolved, must in this wise learn that
there has been One absent from their counsels, who has a
clear right to a voice therein, and His nam§ is God. There
fore is it the best course and the highest wisdom, to leave and
commend all to God, not to plague and worry ourselves too
much with our own thoughts, but to follow the wise man who
at last, after great experience declared—" Let things go as they
go, for do what we may they wUl go as they go." And how
frequently do we see that cunning and prudent rulers, and
people who in other respects are exalted and wise, do the
greatest mischief, whUst setting themselves with all earnest
ness, with great restlessness, labour and industry to make all
things good. For on earth, under the sun, there never can be
established a state of things so good that aU wiU move on
evenly, that there wiU not be stUl many imperfections, many
faults. Wherefore, the best thing of aU, is to build and con
fide heartily on God, to commit the ordering of all to Him, to
let Him rule, to pray as the Lord taught us — " thy kingdom
come" — and meanwhUe patiently to bear and suffer all manner
of wrong from the ungodly and wicked, leaving our case in
the hands of the great Judge. — When, then, although thou art
wise and holy, and pious, and remarkest that many things go
wrong, thou hast notwithstanding no power to make all
straight that is crooked, do the work with which thou art
entrusted, apply thyself with all industry to thy caUing: all
else that refuses to be rectified, leave to Him who is stronger

66 CHAPTER I. 12-18.
and wiser than thou, to the good God in Heaven who can rule
churches, country, people, princes, house, estate, wife and
children better than thou."
Ver. 1 6. The character of earthly things being such as is
described in verses 1 2 and 1 5, that wisdom which busies
itself with the understanding of their nature, cannot, as the
author now shows, have the significance of the highest good,
it cannot truly satisfy the soul, but must rather increase its
pains. Koheleth says here that in respect of wisdom he sur
passed aU who came before him in Jerusalem. Gousset, Ram-
Hach, and others explain these words to be — " aU the great
in Jerusalem," of whom there were many in the days of Solo
mon and David. But it is clear from chap. ii. 7, that kings
only are referred to. Jerusalem was the seat of a very ancient
monarchy, a noble representative of which meets us even in
the time of the Patriarchs. The title borne by these kings,
namely, King or Lord of Righteousness, Melchizedek, Adoni-
zedek, leads to the conclusion that they were animated by
higher purposes and aims than many around them. Hitzig is
of opinion that, " if the author does aUude to the old heathen
kings, there is something incongruous in it, and in this turn
given to the thought, a later writer, one moreover not parti
cularly well versed in history, (!) seems to betray himself, to
whose mind was present the series of kings who had reigned
since Solomon." But if we attentively examine the passages
in the " Books of the Kings," on which the author takes his
stand, this comparison with heathen kings wiU no longer
be found incongruous. In 1 Kings ih. 12, the Lord says to
Solomon, " Lo ! I give thee a wise and an understanding heart,
so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee
shaU any arise like unto thee." Here the prerogative of wis
dom is ascribed to Solomon, not merely amongst the kings of
Israel, as Clericus and others conceived, but amongst kings
in general. Examples occurring in heathen countries are
also included in the comparison. More distinctly still is the
same thing seen from 1 Kings iv. 29, "and God gave Solo
mon wisdom and understanding, exceeding much, and largeness
of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea-shore;" ver. 30,
" and Solomon's wisdom excelled aU the wisdom of the chUdren
of the East country, and aU the wisdom of Egypt ;" ver. 31,

CHAPTER I. 2-11. 67
" and he became wiser than aU men : and his fame was in all the
nations round about :" ver. 34, " and there came of all people to
hear the wisdom of Solomon, from aU kings of the earth which
had heard of his wisdom." Then again in chap. x. 23-24, "So
king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches
and wisdom ; and aU the earth sought the face of Solomon,
to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart." That
there was in Solomon's wisdom an element, by virtue of
which it might justly be compared with analogous phenomena
of the heathen world, is plain even from the visit of the
Queen of Sheba, as well as from tjie sphere within which, as
we learn from 1 Kings iv. 33, it moved. His thoughts ran
on natural things, on that which was under the sun. Kohe
leth's comparison of himself with heathen kings in regard
to wisdom is an important item in the determination of the
true idea of this wisdom : whence also we shaU more clearly
understand both the depreciatory judgment he pronounces
upon it and the presupposition with which he starts, viz.,
that the people of God were at that time destitute of the
wisdom. His intention was thus to comfort them on account
of their loss, and to teach them not to set too high a value on
the possession. A wisdom in respect of wliich it may be said
that Solomon only had more than heathen kings could not
be the wisdom which is from above, which had estabhshed its
seat in the midst of the covenanted people, and the possession
of which was inseparable from their existence : it could not
be the wisdom which coincides with true piety, which affords
true .knowledge of God, and which in His light enables us to
understand man and earthly things. No ! a wisdom which
can bear such a comparison must be earthly, of this world.
With this agrees what is said in verse 13 respecting the
sphere of this wisdom. Its efforts are only directed to search
out and fathom what takes place under heaven : the wisdom
which eometh from above strives, above aU things, to pene
trate into the depths of the Godhead. That the wisdom of
Solomon does not coincide with that which is described in
James i. 5, that on the contrary it has a common basis with
the wisdom of the heathens, being only distinguished there
from by the iUumination which it receives from the light of
revelation and of the Spirit of God, plight be judged even

68 CHAPTER I. 12-18.
from 1 Kings Hi. 12. When it is in that place said,— "Lo!
I give thee a wise and understanding heart, so that there
was none hke thee before thee, neither after thee shaU any
arise hke unto thee,"— there is certainly no intention of set
ting Solomon above Moses, in contradiction to Numbers xii;
and Deuteronomy xxxiv., nor even above David : the words
rather imply that his wisdom was considered as essentially
different from that possessed by men of God properly so
caUed, and not to be brought into comparison with it* In
this wisdom, so brilhant and splendid as even to attract the
attention of GentUes, but which, according to what foUows,
stood on a Hke level with the possession and enjoyment of
this world's goods, Solomon held the first place. The present,
so poor in every respect, had no alternative but to look up to
him. But that that true wisdom which even children may
possess, yet remained, is manifoldly and expressly asserted
afterwards (compare chap. vh. 12, 13, 20, 21, x. 14-18).
Ver. 1 7. Having attained to the highest pinnacle of wis
dom, and having by its aid searched into earthly things, Solo
mon now proceeds to investigate the instrument itself em
ployed in his researches, and arrives here at a humiliating
result. The course pursued by Solomon, of inquiring into
folly along with wisdom has its ground in the fact that his
aim was to determine the worth of wisdom in relation to
foUy. Besides, as a general truth, contraries explain each
other, as Hieronymus says contrariis contraria mtelliguntur ;-f
for which reason also at the commencement of the Book of
Proverbs, wisdom and foUy are constantly contrasted with
each other.

* Seb. Schmidt remarks on this passage : Mosis enim Prophetarum et
Apostolorum potior sapientia erat potius illuminatio immediata aut revelatio,
quam sapientia cordis. Intelligitur sapientia acuti ingenii, omnia cum studio
penetrantis quse non sunt immediata? revelationis, sed scrutaminis et judicii,
eaque infusa fuit ratione perfectionis, non initii. A natural gift constitutes
the basis, an inclination towards speculative inquiries which examines and
seeks to penetrate into the nature of things.
t Following the Septuagint, Luther translates : " Wisdom and folly and
prudence." But that ffb^W in tnis place is only another mode of writing
riv3D "Eolly," is so clearly evident from the parallel passages chap. ii. 12,
vii. 25, x. 13, that one cannot conoeive how it has been possible for Stier to
keep to the translation " prudence."

CHAPTER I. 12-18. 69
Ver. 18. According to what has hitherto been advanced,
the reason of the pain and discomfort which result from the
possession of wisdom must be found in the fact that it lays bare
the vanity of earthly things. When wisdom is looked upon
as a means to higher ends, this is an advantage. To recog
nise the true character of earthly things can be wholesome
only when we are thereby driven to lay hold on the one real
Being, on God, who is an everlasting refuge in the midst of
the vanities of earth. It shows, however, that wisdom, con-1
sidered in itself, in isolation from other and higher things, is
but a comfortless sort of good. Luther saw the true reason
of the discomfort and pain. His words are, " Great people
who have a great understanding, and see further than others,
who have had much experience, cannot help frequently
being angry with themselves and thinking in great disgust,
how wicked and scandalous is the course of things in this
world ! But whence does it arise that such persons are so
impatient, and become so angry ? The answer is : where
there is much understanding and wisdom, there is much dis
content ! For such people see and think much, and conse
quently find in the world all manner of crimes, wickednesses,
falseness, unfairness, which others never see nor dream of:
and that gives pain. Others who do not see so far, nor
think so much, do not take it to heart : therefore also it
causes them little trouble or pain. Whosoever, then, desires
to be a good Christian and to lead a godly life, let him learn
to endure patiently, and commit the ordering of things to
God, let him learn to pray heartUy the petition taught us by
Christ, ' thy will be done ;' otherwise he wfll only plague
himself in vain, make his own hfe hateful to himself, and
lose besides time and everything."} We must interpret —
% Many commentators have missed the right sense through giving themselves
up to mere guesses. So, for example, Hieronymus : Quanto magis quis sapiefl-
tiam fuerit consequutus, tanto plus indignatur subjacere vitiis et proculesse a
virtutibus, quas requirit. (According to verse 13, Wisdom applies itself to the
consideration not merely of that which is within, but of all that takes place
under heaven). Nisi forte et hoc intelligendum, quod sapiens vir doleat tam in
abdito et profundo latere sapientiam, nee ita se prsebere mentibus ut lumen
visui ; sed per tormenta qusedam et intolerabilem Iaborem, jugi meditafione
et studio provenire. Hitzig has "much discontent or chagrin;" namely, during
the search for truth which is in many ways wearisome and often fruitless.

70 CHAPTER n.

Whoso ¦increases knowledge increases sorrow, VW is, as a
participial form, without example. In Isaiah xxix. 14,
xxxvhi. 5, also it is Fut. Eiphil.

CHAPTER II.
From wisdom Koheleth turns to the pursuit of mirth, in
order to see whether the true good is to be found in it, but
here again he 'finds not what he sought, he finds nothing to
stiU the cravings of his heart (ver. 1 and 2). After this pre
hminary survey there foUows the fuUer exposition. Taking
the coarsest first, Koheleth tries what wine drinking wUl do,
(ver. 3). Then he seeks pleasure in great works and improve
ments (verses 4-6), in rich possessions, brilliant connections,
and in the manifold enjoyments of love (verses 7-8) at the
same time not renouncing wisdom, but keeping it? .as his com
panion in aU his undertakings, and letting it be their very
life and soul, (ver. 9). He foUows after mirth with aU eager
ness, intending thus to obtain a recompense for the great
trouble caused him by the procuring of the material of plea
sure (ver. 10). On a closer examination, however, this
pleasure also evades his grasp, and so aU his pains and efforts
appear to him vain, (ver. 11). The one thought alone that
all that which he has effected by his wisdom wiU be inherited,
to judge from the usual course of things in this world, by
an evU successor, mixes gall with the satisfaction with which
he regards his creations, (ver. 1 2). Reflecting on the matter
more carefuUy he sees that wisdom has undoubtedly a con
siderable advantage over folly (verses 13-1 4 a) ; but 'still this
advantage is not of such a nature that a man can sincerely
rejoice in it and its creations, that he can seek the happiness
of his Hfe in it and devote himself with aU zeal to the pro
duction of such works. Wisdom is unable to protect us
against many misfortunes, (verses 1 4 6-1 5). The same forgetY
fulness covers the wise man no less than the fool in the future ;
and how sadly does death, to which the wise man is subject'
no less than the fool, destroy all joy in wisdom and its crea
tions, (ver. 1 6-1 7). And, to recur to that which was antici-
patorily mentioned in ver. 1 2, the thought of a wicked sue-

CHAPTER II. 71
cessoP stifles completely the satisfaction felt in the works
effected at the cost of so much labour and in the wisdom
therein manifested (verses 18-21). Mirth being spoiled by
such considerations, there remain behind only the manifold
pains and disquiet occasioned to man by the production of
that wherein he was to rejoice (verses 22-23). Surely, then,
it is better for man to renounce such a chase and hunt, to
Hve for the present moment, and to take the enjoyments
which offer themselves unsought. And yet such a cheerful
enjoyment of the gifts of God is not in a man's own power :
it comes from God, who must Himself make our hearts capable
of enjoyment, and deliver us from the bonds of avarice (verses
24-26). The moral of aH this is — look not back with painful long
ings to Solomon and his age, though so brilliant and though
apparently so rich in pleasures. More closely considered its
wealth of mipth was vanity. That unseen source of joy, from
which Solomon actuaUy drew whatever of pleasure he realized,.
is still open to you notwithstanding the needy position in
which you find yourselves. Guard then against shutting
yourselves out from it by a base and contemptible covetous
ness. Ver. 1. I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee
with mirth and look upon good, and behold, this also is vanity.
Ver. 2. To laughter I said, Thou art mad ; and to mirth,
What doeth it i Ver. 3. / sought in mime heart to nourish
my flesh with wine ; and my heart prosecuted wisdom, and I
purposed to lay hold on folly, till I might see what is good
for the children of men, what they should do under heaven,
the number of the days of their life. Ver. 4. / made me
great works ; I builded me houses ; I planted me vineyards.
Ver. 5. / made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees
in them of all kind of, fruits. Ver. 6. / made me pools of
water, to water therewith the wood that brmgeth forth trees.
Ver. 7. / bought servants and maidens, and servants were
born to me in my house : also I obtamed cattle and sheep im,
multitude, more than all that were im, Jerusalem before me.
Ver. 8. / gathered me also silver and gold, and a treasure of
kings and the provinces : I gat me men-singers and women-
smgers, and ihe delights of the children of men, plenty of all

72 CHAPTER II.
sorts. Ver. 9. And I became great, and inicreased more than
fill that were before me in Jerusalem, and my wisdom re
mained to me. Ver. 10. And whatsoever mime eyes desired
I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy;
for my heart rejoiced im, all my labour; and this was my por
tion of all my labour. Ver. 11. And I looked on all the
works that fny hands had wrought, and on the labour with
which I had laboured to prod/ace ; and, behold, all was vanity
and empty effort, and is no profit under the sun. Ver. 12.
And I turned myself to behold wisdom and madness and,
folly. For what (wiU) the man (do) that shall come after the
king ? That which they have already done. Ver. 1 3. And
I saw that wisdom has an excellency over folly, like the ex
cellency of light over darkness. Ver. 1 4. The wise man has
his eyes in his head ; but the fool walkeih im, darkness. But
nevertheless I know that one event happeneth to them all,
Ver. 15. Then said I im, my heart, as it hawfeneth to the
fool so also can it happen even to me, and why then have I
been so very wise 1 And I said im my heart, that this also is
vanAty. Ver. 16. For there is no remembrance of the wise
more than of the fool for ever, seeing that in- the days to come
all is forgotten; and how dieth the wise man with the fool 1.
Ver. 1 7, And I hated life, for evil appeared to me the history
which takes place under the sun; for all is vanity, and
empty effort. Ver. 1 8. And I hated all my labour which, I
had laboured under the sun, because I should leave it to the
man that shall be after me. Ver. 19. And who knoweth
whether he shall be a wise man or a fool ? Yet shall he have
rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and whereiffi,
I have been wise under the sun : this also is vanity. Yer, 20.
And I turned myself to cause my -heart to despai/r of all the
labour wherein I laboured under the sun. Ver. 21. For
there is a man whose labour is in wisdom and in knowledge
and im, ability, and yet to a man that hath not laboured
therein, must he give it for his portion ; this also is vanity
ancl a great evil. Ver. 22. For what hath Than of all his
labour and of the striving of his heart, wherein he hath
laboured under the sun? Ver. 23. For all his days are
sorrows, and discontent is his plague ; yea, his heart taketh
not rest in the night. This also is vanity. Ver. 24, Is it

CHAPTER II. 73
not good for man that he eat and drink and make his soul
see good in his labour ? I saw that this also eometh from
the hand of God. Ver. 25. For who eateth and who has-
teneth except me ? Ver. 26. For to the man that is good before
Evm, giveth Ee wisdom and knowledge and joy ; and to the
sinner Ee giveth travail to gather and heap up, that he
may give it to him that is good before God : this also is
vanity and empty effort.
Ver. 1-2. In these two verses the new experiment and its
results are described in broad outline : in the third and fol
lowing verses these summary hints are carried out in detail
Not only for his wisdom was Solomon renowned, but also for
his possessions and pleasures ; and in this latter respect also
was his age an object of devouring yearnings to the people of
God in their day of tribulation and oppression. Therefore
does the author introduce Solomon with the confession on
his Hps that- behind even that glory vanity lay hid. When
the writer says, " I spake," the " I " is emphatic : " I spake."
Some wiU have it that ijk frequently occurs in this book along
with the first person of the verb superfluously even where
no emphasis whatever is intended, as for example in chap, i
16, H. 11, 14, 18, iii 17. In such cases, however, ijk is by no
means pleonastically used. It calls attention to the importance
of the person who is speaking, who is declaring his experiences.
An address to the soul similar to the one here may be found in
Psalm xvi. 2. The heart is to be proved, whether perchance
it feels itself contented and fuUy satisfied by this new object
presented to it. The mirth is that which springs from posses
sions and pleasures. The words which foUow immediately upon,
and are directly connected with, these, namely, hole upon good,
(nun signifying with 3 " look upon, to feed oneself upon,") show
that verses 1 and 2 do not relate merely to a life of low, and
coarse gratification, but that they have a more comprehen
sive application. The laughter mentioned in ver. 2 is that
which accompanies common sensual gratification : mirth or
joy is not identical with laughter, but has a more comprehen
sive signification, as is clear from ver. 10. Extravagant
mirth, the intoxication of the senses, at once shows itself to
be vanity (ver. 3). But even the joy taken in earthly pro
jects and possessions does not stand the test, Ver. 11 forms

74 CHAPTER II.
the comment to the question, "What doeth itf of ver. 2.
Geier says : " Why dost thou thus befool men and lead them
basely away from the true good f We should involve Ko
heleth in self-contradiction were we to ascribe to him here
the thought, that aU joy is vain and despicable. He rather
takes special pains to urge men to take pleasure in their life,
to Hve for the present moment, and thankfully to enjoy what
ever it offers. That which he here condemns is mirth con
sidered as the highest good, as the end of Hfe, and the too
great eagerness displayed in its pursuit. Luther has seized
exactly the right point of view: "that this is true, experience
tells us. For many a man arranges all his affairs and puts
forth much trouble and labour, that he may ensure to him
self quiet and peace in his old age : and yet God orders it
otherwise, and involves him in things which give him his first
true taste of disquietude. Many an one seeks his pleasure in
lust and debauchery, and from that hour onwards his life is
embittered. Therefore, if God does not give us joy and plea
sure, but we seek to contrive and create them for ourselves,
nothing comes of it ; and on the contrary, as Solomon says,
all is vanity and vexation of spirit. We can do nothing
better then than wUHngly to accept and put up with that'
which God does to us and for us, and to accustom our heart
to be satisfied and contented with that which God each mo
ment sends us, be it good or evU, sorrow or joy. If a wife is
given thee, regard it as a gift of God, thank Him, and be
cheerful and contented. But if thou settest thyself to go
beyond this, and to add thereto thy human devices, thinking
to secure only gratifications and joys, honeymoons, and merry
makings, thou wUt make for thyself sadness and sorrow of
heart. For this reason, should we accustom ourselves to rest
ing satisfied with what God does and gives, with what He
wiUs and intends, and not with what we wUl and intend
Solomon's intention, then, is not to induce aU the world to
turn hermits and monks, to cast away aU joy, mirth, pastime,1-i
aU rest, comfort, amusement : what he means to say is, that'
thoughts and proposals are nothing when we think by their
help to make to ourselves rest and peace, recreation and good
courage. The truest joy and merriment is that which we do
not expressly seek (for when we plan beforehand a Httle

CHAPTER n. 75
hindrance may frustrate the whole), but which God sends us
at the moment." In verses 1 and 2 we have undoubtedly
the germ of the parable in Luke xii. 16-21. This may be
seen from the similarity of the address to the soul which
there occurs ; from the words \%tii vo\\& ayaDd there as com
pared with the expression, " Look upon good," here ; from
the word hpgahov compared with, "I wiU prove thee with
mirth," u<pt>ov corresponding to ^riD ; and finally from the words
& 8h iiroi/taeas rhi \«rai (ver. 20) as compared with the 12th
verse of this chapter — " For what wiU the man do that shaU
come after the king V (compare ver. 19.)
Ver. 3. First of aU mirth in its coarsest form, intoxication
of the senses. " I sought in my heart to indulge my flesh
with wine." That Tin has the meaning " to prove, to assay,
to try," is certified by Numbers xiii, where the word is re
peatedly used of the spies, and by ver. 1 8, where its force is
given in the paraphrase — " and see the land, what it is, and
the people that dweUeth therein, whether they be strong
or weak, few or many." This sense of the word suits all
the passages in which it occurs, and especially Numbers
xv. 39 — "that ye may look upon it and remember all the
commandments of the Lord and do them ; and ye shaU
not foUow your eyes and your heart proving :" that is, ye
shaU institute no moral experiments, following the desires
of your own heart and the lusts of your eyes. Such experi
ments wiU as certainly be foUowed by sad and painful re
sults as it is a necessity that God's vengeance should visit
those who turn aside from the way of his commands. %The
wise Solomon did not give himself to intoxication of the
senses in the way of a mere voluptuary ; for this latter cannot
help doing what he does, and is a slave of his passions and
desires : but in the manner of an inquirer who, standing on an
eminence above sensual enjoyments wishes to know by per
sonal trial, what can be obtained from them, so as to be able,
in virtue of his own experience, to instruct others how far a
true good is or is not to be found therein. In regard to ibo
ytra " to indulge, to cherish the body," consult Gesenius' The
saurus. The remaining words of the verse carry out further
the hint contained in the phrase " I assayed ;" to the effect
that Solomon did not surrender himself a corps perdu, to

76 CHAPTER II.
coarse sensual gratifications, in opposition to what is said of-
the duty of kings in Proverbs xxxi. 4-5, "It is not for kings*
0 Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes
strong drink,, lest they drink and forget the law, and pervert
the judgment of any of the afflicted." And my heart held to
wisdom, i.e., it took wisdom along with it into its sensual
enjoyments, retained it by its side, differing thus from mere
voluptuaries, who first bid fareweU to wisdom, and then sur
render themselves to sensual pleasures, jru in conjunction
with 3 occurs only in the signification " to lead, to convey any
thing ;" see Isaiah xi. 6, and 1 Chronicles xiii. 7, where nbm
jro corresponds to rpjj? im in 2 Samuel vi. 3. Ewald's ex
planation, " whUst my heart was satiated with wisdom," is
contrary to usage, as weU as to verses 12 ffi Nor is any
thing contrary to the words, " I wiU prove thee " of ver 1, or
to those of this verse, " I assayed," according to which it was
a simple experiment that he was concerned with, intended
to be said, which might cast a doubt on Solomon : for Solo
mon is introduced to notice here, not in his character of an
historical personage, with which the writer has nothing to do ;
but as the ideal of Israelitish wisdom. " And (this took place,
or I did thus, in order) to lay hold on folly,'- whieh is the
antithesis to wisdom. He tried whether the true happiness
of Hfe was to be found in sensual enjoyments, in order that,
supposing the contrary to be the case, he might, from his
own experience, know folly to be folly, and learn to abhor it
from the bottom of his heart. " TiU I might see what is
good for the children of men, what they shaU do the number
of the days of their life." By reason of the shortness of
human existence, which passes very soon irrecoverably away,
it is a thing of all the more importance to come early to
clear ideas in regard to the end of life and the true good!
To Hve recklessly is the greater foUy, seeing that the hfe of
man does but last some seventy years, or at the best eighty
years. The point of view here taken is the right one also for
aU that follows. At the commencement of his experiment,
which begins with wine and ends with women, the writer
says, " and my heart held to wisdom," and corresponding to
these words we find it said at the close, " my wisdom re
mained with me " (ver. 9). Everything is set before us from

CHAPTER II. 77
the point of view of an experiment. That coarse sensual
enjoyment afforded no satisfactory result ; that on the con
trary it manifested itself to be folly — about this not a word
is wasted. There was the less need to say anything expressly,
inasmuch as a general judgment had been pronounced in
ver. 2, which left no doubt as to the result of such a trial.
Verses 4-8. / made 'me great works, I built me houses,
planted me vimeyards, &c. In 1 John H. 1 6 it is said, " aU
that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the
eyes, and the pride of Hfe, is not of the Father but of the
world ;" on which Bengel remarks, " Concupiscentia carnis
dicit ea, quibus pascuntur sensus, qui appeUantur fruitivi,
gustus et tactus. Concupiscentia oculorum ea quibus tenen-
tur sensus investigativi, oculus s. visus, auditus et olfactua
aXafyvstu est arrogans pompa, cum quis nimium sibi aut verbis
aut factis assumit — ut homo velit quam plurimus esse in
victu, cultu, apparatu supeUectUe, sedificiis, praediis, famulitio,
chentibus jumentis, muneribus." From the lust of the flesh
Solomon now passes to the lust of the eye and to that pride
of Hfe which delights in, and understands how to procure for
itself, outward splendour. AU the modes of activity here
enumerated are unable to satisfy the heart, and therefore
should we be careful not to pursue them further than is
necessary and indispensable — a thing which aU those do who
seek therein a happiness they can never confer. If we are
convinced that a man may possess aU these things, and yet
be at the same time the most miserable of beings, we shaU
not occupy ourselves with them further than our rank and
position in life demand. That the temple is not included
amongst the " houses " is evident, not only from the word "6
" for himseK," " I buUt houses for myself :'; but also from the
tone of the entire enumeration, which introduces only such
things as had Solomon for their central point. In ver. 7
Solomon is represented as saying — "also I obtained cattle
and sheep in multitude, more than aU who were in Jerusalem
before me." In this some have wrongly supposed that they
had discovered " a blunder of the later author," in relation to
whom there had been of course many kings in Jerusalem.
Amongst the royal predecessors of Solomon in Jerusalem were
reckoned not only David and Saul but also the Jebusite kings

78 CHAPTER II.
up to Melchizedeck. " I gathered me also sUver and gold
and a treasure of kings and the provinces." r6jD does not
signify " property in general," but " something of special value
and highly estimated," strictly, " that which men lay by, lay
on one side, treasure:" see Christology, Hi. p. 635. The
author is speaking here of a treasure of kings and provinces, ,
in reference to the aforementioned "sUver and gold." The
conjunction therewith is the more appropriate, inasmuch as
the gold and sUver came from the kings and the provinces.
D'oi'D stands without article in order to draw attention to the
significance of "a treasure of kings:" "the provinces" on the
other hand are the definite and weU-known ones of Solomon's
kingdom. Corresponding to the kings and provinces here we
find in the aUegorical descriptions of Proverbs xxxi: 29, "the
daughters," i.e., the dependent nations, "many daughters bring
wealth." "The kings" are those of the vanquished heathen
countries: compare 1 Kings iv. 21, "And Solomon reigned
over aU kingdoms from the river unto the land of the
Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt : they brought pre
sents and served Solomon aU the days of his life. Ver. 24
He had dominion over the whole land beyond the river from
Thipsah and Gaza, over aU kings beyond the river." There is
no sufficient reason for reckoning amongst the kings the
officers who, according to chap. iv. 7 ffi, were appointed by
Solomon over the twelve provinces into which the original
Israehtish territory was divided, although some amongst
them were the sons-in-law of the king. And quite as httle
ground is there for Hitzig's supposition, that by "the pro
vinces " we are to understand those twelve original districts.
The provinces are plainly not to be taken separately from the
•kings: the word gather, moreover, is not appropriate as
apphed to the original territory of the Israelites : and the
twelve tribes did not bring sUver and gold, but Solomon drew
from them only the natural productions of the natural dis
tricts. The usual explanation of the words is, " a treasure
such as kings have, and such as provinces supply." . But there .
is no reason for resortirlg to this more remote view ; besides
that in 1 Chronicles xxix. 3, the word in the Stat, const, which
is conjoined with r6jD designates that in which the treasure
consists ; " a treasure of sUver and gold." / gat me merir

CHAPTER IL 79
singers and women-singers, and the delights of the children
of men, plenty of all sorts, juyn " caresses " is used only of
sexual love. nie> signifies in Arabic, robur, vehementia. From
the same root is derived the Hebrew word nt? " the almighty."
The adjoined plural marks the augmented force of the abstract
conception : " multitude and great multitude." According to
1 Kings xi. 3, Solomon had seven hundred princesses to wife,
-and three hundred concubines. Those who commit the mis
take of not finding in the word juyn a reference to Solomon's
love of women — a thing which it was quite impossible to pass
over in sUence in an enumeration of aU the things with which
he surrounded his own person, and which related peculiarly to
himself, have sought in a great variety of ways to import into
the words mm nnw a reference to Solomon's women. J. D.
Michaelis, in justification of his arbitrary explanation, says
quite openly, " in this choice of meanings I have not looked
so much to phUological grounds, as to the consideration that
it appears almost incredible that Solomon should have for
gotten women in the enumeration of his sensual pleasures."
If we understand the words of Solomon's wives, the conjunc
tion of the singular and plural wiU appear strange " wife and
wives." That the wives are here mentioned, because they
swelled by their number the splendour of Solomon's court, and
set him for whom such things were prepared in a brilliant
Hght, is plain from the verse immediately foUowing, which
lays stress on the greatness of the king who gathered around
himself aU these resources.
Vfir. 9. And I became great, and greater than all those that
were before me im Jerusalem, and my wisdom remained to
me: Vulgate, perseveravit mecum. 1DJ? is used also in Chap.
viii 3, in the same meaning of "remain, continue." Inas
much as wisdom, that noblest of all possessions, remained to
the king along with these other possessions, we should with
the greater confidence expect him to have a contented and
satisfied heart. The words which occur in verse 3, at the
beginning of the description — " and my heart prosecuted wis
dom" — correspond to those which we find here, "and («is the
emphatic " and" indicates that an important addition is being
made) wisdom remained to me." Ewald's explanation is,
" served me ;" Elster's is, " stood to me," which is as much as to

80 CHAPTER II.
say "it supported, aided me," in gaining riches and renown,
But *JD)> with b cannot have that meaning.
Ver. 10. It cost Solomon labour, yea great labour (ver. 23)
to raise himself to a position where he should be the central
point of all. For this trouble, however, he felt himself at first
repaid by the joy which he experienced at the thought that
aU had been effected by his own wisdom, belonged to him and
contributed to his glory. But even of this satisfaction he was
speedily deprived. It only lasted so long as he did not go to
the very bottom of the thing. When the joy vanished there
remained only the labour behind, and this was felt to be
simple torture so soon as it distinctly showed itself to be
fruitless. — According to verse 1 1 Solomon looked upon aU his
works and on aU the labour he had spent on them, and " be
hold aU was vanity." The expression, " and behold," points
to the unexpectedness and startling nature of the fact. The
grounds of the general judgment here pronounced are after
wards detaUed. Those who mistake this have recourse to
conjectures. Thus Hitzig is of opinion that "the work had
afforded him some gratification: but at last he had accom
phshed aU and was unable to devise any further projects. So
then the work came to an end, and with it naturaUy the en
joyment which it had afforded." Similarly Elster, who says:
" the vanity of wearying ourselves in the pursuit of pleasure
consists in this, that when the enjoyment is spent there is
only the feeling of emptiness left behind." But these are the
thoughts of the commentators themselves, of which there is no
trace in the text. Besides, the matter in hand would not be
served by any experience that might be ascribed to a hypo
chondriacal source : plain and palpable reasons are required,
and such are advanced in the succeeding part of the book,
from which the present verse may not be separated. " And
there is no profit under the sun." If Solomon, with aH his
wisdom and with aU the means at his disposal secured no
profit, gained no real good, there surely must be none to be
acquired, (Stier renders " profit," by " nothing abiding ;" but
the correctness of the common interpretation is guaranteed by
verse 1 3 : the Hebrew word only occurs in ' this book, and it
always signifies "profit, advantage.") The existence of true
good is by no means denied. The author treats here only of

CHAPTER II. 81
such possessions as have their origin under the sun, and which
man can acquire by his own efforts. The positive assertion
correspondent to the negative one of the text is found in
James i. 17 — ir&sa, dogig, ayullri x&l nuv dupy/ia reXs/ov clvwdiv
sen xa,raj3aiiov aiso too iturphs rm purcav
In verse 1 2 the catchword VMS " I turned myself," used
in ver. 1 1 is again adopted, and for the purpose of indicating
that what was there only hinted at will here be fuUy un
folded. Koheleth turns himself to behold wisdom and mad
ness and foUy, i. e. to consider them in their relation to each
other, and to estimate their relative worth. Wisdom, which
Solomon did not lay aside when he gave his life a new direc
tion, but kept as his companion therein (ver. 9) applying it
now to practical, as at an earher period he had applied it to
speculative matters, is here brought forward as the very soul
of his undertakings. Consequently, if the inquiry into the
relation between wisdom and folly show the result that wis
dom is nothing, the works of which wisdom is the soul must
also be nothing. At this place Hitzig makes the erroneous
remark, that " after having discovered (ver. 1 1) that his works
are nought, he finds out here that the wisdom which he has
expended on them is also nought." Wisdom and the works
rather constitute one whole, interpenetrating each other : —
wisdom is in the works as their animating principle. Kohe
leth next sets before us that which gave rise to his reflections
on the relation between wisdom and foUy, and which caused
his perplexity as to the value of the former and of the works
effected by its means. This was the simple fact that his suc
cessor would probably be a man of worthless character, who
would disgracefnUy destroy what he had accomplished by his
wisdom and by his great labours. Rehoboam! that is the
thought which first presses itself on his mind. Then at verse
1 3 begins that comprehensive discussion which in verses 1 8
and 1 9 comes back again to the circumstance here anticipa-
torily mentioned. The presumptive foUy of his successor ap
pears here to constitute the motive to the investigation : in
verses 1 8 and 1 9, which form a sort of commentary to the
somewhat enigmatical words before us, this folly seems to be
an important feature in the inquiry itself. By the words —
"For what is the man?" we may understand either — "what
F

82 CHAPTER II.
is he? what is it with him ? or, what wiU he do ?" supple
menting the meaning from what foUows : " Who wUl come
after the King," i. e. after me, the King, or who wiU
succeed me in my kingdom ? The miserable answer to the
question, "what will my successor do?" is — He wiU do "what
they have already done." From the fact that folly is the
custom of the world, arises the probability that his successor
also will be foolish, so that Solomon with aU his wisdom wiU
appear to have laboured in vain, and to have spent his strength
for nothing and vanity (Isaiah xlix. 4.) Ewald's explanation,
namely, "what, i. e., of what kind is the man, who wiU suc
ceed the king, with him, i. e., as compared with him whom
one has made before?" is characterised by great harshness.
The simple word with can never stand for compared with :
besides, Solomon was not made king by men. The inquiry
into the relation between wisdom and foUy, together with the
results of each, to which Koheleth is moved by the thought of
his evU successor which presses itself upon him, leads in the
first instance to the conclusion that wisdom has an unquestion
able advantage over foUy, (verses 13,14 a.) Wisdom is like
light, which preserves the man that walks in it from many
dangers to which the darkness exposes him : or again, the
wise man is Hke one who sees, and who can therefore avail '
himself of many advantages and avoid many inconveniences *
But stiU the advantage is not an unmixed, an absolute one : — -
"but nevertheless I know that one event happeneth to them
aU," (14 b.,) the wise man no less than the fool may break a
leg, and is not less than others exposed to aU possible acci
dents. If this be so, the question naturally arises — " why
have I been then so very wise ?" If wisdom with its produc
tions has only a relative value, if it has no power to guard its
possessor against even the very worst that can happen, it fol
lows surely, that a man should not occupy himself too deeply
with it, that he should not make it and its creations the real
aim of his life ; it follows also, lastly, that an age in which
wisdom flourishes less strongly, need not on that account grieve
* Seb. Schmidt, — instituitur comparatio sapientis cum homine, cui oculi non
ex capite eruti sunt, sed sani et salvi adsunt, qui proinde latissime potest cir-
cumspicere, periculosa fugere, ad proficua accedere, et in omnibus provide ao
circumspecte agere.

CHAPTER II. 83
over much. And I said im my heart that this also is vanity
— this, the study of human wisdom, in respect of which the
age of Solomon far surpassed later ages. The meaning found
by Elster in these words, viz., " this arrangement of life itself,
according to which the wise man experiences the same fortune
as the fool, is characterised as vanity,'' does not suit the con
nection. Koheleth has no wish to blame the divine govern
ment of the world, his aim is to exhibit the vanity of human
efforts and human possessions. The word " for," which follows,
shows that it is wisdom which he considers to be vanity. If
then even this noblest of earthly possessions is vain, how
urgently should we feel ourselves summoned to unite ourselves
the more closely and inwardly to God : compare Proverbs Hi.
5, — " Trust in the Lord with aU thine heart, and lean not
unto thine own understanding." Luther remarks — " therefore
is it better to commit the supreme government of aU things
to the King who has made us. Let every man discharge with
aU dUigence the duties of his office, let him accomplish what
ever God gives him at the present moment to do : if all does
not go on as he expected let him leave it to God. What God
gives let him accept : if God hinders thee in any wise, take
that also for a good. Whatever we can do we are called upon
to do : what we cannot effect we must let alone : the stone
which thou canst not lift thou must needs. let lie." The affir
mation that "this also is vanity," in proof of which it is
alleged in ver. 15, to be the fact, that wisdom affords no pro
tection against the manifold misfortunes of Hfe, receives a new
and doubly strong confirmation in ver. 1 6, from the forgetful-
ness, which in the future covers alike the wise man with his
works, and the fool, and from the necessity by which both
alike are bound to submit to death. If wisdom is incompe
tent to protect us against any of these troubles it surely should
not be the object of such ardent longings. We ought rather
to leave it and the pursuit thereof to Solomon and his age, and
seek elsewhere the true happiness of Hfe : " Seeing that in the
days to come all is forgotten," — Vulgate: futura tempora obli-
vione cuncta pariter operient, — " and how dieth the wise man
with the fool ?" That is the most unworthy and humiliating
thing that can happen to the wise man, to be subjected no less
than the mere fool to the disgraceful necessity of death. The

84 CHAPTER II.
hatred of hfe itself, which, as we learn from ver. 1 7, arises
within us when we consider things as they actually are and
do not permit ourselves to be deceived by outward show and
seeming, is by no means in itself true repentance. A clear
proof thereof, is that such feelings are to be found frequently
in the heart of the ungodly. They are notwithstanding for
the weU disposed a powerful motive to return to God. This
is however not the precise point of view from which matters
are examined here. The aim of aU that is advanced is rather
to dehver the men of that generation from their devouring
yearnings after the glory of the age of Solomon by laying bare
its true character before their eyes.
Ver. 18-21. In these verses attention is once more turned
to the evU successor who was expected to occupy the throne.
The "toil" aUuded to in ver. 18 had its roots in that which
such an event would bring to pass. "For" (ver. 22,) on the
grounds advanced in ver. 2] and previously, inasmuch as I
must leave the fruits of my labour to an unworthy successor,
since furthermore accidents befal alike the wise man and the
fool, since the wise man is no less mortal than the fool, and
the remembrance of both alike passes away, the question
presses itself on the mind — " what has man ?" This is as
much as to say, " man has nothing." On this view the word
'3, at the commencement of ver. 23, appears quite appropriate.
"Vexation is his torment," (ver. 23,) i. e., he is tormented
thereby. From which the practical conclusion is that we
ought not to busy ourselves with such distracting and perplex
ing matters, and that it should be a cause of gladness when
our circumstances furnish no occasion and incentive to such
a course. In fact it promises too Httle fruit, nothing is
obtained thereby to compensate the expenditure in labour,
anxiety and pain.
Ver. 24. Seeing that such is the case with the works men
undertake, our wisdom surely is to embark only in such enter
prises as are clearly necessary, and in this way to employ the
present moment and live for the present moment — a thing
which this needy present generation is as able to do as Solo
mon with aU his glory, (ver. 24.) Against taking this ver. as
a question — " Is it not good for man ?" — it has been objected
that in such a case, to would be used instead of px. But the

CHAPTER II. 85
cognate word px is used interrogatively in 1 Samuel xxi. 9.
To simple eating and drinking, the contrast is given in the
wearisome labours some men undergo for the special advan
tage of their own person, and in order to secure to it the
highest enjoyments Hfe can offer. Labours for the advance
ment of the kingdom of God belong to an entirely different
region, and form no part whatever of the contrast which is
here mentioned. The words— "let his soul see good" recom
mend joy in conjunction with, as distinguished from joy at
our labours. Verses 2 and 3 stand in the way of an epicu
rean misinterpretation of what is here said in regard to eating
and drinking. No one who has been at all penetrated by the
deep earnestness of the book can for a moment entertain the
thought of such a profane mterpretation. The last words of
the yer, namely — " I saw that this also comes from the hand
of God" — draw attention to the consideration that even such
eating and drinking, such cheerful enjoyment of the gifts of
God, are not in the power of men by themselves, but must
come from above, like every other good gift — that is in fact
also a gift of God. How far this is so ver. 26 teaches us.
The foe of such joy, avarice, which was one of the principal
diseases of that age, — this foe can only be overcome by God.
God alone can free the soul from his bonds, ver. 25. From
his own experience Koheleth can say that he has richly enjoyed
this gift of God. Between the enjoyment mentioned in ver.
10, and that referred to here, there is this difference, that the
latter may be the portion of the man who has but small means.
That £>in is used here in its usual, and alone clearly ascertained
signification, "to hasten," is evident from Habakkuk i 8,
where it occurs in conjunction with " eating," and with the
same meaning as here. In Psalm cxix. 60, "delay" forms the
contrast to " haste." The next foUowing words are a commen
tary on this verse. The avaricious man does not hasten to eat,
for his eye is looking into the uncertain future, but he delays
therein and stores up his pleasures against another day. ja
pin are nowhere else used in the Old Testament in the sense
in which they are employed here ; frequently however in the
Talmud and in the writings of the Rabbis. Hitzig translates
— "and who can dehght himself except from him?" — and
remarks, " FoUowing the Septuagint, the Syriac, Jerome and

86 CHAPTER II.
Ewald we read uoo. In this form (y»») the words are plainly
more suitable as a basis for the first part of ver. 24 : whUst
the reading uoo corresponds admirably to the second half of
the same verse." But according to the authenticated reading
the words suit the whole yerse : "for who has by God's gift."
Independently, however, of the unwarranted alteration of the
reading, it is against that explanation that B>in can only mean
" to hasten," and not " to dehght oneself," or as others would
have it " to drink ;" and further that such an expression as
" eat from God," can scarcely be employed. The reason of the
double future wliich is here used, is that the matter is still
going forward.
Ver. 26. In this verse Koheleth refers back his own indi
vidual experience to a general ground. For to the man who
is good before Ei/m giveth Ee wisdom and knowledge,.tha,t
his heart may not cling to the dead mammon, and, precisely '
in this way he receives also, joy, in that he enjoys what God
has assigned him. To the sinner, on the contrary, God in his
righteous judgment giveth travail to gather and heap up !
That also is vanity and empty effort, even this gathering
together; andthecircumstancesofthetimerendered it peculiarly
necessary to lay stress on the foUy of such a course : the less
God bestowed, the more avaricious was it deemed necessar y to
become. Hitzig thinks it is " the struggle to find happiness
in sensual enjoyment enjoined in ver. 24." ,But that is too
farfetched, is moreover wrong and in contradiction with the
fundamental idea of the book. A discreet and soHd enjoyment
of that which God confers is everywhere earnestly recom
mended. Here we very plainly see that the refrain, "this also
is vanity, &c," by no means involves a complaint against God,
but is a cry of warning to men who in the perversity of their
hearts seek happiness where God has not willed that it be
sought.

CHAPTER III.
In regard to the position and circumstances of the chUdren
of Israel to which this book owes its origin and character, the
foUowing data may be derived from the chapter now coming

CHAPTER III. 87
under notice. Israel was ecclesia pressa : it was in a state
of persecution, (ver. 15.) It was being purified in the furnace
of affliction (ver. 1 8.) Wickedness triumphed over righteous
ness : on Israel lay the yoke of heathen dominion, (ver. 1 6,
1 7.) It was for the chosen people a period of death, of the
rooting up of what was planted, of complaint, of silence and
so forth, (ver. 1-8.) In such circumstances they harassed
themselves fruitlessly by their own toilsome and anxious
undertakings, (ver. 9-18.) In view of such a situation the
author proceeds further in his design of conferring weapons of
defence against the attacks of despair. In chapters i. and H.
he developed the thought, that on earth, the scene of vanity,
men may not seek true happiness, that times which seem most
fortunate and happy are not so different from wretched ones
as a superficial examination might lead us to think, and finaUy,
that aU earthly happiness is but ghttering misery. In the
present chapter, Koheleth seeks to comfort his suffering fel
low countrymen by directing their thoughts to the aU-ruling
providence of God. The theme of his discourse is the words
of Jeremiah x. 23, — "I know, 0 Lord, that the way of man
is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his
steps. He labours to impress upon them the truth, that aU
prosperity and misfortune comes from God alone," and admon
ishes them to humble themselves beneath his mighty hand,
that in his own good time he may exalt them. Everything
has its season, and there is a time ordained by God, when every
desire of the faithful shaU be satisfied. Here then our duty
is not to be careful and murmuring, and to harass ourselves,
but to surrender and submit ourselves to, and patiently wait
on God, (ver. 1-8.) " Nothing comes of being early and late
at aU my works : my care is in vain," (ver. 9, 1 0.) What
God intends to do man cannot know, and consequently
cannot conveniently order his doings : man is not set to work,
but simply to wait, and meanwhUe to take whatever good
falls to his lot unsought, (ver. 11.) Instead therefore of being
anxious and overworking ourselves, we should rather Hve for
the present moment, cheerfuUy enjoy the pleasures it puts in
our way, and at the same time do good, so that we may not
hinder the grace of God> (ver- 12-) In conjunction with this,
it is to be remarked, that the capacity of cheerful enjoyment

88 CHAPTER III.
in life is a gift of God, who alone is able to deliver the heart
from cares, (ver. 13.) Our disquietudes and griefs, and self-
inflicted pains cannot alter the eternal counsels of God, (ver.
1 4.) Everything comes just as God foreordained it, and that
is a consoling reflection for the persecuted, inasmuch as in his
own good time the Lord must again undertake their cause,
(ver. 1 5.) When wickedness has risen to power and rule on
the earth, we may cherish the hope that there will be a reve
lation of God's judgments, (ver. 16-17.) But when God
delays his judgments, it is in order that men may be purified
and humbled, seeing that in such times of suffering, experience
forces on them the conviction that they are as helpless as the
beasts of the field, (ver. 18.) Man, who so readily puffs him
self up is in one respect on a level with the cattle, in that, no
less than they, he is exposed to all kinds of accidents, and
must die and return to the dust, (ver. 19-20.) The difference
between them, namely, that the spirit of man goes upwards to
God, whilst the breath of the beast perishes with the body is
one of a very subtle nature, and hard to be discerned in pre
sence of that outward resemblance in their fates which first
presses itself on the attention, (ver. 21.) To give once more
the summary of the whole argument — seeing the utter uncer
tainty of the future, man should not trouble himself about it,
— "why should I then harass myself and think about that
which is to come?" — but enjoy the present, (ver. 22.)
Ver. 1. To everything there is a season, and a time to
every desire under the heaven : Ver. 2. A time to bear and a
time to die ; a time to plant and a time to pluck up that
which is planted : Ver. 3. A time to kill and a time to heal;
a time to 'break down and a time to build up. Ver. 4. A
time to weep and a time to laugh ; a ti/me to mourn and a
time to dance. Ver. 5. A time to cast away stones and a
time to gather stones together : a time to embrace and a time
. to refrain from embracing. Ver. 6. A time to seek and a
time to lose ; a time to keep and a time to cast away. Ver. 7.
A time to rend and a time to sew ; a time to keep silence
and a time to speak : Ver. 8. A time to love and a time to
hate ; a time of war and a time of peace. Ver. 9. What
profit hath he that produceth in that wherein he laboureth?
Ver. 10./ have seen the travail which God hath given to the

CHAPTER III. 89
sons of men to be exercised in it. Ver. 1 1. Ee maketh every
thing beautiful in his time, eternity also he hath set im their
heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maJceth,
from the beginning to the end. Ver. 12. / know that there
is no good in them, but that one rejoice and do good in his
life. Ver. 13. And also every man that eats and drinks, and
sees good in all his labour, that is a gift of God. Ver. 1 4.
I know that whatsoever God doeth it shall be for ever : nothmg
can be put to it and nothing can be taken from it : and God
doeth it that they should fear before Eim. Ver. 15. That
which hath been is mow ; and that which is to be hath already
been, and God seeketh the persecuted. Ver. 16. And further
saw I under the sun ; the place of judgment, wickedness is
there ; the place of righteousness, the wicked is there. Ver. 1 7.
/ said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the
wicked, for there is a time there for every desire and about
every work. Ver. 18./ said in mine heart, because of the
children of men that God may purify them, and in order
that they may see that im, themselves they are beasts. Ver. 1 9.
For accident are the children of men, and accident are the
beasts, and one accident befalls them, as the one dies so dieth
also the other; yea, they have all one breath, so that 'man
hath no pre-eminence above the beast, for all is vanity. Ver.
20. All go unto one place, all are of the dust, and all turn
to dust again. Ver. 21. Who knoweth the spirit of the chil
dren of men, that goeth upward, and the breath of the beast
that goeth downward to the earth ? Ver. 22. And I saw that
nothing is better than that a man should rejoice in his oiun
works, for that is his doing, for who shall bring him to see
what shall take place after him ?
Ver. 1. To everything there is a season : not one that is
based on a blind fate, for that would be but a miserable con
solation, but one that is ordered by a God who is compas
sionate, gracious, long-suffering, of great love and faithfulness,
who even in his anger never forgets mercy, who has thoughts
of peace towards his people languishing in misery, and who,
though he chastises them, never gives them over to the
power of death. If things go iU aU we have to do is to wait
patiently for the hour of redemption, and at the end the
people of God must receive that which is best for their por-

90 CHAPTER III.
tion. Parallel with this are the words of Psalm lxxv. 3, '
" For I shaU take a set time, then shall I judge uprightly."
This set time is that which God has appointed for the accom
plishment of the counsels he has decreed. Compare also
Psalm cii 14, "Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion,
for the time to favour her, yea the set time is come." To this
time appointed by God we ought to direct our eye in the
midst of our afflictions. This point of time wUl arrive when
God's visitations of His Church have reached their final ter
mination (Isaiah x. 12). These visitations also have then-
season, and whoso knows this, whoso recognizes that in afflic
tions God's hand Hes upon him, cannot surely fail to expert1 ;^
ence joy and consolation. On this passage are based the
words of John vii. 30, "They sought to take him; but no
man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come."
Gesenius' explanation : " Everything lasts but for a time,
nothing is permanent," is quite incorrect. Ver. 1 4 is sufficient
to show this. The idea is rather this, that in misfortune we
must learn to wait, inasmuch as man has no power to alter
the times and seasons, and can take to himself nothing which
is not given him from above. "Accept cheerfuUy, docUe
chUd, what it pleases God to send, and though the winds blow
and are so tempestuous as to threaten everything with destruc
tion around thee, be comforted, for that which befaUs thee is
according to the wUl of God." Those also completely miss
the right meaning of the words who suppose that they con
tain a direction to men to do whatever they have to do at
the right time.* And a time for every desire under the
" In opposition to this view, says Rambach — •" ex quibus omnibus apparet,
non hie voluisse Salomonem vitse regulas, de tempestivitate in actionibus omni
bus observandas prsescribere ut tamen multi censuerunt: si quidem ea hie
enarrantur qua? non dependent ab hominis arbitrio et voluntate, ut nasci, mori,
perdere, etc., unde hie prsecepto de cauta temporis observantia nullus locus
relinquitur." J. D. Michaelis says : " Unless the proposition, so variously
illustrated in verses 1-8, is to be explained as if it had no connection with what
precedes and follows, and were thrown out at random, it is impossible that it
should be a prescription to do everything at the right time : it must rather be
intended to teach that everything happens and comes at a time definitely ap
pointed, be it prosperity or misfortune. The sense is clear from the following
ninth verse, where Solomon draws from the proposition the conclusion — "What
profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboured ?" Since God deter
mines everything, a man's happiness will not depend on his own work, but how

CHAPTER III. 91
heaven. It is usually assumed that pan is employed here in
the sense of " thing, affair." Elsewhere, however, pan is always
used to designate " favour, good pleasure." In this book also,
as is universally allowed, it occurs several times in this sense
(see chap. xii. 1-10, chap. v. 3) ; as also in the contemporane
ously written book of Malachi (see chap, i 1 0). Consequently
if at aU practicable this meaning must be retained here, as
weU as in ver. 17, and chap. v. 7, viii. 6 ; here especially,
because if we accept the signification " business," we shaU
have a mere tautology, for there is no difference whatever
between ny and pf. This clearly ascertained meaning suits
the connection also perfectly : pan denotes the desire which
believers have to see the kingdom of God established. They
thought it ought to come immediately, but they wiU be com-
peUed to wait for the time which has been fixed in the coun
sels of God. Our wish is not fulfiUed when we wiU, but
when God wills. It is enough that it will one day be satisfied.
The application of the words, " Every desire," is, of course,
Hmited and defined by the character of the persons to whom
the singer speaks. In reality he refers to the wishes of the
people of God which longs for the coming of His kingdom.
This Hmitation is absolutely necessary. Apphed to the world,
both the declaration here and Paul Gerhard's paraphrase of it,
given below, would be utterly false.t Luther's remarks on
this place are as foUows — " This then is to be understood,
that everything has its time and every human purpose its
brief season : i. e., there is a certain fixed hour for everything.
As when kingdoms, lands, and principalities are to arise there
is an hour for them ; if they are to fall there is also an hour
for that ; for war and tumults there is a season : for peace
be stands with God. At all events, I am not fortunate enough to be able to find
any connection between an admonition to do everything at the right time, and
the words of the above-mentioned ninth verse."
t " Kommt's nicht heute wie man will
Sey man nur ein wenig still
Ist doch morgen auch ein Tag
Da die Wohlf ahrt kommen mag.
Gottes zeit halt ihren Schritt
Wenn die kommt, kommt unsre Bitt,
Und die Ereude reichlich mit."

92 CHAPTER III.
also and quietude there is a season ; and when the time for
these things is come, no wit of man can hinder or prevent it.
There was a set time for the Roman Empire and all great
kingdoms to grow, and no thought of man rendered any help
therein. Again, when the hour struck which was to see
them decline and faU, no propping and supporting was of any
use. AU this is, therefore, directed against the free wiU of
man, and against all human purposes and fancies, but especi
ally against the notion that it is in our power to determine
seasons, and hours, and persons, and measures, and place; that
we can settle how the affairs of this world shall go, how its
great potentates shall rise and fall, how joy and sadness;
building up and palling down, war and peace, shaU succeed
and take the place of each other, how they shall begin and end :
it is to impress on us the fact that ere the hour arrives it is
wasted effort for men to think, and their proposals are use
less and vain : in fine, we are taught that nothing comes to
pass before the hour fixed for it by God. His doctrine the
writer confirms by examples from all branches of human ex
perience, and says, " Building has its time and breaking down
has its time," and so forth, from which he judges that aU the
counsels, the thoughts, the devices, and the efforts of men are
but as shadows and mock-fighting, unless the thing is already
determined on in Heaven. Kings, princes, and lords may
take counsel and agree together upon aU as they shaU think
fit, but whenever the hour strikes for any event whatever, it
takes place and other matters remain standing and hinder
each other ; and although it seems as if the well planned
scheme must now be executed, nothing comes of it, and
nothing can come of it till the predetermined hour has struck,
even if aU men on earth were to put forth the most violent
efforts. God will not suffer the hands of his great clock to
be pointed by the kings and princes and lords of the
earth : He wiU Himself point them : nor may we take upon
ourselves to inform Him what hour has struck : 'tis He who
wiU teU us. Wherefore also Christ said, " mine hour is not
yet come." And how many stern counsels, nay, how did all
the efforts of the Pharisees and chief men of the Jews remain
fruitless until that hour arrived. Wherefore also Christ spake
further, " A woman when she is in travaU hath sorrow be-

CHAPTER III. 93
cause her hour is come." Thus hath the Lord fixed a season
for everything, for being rich and prior, for living and dying,
and for every other phase of human experience. In refer
ence to the words, " and a time to every desire under the
Heaven," Luther remarks : "The Hebrew word Chephetz
signifies that with which one is occupied, that which is the
object of desire, love, purpose. Thus in Psalm i it is said,
' those who have the desire and determination to keep God's
law.' The writer includes under the term Chephetz every
thing which men would fain possess, to which their heart in
clines, after which their yearnings go forth ; and he intends
to say here, because thereof they worry and afflict themselves,
every man in his season : princes and lords vex themselves
for great glory, power, reputation, and renown, and so forth;
others for honour, possessions, luxury, and good days, and so
forth. But their thoughts and cares will prove in vain, un
less they hit upon the appointed hour : and even though
they may be the very persons who are destined to receive aU
these things, still their haste and anticipatory labours are use
less until God's gracious season arrives — then aU is speedUy
effected. Therefore does it behove each of us in our several
positions to do the work and discharge the office entrusted to
him, to commend all his ways to God, to use cheerfully that
which God bestows on him at the present moment, and to
leave the arrangement of the future to His Divine Wisdom.
Whoso is of the mind to act otherwise, and determines im
despectum Dei to rush on before the appointed hour, wiU
reap nothing but misfortune and sorrow of heart for his pains,
and, let him rage and murmur as long as he wiU, God heeds
him not." To these exceUent remarks of Luther's we have
only one exception to take, namely, that, as is the case also
with Melancthon, too Httle stress is laid on the special refer
ence to the people and kingdom of God. The general thought
here expressed is further discussed in the succeeding seven
verses, each of which touches upon two pairs of subjects.
That the discussion contained in these verses has respect to
the entire Church of God, and not merely to the experiences
of individual believers, though of course bearing an analogous
appHcation to them, is evident at once from the words of
ver. 2, " a time to bear," and of ver. 3, " a time to kiU and a

94 CHAPTER III.
time to heal." Such modes of activity can only be predicated,
and therefore suggest the thought, of a great whole ; and be
sides, the highly important words in Deuteronomy xxxii. 39,
" See now that I even I am he, and there is no God with me:
I kiU and I make aHve, I wound and I heal : neither is there
any that can dehver out of my hand," render it easy to con
ceive that by this great whole is meant the people of God.
That national events are aUuded to is implied also in the
words, " Cast away stones, and gather stones together." Fur
ther, a guide to the just understanding of the whole is fur
nished by the concluding verse, the 8th, " A time for war
and a time for peace." The paraUel passages moreover in
volve this reference to the nation ; a view which, according to
the testimony of Jerome, is exceedingly ancient*
Ver. 2. There is a time to bear and a time to die. The
mistake with respect to the national reference of this passage
led to the adoption of the meaning — " to be born," Vulgate,
nascendi. The infinitive of lb* occurs no fewer than twenty-
four times, and always in the signification of " to bear," never
in that of " to be born." An example of this is Genesis xxv.
24 — '" and her days were full tfrbb to bear," not, " to be born :"
another is found in Isaiah xxvi. 1 7, " Like as a woman with
child that draweth near the time of her delivery." mi> )"IJJ
is " time of bearing, of dehvery," in Genesis xxxvUi. 27, in
Job xxxix. 2 : Compare also Luke i 17; «j ds EXwdfier. Ivkqelki^
6 xpovog rov nxeft axirfjv. In fact no instance whatever can be
adduced in which the Active Infinitive stands for the Passive.
In Proverbs xii. 7, to which Gesenius appeals, 7[&n signifieSi|
" they destroy," in xv. 22, nan signifies " they bring to nought."", '
The people of God personified as a woman is not unfrequently^
said to "travail and bear," when in times of prosperity it grows
and waxes strong, and the number of its members becomes
greater. Thus for example in Isaiah Hv. 1, "Sing, 0 barren,
thou that didst not bear ; break forth into singing and cry
aloud, thou that didst not travail with chUd, for more are the
* Hebrasi omne hoc quod de contrarietate temporum scriptum est, usque ad
ilium locum in quo ait : tempus belli et tempus pacis, super Israel intelligunt.
Explaining their meaning Jerome says — Tempus fuit generandi et plantandi
Israelem, tempus moriendi et ducendi in captivitatem. Tempus occidendi eos in
.iEgypto et tempus de iEgypto liberandi.

CHAPTER III. 95
children of the desolate than the children of the married wife,
saith the Lord." See also Isaiah Ixvi. 7, " Before she travailed,
she brought forth, before her pain came she was deHvered of
a manchild : " verse 8, " for as isoon as Zion ^ravailed, she
brought forth her sons," If our explanation of the words is
correct, the reference to them which John xvi. 21 unmistake-
ably bears, becomes perfectly clear. There the hour approaches
for the woman who is to bear, and she is the image of the
Church. In the main this is for her a time of gladness. The
momentary pain which forms necessarily a point of transition
therein, is a feature added by the Saviour. — In contradistinc
tion to bearing stands dying. Both however are in Hke man
ner under the superintendence of holy love. Both come from
our faithful heavenly Father, who has thoughts of peace to
wards His people, who chastises them even unto death, but
never gives them over into the hands of death. A very
extensive use is made of death in the Old Testament as the
symbol of the severe afflictions of the people of God. " My
God and mine Holy One," cries Israel in Habakkuk i. 1 2,
" let us not die." In Psalm Ixxxv. 7, it is said — " WUt thou
not revive us again, and shall not thy people rejoice in thee ?"
— In Psalm lxxi 20, " Thou which hast shewed me great and
sore troubles shalt return and quicken us again :" — In Hosea
vi. 2, " After two days he wiU revive us : in the third day he
wiU raise us up, that we may Hve before him." We find the most
detailed employment of death to describe the degeneracy of the
Church and of resurrection to express its restoration in Ezekiel
xxxvH. The chief passage however is Deuteronomy xxxH. 39,
" I kUl and I make ahve." Compare besides Psalm xlvhi. 1 5,
Ixviii. 21, Ixxx. 19. Israel was in a state of death when the
author wrote. If it recognised God's hand working in this
death it must prove an easy matter for it to rise to the hope
of that Hfe which the same God had promised in His word,
and which stands ever at the termination of God's deahngs
with His people. Moreover death, although in itself bitter,
1 becomes sweet to the man who is thoroughly penetrated by
the conviction that he is in God's hands, and is drinking from
God's cup. Luther says— "To behevers and Christians aU
this is very consolatory; for they know that no tyrant's
sword can kiU or destroy them, and that before their hour

96 CHAPTER III.
comes no creature whatever can harm them. Hence they do not
trouble and worry themselves much about death, but when it
comes they die unto the will of God as he pleases, like lambs
and young chUdren." — A time to plant and a time to pluck
up that which is planted. In this respect also the people of
God experience change according to the holy purposes of their
Lord, who sends them at one time the undeserved grace of
prosperity, and at another time, as punishment merited by
their ingratitude, he inflicts upon them the loss of everything.
When these troubles befal us we must not murmur nor despair,
but humble ourselves under the strong hand, repent and hope.
Even to feel the angry hand of God upon us is a sweet com
fort. Compare Psalm xliv. 3, where, in regard to the period
under Joshua so rich in signs of grace, it is said : " Thou hast
with thy hand driven out the heathen and planted them ;"
also Psalm lxxx. 9, "thou broughtest a vine out of Egypt:
thou didst cast out the heathen and didst plant it." Compare
further also what is written in Psalm lxxx. 13, 14, in refer
ence to the plucking up of what was planted, which was
effected by the power of this world, into whose hands de
generate Israel had been given over for punishment : " Why
hast thou then broken down her waUs so that all they which
pass by the way do pluck her ? The boar out of the wood
doth waste it, and the wUd beast of the field doth devour
it." Ver. 3. A time to kill and a time to heal. Here also again
the principal passage is Deuteronomy xxxh. 39: "I kiU and
I make alive ; I wound and I heal." On it are based both
the present words and those of Hosea vi. 1 : " Up and let us
return to the Lord ; for he hath torn and he wiU heal ; he
smites and he wUl bind us up." To the nn of this place cor
responds there the " tearing and smiting." Jin " to murder"
is predicated of God in relation to His people in Psalm Ixxviii
31, 34: "When he slew them, then they sought him and they
returned and inquired after him," (compare Jeremiah xh. 3,
vh. 34, xix. 6.) The state of the people must have been
desperately bad, if God, who in his treatment of them is
gracious and merciful, long-suffering, and of great kindness',
finds himself compeUed to resort to such terrible means. StiU?
destruction is never the end of the ways of God with His

CHAPTER III. 97
i
people. Only as a passage to life, does he ordain death. In
regard to the " healing" compare besides Exodus xv. 26, where
the Lord describes himself as Israel's physician, (compare Isaiah
vi. 10.) — A time to break down and a time to build up.
pa signifies not " to destroy," but " to pull down." It is used
especially of puUing down protecting walls and hedges. Com
pare Isaiah v. 5, where the Lord says in reference to the vine
yard of Israel : " Break down its hedges and he wiU tread it
down ;" — Psalm lxxxix 4, " Thou tearest down aU its hedges,"
(compare lxxx. 13.) In chap. x. 4 the phrase is found in
completeness. Nehemiah speaks in chap. ii. 13 of his book,
of the waUs of Jerusalem which were broken down, D^xna,
and of its gates which were burned by fire, in consequence of
the destruction by the Chaldeans : further in 2 Kings xiv. 1 3,
it is said, " and he brake down of the waU of Jerusalem four
hundred cubits" (compare besides Nehemiah iv. 1). This tear
ing down and building up may take place, in an outward
manner, as it did at the time of the occupation of Jerusalem
by the Chaldeans, and after the return from the captivity, or
it may take place spiritually, through the entrance of the
Church on times of great degeneracy, and the restoration and
elevation thereof to prosperity. Thus in Jeremiah xiii 10,
where we read — " if ye will settle again in this land, then
wiU I build you and not puU you down, and I will plant you
and not pluck you up," — persons are the object of the bund
ing up and pulling down, which terms must therefore be un
derstood figuratively, as Michaelis takes them, longcevitate,
Uberis, opibus omnibusque bonis vos aucturus. The same
thing is true also of Jeremiah xxiv. 6, " and I bring them
again to this land ; and I wiU build them and I will not pull
them down ; and I wiU plant them and not pluck them up :"
and of chap. xxxi. 4, " Again I wiU buUd thee and thou shalt
be built, 0 virgin of Israel." The second clause of Psalm li.
18 — "do good in thy good pleasure unto Sion, build thou the
walls of Jerusalem," is explained by the first : — God buUds
the waUs of Zion in that he furthers its weU-being. The mere
fact that it was composed by David forbids us taking the
external view. In a material sense, the waUs of Jerusalem
were not destroyed in the days of David. In the same way
are we to understand Psalm cii 14, 15 : "thou shalt arise
G

98 CHAPTER III.
and have mercy upon Zion, for the time to favour her, yea the
set time is come. . For thy servants take pleasure in her stones,
and they grieve over its dust." Under the image of a building
in ruins is brought before us the Church of God in its reduced
condition. Consequently the time for puUing down is always
present when God abandons his Church to inimical powers.
Such a time of pulling down, for example, was that of the
dominion of Rationahsm. But the men whose hearts bleed
during such a period should never forget that above and be
hind the destructive forces stands the Lord, and that in the
long run his counsels, and his alone, shaU be accomplished.
After a manner very sinhlar to that of this book are the diverse:
modes of God's action contrasted in Jeremiah i 1 0. The pro
phet was commissioned on God's behalf to " destroy, to throw
down, to buUd, and to plant." In Jeremiah xvin. 7-9, it is
said in regard to Israel — " suddenly I shaU speak concerning
a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up and to puU
down, and to destroy it : if that nation against whom I have
pronounced, turn from their evU, I wiU repent of the evil that
I thought to do unto them. And suddenly I shaU speak con
cerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to bund and to
plant." The people of God has this privilege, however, that
God always puUs down and destroys as a means and prepara
tion for building, and that to this latter as a final aim the
divine purposes are directed* Hence in the kingdom of God
it is possible to be joyous and contented, even when, for the
moment, the season of pulling down is present. Up to this
point commencement was made with the redemptive and bene
ficent aspect of human and divine activity : here it forms the
conclusion. That the author intentionaUy makes it form the
commencement and the close of the whole, is unmistakeable.
It began with " bearing," and it ends with " peace." If then
beginning is good, and end is good, we may reasonably be less
anxious and careful about that which meanwhUe befals us, and
may look with a calm and cheerful mind on the changes now
taking place around us.

* Jerome : " Non possumus sedificare bona nisi prius destruxerimus mala.
Idcirco sic Jeremiae verbum a deo datum est, ut ante eradioaret et puffoderet ej
perderet ; et postea esdificaret atque plantaret,"

CHAPTER III. 99
Ver. 4. A time to weep and a time to laugh. There are
seasons when those who belong to the kingdom of God must
weep, because the Lord hides his face from the house of Israel,
(Isaiah vhi 1 7,) and there are also times when they can rejoice.
Joy always comes last. For this reason the weeping of the
chUdren of God is quite different from that of the world. It
always has a background of hope. Theirs is not the anguish
of despair ; it is a sadness which takes comfort. Our Lord
aUudes to this passage when He says in Luke vi. 21, /laxdpioi
oi xkakvrsg vvv on yiXdgsrt. In close connection also with this
passage stands John xvi. 20 : d/j,riv d^v \iyu vjiiv on xXavgtn
xai b(i\vn«in vpiTg, 6 ds xogpog xaprjgerB, vfhitg Se Xv^rtjS^gsgh, dXX' fi
Xdsri v/iSiv sig %apdv yivrigirai. When it is the time for weeping
it is useless to try and force ourselves to laughter, as is the
fashion of the world, which seeks to forget and gild over its
misery untU at last it falls a victim to despair. Our course
should be that which is enjoined on us in' 1 Peter v. 6, rairu-
vtAQriri ovv into tjjk xparaidv %i?pa rov (Jsou ha, bf&ag in]/wffjj h xatpS) :
Bengel — in tempore opportuno, when the season for laughter
has arrived. This season however we may not endeavour to an
ticipate : our moods of feelings should go hand in hand with the
various phases of divine providence : we should act in short
like the chUdren of Israel, who once in the days of their cap
tivity hung their harps on the wiUows and refused to sing the
songs of Zion. A time to mourn and a time to dance. On
these words it is remarked in the Berleburger Bible — " If any
man at another time is visited by stiU severer misfortunes, then
weeping wiU not suffice, but waUing must be added thereto,
that is, a great and pubhc mourning must take place in that
we wring our hands above our heads and express our lamen
tation in the gestures and attitude of sorrow."
Ver. 5. A time to cast away stones and a time to gather
stones together. What the Lord says in Mark xhi 2, fi\Wug
ravrag rag fieydXag olxobopdg ; ov p,ti d<pt(fn Xifog sir) XiSip Sg ov /vri
xa,raXv9fj, holds good of the Church in aU its periods of degen
eracy. When the Church ceases to be the true house of God,
the time for the scattering of its stones is not far off. With
the scattering, however, the gathering always goes hand in
hand. At the time when the old Temple of Jerusalem was
destroyed, there rose up in its stead the glorious edifice of the

100 CHAPTER III.
temple of the Christian Church. Previously God scattered
stones by the hands of the Chaldeans : through his servant
Cyrus he gathered them together. — A time to embrace, and a
time to refrain from embracing. There is a season when the
Lord embraces his people, and a season when he does not per
mit them the enjoyment of his love, but repels them from his
presence. When He treats us in the latter way we should
revolve in our hearts the words of Psalm xiii. : " Why art
thou cast down, O my soul ? And why art thou disquieted
within me ? hope thou in God ; " and we should beg and pray
and acknowledge and express our sins until He becomes once
more gracious. The expression " embrace" takes its rise in
the " Song of Solomon," chap. ii. 6, where the bride, which is
Zion, says — " His left hand is under my head, and his right
hand doth embrace me." That elsewhere also in Solomon's
writings this transference of embracing to spiritual relations
occurs, as for example in Proverbs iv. 8 ; v. 20, I have shown
in my Commentary on that passage. The name Habakkuk
is probably derived from the " Song of Solomon." It signifies
" hearty embrace," and, is used to describe the tender relation
of love in which Israel and the Prophet, who is the nation's
representative, stand to the Lord : as in fact Isaiah styles the
Lord in chap v., nn and nn*. As to substance, Jeremiah xiii.
offers a paraUel : for there, in consideration of the close and
living relation which subsists between them, Israel appears
under the image of a girdle which the Lord lays around Him,
and which He puts off in the time of His anger, only however
to put it on again, when the season of wrath has passed away.
Ver. 6. A time to seek and a time to lose. At one period
the Lord interests Himself tenderly in His people : at another,
He lets them go to ruin, yet in such a manner, that in the
midst of wrath He remembers mercy. "To seek" isgeneraUy
predicated of behevers who seek the Lord : but God also is
said to " seek " when His retributive righteousness comes into
play (Joshua xxii. 23), and when in love He shows compas
sion : " God seeks the persecuted" (ver. 1 5). With the word
12t6 Jarchi compares Leviticus xxvi. 38, "and ye shall perish
among the heathen, and the land of your enemies shall eat
you up." A time to keep and a time to cast away. Now,
the Lord protects and preserves His people as a precious jewel:

CHAPTER III. 101
then He casts it from Him as a despicable and hateful thing.
Usually God's casting away signifies banishment from His
presence. Thus in 2 Kings xih. 23, it is written in respect
of the ten tribes, " and the Lord was gracious unto them, and
had compassion on them, and had respect unto them because
of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would
not destroy them, and cast them not from his presence."
Michaehs: ut postea factum est (xvii. 18-20), also in Jere
miah vii. 1 5, where the Lord says to Judah, " and / cast
you from my presence, as I cast out aU your brethren, the
whole tribe of Ephraim." In Psalm lxxi 9, also, where Israel,
now growing old, cries, " cast me not off in the time of old
age ; forsake me not when my strength faileth :" and in Psalm
ch. 11, as here, the word rp^n is employed alone. Deuter
onomy xxix. 27, furnishes an example of the use of the verb
in regard to God, who in his anger casts out his people into a
strange land.
Ver. 7. A time to rend, and a time to sew. There is a time
when the people of God must mourn, and again a time when
they can rejoice, jnp is used with special reference to the
rending of the clothes, which in Israel was a sign, of mourn
ing. When it is said in Genesis xxxvii. 34, " and Jacob rent
his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned
for his son many days," we recognize in Jacob a type of the
people of God and of the Church in aU ages, a prophecy in
the form of a fact wliich is being fulfiUed ever afresh. Where
there is the Hke cause, there is the like result. Was it neces
sary that the ancestor should be visited with severe afflic
tions on account of his sinfulness, for the same reason must
his descendants also suffer, and to preserve their heart from
exalting itself God ordains that through much tribulation
they shaU enter his kingdom, that times of refreshing from
His presence shaU alternate with times of sorrow, and His
unchangeable love disguises itself in many ways and fre
quently appears under forms fitted to awaken terror. In
Joshua vii. 6 we read, " and Joshua rent his clothes, he and
the elders of Israel :" and in 2 Samuel xiii. 31, "and the king
arose and rent his clothes and lay on the earth ; and all his
servants stood by with their clothes rent." A time to Iceep
silence and a time to speak. There are times when silence

102 CHAPTER III.
must be observed, as Jacob was compeUed to keep sUence
when he heard how Sichem had defiled Dinah his daughter,
until his sons arrived (Genesis xxxiv. 5) : and then again
come times when we may speak and stand up boldly in the
presence of the enemies of God's people, as when the Lord
spake to Paul in the vision by night, when the Jews of
Corinth tried to force him to sUence — " Be not afraid, but
speak, and hold not thy peace," (Acts xvni. 9.) When the
hour appointed by God arrives, the words of Psalm cxxvii. 5,
"they shall not be ashamed when they speak with their
enemies in the gate," come fuUy true. TiU then we must
cover our faces and keep silence. But it is notwithstanding
a blessed silence, for it is attended by the conviction that a
time to speak wiU inevitably come again.
Ver. 8. A time to love and a time to hate. There is a
time when the Lord causes the world to incline in love to
wards His people : and again a time when He gives them
over to the world's hatred. In respect to the latter, and in
connection with the period of Israel's residence in Egypt, it
is said in Psalm cv. 25, "He turned their heart to hate his
people, to deal subtiUy with his servants." In regard to the
former compare Exodus xi. 3, where the Lord is represented
as having given the people such favour in the sight of the
Egyptians, that they offered them gifts ; also Psalm cvi 46,
where concerning the Asiatic oppressors of the nation, it is
declared that " he made them to be pitied also of aU those
that carried them captives," (compare 1 Kings viH. 50) ;
further, Daniel i. 9, " and God brought Daniel into favour
and tender love with the prince of the Eunuchs ;" and lastly,
2 Kings xxv. 27, according to which the Lord moved the
heart of Evilmerodach to compassion towards Jehoiachin.
The time at which this book was written might in the main
be characterised as one of " hating," as the faithful were com
peUed to acknowledge bythe painful experience of every day:
but the word of God was pledged that a "time of love"
should arrive, such as had never previously been witnessed, '
and in the hope of this, they found it easier to accept tempo
rary hatred from the same kind hand, that would one day
bestow upon them love. The era was before the door, of
which Isaiah prophesied when he wrote, " and kings shall

CHAPTER III. 103
be thy nursing fathers and their queens thy nursing mothers,"
(chap. xlix. 23), and "thou shalt also suck the mUk of the
Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings " (chap. lx. 1 6),
and thus saith the Lord ; behold I wiU extend peace to her
Hke a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like an overflowing
stream ; then shall ye suck, ye shaU be borne upon her sides,
and be dandled upon her knees." Though Zion was stUl
" deserted and hated " (Isaiah lx.l 5), it had no need to be very
much concerned on that account. Here also we may apply
the saying, " At the end comes the best." A time of war
and a time of peace. The sweet name of peace, which is an
object of such deep affection to the heart of the struggling
Church, forms the conclusion to the whole. " Peace, peace, to
him that is afar off, and to him that is near, saith the Lord."
(Isaiah lvH. 19.)
Ver. 9. What profit hath he that produceth in that wherein
he laboureth ? The conclusion which foUows from the pre
ceding reflections is here drawn. Inasmuch as there is a time
for everything, it foUows that " all our toUs, early and late,
are for nought, all our care is in vain." The Berleburger
Bible remarks, " for he can neither pass beyond nor alter the
fixed Hmits set by divine providence, so as, for example, to be
joyful when the hour for mourning is come." All care and
labour, all our exhausting efforts apart from God, (Cartwright.
deo non aspirante, a quo rerum omnium effectio suspensa
tenetur,) are pronounced fruitless. In this, however, are not
included the " doing good," (ver. 1 2,) anil " unwearied scatter
ing of seed," (chap. xi. 6,) with which we must go forward
because of God's command, on whose wiU it depends whether
it prove a blessing or not : much less is there any reference
to the prayers of believers, which in fact are as strongly called
for and enjoined, as our own anxieties and labours are forbid
den and excluded, by the word " there is a time for every
thing." Nay, it is even possible that prayer, if earnest, may
alter the aspect of the times. If there is really a time for
everything, then surely when things press us down as a leaden
weight, we should Hft up heart and hands to Him who can
change the times and seasons* Luther renders the words —
* "Wenn wir in hochsten Nothen seyn
Und wissen nicht wo aus noch ein,

104 CHAPTER III.
" what can a man do more, let him work as he wiU ?" and
remarks on them — " it is just this, that till the hour arrives
aU our thought and labour are lost. Notwithstanding we
must aU work, each man in his office, and use dihgence, for
God commands this. If we hit the right moment, then the
business succeeds : if we do not, nothing comes of it, and no
device of man can be of the least use,"
Ver. 1 0. I have seen the travail which God hath given to
the sons of men to be exercised in it. The travail does not
perhaps consist so much in the occupation of contemplating
and inquiring into the government of the world, as, according
to ver. 9, in the useless anxieties and exhaustive labours to
which men subject themselves in that they desire, and yet are
unable to effect anything, because everything comes to pass as
it has been fixed and predetermined by God. On this Luther
observes : " they who wish to anticipate God's appointed hour,
weary themselves in vain, and reap only anxiety and trouble
of heart." The faith which looks upward to God and leaves
aU to Him, which says : " why should I then distress myself?
Heart, why art thou cast down ? Why dost thou trouble and
pain thyself ? Trust in God thy Lord who made aU things !" ,
dehvers us from this torment. But in this Hfe even faith is
Hable to become weary and to change, and no sooner does the
behever begin to be negligent therein, than he receives his share
of the teavail to which all the children of men are condemned,,
in a word, he begins to exhaust himself with cares and toils.
And in truth, it is good for him to have his share thereof.
The travail is a wholesome disciphne. By such means the
children of men are constrained to humble themselves, and to
feel their own insufficiency. Care and toU begin, when faith
Und finden weder Hiilf noch Rath
Ob wir gleich sorgen friih und spat :
So ist das unser Trost allein
Dass wir Zusammen insgemein
Dich aurufen O treuer Gott
Urn Rettung aus der Angst und Noth."
Compare also the remarks of Cartwright^" Non equidem ut abjecto labor-
andi studio desidise et ignavise se dedat : sed ne ita consilio et labori confidat,.
ut Dei opem et benedictionem precibus impetrandam neglectui habeat. Qui ut
tempera et temporum momenta in sua manu et potestate comprehensa habet,
ita ilia precibus suorum flexus, eorundem commodo dispensat."

CHAPTER III. 105
and prayer cease : but out of care and toil we rise again to
faith and prayer. When the heart is emphaticaUy broken by
the sore travaU to which God subjects the children of men, it
obeys the injunction — "0 troubled soul, betake thyself to God."
Ver. 11. Ee maketh everything beautiful im his time, eter
nity also he hath set im their heart, so that no man can fimd
out ihe work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
The principal thought of the verse is contained in the last
words : " man cannot find out the work of God from begin
ning to end ;" which some interpret to mean — " man cannot
perfectly comprehend God's doings ;" but which may be more
appropriately explained — "To man the knowledge of the
future is altogether denied ;" — as Luther has it — " neither
beginning nor end." Inasmuch as, apart from revelations
concerning the future which God communicates to his ser
vants the prophets (Amos Hi. 7), man, as such, is and will
remain destitute of this knowledge, to the end that he may
leam to humble himself before God, it is impossible for him
to order his doings with judgment, and he is consequently
directed in aU cases to trust not in himself but in God. The
following remarks are found in the Berleburger Bible : " The
conclusion which Solomon wishes to draw is, that no man can
so order and arrange his affairs for the future as that he shall
be thoroughly happy in this world, but must leave them to
time and destiny ; and should he seek by his own energies to
secure to himself the object of his desires, his efforts wUl be
useless, and at the end there wUl be stiU no other course open
to him than to commend himself and his affairs to the fatherly
care of God." A twofold subsidiary thought precedes this
main idea of the passage. The first is — " He maketh every
thing beautiful in his time." That God's rule is one with a
fixed aim and method is here expressly mentioned, in order
to remove as far awajT as possible the notion of an almighty
arbitrary ruler — a notion which might easily take its rise in
the fact that the method of divine government is so con
cealed from our eyes that we cannot teU beforehand what
He will do. According to the accents na* is connected with
inj/3. J. D. Michaelis remarks — " The words ' beautiful in his
time,' according to the accentuation, are closely connected to
gether. And, in view of that which goes before, what other

106 CHAPTER III.
meaning can be attached to them, than the following? —
among the things mentioned in verses 2-8, there are, it is true,
many that are unpleasant and evil, but at the time when God
sends them they are not only good but even right beautiful."
These things which in and for themselves are evU, must con
sequently occur in such a connection that they shaU further
the good purposes of God. Only at the fit season are they
beautiful, and then they form an indispensable Hnk in the
chain of this world's events. Accordingly, that is not a bad
saying of Raschi, that " at a good season to reward good works
is beautiful : and at an evU season to punish evU works is
also beautiful." The second accessory thought is contained in
the words — " Eternity also hath he set in their heart." In the
verse considered as an organic whole this thought occupies the
following position : — God makes everything beautiful in his
time, but man is unable to see it notwithstanding that God
hath set eternity in his heart. i^3D is to be taken in its usual
signification of " without" (which occurs moreover oftener than
the Lexicons aUow), "without that not finds,"* which is as
much as to say, with this exception or with the exception,
that not finds* how such knowledge of the future doings of
God seems notwithstanding to foUow from the fact that in
the heart of man, and specially in the heart of his own people,
He hath set eternity ; for apparently this latter gift stands to
the former in the relation of the particular to the general. If
God's nature is accessible to man, surely, one would think,
God's, doings wiU not remain hidden from him, especiaUy as
they foUow a fixed plan. The commentary to the words, " and
he set eternity in their heart," (Rambach : notitiam del aeterni),
is furnished by Psalm xc. 1-5, where the fleeting character of
our earthly life is contrasted with the eternity of God : com
pare especiaUy ver. 2 — " Before the mountains were brought
forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even
from everlasting to everlasting thou art God." And then we
must compare also Romans i. 20 — rd dogara, dvrov dirh xrlgeug
xog/iov rotg mtfifta,gi voov/isva xahodrai ijri dibiog aiirov bvvatug xal
faiorrig. According to the Apostle's words, man has an intel
lectual intuition of God's eternal power and Godhead, or as it
is here expressed, of the eternity which is manifested and
* I have rendered the German literally ohne dass nicht ftndet. — Te.

CHAPTER III. 107
developed in the words of creation. So far as man springs
from God, his eternity is inseparably bound up with that of
God (chap. xii. 7). It is man's highest privilege to discern
something eternal behind the transitory objects of the present
world, and to be able to cling closely to this eternal substance.
And inasmuch as this eternity of God is set in his heart, it
would appear reasonable to expect that the knowledge of the
doings of God in time should be attainable by him. But at
this point man stumbles all at once upon bars and bolts, and
finds that God has reserved something for himself alone. Many
interpreters explain abw by "world;" others by " phUosophy,"
or by " worldly mind." But usage is against this, d^iy is
never used in the entire Old Testament in any other sense
than of "unmeasured time," and of "eternity:" and in this
book above aU is it employed in the signification " eternity,"
(see chap, i 4, H. 1 6, Hi. 1 4, ix. 6, xu. 5 ; " long time," chap.
i 10). There is also the additional objection that this expla
nation of the term gives no appropriate sense. The words,
" except that, &c." would then be unsuitable. For the setting
of the world in the heart of man, does not render it in any
way probable that he wUl be able to command a knowledge
of the ways of God : it may easily, however, and with justice,
be regarded as something exceptional, and so to speak abnor
mal, that man, in whom there dwells the knowledge of the
divine nature, should be refused the knowledge of the divine
works. — In reference to the main idea of the verse, Luther
Observes, "Man cannot hit upon the work, which God does; that
is, no man can know beforehand the hour which is ordained
above ; and however much he may plague himself, he can
never know when it wiU begin or come' to an end.— It behoves
us therefore to say, 0 Lord, to thee belongs the supreme direc
tion, in thine hand it rests entirely, to order and settle every
thing in the future : under thy control is my Hfe and my
death ; as I need my Hfe, so long thou givest it and not a
moment longer. And inasmuch as in respect of them, ho care
and thought is of any use, I wiU act thus in regard to other
gifts, using them as they come ; care and anxiety I wiU cast
to the winds, and commit the rest to thee."
Ver. 12. I know that there is no good in them, but that one
rejoice and do good im his life. Seeing that man is not the

108 CHAPTER IH.
lord of his own destiny, it foUows that his best course is to
let God act and arrange, and, in place of caring for the future,
to enjoy the present, instead of labouring and scheming with
a mind ever restless and ever looking for results, to do quietly
what is given him to do* The Hebrew words which we have
rendered " in (or with) them," that is " men," (ens 133 of ver.
10), are rendered by several commentators, most recently by
Stier — "therein, im illis rebus omnibus." But that the former
is the correct explanation is evident from chap. H. 24, Dlfco
3lts pK, and from chap. viii. 15, "it is not good" mj& where
for the 3, in this passage, b is employed. Joy forms the con
trast to restless care and useless worry : compare Matthew vi.
34: /J,ri o5i/ f/,ipi/j,vrigiri ilg rjjv avpiov. r\ ydp a'vpwv pupifivrjgei rd eaurSjs,
dpxzrbv rij ri/^ipa n xaxia, avryg- Luther observes : " this is aU the
better understood from what goes before : he means to say,
that because so many hindrances and mishaps in their busi
ness befal even those who are industrious and who wish to
act weU and truly, and because there is so much misfortune
in the world, there is nothing better than cheerfully to use
what God puts into our hands at the present moment, and not
vex and distress ourselves with questions and cares about the
future." Not to be careful, but to dare to trust in the Al
mighty, and consequently to be able to rejoice, is a precious
privilege bestowed by God on the children of men (Psalm
xxxvi 8), of which they should take care not to rob them
selves by their own wickedness. Doing good should go hand
in hand with a cheerful and thankful enjoyment of the bless
ings which the moment brings, in order that thus we may run
in the way commanded by God, may preserve a good con
science, which is the necessary condition of all joy, and not
shut but rather open the entrance for God's goodness and
grace. To the " do good" of this verse, corresponds the "fear
God and keep his commands" of chap. xH. 13. FoUowing
Luther's example, several adopt. the explanation, "Do good,
act kindly, to thyself." Usage however decides against this
view : and, in opposition to usage, such supposed paraUel pas-
* Rambach remarks : "Cum itaque tanta sit rerum humanarum vanitas, tanta
hominis circa eas impotentia, ut hactenus ostensum, inde ego certum explora-
tumque habeo, etc,"

CHAPTER III. 109
gages as chap. H. 24, Hi. 22, v. 17, 18, are adduced to no pur
pose. Compare Psalm xxxiv. 15:" cease from evil and do
good : seek peace and pursue it ;" Psalm xxxvh. 3, " Trust in
the Lord and do good ;" and Isaiah xxxvhi 3, where Heze
kiah says — " I have done that which is good in thine eyes,"
Ver. 13. And every man that eats and drinks and sees good
in all his labour, that is a gift of God. The word D), refers to
the whole sentence. Not only is it a gift of God that any
'man's sufferings are averted, but also that, despite suffering,
whether present or threatened, he should be cheerful. It is
in the power of God alone alike to bring us happiness and to
quiet the heart and free it from cares. Our heart is as Httle
in our own power as is our destiny.* The capability of en
joying divine blessings is caUed in chap. ii. 24-26, a gift of
God, because the heart of the natural man is in bondage to
avarice : here the same thing is affirmed on the ground that
it is bound by care with such bonds as human strength can
never loosen. After the words just quoted Luther remarks
further : " but that is just the art to be acquired : that we
are able to do it at all is the gift of God. I myself, says
Solomon, can teach and tell this to others, but I can give it
neither to myself nor to others : the heart capable of doing
this, God alone can bestow. Solomon thus teaches us, firstly,
what we shaU do, and secondly, where we are to get the ability
to be thus minded and thus to act : that is, he teaches us,
that we with our own thoughts, anxieties and cares, can make
nothmg better or other than it is : our part is to pray with
aU earnestness, and call upon God that He may deliver us from
sadness and useless cares, and give us a calm and beheving
heart." Ver. 14./ know that whatsoever God doeth it shall be for
ever : nothing can be put to it and nothing can be taken from
it ; and God doeth it that they should fear before Eim. No
one can frustrate his plans : no one can hinder their fulfil
ment. Wherefore, " it behoves thee to trust the Lord, if it
shaU go weU with thee. With care, dejection and self-inflicted
* Oartwright says: "Quod non ita intelligi velim, acsi suo aut merito aut
arbitrio hoc illis obveniret ; quando quidem quisquis est, qui edendo et bibendo
ex labore suo commode vivit, illud ipsum (quantulumcunque hominibus 'videa-
tur) dei est gratuitum bonum. '-

1 1 0 CHAPTER III.
pains thou canst gain nought from God ; — he must be sought
unto." Compare Isaiah xlvi. 10, where God says — " my coun
sel shaU stand fast, and aU my wUl, wiU I accompHsh :" Psalm
xxxiii. 11, "The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the
thoughts of His heart to all generations : " and further, Psalm
cxxvii, — " it is in vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late,
to eat the bread of sorrow ; thus giveth He it to His beloved
in sleep." In face of the eternal decrees of God, it is to no
purpose that we resolve to carry any undertaking through ?
our part is to cast ourselves as a chUd into our Father's arms,
and entreat Him to have pity on us. Of God's counsels,
however, it is not true to say with the poet, that, " Bound by
the brazen laws of eternity, men accomplish the cycles of their
existence." God's counsels are undoubtedly unalterable from
without ; no creature, let him commence as he wUl, can effect
an encroachment upon them : but they do not stand above
God himself as a foreign power, as a kind of fate ; so that it
is not our prayers, but our own workings that are useless.
" And God doeth it that they should fear before Him."
Driven by sheer necessity, and feeling their absolute weakr
ness, they cry out, in the words of Psalm cxxHi. 1-2, "unto
thee lift I up mine eyes, 0 thou that dwell est in the heavens.
Behold as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their
masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her
mistress, so our eyes look unto the Lord God untU that he
have mercy upon us." Luther's remarks on this subject are :
" But why does God afflict men with such countless, varied,
and great cares of government, of household, of trade, of busi
ness, compelling them to run and race, and ride and drive, and
travel by land and water, and often to risk their Hves, whUst
He has kept in His own hands the right moment when any
thing shaU take place, and aU the rest is in vain ? The answer
is : in order that men may fear Him, that they might keep his
first commandment, that He may remain Lord and God, and
that aU may recognise Him to be God : further, that we may
all learn thorough and hearty obedience and humUity, and
begin nothing trusting to our own wisdom, thoughts, abilities;
as St Paul admonishes the Romans in chap. ix. 1 6, saying, —
" it is not in him that willeth, nor in him that runneth, but
in God, who sheweth mercy." Whoever beheveth that the

CHAPTER III. Ill
aforementioned things are not in his own power, wiU not un
dertake anything on his own responsibUity, wUl not worry and
vex himself too much, but let God rule in aU things : what
God gives, he uses, what God withholds he dispenses with ;
if God takes aught away he endures it patiently. In this
way God maintains fuUy His own divine honour, and at the
same time restrains us from arrogance, inasmuch as no man
then can say — I am king, prince, lord, manager, governor,
learned or otherwise, but must always confess that God also is
Lord. That is the true fear of God, that is the highest, holiest
and most suitable service of God, the service to which Solomon,
David, and all the prophets earnestly summon men, namely to
beheve and be certain that God sees aU our doings, and works
aU in aH, (Ephesians i 11.)
Ver. 15. That which hath been is now and that which
is to be hath already been, and God seeketh the persecuted.
The commentary to these words is furnished by the parallel
passages : Psalm cxxxix. 16:" Thine eyes did see me when I
was yet imperfect, and in thy book were they aU written,
the days which should yet be, and none of them was there ;"
on which I have remarked in my Commentary to the Book
of Psalms, " if our whole existence from beginning to end is
pre-ordained by God, how is it possible that anything should
ever befal us, with which His hand was not concerned, which
He did not see, and which in His own good time He did
not help on ? A further illustrative passage is Job xiv. 5,
" His days are determined, the number of his months with
thee." What was (or became) is already, existed already in
the divine counsels before it was openly manifested, and
hence we learn, that God's decrees decide everything, that in
aU the circumstances and ways of life we should look up to
God, and that we may not look to our feUowmen, who are
the companions of our weakness, and who, however much
they may puff themselves, and however great pretensions they
may make, are, in truth, but instruments in the hand of pro- ¦
vidence. The word is refers us to the timeless, the eternal
nature of that which God pre-ordains, — which timeless ele
ment is able to represent itself in the form of the present.
Knobel's explanation, " it is already, i. e., it is now," is inad
missible, for the simple reason that 133 cannot possibly mean

112 CHAPTER III.
" already." The third member of the sentence, " and God
seeks the persecuted," falls into harmony, with the other two,
so soon as it is perceived that the reference they contain to
the divine preordination is intended as a consolation : " No
thing can happen to us which He has not sent, and which
wiU not conduce to our blessedness." Of the accuracy of the
translation given of the third clause of the sentence there can
be no doubt* Just in the same way is seeking ascribed in
ver. 6 to God, who takes compassion on his forlorn and
wretched children. In the only place where it occurs besides
here, namely, in Lamentations v. 5, the Niphal form of *m
has the signification "be persecuted." The people of God
there give utterance to the complaint ubto, "we are perse
cuted," and the Niphal form in itself would scarcely allow of
being otherwise interpreted. This explanation is further con
firmed by verses 16-17, where we find exactly the same
thought. To those verses this 15th verse forms a Hnk of
transition. Following the Vulgate (Deus imstaurat quod abiii)
most modern interpreters assume that ito signifies "the
past," and that the idea is, "the phenomena and events of life
keep repeating themselves in a fixed circle." This idea, how
ever, would do violence to the whole connection, and be
sides, that t]YU cannot signify " the past," is as certain as
that «ni means " to persecute " and nothing else. FoUowing
the correct view, the Berleburger Bible remarks : " Therefore
thou shouldst not so take offence thereat as to allow thyself
on its account to be drawn away from the highest good.
For God wiU not leave unpunished the injustice and the vio
lence which are done to those that fear Him." We have in
this passage the Old Testament basis for the words of our
Lord in Matthew V. 10. : fiaxapioi ol diditay/x,svoi ivixev hxaiogvvrig
on avrw senv q j3a,gi\eia, ruiv ovpavw-
Verses 1 6-1 7. These two verses comfort the people of God
whilst groaning beneath the unrighteous oppression of worldly
* It may be found even in the Septuagint, which has rightly conveyed the
meaning of this verse, so often misunderstood by more recent interpreters : rb
yivo/iivov %dr) sgrl xal oga rov yivigSai jjSjj y'eyove, xai 6 fobg fyrrigii rov
biax6/j,ivov : the same may be said also of the Syriac and of the Targum, Deus
requiret obscurum et pauperem de manibus improbi, qui persecutus fuerit eum.

CHAPTER III. 113
powers by pointing them to the divine judgments which are
shortly to be executed. Ver. 16. And further saw I under ihe
sun. In the previous ver. aUusion is made to the overthrow
of the people of God and the triumph of the world : here to
the misapphcation of authority to purposes of tyranny and
oppression. The place of judgment, wickedness is there : the
seat of judgment is the place whence, by divine appointment
and legal sanction, justice should be administered, for Rulers
and Judges govern and give sentence in God's stead (2 Chro
nicles xix. 6-7). nDB> signifies always " thither," never " there:"
wickedness moves thitherwards, takes possession of the place.
The wickedness is that of the heathen authorities. ParaUel
to this is Psalm xciv. 20, where, in view of the deluge of
Chaldeans which overwhelmed the people of God, they ask —
"Is the throne of iniquity in feUowship with thee, which
frameth misery by a law ?"¦ — misery, which is the result of
violence and wickedness. In Psalm cxxv., which like the
present book was composed during the time of the Persian
dominion, it is said (verses 2-3) : " The mountains are round
about Jerusalem, and the Lord is round about his people from
henceforth even for ever. For the sceptre of wickedness
shall not rest on the lot of the righteous, lest the righteous
put forth their hands to iniquity." From beneath the yoke
of their heathen oppressors wiU the people of God once again
rise to the glorious Hberty of chUdren. The place of righte
ousness, the wicked is there. In Daniel iv. 27, Daniel says to
Nebuchadnezzar — " break off thy sins by righteousness, and
thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor." The righte
ous and the wicked God will judge, (ver. 17). Here the
righteous man is Israel : the wicked is the Heathen : and
the ungodly in Israel as being degenerate are left unnoticed.
By destiny, and at the core, Israel is the nation of the upright,
Numbers xxiii. 10. In Habakkuk i. 13, it is written in re
ference to the Chaldean catastrophe : " wherefore lookest
thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue
when the wicked devoureth him that is more righteous than
he ?" i. e., him that stands opposed to the evU one, as being
righteous. On this passage compare Delitzsch, who considers
the merely relative view of righteousness untenable. The judg
ment of the wicked may be looked for with the greater confi-

114 CHAPTER IH.
denc6, when they are found occupying the seat of law and justice^
thence practising wickedness,' and. misusing ,their authority,
for injustice. The tribunal of justice is of God (Deuteronomy
i. 1.7).; whoever appears there appears before, 'God (Exodus.
xxi. 6, xxii. 7-^8.) For this reason it. is impossible that; God
should leave, unpunished the misuse of authority : a thought
which is further carried out in Psalm lxxxn. Our duty is .to.
wait patiently for this judgment, of God^s, v; The more shame
lessly and wantonly their heathen rulers abuse, their authority,.
the more certain may. we be. that at .will come, and the more
cheerfully may we wait In 2 Thessalonians i. 5, Paul describes
the^petsecutions and oppressions of believers, as an Meiyp,a:rrjs
dixalag.xfigsug'rou. foov, "a notice, a proof, that God wiU shortly
interpose.'Y—.Fbr there'is a time therefor- every desire and about
every work, with God, Psalm lvHi 12 :;"and man says, Verily}'
the., righteous has a regard: verily, God judgeth on. the:
earth,". ' Koheleth points as it were with. lifted finger away
from the earth, the seat of unrighteousness; to heaven. " There "
is employed in the same way in Genesis xi., ix. 24. _ . .-,.
Ver, 18. The introductory words, "I .said in mine heart;"
set this, verse on the same footing as ver., 1:7, and show .that
the question raised in ver. 1 6, is here, examined from another
point of view. The. problem is this- — How is the. singularj
fact, of the prosperity of wickedness to be explained, and justi*
fied? . The first answer is given in ver. 17, and the. consider^.
ation is brought forward, that this prosperity is only temporal,!
and that, by God's judgments the disturbed order wfll.hr: due
time be .established. . But this by itself is not fully satisfactory* .
There is the further and ,more difficult task of showing why,
the righteous, why God's own people, are'visitediwith temporal
misfortune. This is done here. The cross of the righteous is
disguised mercy. It serves to .purify them-: speciaUy. does.
it help to purge them altogether, from .pride,.and to. lead them
to hunjihty. Because of the^ children of men, do these things
happen -..for their ;sake does wickedness sit in the seat of
judgment, and the wicked one in the place of righteousness:
Koheleth speaks, of the ,";chUdreii. of men" in general, but has
specially, in view the children of Israel.:, .We, find-, a. case.
exactly similar to this in Psalm xxxvi .-7-8. ; - This designation1
is chosen because it expresses human baseness, the consciousness

CHAPTER III. 115
of which, according to the close of the verse, is intended to be
awakened by the cross. Knobel's explanation is as. follows —
" I thought in ' my mind on the relation of "the children of
men." But nn3l bv occurs in this book as »weU as in the-
Ghaldefe portion of the Book Daniel, only in the sense of
" Because of, on account of ;" and then further' the accents are
decisive against this view* The general and vague expression1
— "for the sake of the chUdren of men," is mOre precisely
defined to mean-^Y'in order to purify them.;'? and then
amongst the evils from which they are to be purged, special
mention is made of pride, via signifies properly "to separate,"
(Ezekiel xx: 38,) and then "to purify," It occurs in' a sense
precisely correspondent to that of this passage' in Daniel xi,
35— "and some of them of understanding shaU faU: to try'
them, and to purge and to make them white for the time of the
end." ¦'¦• 113 stands there between epx and p$> " to make white, to
make clear." The " time of the end," is the period when these
visitations of God shaU terminate. That such an end must of
necessity come, is here taken for granted, in agreement with
ver. 17.^ ' The process of purification is -only a temporary one.
to is employed also in Daniel xH. 1 0; " many'shaU be purified
and made white and tried : " — Ch. B. Michaelis— per tyranni-
cas illas affUctiones ex diving, sapientia et 'directione a v'itiis
suis purgdbuntur et a macuUs ; albabuntur 'et yelui--metallLV
excoquentur multi,scil. witelUgentesqubd'Sequiiur. Hitzig is1
disposed to give TO here the meaning of'"tiy,"<but'.'entirely
without grounds that wiU bear investigation; and contrary to the '
remarkable agreement between this verse and ~ the paraUel
passage in Daniel. TO in chap. ix. 1, is not to be brought into
comparison. It is rather a cognate of the word 1«3. And im,
order that they may see that in themselves they.;, are beasts.
That is the result to be gained by the purification. ¦ Substan-'
tiaUyparaUel is Job xxxvi. 8, 9, where-hVis said concerning*
the sufferings of the righteous-—" and if theybe bound in- fet
ters and be holden in cords of affliction; then- heYshoweth
them their works, and their transgression that they have
* Rambach: qui cum conseqnentibus,.connectunt habent accentns foventes,
secundum' quos verba pripra t dixi iii corde mfeo, per inajorem Ihtersianctionem
a seqq. separata, sigmm dicti, reliqua vero dictum ipsum continent.

