CHAPTER LV. 1-5.
The Lord exhorts those who are anxious to be saved, to appropriate the blessings of salvation which are so liberally offered, and which, although bestowed without money and price, can alone truly satisfy the soul, vers. 1 and 2. For He is to make with them a covenant of everlasting duration, in which the eternal mercy promised to the family of David is to be realized, ver. 3. David--such is the salvation in store for the Church--is to be a witness, prince, and lawgiver of all the Gentiles who, with joyful readiness, shall unite themselves to Israel.
[Pg 343]
Ver. 1. "_Ho, all ye that thirst, come ye to the water, and ye that have no silver, come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without silver and without price._"
The discourse is addressed to the members of the Church pining away in misery. By the water, salvation is denoted, as is not unfrequently the case, comp. chap. xii. 3: "And with joy ye shall draw water out of the wells of salvation," xliv. 3; Ps. lx.x.xvii. 7, lx.x.xiv. 7, cvii. 35. The thirsty one is he who stands in need of salvation. To the words: "Ho, all ye that thirst, come ye to the water," the Lord refers in John vii.
37: ??? t?? d??? ????s?? p??? e ?a? p???t?, where the p??? e had been added from ver. 3. It is to be observed that Christ there appropriates to himself what Jehovah is here speaking. _Michaelis_ says: "Christ, in consequence of the highest ident.i.ty, makes the words of the Father His own." There is an evident reference to the same words in Rev. xxi. 6 also: ??? t? d????t? d?s? ?? t?? p???? t?? ?dat?? t?? ???? d??e??.
Similarly in Rev. xxii. 17: ?a? ? d???? ????s??, ? ????? ?a?t? ?d??
???? d??e??. In a somewhat more distant relation to the words before us, but yet undeniably depending upon them, is John iv. 10: s? ??
?t?sa? a?t?? ?a? ?d??e? ?? s?? ?d?? ???. Vers. 13, 14: p?? ? p???? ??
t?? ?dat?? t??t?? d???se? p???? ?? d" ?? p?? ?? t?? ?dat??, ?? ???
d?s? a?t? ?? ? d???s? e?? t?? a???a. And so does, in another aspect.
Matt. xi. 28: de?te p??? e ?? ??p???te? ?a? pef??t?s???? ????
??apa?s? ???, which, however, has still nearer points of resemblance to ver. 3; for de?te p??? e corresponds to ??? ??? in that verse; the words ???? ??apa?s? ???, to: "Your soul shall live" there, but yet in such a way that there is, at the same time, a reference to Jer. vi. 16; the ??p???te? ?a? pef??t?s???? are the thirsty ones in the verse before us. It is remarkable to see how important this una.s.suming declaration was to our Lord, and how much He had it at heart. We are thereby urgently called upon, by means of deep and earnest study and meditation, to arrive at the full meaning of the Old Testament, which is everywhere connected with the New Testament, not only by the strong and firm ties of express quotations, but also by the nicest and most tender threads of gentle allusions. Even Matt. v. 6: a?????? ??
pe????te? ?a? d????te? t?? d??a??s???? comes into a close relation to our pa.s.sage, as soon as it is recognized that d??a??s???? is not the subjective righteousness [Pg 344] which is excluded from that context, but rather righteousness as a gift of G.o.d, the actual justification, such as takes place in the bestowal of salvation; so that, hence, the righteousness there corresponds with the _water_ here. The subsequent "eat" furnishes the foundation for the fact, that the need of and desire for salvation, is designated by _hunger_ also,--"_Come ye, buy and eat._" ??? "to break," is used of the appeasing of thirst (comp.
