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my servant, &c. In the Introduction, pp. xlix. – lvi., I have shown that this term has a collective sense, denoting the people of God, the true Israel, in contradistinction not only from Gentiles, but from Israelites by birth who were unworthy of the name. Some highly respectable interpreters suppose the whole Jewish nation to be denoted, in contradistinction from other nations, or Gentiles. In this latter case the Gentiles would be represented as speaking in liii. 2–6.

LIII. 3. ·hide their faces; i. e. cannot bear to look at. Otherwise, As one that hideth his face from us; i. e. as one who, from any cause, leprosy, for instance, is induced to cover his face.

4.-from above. This appears to me plainly implied in its connection with the parallel line.

8. — he was smitten; lit. they were smitten, the blow was upon them. The use of the plural pronoun in this place is considered by those who understand the term servant of Jehovah in a collective sense as denoting the Jewish nation, or the better part of it, as favorable to that explanation. See xliv. 26.

9.- the rich man. The parallelism, the connection of the line with the following, and Scripture usage favor the supposition that rich is intended to be synonymous with wicked in the preceding line. The idea of pride, oppression, and impiety is often associated with that of wealth in the Scriptures, and supposed to be implied in the term, so that woes are denounced against the rich without any express reference to their wickedness. See Job xxvii. 19; Micah vi. 12; Ps. xlix. 6; Luke vi. 24, xvi. 19, &c., xviii. 24, 25; James i. 11, v. 1. See Lachemacher's Observ. on Is. liii. 9. —his sepulchre. It is doubtful whether this rendering, or that of the common version, in his death, is to be preferred. The former has the parallelism decidedly in its favor. The phrase in his death seems also a superfluous appendage., from which the Greek ßwμós was probably derived, probably denotes sepulchre in Ezek. xliii. 7. It is true that this is a less usual signification of the term; but the writer, having used the common word for sepulchre, in the former half of the parallelism, was obliged to employ a less usual term, or a generic term meaning high place, in the latter half. Thus in ch. xxii. 16,

That thou hewest out thy sepulchre on high,

And gravest out a habitation for thyself in the rock.

I admit, however, that it is a matter of great doubt which rendering is to be preferred. The Hebrew term is plural in either case: his sepulchres, or his deaths. Some make this an argument for the collective meaning of the phrase servant of God.

10.—when he hath made: or, when thou hast, &c. see posterity; i. e. have posterity of his own.

11. -see; i. e. what is mentioned in the preceding verse.

LIV. 1. Sing, O thou barren. The Jewish commonwealth is repre

sented as barren during the exile at Babylon, when, being divorced from Jehovah, their husband, ver. 5, they were not multiplied.

4.

shame of thy youth; i. e. the slavery in Egypt. widowhood: the captivity of Babylon.

LV. 3. -sure mercies of David; i. e. such mercies as were more than once emphatically promised to David. See 2 Sam. vii. 12–17, &c.; P8. lxxxix. 20 – 37.

4.-him for a commander, &c.; i. e. the ancient King David, mentioned in the preceding verse. The extent of the dominion promised to David is referred to for the purpose of illustrating the power and glory which shall be given to the Jewish people, when they shall hear the voice of God and obey it. It is only in a typical or allegorical sense that this verse can be applied to the Messiah.

5. — thou knowest not: the Jewish people is addressed. 11.-the word; i. e. the promise.

LVI. 9. The beasts of the forest are the enemies of the Jews; the flock, the Jews; the watchmen, the prophets, priests, and rulers.

LVII. 1.— because of the evil. This may mean, that good men are removed, as a punishment to the people for their wickedness; or, that good men are removed, that they may escape impending calamities. life in thy hand; i. e. vitality, vigor, strength.

10.

19. I create the fruit; i. e. by the blessings which I confer, I give cause for thanksgiving.

LVIII. 2.—judgments which bring salvation: comp. lix. 9; i. e. punishment of their enemies, with which the salvation of the Jews was supposed to be connected.

8. health; i. e. deliverance, restoration to prosperity.