116 CHAPTER in.
become proud.". Among the stains from which we are to be
cleansed by means of the cross, pride is the worst. nits"6 is
not so much ",that he may see," as "that they may see," being
convinced by facts, by stern and terrible realities. Here it is
not as in Psalm lxxH. 22, the behaviour of beasts that is refer
red to, but their fate, that which happens to them, just as in
Habakkuk i. 1 4, where the community of the Lord complains
— " thou makest men Hke the fishes of the sea, like the beasts,
that have no ruler over them." Catastrophes in which men
are treated as beasts, are weU fitted to teach them their
nothingness. Through the faU man received the disposition
and feelings of an animal. In righteous retribution, therefore,
and to cure him of the pride which occasioned his fall, the
fate of mere animals befals him, and he is subjected to death
Hke the beasts. But not content even with this, God aUows
catastrophes to befal His people 'from time to time, which
bring men into stiU closer relation to the beasts, non stands
for the verb, subst. '" are." Dn$>, " in themselves," apart from
God's protecting care,, and when He does not extend to them
his helping hand ; which is as much as to say, that they them
selves are as powerless to aid and protect themselves, as are
the unreasoning beasts. When they see this, a thing which
their pride causesHhem constantly to forget again, they turn
to God saying — " Asshur shaU not save us : we wUl not ride
on horses ; neither wiU we say any more to the work of our
hands, our God ! for in thee the fatherless find mercy.- Then
comes forth the divine answer : " I wiU heal their backshd-
ing, I wiU love them freely," (ver. 5 ff.) For, as he goes on
in verse 1 9 to say, such is actuaUy the state of the case : as
a part of mere nature, in contrast to God, and apart from the
bond uniting him with his creator, from that which becomes
his through the Hfe in God, who by breathing into him His
Spirit raised him above the beasts of the field, (see Gen. H. 7,)
— man, godless man, is in truth no better than the cattle.
rp\pn being in the stat. absol. can only be translated — " for
haphazard are the children of men, and haphazard are the
cattle," which is as much as to say that the chUdren of men
are no less haphazard than the cattle. Men themselves are
designated chance, because they stand under the dominion of
chance, of casualty. Chance or haphazard is opposed to the

CHAPTER ra. 117
free determination of one's own fate. Their lot is irresistibly
determined and fixed from without, mpo, " occurrence," from
Tip " to occur," in 1 Samuel vi. 9, is set in contrast or opposi
tion to that which arises out of the determined decree of the
God of Israel : in the present passage, on the contrary, it forms
the contrast to that which is the effect of the free self-deter
mination of man. It is used in a similar manner in 1 Samuel
xx. 26, (viz. of pollution in accordance with Deuteron. xxui
11 ;) and in a strikingly similar way in Ruth H. 3, where, in
regard to the most important event in the life of Ruth, which
must certainly be looked upon as under the special leading of
God, it is said — " and there happened to her an occurrence,"
that is, it happened accidentally. In that place also mpo
designates "haphazard, chance" in one particular aspect
thereof. SimUar also is Luke x. 31 : xafot evyxvpla* ds hpivg,
and so forth. " Accident," there, is put in contrast to the in
tention or purpose of the priest himself. The words — " and
one accident or chance befaUeth them," i. e., they are both
under the rule of the same chance, serve to explain the some
what obscure expression — "they are chance." Hitzig observes:
" the author means, and, as we learn from what foUows im-
mediately after, can only mean, the same final fate, namely,
death." But the relation of this to what foUows is rather that
of the general to the particular. The general is, that men, no
less than the cattle, are subjected to a. foreign power ; the
special or particular is, that they must die. mpo is employed
of fates in general in chap. ii. 1 5 also ; there is nothing to
justify limitation of its appHcation. And one breath have
they all. nn signifies here " the breath of Hfe," as in chap.
viii. 8, and in Psalm civ. 29, where we read, "thou gatherest
together their breath, they depart and return to their dust."
See also Genesis vii. 21, 22. "And aU flesh died that moves
upon the earth, both fowl and cattle and wild beasts,  and
aU men. All, in whose nostrils was the breath of the Spirit of
Hfe, died." The fiood, that type of aU other judgments, was a
sublime confirmation of the indisputable truth here expressed.
Then were the " heroes," " the men of name," compeUed to ex
perience that everything on earth has the same breath. "No
pre-eminence has man above the beast," that is, of course, in those
aspects which have already been brought under notice. That Ko-

118 CHAPTER III.
heleth had not the remotest intention of setting man in general
Oil; a -level, with the ,brute creation is .evident, both from ver.
11,,,1-vhere he makes man's exalted preeminence to ponsist in
the eternity whiph God hath put, in his heart, and. further,
from the entire. relation in Tvhich Koheleth stood to the faith
of .Israel, of which faith,' the likenes.s of man to God Tyas so
, important, an element. Luther says — " Why are we then
-proud and; a:rrogarrt, we, who are no more certain , of the hour
of ourrdeath thanthe beasts or the cattle?" — The, foundation
jpf verse 2Q is Gen. Hi; 1 9, " In the sweat of thy face shalt thou
eat thy bread, tiU thou return ,unto the ground ; for out' of it
wast thou, taken ; for dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou
return.",. That is a truth which man is led ever afresh by his
pride to. forget. All go unto one place: in Job xxx. 23,
Sheol is, designated "the assembly house for all, •Hving," i. e.
for aU Hving men. . Of that however the writer is not speak
ing here, but, as, Hitzig. remarks,, "of the place whither the
body comes (aU was 'formed from the dust; and aU returns to
the dust). .Beasts, (Genesis H. 19, i. 24) 'as weU as men
(Genesis hv 7) are QriginqHy born of dust, and, return,, to the
.dust. (Psalm , civ. 29; Genesis Hi, 19,. Psalm cxlvi. 4)., This
holds good of the body in both spherps."— r-Ver. 21. In this
verse Koheleth goes on'further ~§0 say, 'that man has notwith-
standing a'great.aijwl glorious superiority oyer the beasts, in
that, when his' body. crumbles to dust, the spirit returns to
God who gave it (xii,", 7); whereas; the spuL of the, beast per
ishes with the body. This pre-eminence is, however, hard to be
perceiv.ed.; it. is concealed beneath that ,which we have in com
mon witli the beasts ;; and the' fact, that; his pre-eminence is
thus hidden, ought in itself to be sufficient, to lead man to
•humUity and extinguish in ,him, aU. proud, thoughts.;, uWho
knoweth the.spfritpf the children of mien that goeth upward ?
Precisely as. in '-Psalm, xc. 11 (compare Isaiah HH.,,1), the
words, yrrf 'O direct attention to the difficulty of discerning
this superiority, which does, not He on the/surface : whereas,
on the contrary, the, resemblance , main hears to . th% beasts
forces itself on, our notice, n'jyrf .is the participle., with the
article, whicH here, on account of the .guttural that foUows, is
pointed with Kametz, instead 'of 'with" I?atach and, a foUowing
Dagesh; as in the. corresponding wordirnV'n. The,, participle

CHAPTER III. 119
with the article is ofteii employed for the verb fimit'. with a
relative7: as for example' " the siscendiiig Jdne'" instead' of, *' he
who ascends," (see" Ewald, § 335). In regard' to the word
Sin Ewald's. remarks, §'3 14, hold good V he says-^1'' th8 most
deHcate manner of giving prominence to a person is by means of
the pronoun Kin, 'aMg,' Latin, ipse; aperson is thus speciaUy
referred back to, and distinguished' fronl others. As joB adds
Only a freer kind of accessory distinction, it stands without
article after the particular noun." This consideration 'does
away "altogether With the objection1 urged by J. D. Michaelis,
that: "According to the grammar, another n would ''be re
quired before son, in' case it should be said that sin is added by
way of emphasis, and that, the translation may run as foUows,
quis novit spirituni hominis ascehdentem iHtimf" Compare,
for example, , Numbers xvia 23; Kin »bn, "he, the Levite."
The foundation of the characteristic of man here brought into
prominence is contained in Genesis ii 7-^-" He breathed' into
his nostrils the breath of life." . If the spirit of man is" a breath
from God, ft cannot perish with the body, but,' when the dust
returns to the dust, must return to Him who gave it, "• That
which belongs to the earth is given : back to the earthy*' and
so .that wliich belongs to heaven must be rendered "back to
heaven. . And jhe breath of the beast,. that goeth dowhwUfcl to
the earth. This is in itself easy to be known. The sense how
ever here is the following: — " Who khows both,-^-the immortal
soul of m'an, and the perishable soul of the beast, in their differ
ence from each other ?" The Septuagint, Chaldee, and Striae,
take, the n in n'jjjn and in mnvh to be interrogative, rendering
the words — " Who knows whether the spirit of the chUdren
of men goeth upward, and whether the breath of the- beast
gOeth downward?" and this interpretation, the rationalistic
exegesis has adopted.. From the point of view offered Byiihis
translation Knobel . remarks— " Koheleth shews an acquaint
ance with the dogma of the immortality of the soul/but' he
throws doubt on it, in order not1 d;o invaHdate the view'ex-
pressedm verges 19,..20. Had he b'eleved in a going, upward
of the; soul to God,. he would have contradicted himseffi'^' 'But
the contradiction . here affirmed :i exists' only in . Appearance.
Verses 19 and 20 Speak only of the physical, hodi-Iy nature
of man. The fact, that as to his body man as under thesame

120 CHAPTER III.
necessity of dying as the beasts, should suffice to humble him,
and to make clear the folly of arrogance. Against this view
of n as used interrogatively the following reasons may be urged:
L According to the points n can only be the article, and can
not be the interrogative particle, (compare Ewald, § 104):
and this ground, by itself, is sufficient. That the present
pointing, which rests on the authority of tradition, is incom
patible with the interrogative view, is frankly conceded by
Ewald: "In chap. Hi. 21," says he, "the Masorah has twice
changed the interrogative 5, into the article — manifestly, be
cause it deemed the question objectionable." If the vowels of
the Old Testament were reaUy the work of" narrow minds,
whose judgment was guided only by what the exegesis seemed
to them to require, the vocalization would present a very dif
ferent appearance. II. This interrogative view, wrung from
the text by the alteration, involves the author in a glaring
contradiction with himself. That which he is here said to
caU in question and deny, he distinctly avows his beHef of in
chap. xn. 7. It is the more difficult to allow the existence of
such a glaring contradiction, as elsewhere the writer is always
self-consistent, never following the suggestions of the moment,
but everywhere setting before his readers fixed and clearly
defined teachings. The words of chap. ix. lO also, — "the
Sheol whither thou goest," — are decisive against the supposi
tion that Koheleth sets the soul of man on an equahty with
that of the beast which goeth downward to the earth, that is,
which perishes along with the body. III. The interrogative
view, further, involves the author in a contradiction with the
original records of the Jewish rehgion, the possibility of which
no one wiU aUow who has entered into the spirit of the book,
and the presence of which would make the admission of the
book into the Canon an insoluble problem. To co-ordinate
the soul of man and the soul of the beast is manifestly to con
tradict the Thorah, which was the standard of aU thinking in
Israel ; " In the Pentateuch man is exalted to a very high
position. He is created last of aU and is set at the head of
creation. Everything else exists for his sake. According to
Genesis i. 26, 27, he is created in the image of God, namely, ,
so that the whole divine glory shines forth from him in a re
duced measure. According to Genesis ii 7, two elements are

CHAPTER III. 121
united in man, an earthly and a divine, which latter no other
creature shares with him. — We have here the anthropological
basis of the doctrine of the immortality of the souL As in
the earthly element of man's nature, there Hes not only the
possibUity, but even, so far as it is not penetrated, pervaded
and glorified by the spirit, the necessity of death : so in the
fact that man shares the divine image, participates in the life
which comes from God, there is involved the possibility, yea,
the necessity, not only of immortaHty in' general, but of an
immortahty of blessedness or misery, of eternal life or damna
tion. The soul which bears the divine image, is, as such, re
moved not only from the sphere of the perishable, but also
from the ranks of those creatures which merely exist or vege
tate." Beitr. 3 s. 570. Throughout the entire Old Testa
ment this all-important distinction between the soul of man
and the soul of the beast is firmly maintained ; so that this
passage would occupy quite an isolated position. Everywhere,
at aU events, we find the doctrine/of the Sheol.
Ver. 22. Here the practical conclusion is drawn not only from
ver. 21, but from the whole chapter. Such a close was the
more necessary because verses 19-21 are pretty far removed
from the main thought, — so far removed indeed that they
might form a parenthesis. Man, this is the thought, is not
master of the future : therefore he must rejoice in the present.
The same practical conclusion had been already drawn in
ver. 1 2. To that our attention is here again directed. And
I saw that nothing is better (p 310 "better," chap. iv. 3,
1 Samuel i 8), than that a man should rejoice im his own
works, in the works themselves, and in that which is pro
duced and effected by their means, so that he has his por
tion from them (chap. v. 18). For who shall bring him to
see what shall take place after him ? " After him," that is,
not after his death, but after the condition in which he now
finds himself. Jerome says : Pro eo quod nos posuimus : ut
videat id quod futurum est post ipsum, apertius interpretatus
est Symmachus dicens : ut videat ea quae futura sunt post
haac. In the paraUel passage, chap. vi. 12, it is said, "What
wUl happen after him under the sun." According to this,
those general events are referred to, which exercise a decisive
influence on his fate. It is not, therefore, permissible to ex-

122 CHAPTER rv.
plain the words to mean-^-" what wiU become of him," — as
those are compeUed to do who suppose that a conclusion i&being
drawn from the verse immediately, preceding. This supposi
tion is based moreover on a false, interpretation of ver. 21,
where immortality is not denied but affirmed (Knobel : "one
must enjoy before death in order1 not to go away empty.3') - If
ver. 21 has been rightly explained, this present verse would
not form at all a suitable conclusion from it alone. Man
knows not what God will, do to him (ver.; 11). Therefore ia
it foolish to give ourselves up to wearisome exertions in pur
suit of happiness, to distress ourselves with cares (verses
9, 10) ; 'and quite as, foolish is it to enter, upon many-dis
tracting schemes and occupations, to hunt after- the o-xWou
d8rihfirr)g:(l Timothy vi. 17), to gather together and to heap up
for him on whom it shaU please God to bestow it (chap, ii
26)'; wise, on the contrary, is it, to rejoice in the. present*

CHAPTER IV.
The Hnk of connection between the different parts of this
chapter is the common reference to, the misery under whose
yoke the. people lay groaning/ : • ; . . . ; -...,<-
According to, verses 1-3 the earth is not a place where
righteousness dweUs, but a, scene of injustice and violence.
This was a knowledge at which the Church 'Jbf ?.Gbd arrived
with peculiar ,ease, and. which was impressed: on it. with; pecu
har force,, at the time when it was itself under, the tyrannical
rule of worldly power. The chapter how under- notice sug
gests that the book was composed during that period.. Some
have, in this connection also, spoken of the "bitterness of Ko
heleth's view M the. World,", and . have found in these, verses
the " expression . of the complaints of a bitter and desperate
spirit." But this is quite incorrect. Koheleth doe's not com
plain,: -he considers ("J.saw all the oppressed"), and'simpty'sets
berate us, facts. To know and present these in. their 'naked
truth is a privUege. df. the wisdom which dweUs in the midst
pf the. people of God,; whilst' oh the contrary the world is
compeUed in many bases to. close its eye against them and to
surrender, itself, to illusions, unless it be prepared: to become

CHAPTER IV. 123
the prey of despair. The wretched state of things here de
picted could only justify complaints against God if. there had
been npfaU, if man were StiU in the. condition in which he was
when he, came forth from the creative hand of God'; Since the
day spoken of in Genesis Hi, the best world is that of .which
it has been said,, " The world is but a vale of tears,, and evtery-
.where need, trouble, fears." . Such a state of things, however,
can, only breed despair in the minds of thpse who have fixed
their eyes on , the' earth, and who, by their own guilty con
duct, have sealed up the fountains of consolation, to, which
the writer directed attention in chap. Hi, and to, which he
wUl again point. in the foUowing chapters. From these
fountains our, misfortunes and troubles should drive us to
draw. Ver. 1. And I returned and considered all the oppressed
that are made. under the sun, and behold there the. tears of the
oppressed, and they have not a comforter, and-, in the fyand of
their oppressors, power, and they have no comforter. ¦ , Ver. 2.
And I praised, the dead which are already dead more than
the living which are yet alive. Ver, 3. And more thanboth,
Mm that hath: nqt\yet been, that hath (not seen the evil work
ihqtf§~ fame /under the sum. ¦; , ', -, ,
Ver, 1. That, 31^ is not to be taken in the sense of " to turn
oneself," but in that of "to return," is clearfrorn the parallel pas
sage, Zechariah v. 1, " And I returned and lifted up mine eyes
and behold a flying roU :'' as compared with Zech. iv. 1 :
", and. the angel that talked with me came again (returned)-
and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep,".
It might be supposed that the words — "I, returned and saw,"
—indicate that the present subject had been, already brought
under consideration ; (compare ;.phap. Hi. 16 f.) The^ words
however rather imply that the author's meditations are taking
a new turn, as is clear not only from Zechariah v. 1, but also
from the paraUel passage, chap, ix, 11, where the phrase —
" I returned 9,nd, saw,"— manifestly introduces a new; thought.
In, ver. 7 aWthe expression—" I returngd'and saw/'—indi-
cates, that .the meditation which had been interrupted is taken
up again, and , js u turned to. a new, subject, Tots' points out
in, general,, that a; train of thought, is taken up again after a
pause during ^hichjt had been dropped :> Vulgate, " verti me

1 24 CHAPTER TV.
ad aha" And then the fresh subject is described. A 11 oppressed
who are made. That the author, in referring to the oppressed,
had especiaUy in view the people of Israel which was trodden
under the foot of the powers of this world, is clear from chap.
Hi., but especiaUy from Jeremiah 1. 33, — "thus saith the Lord
of Hosts, the children of Israel and the chUdren of Juda are
oppressed together, and aU that took them captives held them
fast and would not let them go." D^pwy never signifies
" oppression," always " oppressed." The WpWV of Amos Hi. 9,
stand to the nipB'jf of chap. iv. 1, evidently in the relation of,
patiens to agens. The D^pW of the former passage are the D",!n
and the DW3K of the latter. Job xxxv. 9 is to be explained —
" by reason of the multitude of the oppressed they cry : " that
is, complaint is raised that there are on earth so many who
are unrighteously oppressed. There is the more reason for
retaining this meaning in this clause, as the word is undeni
ably employed in a Hke sense immediately afterwards in the
course of the same verse. D^yi suits this meaning very well
The oppressed are made such by their oppressors.
Ver. 2. On this verse Luther remarks — " when one atten
tively regards the innumerable sorrows of the heart, miseries,
great evUs and troubles on earth, and the awful wickedness
there is in the world which is the devU's kingdom, one must
surely be of the mind that it were better to be dead than to see
so much wretchedness." The thought expressed in this verse
occurs also frequently under Christianity, notwithstanding
the abundant sources of consolation opened to us by its doc
trines and promises. There are seasons in the Hfe of nations,
and of individuals when this thought presses itself on the mind
with pecuhar force. It has fuU truth, though of course of a one
sided character. In view of the severe sufferings to which our
Hfe is exposed, it can scarcely appear, considered in -.eference
to that which is usuaUy described as the happiness of Hfe, to
be a desirable good In this aspect of the matter the dead are
more to be envied than the Hving. In other aspects, however,
Hfe appears as a high and noble possession. And even in the
general human aspect that saying holds true, " a Hving dog is
better than a dead Hon," (chap. ix. 4,) and that other one, —
" Light is sweet, and a pleasant thing is it for the eyes to see
the sun," (chap, xi 7.) On the beHever, moreover, as heValks

CHAPTER IV. 125
in the darkness of this earthly life, there shines a bright light,
(Job. xxxv. 1 0,) so that he can say — " my flesh and my heart
may faU, but God is the rock of my heart and my portion for
ever," (Psalm lxxii. 26 :) he takes delight in fearing God and
keeping His commands, (chap. xii. 13;) he is able, with a
heart that rests and is satisfied in God, to enjoy the blessings
which the present never fads to offer even when pubhc affairs
are in the most wretched condition ; he hopes in the retribu
tive righteousness of God which wiU bring the perversions
and wickedness of the world to an end, (chap. Hi. 16 ;) and,
finally, in the momentary perversion of justice he recognises a
wholesome means of divine chastisement, (chap. Hi. 1 8.) n3B»
is the infim. absol. which with an emphatic brevity, appropriate
to the excitement here felt, is employed for the verb fimit
(compare chap. ix. 11 ; Ewald 35 le.) It is not the Particip.
in Piel with rejected o, — an aphaeresis which scarcely occurs
in the Piel form, — for n35fp in Nehemiah i. 6-11, is an ad
jective, feminine of 3B>p, and there is no ground for regarding
"ino in Zephaniah i. 1 4, as a participle, since it is often used as
an infinitive with the signification " hastily." That TJ3 does
not mean "long ago," but "already," and serves to define
the preterite more strictly, is very clear in this passage. It
forms the contrast to nnj", contracted from n:n "ij?, " stiU."
Ver. 3. With increased force of expression the author here
says that it is better not to have been born at aU than to
Hve. ParaUel with this is the passage (chap. Hi) where Job,
who had no peace nor repose, and who was disturbed ever
afresh, wishes for himself the lot of " an hidden untimely
birth," and curses the day of his birth, or where in verse 20
of the same chapter he asks — -" Wherefore is Hght given to
him that is in misery, and life to the bitter in soul ?" 4 So
also when Jeremiah in chap. xx. curses the day of his birth,
and in ver. 18 complains, " Wherefore came I forth out of the
womb to see labour and sorrow, that my days should be con
sumed with shame ?" In regard to such expressions, however,
we must remark that so far as they occur in Scripture they
contain only one side of the truth. In proof of which the
same Jeremiah, in a passage immediately preceding the one
just quoted, says : " Sing unto the Lord, praise ye the Lord,
for he delivers the soul of the needy from the hand of the

126 CHAPTER rv. 4-6.
evil doers." Such a feehng of human misery is not only,;
natural^ but. is intended by God who ..brings us into circum
stances, which caU it forth. By thoroughly disgusting ua
with the world, and .by -making us realize its: absolute vanity,:
God. means to .draw.; us to himself, ..Only in this, way' can
Jahveh, the true and' absolute Being, become to us. what he,
reaUy . is. . Through much tribulation must, our hold on earthly'
things be loosened and ourselves enter into the kingdom of
God.

CHAPTER IV. 4-6.
The emptiness of earthly happiness .betrays itself, clearly
in the fact that it is accompanied by envy (ver. 4) : "when
any man has, good fortune an4 good days, :then envy is sure.
to rave and. rage." ,'We must not, however, suffer this, sad
experience to .mislead ;us: into inactivity (ver. 5). StiU, in
view of such a fact, we, shall do weU not to mix ourselves, up
too muqh with distracting affairs,, and, on the contrary, re
joicing when they are not forced upon us, (Hke Israel at that
time), be content with a humble lot. in Hfe (ver. 6). ;
Ver. 4. And I considered all travail and all skill of work,,
that, this .is. the envy of a man from his neighbour : this also is
vanity-and empty effort.. Ver.i,5: The.fqol foldsth\h%s hands,
together, and eateth his own flesh. Ver. 6. Better is one hand
full of rest, than both fists full, of travail and empty effort.
Ver. 4. The word "TiEO, which occurs only in Koheleth,,, is,
rendered by the LXX. here and; in chap: H. 21 by dvdpeia, virtus.
Derived from 1^3, "rectus fuit," it is used partly of "skill,
abihty in action,",, and partly of the "fortunate results";
thereof. In the flatter signification, namely, "advantage,;
gain," it occurs in chap. v. 1 0 ; in the former we .find it used
in chap.; H. 21, in conjunction with wisdom and knowledge:
" a, man whose work is in wisdom and knowledge and Kish-
ron , Qwa).. There foUow after, the words : " and to a man
who has not laboured therein must he give it." . According to
the contrast here drawn .jtibo must refer to the labour, the.
activity itself, and. not to. .the result. The matter of com
plaint is that the skill developed in labour has no higher pre-

CHAPTER IV. 4-6. 1 27
rogative. jnBa is, employed' in the sense of " skill, abiHty,"
here a]8Q.^rThat this is the envy, of a man from his neigh-<
bour .•^¦the end of , the. whole matter is that; a man is envied
by his neighbour ; Vulgate, " eum patere invidise proximi."
FoUowing the example of the Decalogue wjno draws atten
tion to the baseness of the fact that the friend, of God and
right, grudges him the successful results of his skilful labour.
It is of course better to be envied than pitied, but stUl envy
with aU the hostile and pernicious acts flowing therefrom, and
which frequently bring about the ruin of their object, is a
great evU, and it is no smaU consolation for a man who, Hke
Israel at the time, finds himself in an unenviable position,' to
know that he is not exposed to this torment. Several inter
preters think that here all distinctions are traced back to the
principle of rivalry. : That would be an incorrect thought :
whereas it is a demonstrated truth that " men envy the happy."
In Isaiah xi. 1 3, anex JltUp is the jealousy felt by Ephraim
of Judah, who was preferred : in chap. ix. 6, of this book,
envy is conjoined with hatred The verb also is frequently
used to denote envy or jealousy of advantages. It is hard
that a main's zeal should be interpreted by his neighbour to
be an envious desire to surpass, to outstrip him. Then fur
ther, the connection with verses ht 6 is' decisive against this
view. " Vanity and empty effort " are not usually predicated
of labours which are morally worthless, but of such as bring
no advantage (compare chap. H. 17). Ver. 5. -In order to
avoid envy we may not throw ourselves into the arms of in
activity. The only effect of that would be to ruin ourselves.
To lay or fold the hands together is a gesture of laziness. To
devour one's own flesh is to work one's own ruin (compare
Isaiah xlix. 26). The principal passage is Proverbs vi. 9-11 :
" How long wUt thou He, 0 sluggard ? When wilt thou
arise . out of sleep ? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little
folding1 of, the hands to. sleep. So shaU thy poverty come as
one that traveUeth, and thy want as an armed man." '
Ver.- 6. Men are warned, however, by the bitter experience
mentioned in ver. 4, to do weU, and not to go beyond that
which is strictly necessary. Taught: by such an experience
they will be satisfied .with a humble and Hmited. lot. „ . bnv and
nn filjn point back to ver. 4. " Both fists full of, etc," is as

128 CHAPTER rv. 7-1 2.
much as " both fists full of good" which more carefuUy looked
into, is after aU only travail and empty effort. Israel then
had the hand full of rest : the heathen power, both fists fuU
of travail. To make Israel content with its lot by laying bare
the vanity of that which it was destitute of, but which the
world possessed, is the usuaUy misunderstood main drift of
verses 4-6.

CHAPTER IV. 7-12.
How Httle the Hfe of a man depends on many possessions,
the author shows in a picturesque description of the example
of a rich man who has so completely isolated himself by his
selfishness and avarice, that he stands alone and deserted,
without enjoyment and without protection in life.
The author repeatedly recurs to the subject of avarice and
earnestly combats it. We may conclude therefore that it was
one of the principal diseases of the time. It comes before us
as such, also, in the other Hterary monuments of that period
" Ye run every man to his own house," says Haggai in chap, i
9. Malachi complains in chap. i. that the worst offerings are
presented to the Lord, and in chap. Hi. 7-1 2, of dishonesty in
the bringing of tithes and offerings. Nehemiah, also, accord
ing to chap, v., was compelled to resort to stringent measures
against the usurous practices then in vogue. The temptation
to avarice lay in the unsatisfactory nature of the general cir
cumstances, which exposed men to the danger of centering aU
their interest in their own private affairs : but then also
further in the distress of the times, and in the exactions of the
heathen authorities by which they were misled into clinging
the more tenaciously to that which they already possessed.
The description has however two sides. It is directed not
only against avarice, but also at the same time against envy
of the riches of the world, of their heathen tyrants. One
ought not to vex oneself about " a handful of vanity ;" one
should not aUow oneself to be beguiled into discontent with
the leadings of divine providence, into murmurings against
God, for such a cause. The aim both of the preceding and
foUowing observations is to lead Israel to a just estimate of

CHAPTER IV. 7-12. 129
that which the heathen possessed, and which they themselves
lacked ; and taking both together, we may say that the pas
sage has a predominant reference to that side of the descrip- ¦
tion last mentioned. Ver. 1-3 exhibits the misery of the
covenant people : ver. 4-1 6 opens up points of view from
which their condition appears in a more favourable Hght.
Ver. 7. And I returned and saw vanity under the sun.
Ver. 8. There is one and not a second, he hath neither son
nor brother, and there is no end of all his labour, his eyes
also are not satisfied with riches, and for whom do I weary
myself and bereave my soul of good ? This also is vanity
and a sore plague. Ver. 9. Better the two than the one, be
cause they have a good reward in their labour. Ver. 10.
For if they fall the one will lift up his fellow, and woe to him,
the one, who falleth and hath not a second to help him up.
Ver. 11. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat:- but
how can one be warm alone ? Ver. 12. And if he prevail
against him, the one, two shall withstand him, and a three
fold cord is not quickly broken.
Ver. 7. The words — " I returned and saw vanity," — indi
cate that a new species of vanity is now brought under consi
deration. — How far the possession of earthly wealth is from
being in itself a good, the author shows in ver. 8 ff, by sketch
ing before us in a picturesque manner a scene from Hfe which
iUustrates this truth in a most palpable manner. It is an
entire mistake to assume, as Rambach and others do, that the
author's controversy is with celibacy, or with the " fuga vitas
socise." Luther's remarks are substantiaUy accurate ; " Greedy
beUies are to be found yet, who hunt after money and pro
perty night and day and still do not want it." Ver. 9. There
is one and not a second, he hath neither son nor brother. The
second here mentioned is different from the son and from the
brother. According to what foUows there is one whom he
might have, but has not through his own guUt. He has iso
lated himself by his own selfish avarice, has driven aH com
panions away, and stands alone in the world. The words,
" he hath neither son nor brother," are meant to bring clearly
to Hght, on the one hand, the foUy of Wind passion — he stands
alone in the world, has no one to care for, and consequently
has no apparent reason for his avarice — and on the other hand
I

130 CHAPTER IV. 7-12.
the wretchedness of his position. He ought the more eagerly
to seek to make to himself friends, seeing that he has no rela
tives of his own.
Ver. 9. The two in this verse form a contrast to the one
without second in ver. 8. Wherein the reward consists is de
tailed in ver. 10 ff. They afford each other protection and
help, and mutuaUy render life agreeable. The isolated man
on the contrary must work in vain, since he is destitute of
enjoyment in life, and without protection in danger.
; Ver. 1 0. When they faU, that is, either the one or the
other. % " woe," occurs only here and in chap. x. 16; the
cognate word in in Ezekiel H. 1 0 : Elsewhere »in and lyi are
employed. Ver. 11. Several commentators fancy that they find here a
reierence to the wife : but inappropriately. A wife the rich
miser might have, and be a prey to the feeling of desertion
which invariably accompanies an avaricious and selfish dispo
sition. It is sure to have its revenge. Lovelessness always
finds its echo.
Ver. 12. The subject alluded to here is the enemy which
must be supplied from the tone and circumstances of what ia
said, (Ewald § 294 b.) S)pn always means " to prevaU against
to overpower,'' never "to attack:" compare the adjective tppn
"powerful" in chap. vi. 10. "Him, the one," is as much as
to say, him, in his isolation, or because of his isolation. The
image of a " threefold cord," — in making a firm, strong cord,
three threads were usuaUy used, — is the. more appropriate
here, as the number two in general only represents plurality.
The author must not be considered as arguing from the point
of view of mere prudence. The moral abominableness of isol
ating selfishness and heartless mammon worship are brought
clearly to Hght by the unhappy positions in which they
set men.

CHAPTER IV, 13-16.
In the preceding part -of the chapter, the writer has laid
bare the vanity of possessions ; now he proceeds to show
the vanity of rulers, in order to console his feUow country^

CHAPTER IV. 1 3-1 6. 131
men in bondage, who could not forget their own loss of
dominion. Ver. 1 0. Better is a youth, poor and wise, than an old and
foolish king, who knoweth no more to be admonished. Ver.
14. For out of prison he eometh to reign, whereas impover
ished is he that was born in the kingdom. Ver. 15. I saw
all the living which walk under the sun, with the youth that
stands in his stead. Ver. 1 6. There is no end to all the
people, to all whom he precedes. Nevertheless those who came
after him shall not rejoice in him. For this also is vanity
and empty effort.
" Ah ! how vain and fleeting are the honours of men ! To
day we are compeUed courteously to kiss the hand of the man
whom to-morrow we tread under our feet in the grave." An
iUustration of these words is given here in the portrait drawn
of the old king who is displaced by another ; and then in that
of the upstart who is first extoUed and courted, and at last
loses the favour which exalted him to the throne. At his
ascension, millions of voices cried, " Long live the King ;"
words which contain the " Pereat" of him who is deposed.
But the scales are again turned He becomes in the end as
unpopular as his predecessor. " This rounded earth can afford
no rest, for what it at one moment raises up, at the next it
casts down." Because of the loss of such vanity we ought
not to faU into inconsolable sadness. Every attempt at an
historical exposition of this section is useless. That which
appears to imply such a reference, is but minute and special
portraiture, and not otherwise to be judged : it is like the
picture given from life in ver. 8, where the general thought is
not barely advanced, but clothed with flesh and blood
Ver. 1 3. " Better is a youth," not in a moral point of view,
but because, notwithstanding his temporarily low position, he
gains the kingdom which the other loses, and so is better off,
So also ai310 in ver. 9, 310 in ver. 3.
Ver. 14. The first half of ver. 14, gives the reason of the
expression "better:" — "For out of prison he eometh to
reign," — namely, " that youth." That aniDn is a contraction
of BnDsn, (Ewald § 86 b.) is plain from Judges xvi. 21 : " and
he, (Samson) groaned a'TDK roa (ver. 25 :) also Genesis xxxix.
20, where inDn TYa is explained by — " the place where the

132 chapter rv. 18-16.
king's prisoners were bound." The author appears to have
borrowed this feature, that the youth rises to power out of
prison, from the history of Joseph ; only, however, this one
feature, for as to the other circumstances there is no resem
blance. Whereas impoverished is he that was born in his
kingdom. The abasement of the governing king is the condi
tion of the rise of the youth. This sentence thus assigns the
motive for that which is advanced in the preceding one. The
catchword is ~frnb. The Hebrew word rendered "whereas,
although" means Hterally " also :" it is used however in the
sense given. See Proverbs xiv. 20, Ewald § 362 b. Born in
his kingdom : i. e., one who came to the possession of the
kingdom, of his dignity as ruler, by birth : Hke the kings of
the Philistines, who being hereditary, bore the title Ahimelech,
that is, king's father, and might therefore quite as well have
been styled king's sons. EH is not a participle, but the pre
terite from E5>n, and contains an allusion to Psalm xxxiv. 11 :
" Hons are impoverished and suffer hunger." It is evident from
the whole connection that in k»"i the old king is to be taken
as the subject. Symmachus rightly expresses this : o 8s
tufoip . fiugiXivg yimrifelg rpxopridn.
Ver. 15. This verse, according to which "aU the living
which walk under the sun" fall to the share of the upstart,
shows that the circumstances on which the description is
founded, are not those of any petty state, but of the great
universal monarchies of Asia, which took particular pleasure in
identifying themselves with the entire orbis terrarum. Com
pare Daniel iv., where the tree, which signifies the kingdom of
Nebuchadnezzar, stands "in the midst of the earth," and
spreads itself out " to the end of all the earth," " all flesh"
wag nourished from it, and where Daniel in giving to Nebuc
hadnezzar the explanation of the vision says — " thy dominion
reacheth to the end. of the earth."
Ver. 16. All whom he precedes, that is, all who do homage
to him as their monarch (Micah H. 13). The word aj here
corresponds to Di in ver. 1 4, and directs, attention to an addi
tion of a, singular kind, which faUs quite as much to the lot
of the second king as the first. Whether the change is
brought about by the fault of the king, who wsis not able to
bear his good fortune, and failed to display the wisdom in his

chapter v. 1-6. 133
conduct as actual ruler, which he showed in the attainment of
power ; or whether by the changeableness of the people we
are not told, and simply because it did not He within the
aim of the author to speak of the causes, but only of the fact,
of the change itself. Luther observes : " and so we find in
histories that at first many rejoiced and hoped in Nero, and
looked for a fine able ruler in him. The first five years of
his reign were hopeful and were commended : but afterwards
he was tyrannical, and that in the most aggravating way.
So likewise of Hehogabalus and Commodus were good hopes
entertained, that they would turn out praiseworthy princes
and rulers : but the hope failed. The one, Hehogabalus, was
a vile wretch, who gave himself up to all manner of profli
gacy and debauchery, and was a thorough beast. The other
ought to have been styled, not Commodus but Incommodus,
that is, a curse to the land." " This also is vanity," to wit,
worldly greatness. The practical conclusion for Israel is —
" Why vexest thou thyself about a handful of vanity, when
God bestows on thee unchanging treasures ? If the pound is
thine surely thou mayst let the farthing go."

CHAPTER V 1-6.
The author whose task it was, now in the way of consola
tion and then in the way of admonition, to lay before the
people of God, groaning under the yoke of the Persians, that
which might be for the health of their soul, here passes over
to an entirely new theme. He proceeds to bring to Hght the
evils which at that time were to be found in connection with
the pubhc worship of God. If his admonitions went to the
heart their effect would be contentment with the divine
arrangements. True self-knowledge throws Hght on the
otherwise dark ways of God. When one learns to murmur
against one's own sin, one ceases to murmur against God. A
superficial piety sought to put God off with sacrifices, instead
of walking in the way of His commands: prayer in many
cases degenerated into mere chatter : vows were Hghtly taken,
but when it came to the fulfilment they hung back. There
was lacking a true and hearty fear of God : and that was the

134 CHAPTER V. 1-6.
root and spring of all these evUs. This section shows that
the book belongs to a time when the very hearts, which at an
earlier period had openly renounced God, and given in their
adherence to heathenism, were devoted to a dead orthodoxy.
Such a time began shortly after the return from the exUe, as
soon as the first mighty stirrings of the hearts had relaxed, as
soon as the first enthusiasm had vanished. How strongly
disposed the people were in the time of Nehemiah to with
draw themselves from the services due to God may be seen in
Nehemiah xni 10-20.
Ver. 1. Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God,
and be ready to hear, which is better than that fools should
give sacrifice, for they consider not that they do evil. Ver.. 2.
Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty
to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and thou
upon earth ; therefore let thy words be few. Ver. 3. For the
dream comes through the multitude of annoyance, and the
voice of fools through the multitude of words. Ver. 4. When
thou vowest a vow unto God defer not to pay it, for fools are
not pleasing : what thou vowest, pay. Ver. 5. It is better
that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldst vow and
not pay. Ver. 6. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to
sin, and say not before the angel, for it is an error. Why
should God be angry at thy voice and destroy the work of
thine hands ? Ver. 7. For where many dreams are, there
are vanities and (even so where) many words : for fear
God. Ver. 1. The words, " Keep thy feet," show us that the
going to the house pf God is a serious matter, which had
better be omitted if not done in a right spirit. Jerome says :
" Non enim ingredi domum dei, sed sine offensione ingredi
laudis est." The essential thing is of course to preserve the
heart, but the posture of the heart is represented and revealed
in the manner of going. The author speaks of feet, perhaps,
because through them he had often discerned the state of the
heart. The Kri : -fail, " thy foot," probably owes its origin to
a comparison of Proverbs i. 15, iv. 26, 27. Psalm cxix. 101,
where the plural is employed, might just as well have been
made the subject of comparison. "WVQ " so as " is stronger
than the simple " when." anp never occurs as an Infin. absol.;

CHAPTER V. 1-6. 135
always only as an adjective. As such James took it in this
place : see the Epistle chap, i 1 9 : e'tfrw irdg avfytairog rayyg sig
rti dxovgai figahvg slg rd XaXjjtfa/ : — the latter is an allusion to
chap. v. 1. If the word " hear " be referred to the public
worship of God, we must look to the reading of the law con
joined with the singing of Psalms : (compare my work, On
the Day of the Lord :) and then this passage would furnish a
, proof that, at the time of the author, it was customary to
read from the law, and probably to connect therewith exposi
tions and applications. Taking this view the Berleburger
Bible remarks : " We must not be satisfied merely with hear
ing : else it is merely that ; and this is not aU that is in
tended. External is external : and the true aim of the ex
ternal rites of worship is to conduct to the internal." But
that the matter to be heard is much rather the voice of the
Lord, and that consequently " hearing " has substantially the
same force as " obeying," is clear from 1 Samuel xv. 22, where
Samuel says to Saul, " hath the Lord delight in burnt offer
ings and sacrifices, as in hearing the voice of the Lord ? Be
hold, to hear (obey) is better than a good sacrifice, and to
hearken better than the fat of rams." In Jeremiah vH. 33,
also, to hear the voice of the Lord is set in opposition to
souUess sacrifices. God, says the prophet, did not com
mand his people concerning souUess sacrifices, but said
to them : " Hear (obey) my voice, and I wUl be your
God, and ye shaU be my people." ParaUel also is the pas
sage, Hosea vi. 6, " for I have pleasure in love, and not
in sacrifices ; and in knowledge of the Lord more than
in burnt offerings : see also Proverbs xxi. 3 : "to do jus
tice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacri
fice," with' which compare ver. 27: "the sacrifice of the
wicked is abomination." What the voice of the Lord calls for
are love, righteousness, justice ; whereas soulless sacrifices are
not claimed by him : to bring them therefore instead of love
and the like is the contrary of obedience. The voice of the
Lord is known in the first instance from the " roU," i. e., "the
volume of the book," (Psalm xl. 8), "the law of Moses,"
which Malachi, the contemporary of Koheleth admonishes
(chap. Hi. 22) the lovers of ceremonies to remember. At the
same time, however, ttie voice of the Lord makes itself heard

136 CHAPTER V. 1-6.
also in the hearts of the faithful : compare Psalm Ixxxv. 9,
and the words — " thou hast digged through my ears" — of
Psalm xl. 6. By a rather harsh construction, " before that,
that fools should give sacrifice," stands for "which is better
than that fools should give sacrifice." That n3t signifies here, as
always, " slain sacrifices," (not sacrifices in general), which are
particularly selected from the whole number of sacrifices, is
evident from a comparison of 1 Samuel xv. 22, Hosea vi. 6,
Psalm xl. 7, where ' " slain sacrifices " are mentioned along
with " burnt sacrifices." Not of " sacrifices " in general does
Koheleth here speak, but of the sacrifices oi fools, which were
not an outward form expressing the worship which is in spirit
and truth, but the contrary thereof, namely, an invention
whose purpose was to appease God and to sUence the con
science. Several commentators explain — "for they know
not, in order that they," or, "so that they do evil," appeahng
to the fact that yT1 is frequently used without specification of
the object, which must either be supplied from the context
or be taken in the most general possible way (Isaiah xliv.
5, 6, 9, 18, xiv. 20, xvi. 1 0, Psalm lxxiu. 22). But that the
words must rather be explained — " they know not that they
do evil," (Ewald, § 280cf), is clear from that saying of our
Lord's which refers back to this passage, itdnp dtpsg abroTg- ob
ydp o'ibagi ri iroiovgi (Luke xxiii. 34. Without knowing it they
do evU, so that their manner of procedure is to be carefuUy
shunned and avoided.
Ver. 2. From the same want of Hving fear of God which
was at the root of the offering of souUess sacrifices, arose also
the use of many words in prayer, and the lightness and frivo--
lity in making vows. The expression — " let thy words be
few," as compared with that of ver. 7, " many words," shows
that vows are here included. Piel from Sn3, in the sense of
"to haste," occurs also in chap. vH. 9. The explanation of
by is, that the mouth forms, as it were, the foundation of the
hasting (Psalm xv. 3). Whoever properly takes to heart that
God is in heaven and we upon earth, will be sparing in his
words, wUl say nothing which has not the fuUest inward
truth, which does- not come from the deepest depths of the
heart ; wiU be circumspect in his vows, vowing nothing which
he cannot, or does not intend to pay. The most grievous

Chapter v. 1-6. 137
violation of the reverence we owe to God, the most guUty
disregard of the fact that God is in heaven, and we on earth,
that He is the rich and we the poor, that He is the Almighty
and we the powerless, is not to pray at all, to remain entirely
dumb towards Him in whose hand are the souls of aU Hving.
The admonition, " let thy words be few," is not meant to set
limits to the glow and fire of devotion. It is directed not
against the inwardly devout, but against the superficially re
ligious, who fancy that in the multitude of their words they
have an equivalent for the devotion they lack. That the say
ing of our Lord's against the Pharisees who made long prayers
by way of pretext (Mark xii. 40) : irpogev^o/avoi 8i- /*>) fiurro-
>.oyr\gy\n, etc. (Matthew vi. 7, 8), contains a reference to this
passage is the less to be called in question, seeing that that
type of a short and good prayer which He gave his disciples
immediately afterwards, begins with the words — " Our Father,
which art in Eeaven." In the Berleburger Bible it is re
marked : " What a wide application may be made of these
words both to teaching and preaching, to prayer and to our
ordinary life ! How many sermons, hours long, would be
expunged by this censorship, although never so skUfully
arranged and put together according to the preaching-art.
And if aU sermons and other discourses concerning divine
things were purged, as in truth they ought to be, from all
useless, unedifying, fruitless, offensive and wrong words, how
few would the censorship leave standing. — The Saviour took
note of this advice, and therefore prescribed a short form of
prayer, at the very commencement of which the petitioner is
moved to remember the majesty of God who is in Heaven,
though the majesty is tempered by the kind and lovely name
of Father." Ver. 3. Between the two clauses of this verse there is no
internal connexion, except in so far as one wretched thing is
compared with another. The main point is simply the rela
tion of cause and effect. The voice of fools is the result of
many words so far as by their means it is recognised or known.
If we draw out the sum total of many words, the result is,
the voice of the fool. In regard to py which is not "busi
ness" but "annoyance," compare what is said on chap, i 13.

138 chapter v. 1-6.
In Job vH. 14 also mention is made of the terrible dreams to
which sufferers are exposed.
Ver. 4, 5. These verses have special respect to vows, and'
refer back to Deuteronomy xxiii. 22, 23 : " When thou vowest
a vow to the Lord thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it :
for the Lord thy God wiU surely require it of thee, and it wUl
be sin in thee. But if thou forbearest to vow, it is no sin in
thee." That the divine names are employed not at random
but according to definite principles is quite clear in this place.
In this quotation, which otherwise is almost Hteral, the simple
ainta1? stands instead of the words " Jehova thy God," of the
original passage. The Berleburger Bible says : " Many per
sons when they are in need or desire aught from God precipi
tate themselves into certain vows, and promise more than they
have afterwards any desire to fulfil when avarice comes in and
incites them not to perform that to which they have solemnly
engaged themselves. In the hour of need many promise to
God golden mountains — how thankful they wiU be, how they
wiU improve themselves if they should only become again free
and healthy. But alas ! how soon does the deceitful heart
forget aU that when it is out of the strait."
Ver. 6. According to several the meaning of the words,
" Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin," is that
" vows lightly taken excite the carnal mind to stronger oppo
sition." But in the Old Testament ~W2 never signifies the
fleshly mind. Only one passage, namely Genesis vi. 3, con
tains an approximation to this signification. In James Hi 6,
where we read of the tongue, q gm'Kovga, SXov rd gS>/j,a, and the
dependence of which from the passage under consideration can
the less be denied as the succeeding words xal <p\oy!fyvga rh
rpoylv rSjs ysv'sgiosg refer back to chap. xH. 6, and thence receive
their assured explanation, ntja is rendered by gwpa, and not by
gdp%. iSifiio, is not employed there in opposition to soul, but
to designate the body as endued with a soul ; — in short, it is
a designation of the whole person from the bodily side, be
cause, in the first instance, the tongue is a member of the
body. So also here 1C3 signifies the entire personality. In
several passages the soul appears as an appurtenance of the
1B»3; see Leviticus xvn. 11, Job xH. 10. Cartwright's re
marks here are quite to the point : " Cave ne ore tuo, unico

CHAPTER V. 1-6. 139
eoque perexiguo membro, reatum tibi cum corpore turn animo
accersas." Kmnn here is not " to lead into sin," as in Exodus
xxii. 33, but, "to set into the position of a sinner," "to bring
guUt on any one," as in Deuteronomy xx. 4, and Jeremiah
xxxii. 35. God, who wiU not be mocked (Galatians vi. 7),
wiU punish the whole person for the misuse of the tongue in
vowing that which one does not afterwards perform. — And
say not before ihe angel : (do thine office, atone for me, bring
the sacrifice usual in such cases), for it is an error. i&6o is
" a messenger in general," then speciaUy " messenger of God,"
" angel." The priestly order is described as the angel, in order
to indicate its high dignity, and the heavy responsibihty
attaching to frivolous conduct towards it. It supplies God's
place (2 Corinthians v. 20). The Septuagint and the Syriac
have rendered — "before God." We may not explain the
words — " before the messenger," — for it is uncertain whose is
the messenger. In the term angel is implied the sending from
God. There is here a remarkable coincidence with Malachi
In chap. H. 7, 8, (and except there nowhere else in the Old
Testament), the priestly order is brought forward as the mes
senger of the Lord- — " for the priest's lips should keep know
ledge, and they should seek the law from his mouth, for he is
the angel of the Lord of Hosts." The words — " for it is an
error" — point back to Numbers xv. 27-31. There a distinc
tion is drawn between sins which are committed najca and
non T-3, sins of weakness, which stiU cleave even to such as
beheve and as are consequently right-minded, and wilful sins
— a distinction which forms the basis of the New Testament
doctrine concerning the sin against the Holy Ghost (compare
Hebrews x. 26-28). The former can be atoned by sacrifices :
(compare Numbers xv, 28 : "And the priest shall make an
atonement for the soul that sinneth ignorantly") : the latter
are on the contrary punished with destruction. One should
not be too quick with one's proposal to the priest to offer a
sacrifice, fancying that in this way the whole matter is de
spatched. It may very easUy happen that the supposed over
sight has a more serious character. In such a case the sacri
fice is presented in vain, and the sin remains and involves the
soul in God's judgments. It is no light thing to make a mock
as it were of the Lord of Heaven and Earth by vowing to Him

140 CHAPTER V. 1-6.
what we have no serious intention of performing. We meet
in Malachi with the same religious superficiahty which fancies
that the good God will not be so particular, that he wUl surely
be easUy satisfied, especially at a time when He Himself be
stows so little upon men. We read in chap, i 8, " When ye
offer the blind for sacrifice, it is not evU : and if ye offer the
lame and sick, it is not evil : — bring it now unto thy Gover
nor, if he wiU be pleased with thee !" On the ground of such
facts Malachi in ver. 6 brings against the people the charge of
contempt of the name of God. — Why should God be angry at
thy voice and destroy the work of thy hands ? On , this the
Berleburger Bible observes : " Vows were made for the most
part of the fruits of the earth and of cattle ; and when they
were not performed the offenders were punished by a special
curse on that which was vowed."
Ver. 7. For where many dreams are, there are vanities and
many words, with them is it even so. For fear God. 13
refers to the exhortation, indirectly contained in what pre
cedes, to avoid many words in our intercourse with God.
Whoever fears God' truly will speak nothing before Him that
does not come from the very centre of his heart, will vow
nothing which he is not resolved inviolably to perform.

CHAPTER V. 8-9.
The point of departure of these verses is the heathenish
tyranny under which the people of God sighed. But this
should not be permitted to lead us astray : we should rather
direct our eyes to the heavenly King who in His own appointed
time wiU bring everything again into order.
Ver. 8. If thou seest the oppression of the poor and violent
perverting of judgment and justice in the province, marvel not
at the purpose, for one who is high watches over the high, and
a highest over them. Ver. 9. And the advantage of the
earth is in all : a king to the cultivated field.
Ver. 8. bn is employed with the genitive of that which is
robbed in Ezekiel xviH. 1 8. The robbery is committed on
judgment and justice. So certainly as the Lord hath spoken
in view of the unrighteous oppression of his people by the

CHAPTER V. 8-9. 141
heathens, " I hate unrighteous robbery," (Isaiah Ixi. 8,) so cer
tain is it that he cannot behold such conduct unmoved
njno, which properly means "jurisdiction," is the terminus
technicus for the provinces of the Asiatic World-Empires, and
is used especially of the provinces of the Persian Empire. The
word occurs only in the post-exUe Authors, (Books of Kings,
The Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Esther, Ezra, Nehemiah,)
amongst which, the use of the term shows that Koheleth must
be reckoned. The province can only be the Jewish one, Kruno.
11T (Ezra v. 8,) which comes before us just in the same man
ner as the Province in Ezra v. 8 ; Nehemiah i. 3 ; vii. 6 ; xi.
3. To the exhortation " not to marvel," at the strange quid
pro quo by which we may easUy be led to wrong conclusions
regarding God and His Kingdom, correspond the words —
dyamjrol pt,rj ^svl^sgh ry h v/j,Tv mpwgei,. ug %ivou ii/tii gvpftahovrog in
1 Peter iv. 12. pan (compare on chap. ih. 1,) may be referred
either to the divine pleasure, or to the tel est mon plaisir of
the authorities who usually introduced their edicts with the
words — " it is seemly before me," " it is good before the king,"
(Daniel Hi. 22 ; vi. 2 ; iv. 22 ; Ezra v. 17.) The antidote to
surprise is that One who is high watches over the high, one
too who is able to cope with all the high, seeing that He is
the Highest of AU. The sense is quite mistaken by those who
find here the empty consolation that — " sooner or later the
higher prefect or the king wUl hear of it, and wiU interfere
with his punishment." The saying here holds true that " one
crow does not peck out the other's eyes." A real paraUel may
be found in Psalm lxxxii., the theme of which is — " God judges
amongst the gods." B^naj is used precisely in the same way
as Wivby, "the Most High," in Daniel vii. 18-22, and as warm
" the Creator," in chap. xii. 1, of this same book. For remarks
on plural designations of God, which are independent of
Elohim, and which owe their rise to the same source, namely,
to the intention of indicating the fulness of powers in God,
see my " Beitrdge," 2 P., 256, 59, 60, 309, 19. A simUar
plural relating to the same subject occurs also in Psalm IviH.
1 2,  " VerUy God judges, BiDSC, on the earth." The suffix
in Dn^j> has relation to the plurality which Hes in the second
fm As to thought there is a perfect agreement between this
passage and Psalm xcvii 9,— "For thou, Lord, art Most High

142 CHAPTER V. 8-9.
over aU the earth." Luther says : " This book, consequently
teaches thee to let thine heart have rest and peace, and not
to trouble and worry thyself over much when things go
wrongly, but to accustom thyself to be able to say, when the
devU brings mahce, injustice, violence, and burdens on the
poor, ' Such is the way of the world, but God wiU judge and
avenge it' And again, when thou seest things going weU,
leani to say, ' God be praised, who, after aU. so rules, that we
^do not merely suffer evU and injustice, but receive also much
good.' Moreover, let every man, according to his rank, and
God's command, do his work with the best industry : other
things let him commend to God ; let him be patient and wait
for Him who is able to find out and judge the ungodly and
• unjust. He who cannot lift a great stone, let him leave it
lying and lift what he can. Wherefore, when thou seest that
kings, princes and lords misuse their power, that judges and
advocates take bribes and aUow causes to sink or swim as they
can, being wise and sensible thou wUt think within thyself, — "
'God wUl sometime bring about a better state.'"
Ver. 9. "The tilled field" of this verse denotes the earth,
so far as it -is cultivated and inhabited, the tan the oixovpUv
La Genesis H. 5 also " the field," is the broad and wide plain,
the plain of the earth. The King is the Heavenly one, who-
has the wUl and the power to put an end to the oppressions
of the earth at the right time, the " Father of the orphan and
the Judge of the widow," and the Saviour to whom aU persona
miserabiles look up and after whom their hearts cry out. In
regard to matter, Psalm xlvn. 8, " King of the whole earth is
God," is a paraUel passage, taa may mean either " in aU that,
in all gloomy events and conditions" presented by the earth, or,
on the whole, "in general," like bJ> in 1 Chronicles vii. 5. Both
come substantially to the same thing. For even on the latter
view, 733 caUs attention to the fact, that in such and aU simUar
circumstances God is " the sure stronghold of persecuted souls."
Several different renderings have been given, which originate
in the incapacity properly to enter into the spirit of the poetical
expression — " thecultivated field ;" for example, Luther renders
" and besides that, is the King in the whole land to cultivate
the field," with the explanation that, he defends and protects
his subjects against wrong, burdens and violence : — Ewald,

CHAPTER V. 8-9. 143
" with all that a king is set over the country," with the ex
planation, " and since with aU that it remains an advantage for
the country to have a king, that is, a weU ordered government,"
or as Elster expresses it, " the worst government is better than
unbridled anarchy." Stier even translates — " and the profit
of the earth is everywhere ; he who cultivates his field is a
king." Against all these interpretations the consideration is
decisive, that the Niphal of 13J? occurs only in the signification
"to be cultivated" Knobel's ingenuous observation, that,
" Strictly taken, the sentence does not belong to this connec
tion," is exactly apphcable to aU these explanations. The
faulty Kri Kin for K'n arose simply from exegetical perplexities.

CHAPTER V. 10-20.
In verses 8 and 9, Koheleth comforted the poor who lay
groaning under the oppressions and exactions of the heathen
authorities, by directing their minds to the heavenly Ruler
and Judge ; and thus he put into their mouth and heart such
words as, "to thee lift I up mine eyes, 0 thou that sittest in
the heavens," and, " we raise our heart and hands towards the
day of redemption." In these verses now before us, he seeks
to raise them up to the right point of view for the considera
tion and estimate of those earthly possessions at whose loss
they were so grieved : " What is the wealth of this life ? It
is but a handful of sand, and uneasiness for the heart." His
first purpose is to counteract the pain felt because of their
loss. At the same time, however, he has the further aim of
opposing avarice, which, in times of distress, so easUy lays
hold on men's hearts. Avarice and envy have the same root,
namely, the false estimate of earthly possessions. The inten
tion of the author to warn his fellow-countrymen against
avarice is pretty plainly shown in ver. 17-19.
Ver. 10, Ee that loveih silver shall not be satisfied with
riches : and he that loveih riches hath no gain. This also is
vanity. Ver. 11. When goods increase, they are increased
that eat them, and what good is there to the owners thereof,
saving the beholding of them with their eyes? Ver. 12.
Sweet is the sleep of ihe labouring^ man, whether he eats little.

144' CHAPTER V. 10-20.
or much: and the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to-
sleep. Ver. 1 3. There is a sore evil which I have seen under the
sun, — riches kept by the own,er thereof to his hurt. Ver. 1 4.
But those riches perish by a sore evil, and he begetteth a son and
there is nothing im his hand. Ver. 15. As he came forth, of
his mother's womb, nalced does he go away again as he came,
and he takes nothing, notwithstanding his labour, which he
might carry away with him in his hand. Ver. 1 6. And
this also is a sore evil, that im all points as he came so shall
he go, and what profit hath he, that he hath laboured for the
wind. Ver. 17. All his days also he eateih im darkness and
hath much discontent, and then his sickness and wrath.
Ver. 1 8. Behold what I have seen : that it is good and comely
to eat and to drink, and to see good in all his labour where
with he labour eih under the sun the number, of the days of
his life, which God gave him, for that is his portion. Ver.
19. Also to whatever man God giveth riches and possessions,
and giveth him power to eat thereof and to rejoice in his lab
our, this is a gift of God. Ver. 20. For he thinks not much
of the days of his life because God hears him through the joy
of his heart.
Ver. 10. The rich man is the heathen. This, is especiaUy
clear in verse 6 where the same subject is treated. But it is
also evident from a comparison with verse 7, where the, poor
man is the Israelite. The connection with verse 7 and 8 is
quite plain. There the minds of those who he groaning under
the oppressions of the heathen are directed to the impending
judgment of God Eere the author exhibits to them the true
significance of riches, and thus teaches them to regard in a
different manner their own losses, and the heathen gains.
Hitzig remarks, " this section consoles the poor man, or him
who is poor in the way described in verse 7 ; the friend of
money, (ver. 9,) is one who from covetousness oppresses the poor,
(ver. 7.) In James H. 1-13, and v. 1-6, also is the rich man
the heathen.* " He is foohsh who vexes himself about a
handful of vanity :" — this is proved in the first class, by the

* Bengel remarks on James ii. 7 : loquitur apostolus maxime de divitibus
ethnicis, cf. 1 Peter iv. 14 ; ii. 12. Inter Judseos enim non erant multi divites,
certe Hieros.

CHAPTER V. 1 0-2 0. 145
fact that riches do not satisfy the heart, — a fact which must
be patent to every one who has noticed how the rich man is
ever craving for more. In the second clause of the verse it is
affirmed that riches afford no profit at all, that they are un
fruitful To the words here, " He that loveth silver shall not
be satisfied with riches," Jerome adduces the parallel dictum
from Horace, " semper avarus eget" Luther compares chap.
i 8, " the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled
with hearing:" and remarks — "Alexander the Great had not
enough in his many kingdoms, not even in a whole world.
It is just so in other things also. The man who has learning,
wisdom, honour, property, strength, beauty, health, and so
forth, is notwithstanding not satisfied therewith. Thus the
wretched poverty-stricken life of the covetous man is a good
mirror for the rest of us. For as the greedy bellies and penny
kissers have money and yet dare not use a farthing of it cheer-
fuUy, but are constantly looking further for money which they
have not, so is our conduct in regard to all other gifts. What
is a poor, troubled, uneasy heart and mind, which is always
looking for that which it does not yet possess but avaricious :
therefore is it vanity and vexation ? Are not on the contrary
those happy people who content themselves with God's present
mercies, with moderate means of Hfe, and leave God to care
for the future ?" And whoso loveih riches hath no gain :
Vulgate : fructum non capiet ex eis. In regard to 3nx io,
which corresponds to the simple 3nK previously employed, see
Ewald, § 331 b. fion never signifies directly riches, but al
ways, noise, bustle. In Psalm xxxvii. 16, the noise of the
wicked stands for their wealth, which surrounds them who
scrape together, who employ cunning and force, with noise,
bustle and disquiet : and so here riches are represented as
tumult, noise. We are thus taught that they have much in
convenience from this wealth of nothing. Why there is no
profit is further shown subsequently when the author seeks
by a vivid and picturesque representation to impress their
hearts with the fact that life does not consist hi the multitude
of our possessions. Also this is vanity ; like so much besides
on this poor earth which offers so many fictitious possessions.
Ver. 11. When goods increase they are increased that eat
them. Eaters come from aU sides, for the rich are always
K

146 CHAPTER V. 10-20.
subject to claims proportionate to their wealth. Luther says :
" this is a weighty and glorious saying. An avaricious man
is never contented ; he is always scraping and collecting.
And for whom does he gather ? For, whatever he may fancy,
it is as the proverb says, — ' A niggard will have his spender.'
So warns the Scripture, and such is the lesson of experience
from the beginning of the world, that aU hoarded-up treasures,
especiaUy such as are due to injustice, find their distributors
and devourers either during the life, or after the death of the
avaricious coUectors, who themselves get nothing but the tofl
and labour. King Solomon was also a rich king. Who made
use of his great possessions? His royal household. Who
uses, who eats and drinks up the wealth of princes ? AU
manner of attendants, troopers, servants, waiters, officials and
innumerable other fellows who do not in the least deserve it.
Whoso then gathers riches, gathers devourers. Therefore, why
plague thyself to collect much and to increase thy treasure ?
However many possessions thou hast thou canst not do more
than fill thy beUy and clothe thy poor body. If God gives
thee riches use thy share as thou usest thy share of water,
and let the rest flow on : and if thou doest it not, thy gather
ing wiU stUl be in vain." The plural a^JQ is used for the
abstract "lordship."
Ver. 1 2. Sweet is ihe sleep of the labouring man, of him
who is compeUed to act according to the instruction given in*
Exodus xx. 9, " six days shalt thou labour," and to eat his
bread in the sweat of his brow, as was the lot of Israel at that
time. And the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to
sleep : Jerome says, "incocto cibo in stomachi angustiis ses-
tuante." According to the general usage of Scripture, a " rich
man" is not always one who has much wealth, but also one
who acts contrary to the admonition of the Psalmist in Psalm
lxii. 11, and whose heart cleaves to riches. In Mark x. 23-
25, the "rich man," and the man who trusts to his riches,
seem to be used interchangeably. He to whom riches are a
secondary matter, who does not set his heart upon them, wiU
not be so designated. Amongst the heathen it was one and
the same thing to have possessions externaUy, and to be
internaUy possessed by riches, to be worshippers of mammon.
For they were destitute of that saving Hberating power which

CHAPTER V. 10-20. 147
springs from a connection with the living God : Mammon
must necessarily be their God, because they did not know the
true God, or rather, were not known of him.
Ver. 1 3. J. sore evil : properly, a painful evil, ni>n = nbm,
Nahum Hi. 19: Jeremiah xiv. 1 7 : compare in my Christology
the remarks on Isaiah liii. 10. Riches kept by the owner
thereof to his hurt, inasmuch as he loses them, (ver. 1 4,) and
becomes so much more unhappy than if he had never possessed
them. This is true of individuals : this holds good also of
entire peoples. How miserable were the Egyptians after they
were cast down from the height of their power and wealth.
So also the Persians, whom the writer immediately refers to in
this place. The fact that " riches attract murderers and more
over often lead to eternal damnation,'' does not here come into
consideration. * The author himself gives an explanation of
the words — " to his hurt or misfortune," — in the 1 3th verse,
and beyond that we may not attempt to go. In this way all
random guessing is prevented.
Ver. 1 4. By a sore evil ; (compare i. 1 3, iv. 8).
Ver. 15. And, the author proceeds to say in this verse,
apart from such catastrophes, death puts an end utterly to
the possession of wealth. In death the rich and the poor
are alike. What ceases with death cannot make us truly
happy, even while we have it* That that which is here
spoken of is something common to men as men, to men in
general, is evident from the fundamental passage in Job i 21,
and the parallel passage, 1 Timothy vi 7, where the vanity
of riches and the advisableness of contentedness are grounded
on the fact that, as we brought nothing with us into the world,
so we can take nothing with us out of it. Notwithstanding
his labour: which consequently he has employed in vain
and for nought.
Ver. 1 6. The thought contained in ver. 1 5 is here repeated
with emphasis, in order to point out its weight and to set
the foUy of envy in its true Hght. This also, no less than
the sore evil of ver. 13. There it was the *fco6rou dbrfkorng
• Seb. Schmidt, " Novum hoc est pro fugiejida avaritia argumentnm, sumtum
ab eo, quod opum possessor, licet morte etiam naturali moriatur, et divitias suas
usque ad finem vitse retinuerit, nihil tamen eorupi, quse habet, seoum auferre
possit, sed nudus abire cogatur."

148 CHAPTER V. 10-20.
(1 Timothy vi 17), the vicissitudes to which riches are ex
posed (Matthew vi. 19, 20) : here it is death that puts an
end to aU possessions.
Ver. 17. And what must a man not endure for the sake
of Wch an empty and vain good. Ee eateth in darkness,
even though he may be seated in a weU lighted haU. For
he has no light in his heart : there all is gloom and sadness.
In 1 Timothy vi. 10, it is said of those who seek to become
rich, havroiig ittptinriipoyi bbbvuig woXXaig, " they pierce themselves
through with many sorrows." Whoso is visited by such
pains, for him external Hghts are kindled in vain. Analo
gous is the frequent employment in the Old Testament of the
darkenings of the sun and moon as an image of hard and gloomy
times: see Jeremiah iv. 23, Amos vih. 9-10, Micah Hi. 6, and
chap. xii. 2, of this book. The sun shines truly only for the
happy. ^3K is used in its strict and proper meaning, as is
evident from ver. 1 8. Luther remarks : " To eat in darkness
is nothing else than to pass one's life in sadness and melan
choly. Avaricious and uneasy people always find something
which does not please them, which causes them to murmur
and scold. For they are full of cares, griefs, and anxieties :
they can neither eat nor drink cheerfully : they are always
meeting with something that frets and annoys them." DJD
is the third preterite. And then his sickness and wrath.
The origin of the sickness is clear from the preceding DJO and
the foUowing t(2p: he becomes sick with vexation and wrath
at those who touch the mammon on which his heart is fixed
Cartwright says — "nihU ut HH ex omni labore et fatigatione
emolumenti supersit, non magis quam si leves quasdam et
nulHus ponderis glumas s. pulverem coacervasset, quem ventus
uno flatu subito dispeUeret."
Ver. 18. That after ijn we must mentaUy set a colon:
"Behold, what I have seen : that it is, etc." is evident from
the separating accent at the word iJK and from the point
ing *3* and not ^N_. We may take either 310 or nai as an
adverb, or even explain — "that it is good, comely." To
eat, to drink, to see good (chap. H. 24) forms the contrast to
scraping avarice. To the securing of that which the writer
has recognised as good there needs no heaping up of treasures.
The words — " the number of the days of his life," are meant

CHAPTER VI. 149
to remind us that the shorter man's life is, so much the
more ought we to be on our guard against seeking happiness
where it is not to be found.
Ver. 19. Also: that is, to say further this also, Ewald,
352 b. God gives him power, in that He frees him by
His Spirit from the bonds of avarice. This takes place, how
ever, only in connection with the divinely appointed means,
only within the bounds of God's heritage. The heathen must
serve mammon ; they are sold under his dominion, and for
this reason their riches are not to be counted as good fortune.
Oifen always signifies "to make to rule," (Psalm cxix. 133 ;
Daniel H. 38-48). The object of the rule is either one's own
heart, which the natural man, separated from God, has not in
his own power : or riches, which without this action of God
that makes free, are not a good, but a torment. The Berle-
burger Bible remarks : "made him Lord over it, that is,
along with possessions has bestowed on him also a free and
generous soul, so that he may not be a slave of mammon, but
understand how to use it freely and rightly." In the clause,
" that is a gift of God," the emphasis does not He on a^n^K but
on nno, as is clear from the word 13 at the commencement of
ver. 1 9 — " it is a noble gift, for." The divine causahty was
prominently brought forward previously,
Ver. 20. Ee thinks not much of the days of his life, that
is, they pass smoothly on. 1 Kings viii. 35, and 2 Chronicles
vi. 26, furnish a sufficient warrant for the meaning " answer "
given to the Hiph. of my. AU other meanings are incap
able of proof. Berleburger Bible : " To the pure all things
are pure (Titus i. 1 5), and so a pure man may undoubtedly
use riches with purity ; and it will, therefore, chiefly depend
on each one's own heart, on how it stands before God. But
if any person is unable to remain just as contented and calm,
when house and home are burnt down, or when some other
damage is done to his property, he proves himself to be not
yet truly composed and satisfied : that is the test thereof"

150 CHAPTER VI.

CHAPTER VI.
The discussion of the theme — " the vanity of riches " —
is here continued, with the intent, in the first instance, of
repressing the envy felt at the advantage enjoyed by the
heathen world in this respect, and then in order to undermine
the prevailing covetousness which proceeded from the same
root as envy, namely, the false estimate of earthly posses
sions. Ver. 1. There is an evil which I have seen under the sun,
and heavily does it weigh upon man. Ver. 2. A man to
whom God giveth riches, wealth and honour, so that he
wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he olesireth, and God
giveth' him not power to eat thereof, ford stranger will eat
it, that is vanity and an evil disease. Ver. 3. If a man
beget a hundred, and live many years, so that the days of
his life be many, and his soul be not filled with good, and
also that he have no grave : so, say I : an untimely birth
is better than he. Ver. 4. . For im vanity came it im, and it
departeth im darkness, and with darkness is its name covered.
Ver. 5. Moreover it saw not the sun, and knew it not : this
hath more rest than that. Ver. 6. And if one should Uve a
thousand years twice, and should not see good : do not all
go to one place ? Ver. 7. A 11 the labour of man is for his
mouth, and yet the soul is not satisfied. Ver. 8. For what
advantage hath the wise over the fool ? What, the miserable
that knoweth to walk before the, living ? Ver. 9. Better is the
sight of the eyes than the wandering of the soul : this also
is vanity and empty effort. Ver. 10. What he is : long ago
was his name named, and it is known that he is man and
cannot contend withEim that is mightier than he. Ver. 11;
For there are many things that increase vanity, what profit
hath man ? Ver. 1 2. For who knoweth what is good for
man im Hfe, for the number of the days of his vain life,
which he spendeih as a shadow : for who can tell a man
what shall be after him under the sun ?
Ver. 1. n3"i may refer either to frequency (Septuagint, Vul
gate, "frequens ;'' Luther; " and it is common amongst men,")

CHAPTER VT. 151
of no size. In favour of the latter view are decisive the prin
cipal passage, Genesis vi. 5, and the paraUel passages, chap. ii.
21; vUi. 6, where n3"i nyi signifies "a great evil." That
which on a superficial examination appears as a great good,
turns out, on more careful inquiry to be a great evil. The
author's commencing at once with such a description of the
riches of worldly-minded men must have produced a great
effect and given envy a severe blow.
Ver. 2. The rich man is the Persian (chap. x. 20). One
ought not to envy him his riches. He does not dare to enjoy
his wealth, and the enemy wiU soon take it away from him.
How is it possible that that should be a matter for envy
which more closely viewed is but a vain show ? There
were of course rich spendthrifts among the Persians also. But
the example of the covetous rich man served as a proof that
riches in themselves are not an enviable good.. Riches and
wealth and honour, are put together in this way also in 2
Chronicles i. 11. God gives him not power, that is, he de
livers him not from the bonds of avarice by which he is held
bound ; (compare chap. v. 1 8). The stranger is the successor
of the Persian in the dominion of the world, nai is quite
generaUy used of such as belong to another nation and society
(Deuteronomy xvH. 15), and that it is to be taken in this
sense here is evident from the correspondence that exists be
tween the words, "a stranger will eat it," of this verse, and
those of the 3d verse, " also he wUl have no grave." Refer
ences cautiously made to the impending catastrophe of the Per
sian empire may be found also elsewhere : see chap. xi. 1-3 ;
ix. 18. The expression, "evil disease," which has much the
same force as " an evU is like a disease," is taken from Deuter
onomy xxviii. 59.
Ver. 3. Eundred, namely, sons. The phrase — " the days
of- the years," is constantly used, especiaUy in the Pentateuch,
to designate the time of one's Hfe (Genesis xxv. 7 ; xlvH 8, 9.
Psalm xc. 10). The words, "his soul is not filled with good,'
correspond to the words, " God giveth him not power to eat
thereof," of ver. 2 : and " he has no grave," to the words, " a
stranger wiU eat it." map elsewhere signifies always "Grave,"
and therefore we must give it this meaning in the only pas
sage, namely Jeremiah xxii 1 9, where the meaning " Burial"

152 CHAPTER VL
seems to be required The grave of the ass is the flaying
ground The preposition is omitted there, because the rela
tion is quite clear in itself. Allusion is here made to a cata
strophe Hke that depicted in Psalm lxxix. 3, " their blood have
they shed like water, and there was none to bury them."
Compare paraUel passages, such as Jeremiah vHi 2, where of
the godless it is declared, " they shaU not be gathered, nor be
buried : dung shaU they be on the field," ix. 21, xxv. 33 ;
Isaiah xiv. 19, 20, and what is written of Jezebel in 2 Kings
ix. Seb. Schmidt and Rambach explain incorrectly, " ex turpi
tenacitate non audeat aliquid honestse sepulturse destinare."
Better than the lot of such a rich man, — a Hfe without enjoy
ment, and then not even a grave, — is the lot of an untimely
birth, which, though it has enjoyed no good, has experienced
also no suffering.
Ver. 4, 5. On these verses it is remarked in the Berlebur-
ger Bible, " the meaner and worse the condition of an untimely
birth is made, so much the greater must also appear the misery
of a covetous man." The last words of verse 5, "this has
rest above that," give the ground of the judgment that " an
untimely birth is better than he," (ver. 3). Rest, freedom
from suffering, it is in regard to which an untimely birth has
the advantage over suOh an unfortunate rich man, who ought
in fairness to be an object of pity, instead of being one of envy.
Ver. 6. And if one a thousand years (which measure the
Hves of the first fathers of the human race nearly reached)
should live twice over, (Jerome, " et non ut Adam prope mille
sed dubbus mUHbus vixerit annis") is he then to be counted
happy ? Do not all go to one place ? Can he perhaps fetch
up in Sheol, where aU arrive in a Hke state of poverty, (oMh
ydp ilgijvsyxapiiv sig rov xoc/iov, brjXov Sn o08s s^iviyxiTv ri SvvdpLidot, 1
Timothy vi. 7) that which he has lost on earth ?
Ver. 7. All the labour of man is for his mouth, (falsely
explained by Luther — " on every man is labour imposed in his
measure"), which is easy to fill, and in the rich man is not larger
than in the poor. The Berleburger Bible says : " Can they
carry more than one garment on the body? Can they eat
more than tiU they are filled ?" The rational conclusion to
be drawn from the fact presented in these words, is that which
is given us in 1 Timothy vi. 8, — lyovng b\ 8iarpo<pdg xa> gxiad-.

CHAPTER VI. 153
o/iara, rovnig dpxigdngiaeQu. But that still, notwithstanding its
hmited capacity of enjoyment, the soul of man is not satisfied,
is very strange, and is a strong proof how greatly the human
race has been under the dominion of sin and folly which pro
duce e-nDvpiag ToXXas dwqrovg xal ftXufiepdg (1 Timothy vi 9),
ever since the day spoken of in Genesis Hi*
Ver. 8. In this verse are advanced the grounds of the pro
position laid down with such generality in ver. 7, " that the
soul of man is not satisfied." So deep laid is that hereditary
disease of the human race, avarice, that not even the covenant
people, not even the congregation of the chosen, is free from
it. Wisdom is invariably represented in this book as the pre
rogative of Israel, foUy as belonging to the heathen. The
wise man ought in aU fairness to be free from such a disease.
But in reality it is otherwise. Even in the midst of the cove
nanted people must the Lord preach : " Take heed that ye be
not covetous, for a man's Hfe consisteth not in the abundance
of the things which he possesseth." To a Timothy even, St.
Paul felt it necessary to write : gv 8s, a avfywrn rov ©sou, ravra
<pivyt (1 Timothy vi. 11). In the old Testament the members
of the kingdom of God are frequently styled "poor and
wretched." For them many sources of pain open themselves
up, which the world does not know : in all the sufferings
which befal them they confess a visitation of their sins, and
receive them as a token of God's wrath : they do not try to
distract their minds nor give themselves up to illusions, they
do not gUd over their misery but take up their cross wiUingly:
and finaUy they are hated by the world because God has
chosen them out of the world That these miserable ones
* The meaning of the verse was accurately given by Cartwright : " Quod ob
rem tantulam, quie tam parabilis est, nosmet tantopere cruentamus, nosque
anxiis laboribus et intempestivis curis conficimus. — Cum omnia, quse quis im-
probo labore parat ad victtfm et cultum corporis referantur, sitque natura paucig
contenta, insanam prorsus et prodigiosan! hanc habendi inexplebilem cupidita-
tem esse, necesse est.— Deus os nostrum, in quod alimenta ingerimus, perangus-
tum finxit: habendi cupiditas tamen tam late diffunditur, ac si os nostrum
gurgitis et voraginis cujusdam instar, Jordanis ftuvio uno haustu absorbendo
idoneum esset ; aut si Leviathanis os illis obtigisset, in quod plaustrum cum suis
qui illud trahunt equis recipitur : ventriculus cum longitudine et latitudine vis
sit palmaris, illi tamen farciendo ita omnes nervos suos intendit cupiditas acsi
plus quam dolearis esset."

154 CHAPTER VL
should also be assaUed by earthly desires is the more to be
wondered at since " they know to walk before the Hving,"
since they are the nation of revelation, the only people on the
wide earth to whom God has given, in his law, a rule to re
gulate their conduct, i Compare Deuteronomy iv. 5, 6 : " Be
hold I teach you to-day statutes and judgments, even as the
Lord my God commanded me : and ye shaU keep them and
do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in
the sight of the nations, which shaU hear all these statutes
and say, surely this great nation is a wise and understanding
people:" also Psalm cxlvii. 19, 20 — "He sheweth His word
to Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel. He does
not deal so with any heathen, and his judgments, they know
them not." The reverse of those who know to walk before
the living, are " the fools who do not know to go into the
city," (chap. x. 15) the heathen.
Ver. 9. nKlO is universaUy the object of sight, that which
is seen : so in Leviticus xHi. 1 2, — " according to aU the sight
of the eyes of the priest," that is, according to aU that is seen
by the eyes of the priest. Seeing that man can so easily have
a sufficiency, it is better to rejoice in that which Hes before
his eyes, however trivial it may be, than to wander away into
the clouds with our desires; (//,% fienapifygh, Luke xH. 29,) and
to vex purselves with plans and hopes which very easUy de
ceive, and even if fulfilled bring us no real happiness. The
Berleburger Bible says : " this is the wandering of the soul
which then runs about amongst the creatures, and Hke an
Esau hunts in the fields of this world for the good food which
wisdom finds only at home and in the calmness of content
ment." Luther remarks, — " Solomon's opinion is, that it is
better to make use of that which Hes before our eyes, that is,
of what is now at hand, than that the soul go wandering to
and fro. Solomon's wiU is that we make, use of the present,
thank God for it, and not think of anything else — like the
dog in iEsop which snapped at the shadow and let the flesh
faU. What he intends then is that we should use that which
God has given before our eyes, that which is now here, and be
content therewith and not foUow our own soul which is never
satisfied : as he said before. Let every Christian then abide
by that which he has, which God gives him just now : that

CHAPTER VI. 155
pleases him : but the godless are not so : on the contrary, aU
that they see is a torment to them, because they do not make
use of the present, but their soul runs hither and thither and
everywhere and is never satisfied. Consequently, when a god
less man has money, it does not suffice him, he uses it not, but
desires more : if he has a wife, he is not content, but wants
another : if he has a whole kingdom he is unsatisfied : Hke
Alexander the Great whom a world could not satisfy. Solo
mon therefore forbids the soul running to and fro, as it is said
in the Hebrew, that is, we are not to be always weaving our
thoughts together into plans. And the sum is this — use the
present : for that also is vanity and vexation, to wit, when
the soul wanders thus restlessly about."
Ver. 10. What he is — he, namely, to whom reference is
here made — : Long ago was his name named : that we are
told by the name long ago given to him. Tliere is a reference
here to Genesis v. 2, — " and he caUed their name man, on the
day on which they were created." In this name is expressed
the impotence of man. He describes men as earthly, because
they are taken from the earth, (Genesis ii. 7,) and because
they must return to it, (chap. ih. 19.) The article in v\ipT\n
which occasioned difficulty to the Masorite is quite regular.
Hitzig remarks, " the meaning is not that a man cannot fight
with a stronger (e. g. man,) but that, man cannot struggle with
the particular person who surpasses men, namely, God." Paul
appears to aUude to this passage in 1 Corinthians x. 22, /*jj
ieftvporepoi avrov egpev : the practical conclusion therefrom is
the uncertainty of riches, the dbyXorrig irkobrov ; and our duty,
evidently is, not to set our hopes upon them but upon the
living God, (1 Timothy vi. 17,) not to strive after riches, but
to endeavour to stand weU with our Creator. Inasmuch as
man is absolutely dependent on God, he ought not to engage
in many distracting occupations, he should not vex himself
with cunning and violent modes of obtaining riches, because
he cannot protect what he has gained, and knows not but
that at any moment he may hear the caU, " thou fool, this
night wiU thy soul be required of thee." How foohsh, then, to
envy the heathen that wealth which may, like the flower of
the field, so soon fade away, (James i. 10, 11.)
Ver. 11. For there are many things that increase vanity.

156 CHAPTER VI.
Bn3T in the sense of "words" does not suit the connection.
More property, more vanity. That is as certain as that man
is not the lord of his own life, but is absolutely dependent on
a higher power. What did it help the Persian that he had
subdued a great part of the world and had appropriated its
treasures to himself? When Alexander came and violently
assailed the two-horned ram of the Persian, Empire, (Daniel
vni. 6,) it became evident that it had only increased vanity.
The same thing takes place in great commercial crises. Cart-
wright says — "quam ob rem animum ad studium pietatis
convertamus, quae ad omnia utihs est et promissiones habet
praesentis et futurae vitas, (1 Timothy iv.") What more has
man ? The rich have not in reahty more than the poor. For
their advantages turn out, on a closer examination, to be mere
delusion and vanity : and they vanish as soon as the judg
ments of God go abroad in the world
Ver. 12. The question — For who knoweth what is good for
man im life ? — refers not only to earthly goods, but to eternal,-'
to the true and real goods. (Luke xvi. 11,) whose possession
is in aU circumstances desirable. This is clear from the connect
tion with the foregoing enquiry — " what more has man ?" (of
these things?) For who knows what? The words — forthenumber
of the daysof hisvaim life, which he spends like a shadow^-^(piss/&
must be supplied with 3 from a«n3 ; that the days can be
counted, is a sign of the shortness of the duration of Hfe ; com
pare chap. v. 1 7,) are meant to teach us that the shorter our hfe
the more important is it that we should not feed ourselves
with wind and ashes. In this shadowy existence we should not
hunt after unsubstantial shadows. The fleeting, quickly van
ishing shadow is an image of the transitoriness and short-lived-
ness of man. Biichner remarks — " a shadow may stretch itself
out as long as it can, but when the sun goes down it vanishes
and leaves nothing behind it." Compare chap. vin. 1 3 ; 1
Chronicles xxix. 15, — "like the shadow are our days upon
earth." Psalm ciH. 1 5, — " man is in his life like grass : as a
flower of the field, so he flourisheth." Psalm cxliv. 4, " man.
is Hke to vanity : his days are as a shadow that passeth
away." The words, " for who can tell a man what shaU be
after him under the sun ?" contain the reason for the affirm
ation that riches are not to be regarded as a true good. Only

CHAPTER VI. 157
on one condition should we be justified in treating them as
important, namely, that we knew the future, and had it in our
power. Some accident or other may suddenly rob us of what
we have gathered with so much toU. Nay more, there may
come a great catastrophe which, Hke the flood, wUl sweep
everything away. After him, that is, after his present con
dition (compare chap. Hi. 22 ; vii. 14.) Several have falsely
explained — " after his death" The practical conclusion is, that
we should strive after true possessions : * and then that we
should be free from cares, covetousness and envy, content
with what we have, however little it may be : dpxtfgfa rotg
tyavhig \ifiuv (Luke Hi 1 4.) Rambach observes : " Ex quibus
omnibus apparet, nihU mehus esse quam proscripta turpi ava-
ritia praesentibus contentum esse, usque cum pia et licita
hUaritate frui." Luther remarks . " the hearts of men strive
after various kinds of things : one seeks power, another riches ;
but stiU they know not whether they shaU obtain them. Nor
do they make use of God's present gifts, but their heart han
kers alone and always after that which they have not, and
cannot yet see. He does not speak of that which wUl come
after this life, but means to say, that no man knows what
wiU happen to him after an hour, after a day, or after a year.
JuHus Caesar having put down the rest, thought that then he
had the game aU in his own hands, and meant to set the
Roman Empire in fine order : but at the very moment when
he was revolving his plan3, he was killed in the council at
Rome. Why then do we vex and torment ourselves with our
own thoughts, when future things are not a single moment in
our power ? We ought consequently to be content with that
which God gives us each moment, and commit all to Him
who alone is acquainted with, and is able to regulate both
present and future." * As Paul Gerhardt sings : —
" Aber was die Seele n'ahrt
Gottes Huld und Christi Blut
Wird von Keiner Zeit verzehrt,
^" Ist und bleibet allzeit gut.
Erdengut zerfallt -und bricht,
Seelengut, das schwindet nicht."

158 CHAPTER vn. 1-10.

CHAPTER VIL 1-10.
We have here a decalogue of instruction on the sufferings
of the people of God and of consolation and admonition in
regard thereto. Attention is directed, on the one hand, to
the fruit of righteousness which suffering brings, to its
blessed termination ; and, on the other hand, God's people is
warned not to permit itself to be drawn aside to murmurings.
Human existence is subjected to severe sufferings (ver. 1).
But these sufferings must serve the best interests of those
who love God (ver. 2-4). The misery of the children of God
is better than the happiness of the world, for the latter is the
forerunner of impending ruin (ver. 5-7). The people of God,
on the contrary, if they are only patient and content with
the leadings of their God, wUl receive the best at the end
Ver. 1. Better is name than good oil, and ihe day of
death, than the day of one's birth. Ver. 2. It is better to go
to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting,
for this is the end of all men, and the living lays it to heart.
Ver. 3. Better is anger than laughter, for when the counte
nance looks sad, the heart becomes merry. Ver. 4. The heart
of the wise is im the house of mourning, and the heart of
fools in, the house of mirth. Ver. 5. Better is it to hear the
rebuke of the wise, than a man who hears the song of fools.
Ver. 6. For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the
laughter of fools, and this also is vanity. Ver. 7. For oppres
sion maketh a wise man mad, and a gift destroyeth the
¦ heart. Ver. 8. Better is the end of a thing than the begin
ning thereof : better the patient im spirit than ihe proud in,
spirit. Ver. 9. Be not hasty im thy spirit to be angry, for
anger resteth in the bosom of fools. Ver. 10. Say not thou:
what is ihe cause that ihe former days were better than these !
for with wisdom thou dost not inquire concerning this,
Ver. 1. The first clause has no internal connection what
ever with the second : the means adopted to point out such
a connection have been plainly artificial and farfetched. The
point of comparison is simply this, that, in the first case, as
weU as the second, the one thing mentioned is better than

CHAPTER VII. 1-10. 159
the other. Just in the same way is the point of comparison
external and general in chap. v. 2. 31ts occurs oftener in this
chapter than in any other chapter of tho Old Testament. The
first clause of the verse is based on Proverbs xxii. 1 , " name is
more to be preferred than great riches." Here, however, the
sentence appears to be more pointed. |OE> has a sound some
thing Hke DB>. From the fundamental passage it is evident
that good oU is considered here as something very costly and
precious. That there is an internal nexus between the
words "ointment" and "name," we should be led to think
by the passage in the Song of Solomon i 3, where |OB> and
at? are in like manner connected : " In smeU are thine oint
ments good, ointment poured forth is thy name."' That in
the first clause the great and lovely name is represented under
the image of odorous ointments, is expressly said in the
second clause. With smell is connected rumour (German,
Geruch, and Geriicht) : " odores," says Gesenius, appeahng to
Exodus v. 11, "saepe ad famam transferuntur." The propo
sition which is here of primary importance is formed by the
words : " and the day of death is better than the day of one's
birth." By the day of death we are to understand the day
when one dies : this explains the suff The day of death is
better than the day of birth— so speaks the author to such
as mourn because of life's lost happiness. He does not wish
to persuade them to feel what they do not feel : he allows
that they are right whenever they have right on their side.
" The world is a vale of tears, and everywhere care, trouble,
fears :" — that is an undeniable truth about which we may
not dispute with sufferers, and which, above all, we must
concede, if we mean reaUy and truly to comfort them. But
this assertion, though perfectly true, is only a one-sided truth,
and therefore the author does not rest satisfied with it ; he
goes further, and in connection therewith opens up afterwards
points of view which throw Hght on the gloom and mystery
of suffering. When he lays down this proposition, he does
not deny that there dweUs in man a natural love of life, and
that Hfe is in itself a good thing,, (compare chap. ix. 4, xi. 7) :
he does not deny that the clear Hght of divine grace shines
into the darkness of this earthly Hfe (compare chap, ix, 7, 8)
" go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine

160 CHAPTER VII. 1-10.
with a merry heart, for God hath pleasure in thy works:"
he does not deny the infinite value of suffering as a school
for the spirit ; he sees, on the contrary, as is plainly set forth
in verses 2 ff, (" the day of death is, indeed, better than the
day of birth, but yet it is better to go to the house of mourn
ing, etc."), that it is the most important means of purification
and progress, that it is therefore disguised grace, and that it
constitutes the best preparation for a future existence, for the
day when the spirit shall return to God, who gave it (chap.
xii 7). Sayings of similar import we find also in heathen
writers* with this difference, however, that they possessed
no key to such sufferings, that they were unable to reconcfle
them with the divine righteousness and love, and that they
were shut out from a knowledge of, and approach to, those .
sources of consolation which are revealed in the Holy Scrip
tures. An amphfication and iUustration of this short saying
may be found in Job iH. and Jeremiah xx. Compare especi
aUy Jeremiah xx. 1 8 — " Wherefore came I forth out of the
womb to see suffering and sorrow, that my days should be
consumed with shame ?" To seek happiness in this earthly
existence has been considered, ever since the day spoken of
in Genesis iH., as identical with gathering grapes from thorns
and figs from thistles. The right sense is mistaken by those
interpreters who suppose that death comes under considera
tion here, so far as it opens the way to eternal Hfe, and who
compare PhUippians i. 21, 23, and Revelations xiv. 13.
Amongst them is Melancthon, who remarks : " iUa ethnica,
optimum non nasci aut quam celerrime aboleri aliena a
doctrina ecclesiae :" and the Berleburger Bible, where we read
— " for although the day of death extinguishes the hght of
this Hfe, it kindles the light of eternal Hfe and blessedness."
Ver. 2. That the house of mourning is one in which a
* Grotius: "Valerius Maximus ii. 6 — "Thraciaj vero ilia natio merito sibi
sapientiae laudem vindicaverit, quae natales hominum flebiliter, exequias cum
hilaritate celebrans, sine ullis doctorum praeceptis verum conditionis nostras
habit um pervidit.' Mela de iisdem Thracibus: 'Lugentur apud quosdam
puerperia, natique deflentur ; funera contra festa sunt et veluti sacra cantu
lusuque celebrantur.' De iisdem Solinus: 'Apud plurimos luctuosa sunt puer
peria denique recens natum fletu parens excipit : contraversum laeta sunt funera
adeo ut exemtos gaudio prosequantur.' Hanc sententiam Euripides in Cresi-
phontem suam transtulit."

CHAPTER VII. 1-10. 161
dead man is being mourned, is clear from what follows. bM,
is generally used of mourning for the dead. Kin, " this "
namely, that one is mourned for, that one dies. The com
mentary to the words — " and the living takes it to heart " —
we find in Psalm xc. 11, 12. From the contemplation of
death we recognise " the power of the anger of God," and by
tMs knowledge we are led to regard with due earnestness
the sin which called forth such anger. The relation of this
verse to the preceding is as foUows : Great, in truth, are the
sufferings of this Hfe, as Israel must now, through painful
experience, acknowledge, but for him who knows how rightly
to use them, they wiU bear rich fruit. Israel was then in
the house of mourning, their heathen tyrants were in the
house of feasting : (compare chap. x. 19, where a description
is given of their wanton revels.) But, if they only know the
time of their visitation, the happiness is on their side, not on
that of their oppressors. If, in their mournful circumstances,
in the devastations' which death had already made amongst
the people of God, they see the divine anger against sin, they
wUl gain a " wise and understanding heart " which is itself
the highest blessing on earth and the condition of aU other
blessings. Times of misfortune are times of happiness for
the church. Melancthon says — " In rebus secundis fiunt
homines negligentiores, minus cogitant de ira dei et minus
expectant auxilium dei, deinde fiunt et insolentiores, confi-.
dunt sua industria, sua potentia et facile impelluntur a dia-
bolo. Ideo ex Ulo fastigio postea ruunt in magnas calami-
tates, juxta Ulud : tolluntur in altum ut lapsu graviore
ruunt. Et contra asrumnse sunt commonefactiones de nostra
infirmitate, et de petendo auxiHo dei. Et sunt frenum mul-
tarum cupiditatum. Ideo ecclesia subjecta est cruci."
Ver. 3. With regard to DJ?a, " anger, indignation, chagrin,"
not " sorrow," compare what is said in Psalm vi. 8 ; x. 14.
Anger is here recommended : in verse 9, it is condemned.
The indignation which is usually caUed forth by suffermgs, is
at once good and evU — good when it is directed against one's
own sin ; evil when it is directed against God and the instru
ments of His righteousness. Compare Lamentations Hi. 39,
" Wherefore do the people murmur thus in life ? Each one
murmurs against his sin." The anger which is here recom-
L

162 CHAPTER VII. 1-10.
mended is in substance, in essence, repentance. It leads to
the confession, " We, we have sinned and been rebellious :
therefore hast thou not spared," (Lamentations Hi. 42), aiJS jn
which signifies strictly — " the badness of the countenance" —
is used in the sense of " sadness" only in one other place,
namely, in Nehemiah ii. 2, "Why is thy countenance sad,
seeing thou art not sick ? this is nothing else but sorrow of
heart," ai> jn. Countenance and heart are put in contrast with
each other there also, but in such a way that the condition of
the latter is known from that of the former ; whereas here
the heart wears a different look from that of the countenance,
30i when used of the heart, means always "to be joyful,
merry." This merriness, however, is one which arises from
improvement. By the contrast drawn between the counte
nance and the heart we are told, that sadness sits more on the
surface, takes possession of the outworks, whUst on the contrary-
peace and joy reign within. The happiness which the world
gives causes the countenance to be radiant, but leaves the
heart in an evil state. True joy is only there where the
heart stands in a right relation to God and His commands.
Inasmuch, therefore, as suffering helps to put us into such a
relation :- — as the Berleburger Bible says — " God's image is
often formed in suffering" — it is a means of attaining to true
joy. In consonance with this passage the apostle says in 2
Corinthians vi. 1 0 — tug \w!rov,u,ivot, dil b"i ^alpovng : and further
also in 2 Corinthians vH. 10 — i\ yap xoi,rd &ebv Xvwq /iirdvoiav tit
gurypiuv a,u,erapt,'eXrirov xarepydfyrot.!. If suffering works repent
ance it must also make joyful : for the heart becomes glad so
soon as it is in its true and normal condition.
Ver. 4. The heart of the wise, that is, of the genuine mem
bers of the kingdom of God, is in the house of mourning, that
is, the wise stay wiUingly, gladly, there. The willing assump
tion of the cross distinguishes the children of God from the
world. They are able to caU the cross, " dear cross !" Where
as, to the world, suffering is a horror and an abomination.
Jerome institutes a comparison here with the beatitude of the
vivaovvng in Matthew v. 4. The sorrowful, however, are such
as have their hearts in the house of mourning. Others drive
it out of their minds and seek rehef in dissipations.
Ver. 5. Better is it to hear the rebuke of the wise, as Israel

chapter vn. 1-10. 163
was now compelled to hear the voice of its prophets, reproach
ing it with its sins on the ground of its misery. The rebuk
ing wise man is set before us for example in Malachi, whose
prophecies bear the inscription, " the burden of the word of
the Lord," and further in this book also (compare chap. iv. 17;
v. 5). That the rebuke found its point of departure in the
suffering of him who was its object, and that in fact the re
buke was a kind of commentary on the suffering, was perceived
even by S. Schmidt, who says, " inteUiguntur sermones, qui a
sapiente in domo luctus habentur." Than a man who hears
the song of fools. The man must be conceived as himself also
singing, as in fact, a member of a merry society of the chUdren
of this world. The Persians were at that time, the singing
fools. That a distinction is to a certain extent made here
between ihe man and the fools, would lead us to conclude that
the thought is the following, — that Israel, although in suffer
ing and compeUed to submit to rebukes, is better off than if
it luxuriated with the world in pleasure and mirth.
Ver. 6. The words — For as the crackling of thorns under
a pot, so is the laughter of fools — are based on Psalm cxviii.
1 2, where Israel, being under the rule of the Persians, says —
"They (the heathen) compassed me about Hke bees, they are
quenched as the fire of thorns : in the name of the Lord wUl
I destroy them." Between the happiness or good fortune of
the heathen and the fire of thorns, the point of comparison is
that both alike violently blaze up, and are quickly extinguished.
In the fundamental passage just quoted we find a* ¥ip t2>K- Here
BniD is chosen because of the play on the word : like the play
between p& and at? in ver. 1, where a passage found ready to
hand in Proverbs is made somewhat more concise and pointed.
More point is perhaps gained also by the description of the
happiness of fools as laughter. Between crackling and gig-
gling there is a certain similarity of sound ; there is signifi
cance therefore in the designation, "the voice of thorns." Under
the pot, which J. D. Michaelis considered intolerable, serves to
render the description more vivid and real, because thorn fires
were usuaUy made in such a position. See Psalm lvhi 9,
"Before your pots can feel the thorns:" where thorns are
evidently used for making a fire under the pots. And also
this, namely, the laughter of fools, the happiness of the heathen,
is vanity, like so much else in this world of illusions, and is

164 CHAPTER VII. 1-10.
consequently not a fit object of envy. Considered more care
fuUy Israel is happier than the heathen world, "for the exulta
tion of the wicked is short, and the joy of the impious is but
for a moment. Though his greatness mount up to the heavens,
and his head reach unto the clouds, yet he perishes for ever
Hke his own dung, and they which see him say — where is he?"
(Job xx. 5, 7). The words, " this also is vanity," have been
historically fulfiUed and confirmed in the utter and complete
disappearance of the Persian monarchy, whereas Israel still
blooms and flourishes on in the Christian Church. Luther
remarks — "Virgilius says, fire in the stubble crackles very
much, but has no force, contains no heat, and is soon extin
guished. So also is the laughter and the mirth of fools : it
looks as if it would last for ever, and blazes up high, but is
nothing at aU. One moment they have their consolation ; the
next comes a misfortune which casts them down to the ground :
and so all the joy Hes in the ashes. This, therefore, accords
admirably with that which was said shortly before, " and this
also is vanity." The joy and false worldly consolation of the
flesh do not last long, and all such joy ends in sadness and
evil." Ver. 7. The reason is here assigned why the happiness of
fools is so short. They work their own ruin. Sin deprives
them of their understanding, and when that has vanished de
struction cannot be far off. First the mens sana is lost, and
then foUows ruin. First the soul dies out, and afterwards the
body is cast on the flaying ground. ParaUel is Proverbs xv.
27, "he that is greedy of gain destroyeth his own house, and
he that hateth gifts shaU Hve." For oppression maketh the
wise man mad. p&y, " oppression," as exercised by the Per
sian tyrants (Psalm lxH. 1 0). Oppression befools, makes mad :
every tyranny has a demorahzing influence on him who wields
it ; it deadens aU higher inteUigence, and takes away conse
quently the preservative against destruction. " The wise man"
here is not one who is stiU such, but who ought to be, and
might be, and has in part been such. " The wise man" — so
might the Persian stiU be designated at the time of Cyrus.
And a gift destroyeth the heart. Under oriental tyrannies
everything was to be had for presents. According to the
paraUel. " befools, makes mad," the heart is brought under con-

CHAPTER VII. 1-10. 165
sideration as»the seat of the understanding : compare Jeremiah
iv. 9, " and it shall come to pass at that day that the heart
of the king shaU perish and the heart of the princes," that is,
they shall lose their prudence, their power of reflection.
Ver. 8. Better is the end of a thing than the beginning :
The thought is quite correctly presented by Melancthon,
" Quamquam enim multa patienda sunt tamen vincit tandem
causa honesta : " " AU's weU that ends weU," and whoso laughs
the last, laughs the best. This is assuredly very consolatory
for the people of God, for the end belongs to them so certainly
as God belongs to them. The proposition is here expressed
generaUy, that whoso has the end of a thing in his favour, for
whomsoever the end of a business turns out well, is better off
than he to whom the beginning belongs. The commencement
of that which is here treated of was on the side of the heathen
world, for in the present Israel served, and the heathens ruled
By the end we must understand a fortunate happy end, inas^
much as a bad end cannot be called an end at aU. So also
on the same subject in Psalm xxxvii. 37, 38, " mark the pious
and behold the upright man, for a future has the man of
peace. But the transgressors shaU be destroyed together, the
future of the wicked wUl be extirpated :" the meek man has
an end, a future : whereas the wicked who are swept away in
the half of their days, (Psalm lv. 23,) are violently robbed of
their end or of their future. So also Proverbs xxiU. 1 7 ; Jere
miah xxix 11, — "for I know the thoughts that I think to
wards you, thoughts of peace and not of evU, to give you an
end and hope." The main passage in which an end is denied
to the heathen is Numbers xxiv. 20, where it is said of
Amalek, — " his end is destruction." " Behold, the end of the
heathen is a wUderness, a dry land and a desert" says Jeremiah
in chap. 1. 1 2. The formula with which the prophets open
their proclamations of redemption is based on the idea that
only the beginning of the times belongs to the heathen
world, the end on the contrary to the people of God. Better
is the patient in spirit than the proud im spirit. Between nn
TiK, which occurs only in this place, and BiSK TiK, fyadvg tig
bpyn, (James i 19,) there is no difference, as is evident from
the fact that its contrast in ver. 9 is Anger, BJtt. Accordingly,
we must undarstand by " patience of spirit" the opposite of

166 CHAPTER VII. 1-10.
" passionate excitement," which bursts forth against God in
times of suffering and leads to arbitrary endeavours to help
oneself. The patient in spirit is the true IsraeUte : the
heathen is the proud in spirit. The former is better off, for
the patient man has the end as his portion : pride on the
contrary either comes before a fall or is unable to avert it
If Israel have the end on their side, all they can do is to wait;
and he who can. wait tiU the end must certainly attain re
demption, (compare Lamentations Hi. 24 ff) As the heathen
power has no future it , can effect nothing, notwithstanding
all its pride.
Ver. 9. Be not hasty im thy spirit to be angry. The anger
or wrath is to be conceived as directed against God and the
evil doers favoured by Him, that is, in this present case, against
the heathen ; compare Psalm xxxvii 1, 2, 8. For anger resteth
im the bosom of fools, who only look at the present and at
once fall into error with regard to God and his providence if
things go otherwise than in their view they ought to do. It
is foUy to fix the attention only on that which lies directly
before our .eyes, to speak wisdom in presence of the good for
tune of the wicked : " as grass shall they be cut down, and
as the green herb shaU they wither," and, " evU doers shaU be
rooted out, but they that wait on the Lord shaU possess the
land." Ifwe only do not make haste to be angry, the Lord wiU
in his own good time remove aU occasions to wrath out of the
way. As the Berleburger Bible says : " blessed, on the con
trary, is he who in aU the events of life maintains a calm
patience, equips himself with a spirit of humble submissive-
ness and magnanimous contentment, accommodates himself to
good and evil times aHke, and ever derives strength and
quickening from the petition, — " thy wiU be done."
Ver. 1 0. Say not thou, what is the cause that the former
days were better than these, meaning, " why is it so, how is
such a downfaU of His people consistent with the love and
righteousness of God ?" Luther's remark, which starts from the
view that the words were directed against the " laudatores
temporis acti," — " Say not thou, it has been better ; for it has
never gone right everywhere in the world," — overlooks the
force of the expression, " what is it, that, why, is it so V
Those whom the author had in view are described in ver. 16

CHAPTER VII. 1-10. 167
of the Epistle of Jude, as yoyyvgrai, fLi^i/i'oipo,. The contem
porary Malachi introduces them in chap. ii. 17, as speaking:
" Ye weary the Lord with your words, and yet ye say, wherein
do we weary Him? When ye say, every, one that doeth evil
is good in the sight of the Lord and He delighteth in them ;
or, where is the God of judgment?" So also in chap.Jiii 14,
1 5, " ye say, it is vain to serve God, and what profit is it that
we keep his ordinance and walk in filth before the Lord of
Hosts. And now we call the proud happy, (that is, the
heathen,) built up, (that is fortunate,) are the workers of
iniquity, they tempt God and notwithstanding escape." For
with wisdom thou dost not inquire concerning this. The wise
man sees in the sufferings of the people of God the deserved
punishment of their sins, and says, " It is the goodness of the
Lord that we are not utterly lost, but the Lord does not cast
off for ever, he has compassion again according to his great
kindness." Wisdom at the same time recognises that afflictions
are only temporal, and that temporal tribulations have a good
foundation. Here, therefore, wisdom appears as the soul of
patience.*

CHAPTER VII., 11-12.
Koheleth proceeds now to comfort Israel, by directing their
thoughts to the treasure of wisdom left to them, which was
a pledge of the restoration of that which had been lost. It is
impossible that a people which can claim wisdom as its own
possession should be for ever subjected to death.
Ver. 1 1. Wisdom is good as an inheritance, and still better
for those who see the sun. Ver. 12. For im the shadow of
wisdom in the shadow of silver ; but the excellency of know
ledge js, Wisdom giveth life to him that hath it.
Ver. 11. The words "wisdom is good," take up again the
noano of ver. 10. The mention of wisdom there occasions the
* Cartwright says, " Prov. iii., eodem modo patientiam sapiential appellations
describit. Nam cum v. 11, 12, ad patientiam in perferendis dei castigationibus
cohortatus fuisset, v. 13, ad corroborandam hanc adhortationem subjungit,
beatum esse qui sapientiam assecutus sit et Jac. i., ad patientiam exstimulans
?. 6, subnectit, sapientiam hanc a deo ei petendam esse qui ilia destituitur."