Ps. civ. 11), and hunger (comp. Gen. xlii. 19); and corn is called ??????
for this reason that it breaks the hunger. The verb never means "to buy" in general, but only such a buying as affords the means of appeasing hunger and thirst. Nor does it, in itself, stand in any relation to corn, except in so far only as the latter is a chief moans of appeasing hunger. This we see not only from Ps. civ. 11, but also from that which here immediately follows, where it is used of the buying of wine and milk. The buying of necessary provisions is commonly designated by the _Kal_; the selling by the _Hiphil_. In Gen. xli. 26, the selling too is designated by the _Kal_. He who causes that one can break or appease, may himself also be designated as he who breaks or appeases. This verb, so very peculiar, and the noun ??????, occur in a certain acc.u.mulation, in the history of Joseph only; elsewhere, their occurrence is sporadic only. It is then to the hunger of Israel in ancient times, and to its being appeased by Joseph, that the double ???? alludes; and from this circ.u.mstance also the fact is to be explained, that it is first used in reference to food; comp. ???? ?????
in our verse, with ??? ??? in Gen. xlii. 7-10. Christ is the true Joseph, who puts an end to the hunger and thirst of the people of G.o.d, by offering true food and true drink.--The word "eat" suggests substantial food, bread in contrast to the drink by which it is surrounded on both sides; compare John vi. 35: ??? e?? ? ??t?? t??
???? ? ????e??? p??? e ?? ? pe???s? (????) ?a? ? p?ste??? e?? ??
?? ? d???s? p?p?te. Ver. 55: ? ??? s??? ?? ?????? ?st? ??s??, ?a? t?
a?? ?? ?????? ?st? p?s??. From the sequel (comp. vers. 6, 7), it appears that the thrice repeated _coming_ and the _buying_ are accomplished by true repentance, the et????a, which is the indispensable condition of the partic.i.p.ation in the salvation. In John vi. 35, the words: ? ????e??? p??? e are explained by: ? p?ste??? e??
??. Faith is the soul of repentance.--The circ.u.mstance that the [Pg 345] buying is done without money, intimates that the blessings of salvation are a pure gift of divine grace. These blessings of salvation are first designated by water; afterwards, by _wine_ and _milk_,--thus approximating to those pa.s.sages in which the blessings of the Kingdom of Christ appear under the image of a rich repast, to which the members of the Kingdom are invited as guests, Ps. xxii. 26-30; Matt. viii. 11, xxii. 2; Luke xiv. 16; Rev. xix. 9.--Some Rationalistic interpreters understand, by the offered blessings, the salutary admonitions of the Prophet; but decisive against these are vers. 3 and 11, according to which it is not present, but future blessings, not words, but real things which are spoken of, viz., the salvation which is to be brought through Christ. What that is which const.i.tutes the substance of this salvation, we learn from chap. liii. It is the redemption and reconciliation by the Servant of G.o.d. Yet we must not, after the manner of several ancient interpreters, limit ourselves to the "evangelical righteousness." On the contrary, the whole fulness of the salvation in Christ is comprehended in it; and according to vers. 4 and 5, this includes the dominion over the world by the Kingdom of G.o.d,--its dominion over the Gentile world, and the invest.i.ture of its members with the full liberty and glory of the children of G.o.d.
Ver. 2. "_Wherefore do ye weigh money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which satisfieth not? Hearken, hearken unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness._"
From ver. 3, we see that it is not the Prophet, but the Lord who speaks. "That which is not bread," and "that which satisfieth not," is something which outwardly has the appearance of good and nutritious food, and to obtain which the hungry ones therefore strive, and exert themselves with all their might, but which afterwards shows itself to be food in appearance only, and which has not the power of satisfying.
"That which is not bread," is, in the first instance, the imagined salvation which they sought to obtain from idols for much money. This appears from the intentional literal reference to chap. xlvi. 6, where the Prophet reproves the folly of those who, in the face of the living G.o.d, "lavish gold out of the bag, and _weigh silver_ in the balance, and hire a goldsmith, [Pg 346] that he make it a G.o.d, work also and fall down." With perfect justice _Stier_ remarks: "Notwithstanding the connection with, and allusion to, the circ.u.mstances of that time, the word of the Prophet is to be understood in a general, spiritual way, as a melancholy, bitter lamentation over the general misery, and man"s deep-rooted perverseness in running with effort and exertion, after that which is pernicious to the soul, and in serving some Baal better than Jehovah." "Fatness" occurs as a figurative designation of the glorious gifts of G.o.d, in Ps. x.x.xvi. 9 also.
