Literature. — Art. 'Zahlen' in Winer, RWB'i; Riehm, HWB'-, and Guthe, Bibelworterbuch : artt. 'Forty' and 'Num- ber' in the Jewinh Encyc. ; art. 'Number' in Encijc. Bibl. and in Hastings' DB iii. 560'>ff. ; Konig, Stiluitik, 51-57.
W. Taylor Smith.
NUNC DIMITTIS (Lk 2^-^-), so called from the opening words in the Latin version, is the third and shortest of the hymns of the Incarnation pre- served to us by St. Luke. Like tiie other two, it sjjeaksof Christ ; but wherejis Benedict us, the Song of the priest Zachariiis, is naturally of His Priest- hood, and Magnipraf, the Song of the royally- descended Virgin Mary, of His Kingdom, tiiis, the Song of Simeon (wh. see), as beseems the utter- ance of a prophet, is of Messiaii fullilling tiie prophetic function assigned to Him in the OT (cf. Dt 18'^), and especially by Isaiah.
The feature in Simeon's character which is to the Evangelist the climax of his virtues is that he was ' waiting for the consolation of Israel.' The words are a reminiscence of Jacob's, ' I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord ' (Gn 49'*) ; and they describe what was precisely the attitude of Abra- ham in regard to Gods promise of the land (Ac 7^ and He 11'*), and of David in regard to the king- dom (1 S 26*""), both of whom did not ' fret them- selves in anywise to do evil ' (Ps 37*), but waited till the Lord would give what He hail sjioken. So our Lord, speaking of those in danger of being led away by false Christs, bids His followers ' in l>atience possess their souls' (Lk 21'*). This was l)art of the faith of Simeon : his waiting for ' the Lord's Christ ' (Lk 2) saved him from going after any turbulent pretender, or accepting, with the Herodians, a mere king of this world. The 'con- solation of Israel' was a phrase Avitli the Rabbis for the times of Messiah : Lightfoot (Hor. Hcb.) gives hve illustrations of its use.
The repeated mention of the Holy Spirit guiding Simeon at each successive step evinces the fact that prophecy, silent since the days of Malachi, is again about to stir (de Wette, Oosterzee) ; yet the diti'erence also is to be observed l)etween the re- peated comings of the Spirit upon Simeon, and His abiding on Jesus (Jn 1^) and remaining with the Church (14'"). By what sign Simeon was taught of the Spirit to recognize the ciiild of Mary as the Christ we are not told : periiaps the Virgin's poverty, evidenced l)v her offering of doves, was the token to him. as the manger-cradle had been to the shepherds (Lk 2'-). Anyhow the Child was ]>»>inted out to iiim : he went up to Him, received Him in his arms, and, as he held Him, he ' blessed (4od." and uttered his Nunc dimittis. There are no different readings in the text of it ; but the Syriac renders the verb in the first clause, Avhich ill Greek, Latin, and English is in tiie indiiafire mood, by an optatire, ' >Iy Lord, now release thou thy servant in peace.' The mistake has lieen fol- lowed by several in this country who should have known better: e.g. by Logan, in the Scottish Para- phrases (Par. 38) :
' Now, Lord, according to thy word, Let me in peace depart.
At length my arms embrace my Lord, Now let their vigour cease,'
and even by John Keble, usuallj- so accurate :
' Whose prayers are struggling with his tears, Lord, let uie now depart.'
As a matter of fact, Simeon does not pray for death. He thanks Goil for permitting him to see, what many prophets and kings had desired to .see and were not permittetl (Lk lU'^), tlie salvation He had promised ; and having seen it he says that he is reaily to go wlien God w ills.
The hj-nni is in three couplets :
(1) Thanksgiving for permission at last to leave
his post, as the .sentinel when the hour of his watch
is over (Godet). Death will be to him as sleep to
a labouring man (Bruce).
' Now thou art letting thy servant depart, O Lord, Accordiiig to thy word, in peace.'
The ' word,' of course, is the promise of v.^ that he should not see death 1)efore he had seen the Lord's [own] Christ ; and the fuUilment of the promise has brought him peace, because in Christ there is sure salvation for him and for all God's people.
There are two fine Patristic comments — Cyprian's (On the Miirtaliti/, 3), ' He bears witness that tlie servants of God have peac-e, are free, and tranquil when, withdrawn from the whirl- winds of this world, they reach the port of the eternal home, and pass through death to inunortality ' ; and Ambrose's (Ex- position of St. Luke. Bk. II. ii. 59), 'Let him who wishes to depart come into the Temple ; let him come to Jerusalem ; let him wait for the Lord's Christ : let him take in his arms the Word of God, embracing Him by the arms of faith.' Servant (iovlot), Lord (J-c-To-ra)— 'slave,' 'master" are terms appropriate at all times to express the relation between God and men, yet savour- ing of the Law (Bruce).