L68 CHAPTER VII. 11-12.
writer to seek to impress the soul of Israel with the excellence
of the possession which stiU remains. To the word inheri
tance corresponds the word silver in ver. 1 2. It is conse
quently the property. As regards that, the chUdren of Israel
were at a decided disadvantage compared with the world.
They were bondsmen in the laud which the Lord had given
them, and strangers devoured its produce ; they were drained
by their heathen tyrants, they were an impoverished people:
For the inexperienced this must have been a source of severe
temptations* Against such assaults, Koheleth here offers a
ground of consolation, f He reminds them that they stiU
have a great advantage over others in the wisdom which is a
privilege of the people of God, which can be found nowhere
on earth but only in God, (Job xxviii ; James i. 5,) and in
His word and law : compare Deuteronomy iv. 5-6, " Behold
I teach you statutes and judgments, as the Lord my God
commanded me ; and ye shaU hold and do them, for this is
your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the
nations : " also in Proverbs i 7, " the fear of the Lord is
the beginning of knowledge :" further, chap. ii. 6, " the Lord
giveth wisdom, out of his mouth eometh knowledge and un
derstanding ;" compare lastly, chap. v. 18, " rejoice in the wife
of thy youth," where by the wife of youth we are to under
stand wisdom which had stood in the very closest relation to
Israel from the first commencement of his existence, and chap.
H. 16, where folly is brought forward as the strange woman,
the foreigner. We may not follow the example of the Sep
tuagint and Vulgate, and explain — " wisdom is good united
with possessions." Such a rendering would not be consistent
with the posture of affairs at this time, when Israel was des
titute of possessions, and with ver. 1 2, which represents wis
dom and money as having different owners. The word ay
rather expresses the idea that wisdom may enter into compe?
tition, or take rank, with property : and then with increased
* Melanchthon, " Seit ecclesia alias esse causas necis Abel et alias necis Ab-
salomis. Sed homines sine doctrina ecclesiae turbantur his exemplis, ut dubi-
tent de providentia.
t This point of view is recognised also by Luther; he observes, "here Solomon
closes the admonition which he had given, to strengthen and to comfort -those
wh« were in danger of being impatient because of the wickedness of the world,"

CHAPTER VII. 11-12. 169
force "inii adds that, in fact, wisdom excels property, nnv is
properly a participle, and occurs in the sense " over, remaining,"
in 1 Samuel xv. 16, and in chap. xii. 9 of this book. Else
where it is always used as an adverb, in the sense of " more,
very, too, too much, besides, moreover." So in chap. ii. 15;
vi. 8-1 1 ; vii. 1 6 ; xii. 1 2. inv never signifies " advantage,
gain." The meaning " more" is required further by the argu
ment advanced in ver. 1 2, where the justice of its application
to wisdom is more carefully pointed out. In Proverbs iii. 1 4,
also, wisdom is represented as better than silver and gold.* The
chUdren of men are described in chap. vi. 5 ; xi. 8 also, as
" those who see the sun."
Ver. 1 2. This verse is to be explained as follows, — " for, (if
one is) in the shadow of wisdom, (one is also) in the shadow
of money, not less safe than when one is protected by money."
Threatening dangers may be averted quite as often by wisdom
as by property. The reason is thus given for setting wisdom
on an equality with property (ver. 11). Rightly Symmachus,
gxiiru gopia, iig gxtitu rb dpyvpiov : falsely the Vulgate, " sicut
enim protegit sapientia sic protegit pecunia." Because shadow
affords protection against heat, — one of the greatest plagues
of eastern countries, — it is used frequently as an image of
protection in general, and with the greater fitness since all
tribulations are represented under the figure of heat. — In the
second clause the reason of the use of the term " more" in re
spect to wisdom (ver. 1 1) is assigned, njn does not signify
" to keep in Hfe," a thing which would fall under the category
of shadow, and which gold also in certain circumstances is
capable of, but "to quicken, to call back to life." Israel had
then fallen into the hands of death, but the treasure which they
still retained, that wisdom from above which still dwelt
amongst them, was the pledge of a joyful resurrection. Wis
dom quickens, gives Hfe, because the grace of the living and
life-giving God rests on the wise man. The principal passage
on this subject is Deuteronomy xxxii. 39, where, in regard to
Israel's restoration after severe tribulations, it is said, " I kUl
and I make ahve, I wound and I wiU heaL" In the Psalms we

* Correctly Rambach : hac voce (inii) comparatio sapiential, cum licereditate
ita continuatur ut sapientia illi etiam prccferatur."

170 CHAPTER VII. 13, 14.
find nin often used of the restoration to Hfe of Israel when
fallen under the power of death, as also of a merely external
restoration: for example, Psalm lxxi. 20; lxxx. 18; Ixxxv. 6;
exix. 25, "My soul cleaveth to the dust, quicken thou me
according to thy word." In Hosea vi. 2, it is said, " he wiU
revive us after two days : on the third he wUl raise us up
that we may Hve before him." In opposition to the funda
mental and the parallel passage, as well as against usage,
Knobel explains as foUows, — " the advantage of wisdom con
sists therein, that it gives us a contented and cheerful spirit,"
Elster, " an inner power, a rich and full spiritual life." Com
pare besides, Proverbs iH. 18 — "She (namely, Wisdom) is a
tree of Hfe to them that lay hold on her, and happy is every
one that retaineth her:" according to which, the Hfe which
wisdom gives, is identical with happiness.

CHAPTER VII. 13, 14.
This also was a comfort for Israel, that in their sufferings
no less than in their happiness they must recognize the arrange
ment of God, — one, too, proceeding from weU considered
counsel. Ver. 1 3. Consider the work of God, for who can make thai
straight which he hath made crooked ? Ver. 1 4. In the day
of prosperity be joyful and in the day of adversity : behold,
God hath made this even as that, to the end that man should
not find anything which will come after him.
Ver. 1 3. Behold the work of God ; ¦ most men see it not
In adversity their minds remain fixed on the natural causes, — -
hence their despair, their passionate excitement, and their
futile attempts to help themselves. He who sees God's work
attains at once the power of calm self-command and of quiet
submission ; he says, " I keep silence because thou hast done
it," (Psalm xxxix. 9). This summons to consider the work
of God is then justified and enforced by a reference to its lofti
ness and significance : " for who can make that straight which
he hath made crooked ?" (nil", " to make crooked," chap. i. 1 5 ;
xH. 3). No one can withstand God or alter His determina
tions. And because no one can no one therefore should wish

CHAPTER VII. 13, 14. 171
it. We ought to humble ourselves with joy beneath the
almighty hand of God For, as the Almighty One He is the
sum and substance of aU wisdom, aU love, all righteousness.
Almighty arbitrariness is inconceivable*
Ver. 14. "On the day of good be in the good," that is, be
inwardly in a good state when thou art outwardly prosperous,
be joyful, 3103 = 310 3b, chap, ix 7, compare 1 Kings viH
The explanation, " be prosperous, occupy thyself with it, enjoy
it," lays too strong an emphasis on the word nin. And in,
the day of adversity behold, instead of, " then also be thou con
tent, for behold." The correspondence between the two phrases,
" in the day of good," and " in the day of evil," plainly imphes
that what foUows wiU teach, at aU events, as to substance,
how we ought to be in the day of adversity. This corre
spondence is unheeded by those who explain the Hebrew,
" when misfortune befals thee, consider, weigh," namely, what
follows. The words must be punctuated thus — '' In the day
of adversity, behold;" not, "In the day of adversity behold"
- — that is, a comma should be inserted after " adversity."
Ewald also errs in the same way when he explains, " And
the day of adversity look upon, consider it, calmly." To con
tentment in suffering we must surely be aroused by the con
sideration that it comes from the same God who sends us our
prosperity, as Job says — " do we accept the good from God,
and shall we not also accept the evU ?" The sender being the
same, there must be a substantial resemblance between the
various things sent, notwithstanding external dissimUarity.
God, when he lays the cross upon us, still remains God, stiU
continues to be our heavenly Father, our Saviour, who has
thoughts of peace concerning us ; what He does is well done,
and however heavily the burden may weigh upon us, it must
prove wholesome in the end. But the author is not content
with merely directing the mind to the ordering of God whose
name is in itself a balsam for the wounds of the heart. He
hints also at the motives which dictate the infliction of suffer-

* Gartwright says,— "Avis laqueo capta tanto arctius constringitur, qnanto
fortius ut se expediat luctatur. Si quis igitur dei laqueo irretitus teneatur,nihil
illi tutius est, quam ut se totum dei voluntati permittat, maxime cum in summa
ilia potentia, qua instructus est, nihil non juste, nihil non Sapienter facit, Hi.
xxxiv. 12."

172 CHAPTER VII. 15-18.
ings. God causes evil days to alternate with good ones, to ihe
end that mam, should not find anything which will come after
him, that is, in order that he may not be able to fathom anything
which lies behind his present condition. (Afterhim, so also chap.
Hi. 23, vi. 12). He is thus made thoroughly little, thoroughly
submissive to God : he is thus prevented from setting his
heart on transitory sources of happiness. If man cannot be
certain of a single day of his life, he must surely be driven to
look up to the Lord of Hfe. ni3*i by which means strictly
" on a matter," occurs in the sense " by reason of," in chap.
Hi. 18; viH. 2 ; here with a E5> following it signifies " by reason
that = in order that." With precisely the same force we find n
rran by used in the Chaldee of Daniel H. 30. Out of Koheleth
there is no example in Hebrew of this usage.

CHAPTER VII. 15-18.
At the time of the author bitter complaints were raised
that Israel must suffer, despite his righteousness, and that
the heathen had the upper hand, notwithstanding their
wickedness. He therefore proves that the righteousness
which complained so loudly and bitterly because of the
denial of its reward, was but another form of ungodli
ness alongside of a Hfe of open sin ; he justifies God's with
holding of redemption, and teaches that those whose aim it
is to become partakers of salvation must enter on a new way,
even that of a true and genuine fear of God. Consolation and
admonition here go hand in hand. There was nothing for
Israel but to err with regard to his God, and thus sink into the
abyss of despair, if he did not attain to a knowledge of the
true nature of his fancied righteousness. If he did not learn
to murmur against his own sin, he must murmur against God.
Ver. 15. All things did I see in the days of my vanity:
there is a just man that perisheih in his righteousness, and
there is a wicked man that maketh it long in his wickedness.
Ver. 1 6. Be not righteous overmuch, neither behave thou aU
too wisely, why wilt thou destroy thyself? Ver. 17. Be not
overmuch wicked, neither be thou a fool, why wilt thou die
before thy time ? Ver. 18. It is good that thou shouldest take

CHAPTER VII. 15-18. 173
hold of this, and also that from that thou shouldst not with
draw thine hand: he that feareth God shall escape from all.
Ver. 1 5. All, is as to substance so much as "of all kinds, vari
ous." The word implies that sometimes strange enough things,
such too as one would scarcely have looked for, are true quid
pro quos. Then follows a remarkable iUustration of the curi
ous things one meets with in life. In ihe days of my vanity :
so Solomon describes the days of his Hfe, because ever since
the faU human existence has been subjected to vanity. This
vanity is speciaUy to be recognised in that which is adduced
directly afterwards ; — namely, that so frequently a righteous
ness worked out with great labour produces notwithstanding
no fruit. Several interpreters have been of opinion that a in
the words lpnva and inj/13 is the causative 3, and that the
sense consequently is, " through his righteousness, through his
wickedness." In support of their view they appeal to ver. 1 6,
where righteousness is represented as the cause of destruction
— "Why wUt thou destroy thyself ?" The word injm, in the
sense — " through his wickedness," finds its explanation in the
fact, that the Persian secured the stability of his rule by a
wickedness, which esteemed aU means to be good that served
his ends. But that we must rather explain " in, with, along
with his righteousness, or his wickedness," 3 being often used
of the accompanying circumstances (Ewald, § 217, f. 3), is
evident, because the writer's intention is to advance a fact
patent to the world, — "I saw": — Such a fact was, the union
of righteousness and adversity, of wickedness and pros
perity ; not so, however, that in righteousness lay the cause
of adversity, and in wickedness, the cause of prosperity. This
is decided further by paralled passages in the contemporaneous
Malachi, which exhibit a remarkable agreement with this
verse — passages wherein Israel complains that he is unfortunate,
notwithstanding his righteousness, and that the heathen or
the heathenish tyrants are prosperous notwithstanding their
wickedness. Compare chap. H. 1 7 — " Ye weary the Lord with
your words, and ye say, wherein do we weary him ? When
ye say : Every one that doeth evU is good in the sight of the
Lord, and he delighteth in them ; or, where is the God of
judgment?" further, also, chap. Hi 13-15, "Ye do me violence
with your words saith the Lord, and ye say, what do we

174 CHAPTER VIL 15-18.
speak then against thee ? Ye say, it is vain to serve God,
and what profit is it that we keep his ordnance, and walk in
filth before the Lord of Hosts." (The righteous perisheth in
his righteousness). " And now we count the proud happy,
built up are the workers of iniquity, they tempt God, and
notwithstanding escape : " — the ant, " the proud," that is, the
heathen tyrants, corresponding to " the wicked," in this place.
From these parallel passages we deduce the conclusion that
under " the righteous," Israel is tacitly referred to, under " the
wicked," the heathen ; and that the problem here discussed is
the one so frequently and variously discussed and illustrated
by Koheleth, namely, the sufferings of the people of God at
the period of its oppression by the powers of the world, and
speciaUy under the yoke of the Persians. 'pK'i signifies in
1 Kings iii. 1 4, " to lengthen ;" elsewhere it is undeniably
employed in the sense of "to last long, or, to abide." So in
Deuteronomy v. 16, "in order that thy days may last long :"
chap. vi. 2; xxv. 15. Numbers ix. 19, 22 ; and Koheleth viii
12. There is no omission of aw in the case, for even where it
occurs, it is nothing more than the so-called accusat. relativ.:
so in Deuteronomy xxii. 7, " And that thou mayest last long
in respect of days." AUusion is here made to the promise of
long duration for the people of God given in the Pentateuch.
That which in God's word is spoken to His people by way of
encouragement becomes, as things actuaUy are, a ground of
complaint against them with the heathen. — If the righteous
man perisheth notwithstanding his righteousness, there must
be a fault therein, and to point out that fault is the aim of
the present section. We must not take the righteousness as
merely imaginary ; nor is the righteous man here . spoken of
one who deems himself righteous without reason. Even in
Luke v. 32, where the Lprd says ovx IXjjXufc xaX'sgai dixaiov;,
6\\Xd upapraXovg tig /isrdvoiav, the righteous are not merely such
as fancy themselves to be righteous. But in the righteousness
of the Pharisees, as it existed in the time of the author, there
was a double fault. I. They laid a one-sided stress on the
mere external accordance of their actions with the law of God,
whereas the heart also was claimed and in the original record of
that law, the evil word of the mouth, and the evil desfre of the
heart, are no less forbidden than the evil action. They faUed to

CHAPTER VII. 1 5-1 8. 175
see that the law is spiritual (Romans vii. 1 4), that a man may,
for example, give aU his goods to the poor, and yet if he do
it not from the impulse of love, he may be very far from true
righteousness (1 Corinthians xiii. 3). Everything, even in the
law itself, is repeatedly and expressly reduced back to love,
(compare Romans xiii. 1 0). II. They laid a one-sided stress
on righteousness, forgetting that aU human righteousness is
characterised by imperfection, that the righteous man is at the
best but a poor sinner. The first fault is closely connected
with the second. If we empty righteousness of all deeper
significance, it is easy to come to imagine ourselves to be abso
lutely righteous : such a fancy, however, disappears as soon as
we consider more narrowly rd fiapvnpa roD vofiov (Matthew xxiii.
23). In relation to publicans and whores the Pharisees were
reaUy righteous ; so also the Jews in relation to the heathen :
but in many respects the righteous, o'irmg ov xPl'av ^xovgl f,lf«i-
wlag (Luke xv. 7), are worse than open sinners, because they
do not see the need of repentance and regeneration, because
they are filled with pride and presumption and are universally
incHned to judge others, and so forth. Those who in one
sense are , actually righteous, in another sense are only
fanciedly righteous, reputedly righteous, righteous in their
own eyes (Job xxxii. 1). The nature of such a false righte
ousness shows itself in a pecuHarly mischievous manner in
days of severe suffering. It is mainly at the bottom of dis
content with God's leadings, and may very easily end in fatal
error with regard to God, and an utter loss of Him* The
world presents a very perverted appearance. But when we
examine more closely into righteousness, and into the end of
the wiclced, astonishment vanishes and we see that aU is
orderly. Even Isaiah proves (chap, lviii.) that a pretended
righteousness cannot lay the same claims as the true, and
teaches that the latter wiU at once be foUowed by deliverance.
Ver. 1 6. One is righteous overmuch, when one forgets one's
own sinfulness, which calls for repentance, and when the
prayer, ixdgQnri /j,oi rSi d^apraXu, (Luke xviH. 1 3,) which ought
• Following the example of Seb. Schmidt, Rambach observes: "Prseceptum
de fugienda impatientia adhuc continuari, ita ut occupetur perniciosissima opinio
de propria justitise et sanctitate, qua; homnies sub difficultatibus et adversitati-
bus maxime reddit impatientes."

176 CHAPTER VII. 1 5-1 8.
to express its prevaihng feehng during this earthly life, dies
out in the souL Behind the plus of such a pretended right
eousness there lies concealed, a miserable minus. In Mat
thew v. 20, the Lord says — " unless your righteousness be
better than that of the scribes and pharisees ye shaU in no wise
enter into the kmgdom of heaven." To the admonition, " be
not righteous overmuch," Luke xviii. 11 forms the commen
tary : 6 <papiga,Tog graSeig •irpbg iavrbv ravru irpogijvxiro, o &eig
tvxapigrZi got, on ovx ii/aI ugmp oi Xomol ruv uvSpoiwon, apiraysg, adixoi,
Morxpl, n xal £ig olrog 6 nXuvqg : Acts xxvi. 5, may also be com
pared, where Paul describes Pharisaism as the dxpifiierdrri
a'/pegig rrjg fjfj,inpag dpngxeiag. That the righteousness in which
as to substance we are not to do too much, is one characterised
by great defects, that further the author has not the least in
tention of recommending moral laxity, is clear even from the
paraUel admonition — " be not wise overmuch" — that is, be
have not as such, do not make a loud profession of wisdom,
do not employ all means in order to be considered a wise man,
like those who are said in Matthew xxin. 7, to love xaXiTgSai
id rZv dvDpuvuv, 'Pa/3/3/' 'Pa/3/3/. Except here, the Hithpael form
of Ban, occurs only in Exodus i. 1 0, where it denotes " sapien-
tern se gessit" Elsewhere the Hithp. of aot5* means always
" to be alarmed, frightened, to be inwardly troubled :" here,
on the contrary, it means " to be outwardly disturbed," and
" to destroy." The signification of the mere word is the same.
In Kal also are the meanings of " to be outwardly disturbed,"
and " to be disturbed in spirit," of " vastatus, desolates est,"
and " stupuit," connected with each other. But in what sense
does a one-sided handhng of righteousness and wisdom produce
disquiet ? Had merely the words — " be not righteous over
much," preceded, an exaggerated asceticism might be supposed
to be referred to : but this idea is prevented by the other
admonition, " be not overwise." What we must understand,
therefore, is the divine curse which it draws down on itself by
such perverted courses. Here we have the germ of the woe
denounced by the. Lord in Matthew xxiH. against the Phari
sees, and pharisaically disposed people, and of the detailed
threatenings which foUow the often repeated woe ! Ver. 38
contains words corresponding most closely to the question,

CHAPTER VII. 15-18. 177
" why wUt thou destroy thyseff ? " — namely, i&ov d<pie rai vpft 6
oTxog bfiSiv spri/iog.
Ver. 17. Be not overmuch wicked: a Httle foUows, alas!
of itself, in man, who is born and conceived in sin, and whose
thoughts and doings are evU from his youth upwards. Accord
ing to ver. 20, there is not on earth a just man who doeth
good and sinneth not. So much the more earnestly, therefore,
should we be on our guard against crossing the border-line
which separates the righteous man who is stiU subject to weak
ness and sin, from the sinner; so much the more carefully should
we watch lest we get amongst the number of the apwuyig
&faxoi, /ioixoi, lest we fall into the evU company described in
Psalm i. 1 ; so much the more earnestly should we strive to
avoid the " path of the destroyer," (Psalm xvH. 4,) into which
we may be so easUy enticed if we do not walk with fear and
trembHng. Why wilt thou die before thy time ? The wicked
may indeed make it long, when it is God's will to use him as
an instrument for the accomplishment of wise and holy pur
poses, (ver. 15,) but judgment wiU notwithstanding come.
" The fear of the Lord prolongeth days, and the years of the
wicked are shortened," (Proverbs x. 27 :) "Men of blood and
of deceit shaU not Hve out half their days," (Psalm lv. 24.)
The Egyptian, the Assyrian, the Chaldean, the Persian were
compelled one after another to experience this.
Ver. 1 8. It is good that thou shouldst take hold of this, and
also that from that thou shouldest not withdraw thine hand:
"this," namely, not to be a righteous man in that condemn-
able sense, which was the specificaUy Jewish disease : " that,"
namely, not to lead a life of sin, which was specificaUy the
disease of heathens; and was shared by aU those who, hav
ing wandered into error concerning the God of Israel, now
gave themselves up to heathen tendencies. Both alike must be
carefully avoided : both alike are robberies of our gracious God,
and both involve us in the judgments of the Righteous One.
The Lord refers to these words in Matthew xxiH. 23. And from
the words employed by Him in His rebuke of the Pharisees, viz.,
ravra, ds 'idsi iroir\g<*.i xqixsTva w dpiivui, we may-judge that He re
garded this passage as a reproof of the Pharisaic tendency
then in gerrn. Wftoso feareth God escapes all that, that is, al.
these dangerous things, the destruction which threatens on aU
M

178 CHAPTER VII. 19, 20.
hands. Ktfi with the accusative signifies " to go out of, or from,
anything;" for example, Tj>n nK KXi, "to go out of the city,"
then 'OKS'' iia; " my chUdren leave me,'' (Jeremiah x. 20 :) here
it is used in the sense of " escape." By the fear of God we
escape on the one hand the danger of Pharisaism, because
firstly, it awakens in the heart a dread of aH attempts to de
ceive God by the trappings of a heartless show of piety; and
because further, an energetic knowledge of sin is inseparably
bound up with a true fear of God, (Isaiah vi. 5 :) We escape,
also, on the other hand, the danger of a Hfe of sin, because we
cannot really fear God without having also a keen dread of
offending Him by our sins, (Genesis xxxix. 9,) and a Hvely
wish to walk in the ways of His commands.

CHAPTER VII. 19, 20.
The good stiU retained by Israel, namely, wisdom, which,
as an inalienable possession, accompanied the people of God
even into the depths of their sufferings, (ver. 11.) is of
greater value than the power which is on the side of the
heathen world. For human sinfulness inevitably involves
him in divine judgments who lacks wisdom. Wisdom, on
the contrary, as was declared in ver. 1 3, gives Hfe to him that
hath it. For a paraUel see, besides chap. vii. 12, 13, also
chap. x. 14-18.
Ver. 19. Wisdom is strong for the wise more than ten
mighty men who are in the city. Ver. 20. For there is not
a just man upon earth that did good and sinned not.
Ver. 19. try signifies not "to strengthen," but "to be?
strong." Wisdom is strong for the wise, proves itself strong
for his best interests. We must think of the mighty men as
attended by their hosts. In respect of mere power heathen
dom had then an infinite superiority.
Ver. 20. For there is — sinned not : hence the necessity
for wisdom as a corrective. He who lacks wisdom wiU inevi
tably be guilty of that which wiU involve him in divine
judgments. But only in the midst of Israel has it its abode :
in the heathen world foUy has pitched its tent, (Deuteron,

CHAPTER VII. 21, 22. 179
xxxii. 21.) In this fact is the pledge that Israel wiU finally
be exalted to universal dominion.

CHAPTER VII. 21, 22.
The point of departure here also, is the misery of the people
of God. In times of severe suffering it is of great importance
to recognise that affliction is punishment which sin has merited.
Light is then thrown on the otherwise dark providence of God :
it stiUs also the tumults of the soul and awakens hope. When
we see the footsteps of God in our tribulations, we gain a
Hving confidence in his compassion.
Ver. 21. Also talce not to heart all words which they speak,
so that thou mayst not hear thy servant when he curses thee.
Ver. 22. For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that
thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.
Ver. 21. That this saying has a political reference is indi
cated by the word Di, " also." It shows that the same subject
is being handled as before, to wit, the sufferings of the
people of God, only from a new point of view. In accordance
with this aj the Septuagint translation runs — oils XaX^Xovgiv
dgtfiiig, that is, " the godless, the heathen," (see Isaiah xxv. 2,
5; 1 Maccabees iii. 15; ix. 73; Suidas- — dgsfiiig ol iro\v&ifav
J) Miiav 6pr,gxivovng.) The heathen tyrants mocked the miserably
reduced Israehtes because of thefr pretensions to be the people
of God ; they said to them constantly — " where is now thy
God ?" Their hatred, moreover, was stirred up by the pre
sumption of the Jews, seeming, as it did, to judge by results,
to judge by their actual condition, to be utterly groundless
and sheer impudence. The nature of their speeches we may
ascertain more closely from the words, " thy servant." The
chUdren of Israel let the heathen see that they looked upon
them as, according to God and right, servants ; and this pro
voked them. So that thou mayst not hear, as thou certainly
wouldest, if thou shouldest give thine heart to it ; which is as
much as to say, " and avoid hearing therefore." If we turn
our heart away from that which we perceive with the outward
ear, it is as if we heard and yet heard not : for what is heard
only with the outward ear is as good as not heard at aU. In

180 CHAPTER VII. 21, 21.
Psalm xxxviH. 14, 15, David says, when describing his
patience under the assaults of his foes, — " and I as a deaf man
hear not, and I am as a dumb man that openeth not his
mouth. And I am as a man that heareth not, and in whose
mouth is no reply." ,Such is the passionless calm to which
every one attains, who sees in everything that befals him an
appointment or a judgment of God. Thy servant when he
curseth thee. The servant of Israel is the heathen, here as in
chap. x. 7, — " I saw servants upon horses, and princes walking
as servants upon the earth." It is imphed in the idea of the
people of God that it should have dominion over the world.
To give up this claim, is to give up itself. A living piety
which has not this thought is an impossibihty. If the people of
God has a low conception of itself, it has at the same time
also a low view of its Lord. According to Genesis xlix. 1 0,
" the obedience of the nations " is destined to the ShUoh, who
should go forth from Israel. In Exodus xix. 6, Israel is de
nominated " a kingdom of priests : " and because priests of
God who made heaven and earth, they are the legitimate lords
of the world. " Thou shalt reign over many nations, but they
shall not reign over thee," it is said in Deuteronomy xv. 6.
According to Deuteronomy xxxiii. 29, Israel is a people "be
fore which its enemies must play the hypocrite, and which
shaU tread upon their high places." In Deuteron. xxvHi. 1,
we read — " and it shaU come to pass, if thou shalt hearken
dihgently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, the Lord thy
God will set thee on high above all the nations of the, earth :"
and in ver. 1 3, " and the Lord shall make thee the head and
not the taU, and thou shalt be above and thou shalt not be
beneath." Isaiah, proclaims, in chap. xiv. 1.4, "thus saith. the
Lord, the labour of Egypt, and the merchandise of Cushsea
and the Sabaeans, the men of stature, shall come over unto
thee, and they shaU be thine, and shall walk after thee ; in
chains shall they walk and fall down before thee, and make
suppHcation unto thee — only in thee is God, and there is no
God besides." At the commencement of his Lamentations
Jeremiah complains — -" she that should be queen amongst the
heathen must now serve," and in chap. v. 8, — " Servants rule
over them, and there is none that doth dehver out of their
band :" on which we have the annotat. uber., " qui nobis po-

CHAPTER VII. 21, 22. 181
tius si pii fuissemus, servire debuissent" The explanation — -
" that thou mayest not be compelled to hear thy servant curse
thee," — is inadmissible : we must rather render the Hebrew,
" that thou mayest not hear thy servant, who curseth thee,"
No longer to hear that, is the reward of turning away our
heart from men, and returning to God. He who is without
God in the world has the great torture of being compeUed
to bear the "kiUing in his bones" (Psalm xiii 11). We
first become free from this pain when we have learnt Hvingly
to " wait upon God."
Ver. 22. If such is the voice of conscience we must recog
nise God's chastising hand in that which our enemies inflict.
upon us. The heart then becomes tender towards those who
offend, and can receive their injuries with indifference : this
is the necessary and solid foundation of the love of enemies,
and of prayer for those who despitefully use us and persecute
us. We regard them as instruments of God, servants at once
of His righteousness, and of that pitiful love which chastises
at the right moment, to the end that it may not be compelled
to give us up to death : we say also, " let them curse, for God
has commanded if -ie>k (where it happened) that, is used
here in the sense of "where, there where," as in 2 Samuel
xix. 25, and Genesis xxxv. 13, 15. Others, especially the
heathen, whom Israel had so often wounded to the quick, by
his haughty presumption and contempt of their prerogatives.

CHAPTER VII. 23-29.
Reviewing the course which he has pursued, Koheleth finds
that although in his struggle for wisdom he has made many
a gain, he still despite all remains far from his goal (ver. 23,
24). In his investigations concerning wisdom and foUy he
arrives at the result that the most dangerous enemy of the
human race is false wisdmn (ver. 25, 26). The difficulty of
attaining true wisdom may be estimated from the fact that
among men very few indeed have reached it, whilst among
women not a single instance is to be found (ver. 27, 28).
The reason whereof is, that men are no longer in their origi-

182 CHAPTER VII. 23-29.
nai normal condition, but have fallen under the dominion of
arbitrary and lawless habits of thought (ver. 29).
Ver. 23. All this I proved by wisdcrm ; I said I will be
wise, and it was far from me. Ver. 24. Far off is that
which became (ward), and deep, deep, who can fimd it out ?
Ver. 25. I turned myself with my heart to know, and to try,
and to search out wisdom and thoughts, and to know wicked
ness as folly, and foolishness as madness. Ver. 26. And I
find something which is more bitter than death ; the woman,
which is nets and snares as to her heart, chains as to her
hands : whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her, and the
sinner shall be taken by her. Ver. 27. Behold, this found I,
said Koheleth, one after the other finding thoughts. Ver. 28.
After that my soul still seekeih, and I did not fimd it ; one
'man found I among a thousand, but among all these, a
woman have I not found. Ver. 29. And behold, this have I
found, that God hath made man upright, but they seek out
many inventions.
Ver. 23. Koheleth having operated a considerable time with
wisdom begins now to reflect on his instrument. All this —
that is, not merely what has immediately preceded, but all
that has gone before from the commencement of the book —
/ proved by wisdom. The attempt is to be regarded as a
successful one in relation to the results set forth : as an un
successful one in relation to the final aim, which is, absolute
wisdom. In connection with all that he accomplished, there
remained in the writer's mind the humiliating consciousness
that he was stUl far distant from his goal : ix p'spovg ydp ytmtxo-
/Mv xul ix fjiipovg irpoprjrevo/iev (1 Corinthians xiH. 9.) Of aU
human efforts, however successful and blessed they may be,
the words of Phil. iH. 1 2, always hold good — 01% Sn nh ehufiov,
?) %dri nriKiiufLai.
Ver. 24. Far off is what became, or "what is." The
preterite nin designates, a past stretching forward into the
present. That wisdom cannot reach its aim — see the words,
"it remained far from me," of the preceding verse — arises
from the difficulty of approaching its object, namely, that
which is (das Seyende). According to the Book of Wisdom,
chap. vH. 1 7, wisdom is rut ovruv yvSJg/g : according to chap, i
13 of this book, wisdom has to do with all that happens

CHAPTER VII. 23-29. 183
beneath the siin. If absolute being (das Seyende) is far off,
difficult of attainment, unapproachable, then must wisdom
also necessarily be far off ParaUel is chap. Hi. 1 1 : " Man
cannot find out aU the work that God doeth, neither begin
ning nor end :" — to the words, " aU the work," there, corre
spond the words, " what is," here : compare also chap, vni 1 7,
" man cannot find out aU the work that is done under the
sun . . though a wise man should think to know it, yet
he findeth it not." Further may be compared Job xi. 8,
where concerning the object of wisdom, namely, the nature
and work of God, it is said — " deeper than hell what canst
thou know?" — and Romans xi. 33, where we read, iig
ave^epivvrjra rot xpi/j,ara avrov xal dvi^iyviaaroi a! bSoi avrov. nintS"
no in chap. 1. 9 signifies, as here, "that which was;" in chap.
vi. 1 0, it denotes, " that which is." To be rejected are the
divergent explanations, first, of Luther and Stier — " it is far
off, what wiU it be ?" then of Ewald — " far off is, what it
may be," one cannot rightly see, what — ; and lastly of
Hitzig, " what is far off and deep," which is inconsistent with
the position of the words, and in opposition to chap. i. 9,
where, as Hitzig himself is compelled to admit, " nM is itself
predicate," whereas here he would make it out to be only
copula. What man has to do, and what the Lord his God
requires of him, namely, the directly practical, is "no longer
far off," since the light of divine revelation has shined into
the darkness of human existence (Deuteronomy xxx. 11) :
rather on the contrary, as Moses says to Israel in ver. 1 4 of
the same chapter, " is this word very nigh unto thee, in thy
mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it." Of this,
however, Koheleth does not here speak, but of the knowledge
of things, and, in particular, of the deeper understanding of
divine providence and God's method with His people on
earth. That which in itself is clear seems in many respects
dark to man because of his indweUing sin, so that he is
unable fuUy to enjoy the gift of God.
Ver. 25. The words, i" turned myself and my heart, are
set in contrast to a merely superficial doing. No result is
ever arrived at where *J?\ cannot with truth be added. To
seek out wisdom and thoughts : yavn, " thought, musing,
meditation," (compare chap. ix. 10, where thought is con-

184 CHAPTER VII. 23-29.
nected with work, the former being the spiritual element
from which the latter proceeds forth) is put in opposition to
the bhnd impulses and passions by which the common man
allows himself to be led. That we must render the Hebrew
— wickedness as folly, and so forth — is clear even from the
article in ni^aDn. To judge from the paraUel passages (chap.
i. 17; H. 12, 13; x. 13) yvn might stand in the place of
"5D3, and nfoD in place of ni^in. i>Da and ni$>3Dn too might be
omitted without any material alteration of the sense— ^-andto
know wisdom and folly — in agreement with the first half of
the verse, where the writer speaks merely of the knowledge
of wisdom and thoughts. This verse forms merely the intro
duction to verse 26, where the author communicates the in>
portant result at which he arrived in the course Of his studies
on wisdom and foUy.
Ver. 26. There can be ho doubt that by the woman spoken
of here, we are not to understand a common prostitute; but
an ideal person, to wit, false wisdom, which kept constantly
undertaking excursions and salhes from her proper home, the
heathen world; into the territory of the Israelites. It does
little honour to the exegesis of the present day that it has so
frequently mistaken this plain and evident truth. The feel
ing for the aUegorical element in Scripture is still, alas ! very
little developed ; and a false occidental realism largely pre
vails no less amongst certain orthodox, than amongst -ration*
ahstic interpreters. A woman in the common sense does not
suit the connection : whereas the ideal does. Before and
afterwards Koheleth speaks of the great difficulty of attain
ing to true wisdom The ground whereof is specially that
alongside of the wisdom that is from above, the gtxpta. ¦ &vukv
xurepxo/u*'evri, there is a fleshy wisdom, the iviyuog, tyvxixfy
Sai/Loviddrig (James iii. 15), which entangles men in her snare's
and is the mother of the "inventions" alluded to in ver. 29.
Then further, it must be remembered, an ideal female persoh,-
namely, Koheleth the Assembling One, is here speaking : and
if this person warns us against another female; as the most
dangerous enemy of the human race, we may reasonably pre
sume that the latter is also ideal. But what is quite decisive
in favour of the view now advocated is, that it alone enables
us to account for the feminine connection of the word Kohe-

CHAPTER VII. 23-29. 185
leth, which occurs nowhere else in the whole book Every
where else, the reference to the incarnation of the wisdom
which is from above in the person of Solomon gave rise to
the masculine connection ; here, however, a change is made
on account of the opposition in which wisdom is set to phUo-
sophy and wanton seduction. And finally there can be no
doubt that the woman here is identical with the (female)
" stranger," the " foreigner," who is introduced in Proverbs as
the dangerous foe of true wisdom : this can be the less ques
tioned, since, as has been already shown, Koheleth refers
back to Proverbs. But now there are strong grounds for
thinking that the woman of the Proverbs is the personifica
tion of heathenish folly, putting on the airs of wisdom and
penetrating into the territory of the Israelites : she is no
other than the <piXogo<pia and xivri d-xdrn of Colossians H. 8, and
the ^evdwvvpog yvugig of 1 Timothy vi. 20, which renewed its
old attempts at invasion in the very first beginnings of the
Christian Church. The key to Proverbs ii. 16, 17: " to de
liver thee from the strange woman, the foreigner which
maketh smooth her words ; which forsaketh the friend of her
youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God," — is Jeremiah
hi. 4, 20, according to which the friend of youth is no other
than the Lord. This Gentile wisdom, so far as it found dis
ciples amongst the people of God, was chargeable with forget
ting the Lord. In Proverbs v., the evil woman must needs
be regarded as an ideal person because of the opposition in
which she is set to the good woman, Wisdom. Chr. B.
MichseHs remarks : I. dehortatur a falsi nominis sapientia
s. potius fiupia sub schemate mulieris adulteras, ver. 1-14;
II. Commendat veram sapientiam sub schemate castas dulcis-
simseque conjugis, ver. 15-23. In fact, verses 15 and 16
there — " drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running
waters out of thine own weU. Let thy fountains be dispersed
abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets," — are without
meaning on the literal view of them. Bertheau, who adopts
the literal view, finds himself in such perplexity that he
wishes to alter the text and interpolate a negation — "let
them not flow abroad." The cistern, the fountain, is the
native IsraeUtish wisdom. Out of that one ought to draw
Hving waters and communicate thereof to the heathen world,

186 CHAPTER VII. 23-29.
but not busy oneself with their wisdom which, more closely
inquired into, is folly. Further, if wisdom in chap, vii 4, 5,
— " say unto wisdom, thou art my sister, and call understand
ing thine acquaintance. That she may protect thee from the
strange woman, the foreigner, who useth flattering words," —
is an ideal person, her opponent must be so also. In the 9th
chapter again the evU woman is put in contrast with wisdom-
See Ch.B. MichaeHs, who says, " Partes cap. duse sunt. Describi-
tur enim I. sapientia, missis circumquaque famuhs ad epulas
a se paratas invitans, ver. 1-12. II. Opposita muHer stultitiae
suas e contrario delicias commendans et offerens, ver. 13-18."
The explanation is in fact plainly given in the words of ver.
13 — "there is a woman of foUy, clamorous, who is simple
and knows nothing." The woman is personified wisdom.
Last of aU, in Proverbs xxii. 1 4, we read — " the mouth of the
foreigner is a deep pit : he that is abhorred of the Lord
falleth therein." That the writer treats here of doctrines,
teachings, and that foreign doctrines, (seductions always came
from foreign countries, as may be seen in the example of
Israel in the desert, and then also in that of Solomon him
self) are personified as foreigners (female) is clear from the
mention of the mouth. Nahum iii. 4, presents an analogous
instance of such personification. There, Nineveh, the wielder
of the world's sceptre, is represented, on account of her arts
of deception, as a whore, who plunges the nations into ruin
by her seductions. That which is true of heathen politics, is
true also of heathen wisdom, of the phUosophy and hoUow
deceits of the world. To the woman here, corresponds in
Revelations ii. 20, "the woman Jesebel, which called herself
a prophetess to teach and seduce my servants to commit for
nication, and to eat things sacrificed to idols." Jesebel there,
is a symbohcal person, a personification of the erroneous doc
trines of the heathen. Against strange teachings and
heathenish wisdom, Koheleth warns his feUow-countrymen
also in chap. xii. 12. Numerous parallels to the words,
" more bitter than death," (Cartwright — " cujus nefariam con-
suetudinem vel morte redimere utile fuerit,") may be found
in Proverbs. See, for example, chap. vii. 26, 27, where it is
said of "the stranger," "she hath cast down many wounded,
and numerous are her slain. Her house are ways to hell,

CHAPTER VII. 23-29. 187
going down to the chambers of death :" and chap. ix. 1 8, " he
knoweth not that the dead are there, and that her guests are
in the depths of hell." It is simplest to take mb as an accu
sative — " which is nets and snares as to her heart (according to
her heart)." The wisdom of the world offers peculiarly strong
temptations im times when the world has the dominion ; as
may be seen in the example of the Maccabaean period.
Ver. 27. This found I, namely, that which has been set
forth in the previous part of the book (ver. 23). One for
one, which is as much as, ' " one by one, one after the
other," so that on each occasion he only undertook one
subject, and thoroughly investigated that. Compare inK'?
inK, " one after the other " (Isaiah xxvii. 1 2) and, tig xafoig
(John vHi. 9). In this way alone can anything be effected
in the struggle for knowledge. As the Berleburger Bible re
marks — " knowledge grows by slow degrees." Finding
thoughts : — in the later usage the infinitive with b is fre
quently employed to describe a condition, a state, in this
respect resembling the participle, (see Ewald, § 237 c. 280 d).
Ver. 28. The word -it£>N standing at the commencement
indicates that the searching and not finding refer to the
matter mentioned in the previous verse, namely, wisdom,
speculation. In regard to the word, see Ewald, § 181 b.
There is the same correspondence between the words, " my
soul still seeketh and I have not found it," and the words in
ver. 23, — "I said I will be wise and it was far from me:"
as between ver. 27 and the first part of ver. 23. Compare
further chap. viH. 1 7. Many a result has been arrived at, but
the fuU possession of wisdom has not been gained. How dif
ficult that is of attainment is proved by the fact that amongst
men only an extremely small number has succeeded, and
among women not a single one. The phrase, " one of a thou
sand," is borrowed from Job xxxui. 23. Ehhu says there
that a man who can enlighten his brother on God's ways, one
therefore who is in fuU possession of divine wisdom, is very
seldom to be found, is " one among a thousand." The select
few of this class consist of such men as Moses, David, Isaiah,
the same that the author of the Greek " Wisdom of Solomon,"
had in view, when in chap. ii. 27, he says of wisdom, xard
yivtdg tig ^/vydi ogiag /ura^aivovga, <pi\ovg ©ipZ xai ffpopijrag xaro>-

188 CHAPTER VIT. 23-29.
exivdfyi. Himself the author does not reckon amongst these
chosen few, without thereby giving up the claim to canonical
authority which he expressly makes at the close of the book
In connection with the declaration — " one woman have I not
found under all these," that is, amongst the possessors of
wisdom, the fact must be taken into consideration, that no
writing by a woman is to be found in the entire Old and New
Testaments. That which was vouchsafed only to the chosen
few amongst men, — and be it remarked that we do not here
Bpeak of that general participation in wisdom to which the
entire people of God, as " the wise nation," (Deuteronomy iv.
6,) was caUed, but of an independent, pioneering, and pro
ductive possession thereof, — we should not at all expect to be
conferred on woman, who is the " weaker vessel," (1 Peter Hi
7.) It Hes beyond the degree of woman, whose characteristic
is in. these respects predominantly receptive, not productive,
and whose real sphere of independent action is quite another.
Luther says — " Women are created by God for their own kind
of work, namely, for the management of the house, and the
bringing up of chUdren ; and each one of us accomplishes
that best to which God has created and called him. A
woman lays hold of a child better with her little finger than
a man with his two fists. Therefore let each one stick to the
work to which he has been called and appointed by God."
Nothing but a complete misapprehension, confounding the
woman here with the one inver. 26, when they have nothing
whatever to do with each other, could have given rise to such
explanations as that of Hitzig — " among a thousand men I
found an upright man, but not one good woman." "Upright
ness," in Hitzig's sense, is not once treated of in this entire
connection. What is discussed is wisdom, the fathoming of
the nature of things, of the depths of the Godhead. The
author only denies to women, what he does not attribute to
himself. But undoubtedly it is not his intention to renounce
all claim to the honour of being an " upright," " good" man.
Whoever has made himself acquainted with the general features
of the Scripture mode of viewing things wiU at once acknow
ledge that Hitzig's view is an impossible one. Luther observes,
" amongst the heathen there was a saying— -tria mala, mala
pessima, ignis, aqua, femina, that is, there can be nothing

CHAPTER VII. 23-29. 189
worse than what these three can do, to wit, fire, water, woman.
But these and many of the like sayings against the female
sex have been vomited forth by the devil out of pure hatred
and venom towards God and His work, meaning in this way
to. disgust every man with the married state, and with God's
word." The practical point of view has been well hit upon
and described by Cartwright, — " Quod fceminas admoneat, ut
modeste se gerant, et conscise imbecUHtatis suse caveant, ne
sibi et suo ingenio confidant, sed se suis quibus subsunt gu-
bernatoribus regendas et moderandas tradant, et ante omnia
Deum soUicite precentur, ut suse imbecUHtatis misertus viri-
bus Hlos accingat, quibus in officio contineantur."
Ver. 29. But whence does it arise that wisdom is so diffi
cult for man to reach ? The fault Hes not in God, but in man,
whose original nature has degenerated. God made man up
right : -it»» means " upright," (not " sincere," as Luther trans
lates,) and designates the normal state, the state which is in ade
quate correspondence with the divine standard. Were man stiU
in the condition in which he was created, wisdom would be easy
of approach to him, for the possession of wisdom is part of
the normal condition and character of man. But they sought
out 'many inventions, (arts.) patpn occurs only here and in 2
Chronicles xxvi. 15. There it is used of artfuUy devised war
machines :* and by way of explanation there is added 3eh
naOTO that is " devised by the meditative." The word desig
nates here, properly, that which is " thought out," " excogi
tated," "subtUty," not malas artes, such as, "intrigues,"
" machinations," as Hitzig would explain it. The question in
hand relates not to practice but theory, not to evil doing but
to perverse thinking. The word describes rather those so
often plausible and brilHant reasonings of the natural under
standing, which perplex the heart and lead away from the
wisdom that is from above, those speculations of a heart turned
away from God, which are perpetuaUy penetrating into the
Church from the world, those fitfiriXovg xevopwiag xui dvn6egeig
rftg ^iv8avvfj,ov yvwgsug, against which the Apostle utters his
warning in 1 Timothy vi. 20. Since the fall man has forgotten
* Gesenius, — " cf. ingeniuin, quod media latinitate ballistam pr. machinam
ingeniosefabrefactamnotat, unde dicebantingeniareurbem,i.e.)machinisoppug-
nare, ingeniosus, ingeniator, gall, ingenieur."

190 chapter vin. 1-8.
that he should in the first instance take up a receptive position,
in relation to the avtakv go<pia,&nd that such a position is the only
right one ; but instead of that, he goes hunting after his own
phantastic and high-flown thoughts. The only way of throwing
off this severe disease, and of escaping from the bonds of one's
own thoughts and imaginations, is to unlearn the serpent's
lesson — "ye shall be as God, knowing good and evU," — to
return to our dependence on God, to renounce aU self-acquired
knowledge, and, " leaving all our own fancies and conclusions
to sink in Lethe's stream," to accept the divine teachings
alone, according to our Lord's saying in Matthew xi. 25, —
" I thank thee, 0 Father, that thou hast hid these things from
the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes."

CHAPTER VIIL 1-8.
Here too again the point of departure is the mournful con
dition of the people of God. After an introductory eulogy
of wisdom, (ver. 1,) the author admonishes his fellow-country
men not to aUow themselves by any means to be diverted
from obeying their heavenly King, or to be seduced to evil
courses, seeing that their Lord is almighty both in action and
in punishment, (ver. 2-4.) If the people of God only continue
steadfast in obedience their sufferings will one day be removed
from them : men, however mighty they may seem, are far too
impotent to be able to hinder the course of the judgments
which God at His own appointed time decrees for the good
of His children, (ver. 5-8.)
Ver. 1. Who is as the wise man ? and who knoweth the
interpretation of things ? A man's wisdom maketh his face
to shine, and the harshness of his face is changed. Ver. 2.
I; observe the mouth of the king, and that because of the oath
of God. Ver. 3. Be not hasty to go out of his sight, stand
not in an evil thing, for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him.
Ver. 4. Because the word of the king is ruler, and who can
say to him, what doest thou ? Ver. 5. Whoso keepeth the
command shall experience no evil thing, and a wise heart
discerneth both time and judgment. Ver. 6. For every desire
of man has a time and right ; for the adversity of man is

CHAPTER VIII. 1-8. 191
heavy upon him. Ver. 7. For he knoweth not that which
shall be, for who can show to him how it will be 1 Ver. 8.
There is no man that hath power over the spirit, to retain the
spirit : neither hath he power over the day of death, amd there
is no discharge from that conflict, nor does wickedness deliver
him that hath it.
Ver. 1. As in chap. vii. 23-28, at the close of a series of
wise sayings, the author institutes a consideration of wisdom
itself, so also here, at the beginning of a new series of such
sayings, he extols the high importance of wisdom, in order to
prepare the spiritual ear for the reception of his utterances.
Who is as the wise man ? No one is equal to the wise man :
wisdom is the one precious pearl with which no possession on
earth can be compared (Job xxviH. 1 8 ; Matthew xHi. 45, 46.)
The ground of the importance of wisdom is assigned in the
words — and who knoweth ihe interpretation (1B>B the Hebrew
word, occurs only here ; elsewhere the Chaldee form "iB'S is
used, and that only in Daniel) of things ? lai, corresponds
to the expression, "that which is," employed in chap. vii. 24
to designate the object of wisdom. Wisdom leads us into the
nature, the essence of things, and thus furnishes a basis for
right practical conduct. J. D. MichaeHs says — "By the
solution of things, we are to understand nothing but the
explanation of aU that which is done in the world and of
the design thereof: the evUs of the world appear to us
like letters without meaning, unintelligible ; but as soon
as we consider their good results, their interpretation wUl
be plain, we shaU see why God permits them." The cross,
whose dark depths are iUuminated by wisdom, is no doubt,
according to what foUows, a special aspect of the gene
ral question which is here principally brought under con
sideration ; but J. D. MichaeHs has had it too dfrectly and
exclusively in view. The statement of the high advantages
of wisdom is continued in the words — a man's wisdom maketh
his face to shine. By the illumination of the face several
commentators understand " the instruction and good guidance
which wisdom confers on its possessor." That, however, is
against usage, according to which the iUumination of the
countenance can only signify "to cheer, to enliven." The
cognate phrase, " enlighten the eyes," means usuaUy " to make

192 chapter vin. 1-8.
brisk and cheerful :" misery and pain cause the eyes to be
dull, gloomy, languid. Compare Psalm xix. 9, where "en
lightening the eyes" is set in paraUeHsm with " rejoicing the
heart." To the cheering of the countenance has reference the
phrase ns TKn, used of God : God's face beams, is radiant, in
relation to those towards whom he is gracious. This expres
sion is not elsewhere employed of men ; yet in Proverbs xvi
1 5, it is said, " in the light of the king's countenance is life."
The reason of the joy afforded by wisdom may be found in
the insight it gives into the nature of things, specially, into
the providence of God ; and in the assurance and decision
with which, as a consequence, we can regard the practical
questions of life. And the strength of his countenance is
changed. According to usage, " the strength of the counte
nance," can only mean, " hard and rigid features," as the expres
sion of boldness and impudence. In Deuteronomy xxvhi. 50,
avis iy iu is " a bold and impudent people." In Daniel viii
23, a king a^S TJ? is a bold, impudent king. B^S fjjn or B^SS,
" to make the face strong," is used of " boldness, impudence,"
in Proverbs vH. 13 ; xxi. 29. Consequently, the rendering,
"rage, chagrin at the repugnant circumstances of life," must
be rejected as erroneous. Jerome has given substantially the
correct view — " Omnis hsereticus et falsum dogma defendens
impudenti vultu est." So also the Berleburger Bible which
says — " In order that the rigidness of his countenance, that is,
his savage unfriendly crabbed stubborn nature, his wrinkled
forehead and impudent face, may be changed ; that man may
be no longer so harsh, so difficult of approach, nor be, as
hitherto, refractory to human and divine commands. When,
through the transforming power of wisdom, a heart of flesh
has taken the place of the heart pf stone, the inward pliancy
and docUity, the soul's fear of God and his commands, which
then foUow, become discernible in the countenance."
Ver. 2. The simple "I" standing alone, is as much as, "I
counsel thee," or, " wUt thou Hsten to my advice, then." At
first sight the author seems here to be admonishing his fellow-
countrymen to obey the secular authorities, that is the heathen.
Even Jerome remarks, "videtur praecipere juxta apostolum
regibus et potestatibus obsequium ;" but rightly adds, " this
explanation is however to be rejected." Against this explana-

chapter viii. 1-8. 193
tion there is at the very outset one objection, namely, that
scarcely a passage is to be found in the Old Testament where
obedience to the heathen tyrants is represented as a rehgious
duty. Jeremiah xxix. 7, is not to be reckoned amongst them.
Romans xhi was written at the time of the dominion of the
Romans, and therefore in essentially different circumstances.
What the Apostle says there of the authorities, as the guardians
of law and right, is inapplicable to oriental monarchies, as is
satisfactorily enough proved b}' this very book. The char
acteristic which distinguished the Romans from other heathen
nations, namely, their sense of justice, is prominently referred
to in 1 Maccabees viii. The king here, for whom obedience
is claimed is rather the Eeavenly one, as in chap. v. 8 : com
pare also Psalm xx. 10 ; v. 3 ; x. 16. The author intention-
aUy abstains from saying expressly that he means the heavenly
king. Wisdom loves to speak in " dark sayingSj" (Proverbs i.
6). It pursues its aim of sharpening the inteUect even at the
risk of misunderstanding. But prudence also rendered it
advisable not to express himself here more clearly. The
mouth being the organ of speech, it stands here for the words
which proceed from it (compare chap. x. 13). "iOB> is the
standing term employed to denote the observance of the com
mands of God : compare nixo "lOE* in ver. 5. There is a dif
ference between the words here and the phrases usuaUy em
ployed in relation to the heavenly king, e. g., nini ifi 131? (Num.
xiv. 41, and elsewhere), and ninnanK mo (Numbers xx. 24,
and frequently besides). And (indeed) because of the oath to
God. A person's oath is, in aU cases, either that which he
makes (Psalm cv. 9 ; 1 Chronicles xvi. 16), or which is made
to him (Habakkuk iii. 9, where " oaths of the tribes," are oaths
which were made to the tribes, promises of God to Israel con
firmed by oath, Genesis xxiv. 8 ; Joshua ii. 17, 20 ; 1 Kings
H. 43), which therefore belongs to him, either as giver or re
ceiver. Accordingly, in this place, " the oath of God" can only
be the oath which is made to God, and the explanation, " the
oath by God," must therefore be rejected. But this does not
prevent the words being referred also to earthly authorities.
For in fact every oath by God must be looked upon as an
oath made to God : — one swears to God, to perform this or
that thing to this or that man. Compare Exodus xxii 1 0 —
N

1.94 CHAPTER VIII. 1-8.
" the oath of the Lord shall be between them both :" — and 2
Samuel xxi. 7 ; 1 Kings ii. 43. The subject-matter in hand,
however, forbids us referring the words to such an oath of
aUegiance : we can only think of the oath which bound the
people of God to obedience to their heavenly King. Nebu
chadnezzar, it is true, made Zedekiah take an oath of faithful
ness to himself (2 Chronicles xxxvi. 1 3) : but there is nowhere
to be found the slightest trace of an oath taken by the nation
to its heathen tyrants. To their heavenly King, on the con
trary, the Israehtes stood notoriously pledged by sacred cove
nant and oath to obey His laws and commands. In Deuter
onomy xxix. 12-1 5, it is said, "thou shalt enter into the cove
nant of the Lord thy God, and into his oath, which the Lord
thy God maketh with thee this day. — Neither with you only
do I make this covenant and this oath : but both with those
who are here this day, and also with those who are not here."
Ezekiel says, in chap. xvi. 5 0, to Judah — " I wUl deal with
thee even as thou hast done, which despiseth the oath and
breakest the covenant," on which Michaelis remarks, " quo te
devovisti paciscens cum deo." It is of special importance, how
ever, to compare a passage which refers to the same period as
the one now under notice, and is remarkably aUied therewith,
namely Nehemiah x. 30, where it is said of the people, "they
entered into an oath and curse to walk in God's law, which
was given by the hand of Moses, the servant of God, and to
observe (lOB*1?) and do all the commandments (niSO, compare
ver. 5) of the Lord our God, and his judgments and his
statutes." Ver. 3. Be not hasty to go out of his sight; compare
Genesis iv. 16, " and Cain went out from the presence of the
Lord ;" Jonah i 3, " and Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish
from the presence of the Lord ;" and Hosea xi. 2, where ijSD
i?n is used of apostacy from the Hving God (John vi. 66).
When severe suffering befalls a man he is tempted to turn
away from God : compare Job H. 9, " then said his wife unto
him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity ? Bless God and
die." Job answers thereto — " As one of the fooHsh women
speakest thou. Do we take good at the hand of God, and
shall we not receive the evU ?" " In aU this," we read, " Job
sinned not," although his circumstances rendered him exceed-

CHAPTER VIII. 1-8. 195
ingly Hable to sin." In chap, xxxvi. 1 3, Ehhu speaks of the
" impious, who heap up wrath," when God binds them, that
is, when He visits them with heavy sufferings. "Their
soul," says he, " dies in youth, and their life is among the
degraded." Psalm xxxvii. 1, admonishes us not to "fret our
selves because of evil-doers," and warns us against being
seduced into apostacy from the Hving God, and into wicked
courses, by the sight of the prosperity of, the wicked and of
the power which they wield. " 0 man, though thy cross
press thee without end, though thy sufferings be ever so
severe, become not a rebel against God :" thus would the
writer address the covenanted people groaning beneath the
hard yoke of the heathen world. Stand not im an evil thing.
Several commentators explain, "remain not therein." But
" remain " does not suit 'the connection. The idea evidently
is, that we should not allow ourselves to be seduced by
suffering into the paths of sin, into despair of God, into infrac
tions of his sacred ordainments, and endeavours to work out
our own deliverance in our strength and way : compare
Psalm xxxvii. 8 — " cease from anger and forsake wrath, fret
not thyself in any wise to do evil :" on which J. Arnd re
marks — " many of them do evil things in wrath, revenge,
and impatience, of which they repent in eternity." nay must
consequently be understood here as in Psalm i. 1 — "Stand
not in the way of sinners :" sin is represented as an evil spot
on which we should not take our post. For he doeth what
soever pleaseth him : into a worse situation it is impossible
to be betrayed, than to make omnipotence, in the person of
God, our enemy, as we inevitably do when we suffer our
selves to be earned away, by impatience, to evil things, in
stead of foUowing the counsel, "Be sUent to the Lord, and
wait patiently for Mm." Referred to an earthly king, no
satisfactory explanation can be given of this verse. How
Httle even the very first words suit such an appHcation is
evident from the frequent attempts which have been made to
alter their sense, as, for example, by Knobel : " Be not hasty
to revolt from him." Very few persons indeed ever got to
see the face of an eastern king, and when they did, to go
away or to remain, lay not in their choice. " Apud Persas,"
says Justinus i. 9, "persona regis sub specie majestatis occur

196 CHAPTER VIII. 1-8.
Htur ; Xenophon says in his AgesU. ix. 1, o piv iispgng rCj>
evavioig opdgkii igtpvvviro ; according to Aristotle, " de Mundo,"
the Persian monarch was nravri doparog, — compare Esther iv.
11 — and on this passage, Baumgarten, "de fide hist, libri
Estherse," 82. Moreover, an Israehte cannot say of an earthly
monarch — "he doeth whatsoever it pleaseth him." It would
be a denial of God on high. Nebuchadnezzar, it is true, says
to Daniel's three companions — " Let us see who that God is
that shall dehver you out of mine hand " (Daniel iH. 1 5) :
but they answer, • " Behold, the God whom we honour is able
to deHver us from the burning fiery furnace, and out of thine
hand, 0 king, wiU he deliver us." Overwhelmed by facts
Nebuchadnezzar himself was forced to say of Jehovah — " his
dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from
generation to generation," (Daniel iv. 34).
Ver. 4. Because the word of the king is ruler, peats' is
used to denote " ruler " in the Chaldee portion of Daniel : see
chap. Hi. 2, 3, " all the rulers of the provinces." The rank
which they vindicate to themselves belongs, truly regarded, to
the word of God. jio'?B' must be regarded here and in ver. 8 as
introduced, with the marks of quotation. It is employed
ironically. And who can say to him, what doest thou ?
S. Schmidt remarks on Job ix. 1 2 — '"est interrogatio in jus
vocantis v. auctoritate superiore prohibentis. Describitur
enim hie summum dei imperium et independentia a superiore."
Knobel is compelled to observe, " The formula which consti
tutes the second clause is never used except to glorify the divine
power." Compare Job ix. 1 2, " Behold he robbeth, and who
shaU drive him back, who shaU say unto him, What doest
thou?" and chap. xxiH. 13, "and he is one, and who shaU
drive him back ; and what his soul desireth, even that he
doeth." See also the " Book of Wisdom " xii. 1 2, rig yd? IpiT n
inroirigag \ rig dvngrfjgsrui roj xgi/uan gov ; Isaiah xiv. 9 ; Jonah
i 14.
Ver. 5. Whoso keepeth the command, that is, as much as,
"whoso standeth not in an evU thing," (ver. 3). nixo is to
be taken as a kind of nomen proprium, signifying, the com
mand absolutely, the divine command ; compare nivo "lots', used'
n 1 Kings xi. 34, of the observance of the divine commands.
Shall experience no evil thing :. whoso avoids the evU of

CHAPTER VIII. 1-8. 197
guilt, shaU be spared the evil of punishment. Knobel's
explanation jni " to know," " to make the acquaintance," $n
131, " of moral culpability," does not suit the second clause.
He may fall into great sufferings, as the pious in Israel were
now compeUed to experience, — by way of consolation for the
bearers of the cross are the words spoken — but only into such
sufferings as are blessings, when more carefuUy examined, and
asshaU have a joyous termination : compare Romans vHi 28,
o'ida/Jiiv Bi, Sfi rpig dyamotSi r&v &tbv, irdvra gvvtpyttiig dyaSov. And
a wise heart discerneth both time and judgment. According
to chap. Hi. 1, " the time " can only be the time of the inter
ference of God. " Judgment" consequently must refer to God's
exercise of judgment and right. Time and judgment taken
together, signify that God wiU judge at his own time. The
meaning of the entire verse is as foUows : As certainly as
God in his own time shall judge righteously — a thing which
is known to the wise heart — so certain is it, that those who
hold God's commands, and therefore have God on their side,
cannot be reaUy and lastingly unhappy*
Ver. 6. For to every desire — (of wise and beheving hearts
after the establishment of the Kingdom of God,) — there is
time and right, because the adversity of man is heavy upon
him. Behind man lies concealed the monarch of the world.
The ground whereof is, that the means of human chastisement-
in God's hand are very powerful, 31 "great," see on chap. vi. 1.
With aU his power man is stiU not independent, but subj ect to the
heavy blows of fate. Men therefore can oppose no resistance
when God proceeds to exercise judgment for the good of His
people. Ver. 7. For he Imoweth not that which shall be : before one
who does not know that, we should not be afraid ; to his
temporary prosperity we should attach Httle importance.
To-morrow it may be aU over with him, however glorious and
briUiant is his appearance to-day. If we only have God on
our side, we may be calm and contented even in the midst of
oppression. Ver. 8. There is no man that hath power over the spirit,
* Gousset, "seit judicium postea venturum certum et inevitabile et ideo
patiens est, si injuste a magistratu tractatur, v. si interea, duln summi regie
inandata servat, aliquid adversi ei contingat."

198 CHAPTER VIII. 1-8.
to retain the spirit. In this point also the monarch of the
world lies hidden behind man. When the hour of death ap
pointed by God comes, he must away. In Psalm cxlvi., which
was composed during the time of the Persian dominion, it is
said, (ver. 3, 4,) " Put not your trust," (the Psalmist is ad
dressing the world, the great nation,) " in princes, in the son
of man, in whom is no help. When his breath goeth forth he
returneth to his earth : in that very day his thoughts perish."
Jerome writes — " non est ergo lugendum, si ssepe
ab iniquis potentioribus opprimamur, quum morte omnia
finiantur, et superbus et potens qui cuncta populatus est, non
valeat animam suam retinere quum rapitur." And there is no
discharge in the conflict, which God carries on with man.
When God has once begun the strife with any one, He does
not let him free, He does not desist, until He has brought him
to ruin. Illustrative of these words is the example of Pharaoh.
The discharge does not refer so much to the imprisonment,
as to the strife, the conflict itself: compare Genesis xxxii. 27,
where one of the wrestlers addresses to the other the word
vnbw, " let me go." Wickedness delivereth not him that hath
it, notwithstanding that it puts powerful and apparently irre^
sistible means at his disposal. They have only importance
until God's time and judgment draw nigh. The Berleburger
Bible remarks, " he wUl not succeed in freeing himself in this
matter, as he succeeded in freeing himself from God's law."

CHAPTER VIII. 9-13.
Here also again the author finds the occasion for his utter
ances in the sufferings of the people of God, in the tyranny
with which they were burdened. The consolation, which is
offered under a twofold head, (ver. 9 and 1 0, and ver. 11-1 3,)
is the following — " Look to the end, (Psalm Ixxiii. 1 7,) in good
time God's judgment wiU overthrow the wicked, and exalt the
righteous." Ver. 9. All this saw I, in that I applied my heart to every
history that takes place under the sun : there is a time when-
man ruleth over men to their misfortune. Ver. 10. And
then saw I the wicked buried, and they came, and from the

CHAPTER VIII. 9-1 3. 199
place of the holy, they went forth. And they were forgotten
in the city, who had thus done. This also is vanity. Ver.
11. Because a sentence is not pronounced, the work of wicked
ness hasteneth : therefore the heart of the sons of men is
fully set in them to do evil. Ver. 1 2. Let a sinner do evil
an hundred times and long endure ! Yet surely I know that
it shall be well with men that fear God, which fear before
him. Ver. 13. But it shall not be well with the wicked,
neither like the shadow shall he long endure, which feareth
not before God.
Ver. 9. All this, that is, aU that can be classed under the
same head as that which is specially mentioned immediately
after, and which can be represented thereby ; — facts namely,
which, when superficially examined may easUy prove a stumb-
Hng block in the way of faith (compare chap. vii. 15.)
Jerome says — " Dedi inquit cor meum, ut omne quod sub
sole geritur intuerer, et hoc vel maxime, quod homo accepit in
hominem potestatem, ut quoscunque vult affligat atque
condemnet." The suffix in i^> refers of course to the second
mentioned man. The present verse sets forth the stumbling
block : the foUowing verse shows how it is to be removed.
That a hint concerning the latter cannot be contained in the
present verse is clear from the word p3 in ver. 10, alone.
Ver. 10. And then saw I the wicked buried. TPKn serves
here, as in ver. 9, to render the description more vivid and
palpable. It is to be noted that Solomon here speaks, and
not the author. They are experiences like those which are
alluded to by Asaph in Psalm Ixiii, such as took their rise
'from the conflict between evU and good which raged in the
midst of the covenant people itself. In the background how
ever stands the thought: thus will the Persian Empire
also one day be borne to the grave. '33 " under such circum
stances," or since things are thus situated: as a Hebrew
word it occurs, besides here, only in Esther iv. 1 6. Not to
be buried, is frequently represented as a punishment of the
godless : compare on chap. vi. 3. The untimely comparison
of these two passages has led many commentators into the
error of supposing that burial, which, on their own authority
they have here converted into an honourable one, (Cartwright,
for example, who says, " sepulturam, et Ulam quidem amplam

200 , CHAPTER VIII. 9-13.
et dignitatis plenam consequi, in benedictione dei jure numer-
atur,") is represented as an advantage enjoyed by the wicked.
But the wicked condemned by God are buried in Ezekiel
xxxii. 23-24, xxxix. 11,. also : so too the godless rich man of
the Gospels, (Luke xvi. 22.) And they came. Whither, may
be learnt from the preceding Di"iap; namely, into the grave:
and thus an end is put to all their prosperity, their wealth
and their efforts to injure the righteous. And from the
place of the holy went they forth, la^ni forms the contrast to
1K3- They come into the grave and are thus removed from the
place where their presence gave such offence. Worthy of note
is it that aipo stands in the stat. constr. It is not said, " from
the holy place," but, " from the place of the holy," that is, the
place to which the holy belong: " the holy" must here be re
garded as ideal persons. They must leave the place in which
their existence and presence is something abnormal. The
Holy are the true members of the Church of the Lord, (com
pare the remarks in my Christology on Isaiah iv. 3.) Paral
lel is Isaiah Hi. 1 , " put on thy festival garments, 0 Jerusalem;
thou holy city, for henceforth there shall no more come into
thee the uncircumcised and the unclean : " and chap. xlix. 1 7,
" thy destroyers and those that laid thee waste shaU go forth
of thee." And they were forgotten im the city, who had
thus done. Compare Proverbs x. 7, "the memory of the just
is blessed, but the name of the wicked shall rot :" also Psalm
Ixxiii 19, 20, "how are they brought to desolation in a
moment, they are utterly consumed with terrors. As a dream,
when one awaketh, so dost thou in the city despise their
image." Many commentators have been led into an entirely
mistaken view of the whole verse by the translation — " who
have done justice," or, "who have rightly acted." It may ¦
stUl be fairly doubted whether p ever, as a neuter, signifies
" rectum," and adverbially, " recte." In most of the passages
adduced in favour of this rendering, the common and there
fore the simplest meaning " thus," is plainly the most suitable.
Even in the two which seem most in its favour, namely in
Numbers xxxvi. 5 ; xxvii. 7, the translation " thus," — " thus
speak they of the tribe of Joseph : thus speak the daughters,
etc." — is rendered probable by a comparison of Matthew xxvi
25, and John xviH. 37. When any one who is solicited for

CHAPTER VIII. 9-1 3. 201
a decision, speaks of the petition as reported or as being
inquired into, consent is implied. Here, however, in any
case must p be taken in its usual meaning on account of
the unmistakable reference to the foregoing p3. This also
is vanity, to wit, that man should rule over man to his
misfortune, — the doings of tyrants. It is vanity because
of the sudden catastrophe which befals it, — vanity because it
suddenly comes to nought and ends in horror. In regard to
the prosperity of the wicked, of the heathen tyrants, it is said
also in chap. vii. 6, "this also is vanity." The Berleburger
Bible says, " 0 how foohsh are men not to prove and judge
such things more wisely, not to see how vainly they act !"
Faith receives here as in Psalm Ixxiii the victory, in that by
the grace of God it discerns that the prosperity of the wicked
as weU as the sufferings of the righteous are only transitory.
Ver. 11. Because a sentence is not pronounced — that is,
because the heavenly edict is delayed — the work of wickedness
hasteneth : that is, because they go unpunished the wicked
are confirmed in their wickedness : compare Isaiah xxvi. 1 0,
" Let favour be showed to the wicked yet wUl he not learn
righteousness. On the earth, where one should do right, he
commits iniquity." Bins, signifying " word" in general, and
then speciaUy " mandate, edict," is probably of Persian origin,
and it seems to have been used, as it were technically, for the
edicts of the Persian kings : compare Esther i 20 ; Ezra iv.
17; vi. 1 1 ; Daniel iii. 1 6. The only passage where the word
elsewhere occurs in Hebrew is the one in Esther just quoted :
otherwise it is only found in the Chaldee of. Daniel and Ezra
Here, as also in Daniel iv. 1 4, it is then transferred to the
decrees of heaven. We must consider it as introduced with
signs of quotation. BJns occurs in connection with ne>J* in
Esther i. 20 also: "the edict of the king which he makes."
Since ]ik means " it is not," nK>s?:j can only be a participle.
Bins is here therefore treated as a feminine. The explanation —
" the judgment on the work of wickedness," — is contrary to
the accents : besides ajns is never elsewhere employed with
the genitive of the object, and it is questionable whether it
can be so employed, mno is properly a noun, signifying
"haste :" it is so used in chap iv. 12 : see too Psalm cxlvii.
1 5, mnoa " Hi haste." It is best to take it in this sense here

202 CHAPTER VIII.' 9-1 3.
also — " Haste," for, " hasty." The adverb " hastily," miglit
very fitly take the place of the adjective : see Ewald, § 296 d.
Therefore the heart of ihe sons of men is fully set in them to
do evil, in that they are purposed to drive out violence with
violence, and, faUing into error concerning God, seek to secure
prosperity for themselves, by the same means as the fortunate
wicked. The "chUdren of men" are those who suffer at the
hands of prosperous wickedness, with special reference to Israel
as oppressed by tne fortunate powers of this world. How the
wicked are confirmed in their wickedness by their prosperity,
and how the suffering are thereby tempted to apostatize from
God, is vividly and to the life described in Psalm Ixxiii. The
"heart becomes fuU" of evil inclinations, so fuU that they
violently break forth in deeds of wickedness : compare the
remarkably similar passage in Esther vii. 5 : then also
Acts v. 3.
Ver. 1 2. The author does not however let himself be de
ceived by that which is now visible. We may have to wait
for God's righteous decision, but in its own time it wiU cer
tainly come, ib'k, " (be it) that," which is as much as to say,
" May it, let it, even" (be). A cognate use of the word is
found in. Leviticus iv. 22 ; Deuteronomy xi. 27 ; xviii. 22,
where -ib>k, signifies, " (supposing) that." To nKO, must BiOJ?S
be supphed. For remarks on "pixn compare chap. vii. 15.
lb is the dat comm. The word 13 assigns the reason why the
writer does not grudge the wicked his prosperity.
Ver. 1 3. Inasmuch as long duration is a relative idea, the
long duration previously attributed to the wicked does not
contradict the assertion made here, that he will not endure
long. Of the Persian Empire, which the author has here pri
marily in view, both assertions held at the same time good, —
it lasted long, and yet it lasted a short time. All depends on
the standard apphed. As the shadow : fleeting, transitory as
the shadow which vanishes with the setting sun, and leaves
not a trace behind (compare Psalm cxHv. 4 ; Book of Wis
dom, H. 5.)

CHAPTER VIII. 1 4-1 7. 203

CHAPTER VIII. 14-17,

The sufferings of the people of God constitute still the point
of departure, as in verses 1-8 and in verses 9-13. Instead of
racking our brains over their fate, we should rejoice at the
good gifts of God which remain. Speculation and questioning
conduct to no result, for the divine counsels are incomprehen
sible by man.
Ver. 1 4. There is a vanity which is done upon earth, that
there be just men to whom it happeneth according to the work of
ihe wicked, and that there be wicked men to whom it happeneth
according to the work of the righteous : I said that this also
is vanity. Ver. 15. And I commended mirth, that nothing
is better for man under the sun than to eat, and to drink,
and to be merry, and that abides with him m his labour
through the days of his life, which God giveth him under ihe
sun. Ver. 16. When I applied my heart to know wisdom,
and to see the travail which takes place on the earth, that
neither day nor night doth he see sleep with his eyes. Ver.
17. So I beheld the whole work of God, that man cannot find
out the work that is done under the sun, for the sake of which
man labours to seek it out, and findeth it not; yea, further,
though a wise man should think to know it, he cannot find it.
Ver. 1 4. That the lots of the righteous and the wicked are
not seldom mixed up with each other, is a vanity, and is in
tended to be a vanity. Taking man to be what he now actu
ally is, these things go to constitute the best world we can
conceive ; and Elster's remark, that " facts cannot fail to make
a bitter and gloomy impression," holds good only of the natu
ral man in the believer : the spiritual man judges quite dif
ferently. Righteousness would too soon disappear if its re
ward were bestowed on it immediately, and, as it were, piece
by piece. Godhness perishes as soon as it becomes a matter
of trade : it is not meant that the righteous should find their
satisfaction in an open and manifest recompence. If there
existed nem righteous as they should be, righteous throughout,
of one piece, then the experience here set forth would of course
be suspicious. But as things actually are, whUst sin dwells

204 CHAPTER VIII. 14-17.
even in the righteous, so long as they need to be punished and
guarded, so long as they wander too readily from the right
path, and especiaUy, so long as they are prone to serve God
for hire, the facts under consideration offer no difficulty to
those who stand really in righteousness. They may be and
are not seldom fiercely perplexed and harassed thereby, but
that is all. Really meant complaints at such experiences
proceed only from such as, without authority or right, reckon
themselves among the righteous ; — as may be clearly seen in
Malachi. Without doubt, however, as is proved by a consi
derable number of declarations even from this book, the re
semblance between the fate of the righteous and that of the
wicked, is but an external and partial one. All things must
finaUy work together for the good of those who love God :
the end will separate the righteous from the wicked. / said
that this also is vanity; " this also" — this doubtful condition
of the pious and the ungodly. Vanity, that is, it is to be
counted as part of the misery and wretchedness of this Hfe, to
which even believers are subject and with which they must
put up. He is, of course, a poor fool, who devotes himself to
righteousness in order to become rich and honoured, in order
to lose none of his family or friends, and so forth.
Ver. 1 5. This mirth, is the cheerful enjoyment of those
gifts of God which do not fail us even in circumstances of
need, and is put in contrast to the habit of looking out for an
open and splendid reward of righteousness — the consequence
of the non-bestowal of which is gloomy discontent. Jewish
speculators in righteousness thought that they must at once
rule the heathen with a sceptre of iron ; and when they found
that the exact contrary was the case, they hung their heads,
refused to find anything more to their Hking, and grew dis
satisfied with God and the world. The "mirth" spoken of
here is quite consistent with the deep earnestness in life re
commended by Koheleth in chap. vii. Iff It is a joy which
is the direct outflow of a piety that thankfuUy accepts what
God gives, and refuses to be disturbed in its enjoyment thereof
by unfounded pretensions. The Berleburger Bible remarks —
" Mirth, that is, a godly joyfulness and cheerfulness of heart ;
in that, namely, the righteous, when he has anything to en
dure amidst the vanities of the world, which are universal,

CHAPTER VIII. 14-17. 205
and are saddled on aU aHke, maintains and displays by faith
in God a spirit calm and free from cares ; and in aU the divine
arrangements proves himself prompt and Hvely. That he
should eat and drink and be merry, that is, that he calmly
and with fitting cheerfulness enjoy what God bestows on him.
This had been already said in chap. H. 24; iii. 12, 22 ; it is
here again repeated, and not without reason, but to serve an
other purpose, namely, as an answer to the objection just
urged." Ver. 16. The travail here mentioned is that into which
those faU who seek to fathom, and rack their brains about, the
ways of God : wherein those are usually the most zealous
who are endowed with least capacity to answer the questions
raised. The problem is in itself an exceedingly difficult one,
but the solution becames enormously more difficult when at
tempted by those who lack knowledge of the depths of human
sinfulness. And this was a characteristic fault of the author's
age : hence was there so much murmuring and racking of
brains. The author turns his heart to know wisdom, and (in
spirit) to see (in the light of wisdom) the travail, py can
only mean " travaU," " torment," not " business," as may be
seen on comparing chap. ii. 26, and especiaUy chap. Hi. 10.
What " travail " is meant, we are informed in the words —
" that he does not see ;" namely, that man, who is spoken of
both before and afterwards, is unable to fathom the divine
counsels in the distribution of fates, even though he apply
himself earnestly to the work. Knobel explains quite in
correctly — ¦" man who is restlessly busy, and through sheer
activity gets no sleep."
Ver. 1 7. The " travaU " proves itself to be useless. We
walk by faith and not by sight, and blessed are they that see
not and yet believe. Therefore should we leave off worrying
our minds. Blessed is the man who takes without question
ing what God sends him, in the firm confidence that, how
ever perverted it may appear, it is the right thing, and that
aU things must work together for the good of those who love
God. Jerome says — "Subostendet tamen esse causas rerum
omnium et justitiam, quare unumquodque sic fiat: sed in
occulto eas latere et non posse ab hominibus comprehendi :"
and Cartwright, " si enim opera, quae fecit Salomo, sapientem

206 CHAPTER IX. 1-10.
reginam Sabse in admirationem ita abripiunt ut non esset
amphus in Ula spiritus, quanto magis opera dei, omnem nos-
tram inteUigentiam superantia, nos in admirationem ejus ad-
ducant? Ut enim quisque est, ita sunt ejus opera.'' Then
saw I the whole work of God : in what aspect he sees it and
knows it, to wit, in respect of its unsearchableness, we are
informed by the words — that man cannot find, etc. In the
Berleburger Bible we read — " 0 ye , poor blind men, who
think by your phUosophy to fathom the grounds of the divine
leadings, ye are justly cheated ! Ye disapprove of aU that
are beyond human comprehension, when ye ought rather to
confess that the higher they transcend your conceptions, so
much the diviner are they. The more pains you take to
fathom the secrets of wisdom by your reflection, the farther
are you from reaching your aim. Of the possession of true
wisdom the best sign is when a man is assured that he cannot
comprehend the mysteries of the divine dealings with souls."

CHAPTER IX. 1-10.
This section faUs into two parts, the temptation which
assails (verses 1-6), and the alleviation and comfort, (xal ex6-
•iragev o avepuog, xal iyinro yakfivrj fiiydXri Mark iv. 39), (ver. 7-1 0).
The temptation, in regard to which the author appears as
the representative of the tone of mind then prevaUing amongst
the people, takes its rise in the same fact as that which was
considered in the foregoing section, namely, in the sufferings
of the people of God. I Since God looks calmly on whilst the
wicked swaUows up hihTwho is more righteous than himseK
(Habakkuk i 1 3), it seems as if there were no retribution to
be found on earth, as if the righteous were deprived of
their reward (verses 1-3) : furthermore, the gloom and sad
ness which must take possession of the soul in consequence
of such thoughts are deepened by the prospect of that which
awaits us after this Hfe (verses 4-6). Against such dark
discontent, however, the spirit raises its voice in verses 7-10,
and answers that God has pleasure in the works of his people/
and that in good time the now failing retribution wiU comej
In view of the glorious future the eye should be turned away

\
CHAPTER IX. 1-10. 207
from the gloomy present, and we should be joyful through
hope. Above all, should we not give ourselves up to a de
spairing inactivity, but caU forth aU our powers to fulfil the
task which is set us for the present Hfe.
Ver. 1. For all this I .took to heart and (indeed) thereby
I fathomed all this — that the righteous and the wise, and
their works, are im the hand of God ; neither love nor hatred
doth man knovj, all things are before them. Ver. 2. All
things as to all : one event to the righteous and to the wicked;
to the good and to the clean and to the unclean ; to him tliat
sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not : as the sinner, so
the good : he that sweareth is as he that feareth an oath.
Ver. 3. That is evil among all things that are done under
the sun, that there is one event to all : yea also the heart of
the sons of men is full of evil, and folly is in their heart
while they live, and after iliat (they go) to ihe dead. Ver. 4.
For who is preferred ? In all the living one may trust, for
a living dog is better than a dead lion. Ver. 5. For the
U/ving know that they shall die, and the dead know nothmg
at all : neither have they any more a reward, for the memory
of 'them is forgotten. Ver. 6. Their love and also their
hatred and their envy is vanished : neither have they any
more for ever a portion im anything that is done under the
sun. Ver. 7. Go thy way, eat thy bread in joy and drimk
thy wine with a good heart ; for God hath pleasure im thy
works. Ver. 8. Let thy garments be always white, and let thy
head lack no ointment. Ver. 9. Look upon life with the wife
whom thou lovest, all the days of thy vain life, which he
giveth thee under the sun : all the days of thy vain life, for
that is thy portion in life, and in thy labour which thou
takest under the sum. Ver. 10. All that thy hand findeth to
do by thy power, do, for there is no work nor device, nor
knowledge, nor vAsdom in the hell whither thou, goest.
Ver. 1. The word " for" points to the connection between
this discussion and that of chap. vHi 1 4-17. A further con
firmation is here set forth of the result there arrived at, to
wit, of the unsearchableness of the ways of God. The righteous
and the wise are in the hand of God, in His power, so that He
does with them what He will. No one, by his own intentions
and his own acts can determine his fate. That acts are not

208 CHAPTER IX. 1-10.
spoken of here, in themselves, as acts, as if we were compeUed,
without any exercise of wUl, to do what God pleases ; but
with regard to their results, in so far that ihe saddest fate
may follow on the best deed, is clear from the whole context,
in which only what befaUs man, not what man does, is con
sidered. Ver. 2 especiaUy, which may serve as a commentary
to the present one, proves this. For the same reason what is
said of love and hatred cannot be referred to human affections,
— as Hitzig does when he writes, " Inasmuch as man has not
his acts in his own power, he does not know whether he wiU
love or hate," — but only to the good and evU providential
arrangements in which God's love and hatred seem to embody
themselves. J. D. Michaelis justly observes, " In this world
we cannot teU by the events of Hfe whether God loves us or
hates us, because to the righteous it happens as to the un
righteous ; nor can we even know whether God means to show
us love by sending prosperity, or hatred by sending adversity."
In all the last sections the historical occasion of the Author's
words was the miserable fate of the people of God at the
time of his writing, We read in Malachi i. 2, — " I love you,
saith the Lord, yet ye say, wherein dost thou love us?"
" God loves us not, although we are worthy of His love," —
that is the reproach against God, which the Prophet exposes
at the very beginning ; and which we may therefore judge to
have been a kind of watchword at the time. The translation
of the Vulgate — " nescit homo, utrum amore an odio dignus
sit," has quite missed the right sense. Complaints were raised
that he who was worthy of the divine love did not experience
it in God's leadings. Man, that is, in accordance with what
precedes, more precisely, "the wise and righteous man:" a
similar usage is found in Psalm xxxvi. 8, where the connection
shows that by the children of men, we are to understand, the
citizens of the kingdom of God. A 11 things are before themf
that is, may happen to them : the righteous man is not as
sured against anything. J. D. Michaelis remarks, "AU things
have they before them, that is, there is the same probability
that a man will be loved as that he wiU be hated, that in
prosperity he wiU experience proofs of God's grace, or in ad
versity proofs of his disfavour. The one experience is as easy
to be conceived as the other."

CHAPTER IX. 1-10. 209
Ver. 2. The expression — all things as to all — presents no
difficulty when it is borne in mind that in ver. 1, "Man," is
used instead of, the wise and righteous, by way of intimating
his absolute dependence on the heavenly powers. " AU things"
(happen to the wise and righteous,) " as to aU," that is, as to
the rest : they have no peculiar fate, such as was promised to
Israel, who, in the Books of Moses, is represented as being put
under God's most special providence and care ; — they share
the universal destiny. A commentary on this intentionaUy
short and enigmatical saying is furnished by what foUows.
Knobel has a specific against the temptations and difficulties
which assailed the author so terribly, and with which behevers
of aU times have to wage fierce warfare, namely, " we must
distinguish between the physical and moral order of the world ;
physical evils are experienced by aU without exception ; the
pious cannot evade them because of their morality, and yet
they have not to endure the special punishments of immor
ality." But if we make the " physical" independent of God,
and thus strip God of his true Godhead, and we ourselves at
the same time faU into semi-atheism, the remedy is worse
than the disease. Event or accident, is not set in opposition
to the divine ordainment, but to independent action on the
part of the righteous, (compare ii. 14, 15 ; iii. 19.) 310 is
prefixed to mno with the design of showing that the terms
" clean, unclean," are to be taken not in the juridical or levit
ical sense, but in the moral sense. A sufficient evidence of
this is, that elsewhere one only is set in opposition to the
other : besides, 310 occurs again, to show that in the first in-
stance it serves the purpose of explaining or defining more
clearly that which foUows. Ee that sweareth — (under certain
circumstances, be it observed, a man may swear and yet not
be what is meant by the designation " swearer,") refers here
to one who swears in a frivolous manner. The words stand
in remarkable paraUelism to Matthew v. 34. To fear an oath,
is to look upon it with holy awe, so that only in cases of
.necessity and at the command of love can we be induced
to take one upon ourselves. It is evident from chap. vHi 2,
that the author has no intention whatever of rejecting oaths
altogether. Cartwright says, "notandum etiam adjunctum,
quo describit improbum, nempe quod jurat, id est juramentis
o

210 CHAPTER IX. 1-10.
assuetus est. Cujus igitur ori juramenta et nominis divini
usurpatio famUiaris et trita est, Ulum improbum esse constat :
contra etiam observandum est, pium non eum appellari, qui
non jurat, sed qui a juramento sibi metuit."
Ver. 3. Regarding things from the point of view of natural
reason and in a rough matter of fact way, judging them by
the vulgar empirical method which he afterwards rejects, the
author goes on to say, " that is evU ;" — he thus " sins with
his tongue," as it is said in Psalm xxxix. 2. ParaUel is
Psalm Ixxiii 1 6, where in reference to the same fact it is said
— " and I considered in order to know it : a pain was it in
mine eyes." But the Psalmist speaks thus only until he comes
to the sanctuary of God : then a Hght suddenly breaks in
upon him such as the natural reason cannot supply. Cart
wright compares Malachi Hi. 1 4, ffi, where the Jews are intro
duced as complaining, that it is in vain to serve God, and as
resting their charge on the fact that they who fear God are
unhappy and the heathen are prosperous : his remarks are as
foUows — " certe, si vere judicare velimus, hac tam impia et
blasphema voce Deum esse negant Nam qui illi justitiam
suam adimit, is Deum a mundo tollit, nee enim Deus est nisi
Justus." The manner of the Scriptures is to let doubts and
murmurings have free and full expression, and then to van
quish them in open conflict with the sword of faith. Scepti
cism and despair cannot possibly bring forward anything
stronger than what we find in the Holy Scriptures. And, in
fact, this openness and candour in setting forth doubts is one
of the best means of overcoming them. Knobel is of opinion
that this verse shows " that Koheleth did not beheve in im
mortahty and in retribution after death ; for had he held such
a faith he might easUy have taught that the recompence that
was not made here would be made on the other side the
grave." He, however, who has surrendered this world, has
ceased to attach much importance to the world to come : if
God's ways here cannot be justified, we shall not be able
reaUy and livingly to beheve in a future retribution. The
author therefore takes exactly the right course, when he, as
the representative of his tried and tempted contemporaries,
fights and strives above aU things with the scepticism which
envelopes in darkness the ways of God in the present world.

CHAPTER IX 1-10. 211
This task accomplished, the future becomes plain and clear of
itself. The words — amidst all that is done under the sun,
point out that so far from being exceptional it is the usual
course of this world that aU things should come alike to aU.
With the expression — " the heart of the chUdren of men is
fuU of evil" — compare chap. viii. 11, according to which by
the " children of men," we are to understand those who up to
that point had striven after better things. ParaUel also is
Psalm lxxHi 1 0, " therefore turns he, (namely, the wicked,) his
people hither;" by his impunity from punishment and his pros
perity he induces others to leave the right way and to come
over to his manner of thinking. It is a melancholy consider
ation that external suffermgs only too easUy exert a demoral
izing influence. And folly is in their heart : — their heart is
filled with foohsh thoughts about God's government of the
world, and with foohsh proposals to help themselves by wrong;
when God leaves them in the lurch. On the word inns com
pare chap. vi. 1 2 ; vH. 1 4 : after that he, namely, the righteous,
has been thus visited by evils which, though external, bring
alas ! moral ones also in their train ; behind themselves, that
is, after such a mode of existence.
Ver. 4. For who is preferred ? The reason is given for
the words — " And after that to the dead :" for death is the
lot of aU mortals, and the righteous forms no exception to the
rule : as Gesenius renders, " quis enim qui electus sit, *. e,
moriendi sorte exemtus." As the vowels belong to the man
ginal reading, and as the Pual does not elsewhere occur, it is
better to point as for Niphal, which is frequently employed
in the sense of " chosen out, preferred :" see, for example,
Jeremiah viii. 3. The unnecessary Masoretic conjecture offered
by the marginal reading is most simply explained by Ram-
bach and others as follows, " qui adsocietur, v. adsociari velit
sub mortuis." The words, "who is excepted " (from this sad
lot ?) " are dictated by the feehng that the lot of death is a
sad one, and the reason for such a view is assigned by the
author when he affirms that " in aU the living one may
trust." The verb n03 is used in conjunction with b», to de
signate one in whom confidence is placed, in Psalm iv. 6,
xxxi. 7. |in03 is not "hope," but " confidence, abandonment,"
see Isaiah xxxvi. 4. Only the Hving are capable of doing

212 CHAPTER IX 1-10.
anything. To be no object of confidence is a miserable
condition. On the words — - "for the Hving dog," (or
strictly, "as far as the living dog is concerned, so is he")
"better than the dead Hon," Cartwright remarks — "haac
vox pecudis potius quam Hominis dicenda est." This ob
servation agrees with Psalm lxxHi. 22, where the writer
brings against himself the charge of having behaved Hke the
cattle, when the prosperity of the ungodly exposed him to
temptation. Nor indeed can it be otherwise : when God
vanishes from the present world the future is changed into
a dismal night of death, by whose darkness all are alike
covered. Ver. 5. The advantage of the Hving over the dead consists
in this, that the former have consciousness. This conscious
ness is here individuahsed, and one of the forms in which it
expresses itself is used to describe the whole. The Hving
have consciousness ; they know, for example, that they shaU
die, which in comparison with utter unconsciousness is un
questionably a good, however sad may be the object of know
ledge. Such is the language of natural reason, to whose eye
aU seems dark and gloomy that lies beyond the present scene,
because it faUs in this world to discern the traces of divine
retribution. The. Spirit says on the contrary : " the spirit
returns to God who gave it." • Neither have they any more a
reward : that God should recompense them is impossible, in
asmuch as the righteous who are dead have no self-conscious
personahty. To what extent this is the case is indicated by
the words — "for their memory is forgotten ;" so Httle power
have they to make good a position for themselves, so entirely
are they deprived of all means of expressing their life, so
completely have they disappeared.
Ver. 6. Alongside of the hatred which is condemned, there
is one that is aUowed, and not only allowed, but even com
manded (see Psalm xxxi. 7, and Revelations H. 6). Hatred
is indeed to be condemned, but stiU his condition must be
regarded as a degraded one who is unable to hate.
Ver. 7. The voice of the flesh is here opposed by the voice
of the spfrit It is exactly so elsewhere ; as, for example, in
Psalm xxxix, where the Psalmist first strives with God and
impatiently demands of Him to know the end of his Hfe and

CHAPTER IX 1-10. 213
sufferings, but afterwards rises up and casts down discontent
and doubt to the ground. Here also we might say that
in verses 1-6 the author speaks as the representative of the
then prevaUing spirit of the people ; not, however, as though he
appropriated views that were utterly strange to his own
mind, but such as he also himself in his hours of weakness
had been compeUed to sympathise with. Now, on the con
trary, the writer sets himself in God to oppose the popular
views and feehngs. Calvin's remarks on Psalm xhi. 6 hold
good of this place also ; " David represents himself to us as
divided into two portions. So far as he rests by faith in
God's promises, he rises in arms, with a spirit of unconquer
able valour, against the feelings and wUl of the flesh, and con
demns at the same time his own weak and yielding conduct."
Eere, just as there, it is the spirit which is strong in God
that enters the lists against the " weaker vessel," the timid
fearful soul, which in the book of Job is introduced under the
personification of Job's wife. There is undoubtedly a refer
ence to individual men, but still it is the " man Judah " of
Isaiah v. 3, who is, in the first instance, addressed. This
is evident from the entire context, of which the sufferings of
the people of God form the point of departure. Eat thy bread
im joy and drink thy wine with a good heart. " Joy and
good heart," stand in opposition to the gloomy discontent
which led them formerly to say, " Every one that doeth
evil is good in the eyes of the Lord, and he dehghteth in
them, or where is the God of judgment?" (Malachi ii 17).
The contrast to eating bread and drinking wine is presented
in such passages as 1 Samuel i 7, where it is said of Han
nah, " she wept and ate not ;" Psalm xlH. 4, " My tears are
my meat day and night ;" Psalm lxxx. 6, " Thou feedest them
with the bread of tears, and givest them tears to drink in
great measure," (" Bread of tears," signifies bread that con
sists of tears), and Psalm cii 1 0, Job iii. 24. God hath plea
sure im thy works, (nm with the accusative means, " to have
pleasure in anything,") and, therefore, in His good time thou
wilt see the reward which thou now missest, and " ye shall
discern again the difference between the righteous and the
wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth
him not," (Malachi Hi. 1 8). We have in this verse the dis-

214 CHAPTER IX 1-10.
tinct negation of verse 1. There, by a hasty conclusion
drawn from the fact of the temporal sufferings of the righte
ous, it was affirmed that man does not at aU know whether
he has grace before God or not, whether he may or may not
expect love from God. The great sting of temporal suffering
is, that we very easily get to fancy that it wiU last for ever,
and that it is apt to lead us into erroneous thoughts about
God's grace. We can only overcome this temptation by
rising in faith above the present. In Psalm Ixxiii. 1 7, " tUl
I come to the sanctuaries of God, then wUl I look on their
end." The thing first mentioned stands to the second
in the relation of cause to effect. Having entered into the
sanctuary of God, the Psalmist sees that the prosperity of the
wicked and the sufferings of the righteous are only transi
tory, and thus he attains to an unbounded confidence in
God's help and redemption. A real, if not a verbal, paraUel
to the words, '' God has pleasure in thy works," may be found
in the commencement of Psalm Ixxiii: " only good is God to
Israel, to those who are of a pure heart." God is good, and
not evU as the righteous may weU fancy when they are
plagued continuaUy, when they are chastened every morning,
whilst the wicked live in prosperity. Luther remarks on the
verse, " He means to say something Hke this— thou Hvest in
the world where there is, nothing without that, for there is
much sorrow, heart suffering, misery, there is death and much
vanity : make use then of life with love, and do not make
thine own Hfe sour and hard with anxious and fruitless
cares. Solomon says what he says not to the secure and
godless chUdren of the world, but to such as truly fear God
and beheve. These he comforts, and would fain see them
comfort themselves and rejoice in God. To them he gives the
exhortation, to be glad ; he does not bid those to drink wine
and eat, etc., who were beforehand too secure, and being god
less and lost, spent their Hves in indolence and debauchery."
Ver. 8. Let thy garments be always white. White is in
Scripture the colour of serene splendour symbohcally shadow
ing forth glory: (compare my Commentary on Revelations
iv. 4.) The Angel of Mark xvi. 5 appears in white clothes,
as a sign that the rank of the angels is the same as that of
the "saints," who are the glorious. The clothes of Christ be-

CHAPTER IX. 1-10. 215
came white in His transfiguration, (Matthew xvii. 2, Mark
ix. 3, Luke ix. 29.) White clothes are borne by the glorified
in Revelations Hi. 4, 5, vH. 9, as a symbol of glory. In this
place white clothes were to be put on to express the confident
hope of the future glory of the people of God. Spener, in
testimony of his hope of a better future for the Church,
caused himself to be buried in a white coffin. The adoption
of white clothes signifies here the anticipation of the future
victory of the people of God Analogous is Revelations vi. 11,
where in answer to their prayer, which could not yet be per
fectly fulfilled, each of the slaughtered receives provisionally
a white garment. There also the white garment has an
anticipatory significance. Hand in hand with the white
garment goes the oil on the head. This oU is the "oU of joy"
mentioned in Psalm xiv. 8, and in Isaiah Ixi 3. In joyful
circumstances, on festive occasions men were accustomed to
anoint themselves: such oU was an embodiment of festive joy,
on which account the oU of gladness is opposed to sadness in
Isaiah Ixi 3. The true members of the people of God ought
always to be in a festive, joyous mood, inasmuch as they rise
by faith above the gloomy present to the glorious future
awaiting them.
Ver. 9. Look upon life, which is as much as to say, be
happy, in that thou turnest away thine eye from the sad
present and fixest it on the glorious future, and in that thou
enjoy est those little pleasures which God offers thee in the
midst of this vain existence, and which thou mayest not sour
and embitter by cares and vexatious questions. The woman
appears here not as the source, but as the companion of joy;
and the words, "with the woman whom thou lovest," may to
a certain extent be regarded as a parenthesis. it^K before ym
refers to the days of Hfe, (chap. vi. 17.) The connection is
the foUowing, "look upon hfe . . . aU the days of thy
vain life, which He giveth thee under the sun, aU the days of
thy vain Hfe." By the repetition of the last words we are
expressly taught that, in the midst of the vanity and travail
with which human existence is burdened (Genesis Hi), we are
pressingly summoned not to seal up the sources of enjoyment
which stiU remain open to us. Kin, "this," namely, to see
life, to be pleased

216 CHAPTER IX 1-10.
Ver. 10. Despair carries with it the danger of a sluggish
inactivity. Against this, men are here warned. Luther
remarks, "an admonition to the lazy. For when they see
that so much pains and toil are lost, they are minded to do
nothing but to let everything stand quite still." As to sub
stance, Hebrews xH. 12 presents a parallel, where to the
severely tried and tempted it is said, dib rag irapsipivag %f//»as
xal rd VapaXsXvfiiSva yovara dvopDuigars. "Sluggish hands" are
ascribed to the suffering even in Job iv. 3, and Isaiah xxxv.
3. The saying, "my hand finds something," signifies, "I am
capable of something," "I am in a position for something," "I
have opportunity for something:" (compare Judges ix. 33,
1 Samuel x. 7, xxv. 8.) According to the accents, and the
sense, inaa belongs not to nwy, but to what goes, before. The
duty of doing aU that it is in any way possible to do is based, in
the second part of the verse, on the consideration that what
is here left undone never is done, that the tasks appointed by
God for this Hfe which are here unaccomplished remain un
accomplished, and that the gifts and powers lent for this Hfe
should be used in this life. For there is no work, nor device,
nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the hell whither thou goest: —
it is not so in the intermediate kingdom, nor is it so in the
kingdom of glory, (1 Corinthians xiii. 8). There are forms of
knowledge and work which belong only to the present life,
and he who does not employ them, has buried his talent in
the earth, and thus committed a heavy sin, — a sin, the con
sequences of which will stretch into eternity. Even Jerome
compares the saying of our Lord in John ix. 4, i/ii SiT
spyd^igSai rd tpya rov ffef&^avrog fi,s 'itag r\fjApa igriv 'ip^rai tv%,
ore oiidsig dvvarai spydfygQai. That there is a reference to the
verse now under notice, can scarcely be called in question.
It begins at once with the Words "for no work." Even
Lucke, although this passage was not in his mind, felt that
the Lord made partial use of an already existing expression.
"Day and night mark the fixed and bounded time of the
earthly career of the earthly activity of our Lord." Feeling
that death shortly awaited Him, Christ says, "there comes
for me the night, when, as it is said, no man can work."
What Jesus spake, alluding to the present verse, holds good
for aU beHevers.

