a year of mercy, a type of the times of refreshing (Acts iii. 19) which the Lord grants to His Church, after it has been exercised by the Cross. Hand in hand with the year of mercy goes the day of vengeance. When the Lord shows mercy to the meek, and to them that mourn, this shall, at the same time, be accompanied by a manifestation of anger against the enemies of God, and of His Church. The one cannot be thought of without the other. The mercy of the Lord towards His people is, among other things also, manifested in His sitting in judgment upon His and their enemies, upon the proud world which afflicts and oppresses them. It is only in this respect that the vengeance here comes into consideration; and it is for this reason also, that the first feature at once reappears in the third verse. The Lord, in quoting the verse, limits himself to the first clause, "His first coming into the world was in the form of meekness," and, therefore, in the meantime, the bright side only is brought out.

Ver. 3. "To put upon them that mourn in Zion,—to give them a crown for ashes, oil of joy for mourning, garment of praise for a spirit of heaviness; and they shall be called terebinths of righteousness, planting of the Lord for glorifying."

It is in this verse that it comes clearly out, that the speaker is not merely to announce the mercy of God, but, at the same time, to bestow it; that the announcement is not an empty one, but one which brings along with it that which is promised; that it is not a Prophet or Evangelist who speaks, but the Saviour. Such a change cannot be effected by merely announcing it. Everywhere, in the second part, it is brought about, not by words, but by deeds. How were it possible that by mere words, as long as the reality stood in glaring contrast to them, the believers could become terebinths of righteousness, a glorious planting of the Lord ?-The connection of the two verbs and is to be accounted for from the circumstance, that the pronoun suited the first noun only-the ornament for the head. It is only when is understood in the sense, "to put upon," "to put on," that there is a sufficient reason for adding but that is not the case when it is taken in the signification" to grant," "to appoint." connected with one another, because mourners were accustomed to strew ashes on their heads. The expression "oil of joy,"

or,

נתן

VOL. II.

"crown," and

"ashes," are

2

which is to be explained from the custom of people anointing themselves with oil in cases of joy, is taken from Ps. xlv. 8. As the Messiah there appears as the possessor of the oil of joy, so, here, He appears as the bestower. In chap. lv. 3, there is likewise an allusion to Ps. xlv., and along with it, to Ps. xxii. The "spirit of heaviness" refers to chap. xlii. 3. The fact that, instead of it, they receive "garments of praise," intimates that they shall be altogether clothed with praise, songs of praise for the divine goodness which manifested itself in them; on the garments as symbols of the condition, compare remarks on Rev. vii. 14. The "righteousness" which is appropriate to the spiritual terebinths, is the actual justification, which the Lord grants to His people at the appearance of the Messiah. There is in it an allusion to the planting of paradise; God now prepares for himself a new paradisaical plantation, consisting of living trees.

THE PROPHET ZEPHANIAH.

By the inscription, the Prophet's origin is, in a way rather uncommon, traced back to his fourth ancestor, Hezekiah,-no doubt the king. He appeared as a prophet under the reign of Josiah-before the time, however, at which the reforms of that king had attained their completion, which took place in the 18th year of his reign--and, hence, prophesied, like his predecessor Habakkuk, in the view of the Chaldean catastrophe. The prophecy begins with threatening judgment upon the sinners, and closes with announcing salvation to the believers,—a circumstance which proves that it forms one whole. The threatening is distinguished from that of Habakkuk by the circumstance, that it has more of a general comprehensive character, and does not, as is done in Habakkuk, view the Chaldean catastrophe as a particular historical event. It is not an incidental circumstance, that the Chaldeans are not expressly mentioned by Zephaniah, as is done by Habakkuk, and was done by Isaiah. The Prophet can, therefore, have had them in view as being, in the first instance only, the instruments of Divine punishment.