LIX. 9.-judgment. See note on lviii. 2.

14. the gate; i. e. the place where courts were held.

LX. 1.- shine. Jerusalem, having long been sitting in darkness, i. e. in affliction, is now invited to enjoy the light of prosperity. See ver. 19, 20. To shine is to be bright, to be covered with light.

8. Who are these ? In his mind's eye the prophet beholds immense hosts hastening toward Jerusalem, and inquires with wonder, Who are these?

13. — feet rest; i. e. the temple.

16. Thou shalt also suck; i. e. kings shall bring their treasures and resources to enrich thee.

18. Thou shalt call thy walls, Salvation; i. e. because they shall be secure against every assault. - And thy gates, Praise; i. e. they shall never be entered by an enemy, and thus give thee occasion to praise God.

19. Light is often used for prosperity. The meaning, therefore, is, that the light of the sun shall be nothing in comparison with the glorious state of felicity which Jehovah will cause Jerusalem to enjoy.

LXI. 3.— beautiful crown; i. e. head-dress, turban, instead of ashes on their heads, the emblem of sorrow.

LXIII. 9. In all their straits, &c. A sort of enigmatical expression, meaning that in the most threatening circumstances the protection of God saved them from serious injury.

19. — called by thy name; i. e. called the people of Jehovah.

LXIV. 5. Long, &c. I am not satisfied with this or any other translation of this line which I have seen. Lowth alters the text by conjecThe common version has it, In those, i. e. in thy ways, is continuance, and we shall be saved. De Wette, In them, i. e. in our sins, has been continuance, and shall we be saved?

ture.

8.

our father; i. e. our Creator, Author.

LXV. 3. -on tiles. The prophet probably alludes to some idolatrous practice prevalent at Babylon. Rosenmueller remarks, that the bricks found in the supposed seat of Babylon in modern times, inscribed with certain characters, may be the relics of the superstition alluded to. 4. — in sepulchres, in caverns; i. e. to practise necromancy or divination.

11. Fortune, Destiny; or Gad and Meni, worshipped by Babylonians as gods of fortune, of which the former is supposed to have represented the planet Jupiter, and the latter Venus.

20. — infant child, old man; i. e. young and old; i. e. the whole nation shall reach the full measure of human life. Otherwise: There shall not be there an infant of days, (i. e. which lives only a few days,) nor an old man, &c. For he that dieth, &c. And such shall be the length of their lives, that to die a hundred years old will be considered as being cut down in youth; a premature death inflicted as a punishment upon the wicked.

LXVI. 3. He that slayeth an ox, &c. ; i. e. The disobedient, wicked man who offers sacrifices is as offensive as a murderer in the sight of God. Allowance is to be made for the strong language of poetry. The naked idea is, that sacrifices unaccompanied by piety were very offen. sive to God.

17. Following, &c.; i. e. following a priest, or leader of a procession, who directed the ceremonies in the midst of the groves.

24. their worm; i. e. the worm that consumes them.

NOTES ON MICAH.

In the title of the book, Micah is said to have been a Morasthite, that is, an inhabitant of Mareshah,* a city belonging to the tribe of Judah, and to have prophesied in the reign of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah; i. e. from about 759 to 710 A. C. We have also the testimony of Jeremiah, that he flourished under Hezekiah. The prophecies which remain to us seem to belong to the reign of the last-mentioned king. Micah was, therefore, a contemporary of Isaiah, though he may not have borne the prophetic office quite so soon. Beauty, sublimity, tenderness, clearness of expression, and justness of views in regard to human duty, have with reason been ascribed to Micah by various critics. There is considerable resemblance between him and his contemporary, Isaiah.

I. 3. cometh forth; i. e. will soon come forth.

6. —vineyard.

vineyard."