CHAPTER IX. 11, 12. 217

VERSES 11, 12.
When the position of the people of God is a sad one, whilst
on the contrary, the world triumphs, what we should do is to
bear in mind that the destinies of men are decided in heaven,
that their fortunes are not determined according to might, or
according to weakness, and that a sudden catastrophe often
lays low that which was highly exalted To have God as our
friend is the main thing; aU depends at last on that; and that
alone decides.
Ver. 11. I returned and saw under the sun that ihe race
is not to the swift, nor the battle to the heroes, neither yet
bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding,
nor yet favour to men of skill : but time and change happen
eth to them all. Ver. 12. For man also knoweth not his
time, as the fishes that are fallen in an evil net, and as the
birds that are caught in a snare: like them are the children
of men snared at the time of misfortune, when it falleth sud
denly upon them.
Ver. 11. The words, I returned and saw under the sun,
indicate that the writer takes up again the consideration of
sublunary things, which had been interrupted, and turns his
attention to a new subject Compare iv. 1, 7. Tn the two
passages just quoted nKlSl is used ; here we find the Infini
tive, which is more accurately defined by the verb. unit, which
precedes. After the words, under the sun, we must mentaUy
add, " and indeed I saw." The point of departure here, also,
is the tribulation of the people of God, but considered from a
new point of view. The race is not to the swift, for they
may be hindered by something or other, — sometimes even by
the very slightest obstacle, so that the less swift shall arrive
sooner than they. Nor the battle to the heroes. This same
view, which Rationalism looks upon as " fatalistic," (Knobel)
David gave utterance to in the presence of Goliath, himself
furnishing a Hving iUustration of the affirmation of the text.
See ] Samuel xvii. 47, "the battle is the Lord's, and he gives
you into our hands:" further also, Psalm xxxii. 16, 17, "the
king is not saved by his great hosts, a hero is not deHvered

218 CHAPTER IX 1 1, 1 2.
by much strength. A horse is a vain thing for safety,
neither doth he deHver by his great strength." Jahaziel
the Prophet says in 2 Chronicles xx. 15, "Be not afraid nor
dismayed by reason of this great multitude, for the battle is
not yours but God's." The point of view in these passages,
(compare besides Jeremiah xlvi. 6, where speaking against
Egypt the Prophet says — " the swift wUl not escape, nor the
hero be deHvered:" Proverbs xxi. 30, 31), as weU as in the
one we are now Ulustrating is that of consolation : if it de
pended on human strength the people of God must succumb.
" Favour " means much the same as "preference, popularity."
In connection with the words, for time and chance happeneth
to them all, whose import is, " they aU are subject to the in
fluence of time and chance," compare Psalm xxxi. 16, "my
times are in thy hand, deHver me from the hand of mine
enemies, and from my persecutors." That the fates of the
Psalmist, as indeed of aU men, are in God's hand, is repre
sented there as the ground of their hope of dehverance, as the
Hght in the dark night of adversity. Chance here is not to
to be regarded as a power alongside of and opposed to God :
chance is that which happens to man without his co-operation,
and the idea of the verse is that of Romans ix. 16 — apt*.
0uV ob rov fihovrog, obdi rov rp'tyovrog, d~Kkd rov iXeovvro( @eov' If
everything depends on time and chance, we ought not to de
spair in view of the seeming omnipotence of the world, sup
posing God to be our friend. For to the friends of God
belongs the future. AU things human, let them be as proud
and splendid as they may, let them boast and be puffed up
as they may, are but loose chaff, which the wind of divine
judgments wiU sweep away.
Ver. 12. The general assertion, that everything mighty
and distinguished is subject to chance, is grounded on the
particular fact which is here brought speciaUy under notice,
the fact, namely, that no man is able to escape a catastrophe
coming over him. In the background stands the thouglnW
the Persian also in his time will fall under such a catastro
phe, and im fact the powers of this world generally : then-
apparent omnipotence wUl not deliver them. When Alex
ander came, the seal of divine confirmation was set to this
declaration. According to the context, the " time " of man

CHAPTER IX 13-18. 219
must mean here, the time of his downfal : elsewhere "day" is
used in the same sense (Job xviH. 20). Man's ignorance
of his time is brought here under consideration so far as it is
determined by a power standing absolutely above him. Trap
or snare is quite a common image of the divine judgments :
Neb is used for this purpose in Hosea vii. 12, "I will spread
out my net over them ;" in Ezekiel xii. 13, " and I spread out
my net over him, and he is taken in my snare ;" Ezekiel xxxii.
3, " and I spread over thee (Pharoah) my net in the assembly
of many peoples, and they draw thee up with my snare."
With regard to ppv the part. Pual compare Ewald, § 169 d

VERSES 13-18.
In the midst of all their misery one high prerogative has
remained to the people of God, to wit, wisdom, which is
a nobler possession than the strength in which the world
temporarily rejoices. That this wisdom is despised because it
is in the form of a servant, detracts nothing at aU from its worth.
Were its voice only heard it would exert a wholesome and
preservative influence even on the heathen world ; it would
become a salt to it ; whereas now the heathen states being
under the rule and direction of foUy hurry unrestrainably to
ruin. In the background, however, stands the conviction that
the nation which possesses wisdom must of necessity in due
season rise again to supremacy. In verses 1 3-1 5 a parable is
set before us : in ver. 1 6 we have its interpretation. In verses
1 7-1 8 the thought is carried out into further detaU.
Ver. 1 3. This also saw I as wisdom under the sun, amd it
seemed great unto me : Ver. 14. A little city and few men
within it, and there came a great king against it and be
sieged it, and built great bulwarks against it. Ver. 15. And
he found therein a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom
delivered the city, yet no man thought of this same poor
man. Ver. 16. And I said, Wisdom is better than strength,
nevertheless the wisdom of the poor man is despised and his
words are not heard. Ver. 17. The words of the wise heard
in quiet are better than the cry of him that ruleth among

220 CHAPTER IX 13-18.
fools. Ver. 18. Better is wisdom than weapons of war;
and one sinner destroyeth much good.
Ver. 13. Even Luther and Mercerus saw that in verses
13-15 a parable is presented to us, and not an historical oc
currence. The poor man with his delivering wisdom is an
image of Israel. The words, " this also saw I," as weU as
those just noticed, " I returned and saw ;" (ver. 1 1) introduce a
new subject of consideration. It is not aUowable to explain
the words, " this also," as if they signified, " along with other
evidences of wisdom which occur in the vworld," for no aUu-
sion has been previously made to such exhibitions of wisdom.
Nor may we adopt the rendering — " this also saw I, (namely)
wisdom under the sun ;" for the closing words describe the
sphere of vision generally. The best explanation is rather the
one given in the text, namely, "this also saw I as. wisdom."
noan thus defines more closely the quahty of that which, along
with other things, he saw ; and the meaning would be, " this
also saw I under the sun, — a wisdom which seemed to me
great." Luther remarks, " he caUs it here a great wisdom, for
it is in truth a great wisdom, to deliver a Httle and poor city
possessed of few resources from great and powerful enemies."
Ver. 14. "vise from nix signifies in chap. vii. 26, (miXD in
chap. ix. 12,) " the implement of hunting, of snaring, the
net ;" here it is used of " siege- works."
Ver. 15. The subject of KSO is, the Great King: Rambach
remarks, " contra omnem opinionem expertus est."
Ver. 1 6. This verse contains the practical appHcation of
the parable. On the words, And his words are not heard,
Hitzig remarks, " In this particular case they had, it is true,
not despised his wisdom, and they had listened to his words.
But it was an exceptional case, necessity drove them thereto,
and afterwards they forgot him." Cartwright says, " viri
humilis conditionis sapientia, tametsi splendeat maxime, tamen
pauperise tanquam nube interjecta ita obfuscatur, ut levi
temporis momerito omnium oculos a se aversos habens mem-
oria excidat."
Ver. 1 7. Attention is called, on the very face, to the close
connection between this verse and the last, by the catchword
DTOtM.- The author's great aim throughout this whole con
nection being to console, he could not possibly rest satisfied

CHAPTER IX. 1 3-1 8. 221
with the Httle consolatory matter advanced in ver. 16. More
over, the close connection referred to is required by the paral
lel passages, which aUude to wisdom as the jewel stiU remain
ing to the people of God, and as the pledge of a joyful ter
mination of their present experiences. Heard in quiet :^-that
is the condition of their wholesome influence. Israel would
have proved a salt to the heathen world if ear had only been
given to the voice of wisdom dwelling in his midst. Hitzig
remarks justly, that "the quiet hearing of words, promises their
fulfilment, a thing which is here imphed." In opposition to the
passive state of quietly listening to the words of wisdom is set
the activity developed in our own crying. He that ruleth
among fools; namely, the world-monarch, is himself to be con
ceived as a fool. This is shown by his conduct in vehemently
crying instead of calmly listening. Compare Isaiah xiii 2,
where it is said of the servant of God, " he shaU not cry, nor
call, nor cause his voice to be heard in the streets," in contrast
to the clamorous and passionate conduct of a worldly con
queror, who thinks of nothing but carrying through his own
wiU, and who blusters and rages when he meets with opposi
tion. Ver. 18. That wisdom is better than weapons of war,
would show itself in the example of the powers of the world,
if they only lent an ear to its voice, and it wiU one day be
proved in the experience of the nation whose privilege it is to
possess wisdom, in that day when, notwithstanding its defence
less impotence, it is raised to universal dominion. One sinner,
for example, the heathen world-monarch, destroyeth much
good ; naio is not good in the moral sense, but " possession,
property, prosperity," as in chap. v. 10-17; vi. 6. The truth
of this assertion was first made clear in the wretched decline
and sudden downfal of the Persian Empire.

CHAPTER X. 1-3.
Resuming the subject touched upon in the second half of
chap. ix. 19, the writer cheers the people of God, groaning
under the tyranny of the world, by directing attention to the
fact that their enemies, (in the first instance the Persians,)

222 CHAPTER X 1-3.
were given up to folly and its destructive influences. Where
folly rules, destruction cannot be far off, as it is said, " thou
didst hide thefr heart from understanding, therefore shalt thou
not suffer them to remain exalted," (Job xvii. 4.)
Ver. 1. Dead flies cause through putrefaction, the oil of ihe
perfumer to stink : the glorious in wisdorri, and honour, a little
folly. Ver. 2. A wise man's heart is at his right hand and
a fool's heart is at his left. Ver. 3. Yea also in the way which
he goes is his heart lacking, and he saith of every one, he is
foolish. Ver. 1. Not without significance is it said, " FHes of death,"
and not " dead flies," although these are meant. The effect
described is not produced by flies as such ; but is so entirely
connected with death, that instead of flies any other dead
thing might have been mentioned. " Dead flies," are only
specified because they find their way first of all to the salve
pot, and because the author wished to adduce some small
thing. Physical death is the more prominently referred to as
its correspondent, in spiritual things, is folly. The employi
ment of the singular of the verb wi&y calls special attention
to it. When special emphasis is meant to be laid on the
second word in the stat. constr., the verb is accommodated
to it. That the singular depends on nio was recognised even
by Symmachus, pvtwv Odvarog <rij\|/e; tkaiov evSidsg pvpi^ov. The
oil of the perfumer is mentioned as being a costly, noble sub
stance. JJ131 is added subsidiarily, for the purpose of indicating
more distinctly the cause : " in that they cause to putrify,"
in consequence of the process of putrification which they com
mence. But that it serves only a subsidiary purpose is evi
dent, because B»K3i does not suit any but the second clause.
" To make to stink," is used elsewhere for " to make con
temptible" in Genesis xxxiv. 30, (compare Exodus v. 21,) and
in this sense it is to be repeated in the second clause, npi
signifies originally " dear, costly," and then " excellent," glor
ious, noble." Compare Jeremiah xv. 1 9, where 151 " excel
lent" is opposed to ^if "contemptible ;" and Lamentations iv.
2, "the sons of Zion, the glorious," (Psalm xiv 10 ; Proverbs
Hi 15 ; vi. 26.) jb is used here causatively. At its com1-
mencement under Cyrus, the Persian kingdom was glorious in
wisdom and honour : its praises were sounded not only by the

CHAPTER X 1-3. 223
profane, but also by the sacred writers. Geier remarks with
regard to the two terms " wisdom and honour," " duo hsec
vocabula duphcempretii causam indicant, sapientiam ethonerem,
i. «., partim internam culturam partim externam hominum
existimationem opes aut felicitatem gloriosam." A little folly :
that is, folly which is Httle in proportion to the entire system
and edifice of which it proves the ruin. Corresponding to the
active cause here, namely, " the little folly," stands that which
is acted upon, namely, "the much good" in chap. ix. 18. In
the New Testament also the leaven is called Httle, not in rela
tion to a greater quantity thereof, but to the whole mass (SXov
tpbpapa :) see the paraUel passages 1 Cor. v. 6 ; Galatians v. 9
Folly, sin, is so little and insignificant that on a superficial
consideration it is scarcely noticed, or at aU events, is looked
upon only as a bagateUe, a peccadillo.
Ver. 2. The right hand being "the principal one, the dearest,
the strongest hand, with which we chiefly grasp, work, wield
our weapons, and so forth," we say of that which is as it
ought to be, that it is at the right, whilst of things that are
no longer in their normal state, we say that they are at the
left. A comparison has rightly been instituted between
this expression and our saying, "his heart is in the right
place." Attention is drawn to the heart here, so far as in it
are the roots of the understanding, which is always deter
mined and guided by inclination.
Ver. 3. On the way which he goes, in his actions. When
the heart has taken a perverse turn, the hands are unable to
lay hold of anything rightly. He saith of every one, he is
foolish. By a strange confusion of places, he speaks thus
especially of those on whom God has bestowed the gift and
privilege of wisdom. Hitzig says, "Himself he dare not hold
for a fool : for therein would He some truth, and a beginning
of understanding would have been made."

CHAPTER X. 4.
In the difficult circumstances in which they are placed, the
people of God should be on their guard against irritability,
which would inevitably tend to increase their suffermgs: and

224 CHAPTER x. 4.
further, they should carefuUy guard that precious treasure of
calmness of soul which is his portion who sees the hand of
God in everything, even in that which is hardest to bear, and
resigns himself patiently and humbly to the Divine wUl.
Ver. 4. If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave
not thy place, for yielding pacifieth great offence.
The spirit of ihe ruler, to wit, of ^ the foolish one, (chap. ix.
17, x. 1-3,) of the sinner, (chap. ix. 18.) Hitzig remarks,
"the ruler here is one who, when angered, is capable of com
mitting great offences" against thee. The author addresses the
covenant people, against whom the minds of the heathen
rulers were greatly irritated, because they had got wind of
the pretensions made by them to the privilege of wisdom, and
to the future possession of the throne of the world. What
the place is for the people of God, is plain from the yielding,
from the retiring gentleness, mentioned in the ' second clause,
which is exclusively found amongst those who commit their
cause to God. Through it Jacob overcame Esau, and David
Saul, (1 Samuel xxvi.) The contrast to KBIO is in Proverbs
xiv. 30, ntup "anger, passion." Great sins, into which a pas
sionate tyrant inevitably falls, when he meets with resistance.
To rage against the people of God is a great sin. Cartwright
says, "haec igitur animi submissio et patientia turbulentissimas
perturbationum et animi motuum tempestates serenat
tumidissimos et maxime inflates affectuum fluctus tranquiUat;1
et ex leone agnum reddit Quamobrem connitendum, ut hac
virtute imbuamur, qua cum deo, turn hominibus placeamus,
etiam his, qui a pietate et humanitate procul remoti sunt."

CHAPTER X. 5-10.
The humiliation of the people of God, and the triumph of the
world, is a heavy stone of stumbHng. But in His own good
time God wiU remove this offence out of the way : those who
have used violence wiU meet with recompence: and it is the
less possible that they should escape ruin as they are utterly
destitute of the corrective and preservative element of wisdom.
Ver. 5. There is am evil which I saw under the sun, as an
error which proceedeth from the ruler : Ver. 6. Folly was set

CHAPTER X 5-10. 225
on great heights, and the rich sit im low place. Ver. 7. I
saw servants on horses and princes walking on foot as ser
vants. Ver. 8. Ee that diggeth a pit shall fall into it : and
whoso breaketh through a wall, a serpent shall bite him.
Ver. 9. Whoso looseneth stones shall be hurt therewith, and he
that cleaveth wood shall be injured thereby. Ver. 10. If the
iron has become blunt, and he has not whetted the edge, he
must put to more strength, and wisdom has the advantage of
amendment. Ver. 5. The Ruler, absolutely is the heavenly one, even
as in chap. v. 8, and chap. vHi. 2, 4, the king is the heavenly
king. Of the heavenly ruler, o^B> is used in Daniel iv. 23, v.
21, also. The correct view is given by Jerome as communi
cated to him by the Jew of whose assistance he avaUed him
self, "Hebrseus potentem et principem a cujus facie, ignoratio
videatur egredi, Deum exposuit, quod putent homines in hac
insequalitate rerum ilium non juste et ut sequum est judicare."
The 3 before nJJE> is of great importance. It is not really
an "error," it only has the seeming of one; it bears this
appearance only to those superficial minds whose eyes are
fastened on the present, and which are unable to survey the
whole and take the end into view.
Ver. 6. This verse sets before us "the evU," the apparent
"fault" in providence. The matter treated of is the downfall
of the people of God. According to what precedes, the "folly"
spoken of must be that of the heathens, especially that of the
Persians. By the "rich" we cannot understand such as are
now actually so, for then they would not be sitting in a low
place, but such as by right should be so. According to the
divine destination, Israel was a rich people. To him the
promise had been given, "there shall be no poor among you— ^
(|V3K forms a strict contrast to the word nwy employed here)
— for the Lord wiU bless thee," (Deuteronomy xv. 4 :) and
further, "thou shalt lend unto many nations, and shalt borrow
from no one ; thou shalt reign over many nations, but they
shall not reign over thee,'' (Deuteronomy xv. 6, xxviH. 11.)
The prosperity meant for the Israelites was prefigured in the
opulence which, through the divine blessing, was enjoyed by
their forefathers, who walked in God's ways: compare Genesis
xiii. 2. "And Abraham was very rich in cattle, in silver, and
P

226 CHAPTER X. 5-10.
gold." It is true that the promise given in the law rested on
the expressly specified condition of faithfulness in fulfilling
the divine commands ; and failure therein must of course lead to
suspension of the promise. But still the promise might not
be for ever revoked; and because this seemed to be the case,
it looked as if there were a fault in the divine government.
This appearance is done away with by what follows. In
connection with b&W2 compare verse 23 of Psalm cxxxvi.
which was written during the dominion of the Persians, "who
remembered us in our low estate, WBBO." ?BtJ> is only used
in these two passages.
Ver. 7. A world turned upside down : Servants ride and
masters walk. Servants, — such, by right and by God's
appointment, were the heathen ; for Israel was caUed to uni
versal dominion : him were the nations meant to obey,
(Genesis xlix. 10.) The Jews were a kingdom of priests,
(Exodus xix. 6;) before them their enemies would be com
pelled to play the hypocrite, and they should tread on their
high places, (Deut. xxxiii. 29 ;) through themaU nations were
to be blessed, and as the dispensers of blessing, the latter must
by consequence take up towards them the position of depend
ent petitioners, (Isaiah xhv. 5 ; xiv. 1 4.) " Thou shalt be
above only and thou shalt not be beneath," (Deuteronomy
xxvni 13-43 :) So ought it to be according to their true idea,
and so must it some time really be : compare Daniel vii. 27,
" and the kingdom and the dominion, and the power over the
kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people
of the saints of the Most High:" compare also Isaiah Ixi. 5,
" and strangers shaU stand and feed your flocks, and the sons
of the alien shall be your ploughmen and your vine-dressers."
And so in fact it is now as to the essential features : in
Christ and His Church Israel has attained to dominion over
the world. At the time, however, when the author wrote, the
idea and the reahty stood in most glaring contrast to each
other. "We are servants," it is said in Ezra ix. 9. In
Lamentations v. 8, exactly as here, those are styled servants
who by right should be such, although they actuaUy are not —
" servants rule over us and there is none that deHvereth out
of their hand," on which Ch. B. MichaeHs remarks, " qui nobis
potius si pH fuissemus servire debuissent, Deut. xxviii. 48.

CHAPTER X 5-10. 227
Princes : that is, by right and according to God. The pas
sage of chief authority on this point is Lamentations i. 1
where Israel is called "the princess over the provinces."
Ver. 8. The writer now proceeds to advance considerations
which may prove a consolation in such abnormal circum
stances. But whoso diggeth a ditch' (pou is a pure Aramaic
word) shall fall into it. It was the custom to dig ditches,
which were covered with branches of trees, in order to catch
lions and other wild beasts, and it might come to pass that a
man should faU unwittingly into the ditch which he himself
had dug. That which may happen in the external sense, does
always and inevitably happen when any one digs a ditch in the
moral sense. He who prepares mischief for his neighbour mil
himself be overtaken by ruin: the conquering kingdoms of this
world prepare their own downfaU by that which they do to
others ; but above aU do they expose themselves to inevi
table divine vengeance who deal unfairly by the people of
God. That is a sweet consolation for those who suffer
wrong. Passages of greatest weight in relation to this mat
ter are Psalm vH. 16, 17, " he hath made a pit and digged it,
but he faUeth into the ditch which he maketh. His mischief
returns on his own head, and his wrong eometh down on his
own pate." Psalm lvH. 7, " A net have they prepared for my
steps, they bent my soul, they digged before me a ditch, they
feU into it themselves," (compare besides Proverbs xxvi. 27,
Sirach xxvH. 29). Whoso breaketh through a wall, a serpent
¦shall bite him. Serpents often lurked in walls (Amos v. 1 9).
He therefore who breaks through a common waU may easUy
get bitten by a serpent. That which happens sometimes physi
cally, takes place always morally. He who breaks through
a wall in the moral world, he who makes attacks on the
property of his neighbour, is bitten by the serpent of divine
righteousness, so certainly as that God has spoken, "thou
shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmarks " (Deuteronomy
xix. 14), and "cursed is he who removes his neighbour's
landmarks" (Deuteronomy xxvii. 17). The snake is used as
an image of divine judgment also in Amos ix. 3. TiJ and
nnti designate in particular the waUs buUt to protect vine
yards and other property.
Ver. 9. Whoso loosenelh stones (compare B1J3K Fon " to

228 CHAPTER X 5-10.
break stones loose" in 1 Kings V. 31) shall be hurt therewith
(LXX, BianovSrigirui iv abroTg,) whoso cleaveth wood shall be in
jured thereby, '?? in the Chaldee, " periculo se exposuit," in
Hithpael, "in periculo versari," connected with poo "poor"
in chap. iv. 1 3, ix. 15, 16; with n«3DO " poverty," in Deuter
onomy viH. 9 ; and with pDO " impoverished " in Isaiah xL
20. In common life one may easily receive injuries whUst
engaged in occupations requiring violent exertion. But he
wiU inevitably receive injury who in the moral sphere carries
on occupations involving violence, who does works, which in
respect of force resemble the breaking of stones, and the
splitting of wood.
Ver. 10. The misery of the heathen world is that it does
not possess in wisdom a corrective, that, in fact, it has no
thing on which the iron of theh understanding may be
whetted when its edge has become dull. In this respect the
people of God has an infinite advantage over it. Whoso
possesses such a corrective must be exalted, however deeply
he may have sunk : he who possesses it not, must perish,
to whatever height he may have risen. When the iron has
become dull, nnp is only another mode of writing nna. Piel,
however, is used there undeniably in an intransitive sense :
and that the iron must be the subject here is clear from
what follows : " and he," to wit, he whom it concerns; the
owner of the hatchet ; whereas this could not weU be if this
owner did not already form the subject to nnp. aya signifies
first "face" then "edge :" so in Ezekiel xxi. 21. bbp "to be
light," in the PUp. form, " to make light," then " to sharpen ;"
for this latter meaning we need adduce no examples, seeing
that "to sharpen" is simply "to make light." B^in occurs
elsewhere also in the sense of, "powers ;" and 133 in that of
" to strengthen," (Zechariah x. 6, 1 2). He puts to, appHes,
more strength, but without attaining a satisfactory result.
This holds good both of the physical and the spiritual sphere.
The verb -iko is used in the sense of " to be right " in Esther
viii. 5 ; the substantive |W3 in that of " capacity, abihty,"
in chap. H. 21, iv. 4 of this book. On this ground we are
justified in attaching to the word wan here, the meaning,
" to make right, to amend, to correct," — a meaning, moreover,
which suits the connection admirably. Others have adopted

CHAPTER X 11-20. ' 229
the less appropriate explanation, " ea est sapientise prsestantia,
ut prosperum eVentum consiliis suorum spondeat," appealing
to the fact that ibo occurs in the sense of " prosper ;; in chap.
xi 6, and pnBO in that of " gain, advantage " in chap. v. 1 0.

CHAPTER X. 11-20.
In order to quicken in the minds of his fellow-countrymen
the hope of an imminent termination of the rule of their
tyrants, the author points out that thefr character is such as
to render it impossible for them to continue long their present
courses. Of that character wickedness and folly are funda
mental features, (ver. 11-15.) The king and his nobles are
given up to drunkenness and debauchery, (ver. 16, 17.)
The system of state is utterly destitute of moral vigour :
speedy ruin is promised bythe prevailing rottenness and sensual
ity, and by the omnipotence of gold, (ver. 18, 19.) In ver,
20, the author indicates the reason why, when treating of the
events and relations of his time, he limits himself to ' gentle
and enigmatical hints — a character which for the sake of
clearness we have not kept up in our exposition of the con
tents of the book.
Ver. 11. If the snake bites without enchantment, so has
the man of an evil tongue no advantage. Ver. 12. The
words of a wise man's mouth are gracious, and the lips of
the fool swallow up himself. Ver. 1 3. The beginning of the
words of his 'mouth is foolishness, and the end of his mouth
mischievous madness. Ver. 14. And ihe fool maketh many
words ; man knoweth not what shall be, and what will hap
pen after him, who could tell it I Ver. 1 3. The labour of
the fool wearieth him, because he knoweth not how to go to the
city. Ver. 16. Woe to thee, 0 Land, whose king is a child,
and whose princes eat in the morning. Ver. 17. Blessed art
tfiou, 0 Land, whose king is a son of the noble, and whose
princes eat im due season, for strength and not for gluttony.
Ver. 18. Through great rottenness simkeih ihe beam, and
through idleness of the hands drippeth the house. Ver. 1 9.
Eating change they into laughter, and wine maketh glad the
living, and money answereth all things. Ver. 20. Even in

230 CHAPTER X 11-20.
thy closet curse not the king, and in thy bed-chamber curse
not the rich, for the birds of heaven carry the voice, and that
which hath wings shall tell the matter.
Ver. 11. When suffering under the evU tongue of the
heathen, Israel is exhorted to look to the divine retribution,
which wUl come not only on the works of the hands, but also
on the works of the tongue, (Matthew xii. 36, 37.) He wiU
thus see that the man who is sinned against with the tongue
is in a better case than the man who sins with his tongue.
The snake is here the spiritual snake, to wit, the man whose
poisonous wickedness causes him to resemble the snake. In
the New Testament the wicked pharisees are styled oipug,
yivvny,ara l^vSn. To the snake corresponds, in the second
clause, the "owner of the tongue." Without enchantment;
this is never apphed when it is foreseen that it will he fruitless.
To enchantment, in the case of ordinary snakes, correspond
suppHcative prayers in the case of spiritual snakes. The main
passage on this point is Psalm lviii. 5, 6 : " Poison have they
(the wicked) Hke the poison of snakes : Hke a deaf adder
stoppeth he his ear. Which hearkeneth not to the voice of
the -charmer, of the enchanter, who can enchant weU." The
commentary to the words has no advantage is supplied by the
declaration of ver. 1 2, " the lips of the fool swaUow up him
self," and by that of ver. 8, " he that diggeth a ditch shaU
faU into it." The connection, referring as it does to serpents;
defines the tongue, more precisely, to be the evil poisonous
tongue. Psalm cxi. 1 2, supplied the foundation for the ex
pression, "the possessor of the tongue ;" — "the man of the
tongue will not prosper in the land." The man of the tongue,
is put there in contrast to the man of wicked and violent
deeds. In ver. 3 of the same Psalm we read, " they sharpen
their tongue like the serpent ; adder's poison is under their
Hps :" and this passage, along with Psalm IviH, serves as a
commentary on the figurative description of enemies as snakes*.
Ver. 1 2. )n is the grace that wins favour. Compare Pro
verbs xxH. 11," He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace
of his Hps, the king is his friend" Psalm xiv. 2, " grace was
poured out over thy lips." Luke H. 52 ; iv. 22, " and aU bare
him witness, and wondered at the gracious words, (wri roTg
\6yoig r?)g x^/rcs,) whieh proceeded out of his mouth." In

CHAPTER X 1 1 -2 0. 231
Christ was fully verified the saying, " the words of the wise,
that is, of the true Israelites, are grace :" by his grace, in
which each of his servants participates, he draws the whole
heathen world to himself. The lips are used to represent
speech, discourse, in the second clause. The Hps of the fool,
of the heathen in his natural condition, and specially of the
heathen tyrant and dominant nation, swaUow them up, because
they set them at enmity with God and man. Their thought
was to swallow up others, to destroy others by thefr mischier
vous discourse : (compare Psalm v. 1 0, " their throat is an
open sepulchre:") but instead of swallowing up others they
swaUow up themselves. Compare Proverbs xvUi 7, " A fool's
mouth prepares him horror, and his lips are a snare to his
soul ;" and Psalm lxiv. 9, " and they are cast down, over them
eometh their own tongue," so far, namely, as it draws upon
them the punishment and judgment of God.
Ver. 13. In the proportion in which we bring before our
minds the entire extent of the foolishness of our enemy, in
that proportion will our hope of final victory be Hvely. Such
as are every inch fools cannot be far from ruin. The end of
his mouth, which Hitzig rightly explains, " the end which his
mouth makes with its discoursings." Mischievous madness,
that is, madness which is hurtful first to others, but afterwards
also to himself, so certainly as there is a divine retribution
He is not a good-natured, harmless, but a mischievous, fool.
Ver. 14. And the fool 'maketh many words .-—words such
as those of which James speaks in chap. iv. 1 3, of his Epistle,
(compare also Luke xii. 18-20,) to wit, plans for the future,
what he wUl then do, how he wUl live in splendour and
merriness, how he wUl spread himself out in aU directions and
humble all his foes. That this is the more precise import of
the words is evident from what follows. It is, furthermore,
of the nature of the " fool," to talk of such matters ; this
therefore by itself would justify the explanation given. To
all the high flying thoughts and proud words of the Persian
the He was aU at once given on the appearance of Alexander.
That event proved the author of this book to be a wise man.
Ver. 15. True religion affords fine culture. Even Moses
described the people of God as, by divine grace, the wisest
among the nations, (Deuteronomy iv.,) and the heathen as a

232 CHAPTER X 11-20.
foolish people, (Deut. xxxii.) That which in Genesis xlix. 21,
is spoken primarily of NaphtaH — " he giveth goodly words"
— is but an individualization, and holds good substantiaUy oj
entire Israel. The Persians appeared as coarse barbarians in
comparison with the people of God : and it was impossible
that the supreme power should remain long in the hands of
such blunderers. Where the mind, the spirit is, there in the
long run must be the authority. The work of the fool wearies
him ; and for the simple reason, that we can only carry on
that business with pleasure and love, for which we have
spiritual capacity, buy is treated as a feminine for the sake of
avoiding the violation of euphony which would be presented
in the verb by the third masculine. Because he knoweth not
how to go to the city : compare Proverbs xiii. 1 6 ; xiv. 8, "the
prudent man in his wisdom understandeth his way," and ver.
5, "the prudent man understandeth his step." Eere, as ver. 3
shows, he cannot even find his way — he is at sea regarding
it. The way into the city is specified, as being the most
frequented. He who is unable to find that, must be sadly
¦ gnorant of the bearings of a district*
Ver. 1 6. Woe to thee, 0 Land, whose king is a child. Out
of a prudent regard to his position and circumstances the
author here uses indefinite and general language, (compare v.
20 :) at the same time it is clear enough from the context,
(specially from ver. 19,) that he had in view the state of the
Persian Empire. It is in reality as if he said — " Woe to thee,
0 Land of Persia, because thy kings are children ?" That nyi
refers, not to age, but to boyish childish character, is plain both
from the context, (Geier says, " a stultitia absolute considerata
pergit ad certain ejus speciem, ratione peculiaris subjecti, nempe
in magistrate, constituti ;") from the parallel passages here,
and from the contrast drawn in ver. 17. In precisely the
same manner is Rehoboam called ~ij;a in 2 Chronicles xiii. 7,
although when he ascended the throne he was aheady forty-
one years old: so also in Isaiah Hi. 12, are bad rulers des
cribed as women and children, (compare further 1 Corinth.
xiv. 20.) Not only had Xerxes a boyish character, but,
* Rambach says, " Similitudo desumta est a viatore, qui ad urbem facturus
iter rectam ignorat viam atque proinde errabundus per avia et invia circa urbem
vagatur."

CHAPTER X 11-20. 233
according to the Israehtish standard, according to the standard
of God's law, even the better Persian rulers were more like boys
than men. And whose princes eat in the morning, that is, at
the time which ought to be devoted to serious and important
business. Ver. 17. "A noble," not merely by birth, but in disposition
and customs. The words for strength and not for drunken
ness, (or gluttony,) show clearly enough what the writer has
in mind. He does not refer to invigoration, but to intemper
ate drinking, and the pleasures connected therewith.
Ver. 1 8. Luther remarks — " he introduces a proverb, as if
he meant to say, — in such a kingdom or land, where the great
lords and mighty men seek their own profit, and' the king is
without sense, things go on as they do in the house of an idle
man, who might frequently repair his roof and protect it
against the weather for a penny, but lets the rain come through
tUl at last the entire buUding is damaged. For where the
master of a house is not industrious, always building and
repairing, one damage is sure to foUow on the heels of another."
The house is the edifice of state. Double rottenness, is great
rottenness, as Kushan Rishataim, " double wickedness," means
great wickedness ; in Ezekiel xlvn. 9, " the double stream"
means "the strong stream," and as in Jeremiah 1. 21, avno
" double apostacy," signifies great apostacy. ni^BE> " low place,"
designates here, a miserable reduced condition.
Ver. 1 9. Bread they make to laughter. Here it is quite clear
that the author is not giving general observations, but depict
ing things as they really and truly existed. Hitzig says,
" That which in ver. 1 6 was not affirmed, to wit, that the
home of the speaker was such an unhappy country, is here
added." Laughter is used in chap. ii. 2, for extravagant mer
riment. Elsewhere p)nwb always means "to laughter," and
consequently may not in this place be translated, "amidst
laughter." If pint?!' i"Pn signifies, " to become laughter," then
wiU pm&b nc?y mean " to make to laughter," — to laughter, not
in the passive, but in the active sense. Besides, nK>]> along
with b is employed in other places to designate that into
which anything is made : compare Isaiah xliv. 1 7, " the re
mainder he maketh to a God," ini"iK5!> ne>J? bi6. Bread, which
should serve to give strength, serves them only as a vehicle of

234 CHAPTER X 11-20.
laughter. Their meal times are scenes of excess. And wim.e
maketh glad the living. This is plainly a dictum taken from
the mouths of the " merry carousers." It is a compendium of
Isaiah xxH. 1 3, (compare 1 Cor. where the godless say, " let
us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die." And money
answereth all things : nay with the accusative signifies " to
answer," (Job xxxi. 35,) and then "to be answerable for,"
(Job. xxxiii. 1 3.) Money is the answer to aU charges, the
apology for aU crimes : he who has money may allow himself
any Hberty. n:y cannot signify "to afford, to confer."
Ver. 20. The author now assigns the reason why, in the
part immediately preceding, and in fact throughout the whole
book, he had spoken of the circumstances of the Persian Em
pire in such a vague and indistinct manner Openness under
a tyrannical government is dangerous and ruinous. Ewald
renders the sense as follows, " as weU on account of the great
danger of treachery, as in consideration that duty, (chap, viii
2,) forbids it, we should never permit ourselves to curse our
rulers even in the greatest secrecy." The advice, however, is
rather a simple rule of prudence, and may be subsumed under
that saying of our Lord's, yhigfa cppovipoi £>g oi '6<png.' Only a
false explanation can find, in chap. vHi. 2, a reference to the
duty of which Ewald speaks. Nothmg is said of such a duty
in the entire book : on the contrary, the writer says the
strongest possible things against the heathen tyrannical rule —
covertly, however, and so that he could nowhere be laid hold
of. It would, in truth, have been perverse to judge an Asiatic
tyranny by the principles laid down in Romans xiii ; — prin
ciples which even in our own day do not hold good for Greeks
in relation to the Turks. The word jno belongs to the lan
guage in its post-exile period, and occurs elsewhere only in the
sense " insight, understanding : " so also the Chaldee jtijd
from which it is derived. Here it is usually explained by
" consciousness, thought." This meaning, however,, besides
being uncertain, does not appear to suit the connection ; the
word ?!p shows that the writer is not treating of mere
thoughts, — besides that, the sphere of thoughts is not acces
sible to espionage, which is here the sole subject of considera
tion. It is the simplest course to understand by jno, " study;"
just as in Latin, studium is used both of studies, and of the

CHAPTER XI. 1-3. 235
place where studies are carried on. The mention of " the
study " cannot surprise, if we examine chap; xii. 12: it is
moreover very suitably employed in connection with " bed
chamber," of which mention is made also in 2 Kings vi. 1 2,
"Elisha, the prophet, telleth the King of Israel the words
which thou speakest in thy bed-chamber." The rich man is
the Persian, (compare chap. v. 11.) On the words, "for the
birds of heaven, etc," the Berleburger Bible remarks, " it may
come out by no visible medium, as quickly and marvellously,
as if a bird flying by or seated before the window had picked
it up."

CHAPTER XI. 1-3.
In view of the threatened judgments of God, which should
soon cast down the proud tree of the Persian Empire, it be
hoved them not to fix their hearts on uncertain riches, but
rather to seek by compassionate and benevolent conduct to
gain the favour of God who is able to deliver his children
from their troubles :— such is the admonition addressed by
the author to his narrow-hearted, avaricious, and sordid con
temporaries. Ver. 1. Send thy bread on the water, for thou shalt find
it after many days. Ver. 2. Give a portion to seven and
also to eight, for thou knowest not what evil shall be on the
earth. Ver. 3. If the clouds be full of rain they empty them
selves upon the earth ; and if the tree fall, be it toward the
south or be it toward the north, im the place where it falleth,
there it shall be.
Ver. 1. In the presence of great catastrophes, earthly pos
sessions are of very Httle value, for they may easily be over
whelmed therein ; on the contrary, that God should be gracious
towards us is of the last importance. This the author admon
ishes us to secure by benevolence, and by putting completely
away that covetous narrow-heartedness, which, in times of dis
tress, so easily creeps into the heart. The image is borrowed
from sea-trading. In that, the temporary sacrifice of one's pro
perty brings in a rich reward, even though after a long inter
val : (according to 1 Kings x. 22, Solomon's vessels returned

236 CHAPTER XI. 1-3.
from Tarshish once in three years, bringing with them rich
cargoes). So is it also in connection with benevolence: in
His own good time the Lord restores that which may have
been given to sufferers for His name's sake. If one casts one's
bread on the water in the usual external sense, it may very
easily itself become water should the ship perish ; it is in fact
but a mere experiment : but when we cast our bread on the
water in the spiritual sense, a return is certain ; that which
we have staked is sure to come back again, even though after
a long season. Jerome says, "cum dies judicH advenerit,
multo amplius quam dederat recepturus:" and Cartwright,
" tametsi enim non raro fit, ut deus compensationem in longum
tempus rejiciat, tandem tamen mercedem in hac vita, certe
quidem in futura reponet." We have here, in an abbreviated
form, the comparison so frequently made, and which is, " whoso
giveth alms is Hke a merchant who sends his property over
the sea." Verse 2, which gives, the real substance, the idea,
contained in the figurative representation, shows that we must
not limit our attention to the common kind of trade. B'o
iJB by is used of navigation also in Job xxiv. 18, where it is
said of pirates — " swift is that one on the mfrror of the water."
Parallel in point of significance are the foUowing passages : — -
Psalm xh. 1, 2, "Blessed is he who acts prudently towards
the wretched : in the day of adversity shaU the Lord deliver
him. The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive, he is
blessed in the land, and thou mayest not deHver him unto the
wiU of his enemies :" — Proverbs xix. 1 7, " he that giveth to
the poor lendeth to the Lord, and his gift will he pay him
again:" — and 1 Timothy vi. 18, 19, where the apostle pre
scribes to the rich, sb/j,sraS6rovg thai, xoivoivixovg, dfoQrigavpityvrug,
lavroTg hfmkiov xaXbv i)g rb fjAXkov. Luke vi 38, xvi. 9 ; Gala
tians vi. 9.
Ver. 2. Give a portion, that is, of thy bread (compare
Isaiah lviii. 7, 1 0.) The addition of the words, " also to eight,"
serves the purpose of indicating that the number seven did
not mark the Hmit of- the extent of our benevolence : — not,
" at the utmost, seven," but, " seven and more." For thou
knowest not, etc., and there, all depends on making to thyself
friends of the unrighteous mammon. Cartwright observes,
"Ad hanc autem munificentiam te excitare debet rerum om-

CHAPTER XI. 1-3. 237
nium Europsea veluti inconstantia et incertitudo, quid aut de
te, aut divitiis, quas possides, fiet : ut iUud merito in lucro
deputes, quod in pauperum subsidium conferendo veluti e
flamnia et incendio eripueris." In point of thought the fol
lowing passages may be adduced as paraUels ; Psalm cxii. 9,
"he disperseth, he giveth to the poor, his righteousness en-
dureth for ever, his horn is exalted with honour," — words
which, by the way, belong also to the period of the rule of
the Persians, and which teach the Jews that if they were per
vaded by a Hberal spirit, they would at some future time cer
tainly rise to honour: — and then further Matthew v. 42, r£
airovvn ffe didov.
Ver. 3. Clouds and rain are a usual image of the judg
ments of God, and of the troubles sent by him. Compare in
respect of " clouds," Isaiah xix. 1 ; Psalm xcvii. 2 ; Psalm
xviH. 1 0 ; Nahum i. 3 ; Jeremiah iv. 1 3 ; Revelations i. 7 :
in regard to " rain," compare Song of Solomon, ii. 11; Isaiah
iv. 6 ; Matthew vii. 24, 25. Clouds and rain are employed
as designations of troubles also in chap. xii. 2. The thought
is identical with that expressed in the words of the Lord —
"where the carcase is, there wiU the eagles be gathered to
gether.'' When the measure of sin is fiUed up, and the clouds
of divine wrath are therefore gathered together, the storm wiU
inevitably break ; in the day when such an outbreak is im
minent, every one should ask earnestly in his heart,, " how
shaU I receive thee, and how shall I meet thee ?" in order that
he may not be swept away by the wickedness of the world. —
The connection between the first and second part of the verse
is to be explained from the fact that in heavy storms trees
are not unfrequently cast down by the lightning and gusts
of wind (compare Psalm xxix.) The tree is here that of the
Persian Empire. No human power will be in a position to
delay its faU when it has once begun, or to raise it up again
after it is down. He who is judged by God remains judged.
Trees are a common symbol of the mighty. In Isaiah x. 18,
the trees of Assyria are its great men. Nebuchadnezzar the
king of Babylon is represented under the image of a proud
tree in Daniel iv. 19 — "the tree art thou, 0 king." In
Ezekiel xxxi. 3 ff, Assyria is introduced as a cedar of Lebanon,
with goodly foliage, and its top reaching unto the clouds. See
also Revelations vii. 1.

238 CHAPTER XI. 4-6.

VERSES 4-6.

The author now enters the lists to battle with the tempta
tion to despairing inactivity which arose out of the circum
stances of the time. Their unfavourableness should move us
on the contrary to redoubled activity.
Ver. 4. Ee that observeih the wind shall not sow, and he that
regardeih the clouds shall not reap. Ver. 5. As thou knowest
not what is the -way of ihe wind, like the bones in the
womb of her that is with child ; even so thou knowest not
ihe work of God who maketh all. Ver. 6. In the morning
sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand :
for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that,
or whether they both shall be alike good.
Ver. 4. The unfavourable circumstances of the time exerted
a crippling influence. Men were dejected,, and gave themselves
up to Hstlessness and despair — they were inclined to lay their
hands in their bosom and wait for better times. Against this
the author here raises his warning voice. Under all circum
stances we should do our duty and let God care for us. Sow
ing and reaping are employed here after the example of Psalm
cxxvi. 5, to designate activity. To the wind, which may
easily blow away the seed, and to the clouds which threaten
to injure the harvests, correspond the unfavourable chcum-
stances of the time. In explaining the abbreviated comparison
used by the author, Cartwright says, "whoso layeth his hands
in his bosom, because the circumstances of the time are un
favourable, perinde esse axisi agricola sementem facere recusaret,
quia ventus paulo vehementius flat : unde fit ut de die in diem
sementem proferens seminandi tempus praeternuat" With a
special application to the preaching of the word, Jerome re
marks, " opportune, importune suo tenore Dei sermo est prse-
dicandus, nee fidei tempore, adversariarum nubium consideranda
tempestas. — Absque consideratione ergo nubium et timore
ventorum in mediis tempestatibus seminandum est. Nee
dicendum, iUud tempus commodum, hoc inutile, quum ignor-
emus, quse via, et quae voluntas sit spiritus universa dispen-
santis." Ver. ,5. Things turn out very often quite otherwise than

CHAPTER XI. 7, 8. 239
the understanding of men anticipated. For this reason we
should avoid puzzhng our minds much with the circumstances
of the time, we should do what God commands and leave
results to him. There is no doubt that our Lord alluded to
the first words of the verse, when he said in John iH. 8, of
the wind ovx oidag itohv 'ipysrai xal tou vitd'yu. Like the bones,
or, in other words, as it is with the bones. The only point
of comparison is the invisibUity. The principal passage iii
this connection is Psalm cxxxix. 15," My bones were not hid
from thee when I was made in secret, when I was wrought in
the depths of the earth." Bone is ih the Hebrew so desig
nated from the strength which it has, and, as the most impor
tant part of the body, is used to represent the whole.
Ver. 6. Be incessantly active ! Precisely in troublous and
wretched times should we be most restlessly active, for then
many things that we do may fail of success. The more doubtful
the results of our undertakings, the less should we be disposed
to lay our hands in our bosom.

VERSES 7, 8.
Better to be dead ! So were people exclaiming on all hands
at the time of the author. He, on the contrary, insists on the
importance of life as a noble gift of God, and warns against
thanklessly regarding it in a mistaken Hght.
Ver. 7. And sweet is the light, and a pleasant thing is it
for the eyes to see the sun. Ver. 8. For if a man live many
years, let him rejoice im them all ; yet let him remember the
days of darkness that they shall be many : all that eometh is
vanity. Ver. 7. However great are the sufferings of this life, how
ever manifold is the vanity to which the world has been sub
jected since the day spoken of in Genesis Hi., however sad are
the circumstances of the time, it still remains true, that life is
a good thing ; and when a gloomy and depressing mood gets
the upper hand in the Church, it is the task of the word of
God to impress upon it this truth.
Ver. 8. Christ has brought Hfe and immortality to light.
For him who is in Christ the argument has no longer the

240 CHAPTER XI. 9— XII. 7.
weight it had under the old covenant : we can no more aUow
the Hght of this life to be darkened by the shadow of Sheol.
To be weary of life is, however, stiU a sin, even under the new
Covenant. A pious heart will seek out the bright sides of
our earthly existence, and contemplate them with sincere
thankfulness.

CHAPTER XI. 9.— CHAPTER XII. 7.
At a time when dark discontent had got the mastery over
the minds of men, the Spirit of God exhorts them through the
writer of this book to enjoy cheerfully divine gifts, admonish
ing them, however, in order to prevent carnal misunderstand
ings, to keep in view the account they will have one day to
give to the Holy God, of all their doings : — he warns them
to remember thefr Creator, who alone has the power to render
their life prosperous and happy. In depicting the joylessness
of the age, he shows how fitting it is to enter betimes on this
path of self-surrender to the Creator, to consecrate even the
bloom of youth to Him, lest when we arrive at the end of our
days, after a miserable and curse-laden Hfe — (and apart from
fellowship with God there is nought but misery and curse) —
we should be compelled, looking back on a wasted existence,
to cry in despair, " too late." The whole concludes with a
reference to the judgment awaiting men after death.
Chap. xi. 9. Rejoice 0 young man in thy youth : and let
tJiy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the
ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes : but know
that for all this God will bring thee into judgment. Ver.
10. And remove discontent from thy heart, and put away
evil from thy flesh : for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.
Chap. xii. 1. And remember thy Creator im the days of thy
youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw nigh,
of vlhich thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. Ver. 2.
Before the sun be darkened, and the light, and the moon, and
ihe stars, and the clouds return ' after the rain. Ver. 3. In
the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the
strong men bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they
are become few, and those that look out of the windows be

CHAPTER XI. 9.  XII. 7. 241
darkened. Ver. 4. And the doors are shut in the streets, in
that the sound of the grinding is low, and he riseth up at ihe
voice of the bird, and all the daughters of song are bent down.
Ver. 5. Also they are afraid of that which is high, and ter
rors, (are for them,) in the way, and the almond tree flourish-
eth, and the locust becometh burdensome, and desire faileih,
because man goeth to his everlasting home, and the mourners
go about in ihe street. Ver. 6. Before then the silver cord be
removed, and the golden bowl haste away, and the pitcher be
broken at the fountain, and the wheel be dashed to pieces at
the cistern. Ver. 7. And the dust returneth to the earth as it
was, and the spirit returneth to God who gave it.
Chap. xi. 9. The writer directs his discourse to the youth
because he has stiU to choose his path in life, and good ad
vice is consequently most appropriate in his case. Let thy
heart cheer thee : the heart is mentioned because it is the
fountain from which cheerfulness is, as it were, diffused over
the whole man : compare Proverbs xiv. 30, "a sound heart is
the life of the body:" and chap. xv. 13, "a merry heart
maketh a cheerful countenance."* Many of the older com
mentators look upon this summons to cheerfulness as ironical;
so that it would be substantiaUy a dissuasion therefrom.-f-
There is, however, no satisfactory reason for taking such a
view, especially when we bear in mind that the disease of the
age was not excess, but duU melancholy. It is furthermore
inconsistent with a whole number of parallel passages, in
which men are exhorted to the cheerful enjoyment of God's
gifts. And lastly, in verse 1 0, to a very forced explanation
of which that view would lead, by BJ?3, we should then be
compeUed to understand " passionateness," to which youth is
specially inclined, and by njn "badness" in general.^ The
* Geiersays : " Ex corde vel animo de amore dei certo redundet pia ac honesta
refectio in totum corpus."
tFor example, Cartwright also observes: " In priore dehortatio adhibetur,
primum tropo ironias exornata: et deinde simplici oratione exposita. .
Nee enim oleum igni addit sed contra frenum juveni injicit."
t The fundamental idea of the book, to which the present verse owes its
origin, was quite correctly perceived and admirably presented by Witsius in
his Essay on chap. xii. 1, in the Misc. s. ii., p. 165, "toto libro nil nisi virtus
docetur, non fucata ilia, austera, tetrica, quaj ex sordibus et illuvie ac dpudia
rov gui/iarog, laudem captat. : sed ingenua, liberalis, hilaris quae deprehensa
rerum casterarum inanitate felicitatem suam quairit et invenit in conscientia

242 CHAPTER XI. 9.— XII. 7.
words, "walk in the ways of thine heart and im the sight of
thine eyes," would be at variance with the passage, Numbers
xv. 39, to which aUusioa is probably here made — " ye shaU
remember aU the commandments of the Lord and do them,
and ye shaU not foUow after your own heart and your own
eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring" — were they not
defined and Hmited by the succeeding warning — " but know,
etc"* There is undoubtedly a difference between the two
passages. In the one only unallowed merriness is forbidden :
in the other permitted merriness is recommended, — to a gene
ration, namely, which had lost its joy in Hfe, which was con
sumed by a murmuring disposition, and which tried to force
God to redeem it by means of a gloomy and rigid asceti
cism. Cheerfulness, here, is not merely permitted : it is com
manded, and represented as an essential element of piety.
Emphasis must be laid equaUy on the word "walk" and on
the word " know." Even in Leviticus xHi. 1 2 and Deutero
nomy xxvin. 34, DiJiJf n&no signifies that which we see with
our eyes. The Masorites wished to change the plural, which
refers to the multiplicity of the objects of sight, into the
singular, because they falsely supposed njno to denote the
" act of sight." To walk in that which we see with our eyes
is to be mentaUy occupied with it, to have pleasure in it, in
contradiction to either a strict and gloomy asceticism or a dis
contented dullness and insensibiHty. Into the judgment,
which wiU be carried on according to the standard of God's
revealed law. Whatever is in opposition to this must inevi
tably be expiated by punishment, — by punishment, too /which is
executed not only in the future world, but affects the whole of
our present life. For God is angry every day (Psalm vii. 1 2).
Ver. 10. The last verse exhorted to a divine cheerfulness ;
this verse dissuades from that which stands in its way. BJ/a
signifies "discontent," that is, with God and his leadings.
That poor age was rich in this particular (compare chap. vH.
tranquilla ac Iseta et usu bonorum ex favore divino proveuientium. Ita tamen
ut memor fluxaa hujus ac lubricas vita? et imminentis judicii omnia cum rever-
entia summi Numinis peragat."
* Jerome says, " rursum ne putaretur hsec dicens hominem ad luxuriam
provocare et in Epicuri dogma corruere, suspicionem hanc abstulit inferens :
Et scito, quoniam super omnibus his adducet te deus in judicium. Sic inquit
abutere mundi rebus, ut scias te in ultimo judicandum."

CHAPTER XI. 9  XII. 1-7. 243
9). We meet with it also in the contemporary Malachi : see
chap. iii. 14, "ye say, it is vain to serve God, and what profit
is it that we keep his ordinances and walk in filth before the
Lord of hosts ?" And put away evil from thy body. Dis
content has • the effect, at the same time, of rendering the
body wretched (Psalm vi. 8). Schmidt remarks, " afflictiones
et serumnas, quae ex tristitia animi in corpus redundant car-
nemque consumunt" To this we must add the mortifications
resorted to in order to extort redemption from God : compare
the passage from Malachi just quoted and Isaiah IviH. 3,
"wherefore do we fast, and thou seest not, wherefore do we
afflict our soul and thou knowest not ?" The exhortation,
not wUfully to rob themselves by dark melancholy of that
which God graciously presents to them, is grounded on the
consideration that youth, the time when men are most capable
of enjoyment, is vain and quickly passes by. riling, " the time
of dawn," "youth," occurs only here, and is a word that was pro
bably formed by the author himself. This is rendered probable
by the preceding term Ttrh, which serves as an explanation.
Chap. xH. 1. And remember thy Creator in ihe days of
thy youth. The Berleburger Bible remarks, " in the noble
time of youth turn betimes to God, and do not sacrifice its
bloom to the devU : do not devote merely the dregs of thy
years to God and put off tiU late the work of conversion."
In order to be happy, it is not enough that we form the re
solution to be cheerful (chap. xi. 9), and to put away
discontent, (chap. xi. 10). With such a determination, a
hearty piety must go hand in hand. Man could not be
considered as bearing the image of God if it were pos
sible for him to spend a joyous existence without remembering
his Creator. Truly rejoice can he only who is in his true ele
ment ; and man is only in his true element when he gives him
self up to devotion, and thus returns to the origin and source
of his being: To this must be added, that whoso apostatizes
from his Creator becomes necessarily involved in the divine
judgments ; for the Lord must have ins due from aU who
bear his image, either in their destruction or their vol
untary return to himself. Divine condemnation renders
cheerfulness impossible. The summons to "remember our
Creator" does not stand Hi contrast to that other one, " lot

244 CHAPTER XI. 9  XII. 1-7.
thy heart cheer thee :" they rather go hand in hand with
each other. Their relation might be expressed in this way —
" and im order that thou mayest be able to rejoice, and to
put away discontent, remember thy Creator." Ewald renders
wrongly — " yet think." The words, " thy Creator," give the
reason why we should remember. It is unnatural not to
think of Him , in whom we live and move and have our
being; and such unnatural conduct brings its own punish
ment, — misery is its inseparable companion. In the Berle
burger Bible we read, " When the Preacher says, ' Remember
thy Creator,' it is more than if he had merely mentioned
God. He indicates quite distinctly the right that God has
to man, the benefits which God has conferred on man, and
man's consequent duty to recognise and act according to his
entire dependence on God." The plural in "pKTia, in the same
way as that in " Elohim," draws attention to the fulness and
the wealth of the divine nature, to God's majesty and glory.
For remarks on such plural designations of God, (as for ex
ample, Joshua xxiv. 19, where God is caUed D"<Wnp, and Pro
verbs ix. 1 0), see chap. v. 7. Before the evil days come, etc.
What we are to understand by the " days of evil or suffer
ing," is made clear by the foUowing verses. They stand for
a joyless old age. If we fail to remember our Creator in youth,
the period between it and old age, the time when we are
most capable of happiness, is taken'" up with misery, and
after our susceptibility to pleasure has ceased, we are forced
to look with sorrow on a wasted existence. Cartwright
mistakes the right point of view when he says — "before old
age reaches thee, which by reason of numerous weaknesses and
burdens is less fitted for the learning or exercise of piety."
As is expressly said, age is here brought under consideration,
not because then the spiritual powers are deadened, but be
cause it brings on the "days of evil," because aU joy in our
earthly existence is then Hrecoverably lost if not previously
gained possession of — a thing which is impossible apart from
the fear of God. Knobel's observation however is quite incor
rect :-^-"that we must not connect the second part of this verse
exclusively with the admonition to fear God, but more par
ticularly with the summons to enjoyment about which Kohe
leth is here chiefly concerned, ' enjoy thyself before, etc., but

CHAPTER XI. 9  XII. 7. 245
not in such a way that thou make thyself a fool.'" To such
violent explanations are men driven who are incapable of
grasping the thought, that Jehovah is the Alpha and Omega
of our earthly existence, and that a right relation to him is
the condition and foundation of aU happiness and aU joy. In
the foUowing verses a picture is presented of a joyless old age
drawn in the Hvely colours of youth, in order that the exhort
ation to remember the Creator in the days of youth might sink
the more deeply into the heart. How mournful a thing must
it be to pass into the ranks of those who are here described,
without having tasted of the feast of joys prepared by the
Creator for aU those who remember Him.
Ver. 2. In the first half of this verse, age is brought for
ward as the time when sun, moon, and stars become dark.
The lights of heaven really shine only for the happy. When
the eye is no longer sunlike, the sun is, as it were, gone
, down. For this reason in Old Testament dehneations of ad
versity we so often read of the destruction of the heavenly
Hghts. Isaiah, for example, when describing in chap. v. 30,
the heavy sufferings which were about to fall upon the land
because of its ahenation from God, says — "the light is dark
ened in the heavens thereof." Jeremiah in chap. iv. 33, pic
turing the judgments which threatened Judah, says, " I beheld
the earth, and lo, it was without form and void, and the
heavens they had no Hghts:" (compare Ezekiel xxxii. 7, 8 ;
Amos vni 9, 10; Micah iii. 6 ; Revelations vi. 1 2.) With
the sun is connected " the light," the Scripture symbol of sal
vation and happiness, for the purpose of indicating why the
sun, moon, and stars are introduced, and what is their signi
ficance. In the second half of the verse, age appears as the
time when clouds return after rain, that is, when one trouble
succeeds to the other. Dark clouds are often used as an image
of troubles : so also rain in Ezekiel xiii. 11-13 ; xxxvHi 22 ;
Song of Solomon ii. 11. Luther observes that, "the Holy
Scriptures caU consolation and prosperity, light, and troubles,
darkness or night. The author means therefore to say — before
the age comes when neither sun nor stars shall shine on thee,
when the clouds shall return after rain, that is, when one
trouble shall foUow on the heels of another. For young boys,
for young men, for men who are in the very prime of life,

246 CHAPTER XI. 9, — XII. 7.
there is stiU a measure of joy : in their case it is stiU a fact
that, after rain comes beautiful sunshine; that is, in other
words, although they have times of trouble, they have also
again days of joy and consolation. But age has no joy :
clouds come after the rain : one misfortune succeeds another,
one storm foUows another." The power to suffer is exhausted
in old age, the heart is aheady broken : that is however not
the only consideration here : God?s wiU is to melt down his own
people completely before the end of Hfe, and to give to the
wicked a foretaste of hell. That which is here said Of age in
general, holds especially good of the age of the godless, which
the author had principally in view* It did not, however,
accord with his purpose, to mention, that as the Hghts of this
world grow dark, the celestial divine Hght shines all the more
brightly on a godly old age.-(*
Ver. 3. The body in which the spirit dweUs is elsewhere,
also, represented under the image of a house : (see Job iv. 1 9 ;•
2 Corinthians v. 1.) The watchmen of the house are the
arms, by which everything inimical and destructive is warded
of. JW in kal occurs only here and in Esther v. 9 : in the
Chaldee it is frequently used. The strong men are the feet. .
These are introduced as the seat of the strength of a man, also
in Psalm cxlvii. 1 0, " he delighteth not in the strength of a
horse, he hath no pleasure in the legs of a man," — and in their
strength, — as we may add, supplementing from the first clause
of the verse. The millers, (feminine,) or the grinders, are the
teeth. The feminine form was chosen because grinding (with
the handmUl) was usuaUy an occupation of women, (Exodus
xi 5 ; Isaiah xlvU. 2.) The teeth make holiday or cease, that
is, are no longer able to fulfil their task, because they have
become few : if they are to be properly active, their number
must be full. i>03 as a Hebrew word, ." to cease to make hoH-
day," occurs only in this place : in Aramaic it is frequently
* Cartwright says, "quod quidem, utfere senibus omnibus evenit, ita potis-
simum his, qui luxu et libidine jnventutem transegerunt. Effoetum enim corpus
et nauseabundum senectuti tradunt : ita ut in illis pluviam excipiat nubes, nu-
bem grando, grandinem gelu, donee eum deus ad barathrum condemnationis
detruserit. t Cartwright observes, " tametsi visibilis sol illis occidit, tamen sol justitise
Christus illorum in animis adolescentise exoriens, in senectuti altior in hujus
vitas hemispheric assurgens, lumen suum duplicabit. Prov. iv. 18."

CHAPTER XI. 9,  XI. 7. 247
found, (see for example, Ezra iv. 24.) The Piel of OVO is only
used here, and that with an intransitive meaning. The Piel
denotes enhancement, very few. Those that look out of the
windows, are the eyes. Hitzig remarks, "as at first, two
masculines, which in conception belong to each other, namely,
arms and legs, are connected ; so in the next place, two femi-
fiiines, to wit, teeth and eyes ; as also in portions of the law,
(Exodus xxi. 24 ; Deuteronomy xix. 21,) eyes and teeth, hands
and feet, are co-ordinated with each other."
Ver. 4. By the doors im the streets, some organ must here
be designated, which is the medium of intercourse with the
external world,— one, too, which is divided into two parts, as
is clear from the use of the dual DThn. The mention of the
eyes, which goes immediately before, would at once suggest
the thought of ears : this moreover suits admirably the con^
nection with the voice — " in that the voice of the miU becomes
weak"- — they are less able to hear, and to make themselves
intelligible. According to others, the mouth is intended, and
the dual form Bifi^l is chosen with reference to the two lips —
a form which is used also of the jaws of the Leviathan in Job
xh. 6. See the Berleburger Bible, where, we read — " through
the mouth man's heart goes forth and is seen and known by
means of what he utters." The image of doors is used also of
the mouth in Micah vii. 5, " preserve the doors of thy mouth."
On this view the words, "in that the voice of the mUl becomes
weak," would assign the reason for the closing of the doors, as
much as to say, " they scarcely open the mouth any more be
cause it has become difficult for them to speak." But it is
more appropriate to apply the description being shut to that
hardness of hearing, which is so characteristic of old age
that it can scarcely be absent. If the teeth are the grinders,
the mouth must be the mill. 7S& is Infin. nominasc. from
bw, "to be low;" signifying when used of the voice, to be,
as it were, depressed, deadened, weak. The subject in mp' is
" the old man," who is spoken of in the context. He rises at
the voice of the bird, so soon as the birds begin to sing, that
is, very early in the morning : age has no sleep* The men-
* Cartwright says, "summo mane, quum avicularum cantillationes incipiunt,
irrequietus senex, somni expers, membra levabit thoro, cetera etiam familise

248 CHAPTER XI. 9,  XII. 7.
tion of the " voice of the bfrd" suggests the remark, that the
old man has even lost all capacity for, and pleasure in song ;
a remark which coincides with 2 Samuel xix. 35, where Bar-
zUlai says to David — " can thy servant stiU taste what I eat
or drink, can I hear any more the voice of singing men and
singing women?" The term "daughter" is used to designate
that which belongs to a thing : for example, the daughters of
Rabbah, in Jeremiah xlix. 2, are the places which belong to
Rabbah. Here accordingly the qualities which belong to song;
the singing quahties, are personified as the daughters of song:
Aquila, irdvra rd rrjg tt)djjg,
Ver, 5. Also — to mention this further characteristic of their
miserable condition — they are afraid of everything which is
high, and terrors are in the way. Where there is Httle strength
every height is dreadful, and defenceless impotence sees terrors
wherever it goes and stands. And the almond tree blooms.
That the almond tree is here used as a symbol of that watch
fulness with which old age is visited, is suggested even by the
etymology. np&, originally the name of the tree, not of the
fruit, to which, strictly viewed, it is inappropriate, and can
therefore be only secondarily appHed, is a poetical designation
of the almond : the real name in natural history is vb- It is
caUed properly the "waking tree," because it first awakes
from the sleep of winter. Theophrastiis says in Hist. Plant.
i 1 5, of the alum tree, <sp al fi\agrdvu.-\ To this we may
add that in Jeremiah ill, the almond tree is in Hke manner
employed as a symbol of watching : — that passage may be re
garded as commentary to the present verse. Why mention is
made of blooming, PHny teaches us in the Hist. Nat. 16,
25 : according to him, the almond tree blossoms first of all
trees, — " floret prima omnium amygdala mense . Januari.o"
According to the explanation just given, which is adopted by the
Septuagint, (xal avd^gfi rb dpby&aXov,) by the Vulgate, (et florebit
amygdalus,) and by the Syriac, y$P is the HiphU form, and
from pj, which is used in the sense of "blossom," even in the

quietem turbans. Nam uti ihtempestivus somnus, ita et intempestiva vigilia
comites aut sequela? senectutis sunt."
* Gesenius. " ~]pg> amygdala arbor, ita dicta, quod omnium arborum prima
e somno hiberno expergiscitur et velut vigil ceteris plantis advigilat."

CHAPTER XI. 9.  XII. 7. 249
the Song of Solomon, (see chap. vi. 1 1 ; vii. 1 3.) These pas
sages agree too closely with the present verse to permit of a
separation between them. To the blossoming pomegranite
trees there, corresponds the blossoming almond tree here. We
need not be surprised at the s which has been interpolated :
it is found elsewhere in the usage of a latter period, (see
Ewald, § 83 c.) Objections which have been raised, do not
touch the explanation in itseU", but only the false turn given
to it when the blossoming almond tree is made to represent
the grey hair of old men. In such a case, there is of course
the plain objection, that the blossom of the almond tree is
not white. According to others, psji is the Hiphil future of
ym, " to despise : " the toothless old man despises the pleasant
tasted almond. But even as regards the form, there are diffi
culties in the way of this explanation ; — for example, the
vowel point Kametz ; and the Hiphil, which occurs nowhere
else :* — besides, the meaning of the verb ytto does not suit, for
yaa is not a simple refusal, but one connected with scorn and
contempt. To this we may add, that the thought is rather'
too far-fetched. And the locust shows itself troublesome.
i>3B, " to press heavily on any one," in Piel, (which does not
occur,) "to lay a burden on any one;" (Pual is used in Psalm
Cxliv. 14,) and in Hithpael, " to show oneself burdensome, to be
troublesome," (compare Gesenius' Thesaurus.) Locusts must not
be taken here, as Gesenius and others take them, in thefr proper
sense, viz., in the sense of an exceUent species of food, which the
old man must renounce because he is no longer able to bear it.-f-
For locusts were in any circumstances but poor nutriment, taken
only by those who either had no other, orwished to mortify them
selves ; and then the expression, " become burdensome or
troublesome," wpuld be out of place. The locust must rather be
employed figuratively, in correspondence with the predominantly
* Hitzig is obliged to confess that the form as it here lies before us cannot be derived
from y$} — " the pointing is without doubt not intended for the Hiphil of |»&u,
(that is for YtC instead of vy^yi) which never occurs elsewhere, but for the
Hiphil of ]>V3, t0 wl% W\ as was a*so tne T'ew °* *^e autnors °f tne versions
led astray by lpt}> itself, (compare Numbers xvii. 23.)"
t Molesta est seni locusta, quia segre ab illo manducatur et concoquitur, quan-
quam grati saporii

H,%<0 CHAPTER XI. 9.— XII. 7.
symboHcal character of the entire description. If this is the case,
there can be no doubt as to the sense. The most prominent
characteristic of locusts, is " devouring ;" compare 2 Chronicles
vH. 13, "I command the locusts, (ajn, as here,) to devour the
land." For this reason, wherever locusts are aUuded to in a
figurative sense in the Scriptures, they designate hostUe rav
ages and destruction. Here accordingly we must understand by
them, the forces hostUe to Hfe, which consume it especiaUy in old
age. And desire faUeth : Luther gives the sense accurately
as foUows, " an old man has pleasure in nothing." njvaN from
naK, " to wish, to wUl," occurs nowhere else, but stUl the deri
vation is quite legitimate. To be rejected, is the limitation
to one particular kind of desire .* The explanation, " caper,"
although widely spread, must stiU be characterised as without
foundation.-^ The fact that some old translations have hit
upon it, (the Septuagint, for example, which was foUowed by
the Syriac and the Vulgate,) offers no sure support for it. It
has been sought, but in vain, to draw confirmations of this
usage from the Talmud and the Rabbins.^ " Appetites, con
cupiscentia," which is the simplest explanation, suits the con
text admirably, and is recommended also by the parallel
expression of BarzUlai, — " can I stiU distinguish between good
and evU, can I taste what I eat and drink, etc.?" The Hip
hU form of TIB signifies elsewhere always " to reduce to nought,
to destroy," and must not therefore here without further
reasons be rendered, " become nought." Desire refusing its
services, reduces the enjoyments to nought, which it might
have afforded us. For man goeth to his eternal home;
and of that aU these things are forerunners — they are symp
toms that Hfe is shortly to cease. ||
The eternal house can only be the grave, out of which
there is never a return to this earthly life : compare Job vii.
* So the Chaldee, " prohibeberis a concubitu;'' correctly on the contrary the
Greek Venet., iravgr\ r\ opefyg. Abulvalid renders, "cessabit concupiscentia;"
Rabbi Parchon explains the word by niWI.
t Gesenius, " et irrita erit capparis, i. e., vim amplius habebit capparis, neque
in cibi desiderio movendo, neque in Veneris concupiscentia provocanda."
t Compare for a contrary view, Winzer's Comm. on xi. 9, — xii. 7, in the
" *. omm. Theol." of Rosenmuller, Euldner and Maurer i. 1, p. 95.
|| Geier, " nee mirum est omnem evanescere appetitum, quia abit et magis
magisque sensim occidit ejusmodi homo."

- CHAPTER XI. 9. — XII. 7. 251
1 0, "he will not return to his house, nor wUl liis place know
him again" We find the same expression used of it in Tobias
Hi. 6, also. And the mourners go about im the streets. iaao
is the preter. proph. That which is impending in the im
mediate future is anticipated in spirit. What is said here is
equivalent to, "they wiU soon go about in the streets." The
reference is to the mournings which took place at funerals,
(compare Amos v. 16.)
Ver. 6. Before the silver cord be removed. The words
are connected with the admonition at the commencement of the
chapter, "remember thy Creator." The cord denotes the
thread of life, the continuity of existence. That the cord is
of sUver is a sign that Hfe is a noble possession: compare
chap xi. 7, "sweet is the light, and pleasant is it for the eyes
to see the sun."* The Niphal form of pm "to become far"
is never used. As invariably happens in such cases, the
vowels belong to the marginal reading. We must read pHT,
"removed afar off, departed," (longe recessit, discessit) The
Masoretic conjecture is the less to be trusted as the meaning,
"be broken," ascribed to prro, is by no means certain. The
verb which signifies "to bind, to enchain," cannot, in Niphal,
which otherwise never occurs, mean "to be unchained, torn
loose," as Ewald would have it. pm, "to remove," and pi "to
run, to haste away," correspond admirably to each other. —
And the golden bowl haste away. Many interpreters con
sider that pn here stands for pn, "tiU the golden bowl be
broken," Septuagint, xal gwrpifiy ri dviipuov rov x?u<s'm- Else
where, however, the spheres of both the verbs pn and pn
remain distinct. Even in Isaiah xlH. 4, pn retains its mean
ing "run," (compare my Christology on that passage.) The
former of the two verbs always signifies elsewhere "to break,"
never "to be broken." pi "to run, to escape," forms quite a
suitable parallel with pnT "to become far;" so also in the
second half of the verse pj "to be beaten to pieces" with "iatw
"to be broken." The use of pi immediately after shows
that pn may not be referred back to ym, for the recurrence
of the same verb would be awkward, n^a means properly
* Jerome says, " funiculus autem argenti caudidam hanc vitam et spiramen
quod nobis de ccelO tribuitur, ostendit."

252 CHAPTER XI. 9,  XII. 7.
"source," and is equivalent to b\ in the Song of Solomon iv.
12. It is used in the same manner in Joshua xv. 19,
and Judges i 15. Then in Zechariah" iv. 3 it denotes the
reservoir out of which the oU flows into the seven lamps of
the candlestick, (the mascuhne form bi in chap. iv. 2 is chosen
only on account of the suffix.) On that passage in Zechariah,
is based, as it would seem, the one now under notice. Cor
responding with the "cord," Hfe, now, as the ground and
source of all particular manifestations thereof, is represented
Under the image of an oil-bowl. Four figurative designations
of life are connected together in this verse. In the passage
adduced from Zechariah the remark was made, "that the
candlesticks being entirely of the noblest metal, namely of
gold, indicates the glory of the church." Here also we are
taught that the Hfe which God has adorned with such noble
gifts, and to which he has appointed such high tasks, is a
noble possession, in that the oil-bowl is described as being
golden And the pitcher is broken to pieces at the well. The
pitcher is the image of individual Hfe, the well is the image
of the general hfe. Hitzig justly compares with this, the
drawing of breath, although that is not the whole, but only
one single act, by which we take to ourselves something out
of the great general treasure from which all individuals are
supplied with that which is necessary to thefr subsistence.
And the wheel is broken to pieces at the cistern. .The cistern,
or fountain, is the world Life is represented under the image
of a wheel because of its rapid motion .* ' In James iii. 6 it is
Said of the tongue, i\ gwikovaa o?tov rb gu/J.a, xal pXoylfyvga rbv
rpox&v rrj.g yiv'sgiug- The first words are based on chap. v. 5 of
this book, "Let not thy mouth make thy flesh sinful:" the
second clause, referring back to the present verse, represents
life under the image of a wheel, (yhegig, Bengel, "constitutio
naturalis," i 23 et vita, compare Judith xH. 19; icdga,g rag
ij/ispag «js ysvlasug /aov, Schneckenburger on the passage.) If
the pitcher is one day inevitably to be broken at the well,
and the wheel to be beaten to pieces at the cistern, it surely
behoves us to seek earnestly and betimes for such a founda-
* PJpJj Gesenius, "res volubilis, qua cito et continuo volvitur."

CHAPTER XI. 9.  XII. 7. 253
tion of our life as shaU not be subjected to such changes*
The fear of death is legitimate so long as we have not reached
this aim. The Berleburger Bible says, "the author having
described here the accidents which precede death, and at the
same time death itself: in the foUowing verse he informs us
what wiU become of body and soul after death."
Ver. 7. The dust, that is, as the Berleburger Bible remarks,
"this earthly body, which is so caUed in order to show partly
its origin, and partly also its weakness and Httleness."
AUusion is made to Genesis Hi. 19, "tiU thou return to the
earth, for from it wast thou taken, for dust thou art and unto
dust shalt thou return." This passage contains only part of
the truth. Its design was to humble man to the dust, who
wished to be equal with God: hence, of the two sides of
which his nature is constituted, only the one, the earthly side,
is specially mentioned. According to Genesis ii. 7, there is
in man a divine element, a breath from God, alongside of the
earthly. Chap. i. 26 teaches that man is created in God's
image, in distinction from all the rest of creation. In this
aspect of his being he cannot be subjected to destruction, he
must participate in the imperishableness of God. When the
author says, that the spirit returns to God who gave it, he
advances nothing new, he does but complement Genesis Hi.
] 9 from the two passages just adduced. That the spirit of
man does not perish with the body is here, in agreement with
chap. Hi. 2, (compare also chap. Hi. 11,) most decidedly taught.
Conscious, however, of the boundary Hnes separating the pro
ductions of "wisdom" from the outpourings of prophecy, he
does not enter further on the question.-f- An earnest mode
of looking at sin and guUt, such as is characteristic of the
entire Old Testament, and especiaUy of this present book, does
not tolerate the notion of a pantheistic diffusion and absorp
tion of the soul, which rationalistic interpreters find in this
passagcj Such foohsh thoughts can only be cherished by
* Cartwright, "danda igitur opera ut ipse salientem in se et peiennem aquam
habeat, quae ilium recreet, cum nee hydria, nee rota sibi consulere possit."
t These limits are mistaken by Winzer when he remarks, " si spes, quam nos
foremus latissimam, Ecclesiastas, adfulsisset, non obiter ipse tetegisset et verbis
ambiguis notasset rem maximi momenti."
| Hitzig, "That this particle of the divine breath poured out by God into the
world and separated to an individual existence, will be drawn back again to its

254 CHAPTER XI. 9.  XII. 7.
those who think Hghtly of sin. Those terrible words in
Deuteronomy xxvii. 26, "cursed be he that keepeth not aH the
words of this law to do them," should effectuaUy prevent them
rising within us. The doctrine of the Old Testament is that
righteousness and sin stamp an indelible character on the soul.
It is impossible that the distinction between the righteous
and the wicked, so emphatically insisted on, should at once
be reduced to nought in the moment of death. Against such
a view is decisive, moreover, the piercing seriousness with
which the future judgment is announced everywhere, and
especially in this book. On aU these grounds, and on the
ground, finally, of the emphasis laid on that retributive work
of God with whose mention in verse 1 4 the whole book ter
minates, the return of the soul to God can only be such an
one as that of which the apostle speaks in 2 Corinthians v.
10, "for we must aU appear before the judgment seat of
Christ, that every one may receive the things done in the
body, according to that he hath done whether it be good or
bad;" compare Romans xiv. 10, "for we shaU aU stand before
the judgment seat of Christ;" and Hebrews ix, 27, "it is
appointed unto men once to die, and after death the judg
ment." After its departure the soul must present itself before
Him from whom it had its origin, to receive from him its
judgment. The Chaldee paraphrases the Hebrew as foUows,
"et spiritus animse redibit, ut stet in judicio coram deo, qui
dedit Ulum tibi" That is the Israelitish view. The other
is a Japhetism of Bunsen's. Only on the view adopted by
the Church, not on that of the Rationahsts, has the. passage
the significance which is caUed for by the context. No other
meaning than this, "that the soul must one day return to
God as its judge," is fitted to prepare the way for the admoni
tion, "remember thy Creator," which is the main feature of
this entire section. Remember thy Creator, in order that thou
mayest not have to bewail a misspent earthly existence when
it is too late for remedy, and then after death come into
judgment* The Berleburger Bible says, "precisely for this
source and so be united once more with God's breath, which is the soul of the
world." * Cartwright says, "illud juvenes cautos et consultos reddat, quod illico ex
bac vita migrantes apud judicem suum sistentur, ibi accepturi prout segesserint."

CHAPTER XI. 9.  XII. 7. 255
reason should a man consider weU how he Hves and acts here,
seeing that, do what he wUl, he cannot avoid appearing before
God. Souls come out of eternity into this world as on to a
theatre. There they exhibit their persons, their affections,
their passions, that which there is of evU and good in them.
When they have as it were acted out their parts, they are
forced to retire, to lay off the person in which they presented
themselves, and to go naked, just as they are, before God for
judgment. AU men are convinced enough in their conscience
that they cannot remain thus in their own nature, and that
they cannot escape from, or pass by, God when they die, as
the ungodly would fain do, being anxious even for the moun
tains and hUls to cover them, if they can but remain without
God. But, wiUing or unwilling, we shaU all infallibly faU
into the hands of our Creator. And one may see clearly that
the greatest labour and anxiety of dying men arises from
their feeling that they are on the way to God. How the
whole man trembles and shakes! EspeciaUy when he dare
not comfort himseK with the hope of a reconciled approach !
There is no exception to the declaration, that aU men must
return to God, but still there is a great distinction amongst
them. Most men return to God as to their insulted Lord:
some, however, as to a gracious and compassionate friend and
father. Inasmuch, then, as our coming to God is certain and
unavoidable, we should make it our first, as it is our most
needed care, to see to it every moment that we be able to
come unto God in a right manner." Much importance has
been attached to this verse in connection with disputes con
cerning the origin of the soul. If the soul returns to God,
such was the conclusion drawn by the advocates of Creation-
ism, it must owe its origin to God and not to its human
parents* The defenders of Traducianism answer, that the
return of the soul to God has relation to the creation of the
first man.f This reply, however, can scarcely be regarded as
* Jerome says, " ex quo satis ridendi, qui putant animas cum corporibus seri,
et non a deo, sid a corporum parentibus generari. Quum enim caro revertatur
in terram et spiritus redeat ad Deum, qui dedit ilium; manifestum est, Deum
parentem animarum esse, non homines."
t Cartwright, "hoc dico, eos qui ex hoc loco conantur traducem evertere,
fundamento parum firmo niti. Nam liquidum est Eeclesiasten ad protoplasti

256 CHAPTER XII. 8-14.
satisfactory. The return of the individual soul to God is only
satisfactorily accounted for on the view of Creationism, that it
owes its origin directly to God. As far then as this passage is
concerned, Creationism is in the right, although, an exami
nation of the weighty reasons advanced in favour of Traduci-
anism must convince us that it only gives a part of the truth
The right course is to combine and reconcile the two apparently
opposed theories. CHAPTER XII. 8-14.
We have here the Epilogue of the book. At the com
mencement (ver. 8), and at the close (ver. 13, 14) the sum
and substance of the book is set before us in a very con
densed and vigorous form. This epitome serves at the same
time as a standard and test for the interpretation of the pre
vious portions. In the middle a recommendation is given of
the book as containing wisdom offered by God to the Church,
and as sharing, along with the other sacred writings, that
all-pervading power which proceeds from inspiration (ver. 9,
11); then we find an admonition to the faithful use of those
edifying truths and considerations which are set before men
in this and the other sacred writings, together with a warn
ing against a too deep study of worldly Hterature (ver. 1 2).
Ver. 8. Vanity of vanities, said Koheleth, all is vanity.
Ver. 9. And there yet remains, that Koheleth was a wise
man, he taught also the people wisdom, and gave heed and
sought out and set in order many parables. Ver. 10. Kohe
leth sought to fimd out acceptable words, and uprightness was
written, words of truth. Ver. 1 1. The words of the wise are as
goads, and as nails driven in are those who take part in the
collection : they were given by one shepherd. Ver. 1 2. And
further, my son, receive instruction from them : of making
many books there is no end, and much eagerness is a weari
ness to the flesh. Ver. 1 3. Let us hear the conclusion of the
discourse, the whole matter : fear God and keep his commands;
for this (is the duty of) all men. Ver. 14. For every work
formationem respicere, cum Deus animam inspiravit Adamo, sicut ex corporis
figmento apparet, quod ex terra exstitisse dicitur."

CHAPTER XII. 8-14. 257
shall God bring into the judgment on every secret thing,
whether it be good or whether it be evil.
Ver. 8. The correspondence between this verse and the
commencement of the book (chap. i. 2) shows that it is not
to be connected with the preceding section, but is to be set
at the head of the conclusion. There is, however, of course a
certain connection between it and the close of the preceding
section. If our earthly existence comes to the end described
in ver. 7 it is vanity, and true good may not be sought in
it* This one sentence does not give us the quintessence of
the entire book, for it contains many things which cannot be
classed under such a head, and Knobel is quite wrong in say
ing that " the theme of the whole book is the assertion of the
vanity of human life and struggles." What we have here is
a single thought of prominent importance, which, as being
such, it is the purpose of this concluding repetition to bring
to notice. Verses 13 and 14, which are expressly announced
as the true summary of the book, form the complement to
verse 8. What is said in the latter leads and prepares the
way for that which is said in the former. The knowledge of
the vanity of earthly things conducts to the fear of God
afterwards recommended. Since all things are vain, man,
who is subject to vanity, should do all in his power to enter
into a living relation to Him who is the true absolute Being,
and through fellowship with him to participate, himself, in a
true eternal being. AH being vanity, man should not further
vex himself about a " handful of vanity," — he should not care
much whether he have to suffer a Httle more or a little less,
but attach importance alone to that which either hinders or
favours his fellowship with Him who is the true absolute,
personal, Being.
Ver. 9. "uT.i signifies generaUy "more" (chap. vi. 8, 11,
vH. 1 1), here it means " remaining," as in 1 Samuel xv. 1 5.
* Jerome — "post descriptionem interims humani pulchre exordium libri sui
repetens, ait, vanitas vanitatum, dixit Ecclesiastes, omnia vanitas. Quum enim
cunctus mortalium labor, de quo in toto volumine disputatum est, hue perven-
iat, ut revertatur pulvis in terram suam, et anima illuc redeat unde sumta est,
magnse vanitatis est, in hoc seculo laborare et nihil profutura conquirere."
Rambach says, "Patet igitur ex haetenus dictis atque imprimis etiam ex vita
hominis naturali tam brevi et misera, quod recte ab initio adfirmaverim, omnia
qusB soli subjecta sunt, vana, misera et caduca esse."
R

258 CHAPTER XII. 8-1 4.
i ' There remains," that is, " it remains yet to be said." Luther,
who renders, " This same preacher was not only wise, but he
also taught," and others, take "inv in the sense of "besides;"
compare ^ieo IDV "besides me," in Esther vi. 6. The title
Koheleth did not belong to Solomon as such, but as Salamo
redivivus, as the ideal author of this book. (Compare what
has already been said on this matter in chap. i. 1.) This is
evident from this verse alone. Of Solomon himself it was
superfluous to say that he was a wise man, and taught the
people wisdom. After what had been said about Solomon's
wisdom in 1 Kings v. 9-11, such praise would sound rather
cold. A wise man, of the kingdom of God ; not in the sense
of the world, not of his own making, but of God's, (compare
v. 11): this passage consequently does not contradict Pro
verbs xxvH. 2, " let another praise thee and not thine own
mouth, a stranger and not thine own lips." He was an organ
of that heavenly wisdom, of which it is said in the Book of
Wisdom vii. 27, xard ytvtdg tig -^v^dg bg'iag [itrafiaivovga tpiXovg
Deov xal irpoiprirag xdragxtvd^ti* Koheleth did not Hmit him-
seff to being wise for himself, but he further (Til?) taught the
people wisdom. The title Koheleth of itself indicates this
practical popular tendency. On the side of the readers there
was the corresponding duty, to hear and to take to heart what
was taught. The Piel of JTK, which only occurs here, is most
simply explained by "Hsten, hearken," after the example of
Aquila, the Syriac and the Chaldee. The comparison of the
HiphU form is less remote than that of the noun B^NO,
" scales," from which several have been disposed to derive the
meaning, " to weigh, to consider." To attain to the truth of
things we must Hsten; especially shall we succeed in this pur
suit if we possess a hearing ear for God and his revelations:
compare Psalm xlix. 5, " I will incline mine ear to the para
ble." 'pn is separated from jfK andlpn by the accentuation
and by the want of the copula. The two latter verbs desig
nate the means by which the |pn comes to pass. The verb,
which occurs in chap. vH. 13, in the sense of "to 'make
* Rambach, — " Ex numero scil. illorum sapientium quos Spiritus S. singula-
riter ad docendum scribendumaeque instruxit, coll. v. 12, unde non verendum
est, ut aut inutilia ac falsa hactenus monuerit, aut deinceps v. 13, 14 moni-
turus sit."

CHAPTER XII. 8-1 4. 259
straight," describes here not merely "the making complete, but
at the same time also the skUl or ability of the work. — If
Koheleth is Solomon only in so far as he is the speaker in this
book, then the " many parables," or proverbs, cannot be those
mentioned in 1 Kings v. 1 2, of which a great part is con
tained in the Book of Proverbs, but must be those contained
in the present book, which it is the aim to recommend. The
book contains two hundred and twenty-two verses, which may
be regarded as so many B^B>o. There is of course a reference
to 1 Kings v. 1 2 : the ideal Solomon follows in the footsteps
of the historical.
Ver. 1 0. Koheleth strove to fimd out acceptable words : —
naturaUy not for the earthly, but for the heavenly minded ;
words which should go to the hearts of the true members of
the Church of God. Schmidt remarks : " Quas jure meritoque
desiderari et placere debent, tanquam divinse virtutis et cer-
titudinis." Cartwright says, " Verbi Dei encomium celebratur
ab adjuncta dulcedine s. delectatione. Sunt etenim homini
pio meUe dulciora, Psa. xix., ut cibus famelico ut potus
sitienti" And uprightness was written, words of truth.
The relation of the two halves of the verse to each other is
wrongly estimated by Elster, who says, " his representation
unites therefore artistic grace of form with inner truth of
thought." Words are rather acceptable, because they are up
right and true, as in Luke ii. 52, %A.pig is a consequence of
Wisdom. -|B», "uprightness," denotes everywhere that char
acter or condition which is adequate to the idea or standard.
Wherein this consists is more carefuUy described by the ad
dition, "words of truth." Truth is the quahty which per
fectly corresponds to the norm. The adverbal view of "its"
(Luther, "and wrote rightly the words of truth") can scarcely
be justified. The fundamental passage in this connection is
Proverbs vHi. 6-10, where wisdom says, "hear, for I speak
noble things, and the opening of my Hps is uprightness. For
my mouth speaketh truth, and wickedness is an abomination
to my Hps. All the words of my mouth are in righteousness,
and there is nothing twisted or perverse in them. They are
all plain to him that understandeth, and upright to them that
find knowledge." That which is said there in regard to the
Proverbs holds good also of this book, inasmuch as it is a

260 CHAPTER XII. 8-14.
production of the same "wisdom from above," and not of
weak, erring natural reason.
Ver. 11. From the praise of his own book, the author
passes te the praise of the great whole, of which his work was
destined to form a part, to wit, of the canonical books of the
Old Testament. The words of the wise, of the organs of the
rivufcv crotpia, of the authors of the sacred books : to the number
(hereof the author of this book must be reckoned according
to what has preceded* The Berleburger Bible says, " in ver.
1 1 the reason is given for that which had been first affirmed :
because, namely, he is one of the wise who are driven by the
Spirit of God (2 Peter i 21), whose words, therefore, have a
deep meaning and importance." Hitzig observes, " an external
connection is established between verses 10 and 11, by the fact
that the words of truth in verse 1 0 proceed from one of the
Bioan (ver. 9 a). Hence, such words of the wise.""f Are as
qoads. pail, from am in the Arabic " to be pointed," denotes
goad in general, and not specially " ox-goad." The point of
comparison is only the power of piercing, penetrating deep:
Gesenius ; " aculeorum instar alte descendunt in pectora homi-
num iisque manent infixa." We should be led to this view
also by the paraUel comparison of Nails. Knobel says, quite
incorrectly, "just as the ox-goad teaches the ox manners, and
causes it to go rightly." And Hke nails driven in are the
participators in the collection. yea means strictly " to plant ;"
it is used in Daniel xi. 45, in the sense "to drive in." The
plural nviOB'O is here treated as a masculine : for remarks on
feminines in r\ which are changed into masculines, see Ewald,
174 g. The plural anoDO occurs in Isaiah xii 7, with which
* Correctly Rambach, " Mam verba sapientium, atque ex illis maxime scrip-
torum Hioirvtvgruv, Mosis, Samuelis, Josuse, Davidis, ex quibus et Ecclesiastes
fuit, coll. v. 9." Incorrectly Elster, who says — " By the words of the wise are
meant gnomic or didactic poems, which being brief and precise both as to
thought and expression are specially fitted to have such a lively, stimulating
effect." According to the parallelism, "the wise" are the authors of the entire
canonical books ; and that the excellence is not to be sought in the form, but in
the substance, in the thought, is clear from the fact that their origin is traced to
the One Shepherd, or, in other words to Inspiration.
t Schmidt and Rambach, " Ratio hie redditur ejus quod, ver. 10, dictum est
scriptam esse ab eo rectitudinem et verba veritatis h. e. firma et infallibilia.
Flatio nimirum est quia ipse sit ex illis sapientibus, Spiritu Dei octis, quorum
verba suit sicut stimuli, etc."

CHAPTER XII. 8-14. 261
compare 1 Chronicles xxii. 3. The expression msax i^JJa has
been most variously explained. It is therefore of the more
importance to renounce all attempts at guessing, and to seek
a soHd groundwork. The form, niaDK, does not elsewhere
occur, but the masculine form, BiBDN, does : this latter, there
fore, must be our guide, more especiaUy as it is in use amongst
the writers of the post-exile period, to whose usage that of Ko
heleth everywhere bears resemblance. Biaax, "that which is
collected, collectse, collectanea," is used in 1 Chronicles xxvi.
15, 17, and Nehemiah xii 25, of the stores of the sanctuary,
in reference to which it is said, in 2 Chronicles xxv. 24,
" sUver and gold and all the vessels which were found in the
house of God"* Now niBDK here has quite the same mean
ing as this BiaDK : — both signify, "collected things," "that
which is collected." The sphere to which what is coUected
belongs, the nature of that which is collected, is more pre
cisely defined by the foregoing expression, " the words of the
wise," to which ni3DX i$>jn corresponds. Accordingly, the re
ference can only be to the national library : and the Baale or
Associates of that which is collected can only be those who
have taken part in the contents of the collection, to wit, the
authors of the individual books contained therein, byi is
any one who takes part in a matter : thus rpTJ i^ya are the
associates of the covenant, (Genesis xiv. 13) ; yen ^]/a are
those who are participators in wickedness (compare Eccles.
vii. 1 2) ; Tjf i?jn are the associates of a city, that is, the inha
bitants : To!?n i^J?a, are the authors of the Talmud. The two
clauses correspond exactly to each other : to the " words of
the wise," correspond the " associates of the collection," and to
the goads, the nails driven in. Only in the second clause is
the position of the words an inverted one, and the object of
the inversion is to connect una immediately with mBDK "by2.
AU explanations different from the one given by us split on
the meaning of niSDN just established. So for example that
by which even Luther rendered the two difficult words — " as
nails fastened in are the ' masters of assemblies,' " namely, the
* Lightfoot, opp. i., p. 560, busies himself ex professo with these Asuppim,
and under Nehemiah i. c. defines them as " certse apothecse, in quas thesauri
et oblationes templi colligebantur et recondebantur, et quidem h. 1. tales quis
erant ad januas sitas."

262 CHAPTER XII. 8-1 4.
teachers who preside over the assembHes of the people, or that
of Gesenius — "the associates of the (learned) assembHes."
Apart from the fact that this meaning is unsuitable — teachers
or learned men are quite out ©f place here — ryfiDX does not
signify " assembHes." In the opinion of others msBN *by2 is
not the subject, but is put in opposition, and describes nails
more particularly : " qui ipsi clavi sunt domini coUectionum,
i. e., instrumenta v. media firmiter res combinantia," (Geier).
This is thought to suit the expression, " the words of the wise,"
very well : since they not only enable the wise to coUect theh
distracted minds, but also keep a whole Church together,"
(Berleb. Bible).* But even on this view a doubtful meaning
is thrust on the word niSDN ; the thought drags, and the im
pression of the simple image of goads and nails, which was
meant only to represent the piercing, deeply penetrating
power, is destroyed, or else the nails are without reason
separated from the goads ; and finally the correspondence be
tween the sentences, which requfres that niSDK i^JJ3, corre
sponding as it does to aioan naT, must be the subject, is over
thrown. Hitzig refers the term, "the collected ones," to
" coUected proverbs or sayings." In that case, however, i^jn
is unsuitable ; besides, the paraUel expression, aioan i"iai, has
a wider signification ; and further, this book does not at aU
contain a "coUection of sayings." According to the well-
founded mterpretation advanced above, the sense of the two
clauses is the following — that the sacred writings of Israel are
endowed with a deeply penetrating power, in distinction from
all worldly Hterature, which can only produce a superficial
impression, and is incapable of stirring the deepest depths of
the mind and heart. A paraUel passage is Revelations i. 16,
which represents a sharp and two-edged sword as going out
of the mouth of Christ. By this we are to understand in the
first instance, not the power which the word has of penetrat
ing to, and healing the heart, but rather the destructive
power it derives from the omnipotence which is its source.
This is clear even from chap. ii. 12, as compared with chap.
H. 1 6, where the two-edged sword is said to be directed against
* Following the example of Cocceius, "Vitringa says ; '¦ habent virtutem eccle-
siam continendi in eodem sensu, quemadmodum clavi asseribus firmiter impacti
a: lium partes apte consertas minime vacillare et hiare sinunt."

CHAPTER XII. 8-1 4. 263
the false seed which is in the Church ; and from chap. xix.
21, where it is said to bring down ruin on the anti- christian
power of the heathen. But the power of the word to destroy,
and its power to penetrate the heart with salvation, have one
root. That root is the energetic life it draws from God, who
is the fount of aU life and of all strength. We may say the
same thing of the second parallel passage from the New Tes
tament, Hebrews iv. 12: " for the word is living and power
ful, and sharper than a two-edged sword, piercing even to the
dividing asunder of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and
is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." There
also, " the living energy of the word from which it is impos
sible to escape," (Delitzsch), is directed in the first instance
against its enemies and despisers, as is evident from the warn
ing reference made to facts of the time of Moses, when dis
obedience to the word was followed by death. Hand in hand,
however, with this aspect of the energy of the word goes the
heahng and redemptive one specially mentioned in the pas
sage now under notice. A canon whereby to judge sermons
has been justly drawn from this verse. They ought to have
the characteristics of the Scriptures themselves : they are
worth nothing if they cannot stand the comparison with goads
and naUs* Here also have we a rule for the conduct of
hearers towards sermons : — " they must not feel vexed if they
leave their sting in the soul."f The words, " they were given
by one shepherd," give the reason why such qualities are
ascribed to the " words of the wise," and of the " associates of
the coUection ;" — it is as if the writer said — "and indeed
they are such because they were given."| Analogous is 2
* Jerome, " Simul et hoc notandum est, quod dicuntur verba sapientium
pungere, non palpare nee molli manu attrectare lasciviam sed errantibus et
tardis pcenitentias dolores et vulnus infigere. Si cujus igitur sermo non pungit,
sed oblectationi est audientibus iste non est sermo sapientis. Verba quippe
sapientium ut stimuli. — Hoc stimulo, necdum Paulum, sed adhuc Saulum puto
in via confossum erroris audisse ; durum tibi est adversus stimulum calcitrare."
f Cartwright, " Hoc nos admoneat tranquillo animo Ministrorum asperiores
et acriores adhortationis morsus placide ferre, et eosdem ad Deum tanquam
autorem, non autem ad, ministrorum morositatem (quod fieri solet) referre :
denique hinc liquet scripturam et sanam doctrinam non assentari hominibus,
aut corruptam naturam nostram blandimentis delinire."
t Cartwright, " Omnium antem verbi encomiorum nullum majus est, quodque
omnium aliarum laudatissimarum virtutum fons et causa est, quod postremo

264 CHAPTER XII. 8-14.
,Timothy iH 16, v&ga ypa<p$i, dioirvtvsrog, xal uif'sXi/iog itphg hbag-
xaXlav, vphg "iktyyti', etc., where the deeply penetrative influence
of the Scriptures is traced to their divine inspiration. The
subject of iana is firstly, "the words of the wise," and then
" the associates of the collection : " in regard to the latter,
compare Ephesians iv. 11 — "and he gave some apostles, etc."
(see Stier on the passage). The " Shepherd" can only be the
Lord. God is first designated the Shepherd of Israel in
Genesis xlviii. 15 ; xlix. 24 : in the last quoted place He is
simply called "the Shepherd." Further in Psalm xxiii. 1,
where not the individual believer but entire Israel says, " the
Lord is my Shepherd : " (see also Isaiah xl. 1 1 ; Jeremiah
xxxi. 10 ; Ezekiel xxxiv. 11, 12.) Israel the flock, the Lord
the shepherd — this is a common image, especially in the post-
exile writings. On any other mode of explanation we lose
ourselves in a region of guesses. As a shepherd, as the lov
ing support of his Church, God has given it the Holy Scrip
tures* In contrast to the plurahty of the writers, which
gave occasion to the words, " the associates of the collection,"
emphasis is laid on the oneness of the primal source of the
Sacred . Scriptures.
Ver. 1 2. And for the rest. The offer is complete ; it now
only remains that what has been offered be appropriated. My
son : " dear reader, whoever thou art, whom I have sought to
admonish as a father," (Berleburger Bible.) Take instruction
from them, nono refers to the preceding verse in which the
entire scriptures are spoken of. Elster's view consequently is
incorrect ; "in verse 1 2 Koheleth advises his readers to be
content with the simple truth contained in his own book."
His own book is mentioned only as part of a comprehensive
whole, nno was used in the sense of "to let oneself be
admonished" in chap. iv. 1 3. We find it employed with the
same force — " to let oneself be admonished by the Word of
God," in Ezekiel iii. 21, xxxiii. 4, 5, 6. In Psalm xix. 12,
to which there appears here to be a very distinct aUusion, it
loco ponitur: nempe quod omnes Dei sermones, utcunque per varia Prophet-
arum organa et- instrumenta ad nos perveniant, ab uno pastore Christo nobis
donati sint."
* Cartwright, "Est enim verbum dei pabulum et veluti tenera herba, qua
pascuntur pii ad vitam asternam."

chApter'xii. 8-14. 265'
is said of the revealed commands of God, " moreover, by them
is thy servant warned!'* Luther translates, " guard thyself,
my son, against others more :" and this explanation was ap
proved by Gesenius. For the understanding of jo inv appeal
may be made to Esther vi. 6 ; for the meaning of the verb, to
the Chaldee. But it is simplest to understand nniH as in verse
9 ; and the parallel passages are too decidedly in favour of the
meaning assigned above to ntwi. The meaning, "to guard
oneself," does not occur in Hebrew usage. After the exhorta
tion to the right use of the sacred Scriptures, follows a warning
against the study of the literature of the world, f Of making
many boolcs there is no end. It is the nature of the wisdom
of this world never to arrive at a conclusion concerning the
very highest questions, with which we have alone here to do ;
never to come to certain results, never to get rest. It is ever
learning and never coming to a knowledge of the truth.
There is consequently no consolation for him who devotes
himself to this literature with the expectation of finding in it
the solution to the enigma of this earthly life : and much
desire is a weariness to the flesh, art occurs only here. The
verb signifies in Arabic " to be desirous." The reference to
the thirst for knowledge lies not in the word but in the con
text : " much desire for that multitude of heathen books." It
is not in the interest of laziness that this warning against
" weariness of the flesh" is uttered. One may meditate day
and night on the law of God (Psalm i.) without experiencing
this " weariness of the flesh." But one should subject oneself
to such weariness only when some positive actual result is
likely to be gained. In connexion with the literature of
heathendom there was weariness of the flesh and nothing else ;
it was a mere Sisyphus labour ; it brought no true gain to the
God-descended spirit, j Some have maintained that the words,
" of making many books, etc.," imply " that at this time the
simpHcity of the wisdom revealed by God had already begun
* " Unde et pater ejus hanc laudem doctrine Dei tribuit Psa. xix. qmd
Dei servus eadem cautus et commonitus redditur." — Cartwright.
t Jerome — " Exceptis his verbis quse ab uno pastore sunt data, nihil tibi
vindices. Alioqui, quserenti multa, infinitus tibi librorum numerus occurret :
qui te pertrahat ad errorem et legentem f rustra faciet laborare."
t Cartwright — " Quorum exlectione prseter tsedium et tui ipsius fatigatimem,
nullum fructum percepturus es."