The prophecy begins, in chap. i. 2, 3, with announcing the judgment impending over the whole world. Then, the Prophet shows how it manifests itself in Judah; first, in general outlines, vers. 4-7; then, in detail, vers. 8--18. In close connection, this is followed by a call to repent, in chap. ii. 1-3. This call is founded on the fearful character of the impending judgment which, according to vers. 4-15, will be inflicted not only upon Judah, but also upon the world, and will especially bring destruction upon all the neighbouring nations in the West, upon the Philistines; in the East, upon Ammon and Moab; in the

:

South, on Cush; in the North, upon Nineveh, upon whose destruction the Prophet especially dwells, since, up to that time, it had been the bearer of the world's power.

In chap. iii., in the first instance, the threatening against Judah is resumed. Apostate Jerusalem, corrupt in its head and members, irresistibly hastens on towards judgment. But, notwithstanding, "the afflicted and poor people of the land" shall not despair. On the contrary, as salvation cannot proceed from the midst of the people, they are to put their trust in the Lord. By His judgments (viz., those declared in chap. ii., which at last shall bring forth the peaceable fruits of righteousness, compare Is. xxvi. 9: "For when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness ") will He break the pride of the Gentile world, and bring about their conversion,and the converted Gentile world will bring back to Jerusalem the scattered Congregation. Being purified and justified, it will then enjoy the full mercy of the Lord.

The principal passage is chap. iii. 8—13.

Ver. 8. "Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey; for my right is (i.e., the exercise of my right consists in this) to gather the nations, and to assemble the kingdoms, to pour out upon them mine indignation, all the heat of mine anger; for all the earth shall be devoured by the fire of my jealousy. Ver. 9. For then will I turn unto the nations a clean lip, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve Him with one shoulder. Ver. 10. From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia shall they bring my suppliants, the daughter of my dispersed for a meat-offering to me. Ver. 11. In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings wherein thou hast transgressed against me; for then will I take away out of the midst of thee them that proudly rejoice in thee, and thou shalt no more be haughty on mine holy mountain. Ver. 12. And I leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they trust in the name of the Lord. Ver. 13. The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid."

Zephaniah, who opens the series of the prophets who are preeminently dependent upon other prophets, just as Habakkuk

closes the series of those pre-eminently independent, leans, in this section, chiefly upon Isaiah; and it is from this circumstance that it appears, that the person of the Messiah, although not appearing here, stands in the background and forms the invisible

centre.

"Therefore,” ver. 8: Since the salvation cannot proceed from the midst of the people, inasmuch as, in the way of their works, they receive nothing but destructive punishment. On the words: "Wait ye upon me," compare Hab. ii. 3. "The day that the Lord rises up to the prey" is the time when He will begin His great triumphal march against the Gentile world. With the words: "For my right," &c., a new argument for the call 66 Wait ye upon me," commences. But this does not by any means close with the 8th verse, but goes on to the end of ver. 10. First: Wait, for I will judge the nations. It is not without meaning that, as regards your hope, I refer you to the judgment upon the Gentiles; for, in consequence of this judgment, their conversion will take place, and a consequence of their conversion is, that they bring back to Zion her scattered members. In the thought, that the judgments upon the Gentile world will break their hardness of heart, and prepare them for their conversion, Zephaniah follows Isaiah, who, e.g. in chap. xix., exemplifies it in the case of Egypt, and in chap. xxiii. in that of Tyre. The bruised reed and the faintly burning wick is not merely a designation of the single individuals who have been endowed with the right disposition for the Kingdom of God, but of whole nations. "The clean lip" in ver. 9 forms the contrast to the unclean lips in Is. vi. With unclean lips they had, in the time of the long-suffering of God, invoked their idols, Ps. xvi. 4. On the words: "To serve Him with one shoulder," comp. Is. xix. 23: "And Egypt serves with Asshur." The words: "From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia," in ver. 10, rest on Is. xviii. 1. In both of the passages, Ethiopia is the type of the whole Gentile world to be converted in future. In Is. xviii. Ethiopia offers itself and all which it has to the Lord; here, it brings the scattered members of the community of the Israelitish people to the Kingdom of God. y always means "to supplicate," never "to burn incense." Ezek. viii. 11 must thus be translated. "Every man, his censer in his hand, and the supplication of the