Ver. 3. "_Incline your ears and come unto me, hear and your soul shall live, and I will grant to you an everlasting covenant, the constant mercies of David._"
The introductory words allude, in a graceful manner, to two Messianic psalms, and remind us of the fact, that the prophecy before us moves on the same ground as these psalms. On "incline your ear, and come unto me, hear," comp. Ps. xlv. 11: "Hear, O daughter, and see, and _incline thine ear_ (from the fundamental pa.s.sage, the Singular is here retained), and forget thy people and thy father"s house." On "your soul shall live," comp. Ps. xxii. 27: "The meek shall eat and be satisfied, they shall praise the Lord that seek Him, _your heart shall live for ever_." a.n.a.logous are the references to Ps. lxxii. in chap. xi. The soul _dies_ in care and grief In the words: "I will grant to you," &c., there follow the glad tidings which are to heal the dying hearts. ???
???? is used of G.o.d, even where no reciprocal agreement takes place, but where He simply confers grace; because every grace which He bestows imposes, at the same time, an obligation, and may hence be considered as a covenant. The onesidedness is, in such a case, indicated by the construction with ?, comp. chap. lxi. 8: "And I give them their reward in truth, and I make (grant) to them an everlasting covenant," Jer.
x.x.xii. 40; Ezek. x.x.xiv. 25; Ps. lx.x.xix. 4. Since _to make a covenant_ is here identical with _granting mercy_, ????? may also be connected with the subsequent "the constant mercies of David," and there is no necessity for supposing a Zeugma. The everlasting covenant here, is the new covenant in Jer. x.x.xi. 31-34; for the words "I _will_ make" show that, here too, a new covenant is spoken of. The substance of the covenant to be made is expressed in the words: [Pg 347] "The constant mercies of David," &c. By "David," many interpreters here understand the descendant of David, the Messiah, who, in other pa.s.sages also, _e.g._, Jer. x.x.x. 9, bears the name of His type. Even _Abenezra_ refers to the fact that, in ver. 4, the Messiah is necessarily required as the subject. The _constant_ mercies of David are, according to this view--in parallelism with the "everlasting covenant"--the mercies constantly continuing, in contrast to the merely transitory mercies, such as had been those of the first David. According to the opinion of other interpreters, David designates here, as in Hos. iii. 5, the family of David who, in Ps. xviii., and in a series of other psalms, speaks in the name of his whole family. As regards the sense, this explanation arrives at the same result. For, according to it, the Messiah is He in whom the Davidic house attains to its fall destiny, the channel through which the mercies of David flow in upon the Church.
For the latter interpretation, however, is decisive the evident reference to the divine promise to David, in 2 Sam. vii., especially vers. 15, 16: "And my mercy shall not depart from him (thy race) ...
and constant (????) is thine house, and thy kingdom for ever before thee, thy throne shall be firm for ever;" compare Ps. lx.x.xix. 29: "My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant is constant in him." Ps. lx.x.xix. 2, 50: "Lord, where are thy former mercies which thou swarest unto David in thy truth?" likewise suggest that, by David, not simply Christ is to be understood, but the Davidic family. The constant mercies of David are, accordingly, the mercies which have been sworn to the Davidic house as _constant_, which, therefore, can never rest until Christ has appeared with His everlasting Kingdom, in which they find their true and full realization. In the expectation of the Messiah from the house of David, the prophecy under consideration goes hand in hand with chap. xi. 1, where the Messiah appears as a twig which proceeds from the cut-down tree of Jesse; and with chap. ix. 6, according to which He sits on the throne of David. This pa.s.sage alone is fully sufficient against those (_Ewald_, _Umbreit_, and others) who advance the strange a.s.sertion, that the Prophet had altogether given up the idea of a Messiah from the house of David, and had distributed His property between Cyrus and the prophetic order, [Pg 348] or the pious portion of the people. It is of the greatest importance for the explanation of those pa.s.sages which treat of the Servant of G.o.d, and forms a point of union for the Messianic pa.s.sages of the first and second part. The pa.s.sage before us is quoted in Acts xiii. 34: ?t? d?