266 CHAPTER XII. 8-1 4.
to be spoUed by an unfruitful and prolix school-learning."
But that the writer's attack is not directed against the native
Hebrew Hterature, is evident from the fact that for centuries
long the dogmatical wisdom of the Rabbins was handed down
solely by oral tradition ; and it is quite certain that at the
date of this book, however late we set its origin, there existed
no extended Rabbinical literature. From chap. vH. 26, as
weU as from the contrast drawn between Israelitish and
heathenish wisdom even in the Book of Proverbs, it is evident
that the author's polemic is with that false wisdom which was
threatening to pass from the heathen world to the Jews.
Others, who rightly refer the words to heathen literature, draw
from them the conclusion that the book was not composed tiU
the time of the Persian dominion. But it is impossible to
prove that the heathen were more addicted to writing many
books at the end, than at the middle, of this period, Recent
investigations have put beyond doubt that, in earher times.
Egyptian Hterature was both comprehensive and vain and un
fruitful. According to Diodorus, i 49, over the sacred Hbrary
at Thebes was the inscription, " pharmacy of the soul," ¦vj/ujgijc
larptibv. Ver. 13. The saying here, corresponds to the commence
ment of the Epilogue in ver. 8. There, aU things earthly are
represented as vain : here, our connection with God is set forth
as the great essential " the conclusion of the discourse, the
whole, let us hear." The word, T)D is never used by the
writers of the pre-exUe period, and indeed, as a Hebrew word,
never occurs except in this book, in Joel, and in 2 Chron. xx.
16 : it frequently occurs in the Chaldee portion of Daniel.
Its meaning is not " the sum," but, " the whole." At the same
time, only a thought of thorough importance is put at the end
when expressly described as the end ; and we are afterwards
distinctly told that the end is also the sum. TJT is undoubt
edly the particular discourse set before us in this book. The
article may be omitted, whenever " the context may be pre
sumed to define more precisely what is meant, and when there
fore, the article is considered superfluous," (Ewald,) bl being
strictly a noun, it should not be rendered, " of the whole dis
course : " ?an is rather set in opposition, and informs us that in
the termination of the discourse the whole is included ; — it

CHAPTER XII. 8-14. 267
expressly specifies that the closing thought is the main, the
fundamental thought. We may also regard the oft-repeated
exhortation addressed to murmurers, to enjoy Hfe, as com
prehended under the last admonition — "fear God." For
what is it but fear of God, willingly to bear what God has
laid upon us, to rise above our trials with the exclamation,
<' the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away," to live in
freedom from care and fear to the present moment, and cheer
fully to enjoy what He offers. Ail murmuring is godlessness.
yo&3 is the pause form of the first plural future ; compare Joshua
xxiv. 22 ; Jeremiah xhi. 6. " Fear God and keep his com
mandments, for that is (the duty of) aU men. Many commen
tators explain, " for that is the whole man." Ewald says, —
" for therein consists the whole man, or that, which is truly
simple, which is sufficient for the entire man, and in which
everything else that is human is comprised." Elster says,
" therein Hes man's whole nature, thereon depends his whole
fate."* However attractive this explanation may be, we must
stiU abide by Luther's translation, " For that belongs to aU
men." The phrases B1K i»a and BINn bs very often occur and
invariably signify — "aU men;" never, "the whole man."f
Against this consideration the harshness of the eUipsis, " that
(should) aU men," is not at aU worthy of mention. Such
harsh modes of expression occur not unfrequently in the later
form of the language, in which this book is writtenj To fear
God and keep His commandments is the duty of aU men,
* The saying of Lactantius forms a good commentary on the words as thus
viewed: he says in the Instit. vi. 1, "Id enim est hominis officium in eoque solo
summa rerum et omnis beatse vitae ratio consistit : quandoquidem propterea ficti
et inspirati ab eo sumus, non ut coelum videremus et solem, quod Anaxagoras
putavit ; sed ut artificem solis et coeli, Deum pura et integra mente coleremus."
t BIX ?3 Leviticus xvi: 17 ; Job xxi. 33 ; xxxvi. 25 ; "xxxvii. 7 : Psalm
xxxix. 6, 12 ; lxiv. 10 : Jeremiah x. 14 : etc. DINfl ?3 chap. vii. 2 ; Genesis
vii. 21 ; Exodus ix. 19 ; Numbers xii. 3, xvi. 29-32 ; Judges xvi. 17 ; I Kings
viii. 38.
t Jerome, " aiunt Hebraei, quum inter csetera scripta Salomonis, qua? anti-
quata sunt nee in memoria duraverunt, et hie liber obliterandus videretur, eo
quod vanas assererit Dei creaturas et totum putaret esse pro nihilo, et cibum et
potum et delicias transeuntes prseferret omnibus, ex hoc uno capitulo meruisse
auctoritatem ut in divinorum voluminum numero poneretur, quod totam dis-
putationem suam et omnem catalogum hac quasi dvaxtipaXaiweti coarctaverit
et dixerit finem sermonum suorum auditu esse promtissimum nee aliquid in 66
habere difficile, ut scilicet Deum timeamus et ejus prjecepta faciamus."

268 CHAPTER XII. 8-14.
because aU bear His image, and can have no true Hfe or
growth except in connection with she primal source of their
existence : they must also be punished with destruction if
they criminaUy and violently break this connection. Tins
latter consideration is expressly and emphatically alluded to in
ver. 1 4, where the motive of the admonition 4s given. " Into
the judgment on every secret thing." by is very frequently
used of the substratum or object: hence "on" is equivalent
to " concerning, in respect of." That the judgment here is
principally the future one, is clear from the corresponding
ver. 7, where the appearance of the spirit separated from the
body before God, in order to receive recompence for its works,
was spoken of: (compare 1 Cor. iv. 5 ; 2 Cor. v. 10 ; Acts
xvH. 31.) StiU there is no reason for confining our thoughts
entirely to the future judgment : we should rather think of
judgment in its widest compass, as it is begun in time and
perfected in eternity. The mere mention of "secret things"
does not compel us to limit the words to the future judgment.
For in Psalm xc. 8, it said of the judgment which is pronoun
ced and executed by history — " thou settest our iniquities be
fore thee, our secret sin in the light of thy countenance."
Even Luther saw how comprehensive was the application of
the expression : he remarks, " the author does not speak here
only of the judgment at the last day, but, according to Scrip
ture usage, of judgment in general. There is a judgment and
an hour for everything with God, and no one can escape.
Wherefore Arms and aU heretics are afready judged. But at
the last day it wiU be made stiU clearer in the presence of aH
creatures, angels and men, that even now in the day of visita
tion, God the Lord has laid bare their sin and disgrace, that
in a word, there is no more concealment"
" 0 how exceeding necessary is it ' that our light and
thoughtless nature should at all times remember, and be
reminded of, the strict and unavoidable account awaiting us, so
that we may never forget it ! How easily one or another
may be called upon to render his account ere he is ready !
Should we not therefore be ever preparing, if we do not desire
to be put to confusion, but to receive such a sentence as we
desire and can count blessed."

PKOLEGOMENA

THE SONG OF SOLOMON,

PROFESSOR DR. HENGSTENBERG.

PEOLEGOMENA TO
THE SONG OF SOLOMON.

I. ON THE UNITY OF THE SONG OF SOLOMON.
There are various views in regard to the composition of the
Song of Solomon. Some writers look upon it as an aggregate
or coUection of single poems, composed by different authors
and at different periods. Others, on the contrary, regard it as
" a drama not intended for representation" These latter are
at great pains to show that, from the beginning to the end,
there is a regular progress, both of the thought and the
action. Neither of these two views expresses the whole truth : the
truth Hes in the middle. The Song of Solomon is not a
coUection of poems by different authors ; nor is it a coUection of
unconnected poems by one and the same author : nor, further,
_ is it by any means a thoroughly and regularly progressive
whole. The book faUs into two parts — the union and the
reunion : and, in each of these two parts, we observe, not a
" dramatic progress," but a series of groups of stanzas, in which
the various aspects of the relation of love are exhibited to us.
Analogies to this method may be found in various parts of
Holy Scripture (compare my Commentary on the Book of
Revelation, vol. ii. 2.) We may apply to the Song of Solomon
what de Wette says of the Book of Daniel — " The book has
a plan, and forms a whole, but it is so arranged that one
and the same thing keeps recurring under different forms,

272 PROLEGOMENA TO THE
presenting itself before the eye of the reader with ever
increasing distinctness and clearness."
Let us, in the first place, set forth the considerations which
bear against the view of the Song of Solomon as an aggregate
of poems originaUy unconnected.
The superscription itself — "The Song of Songs" — charac
terises the book as a complete and internaUy connected whole.
Even that interpretation of the words, which was invented for
the very purpose of setting aside the testimony to the unity
of the work furnished by the superscription — the explanation,
namely, " The Song which consisteth of many songs," — tells in
the same direction. For, an aggregate utterly destitute of
internal' unity could never be called a Song. But the unity
is stUl more decidedly favoured by the only explanation which
can be considered weU-founded, to wit, " the most glorious
song ;" an explanation which is in accordance with Solomon's
own usage in 1 Kings viii. 27, where he describes the highest
heavens, as " the heaven of heavens." Compare, also, D"~iy ''ly,
"the most glorious ornaments" (literally "the ornament of
ornaments,") in Ezekiel xvi. 7, and Numbers iii. 32. This
explanation is now universally recognised as the right one.
Gesenius for example, says, "the expression, Song of Songs is
unquestionably so much as, the most beautiful of songs."
Ewald also says, "a song which is distinguished amongst
songs, in comparison with which all others hide their heads,"
Magnus remarks, (page 1 3), " the explanation, the most beauti
ful song, is the only correct one, and is adopted with one
accord by all the more recent expositors ;" he also allows that
the author intended thereby to indicate that he regarded the
work as a connected whole. Unless we force a meaning on _
the word, the singular nw, can only refer to a single song, that
is, to a song which forms a connected whole.
As the superscription, so also does the conclusion, (chap.
vHi, 13, 14) show, that we have one book before us.
The formal arrangement of the book, shows that the
" Song of Songs" is not a loose assemblage of separate songs,
but an organised and connected whole, and leads us, therefore,
to the same conclusion. The ten minor sections of the book
are collected into two greater ones of five parts each : the
subject of the one of these greater divisions is, the union ; of

SONG OE SOLOMON. 273
the other, the reunion. The first part of the first greater
division, embraces from chap, i 2, to chap. ii. 7, and is divided
into three stages. The second part consists of the decade in
chap, ii 8-17. The third part is chap. iH. 1-11, a decade,
with a concluding verse, divided into two, series of five verses
each. The fourth part is formed by the number seven in
chap. iv. 1-7. The fifth, by the decade in chap. iv. 8 — v. 1.
Of the second greater section, the first part begins with chap.
v. 2, and ends with chap. vi. 3. The second part is the decade
chap. vi. 4 — vH. 1, which is divided into two series of verses
respectively numbering seven and three. The third part is
the decade chap. vii. 2-11, divided into two series of five each.
The fourth part comprises verses to the number of seven,
chap. vii. 1 2 — viii. 4, divided into two series of three and four.
The fifth part is the decade, chap. viii. 5-14, divided into two
series of verses, respectively of the number of three and
seven. In support of the unity of the book may be further urged
the fact that the second part contains a succession of aUusions
to and interweavings with the first, whose purpose is to
indicate that the old relation which had been disturbed by
discord is now fully re-established. This procedure reaches its
cUmax in chap. vi. 5-7 as compared with chap. iv. 1-3 : compare
besides, chap. v. 9 and vi. 1, with chap. i. 8: chap. vi. 11,
with chap. ii. 1 2, 1 3 : chap. vH. 4 with chap. iv. 5 : chap.
vii. 5 with chap. iv. 4 : chap. vH. 6 with chap. iv. 3 : chap.
vii 12, 13, with chap. ii. 12, 13 : chap. viii. 2 with chap. iii. 4:
chap. viii. 3, 4 with chap. ii. 6, 7 : chap. viii. 5, with
chap. Hi. 6.
The frequently recurring concluding formulas are, moreover,
so many indications of the unity of the book. So also the
thrice repeated charge to the daughters of Jerusalem not to
awaken her love (chap. H. 7, viii. 5, Hi. 4.) A similar formula
occurs in chap. H. 1 7, viii. 1 4, with which compare chap. iv. 6 :
then also in chap. ii. 16 and vi. 3.
Even in the very title, Solomon is set before us as the
centre of the whole poem. He appears in this character also
at the close (chap. viii. 11.) In the course of the book he is
mentioned in chap. iii. 7, 9, 1 1 : compare also chap. i. 4, 1 2,
vH. 5, where he is referred to under the title of " the King."

274 PROLEGOMENA TO THE
Throughout the whole work the lover is one and the same, to
wit, the heavenly Solomon.
The beloved one also is the same through the entire book,
to wit, the daughter of Zion, the Israelitish Nation. In the
opening of the theme (see chap. i. 6) she complains against
herself,, for not having kept her vineyard ; and towards the
close (chap. viii. 1 2), she promises faithfuUy to watch over her
vineyard. Neither of these things has any meaning unless
we suppose the beloved one to be Israel.
Throughout the whole, mention is made of the daughters of
Jerusalem, (see chap. i. 5) that is, of the heathen nations who
were to be brought into the kingdom of God.
Throughout the whole, the Church is represented under the
image of the Mother of the heavenly Solomon, and of the
Bride (chap. Hi. 4, 11, vi. 9, viii. 2, 5) : the Church appears
also as a garden full of lovely trees and flowers (compare chap.
v. 12-16, vi. 2, viii. 13, H. 12, 13, vi. 11): lilies are the
syritbol of loveliness — especially of the loveliness of the nations
who are to be received into the kingdom of the heavenly
Solomon (compare chap. H 16, iv. 5, vi. 2, H. 1, 2, v. 13, vii
3) : the breasts are an image of the nutritive virtue of the
Church (compare iv. 5) : the desert stands for the condition of
the lost and unredeemed (compare chap. Hi. 6, vHi. 5) : the
dove is used as the symbol of the defenceless innocence of the
Church (see chap, i 15, ii. 14, iv. 1, v. 2, 12, vi. 9.)
Within the narrow Hmits of the Song of Songs, as frequent
mention is made of myrrh as in all the rest of the Old Testa
ment. Appletrees and apples are alluded to in chap. ii. 3, 5,
vii. 9, viii. 5 : and in all the rest of the Old Testament only
twice. Lebanon, with its cedars, seems to have stood con
stantly before the mind of the poet (see chap. Hi. 9, iv. 8, 11,
1 5, vH. 5, i. 17, vin. 9.) He endeavours, too, throughout, to
enumerate as completely as possible in his aUegorical picture,
the noble products in which Canaan was rich : he shows also
a decided preference for local comparisons (see chap. vi. 11.)
An examination of the points of agreement and difference
between the sections, chap. in. 1-5 and chap. v. 2-8, also
confirms the unity.
The language and style have throughout the same colouring:
the author shows a strong preference for foreign elements — -

SONG OP SOLOMON. 275
especially for Aramaic elements. He regularly uses v for
1B>N, and with a frequency without paraUel in the entire Old
Testament, with the exception of the Lamentations of Jeremiah :
he uses the word rvjn, " friend," (feminine) of the beloved one ;
and of this there is no other example : he uses "in, which
signifies properly "love," of the "lover" (compare chap. v. 2,
4, 6, and many other passages ; see also the similar use of the
word " love " as a designation of the " Beloved One," in chap.
H. 7; iii. 5-10; vii. 7.) This latter usage is found elsewhere
only in Isaiah v. 1, and is there probably borrowed from the
Song of Songs, to which the entire passage, as weU as the
particular image of the vineyard, seems to aUude.
After aU this, one may well be surprised at the shortsight
edness and confusion of interpreters, who could ever faU to see
the unity of the Song of Songs. The refutation of those who
maintain a " dramatic progress" can of course only be effected
in the course of a commentary. But the mere fact that no
two of the commentators who uphold this view, agree, even
in essential points, sufficiently warrants the suspicion that the
" dramatic progress" exists not in the book itself, but only in
the inventive fancy of its advocates, the traces of whose busy
activity any one may discover who will give his attention to
the matter. DeHtzsch, the most recent representative of this •
view, thinks that the goal of the whole first part up to chap.
v. 1 is the marriage union ; and that the poet approaches
gradually to this aim by a series of preparatory steps. But,
in fact, every individual section of the first part culminates in
the marriage union. Beginning with the very first, we see
that each section terminates with presenting the love of the
two lovers as having attained fuU satisfaction, and as having
arrived at the very pitch of perfection (compare chap. ii. 6, iii.
5.) If we do justice to this plain and evident fact, the notion
of a " dramatic progress" disappears, and the " drama not
intended for representation" becomes an empty fancy.

II. THE AUTHOR OF THE SONG OF SONGS.
The superscription to the Song of Songs is decisive in favour
of the authorship of Solomon. He is expressly mentioned in

276 PROLEGOMENA TO THE
it as the author. Suspicion has been thrown on the super
scription, because "iB's is used in it instead of 5?, which else
where, throughout the whole book, is invariably employed :
but this ground has no real importance. It is at once removed
by the simple observation, that v> belongs to poetry, whereas
the superscription is written, at all events formally, in prose.
Positive arguments for the genuineness of the superscription
are — I. Its enigmatical and pregnant character, and that
mingling of description of the subject and of the author which
is very probable and appropriate as emanating from the sacred
poet himself, but not as emanating from a later glossarist
II. 'The drcumstance, that at the beginning of the poem
there would be no mention of its subject if the present super
scription be pronounced inaccurate.
The evidence in relation to the author, furnished by the
superscription, is further confirmed by the marked connection
of the historical relations and allusions of the book with the
age of Solomon. This is most decided and plain in such
passages as chap. iv. 8 ; vH. 5. Chapter vi. 4, alludes to the
time previous to the separation of the two kingdoms. So
also chap. iv. 1, where Jerusalem appears as the metropolis of
GUead, as weU as of other districts. The same period is sug
gested by the mode in which comparisons are drawn promis
cuously and indifferently from all parts of the monarchy of
Solomon and David, which was evidently present to the mind
of the poet as a united whole. See for example Jerusalem in
chap. Hi. 11; vi. 4 ; the Temple in chap. iv. 6 ; the tower of
David in chap. iv. 4 ; Engedi in chap. i. 1 4 ; Sharon in chap.
H. 1 ; the vaUey of the Jordan in chap. ii. 1 ; Thirzah in chap.
vi. 4 ; Gilead in chap. iv. J ; Heshbon in chap. vH. 5 ; Carmel
in chap. vH. 6 ; Lebanon and Hermon in chap. iv. 8.
The age of Solomon is further suggested by the whole style
and character of the work. Kleuker says, , in his work on the
Song of Songs (page 1 8), " the whole feeling, the whole tone
of the book, and its manner, which is in part splendid, and in
part beautiful and natural, lead us at once to think of the
writer as belonging to the most flourishing period of the He
brew constitution and history." Dopke thinks that " the fresh
and vigorous mind of a poet, who lived in free and flourishing
times, to whose imagination a fuU supply of lovely and smU-

SONG OP SOLOMON. 277
ing images presented itself unsought," expresses itself in the
Song of Songs.
The cheerful sunshine of the age of Solomon irradiates even
those portions which are in themselves obscure and dark :
whereas even in the most joyous and exultant songs of a later
period, the clouds, through which the light penetrates, are dis
tinctly visible — the countenance radiant with gladness shows
traces of the tears which had been shed shortly before.
The entire course of the thought of the poem could only
have taken its rise in an age like that of Solomon. Even for
such pastime as may be called sacred (and such is presented
to us in the Song of Songs), there is no desire in times when
misery presses heavily on the soul. Men then seek consola
tion and strength as directly as possible from God. The pas
sage, Jeremiah xxv. 1 0, " And I take from them the voice of
mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom,
and the voice of the bride," (compare chap. vH. 34 ; xvi. 9),
may be the more appropriately adduced in the present con
nection, as this book implies that at the time of its composi
tion songs of love even of the lower sort flourished in Israel.
The Song of Songs is essentiaUy a transformation of poetry —
it is a noble growth of the spirit grafted on the wUd stem of
worldly love-songs.
The account given of itself by the Song of Songs receives
further confirmation from the fact that the mental and other
pecuhar characteristics of Solomon reappear in it. It breathes
the high and lofty spirit attributed to Solomon in 1 Kings v.
9 ff. The title given to the book is "the Song of Songs" : — now
we find it reported in the Books of Kings that Solomon was the
author of numerous songs, an^. This account alone shows,
with sufficient clearness, that Solomon may not, as some who
have but one measure for all minds would have it, be limited
to one sphere, — to that, namely, of wise sayings, whose char
acter is not at aU that of songs, to which it is essential that
they be sung. The assumption just alluded to, fails utterly
of agreement with aU in the historical books, that bears witness
to the universality of Solomon's genius. The Song of Songs
could only have been written by a man whose experiences in
connection with earthly love had been such as Solomon's.

278 PROLEGOMENA TO THE
History testifies to Solomon's pleasure in gardens. In
Ecclesiastes H. 4-6, we read, " I planted me vineyards. I made
me gardens and pleasure-gardens (a^BTia), and planted them
with trees of every kind of fruit. I made me pools of water
to water therewith the shooting forest of trees." Here we
have the natural groundwork of the aUegorical description of
nature contained in the Song of Songs* Vineyards are men
tioned again in chap, i 6, 16; H 15; vH. 1 3 ; vHi. 1 1 ; and
the allusion to the vineyard of heavenly Solomon at Baalha-
mon is clearly based on an actually existing type. Gardens are
mentioned in chap. iv. 12-15 ; v. 1, 13 ; vi. 2, 11 : pleasure-
gardens in chap. iv. 13: fruit-trees in chap. iv. 1 3, 1 6 ; ii. 1 3 ;
vi. 11 : and water-pools in chap. vH. 5,, with which compare
chap. iv. 12, 15 ; vi. 11.
But Solomon's feeling for nature did not show itself merely
in the pleasure he took in gardens. According to 1 Kings
iv. 33, "he discoursed concerning trees, from the cedar of
Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall ; and he
discoursed on cattle and birds and creeping things and of
fishes :" that is, undoubtedly, in the proverbs and songs pre
viously mentioned. The whole context forbids us to suppose

* This probably still remains even for the physical eye. Ritter says in his
Erdkunde, Th. 16, IS. 280, "The blessing which everywhere in the East the
system of irrigation diffuses over the land is seen in peculiar fulness in the
Paradisaic JEtham, the now narrow, but yet lovely, valley of Wadi Urtas. This,
in all probability, was the garden of Solomon so rich in pools of water, which is
described in the Song of Songs as a pleasure-garden with the noblest fruit trees,
and in the legends, as a walled garden planted by Solomon. Josephus, in his
description of Solomon's buildings, magnificence and glory, narrates how the
king was a lover of horses and chariots (then remarkable objects in Judea), and
how he often, early in the morning, at break of day, to refresh himself, drove in
a high Ghariot, surrounded by halberdiers of his life guard in gorgeous attire,
with gold powdered hair, to his lovely garden of Etham, distant from Jerusalem
about two schceni (see Josephus' Antiquities, viii. 7, 3). — Robinson was cheered to
find here, that rarity in Palestine, a murmuring brook : Wilson's feeling was that
the valleys above and below the Solomonic pools of water must, in consequence
of the irrigation of their gardens and fields, have offered a lovely retreat to the
citizens of Jerusalem who took pleasure in, and sought, the silence, solitude and
beauty of nature, v. Schubert also, visiting this valley in March 1837, found
the cherry and apricot trees in full blossom, and heard the turtle doves cooing in
the groves. In March 1843 again, Wilson was strongly reminded bythe beauty
of the opening spring, of the descriptions given in the Song of Songs (chap. ii.
11, 13), and was deeply moved bythe evidences of the poet's truth to nature
presented by his own native land."

SONG OF SOLOMON. 279
that formal treatises on natural history are referred to ; Solo
mon's wisdom being the only subject touched upon both before
and after* Now this peculiarity exists not only in Proverbs,
but equaUy in the Song of Songs. Repeated mention is made
of the cedars of Lebanon ; and along with them of cypresses
(chap. i. 17), and of palms (chap. vii. 7.) From that height,
the figurative contemplation of the world of plants descends
to the HHes, and to the thorns amongst which they grow (chap.
H. 2) ; to the myrrh and the camphire (chap. i. 1 3, 14) ; to
the mandrakes (chap. vH. 1 3) ; and finaUy to the whole floral
and vegetable world (chap. iv. 13, 14). Of the four-footed
animals mention is made of horses in chap, i 9 ; of sheep and
kids in chap, i 7, 8 (compare iv. 1, 2) ; of hinds and roes in
chap. H. 7, 9, 1 7 ; iH. 5 ; viii. 1 4 ; of foxes in chap. ii. 15;
and of Hons and leopards in chap. iv. 8. Among bfrds, besides
te doves, aUusion is also made to turtle doves (chap. H. 1 2),
and to the raven (chap. v. 1 1). There is not a book in the
whole of the Scriptures which contains in so brief a space so
many aUusions to natural objects. The point of most import
ance, however is that all these references to nature are made
in the service of wisdom, — that they are so many touches in
the aUegorical picture of the experiences and course of the
Church of God. AU nature is as it were turned into spirit.
Whoso has made the Song of Songs a part of his very flesh
and blood, must look on nature with other eyes. Even the
human body is glorified in this poem.
Solomon " built houses," we read in Ecclesiastes ii. 4. The
manner in which he carried out his artistic ideas in the erec
tion of great buildings is set forth in detaU in 1 Kings vi, vii.
His taste for art shows itself in various ways in the Song of
Songs. We may adduce, for example, the references made to
the carpets of Solomon, (chap. i. 5 ;) to his chains and laces,
(chap, i 10, 11;) to his houses, whose beams were of cedar
and whose floors were of cypress, (chap, i 17;) to the bridal
chariot made of the wood of Lebanon, the piUars whereof were
sUver, the back gold, and the seat of purple, (chap. iii. 10, 11 ;)
to the rings of gold and torquoises, and the bright ivory over
laid with sapphires, (chap. v. 14;) to the piUars of marble set
* Even Josephus recognised this : see his Arch. viii. 2, 5.

280 PROLEGOMENA TO THE
in sockets of gold, (chap. v. 15 ;) to the ornaments, the work
of the hands of the master-workman, (chap. vH. 2 ;) to the
tower of ivory, (chap. vH. 5 ;) and to the palace of silver
(chap. viii. 9.)
That which we have above exhibited in detail was hinted
at by Kleuker in the following words — " let any one compare
the accounts of Solomon's loves in the historical books, the
taste for nature and magnificence displayed in aU his thoughts
and delineations thereof, and evidenced in his other remains,
and it wiU be difficult to conceive that any other than he
wrote the Song of Songs."
The testimony in favour of the authorship of Solomon given
by the superscription is further confirmed by the agreement
between the Song of Songs and other of Solomon's productions.
Foremost mention in this connection is deserved by Psalm
lxxii This Psalm agrees with the Song of Songs, in showing
that Solomon occupied his mind earnestly with the Messianic
hopes of his nation.
Throughout the whole of the Song of Songs, Messiah is en
titled Solomon, and the daughter of Sion Sulamith, (chap. vH.
1 ;) and her finding of peace, by means of the heavenly Solo
mon is represented as the very height of happiness and weU-
being, (chap. vHi 1 0.) In perfect agreement with this is the
special stress laid on the peace to be brought by Messiah, in
Psalm lxxii. Nowhere is peace as a characteristic feature of
the Messianic period, alluded to with such force and distinct
ness as in the two Messianic descriptions, headed — '' By Solo
mon," the man of peace, whose peaceful reign foreshadowed
Christ's Kingdom of peace.
In Psalm lxxii. we are expressly told that the kingdom of
that great king, in contrast to that of his predecessors, wUi
extend over the whole earth, that all kings will faU down
before him, and all peoples serve him. This universahty of
the Kingdom of Christ is emphaticaUy referred to in the Song
of Songs. For example, at the very commencement we read,
(chap. i. 3,) "therefore do the virgins love thee;" — by the
image of the virgins we are to understand the nations, which
are to be received into the Kingdom of Christ. In chap, i 5,
as well as in a number of other passages, mention is made of
the daughters of Jerusalem, that is, of the heathen nations

SONG OF SOLOMON. 281
who, in the day of redemption, wiU unite themselves to the
Israelitish mother Church. In chap. iH. 9-11, a description is
given of the marriage of the heavenly Solomon with a host of
lovely virgins. " There are three-score queens, and four-score
concubines, and virgins without number," we read in chap. vi.
8. This is, in a symbolical form, exactly the same as that
which is said more literally in Psalm lxxii, " and he rules from
sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth. And
aU kings worship him, and aU Gentiles serve him."
Particular points of coincidence between the two, are further,
the mention of the cedars of Lebanon, (see Psalm lxxii. 16,)
and the very emphatic allusions to shooting out and flourishing,
(Psalm lxxii. 3, 7, 16.)
Owing to the peculiarity of the purpose Solomon intended
the Proverbs to serve, and of the species of literature to which
they belong, the points of contact between that book and the
Song of Songs, are necessarily fewer than between this latter
and Psalm lxxii Common to both, however, is the pre
ference shown for imagery and enigma, and in a peculiar -
degree for detaUed personification and allegorical descriptions.
This is a very marked feature of the Proverbs, whenever the
subject under consideration is wisdom and foUy. A whole
series of separate and highly characteristic resemblances might
further be adduced. See especially Proverbs i. 9, compared
with chap. iv. 9 ; Prov. i. 28, compared with chap. v. 6 ;
Prov. v. 15-18, compared with chap. iv. 12 ; Prov. v. 18, 19,
compared with chap. iv. 5 ; Prov. vi. 30, 31, compared with
chap. vHi. 7 ; Prov. ix. 5, compared with chap. vii. 3 ; Prov.
xvi. 24, compared with chap. iv. 1 1 ; Prov. xx. 1 3, compared
with chap. v. 2 ; Prov. xxiii. 31, compared with chap. vii. 10;
Prov. xxv. II, compared with chap, i 11 ; Prov. xxv, com
pared with chap. vii. 2. It is quite clear that these resem
blances are not limited to chapters i-ix., which some writers,
carried away by mere presuppositions, wish to separate from
Solomon's disconnected sayings, and refer to a later period;
but are found throughout the whole of that portion of the
Book of Proverbs which the superscriptions attribute to
Solomon. The testimony of the superscription to Solomon as the
author is finaUy confirmed by the reference to the Song of

282 PROLEGOMENA TO THE
Songs found in the oldest prophets, speciaUy in Hosea. See
also Joel Hi. 3 ; Obadiah ver. 5 ; and Isaiah v. 1, where
we not only find a use of in quite peculiar to this book, and
representations of higher love under the image of the lower,
but also the symbol of the vineyard to describe the Church.
A further confirmation, is, that Psalm xiv, which belongs to
an early period, presupposes the existence of the Song of(
Songs, and is evidently a compendium thereof*
We have the less reason for rejecting the testimony afforded
by the superscription, confirmed as it is on all hands, because
the character of the Song of Songs would alone naturaUy lead
us to expect it not to be anonymous. As a general rule,
which has of course its exceptions, in those spheres where
individuahty is aUowed free play, (which, both in sacred his
tory, and in those Psalms which their authors wrote as the
interpreters of the sorrows and joys of the whole nation, is
less the case than elsewhere,) anonymousness and mediocrity
go hand in hand. The less comprehensive the Hterature, and
the narrower the compass of the land, the less frequently
should we expect men in Israel to write anonymously.
Kleuker says, (page 19,) "a common author could not by
any means here remain concealed In order to writings being
received into the coUection of sacred and honoured books, they
were required to be produced by authors whose names were
revered, admired, and loved. If this were only rightly con
sidered, the period of and after the captivity would not be
made to seem so fruitful in the greatest literary works com
posed by Jews. Many works referred by an evil intention to
this period, one might sooner expect to have been rained
direct from heaven." Many an objection might of course be
urged to the above remarks, but stUl so much is clear from
them, that there is no reason for erasing the celebrated name
which stands at the head of the Song of Songs.
The arguments advanced against Solomon's authorship can
not in the least pretend to outweigh those advanced in its
favour. Special stress has been laid on the objection from the lan
guage. The main thing in this connection is the frequent
* For additional remarks see the Prolegomenon on the Interpretation of the
Song of Songs.

SONG OF SOLOMON. 283
employment of e» for -ik>k. But that this is rather inten
tional than the result of the influence of the usage of his age
on the author is clear, for the two following reasons : 1. In
the superscription which is written in prose we find "iB>N em
ployed : 2. 1B>K does not once occur in the whole book. The
only satisfactory way to explain this, is to say that the writer
intentionally avoided it. In no other instance in which an
author was determined to the use of e> by the custom of his
time, is it so exclusively employed as in this book.
It is evident, therefore, that & can in no sense be taken as
a guide in the determination of the time of the composition
of the Song of Songs. The following is a probable explana
tion of the usage referred to. As is now universaUy acknow
ledged, ts> was used for ib>k, even before the days of Solomon,
though only scatteredly. In his mode of employing the word
here, Solomon foUowed the example of the Phenicians " in
quorum reHquiis," as Gesenius observes in his Thesaurus,
"omnis setatis "iEf« nunquam, B> persaspereperitur." Poetry in
general betrays a preference for that which is foreign, rare,
and removed from the intercourse of common life* The uni-
versahstic character of Solomon's tendencies, and the compre
hensiveness of his mind, must have inclined him strongly to
this habit. The introduction of foreign words into sacred
poetry stands on the same footing with his employment of
Hiram, the artist of Tyre, for his sacred works, (1 Kings vii
1 3, 1 4.) Further, the nature of the subject of the Song of
Songs gave special occasion to this usage in two ways. It
foUowed in the train of, and presupposed worldly love-songs ;
a species of poetry which was undoubtedly cultivated with
peculiar zeal by the surrounding heathen nations. It would
therefore very readily occur to the author to indicate this con
nection between his own and preceding compositions, by the
style in which he wrote. Besides, the endeavour after uni
versality of style and language, suits admirably the universal
istic character of the subject of the poem.
What we have observed in regard to B>, holds good concern-
* This will explain the use of [J> in the Lamentations of Jeremiah, as well as
its absence both from the Prophecies, and from the more rhetorical, than poet
ical, Proverbs of Solomon.

284 PROLEGOMENA TO THE
ing the other foreign elements which occur in the book, and
which either have been or may be adduced, as telling against
Solomon's authorship. Of this kind are, for example, win
and DTina, in chap, i 1 7 ; lay in chap. H. 9, and elsewhere ;
ma in chap. ii. 11 ; -hdb in chap. ii. 13, 15, vH. 13 ; pnas in
chap. iii. 9 ; BTiB in chap. iv. 13; BWi in chap. vH. 6 ; and,
considering the narrow limits, relatively much besides. Two
considerations show that the author was not merely influenced
by the tendency to Aramaic forms and idioms characteristic of
a later period, but acted from intention and free choice. They
are these : — I. With the exception of ts> scarcely any form is
used which reappears in the usage of a later period; on the
contrary, the foreign elements are almost entirely peculiar to
the Song of Songs. II. The language has a youthful fresh
ness, such as is to be found in none of the productious of the
age of the decline of the Jewish nation.
Other grounds against the authorship of Solomon can only
be regarded as argumenta ad hominem, having force only
against those who have wandered away from the true method
of interpretation. To defend the authorship of Solomon,
whilst at the same time we give up the allegorical interpreta
tion, and see not that the Solomon of the Song of Songs is the
heavenly Solomon, is a fruitless task. With perfect justice it
is remarked by Dopke (page 25) : " Every one who reads
chap. iii. 6, 11, and chap. viii. 11, 12, with an unprejudiced
mind, must at once see that Solomon could not speak in such
a manner respecting himself." This remark is stiU more apph
cable to chap. v. 10-16. Taken as self-praise, this passage is
utterly incomprehensible, and in vain does Delitzsch 'attempt
to make it comprehensible. But if the Solomon of the poem
is the heavenly Solomon, then we may apply the words of
KeU, ' in his continuation of Havernick's Introduction (page
474) : " Unquestionably Solomon had as perfect right to praise
in song the love of this king, as he had to magnify his king
dom of peace in Psalm lxxH."

SONG OF SOLOMON. 285
III. THE HISTORICAL CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH
THE SONG OF SONGS ORIGINATED.
Our task here is, to show that the Song of Songs does not
rest on air, is not a mere work of the imagination, but that
its contents are connected at many points with the circum
stances and peculiarities of the time in it which was composed.
As has been already observed, the book falls into two main *
divisions, — the one, the union ; the other, the re-union.
The foUowing are the principal points of the first division,
which extends from chap. i. 1 — v. 1 : — I. The blessed appear
ance of Messiah bringing gladness and grace: II. That this
Messiah bears the name, Solomon : III. That severe tribula
tions and woes, which consist especially in the reduction of
the people of God to bondage by the powers of the world, and
are the deserved reward of their unfaithfrUness, will precede
the appearance of Messiah (compare chap. i. 5, 6, 7, 8 ; ii
8-1 7), These sufferings are represented under the images of
sunburning (chap, i 6), of winter and rain (chap. H. 1 1), of
dark nights (chap. iH. 1), and of the desert (chap. iH. 6). Ac
cording to chap. iii. 1-3, they are aggravated by the efforts of
the nation to help itself, and to hasten forward the Messianic
redemption by the means in its own hand. IV. That with'
the appearance of Messiah is connected the reception of the
heathen nations into the kingdom of Christ, through the in
tervention of the ancient covenanted people. Of this last con
sideration, the hint is given us in the words, " the daughters
of Jerusalem."The subject of the second division is, firstly, the sin against
the heavenly Solomon, and the judgment with which it is
visited, secondly, the repentance and re-union brought about
with the co-operation of the very daughters to whom Jerusa
lem herself, the mother, had previously brought salvation, —
the complete re-establishment of the old relation of love, hav
ing as its consequence the re-occupation of the central position
in the kingdom of God by the daughter of Zion, and the in-
violableness of the newly formed covenant of love, in contrast
to the mutabihty of the more ancient one.
Now, every point of the first division may be shown te

286 PROLEGOMENA TO THE
have a basis in the historical circumstances of the age of Solo
mon. 1. How Hvely was the expectation of a personal Mes
siah, even in the days of Solomon, we may learn from the
personal Messianic Psalms of David (ii, ex.), from that of Solo
mon (lxxii.), and in like manner also from that of the Kora-
hites (xiv.), which belongs probably to the time of Solomon
The historical foundation of this expectation was the promise
made by Jacob in Genesis xlix. 10: " The sceptre will not
depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until
ShUoh come, and the nations cleave unto him." This saying,
combined with the prophetical announcement of the everlast
ing endurance of the reign of David's Hne, in 2 Samuel vH,
constituted a complete objective basis and support for the sub
jective poetical representations of the Psalmists. By 2 Samuel
vH the eternity of dominion promised to Judah, in Genesis
xhx., was transferred to David. To David's race, therefore,
must belong that exalted person, in whom, according to Gene
sis xhx., the power of Judah was destined to reach its cul
minating point. II. The name, Solomon, accords completely
with the contents of Psalm lxxH., which sets Messiah before
us as the true Prince shadowed forth in the imperfect type of
Solomon, and His kingdom as the dominion of righteousness
and peace. Light is, for the first time, thrown on the use of
this name as a designation of Christ, when we understand how
it came to be given to Solomon himself. As we have remarked
in another place, " there can be no doubt that David gave his
son Solomon this name, because he hoped that his reign of right
eousness and peace would prove a type of the reign of Shiloh,
even as under Solomon there was the first splendid fulfilment
of what Jacob had prophesied respecting the Hon-Hke spirit
and power of Judah, respecting his sceptre and lawgiver.
Here we have the counterpart to the fact, that the children of
Israel, immediately after taking possession of the land, gave
to the seat of their sanctuary the name Shiloh* Both the
name Solomon and the facts of his history remind us of
* In the first passage in which Shiloh occurs as the name of a place, we find
the complete phrase, " Thaanath Shilo;" that is, " the future or the advent of
the Shiloh." The subjection of the land, the rest which the Lord had given His
people from all who were round about them, they considered to be a pledge and a
prelude of the obedience of the nations generally, and of the perfect peace to be
established on the appearance of the Shiloh.

SONG OF SOLOMON. 287
Shiloh. As to the name, we may remark, that three out of the
four letters composing the word Solomon are common to it
and ShUoh. The meaning is exactly the same. So also the
form. Both in Solomon (strictly Salomo) and in Shiloh* the
terminal j is rejected, — a thing whieh very rarely occurs.
In Ewald's Grammar (see § 163) Solomon and ShUoh are set
in the closest juxtaposition. As respects the agreement of the
facts of his history with the name Shiloh, we may refer to
1 Chron. xxii 9, where Nathan says to David, " Behold a son
is born to thee, who wiU be a man of rest, and I give him rest
from all his enemies round about, for his name will be Solo
mon, and peace and quietness wiU I give to Israel in his days."
See also 1 Kings v. 4, where Solomon»says to Hiram, " And
now hath the Lord my God given me rest on every side, so that
there is neither adversary nor evU occurrent :" Lastly, compare
1 Kings iv. 24 — " He had dominion over all the region on
this side the river, from Tiphsah even to Gaza, over all the
kings on this side the river, and had peace from all his ser
vants round about. And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every
man under his vine and under his fig-tree, from Dan even to
Beersheba, aU the days of Solomon."
" But if any doubt whatever should yet remain, in respect
* That Shilo is abbreviated from Shilon, we should judge, not only from the
nomen gentile ioi)iB> (1 Kings xi. 29), but from the fact, that the ruins of the
city which received its name from the Shilo in this passage, are still called
" Seilun." Josephus also writes "Selun," as well as "Silo" (See Robinson's
Travels : there is, finally, the analogy of the name Solomon, or Salomo. The
shortening of on into o only takes place in proper names, the meaning of whose
derivative suffix is a matter of comparative indifference. (See Tuch's just re
marks). The only apparent exception is the word max " Hell," in Prov. xxvii.
20: but this is not a real conception, for both there and elsewhere " Hell" is
frequently personified (see Apocalypse xx. 13). This case, however, shows
clearly that the proper names of Scripture must not be judged as our own are
judged, but that a wider sphere is assigned to them. The Samaritan translator
rightly retained the word Shiloh. As in this passage we first meet with the per
son of the Redeemer, so is Shiloh His first name, — a name quite expressive of
His nature, corresponding to the names in Isaiah ix. 5, and to the name Immanuel
in Isaiah vii. 14. In investigating the meaning of the name we must bear in
mind that the termination on is used to form adjectim and abstracta (see Ewald,
§ 163). That the form here has an adjectival significance, we should conclude
from the analogy of the name Salomo, which is formed on the same model. Like
Solomon, Shilon designates the " man of rest," thus corresponding to the title
" Prince of Peace," found in Isaiah ix. 5. Regarding it merely as a nomen
proprium, it is equivalent to the German name " Eriedrich."

288 PROLEGOMENA TO THE
to the typical relation existing between Shlomo (Solomon) and
ShUo (Shiloh), it wiU be set aside by Psalm lxxii. Any fancy
that Solomon might possibly prove to be more than a type,
that he might himself be the ShUoh, was condemned by that
Psalm, as also by David in his Messianic Psalms. In perfect
agreement with the words of our Lord, in Matthew xH. 42,
" Here is a greater than Solomon," Solomon, in Psalm lxxii,
teaches men to look out beyond himself. His own rule of
righteousness and peace he regards as a type of the kingdom
of the Prince of Peace, who, by his righteousness and love,
wiU gain dominion over the world, whom all kings will re
verence, and aU the heathen serve. Our attention is directed
to the close connection between this psalm and Genesis xlix.,
even in Ezekiel xxi. 27, where the words, " till he come whose
right it is ; to him I give it," are borrowed verbatim from
these two passages : the words, " right," and " to him I give
it," from the latter. Combining both passages, we see that
they are intimately connected, and that Psalm lxxii. may be
regarded in the Hght of a commentary." If Solomon, then,
derived his name from Christ, it is natural enough that he
should transfer his own name again to Christ. III. We
should almost inevitably expect severe tribulations to precede
the appearance of Christ, especially when it is considered that
every great saving step in the earlier history of the people of
God has been prepared and ushered in by sore sufferings. We
may mention, for example, the troubles in Egypt, the fore
runners of the covenant given by Moses ; the sufferings in the
desert, which prepared the way for thefr being led into Canaan
by Joshua; and the calamities of the period of the Judges,
which preceded the glorious age of David and Solomon. This
is, however, not saying enough. We can show that David
had a clear knowledge of the heavy trials which awaited his
race, and which must of necessity precede its final glorification.
In 2 Samuel xxiii. David, speaking on behalf of his seed,
triumphs over the sore temptations to which it wiU be exposed
in consequence of its future sufferings. David, however, exhi
bits this knowledge chiefly in his Psalms — specially in that
cycle of Psalms, from the cxxxviii. to the cxlv., which give us
the results of his meditations on the promise contained in
2 Samuel vH. In this prophetical legacy, which by no accident

SONG OP SOLOMON. 289
surely, forms the close of the series of his Psalms; David accom
panies his children through their history, and offers them the
anchor whieh shall save them in the storms to which, as he
knew through the enlightenment of the Spfrit of God from the
course of his own Hfe, they would be exposed! All these
Psalms rest on the supposition, that the seed of David, with
which the destinies of the people of God were inseparably
connected, had become degraded and corrupt. In the intro
duction to Psalm cxlii, in my Commentary, I remark, — " An
admonition of David when he was in the cave. David regards
his own desperate condition when he was in the cave as a
type of the future experiences of his own seed, and of the
Church. His thoughts in the cave he lays before them as an
admonition or instruction. He exhorts them not to despair,
but to pour out their complaints before the Lord, even when
they are in the very extremity of misfortune: — and to such
extremities they wiU come, for what the fathers endured the
sons also must expect to endure, — they also must expect to
meet with their Saul." The cycle ends with Psalm cxlv., in
which are expressed the praises and thanks which would be
offered to God by the house of David and the Church, for His
having enabled them to endure the afflictions brought upon
them. We may find also, in this cycle of Psalms, a point of
connection for what is said in chap. Hi. 1-3 respecting the vain
attempts of the nation to help itself. On Psalm cxli. I made
the foUowing observation: — " David wishes to strengthen his
successors on the throne against the severe inner temptations
which would accompany the cross that awaited them, which
had hardly beset himself during the troubles of the past, and
the danger of which he knew from his own experience." Com
pare especially verse 4, " Incline not my heart to any evil
thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity,
and let me not eat of their dainties." " Whosoever has lost his
faith, that God wiU righteously reward wickedness, is very open
to the temptation, to endeavour te work out his own redemption
by himself, and to employ craft and force mstead of keeping
within the troublesome limits and restraints of the Divine
law." We may further remark that, everywhere in the pro
phets, there is the idea that Christ will appear at a time when
the seed of David and the Jewish nation are in a state of the
T

290 PROLEGOMENA TO THE
deepest humiliation (see my Christology). IV. The knowledge
that the heathen nations would share in the kingdom of Mes
siah, is as old as the very hopes themselves of the Messiah's
advent. In Abraham's seed were aU the nations of the world
to be blessed : to Shiloh were the nations to cleave. For re
marks on the knowledge of the future reception of the heathen
amongst the people of God, and under the sceptre of David,
displayed in David's Psalms, see my Commentary. Even in
the prayer of Solomon, at the consecration of the temple, we
find hints of the future concourse of the heathen to the king
dom of God (compare 1 Kings viii. 41-43, 60).
We have thus adduced, in connection with the first division,
ample and satisfactory illustrations of the principle laid down.
No feature can be pointed out which vdid not form part of
that prophetical picture of Messiah which may be shown to
have existed even in the age of Solomon. The case is a
somewhat different one with the second division. To the
thought that a great part of the nation wiU despise the salva
tion offered in Christ, and thus faU a prey to the judgment,
no completely correspondent parallel can be adduced either
from the pre-Salomonic or the post-Salomonic period. Here,
however, we may apply some observations which we have else
where directed against those who judge the Books of Moses
not to be genuine, on the ground of the threats of exile which
they contain. " The threats of exile were the necessary fruit
of his experience of the corruption of the nation. Moses
himself always starts from this basis. That it wiU manifest
itself in a fearful manner in the future, he judges from its out
breaks in the present — a present, too, in many respects, highly
favoured. " If they do such things in the green tree, what
will they do in the dry ?" Compare, for example, Deuteronomy
ix. 6, 7, " a stiff-necked people art thou. Remember, forget
not, how thou provokedst the Lord thy God to wrath in the
wUderness ; from the day that thou didst depart out of the
land of Egypt until ye came unto this place, ye have been
rebellious against the Lord." Then foUows an enumeration of
particulars. Finally, they are told in ver. 24, "ye have been
rebellious against the Lord from the day that I knew you."
Compare further, Deuteronomy xxxi. 21, "and it shaU come
to pass, when many evils and troubles befaU them, this song

SONG OF SOLOMON. 291
wUl testify against them as a witness, for I know their spirit,
which they have even on this day, before I bring them into
the land which I sware :" also ver. 26 and 27, " take this book
of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant
of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness
against thee. Behold, I know thy rebelHon and thy stiff-
neck ; behold now, whUe I am stUl with you, ye rebel against
the Lord : and if now, how much more after my death? These
words are of the more importance in the present question, as
even the prayer at the consecration of the temple (compare 1
Kings viii. 53, 56 and other passages adduced by Keil), to go
no further, shows that Solomon Hved in, and was very famUiar
with the writings of Moses. St. Paul says in Romans x. 1 9,
that even Moses in the words of Deuteronomy xxxH. 21, "I
will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people,
I wUl provoke them to anger with a foolish nation," pro
claimed the rejection of the Jews and the acceptance of the
Gentiles ; and, indeed, to judge from Deuteronomy xxxii. the
idea, that all Israel would, as a matter of course, attain to the
enjoyment of the Messianic blessedness would be a complete
anachronism. The view of human nature in general, and of
the nature of Israel in particular, which the nation held from
the very beginning, and which was firmly and deeply impressed
on the mind by the Mosaic law (for remarks on the deep
knowledge of sin evinced in the Psalms, see my Commentary);
and the experiences forced upon them by the march through
the desert, by the times of the Judges and by the governments
both of David and of Solomon (in the days of the former took
place the rebelHon of Absolom against the Lord and against
His anointed, and the insurrection of Seba whom aU Israel
followed; and under the latter the germs were ripening of
that apostacy from the dynasty of David which was openly
accomphshed immediately after Solomon's death ; see my Com
mentary on Psalm Ixxviii) rendered it utterly impossible that
enlightened Jews should expect the whole people to render
sincere homage and devotion to the Messiah immediately on
His appearance. In the Psalms themselves we find a clear
separation made in Israel itself — the Hmitation of blessings to
the righteous, and the excommunication of the wicked (com
pare Psalms 1,, lxxviH., xcv., xcix., cxxv.) What is said in the

292 PROLEGOMENA TO THE
present book is but an appHcation of this general truth to
particular circumstances.. To find this truth here expressed,
ought the less to strike us with surprise, as aU the Prophets
were in possession of the special knowledge it involved.
Isaiah, for example, complains in chap: HH. 1, because the
preaching of the servant of God would take so little hold on
Israel (comp. John xii 38, Romans x. 16), and proclaims in ver.
2 and 3, that the appearance of the Saviour in the form of a
servant wiU prove a stnmbling block to the covenanted people.
In a whole series of passages he announces the judgment
which wiU be executed on the chUdren of the kingdom in the
Messianic age (compare, for example, chap. vi. 13, 66.)
Zechariah prophesies that the greatest part of the Jews wiU
refuse to believe, wiU reject and punish Christ (see chap, xi
and xiii 8) ; as also that they wiU finaUy be restored (see
chap. xii. 10 ff. xiH 9.) In chap. iH. 1 — 6, 19, 24 of his
prophecies, Malachi beholds in vision the judgments with which
even the people of God wiU be visited in the Messianic age.
If we have shown that the existence of a knowledge of the
Messianic judgments on Israel at the time of Solomon ought
to occasion no surprise, it must appear very natural to find
also expectations expressed of the final re-admittance of the na
tion to the favour of God. Allowing the rejection, the restora
tion follows as a matter of course. The principle laid down by
St. Paul in Romans xi. 2, " God has not cast off His people whom
T&eforeknevj," and ver. 29, " God doth not repent Him of His
gifts and caUing," was known in the very first ages of the
Church of God. To see this we need only compare the close
of Deuteronomy, xxx. 1 ff The end of each individual catas
trophe that comes over the covenanted nation, and, therefore)
the final end and result of them aU is always, its conversion and
forgiveness. We find a compendium of aU that the Books of
Moses contain of this nature, in Deuteronomy iv. 30, 31,
" when thou art in tribulation, and, aU these things are come
upon thee, in the latter days, thou returnest to the Lord thy
, God and hearest His voice ; (for the Lord thy God is a
merciful God ;) He wiU not forsake thee, nor destroy thee, nor
forget the covenant of thy fathers which He sware unto them/'
In 1 Kings vHi. 51, also, where the prayer for the forgiveness
of the people when they have sinned, is, urged on the ground

SONG OF SOLOMON. 293
that " they are thy people and thine inheritance which thou
hast brought out of Egypt, out of the iron oven," Solomon
evinces an acquaintance with the general truth which gave
rise to the proclamation of Israel's restoration after the
Messianic rejection.
Only one point now remains for examination, namely, what
is said of the efforts put forth by the daughters for the salva
tion of the daughter of Zion. We have, at aU events, one
passage in analogy with this, namely, Isaiah lxiv. 20, 21, where,
after having been told how the messengers of Israel should,
first of aU, in the time of redemption, declare the glory of the
Lord among the GentUes, we read, " and they (the converted
heathen) shaU bring aU your brethren for an offering to the
Lord, as the chUdren of Israel bring an offering in a clean
vessel into the house of the Lord. And I wiU also take of
them for Priests and Levites, saith the Lord." The two facts,
the faU of Israel and the conversion of the heathen, being
assumed, it may be taken, strictly speaking, for granted, that
the daughters of Jerusalem wiU do aU in their power to lead
back to the fellowship of blessedness the nation from which
they themselves received their redemption. The contrary
would be unnatural.
We have shown that the beginnings and germs of the con
tents of the Song of Songs existed in all directions in the age
of Solomon, and that the Song of Songs contains, strictly
speaking, no new prophetical revelations. Indeed, the whole
position of Solomon and the character of the work' itself would
prevent us expecting this. StiU it must not be supposed that
the contents of the Song of Songs could have been the result
of a putting together of elements found ready to hand, or that
they are explicable as a mere product of reflexion, or, finaUy,
that the work stands on the same level as the Book of Proverbs,
which was an outflow of the wisdom of Solomon. The truths
already existing were too much in the form of germs, to
account for the certainty and clearness with which they are
here connected into a whole. Besides the points of connection
afforded by history we must assume the presence of a second
element— namely, an elevated state of the soul, a being in the
spirit, the breathing of the divine, on the human, spirit
That this was the case with the Song of Songs, as well as with

294 PROLEGOMENA TO THE
the Messianic Psalms (see Psalms ii, ex., lxxii), cannot for a
moment be doubtful to the spiritual man, who alone is capable
of judging of the spiritual. The character of the book itself,
testifies too loudly for this. But that Solomon was not a
stranger to the prophetic state in its more general sense is
proved by history. It records that, in two instances, the
Lord speciaUy appeared to him (see 1 Kings iH. 5, ix.- 2, com
pare ix. 9.) Solomon's prayer at the consecration of the Temple,
also, was the fruit of an extatic or elevated condition of the
soul.
IV. THE INTERPRETATION OF THE SONG OF SONGS.
Which of the two methods of interpretation is the true one,
the spfritual or the Hteral, must be mainly determined in the
course of a commentary. A fair examination of the form and
substance of the poem wiU show the untenableness of the
literal method. We shall now proceed to advance some con
siderations favourable to the allegorical or spiritual view, which
may be urged independently of the commentary.
Even Magnus cannot avoid finding in the name given to the
work in the superscription — " The Song of Songs" — a proof that
the writer of the superscription, who, as we have shown previous
ly, can be no other than the author of the poem itself, intended
the whole to be interpreted aHegoricaUy. " For," says he, " had
he reaUy regarded his book in the light of an ordinary love-song,
the title given to it would have been a thorough lampoon of
aU the other writings of the Old Testament. What IsraeHte
could ever dare to consider a worldly song as more exceUent than
the many divine compositions of a Moses, a Miriam, a Deborah,
a Hannah, and a David — or even than the God-inspired dis
courses of the prophets, which may, after aU, be styled wm<& (?)"
A correspondence may be traced between the superscription —
" The Song of Songs"-— here, and the expression, " thou art
the fairest amongst the chUdren of men," in Psalm xiv. 3 ; —
and with the greater right, as the reason assigned in the su
perscription for the exaltedness of the poem is, that it relates
to the most glorious of aU subjects, to wit, the heavenly Solo
mon, (chap, i 1).
The mention of Solomon as the author, may also be taken

SONG OF SOLOMON. 295
as suggesting the allegorical view. If Solomon be the author,
then we are driven at once to the allegorical method of inter
pretation, for he could not speak of himself in the manner in
which he is there spoken of. In case Solomon wrote the book,
the Solomon of which it treats must be a different one from
the author ; must be the heavenly Solomon : — whence also we
should at once judge that the beloved one is no other than the
daughter of Zion.
In favour of the aUegorical interpretation may be urged the
relation in which the poem stands to Psalm xiv. If the spi
ritual is the only correct view of the latter, we cannot avoid
letting go the Hteral view of the former. Psalm xiv. has been
termed a compendium of the Song of Songs ; and this is per
fectly accurate when limited to the first division. Psalm xiv.
is a compendious version of the first division of the Song of
Songs, made with a view to public performance in the temple.
The sons of Korah enter here into a relation of spiritual service
to Solomon, similar to that which they had previously held
towards David (see Psalms xlH., xhii, Ixxxvi.). Common to
both is the king who is the " fairest among the chUdren of
men" (Psalm xiv. 3), the " chiefest among ten thousand" (Song
of Songs v. 10, compare ver. 11, ff). Common to both is the
designation, " the king," given to the praised one : see Song of
Songs i. 4, 11, and especially chap. vH. 6, where the word n,ba
is employed as in Psalm xiv. 2, without the article. Common
to both, is the reference to the plurality of brides, with whom
the king unites himself in love at one and the same time, and
amongst whom one takes a particularly exalted position (see
especiaUy chap. i. 3 ; iH. 6-1 1 ; vi. 8, 9). LiteraUy understood,
this would be a circumstance pecuhar of its kind, for it was
never the custom to take , more than one wife at the same
time. Common to both is the use of lUies as an image of
lovely virgins (Psalm xiv. 1). Moreover, there is a similarity
between the opening of the Psalm (see ver. 2) and the super
scription of this Song. Common to both is the mention of
the loveUness of the Hps, by way of designating loveUness of
discourse (Psalm xiv. 3. Song of Songs v. 1 3 ; compare also
v. 16; chap. vHi. 2; Luke iv. 22). With the description of
the heroic might, glory, and majesty of the king, in Psalm
xiv. 4-6, compare Song of Songs v. 11, 14, 15. Common to

296 PROLEGOMENA TO THE
both is it to designate the kings of the earth the " companions,
B^ian, of the king" (Psalm xiv. 7 ; Song of Songs i. 7, viii 1 3).
Common to both is the connecting of id and ni^ns (Psalm xiv.
9; Song of Songs iv. 14). The word rniriK is used only in
these two passages. To the " palaces of ivory," in Psalm xiv.
9, corresponds the " tower of ivory," in Song of Songs vH 5,
(compare y. 1 4). The solemn address to the Bride, in Psalm
xiv. 10, " Hearken, 0 Daughter, and consider, and incline
thine ear ; forget also thine own people and thy father's house,
and cause the king to have pleasure in thy beauty," hints at
a possible disturbance of the marriage relation ; so far, there
fore, there is a coincidence with Song of Songs v. 2, ff. The
admonition contained in the first part of the Song of Songs
(chap. ii. 1 5), to catch the foxes, conveys a similar hint. Com
mon to both is, finaUy, the solemn bridal procession (compare
Psalm xiv. 15, 16 with Song of Songs iii. 6-11). After aU
thiSj there can be no doubt that the allegorical, and especially
the Messianic mterpretation ,of the Song of Songs, and of the
45th Psalm, stand or fall together: that what shows the aUe-
gorical explanation of Psalm xiv. to be the only correct one,
applies also to the Song of Songs: and that he who accepts
the spiritual view in the one case, and rejects it in the other,
must faU into serious difficulties. The more consistent and
scientific position is that of the Rationalists, who deny the
aUegorical interpretation in both -instances.
In favour of the allegorical explanation we may urge fur
ther, that the passages in the Prophets, which contain aUusions
to the Song of Songs, all rest on the view we are advocating.-
Compare Hosea xi. 4 with chap, i 4 ; Hosea xiv. 6, 8, :9 with
chap. H 3 ; Joel Hi. 3 with chap. iH. 6 ; Obadiah 3 with chap.
H. 24; Isaiah xxxHi. 17 with chap. i. 16; Isaiah xxxv. 1 with
chap. H. 1 ; Jeremiah vi. 2, 3 with chap, i 7 ; Jeremiah xxxi
3 with chap, i 4; Jeremiah xlix. 16 with chap. ii. 14; La-'
mentations ii. 13 with chap. i. 9; Lamentations iv. 7 with
chap. v. 10; Lamentations iv. 20 with chap. ii. 3; Ezekiel
xvi. 61 with chap. i. 5; Ezekiel xxvH. 10, 11 with chap. iv.
4. We may notice also more particularly the foUowing pas
sages; — When Isaiah, in chap. ix. 6, calls the Messiah the
Prince of Peace, he alludes to the king Solomon in the Song of
Songs Hi 11. The Song of Songs speaks of the peaceful ad-

SONG OF SOLOMON. 297
mittance of the heathen nations into the kingdom of king
Solomon: and Isaiah immediately adds, " of the increase of
his government and peace there is no end;" In Ezekiel xvi.
1 1 we read, " I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put
bracelets upon thy hands, and a necklace about ihy neck."
Under the image of ornaments, with whieh God adorns the
newly espoused bride, are set before us the Divine commands :
the hands are the instrument of action, the throat is the organ
of speech. There is an unmistakable allusion to the aUegori-
cally explained passage, Song of Songs, chap, i 1 0 : " Comely
are thy cheeks in the chains, and thy neck in the laces;" that
is, " the ordinances and commands as revealed to Israel, and
by him brought into practice." In the Song of Songs, amn
aUudes to rnin, "law;" and so in Ezekiel, nj? "ornament,"
alludes to rfiiy '¦' law." The image of marriage, so frequently
employed by the prophets to symbolise the relation between
Jehovah and Israel, always presupposes the Song of Songs as
interpreted spiritually : but to this point we shall return again.
In favour of the aUegorical view of the Song of Songs we '
may adduce the nighest of all authorities, to wit, that of the
Lord and his apostles. The New Testament is pervaded by
references to the Song of Songs, and all of them are based on
the supposition that it is to be interpreted spiritually. Pro-
portionaUy no book of the Old Testament is so frequently
referred to, impHcitly or explicitly, in the New Testament, as
this one ; and we cannot but be surprised at the superficiality
or the prejudices of those who have asserted that the Song of
Songs is never quoted in the New Testament. The remarks
made in my Commentary on the Apocalypse touching this
subject are a sufficient refutation of this assertion. The Lord
refers to the Song of Songs, with the supposition that it has a
spiritual meaning, in Matthew vi. 28-30, as compared with
chap, ii 1. Compare also Matthew xHi 25, xxiv. 42, with chap.
v. 2; Matthew xxi. 33 ff, with chap. viii. 11 ; Luke xii. 35-37,
with chap. v. 3; Luke xiii. 31, 32, with chap. ii. 15; John
vi. 44 with chap. i. 4 ; John vii. 33, 34, with chap. v. 6 ; John
xxi. 1 6, with chap, i 8. Further, may be compared with chap.
i. 12, Matthew xxvi. 61 3, Mark xiv. 3, John xii. 3, Luke
vii. 38 with chap. ii. 4, John ii. 1-11; with chap. H. 8, John
Hi 29; with chap. iv. 7, Ephesians v. 27.

298 PROLEGOMENA TO THE
In favour of the aUegorical interpretation may be adduced
the consentient voice of the Jewish Church. That principle
of interpretation, which was strictly the national one of the
Jewish people, and which was received by aU at aH periods,
may be fairly regarded as proceeding from an uncorrupted tra
dition, and therefore as the true and correct one. Now this
exactly appHes to the aUegorical method. AU the Jewish
witnesses who touch on the matter speak in its favour: — not
one speaks against it. Several Jewish testimonies expressly
affirm that no other mode of interpretation was ever adopted.'
Sirach xlvH. 17 has been appealed to in support of the
aUegorical view, but wrongly. For the words, iv iihaTg xal
•napoiji/iaig xal irapafiokaig xal iv ip(i,%niaig dittbavfhagdt gi yoipai, are,
Hke all the rest, based on the historical narrative of the books
of Kings, and have not, in the first instance, respect to the
writings contained in the Canon. This is evident from the
mention of ipiitivtlai, by which we understand merely the in
terpretations of dark sayings, as contrasted with the dark
sayings themselves (1 Kings x. 1-3). In the Canon there are
no such ippwivtiai by Solomon. Verse 1 5, in which KeU finds
a special aUusion to the Song of Songs as aUegoricaUy inter
preted, rests, in the same way, on 1 Kings x., particularly on
verse 24.
When Josephus, without further remark, counts the Song
of Songs as one of the prophetic writings (for the proof of this
see Kleuker), he shows clearly enough that at his time it was
aUegoricaUy explained. In Apion i. 8 he enumerates alto
gether twenty-two books, which have rightly found confidence
as divine (rd dixaiag BtTa vt-Tfigrfjfiita); to wit, the five books
of Moses, the writings of the prophets (among which he ex
pressly reckons the historical books), in thirteen books, and
besides, four other books, containing hymns to God and pre
cepts for the life of men (ai hi Xoival riegaptg vii,vovg tig rbt hb%
xal roig dvdpuvoig viroDqxag roD /3/ou irtpiiyovgiv). The last are the
Psalms, Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes* For the Song of

* Havercamp's assumption, that Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs were
counted as one book, is of course destitute of all foundation. But that there is
a vacant place for the Song of Songs among the thirteen prophetical books is
equally evident, from the fact that Havercamp is obliged to separate the Lamen
tations of Jeremiah from his Prophecies, and to reckon them as a separate work.

SONG OF SOLOMON. 299
Songs, consequently, the only place remaining is amongst the
prophets. The Targum says expressly that the Song of Songs
was composed by Solomon, " the prophet and king of Israel,
in the spirit of prophecy."
As a witness for the prevalence of the allegorical explana
tion amongst the Jews, may be adduced the Fourth Book of
Ezra, which, according to Lucke, was written before the de
struction of Jerusalem by the Romans, (see his Introduction to
Apocalypse of John ;) and according to Lawrence, between 28
and 25 before Christ. We read in chap. v. 24, "ex omnibus
fioribus orbis elegisti tibi HHum unum," (compare Song of
Songs ii. 1.) Ver. 25. "Ex omnibus asdificatis civitatibus
sanctificasti tibimet ipsi Sion. Ver. 26. Et ex omnibus creatis
volatilibus nominasti tibi columbam unam," (Song of Songs
vn. 8, 9.) Zion is, to the author, the Hly, the dove, and the
bride of the Song of Songs.
R. Akiba says in the Talmudic Tractate Iadaim, (compare
Michaelis praef.,) " absit omni modo ut quis Israelite negaret,
quod canticum canticorum non poUuat manus, sive non sit
sacrum ; quia totus mundus tanti non est ac Ule dies, quo
canticum canticorum Israeli est datum. Omnia enim Hagio
grapha sacra sunt, sed canticum canticorum est sacratissimum.
Et si qua de Salomonis scriptis dissensio fuit, ea tantum de
Ecclesiaste fuit."
Ebenezra also says in his preface, (compare again Michaelis,)
"absit, absit, ut canticum canticorum de voluptate carnaH
agat, sed omnia figurate in eo decuntur. Nisi enim maxima
ejus dignitas, inter libros scripturse sacrse relatum non esset :
neque ulla de eo est controversial
The oldest and most weighty testimony to the met that the
aUegorical explanation was the one received by the Jewish
nation, is that of the admittance of the Song of Songs into the
Canon, to which Ebenezra also aUudes. It can only be re
garded as an anachronism when some writers stUl hesitate to
allow that this could only have taken place in consideration
of the aUegorical mterpretation. In opposition to the pre
judices of Sender and his school, it is now universally allowed
that not merely religiousness of substance, but a sanctity due
to inspiration, was required in order to the admittance of any
book, into the canon. The exceUences which Delitzsch finds

300 PROLEGOMENA TO THE
in the Song of Songs as literally interpreted, as for example —
"how natural and childlike that she should dance before the
daughters of Jerusalem, that she should seek to attract Solo
mon by the costly native and foreign fruits which she has
stored up for him within the door of her house, and that she
should sing when queen, the songs which were famihar to her
as a shepherdess and vine-dresser," (page 1 5 8,) or, " the fine
turn, in which, at the close of the last act, she urges on the
king the improvement of the condition of her friends and
relatives, shows how wisely she could speak and act," (page
159,) or "she is thoroughly and completely a flower-nature,"
and so forth, form but a very bad foundation for his assertion,
(page 177,) that, "the Song of Songs is no less inspired than
any one of the Psalms." Such an idea of inspiration is brought
to confusion by 2 Timothy iH. 16, where the Apostle, whilst
setting forth the true nature of the Old Testament canon,
declares also the principles by which its coUectors were
guided in their work  mga ypafn, kbirvtvgrog, xal iipiXifiog irfig
diiagxaXiav, itphg 'i>.ty%o\, wpbg kravoptSoitia, wpbg <!raidsiav rr\v iv hxa-
iogvvp. In the few words of Proverbs xxxi. 30, "to be lovely
and beautiful is nothing ; a woman that feareth the Lord, she
shaU be praised," there is more of a moral and rehgious nature
than in the whole Song of Songs literally interpreted, in re
gard to which Delitzsch, (page 1 5 8,) makes the monstrous con
fession, that "the specifically Israelitish element faUs, with
Sulamith, entirely into the back- ground in relation to the
general human element." The idea of marriage, DeHtzsch
maintains, is the idea of the Songs of, Songs ;* — in plain con
tradiction to chap. vi. 8, "there are threescore queens, and
fourscore concubines, and virgins without number," as weU as
to the history of Solomon. DeHtzsch professes himself unable
to reconcUe the Song of Songs, as Messianically interpreted,
with Solomon's individuality and manner : but it is certainly
far more difficult, to show psychologicaUy how Solomon came
to undertake, ex professo, the development of the idea of mar
riage. But, in any case, such an idea of marriage as is here
* This view is not a new one. It was set forth by Jacobi in the last century^
at a tolerably suspicious time, at a time when the Church was ready to capitu
late and to compromise matters with its enemies. Its genesis has been well
exhibited by Kleuker.

SONG OF SOLOMON. 301
expounded, could never be considered canonical. It would
want even the general foundation of the fear of God. On the
literal view there is not a single, reference to reHgion in the
whole of the Song of Songs. The description of corporeal
attractions, extending even to parts which are scarcely touched
upon even in worldly literature, is offensively predominant in
the Song of Songs as explained HteraUy. " Of the blessing
of children," as DeHtzsch himself says, (page 1 84,) " there is
no express mention." " Sulamith is not even described as the
wife, and mistress of the house," (page 1 84.) The whole is
an accumulation of trifles, partly graceful, partly tasteless. We
should shift the boundary Hne separating worldly from sacred
literature were we to pronounce the Song of Songs, literally in
terpreted, worthy of a place in the canon. More recent commen
tators confess that the admission of Psalm xiv. into the collection
of Psalms, and into the canon, can only be explained on the sup
position that, at that time, the allegorical interpretation was
accepted by the nation at large, (compare my Introduction to
the Psalms :) and the same may be said with respect to this
book Finally, the history of the interpretation of the Scriptures
presents a result decidedly unfavourable to the literal view.
The older defenders thereof were aU men of doubtful name : —
for example, Theodore of Mopsuest, CastelHo, Grotius, Simon
Episcopius. But whenever the Church has been in a flourish
ing condition, and has had a clear and decided consciousness
of its position and duty, it has rejected this principle with
horror. Kleuker who^ as it were against his own wUl, and
influenced by the opinions of his age, was a defender of the
hteral view, says, himself, (page 132.): "Some examples of
aesthetic explanations of this book may be adduced from
history. They have been however always regarded as smug
gled goods" He remarks further, (page 133,) "The first
examples of this kind amongst Christians are referred to by
Theodoret. He argues very zealously against a whole class
of such, interpreters, and styles them earthly, carnal minded
men, and so forth. No names are mentioned besides that of
Theodore of Mopsuest." The gentle and somewhat pietistic
J. H. Michaelis speaks, in his prcef, (§. 5,) of the " impia
opinio," " the impious view of those who reduce this song of

302 PROLEGOMENA TO THE
divine and holy love, to a profane and fleshly idyll." Proper
honour was first done to the literal interpretation during the
age of rationalism, when the Church was degraded to the
lowest point, and utterly lacked both sound ecclesiastical
judgment and holy taste and tact. He who first brought
it into vogue was J. D. Michaelis, one of the chief representa
tives of the worldly mindedness of Esau.
In view of such weighty reasons against the hteral prin
ciple of interpretation, only the most striking and forcible
considerations should move us to its adoption ; especially as
aU that has been advanced against the spiritual view, turns
out, on a more careful examination, to be empty appearance
and cloud.
One argument on which special stress has been laid, is the
foUowing : " The aUegorical representation of Israel under the
image of a virgin was not sufficiently common in the age of
Solomon. With the exception of the one passage of the
Psalms (ix. 1 5) this image is but seldom used by the prophets
tiU after Amos v. 2," (DeHtzsch, 64). "Only subsequent to
the time of Isaiah, did, the personification of Israel, Judah,
Zion, Jerusalem, as ro or rfom, become popularand stereotyped,"
(Delitzsch, 20.) "Neither directly nor as a figure of speech
do we find it said in the Pentateuch that Jehovah is Israel's
husband or bridegroom." It cannot of course be denied that
the Pentateuchal phrase nriK put contains as it were the germ
of the more developed expressions subsequently employed:
" yet it is quite certain that in the Mosaic period, the view of
Jehovah's relation to Israel as that of marriage, was stUl quite
undeveloped. Even passages of a symbohcal cast, such as
Isaiah Ixi. 10 (compare Jeremiah ii. 32), and lxii. 5, (compare
Zephaniah iii. 1 7), in which Jehovah's loving pleasure in Israel
is represented under the image of the festal joy taken in each
other by a bridegroom and bride, cannot be found in the writ
ings of the period before the later kings."
In reply to this we would remark, that the germs of the
representation of the higher love — that is, of the relation be
tween God or Christ and the people of the Old and New Tes
tament — under the image of the lower are more important
than is here aUowed.
It is scarcely conceivable that these symbohcal representa-

SONG OF SOLOMON. 303
tions should not have been customary in Israel from the earHest
times. That which led to their employment is very carefully
enjoined in the books of Moses — for example, " thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with aU thy heart, and with aU thy soul,
and with aU thy strength," (see Deuteronomy vi. 5, compared
with chap. x. 1 2). With this injunction compare Genesis H.
24, where marriage is set forth as the closest of aU relations
of love. In respect to the passages, Exodus xxxiv. 15, 16; Leviti
cus xx. 5, 6 ; xvii. 7 ; and Numbers xiv. 33, where idolatry,
and in general apostacy from God, are characterized as whore
dom, compare my Beitrdge 2, S. 49.
But of still greater importance are the passages which
DeHtzsch has entirely overlooked — Deuteronomy xxxii. 16,
" they provoke him to jealousy through strange (gods)," and
ver. 21, "they provoked me to wrath by that which was no
God, and I wiU move them to jealousy by that which is not
a people," (compare Proverbs vi. 34, 35). Even Vitringa re
marks on this passage — " Est autem metaphora hie manifeste
desumta a marito, qui cum ab uxore sua UHcitis amoribus in-
dulgente se spretum videat, et inde aegritudine affectus, ut
vicissim ipsi agre faciat, et ad . zelotypiam commoveat, non
simulate sed aperte amorem et affectum suum ad aliam trans-
fert, ignobihorem etiam muherem, eamque uxore sua spreta,
ut videtur, in torum assumit."
After these passages it wiU be impossible not to find a re
ference to the marriage relation between Jehovah and Israel
in the words of the command, " I, the Lord thy God, am a
jealous God," (Exodus xx. 5). Michaelis remarks thereon,
" consortis impatiens ut maritus corrivalis," (compare Numbers
v. 14).
When Benjamin is caUed in Deuteronomy xxxHi. 1 2, -i*v,
" the beloved of the Lord," we are reminded by the word itself
of the intimateness of God's love, which is as the love of a
bridegroom and bride. Solomon himself was caUed Jedidjah
(see 2 Samuel xii. 25, "and he caUed his name Jedidjah
because of the Lord.") Compare the words of verse 24, " and
the Lord loved him." The name was first employed in a
manner suited to the image, when it was conferred on Jedidah
the mother of Josiah.

304 PROLEGOMENA TO THE
It cannot, however, be caUed in question that there is a
difference in regard to the use of these symbohcal representa
tions between the pre-Solomonic and the post-Solomonic
periods ; and that in the latter they occur more frequently
and in a more distinct shape. A comparison of the passages
in the Pentateuch with such passages as Hosea i-iii, Isaiah i.
21 ; 1. 1 ; liv. 5 ; Ixi. 10, 62; iv. 5 ; Jeremiah ii. 2, 32; Hi. 1;
xxxi. 22, "the woman shall compass the man," (that is Israel
wiU compass the Lord ; see my Christology ;) Jeremiah xxxi.
33, " but I marry her to myself" (compare my Christology;
" he marries apostate Israel afresh, and in such a manner that
the bond of love wUl henceforth be firm and indissoluble ;")
and with Ezekiel xvi. and xxiii. wiU make this quite plain.
But what does the fact prove? It is an erroneous idea that
things of this, nature arise by regular degrees, by an orderly
succession of stages. Certain germs and preparations wiU of
course exist, but the proper naturalization of an idea amongst
a people is effected by some one individual mind, on which it
has laid a powerful hold. It would be- an easy matter to trace
this throughout the whole Scriptures. But we will only refer
te the example of Isaiah Hii, where the image of the servant
of God, suffering on behalf of others, is set before us in distinct
outline ; which, from that time forth, became an inahenable
possession of the Church of God. A wise criticism wiU con
clude from the fact that, previous to the Song of Songs, such
symbolical representations were rare and very undeveloped,
whUst afterwards they occur frequently and in detail, that
I. The Song of Songs must have been written by Solomon ;
and II. It can never have been otherwise than aUegoricaUy in
terpreted. It is a further confirmation of this result, that, in
agreement with the chainlike connection existing between
the different parts of Holy Scripture, those Hterary productions
which most frequently and fully employ these- symbolical re
presentations are nearest in point, of time to the age of the
Song of Songs : nearest, that is, of those in which such repre
sentations are found at aU. We may refer especially to Psalm
xiv, which in all probabihty originated in the Solomonic
period; In that Psalm, Israel appears as the spouse of the
Messiah, the heathen nations as her companions, the city of
Tyre as the daughter of Tyre. Hosea also is remarkable in

SONG OF SOLOMON. 305
this respect. His employment of the image and symbol of
marriage to represent the relation between the Lord and Israel
extends through the whole of the first three chapters ; and it is
constantly recurring even in the remaining chapters. To this
we may ad?l that the Prophet presupposes the people te be pre
pared to understand such representations — a presupposition
scarcely to be accounted for if there only existed the hints con
tained in the Mosaic law. FinaUy the references otherwise made
by Hosea to the Song of Songs, as allegorically interpreted, are
unmistakable. So also do Isaiah (see chap. v. 1 and else
where), Jeremiah and Ezekiel unquestionably allude to the
Song of Songs. It is a remarkable fact that precisely those
prophets who employ these symbolical representations most
frequently can be shown, on other grounds, to have studied
the Song of Songs most deeply.
We conclude with the remark, that the spiritual interpreta
tion of the Song of Songs has suffered not less severely from
its friends than from its opponents. Apart from the individual
attacks, through winch the aUegorical view has been brought
into disfavour, there have been two main errors prevalent. On
the one hand, most of the Jewish expositors have been of
opinion that the Song of Songs is a poetical history of the
leadings of Israel from the days of Abraham onwards. This
has been one unfortunate result of thefr opposition to Christ
and His Church. On the other hand, Christian writers have
fallen into a wrong estimate of the speciaUy Jewish contents,
through that heathen-Christian pride which St. Paul so
earnestly fights against, and gentle hints and warnings con
cerning which may be found even in the poem itself. The
duty of the Church is thoroughly to renounce such prejudices,
to deprive that Hteral view which has robbed the treasure of
Holy Scripture of one of its noblest jewels, of every excuse,
and to act so that such a view may henceforth always bear
plainly a character of arbitrariness and bias.

TJ

THE BOOK OF JOB:
A LECTURE, BY
PROFESSOR DR. E. W. HENGSTENBERG.

THE BOOK OF JOB.

The very first verse of the Book of Job informs us as to the
nature of its subject : — "There was a man in the land of Uz,
whose name was Job. The same was simple and upright,
one that feared God and eschewed evU." The name Job (or
more correctly Hiob) signifies the much persecuted. Under
standing the name of the man, we are no longer astonished
afterwards to find him surrounded and assaUed on aU sides
by enemies, with Satan at thefr head, whose very designation,
signifying the adversary, stands to that of Job in the relation
of an; active to a passive. The much persecuted is described
as a thoroughly just man. Four several terms, designative
of righteousness, are employed, in order to indicate its great
breadth and completeness. According to the clue thus given,
we should judge the theme of the book to be the sufferings
of the righteous, — how they are to be explained, and shown
consistent with the divine righteousness ; what should be the
conduct of men so situated, and by what means the heart is
then to be quieted and consoled.
The importance of this theme, and the great significance of
the book, whose mission it is, as part of the marveUous organ
ism of the canon of sacred Scriptures, to thoroughly discuss
¦ it, must be evident to aU. If what Paul Gerhardt says is
true, — " Until the grave, the rod of the cross wiU He on us ;
but then it ends," — it is of the utmost practical consequence
to have a clear understanding of this subject. But, that it is
no Hght matter to attain to this clear understanding, that the
cross is a deep, unfathomable mystery, that it belongs to the
sphere of " great secrets, which the Spirit of God alone can

310 THE BOOK OF JOB.
unfold," is shown by the futility of aU the efforts put forth
by the natural reason, — a futility which is patent to aU the
world. Let us more carefuUy examine some of the views of
this question which owe their origin to the unaided mind of
man. The most noted amongst the worldly answers to the ques
tion — " How are we to regard the suffermgs of such as are
reaUy or supposedly righteous V is that of the Stoics. They
maintained that there is in reahty no suffering : that pain
is a something indifferent, but not an evU. Suffering is
merely such in appearance. All depends on our seeing this,
on our boldly rising above such appearances, in the conscious
ness of the dignity of mind, on which external happiness
confers nothmg, and from which nothing is taken by external
suffering. Against this theory the first objection is its un
truth. Here the words of Job are apphcable — " Is my
strength the strength of stones, or is my flesh brass ?" Pain,
suffering, is not of the nature assigned to it by this theory.
It is not true that we can easUy and readUy rise above it.
Imaginary sufferings may be dissipated by such consolation;
even as imaginary sins, that is, such sins as do not He on
the heart of the sinner, may be got rid of by that pantheistic
doctrine which teaches that sin is a mere appearance, from
which we are made free so soon as we see distinctly that we
have not to do with a reahty ; but assuredly neither real suf
fering, nor real sin, can be so Hghtly removed. Many who
held this notion have been brought by painful experience to
confess its vanity. It is condemned by its own supporters.
Lipsius, the celebrated profane PhUologian of the 1 6 th cen
tury, " an extremely active instrument of Satan in the
uprooting of Christianity," as Denois styles him, was in his
good days thoroughly persuaded of the truth of this stoical
view. But when, during the painful sickness which put an
end to his life, one of his friends said to him — " It cannot be
necessary for me to offer you consolation, for the phUosophy
which you have advocated with so much zeal must be able
to comfort you sufficiently," Lipsius sighed and repfied, " Lord,
give me Christian patience." Frederic the Great, who recog
nised no other means of consolation than a " moderate
stoicism," gives expression, in a multitude of passages, with

THE BOOK OF JOB. 311
the openness characteristic of a great mind, to his feeHng of
its insufficiency. He says, for example, in his letters to
d'Alembert, " It is a disagreeable fact that aU who suffer are
forced to flatly contradict Zeno :' there is not one of them aU
who would not confess that pain is a great evil."* Further,
" It is a noble thing to rise above the unpleasant accidents
to which we are exposed, and the only means by which the
unfortunate can console themselves is stoicism, not carried too
far. But> when gout, or stone, or the buU of a Phalaris enter
into our sufferings, the piercing screams which escape from
the sufferers, show that pain is a very essential evU."-f Lastly,
" The stoic, it is true, does say, ' thou must feel no pain,' but
i" feel it against my will ; it consumes, it lacerates me, and
an inward feeling, overmastering my powers, tears from me
waUings and fruitless sighs." J What the great and strong
soul of this king faUed to find in such a means of consolation,
others wiU assuredly be stUl more certain to seek in vain.
But the stoical consolation is not only insufficient, it is also
dangerous and destructive ; and even should it answer its
end, it would be condemned by that word of Christ's — " What
shaU it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and do
damage to his own soul ?" Thou strikest them, but they feel
it not, says Jeremiah, complainingly. Not to feel the strokes
of God appears to him to be a heavy charge. The Saviour
counts those blessed who are poor in spirit, who are not
merely externaUy poor and wretched, but who also feel them
selves to be poor and wretched. He saith, " Blessed are they
that mourn, for they shaU be comforted." Even in the Old
Testament, " the wretched," those who take thefr sufferings
to heart, are constantly represented as the fsole hefrs of the
possessions of heaven. Not to be wretched is equivalent to
having no share in the kingdom of God. " I am poor and
wretched." So speaks David, no less when sitting on the
throne than when hunted by Saul like a partridge on the
mountains. This pervading mood of the believer, this con
dition of the peaceable fruits of the righteousness which the
cross is to work out, is set aside by stoicism It does aU it
can to prevent suffering from touching the inner man. It
* Part XII. of his Posthumous Writings, p. 9. t Ditto, p. 12. | Ditto, p. 16.

312 THE BOOK OF JOB.
thus defeats the counsels of God, and gives no room what
ever for that mild and gentle sorrow which goes hand in
hand with true repentance. Besides, on this view, one can
only rise above suffering by cherishing as warmly as possible
the fancy of one's own height, dignity, and exceUence. FinaUy,
a stoic is compeUed to crush the tenderest and noblest feehngs,
to sunder the holiest bonds of love ; for example, when his
nearest friends and connexions die, to gratify his pride, he
must deny his love.
Another worldly means of consolation is the assertion, that
there are external evUs which befaU the righteous and wicked
without distinction, and that it is irrational to be unwilling
to submit to discomforts which are inseparable from the
nature of finite limited beings. The intention is thus to put
God out of the reach of attack, but the defence is worse than
the assault itself, — the remedy is worse than the disease.
Whoso cherishes such views is on the high road to atheism.
It shuts out from the superintendence of earthly things Him
who counts aU the hairs on our head, and without whose wiU
not a sparrow falls to the ground ; it denies the great truths
confessed by David in the psalm — " Lord, thou hast searched
me and known me." When we begin to limit God, we are
not far from losing him entirely. Every such limitation
destroys our fundamental view of the nature of God.
Nor may we even entrust ourselves to those who, in respect
of the sufferings of the righteous and the prosperity of the
ungodly, would have us look solely to the compensation and
balance to be expected in the Hfe to come. The vision of
future glory must, of course, be highly consolatory, and the
Scripture itself suggests, to us this source of comfort. It
teaches us that the sufferings of this present time are not
worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be re
vealed in us- — that our afflictions, which are light and mo
mentary, shall work out for us a far more exceeding, even an
eternal weight of glory ; it counts the man blessed who
endures the fight of afflictions, because, after he has been
proved, he shaU receive the crown of life. But this means of
consolation alone does not suffice. Kather, in order to be
efficient, it needs a solid foundation. This is evident from the
fact, that clear light in regard to eternal life, was only given

THE BOOK OF JOB. 313
to the Church of God by slow degrees. It is thus intimated
to us, that the present life also has an independent position
and meaning ; that our first duty is to perceive and understand
in it, the traces of divine Providence. And if we look into
the lives of beHevers who have had the strongest and clearest
convictions as to the doctrine of eternal Hfe, we shall find that
the conflict caused by suffering repeats itself ever afresh, that
its successful termination constitutes reaUy the basis of a
Hving faith in retribution after death, and that where the
issue of such conflicts is unfavourable, there also that faith
becomes of necessity weak and vacUlating. Only when we
see in the course of history a continuous judgment of the world,
can our faith in the final judgment be well-founded and
rational. Letters promising happiness in eternity are worthless,
if their issuer gives no proof of his power and his good wiU in
the present life. If God is the holy and the righteous One,
He must be willing to manifest this His nature in His con
duct towards His people and towards His enemies, even in the
present world. If he is the Almighty, nothing can prevent
Him from this display even in this life. Can we discern no
signs whatever of such a course, then our faith in retribution
after death wUl be in a very poor case. If sin is not here
already the ruin of men, then there exists no hell : if salva
tion and safety do not acompany righteousness already here,
then there exists no heaven. The, future Hfe is not the scene
of the beginning, but only of the complete accomplishment, of
things. Woe to the man who hopes for an absolute future, in
every respect, and in this also ! He deceives himself. Who
can say whether the God who now shuts Himself up inactively
in heaven, will then attain to a better will and to greater
power ? Unrighteousness even im time is at variance with
the nature of a holy and righteous God. A God who has
anything to make good again, is no God at aU. The Holy
Scripture knows nothing of a God who only rises to power
when this life has ended. Its God is from beginning to end
a Hving God. God's righteous retribution on earth is the
theme of praise throughout the entire Old Testament — and
that of so Hvely and convincing a sort, that the Church in aU
ages has been driven to find therein the enhvenment of its
own faith. Our Lord Himself, when describing the reward of

314 THE BOOK OF JOB.
those who have renounced everything for His sake, begins
with this present life.
Not unfrequently also has resignation been recommended as
an antidote to the temptations which arise out of the suffer
ings of the righteous. Man cannot fathom God's counsels,
and, therefore, it is said, he does best to submit himself blindly
and without murmurings to aU that happens. This counsel,
however, notwithstanding its pious looks, comes forth not from
the sanctuary, but from the world. Kationahsm set it afloat.
It wantonly broke the key to the door of the mystery, and
then declared that no solution was possible to mortals. Of such
resignation the Scriptures know nothmg. The sacred writers,
who occupy themselves with this subject, are all of them able
to justify God on account of the sufferings of the righteous,
and never dream of evading the difficulty by the appeal to
resignation- — a conduct which would be inconsistent with the
reahty of revelation and of divine inspiration. The fact that
one whole book of the Scriptures is taken up with the dis
cussion of the sufferings of the righteous, shows that they are
far from requiring a blind faith, which is much more closely
aUied to unbelief than might at first sight appear.
What shall be said then to grounds of consolation such as,
that pain is a condition of joy, that the enjoyment of pleasure
becomes keener through suffering, or, that it is necessary for
the furtherance of the general wellbeing, that single indivi
duals should suffer for a time? Such contrivances of " vain
physicians" and "miserable comforters" do not deserve a mo
ment's attention.
In this matter, therefore, the wisdom of this world proves
itself invariably to be foUy. The Holy Scriptures on the con
trary show themselves in this region also to be a lamp to our
feet and a light to our path. Even in their earHest portions
they lay the foundation for the solution of this important
problem, in that they report the fact of the fall, concerning
which the wisdom of the heathen world was in perfect igno
rance. " By the faU of Adam the nature and character of man
has been quite corrupted :" — and this is the key both to the
sufferings: of the righteous and to many other secrets. It is
of great importance to have possession of this key : for the
distribution of the lots of men is determined by the fact of

THE BOOK OF JOB. 315
the faU. Whoso falls into mistakes regarding it must also faU
into erroneous views of God. What fearful conflicts arise
when severe sufferings befaU a man who lacks the knowledge
of sin is strikingly and affectingly illustrated in the life of
Charles of Hohenstaufen, who committed suicide because he
could not understand, and thought himself undeserving of,
the troubles with which he was visited. And very many who
do not go so far as that, fall through suffering into a state of
continuous rebellion against God : — they cherish wrong
thoughts about the only Comforter in all tribulation, and drag
on a weary and wretched existence. Byron calls God, " the
Almighty tyrant whom he wished to look boldly in the face,
and inform that His evU is not good." What he was bold
enough to utter is a thought which Hes Hke a gnawing worm
in the hearts of innumerable men, only unexpressed.
The solution of the problem in Holy Scripture depends on
a twofold truth. I. We must necessarily enter through much
tribulation into the kingdom of God. For even in the
righteous, that is, in him the main tendency of whose soul is
Godward, and who keeps the divine law in his heart, there
stUl dwells sin, and the necessary result of sin is suffering.
This suffering is inflicted by the divine righteousness as
punishment, by the divine love, as a means of improvement.
The common result of the two, this combination ot punishment,
which always proceeds from the principle of retribution, and
of love whose design it is to further our salvation, is chastise
ment, to which the Holy Scriptures earnestly and lovingly
admonish us to submit wUHngly, as being the unavoidable
condition of our final redemption and glory. " My son," says
Solomon, " despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, and be
not impatient when He punisheth thee. For whom the Lord loveth
He chasteneth, and He hath pleasure in him, as a father in his
son." These words the Epistle to the Hebrews follows HteraUy
up, adding, " if ye endure chastisement then are ye the children
of God : for where is the son whom the father chasteneth not ?
but if ye be without chastisement, whereof aU are partakers,
then are ye bastards and not sons." Quite in the sense of the
Scriptures Luther says in that Table-talk of his which con
tains so many deep and beautiful things, " therefore is it a
foohsh thing for reason and phUosophy to say, ' it shaU go weU

316 THE BOOK OF JOB.
with the pious and righteous.' That is no true Christian con
clusion. Because sin stiU remains in the flesh they must
needs be chastised and plagued in order that it may be from day
to day thoroughly swept out." In the same tone says one of
Luther's most unfair opponents, De Maistre, in his " Soirees de
St. Petersbourg," " I confess to them without shame that I can
never reflect on this fearful subject without being tempted to
cast myself on the earth, as a criminal begging for mercy ; or
else to call down all possible evils on my head as a slight re-
qompence for the immeasurable guilt which I have contracted
towards the Eternal Kighteousness. And notwithstanding,
they cannot believe how many times in my life it has been
said to me that I am a very upright man." II. The righteous
are never visited with the cross, that is, with disguised grace,
alone. The manifest grace of God is always in its company,
and in its train. Although in the deepest outward trouble,
they are stUl happier than the ungodly. " Thou givest me
joy in my heart," said David, when compeUed to flee before
Absalom and when stripped of everything, "although, those
have much wine and corn." (Psalm iv. 8.) And during the
same hard times the Sons of Korah sang, as it were out of his
own soul, " the Lord sendeth His goodness by day, and by
night I sing to Him and pray to the God of my life,'' to be
able and to be permitted to do which, is a great mercy (Psalm
xlH. 9.) But when sufferings have accomphshed th eh purpose
they are turned away by the Lord. The end always shows
the difference between the righteous and the wicked. The
proclamations which, according to 1 Peter i 2, were made by
the prophets, " of the sufferings of Christ and the glory which
should follow," rested on the known experiences of the
righteous. He who walks uprightly in the ways of the Lord,
must have experienced that whenever he has stood on the
brink of the abyss, the delivering hand has been stretched
forth from above to preserve him from ruin, that his rescue
has been effected just when he had gone so far that there was
" only a step, nay, only a hair, between his life and death."
Now this solution, everywhere hinted at in Holy Scripture,
when the problem is brought forward, is fully set forth in the
Book of Job. It was a great mistake, when some, in order
to do honour to the Scriptures, deemed themselves compeUed

THE BOOK OF JOB. 317
to ascribe a purely historical character to this book, which
occupies a middle position between the two classes of sacred
poesy, the Psalms and Proverbs, on the one hand, and the
Song of Solomon on the other. Luther, with his usual good
sense, recognised in it a poetical element. He says, in his
Table-talk, " I hold the book for a genuine history ; but that
everything happened and was done as there represented, I do
not beheve. I hold that some pious and learned man or
other put it into the form in which we now have it, and that
it was written at the time of Solomon." But it is impossible
to rest contented even with this view. How greatly the
didactic purpose predominates over everything else is evident
from the fact, that even the name Job is formed under its in
fluence. The round and sacred numbers, too, play a part
such as they would scarcely be found to play in a real history.
Job had, for example, before his afflictions, seven sons and
three daughters, altogether ten children ; and exactly the
same number does he receive again afterwards, — so through
out. The negotiations, furthermore, between God and Satan,
imperatively require us to distinguish between the idea and
its clothing, — a thing which can only be done when the form
of representation is aUowed to be a poetical one. If viewed
as historical fact, the speaking of God out of the storm would
be a thoroughly isolated case. There is not, in the entire Old
Testament, one miracle having a simply personal reference ;
besides that, Job was outside the limits of the Church of God,
which is the natural soil of all the miracles of Holy Scripture.
The Church is invariably the scene of miracles. Of stUl more
thorough importance is the consideration, that such a person
as Job could not have existed in the heathen world. If we
regard him as an actual historical personage, we shift the
boundary line separating the heathen world from the Church
of God, and pronounce the redemptive means set up by God
superfluous. For depth of religious knowledge, Job stands
higher than Abraham. If heathendom could produce such
characters, — if it could penetrate so deeply into the wisdom
of God, no other revelation was needed. We have no right
te appeal here to the example of Melchizedek. For, apart
from the fact that he has been justly described as the settmg
sun of the primeval revelation, there is in Job more than the

318 THE BOOK OF JOB.
pure monotheism of Melchizedek, there is a fulness and depth
of divine knowledge, such as is never found except in the
sphere of revelation, such as flows forth alone from the sanc
tuary of the Lord, and such as is peculiar to the Church, as
the only salt on the face of this saltless earth. But there is
no difficulty in discerning the reason why the author should
lay the scene of his work in a foreign country, if we regard
it as free and poetical. It is the same reason as that which
induced him to go back, beyond Moses, into the patriarchal
age, and to avoid the names of Jehovah, which were pecu-
Harly dear to Israel. He does not wish the matter to be
decided from the law of God. He sets aside for the moment
" what is written." He leaves the region which is ruled by
the law, because it is his vocation, independently and by
direct revelation, to furnish a solution of the problem, which
shaU accord with the hints already given in the law. The
historical truth of the book Hes in an utterly different region
from that in which it is usuaUy sought. The author must
himself have been a Job, a crossbearer ; he must himself have
wrestled with despair*; he must himself have been comforted
with the comfort which he gives to others ; he must himself
have repented in sackcloth and ashes. For only through his
own personal experience could a man write concerning a
mystery of God, as the author of the Book of Job writes.
This higher ideal view of the truth of the narrative is quite
sufficient to account for the quotations made by Ezekiel
(chap. xiv. 14-20), and by James (chap. v. ] 1).
The book opens with a description of Job's Hfe and character
before the catastrophe, taking the two points which alone were
of importance for his purpose, to wit, his prosperity and his
righteousness based in piety. At the close of the opening part
he describes Job's tenderness of conscience, which would not
aUow him to leave unatoned even apparently slight offences,
sinful thoughts, Hght discourse, useless words, such as men
are used to utter in the merriment of social intercourse, and
fits and ebulhtions of worldly-mindedness. Job himself does
not take part in the feasts of his chUdren : he keeps himself
in holy stillness and in priestly retirement. But when the
feasts have gone their round, he comes forth, purifying and
atoning, .into the midst of his chUdren, not seeking to force

THE BOOK OF JOB. 319
upon them his own views, but yet taking care that they shall
not lose sight of the higher relations of Hfe. Now he whc
stands thus in the midst of his family as a priest, ought, as
it seems, and as Job himself thought, to be sheltered from aU
the strokes of fate. But it happened otherwise ; and that it
did so, is to be explained from the fact that God's view of
human nature is different from men's, that He discerns faults
even in His saints. '' Life often remains clinging to a straw,
refusing to give itself up entirely to death." The praise given
by the Holy Spirit to Job — " the same man was simple and
upright, one that feared God, and eschewed evil," — must of
course have fuU truth. But when any one has attained to
this degree, when he can say with truth, " I desire to have
. nought to do with the world ; with that money, honour,
pleasure, on which so much industry is spent," sin easily
takes another shape ; a man is threatened with the danger of
being puffed up because of his righteousness, of being no
longer wilHng to rank as a poor sinner, of becoming, in short,
a proud saint. Then it becomes necessary for God to use His
rod afresh, and to strike right sharply. For this disease is
very hard to overcome. Lesser visitations serve often only to
make it worse. Spiritual pride finds nourishment in becom
ing master of such attacks, in showing that they are unable
to shake its faithfulness towards God.
The scene is then transferred to heaven. On the occasion
of a solemn assembly of the angels before the throne of God,
Satan also presents himself, raises doubts regarding Job's
virtue, and demands that God shaU prove him by suffering.
God gives him power over Job, with the Hmitation that he
is not to do him bodily harm.
Satan's desfre and endeavour to destroy him shows that
Job was a man of honest intent, that he belonged not to
those who say, "Lord, Lord," but to those who sincerely
strive to do the wiU of their heavenly Father. God's giving
him up to Satan shows that there was still something in him
to punish and to improve ; that he still needed heavy blows,
if he should escape the dangers by which his spiritual life
was threatened.
From the necessity under which Satan is here represented
as lying, to appear, like the angels, before God's throne, and

S20 THE BOOK OF JOB.
to beg a formal permission, ere he brings suffering on Job, we
may draw the consolatory truth that he is in his hatred
entirely dependent on God, who pledges and proves His com
passion and grace to His own children. Satan's intentions in
laying upon them the cross are evU, it is true, but against
his wiU he is forced to accomplish God's designs, which always
at last remain victorious. The cross brings on a crisis in
Job's history, whose final result is, to purge him from the
dross of self-righteousness and pride. And this was that root
of sin which stiU kept its seat in his inmost being. Every
man has such a root of sin within him, and none dare say of
Satan, what the only begotten Son of God said of him — " He
hath nothing in me." Even the most intimate disciples of
the Lord, even the holy Apostles, were compeUed to submit
to Satan's request, that he might have them, to sift them hke
wheat, and to be satisfied if only their faith did not faU
them. ,
Bengel says, " Satan is often concealed as an enemy where
we should never dream it." In the Scriptures, the punish
ments of the wicked are directly traced back to the Lord and
His angels, or to Christ. Against the world, which is his
friend, Satan seeks no ground of complaint. In the chastise
ments, however, with which the righteous are threatened,
Satan takes part. The Father in heaven turns, as it were,
his face away, and leaves to him the infliction of the pain
which his chUdren need. Presupposing Satan to be abso
lutely dependent on God, there is something consolatory in
the thought, that he is placed in the matter of the cross be
tween us and God. The sufferings with which we are visited
have, not unfrequently, what maj'- be almost described as a
mahcious character. It must also be so, because it is in
tended that each one be assailed in his most sensitive part,
which frequently none knows save God, the afflicted man
himself, and that hateful Satan, who has a very keen eye for
the darker side of human nature. StiU, it is a good thing
that we cannot trace our troubles directly back to God, that
our heavenly Father only permits, and that Satan devises
and executes. The question put by a savage, "Why then
does not God strike Satan dead?" could only have been
retaUed as apparently ingenious by men who stood spfritually

THE BOOK OF JOB. 321
on a level with the savages. Satan is a very important ele
ment in the divine economy. God needs him, and He there
fore keeps him until He shall have no more use for him.
Then will he be banished to his own place. The Scriptures
caU the wicked heathen tyrant Nebuchadnezzar a servant of
God. They might give Satan the same name.
Job loses everything he has ; first his property, then his
chUdren. But he stands firm and immovable in the midst of
these visitations. " The Lord," says he, " gave, and the Lord
hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord." The
Lord had not taken away from him anything that was strictly
his own ; for he had originally nothing, and had no right to
lay claim to anything. God did but reqmreback that which
He had lent of pure grace. Let it faU, then, as painfuUy on
Job as it might, how could he complain ? Instead of mur
muring because of what he had lost, he should give thanks
for what he had received. But one thing is stUl lacking.
Job had not advanced far enough to recognize in his sufferings
the righteous punishment of his sins, and the chastisement
necessary for his salvation. That was his Achilles-heel. And
this it is which he must now be made to learn, and which, at
the end of the book, we find that he has learned, after hard
and severe conflicts and sad defeats. The final result is, that
he is transformed from a dignified righteous man, into a poor
ajr. ner, Then, aU at once, everything is made plain — he sees
the meaning of his fate, and is therein to be counted far
happier than the man who takes his flight into the other
world with the sad words on his Hps — " Then shall I clearly
see and know, that which was hard and dark below."
Even after Satan's second attack, which was directed against
his bodUy health, Job did not become aware of his defect.
The weakness of bis wife, who up to that point seems to
have held out and to have submitted patiently, even to the
loss of aU her chUdren, must have served to set Job's strength
in a clearer light. " Dost thou stiU retain thy piety," says
she to him, "bless God and die." Death is inevitable and
dose at hand : God's grace is irrecoverably lost. Have God,
then, at aU events, blessed, and die and perish in a moment.
Thou hadst long ago done more wisely to bid God fareweU !
The poor woman has been severely handled by commentators
x

322 THE BOOK OF JOB.
on account of these words. Spanheim calls her a second
Xantippe, and maintains that she was left to Job as a thorn
in his flesh after his recovery. J. D. Michaelis thinks she
alone, remained to Job in order that the measure of his suf
ferings might be full. It must, however, be taken into con
sideration, that her despair was rooted in the heartiest and
tenderest love to her husband. In all their previous losses
she had aUowed herself to be kept in restraint by Job's own
submissiveness. And had the pains of disease befaUen herself,
she would probably stiU have resisted her despair. Job, how
ever, does not suffer himself to be dragged down by his wife ;
he finds means, on the contrary, of raising her up. " Thou
speakest as the foolish women speak," says he to her; he
does not say, " Thou art a foohsh woman," but " thou art be
coming unHke thyself, thou art entering into a circle to which
thou hast hitherto remained a stranger." " Do we receive the
good from God, and shaU we not also accept the evU ?" It is
the same Giver who offers both ; and He weU deserves . that
we should take everything from Him without question. As
during the first stage of his sufferings, so also .during the
second, it is expressly remarked that Job " in aU this sinned
not with his lips." We expect now that something wUl soon
occur to break Job's stedfastness, and to lead him to sin with
his tongue. We do not, however, at once see what this can
be, inasmuch as he has already lost everything without his
submissiveness to. God's wUl being shaken. The sequel tells.
Three friends of Job, EHphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, hear of his
misfortune and come to console him. They find him in a
most mournful position, set themselves by his side in ashes,
and remain seven, days long, sitting speechless. After that
Job opened his mouth and cursed his' day.
How is it to be explained, that so great a change comes
suddenly over Job ; that he who just before was stiU aU sub
mission, and could even rush to the help of his wife, the weaker
vessel, now aU at once breaks out with the words — " Let the
day perish when I was born!" and so fprth? To curse one's
existence, is to dispute with God, who gave it,— -is thankless
ly to forget in the pain that blessing which, though often
deeply concealed, never utterly faUs, — is, unbelievingly, to

