world, that I should bear witness unto the truth." And the passages, Rev. i. 5: "And from Jesus Christ who is the faithful witness," and Rev. iii. 14: "These things says the Amen, the faithful and true witness," likewise point back to the passage before us; compare farther, John iii. 11, 32, 33. In John xviii. 37, Rev. i. 5, His being a witness is, just as in the passage before us, connected with His being a King; so that the reference to this passage cannot be at all doubtful. It is intentionally that is put at the head. is put at the head. It is intended to intimate that the future dominion of the Davidic dynasty over the heathen world shall be essentially different from that which, in former times, it exercised over some neighbouring people. It is not based upon the power of arms, but upon the power of truth. He in whom the Davidic dynasty is to centre shall connect the prophetic with the regal office; just as already, in the prophecy of the Shiloh, in Gen. xlix. 10, the prophetic office is concealed behind the royal. The contrast to the first David can the less be doubtful, that, while is never applied to him, it is just the subsequent which, in a series of passages, is ascribed to him. In 2 Sam. vi. 21, David himself says that the Lord appointed him to be ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel; in 2 Sam. vii. 8, Nathan says: "I took thee from the sheep-cot to be ruler over my people, over Israel;" comp. 1 Sam. xxv. 30; 2 Sam. v. 5. In those passages, however, David is always spoken of as a ruler over Israel; so that even as regards the the second David, the prince of the people, is not only placed on a level with the first David, but is elevated above him. For the dominion by force which David exercised over some heathen nations, was the less appropriate designation, inasmuch as it designates the ruler as the chief of his people. ער בבגיד Ver. 5. "Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee, because of the Lord thy God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for He adorneth thee." The words here are addressed to the true Israel, to the exclusion of those souls who are cut off from among their people, compare Ps. lxxiii. 1, where Israel and those that are of a clean heart go hand in hand,-and, in substance, they also were addressed in vers. 1 and 2. For the thirsty ones, who are there called upon to partake of the blessings so liberally offered by the Lord, are just the members of the Church. In connection with that glorification of David, the Church shall invite nations from a great distance, who were hitherto unknown to it, to its communion; and those nations who hitherto scarcely knew by name the Church of God shall joyfully and willingly comply with the invitation; comp. chap. ii. 2. This great change proceeds from the Lord, the Almighty and Holy One, who, as the protector and Covenant-God of His Church, has resolved to glorify it; for He adorneth thee. This glorification consists, according to chap. iv. 2, in the appearance of Christ, the immediate consequence of which is the conversion of the heathen world. We must now review that exposition by which Rationalism has endeavoured to deprive our passage of its Messianic import, -an attempt in which Grotius led the way. Gesenius, whom Hitzig, Maurer, Ewald, and Knobel follow, translates in vers. 3 and 4: "That I may make with you an everlasting covenant, may show to you constant mercies, as once to David. Behold I have made him a ruler of the nations, a prince and lawgiver of the nations," and refers both of the verses to the first David. In ver. 5 then, the mercy is to follow which, in some future time, God will bestow upon the whole people, as gloriously as once upon the single David. But this explanation proves itself to be, in every aspect, untenable.1 We are the less entitled to put " mercies like David's" instead of "the mercies of David," that these mercies are, elsewhere also, mentioned in reference to the eternal dominion promised to David for his family; comp. Ps. lxxxix. 2, 50. With the epithet, "constant," these interpreters do not know what to do. Apart from the promise of the eternal dominion of his house, no constant mercies can, in the case of David, be pointed out which would be equally bestowed upon the people, and upon him. Moreover, distinctly points back to 2 Sam. vii. Ver. 4 forms, 1 Vitringa already remarked in opposition to it: "This exposition is rather far fetched, and is the weakest of all that can be advanced. I add, that the constancy of the promises given to David does not appear, if we exclude the Kingdom of the Messiah. But are any other promises of constant and eternal blessings, such as are here promised, to be thought of?" according to this explanation, "a historical reminiscence, most unsuitable in the flow of a prophetic discourse" (Umbreit). But what in itself is quite conclusive is the circumstance, that the first David could not by any possibility be designated as the witness of the Gentile nations. It indeed sounds rather naïve that Knobel, after having endeavoured to explain of the "opening up of the law," feels himself obliged to add: "The word does not, however, occur anywhere else in this signification." Nor could David, without farther limitation, be designated as "the prince and lawgiver of the peoples;" and that so much the more that, in ver. 5, there is an invitation to the Gentile world, and that, in ver. 4, too, the Gentile world, in the widest sense, is to be thought of. After the promise, there follows, in vers. 6-13, the admonition to repentance based upon it. Repent ye, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand, vers. 6, 7. Do not doubt that the Kingdom of heaven is at hand, because it does