cious and the most subtile, but yet very far inferior to the ma jesty of the Son. Therefore the expression, cro/£v, who maketh, intimates that the angels are creatures, made by His command ; but the Son is eternal, ver. 8, and the Creator, ver. 10. The subject, viz. ayysXo/, angels, and Xsiroupyol, ministers, as is proved by their being put with the article,1 has its antithesis in ver. 8, 9. Moreover, the antithesis of Who makes, intimating the creation of the angels, is found in ver. 10, 11. I consider it to be the predicate of the Father ; comp. ver. 8.
8. Upog rbv Y'ibv to the Son) by a direct speech. Comp. vpb$, to, ver. 7. — 6 fyovos — /^ro-^ovg ffov) So again, the LXX. say dis tinctly, Ps. xlv, 7, 8, Thy throne, 0 GOD, is for ever and ever : the sceptre (rod) of thy kingdom is a sceptre (rod) of righteousness. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hast hated iniquity ; therefore GOD, even thy GOD, has anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. Concerning the Throne, comp. Lam. v. 19. [Government over all is indicated. — V. g.] — 6 Qz b$, 0 God) The vocative case with the article is in the highest degree emphatic. They clearly do violence to the text, who hold the opinion, that it is the nominative case in this passage, as Artemonius does, Part. ii. c. 2. The Throne and the Sceptre are joined ; nor did God say, / will be thy throne, but, / will establish the throne of the son of David; Ps. Ixxxix. 5, 30, 37. — aio^va' evQvrqrog, for ever : of righteousness) Eternity and righteousness are attributes very closely connected, Ps. Ixxxix. 15, where the words }13D and IDIp"1 should be well considered. See also ver. 3 of this Ps. xlv., where D^#i> may be taken into consideration.
9. A/a roDro, therefore) From the love of righteousness, in which Christ excels, there is deduced here not so much His anointing, as the duration of the office for which He was anointed. This discourse has four parts : the throne — the sceptre — thou lovest — therefore. Of these the first and fourth, the second and third, are parallel by Chiasmus ; for the former de scribe the supreme happiness of the King ; the latter, His virtue. — o ©gog, 6 &sog <fov) It may be resolved thus : God, who is thy God. Comp. Ps. xliii. 4, Ixvii. 7 : but the Son Himself is called
1 The article always distinguishes the subject from the predicate : there fore we cannot translate, " Who maketh winds His angels, or messengers, and a flame of fire His ministers." — ED.