THE BOOK OF JOB. 323
despair of the happy issue of our sufferings, and, consequently,
of God's grace and righteousness.
The solution of the problem lies here. Where, in our Eng
lish version, it is simply said, — " And Job opened his mouth,"
we read in the original text, — " And Job answered and said."
His friends had not uttered a syllable ; but they had clearly
enough spoken to him by thefr looks. Job read in their
countenances that their thoughts were busy with his right
eousness ; that they wished to deliver him a lecture of reproof;
that they only waited the opportunity to enter on their work
of advocacy of God. He read beforehand in their soul all that
they afterwards uttered. That their stiUness is not to be
ascribed to the depth of their sympathy, is clear even from the
words which give the reason of it, — " for they saw that the
pain was very great," — not " for their pain was very great."
They could not straightway administer consolation to Job.
"According te thefr view, their prime duty was to bring him
to a consciousness of his heavy guilt. They waited to catch
him in a mood favourable for such a reproving lecture. Hence
they held thefr tongues, untU Job, irritated to the utmost by
thefr long silence, himself began the conversation, and forced
them to come forward with their view.
Job was now assailed on his weak side. To aU other modes
of suffering he had been equal, but that it should be adduced
• in proof of his guilt — that he should be robbed of his righteous
ness, that last possession to which he had so convulsively
clung, and concerning which he himself exclaims, — " My
righteousness do I retain, and do not let go ; not one of my
days does my heart despise,"— was too muoh for him. Be
cause God, who had sent the sufferings, on whose evidence
the charge was brought against him, was also the cause of this
last and heaviest loss, he vents his indignation straightway
against Him. His friends he regards only as interpreters of
the text composed by God.
The charge brought by Job against God gives rise to a dis
pute between him and his friends, which is carried on with
ever increasing passionateness. This dispute is divided into
three cycles. The first two fall into three subdivisions, com
prising the discourses uttered by the three friends, and Job's
separate answers. The last consists of two subdivisions only,

324 THE BOOK OF JOB.
the third friend, Zophar, having nothing more to say. Through
his silence the author intimates to us the defeat of all three
friends, who had made common cause.
The view taken by the friends is the foUowing : — -that sin
and suffering are measured out by God, as it were, ounce for
ounce — *-so much sin, so much suffering. One man is just so
much better than another, as he is happier. He who is as un
fortunate as Job, must assuredly be, not merely a sinner, but
a criminal. To doubt this is to do dishonour to God. And
even if, in the case of a man suffering severely, like Job, we
do not actuaUy know of any great crime, we must stiU assume
that he has committed one, in order to save God's honour.
Nor may we allow ourselves to be deceived, even though
appearances be of the fairest kind. These only show that the
pretended saint is a thoroughly skUled hypocrite.
This view is characteristic oi a, superficial piety. Open un
godliness shuts out God entirely from earthly matters, and
ascribes suffering to chance. The entire dispute is carried on
in the book of Job from the point of view of the fear of God
But because this view is that of a superficial piety, it is, for
that very reason, popular. In Elihu's discourse (chap, xxxii. 1 9),
it is expressly described as that of the "many:" — "Not the
many are wise," says Ehhu in reply. In the sphere of religion
that saying, " Vox populi, vox Dei," does not hold good. There,
on the contrary, that which is popular is usuaUy the superfi
cial, the shaUow. That this view is the popular one, the
author intimates, in giving it no less than three representa
tives. The fundamental error of the three friends is a coarse
external conception of sin, which leads them to conclude, from
Job's suffermgs, that he has committed some palpable trans
gression. They are only acquainted with individual sins : of
the essence of sin they have no knowledge. For this reason
sufferings appear reasonable to them, only when they are meted
out, piece by piece, to individual offences. They have only an
eye for such commands as, " Thou shalt not steal," " thou shalt
not commit adultery," which they do not consider in their roots,
as did our Lord in the sermon on the mount, after the example
of the prophets, and even of Moses himself : they only looked at
the outward appearance. From that command, on the contrary,
" Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with aU thine heart, and

THE BOOK OF JOB. 325
with aU thy soul, and with all thy strength," they turn away
their eyes, or else give themselves up to the strangest delu
sions regarding it. Hence are they perfectly satisfied with
their own fulfilment of the law, and find it perfectly orderly
and just that things should go well with them. And when
severe sufferings befal their neighbour, they look down upon
him with lofty eyes, and search everywhere until they have
discovered either the fact or the possibUity of heavy guUt
The troubles of their neighbours seem in some way to do them
good. They are the seal to their own excellence. Had Job's
friends known human nature or themselves aright, they would
have cried out when they beheld his sufferings, — " If this is
- done in the green tree, what shall be done in the dry?" " God
be merciful to us sinners!" A characteristic of the friends is
their want of pitiful love. With unrelenting consequence
they apply their theological prejudices to the case of thefr poor
friend sitting in ashes, and smitten by the hand of God. They
make no effort to enter into his position and feelings : they
talk at him without intermission. He only can exercise com
passion who has himself received compassion, and to this be
longs a recognition of our own sins. All Pelagianism — or if
the bibhcal name be preferred — all Pharisaism, where it is not
a question of phrases, alms, and other such external matters, is
at the bottom unmerciful, uncompassionate. Had the friends
had any true pitiful love, they would have corrected their view
by means of the very case before them. Perhaps the reason
why the author gives such a vivid representation of this wide
spread view is, that he himself had formerly entertained it,
and » had skilfuUy applied it to poor sufferers whom he had
encountered. The three friends, Job and Elihu, may be re
garded as representing three different stages in the ways of
the Lord, all which the author himself, without doubt, had
passed through. First, he had stood proudly by the side of
other sufferers ; then he himself had wrestled with despair in
suffering, because he was unwilling to renounce his self-
righteousness ; tUl at last he fought his way with Ehhu to
fuU and clear knowledge.
With all this there is no denying that there is an import
ant element of truth in the discourses of the friends, and that
usuaUy they only err in the appHcation of the general principle

326 THE BOOK OF JOB.
to the case in hand. This application the author lets them
make sUently, and hence thefr discourses, judged merely by
their sound, express, for the most part, only truth. This high
truth is the knowledge of the close connection between sim and
suffering, of which a presentiment runs through the whole of
the ancient world, and is ineffaceably impressed on the human
heart In solving the problem, the task is, to reconcUe the
element of truth, which lay on the side of the friends, with
that which was on Job's side when he maintained his right
eousness against those who charged him with coarse transgres
sions, and at the same time to trace back both errors to that
common source out of which they plainly flow, namely, the
want of a deeper knowledge of sin. The author recognised
that there was truth in the discourses of the friends, as is
plain, both from the free and full play which he allows them,
and from the favourable light in which, on the whole, they are
placed. So decided is this, that sayings have been adduced
by the Church in all ages from these discourses, as if they were
fair representations of divine truth :¦ — for example, even the
Apostle Paul does so in 1 Corinthians iii. 19, aUuding to what
EHphaz advances in chap. v. 1 3.
In the discourses of Job against the friends, a distinction
must be drawn between that which flows from his own* funda
mental view, and that which belongs to the sphere concerning
which he himself remarks — "to the wind are the words of
him who is in despafr." Further, " my sufferings are heavier
than the sand on the sea-shore, therefore are my words Hra-
tional," (chap. vi. 3.) In the warmth of his feelings, Job
frequently goes so far as to represent God as the fierce enemy
and persecutor of aU the righteous on earth, as almighty arbi
trariness and unrighteousness, and expresses accordingly, utter
despair of a favourable turn in his affairs, and the conviction
that God wiU never rest tiU He has brought him to complete
ruin. It is a holy stroke of art on the part of the Holy
Ghost, from whom the Scripture has its origin, that He aUows
free and distinct expression to aU the thoughts of the pious,
even to those which are due to the saddest weakness of the
flesh, and then shows how they are to be overcome. Even a
Byron was unable to outdo this book ; it leaves him far
behind. Then, again, when in a calmer mood, Job confesses

THE BOOK OF JOB. 327
that God's righteousness may usually be seen in the govern
ment of the world, and only represents his own sufferings as
an incomprehensible exception. Here and there, too, he rises
to a joyful hope — most gloriously when the confession burst
from him, " I know that my Redeemer liveth" (chap, xix.) as
though the sun of faith had suddenly shone with fuU clearness
through the clouds of pain and rebeUion, only, however, alas !
to be soon again darkened.
Job at last forces his friends to sUence. Their case ship
wrecks on their incapability of bringing proof of the crimes
which they are compeUed to lay to Job's charge, and on the
fact' that they are not only strugghng against appearances, but,
as they afterwards find out, against their own conscience
also. It is owing to the character borne by Job's discourses pre
viously mentioned, namely, to the interweaving of passion and
conviction in them, that he is not allowed to quit the arena
as soon as the friends give up the conflict. Before retiring,
he lays before us, in the closing discourse, (chap, xxvii —
xxxi) a complete, calm and dispassionate statement of his
views. Here we get the standard by which to try , all
his earher discourses. Job declares, that he stUl keeps
to the assertion of his own innocence, but that he notwith
standing recognises how, usuaUy, punishment foUows on guilt ;
retracting whatever he had previously advanced in seeming
conflict with this proposition. Did he not do this ; did he on
the contrary declare war in general against the eternally true
proposition, that sin is the ruin of men, the lively carrying
out and illustration of which gives the discourses of his
friends so high a value — and in the heat of passion he had
frequently done so before — then would Job be inferior to his
friends, and there would seem to be no foundation for that
final judgment of God's, whereby the very contrary was
affirmed. Peculiar are the arguments by which Job supports
the proposition in the 28th chapter, a chapter which has often
been misunderstood, and quoted in favour of that incompre
hensibility of the course of divine providence the urging of
which gave Rationalism a great show of piety. In the course
of a briUiant picture, Job proves that wisdom is not one of
the possessions attainable by men in their own strength, but
one of the glorious privileges of God. From this he draws

328 THE BOOK OF JOB.
the conclusion, that it can only become 'ours in a moral and
rehgious way, that is, through our entering into union with
God and becoming participators of His spirit. If this be true,
the ungodly are excluded from it ; and are by consequence
given over to unavoidable ruin. For whoso lacks wisdom
must rush blindly on destruction. The sea of this world hides
so many rocks that a vessel whose rudder is not in the hand
of wisdom must of necessity soon suffer shipwreck.
Notwithstanding Job's repeated efforts, the problem still re
mains to perplex him, the mystery of his sufferings still remains
unexplained ; a further examination is therefore absolutely
necessary. He himself puts this clearly before us in the
second part of his concluding discourse, in that he gives a de-
tailed description of his uprightness and of his guiltless con
duct, and sets in strong contrast therewith his severe afflictions.
Examining the matter superficially, one can see no possibility
of a satisfactory solution of the riddle, and may easily faU into
the notion, that there is nothing for it but to refer aU to the
incomprehensibility of God's ways ; — a course which conducts
to Atheism. If, however, we search more deeply, an outlet
presents itself. Notwithstanding the apparent completeness
of Job's enumeration of the sins he had avoided, notwith
standing the loftiness of his moral point of view, which led
him to regard the confidence placed in gold as not less an
execrable sin than idolatry, commonly so called — which made
him consider it as a great sin to exult, whether in the great
ness of our own possessions or in the misfortunes which befal
our enemies ; notwithstanding that Job unmistakeably con
siders sin as an inward thing, treating not merely the sinful
act but also the first hidden germ thereof, namely, sinful desire
(chap. xxxi. 1), as worthy of condemnation and curse, stiU, he
passes over one main class of sins in sUence, evidently because
his eyes had not yet been opened to see them. It is God's
method to reveal to us by degrees the depths of our corrup
tion ; were He to do it aU at once we should be liable to faU
into despair. These sins were those of haughtiness, self-
righteousness, pride in his own virtue. We expect that the
impending decision of the dispute will turn on this point.
And the fresh and complete exposition of the difficulties with
which Job's concluding speech is occupied make us exceedingly

THE BOOK OF JOB. 329
eager to learn the nature of the decision. In distinction from
the earlier ones it is marked by the calmness of its tone.
Passion's storm is hushed, now that the friends who stirred it
up, are forced to silence. A quiet sadness takes the place of
the defiance, of the excited murmurs against God, of the
questioning of His right, and of the challenges which were
previously observable. We see throughout that Job is now
in the mood to accept joyfully the solution which may be
offered to him ; for by himself he cannot find it, nor indeed can
poor miserable man attain to anything unless it be given him
from heaven. Everywhere there presses itself on our notice
a presentiment that we are on the threshold of an explanation.
We feel the soft breath of that grace which prepares the
soul for the instruction to be communicated through Ehhu.
At the close of chap. xxxi. it is said, " the words of Job have
an end." The intimation is thus given us, that an entirely
new section commences. Job was able to act a dignified part
towards the friends, and having at last reduced them to com
plete dumbness, he now remained alone on the scene of conflict,
and the words quoted are intended to mark the boundary line
between him, on the one side, and Elihu, God's servant, and
God Himself, on the other side. The latter he finds to be in
disputably his superiors. Job's time for speaking now ceases :
the time to keep silence has begun. Henceforward he never1
opens his lips, save to express his readiness to keep sUence
and to lay his hand on his mouth. The three words (for there
are no more in the original text) are rich in meaning. AU
words spoken against God, come, after a brief season, to an
end, either of grace, as in Job's case, who begs that the foUy of
his discourses may be forgiven, or of wrath, when the mouth
that uttereth great things is closed with violence.
Elihu now quits the circle of hearers within which he had
quietly kept himself up to this point. Why he is described
as a youth, may be learnt from the words which the author
puts in his mouth : — " I thought, let days speak, and let
the multitude of years prove wisdom. But the Spirit is in
man, (on that aU depends !) and the breath of the Almighty
giveth them understanding. Not the' many are wise : neither
do the aged understand judgment." Majorities are without
weight in the Church, and in spiritual things age does not at

330 THE BOOK OF JOB.
aU carry the weight which belongs to it in the affairs of com
mon life. One inexperienced youth with the Spirit of God is
wiser than loud multitudes and grey heads, and even than the
Coryphaei of wisdom without it. Besides, a youth is the most
fitting representative of a truth which is here introduced with
freshness and vigour into the midst of the Church of God.
Elihu's entrance is introduced as foUows : — " And the three
men ceased to answer Job, for he was righteous in his own
eyes. Then was enkindled the wrath of Ehhu ; against Job
was his wrath kindled, because he declared his own soul to be
more just than God. And against his three friends was his
wrath kindled, because they found no answer, and therefore
condemned Job." The situation is thus set distinctly before
us. Job's fault is represented to be, that he was righteous in
his own eyes. This necessarily and invariably leads those
who are visited with severe afflictions, to the sad point of
declaring themselves to be more righteous than God : — which
is to turn everything upside, down. Self-righteousness deems
itself to have fulfilled all its obligations to God. And because s
it can see in the sufferings, which are in reality inflicted be
cause of sinfulness, and are capable of justification on that
ground, only unrighteous arbitrariness, it sets forth God as
less righteous than man, and so inverts the natural relation
of the Creator to the creature. Access to the source of aU
consolation is thus cut off, and the way of the return of sal
vation barred. This is a very dangerous. side of Pelagianism.
In this respect most men Hve only on mercy. If God did not
spare them, but visited them as He visited Job, they would
faU into a state of formal rebeUion against God, and would
openly declare themselves His " personal enemies ;" or else,
which is the lowest stage of all, the stage when man renounces
his true humanity, they would deny His existence. The
friends could not heal Job's disease, because they themselves
had a too superficial knowledge of human sinfulness. Not
knowing how to. meet Job's presumption in the right way,
they reproach him with heavy individual crimes. To con
vince Job of the condemnableness of his self-righteousness,
against which the friends had broken their power, is plainly
the task which Ehhu has now to accompHsh.
Elihu agrees with the friends in recognising that aU suffer-

THE BOOK OF JOB. 33 1
ing is a punishment : but diverges from them in that he
shows suffering to have another aspect. There is a suffering
which has its origin not merely in the divine righteousness,
but at the same time also in the principle of love, and which
therefore may, nay more, must be inflicted on the righteous,
in order that he may see and be purified from the sin stUl
cleaving to him, and be fitted for the higher blessings of re
demption. In opposition to the bare idea of punishlnent,
Elihu sets that of chastisement : — an idea which modern times
find, alas ! difficult of understanding. They speak only of trial,
and of that mostly without any distinct conception of its nature.
As this portion is the very heart and Hfe of the book, we
shaU quote the principal passages Hterally.
"For," says Ehhu, "God speaketh once, yea twice, if man
giveth not heed thereto. In the dream of the nightly vision,
when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumber on the bed.
Then openeth he the ear of men, and sealeth their admoni
tion. That he may withdraw man from his doings, and hide
pride from the man. He preserveth his soul from the pit,
and his life from faUing under, the sword."
Even he that standeth must take heed lest he faU. Espe
ciaUy in pride has the righteous stiU ever a dangerous enemy.
God's compassionate love, therefore, sends from time to time
emphatic inward monitors, as by significant dreams, which
are here mentioned solely by way of example.
But the matter is not aUowed to rest there. Inward moni
tions are but the prelude to visitations, and are meant to pre
pare the soU for these latter. He who walks uprightly in the
ways of the Lord, wiU have found by experience that a heavy
cross seldom faUs on one who is unprepared for it, that the
time chosen is usually one in which the heart has been pecu
liarly drawn upwards ; but also, that it seldom fails to come
when such a strong and gracious drawing has been felt.
EHhu says further, " he is chastened also with pain on his bed,
and the -conflict in his bones is unceasing. And he loathes all
manner of food, and his soul despise th dainty dishes." And
so, forth, is a severe disease described, one being specified out
of the whole number of painful visitations by way of example,
just as the dream is made to represent inward monitions.
But that the ruin of the righteous is not intended, that in

332 THE BOOK OF JOB.
the infliction of suffering love goes hand in hand with right
eousness, is made plain by the issue, which, when the sufferer
does not by his own fault bar the way of salvation, separates
the righteous from the wicked. Elihu proceeds, " If then a
mediator-angel taketh his part, one of a thousand, that he
may show unto man his duty. Then He is gracious to him,
and saith, deHver him from going down to the pit, I have re
ceived a ransom, (Repentance !) He crieth to God and He
showeth Himself gracious to him, he beholdeth his face in joy,
and God giveth back unto man his righteousness." The medi
ating angel represents all influences fram above, by which the
heart of the sufferer is awakened to genuine repentance. The
ministering spirits which are sent forth to minister unto them
who shaU inherit blessedness, (Heb. i. 14,) stand invisible
round about the sufferer's bed of anguish, and whisper in his
ear. Were it not so, such earthly messengers of God, as
Elihu, would speak to the winds. TheseTatter however must
also do their part, as we are vividly taught by the example of
Elihu. The second principal passage runs as follows : — " and when
they are bound in fetters and held in the cords of affliction.
Then showeth he them by their work and their transgressions,
that they have become proud. (This was another nota bene
for Job.) He openeth also their ear to admonition, and com-
mandeth that they return from iniquity. If they then hear'
and serve, (submitting themselves to God's will and repenting,)
they spend thefr days in prosperity and their years in joy
But if they hear not, they perish by the sword, and die
through their own folly. He saveth the wretched by his
wretchedness, and openeth by oppression their ear." In these
last words we have the quintessence of EHhu's entire argu
ment. The friends also set before Job, in the case of his con
version, the prospect of a return of prosperity and salvation.
But to them suffering appeared only as punishment, and they
were very far from recognising in it an outflow of the love of
God,. a disguised grace.
The carrying out of this view occupies the first of EHhu's
fouT discourses. In the second, he shows that the position
taken up towards God by Job, in maintaining that he has
been unrighteously handled, is inconsistent with his own esti-

THE BOOK OF JOB. 333
mate of the divine nature. Job's weak and foohsh attack on
the divine righteousness makes shipwreck on the glory of the
divine nature as manifested in the works of creation, The
Omnipotence and wisdom of God, with which we everywhere
meet, furnishes an indirect testimony to his righteousness.
For the single attributes of the divine nature are all of them
but as rays proceeding from the one centre. Where one is,
there also must of necessity the others be. How could the
being which everywhere shows itself to be most perfect, lay
itself open in such a way on this one point ? Every witness
therefore, in nature, to God's greatness as a Creator, rises
against the accusers of God's righteousness. Whoso wiU
bring a charge against God's justice, must first measure him
self with the divine omnipotence. If this argumentation
proves that God must necessarily be righteous, we shall be aU
the more ready to enter on the reasons contained in EHhu's
second discourse, why God may be just, and yet the righteous
suffer. At first sight it must occasion surprise, that the mind
of the suffering righteous is directed to the wondrous forma
tion of the clouds, of thunder and lightning, of snow, and
afterwards, in the answer of God, to the war-horse, to the
hawk, to the raven, to the behemoth or hippopotamus, to the
leviathan or crocodUe. And yet, more carefully examined, we
see that such a course was fully adapted to its purpose.
An almighty, aU-knowing, and aU-wise God, who is not at the
same time righteous, is in truth an unthinkable thought. For
this reason, those who doubt God's righteousness, are always
on the high road to doubt His existence. Pelagianism leads
not merely to the destruction of the true idea of God, but also
to complete Atheism. It is therefore a great blessing to be,
hke Job, firmly rooted in God. Then, should we faU into error
regarding one side of the divine nature, we shall be able to
lift ourselves up by cleaving all the more firmly to another.
By and bye, even the dark side wiU become Hght.
EHhu's third discourse, (chap, xxxv.,) lays hold on Job again
from another side. Job had stood up as if he were in a posi
tion to lay claims, and plead merits. He had behaved to
wards God Hke an impatient creditor. What perversity ! As
Uttle as man can harm God by his sin, so Httle can he benefit
Him by his virtue. Hence, when God rewards the righteous-

334 THE BOOK OF JOB.
ness of man, He does it out of pure grace : if he withholds
rewards none can bring against Him the charge of injustice.
The AU-sufficient One does not need man, and it is therefore
foohsh in us to demand and fume, and murmur. When suf
ferings come upon us, our only part is, to make sorrowful
lament, humbly to beg, patiently to wait, and believinglyto hope.
Whoso is incapable of this, must blame himself if God does
not hear, and the Almighty does not regard, his vaim cries,
that is, the empty pretensions expressed in his prayers.
EHhu's fourth and last discourse faUs into two divisions.
In the first (that is, up to chap, xxxvi. 21) he carries out
more completely what he had previously advanced to prove
that the infliction of suffering was not inconsistent with the
divine, justice — that is, he shows how God afflicts the righte
ous in order to chastise, purify, and lead him to greater glory,
if he allows tribulations to do their proper work. The second
division is connected with the subject of the second discourse.
God is great in nature : therefore must He also be just. Be
hold God is great in power : and therefore must He be of great
justice and full of righteousness : He dealeth not wrongly. The
people must consequently fear Him ; He regardeth not those
who are wise in their own eyes, nor such as in their self-righ
teousness would tax him with wrong.
Elihu had apparently ended the dispute. For the friends
had previously retired from the arena, and Job, their con
queror, now by his sUence confessed himself conquered
Indeed, he had repeatedly mentioned his sUence as ^ a sign
of his overthrow (chap. vi. 24, 25 ; xix. 4 ff) Elihu also
had regarded Job's silence as a token that he surrendered
himself prisoner : see xxxiii. 31-33, where he says, "If thou
hast nothing to say, then hear me and keep sUence, I wUl
teach thee wisdom." But what stiU failed was the divine
sanction. This alone could prove to a certainty that Ehhu
had reaUy stood up as the. speaker for God. Moreover it was
not a mere question of doctrine. Job was to be born again
to a new life, and human efforts alone could not accomplish
that. God must dfrectly reveal Himself to him. A true and
thorough cure of error in rehgious things, a real rise to a new
stage of the inner life, cannot be effected save by a vision of
God. Job himself confesses this in chap. xhi. 5. " By the

THE BOOK OF JOB. 335
hearing of the ear I learnt from thee," (says he to God), " but
now mine eye saw thee." J ob's earlier religious point of view,
notwithstanding his great piety, is thus characterised as a
lower one, as one dependent on the traditions of the Fathers
and on the Church ; which, now that he, having been prepared
by his sufferings and by the penitential discourse of Elihu, had
been counted worthy of a divine manifestation, gives place to
a relation to God which is mainly direct and immediate. All
religious doubts arise from our merely perceiving by the hear
ing of the ear. When we have once seen with the eye, we
feel ashamed of our previous incomprehensible folly. It is the
greatest misfortune of the time that so few have seen with the
eye. For this reason, there are so few even amongst the weU-
meaning, who walk with a firm and sure step. Hence also
deep abysses of doubt He concealed behind a wall of orthodoxy.
In an age of apostacy Hke ours ; in an age when Satan is
again let loose from his prison, and seduces the heathen in the
four quarters of the earth, the mere hearing with the ear, the
mere leaning on the Church, is much more inadequate, than
during the days of the dominion of the Christian Faith, when
the temptations were far less. Now ought surely every one
who counts his own soul dear, to cry with Moses, "Lord, let
me see thy glory," and not rest until his cry has been heard.
Of course the hearing with the ear is the first step. Had Job
haughtily shut his ear to the authority of the Church, his eye
would not have seen. — But thorough instruction must ever go
before God's personal revelation of Himself. Error, not truly
overcome, bars the entrance Hke a bolt. It is God's method
to communicate this instruction to men by means of men. To
this end He has given the Holy Scriptures and founded in
His Church the office of teacher. In the present instance Ehhu
discharges the duty. From these observations it would appear
that the thing of chief importance is God's appearance, not,
what He may say. StiU God cannot appear in sUence. A
discourse must accompany His appearance, as a kind of com
mentary thereon. And inasmuch as Ehhu had been God's
spokesman, God's discourse wiU naturally neither contradict
that of Elihu nor contain anything essentiaUy new. We may
also anticipate beforehand that the substance of the divine
discourse wiU be less comprehe. sive than that of EHhu's. In

336 , THE BOOK OF JOB.
one portion of his discourses Ehhu laid down a theory on the
purpose of Hfe. To enter upon such a subject would scarcely
accord with the Majesty of God. From it we should only
expect the development of the main idea of the other principal
part, the proof that Job's whole behaviour was rooted in his
faUure to discern the glory of God manifested in all creation
— a glory with which righteousness is ever inseparably con
nected. This subject is a more practical one. It affords con
stant opportunity, for punishing and humbling. Who am I ?
and, who art thou ? These two questions pervade the divine
discourse, which indeed consists of questions, for questions are
the proper mode of utterance, for majesty in wrath. Had Job
in the first instance discovered within, the right answer to these
two questions ; had he seen that God, as the Almighty, must
also be the Righteous One, that God therefore was of necessity
in the right, and he himself in the wrong, the second main
portion of EHhu's discourse must sink ever deeper into his
heart. For God could only be in the right, in case the view
given by Elihu of the aim of sufferings was the correct one.
The issue gave it a fuU and formal confirmation. Further
more, the only means of thoroughly setting aside Job's inquiry
was the element common to both the discourse of God and
that of Ehhu. The suppressed doubts would have ever again
asserted thefr sway had it not been shown how God is in
the right, as weU as that He must be in the right because
He is God, that He must be righteous because He is almighty^
God appears in the storm and speaks with Job. In the
symbohcal language of Scripture storms always bear a threat
ening character. By speaking out of the storm God shows
that Job has sinned. God's discourse is an interpretation of
the storm in which He appears. " Wilt thou condemn me in
order that thou mayest be righteous ?" is the voice of the
storm, as to Job, so to all who Hke him murmur against God
in sufferings.
The discourses of Ehhu are impressed with the seal of a
divine mission, by the fact that God's discourse is connected
with them, not only by the sameness of idea, but even by the
sameness of treatment. Elihu had proved God's glory, and
His consequent righteousness, from the wonders on high, from
the formation of the clouds, of the lightning, and of the thun-

THE BOOK OF JOB. 337
der. The Divine discourse begins at the same point, and then
descends to the earth, to the revelation of the glory of God in
the animated creation, where the Hon and the raven, the aris
tocracy and the proletariat of the world of beasts, rise up as
witnesses against Job.
Job repents in dust and ashes. His repentance refers, first
of all, to his discourses, and then to his entfre conduct. Had
he been previously himself pure in God's sight, his discourses
would also have been pure. What now pains him in his own
discourses is the assertion of his own perfect righteousness. The
notion that he might lay claim to this had led him into error
regarding God, and had thus prepared for him inexpressible
suffering. Now his righteousness had become as dust and
ashes. The brevity of Job's discourse is remarkable, in con
trast with his previous prolixity. Depth of feeling, and espe
ciaUy thorough penitence, is simple in its utterances, and its
words are as a tight and closely fitting garment
The Lord now declares His anger against the three friends,
and advises them to beg for the intercession and mediation of
Job, who, through his awakening and repentance, had come
into a much closer relation to God than formerly. They had
deserved this humiliation. In their bhndness they had held
themselves to be better than Job, in the proportion in which
they were happier. Whoso exalteth himself shall be abased;
he who sits down at the head of the table of the kingdom of
God shall hear the cry, " Give way to this man." To Job,
too, was in this way the opportunity given, of showing, by
his self-denying love, what inward gain his sufferings had
brought him. Forgiving love towards those who had insulted
him is made the condition of his restoration : here therefore
we have the Old Testament basis of that saying of our Lord's
" If ye forgive men thefr trespasses, your heavenly Father wUl
also forgive you your trespasses."
Elihu's prdmise, that Job's repentance should be foUowed
by the return of his prosperity, begins now to be fulfiUed.
But Elihu himself is no longer mentioned. God's spokesman
retires, and God Himself speaks by word and deed. Praise
belongs not to him, for he had only uttered what God had
given him. He has no merit; he has only to be thankful for
the high grace which God had conferred upon hiin, in consti
T

¦ 338 THE BOOK OF JOB.
tuting him the medium of His revelations, and enabling him
to lead back his wandering brother from the error of his ways.
" When ye have done all, .still say, we are unprofitable serv
ants." God makes the fulfilment of his demand lighter for his
servants, by treating them thoroughly as unprofitable.
St. James gives the sum of this book in the words, " Ye
have heard of the patience of Job, and ye have seen the end
of the Lord : for the Lord is merciful and compassionate."
Job gave special proof of his patience or stedfastness, in that,
when actually assaUed by Satan on his weak side, he stiU, at
the right moment, repented in dust and ashes, so that Satan
was forced to retire ashamed, and lost the bet which he, as it
were, laid with God at the commencement, when he said, " Of
what avail is it, he will bless Thee to Thy face?" A joyful
issue is that, when no one concerned reoeives harm save Satan
himself. The Book of Job has its truth not only for the individual
believer, but also for the entire Church, and doubtless the
author had this in view when he wrote it. God chastises His
Church, but he does not give it over to death ; when the way
is prepared by His visitations He sends the spirit of penitence
and awakenment, and then He Himself returns in grace and
condescension to its prison. This happened, for example,
when Judah was first carried into exile to Babylon, and then
led back home in joy. This will be most gloriously exempli
fied when the triumphant, shall take the place of the mUitant,
Church. The temporal restoration of the Book of Job is the
type, prelude, and pledge of the eternal. To bring to Hght
God's rule in this world was the primary mission of the Old
Testament. This foundation being laid, it will be but a Hght
matter to Ulumine the darkness with which the natural mind
has covered the future.
The history of Job is a type of the Saviour as weU in His
sufferings as in the glory which foUowed. What is specially
worthy of our attention is the burning desire felt by Satan
for the ruin of the " much persecuted," against whom he stirs
up enemies from aU sides. If Job's imperfect and needy right
eousness was an object of such hatred to Satan, how must he
' be enraged against Him who is the absolutely righteous one.
Immediately after entering on His vocation the Redeemer was

THE BOOK OF JOB. 339
tempted forty days by the devil, and when the devU had ended
all his temptations, he departed from Him for a "season"
Satan is always in the background of Christ's sufferings.
When the time drew nigh that he should be delivered into
the hands of sinners, He exclaimed, " the Prince of this world
eometh." But as Satan was put to shame by the typical Job,
so -did his attack on the antitype end in his utter overthrow,
" and he overcame not. His place also was no more found in
heaven. And he was cast down, the great dragon, the old
serpent, who is called the devil, and Satan, who seduces the
whole world ; he was cast down upon the earth, and his angels
were cast down with him."

THE PROPHET ISAIAH.
A LECTURE
* BY
PROFESSOR DR. HENGSTENBERG.

THE PROPHET ISAIAH.

The year 1848 led many persons back to the Old Testament,
and especiaUy to the writings of the Prophets, who, in conse
quence of participating in the so-called " modern culture," had,
up to that time, kept themselves at a distance, or even been
quite estranged from them. JFor the circumstances and events
of that year the New Testament was not found strictly suffi
cient. The great questions then agitated had a national cha
racter; they bore upon the history of the world. " What is
the destiny of our apostate nation? What will result from
the spirit of sedition by which Europe has been seized?" The
New Testament has mainly to do with the individual soul and
its salvation, and then with the development of the Church.
The political element in it is but slight. In this respect, as
in so many others, we discover that it is a half, needing its
complement ; and we are reminded of the saying of our Lord,
" What God hath joined together let not man put asunder."
The Old Testament, in writing the history of one nation, has
written the history of all nations to whom the Lord has re
vealed Himself: in the fates of the one people, whose charac
ter was throughout typical (1 Corinthians x. 6), there is a
prophecy of the fates of all peoples. Whoso enters into the
spirit of the Old Testament wiU gain possession of infalHble
knowledge concerning the future ; wiU learn the laws by which
the nations of the world in general, and his own nation in
particular, are governed ; will in this respect be raised from
the ignoble rank of the servant, who knoweth not what his
Lord doeth, to that of the Son, whom the Father makes a
sharer , of His secrets, and to whom He shows all that He
Himself doeth, keeping back from him only the day and the

344 THE PROPHET ISAIAH.
hour, the knowledge of which is the pecuhar prerogative of
God. Let us now enter more dfrectly on the subject in hand.
Our business, in the first instance; is not with Prophets, and
their office, in general, but only with Isaiah. At the same
time, be it remembered, the true nature of Old Testament
prophecy is best learnt by a consideration of the activity of
the prominent individual prophets. One general observation,
however, must be premised.
The prophetic element of the Old Testament presents a two
fold aspect. The first aspect under which it appears is that
of a free vocation, as opposed to a fixed one, like the Priest
hood ; of an extraordinary, as contrasted with a regular, office.
Such a co-ordination of offices is necessary in all ages of the
Church. That which is fixed and regular too easUy hardens
into formahty, if it has not at its side that which is more free :
the latter is necessary to goad on, stir up, and excite the zeal
of the former, which is ever ready to grow flat, or die out.
The too great uniformity of the offices in the earlier period of
the existence of the Evangelical Church was no slight evH
In this respect it was at a disadvantage in relation to the
Roman Catholic Church, which possessed, in its numerous
Orders, an element analogous to the prophetical one of the Old
Testament. In the present century efforts have happily begun
to be made for the supply of this deficiency, in the institution
of the various Christian associations, especially of Home Mis
sions. At the same time, however, it must be remarked, that
the activity put forth has hitherto been mainly of a Martha-
kind; whereas prophecy was more of the Mary-kind ; that is,
it was more a channel by which Hfe streamed forth directly
from God to the people; it confined itself almost exclusively
to the sphere of the preacher. StUl, for Old Testament times,
the free vocation followed by the prophets was of far greater
importance than for the Church of the New Covenant Then
the regular office of the priesthood was connected with birth,
and was therefore much more exposed to the danger of harden
ing into formahty. Moreover, the spirit of the law was en
veloped in a garb of ceremonial precepts, and the priests, who,
from youth up, had to do with external forms and observances,
were in great danger of regarding them as having independent

THE PROPHET ISAIAH. 345
worth, and of thus forgetting the ideas and truths which were
the soul of the pregnant aUegory. Yielding to this tendency,
they would contradict Moses, by whom the law was given,
and who summed up its precepts in the one command, which
it is impossible to take upon our Hps without fear and tremb
ling, " to love the Lord thy God with aU thy heart, with aU
thy soul, and with aU thy powers," thus allowing to the exter
nal no other significance than that of a means to an end.
Against such servants of the letter, the prophets, as the ser
vants of the spirit, were compelled to stand up. So did Isaiah,
for example, when, in chapter i. of his Prophecies, he raises
his voice against those who, instead of offering to the high and
holy God that sacrifice of the heart claimed by Him under the
form of the sacrifice of beasts, brought as a substitute mere
burnt-offerings of rams, and the blood of bullocks, of lambs
and of goats.
Most of those who bore the name of Prophet were limited
to this aspect of the prophetic office. Strictly speaking, how
ever, the name refers to the other and higher side of the pro
phetical vocation ; and it pertained to the great mass of those
who were usually styled prophets, only because they were com
prehended, as under thefr head, among the few chosen ones
who truly represented the higher aspect : — of them and thefr
position the expression, " Sons of the Prophets," was more
accurately designative. The Hebrew word for prophet, Nabi,
designates one who has Divine communications, who is privi
leged with inspiration, — inspiration, too, as we are expressly
taught by the other name of the prophet, " Seer or Beholder,"
in the strictest sense, such, namely, as is imparted in the state
of transport or ecstasy. This high gift was naturally only
conferred on the few. Divine revelations did not terminate
with Moses, for the Holy Scriptures could not arise otherwise
than in the course of centuries. They could not be given in
the form of a catechism, or of a doctrinal system. Divine
truths must enter into life in the most Hving manner, con
nected with, and in relation to, the greatest possible variety of
historical developments. Moreover, it was necessary, at aU
events in part, that Hving organs of direct Divine communi
cations should be given to compensate the disadvantage at
which the Church of earher times was placed in relation to

346 THE PROPHET ISAIAH.
that of later times, as regards Holy Scripture. When human
relations, in their greatest variety, had been Illumined by the
Hght of the word of God, when Holy Scripture had reached
its conclusion, then prophecy ceased. Malachi is the last of
the prophets under the Old Covenant. Prophecy was once
again awakened under the New Covenant, but it came very
speedily to a close with John. What the twelve apostles are,
whose usual consciousness was so elevated that their inspfra-
tion did not in general need to take the form of ecstasy, such
are also the prophets for ever. They live on in their writings.
The position which was occupied by the prophets under the
Old Covenant, those who are learned in the Scriptures, the
Scribes, have been deputed by our Lord to occupy in His
kmgdom. Under the New Covenant they are the spiritual
householders, who bring forth from their treasure things new
and old (Matthew xni 52). Whoso will not hear Moses and
the prophets, whoso will not hear the Holy Scriptures, him,
according to the infallible declaration of our Lord, it is impos
sible to help. Imitations only corrupt the blessing instituted
by God.
The body of Prophets derived its life and significance from
the high truths which, through Moses, had taken up their
abode and citizenship in the Church of God. Even at the
time of Moses we may find traces of the beginnings of this
body. In the age of the Judges it exerted a not unimportant
influence. In Samuel it was first represented by an imposing
personality. But it was only a considerable period later that
the tree of prophecy bore fruits fitted to be stored up in the
treasure-house of Holy Scripture. Our canonical prophecies
first began in the eighth century before Christ, that is, about
seven centuries after Moses and two after David. That there
must have been at this time mighty impulses towards pro
phecy is plain enough from the fact that then, all at once,
there arose quite a number of important prophets ; whereas,
previously, in the kingdom of Judah, the prophetic element
had manifested itself only sporadically. From this time on
wards Israel became more and more interwoven with thei
Asiatic monarchies ; first of all with the Assyrian. The way
was being prepared for the great judgments which the Lord
purposed to execute on his people by means of these empires ;

THE PROPHET ISAIAH. 347
consequently the task of the Prophets became a much grander
one. They had to direct attention to the judgments of the
Lord, to explain them, to awaken the minds of the people to
a consciousness of God's punitive righteousness and sustaining
grace. A much wider sphere was then opened up for prophecy,
in its narrower sense, as the foretelling of events. EspeciaUy
did the proclamations of the Messiah now become fuller and
more distinct. In opposition to the worldly power, which
threatened the kingdom of God with overthrow, is set that
kingdom which was destined, through Christ, to conquer and
to rule over the world. This is presented as a source of con
solation to minds troubled and cast down by present circum
stances. In the Hght thereof the faithful of the Old Testament
wandered forth into darkness. The preaching of repentance
also gained stronger motives and a higher tone. Nothing is
more startling than the feeling which possesses our own
generation also, that we stand at the beginning of the end.
First, at the period of Jewish history alluded to, when the
prophetic vocation was in circumstances to develope its fuH
power, did it become important for aU ages; and the divinely
originated conviction that such was the case, impelled the
prophets to record their prophecies, not in the form of loose
and scattered leaves, but in that of books which should be
parts of a codex of sacred writings* The same feeling also
induced others to have a care for their permanent preservation.
The chief prophetical figure during this first period of
canonical prophecies, that is, during the Assyrian period, is
Isaiah ; as during the second, that is, the Babylonian period,
Jeremiah was the chief figure. With Isaiah were connected,
in the kingdom of Judah, Micah, Joel, and Obadiah ; in the
kingdom of Israel, Hosea, Amos, and Jonah, who were its
only three prophets. The overthrow of the kingdom of the
ten tribes was effected by the Assyrian power, because the
measure of its sins was already full. Out of the same con
flict Judah issued victorious, and first, more than a century
* This is indicated with special distinctness in Isaiah xxxiv. 16, where, to
those who read the prophecy after it had been fulfilled, Isaiah says, " Search in
the book of the Lord and read." What the prophet means is, that they ought
to compare the prophecy, recorded in the book of the Lord, with history, in
order to convince themselves that it had been exactly fulfilled.

348 THE PROPHET ISAIAH.
later, succumbed to the might of the Chaldeans. Unlike
Israel, its downfal was not a permanent one. The kingdom
of Judah underwent a joyous resurrection. Indeed its re
covery in this case was unavoidable and necessary, for it had
not yet fulfiUed its destiny of producing the Messiah from its
midst. King Uzziah, hi the last years of whose reign Isaiah
began his work, ruled tiU 759 years before Christ. Isaiah,
consequently, entered on his vocation about ten years before
the founding of Rome, or in the year 753 before Christ.
It is a remarkable instance of the play of that divine pro
vidence, which directs in such a special manner the affairs of
the Church, that there occur in sacred history so many names
pregnant with meaning. Isaiah, for example, signifies " the sal
vation of the Lord."* This is also, to such an extent, the watch
word of his prophecies, that their substance could not have been
with one word more strikingly described. So also the name
Jeremiah, signifying, " the Lord casts down," precisely describes
the nature of his prophecies, in which threatening decidedly
predominates. In Isaiah, of course, there are not wanting
severe punishments and threats : he belonged not to those
who strengthen the hands of sinners, who, slightly healing
the hurt of the people (Jeremiah vi. 1 4), cry, " Peace, peace,
when there is no peace ;" who make cushions for under the
arms of the people and piUows for their heads. In Israel that
was the business only of the false prophets, whose distinctive
characteristic it was to preach Gospel without law, a thing
worse even than law without Gospel. He had a hard battle
to fight with those who said to the seers, " See not for us
right things ; preach unto us smooth things ; see for us
deceits." But in Isaiah threats never form the termination ;
¦they invariably pass into promises ; and whereas, in the great
mass of Jeremiah's prophecies, promises, which no true pro
phet can entirely lack, are usually brief, and in the form of
hints, consisting frequently only of words thrown out into
the midst of the severest threats, as, for example, in chap. iv.
27, " Yet wiU I not make a full end," in Isaiah streams of
* Dr Hengstenberg brings an illustration of this supposed divine sport from
modem times — the case of Wegscheider, the celebrated vulgar-rationalistic
theologian. The name means literally " way-divider," and Dr H. asks, " What
more suitable name for such a deformator could have been invented 1 " — Te.

THE PROPHET ISAIAH. 349
the richest fulness pour forth from the source of consolation ;
and as if he had not, in this respect, done enough in the first
part of his work, he adds a second part, from chap. xl.-lxvi,
in which promises still more decidedly predominate. The
reason of this peculiarity must be specially sought in the his
torical circumstances. Isaiah belonged to a time when the
corruption of the kingdom of Judah had by far not reached
its lowest point, when there was stUl a considerable number
of men who associated themselves with, and looked up to
him as their spiritual centre. Looking at these societies of
brethren of like spirit, Isaiah cries: "Comfort ye, comfort- ye,
my people." The contemporary prophets of the kingdom of
the ten tribes, which had been poisoned at its very origin,
found a different state of things : the field there was already
ripe to the harvest of judgment. In the days of Jeremiah
Judah had afready become Hke its apostate sister. "Run ye
to and fro through the lanes of Jerusalem, and see now and
know, and seek in its streets if ye can find a man, if there
be one that doeth justice, that seeketh faithfulness, and I will
pardon it," says the Lord, in Jeremiah v. 1. Then the duty
of a prophet was less to console the miserable, than to terrify
the secure, sinners. Only after the anger of God had mani
fested itself in deeds, only after the judgment of destruction
had gone over Jerusalem, or was drawing very nigh, did the
stream of promise burst unrestrainedly forth in Jeremiah, as
also in Ezekiel.
The mission of Isaiah had special reference to the house of
Judah. He but seldom occupies himself with the kingdom of
Israel ; and when this happens, as in chap. ix. 7, ff, xvH. 1, ff,
it is always with a reference to, and for the sake of exerting
an influence on, Judah. The scene of his activity was Jeru
salem, the political and rehgious centre of the nation. There,
all his discourses were delivered. The citizens thereof are not
unfrequently speciaUy addressed by him. A prophet of such
thorough importance could only come forth at the centre of
the nation's Hfe and activity. Such a centre was Jerusalem,
in a much higher degree, than are the chief cities of modern
kingdoms ; for its temple was the only place of sacrifice for
the whole people, — it was the spiritual dweUing-place of the
Jews, in which they were obHged at certain seasons to present

350 THE PROPHET ISAIAH.
themselves, even outwardly, before the Lord. But, in fact, the
prophetic element in the kingdom of Judah seems to have been
almost exclusively associated with Jerusalem. The reason
thereof was, that the mission of the Prophets of Judah was
mainly a national one. In the kingdom of Israel, on the con
trary, where they had to fiU up the gap caused by the expul
sion of the legitimate priesthood, and where, consequently, it
devolved upon them, regularly to instruct and to edify the
people, thefr activity was not confined to the metropolis, but
was diffused throughout the entire land.
According to chap. vii. and viii, Isaiah was married, and
mention is made of his two sons, Shearjashub and Mahershalal-
hashbaz. The connecting of the names of both with his pro
phecies, shows how much he Hved and moved in his vocation.
Even his chUdren he had not for himself : the Lord had given
them for signs and for wonders in Israel, (chap. vHi 18:)
they also were a sermon to the people, as we see especiaUy
from chap, vii., where the prophet is said to take with him
the one of his sons, Shearjashub, solely in order that, looking
on him, the people may be brought to see the folly of its fears.
In the two names were expressed the two main elements of
his prophetical discourses. The one, signifying — "Robbery
hastens, quickly comes spoU," points to the energy of the divine
justice, which visits the sins both of the heathen world, and of
the covenant people : the other, Shearjashub, signifying, "the
rest will return," draws attention to the grace which the Lord
will show in sustaining His people and kingdom, even in the
midst of destruction, — it drew notice to the fact, that judg
ments on the people of God, unlike those on the godless world,
always bear at last the peaceable fruits of righteousness, if not
to large multitudes, yet at aU events, to a smaU number ; and
also to the fact, that these few wiU be restored, after the exe
cution of the judgments, to the full enjoyment of the divine
favour. Zion can never be lost, whatever else is lost. The
Lord may indeed chastise it, but he wiU not give it over to
death. Isaiah's being able to caU his wife Nebijah, " Prophe
tess," shows that his marriage did not stand in opposition to,
or merely go alongside of, his vocation, but that it was most
closely connected therewith. This name, Nebijah could not
.bear merely as the wife of a prophet, — for, as ih our days the

THE PROPHET ISAIAH. 351
worst foes of the office of preacher, are often the very wives
of the preachers themselves, so was it then. She could only
bear it, so far as she herself was endowed with a prophetic
gift, hke Miriam the sister of Moses, or Deborah in the times
of the Judges, or Hulda in the days of Jeremiah. The mere
name, therefore, introduces us to the very inmost nature of
the marriage relation. The wife did not certainly appear in
pubhc. She mainly fulfilled her prophetical vocation by aid
ing and encouraging her husband in his. Eyen the garb of
the prophet was chosen in adaptation to his office. According
to chap. xx. 2, he was clad in a garment of hair, hke Elijah,
John the Baptist, and the two witnesses in the Revelations,
(chap. xi. 3.) The garment of sackcloth formed a contrast to
sumptuous clothing, to expose the condemnableness of which
Isaiah had a peculiar mission. The locus classicus of sacred
Scripture against fondness for dress and ornament, is chap. iH.,
where the prophet enters into such minute detaU, that we may
well assume that the prophetess rendered him. the aid for
which her sex peculiarly fitted her. Sackcloth was the gar
ment of mourners and penitents. Sorrow at the lamentable
state of the Holy City, anguish at the desolation of the Church,
earnestness in repentance and in summoning others to repent
ance — these are stiU the characteristic marks of the true ser
vants of the Lord. In that which he does himself, the prophet
shows the people what they ought to do. His very appear
ance preached, " Repent ye," even before he opened his mouth.
We remarked already that the prophet entered on his caUing
in the last years of Uzziah's reign. Under the long govern
ment of this monarch, the kingdom of Judah rose to great
wealth and power. His name, signifying, " the Lord is my
strength," found fuU confirmation. The spirit of piety mani
fested by him afforded opportunity for the verification of the
name. He restored the southern and south-western bound
aries to something like the position they occupied in the days
of David and Solomon. But the people was mcapable of
bearing its prosperity. Those prophetic words of Moses,
(Deuteronomy xxxu. 15,) "Then waxed Israel fat, and kicked,
forsook God his Creator, and Hghtly esteemed the rock of his
salvation," received their fulfilment. ExternaUy, the condition
of religion seemed stUl tolerably good ; coarse idolatry was

352 THE PROPHET ISAIAH.
stiU comparatively rare; they were very zealous in offering
sacrifices to the Lord, in visiting the temple, in the celebration
of the feasts, and even in the prayers of the Up, (chapter i.
11-15 ;) but, notwithstanding, great and deep evils existed.
This we learn- especially from the first fiye chapters of Isaiah,
in which he does battle most zealously and distinctly with the
carnal security of the nation, with its proud confidence in its
power, and with the external piety which only concealed in
tense haughtiness and corruption of heart, and a fearful decay
of virtue and manners. Pride, the bosom-sin of the people,
against which the prophet gives a so energetic testimony in
chap. ii. and Hi, at last seized hold of the king also. In his
old age, when his adviser, Zechariah, " who had understanding
in the visions of God," had died, the thought occurred to Uzziah
of uniting the highest spiritual with the highest civH dignity;
contrary to the law of God. He offered incense in the Temple.
He was visited with leprosy, a disease, which, as the symbol
of sin, was a peculiarly suitable punishment, in cases when it
was necessary to make pubHcly manifest sin which concealed
itself under the appearance of good ; as Uzziah had concealed
his presumption beneath the garb of a pecuharly great piety.
The leprous king, who, as an unclean man, could not continue
to hold the reins of government, was a true type of the people
of his age.
It was a matter of importance that, in the reign of Uzziah,
when the nation was in the fuU tide of its prosperity, the
prophet, like a faithful watchman, (to which the prophets fre
quently compare themselves,) proclaimed loudly the imminence
of the catastrophe threatened by Moses. In like manner did
Hosea make the same proclamation to the kmgdom of Israel
during its palmiest days.
Asserting, as he did, that a terrible storm was threatening,
whilst the heavens were to aU appearance bright and cloudless,
the prophet made himself ridiculous in the eyes of very many.
From all sides he heard the satirical cry, " Let make speed and
come the purpose of the Holy One of Israel, that we may see
it" But he did not aUow himself to be misled thereby. He
was thoroughly persuaded of the truth and appHcability of the
words, " where the carcase is, there wiU also the eagles be
gathered together." He looked on the moral condition of the

THE PROPHET ISAIAH. 353
people with the eye of God : he saw that its sin was becom
ing riper every day : he recognised in God that the time was
not far distant when the measure should be full.
The death of King Uzziah was the occasion of the prophet's
looking back earnestly on the past, and of his anxiously en
quiring of the Lord in respect of the future. " Dost thou then
thank the Lord thy God, thou mad and foolish nation ?"
Hast thou experienced so much grace, — during fifty-two years
the Lord had been the strength of His people, — and yet do all
signs betoken, not repentance, but rather, increasing apostacy?
WiU He once again thoroughly renew His people ? Or are
His judgments about to break ? And, in the latter case, may
we expect grace, at aU events, after justice has done its work ?
The answer to these uneasy questions is given to the pro
phet in chap. vi. by means of a vision. Many have falsely
supposed that the first caUing of Isaiah to the office of prophet
is there described. He sees the Lord in aU the fulness of
His glory, — in the full energy of that righteousness, which
casts down aU sanguine hopes to the ground, and in the fuU
energy of that grace and faithfulness which prevents all des
pairing thoughts. Then the interpretation is given to him by
the words which he is appointed to proclaim amongst the
people. The judgment advances with inexorable strictness.
But from the rum of the whole nation, a holy seed is preserved.
One might fancy, after such a sharp and distinct proclama
tion, that the judgment would at once begin to be executed.
God, however, as Bengel says, has His horas and moras : He
never hurries anything on : He only puts sickle to the harvest
when it has become completely white. The sixteen years of
Jotham's government passed quite smoothly by. We may
weU suppose that God regarded the piety of the king, con
cerning whom it is said, " and he did that which was right in
the sight of the Lord, according to aU that his father Uzziah
did : howbeit he entered not into the temple of the Lord (the
sin by which Uzziah feU), but the people stiU corrupted
themselves." A beginning was made of the fulfilment of the threats of
punishment, when impiety ascended the throne in the person
of Ahaz. In the very first year of his reign the Kings of Da
mascus and Samaria, having formed a league? broke into the
z

354 THE PROPHET ISAIAH.
land, with the design of putting an end to the kingdom.
This was one of the most important crises in the history of
Israel. Assyria came into the country in consequence of this
war. In the footsteps of that empfre came afterwards the
succeeding great powers of Europe and Asia. Hitherto Israel
had only had to deal with the smaller surrounding nations.
But from this time onwards it was involved in struggles with
the great kingdoms of the world. A remarkable proof that
the spirit which filled the prophets was a higher than their
own, is the fact that Isaiah, according to the important pro
phecy recorded in chap. vH., recognized so clearly and distinctly
the significance of the decisive point. That he should have
earnestly warned the king against seeking the help of Assyria
is not to be accounted for by grounds of ordinary worldly
pohcy. PoHtically it could make but a slight difference
whether Ahaz sought the help of the Assyrians or not. On
the contrary, if he did so, the King of Assyria must of course-
be more favourably disposed towards him. We can scarcely
doubt that the Assyrians would have pressed forwards towards
Western Asia even if Ahaz had not summoned them to his
aid. If they once came into those regions, to chastise the
pride of the Syrians and Ephramites, who were endeavouring
to make conquests and become powerful, Judah also would be
in danger from them. Isaiah rather throughout takes up the
position of the man of God. To enter into leagues with other
monarchs was not totaUy forbidden to the kings of the people
of God. But such leagues must belong to the category of
human aids sanctioned by God. This, however, was not now
the case. Assyria was a thoroughly selfish power, whose aim
was to make conquests. Its assistance must be bought with
vassalage, and with the danger of utter downfaU : " to stay
themselves on it, was to stay themselves on their destroyer,"
(Isaiah x. 20.) Such a league involved practical denial of the
God of Israel, a contempt of His omnipotence and grace. On
behalf of God, therefore, the Prophet had no alternative but
to oppose it. Had Ahaz obeyed him, had he limited himself
to using the human means lent him by God, not putting his
trust in them but in the Lord, his Lord would have deHvered
him, as at a later period He delivered Hezekiah, first from
Aram and EpHraim, and then from Assyria. We need not

THE PROPHET ISAIAH. 355
however, regard the mission of the prophet as a fruitless one,
because Ahaz did not foUow his counsels. The Lord who sent
him knew beforehand what would be the result of his effort.
The great purpose of his interference was, to estabhsh clearly
before the event took place, that Israel's embroUment with
the great powers of the world had been brought about by the
crimes of the house of David, and that, therefore, it should not
give rise to doubts of God's omnipotence and grace, whose help
had been offered, but contemptuously rejected.
In close connection with the great crisis at which the
history of the people of God had now arrived, stands the
greater fulness, richness and clearness which then began to
characterise the promises and proclamations of the Messiah.
From this time onwards Christ is represented to Judah as an
Immanuel against the kingdoms of the world, as the one who
shall at last, on His appearance, overcome the world, and lay
it at the feet of the people of God. And this promise has, in
truth, been fulfilled already, a»d will be still more completely
fulfiUed, through Him who said to His disciples, " be of good
cheer, I have overcome the world," and who, even before our
very eyes, has begun a new and mighty course of victories,
breaking to pieces^ like a potter's vessel, the framework of the
Turkish and Chinese powers. Before the minds of such as
were troubled and anxious lest the throne of David should be
utterly overthrown by the Assyrians, Isaiah sets the glorious
picture of the kingdom of Judah in its final perfection. If
the faithful took this truly to heart, the King of Assyria must
appear to them in an entirely different Hght ,: they must re
gard him, in fact, as a miserable wretch. The giant shrunk
at once, after such promises, into a contemptible dwarf, and
they themselves, with the tears still moistening their eyes,
were forced to laugh at themselves for having been so terribly
afraid. That which is of the flesh, is flesh, but the Spirit breathes
where he wUls. The proverb, that " the apple does not fall
far from the trunk," has, God be praised I only a Hmited ap
plication. Grace gains the victory over nature. As Ahaz was
distinguished by ungodliness, so was his son Hezekiah distin
guished by his deep and Hving fear of God. In consequence
thereof there was a pause in the development of corruption,

356 THE PROPHET ISAIAH.
and, therefore, also in the execution of the divine judgments.
By the reformation of Hezekiah many things that were ready
to die were revived. Under this king, who was Isaiah's
spiritual son, and with whom he had one heart and one soul,
the activity of the prophet first reached its greatest extent
and importance. His work was never so glorious and telling
as in the very critical fourteenth year of Hezekiah's reign.
Then the Assyrians broke into the land, after having, in the
sixth year of Hezekiah's reign, made an end of the kingdom
of the ten tribes. AU rationalists, all men of a merely natural
sound understanding, despaired : for it was in truth utterly
irrational to hope. Hezekiah beheved, and prayed, " 0 Lord
our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the
earth may know that thou art the Lord, and thou only." Then
sent Isaiah to Hezekiah, saying to. him, " thus saith the Lord,
the God of Israel, whereas thou hast prayed to me, in the
matter of Sennacherib, King of Assyria, this is that which the
Lord speaketh concerning him, " the virgin the daughter of
Zion, despiseth thee, and laugheth thee to scorn, and the
daughter of Jerusalem shaketh her head at thee." Whom hast
thou reproached and blasphemed ? Against whom hast thou
exalted thy voice ? And thou liftest up thine eyes against
the Holy One of Israel. Because thou ragest against me, and
thy pride is come up into mine ears, I wiU put a ring in thy
nose, and a bit in thy mouth, and wiU lead thee back by the
way by which thou earnest" This promise of immediate
divine assistance was fulfilled ; whilst, on the contrary, the
hope which the worldly-minded had set on the help of the
Egyptians, and which the prophet had sternly censured, proved
itself deceptive. Just when the Assyrian army intended to
strike a decisive blow against Jerusalem, the head of the king
dom of God, the greatest part of it was suddenly destroyed
by a divine judgment, by a terrible plague, which afterwards
laid hold on, without however terminating the Hfe, of the
king, in order that he might not exalt himself above the great
grace vouchsafed to him.
In reference to the position taken by Isaiah in this year df
horror and of grace, Luther remarks, " he stands firmly as a
rock with his promise that Jerusalem should be defended and
delivered ; which miracle is one of the greatest recorded in the

THE PROPHET ISAIAH, 357
Scriptures, not merely as regards the fact that so mighty a
monarch should have been smitten by God before Jerusalem,
but also as regards the faith which could beheve in the pro
mised rescue. It is a miracle, I say, that a man in Jerusalem
could beheve in an event apparently so impossible. There
must undoubtedly have been many unbelievers who not only
laughed at him, but heaped on him words of contempt.
Notwithstanding, he breaks through aU by his immoveable
faith — by the faith which alone had smitten so mighty a
monarch. Whence it is sufficiently apparent, that Isaiah must
have been a great and precious man, and highly esteemed in
God's sight."
During this year, the most remarkable in the prophet's Hfe,
and rich in those judgments and acts of grace by which the
divine glory was manifested, his prophecies issued forth in a
fuU stream, spreading themselves out in all directions. He
touched not only on the fates of Judah, but also on those of
the heathen nations. He speaks, moreover, not merely of the
phases which history would take in the immediate future, but,
from the position of ecstasy which he occupied during this
whole time, his eye surveyed also the remotest events. He
saw especiaUy how, at a future day, the Babylonish power,
now afready laying its foundations, would take the place of
the Assyrian ; and how it would find the fields of Judah white
for the harvest : he saw that the overthrow of the oppressor
of the world would be effected by Cyrus, the victor from the
• west, who would let the people of God return from their
banishment : he beheld at the close of that development of
affairs which then commenced, the deliverer of the world,
whose portrait he paints in the Hveliest colours. Isaiah gives
a specially distinct description of the prophetical and high-
priestly offices of Christ ; whereas earlier utterances relate, in
great part, only to his kingly office. One allusion, however,
to the high-priestly character of Christ there exists even so
early as Psalm ex. Of the two States of Christ, Isaiah treats
especiaUy of that of humiliation ; he brings the Messiah pro
minently forward as suffering. At an earlier period, on the
contrary, it is Christ's state of glory that is specially described;
though none give more glorious pictures even of that, than
Isaiah, when his object is to counteract the fears entertained,

358 THE PROPHET ISAIAH.
that, through the pressure of the mighty heathen nations,
God's kingdom would be overthrown. The first strokes of
his picture of Ihe humihated, suffering, atoning Christ, are in
chap. xi. 1; " and there shaU come forth a rod out of the hewn
down stem of Jesse, and a branch will bear fruit out of his1
roots." According to this, Christ could only come when all
the glory of the stem of David had previously vanished, when
that stem was hewn down even to the roots, and no longer
bore the aspect of its royal, but of its rustic, ancestor. Herein
is contained consolation for the Church in times when it seems
to be rapidly going down hill. This aspect, however, of the
prophet's proclamation, is properly the subject of the second
part, which was intended rather for the select few, than for
the people at large. There, in chapter xlvi., the servant of
God is presented to us as the meek, and, from the heart,
humble Redeemer, who will not break the bruised reed, nor
quench the smoking flax, and who, by this His compassionate
love, will establish justice in the whole earth. In chapter
xlix. a description is given of tr^e manner in which the cove
nanted people wiU reward the faithful labours of the servant
of God with ingratitude, so that he wUl be compelled to ex
claim, " I have laboured in vain, and I have spent my strength
for nought and in vain :" but we are at the same time told
that, in recompence for the obstinacy of Israel, the Lord wUl
give him the heathen for his inheritance. In chapter i the
sufferings of the servant of God are depicted, in that aspect
of them wliich is common both to Christ, the Head, and to
His members : we are told how, in the fulfilment of his calhng,.
he will present his back to the smiters, and wiU not hide his
face from disgrace and spitting. And finally, in chapter liii,
that crowning point of the prophecies of the Old Testament,
concerning which Luther said that, as a matter of life and
death, every Christian ought to be able to repeat it from
memory, Christ is set before us in the highest aspect of His
wOrk, to Wit, in connection with His atoning and vicarious
sufferings ; and as being ih Himself at once the true High
Priest, and the true atoning sacrifice. AUudihg to this pro
clamation, John the Baptist designated Christ, the Lamb of
God taking away the sins of the world. The words of this
drophecy — " He bore our sickness and carried our sorrows,

THE PROPHET ISAIAH. 359
He was wounded for our transgression, and bruised for our
iniquities ; the punishment Hes on him, that we might have
peace, and by His wounds we are healed," — are deeply engra-
ven in the hearts of aU who are at all acquainted with Christ.
There are, besides, the foUowing peculiar Messianic elements
in the writings of Isaiah. A bright and clear Old Testament
testimony to the divinity of Christ is furnished by chapter ix
6, " Unto us a chUd is born, unto us a son is given, and the
government is on his shoulder, and his name is called Won
derful CounseUor, God-hero, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.'?
As a CounseUor, he is a marvel, because his whole person is
marveUous. He is a God-hero : — a hero infinitely transcend
ing aU human heroes, in that he is God, in that he is El. The
event of Christ's birth from a virgin, which stands in imme
diate connection with His Godhead, is recorded by Matthew
in such a manner that Isaiah's words in chap. vii. 1 4, form the
prominent feature of the narrative. According to the same
Evangehst (Matthew iv. 1 3-1 6), the Lord took up his abode
on the GaHlean Sea, in order that might be fulfilled the pro
phecy of Isaiah (chap. ix. 1 0), which says that Galilee, and in
general, the neighbourhood of the sea of Gennesareth, though
hitherto covered with peculiar disgrace, should be raised to
special honour by the appearance of the Redeemer, who should
come to take compassion on the miserable, and to seek the
lost. Isaiah, too, was the first to announce that the Redemp
tion would do away with the effects of the faU on the irra
tional creation, and bring it back to the state in which it was
in Paradise ; " the wolf shall dweU with the lamb, and the
leopard shall lie down with the goat ; and the calf and the
young Hon and the fatling together : and a little child shall
lead them, etc." (chap. xi. 6-9). He first proclaimed to the
people of God, that death, as it had not existed in the begin
ning, so it would be abolished Hi the end : " he destroyeth
death for ever, and the Lord wipeth away tears from aU faces,"
(chap. xxv. 8, with which compare xxvi. 1 9). And, lastly,
Isaiah describes the healing powers which would be commu
nicated to the poor human race, through Christ, in those words
of chap. xxxv. 5, 6, which were so remarkably confirmed by
the actual results, — "Then the eyes of the blind shall be
opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then

360 THE PROPHET ISAIAH.
shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb
shaU sing," — words, however, which did but begin to be ful
filled in the cures effected, by Christ during his earthly course.
His wonderful cures in Judea were only, as it were, the pledge
and prelude of the true and complete heahng of humanity,
just as his raisings from the dead were but anticipations of the
future universal resurrection. The real and comprehensive
fulfilment of Isaiah's prophecy belongs to the time concerning
which it has been said, " that which here is fuU of suffering,
sighs and complainings, wiU then enjoy full, vigorous, and
glorious Hfe."
Isaiah's prophetic work terminated with the reign of Heze
kiah. This is clearly proved by the superscription in chap.
i 1. But according to the tradition, he ended his Hfe during
the reign of Hezekiah's son and successor, Manasseh, who, to
the utmost of his abihty, destroyed the good which his pious
father had wrought. He introduced aU kinds of idolatry and
superstition, and even went so far as to erect altars to idol
gods in the Temple. Impiety now again boldly lifted up its
head. In Manasseh, the ungodly party, which counted very
many, especiaUy of the great, amongst its adherents, rose to
the throne and power. He was a king according to the heart
of the people ; that is, of the great mass of the nation, in con
trast to the always comparatively smaU and select number
which really feared God. Hence the judgments, which were
primarily the result of his ungodliness, were not altogether
undeserved by the nation at large. In the king was concen
trated the sin of the people. From the days of Solomon down
to that great catastrophe, the destruction of Jerusalem by the
Chaldeans, a corrupt and sinful party continually existed in the
kingdom of Judah. All that the governments of godly kings
could do was, not to break it entirely up, but only to restrain,
hinder, and repress it in its manifestations, which naturally
assumed a more violent and unbridled form, as soon as external
liberty was secured. Accordingly we find that, after every refor
mation, wickedness not only returned, but assumed larger pro
portions than before. In its opposition to the higher prin
ciples, the lower is carried on to ever greater lengths : it is
driven necessarily to seek to perfect itself, untU at last the
measure of sin is full, and the flood of Divine judgment rushes

THE PROPHET ISAIAH. 361
in to do its righteous work. Before such a consummation no
true and thorough reformation was possible. It must be pre
ceded by the sweeping of the thrashing-floor, and the burning
of the chaff with unquenchable fire. Such devouring judg
ments, such great reckonings, occur frequently in the history
of the people of God : and the nearer they approach the more
impossible does it become for the servants of God to exert a
wide and thorough influence. Nothing can be more perverse
than the opinion, that in this matter all that is requfred is,
that we should run and make haste, as if the fault lay solely
with the witnessing Church, when no national conversion to
God is effected. Did the Lord of glory Himself, and His holy
apostles, accomplish any such work ? But we must not, there
fore, suppose, that the activity of the godly and devoted kings,
and of the prophets, who stood at their side and strengthened
thefr hands, was lost. It served, at all events, to save what
was to be saved, to sustain and gather together the Httle flock
And if it did nothing else but ripen the mass of the nation for
judgment, and give opportunity to the evU to become worse
and worse through its conflict with the good, it was weU re
warded. Even judgment brings glory to the Lord : He sanc
tifies Himself in those who will not sanctify Him. Further
more, judgments themselves are a means of grace, for nothing
can befal the Church of God which is not also a grace, whatever
else it may be, and however its true character may be disguised.
When sin has ripened, and its punishment has begun, the
people returns to itself, becomes wise, and repents : and then
the select few who had remained faithful form again the
central point around which the whole nation gathers itself.
Of Manasseh it is said, in 2 Kings xxi. 16, "Moreover Ma
nasseh shed innocent blood very much, tiU he had filled Jeru
salem from one end to another." That this innocent blood
was that of the prophets, and of such as joined themselves to
them as their spiritual centre and leaders, is clear from the
context. Immediately before it is related how the prophets
worked zealously to prevent the apostasy of Manasseh. If
Isaiah stiU lived at the time of that persecution — and 2 Chro
nicles xxxii. 32, where he is said to have written a Hfe of king
Hezekiah, whom consequently he must have outlived, would
seem to warrant the supposition — he must have been one of

362 THE PROPHET ISAIAH.
the first to fa.U a sacrifice to it. He was regarded as the main
spiritual originator of the pressure with which, for twenty-nine
years, impiety had been burdened. Against him its hate was
concentrated, for on him, above aU others, had the Spirit of
the Lord rested. Thus far do the books of the Old Testament
carry us. At this point we meet with a tradition, which ex
pressly reports that Isaiah was counted worthy to suffer mar
tyrdom, in extreme old age, under Manasseh, and that he was,
in fact, sawn to pieces. This tradition is widely spread, both
in Jewish and Oriental writings. Not only do the Father's of
the Church mention it, such as Ambrose, who says, "More
easy was it for the saw to divide the framework of the body
of Isaiah than to bend his faith ;" but even men of the second
century of the Christian Church, such as Justin Martyr, who
reproaches the Jews with having sawn Isaiah to pieces with a
wooden saw. Even in the New Testament there is a trace of
the same tradition. We find in it an explanation of the words,
" they were sawn asunder," which occur in the description
given in the sufferings of the prophets, in the epistle to the
Hebrews (see chap. xi. 37), and plainly allude to some special
case. The prophetic work of Isaiah terminated, then, with the
reign of Hezekiah. Probably, however, his death did not occur
tiU Manasseh occupied the throne, and then he was martyred,
after having, in the evening of his Hfe, made a collection of his
prophecies, which he left as a bequest to after generations.
The manner of Isaiah's own death presignified the treatment
to which his prophecies have been subjected. The naturahsm
of the last century has sawn him asunder afresh in his pro
phecies. In both cases the moving principle was the same —
namely, the hatred which the natural man has of everything
which comes forth directly from the living God, from whom
he desires to be freed at any cost.
Let us now cast a glance at the arrangement of the collec
tion. The principle of the order is that of time. In the first
six chapters a view is given of the work of the prophet under
Uzziah and Jotham. What follows, up to chapter x. 4, belongs
to the time of Ahaz. All that intervenes between this and
chapter xxxv. pertains to the period of the Assyrian invasion,
which took place during Hezekiah's reign, and in the presence

THE PROPHET ISAIAH. 363
of which Isaiah displayed his prophetical gifts, in a manner
previously unequaUed. The historical section, from chapter
xxxvi. to chapter xxxix., in which the prophet furnishes the
basis for the understanding of the prophecies uttered by him
during the most important and productive period of his voca
tion, forms the transition from the first part to the second,
commencing with chapter xl. The close thereof is formed by
the proclamation of the leading away of Judah to Babylon,
which Isaiah uttered to Hezekiah, after that, as the preceding
chapters record, the danger threatened by the Assyrians had
been happily averted. It is said, in chap, xxxix. 6, 7, " Be
hold, the days come that aU that is in thy kingdom wiU be
taken away, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store
until this day shall be carried to Babylon ; nothing wiU be left,
saith the Lord : and of thy sons that shaU issue from thee,
which thou shalt beget, shaU they take away : and they shaU
be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon." Herein is
concentrated, as it were, the chastising and threatening aspect
of the prophet's mission, and occasion furnished for the con
solation to which the second part of his prophecies is mainly
devoted. The substance of this second part is, in a general way, set
before us in the very first words of the fortieth chapter —
" Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, saith your God. Speak
to the heart of Jerusalem, and cry unto her that her warfare
is accomphshed, that her iniquity is atoned, that she receiveth
at the Lord's hand double for all her sins." Accordingly we
should expect consolation to be mainly characteristic of the
second part. But inasmuch as, for the people of God there is
no merely external salvation, inasmuch as its salvation is in
separably connected with repentance, admonition must neces
sarily go hand in hand with the proclamation of redemption.
In the portion immediately following, where the preacher, in
the desert of wickedness, calls upon all to prepare the way of
the Lord, whose glory is about to be revealed, special stress is
laid on this second, less prominent and less visible, element.
Repentance, which can alone give us access to salvation, is
that preparation of the way which the prophet reqmres.
The consolation is, for the most part, very general in its
Character, consisting in references to a future fuU of grace and

364 THE PROPHET ISAIAH.
good. In some parts, however, the proclamation of dehverance
takes a more special, individual shape. Such special announce
ments refer to a twofold object. The prophet, in the first
instance, comforts the people with the prospect of restoration
from the exUe Hi Babylon. This he describes under the love
liest images, which are frequently borrowed from the history
of the dehverance of the nation from Egypt. It must, how
ever, be remarked, that even those prophecies, which mainly
refer to the lower object, contain elements of a wider and fuller
range, so that they by no means become antiquated when
thefr primary purpose has been answered. Before the pro
phet's spiritual . eye stood the king of the morning, who, being
commissioned by the Lord, should chastise the oppressors of
Zion, and lead back the people to its home. The second sub
ject of his descriptions is the redemption, to be effected by the
servant of God, by Christ, who, after having endured humilia
tion, suffering, and death, and having thereby wrought out
an atonement, would, in the glorified kingdom of God, do
away with aU the evils introduced by sin.
The first part consists of single discourses. The second
forms a connected whole. It faUs, as Riickert first recognised,
into three books. The first indication of this is the fact that
at the end of chapters xlviii. and lix., the same thought occurs,
namely, the exclusion of the wicked from the redemption of
the future, expressed in the same words, namely, " there is no
peace, saith my God, to the wicked." The first book is occu
pied with the lower, outward deliverance. After chapter xlviii.
nothing more is said concerning Babylon, concerning the
Chaldeans, concerning the conqueror from the East. The
second book contains the proclamation of the personal Messiah,
which is wanting in the first, with the exception of chap. xiii.
1-9 where, after the first announcement had been made of the
coming of the author of the lower deliverance, a contrast is
anticipatorily drawn between him and the author of the
higher dehverance, to give a more complete picture of whom
is the task of the second book. What is said of the, person
of the Redeemer in the third book is brief and in the form of
hints, designed to form a connecting Hnk between it and the
second. So far as the character of this book is one oi promise,
it is occupied with the delineation of the glory of the king
dom of God in the new phase on which it wiU enter through

THE PROPHET ISAIAH. 365
the work of the Redeemer — a glory which will be consummated
in the foundation of a new heaven and a new earth. Such a
description of the glory of Zion as is contained in chap. lx.
cannot be found in parts second and first. In the third book,
however, chastisement and admonition predominate. That
the fathers of the Church justly designated Isaiah the Evan
gelist among the prophets, is plain from the fact that he only
deals largely in threatenings and punishments at the conclusion,
and after having unfolded the richest and fullest promises. It
is further evident also from the fact that he does not deal in
threatenings alone even in the last book, but interweaves pro
mises the most glorious and the most signally adapted to draw
sinners to repentance.
What is the deepest and sorest wound of our own age ? It
is that it has lost its sense of the brightness and distinctness
of the image of God ! For this wound the Pauline doctrine
of justification by faith, whether rightly or wrongly under
stood, is not a sufficient cure : here, however, an exceUent
specific is offered to us. Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on His
throne high and lifted up : Seraphim stood above Him, and
one cried to the other and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord
Saboath, aU lands are fuU of His glory. This is the ground
in which aU his prophecies are rooted, out of which they draw
their life. They set God Hvingly before our eyes. They ex
hibit Him to us in the fulness and absolute energy of His
punitive justice, and teach us to regard our own sin, and the
sin of our nation, not with our own, but with God's eyes.
"Jerusalem stumbleth and Judah falleth, because their
tongue and their works are contrary to the Lord, to offend His
glorious eyes." They show us God also in the infinite fulness
and boundless energy of the compassionating love which
causes Him to be interested in the " wretched, the troubled
and the comfortless ;" they show us God in the energy of His
faithfulness towards His Church, towards His beloved Zion,
which He covers with his wings as do the birds, which He
protects and saves, round about which He goes to watch and
nelp, and on behalf of which, untU He has finally created the
new heavens and the new earth, He will again and again fulfil
the words, "behold darkness covereth the earth, and thick
darkness the peoples, but upon thee the Lord ariseth, and the
glory of the Lord appeareth above thee."

THE SACRIFICES OF HOLY SCRIPTURE.

THE SACRIFICES OF HOLY SCRIPTURE.

The most general and comprehensive term used in the Old
Testament for sacrifice, is Corban, which means strictly
" offering." It has the same force as the German word Opfer,
and our offering, both which are derived from the Latin offerre.
The verb from which Corban is derived, signifies " to present
a gift," and is used of gifts which are not brought to God.
How very general the idea of Corban is, may be understood
from the fact that it is used not only of sacrifices proper, but
of the sacred treasure which was formed by the voluntary
gifts of the ChUdren of Israel.
The foundation of the custom and necessity of sacrifice or
offering is contained in the words, "appear not before me
empty," (Exodus xxiii. 15,) or HteraUy rendered, "my coun
tenance shaU not be beheld empty ;" to which we find added
at the subsequent repetition of the law in Deuteronomy,
" every man according to the gift of his hand, according to
the blessing which the Lord thy God hath given," (chap. xvi.
17.) Impiety says, "who is the Almighty, that we should
serve Him ? Or what are we the better, if we caU upon Him ?"
Godliness, on the contrary, is driven by an irresistible impulse
to seek its origin and source, and knows that so certainly as
man is created in the image of God, even so certainly may he
not appear empty before his Creator : its feehng is, that man
cannot refuse to bring back in loving devotion what God has
bestowed, that he cannot refuse to make sacrifice, without
denying the true dignity of his nature, and reducing himseK
to the level of the brute, which consumes the divine gifts in
2 A

370 THE SACRIFICES OP HOLT SCRIPTURE.
stupid indifference, which can only receive, and not give. The
prophets describe thoroughly con amore, how the beasts make
their habitation in the once so proud and great cities of the
world. As a righteous retribution, they took the place of the
generations of men which had become brutalized, and refused
any longer to sacrifice. The duty and impulse to make sacri
fices or offerings, becomes stronger in proportion as God's pre-
venient gifts are greater. First under the new covenant can
men experience the most complete joy in sacrifice, for now
those words, "let us love Him for He hath first loved us," and
that question, "this have I done for thee, what doest thou
for me?" have acquired an entirely different, even their full,
force. Several writers on this subject have sought to show that
the essential nature of sacrifice in general, is set before us in
Leviticus xvii. 1 1, where the ground of the prohibition to eat
blood is given in the words, " for the soul of the flesh is in the
blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to atone for
your souls, for the blood atones for the soul," (not as some
render the Hebrew, " atones through the soul.") They con
clude from this passage that the blood, as being the most
fitting and true means of atonement, is the very kernel and
central point of the sacrifice. It is, however, evidently not
the " key to the entire Mosaic idea of sacrifice," as has been
said, but only to the significance of that part of sacrifice which
consisted in the shedding of blood. If it could be proved that
the shedding of blood is the root and fundamental feature of
aU sacrifice, the position would be tenable. But so far from
this being the case, we find alongside of the blood}'', also
bloodless sacrifices. And even as regards the bloody sacrifices,
the shedding of blood was the principal matter only in the
case of sin-offerings and trespass-offerings : whereas in the
case of burnt-offerings, as also of thank-offerings, it was quite
a secondary and subordinate element. The characteristic fear
ture of burnt offerings was decidedly the burning, as the sym
bolical expression of consecration, or devotion. The very name
tells us this. The passage in question has therefore nothing
whatever to do with the general idea of sacrifice or offering. It
only throws Hght on the significance of onesingle feature in sacri
fice. Alongside of the declaration that, " without shedding of

THE SACRIFICES OF HOLY SCRIPTURE. 371
blood there is no forgiveness,"* (Hebrews ix. 22,) it places
that other, " wherever, in the Church of the. Lord, there is shed
ding of blood, there is also forgiveness, atonement." The false
assertion, that atonement is the fundamental idea of Sacrifice
in general, has created very much confusion.
The Scripture opposite of sacrifice is the Ban, curse, excom
munication, — a fearful word. It is as certain as that God has
created man in His own image, that He cannot stand in a
relation of indifference towards him. In one way or in another
His just claims on man must be met, either by the sacrifice
which man cheerfuUy and lovingly offers, or by the ban with
which His angry majesty visits those who refuse to sacrifice.
Times in which the spirit of sacrifice has died out in the hearts
of men, are always followed by those to which the words, " I
come and smite the land with the curse," are justly apphcable.
The Scriptures commit partly to human hands the declaration
and carrying out of the Ban. But in proportion as the spirit
of sacrifice dies out, in that proportion also does the zeal to
exercise the ban cool down. Then the Almighty Himself
takes the sword in His hand, and that word finds confirma
tion, — " the Lord is angry at all the heathen, and fierce against
aU their host, He wiU drive them out, and deliver them over
to slaughter."-)- What is ihe relation between sacrifice and prayer ? That
there must be a close connection between the two, is evident
from the fact that, as a general rule, in the FHst Book of
Moses, where mention is made of the erection of an altar, there
also we read of the calling on the name of God. Luther has
somewhat inaccurately rendered the Hebrew, "preach of the
name of the Lord:" although the translation conveys in the
* The great importance attached to the shedding of blood, in connection with
sacrifices, is quite peculiar to Holy Scripture. It corresponds to the depth of
the knowledge of sin, which is the privilege of the Church of God. A funda
mental fault of the well known Essay by de Maistre, on Sacrifices, in the
"Soirees de St. Petersbourg," is his transference of the value attached to the
blood by the Israelites, to the Heathens, who were destitute of that which it
presupposes. t The connection and contrast between Ban and Sacrifice are very plainly
seen in Isaiah xxxiv. 5, 6, where the Ban is represented as a forced sacrifice, a
sacrifice which God takes to Himself, or, for which He Himself takes those who
refuse sacrifices. " The Lord hath a slain sacrifice in Bozrah."

372 THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE.
main the right force of the words. For the pubhc and solemn
caUing upon God, the presentation of thanks for the deeds by
which He had created for Himself a name, was at the same
time a ". preaching of the name of the Lord." At aU the great
crises of thefr life, after every great divine -deliverance and
blessing, the patriarchs of our race instituted a specially solemn
pubhc worship of God, wherein they offered sacrifices and
caUed upon the name of the Lord. Abraham, for example, did
so on his arrival in Canaan, after the first manifestation of
God there vouchsafed him ; and also after his return from
Egypt. The close connection subsisting between sacrifice and prayer,
is further evident from such passages as Hosea xiv. 2, where
the prophet puts into the mouth of apostate Israel the words,
" Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously, so wUl
we render the calves of our lips." Thanksgiving appears there
as the soul of the thank-offerings. So also in Hebrews xhi.
15, "Let us then offer the sacrifice of praise to God' con
tinually, that is, the fruit of the lips which confess His name."
SubstantiaUy, sacrifice is an embodied prayer. In accordance
with the tendency to symbolism characteristic of ancient
times, with the need so deeply felt by men in an age when
fancy and the perceptions of sense were all prevailing, to see
in an outward shape that which inwardly stirred their souls,
prayer took to itself a body in sacrifice. This, however, does
not exhaust its significance. Men desired, it is true, to see
their inward feelings outwardly embodied and represented,
but, at the same time, another impulse also was at work,
namely, the wish to give a pledge for the reahty and earnest
ness of what was inwardly experienced, and thus to sepure
themselves against self-deception. Samuel's parents, for ex
ample, wished to devote thefr son to the Lord. That was an
inward act ; but the prayer in which they presented him to
the Lord did not fully satisfy the impulse of their heart.
They felt compeUed to give a proof of their sincerity by the
presentation of a burnt-offering of three bullocks. Such a
disposition to furnish a tangible pledge of sincerity dwells in
us as weU as in the men of Old Testament days, only the
mode of expression is different. For example, when some
great mercy has been vouchsafed to us, the mere offering of

THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE. 373
thanks to God in prayer does not content us. We feel im
pelled to prove the sincerity of our thankfulness, by devoting
to the Lord a portion of our substance. Such is the origin of
very many charitable foundations. Finally, the sacrifices of
the Old Testament economy had an objective as well as an
internal, subjective aspect. Sin-offerings were not merely the
embodied expression of man's need of atonement, but also
themselves the divinely ordained means of atonement. In
the case also of the other sacrifices, the blood served to atone
for the soul Thus we see that prayer runs paraUel only with
the inward side of sacrifices : their peculiar objective side
found its fulfilment in Christ.
The saying of Lasaulx, that, " One may, perhaps, say, that
the first word of the original man was a prayer, and the first
action of fallen man a sacrifice," rests on a wrong view of the
relation between sacrifice and prayer. Its foundation is the
false conception of the essential nature of sacrifice, as consist
ing in atonement, expiation. This is undoubtedly an im
portant element in the sacrifices of fallen man. Scarcely a
sacrificial action was performed under the Old Covenant in
which this aspect was not represented. But it did not con
stitute the very essence of the sacrifice. Burnt-offerings,
peace-offerings, and meat-offerings, might have been brought
by man even before the faU, as certainly as it was his duty
to devote himself to God, to thank Him for His benefits, and
to vow to walk in His ways. But the faU has modified no
less the character of prayer than that of sacrifice. We need
only consider the Psalms of David to be convinced that the
fall has had the deepest influence on prayer, To its account
must be set aU that crying out of the depths, aU such mourn
ful expressions as, " If thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquity, 0
Lord, who can stand ?" and aU such expressions of praise as,
" Who forgiveth aU thy sin, who healeth aU thine iniquities."
What is the relation between the sacrifices of heathendom
and those of the Old Testament ? It is not our intention to
deny that here and there heathendom was moved and stirred
by nobler feelings ; but yet, in general, the sacrifice of Cain
may be adduced as typical of the sacrifices of the heathen,
whUst those of the Old Testament find their type in that of
AbeL The attempt has been vainly made to reduce the dif-

§74 THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE.
-ferent results of the sacrifices of the two brothers back to a
difference in the objects or matters offered. That the differ
ence lay rather in the disposition, is distinctly intimated in
the narrative itself. For instance, this is suggested by the
circumstance, that the narrative begins with the person sacri
ficing, not with the thing sacrificed, — "The Lord looked
graciously on A bel and his sacrifice; but on Cain and his
sacrifice He did not look graciously." We are further led to
the same point by the words of the Lord spoken to Cain, " If
thou art pious, then art thou approved;" and also, bythe
saying in the Epistle to the Hebrews, that, " By faith Abel
offered unto the Lord a better sacrifice than Cain.'' Abel's
sacrifice was a self-sacrifice. In his offering, he presented to
the Lord a heart full of faith, and love, and thankfulness.
Cain's sacrifice, on the contrary, was a kind of commutation —
it was based on a calculation of profit and loss — it was a
selfish investment. His heart he kept back for himself and
for sin ; but he beheved that he could make use of the Lord
in his tilling of the soil, he considered it dangerous to be on
bad terms with his God, and therefore, in the interest of his
selfishness, the father of all souUess worship so far overcame
his selfishness, as to offer to his Creator a small portion of the
fruits of the earth by way of compensation. As with Cain,
so also, for the most part, with the heathen, sacrifice is not a
child-like form of the worship which is in spfrit and in truth,
but its very opposite. They sacrifice everything but them
selves. In any case, however, heathendom is greatly to be-
preferred to modern unbelief, with its utter lack of the spirit
of sacrifice. The heathen was, at any rate, penetrated by the
conviction that higher powers rule this earthly life, although
he never got further than the effort to come to terms of com
promise with those powers. If things went well with him,
his payments were scanty; if heavy misfortunes befel him,
he decided on malting greater sacrifices. In the Tonga Islands,
when any one is sick, all the members of the family cut off
a joint of the little finger as a sacrifice to their God ; hence
almost everybody's hands are found to be mutUated. In cases
of dangerous sickness the family offers up a child* Very
* "Wuttke, " Geschichte des Heidenthums," Th. i. § 141.

THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE. 375
Httle or no account is taken of the state of the heart and
mind of the sacrificer in heathen sacrifices. One thing alone
is kept in view, namely, that by the act itself, "honour is
shown to the gods, their power is recognized, and man's feel
ing of dependence is expressed in an action."* Beyond this
stage heathendom is incapable of passing. Ere other sacri
fices could be claimed, the gods themselves must undergo a
change. They must no longer be distinct persons with pecu
har personal interests, but the living personal idea of the
righteous and the good. The gods of the heathen are not
upright, as that word is used in Scripture, that is, they are
not what they should be, — they are not the Hving moral
order of the world, and cannot therefore lay the claim, " 0
son, give me thy heart," — a claim which has no meaning or
force, save as coming from the true God. Such gods must
content themselves with a calculated commutation, beyond
which their servants will never go, especially as they them
selves never do any deeds of love, by which love might be
enkindled in return.
The sacrifices of Holy Scripture have an entirely different
character. The God of Scripture, is from the very commence
ment, Jehovah, that is, true, simple, and absolute Being, the
original Ground of aU things, the One in whom we live and
move and have our being. God being such, it necessarily
foUows that man, who alone, of aU creation, is formed in the
divine image, cannot worship Him truly, save in spirit. All
the sacrifices instituted and approved by the Holy Scriptures
are self-sacrifices. The nature and purport of the sacrifices of
animals are transparently clear. Under the image of an
animal, man himself is offered. The favourers of the com
mutation view of sacrifice, which their heathen neighbours
constantly sought to import amongst the Israelites, are pre
sented, at the very threshold of revelation, with their father,
the reprobate Cain. Abraham received the command to offer
up his son,-^the son to whom his whole heart clung. Not
oxen and sheep for their own sake — such was the lesson
loudly taught him by this occurrence — does God desfre, but
the heart of man in the oxen and sheep. All the sacrifices of
* NageUbach, " Homerische Theologie," § 304,

376 THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE.
animals were intended to be sacrifices of men. " I wiU not
smell the savour of your sweet odours" (Leviticus xxvi. 31),
said God, through Moses, to all the ungodly, who mean to
put him off with thefr sacrifices of beasts. " Dost thou
think," says the prophet (Micah vi. 7, 8), " that the Lord hath
pleasure in many thousands of rams, or, in ten thousands of
rivers of oil ? or shaU I give my first-born son for my trans
gression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? It
hath been declared to thee, 0 man, what is good, and what
the Lord requireth of thee, namely, to keep God's word, to
exercise love, and to be humble before thy God." That is the
only sacrifice which is worthy of God and of man ; and the
sacrifice of an animal, where this soul is lacking, is an abomina
tion before the Lord. " I will praise the name of God in
song," says the Psalmist (Psalm Ixix. 31, 32), "and wiU mag
nify Him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord
better than oxen or buUocks with horns and hoofs." The
predicates here given to the bullocks exhibit to us the time
nature of animals, and teach us that such a merely material
sacrifice cannot possibly, considered in itself, be an object of
pleasure to God who is spirit. With the merely external'
sacrifices, which are not required by the law, but are a bad
caricature, the work of the natural man, the fortieth Psalm
contrasts obedience, the cheerful observance of the divine com
mands, and the praise which proceeds from a heart fuU of
thankfulness: " Slain-offerings and meat-offerings please thee
not ; thou desfrest neither burnt-offerings nor sin-offerings.
Then said I, lo I come." So also in Psalm 1., the true and
proper aim of which was to instruct the people of God in the
nature of the sacrifices required by the divine law, and to,
meet the dangers which are always attendant on the outward
embodiment of religious feelings, merely external sacrifices are
rejected : " Sacrifice unto God praise, and thus pay thy vows
to the Most High." Vows consisted, for the most part, of
thank-offerings. Only he who brought the substance of such
vows, that is, thanks, could be said reaUy to have paid his vows.
The choice of animals for sacrifice directly depended on the
view taken by the Old Testament of the essential nature of
sacrifice. According to Leviticus i. 2, sacrifices must be taken -
from the cattle. If the universal character of sacrifices is to

THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE. 377
be vicarious, if in them man offers himself, then must he of
necessity, to use de Maistre's expression, choose the most
human offerings, that is, he must select those animals which
are most nearly connected with men ; and of these again, such
as are the most meek, innocent, pure, and valuable. Within
the sacred confines of Scripture it was impossible that such a
sacrifice should be thought of, as that of the Roman Emperors,
who not unfrequently slaughtered, for their hecatombs, a hun
dred Hons and as many eagles. As a matter of course, also;
swine and dogs were excluded. According to Leviticus i.
14-17, birds were not aUowedto be brought as burnt-offerings
instead of beasts, except in cases of poverty : and then only
such bfrds as turtle doves, which were tame and might be
considered as belonging to the household.
As regards the classification of sacrifices, they may be
divided into those whose end is the re-estabhshment of the
state of grace ; and those which were offered by him who was
in the state of grace. The first class consists of sin-offerings
and trespass-offerings: the second, of burnt-offerings and peace-
offerings, to which may be added the bloodless offerings.
Sin-offerings owed their origin to the time of Moses. In
the Book of Genesis we find only burnt-offerings and slain-
offerings. The ground of this difference hes in the childlike
character of the Patriarchal Age. Then, the consciousness of
sin was not fully developed. Sin-offerings were as yet in
cluded and involved Hi burnt-offerings. Even in the time of
Moses these latter stiU bore some reference to the conscious
ness of guUt Indeed when the entire man devoted himself
to God in them, the fact of sin could not be left out of sight.
Now, however, the consciousness of sin had become so strong,
that it caUed for special expression and embodiment. The
institution of special sin-offerings was intimately connected
with the giving of the law. Without the law sin was dead.
But sin took occasion by the commandment and stirred aU
kinds of desire. Through the law came the knowledge of sin.
The institution of sin-offerings prevented this deeper know
ledge of sin from leading to despafr, and impelled men to unite
themselves so much the more closely, to God who is merciful,
gracious, full of great kindness, and rich in forgiveness. They
represent therefore a progressive step in the development of

378 THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE.
the people of God. There is only much love, where much has
been forgiven.
In investigating more closely the import and force of the
Mosaic sin-offering, the inquiry which first presents itself is —
" Whether, and in what sense, it was vicarious or substitu
tionary ?" The theology of the Church has in aU ages assumed
that sacrifices bore a substitutionary character. Where it
has been denied, traces may invariably be detected of some
sort of a bias, leading to the denial From the laying on of
the hands of the sacrificer, to which some have attached great
importance, when considered by itself, no proof of the vicarious
nature of the sin-offering can be drawn. Indeed, the circum
stance that the same form was observed in aU sacrifices, shows
that, in general, its only design was to indicate the rapport
existing between the man sacrificing and the thing sacrificed
From the nature of any particular sacrifice in question, we
must form our judgment as to the more precise import of this
act. The laying on of hands in the case of sin-offerings did
not in itself mark them as vicarious, but because their vicari
ous character was estabhshed on other grounds. Amongst
these grounds the first place is taken by the name, of the sin-
offering. It was termed nsDn, " Sin." This sacrifice was ac
cordingly looked upon as the embodiment of sin. That there
was such a transference, is further confirmed by the fact that
the expression, elsewhere so common, " for the good pleasure
of the Lord," was never employed in connection with the sin-
offering. It is of significance, too, that the flesh of the sin-
offering, in cases where the blood thereof did not come into
the Holy Place, was eaten by the priests ; and that when the
blood did come into the Holy Place, as in the case of sin-
- offerings whic*h were brought to make atonement for the whole
people, the priests included, the flesh was burnt outside the
Holy Place and the Camp. Both these considerations lead us
to conclude that the impurity of the sinner passed over to the
sacrifice, and was, as it were, absorbed by it ; which, of course,
by no means prevented its being, in another aspect, most
sacred or holy. For the impurity attributed to the sacrifice
is essentiaUy different from that of the sinner. The eating of
the flesh of the sacrifice by the priest was one of the rites of
divine service. It rested on the supposition that the impurity

THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE. 379
of the sinner had, as it were, passed over to the sacrifice, and
on the idea, that in order to its complete removal, there was
a necessity for its being brought into a closer relation to the
priesthood instituted by God. Through this closer, relation
tho impurity was represented as consumed by the holiness
with which the order of the priesthood was endowed, and the"
time was thus pointed to, when sacrifice and priest should be
united in one person, when Christ should be, as St. Paulinus
says, "the sacrifice of His Priesthood, and the Priest of His
sacrifice," (victima sacerdotii sui et sacerdos suse victimse.)
This view of the act we meet with in Leviticus x. 1 7, where
Moses says to Aaron, " wherefore have ye not eaten the sin-
offering in the holy place, seeing it is most holy, and it is
given to you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make
atonement for them before the Lord?" Evidence to the same
effect also is furnished by the circumstance, that it was or
dained that those sin-offerings in which the priests themselves
were interested, and in connection with which consequently
they could not take up a vicarious position, should be burnt
outside the camp. Removal out of the camp, which was an
image of the Church, is always in the Mosaic law a sign of
impurity. That outside the camp it was obhgatoryto choose
a clean place, was in order to do justice to the other aspect of
the sacrifice. Imputed sin can never stand quite on the same
footing with indweUing sin. Lastly, in favour of the imputa
tion of the sin of the offerer to the offering, we may refer to
the relation existing between the Old Testament sacrifice and
the death of Christ. If it is certain that Christ's death was
vicarious, and that this its character is clearly set forth even in
the Old Testament (see Isaiah Hii), we cannot deny the same
character to the sacrifices without destroying the connection
of type and antitype.
Sin-offerings were therefore vicarious, substitutionary : but
how are we to conceive of this substitution? It is clear
enough that, in themselves, the sacrifices were not in the least
fitted to effect that which they were instituted to effect ; " for
it is impossible that the blood of bulls or of goats should take
away sin" (Hebrews x. 4). For the blood of the guilty, the
ransom must be the blood of an innocent, sinless, righteous,
holy one. An animal sacrifice may, undoubtedly, by its ex-

380 THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE.
ternal faultlessness, typify moral faultlessness, but in itself it
has not the remotest connection with the sphere in which the
opposed forces of sin and holiness are realities. Moreover, for
sin, which has its roots in freedom, the only true substitution
is a voluntary one : animal sacrifices, on the contrary, are
compulsory, involuntary. Lastly, too, there ought to be a real
connection and congruity between that which performs the
vicarious office and him for whom the office is performed
Now, there is no such connection whatever between a man
and an animal. We are distinctly enough taught, that sin-offer
ings were not of necessity, and inherently vicarious, by the fact,
that under certain circumstances something else might supply
their place ; which could not have been thought of if the blood
had had in itself an atoning force. According to Leviticus
v. 11-13, a poor man was aUowed to bring flour instead of the
bloody sin-offering, and it served precisely the same purpose
as the animal sacrifice. From this we must judge, that the
sacrifice of an animal was accepted by God as an atonement
for sin, only because of some rite which gave the act a mean
ing it did not possess in itself. This could only be the reference
to the true sin-offering, foreshadowed by these typical suffer
ings. Only by degrees, and imperfectly, did the Old Testa
ment unveU the true sin-offering before the eyes of behevers.
Two purposes were in the first instance to be served by sacri
fice. The first was to sharpen the eye for the discernment of
the abominableness and damnableness of sin. Every one who
presented a sin-offering confessed, by the very act, that he had
deserved death by his sin, and thus contradicted, most strongly
and glaringly, that view of sin as a bagatelle, as a peccadUlo,
as a trifling thing, to which the natural man is so strongly
inclined, and which the Mosaic law constantly and industri
ously aimed to uproot. Sin-offerings served to make remem
brance of sins (Hebrews x. 3). The second purpose served by
sin-offerings was to naturalize the idea of substitution in the
Church or Congregation of God. " The idea," says Hirscher,
in his " Moral," " carried out in the Mosaic Cultus, that no
guilt can be left as it is, that none is simply, and without fur
ther ado, forgiven, but requires in every case a fixed and de
finite atonement, is a veiy remarkable one." By such means,
not only was the people of God accustomed to regard sin as a

THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE. 381
most serious thing, and prevented from frivolously forgetting
it, but also the soil was prepared in its midst for the reception
of the true mediation, so soon as, in the course of history, it
had been accomphshed. The hearts of Jews beat in anticipa
tion thereof. " Moses," said our Lord, " wrote of Me : refer
ring not merely to the dfrect Messianic proclamations contained
in the books of Moses, but still more to that which the law
prescribed in respect of sin-offerings. He, of course, in Old
Testament times, who was not satisfied with a simple faith in
the Divine promise, that "this blood shaU atone for your
souls ;" who marked more narrowly the essential insufficiency
of the means of atonement, which stood in the foreground,
must necessarily, so long as the background remained unillu-
mined, faU into sharp conflicts. It cannot be denied that in
this respect the beHevers in the Old Testament were much less
favoured than we : they were in every respect much more
completely shut up to blind faith. But, notwithstanding,
even in the Old Testament, support and substance were given
to thefr presentiments of that true Mediator, who lay concealed
behind the typical offerings, by Divine utterances, such as
those contained in the 53d chapter of Isaiah, — a chapter
which, in the truest sense, forms the bridge between the typi
cal and antitypical sin-offering. How deeply impressed on the
minds was that prophecy concerning the servant of God, who
should give his life a sacrifice for sin, who should bear our
sickness, and carry our sorrows, who should be wounded for
our transgression, and bruised for our iniquities, on whom the
chastisement of our peace would He, and by whose wounds we
should be healed, is clear from the fact, that the idea of the
Messiah as the true sin-offering, as the Lamb of God which
taketh away the sin of the world, may be found in a fuUy
developed shape in the nobler forms of later Judaism.
The question that next arises is, — For what sims were sin-
offerings presented? Numbers xv. 27-31 affords us a firm
foundation for the answering of this question. In this pas
sage, which is the basis of the New Testament doctrine of the
sin against the Holy Ghost, a distinction is drawn between
sins of weakness and such sins as are committed with a high
hand ; that is, openly, freely, boldly. These latter sins are
described in the words, " Because he hath blasphemed the

382 THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE.
Lord, hath despised the word of the Lord, and set at nought
His commands." By way of iUustration, mention is made
immediately afterwards of the case of the man who gathered
wood on the Sabbath, not from necessity, but really and truly
in order to set God at defiance, and to make a mock of His
holy ordinances. Sins of weakness are those for which the
Psalmist prays to be forgiven, when he says, " Who can un
derstand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults,"
making allusion to the desperate and masterly cunning which
enables sin to creep in unperceived, to disguise itself, to put
on the appearance of good, and to entangle men in its snares,
despite their most honest endeavours to escape. The petition
which follows immediately after, oh the contrary, — " Preserve
thy servant from the proud; let them not have dominion over
me," — refers to sinning with a high hand. Wilful sins are
here personified as proud tyrants, who would be only too gla4
to bring the servant of God once again under thefr command.
In the Lord's Prayer, the petition, " forgive us our sins," refers
to sins of weakness : wilful sins, on the contrary, are the
object of the petition, "lead us not into temptation, but deliver
us from the evil," from the Devil, who is ever seeking to seduce
us into lifting ourselves up with a high hand against the Lord
of our Hfe.
According to the declaration of Moses just quoted from the.
Book of Numbers, sins of weakness can be atoned for by sac
rifices, and must be thus atoned for, if they are to be forgiven.
Intentional sins, on the contrary, cannot be expiated by sacri
fices : they are punished with destruction — " he that despiseth
the word of the Lord, that soul shall be utterly cut off." This
accords perfectly with what is said by the author of the Epistle
to the Hebrews, — " for if we sin wilfully after that we have
received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more
sacrifice for sin." The general principle, therefore, of the Old
Testament is, that the sphere of the sin-offering is exactly co-
extensive with that of forgiveness. PracticaUy, however, there
was a difference between the two-^-in deciding which were
sins of weakness, and which sins of purpose, the law was
obliged to confine i fcself to the objective matter of fact, because
of the shortsightedness of those who were caUed to adminis
trate it. Hence it came to pass, that in practice the sphere

THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE. 383
of forgiveness was wider than that of sin-offerings. Take for
example David's sin with Bathsheba. Frightful though it was,
it must still be characterised as, in the main, a sin of weak
ness, when we take aU the cHcumstances of the case into con
sideration. As such it did not involve total apostacy, though
its hardening influence might, nay must, have brought about
such a result by degrees, had not mercy intervened. The law,
with its fixed objective standard, was obhged to reckon David's
adultery amongst the sins of intention : consequently, although
he himself obtained forgiveness, no sin-offering could be pre
sented on behalf of his sin. Sin-offerings appertained only to
those sins which were not appointed to be punished with utter
destruction. This difference in practice, did not, however, at
all affect the principle. As far as that is concerned, forgiveness
and sacrifice are inseparably connected, not only under the Old,
but also stiU under the New Covenant.
Kurtz, in his work on the Mosaic Sacrifices, has wrongly
put "unintentional sins, sins of ignorance," in the place of,
" sins of weakness." He also erroneously maintains that sin-
offerings availed only for individual sins, for single definite
transgressions, not for sinfulness in general. That sin-offerings
might be brought by every one who carried about with him,
at all, a consciousness of sin, who felt himself troubled, his
heart burdened, by sin, is evident, firstly, from the fact that
such sacrifices were presented for the entire congregation at
large ; but, especiaUy, from the existence of the" great day of
atonement, on which, once every year, atonement was made
for the holy place, by means of a sin-offering, " from the im
purity of the children of Israel, and from their transgression
in all their sins," (Leviticus xvi. 1 6), and concerning which
day, we read in verse 30, " On this day, shall atonement be
made for you, that ye may be cleansed from aU your sins be
fore the Lord." Sin-offerings usually originated in, and were
suggested by, sufferings, which were always regarded as a
punishment from God, and as therefore containing a summons
to men to propitiate the divine wrath. At this same time
they did not consider the sufferings to be a visitation of this
or that particular offence, but an indictment of corrupt human
nature in general, and of its manifold productions, whatever
they might be. " My sins have laid hold upon me," says the

384 THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE.
Psalmist, " they are more than the hairs of mine head," (Psalm
xl. 1 3). Bahr's assertion, (see his " Symbolik des Mosaischen
Cultus,") that sin-offerings related only to the transgressions
of the ceremonial law, gives a totally erroneous impression. It
is as much as to say, that under the Old Covenant there was
no forgiveness except for such transgressions ; for the sphere
of forgiveness. is co-extensive with that of sacrifice. Such a
separation between the moral and the ceremonial law was quite
foreign to the spirit of the Old Testament : and it can only
be upheld with any appearance of truth by those who utterly
misconceive the symbohcal character of the ceremonial law.
Besides, we may adduce against such an assertion, the clearest
cases — such, for example, as those in Leviticus v., where we
are given to understand that sin-offerings must be brought
for injuries done to the property of the Lord, or of one's
neighbour. Among the rites observed in connection with sin-offerings,
sprinkling with blood occupies a particularly prominent place.
It was a symbohcal representation of the reconcUiation effected
by the shedding of the blood of the sacrifice. This symbohcal
sprinkling, which was first truly reaHsed and fulfiUed in that
sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ, (1 Peter i. 1, 2 ; He
brews xii. 24), which, according to the proclamation of Isaiah
(chap. Hi. 1 5), should sprinkle many GentUes, occurred also in
connection with other sacrifices, because they also had a pro
pitiatory significance. In these instances, however, the propi
tiatory aspect not being the principal one, the sprinkling of
blood was a thing of minor importance. Whereas, in this
latter case, the blood was only sprinkled round about on the
altar of burnt-offering ; in the first mentioned case the horns
of the altar, in which the entire significance of the altar cul
minated, were specially sprinkled : and the horns were, in a
manner, the head of the altar. In many instances, the blood
was brought into the holy place itself, and was sprinkled on
the horns of the altar of incense, against the vaU of the ark
of the covenant, or even directly on the ark of the covenant
itself in the holy of hohes. Then the act was repeated seven
times. According to Leviticus v. 13, sin-offerings were never
aUowed to be conjoined with meat-offerings. These latter

THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURES. 385
were always brought in connection with burntrofferings and
peace-offerings. The reason Hes on the very surface, when we
consider the purport of the meat-offerings. They symbolize
good works ; and good works presuppose not only the finished
propitiation, but also that consecration of the whole person
signified by the burnt-offerings. Good works can only be
performed by him who is justified, and who is in the state of
sanctification. It is entfrely a fancy of the corrupt reason of
the natural man, that a beginning may at once be made with
meat-offering. To such foolish dreams of virtue the gravest
opposition is presented by the word of God. " Can a man
gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles ? A corrupt
tree cannot bring forth good fruits." " He shaU put no oil
thereon, neither any frankincense, for it is a sin-offerjng," we
read further in Leviticus v. 11. Why no oil, we learn from
Psalm H. 1 3, where David, after his grievous faU into sin, prays,
"Take not thy Holy Spirit from me," for he knew to his sor
row that the Holy Spirit of God, whom he had greatly grieved,
had already almost utterly departed from him. In the symbo
lical language of Scripture oU constantly stands for Spirit. We
are called Christians, Anointed, as those who are in the Spirit.
Sin and Spirit are mutually exclusive of each other. Before
the Spirit can enter, sin must be destroyed by the blood of
atonement. The spirit which can co-exist with sin, is not the
Holy Spirit — it Is the spirit of the world, the spirit from the
abyss, which in this generation carries on its work in the
chUdren of unbelief, in the brethren of the free spirit. Why
no frankincense, we are taught by John, when he says, " We
know that God heareth not sinners, but if any man feareth,
God and doeth his will, him He heareth," (John ix. 31), In
cense is everywhere the symbol of prayer. The sinner cannot
pray, before the hands stained with blood and the fingers with
faults, are cleansed in the living water of forgiveness : which
forgiveness is only possible on the ground of an atonement by
blood, (Isaiah i. 1 5 ; Hx. 2, 3).
In conjunction with sin-offerings the law makes mention
also of trespass-offerings. These, however, occupy only a
subordinate position, and are only prescribed for a Hmited
number of cases. The word employed to designate this spe
cies of sacrifice, means strictly, "restitution," " reeompenee."
•2 w

3' 8 6 THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE.
It is Used in Numbers v. 5 ff, of that which any one may have
unrighteously taken away from another, and which he is under
obligation to replace, to restore. The sinner ought to be ani
mated not only by the desire to obtain forgiveness from" God,
through the expiation of his sin — a desire which was met and
satisfied by sin-offerings — but also by the hearty wish, as far
as possible, to make amends for his offence. This latter wish
is the universal sign of true and genuine sorrow and repent
ance. So far as the sin relates to God, — and the sacrifice has
to do with it only so far as it does concern God, — so far is it
impossible for this wish to find real satisfaction. Still, a sym-
bohcal representation was assigned it in the Mosaic Cultus, for
the purpose of stirring up drowsy consciences, and of giving
calm to anxious ones, which lay hold specially on such a point
as this. The sin was submitted to a valuation, and by means
of the sacrifice, a compensation or recompence was brought,
having ideally the same worth as the robbery which had been
committed on God : — and, be it observed, every sin, even those
sins which are primarily committed against our neighbour,
(Psalm li. 6), is in one aspect a robbery of God. But as the
object was principally to give outward representation to an
idea, to naturalize in the Church the view of sin as a robbery
of God, the trespass-offering and the recompence-offering were
expressly prescribed only for a limited number of cases — such,
namely, as specially awakened the desire to offer a compensa
tion. Of this nature were actual breaches of trust in connec
tion with the property of the Lord or of a fellow-man. Then,
the inevitable influence of the material recompence prescribed
along with the sacrifice, was to give special liveliness to the
wish to come to terms with God even in the higher aspect.
Trespass-offerings were, however, not confined to these cases :
free play was rather allowed to the troubled conscience in
other circumstances of this nature. The Hmits of the com
mand were not coincident with those of permission.
The sin-offerings brought by individuals through the entire
year, according to their needs, and for the easing of the bur
dened conscience, may be grouped around two central points ;
namely, around the two festivals celebrated by the Church at
large every year. One of these was the great day of atone
ment, on which the High Priest went, once a year, into the

THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE. 387
Holy of Holies, not without blood, which he offered, first for
himself, and then for the ignorance of the people (Hebrews
ix. 7), namely, for that great mass of unrecognised sins, whose
forgiveness had not been realized by the presentation of special
sin-offerings. This great day of atonement corresponds pretty
nearly to the day of penitence, observed in the Lutheran
Church. The true root of aH presentations of sin-offerings
was the Passover, to which in the main, the Good Friday of
the Church of the New Covenant corresponds. That the
Passover was a sin-offering is evident, even from the name.
The word signifies strictly, "deliverance,"* and then " sacrifice
of deliverance," or " sacrifice of atonement." But we learn the
character of the Passover as a sin-offering stiU more clearly
from the account of its first institution. When it was ap
pointed that aU the first-born in the land of Egypt should die,
the destroying angel — that is, the angel of the Lord, in His
revenging and punishing character — spared aU those houses
which he found sprinkled with the blood of the paschal lamb,
in sign of the expiation of sin effected by it He who had
this token might be sure of being spared and delivered (Exo
dus xii. 23). His sins were laid, as it were, on the lamb, the
type of innocence. He who slaughtered the lamb confessed,
in a symbohcal language, that he also, no less than the Egyp
tians, the chUdren of this world, had deserved to be an object
of the Divine wrath : — he declared that he could not claim
deliverance on the ground of his own worth, or of any other
title, but that he expected it from the grace of God alone.
According to the Divine promise, to accept the blood of the
innocent lamb in place of the blood of the sinner, who recog
nised and felt himself to be such, those who made this confession
received the remission of the punishment of their sins. The
principle was thus laid down for aU ages of the Church, that
that which distinguishes the Church from the world is the
blood of atonement. Nor was the festival of Passover, as
celebrated in later times, a mere commemorative festival, as is
clear from the continual slaughter of lambs for sacrifices.
Wherever there is a sacrifice instituted by God, we may be
* The verb signified originally " to loosen" (so, in the Arabic, from which is
derived, the Hebrew word rjDB, " one who limps," or strictly, " one who is un
loosed, untied"), then " to deliver."