not seem probable to you. For the counsels of God go beyond all the thoughts of men; and, therefore, He and His work must not be judged by a human measure, vers. 8, 9. With Him, word and deed are inseparably connected, vers. 10, 11. This will be manifested in your redemption and glorification, vers. 12, 13. THE PROPHECY-CHAP. LXI. 1—3. As in chaps. xlix. and 1., so here, the Servant of God is introduced as speaking, and announces to the Church what a glorious office the Lord had bestowed upon Him, namely, to deliver them from the misery in which they had hitherto been lying, and to work a wonderful change in their condition. In vers. 4-9, the Prophet takes the word, and describes the salvation to be bestowed by the Servant of God. In vers. 10 and 11, the Church appears, and expresses her joy and gratitude. According to the Jewish and Rationalistic interpreters, the Prophet himself is supposed to be speaking in vers. 1-3. That opinion was last expressed by Knobel: "The author places before his promises a remembrance of his vocation as a preacher of consolation." In favour of the Messianic interpretation, in which our Lord himself preceded His Church (Luke iv. 17-19), are conclusive, not only the parallel passages, but also the contents of the prophecy itself, which go far beyond the prophetic territory, and the human territory generally. The speaker designates himself as He who is called, not merely to announce the highest blessings to the Church, but actually to grant them. He does not represent himself as a mere Evangelist, but rather as a Saviour. Ver. 1. "The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to preach glad tidings unto the meek; He hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and opening to them that are bound." יען On the words: "The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me," compare chap. xi. 2, xlii. 1. always means "because of." The whole succeeding clause stands instead of a noun, so that, in substance, "because of" is equivalent to "because; " but it never can mean "therefore." Nor would the latter signification afford a good sense. The verb must, in that case, be subjected to arbitrary explanations. The anointing, whether it occurs as a symbolical action really carried out, or as a mere figure, is always a designation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit; compare 1 Sam. x. 1, xvi. 13, 14, and remarks on Dan. ix. 24. Since, then, the anointing is identical with the bestowal of the Spirit, the words: "because the Lord hath anointed me" must not be isolated, but must be understood in close connection with the subsequent words; so that the sense is: And He hath, for this reason, endowed me with His Spirit, in order that I may preach good tidings, &c. They are the pacîs in Matt. v. 5; and are never confounded with one another. The LXX., whom Luke follows, have πTwɣoîs. This rendering does not differ so much from the original text as to make it appear expedient to give up the version at that time received. In the world of sin, the meek are, at the same time, those who are suffering; and the glad tidings which imply a contrast to their misery, show that, here specially, the meek are to be conceived of as sufferers. They, in contrast to the wicked, appear, in chap. xi. also, as the people of the Messiah.-"The binding up" -Stier remarks-" already passes over into the actual bestowal עני ענו יענויס of that which is announced." The term is taken from the Jubilee year, which was a year of general deliverance for all those who, on account of debts, had become slaves; compare Lev. xxv. 10: "And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land for all the inhabitants thereof; it shall be a jubilee year unto you, and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family." Such a great year of liberty is both to be proclaimed and to be brought about by the Servant of God. For He does not announce any thing which He does not, at the same time, grant, as is clearly shown by ver. 3. His saying is based upon His being and nature; He delivers from the service of the world, and brings into the glorious liberty of the children of God.-Most of the modern interpreters agree with the ancient versions in declaring it to be wrong to divide the word, although this writing is found in most of the manuscripts. The word is, "by its form of reduplication, the most emphatic term for the most complete opening," and designates "opening, unclosing of every kind, of the eyes, ears, and heart, of every barrier and tie from within, or from without." The LXX., proceeding upon the fact that occurs, with especial frequency, of the opening of the eyes, translate: καὶ τυφλοῖς ἀνάβλεψιν. Luke does not wish to set aside this version, because it gives one feature of the sense; and partly also because of the close resemblance to the parallel passage, chap. xlii. 7, which, in this way, was brought in and connected with the passage under consideration. But since outward deliverance and redemption are, in the first instance, to be thought of, when opening to the captives is spoken of, he, in order to complete the sense, adds: ἀποστεῖλαι τεθραυσμένους ἐν ἀφέσει, borrowing the expression from the Alexand. Vers. itself in chap. lviii. 6. פקח Ver. 2. "To proclaim a year of acceptance to the Lord, and a day of vengeance to our God, to comfort all that mourn." year "A to the Lord" is a year when the Lord shows himself gracious and merciful to His people; compare chap. xlix. 8. The words farther still allude to the Jubilee year; and it is in consequence of this allusion, that we can account for its being a year instead of a time, indefinitely. In that year, a complete restitutio in integrum took place. It was, for all in misery, |