???st?se? a?t?? ?? ?e????, ???t? ?????ta ?p?st??fe?? e?? d?af?????
??t??, e????e? ? ?t? d?s? ??? t? ?s?a ?a??d t? p?st?. ?s?a ?a??d, _sancta Davidis_, are the sacred, inviolable, inalienably guaranteed mercies and blessings which have been promised to the house of David.
As certainly as these must be granted, so certainly Christ, who was to bring them, could not remain in the power of death.
Ver. 4. "_Behold, I give him for a witness to the people, for a prince and lawgiver of the people._"
Here, and in ver. 5, we have the expansion of the mercies of David.
Their greatness and glory appear from the circ.u.mstance that, around his scion, the whole heathen world, which hitherto was hostile and pernicious to the Church of G.o.d, will gather. The Suffix in ????? can refer only to David, or the family of David. From the connection with chap. liii., it appears that it is in his descendant, the righteous One, to whom the heathen and their kings do homage, that David will attain to the dignity here announced. ?? has no other signification than "witness." Every true doctrine bears the character of a witness.
The teacher sent by G.o.d does not teach on his own authority, a ?
???a?e? ?ate???, but only witnesses what he has seen and heard. With a reference to, and in explanation of the pa.s.sage before us, Christ says to Pilate, in John xviii. 37: "For this end was I born, and for this cause I came into the world, that I should bear _witness_ unto the truth." And the pa.s.sages, 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 pa.s.sage 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 pa.s.sage before us, connected with His being a King; so that the reference to this pa.s.sage cannot be at all doubtful. It is intentionally that ?? 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 [Pg 349] 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 pa.s.sages, 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 pa.s.sages, 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 elevate d 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.
Ver. 5. "_Behold, thou shall call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee, because of the Lord thy G.o.d, 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 G.o.d 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-G.o.d of His Church, has resolved to glorify it; for _He adorneth thee_. This glorification consists, according to chap. iv. 2, in the appearance of [Pg 350] 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 pa.s.sage of its Messianic import,--an attempt in which _Grotius_ led the way. _Gesenius_, whom _Hitzig_, _Maurer_, _Ewald_, and _k.n.o.bel_ 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, G.o.d 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 ent.i.tled 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. lx.x.xix. 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, 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 circ.u.mstance, that the first David could not by any possibility be designated as the _witness_ of the Gentile nations. It indeed sounds rather _nave_ that _k.n.o.bel_, 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 [Pg 351]
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 G.o.d 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.
[Footnote 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?"]
THE PROPHECY--CHAP. LXI. 1-3.
As in chaps. xlix. and l., so here, the Servant of G.o.d 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 G.o.d. In vers.
10 and 11, the Church appears, and expresses her joy and grat.i.tude.
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 _k.n.o.bel_: "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 pa.s.sages, 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, [Pg 352] 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._"
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. The ????? are the p??e?? in Matt. v. 5; ??? and ??? are never confounded with one another. The LXX., whom Luke follows, have pt?????. 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 especially, the meek are to be conceived of as sufferers. The ?????, in contrast to the wicked, appear, in chap.
xi. also, as the people of the Messiah.--"The binding up"--_Stier_ remarks--"already pa.s.ses over into the actual bestowal 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 [Pg 353] 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 G.o.d. 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 G.o.d.--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 ma.n.u.scripts. 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: ?a? t?f???^? ????e???. 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 pa.s.sage, chap. xlii. 7, which, in this way, was brought in and connected with the pa.s.sage 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, be, in order to complete the sense, adds: ?p?ste??a? te??a?s????? ?? ?f?se?, borrowing the expression from the Alexand. Vers. itself in chap. lviii. 6.
Ver. 2. "_To proclaim a year of acceptance to the Lord, and a day of vengeance to our G.o.d, to comfort all that mourn._"
"A year ... 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 _rest.i.tutio in integrum_ took place. It was, for all in misery, 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 [Pg 354] against the enemies of G.o.d, 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._"