388 THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE.
certain that, provided it is brought in faith, there is a repeti
tion of the first benefit, which is distinguished from the sub
sequent ones only by its forming the commencement of a, long
series. The paschal lamb was the basis and root, of the entire
system of sacrifices : only as connected with it had the remain
ing sin-offerings, value and significance ; without it they were
but as disjointed members. It was the true and proper co
venant-sacrifice- — the sacrifice which represented in its highest,
form the distinction between the world, without God, and the
people of God, reconciled unto God.
What distinguished the paschal sacrifice from aU other sin-
offerings was, that a communion was connected with it — that
the lamb was not merely a sacrifice, but at the same time also
a sacrament. This is the explanation of the unimportant dif
ferences between it and the sacrifices of atonement, especiaUy
of the peculiarity that it was not entirely burnt, but eaten, —
a circumstance which has frequently been adduced to show
that it belonged to the class of peace-offerings, with which also-
a communion was connected. With these, however, the pas
chal sacrifice has, strictly considered, nothing in common. It
is impossible that an internal connection should be supposed
to exist between them, except as the result of adopting the
utterly false notion, that the paschal sacrifice had reference to,
the leading of the children of Israel out of Egypt : whereas it.
referred solely to the sparing of Israel's first-born in the judg
ment with which the first-born in Egypt was visited. The-
only resemblance between the paschal lamb and the peace-
offerings is one of form : — for this reason it is never designated
by the characteristic name of this latter class of sacrifices, it is.
never styled a peace-offering. It might be included among
the slam-sacrifices (Exodus xH. 27, xxiH. 18), without deny
ing its essential agreement with sin-offerings. This name re
lates merely to the form of the peace-offerings, to the circum
stance, namely, that those who presented them received a por
tion of them. This was a feature common to them with the
paschal lamb.
The significance of the Passover as a sacrament, as a type
of the Eucharist, is rooted in the fact, that it was eaten by
those on whose behalf it was offered as a sacrifice. The pre
sentation thereof as a sacrifice symbolized the atonement,

THE SACRIFICES OE HOLT SCRIPTURE. 389
accomplished by the substitution ; and so the eating of the
lamb signified the inward living appropriation of the atone
ment, its becoming, as it were, a part of the flesh and blood.
Through the sacrifice the blessings were gained, through the
eating they were received " The sacrament is a gift be
stowed on us by God : a sacrifice, on the contrary, is a gift
which we bring to God. The former descends from God to
us : the latter rises from us to God."
It is a characteristic fact, that never more than one single
animal could be presented as a sin-offering. This shows that
the objective element was the predominant one in connection
therewith — that such offerings were mainly regarded as the
means of atonement instituted by God. In the case of sacri
fices of a predominantly inward subjective character, it was
left to the will and pleasure of him who offered the sacrifice,
how many animals he brought. No limits were set to the
inward impulse. Every presentation of a sin-offering was
obliged to be preceded by an open confession of the sin which
was to be expiated (Leviticus v. 5, Numbers v. 7). For dumb
sinners there was no atonement and no forgiveness : — as David
says, " I said I wUl confess my transgression to the Lord.
Then forgavest Thou me the iniquity of my sin" (Psalm
xxxH. 5).
Sow are the sin-offerings of the Old Testament related to
the Church of the New Covenant ? What verification do the
long and detailed dfrections concerning them give of the
saying of St. Paul, that " all Scripture given by inspiration of
God is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness ?"
We have already remarked, that all the sin-offerings of the
Old Testament point to and typify Christ, the true sin-offering,
and that what is prescribed by the Old Testament in reference
to the sin-offering was first fulfilled in Christ ;• and so long as
this relation - between the two is unrecognised, so long must
sin-offerings be regarded as a mere Jewish antiquity. The
New Testament caUs attention repeatedly, and very distinctly,
to this connection. John the Baptist, when he saw Jesus
coming to him, said, " Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh
away the sin of the world" (John i. 29). The Saviour Him
self says, that He gives His life a ransom for many (Matthew

390 THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE.
xx. 28). AUuding to Himself as the true paschal lamb, He
spoke of His body which He should give for us, of His blood
which should be shed for us, for the forgiveness of sins. St.
Peter describes Christ as the reality foreshadowed by the Old
Testament sin-offerings, and especiaUy by the paschal lamb,
when he says that we are bought with the precious blood of
Christ, as of an innocent and spotless lamb. To the lamb
which was slain John directs our attention ever afresh in his
Apocalypse. St. Paul says, in 1 Corinthians v. 7, " We also
have a paschal lamb, which is Christ sacrificed for us." But
the proper New Testament key to the understanding of sin-
offerings is the epistle to the Hebrews, which, especiaUy in
chap, x., describes to us the excellence of the atoning sacrifice
of the Lord, as the fulfilment and completion of aU Old Tes
tament sacrifices.
Not only, however, by words does the New Testament tes
tify to the connection between Old Testament sin-offerings and
the death of Christ, but also by facts. When the Saviour
describes it as a matter of thorough necessity, that precisely
at the Passover He should give up His life a ransom for many,
that He should make his entrance into Jerusalem on the very
same day on which the law of Moses appointed that the paschal
lamb should be selected and separated; that He should institute
the Eucharist at the time when the paschal lamb was eaten — :
He declares in reahty, though not in form, not only that there
is an essential connection in general between Himself and the
paschal lamb, around which, as a centre, were grouped aU the
other Old Testament sin-offerings, but also that a knowledge
of this relation is of great consequence, and ought to be the
possession of his Church.
Regarding aU that is written concerning the sin-offerings of
the Old Testament in this light, we shall be in a high degree
affected and benefited thereby. We shall be penetrated by a
conviction that sin may not be treated lightly ; we shall feel
that we cannot help ourselves* to the forgiveness of sins as
we like ; that, according to God's eternal order, there is no
forgiveness without blood ; that it is a crime te think of pre-
* Harms' twenty-first Thesis runs as follows : — " The forgiveness of sin did
cost money in the sixteenth century ; but in the nineteenth one gets it for no
thing, for one may help oneself to it."

THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE. 391
senting ourselves before the holy God and His strict judgment-
¦seat with other pretended offerings ; that the blood of atone
ment is the real mark of distinction between the world and
the people of God ; and finally, that all separations from the
world which are not rooted in this blood of atonement, must
come to a miserable end. A consideration of the Old Testa
ment sin-offering will force us nearer and nearer to Christ and
His cross, and bring us into more intimate union with Him
who loved us, and washed us from our sins with His own
blood. SubstantiaUy we present our New Testament sin-offering
when we sing, in the public worship of God, the praises of
the spotless Lamb of God, slain for our redemption. But it
were to be desired that the idea of sacrifice should be more
distinctly expressed in our Cultus than it is. Christ has, it
is true, " by His one offering, perfected for ever them who are
sanctified" (Hebrews x. 14). "He appeared once in the end
of the world to put away sin by His sacrifice" (Hebrews ix.
26). The Romish sacrifice of the mass, even on the view of
it given by Veith (see his work, " Ueber das Messopfer"), as
" an imitative representation of the sacrificial death of Christ
on the cross," does not meet the want. It is open to sus
picion, both as leading to a confusion of the two states of
Christ, namely, of the state of humiliation and of that of
exaltation, and as too easUy giving occasion and support to
views which clash with the complete sufficiency of Christ's
one sacrifice on the cross. Our presentation of that one sacri
fice of Christ to God is an entirely different thing. It were
to be desired that before the celebration of the Eucharist, by
means of which we appropriate this sacrifice to ourselves,
some rite should be performed in which we present the sacri
fice to the angry majesty of God, — a rite, solemnly represent
ing and symboHcally embodying that watchword of our
Church — "the blood and righteousness of Christ, they are
my adornment and robe of honour," — a rite through which
every Sunday the burdened heart might solemnly cast its load
of guUt and sin on Him who bore our weaknesses and carried
our sorrows. We want, in short, the sacrifice of the mass in
an Evangehcal sense and spirit. Such a rite would truly be
come a Church which has chosen for its device the words,

392 THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE.
" By faith alone ;" a device meaning, of course, nothing else
than " By the blood of Christ alone." For faith, in the sense
of the Lutheran Church, is not that airy thing which it is
now often represented to be, — it is no hoUow, empty excite
ment or enthusiasm. We look upon faith as the begging
hand by which we lay hold on the merits of Christ, by which,
kneeling under His cross, we grasp the feet of Christ, and
say— " Jesus, full of all compassion,
Hear thy humble suppliant's cry,
Let me know thy great salvation,
See I languish, faint, and die :
Guilty, but with heart relenting,
Overwhelmed with helpless grief,
Prostrate at thy feet repenting,
Send, oh ! send me quick relief."
The sin-offering is the begin.! ing of all true religion, but it
is not its end. There foUow the sacrifices which, under the
Old Covenant, were offered by those who were in a state of
grace, and which ought stUl to be offered spirituaUy by the
same class.
Among these sacrifices, burnt-offerings take the first place.
Where various sacrifices are mentioned together, the sin-offer
ing always precedes the burnt-offering, and this latter the
thank-offering. In Romans xii. 1, the first of aU the claims
made on those who are justified by the blood of Christ, is
that they present thefr bodies as burnt-sacrifices. What the
characteristic element in the burnt-offering was, we learn from
the names given to it. It was called, for example, " Olah,"
that is, " that which ascends," that which rises up in the fire
to the Lord, thus being a symbol of the elevation of the heart
to the living God. It was also called " KaHl," signifying
" the whole," or, " a perfect sacrifice," because of the entire and
complete burning, in contrast to the merely partial burning
of individual parts of other sacrifices — specially of the slain-
sacrifiees. The lesson conveyed by the total burning was,
that the elevation and surrender of the heart, symbolised by
the burnt-offering, ought to be entire and unconditional, that
no man can serve two masters, that God demands the whole
heart, yea, the whole man, both body and souL

THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE.- 393
According to these names, which are connected together in
Psalm li. 21, entire and complete combustion is quite as
characteristic of burnt-sacrifices, as the sprinkling of the blood
is of sin-offerings. The lesson of burnt-offerings was, that he
who is justified should henceforth Hve, not to himself, but to
the Lord as His faithful servant. With this meaning accords
the important position occupied by them. As expressive of
the disposition which ought constantly to live and move in
the congregation of the " servants of the Lord," burnt-offerings
were repeated at every act of worship : no one could appear
without a burnt-offering. Every other sacrifice was accom
panied by a burnt-offering ; it followed the sin-offering, and
preceded the peace-offering.
Burnt-offerings also had an expiatory significance. This is
expressly affirmed in Leviticus i. 4, 5, as also in Leviticus
xiv. 20. It is clear also from Leviticus xvii. 1 1, where an
atoning import is ascribed to aU the blood that is brought to
the altar. It is further evident, from the circumstance that,
in the age of the patriarchs, burnt-offerings stiU occupied the
position subsequently assigned to the sin-offering instituted
by Moses. Nothing is more closely present to the mind of
him who devotes himself to God than the thought of his own
sinfulness — yea, even when he has just received the atone
ment and forgiveness of his sin ; for sin ever cleaves unto him.
Now this thought was met and quieted by the expiatory ele
ment contained in the burnt-offering, in the case of such as
were already conscious of it ; and the same element tended,
at the same time, to stir up the thought in the minds of those
to whom it had hitherto been strange. Those, however, who
assert that burnt-offerings have predominantly the same im
port as sin-offerings, entirely overlook the clear Une of separa
tion between the two, and thus prevent the attainment of
any deeper insight into the nature of the former. The expia
tory element in burnt-offerings was a thoroughly subordinate
one, as is evident both from its being so rarely and inci-
dentaUy mentioned, and from the fact that the sprinkling of
blood was by no means a marked and emphatic act, as in the
case of sin-offerings. It was done in the most general pos
sible way : the blood was merely sprinkled round about the
altar.

394 THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE.
In order to our understanding the burnt-offering more
thoroughly, let us follow its course through history.
After the flood, which swaUowed up aU the Hving things
on earth, Noah built an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt-
offerings thereon. And the Lord smeUed the sweet savour,
and said in His heart, I will not again curse the ground any
more for man's sake, for the imagination of man's heart is evU
from his youth. In his burnt-offerings, Noah offered himself
for a new obedience on the renewed earth. The Lord saw in
him the Church, which, by the calling of Abraham, was about
to receive new and' solid foundations. By the burnt-offering
of devotion, which the Church presents to Him, the earth is
to be secured against new judgments of universal destruction.
Here we learn the nature of true patriotism. The same
means of defence which keep back a universal judgment, must
also keep back particular judgments. The best union for the
salvation and protection of one's country, is a union for the
offering of burnt-offerings, a union for the surrender to God
of our whole body and soul. Our patriotism should be mea
sured by our devotion to that Lord who declared, and not
without meaning it, that he would not destroy Sodom, even
though there were only ten righteous men found in it
According to Genesis xxu. 2, Abraham was commanded to
offer up his son Isaac for a burnt-offering. In demanding
Isaac, God demanded Abraham himself, for the father's heart
clung to the son of his old age. The false view he took of
the divine command gave occasion to his truly accomplishing
the spiritual sacrifice intended by God : and so soon as this
took place, means were taken to prevent the consequences
which would have foUowed from his misunderstanding. But
the command given to the father of the faithful, is stUl ad
dressed to aU behevers. To each one God says, by means of
this fact : " Bring thine Isaac, keep nothmg back, give up
everything to me."
In the midst of burnt-offerings, was the covenant concluded
which the Lord made with Israel on Sinai. Exodus xxiv. 2,
furnishes the explanation — "And aU the people answered with
one voice and said, aU the words which the Lord hath spoken
wiU we do." On the ground of this readiness to make a com
plete surrender of themselves which is here represented as the

THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE. 395
characteristic mark of the people of God, they were purified
from their sins of weakness by the blood of the burnt-offerings,
whose atoning efficacy is brought to view in the passage in
question (compare also Hebrews ix. 21). Then in the peace-
offerings they presented thanks for the grace of the covenant
vouchsafed to them.
According to Numbers vi. the fire must burn on the altar
and never be extinguished. Constantly, also, must the burnt-
offering burn on the altar : the burnt-offering of the evening
till the morning, that of the morning till the evening. In
this way the congregation was continually reminded that by
nature and destiny it was bound to be utterly devoted to the
service of the Lord, to wait ever on His wiU.
It was not an unimportant matter that the eternal fire on
the altar which consumed the burnt-offerings had an heavenly
origin. According to Numbers ix. 24, it fell from heaven at
the offering of the first sacrifice. It had a symbolical mean
ing, it was an image of the divine nature. The Books of Moses
themselves give us the explanation of the symbol. We read,
for example, in Deuteronomy iv. 24, (compare Deut. ix 3 ;
Hebrews xii. 29), "the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, a
jealous God." Fire, therefore, is a designation of God, as that
living energy which is unable to tolerate anything alongside
of and as a rival of itself. To those who offer themselves for
burnt-offerings, the fire of divine energy is a fire of love : as
it has been said, " would God that the glow of thy love might
slay my dead works." To those, on the contrary, who refuse
bumt-offerings, the fire of divine energy is a fire of anger.
We read in Isaiah xxxiii. 14, that when the divine judgments
were breaking in upon Jerusalem, the godless exclaimed, as
they looked at the sacred fire on the altar of burnt-offerings,
" Who among us would dweU with the devouring fire ? Who
among us would dwell with the everlasting burnings ?" Those,
however, who wUlingly submitted themselves to the cleansing
of the divine fire of love, the fire on the altar, so far as it was
a type of the fire of divine anger, was calculated rather to
console than to terrify. It prophesied the destruction of then-
enemies. After threats had been uttered against the worldly
power which was inimical to the kingdom of God, we read in
Isaiah xxxi. 9, " thus saith the Lord, who hath a fire in Zion,

396 THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE.
and a furnace in Jerusalem :" and out of that was a flame to
go forth, which should devour the enemies of God and His
people. In the New Testament also . we are placed in the
midst between two fires, which may be most concisely de
scribed, as the fire of the burnt-offering and the fire of the
Ban or excommunication ; — two fires which originate in the
one source of the divine jealousy and the divine energy.
Rationalism fails to see this, because it knows not God. Its
God, like itself, is remiss in love and remiss in anger. Hence
are its supporters unable to understand history, and to find
reason and method in the course by which they themselves
are led. Providence is no work of a careless idol, the pro
duct of men's thoughts, but of a real, Hving, energetic God.
In Mark ix. the Lord summons his disciples, after they had
proved themselves weak in the time of temptation, to do battle
more vigorously for the future, or rather to be more earnest
in devoting themselves absolutely to God, lest they should be
cast into hell fire, into the fire which shaU never be quenched.
" For," as he proceeds to say in verse 49, " every one must be
salted with fire :" — that is the only means by which we can
escape from the fire of the divine anger. The salting fire,
which alone can protect us from the tormenting fire, is the
fire of divine love. It sanctifies our saltless nature, so that,
for example, we shall no longer dispute, as did the disciples,
about the miserable question, which among us is the greatest,
but shall have peace one with another.
As our forerunner in the presentation of bumt-offeringS)
Christ is set before us by St. Paul in Ephesians v. 2. Con
cerning Him we read that " he gave himself to God an offer
ing and sacrifice, for a sweet smeUing savour." The whole
Hfe of Christ was one continuous burnt-offering. That it was
so, he showed most clearly when he said, " My Father, if it be
not possible that this cup pass from me, except I drink it, thy
wUl be done," — when he was obedient unto death, even unto
the death of the cross. Origen reckons martyrdom also among
the sacrifices. Christ's example shows that he did so rightly.
He who would not, if needs be, become a martyr, who would
not avoid the cock-crowing and the bitter weeping, shows that
aU his service of God has been vain, that he has never been

THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE.. 397
in earnest with the burnt-offerings so strictly required by th©
law of God. In his case, on the contrary, who has done so,
martyrdom is but the revelation of that which was always
present in him.
St. Paul says in Romans xii 1, " I exhort you, brethren, by
the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a Hving sacri
fice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your rational ser
vice." These words give us the meaning of burnt-offerings.
The exhortation to the offering of a self-sacrifice is based on
the mercy of God, the depth and greatness of which are set
before us in the first part of the Epistle. That God who
spared not even his only-begotten Son, but gave Him up for
us aH, will unquestionably not suffer himself to be put off
with halves and fragments ; he wUl not be satisfied with a
few idle feelings, with a few hours of devotion, with a few ex
ternal works connected with the home missions, any more than
with a buUock whieh has horns and hoofs. He demands our
selves, our entire selves : only an okcxavrupa, a veritable whole
burnt-offering, can satisfy Him. We are to give up our bodies
to God. " The body," says Bengel, " in many respects hinders-
the soul : give the body to God and the soul will not fail."
As the Apostle says in another place, (chap. viii. 10), the body
is yet dead because of sin, even in those whose spirit is Hfe
because of righteousness. If, then, even the body ought to
be offered for a sacrifice, the demand must be for a total and
complete sacrifice. The apostle characterises the presentation
of such a sacrifice as a " rational service." An irrational ser
vice it is to fancy, with those who derive their name from
reason (Rationahsts), that He, whose is the earth and all things
that are therein, the world, and they that dwell thereon, can
be satisfied if we merely wash a spot here and there from the
utterly stained and defiled garment of the flesh, or rather, if
we do but nib it a little.
Burnt-offerings also ought to be represented more distinctly
in our worship than has hitherto been the case. The altar
of burnt-offerings, with its ever flaming fire, should find ex
pression in our liturgical forms. That there exists a necessity
for some more decided expression of this element, wiU be seen
from some verses (quoted below), of the noble sacrificial song

398 THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE.
by John Angelus, in which the idea of the burnt-offering is
very clearly embodied*
One observation more with respect to burnt-offerings. The
gifts of love which St. Paul received as the servant of the
Lord from the Churches, are described in Philippians iv. 18,
in aUusion to burnt-offerings, as " an odour of a sweet smeU,
a sacrifice acceptable and weU-pleasing to God." He thus
teaches us that all other gifts and sacrifices to the Lord and
for his kingdom arise out of the burnt-offering. He gives us
to understand that those who have given themselves really up
to Him, both in body and soul, must prove their sincerity by
joyfully resigning that which belongs to them. He furnishes
a test by which we may try the reaHty of the inward fact of
our self-surrender. Under the Old Covenant it was appointed
that the inward act should embody itself, and this embodi
ment served as a test. The three bullocks, by which Samuel's
parents offered their son, and, in their son, their own hearts
to the Lord, must have constituted a large portion of their
Hmited property. For that such Levitical families were pretty
poor, is plain from the circumstance that Moses repeatedly -
mentions the Levites, who had no part nor lot with the
rest of the Israelites, in conjunction with other wretched per
sons on whom it was a duty of the rich to bestow of their
abundance (see, for example, Deut xiv. 29). Elkanah and
Hannah proved bythe external sacrifice which they presented,
that the sacrifice of their hearts was real and sincere. Under
the New Covenant, now that the custom of representing in
.an outward form the feelings of the heart has ceased, we ought
* Hochster Priester, der du dich
Selbst geopfert hast fur mich,
Lass doch, bitt' ich, noch auf Erden
Auch mein Herz dein Opfer werden.
Drum so todt und schlachte hin
Meinen Willen, meinen Sinn :
Reiss mein Herz aus meinem Herzen,
Sollt's auch seyn mit tausend Schmerzen.
Trage Holz auf den Altar
Und verbrenn mich ganz und gar,
O du allerliebste Leibe :
Wenn doch nichts mehr von mir bliebe !

THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE. 399
to test their sincerity by other means, Would such tests give
a satisfactory result ?
Thank-offerings 'next present themselves for consideration.
They have this in common with burnt-offerings, that they owe
their origin to the state of grace, or may only be brought by
such as are in the state of grace. In Scripture they have
three different names. The first name is " slain-offermg."
v Sebach," is never used to denote sacrifices in general. The
name indicates that this sacrificing- stood in a certain relation
to the common slaughtering, that the offerer shared in the
sacrifice along with the Lord, which was not the case with
burnt-offerings, which belonged entirely to God. The second
name " Shelamim," signifying " peace-offering,"* expresses more
fuUy the essential nature of the sacrifice. It directs attention
to the occasion of these sacrifices ; they always bore reference
to the peace of those who brought them. The third name,
"praise-offerings," designates the sentiments embodied in the
sacrifices.-f- That thank-offerings referred not only to peace received,
but also to peace expected, is plain, for two reasons. Firstly,
it is inconceivable that precatory sacrifices should altogether
faU in the Mosaic Cultus, for the prayer, " Hear the cry of
our necessity," is too important an element in the relation of
poor mortals to God, on this curse-laden earth, as we see from
the Psalms, to be entirely omitted. It ought, on the contrary,

* DJtJ', the verb from which D?K> is derived, has in Kal only the one mean
ing, " to be complete, unscathed, sound." Even the Septuagint has explained
the word correctly, translating D^>£> by goirnpiov and tlprivixov. In favour there
of is also the correspondence with the name of the praise-offerings mill COT-
t Several writers have tried, but without success, to change the name of the
genus, into the name of a particular species. Leviticus vii. 11 ff, is decidedly
opposed, instead of being favourable, to such a course. Verse 12 does not tell
us what was to take place in connection with praise-offerings as distinguished
from other classes of peace-offerings, but what followed from the nature of the
slain sacrifice as a praise-offering. In verse 16, we are informed that the rule,
that of the flesh of the praise-offering nothing should be. preserved, held good
for both species without distinction, namely, for vowed-offerings, and free-will-
offerings. That, in all other cases, the praise-offering stands for the entire genus
is plain enough (compare, for example, Psalm lvi. 14 ; liv. 8 ; cxvi. ,17, 18).
Nothing in Leviticus xxii. 18, 21, indicates that more than two classes of thank-
offerings, namely, vpwed-offerings and free-will-offerings existed.

400 THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE.
to find a complete representation in sacrifice* Secondly,
thank-offerings were frequently brought on occasions of sorrow,
and then they could only refer to benefits expected, and not
to those which had bee\i already received. On this ground,
according to 2 Samuel xxiv. 25, David brought burnt-offerings
and thank-offerings, whUstthe punishment of the pride shown in
causing the people to be numbered was in course of execution ;
and only after that had been don© was it said, "And the Lord
suffered Himself to be entreated for the land, and the plague
was stayed from the people of Israel." So also, in Judges
xx. 26, were thank-offerings brought by the children of Israel,
after they had suffered a serious overthrow : and in Judges
xxi. 1 4, after the tribe of Benjamin had been almost entirely
exterminated, (compare further 1 Samuel xiii. 9). Two reasons
may be advanced, explaining why the petition was expressed
in the form of thanks. Firstly, to give thanks for grace
already received, is a refined way of begging for more. Whoso
asks without returning thanks, prevents his petition being
heard. Thankfulness is one of the characteristics by which
the congregation of God is distinguished from the world, and
he who has not this mark is turned away. The man who only
gives praise and thanks wUl be heard, though he do not
expressly pray. That thanksgiving was indirectly prayer, we
learn from Psalm ix, and Psalm xl., in which the former pre
cedes the latter. We are taught the same thing by the fact,
that the Hallelujah Psalms were composed at the time of the
deepest degradation of the people of God. Secondly, the
Church of God is distinguished from the world, in that it never
prays by way of experiment, as it were, but grounds aU its
requests on the Divine word and promise, and is able to ask
in faith, nothing doubting (James i. 6). One consequence,
thereof, is, that its prayer may be expressed in the fprm of
anticipated thanks. Faith feels itself already in possession of
the blessing which is to come ; as Jesus declared, even before
Lazarus was raised from the dead ; " Father, I thank Thee
* It is unallowable to say that prayer was represented, along with other things,
by the incense. Incense alone would not satisfactorily represent either prayer
or thanksgiving, for it involved no sacrifice, no giving up, which could prove the
sincerity of the offerer. The spheres of the altar of burnt-offerings, and of the.
altar of incense, were diverse. Prayer must have its symbol on the former as
well as on the latter.

THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE. 401
that Thou hast heard Me" (John xi. 41). In the midst of his
distress, the Psalmist cries out, after having received the assur
ance that he would be heard, " I wiU freely sacrifice to Thee ;
I wiU praise Thy name, for it is good" (Psalm liv. 6). With
the same joy of deliverance, and whilst his life hung but on a
thread, David says elsewhere, " Thy vows are upon me, 0
God. Thank-offerings will I pay unto Thee" (Psalm lvi. 1 3).
Thank-offerings were divided into two classes — offerings of
vows, which were obligatory on him who had made a vow in
a time of distress ; and freewill-offerings, in connection with
which there was no such obhgation. The vow originated in
self-distrust, in a man's fear of his own lukewarmness, un-
wUlingness, unthankfulness. The offerings which foUowed
upon it occupy a lower position than the freewUl-offerings, but
stand far higher than that thankless indifference which, after
Pharaoh's example, completely forgets God as soon as it can
once again breathe freely.
An important difference existed between thank-offerings, on
the one hand, and sin-offerings and burnt-offerings on the
other, in so far as the latter represented the person of him who
brought them, whereas the former were simply gifts. This
pecuUarity was indicated by the circumstance, that not the
whole thank-offering, but only single parts thereof, were pre
sented to the Lord. Attention is further called to the differ
ence, by the peculiar way in which mention is made of the
offerings. Burnt-offerings and slain-offerings are not unfre
quently connected in such a way as that they designate the
totality of sacrifices, inclusive of sin-offerings. So, for example,
in Leviticus xvii. 8 ; Numbers xv. 3, 8 ; Ezra vHi. 35, where
sin-offerings are expressly reckoned amongst burnt-offerings.
Where burnt-offerings are aUuded to in this general sense, the
contrast drawn is betwee^acrifices whfch were entirely con
secrated to the Lord, and those of which the offerers also took
their share. The former, namely, sin-offerings and burnt-
offerings, represented the person ; the latter, a particular gift
of the person. A present, a gift made in return, is the usual
form in which men manifest and give proof of their thankful
ness. In his relation to God, man has only one way of prov
ing his thankfulness, to wit, by the thanks itseff. The Mosaic
Cultus ordained that this thanks should symbqlicaUy embody
2 c

402 THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE.
itself in an offering. Accordingly, in the case of thank-offer
ings, the import of the laying on of hands^ which in general
was a sign of the connection existing between the sacrifice and
the offerer, was modified. The laying of the hands on the
sin-offering and the burnt-offering said, symbohcaUy, "That
am I:" — their laying on the thank-offering said, on the con
trary, " That is my gift, my thanks."*
A thank-offering was never allowed to follow immediately
on a sin-offering. Its necessary basis was a burnt-offering.
We read of the thank-offering in Leviticus iii. 5 : " And
Aaron's sons shall burn it on the altar, upon the burnt-sacri
fice." Prayer for peace, and thanksgiving for the same, must
always be preceded by the consecration, and surrender of the
whole man to the Lord. Thankfulness has no worth except
as it rests on the foundation of that complete self-devotion, to
which we are summoned afresh by every display of mercy ;
indeed, there is no true thankfulness without such devotion.
Although thank-offerings could only be brought by such as
were in the. state of grace, still the consciousness of sin was
represented in them. In this instance also the shedding of
blood, and the sprinkling with blood, had an expiatory meaning.
An inseparable accompaniment of God's benefits to His chU
dren is the feeling of their own unworthiness. They say with
Jacob, in Genesis xxxii. 10, "I am not worthy of the least
of aU thy mercies, and of all the truth which thou hast shown
to thy servant : " and with David, in 2 Samuel vH. 1 8, " Who
am I, O Lord God, and what is my house that Thou hast
brought me hitherto ?" When the Saviour comes to us with
healing and blessing, we say with the centurion, "Lord, I am
not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof." To
the man in a state of grace, every bestowal of mercy is at the
same time an exhortation to repentance. He cannot return
thanks without humbhng himself, without seeking forgiveness
for his unworthiness. This element, however, was only a
subordinate one in thank-offerings, as is clear from the fact,
that the blood was sprinkled in the most general possible form.
A pecuhar usage in connection with thank-offerings was, the
heaving and waving of the portions set apart for the officiate

offerings

It opcasions only confusion to suppose that the laying of the hands on burnt-
¦ings and thank -offerings denoted the imputation of sin.

THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE. 403
ing priest. It signified that those portions, no less than the
others consumed on the altar, were presented and devoted to
the Lord ; that the priests received them only as the servants
of the Lord. In Numbers viH. 11, where the custom is ob
served at the appointment of the Levites, it was, undoubtedly,
a symbol of consecration. The heaving pointed to God as
enthroned in the heavens : the waving to Him as ruling upon
earth — it denoted that which the Psalmist teaches us, when
he says, " Thou compassest my path and my lying down"
(Psalm cxxxix. 3).
Connected with thank-offerings was the sacrificial feast.
This, however, was by no means the main feature of the
thank-offering : it was itself the main point. The sacrificial
feast is set in a false Hght by those who represent the Lord
as the host in the case. Of that not a single trace can be
found. The slain sacrifices were, by nature, not whole offer
ings, and therefore the parts not consecrated to the Lord were
eaten. The characteristic is the mutual participation : and
the explanatipn is given us in the words of our Saviour, " If
any man wUl hear My voice and open the door, I will come
in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me." This
feUowship of those who are in a state of grace constitutes the
counterpart to that of the Passover, by which the forgiveness
of sin was appropriated ; but although immediately connected
only with the thank-offering, it presupposed the burnt-offering.
Indeed, the latter always preceded, and laid the foundation for
the former. The covenant relation is a thoroughly ordered
one : disturbances thereof are done away with. In bestowing
peace the Lord has, in fact, and virtually, justified His servant,
and caused to cease the complaints, "Where is now my God?"
" Why art thou cast down, O my soul?" On the other hand,
the servant has consecrated himself afresh to the Lord, by
means of the burnt-offering; and by means of the thank-offer
ing met the claim, " Be ye exceedingly thankful." And now
he enters into intimate communion with the Lord, is spiritually
married to Him. The sacrificial feasts were the times of re
freshing from the presence of the Lord ; times when men could
say with their whole heart, "The Lord is my Shepherd,"
" the Lord is my portion, whom I truly love ;" times when
the difference between the present and the future state, which

404 THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE.
is so often a burden to us, disappears, and we enjoy a fore
taste of eternal life.
The sacrificial feasts were, at the same time, love-feasts.
Besides the man-servant, and maid-servant, the stranger, and
the widow, and the orphan, were invited thereto (Deut. xH. 8,
xvi. 11 ; Psalm xxH. 27), and were thus made participators in
the blessing and joy afforded, and associates of the thanks and
the praise expressed in them. A heart open towards heaven
cannot possibly remain closed to earth. Unable to give God
anything but the mere thanks of the heart, it is a joy to com
municate to His creatures of the blessings which He vouch
safes to us. And now that, under the New Covenant, we are
no longer able, as under the Old Covenant, to prove the sin
cerity of our disposition, by means of the outward embodiment
of gratitude formerly enjoined, the sacrifice being a purely
spiritual one, we ought to feel ourselves more strongly impeUed
than ever to honour God, by doing good to His widows and
orphans. We may thus understand why, in Hebrews xHi, after the
words, " By Him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise
to God cohtinuaUy ; that is, the fruit of the Ups which confess
His name," there foUow immediately those others, — " To do
good and communicate, forget not ; for with such sacrifices God
is weU pleased." His exposition of the force of the Old Testa
ment thank-offering would have been incomplete had the apostle
been content with mentioning merely the former element.
Thus, then, the great aUegory of sacrifice, which ran through
the life of the Church of the Old Covenant was a continuous
injunction — " Seek the forgiveness of your sins; devote your
selves, body and soul, to the Lord ; caU upon Him in times of
need, and thank Him for His grace." One element, however,
remains, which is unrepresented in the sacrifices and offerings
hitherto considered, to wit, zeal im good works : and, from the
very commencement, this was one of the, peculiar characteristics
of the true Church of God. To keep the way of the Lord, to
do righteousness and judgment, is set forth, even in Genesis
xvHi. 1 9, as the task of the people of God. This truth was
symbolicaUy represented by the bloodless sacrifice or the meat
offering. This class of sacrifices was united, and formed one whole,

THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE. 405
with the bloody sacrifices. They were never brought inde
pendently. Nor were they ever connected with sin-offerings,
but exclusively with burnt-offerings and thank-offerings. Meat
offerings consisted of bread and wine ; — the former was brought
Hi aU the different shapes in which corn is prepared for the
Sustenance of man. In the Scriptures of the Old and New
Testament these things are the usual symbols and representa
tives of nourishment. Earthly kings were supplied with
physical nutriment by their subjects, and the imposts consisted
in great part of the productions of nature (compare Genesis
xhx 20 ; 1 Kings iv. 7). But in this case, where the King is
a spiritual, a heavenly one, who dismisses any fancy that He
can be refreshed or quickened by material offerings, with the
words, " If I were hungry I would not teU thee ; for the world
is Mine, and the fulness thereof" (Psalm 1. 1 2,) the physical food
presented to Him can only be a symbol of the spiritual. In
accordance with the inseparable connection existing, on the
part of God, between giving and requirement, side by side with
the petition, " Give us this day our daily bread," and with the
promise on which that petition is based, goes the demand of
God, " Give me this day my- daily bread," and the Church
meets this claim when it is zealous in good works. After this
spiritual food the Lord hungers (Matthew xxi. 1 8) ; not,
however, as though, strictly speaking, He stood in need of it ;
for He can equally fulfil the laws of His nature in the punish
ment of those who refuse to present such offerings. At the
same time, the strong expressions employed, show, that, so far
as the Lord needs, so far is He not indifferent to such things,
and what those have to expect who refuse to satisfy His desires.
, The connecting of the meat-offering with the burnt-offering
taught both that the consecration and surrender of the whole
person must necessarily precede good works, and also that
good works must necessarily follow ; for Jehovah, the Holy
One, who says, " Be ye holy, for I am holy," cannot be served
with mere feehngs of dependence, or even of love, but reqmres
zeal in the fulfilment of His commands. The only proof of
actual surrender recognised by Him is set forth in the words of
David : " Lord, who shaU abide in thy tabernacle? Who shaU
dweU in thy holy hUl? He that walketh uprightly and
worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart ;

406 THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE.
who backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his
neighbour, nor uttereth reproaches against his neighbour,"
(Psalm xv.) ; and in the words of the Lord : " Ye are my
friends if ye do whatsoever I command you," (John xv. 14);
The connecting of the meat-offering with the thank-offering
(Leviticus vH. 12), taught that true thankfulness must show
itself, not only in acknowledgment (symbolized by the bloody
sacrifice), but also in the Hfe and conduct.
The meat-offering of the entire congregation was the shewbread.
Cakes of this, according to the number of the tribes of Israel,
were appointed to He continuaUy before the face of the Lord,
in order that the people might be reminded that their mission
was to be zealous in good works. The laying of the shew
bread fresh on the table every Sunday (Leviticus xxiv. 7), in
dicated that zeal in good works should be quickened and sti
mulated on the days of rest and of assembly before the Lord
That the zeal in good works, symbolized by meat-offerings,
should manifest itself in missionary operations, is evident from
Isaiah Ixvi. 20, where the prophet, after teUing how the mes
sengers of Israel wiU be the first to proclaim the glory of the
Lord among the heathen in the time of redemption, says, — ¦
" And they shall bring all your brethren for a meat-offering to
the Lord, as the children of Israel bring meat-offerings in a
clean vessel into the house of the Lord." From this we see
that zeal in missions to the Jews, now so shamefully neglected;
should form part of the meat-offering which we present to the
Lord. Missions to the heathen are treated by St. Paul from
the same point of view, when, in Romans xv. 16, he repre^
sents himself as a servant of Christ among the heathen, in order
that the heathen may become a meat-offering, acceptable to
God, and sanctified by the Holy .'Spirit. The same apostle re
presents the faithfulness in his caUing, showed by him even
to the point of sacrificing his Hfe, as a spiritual drink-offering
— preferring the drink-offering to the meat-offering as a sym
bol, because of its analogy to the impending shedding of his
blood. He says, in PhUippians H. 1 7, " Yea, and ff I be offered
(strictly, if I be poured as a drink-offering) on the sacrifice and
service of your faith, I joy and rejoice with you aU :" and again,
in 2 Timothy vi. 6, " for I am already offered (i.e., poured out
as a drink-offering), and the time of my departure is at hand."

THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE. 407
According to Leviticus ii. 11, the meat-offering was obHged
to be without leaven and honey. Leaven, in Scripture, is the
symbol of corruption. The name unleavened bread, denoted
pure bread. Its spiritual correspondent St. Paul describes as
purity and truth. The prohibition of leaven calls attention
to the corruption of our nature. Good works should not be
disfigured and made unfit for the spiritual food of the holy
God, by any mixture of impure elements, such as issue only
too readily from the corrupt depths of our nature. " There
fore take heed to your spirit," says Malachi, in chap. ii. 15.
" A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." Eoney, being a
favourite dish in oriental countries, is the symbol of the lust
of the world. SimUarly, Hosea says, in chap. iH. 1, concern
ing the worldly-minded Israehtes, " They love cakes of grapes."
The prohibition of honey was consequently a standing admo
nition to the people : " If ye wiU bring spiritual food, which
is acceptable to the Lord, love not the world, neither the things
that are Hi the world, the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh,
and the pride of Hfe " (1 John ii. 1 6) ; let the lust of the world
be bitter to you — the commands of God, on the contrary,
"sweeter than honey or the honey comb," (Psalm xix. 11).
What was bitter formed the contrast to honey ; for example,
the bitter roots which were appointed to be eaten at the
Passover. The believer loves not the sweets of the world.
He loves the bitters of his beloved cross : for through much
tribulation must we enter into the kingdom of God, and the
wine-press only presses out the wine.
Hand in hand with the prohibition of leaven and honey
goes the command, to mix oU and salt with the sacrifices.
Oil is spirit. The point of comparison is the smoothness and
soft phancy (Psalm lv. 22 ; Isaiah i 6), in contrast to hardness
of nature, whether in a coarse or a refined form. To be in the
spirit is the privilege of the people of God. " But if we Hve
in the spirit we should also walk in the spirit," (Galatians
v. 25). God is a spirit, and therefore only such works can
please Him as are pervaded and saturated with spirit. Every
thing else is but a dead form. In the symbolism of Holy
Scripture, salt is invariably, and only, spoken of in that aspect
of it which first suggests itself; to wit, as a seasoning for food :
and, Hi the present instance, as we have to do with meat-offer-

408 THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE.
ings, it is as needless as it is improper, to suppose it to be
referred to in any other sense. A " covenant of salt," of which
mention is twice made in the Scripture (Numbers xviH. 1 9 ;
2 Chronicles xni. 5), is a covenant whose words do not lack
the seasoning of truth and sincerity. The explanation of those
solemn words, " AU thy meat-offerings shalt thou season with
salt, neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of -thy
God to be lacking from thy meat-offering," (Leviticus H. 1 3), is
given by Paul in Colossians iv. 6 : " Let your speech be alway
with grace, and seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye
ought to answer every man." According to this, salt designates
grace, in contrast to the saltlessness of the natural state of
man. Of aU that is merely natural — of all sociaHty, of aU
science, of aU art, of aU works, which have their roots in the
soil, nature, that holds true which Job spake concerning the
discourses of his friends : " Can that which is unsavoury be
eaten without salt ? or is there any taste in the white of an
egg?" (Job vi. 6). Elisha healed an evU weU of water with
salt (2 Kings ii. 20). That weU was a symbol of our nature,
which needs to be seasoned with grace. Why was it so foohsh
a thing for the sons of God, in old time, to woo and marry the
daughters of men ? Because these latter had no salt, and the
union with them drew forth the natural element from the
background, drove out grace, and of necessity caused the salt
to lose its savour. :
A third addition to the meat-offering was frankincense
(Leviticus ii. 1 5). The sweet-smeUing, burning frankincense
js everywhere in Scripture the symbol of prayer, which is ac
ceptable in the sight of God, (compare Psalm cxh. 2 ; Luke
i. 10 ; Revelations v. 8, iH. 4). The mixing of frankincense
with meat-offerings, taught that good works should be begun
and finished with prayer. But the exhortation, " pray without
ceasing," was represented in a special manner in the Cultus.
Prayer was shadowed forth, and believers were reminded of
the duty and blessedness thereof (Psalm cxli 2), by the incense
which was daily offered, both at night and in the morning.
The New Covenant is not the termination, but the glorifi
cation of sacrifice. Looking forward to the days of the Re
deemer, Malachi, the last of the phrophets, says, " From the
rising of the sun even unto (the going down of the same, shall

THE SACRIFICES OF HOLT SCRIPTURE. 409
My name be glorified among the GentUes, and in every place
shall incense be offered unto My name, and a pure meat-offer
ing shall be brought," (chap, i J 1). The chief among the
apostles caUs Christians, " a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual
sacrifices, well pleasing to God through Jesus Christ" (2 Peter
ii. 5). Let us beware that we hear not the severe word once
spoken to the people of the Old Covenant. " Ye offer that
which is lame and sick. Should I accept this of your hand,
saith the Lord ? Cursed be the deceiver, which sacrificeth
unto the Lord a corrupt thing. For I am a great King, saith
the Lord of Sabaoth, and My name is terrible among the hea
then."

THE JEWS MD THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

PROFESSOR DR. E. W. HENGSTENBERG.

THE JEWS MD THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.

I. THE TEACHING OF THE CHURCH ON THIS
SUBJECT.
It was the universal conviction of the Christian Church, at an
earher period, that the hardness displayed by the Jews in
respect of the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, was only
temporary. It had taken truly to heart those words of the
Apostle of the GentUes — " if thou wert cut out of the olive-
tree, which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to
nature into a good olive-tree ; how much more shaU these
which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive-
tree." With perfect justice Spener remarks, " The Christian
Church in aU ages has beheved in such an admfrable conver
sion of the Jews, and not more than one or two of the old
fathers can be mentioned,, who called this in question."* To
represent the age of the Church Fathers, we may introduce
St. Ambrosius. In the last chapter of his work on the Patri
arch Joseph, he says, "in the last ages Christ wiU take to
Himself the Jewish nation, when it has attained old age and has
become weary, not however for its own merits, but according
to the election of grace. He wiU lay His hand on its eyes
and take away its blindness. He has delayed to heal it, so
that as it has fancied that it ought not to believe, it might be
the last to beheve, and might thus lose the advantage of the
prior election/'^
» "Behauptung der Hoffnung zukiinftiger besserer Zeiten," Frankfurt, 1693.
6 327
' t Opp. ed. Venet. 1781 t. 1 p. 452. " Hie senilis jam setatis et fessum susci-
piet ultimis temporibus populum Judaeorum, non secundum illius merita, sed

414 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
With respect to Luther, Walch remarks,* " His opinions on
the conversion of the Jews, were not always of the same cast.
At first, he thought that it was to be looked for and expected:
but latterly he did not hesitate to cast away such hopes."
At the commencement of his career, Luther cherished . this
precious hope of the Church with an energy seldom equaUed
He had drawn it not merely from the traditions of the Church,
but also, nay chiefly, from a Hving intercourse with the Scrip
tures, especiaUy with the Epistle to the Romans, so highly
prized by him. A. conviction possessed him that in his own
day, and through his own efforts, the Church had received
into its hands new means for the crushing of. the obduracy
of the Jews. He was . disposed to find the secret of the
fruitlessness of earlier attempts, not in the character of the
Jews themselves, but in the heartlessness of Christians and the
perversity of the means employed by them. Nor did Luther
content himself with a mere theory. Freshly and joyfully he
put his hand to the work, expecting success with the greater
confidence, as the blessing of the Lord had so clearly attended
his preaching of the pure Gospel in, other quarters, and as
everywhere else God appeared to be fulfiUing the declaration —
" behold the winter has departed, the rain is past and gone.
The flowers spring forth in the land, spring has arrived, and
the voice of the turtle-doves may be heard in our ;lahd."
Of this mood of Luther, the most important memorial is
the work published in 1523, under the title, "That Jesus
Christ is a born Jew." This was strictly speaking, a tractate
intended to exercise an influence on the Jews. Justus Jonas,
who translated it into Latin, in order that it might be circu
lated throughout the whole world, concludes his preface, with
the following words, which accurately describe , the tendency
of the work ; — " Let us pray for this people, especiaUy con
sidering that not aU in our midst are Christians, who bear the
name of Christ. Would God that our work with the Jews
might prosper as it has done elsewhere ; for wonderful and
glorious indeed have been the effects produced by the word
secundum electionem gratise : et imponet manus super oculos ejus, ut cseeitatem
auferat. Cujus ideodistulit eanitatem ut postremus crederet, qui ante non put*
avit esse credendum, et prserogativam superioris electionis amitteret."
* Luther's Werke. Th. 20., S 91.

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 415
of God, in the very short time during which it has been
preached."* To give some notion of Luther's views and feelings at this
time, we will quote some of the most characteristic utterances
of the treatise referred to.
" Our fools, the popes, bishops, sophists and monks, those
coarse asses-heads, have hitherto proceeded with the Jews in
such a fashion, that he who was a good Christian might weU
have desired to become a Jew. And if I had been a Jew and
had seen the Christian faith governed and taught by such
blockheads and dolts, I should sooner have become a hog than
a Christian. For they have treated the Jews as though they
were dogs and not men : they have been able to do nothing
but scoff at them, and seize their property : when they were
baptized, they showed them neither true Christian doctrine
nor Hfe, but simply subjected them to popery and monkery.
My hope is, that if we act kindly towards the Jews, and in
struct them tenderly out of the Holy Scriptures, many of
them will become genuine Christians, and so return to the
faith of their fathers, the Prophets and Patriarchs. But we
shall only frighten them further away therefrom, by utterly
rejecting their views of things, allowing nothing to be right,
and treating themselves with haughtiness and contempt. If
the Apostles, who also were Jews, had acted towards us, the
heathen, as we, the heathen, act towards the Jews, never a
heathen would have become a Christian. Inasmuch then as
they treated us heathens in so brotherly a manner, we ought
to treat the Jews in a brotherly way, if so be that some may
be converted. And be it remembered, we are ourselves not
aH up to the point, much less far advanced. My request and
advice therefore is, to go gently to work with them, and so to
instruct them from the Scriptures, that some perchance may
be drawn in. But if we only use force, and go about with
lying and defamatory stories, and charge them with having
Christian blood if they do not stink, and I know not what
fool's work besides ; if we hold them at once to be dogs, what
good can we possibly do them ? Furthermore, if we forbid
them to labour and work amongst us, and to join with us in
* W. W. Th. 20, S 2266.

416 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
other pursuits of men, thus driving them to usury and the
like, what the better do we make them ? If we mean to help
them, we must put into operation towards them, not the laws
of the pope, but of Christian love, we must receive them
friendly, let them trade and work with us, so that, having
cause and opportunity to be with us and about us, they may
hear and see our Christian doctrine and hfe. Though some
remain stiff-necked, what doth it matter ? Are we all of us
true Christians ? Here however I wiU leave the matter, tiU
I see how my work prosper. God grant us aU His grace.
Amen." The same spirit of hearty love to the Jews is breathed by
Luther's letter to Bernhard, a converted Jew* There, also,
he expresses his confident hope that the newly shining light
of the Gospel will irradiate them also. He says, " because
the inestimable Hght of the Gospel is now arising, and shed
ding its bright rays aU around, we cherish the hope that
many of the Jews will be sincerely and honestly converted,
and be drawn to Christ with their whole heart, like yourself
and some others, who are the remnant of the seed of Abra
ham." But the thing turned out quite differently from Luther's
expectation. Here and there, it is true, a Jew was won over
to the faith. But, on the whole, the Reformation proved
itself unable to overcome the hardness of the Jewish heart.
Nay more, Luther himself Hved to witness several conversions
to Judaism. This latter fact is touched upon by him in the
letter against the " Sabbathites," addressed to one of his friends
in the year 1 538.-f- He says, " you inform me that here and
there in different parts, the Jews gain ground with their filth
and doctrine, and that some Christians even, have been carried
away to allow themselves to be circumcised." He aUudes to
the same subject again in his work on "the Jews and their
Hes," published in 1543.
" I have issued this Httle book because, as I understand, these
wretched reprobates do not cease their efforts to aUure even
us Christians into their ways. I should never have deemed
it possible for a Christian to let himself so be made a fool of
* W. W., Th. 20, S 2268. t W. "W.. Th. 20, S 2272.

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 417
by Jews, as to be persuaded to share their misery and wretch
edness." Then Luther felt himself stirred by a burning wrath — a
wrath which in its deepest roots was divine, and of the same
nature as that displayed by St. John, when, in his zeal against
the Jews, he says, " those who say they are Jews, and are not,
but are of the school of Satan," (Apocalypse ii. 9 ; iii. 9.)
Moses felt the same indignation when he grew furious at the
sight of Israel's idolatry, and cast the tables out of his hand
and brake them beneath the Mount. Luther's anger was that
of despised love, — not his own human love, but the love of
his Lord : — it was the anger which made Stephen cry out in
the Sanhedrim, " ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart
and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Spirit ; as were your
fathers, so are ye."
Let us bring to view this later mood of Luther's mind by
means of a few verbal extracts from his writings.
In his work on " Shem Hamphoras,"* Luther says — " to
convert the Jews is about as possible as to convert the devil.
A Jewish heart is so stone, iron, devH-hard and callous, that
there is no way at aU of moving it. In fine, they are young
devils, damned to heU. And if there be anything human left
in them, such a work may prove of use and profit. But of
the whole mass of them, he may cherish hope who Hkes, — I
have no hopes, nor do the Scriptures speak of any. Some
draw from the Eleventh Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans,
a fancy that aU the Jews wiU be converted at the end of the
world, but it is all nought. St. Paul means quite a different
thing." " The Jews are a hard people," says Luther, in his " Table
Talk." " Then answered one, but stUl is it not ; written that
the Jews shaU be converted before the last judgment ? Dr.
Luther spake : where is it written ? I know of no clear and
certain declaration. Some, it is true, bring one from Romans
xi; but from that nothing can be proved. Then said his
wife — ' and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.' Yes,
replied the Doctor, dear Kate, that took place when the
heathen were converted to the Gospel."f
* W. W., Th. 20, S 2528-9. t S 2315.
2 D

418 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
In his book on " The Jews and their Hes," Luther says —
" Much less do I go about with the notion that the Jews are
to be converted. That is impossible* For consider, how is
it that we poor Christians come to nourish and make rich such
a rotten and lazy people, such blasphemous enemies of God,
and aU for nothmg : for we get nothing for our pains but
curses, blasphemy, and aU manner of misfortune, that they can
bring upon us or wish us.-!- Burn their synagogues, then,
force them to work, and treat them with aU unmercifulness."J
Quite as strong expressions may be found in the "ad
monition against the Jews, with which Luther concluded the
four sermons deHvered at Eisleben, shortly before his depar
ture from this life, in the year 1 546."|| Amongst other things
he says there, " Thus is it, then, with the Jews — they do
nought but blaspheme and revile our Lord Jesus Christ every
day. If we know that they do this, we ought not to suffer
it. For if I tolerate him near me, who, revUes, blasphemes,
and curses my Lord Christ, I make myself a partaker of other
men's sins, whilst at the very time I have quite enough to do
with mine own. Therefore, ye lords should not suffer them,
but drive them away. In case, however, they become con
verted, quit their usury, and accept Christ in sincerity, then
will we cheerfuUy regard them as our brothers. Otherwise
nothing can be done with them : for they are too bold, they
are publicly our enemies, they do not cease to blaspheme our
Lord Christy they style the virgin Mary a whore, and Christ
Himself a whoreson, and caU them changelings ; — if they
could kiU us aU they would gladly do so — nay, some of them
do it often, particularly such as pretend to be physicians. I
put myself under the protection of the Son of God, whom I
hold to be my Lord, and honour as such. To Him I must
run and flee when the devU, or sin, or any other evil sets upon
me : for He is my shelter and covert, beneath which I am
safe against the wrath of God. For such reasons am I unable
to have feUowship or patience with the hardened blasphemers
and revilers of this dear Saviour."
The position taken up by Luther towards the Jews in his
later years, is weU fitted to exhibit and bring home to us the
* W. W., 20, S 2313. t S 2488. J S 2509. || W„ S 2630

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 419
difference between him and the Apostles, and to show what
a dangerous thing it would be to submit ourselves to such a
master, unreservedly, and without bringing his teachings to
the test of Scripture. We must not, however, forget that in
Luther's time, the Jews behaved very differently from the pre
sent day, when their hatred and their love alike has been
shorn of its strength by unbelief, when the interest in money
and property has swallowed up every other care. It is diffi
cult now to represent to our minds the diabolical hatred of
Christ and Christians, which filled the elder Jews. Nothing
can be more unjust than to represent them as sufferers, and
persecuted. What they had to endure was in general but the
reaction against the fanatical animosity which flamed in their
own hearts. It is related of a proselyte, even of the middle of
the eighteenth century, Israel Levi, the history of whose con
version is peculiarly interesting * that " the recollections of his
youth frequently filled him with sore repentance. He re
membered how at Christinas, when the Cathohcs went to their
churches at twelve o'clock at night, he, with other Jewish
children, played according to their custom round a wooden
image which represented the executed one, namely, Jesus the
crucified One : and how they tore and broke off one Hmb after
the other, until their play was ended." Whenever he thought
of these scenes, he exclaimed — " Oh ! what great and fearful
sins do the Jews commit ! May God have mercy on them !"
When Luther introduces into the Scriptures, whose end and
aim is everywhere to strengthen our sinking courage, the des
pair of the conversion of the Jews felt by himself ; when he
sets aside the clear and evident testimony to the future con
version of the Jews borne by the Scriptures, he is undoubt
edly not to be commended ; but stiU, what he did in his day
is to be judged otherwise than if it were done at the present
day. Up to Luther's time, the principle of aUegorical inter
pretation prevailed in the Church, and the result thereof was,
that in explaining the Scriptures, men were governed by in
clination, and found in them that, and that only, which agreed
with their wishes. Luther did, it is true, overthrow the
principle, as a principle ; but he was not able to uproot the
* Steo-er " die evangelische Judenmission," S 80.

420 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH,
practice, either for himself or for others. Hence, as. soon as
his hopes concerning Israel seemed visionary, he almost un
avoidably ceased to be able to lean confidently on those parts
of Scripture which relate to this matter. Only by degrees
could that leaven of allegorical arbitrariness be cast out, by
the principle of Hteral or grammatical interpretation which
Luther brought into vogue. The result of the introduction of
the principle has happUy been, to take away from the exposi
tion of Scripture, the character of subjectiveness which it pre
viously bore, and, in the Scriptures themselves, to give every
one who does not wilfully refuse to avail himself of the benefits,
of this progressive step, an objective corrective of his own in-
cHnation or fancy.
It cannot but be acknowledged that, in his anger at the
hardness of heart shown by the Jews, and in the energy of
his zeal for the honour of Christ, Luther took up a one-sided,
point of view, which needs to be supplemented by an equally
strong recognition of the compassion and love of God for the
" sons of the kingdom." But stiU unquestionably there was
more truth to facts in this view of Luther's, than in the efforts
put forth in more recent times by many of the friends of
Israel. These latter seem to fancy it possible to flatter that
wretched people into the kingdom of God ; they have no just
or sufficient feeling of the terrible guUt resting upon it, and,
are incapable of awakening a consciousness thereof ; they for
get that the objeet of first moment is to produce in them that
" great mourning" to which Zechariah aUudes, (see. chap. xii.
11;) they strengthen and uphold the " old man" of the Jews
by drawing the attention away from the duty of repentance
to the high prerogatives which are supposed to belong to the
nation, and by exciting them to imagine that it is their desr
tiny and vocation to be the spiritual aristocracy of the Christian
Church; and consequently, their endeavours, if they effect any
thing at all, must end in turning, not Jews into Christians, but
Jewish Jews into Christian Jews, or into Jewish Christians.
Luther had a deep and clear insight into the spirit of the Jews.
We find in his " Table Talk,"—" Luther was reading a Hebrew
book, andwasverygreatlyastonished at its audacity and haughti
ness. It displayed no knowledge of Scripture, but was filled
with vain boasts of dead privileges. They have no under-

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 421
standing of God's grace, nor of the righteousness of faith, how
God is merciful from simple grace for Christ's sake, andhow
faith in Christ makes men pious and blessed. Concerning
such things they know less than nothing ; and they wish to be
holy by nature and in virtue of descent." What a dangerous
thing therefore it must be to flatter this self-conceited, pre
tentious " old man" of the Jews, as it is flattered, by such
assertions as the following, contained in the work entitled,
" Der Jude von Alfred Meyers," (translated from the Enghsh),
" AU the Prophets promise this nation a position of privilege
and honour in the kingdom of Immanuel ;" " The day of
Israel's conversion will be the day of Messiah's coronation ;"
" converted Jews are the only successful missionaries to the
heathen world ;" " Jehovah has conferred on the Jews the
privilege of royalty ;" and many others of a like nature. Even
if these views were correct it would be very injudicious, very
unpedagogic, to commence the missionary work amongst Jews
with thefr announcement. Every means should rather be
employed to turn away their hearts from the meditation of
such things, which, of necessity, concern them not, so long as
they remain what they are, and to lead them down into the
depths of repentance and of supplication for mercy.
A von Oettingen, in his work entitled, Die Synagogale
Elegik des Volkes Israel, published at Dorpat in 1853,* — a
Work which concedes more to the Jews than, according to our
convictions, is warranted by the Scriptures, rightly understood,
—says, with perfect justice, " One point remains to be urged
on the attention of our readers, — one, too, which should be
more earnestly impressed on the mind of the present genera
tion, than even the care against a proud self-exaltation above the
curse-laden nation to which Christians were once prone. In
stead thereof we see now an anti scriptural disposition to effect
an apotheosis of the Israelites. Regarding exclusively their
destiny to redemption, Christians fall into the mistake, of either
forgetting entirely, or putting into the background, their terrible
crimes. They cover over everything, yea, even the disgrace
of Christ! with the mantle of love, and speak only of the
thankfulness we owe to this great and noble people, of the
sympathy we ought to have with it m its sufferings and innu-
* S. 167, 168

422 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
merable persecutions, of the benefits which it has been the means
of conferring on all humanity, of the blessings which it wiU
bring to the Church as the result of its vocation, and of the
glorification awaiting its divinely chosen nationality, as con
trasted with all other peoples, when it shaU lay the topstone
to the perfection of the kingdom of God, (v. Oettingen proves
and Ulustrates his statements by quotations from the writings
of Gaussen, M'Caul, Begg, and others.) AU this is, to a cer
tain extent, justifiable ; but it must not be pressed too far.
There is a danger of forgettiug the sacredness of that anger of
God which rests on the Jews, because of the one great and
still enduring sin : it is forgotten that their misery is to be
regarded as a judgment inflicted on them by God, and not
merely as the fruit of " the arbitrariness and cruelty of men,"
who do but in many cases serve as instruments in a higher
hand : and lastly, " men with such views fix their thoughts,
Hke the Jews themselves, in an external way, on the glories of
the future, instead of preaching to them of the present, i.e.,
instead of bringing home to them, chiefly and repeatedly, the
sin of rejecting the Lord, and showing the curse of the present
to be the divine answer thereto."
In connection with Luther, we must draw attention to an
other remarkable fact. In his Church-postil,* Luther had said,
" It is certain, then, that the Jews wiU yet say to Christ,
' Blessed be he that eometh in the name of the Lord.'" Moses
has declared the same thing, (see Deuteronomy iv. 30, 31 ;
Hosea Hi. 4, 5 ; and Azariah in 2 Chronicles xv. 2-5). These
sayings may not be understood by the Jews of the present
day. In former times they were never yet without princes,
without prophets, without priests, without teacher, and law.
St. Paul, in Romans xi. 25, 26, agrees therewith, and says,
" Blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of
the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved, as
it is written, there shall come out of Zion the dehverer, and
shaU turn away ungodliness from Jacob. God grant that the
time may be nearer than we hope !" So run the words, both
in the older editions, and also in those which appeared in 1543
and 1544. Luther evidently hesitated, and was fearful of
altering them : a feehng stirred within him that, as regards
* W. w. 11. S. 299.

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 423
his present views, he might possibly be on the wrong path,
His disciples were bolder. In the very first edition which was
pubhshed after his death, in the year 1 547, we find that every
thing is omitted which referred to the future conversion of the
Jews : and not merely that, but they inserted opinions to the
contrary, in the place of what was expunged. In one place
we read the alteration, " These sayings all speak of the last
days, when the Jewish kingdom and the true priesthood should
cease ; and teach us that, nevertheless, many Jews would be
afterwards converted to Christ, the true King and Priest : and
this took place after the ascension of Christ, first by means of
the apostles, and subsequently through the preaching of the
Gospel." In the Lutheran Church, however, the word of God gained
the victory over the authority of Luther, both in respect to
this point, and to other pecuhar opinions of his. Spener
remarks, with perfect justice : " From the time of Luther
onwards, notwithstanding that in some places of his writings,
moved by the sight of the hardness of the nation, he expressed
doubts thereof, this doctrine has had its place in the Lutheran
Church, and has been held by its most distinguished teachers.
I do not, of course, deny that there have been some who caUed
the doctrine in question." The most important of those who
have held this exceptional view (for it has been an exceptional
view), were Calov, and Quensted, the author of the work on
-Dogmatical Theology. The former explains the passage, Ro
mans xi. 25, to refer to the conversion of individual Jews,
which has been going on in aU ages since the days of the
apostles, and wUl go on to the end of the world, " omni tem
pore ex Israele nonnulH." See also Quensted's Works, vol. iv.,
p. 116. During the time of the rule of Church orthodoxy,
however, the influence of Luther's authority is almost every
where perceivable, in so far as the doctrine was much less con
fidently and cheerfully afiirmed than it would have been apart
from this influence. The remark just made is illustrated by
the case of Joh. Gerhard. It was Spener's merit, as also,
indeed, of the Pietistic school in general, fuUy to reanimate in
the Church the hope of the future conversion of the Jews. ^ A
new impulse was thus given to missionary efforts ; and various
other results have also foUowed. At the same time Spener

424 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
gave that limitation to the hope, which is necessary in order
to. prevent our being led to the most dangerous conclusions.
He remarks elsewhere : " Bhndness is said to have happened
to Israel, because by far the greater part of the nation remained
in their error, although many thousands had' been converted,
and the number of the latter was not. to be compared to that
of the former : so also when it is said that all Israel wiU be
converted, it means that the greatest part will be converted ;
and although some wiU continue hardened, they are not to be
compared, in point of numbers, with those who renounce their
•error." The hope of the future salvation of Israel, cherished in all
ages by the Church, has taken, in the present century, a pe
culiar form, amongst a not. unimportant section of the believ
ing Christians of England and Scotland,* which, since then;'
has found many adherents in Germany, and especially in Wiir-
temberg. They were not satisfied with the clear teachings of
Scripture, concerning the future conversion of Israel, and its
blessed influence on the Church as a whole, but went so far as
to constitute the converted Jews almost the sole agents, in
effecting the redemption of the Church of the future, thus
doing dishonour to Christ The past and present of the Church
were almost completely cast into the shade in comparison with
this future : in consequence of a slavish adherence to the
letter, they worked themselves into -enthusiasm for the return
of the Jews to Palestine ; and they dreamed of the extension
of the Holy Land, of the rebuilding of the Temple of Jerusa
lem, and of the re-estabhshment of the Levitical Cultus. The
details of these hopes were carried out in the most insipid and
prosaic manner, to such a point, indeed, as sometimes to sur
pass even the Rabbins, to the disgust of aU who have but
sipped of a deeper understanding of prophecy.
Opposition to these errors, in conjunction with an over esti
mate of the authority of Luther, has recently led away a Lu
theran Synod in America entirely to renounce, and even eccle
siastically to repudiate, the precious hope of the future restora
tion of the Jews, which the Church has cherished, and which
* It must not, however, be forgotten, that this is, after all, only the view of a
parti/ — a party, too, which hy no means predominates, especially in the Episcopal
Church.

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 425
occasioned the apostle Paul, in Romans xi. 33, f, to praise so
enthusiastically the depth of the riches of God. In the
" Transactions of the Second Sessions of the Western District
of the German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio,
and other States, in the year 1 856," the foUowing resolution is
recorded (page 29) : " We reject as unbiblical, and as leading
to false ChUiastic views of the Church, the doctrine based on Ro
mans xi. 25, 26, and other passages, that a universal, or even
such a specially numerous, conversion of the Jews, as has never
hitherto been witnessed, must be expected, and wiU take place,
before the last judgment." In support of this resolution the
foUowing remark was made, amongst others : " If it reaUy be
so, that aU Jews are to be saved, one might weU desfre rather
to be a Jew than a Christian ; and,, in fact, some of the Lu
therans of New York, feeling this, have been induced to become
Jews, and submit themselves to cfrcumcision, in the awfuUy
blind hope that, as Abraham's seed, they should be counted
worthy of greater glory at the re-appearance of Christ."

II. THE TEACHINGS OF THE SCRIPTURES.
If we wish our hope of the future conversion of the Jews
to be built on the firm foundation of the word of God ; if we
desire to avoid the danger of following our own dreams, and
the sin of framing arbitrary fancies ; if we are minded te
escape sharing the guilt of those whom Jeremiah designates,
" Prophets out of their own heart," the first and most neces
sary thing to be done, is to gain deeper insight into the Scrip
tural idea of Israel. Nothing is more confusing than without
further inquiry to refer everything to the Jews which the
Scriptures say regarding Israel. The Scriptural conception of/
Israel is a very subtle one, and requires for its understanding
properly exercised Spiritual faculties.
Chr. A. Crusius has given quite the correct view of this
idea in his Theologia Prophetica. He rejects, it is true, and
with perfect justice, the distinction usually drawn by the older
orthodox theologians between Israel after the flesh, and Israel
after the spirit, but still considers the entire Christian Church
to be the legitimate continuance of Israel. Views wanting in

426 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
precision, such as those of von Meyer, who maintains that it is
arbitrary and unwarranted to understand by Israel " first the
Jews, and then something quite different," (page 199), he is
very fax from entertaining. He says, " aU true Christians are
reckoned to Israel ; not, however, as though the old Israel, the
Israel properly so termed, were a type of the spiritual Israel,
of the Israel improperly so termed. Even the Old Israel of
God could receive Proselytes into its midst before Christ came,
and these then constituted a part of the nation. But since
Christ's appearance, Israel has been extended, through the
reception of great multitudes of the heathen who have now
grown together with it. Into this feUowship of the Church,
whose foundation was the believing portion of the Israehtes,
will some day be received the remainder of the degenerate
portion." According to the constant teachings of the Old and New
Testaments there is but one Church of God, one Israel, one
house under two administrations, from the days of Abraham
tUl the end of the world. John the Baptist starts with the
presupposition that the members of the New Covenant must
also of necessity be the chUdren of Abraham : otherwise God's
covenant and promise would come to nought. But God can
raise up from the stones children to Abraham. Fleshly deri
vation from Abraham did not, we find, insure against the
danger of being excluded from the number of his descendanta
Of this Ishmael was the first example. And whenever a great
sin was committed, we read, even in the books of Moses, " this
soul was destroyed from the midst of its people :" — (to which
Peter warningly caUed the attention of the Jews in the Acts
of the Apostles Hi. 23): — and also, "thou shalt destroy the
evU one from the midst of Israel." In Psalm Ixxiii 1, " Only
good is God to Israel, to those who are of a clean heart," the
second clause Hmits Israel to the Election, to the true Israel
ites in whom is no guHe, and excludes "the false seed" re
ferred to by Isaiah in chap. Ivii. 4. So also when we read in
Psalm xxiv. 6, that, " those who seek thy face are Jacob," we
learn that those only are the true descendants of Jacob, and
constitute the covenant people, who strive zealously to be
holy and to fulfil the good pleasure of God : — such alone are
under the rule, and in the kingdom, of grace. Furthermore,

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 427
Hi a great number of passages, the ungodly members of the
Jewish congregation, in mockery of the claims they put forth
on the ground of their external connection therewith, are
styled heathen, or uncircumcised, or speciaUy Canaanites, or
the name of some other GentUe nation is appHed to them (see
Jeremiah iv. 4 ; ix. 25 ; Isaiah i. 10 ; Ezekiel xvi. 3). And
as it was possible for the natural sons to be excluded, so
is it possible for God, in His unbounded freedom, to give to
Abraham, in the place of the fleshly sons who have failed, sons
of adoption unnumbered, who shaU sit down with him and
Isaac and Jacob at table in the kingdom of God, whilst the
sons of the kingdom are shut out. Sonship is essentiaUy a
relation to persons, such as Abraham, the friend of God (Isaiah
xii. 8), and Israel, who strove with God by prayers and tears
(Hosea xH. 5) : it does not consist exclusively, or even princi-
paUy, in the participation in a particular physical nature.
What a subordinate element this latter is, we are taught very
clearly, at the very beginning of the kingdom of God, by the
example of Ishmael, whom Abraham sent away from his house
without hesitation ; and also by the case of the sons of Ke-
thurah, whom Abraham " sent away from his son Isaac (whUe
he yet Hved) eastward, into the east country," (Genesis xxv.
6). And when the Scriptures expressly tell us that Isaac
only was in the true sense Abraham's son, they teach us the
same thing (Genesis xxi. 12). Physical derivation from
.Abraham is only of importance when the " glory" of the an
cestor, that is, his close and intimate relationship to God, is
reflected and reproduced in the descendant. Even if an abso
lute union and connection be effected only in this most essential
aspect, if the sonship be merely a spiritual one, we may speak
in the fuUest and deepest sense of a relationship of family.
The widest use is made in Scripture of the spiritual father
hood. "Sons of God" are the pious designated even in
Genesis vi. 2. To the blessing of Jacob recorded in Genesis
xhx., that which Moses pronounced in Deuteronomy xxxiii
as the spiritual father of Israel, forms the side-piece. Those
who received a portion of the Spirit which stirred in the most
"eminent prophets, were styled " Sons of the Prophets." Isaiah
caUs the first High Priest, Aaron, the first Father of Israel.
" My Father, my Father," cried Joash, the King of Israel, to

428 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
EHsha (2 Kings xHi. 1 4). Peter writes of Mark as of his son.
And much else of the same nature might be adduced.
From the very commencement the Church of God was in
tended to consist not merely of the naturaUy born descendants
of the Patriarchs, but also of spiritual descendants : the prin
ciple of grafting, of adoption, set forth by the Apostle Paul in
Romans xi. 24, was intended to be carried out in it. In the
first century of the existence of the Church of God the sons
by adoption were far more numerous than the actual sons.
Abraham was commanded to circumcise his servants, who were
numbered by hundreds, that is, to dispense to them the sacrar
ment which involved their becoming sharers of all the rights
and privUeges of the people of God. We see plainly that at
the veiy earHest period born heathens were expected to be
come members of the kingdom of God, from the ordinance of
Exodus xii. 44, that every stranger who desired te eat with
them of the Passover must first be circumcised ; which, of
course, imphes that foreigners might share the sign of the co
venant, as well as the feast of the covenant, if they wished. We
find also in Deuteronomy xxiii. 1-8, that Edomites and Egyp
tians, are expressly declared capable of being admitted into the
congregation of God. The practice of the Jews in aU ages
leads to the same result. Heathens were constantly received
into the feUowship, and to a full share of the privileges, of
Israel. Whenever the God of Israel manifested his almighty
power and glory in a specially notable way, as for example,
in the deliverance of the children of Israel from the captivity
in Egypt and from that in Assyria, — (on both which occa
sions, a host of men, formerly heathens, foUowed in the train
of the Israelites; compare Nehemiah x. 28, who speaks of
" aU who had separated themselves from the people of the
land unto the law of God,") — or again, in the marvellous
dehverance celebrated in the Book of Esther, — (then many of
the people of the land became Jews, because of the light and
joy and gladness and honour which had fallen to the lot of
God's people), such receptions took place in large numbers.
This was the case also in the times which foUowed Alexander
the Great, when a sense of the vanity of idols stirred with
pecuhar energy in the heathen world, and the heathenism of
Greece and Rome was growing old and hastening towards its

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 429
downfal. The prophets announce that a most extensive recep
tion of born heathens into the feUowship of Israel wiU take place
in the age of Messiah, and that all the restrictions which still
existed under the Old Covenant wiU be abolished. In chap.
xliv. 5, Isaiah says, " One shaU say, I am the Lord's ; and
another shall call himself by the name of Jacob ; and another
shall write with his hand 'To the Lord !' and shaU make his
boast in the name of Israel." He says also in chapter lvi. 3,
"Neither let the son of the stranger that hath joined himself
to the Lord, speak, saying, the Lord separateth me from his
people ;" and in verses 6 and 7, " Also the strangers who join
themselves to the Lord, to serve him and to love the name of
the Lord, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the Sab
bath from poUuting it, and holdeth fast to my covenant : even
them wUl I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joy
ful in my house of prayer ; their burnt-offerings and their
sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar : for mine house
shall be called an house of prayer for aU people." We read in
Ezekiel xlvH. 22, 23, "and when ye divide by lot the inheri
tance among you, and among the strangers that sojourn among
you, and beget children among you ; and they shall be unto
you as born in the country among the children of Israel : they
shaU have inheritance with you amongst the tribes of Israel,
each one amongst the tribe in the midst of which he dweUs : "
on which Michaelis remarks, "the distinction between the
nations, which was kept up under the Old Covenant, is here
abolished." Hand in hand with this signal adoption of the
heathens, the prophets proclaim an equaUy extensive exclusion
of the, false seed, of the merely natural descendants of the
patriarchs, who had 'degenerated into Canaanites. In chapter
xhv. 9, Ezekiel characterises the ungodly Priests and Levites as
sons of the stranger. Isaiah in chap, i 1 0, speaks of the Princes
of Israel as Princes of Sodom, and of the people, as a people
of Gomorrah. It is said in Ezekiel xvi. 3, "thus saith the
Lord to Jerusalem, thy birth and thy nativity is of the land
of Canaan : thy father is the Amorite and thy mother a Hit
tite." The downfal of the covenant people is proclaimed by
Zephaniah, in the words, " destroyed is the whole people of
Canaan." Hosea says, concerning the degenerated covenant
people, " Canaan, in his hand are the balances of deceit." If

430 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
it is possible for Israelites to degenerate into sons of the
stranger, into Sodomites, into Canaanites, as even Moses pro
claimed in Deuteronomy xxxii. 32, "for their vine is worse
than the vine of Sodom and of the fields of Gomorrah ;" then,
on the other hand, must it also be possible for born heathens,
by receiving into their hearts the principles which animated'
the true Israel, to be incorporated with Israel : — it may even
happen that Israel wiU consist mainly of such as once were
heathens. Israel's essential feature was not its natural, bodUy
descent from Abraham. Merely in this aspect it might be
said of the Israehtes quite as truly as of the heathen — " they
are not a people," (Deut. xxxH. 21). "No real State can be
estabhshed unless the natural factor be supplemented by a
moral one ; unless a moral idea take up its position as the
centre of a nation's natural unity," (Leo). The Hving idea
which formed the groundwork of Israel's nationality, was that
of the kingdom of God estabhshed in its midst. Only those
were true members of Israel, in whose hearts this idea had
become the ruling power. Whoso therefore participated in
this soul of the national fellowship, was externally made a
member thereof: whoso resisted the idea, concerning him it
was declared, " this soul is destroyed from the midst of its
nation." At the very threshold of the New Testament, we find the
Baptist addressing a whole host of the legitimate sons of the
patriarchs as a " brood of vipers," and thus separating them
from the true Israel (Mat. iH. 7). He says to them, "Think
not to say within yourselves, we have Abraham to our father,
for I say unto you that God is able of these stones to raise
up chUdren to Abraham." If even of the stones, how much
more of the heathen, within whose breasts there is a feeling
heart, and whose fitness for redemption is prominently brought
out in the Book of Jonah, to the shame of the self-conceited
sons of the kingdom ! The Baptist starts with the assump
tion, that aU those whose purpose it is, as members of the
kingdom of God, to escape the wrath to come, must be chU
dren of Abraham and of the patriarchs, members of IsraeL
But to be of the community of Israel did not depend solely
on natural birth : it could be arrived at in a purely spiritual
way, even as in the usual course of things adopted sons may

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 431
be much more truly stirred by the spirit of famUy than even
the natural sons. As the better portion of Abraham and
Jacob, — that portion which alone lends them dignity and
significance, — in the kingdom of God originates directly in
God ; so, by the like influence which was brought to bear
upon them, can God raise up to them true sons, without
binding Himself to the ordinary course of nature.
Much that our Lord said was dictated by the view of the
essential identity of Israel with the Church of the New
Testament, by the conviction that it includes, besides the
beheving descendants of the patriarchs, also thefr adopted
sons, even the entire world of heathen believers. So in
Matthew xix. 28, where he says to the Apostles, "Verily I
say unto you, that ye which have foUowed me in the regenera
tion, when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of His
glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the
twelve tribes of Israel." That the Lord does not mean Israel
in the ordinary sense, is clear from chap. xxviH. 19, and the
Acts of the Apostles i. 8, according to which the mission of
the Apostles was to " aU nations." The sphere of their rule
in the kingdom of glory cannot surely be narrower than that
of their mission during the days when the Church is in its
mUitant state. We may adduce, as a paraUel passage, Apo
calypse xxi 1 4, which teUs us that, on the foundations of the
waUs of the new Jerusalem, of the city in whose Hght the
heathens walk, and into which the kings of the earth bring
their glory, are written the names of the twelve Apostles of
the Lamb. That the limits of the rule of the Apostles are
coincident with those of the dominion of Christ Himself, we
learn also from Matthew xx. 23, which informs us that those
who are preferred amongst the Apostles shaU sit on the right
hand, and on the left hand of their Lord. If the dominion of
Christ be not restricted to Israel in the ordinary sense, neither
also can that of the Apostles be thus restricted.
Even in his choice of the Apostles, our Lord was influenced
by this idea of the identity of Israel and the Church. There
can be no doubt that in choosing exactly twelve Apostles
Christ had in view the number of the tribes of Israel, and
that He meant the Apostles, in virtue of their being twelve,
to represent Israel And as we know certainly that the:

432 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
mission of the Apostles was quite as much to the heathen as
to the Jews, it is evident that, in the eyes of the Lord, the
Church of the New Covenant was Israel.
St. Paul teaches us, in Romans xi., that from the beginning
to the end there exists but one olive-tree, one people of God,
one Israel. The unbelieving descendants of the patriarchs
are broken off from this ohve-tree ; the heathen are graffed .
into it, and have perfectly equal rights with the natural
branches. They become " partakers of the roots and of the
sap of the olive-tree." Nor, when the unworthy " sons of the
kingdom" are converted, wiU they receive anything more, or
anything less, than the heathens who have believed. They
are "graffed into their own ohve-tree." In verse 18, Israel is
represented as the root of the, Christian Church.
In Romans ix. 6, 7, the Apostle lays down the principle
that " they are not all Israel, which are of Israel ; neither,
because they are the seed of Abraham, are they aU children."
As standing in direct and close paraUehsm with this distinc
tion amongst the natural descendants of the patriarchs, to
which our Lord also had already most plainly referred in
John vUi 37, "I know that ye are Abraham's seed, but ye
seek to kiU me, ye are of your father the devil," we may
adduce the recognition of a spiritual posterity. If unbelief
excludes, then must faith have the power of effecting an
affiliation. In Romans iv. 11, 12, the Apostle declares Abraham to be
the father of all who believe, though they be not circumcised,
and also the father of the circumcision, so far as they other
wise walk in the steps of the faith of Abraham. Faith was
the central characteristic of Abraham's nature. Those, there
fore, who share his faith are his, that is, Israel's true sons,
altogether independently of cfrcumcision or of natural descent,
which in this matter are not of decided moment. In verses 1 6
and 1 7 Paul represents Abraham as the father of all Christians,
the father of many nations ; and he bases his representations
on the original promises recorded in Genesis* — promises which
need not, as Tholuck supposes, be "interpreted typicaUy" in
order to answer the Apostle's purpose, but do so when taken
in their strict and proper sense ; the words, in fact, aUow of
no other interpretation. The Lord says to Abraham, in

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 433
Genesis xvii. 4, " Thou shalt be a father of many nations,"
and in verse 5, " For a father of many nations do I give thee"
(in both instances the word tfu is employed, signifying spe
cially born heathens) ; and in verse 6, " I give thee to peoples,
and kings shall come forth of thee." The watershoots, the
sons of Abraham by nature, cannot be, in the first instance,
here referred to. Only in Isaac should his seed be called.
Ishmael was already born, when the promise was given winch
referred to the seed whose existence was stUl entirely a matter
of faith. When the same promise as is here made to Abraham,
is afterwards, in verse 1 5, made to Sarah, the sons of Kethurah
are necessarily excluded. From Abraham, through Isaac, there
sprang only a single nation, for we cannot of course include
Edom, which was " not a people." Now the words, " many
nations," in accordance with which Abram received the new
name Abraham, "Father of the great multitude," cannot be
supposed to refer solely to this one nation of the Jews. Hence
there was nothing for it but that this nation should be largely
extended and increased by adoption, that it should receive
a " multitude of peoples" into its bosom. This conclusion is
decidedly confirmed by that other parallel original promise,
" in thee shaU aU the tribes of the earth be blessed" (Genesis
xii. 3). " They, together with their kings, were to be graffed
into the stem of the chosen race."* That the heathens who
were to be received into the midst of the covenant people
had as real an interest in the promises as the Jews, is evident
from verses 1 2 and 1 3, which inform us that heathen servants
could be incorporated with the chosen race by means of cir
cumcision. Could this be effected by circumcision, then
might it also, in other and altered circumstances, be effected
by means of baptism — a rite differing only in form. Qn no
other view could kings of the 'nations be said to spring from
Sarah, as we are told in verse 16. In an ordinary and
* Noah's saying, also, in Genesis ix. 26, 27, leads to the same result, " Blessed
he Jehovah, the God of Shem. May God give Japheth large room, and may
he dwell in the tents of Shem." In the future, God will show himself to Shem
as Jehovah and his God. The happiness of Japheth consists in his heing received
into the fellowship of Jehovah, who is to be found in the tents of Shem. Luther
remarks, "Although Shem alone is the root and stem, yet will the heathen he
graffed thereinto, as a strange hranch, and partake of the sap and strength
which is coniained in the elect tree.''
2 E

434 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
natural way only the kings of one people could be said to
spring from her.
To the Corinthians Paul writes, " Ye know that ye were
sometime heathens" (1 Corinthians xii. 2) ; and nevertheless,
he says in chapter x. 1, "our fathers were all of them under
the cloud." He thus designates the Israehtes of the Mosaic
period the fathers of the believing Christian heathens of
Corinth. In his, view, therefore, aU Christians are incorporated
with Israel., He reasons on the same principles also, when,
in verse 18, he describes the Jews (not the Old Testament
people of God, but the Jews of his, own day,) as Israel after
the flesh, in contrast to the true, spiritual Israel, which con
tinues, in the Christian Church, the existence it already had
under the Old Covenant.
According to Ephesians H. 1 2, the heathen when they come
to Christ, are incorporated with the commonwealth of Israel,
become " fellow-citizens of the saints," that is, of Israel, (chap:
H. 19.)
" Know ye therefore," writes Paul in Galatians iii. 7, " that
they which are of faith, the same are children of Abraham :"
and in ver. 29, he says to born heathens, "if ye be Christ's,
then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the pro
mise." We read in chap. vi. 15, 1 6, "in Christ Jesus, neither
circumcision availeth anything nor uncircumcision, but a new
creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace
be on them and mercy, and upon the Israel of God." " Peace
be on Israel" — this, the form of blessing employed in Psalm
cxxv. 5, is here applied to the Church of the new Testament,
by the Apostle. And why ? Because he regards it as the
legitimate continuance of Israel. Compare further Colossians
ii. 1 1, and Philippians iii. 3.
That which is written in Exodus xix 5, 6, concerning
Israel — " ye shaU be a property to me out of all nations. And
ye shaU be to me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation," —
is applied to the Church of the New Covenant by St. Peter,
when he says, " ye are the chosen generation, the holy nation,
the royal priesthood, the peculiar people," (1 Peter ii. 9 ;) by
Paul in Titus H. 1 4 ; and by John in Apocalypse i. 6, and v.
10. The Church, consequently, is considered to be the true
Israel, beside which there is place for no other.

