The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 1 — Section 177

glorifying the region on whioh oontempt Oheyne). The noun I\Ud pa~tioiple, whioh hnrl long be<-n pourC'd. a.re cognl\te word~, occur only in this pa.s- Yer. 3.-Thou hast multiplied the nation, 81\ge. And se.rments, eto. Translate, And nnd not inoreued the joy, Dr. Kay defends cver1J garment tJiat is rolled in blood, shall be 1 his reading. and supposes a contrast of for bw·ning, even fuel for fire. All milit1uy time between this clause and the next; be nccontrements shall be committed to the rcnrlers, "Thou did.st multiply the nation" fl.am~s, that the reign of v.euce and ju~tice <_i.e. in the rlnys of Solomon and agam in those may commence (comp. oh. 11. 4: PB. sin. 0). nf Uzzin.h) " and not increase the joy; but Ver. ·s._.:._trnto us a ohild is born (comp: eh. 110w," etc. The objection is that the verbs are vii. 14-16,wherethepromiseof"a child," "a "11 in the S&me tense. the simple preterite, son," is first made-a child who was, like this :.nd that there is nothing in the original Child, to be "God with us 'I). The govern- ~,>rresponding to "but now." Almost all ment she.11 be upon his shoulder. The word other recent commentators accept the solu- translated "government" (misrah) occurs 1ion offered by the Mn.soretic reading (1~ for only here and in ver. 7. It is probably to N':-), which makes the passage simple and be connected with sar, "prince," and Isra-el. easy : " Thou hast multiplied the nation_; Government was regarded 11s a burden, to be its joy thou hA.St increased; they joy before borne on the. back, or slioulders, and we.a thee," etc. (So many Hebrew manuscripts, sometimes symbolized by II Ji:ey _la.id upon the Alexandrine Septuagint, the Syrie.c, the shoulder (eh. xxii. 22). Vizier means Gesenius, Knobel, Cheyne, etc.) Aooording "burdened."· The Latin . writers often to the joy in harvest. "The joy in harvest" speak of the civil power e.s borne on· the We.5 to the Jews the joy of the Feast of shoulder!! _of magistrates (Cio., • Ore.t. pro Taberuacles,or Ingathering (Exod. xxiii.16), Flacc.,' § 94; _Plin., • .'Paneg.,' § 10). As God, held wl.wn the last fruits were brought in. our Lord governed a.II things (rom the 1:ie- But tl,e prophet is perhaps taking a wider ginning; 11s man, he set up a "kingdom":.:.... ,·iew, an<l thin.king of the many harvest which he still governB'--upon the earth. festirnls prevailing throughout Western Bis name shall be oe.Jled, It is perhaps not Asia, all of them originating in gratitude Yery important whether we view what fol- to the Giver of all good, and many of them lows as one name or severa.l. Isaiah does comprising manifestations of joy more jubi- not really mean that the "Child" should l1mt tilan those habitual to his sedater bear a.s e. n11me, or na.mes, any ofthe_expreil- countrymen. eions, but only that they should be truly Ver.' 4_-Thou hast broken the yoke of his applicable to him. Wonderful, _Counsellor. burden, etc. The coming of the Messiah sets It has been proposed to unite these; .t,wo the Israelites free, removes the yoke from off e:xpressions and tr11nslate," Wondrous Ooun- their neck, breaks the rod wherewith their sellor" (compare "wonderful" iii counsel," shuultlers were beaten, delivers them from eh. xxviiL 29).'. :!3ut Dr. Kay is probably bondage into the " glorious liberty of the right in saying that, if this had been· the children of God." Not, however, in an mea.ning, it would • have been, ,expressed earthly sense, since the Messiah's kingdom differently. Gesenius, • Rosenmiiller, De- wns not of this world. The "yoke " is that litz,ch, and Vance Smith agree with Dr. of sin, the " oppressor" is that prince of Kay ia takiag the words separately.. Won- darkness, who had well-nigh brought all derful. '.rhe Messiah would be" wonderful" mankind under his dominion when Christ in his nature as God-Man;. in his teaching, eame. His oppressor; literally, hia task- which "astonished" those who hee.rd it master-the ea.me word which is used of the (Matt. vii. 28): in his doinglJ (eh. xxv. 1); Egyptian taskmJ1Bters in Exod. v. 6. As in in the circUillBtances of his birth and de11th; the day of Jfidian. The "day of Midian" in hfa resu1Tection, nnd in his ascension. is probably the time of Israel's deliverance " Wonder" would be the first sentiment from the Midiaoite oppn,ssion by Gitleon which hie manifestation would provoke, O:.ud (Judg. vii 19-25). 'l'he special charaeter- hence this descriptive epithet is placed i.stic of the deliverance was, as Dr. Kay well first. As the Word, as Wisdom itself, aa observes, "that it we.s accomplished without he who says, " Counsel is mine, 11nd sound military prowess by a email body of men wisdom : I e.m U nderotanding" ( Prov. v_iii. selected out of Israel, selected expressly in 14), he is well named "Counsellor." order that Israel might not vaunt itself None will ever seek his counsel in_ vni)l, against the Lord, eayi1Jg, My ownhand hath much less l"epent ,of following i.t. Tl/.e saved me (Judg. viL 2)." mighty God; rather, perha.ps, Mi'.gltty God; Yer. 5.-For every battle of the warrior but the difference is not grea.t, since El, i.s with coniuaed noise; rather, for all tlie God, contains witilin itself the notion of armour of him that armeth noisily (Knobel, singularity, whicl, is given· to ordinary V_ance Smith); or, perhaps, '' every hoof of nouns by tho article. 'l'he term El, Got!, him that i1ampeth noisily_" (GeseniQ.11, had been previously l\pplied to ihe :\fos~iid.1 on. rx. 1-21.] THE BOOK OF THE PltOPHET ISAIAH. 167