have so large a place in the Exposition of the Epistle itself.
14, 1 Sam. ii. 10, “He shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.” Targum, nymwD ms>D ‘31;— “ And he shall exalt the kingdom of his Messiah.” In Midrash Tehil- lim also on Ps. Ixxv., they ascribe this place unto the Messiah, and reckon his horn as the tenth horn of strength granted unto Israel. R. Levi Ben Gershom understands by the “ king” in the first place, “ He shall give strength unto his king,” Saul; and by “ Messiah,” in the close of the words, David, who was to be anointed by Samuel,
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the son of Hannah, whose words these are. Kimchi applies the words to the Messiah; whom, as he says, she intended by the Spirit of prophecy, or spoke of from tradition. And, indeed, the words seem directly to intend him; for by him alone doth the Lord judge the ends of the earth, and he was the Anointed whose power he would signally exalt. And I mention this place only as an instance of the faith of the church of old, which, in all her mercies, still had a regard unto the great promise of the Messiah, which was the foun- tain of them all; and therefore Hannah here closeth her prophetical eulogy with her acknowledgment thereof, and faith therein.
15. 2 Sam. xxiii, 8, DVex MNT vin PAY DIVA viD;—« He that ruleth in man, just, ruler in” (or “of”) “the fear of the Lorn.” Targum: 9 snbnia ode pps nyt NN! NIT N2dp %S mI IDE; — He said he would appoint unto me a King, which is the Mes- siah, who shall arise and rule in the fear of the Lord.” And it refers this whole last prophecy of David, or his last words that he spake by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, unto the days of the Messiah; whence it gives this preface unto them, “These are the words of the prophecy of David, which he prophesied con- cerning the end of the world,” or “ for the end of the world,” » p> xnby, “and the days of consolation that were to come.” Rab, Isaiah and Rashi interpret the words of David himself; and Kimchi also, but he mentions the application of it unto the Messiah, who was to come of David, whom God would raise up unto him, which he approveth of. Christian expositors who follow the Jews inter- pret these words, 137 > “The Rock of Israel spake to me,” by ‘Sy, or “)ay2435, “spake concerning me;” that is, “by Samuel, who anointed me to be king:” some, “ He spake unto me by Nathan.”
Our translators keep to the letter, “He spake unto me;” and that alone answers unto the words of the verse foregoing, “The Spirit of the Lorp 7231 ,”—“ spake in me,” or “to me:” so are the revelations of God expressed, see Zech. iv. 1, 4; and it expresseth the communication of the mind of God unto the prophet Seomvevoria, and not his speaking by him unto others. And from these very words, *2727 TIN} 1, “The Spirit of the Lorp spake in me,” do the Jews take occasion to cast the writings of David amongst those which they assign unto that kind of revelation which they call wisp nn, or nina, “ Books written by inspiration of the Holy Ghost.” The other words also, 4W27>y inbDs, “ His word was in my tongue,” manifest that it is David himself that is spoken wnto, and not of, in the third verse; and therefore it is some other who is prophesied of by him, namely, the Messiah.
And this the words whereby he is described do also manifest: DISA owi —« Ruling in man;” that is, saith Jarchi, wopow dsawsa BNN OoN oxow |tx,— Over Israel, who is called ‘man;’ as it is
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said, ‘And ye the flock of my pasture are men.’” OMX DIX“ Ye are man,” Ezek. xxxiv. 81. But where the word “Adam” is used with this prefix 3, as here, it nowhere signifies “ Israel,” but is ex- pressly used in a contradistinction from them: as Jer. xxxii. 20, “Which hast set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, even unto this day, DIS} o$1b35,”—“ and in Israel, and in Adam;” that is, as we render it, “amongst other men” that are not Israel. So that if any especial sort of men are intended in this expression, it is not “ Israel,” but “other men.’ And indeed this word is com- monly used to denote mankind in general, as Gen. vi. 3, ix. 6, Exod. viii. 17, ix. 10, xiii. 2; and universally, wherever it is used, it signifies either all mankind or human nature. So that D782 wind is, he who is the “ruler over all mankind;” which is the Messiah alone: unless we shall interpret this expression by that of Ps. Ixviii. 19, “Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: DIS$a NAD ANP?,”’—*“ accepisti dona in homine,” “and thou hast received gifts in man;” that is, in the human nature exalted, whereof the psalmist treats in that place. For whereas the apostle, Eph. iv. 8, renders these words,” Edwxe déuara ro7g dvdpdros, “ He gave gifts unto men,” it is manifest that he expresseth the end and effect of that which is spoken in the psalm; for the Lord Christ received gifts in his own human nature, that he might give and bestow them on others, as Peter declareth, Acts i. 83. The re- mainder also of the words contain a description of the Messiah: he is PIS , 6 d/nasog, “the just” (or “righteous ”) “one,” Acts ili. 14; and he alone is Dvioy ney, wid, “he that rules in the things that con- _ cern the fear and worship of God,” Isa. xi. 2, 3. So that this place doth indeed belong unto the faith of the ancient church concerning the Messiah.