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 435
James addresses his epistle to the twelve tribes that are
scattered abroad, to the Israel outside of Palestine. He had not
to do with Jews, but with Christians : and he regards the
great majority of Jews as "false seed," as members of Israel
merely in appearance. He wrote to churches which were
composed of Jewish and heathen Christians. There were no
other Churches in the Diaspora. The heathens also he, con
siders to be members of " the twelve tribes," inasmuch as,
although not participators in outward circumcision, they pos
sessed the "circumcision of the heart," (Romans ii. 28, 29,) and
because they were spiritual, if not fleshly, sons of the Patri
archs. We may make the same remarks in connection with
the superscription of the Epistle of Peter. He addresses his
readers as " the elect strangers scattered abroad." This was a
designation which belonged to the Jews of the Diaspora.
Without hesitation Peter applies it to Christians, the true
Jews. That the Churches did not consist even mainly of
Jewish Christians is sufficiently proved by chap. iv. 3, 4.
Were the superscription to be understood in a Jewish sense,
the letter would have been addressed, not to Jewish Christians,
but to all the Jews of the Diaspora. It is not aUowable, as
might be suggested, to distinguish between the strangers and
the Diaspora : both must be used either in the Christian, or
in the Jewish sense. We should judge the character of the
Church to be heathen-christian, from 1 Peter iii. 6, also, where
the Apostle, speaking to the believing women, says, " ye have
become the daughters of Sarah." On which Bengel remarks,
" Ye have become, not, ye are ; for he speaks to heathens who
had become behevers." Here also, there lies at the foundation,
the idea that the Christian Church is the true seed of Abraham,
the true Israel, that the unbelief of the seed of Abraham and
of Israel excludes, whilst faith incorporates, and that the Jews
are only the Israel whieh is after the flesh, Israel merely in
appearance. The " hundred and forty and four thousand who were sealed
out of aUthe tribes of Israel," (Apocalypse vH. 4,) cannot refer
to Israel in the common acceptation of the word. For the
plagues against which those were ensured who underwent the
seahng, are inflicted on the whole earth, and threaten equaUy
all those who, according to ohap. v. 9, 10, are redeemed by

436 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
the blood of Christ, out of every kindred and tongue, and
people and nation, and are made kings and priests to their
God ; but nothing whatever is said to indicate that the Jewish
Christians were to be special participators therein. How
strange, then, if the seer should receive consolation for only a
part of those who were threatened ! If all were in tribulation,
comfort should be, and is, in fact, afforded to aU. According
to ver. 3, the servants of God in general are to be sealed, and
to understand by them only Jewish Christians is simple arbi
trariness." The hundred and forty and four thousand are men
tioned again in chap, xiv., and there unquestionably they re
present the entire host of Christians : — they are redeemed
from the earth, from the whole human race. Those to whom
we are introduced here, as preserved on earth, are set before
us in verses 9-17, enjoying their heavenly blessedness. They
are " a multitude whom no man can number, of every nation,
and tribe, and people, and tongue." And, be it remarked,
the expression, " a multitude which no man can number," is
one characteristicaUy used to denote Israel or the Church, (see
Genesis xiii. 1 6 ; xv. 5 : Numbers xxiH. 1 0.) To say, then,
that they cannot be numbered, is equivalent to calling them
Israel, as in ver. 4.
That the idea of Israel was completely one with that of the
Christian Church in the view of the author of the Apocalypse,
is evident also from chap. xxi. 1 2. According to this passage
on the gates of the city, which typified the Church in the
kingdom of glory, — the city, namely, in whose light the
heathen walk, (chap. xxi. 24,) into which all who overcome
are received without distinction of nation, (chap. xxi. 7,) and
from which, without distinction of nation, all are excluded
who work abominations or do a lie, names are written, which
are the twelve tribes of the chUdren of Israel.
So much, therefore, is certain — that in the view of the
Scriptures, the Christian Church is the legitimate continuation
of Israel. We are strengthened in this conviction when we
find that v. Oettingen's assertion — " only individual members
of the natural Israel had gone over to the Church of Christ ;
consequently on the whole and in general, it was a community
of heathen Christians," — may be shown to be unsupported by
historical evidence. In point of numbers, the Jewish converts

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 437
formed a very considerable part of the early Christian Church :
in point of influence they had so decidedly the predominance,
that they stamped on the whole Church a character which it
has retained in all ages. From them, for example, did the
Church learn to speak the language of Canaan, (Isaiah xix. 1 8.)
Of their number, at aU events, were the twelve Apostles,
whose names still stand on the foundations of the New Jeru
salem, whose writings stUl continue to be the light on the
path of the Church, and who, in the regeneration, will judge
the twelve tribes of' Israel. The high priestly prayer of
Jesus, which alludes to the Churcli on earth as already founded
(John xvH. 6-8,) although not a single heathen had as yet
been converted, brings clearly to view the fact that Israel is
the root of the Christian Church. After the crucifixion of
Christ, the crowds which, before, had cried out, " crucify Him,
crucify Him," struck by His superhuman dignity, smote their
breasts, and bewaUed the dead One and their crime, (Luke
xxiii. 48.) Therewith began a glorious movement, which led
great masses of penitent Jews to the Christian Church. The
centre of this movement was the first Christian Whitsuntide,
(Acts Hi. 1 5 ; iv. 4.) Its magnitude we may learn also from
Acts v. 1 4, " But there were the more added, such as believed
on the Lord : a multitude both of men and women." In
Acts xxi. 20, we find the elders in Jerusalem saying to Paul,
" thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are
which beheve ;" on which Bengel remarks, "in the case of all
these, circumcision went by degrees out of vogue, and, without
doubt, a great part of them mixed with the heathens which
had beheved. So large a proportion, therefore, of the seed of
Abraham, was not lost during so many centuries, as one might
be disposed to imagine." Paul says in Romans xi. 7, " Israel
hath not obtained that which he seeketh for ; but the election
hath obtained it, and the rest are hardened ;" but the emphasis
must by no means be laid merely on the last clause ; we must
fix our attention quite as strongly on the election which had
attained to redemption. To contrast the spiritual with the
natural Israel, on the ground of the misunderstood passage in
1 Corinthians x. 1 8, — a passage whose explanation must be
sought in Galatians iv. 29, — would be quite at variance with
the facts of history. Micah's prophetical words, " the remnant

438 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
of Jacob shaU be in the midst of many, as a dew from the
Lord, and as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for
man, nor waiteth upon the sons of men. Yea, the remnant
of Jacob shaU be among the heathen, in the midst of many
people, as a lion amongst the beasts of the forest, as a young
lion amidst a flock of sheep, which no one can keep off ; when
he goeth through them he treadeth down and teareth in pieces,"
(chap. v. 6, 7,) were completely fulfilled in the beginnings of
the Christian Church. At that time the election of Israel
proved itself a lovely and quickening power in the midst of
the nations, and' at the same time, also terrible and irresistible.
This latter characteristic served the purpose not merely of a
curse on their stiff-necked despisers, but also of a blessing to
such as were estranged from the kingdom of God through
ignorance. Then also were the words of Isaiah in chap. Ixvi.
1 8, 1 9, completely fulfiUed — " the time shall come to gather
together aU heathens and tongues, and they shall come and see
my glory. And I wUl give them a sign, (a token possessed
by the messengers of God in evidence of the spirit and power,)
and I wiU send those that escape of them into the nations,
to Tarshish, Phul and Lud, that draw the bow, to the isles afar
off, that have not heard my fame, neither seen my glory, and
they shaU declare my glory among the heathen."
The Christian Church being then the legitimate and proper
continuation of Israel, to it must belong most of the promises
which, superficially examined, are supposed to furnish a pledge
of the future salvation of the Jews. They have already found
their fulfilment in the victorious career pursued by the Church
through aU past centuries, in its irrepressible tendency to
spread out, to the very ends of the earth, in the spirit of re
formation by which it is swayed, and in the light which arises
to it ever afresh out of the darkness : — in a word, these pro
mises are being every day fulfilled before our eyes. It is a
sad denial of the grace vouchsafed by God to His Church, to
refer the glorious promises of Scripture almost exclusively to the
future, not to be able to follow out the hidden traces of divine
blessing, both in the past and the present, to faU to discern in
the Church the true Israel, and in its place to dress up an
Israel of the fancy out of the Jews, to speak slightingly of the
Church, and contrast with it that kingdom of God which is

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 439
first to come when the Jews are converted. This is one of
the many subjective aberrations of the present day, which must
vanish as soon as the Church has been awakened to a sounder
estimate of its position and privileges. Indeed, one might
prophecy the downfal of these opinions from the circumstance
of their late origin: they have against them the consentient
voice of aU the various sections of the entire Christian Church.
A recent writer has said, " It is not to be denied that, for
the Church as a whole, the Old Testament is of comparatively
Httle use ;" but then, by way of set off, we can console our
selves with the thought, that we are a community formed of
heathens, (see " Weiss agung und ErfuUung," by Dr v. Hoffman,
I. S. 46): and that is the necessary consequence of setting the
Jews in the place of the Church of Christ. But the apostle
teaches us, in 2 Timothy iii. 1 6, that " aU Scripture given by
inspiration of God is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, and for instruction in righteousness. That a man of
God may be perfect, fitted to every good work." The Scrip
tures of the Old Testament, to which those words primarily
refer, must have been differently interpreted by him who could
speak in such a way.
It cannot, however, with all this, on the other hand, be
denied, that the promises primarily given to the Israel of the
Christian Church are, at the same time, fitted to awaken and
sustain hopes concerning the Jews. Indeed, they give rise, if
not directly, yet indirectly, to such hopes. If the Christian
Church is no new institution, but simply the continuation of
Israel, and if it has such glorious promises, we must naturally
expect that the physical descendants of the Patriarchs, who are
converted, will not be hmited to thecomparativelyscantynumber
hitherto brought in, but that they wiU yet attain to greater
importance in the kingdom of God. That great weight is laid
upon them, we learn from the history of the Patriarchs. Isaac's
birth is there the central feature of the narrative. The long
details given concerning the birth of the sons of Jacob, show
that quite another importance attached to the physical pos
terity of the Patriarchs, in relation to the kingdom of God, than
attached to those who should be received into Israel from the
heathen world. Through long centuries the proselytes from
.the heathen were merely of secondary importance. Specially

440 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
to the physical descendants of the Patriarchs belonged, in the
first instance, " the sonship, and the glory, and the covenants,
and the law, and the service, and the promise," (Romans ix. 4).
In proof of the abiding importance of that connection with the
Patriarchs, which is after the flesh, our Lord sent. back the
Canaanitish woman with the words, " I am not (primarily)
sent, save unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel," and left
her to secure for herself an exceptional position by her heroic
faith. In Matthew x. 5, 6, the Lord says to the apostles,
" Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into cities of the
Samaritans enter ye not ; but go rather to the lost sheep of
the house of Israel :" and in the same spirit Peter says to those
who were Jews by birth, " Unto you first, God, having raised
up His Son Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away
every one of you from his iniquities" (Acts Hi 26). Paul also
says, in Acts xiU. 26, " Men and brethren, children of the
stock of Abraham, to you is the word of tiiis salvation sent :"
and in verse 46, "It was necessary that the word of God
should first be spoken unto you." Our Lord designates the
descendants of the Patriarchs, " Sons of the kingdom," regno
proximi, those to whom the kingdom of God primarily belongs.
Stiff-necked impenitence must of course end in the loss of these
prospects. The Lord saith, in Matthew xxi. 43, " Therefore
say I unto you, the kingdom of God shaU be taken from you
and be given to a nation bringing forth the fruit thereof."
This "people" is the true Israel, the "election" mentioned by
Paul, into which the believing heathen are brought by affilia
tion. We cannot, however, suppose that, during the age of
the apostles, a final decision had been arrived at on this matter.
AH the means of grace were not then exhausted. The crush
ing of hardness is a work of centuries. Even under the Old
Covenant great differences are discernible. After the exile the
nation was much more susceptible than before. Then the
words of the earlier prophets, which for many long years had
been spoken to the wind, fell into hearts rendered susceptible
by trial. Even on the strictest scriptural view of human
nature, it appears scarcely possible to account for the extent
of the hardness of the Jews, unless we suppose it to be the
work of destiny as well as the result of guilt, unless we assume
that God, in righteous retribution, has hitherto kept back from

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 441
them the full treasure of his redemptive influences, to the end
that they may first be thoroughly humbled, and then be
brought back, to prove a blessing and not a hindrance to the
kingdom of God. Our expectation is, that the main assault on
their hardness of heart remains stiU to be made in the future.
These, however, are but probabilities and conclusions, which,
however commendable in themselves, want still the seal of
confirmation. If they are sound, then must the Scriptures
contain such a seal of confirmation in the shape of declarations,
which directly bear on the future salvation of the Jews. Such
declarations exist, and although their number is but limited,
they are so clear as to leave no room for tenable doubts. The
declarations of the New Testament furnish the only satisfac
tory groundwork for the understanding of those of the Old
Testament, and therefore we should in fairness begin with the
former. To ground our hopes of the future merely on the
latter, is to surrender the Church to the Jews. No one can
think of doing so who understands the general relation in
which the New Testament stands to the prophecies of the Old
Testament : that part of them which was not fulfilled at the
first appearance of Christ is taken up again by the New Testa
ment writers, and treated both most carefully, and according
to a thoroughly digested plan. Such an one recognises the
rule — that whatever hope for the future does not recur in the
New Testament, can be found in the Old Testament only by
means of a false method of interpretation.
Now, first, do we see the great importance of the words
spoken by the Saviour on the cross : " Father, forgive them,
for they know not what they do." There can be no doubt
that they referred, not merely to the Roman soldiers, but to
all who, either directly or indirectly, were concerned in the cru
cifixion, and specially to the Jewish nation, which had deHvered
up the Lord to the Romans (John xviii. 35). As Christ
always prays according to the will of God, we may judge that,
behind the prayer, " Father, forgive them," there lay hidden
the assurance, " the Father wiU forgive them." It is of great
importance also to mark the ground on which the prayer is
urged  " for they know not what they do." We must exa
mine it in connection with the declarations of the New Testa
ment regarding the sin against the Holy Ghost, and, above

442 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
aU, in the light of the words of the Lord in Matthew xii. 31;
32, "wherefore I say unto you, aU manner of sin and blas
phemy shaU be forgiven unto men, but the blasphemy against the
Holy Ghost shaU not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever
speaketh a? word, (or doeth anything, for the restriction to speak
ing was entirely owing to the circumstances in which Christ was
then placed,) against the Son of man, it shaU be forgiven him,
but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not
be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to
come." A characteristic feature of him who sins against the
Holy Ghost is, that he knows what he does. This sin con
sists in a man's intentionally hardening himself against the
truth, which the Holy Ghost presents to him, by means of an
inward and most efficient action on his mind. Individual
Jews had committed the sin against the Holy Ghost, and
knew "what they did. We see this in the example of Judas,
who was more than a mere separate individual, — -who repre
sented a class. We learn the same thing, further, from Mat
thew xii. 31, 32. The Lord uttered his warning concerning
the' sin against the Holy Ghost in the presence of those who
were on the point of committing it, or, who were aheady half
involved therein. The account of such men is already closed:
it. were better for them had they never been born; for they
can never attain to salvation, and there is nought before them
but " a fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation,
which shall destroy those who resist." In regard, however,
to the mass of the nation, the Lord, the heart-searcher, gives
us the comforting assurance that they know not what they
do, that they have not committed the unpardonable sin, that
the Holy Spirit has not yet exhausted all his means of influ
encing them, that their sin is predominantly one against the
Son of man. Therewith also is directly connected the pledge,
that the powerful aid of the Holy Spirit wiU be rendered
unto them, and the duty laid upon us, of interceding for
them; inasmuch as their sin is not that "sin unto death,"
concerning which the Apostle writes, " I do not say that ye
shaU pray for it" (1 John v. 16.) In connection with the
declaration of the Lord, we may take the Words of the chief
among the Apostles in Acts iii. 1 7, " And now, brethren, I
know that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 443
rulers." The Old Testament prepares the way for the New
Testament doctrine of the sin against the Holy Ghost, by dis
tinguishing between sins which are committed in ignorance
or weakness, and presumptuous sins, that is, such as are com
mitted with a high hand. For the former, it was possible to
make atonement by sacrifices, — under the New Covenant, by
the expiatory sacrifice of Christ: he, only, who sinned with a
high hand was destroyed from his people; " for he had blas
phemed the Lord, and despised the word of the Lord" (Num
bers xv. 27-31).
A stiU more solid ground of hope is laid by the declaration
of the Lord in Matthew xxiii. 38, 39, "Behold your house is
left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, ye shall not see
me henceforth, tiU ye shaU say, Blessed is he that eometh in
the name of the Lord." The Lord spake these words, just as
he was on the point of quitting the Temple for ever. The
Temple was Israel's house, the whole nation dwelt therein
spirituaUy with the Lord, and was tended by Him with a
fatherly love and care: — such is the view to be found in
almost every part of the Old Testament (compare, for example,
Psalm xxvH. 4, xxxvi 9, Ixv. 5, 84.) In token of this same
thing, the Israelites were obliged to assemble themselves out
wardly before the Lord in Jerusalem at the great yearly
festivals. Spiritually considered, the house became desolate
at the moment when the Son of God left it; for the
departure of the Son implied the departure of the Father
also. From that hour the temple was a spiritual rain, not
withstanding that it continued to retain its outward grandeur.
Nor, when the spiritual desolation is accomplished, can the
external fail soon to follow — it must come in its time, at no
distant day. Daniel, in chapter ix, prophesied that outward
ruin would follow in the train of the destruction of the Anointed
One. It is the manner of God to throw down mere appear
ances in His Kingdom, to destroy visibly that which is spiri
tuaUy a ruin: — for example, the secularization of monasteries,
followed on their degeneracy into worldliness. Even in Eze
kiel (see chapter xi. 23) the glory of the Lord is represented
as going up from the midst of the city, ere the implements of
punishment are employed. That which was then effected by
the agency of the Chaldeans, the Romans were now destined

444 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
to accomplish. But destruction is not the final end and aim
of God's deahng with the people of His choice. From this
time forth, they shaU not see him, untU they say, " Blessed be
He that eometh in the name of the Lord." In this is clearly
implied that at some future day they wUl speak thus; and
that, by necessary consequence, they wUl see Him, whom to
see, is the only source of redemption. The Lord put inten
tionaUy, into the mouths of those who should turn to Him,
the words with which the multitudes had once welcomed His
approach (Matthew xxi. 9). That cry had originated in an
inward drawing towards the true King and Redeemer: — the
fact testified to the existence of such an impulse — an impulse
which has been constantly bursting forth afresh, from the
furthest background of consciousness, even in times of the
deepest darkness. However long it may be kept down by
powers and influences opposed to God, it wiU at last make
way. Bengel remarks with perfect justice, " He does not
add again, (' they shaU say again, Blessed &c.') although
the people had once akeady thus hailed his approach (Mat
thew xxi. 9.) For they had not all cried unto him thus, and
those who did cry to him understood not what they said, as
Israel will one day understand : — for this reason they retracted
their words almost immediately. Formerly they spake feebly,
insufficiently: the next time they will speak worthily of the
name, to which their words refer." — That the seeing here re
ferred to is such as may take place before the second coming
of Christ is evident from the Lord's own words, " Where two
or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the
midst of them."
Such are the brief but pregnant hints given by the Lord:*
"the Jews wUl be converted; the Father wiU forgive them;
* Some have found an allusion to the future conversion of the Jews in those
words of our Lord, Matthew xxiv. 32 ; Mark xiii. 28; Luke xxi. 29), "Learn a
parable of the fig-tree. When his hranch is yet tender and putteth forth leaves,
ye know that summer is nigh." " The fig-tree occurs elsewhere as a symbol of the
Jewish nation, and it is used so here." "The sudden conversion aud collective
deliverance of Israel will be a sign — a prognostic of the end" (see v. Oettingen,
p. 203). But however much this interpretation may commend itself at first
sight, it cannot be regarded as well-founded. One consideration alone decides
against it, namely, that the entire discourse of the Lord refers primarily to His
coming to judge Jerusalem; as verse 34, explained naturally, expressly informs
us. Moreover the Lord himself forbids such an explanation, by saying that he

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 445
and they will attain to a participation in Christ and his sal
vation." Less is said than many might perhaps desire; but
all is promised that a rightly disposed heart can long after.
There are no privUeges; there is nothing that can give fresh
occasion to say, " thus doeth he not to any of the heathen" —
a saying which must be entirely forgotten under the New
Covenant. However hard it may be for the old Jewish man,
Christians ought to give no encouragement to its claims. A
fuU share in the precious redemption gained for the whole
world by the blood and death of the Saviour is open to the
Jews; but nothing more.
These hints are further carried out in the properly locus
classicus on this subject, namely, Romans xi. And we may
remark, by the way, that the Holy Scriptures are furnished
with such loci classici, around which other utterances may be
grouped, on all important subjects.
The Apostle shows what hopes may be entertained for the
Jews, firstly, from the nature of the case, and from facts
which are within everybody's reach, even though they are
not favoured with peculiar enlightenment. It is of course
implied that there is divine enlightenment in the background,
furnishing a pledge that we have not to do with a mere chain
of human reasoning, to which we may perchance oppose one
that is stiU more acute. Then, in ver. 25 ff, he comes for
ward with the prophetical aspect of his Apostolical vocation,
and in the form of a revelation of a mystery, he announces
the final conversion of Israel. This latter, is evidently the
main feature of the whole development; other considerations
on the contrary are, at the best, but secondary: for, in the
course of his revelation of the mystery the Apostle treats
solely and entfrely of the conversion of the Jews; whereas
in his previous argument he, at the same time, directed atten
tion to the blessed consequences which were to result to the
Christian Church, as a whole, from that conversion.
The argument drawn from the nature of the case, is con
centrated in the propositions — " If the first fruit be holy, then
is the lump also holy: and if the root be holy, so also are the
only refers to the fig-tree hy way of comparison. That the fig-tree comes under
notice simply in its quality of tree, is evident from Luke xxi. 29, " Behold the
fig-tree, and all trees."

446 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
branches holy:"1 — " if thou wert cut out of the oHve-tree which
is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a
good olive-tree; how much more shall these which be the
natural branches, be graffed into their own olive-tree." The
Apostle starts with the assumption, that the covenant with
the Patriarchs primarily, though, by no means exclusively,
concerned their physical descendants; that to them, first of
aff, must be offered the means whereby they may become true
members of the true Israel, of the Church, and partakers of
salvation. He presupposes, that this offer, of which, the grace
displayed towards the sons by adoption forms a new pledge,,
has not yet been made in its most efficient shape ; and. consi
ders it unquestionable that, once made, it wUl have results of
a cheerful and important kind.
But the Apostle does not content himself with simply an
nouncing the conversion of the Jews:— -in order to dispose
the heathen Christians to be very mild toward the Jews,; he
points out what a happy thing for the whole Church their
conversion will prove. This he does in two propositions: — ¦
ver. 1 2, " if the fall of them be the riches of the world,, and
their damage the riches of the GentUes, how much more
their fulness;" and verse 15, "if the casting away of them
be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving be,
but life from the dead." The words, "how much, more," of the,
first proposition are logical. They teach us that between th©/
conversion of Israel and. the riches of the heathen, there is a.
much more inward and necessary relation, than between the
rejection of the former and the riches of the latter. It is not
an increase of riches that is announced: it is not that the con
version of the Jews wiU be a source of still gi'eater blessing,
to the heathen, than their rejection. The emphasis in verse
15, rests on both the words "rejection" and "reception."
Surely we are not to imagine that this "Hfe from the dead"
is higher than that highest thing which it is at all possible
to utter, to wit, the Atonement: the idea must rather be, that
a more inward and necessary connection exists between the
" reception" and the salvation of the world, than between the
"rejection" and the salvation of the world. From chapter
vi. 1 3, where the Apostle writes to the Christians in Rome,
" commit yourselves to God as those which axe ahve from the

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 447
dead," and from Luke xv. 24, "this my son was dead and is
ahve again," we learn what to understand by the expression
" life from the dead"— we learn that it is a spiritual re-enliv-
enment, and awakening. In Apocalypse Hi. 1, we read, " thou
hast a name to live, and art dead." Verse 1 2 of the chapter
under consideration tells us in a general way, that the con
version of the Jews wiU be a source of great blessing for the
heathen Christians: verse 15 describes more carefully the
kind and, mode of the blessing. It will consist in this — that
the life from the dead to which the Jews awaken, wUl exert
an awakening, a quickening influence on the whole Church.
There is nothing whatever in the words of the Apostle to
lead us to conceive of the Church as having, up to this point,
been totaUy dead, or of this Hfe from the dead as the only one.
Even in Churches whose Hfe is most energetic, there always re
mains much that is dead, that needs reviving. Their most Hving
members have ever much that is dead in themselves. Together
with wise, there are also the foolish virgins, who become
weary and fall to sleep, when the bridegroom delays. And
therefore, when the Apostle distinctly says that life from the
dead will issue forth from the conversion of the Jews, he
neither denies those awakenings which it did not lie in his
present purpose to consider, nor shows any intention of assign
ing them a subordinate position. He does not in general
speak comparatively. It was sufficient for his purpose, that
the conversion of the Jews would prove in a high degree
beneficial to the whole Church, and that connected with it
there would be a grand awakening. And here we may re
mark, that a glorious "life from the dead" must precede the
conversion of the Jews. This conversion can only be regarded
aa the product of a deep awakening in the Church, which is
mainly constituted of Heathen Christians, whose own fire
wiH, in consequence of this event, be made to burn stiU more
fervently. God's method is not to work directly, or so to
speak speciaUy, in his kmgdom: He always works on men by
means of men. Christians are not made except by Christians.
But aU doubts are excluded by the consideration that the
prophetical announcements of the Old Testament not only
represent the Jews as the instruments of God for the conver
sion of the heathen world,, but also the converted heathen

448 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
as the instruments by which the restoration of Israel wiU be
effected. But to this end they must needs first be made ahve
from the dead; for only Hfe can produce life.
In the course of his revelation of the mystery, Paul says,
" Bhndness in part is happened to Israel," — (compare verse 7,
" the election obtaineth it; the rest are hardened") — " untU
the fulness of the Gentiles be come in ; and so all Israel will
be saved." From this we see that the " Hfe from the dead,"
which Israel's conversion is to effect, will manifest itself within
the compass of the Christian Church, principally in the awak
ening of its outward members, and not in missionary work,
carried on amongst the heathen by the restored Israel. Indeed,
of this latter kind of activity nothing is said in Old Testament
prophecy. The conversion wiU be first effected, when the
fulness of the GentUes is already brought in. When it is said,
that all Israel wiU be saved, we are not of course to suppose
that every individual Jew will attain to the salvation of Christ
in an inward and Hving way. Such a view would necessarily
lead to the unscriptural doctrine of the restitution of aU things ;
for if one nation were capable of redemption as a nation, it
would involve the Hke capability in the whole human race. It
is further at variance, both with the parable of the five wise
and five foohsh virgins ; with the words of our Lord, " Enter
in at the strait gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way
that leads to destruction ; and many there be that walk therein.
And narrow is the gate and strait the way that leads to life,
and few there be that find it ;" and finaUy, with the passages
which treat of the sin against the Holy Ghost. In face of
these facts, it is not enough to say, that the Scriptures use the
word all " with a certain limitation, either expressed or im-
pHed;" as, for example, in Genesis vi. 13, " The end of aU
flesh is come before me ;" and afterwards, in the account of
the plagues of Egypt. A more thorough limitation is neces
sary than is afforded by the assertion, that a decidedly superior
majority may be described as all. Such a Hmitation as we
require is at once suggested by the observation, that, as pre
viously, the " fulness of the heathen" did not signify the entire
number of individual heathens, so here, by " aU Israel," we
are to understand, not every individual, but the national
community as such. The idea is, that hatred of Christ wiU

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 449
cease to be the animating principle of the nation as a nation ;
and that, on the contrary, Christ and His Church wUl become
the centre and focus of its life. Similarly, it is remarked by
PhiHppi, in his commentary on this passage (see his Romerbrief),
" the gurripia here consists in the objective divine act, of receiv
ing the people of God again into the theocracy. This will
extend, without exception, to the whole nation. Means and
powers, for the subjective conversion of aU the individuals re
ceived into the kingdom of God, are thus potentially established,
and, as may be foreseen, they wiU operate on by far the greater
number of the people. Love, that hopeth aU things, sets no
limits to the number of the converted. Elsewhere, also, the
apostle characterises entire Christian communities as dyiovg ;
we might therefore say, looking only to the invitations of
God's word, and the gracious influences given in the sacrament
of baptism, at the present day, that the whole of Christian
Europe, as distinguished from the unbelieving Jews in its
midst, have become participators in eotrripla."
With respect to the time when the conversion of Israel will
take place, the apostle has not expressed himself distinctly. That
it must be after the termination of the present course of the world,
is evident from the circumstance of the previous bringing in
of the fulness of the heathen. It may, however, be assumed,
that the close of the present historical development, which is
now, with rapid strides, drawing nigh, and the commencement
of God's work among the Jews, will meet and touch, and that
both, for an indefinite period, wiU advance together. Dr.
Philippi concludes, with perfect justice, from verses 12, 15,
where blessed results for the entire Church, for that Church
which consists chiefly of heathen Christians, are represented
as flowing from the conversion of the Jews ; that after this
conversion " a new development in the kingdom of God will
be initiated."
Having ascertained the existence of such decided testimonies
to a future conversion of the Jews in the New Testament, we
may go to the Old Testament, with the expectation of finding
this hope of the Church clearly and distinctly expressed : nor
are we deceived in our anticipations. There are many passages
which cannot be referred to the Christian Church as the legi
timate continuation of Israel, although it is the principal object
2f

450 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
of the prophetical proclamations, but concern rather the phy-
sical posterity of the Patriarchs.
The subject of the second part of the Song of Songs, from
chapter v. 2 to the end, is, "first, the offence against the hea
venly Solomon, and the judgment ; then the repentance, and the
re-union which is effected, with the co-operation of the daughters
of Jerusalem ; that is, with the aid of those same converted
heathen nations to whom they themselves had previously
brought salvation. Hereupon the old relation of love is fully
re-established, and, in consequence, the daughter of Zion takes
up once more her position in the centre of the kingdom of
God. In contrast to the instability of the earher, the new
and later covenant of love is set before us as inviolable." At
present, however, we can only just aUude to the testimony of
the Song of Songs. Before a decided stress can be laid upon
it, the Church must be stirred up to the formation of a more
settled judgment respecting the interpretation of that book.
But Isaiah Ixvi. 18-20 is a passage of briUiant clearness.
With the threatenings which he had uttered, the prophet con
nects the caUing of the heathen, by way of suitable contrast
to the rejection of a great part of the covenant people. Then,
in verse 20, he adds : " And they shaU bring aU your brethren,
out of all nations, for an offering to the Lord, upon horses and
in chariots, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord,
as the chUdren of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel, into
the house of the Lord." The subject to the verb " bring" is
the heathen, to whom the message of salvation had been pro
claimed. These, having themselves attained to salvation, bring,
as an offering to the Lord, the former members of His king
dom. They then, and not the heathen who had beheved, are
described throughout the second part of Isaiah as brethren.
Salvation passes first from Israel to the heathen, and then
returns from the latter to the former.
With this declaration, in which Isaiah takes up again the
announcement of chapter xi. 1 2, — " The Lord setteth up an
ensign for the nations, and assembleth the outcasts of Israel,
and gathereth together the dispersed of Judah from the four
corners of the earth "—is connected the proclamation of Ze
phaniah : " Then wiU I turn to the people a pure lip, that they
may all caU upon the ijame of the Lord, to serve Him with

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 451
one shoulder. From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia shaU they
bring my suppliants, the daughter of my dispersed, for a meat
offering." The pure hp of the heathen nations is put in con
trast to the impure Hps with which they had hitherto caUed
upon their idol gods. The scattered members of the congre
gation beseech the Lord to receive them again into His fellow
ship, and this their cry cannot remain unheard, because they
who utter it are closely related to the Lord ; because, although
enemies in regard to the Gospel, they are beloved according to
election, and for the fathers' sake (Romans xi. 28). " The
daughter of my dispersed," is the daughter, or community,
which consists of the dispersed of the Lord. By this descrip
tion alone we are led to think of the dispersed members of the
old congregation, for only they could be designated " the dis
persed of the Lord." Add to this the reference to Deuteronomy
iv. 27 : " The Lord shall scatter you among the nations" (chap.
xxviii. 64) — which threat, at the time of Zephaniah, had
already been executed on the ten tribes, and was soon to begin
to be executed on Judah. In the symbolism of the Mosaic
law, the presentation of a meat-offering signified zeal in good
works, which is the characteristic ' sign of the saved. One
result of this zeal is the missionary work, in which the heathens
are here represented as engaging.
After the return from the Babylonish captivity, prophecy once
more underwent rejuvenescence in Zechariah. In chap. xi. and
in chap. xiU. 7 he displays a clear knowledge of the crime which,
at a future day, Israel will commit against the good Shepherd,
who is connected with the Lord by a secret unity of nature, and
in whom the angel of the Lord manifests himself; but, along
therewith, he announces also Israel's repentance. The pro
phecy, extending from chap. xii. 1 to chap. xiii. 6, falls into
two parts, of which the one (chap. xH. 1-9) describes the vic
tory obtained by the people of God over its enemy, the heathen
world; and the other, the conversion of the sons of the kingdom.
We read in verse 1 0, " And I pour out upon the house of
David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of
grace and of supplications : and they look to me whom they
have pierced, and they mourn over him as one mourneth for
his only son, and they are sad for him as one that is sad for
his firstborn." Ver. 11, "In that day shaU there be a great

452 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in
the valley of Megiddon." Ver. 1 2, " And the land mourneth,
every famUy apart ; the family of the house of David apart,
and their wives apart ; the famUy of the house of Nathan
apart, and their wives apart." Ver. 13, "The family of the
house of Levi apart, and their wives apart ; the famUy of
Shimei apart, and their wives apart." Ver. 14, "All the
families that remain, apart, and their wives apart." Chapter
xiii. 1, "In that day wiU there be a fountain opened to the
house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin
and uncleanness."
There can be no doubt that the fulfilment of this prophecy
does not belong entirely to the future. We learn from Luke
xxUi. 48, that it began to be fulfilled immediately after the
crucifixion of Christ. The multitudes which, a short time
before, had cried, "crucify Him," struck by the proofs of
Christ's superhuman dignity, smite on their breasts, bewaUing
him who is dead and their own crime. Then began a grand
movement, which ended in great multitudes of penitent Israel
ites being received into the bosom of the Christian Church.
That, however, is not aU ; nor is it enough to refer to the
supplications of the Jews who, in every century of the Church's
existence, have sought and found in Christ a fountain for sin
and uncleanness : such cases form rather only the necessary
prelude to the real and comprehensive fulfilment of the pro
phecy. For the prophet puts forth every effort in ver. 11-14,
to depict the mourning as most widely diffused and most in
tense in its character. He compares it with a mourning of
former days, — with that most painful sorrow, which was ex
perienced by the whole nation, at the death of the pious King
Josiah. Then he names two of the principal tribes, and, in
order to indicate that the conversion will be a thorough one,
going from the beginning to the end, he further specifies two
of the chief families of these tribes, associating with them all
the rest of the famihes. Thus did he express the idea of
the totality of the nation, and declare, with Paul, in another
form, that "all Israel" should be saved.
Such are the hopes for the Jews which the Holy Scriptures
of the Old and New Testament afford us. Everything else
gathers round the declarations of Him who said, " Heaven~and

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 453
earth shaU pass away, but my words shall not pass away," as
round a centre. A visible support for these hopes some have
in aU ages found in the fact that the Jews have been kept
through so many centuries and so many dangers, whilst all
their neighbouring nations have utterly disappeared. Job.
Gerhard, for example, in his exposition of the grounds for a
future conversion of the Jews, says — ¦" To this must be added,
that of the oldest nations the Jews alone have been preserved,
notwithstanding their manifold fates, captivities, and scatter
ings, and have been separated from all peoples by religion and
a certain form of civil constitution. All which appears to
imply that they are reserved for a distinguished conversion
and display of grace in the future." The fact is undoubtedly
a very remarkable one. They, however, have gone too far who
have found a prediction thereof in the words of the Lord — -
" Verily I say unto you, this race shall not pass, till all these
things be fulfiUed," (Matt. xxiv. 34). To understand by "this
race," the Jews, is the effect of an exegesis in embarrassment,
such as surely ought not to exist at this late period. The
explanation which first suggests itself, " this generation," suits
the circumstances of the time admirably — there were then
stiU forty years to the destruction of Jerusalem : it accords
with the principal Old Testament passage on this subject,
Habakkuk i. 5, where, in reference to the Chaldean catastrophe,
that type of the Roman destruction, which again was a type,
a microcosm, of the judgment of the world, it is said, " I work
a work in your days :" it suits verse 35, where, after the
time had in a general way been determined, — that is, whilst
the generation lasted, — the exact point of time is described
as hidden. We must not forget to notice that verse 36 does
not speak of time in general, but more precisely of the day
and hour.
But the preservation of the Jewish people is not the only
visible support. In aU ages, hold has been furnished to the
hopes of the Church, and a prelude to their fulfilment, by
the remarkable individual conversions of Jews which have
taken place. During the Middle Ages a Lyra and a Paulus
Burgensis did the Church excellent service by their gifts in
the interpretation of Scripture : and a Hermann von Kappen-
berg adorned it by his genuine piety. But our own century

454 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
furnishes unexampled support of this kind. Many facts lead
us to expect that the way is being prepared for the revelation
of the mystery proclaimed by the Apostle. The power of
Judaism is broken. It is crumbling to pieces before our eyes.
The more earnestly therefore is the Church admonished to lay
these promises to heart. It is not a question of destinies
which will be accomplished without its co-operation. Accord
ing to prophecy the exalted work of bringing back the Jews
is entrusted to the daughters of Jerusalem, the heathen nations
whose conversion went forth from Jerusalem : and now that
the time is approaching they should prepare themselves for
commencing their work.
Having now exhibited those hopes for the Jews which are
warranted by the Scriptures, let us now go on to consider
more carefully those which are unfounded.

Ill EXAMINATION OF TEACHINGS UNSUPPORTED
BY SCRIPTURE.
We have shown that the Church builds on the sure founda-:
tion of the Word of God when it hopes for the future convert
sion of the Jews, and expects that event to exert a mighty
influence on its whole life. We propose now to show that
whatever goes beyond these hopes, as cherished by the Chris
tian Church, with few exceptions, in all ages, is of men's in
vention, and based on incorrect interpretations of the Word
of God. Although our task is now mainly a negative, de
structive one, it is no less important, provided we hit the
mark, than the positive, constructive one. It is said in Deu
teronomy vi. 2, " ye shall not add unto the word which I
command you, neither shall ye diminish aught from it, that
ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which
I command you." That which is here said primarily in regard
to the commands of God, is expressly applied to prophecy in
the Apocalypse (see chap. xxii. 18). The members of the
Church are thus most emphaticaUy warned to be on their
guard against any fancies of their own in respect to their hopes
of the future.
The opinion which we have to test by the Word of God is

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 455
the following : — that the Jews wiU be received into the bosom
of the Christian' Church not as individuals, but will be con
verted as a nation. Dr. Baumgarten has even gone so far as
to maintain that whereas all other nationalities will perish,
the Jewish wiU again gloriously revive and flourish ; and that
the Jewish nation wUl return to Canaan and there enjoy the
richest physical blessings. In Jerusalem, splendidly restored,
the temple is to rise afresh with its sacrificial rites, and to form
a centre for the entire Christian Church. From the national
and social life of Israel, whose centre is the temple, and in
which divine and human, spiritual and natural elements com
mingle and interpenetrate, joy and Hfe wiU stream forth to all
nations* " To the people of Israel belongs, once for all, the
destiny to be receiver and mediator of divine revelations. —
As a priest is related to the people, so is the kingdom of Israel
related to humanity : — it is the medium of its relations to
God. — Ever since they were rejected divine revelation has
been dumb. — Hence, if revelations are to begin again in the
kingdom of the thousand years, converted Israel must once
more take up its position at the head of mankind. What the
glorified priest-kings are in heaven, that is the Israehtish
priest-kingdom on earth. — Paul is the Apostle of the heathen,
and he devoted his whole life to their conversion. Yet even
he regards the time during which they predominate in the
kingdom of God, and Israel are excluded, merely as an inter
lude in the development of the divine kingdom." f
Our first inquiry is, — In what relation does the New Tes
tament stand to these views, so peculiar, and so unheard of Hi
the Christian Church for many centuries ? The attempt has
naturaUy been made to bring proofs from it, in their favour :
in our opinion they will not bear a strict scrutiny. " The
Lord Himseff," says Dr. DeHtzsch, % "opens up the prospect of
the restoration of Jerusalem in Luke xxi. 24, and when the
disciples asked him at what time he would restore the kingdom
to Israel, He refused 'to reveal to them the exact time, but did
not deny the fact," (Acts i. 6-8).
* Baumgarten, " Commentary on the Pentateuch," vol. ii.
t Auberlen, " Der Prophet Daniel und die Offenbarung Johannis," S. 846-47,
355. J " Bibl. Proph. Theologie," S. 124.

456 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
In the former passage (Luke xxi. 24) we read, " And Jeru
salem will be trodden down of the heathen, until the times of
the heathen shaU be fulfiUed." We ought not, with Prof.
Auberlen, to understand by the " times of the heathen," the
time of the heathen-Christian Church, at whose close Jerusalem
shall faU to the lot of the converted Jews. The whole context
shows that the "heathen," can be no other than the heathen
nations, which are inimical to the kingdom of God — not those
which are christianized. This is evident, both from the " tread
ing down," and from the fact that the heathenish Romans
made a commencement thereof when they took Jerusalem.
The times of the heathen can only be the times during which
God suffers the heathen to tread down Jerusalem. They will
come to an end, either when the heathens are converted, accord-;
ing to the announcement in Romans xi. 25, that " the fulness
of the Gentiles shaU be brought into the kingdom of God ;"
or, when their power has been overthrown by the Divine judg
ments, and a Christian dominion established in its place. By
way of prelude, the treading down of Jerusalem by the heathen
(amongst whom, from the biblical point of view, must be
reckoned the Mohammedans) has already twice ceased — once
under Constantine, and once in the time of the Crusades, when
a Christian kingdom existed at Jerusalem. On the ground of
this saying of the Lord, we expect a final and definitive reali
sation of that which was thus temporarUy brought to pass.
Jerusalem will once more be brought under Christian rule : — -
this event, pledged to us by the word of God, historical events
have made it now easier to expect than ever it was before.
The " sick man" is himself more and more giving up all hope
of life, in sign of the severity and hopelessness of his disorder.
Intelligent travellers testily that the Turks are possessed by a
conviction that their day is nearly at an end. But we hear
not a single word of Jerusalem delivered being given to the
converted Jews, of its taking up a position in the centre of the
world, and of the temple being erected anew. Bengel, who
altogether took the right view of the passage, remarks, with
perfect justice, " It does not teach that the temple and its
shadowy service will be re-established : there wUl, notwith
standing, at that day, be many Christians there, as, indeed,
many are there now ; and they will be of the people of Israel"

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 457
Jerusalem will undoubtedly become the portion of Israel ; but
of the Israel of the Christian Church*
In the second passage, adduced by Dr Delitzsch, namely,
Acts i 6-8, the apostles ask the Lord, after His resuirection,
" Lord, wUt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to
Israel ? But He said unto them, it is not for you to know the
times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own
power ; but ye shall receive the power of the Holy Spirit
coming upon you, and shaU be witnesses unto me, both in
Jerusalem and in aU Judea, and in Samaria, and to the utter
most part of the earth." " At His departure, the Lord pro
mises his disciples, first the Church, then the kingdom ;"-f- but
not a word is spoken concerning the Jews. What the apostles,
who had not yet received the Holy Ghost, understood by
Israel, may be a matter of indifference to us. In any case,
the Lord puts into the term Israel the higher scriptural idea
and meaning which it bears throughout the New Testament.
Israel is the Christian Church, consisting of the one stock of
believers of the ancient covenant people, into which believers
from the heathen are received, who, though spiritually depen
dent on the original sap and roots, yet enjoy the full rights of
citizens. To gather together this Israel from the Jews, and
from the whole heathen world, is the next great task. Then,
in due time, will the kingdom be bestowed upon Him, — that
kingdom of glory, described in Apocalypse xxi. and xxii, with
out any trace of a preference of the Jews.
Prof. Auberlen finds also in Matthew xix. 28, an allusion
" to an earthly Israelitish, though not a fleshly, kingdom o'f
glory," and draws from the passage the conclusion that, " Jesus,
like all the prophets and apostles, was a Chiliast."f We have,
however, already shown that the expression, " twelve tribes of
Israel," which the Lord employs, is not a designation of the
Jews, but of the entire Christian Church. Even if his words
referred to the " kingdom of the thousand years," it could not
involve a reference to the Jews, for there is no allusion what
ever to them in the locus classicus concerning that kingdom
* The absurd undertaking of Chr. Hoffmann and others in Wiirtemberg, ought
not to have been met by the objection, that only born Jews are destined to the
possession of Jerusalem. Sound exegesis is decidedly in their favour.
t Auberlen, S. 357.

458 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
But we are not warranted in assuming that the Lord's words
did refer to the "thousand years' kingdom." Even Bengel
says, " the promise given to the apostles loolcs beyond" The
regeneration, that is, the restoration to the condition depicted
in Genesis i, the complete frustration of the consequences of
the faU, presupposes the disappearance of death and sin, — both
which are represented as continuing during the "thousand
years' kingdom." The passage in question directs attention to
the days of the New Jerusalem, after the " thousand years'
reign," (see Apocalypse xxi. 2), to the new heaven and the new
earth, (see chap. xxi. 1), to that which is signified in the words,
" Behold, I make all things new," (verse 5). " To the Lord's
mention of the twelve tribes of Israel corresponds that of
Apocalypse xxi. 1 2. The glory promised to the apostles is
manifestly a lasting one, such as can only be reahsed in the
New Jerusalem. Or are we to suppose that the apostles wiU
again descend from their thrones at the end of the thousand
years? Prof. v. Hoffmann (see his Schrifibeweis ii, 2, s. 76) urges
that, notwithstanding the rejection of the Jews, Christ calls
Jerusalem "the holy place" (Luke xxi. 20 ; compare Matthew
xxiv. 1 5), even at the very moment when he was speaking of
the judgment with which his people were to be visited. But
the designation, " holy place/' is never elsewhere used but of
the Temple, and, foUowing the principal passage, Daniel ix. 27,
we can think of nothing else in Matthew xxiv. 15. The
paraUel passage in Luke furnishes no evidence in favour of
Jerusalem : the Lord had given two tokens of the impending
destruction, an internal one, recorded by Matthew, and an ex
ternal one complementarily added by Luke. Moreover, not a
word is said implying that the Temple will continue to be
sacred after the destruction : on the contrary, the holy place,
having been internally desecrated by the " abomination," must
of necessity be destroyed, and outwardly profaned.
Importance has also been attached to the fact, " that imme
diately after giving an account of the crucifixion of Jesus,
Matthew caUs Jerusalem the holy city"* (Matthew xxvii. 53).
But he does so, evidently not because of its future importance,
but because of the great events of which it had been the scene
* v. Hoffman, S. 77.

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 459
in the past. Had not Jerusalem been, shortly before, the
theatre of the most glorious doings in the history of the world ?
We might, with the same fairness, conclude, from Peter's de
signating the mount of glorification "the holy mountain," that
this mountain will, at a future day, be' glorified; or, from the
mention of Horeb, the mount of God, in 1 Kings xix. 8, judge
that in the future God wiU once more reveal Himself on
Horeb. The ancient Jerusalem is even yet the holy city, in
the eyes of such as direct their expectant gaze solely to the
New Jerusalem.
Peter is asserted to have had in view " the glory of an exter
nal kingdom,"* when he said, in Acts iii. 19-21, " Repent ye
therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted
out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of
the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, which before
was offered unto you ; who must take possession of heaven,
until the time of the restitution of all things, which God hath
spoken by the mouth of aU His holy prophets since the world
began." But the "times of refreshing" are identical with the
"regeneration," spoken of in Matthew xix. 28 ; and the one
has as little to do with the "thousand years' reign" as the
other : stUl less has the passage anything to do with the sup
posed " glory of the kingdom of Israel." That the detailed
description thereof is given in Apocalypse xxi. 22, is as certain
as that its advent is set forth as contemporaneous with the
reappearance of Christ. Were we to suppose it to precede the
" thousand years' kingdom," Christ would be besieged in the
" beloved city" by Gog and Magog (Apocalypse xx. 9), and we
should be compeUed to imagine a second Passion. It is not
to be forgotten, that when Peter represents the inauguration
of the glorious future of the kingdom of God as " dependent
on the repentance and conversion of Israel," he is addressing
Jews. They are to do their part towards rendering possible
the blessed appearance of Christ. The same thing holds true
of the heathen. Their conversion also must precede the second
coming of Christ.
It is thought that, when St. Paul says in Romans xi. 26,
" there shall come out of Zion the Deliverer," he takes up
arms "against those who wished to have the physical Zion
* Auberlen, S. 355.

460 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
regarded only as the commencing, and not a^o as the final
scene of the New Testament redemptive revelations."'* But
what appropriateness would there then be in the expression
out of Zion? On the modern theory, the Jews are not to
be led back to Jerusalem till after their conversion. Then
first shaU Christ make his abode in Jerusalem. That the
Deliverer is to come out of Zion, shows clearly that the phy
sical Zion cannot possibly be meant. The more importance
must be attached to the phrase, " out of Zion," as, by an al
teration which all analogy would show to be intentional, the
Apostle has inserted the words "out of" into the Old Testa
ment quotation.. Isaiah lix. 20, the passage to which the
Apostle refers, reads in the original text, " and there eometh
to (or, for) Zion a redeemer:" the Septuagint rendering is "on
account of Zion." The Apostle could never have designed to
give the Jews the high title of Zion, to the undervaluing of the
Christian Church. He rather teaches that the true Zion exists
in all ages, that it exists before the conversion of the Jews,
and that salvation will come to the Jews, from the Saviour
who is present in and with his Church.-f
We have thus arrived at the conclusion that the New Tes
tament does not contain the slightest allusion to the supposed
" glory of the future kingdom of Israel." The importance of
this result will be manifest, if we consider bow frequently
inducements presented themselves, to mention that future
glory, if there were really a prospect of it. For example,
when the Lord announced so emphatically the destruction of
Jerusalem, saying, " Seest thou all these great buildings ?
Not one stone shall be left on another which shaU not be
broken," how easily might He have added a hint of its future
restoration, were it really appointed to take place. It must
especially surprise to find in Matthew xxii. 39, not a single
word of the rebuilding of the house, but merely to be told

* v. Hoffmann S. 77.
t So even Er. Junius, as quoted by Tholuck, "Paulus vero jam non dicit
venturum Sioni, venerat enim, sed pro ratione temporis, venturum ex Sion, i. e.
ex ecclesia, sua ut Judceis beneficiat," on which words Tholuck remarks, " if this
view be correct, Paul's idea would be that the missionary efforts which are to
produce such large results among the Jews will be put forth by the Gentile
Church."

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 461
that they wiU see the Lord. ' The same remark may be made in
respect to the proclamations of the destruction of Jerusalem.
If the physical Jerusalem is really to become again, in the
future, the place of salvation and blessing for the whole earth,
how can we account for the utter absence of any hints of
such an exaltation in the prophetic announcements of Christ?
Further, in Romans xi, where the Apostle discusses most care
fully the future prospects of the Jews, we naturally expect
all essential points to be enumerated: and yet the Apostle
says not a single word, of a new Church of the Jews, of the
restoration of Jerusalem, of the rebuilding of the Temple, or
indeed at all of a return of the former "beggarly elements."
Great stress must be laid too on the sUence of the Apocalypse.
It is the book in which the Lord confirms His promise to
reveal future things to his Apostles, recorded in John xvi. 1 3.
It is the prophetic portion of the New Testament. The New
Testament comprises no other prophetical book. In an un
broken line it passes on from the day of the Seer to the New
Jerusalem. Its attention is directed not only to the outward
fortunes of the Church but also to its internal state. The
greater the stress laid on the " future glory of the kingdom
of Israel," the more decidedly faith is demanded for it, so
much the more impossible does it appear that complete silence
should be observed in the Apocalypse concerning this return
of the kingdom of God from its end to its beginning. Yet it is
a fact that there is not the least hint thereof: and Vitringa
remarks with perfect justice — " in this book there is no spe
cial mention whatever of the Jewish Christians in distinction
from the heathen Christians, for the plain and simple reason,
that under the new economy all national distinctions in mat
ters of religion are abolished. Nowhere in the whole of the
Apocalypse can we find prophecies which affect the Jews, so
far as, in matters of religion, they are opposed to the heathen."
What Prof. Auberlen has said in explanation of this silence, con
ceded even by him, to wit, that it was intended for a heathen-
Christian age, "that it was a handbook of travel for the
Churches gathered from the midst of heathens, that Israel has
already Daniel and the other prophets," is certainly not suffi
cient. For, on the one hand, the only prophetical book of
the New Testament could not pass over in silence that most

462 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
important of aU catastrophes; and, on the other hand, the
prophecies of the Old Testament may not be transferred to the
Church of the New Covenant without further consideration —
they need elucidation, and must be first stamped with the seal
of confirmation. The word of God, which is a light to the
Church in all its ways, could not surely leave it to itself and
its own fancies in so extremely important, a matter as this.
We are no more warranted in deducing hopes for the future
from the Old Testament alone, than we are in deducing
dogmas. But on examining the prophets of the Old Cove
nant more narrowly, we discover, as the silence of the New
Testament must lead us to anticipate, that they also know
nothing of the " future glory of the kingdom of Israel," in the
sense which is at present in such high favour.
We need not, however, appeal merely to the silence of the
New Testament. It contains a series of express testimonies
against this idea of the " future glory of the kingdom of
Israel." The first testimony of importance is contained in the
words spoken by Jesus to the woman of Samaria, who had
asked of Him, as a prophet, light on the ancient dispute be
tween the Jews and the Samaritans. She says, " Our Fathers
worshipped in this mount, and ye say, that Jerusalem is the
place where one ought to worship;" and Jesus answered-,
" woman, believe me, the hour is come when neither in this
mount, nor in Jerusalem, ye shall worship the Father. The
hour eometh and now is, when the true worshippers shaU
worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father
seeketh such to worship Him." W^th this utterance of the
Lord, the idea that Jerusalem wiU once again in the future,
acquire the position and importance of a centre, is irrecon
cilable. Christ's words put an end to the localization of the
kingdom of God for the whole period of the New Testament.
Bengel already clearly discerned this : he remarks, " the Sama
ritans were not under obligation to go to Jerusalem (Acts
viii. 14); why then were the Crusades afterwards necessary?
What purposes are served by pilgrimages? That distinction
of place, of which the ancients were so observant, is here utterly
abohshed. If any distinction at all remains, these words
direct us to worship anywhere, rather than in Jerusalem,"

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 463
This declaration of the Saviour, setting, as it does, Jerusalem
and Samaria on the same level as regards their relation to his
Church, would have been found objectionable by the friends
of the "future glory of the kingdom of Israel," had it pro
ceeded from any other lips.
In view of Peter's words to the Christians, "you are the
chosen people, the royal priesthood, the holy nation, the pecu
liar people" (1 Peter ii. 9); and knowing that he assigns to
them aH the privileges, which Moses specially promised to
Israel in Exodus xix. 5, 6, it is incomprehensible how any one
can venture, on the ground of the latter passage, to claim for
the Jews of the future, the priestly office in the kingdom of
God, and exalt them to the rank of a spiritual nobUity. Such
an opinion, moreover, clashes with the Old Testament, in its
bestowal of priestly functions on the converted heathen (Isaiah
Ixvi 20), and in its express declaration, "I wUl also take of
them for Levitical priests" (ver. 21). Professor Auberlen,
who even goes so far as to compare the difference between the
converted Jews of the future and heathen Christians, to that
between the man and the woman, has certainly not done jus
tice to these words of the Apostle. Nor does past experience
afford any support to such an expectation. The prophets and
apostles, the men who spake as they were moved by the Holy
Ghost, must not be adduced without further consideration.
Such a course would lead to a dangerous mixing up of the
ordinary and extraordinary gifts of God. From the Apostles
down even to the present day individual converted Jews have
rendered excellent service to the Church, and have not a little
strengthened our hope and confidence in that " Hfe from the
dead" which Paul connects with a more general conversion of
the Jews: but we search in vain for Jews who should cast
into the shade such men as Augustine, Bernhard, Thomas
Aquinas, Thomas a Kempis, Luther, and Scriver. Nothing
loftier than that which these men embodied in Hfe, can be
expected from poor mortals. "The Israelitish kingdom of
priests on earth" cannot but be " laden with inborn sin, weak
ness, want, and death," as weU as with much else that wiU
unavoidably accompany, into its new sphere of life, a nation
that has, for long centuries, been alienated from the truth to
which it then submits. That these centuries have not passed

464 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
away without leaving traces behind, that the Jews are not
now in the condition in which they were at the time of the
Apostles, that they can only be elevated by degrees through
the purifying influence of the Christian Church, is proved
clearly enough by our experiences in connection with the
great majority of proselytes. We should find ourselves very
much deceived if we expected them immediately after their
conversion to take their stand as the model of a Christian
nation, as a priestly race, fitted to represent the entire Church
before God. Eminent individuals are not wanting, men of
peculiar worth and gifts, who exert a deep and wide influ
ence on the Church, not only of one country, but of many
countries. On the whole, however, Zephaniah's words will
remain true, "I wiU leave in the midst of thee a poor and
smaU people, and they shaU trust in the name of the Lord."
The words of the Lord in Matthew xxi. 43, "therefore say
I to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you, and be
given to a people which bringeth its fruits," afford Httle pro
spect of a new and glorious Israelitish kingdom. He repre
sents the period, during which born heathens constituted but
a subordinate element of the kingdom of God, as near its close.
He affirms without limitation that the kmgdom of God is
destined to be transferred to the new community, in connec
tion with which the wUd branches of heathendom are graffed
into the good oHve-tree of Israel. If this is to be " a mere
-interlude in the development of the divine kingdom," we should
surely expect a hint thereof even in this place, and, of course,
elsewhere, clear and distinct information thereanent Whereas,
neither is the case. The statement here is to all appearance
a definitive one : and not a hint is contained in Romans xi. of
a mere " interlude." The apostle represents the Jews as being
graffed again into the oHve-tree, but with no other rights than
those of the heathen who have their fuU share of the roots
and of the sap.
Decisive, further, against a future restoration of the physi
cal Jerusalem, are aU those passages of the New Testament in
which Zion and Jerusalem are employed, in the spiritual sense,
to designate the Church. They plainly imply that the day of
the physical Jerusalem is for ever gone by. Their signifi
cance is aU the greater, from this mode of speaking about

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 465
Zion and Jerusalem being so clearly defined, and so frequent
throughout the whole of the New Testament. We have
already considered Romans xi. In Galatians iv. 26, the
apostle contrasts the Jerusalem which is above, the Church of
the New Covenant, whose proper seat is in heaven, because
there dwells its head, and there also have its citizens their
citizenship, (PhUippians Hi. 20), with the " Jerusalem that now
is." In Hebrews xii. 22, we read, " Ye are come to Mount
Zion, and to the city of the living God, to the heavenly Jeru
salem." In the Apocalypse, Jerusalem is never used as a
designation of the city commonly so called : it is invariably
a designation of the Church, partly as in its present condition
(see chap. xx. 9, where " the beloved city," is no other than
Jerusalem), and partly as in the state of perfection to which
it is destined to attain (chap. iii. 12 ; xiv. 1-5 ; xxi. 2, 10).
How unnatural then to force in a renewal of the old physical
Jerusalem, between the spiritual Zion of the present course of
the world, and the spiritual Zion of the future — that city
which eometh down from heaven as a bride adorned for her
husband. Thus to direct again our looks to the earthly Jeru
salem, after that, tlirough the word of God, such modes of
looking at things have been naturalized, and have struck deep
roots among us, is surely to build up again that which had
been destroyed. Instead of this, we ought to rejoice and be
thankful, that we are made free from the earthly Jerusalem
and everything connected with it.
It is inconceivable also that the Temple should be rebuUt,
now that, under the New Testament, it has taken a spiritual
character. To re-erect the temple would be an anachronism :
and, in such a case, we might apply the words of the apostle,
" having begun in the spirit, are ye now made perfect by the
flesh ?" The way was prepared for this spiritualization even
in the Old Testament. The tabernacle and the temple bore a
symbohcal character : they were the image of the kingdom of
God amongst Israel. This is suggested even by the name of
the tabernacle; it signified "Tent of meeting," the place where
God came together with his people, had communion with them:
further also by Leviticus xvi. 16, where all the chUdren of
Israel are represented as dweUing with the Lord in His tent :
the tent therefore was nothing but a visible symbol of the
2 G

466 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
Church. In a long series of passages from the Psalms, the
tabernacle and temple are said to be the places where believers
dweU spirituaUy with the Lord. To the temple it was essen
tial to be the only one. Only in such case could it outwardly
represent the Church. It was equaUy essential that aU the
members of the congregation should present themselves per
sonally every year in the temple. Under the New Covenant
the symbol has cast off its corporeal garment. The temple now
denotes simply the Church ; and every one of the passages
referred to has the force of an express declaration that the
time of the outward temple has departed. Compare, for
example, 1 Timothy Hi. 15, "that thou mayest know how
thou oughtest to walk in the house of God, which is the
Church of the Hving God ;" 2 Corinthians vi. 1 6, " Ye are the
temple of the living God;" Apocalypse iH. 12, "Him that
overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and
he shaU no more go out;" John ii 19 ; Mark xiv. 58; 1
Corinthians iH. 17 ; Ephesians ii. 21, 22 ; 2 Thessalonians H
4 ; Hebrews Hi. 6 ; Apocalypse xi. 1 ; xiii. 6.
We shall find it inconceivable that the restoration of the
Old Testament sacrificial Cultus which some look for, should
take place, when we properly weigh the words of Hebrews x.
1 4, " By one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are
sanctified," and of Hebrews ix. 26, "now once in the end of
the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the one offer
ing, the sacrifice of himself," (compare besides Hebrews x. 10).
To except the sin-offering from the number of the other offer
ings is unaUowable : for the Mosaic sacrifices were constituted
into a system, into a regular and organic whole. Besides, the
sin-offering is expressly and repeatedly mentioned in Ezekiel's
description of the second temple, the passage on which the
expectation of a restitution of the sacrificial Cultus is especiaUy
based (Ezekiel xiv.) If we depart from the letter of the de
scription in respect of the sin-offering, there remains no ground
for expecting that any outward sacrifices whatever wiU be
restored. In other respects, too, such an expectation may be
shown to be untenable. Why have physical sacrifices ceased
of themselves in the Christian Church? Plainly because, the
inward Hfe of the Church of Christ has become so much deeper
that material sacrifices, as mere means of representing spiritual

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 467
processes, are too coarse, palpable, and clumsy. "Bullocks
with horns and hoofs," (Psalm Ixix. 31), would wear too strange
a look in a Christian sanctuary. In the CathoHc Church a
material sacrifice is stiU retained; but how refined and deli
cate when compared with the sacrifices of the Old Testament !
The same cause which led to the abohtion of the Mosaic
sacrifices, forbids their reintroduction. If they are permissible
at all, why should they not be at once restored ? We are
now instructed to " present our bodies a Hving sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God," (Romans xH. 1) ; to " offer spiritual
sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ," (1 Peter H.
5) ; " to offer by Him, the sacrifice of praise to God continu-
aUy, that is the fruit of the lips which confess His name,"
(Heb. xiH. 1 5). Such are the true burnt-offerings and thank-
offerings binding on the Christian Church in all ages : and
consequently, even the bare idea of a restoration of that
material Cultus which suited the beginnings of the kingdom
of God must be treated as an anachronism. In one aspect,
the sacrifices of the Old Testament were but a " shadow of
things to come," (Col. H. 17; Hebrews x. 1), " weak and beg
garly elements," (Gal. iv. 3, 9), which have found in Christ
their realization, and have consequently come to an end : in
another aspect, they were a form which is no longer suitable,
a symbohcal means of representation, which has lost its power
over the soul, and which would now serve rather to vex, than
edify. These are the reasons drawn from the Holy Scriptures of
the New Testament, which forbid us taking up with the notion
of a future glorious kingdom of IsraeL But its advocates con
sider that the strongest arguments in its favour are to be found
in the Scriptures of the Old Testament. Professor Auberlen says,
"the doctrine of the glorious re-estabHshment of Israel in
Canaan, after severe chastisements and deep humiliations, is
so essential and fundamental a thought of aU the prophecies,
that one is puzzled, not so much to find passages in its sup
port as to make a due selection."
Dr. Tholuck, on the contraiy, in commenting on Romans
xi. 25, (see the edition of 1856), remarks, "How did it hap
pen, that the Apostle, who is said to have started with the
same idea, should have been satisfied with adducing two pas-

468 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
sages which are both questionable, and do not at all belong to
the class referred to, instead of drawing with a full hand ?
Why, instead of opening up the Scriptures which to the Jews
were dark did he give utterance to his mystery in the manner
which he adopts elsewhere, when coming forward himself as a
prophet, and only afterwards quote the prophetic passages in
proof?" Is it an unnatural thing that in the prophecies the Church
should appear under the name of Zion and Jerusalem, which had
been for so many centuries the seat of the kingdom of God ;
or under the symbol of the temple which had outwardly repre
sented that kingdom in the day of the Old Covenant ? How
deeply it lay in the character of prophecy to employ symbols,
we may learn from passages such as Hosea xH. 1 1, where, in
the course of an enumeration of the benefits which the Lord
had bestowed on His people since the day that He brought
them out of Egypt, it is said — " And I multiplied visions, and
through the prophets I speak in similitudes:" and Ezekiel
xvii. 2, where the prophet is commanded to "put forth a
riddle." If we have the right to insist on the letter, in every
place where Zion and Jerusalem are mentioned, what shaU we
say when we find that the prophets speak of the misery which
should be experienced by the people of God before their salva
tion, under the symbol of a desert (Hosea H. 16, 17; Jeremiah
xxxi. 2) ; and of the removal of the obstacles to redemption,
as a second leading through the Red Sea (Isaiah xi. 15 ;
Zechariah x. 1 1) ? If we insist that the re-establishment of
Israel and their leading back to Canaan spoken of by Isaiah (see
chapter xi. 1 2), must be understood in a physical sense, then
must we keep to the letter also in verse 1 4, " And they fly
upon the shoulders of the PhiHstines towards the west ; they
plunder together the sons of the east ; they lay their hand
upon Edom and Moab ; the chUdren of Ammon obey them."
But then we contradict verse 4 : for the subjects of such a
king as is there described, are not directed to make ,war after
the manner of David. We vcontradict further the prophetical
anticipation cherished by Isaiah with special distinctness, that
before the appearance of Christ, the neighbouring nations
alluded to, would be ground to pieces by the great powers
which should arise, and would lose all their previous import-

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 469
ance. Is God to restore the Philistines, the Edomites, and
other such nations before the end of the days, in order that
the converted Jews may wage a successful war with them,
employing not the sword of the spirit, but of the flesh?
Meyers would, no doubt, unhesitatingly answer in the affirma
tive. For does he not say (page 126), that "although the
twelve tribes are now mixed up, each wiU stand at that day
distinct before the Lord." Others, however, wiU find a diffi
culty in going so far astray. — The impossibilities attendant on
such a Hteral mterpretation of Ezekiel's description of the new
temple, must be plain to every one. In order to carry out
this view, we must foUow the example of the rationalistic inter
preters, and change the "reeds" expressly mentioned by
Ezekiel into eUs. — Besides, are there not passages in the pro
phecies where Zion is unquestionably spoken of in a figurative
sense ? For example, Zechariah ii. 7, " 0 Zion, that dwellest
with the daughter of Babylon, deliver thyself," where those
members of the covenanted nation are addressed, who dwell
far away from the physical Zion, in the land of the heathen :
and Isaiah xl. 9 ; xlix. 14, where we read, "Zion, saith the
Lord, hath forsaken me," whilst at the time to which the pro
phet's words refer, the physical Zion lay in ruins.
On the Hteral view of the passages which aUude to the future
glory of Zion and Jerusalem, we fall into extravagances which
a sound exegetical tact feels to be foreign to the spirit of the
holy Scriptures. As, for example, in Isaiah ii, where, HteraUy
interpreted, Mount Zion is to be established on the top of the
highest mountains of the earth; and Zechariah xiv. 10, ac
cording to which all the mountains of Judea, with the single
exception of Jerusalem, are to be leveUed to plains.
Such a mode of interpretation involves us in contradictions.
For example, according to the literal view of Isaiah Ixvi 23,
in the age of Messiah, " All flesh wUl come to Jerusalem to
worship before the Lord, from month to month, and from Sab
bath to Sabbath ;" which is impossible, notwithstanding all
our railways and steam-boats : and this is at variance with
chap. xix. 19 ; Zephaniah ii. 11 ; Malachi i 11 ; " in every place
(1 Timothy H. 8) is incense offered to my name, and a pure
offering." By the Hteral view we are driven, further, to the dangerous

470 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
result of transferring the fulfilment of most of the prophecies
entirely into the future : and an interpretation of the prophe
cies, whichignores the past eighteen hundred years of the Church's
history, cannot possibly be the right one. The natural course
for prophecy is to take first the more immediate future into
view. This law is universaUy observed in the prophecies which
relate to the times of the Old Covenant. In Isaiah, for
example, Babylon forms only the background ; Assyria, the
great power of the present and the immediate future, occupies
the foreground. History has decided against the Hteral view.
The separation of the Church from the physical Jerusalem and
Zion has been accomplished ; and prophecy therefore cannot
mean what it is said to mean.
Most of the prophecies which are adduced as favourable to
the notion of a future glorious kmgdom of Israel, belong to the
pre-exile period : and they, have the less force in this connec
tion, having been already outwardly fulfilled in the return of
the Jews from exUe. Not that they have ceased to be of
force in consequence of this fulfilment ; but that in the age of
New Covenant they wiU be fulfiUed in another form. " Not
the form, but the substance of the divine inheritance, did the
prophets regard. Under the New Covenant, now that the
whole earth is become a Canaan, the form is different ; the sub
stance, the reality, remains. To cHng now to the form is as
absurd as it would be for a man, who had left aU for Christ's
sake, to demand a literal fulfilment of His promise, that he
should 'receive a hundredfold, houses, brethren, sisters, mothers,
children, and lands' (Mark x. 30). The words of God, which
are spirit and life, must be apprehended with spirit and life."
The passages which speak of a return of Israel to Zion in
the age of Messiah, cannot be literally interpreted, if for no
other reason, because they represent Zion as the absolute seat
of the kingdom of God. Now, under the Old Covenant, it
had this central importance only, because the sanctuary was
located there ; which, even Jeremiah prophesied, would lose
its dignity as soon as Christ appeared (chap. iii. 1 6). When
Christ came, another centre was given to the kingdom of God;
— a centre to which the Temple is related, as the shadow to
the substance. The same thing is true of passages which pro-!
phesy that the converted heathen wiU come to Zion, to inter-

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 471
pret which HteraUy involves us in the inconsistency of main
taining, contrary to all appearances, that their fulfilment be
longs altogether to the future. Isaiah (in chap. ii. and Ixvi.),
Micah, and Zechariah, aU represent Zion, unconditionaUy, as
the seat of the salvation of the heathen world, so that whoso
faUs to come to Zion cannot share in the blessings of grace,
and is subject to the curse (Zechariah xiv. 17-19). According
to them, from Zion proceeds the law, and the word of the Lord
from Jerusalem, and whoso fetcheth it not thence is shut out
from its benefits : Zion is the only seat of worship on the
whole earth, and, consequently, the only place where men can
become partakers of God. These consequences it is surely
incumbent on us to face, before adopting the literal view. The
question is not whether Jerusalem is one day to be possessed
by the converted Jews, and to gain an importance in relation
to the entire Church, similar to that which once attached to
Geneva and Wittenberg — to the one in relation to the Re
formed, to the other in relation to the Lutheran Church. If
the passages which treat of the future glorification of Zion are
to be at aU interpreted literally, they imply far more than that.
It becomes a question, then, whether John iv. 21 is to lose its
meaning, and the Church to give up its oecumenical character.
A preference for Hteral interpretations leads at last to a revival,
nay, more, to an outbidding of those Judaising errors which
the Church has long ago overcome and cast out.
The history of the interpretation of Scripture does not help
to prejudice us in favour of this view. It may lay claim
to the excellence of believing more ; but still we must not
forget that it is essentiaUy a Jewish believing, to which the
Christian Church has been opposed from its very commence
ment, and that it led to the crucifixion of the Saviour. Nor
is the name of J. D. Michaelis, who defended this mode of in
terpretation against the theology of the Church, a recommen
dation : stiU less the example of the most noted rationalistic
commentators. Having made these general preliminary observations, we
wiU now examine separately those passages of the Old Testa
ment which are chiefly adduced as favouring the expectation
of a future glorious kingdom of Israel

472 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
" Micah," says Dr v. Hoffman,* " who prophesies the de
struction of the Temple, and the leading away of his people to
Babylon, sees, at the end, Mount Zion exalted above all the other
seats of power in the world, and his nation brought back into
the land of their fathers" (chap. iv. 1, vii. 14). But he who
should fail to see that the first of the two passages — " And
in the last days it eometh to pass, that the mountain of the
house of the Lord shall be estabhshed in the top of the moun
tains, and exalted above the hills ; and unto it flow the peoples.
And many nations come and say, Come and let us go up to
the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of
Jacob," — describes that streaming of the heathen into the
Church, which began with the first appearance of Christ, must
fight against plain facts. We have the fulfilment distinctly
before our eyes, and therefore we cannot take the mountain
of the house of the Lord to mean the material Zion. History
raises its voice against such a course. But, independently of
the actual fulfilment, the spiritual view is suggested by the
very common use of mountains in the Scriptures as a symbol
of kingdoms. Symbolically, therefore, the Temple-mountain
would signify the kingdom of God in the midst of Israel. In
favour of this spiritual view may be further urged, that the
promised exaltation must inevitably be understood figura
tively: — the thought then is, "the kingdom of God wiU, in
the future, be exalted above all the kingdoms of the world."
It would be not a little inconsistent to take the exaltation
figuratively, and to understand by the mountain the natural
mountain. In the second passage, in chapter viii. 14, it is said, "Feed
thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which
dweU solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel : let them
feed in GHead and in Bashan, as in the days of old." The
impossibility of applying the promises of chapter vii. to the
converted Jews of the future, and the necessity of directing
our attention to the Israel of the Christian Church, are very
clear in verse 1 2. We read there : " A day is it, when they
will come to thee from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, and
from Egypt even unto the river, and from sea to sea, and from
mountain to mountain : " the idea is, the future dominion of
* " Schriftbeweis," S. 75.

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 473
the people of God over the world ; and every attempt to ap
propriate that to a single part, which undeniably belongs to
the whole, is fruitless. It is not enough that the people of
God become free from the bondage of the world, as the prophet
had previously hinted, but it wiU be the object of the yearn
ing of the nations, even of the mightiest and most hostUe, the
magnet drawing them to itself. Of the heathen nations,
Assyria and Egypt are first speciaUy mentioned, because they
had been in the past, and were then, the chief representatives
of the enmity against the kingdom of God, and because they
were the two most powerful empires at the time of the prophet.
AH Hmits are then taken away by the words, "from sea
to sea, and from mountain to mountain," winch signify as
much as " from every sea to every sea." Should we deny that
these promises are being fulfilled in the history of the Church
of Christ, and postpone them entirely to the future, we could
no longer be far removed from the Jewish fancy, of a Messiah
who is yet to come. Quite as clearly do verses 15-17 refer
to the splendid victories of the Church of the New Testament.
It would, indeed, be strange if the results already realized had
been left out of sight : strange, in truth, if the " election," with
the twelve apostles at its head, and aU those who connected
themselves with them, should have been ignored, and only
those regarded who have hitherto remained hardened. Were
such the case, prophecy would be a source of confusion to our
minds. The foUowing is the right view of chapter vH. 1 4,
taken as it stands : — The idea of a sure and undisturbed hap
piness, of protection against those worldly powers, from which
the people of God suffered so severely during the long and
weary centuries before the coming of Christ, is clothed in forms
borrowed from the earlier position and circumstances of Israel.
The wood in the midst of Carmel is* referred to as a protected
spot : GHead and Bashan as districts rich in pasturage.
Dr. v. Hoffmann says further : " When Obadiah and Joel
promise good to their nation, they single out Mount Zion and
Jerusalem as the place which wiU be a sure hiding-place from
the judgments on the nations of the world, to those who dwell
there." The futuristic view of Obadiah 17-21, is set aside by the
circumstance, that the Edomites, the Philistines, and the

474 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
Canaanites, have long ago disappeared from the stage of history :
there is therefore no possibUity of a literal fulfilment. Of the
promise contained in verse 1 7, " And upon Mount Zion shaU
be dehverance, and it is holy, and the house of Jacob shaU
possess their possessions," the fulfilment must be sought in the
power of victory, which the Church has received through
Christ. In this place also the world and the kingdom of God
are set in opposition to each other. Judah and Joseph appear,
not as a single section of the people of God, but as the sole
people of God. Zion is set forth as the only seat of deliver
ance, and as the ruler of the world. Following the literal
mterpretation, we must deny the existence of one holy uni
versal Church, and consider the Jews to be the rulers of the
whole world.
In Joel, there is the passage chap. ii. 32, to be considered,
" And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the
name of the Lord, shall be delivered; for on mount Zion and
in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and
in the remnant whom the Lord shall caU." With full justice
Chr. B. Michaelis remarks here, " on mount Zion, and in the
Church of the New Testament." We cannot in this case,
adopt the literal view of Zion and Jerusalem, without endan
gering our belief in a holy universal Church. Jerusalem is
represented as the only seat of redemption: outside of' it is a
world hostile to the kingdom of God, and obnoxious to the
judgments of the Lord. When we consider the mode in which
the prophecy of Joel is articulated, and examine the individual
"passage in its connexion with the whole, we see very clearly
that Zion and Jerusalem must mean the Church. Threats of
punishment against degenerate Israel extend to chap. ii. 17.
Then follows the proclamation of salvation, as far as chap. iH
2. God begins his manifestations of grace by sending a
teacher of righteousness, Rich blessings, of which the climax
is the outpouring of the Spirit, foUow in his train. The re
mainder is occupied with a description of the judgments with
which God will visit the enemies of His Church. In verses
30 and 31, the prophet teUs us what omens wiU precede the
great and terrible day of the Lord: then in verse 32 he points
out the means which can alone thoroughly ensure our stand-

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 475
ing at that day. Finally, in chapter iv. he depicts the judg
ment itself.
It is further affirmed that " Isaiah is confident that at last,
a holy people wUl dweU in Jerusalem" (chap. iv. 3). But that,
in this passage, the Prophet employed Zion and Jerusalem, as
being in his day, the centre of the covenant nation, to repre
sent the whole, is evident from the reference made to the
escaped of Israel, at the close of the second verse, which is
here taken up again. With the first appearance of Christ
began the fulfilment: and then the relation of the true, spiri
tual Israel to the world underwent an essential and funda
mental change. Even in the apostolic age the word " saints,"
was applied to behevers as a kind of proper name. The pro
mises would be worth nothing, did not the beginning of their
fulfilment coincide with the founding of the Church of Christ,
and did they not continue to be fulfilled through aU the cen
turies of its history.
Further, we are assured that "Jehovah's holy mountain,
whither his scattered people will return from all the ends of
the earth, is that place of peace, in which, under the rule of
the second David, not even wUd beasts wUl any more injure
or annoy" (Isaiah xi. 9, 11). "They shaU not hurt nor de
stroy in aU my holy mountain," it is said in Isaiah xi. 9, " for
the earth is full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters
cover the sea." The second clause of the verse, connected as
it is with the first clause by "for," is not appropriate unless
we understand mount Zion spiritually, and unless we conceive
of it as the spiritual abode of all the inhabitants of the earth.
That it represents the Church is evident from the relation
between verse 9 and verses 6-8. According to these verses,
aU that is hostile and destructive in the irrational creation wiU
be done away with. As even the reference to Genesis i. sug
gests, such an alteration wUl affect the whole earth. It is
impossible, therefore, that that higher change in the rational
creation, of which the lower is but the reflection, should be
Hmited to a single spot.
We have thus arrived at the conclusion that the scriptural
proofs of a " future glorious kingdom of Israel" rest on wrong ,
interpretations. But there are also other important difficul
ties in the way of this theory

476 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
Great stress has been laid on the conversion of Israel as a
nation : and great benefits are expected to accrue to the king
dom of God from a future development of the nationaHty of con
verted Israel. This lies at the foundation of aU the rest. But
suspicion of such hopes ought to be awakened by the bare
fact, that the Christian Church has never, through all these
centuries, dreamt of coUecting the converted Jews into sepa
rate communities, or of keeping up the wall of separation be
tween them and the heathen Christians. If that theory were
correct, a sacred duty bound them to do so ; and is it not ex
tremely improbable, that it should have failed, through aU these
ages, in such a duty; that it should not only have mistaken,
but have had no suspicion whatever, of its true course? But
what is stUl more, we must then have expected to find in the
New Testament express injunctions to this Une of conduct.
There are, however, no such injunctions whatever. On the
contrary, St. Paul teaches so decidedly and emphatically the
fuU abolition of all distinctions between Jews and Gentiles,
that, if this theory were correct, his sayings would, to say the
least, deserve the reproach of want of consideration. Thus
would it have happened through the neglect of the Christian
Church, — a neglect for which the Apostle Paul is primarily
accountable — that the first fruits of the nation and its noblest
members, to wit, those who since the days of the Apostles
have been converted to Christ, have disappeared amongst the
heathen Christians without a possibility of their being distin
guished, that they have been cut off from connection with
their nation, and have lost all the glorious prerogatives which
belong to it. Their long continuance in unbelief will be an
advantage to those who came last: for they wiU have kept
pure their Jewish blood, and wiU, in consequence, be capaci
tated for participating in the royal and priestly glories which
are to be bestowed on Israel. Is it not much easier to sup
pose that the decision of the Church in its best days was the
right one, and that the future of the converted of Israel is to
be judged according to their past? In favour of this view
may also be adduced the unquestionable fact, that proselytes
from Judaism, down even to the present day, notwithstanding
that this modern theory meets them at so many points, and
is so agreeable to their old Jewish man, manifest a decided

THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 477
disincHnation to unite together as Jews; that, the more sin
cere their piety, the stronger is their impulse, to become un-
distinguishable parts of the Christian Church, and to seek in
it the remedy for those disorders which afflict them in conse
quence of their collective Hfe having, for so many long cen
turies, been swayed by an ungodly principle.
Surely the advocates of Jewish Nationahty can scarcely
have formed a clear conception of that which they desire. It
was the grand privilege of Israel, not to be a nation im the
usual sense. From the days of its ancestor Abraham onwards,
its nationahty was rooted in the true religion, in the kingdom
of God. To the very end, that the people of God might not
have a nationahty in the ordinary sense, the kingdom of God
was not established in the midst of an already existing people ;
Abraham was caUed as an individual, and was then in
creased to a nation. The great deeds of God, and they alone,
stamped on this people its specific character. Hence, the
termination of its nationality, as a distinct and pecuhar one,
was involved in the coming of Christ. Then was the type of
Jewish nationahty stamped on aU nations that entered into
the Church of Christ It thus attained, and is still, to the
present day, attaining, its true glory. Unbelieving Jews fell
away from their true nationality, and gathered themselves
around a new centre, which was, hatred of Christ. This new
nationahty is destined utterly to vanish with their conversion:
their original nationality has become the common property of aU
Christians. To attempt to constitute the Jews into a dis
tinct nation, would end in the revival of the imperfect and
beggarly forms, which in the course of its development, the
Christian Church has already rejected.
FinaUy, the Lord admonishes us to observe the signs of
the times: and they are anything but favourable to this
modern theory. It would lead us to expect that the principle
of Jewish nationahty would become every day more powerful
and active, that the people would be forming itself more and
more into a separate whole. On the contrary, the nation is
unmistakably crumbling to pieces. Were all social and civU
disabiHties removed, this result would follow still more rapidly.
Even as things are, the process of dissolution is incessantly
advancing, that only national tie, false faith, has lost its power

478 THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
over their minds, wherever Jews have yielded to the ten
dencies of the age; and that which comes into vogue on the
marts of Hfe, soon and inevitably penetrates to its remotest
corners. In circumstances Hke the present, any attempt to
draw a contrast between the conversion of the nation as such,
and the conversion of individuals, is unwarranted and vain.
We are approaching nearer and nearer to the point when only
Jewish individuals wiU exist. Every day the Jews partici
pate more fully in the life of the Christian nations amidst
which they have taken up their abode: and if the attempt
were to be made to lead them back, converted or unconverted,
to Palestine, we should have even now, though the process of
decomposition is not complete, such a strange mixture of
fragments of the most diverse nationaHties, as would render
the formation of a state impossible.

INDEXES.

INDEX I. HEBREW WORDS EXPLAINED.

fan
T11BDK
TWO byz
¦too "B
tnan em
in«n sin
jponn mt
ont vnn
naan pan
picn W
-inv
ini'' P
DJO
trips
WHO JHO ¦TJD
myo mpo
ntno an: n>
naa 11D

Page 148261244261138115
140 54 61
174
119 139136 174 85
328 176 91
183, 189 54
169
259257200 161126 141
234 139 6463
116 154 76
264 248 151 266

mm by
av
bnv my
, pw
bn&y
DipW pa
noa
nana
mop nnp
rbnp bbp
nwtn nm *m nn
tin nn
nyn
twa jn
nn
USE' rro> aw
yxh&
n»E> nin
wyn IP"

387.

Pagb 78
107
115 168
127
234
62, 137
233 124 97
, Note. 201 151
228 43
228 58
150 112
117 165 63
162 213 5279
123 68
196399 113 176
61,75 79
64,258

480

INDEX II.

INDEX n.

PASSAGES OE SCRIPTURE EXPLAINED AND
ILLUSTRATED.

Genesis.

Page

Psalms.

Page

ii. 5, .

142

xxiv. 6,

426

iii. 17-19,

. 51, 54

xxxi. 16,

218

V.2, .

155

xxxvii. 8,

195

vi. 2, .

427
„ 14, 15, .
180
ix. 26, 27,
433, Note.
„ 16,
145
xvii. 4, 5,
433
,, 38,
165
xxii. 2,
394
xl., .
xiii. 4, 6,
376
213
Exodus.
1. . . .
376
xii. 44,
. ,
.428
li. 12,
405
xix. 5, 6,
434
li. 13,
305
xxiii. 15,
369
Ii. 21,
393
xxiv. 2,
394
lviii. 9,
Ixix. 31, 32. .
163
376
Leviticus.
lxxii.,
280, 288
i. 2, .
376
Ixxiii. 1, etc.,-.
214, 426
i. 14, 15,
377
„ 10,
211
v. 11-14,
380
„ 1.6,
210
vii. 1, 2r
406
„ 17,
214
vii. ll, etc
> . •
399
„ 20,
212
x. 17,
379
lxxv. 3,
90
xvii. 11,
370
lxxx. 6,
213
xxvi. 21,
376
xciv. 20,
cxii. 9,
113
837
Numbers.
cxviii. 12,
163
ix. 24,
395
cxxv. 2, 3, .
113
xv. 27-31,
139
cxxxix. 15,
cxi. 12,
239230
Deutebonomt.
cxii.
289
iv. 24,
395
cxlii.,
289
vi. 6,
•
454
Peoveebs.
1 $AMUEL.
ii. 16, 17,
185
XV. 22,
135
iii. 5,
83
xxiv. 25,
•
400
v. 1-14,
v. 18,
185
168
1 Kings.
viii.,
41
iv. 29-31,
2 Kings. '
65
xxii. 14, Songs.
186
ii. 20,
.
408
ii. 6,
100
xxi. 16,'
Nehemiah,
361
v. 2, Isaiah.
450
ii. a, .
¦
162
ii. 1,
iv. 3, . .
469475
Job.
ix. 6,
359
ii. 9, .
194
ix. 10,
359
ix. 12, "
196
xi. 1, . . .
358,359
xi. 8,
183
xi. 9-11,
475
xxvii. 20,
55
xi. 12,
450
xxx. 23,
118
xxv. 8, .
359
xxxiii. 23,
187
Xxxi. 9,. . . .
395
xxxv. 9,
124
xxxiii. 14,
395
INDEX II.
481
xxxiv. 56,
Page 359
Mask.
Page
J! 16,
¦
348
ix. 49,
396
xxxix. 6, 7,
xiii. 2,
.
363
x. 23,
146
.
221
xvi. 5,
214
lxiv. 20, 21,
293
Ixvi. 18-20,
.
450
Luke.
Ixvi. 20,
.
406
iv. 22,
290
Ixvi. 23,
•
469
v. 32,
x. 31,
174 117
Lamentation s.
xi. 49,
42
iii. 39,
Ezekiel.
161
xii. 29,
xv. 7,
xxi. 24,
154175
456
xiv. 14-20,
318
xxi. 29,
444
xvi. 11,
.
297
xxiii. 34,
136
xlvii. 22, 23,
•
429
xxiii. 48,
452
Daniel.
John.
xi. 35,
Hosea.
115
iii. 8,
iv. 24,
vii. 30,
239462 90
xiv. 2,
Joel.
372
xviii. 35,
Acts.
441
ii. 17-32,
Obadiah.
474
i. 6-8,
iii. 19-21,
457
459
17, 21,
473
etc.
i. 20,
Bomans.
106
Micah.
iv. 11, 12,
432
iv. 1,
472
viii. 21,
54
v. 6, 7,
.
438
ix. 6, 7,
432
vi. 7, 8,
.
376
xi.,
435
, 445-449
vii. 14, etc.,
•
472
etc.
xi. 7,
xi. 26,
437459
Habakkuk.
xi. 33,
182
i. 13,
113
xii. 1,
xiii. 1, etc.
»
392, 397 193
Zechariah.
xv. 16,
406
xii. 10,
VIalachi.
451
v.7,
1 Corinthians.
390
iii. 14,
.
167
210
x. 1,
434
X. 22,
2 COEINTHIANS.
155
Matthew.
v. 20,
139
iii. 7, etc.,
430
vii. 10,
.
162
v. 10,
112
v. 20,
176
Galatians.
vi. 7, 8,
137
iii. 7, 29,
434
vi. 24,
108
iv. 26,
.
465
xii. 31, 32,
442
vi. 15, 16,
434
xix. 28,
431
457
XX. 28,
309
390
Ephesians.
xxi. 43,
464
ii. 12,
434
xxiii. 23,
177
v. 22,
396
xxiii. 37,
xxiii. 38, 39,
42
443
Philippians.
xxiv. 34,
xxvii. 53,
453458
ii. 17,
iv. 18,
406
398
2
H
482

INDEX III.

ii. 8,
i. 5,
vi. 9,
vi. 10,
vi. 20,
iii. 16,
vi. 6,

Colossians.
2 Thessalonians. 1 Timotht.
2 Timothy.
Hebbews.

iv. 12,
ix. 7,
ix. 22,
x.4,x. 26-28,
xi. 37,
xii. 29,
xiii. 15,

Page |
185 114 153
148 185
300, 439 406263 387371379 139
362

James.

i. 6,
i. 17,
i. 19,
ii- 7,
iii. 6,
iii. 15,

n. 9,
iii. 6,
iv. 12,

ii. 16,
v. 16,

ii. 20,
395 vii. 4,
372 xxi. 12,

1 Peter.

1 John.

Bevblations.

Page 400 81
135, 165 144
252 184

463435 141

77
442

186
435 436

INDEX HI. PRINCIPAL SUBJECTS TREATED OE, OR
INCIDENTALLY DISCUSSED.

Ahel, and Cain, their sacrifices, 373,
374.
Abraham, signification of the name,
433.
Abraham, the command addressed to,
to offer up his son, 375, &c, 394.
Accidents, wise men and fools liable
to, 82 ; in the hands of God, 209.
Admonitory and punitive aspect of
Ecclesiastes, 27, &c.
Afflictions, the ordainment of divine
righteousness, 21 ; and of divine
love, 22 ; a means of refinement, -23.
Age, a joyless old, described, 244, &c.
Ahaz, 353, &c.
All things to all, 209.
Allegorical view, the, of the Song of
Solomon, maintained, 294, &c.
Almond tree, the blossoming of the,
248.
Angel, the, 139.
Angel, the mediating, 332.
Anger, 166.
Assyria, 354, 356.
Author, the, of Ecclesiastes, his tone
of reserve in relation to the circum
stances of his time, 1, &c. ; Solomon
not the, 7, &c. ; his peculiar use of
the name of God, 25, &c. ; his avoid
ance of the name Jehovah, do.
Author of the Song of Songs, 275, &c.
Avarice, 128, 153.

Ban, the, of Jehovah, 371.
Battle, the, not to heroes (the strong,)j
217.
Bear, a time to, 94.
Beasts, men knowing themselves to be,
115; man's pre-eminence over, 118;
the spirit of going downwards, 119.
Beautiful, every thing in its season,
104, 105, 106.
Beloved, the, who, 274.
Blood, the sprinkling of, 384.
Blood-shedding, in sacrifices, its origin,
370.
Body, the, to be offered a holy sacrifice,
397.
Bones, growing in the womb, 239.
Books, no end of making many, 265.
Born, better not to have been, how to
be understood, 125.
Bowl, the golden, 251.
Bread, of tears, 213.
Bread, sent upon the waters, 235, &c.
Bride, the, of the Song of Songs, 274.
Build, a time to, 97.
Burial of the wicked, 199.
Burnt-Offerings, 377 ; 392, &c. ; expia
tory, 393 ; the history of, 394.
Cain and Abel, their offerings, 373,
374.
Chaldeans, the, in the time of Isaiah,
360.

INDEX III.

483

Chaldee paraphrast, quoted as to the
authorship of Ecclesiastes, 7.
Chance, men designated, 116; and
time, 218.
Cheerfulness, 242.
Child, woe to the land, whose king is a,
232.
Church, the Christian, a continuation
of Israel, 425 ; its oneness, 426 ; to
consist not only of the natural de-
soendents of the patriarchs, but of
spiritual descendents, 428, &c, 436,
&c. ; to it therefore refer the pro
mises often superficially referred to
the Jews, 438, &c.
Circumstances, the, of the time of the
composition of the book of Ecclesi
astes, 1-7.
Cistern, the wheel broken at the, 252,
&c.
Clouds and rain, the symbolic import
• of, 337 ; regarding the, 238, 245.
Conclusion, the, of the whole discourse,
266.
Confidence in God, the truest happi
ness, 65.
Consolation, the object of the author
of Ecclesiastes, 16, &c.
Consolation, the stoical theory of, 310;
the worldly, 312 ; the compensatory,
312; the resignation theory of, 314,
&c. ; the true, 315, &c.
Contentment, 154.
Contents of Ecclesiastes, 16, &c.
Corban, 369.
Cord, the silver, 251.
Counsels, the divine, 11.
Countenance, sadness of the, 162.
Covenant, of salt, a,, 408.
Creationism, 256.
Creator, the, to be remembered in
youth, 243.
Culture, its connection with true reli
gion, 231.
Cultus, the, of the Old Testament, its
restoration inconceivable, 466, &c.
Curse, lest thy servant, thee, 178.
Dance, a time to, 99.
Darkness, its symbolical import, 245.
Darkness, eating in, 148.
Daughter, use of the term in the Old
Testament, 248.
Daughters of Jerusalem, 274.
Days, the evil, 244.
Dead, the advantage of the living over
the, 212.
Dead flies, 222. .
Death, the day of, better than of birth,
159 ; the lot of mortals, 211.
Decrees of God, the, decide every
thing, 111.

Desire, never satisfied, 55 ; faileth,
250 ; much, a weariness, 265.
Destinies of men, the, decided in
heaven, 217.
Diaspora, the, 435.
Die, a time to, 94, 95.
Discontent, 242, 243.
Dog, a living, better than a dead lion,
212.
Doors in the street, 247.
Dust, returns to the dust, 253.
Duty, the whole, of man, 267.
Earthly happiness, vain, 126.
Eating in darkness, 148.
Ecclesiastes, the book of, time of its
composition, 1, &c. ; 9, &c. ; Solo
mon not the author of, 7-9 ; resem
blance between it and Malachi, 10,
&c. ; plan of, 15, &c. ; consolatory
object of, 16, &c. ; the human side
of, 24 ; admonitory object of, 27, &c;
objections raised against it hy the
Jews, 33; objections raised against
it by Christians, 34, &c. ; links of
connection between it and the New
Testament, 35; false views of, re
futed, 35, &c.
Elihu, his first discourse addressed to
Job, 329, &c. ; his second, 332, &e. ;
his third, 333, &c. ; his' fourth, 334,
&c.
Embrace, a time to, 100.
End of a thing, the, better than the be
ginning, in what sense to be under
stood, 165.
Envy, excited by the good fortune of
others, 126, 127.
Esther, the picture the book of, fur •
nishes of the Persian Empire, 15.
Eternity, set in the heart, 105, 106.
Etham, the lovely gardens of, 278.
Evil days, 244.
Eye and Ear unsatisfied, figurative im
port of the phrase, 56.
Eyes, dull, or, enlightened, 192; walk
ing in the sight of, 242.
Exile, threats of, found in the books of
Moses, 290, &c.
Face, the, made to shine, 191 ; streng
thened, 192.
Feasts, sacrificial, 403, &c. ; of love,
404.
Field, the tilled, 142.
Fire, its symbolic imports, 395.
Flesh, the, the mouth causing to sin,
138.
Flies, dead, 222.
Frederick, the Great, quoted on stoical
resignation under pain and suffering,
310, 311.

484

INDEX III.

Friends, Job's three, 322; their un
favourable view of Job, 323 ; their
view of sin and suffering, 324 ; their
main error, 324 ; their want of piti
ful love, 325 ; element of truth in
their discourses, 326; Job's dis
courses against them, 326; are si
lenced by Job, 327 ; God's anger
against them, 337.
Folly, the effects of a little, 223.
Folly and wisdom, 81.
Fool, the, and the wise man equally
liable to death, 83, 84 ; full of words,
231.
Fools, the sacrifice of, 136 ; the laugh
ter of, 163.
Former days, the, better than these,
166, 167.
Frankincense, 385, 408.
Future, the, man not the master of,
121.
Gardens of Solomon, the, 278.
Garments, white, 214.
Gentiles, the times of the, fulfilled, 456.
Goads, the words of the wise are as,
260.
God, the peculiar use of the names of,
in Ecclesiastes, 25; the thought of
his being in heaven regulative of
prayer, 136 ; His appearance to Job
out of the storm, 336 ; His anger with
Job's friends, 337.
God, the oath of, 193.
Gods, the heathen, 375.
Golden bowl, the, 251, &c.
Good, doing, 108.
Grinders, the, are few, 246.
Habakkuk, meaning of the name,
100.
Hand, the right, 223.
Haphazard, 116.
Happiness, dependent on God, 109 ;
the emptiness of earthly, 126.
Hate, a time to, 102.
Hatred, and love, not known by the
occurrences of life, 208.
Heart, walking in the ways of the, 242.
Heathen Sacrifices, contrasted with
Scripture sacrifices, 373-377.
Heaving the thank-offerings, the signi
ficance of the usage, 402, 403.
Hezekiah, 355, 366.
Holy Ghost, the sin against the, 442.
Holy Place, the, 200, 458.
Honey, its symbolic import, 407.
Horns of the Altar, 384.
House, the body a, 246.
House, the eternal, 250.
House of God, going tp the, 134.
House of mourning, 160.

Hundred and forty and four thousand,
the, of the book of Revelation, who
they are, 435.
Immortality of Renown, the, 58.
Immortality of the soul, the, as set
forth in Ecclesiastes, 27 : the anthro
pological basis of, 121.
Irritability, under afflictions, 223.
Isaiah, 347 ; signification of his name,
348; his mission, 349; his sons, 350;
his wife, 350, 351; his garb, 351; the
time he entered on his calling, 351 ;
ridiculed, 352 ; his predictions, 351-
357; peculiar Messianic elements in
his writings, 359 ; termination of his
work, 360-362; tradition respecting
his death, 362 ; arrangement of his
collected writings, 362, &c. ; sub
stance of the second part of his pro
phecies, 363, &c.
Israel, the Christian Church, a continu
ation of, 346, &c; 436, &c.
Jehovah, the avoidance of the name,
by the author of Ecclesiastes, 25.
Jeremiah, the significance of the name,
348.
Jerusalem, and Zion, the Church spoken
of in the Old Testament under the
names of, 464, 468.
Jews, the, their hardness of heart tem
porary, 413, &c. ; Luther's views re-
specting,414-423;thehope of their sal
vation shared by the Church, 424 ;
strange proceedings of aLutheran Sy
nod in America respecting, 424, 425 ;
teachings of Scripture respecting, 425,
&c. ; ground of hope respecting, in
the New Testament, 441, &c. ; their
preservation as a nation, 453; un-
scriptural teachings respecting, 454;
their national restoration, is it taught
in the Scriptures, 455, &c. ; examin
ation of alleged proofs, 456, &c;
New Testament evidence against
their national restoration, 462, &c;
extravagance of the literal view, 469;
such a view dangerous, 469, &c. ;
most of the prophecies adduced in
favour of their literal restoration be
long to the pre-exile period, 470;
passages which speak of their return
to Zion, not literal, 470, &c. ; the
stress which some lay on their con
version, as a nation, considered, 476;
the nationality of — its nature, 477;
signs of the times in relation to, 477,
478.
Job, meaning of the name, 309 ; theme
of the book of, 309, &c; description
of his life and character* 318, &c. ;

INDEX III.

485

Satan's desire to destroy him, 319;
loss of everything, 321; his wife's
temptation, 321; his three friends,
322 ; the sudden change which came
over his mind, its cause, 322, 323 ;
the charge he brought against God,
323 ; the view taken by his friends of
sin and suffering, 324; the funda
mental error of their reasoning, 324;
their want of pitiful love, 325; the
elements of truth in their speeches,
325, &c; his discourses against them,
326 ; silences them, 327 ; his closing
discourse, 327 ; Elihu's reply to, 329,
&c, 334 ; he is humbled, 335 ; God
speaks to him, 336 ; his repentance,
337.
Job, the use of the names of God in
the book of, analogous to the usage
of Ecclesiastes, 25, 26.
Job, his wife, 213.
Joy, true, 162.
Judgment, the, 268 ; the final, based on
the continuous, 313, &c.
Judgment, wickedness in the place of,
113.
Judgments, Messianic, on Israel, 293.
Keep, a time to, 100.
Kill, a time to, 96, &c.
King, the, for whom Koheleth claims
obedience, 193 ; going out hastily
from the presence of, 194.
King, the vanity of the honours of a,
131, 132.
King, woe to the land whose, is a child,
232.
Kingdom of heaven, the, to be entered
through much tribulation, 315.
Koheleth, import of the title, 39, 40 ;
in what sense applied to Solomon,
40, &c, 44 ; surpassed all that were
before him in Jerusalem, 66 ; the title
did not belong to Solomon as such,
258.
Laugh, a time to, 99.
Laughter, of fools, 163.
Laughter, to make bread, 233.
Leaven, its symbolical significance,
407.
Light, its symbolical import, 245.
Lilies, their symbolical import, 274-
Lips, the, 231.
Lips, pure, 451.
Literature of the world, Koheleth's
warning against the study of the, 265.
Living, the, their advantage over the
dead, 212.
Living Sacrifices, 397.
Locust, the, a burden, 249, &c.
Lose, a time to, 100.

Lots, the, of the righteous and the wic
ked often intermixed, 203.
Love, a time to, 102.
Love, and hatred, not known from the
events of life, 208.
Love-feasts, 404.
Lust, of the flesh and of the eye, 77.
Mahershalalhashhaz, 350.
Malachi, the resemblance between the
book of and Ecclesiastes, 10, &c.
Man, his superiority over beasts, 118;
his spirit goeth upward, 119, &c. ;
one among a thousand, 187 ; made
upright, 189, &c.
Manasseh, 360, &c.
Mass, the sacrifice of the, 391.
Meat-offering, 384, &c, 404-406 ; must
be without leaven, 407.
Mediator-angel, the, 332.
Messiah, the, entitled Solomon, 280,
286, &c; the lively expectation of,
in the days of Solomon, 286, &c. ;
tribulation to precede the appear
ance of, 288, &c.
! Mirth, the pursuit of, 70, 73.
Mirth, proper, 204.
Mock, to make a, of God, no light
thing, 139, 140.
Money, a defence, 169 ; answereth all
things, 234.
Morosenessinseparahlefromfalse right
eousness, 30.
Mourning, the house of, 160.
Nabi, 344.
Nails driven in, the authors of the
Canon like, 260.
Names of God, the peculiar use of the,
in Ecclesiastes, 25 ; analogous to that
of Job, 25, 26; and of Nehemiah, 26.
Nationality, Jewish, 477.
Nebijah, Isaiah's wife, 350, 351.
New, there is nothing, under the sun, 57.
Oath of God, the, 193.
Obedience to authority, as inculcated
by Koheleth, 192, &c.
Oil, its symbolical import, 385, 407.
Old Testament, the, its political ele
ment, '343; its prophetical element,
344.
One of a thousand, 187.
Oppression makes the wise man mad,
164.
Passover, the, as a sin-offering, 387,
&c. ; what distinguished it from the
sin-offering, 388 : its signification as
a sacrifice, 388, &c.
Peace-offering, 399. '
Persecuted, the, sought by God, 112.

486

INDEX III.

Persian rule, the period of, the time of
the composition of Ecclesiastes, 6, 9,
&c.
Persians, the, 225, 232.
Pharisaism, 29, 31.
Pharisees, the righteousness of the,
174, 175.
Pilgrim Songs, the characteristic tone
of the, 12, 13.
Pit, digging a, 227.
Pitcher, the, broken at the well, 252.
Plan of the book of Ecclesiastes, 16, &c.
Plans, the, of God, cannot be frus
trated, 109.
Plant, a time to, 96.
Poor, the, 1 53.
Poor wise man, the, 220.
Prayer, few words in, 136; the relation
between, and sacrifices, 371-373.
Presence of the Lord, going out from
the, 194.
Pride of Life, the, 77.
Promises, the, which are often super
ficially referred to the Jews, belong
to the Christian Church, 438 ; but
are fitted to awaken hopes concern
ing the Jews, 439, &c.
Promises, threats often pass into, 348.
Prophecies, the beginning of the ca
nonical, 346.
Prophets, the, 344; the body of the, 346.
Prosperity, the, promised to Israel, 225.
Proverbs, the book of, the connection
of the first chapter of, with Eccle
siastes, 41, &c. ; points of contact
between, and the Song of Songs, 281.
Race, the, not to the swift, 217.
Regeneration, the, 458.
Rehoboam, 81.
Religion, the true, affords fine culture,
231.
Remembering our Creator, 243, 244.
Rend, a time to, 101.
Renown, the immortality of, 101.
Resignation, as a means of consolation
under suffering, 314.
Rich man, the, who ? 146, 151, 225.
Riches, do not satisfy the heart, 145.
Right hand, the, 223.
Righteous, the suffering of the, 309, &c.
Righteous, the, and the wicked, their
lots often intermixed, 203.
Righteous, the, and the wise, both in
God's hand, 207.
Righteous over much, 174, &c.
Righteousness, false, 29, &c. ; a just
man perishing in his, 173 ; of the
Scribes and Pharisees, 174, 175.
Round numbers in the book of Job, 317.
Ruler, the, 225.
Ruler, yielding to the spirit of a, 224.

Sacrifices, soulless, 135, &c.
Sacrifices, the most general name for,
369 ; foundation of the custom of,
and necessity for, offering, 366-371 ;
the Scripture opposite of, 371 ; rela
tion between prayer and, 371-373;
relation between those of heathen
dom and those of the Old Testament,
373-377 ; classification of, 377, &c, ;
two purposes served by, 380.
Salt, its symbolic import, 407 ; a cove
nant of, 408.
Satan, as he appears in the book of
Job, 319 ; takes part in the chastise
ment of the righteous, 320.
Sceptre of wickedness (rod of the
wicked) what? 13.
Season, a, for everything, 89, &c.
Self-righteousness, 29, &c.
Sentence against an evil work, 201.
Sermons, a canon to judge them by,
263.
Serpents, lurking in walls, 227.
Servant, lest thy, curse thee, 179.
Servants, the heathen were to be, to
Israel, 180, &c. ; riding on horses,
226.
Seven, give a portion to, 236.
Sew, a time to, 101, &c.
Shadow, man's days like a, 156.
Shear jashab, 350.
Shepherds, the one, 264.
Shiloh, 286, 287.
Shine, wisdom makes the face to, 191.
Silence, a time to keep, 101.
Silver cord, the, 251.
Sin, and suffering, 314 ; Job's friends,
view of the connection of, 324.
Sin against the Holy Ghost, 442.
Sin unto death, 442.
Sin-offerings, '377; the difference be
tween them and burnt-offerings,
377; vicarious, 378, 379; two pur
poses, 380 ; for what sins presented,
381, &c. ; never conjoined with meat
offerings, 384, &c. ; those brought by
individuals, 385, &c. ; how related
to the Church of the New Covenant,
389.
Sins, of wilfulness and ignorance, 139 ;
of wickedness and weakness, 381,
382.
Snake, the, bites without enchantment,
230.
Solomon, not the author of Ecclesiastes,
7, &c. ; his excelling wisdom, 66, &c. ;
the author of the Song of Songs, 275,
&c. ; his pleasure gardens, 278, &c. ;
feeling for nature, 278 ; artistic
tastes, 279.
Solomon, the Messiah so entitled, 280,
286, &c.

INDEX HI.

487

Song of Solomon, the, unity of the
271-275; author of the, 275, &c. ; its
superscription, 281, 282 ; points of
contact between, and the hook of
Proverbs, 281 ; historical circum
stances in which it originated, 285 ;
two divisions of, 285, &c. ; the germs
of, existed in the day of Solomon in
all directions, 293, &c. ; its allegori
cal and spiritual interpretation main
tained, 294 ; proved by its Solomo-
nian authorship, 294, 295 ; by its
relation to Psalm xiv., 295 ; by the
allusions to it found in the prophets,
296 ; by reference to it found in the
New Testament, 297 ; by the con
sentient voice of the Jewish Church,
298 ; by appeal to josephus, Sirach,
and the fourth book of Ezra, 298,
299 ; by the Talmud, 299 ; by appeal
to Abenezra, 299 ; by its admission
into the canon, 299, 300 ; by the
history of its interpretations, 301, &c;
objections to the spiritual view exa
mined, 302, &o.
Song of Songs, meaning of the phrase,
272, 277, 294.
Sons of the prophets, 344.
Soul, the, not to be satisfied with
earthly possessions, 55, &c. ; does
not perish with the body, 253 ; re
turns to God, 254.
Speak, a time to, 101, &c.
Spirit, the, of a man, which goeth up
ward, 118; of a beast, which goeth
downward, 119, &c. ; no man hath
power to retain, 157.
Sprinkling with blood, 384.
Standing in an evil thing, 195.
Stoics, the, their views of suffering,
310, &c.
Stones, a time to gather, 99.
Strange woman, the, 185.
Strong men, the, in the description of
old age, 246.
Study, much, a weariness to the flesh,
— how to be understood, 265.
Sufferings, the, of the righteous, the
theme of the book of Job, 309 ; how
to be regarded, — the Stoic view of,
310, &c. ; the worldly view, 312; the
view which regards them in the light
of a future recompence, 312 ; resig
nation, as an antidote for, 314 ; ex
plained by the fall of man, 314 ; the
true solution of the difficulty respect
ing, 315 ; as set forth in the book of
Job, 316, &c; the view taken by
Job's three friends respecting sin
and, 324.
Sun, the, the image of human exist-
once, 51.

Sun and Moon darkened, 245. ;
Sweareth, he that, 209.
Tears, the bread of, 213.
Temple, the future rebuilding of the
Jewish inconceivable, 465, &c.
Testaments, the Old and theNew, their
connection, 343 ; the Old, has writ
ten the history of all nations, 343,
344; the prophetic element of the
Old, 344.
Thank-offerings, 399-401 ; two classes
of, 401; difference between them- and
sin-offerings, 401, 412 ; a peculiar
usage connected with, 402 ; feasts
connected with, 403.
Thanksgiving, 372, 402.
Thorns, the crackling of, under the
pot, 163.
Time for every thing, 89.
Time and change, 218.
Times of the heathen, 456.
Tonga Islands, a peculiar custom in
the, 374.
Tongue, the man of, 230.
Traducianism, and creationism, 255,
&c.
Trap and snare, 219.
Travail, the, which God has given to
the sons of men, 104; which is
caused by improper speculation about
God, 205.
Tree, the, lies where it falls, 237.
Trespass-offerings, 385, 386.
Tribulation, the, which was to precede
the appearance of the Messiah, 288,
&c.
Unity of the Song of Solomon, 271-275.
Unleavened bread, its symbolic import,
407.
Upright, man was made, 189.
Uzziah, 351-353.
Vanity, of all earthly things, 44 ; to
impress this on the mind of the
Church was the mission of the book
of Ecclesiastes, 46, &c. ; how to be
reconciled with the creation of all
things good, 48, &c. ; not the end of
God's ways, 49, &c.
Vicarious sacrifices, 378, &c.
Voice of the bird, the,, 247, &c.
Vows, 138, 139, 140, 401.
Wall, whoso breaketh through a, 227.
War, the, in which there is no dis
charge, 198.
Watchmen of the house, the, 246.
Water, bread cast on the, 235.
Water, streams of, a symbol of the re-
sultlessness of human affairs, 52, &c.

488

INDEX III.

Waving the thank-offerings, the signi
fication of the usage, 402, &c.
Weakness, sins of, 281, 282, 283.
Weep, a time to, 99, &c.
Wheel, the, broken at the cistern, 252.
White garments, 214.
WHole duty of man, the, 267.
Wicked over much, be not, 177.
Wicked, the, the burial of, 199.
Wickedness, in the place of judgment,
113, &c. ; a wicked man prospering
in his, 173.
Wife of thy youth, the, 168.
Wilful sins, 281, 282, 283.
Wind, observing the, 238.
Wind, as the symbol of human exist
ence, 52 ; the poor are, 220.
Wise over much, 176.
Wise man, the, and the fool, equally
exposed to death, 83 ; oppression
makes mad, 164; Koheleth a, 258;
the words of the, 260.
Wisdom, personified, 41.
Wisdom, one of the splendid possessions
of the age of Solomon, 17, 59; pain
ful search after, 61, 62 ; what sort
depreciated by Koheleth, 67; and
folly, 81 ; good as an inheritance,

167 ; a defence, 169 ; difficult to find,
182 ; heathenish, 184 ; Israelitish,
185; the true, extolled, 190; the
prerogative of God's people, 219 ;
better than weapons, of war, 221.
Woman, the, whose heart is snares, 184,
&c. ; the strange, 185; not one in a
thousand, 187, 188.
Woman of Samaria, the conversation
of Jesus with the, 462.
Word of God, the, its power, 262, &c.
Words of.the wise, 260.
World, the, the temptation to adopt its
wisdom in times of oppression, 28,
&c. ; its sorrows and wretchedness,
124, &c. ; a vale of tears, 159.
World, the, a warning against the study
of its literature, 265.
Worship of God, evils connected with
the, 133..
Youth addressed, 241, &c. ; the Creator
to be remembered in, 243, &e.
Zeal in good works, symbolized by the
.meat-offering, 404, 406.
Zion, the deliverer come to, 460, 464,
&c, 468 ; the return of Israel to, 470.

TUBNBtTLL AND SPEARS, PBINTEES, EDINBDUGH.

Ill IIHffJ