"Samaria was situated on a hill, the right soil for a

7. And to the hire of a harlot shall they return. The meaning seems to be, As the idols and their ornaments were made of the presents which the idolatrous Israelites contributed, so they shall be carried away by foreign idolaters, and adorn idols and temples in a foreign land. Or, as Calvin supposes, the meaning may be more general. All their wealth, which they acquired by their idolatrous worship, and looked on as rewards from their idols, with which they committed spiritual fornication, as it was like the hire of a harlot, so it should come to the same pass, as usually the hires of harlots do, which by the curse of God on them come to naught, and do them no good."

His dress would be ostrich. See my note on

8. — naked; i. e. without an upper garment. neglected like that of Eastern mourners. Job xxx. 29.

10. in the dust. This expression, in the original, is an instance of the paronomasia, or play upon words, which the Hebrews seem to have regarded as a great ornament of style, and to have admitted into the most serious composition. Beth-Aphrah, according to its etymological signification, means house of dust. In allusion to this signification he says, Roll yourselves in the dust. As if we should say, O Brookfield, thy brooks are dried up! There is a similar play upon the meaning of the names of the cities, mentioned in the following lines, Saphir signifying fair or elegant; Zaanan resembling the verb signifying to go out ; Maroth denoting bitterness; Beth-Azel, house of firmness or abiding; Achzib being derived from a verb, signifying to deceive, and Mareshah from one signifying to inherit, or possess.

16.-like the eagle; i. e. when he sheds his plumage.

* Jos. xv. 44; 2 Chron. xi. 8.

† Jer. xxvi 18, 19.

II. 5.

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- draw out a line, &c.; i. e. shall not measure a portion; i. e.
the land shall be wholly taken from them and be possessed by foreign-

ers.

9. — glory, &c.; i. e. good apparel, or glorious land.

IV. 8. tower of the flock, &c. The parallelism seems to show that
the expression denotes a tower on Zion, or Zion itself. The flock is the
people of God. See Jer. xiii. 17.

13. — hoofs brass, &c. Here is an allusion to the mode of thrashing
described in the note on Amos i. 3.

V. 1.
Yet now gather, &c.; i. e. O Jerusalem, to defend thyself
against a siege. O people of troops, &c.; lit. daughter of troops. So
daughter of Zion denotes inhabitants of Zion, referring to the predatory
bands which frequently issued from Jerusalem.

2.

small to be among the thousands; i. e. to be one of those bodies,
or divisions, over which chiliarchs, or captains of thousands, presided.
-origin. The noun thus translated is derived from the verb rendered
"( kings shall come out of thee." Gen. xvii. 6.
ancient age.
In Is.
xxiii. 7, the original phrase is used to denote the antiquity of the city
of Tyre. It is the same which is translated of old in ch. vii. 20, re-
ferring to the promises of God to the ancestors of the Jews. days of
old. This is the literal meaning of the Hebrew. The original expres
sion is precisely the same as that which is thus translated in ch. vii. 14
and Is. Ixiii. 9, 11; Mal. iii. 4; Deut. xxxii. 7. Nor is the expres-
sion ever used in the Old Testament to denote absolute eternity.

4.

Astartes; i. e. images of Astarte.

5. seven, eight; i. e. an abundance of defenders. See Eccl. xi. 2.
dew, &c.; i. e. they shall be multiplied and shall flourish under
the care of God, without aid from man.

7.

9. Thy hand. Supply O Israel !

VI. 2. ·contendeth; i. e. as a party before a court of justice.

6. Wherewith, &c. The prophet represents the people as replying
to the expostulation of Jehovah.

14. — remove; i. e. thy children, goods, &c.

16.

the reproach of my people; i. e. the same injurious treatment of
which ye were once guilty to my people, ye shall yourselves receive
from the heathen.

VII. 1.—first-ripe fig; i. e. fruit of the best kind, and the object of
strongest desire. The meaning seems to be, "I long to see a good
man as ardently as, before the time of figs, one desires those which
may here and there be found ripe.”

7. I will look, &c. The prophet seems to speak here in the person
of the people.

11.—the decree; i. e. the oppressive tribute, decreed by their ene-
mies; or, it may be, all the tyrannical decrees of their oppressors. Oth-

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