The Pulpit Commentary — Romans — Section 272

abroad t'llrovgh Pont._., Ga~ Cappadoet'<r, the proy hasteth," as in margin of the Revieod .A11ia. and Bithyr1ia. The plaoo, then, where Version); the latter nemo having boon pre- they ~liould be called the ~ons of tlui living viously written on agree.troll (Isa. viii. 1), Goo 1s wheresocver they should believe in The primary drift of the prophecies in Isn. Christ" (Pusey). vii. o.nd the following oho.pters is the.t the "'Tis Zion, wheresoe'er they dwell, oonfedereoy of Pokah and Rezl.n ag11inst Who. with his own true Israel, Jerusalem shall fa.ii, that their own lands Shall own him strong to save." would ere long be dev11stated by the As- (' Christian Year: Fifth Sunday in Leut.') syrian king, who would sweep irresistibly o'"er Jud11h too; but tho.t God's people m11y 'l'he tei:ts from Isaiah which follow are in- still.trust in the Lonn's protection, who would tended to show that., ecoording to prophetic preserve and bring baok a remnant, though utterance, while tho.."8 who were not God's a remnant only. The tliree names, Maher- pe,,ple, in large numbers, would be called shalal-hesh-be.z, Shear-jashub, and Imma- hi;; people, a remnant only of the Jews would nuel (" God with us"), are throughout sig- be so. nificant of the lee.ding ideas of the wholo ,ers. 27, 2S.-Esaias also orieth (1<pd.(••• series of predictions; the first expressing denoting loud and earnest utterance ; cf. the certainty of coming judgment, the second John i. 15: n.i. 28, 37; 1:ii. 44; Aots xxiii the return of the remnant, and the third 6; l:.U'(". 21) concerning Israel, Though the God's own presence with his people. Now, number of the children of Israel be u the without pausing to consider what primary &and of the sea, the remna.nt (not., as in the historical fulfilment of the prophecy about .Authorized Version, "a remnant." The Immanuel there might be in the way of idea seems to be, as it is in the original, type, we cannot but perceive, in the languoge that it u the remnant cmly that) shall be and tone of much in this series of prophe- saved: for he will finish a word (not the cies, a distinct Messianic refe~ence. We uxwk, 88 in the Authoriz.ed Version) and out cannot, for instanc!), otherwise understand it short : beoaue II short ( rather, cu.t-short) Isa. ix. 6, 7 ; and in Isa. xi. •there S11oceeds word (again, not uxwk) will the Lord make an ideal picture of peace and blessing under (i.e. accomplish) upon the earth. The the "rod out of the stem of Jesse," which Greek of ver. 28, according io the Textus is undoubtedly Messianic. Hence the rele- Receptas, ii difficult., so as to have com- vance of the passage, not only as showing pelled our translators to render the par- God's way of dealing with hi.I· people in ticiples uvne>.iiir 1<al '1111'TE/U'~V by futures, ti.I!les of old, but also Bil an intimation of " ~ finish," etc. But we have the high how it should he when the Messiah ijhould and early authority of the uncials tot, A., B, come. for omitting pan of the sentence, so as to Ver. 29.-And 118 Esaias hath said before make il read more intelligibly, thus: The (i.6. in an earlier chapter), Except the Lord of Lord ,cill make (Le. accomplish) a uxwd wpon aabaoth had left u a seed, we should have the wrtJ., firaihi.ng it and cutting it short. been 118 Sodom, and been made like unto T ..e longer form, however, agrees, though Gomorrah. This quotation is from Isa. i. 9, not quite exactly, with the LXX., which and, though it seems to have no obvious differs iisc:lf greatly from the Hebrew, reference to the Messianic age, it expresses thuugh not so u to e.fi"ect the main drift of the same idea as the other, of a remnant the pw;sage e.s II whole. The passage is only being saved; and it is quoted suitably, from Isa. L 22, which had primary reference occurring as it does at the beginning of the to the remnant of the honee of Israel that Book of Isaiah, and being a sort of key-note shonld "return unro the mighty God" (Isa. of the prevailing purport of his prophecies. x. 21) after the then predicted devastation of The force of all the above quotations is t.lu; nation by the ABsyrianking. Theeeries much enhanced, if we remember that they of prophecies with which thi.B ii connected a.re not mere isolated texts, but suggestive begins e.t Iaa. vii, which gives an account specimens of many prophetic utterances to of ha.iah'11 memorable visit to Abaz King the ea.me effect. All familiar with the of J u.da.h, on the 00088ion of the combi- prophetic writings are e.ware that main r,a.tion of Peka.h King of Israel, and Bezin idta.s constantly recurring are: First, judg- King of Syria, against JeroB&lem, in the ments to COil18 upon the chosen people, conr&e of which vi.ait be prediots the birth painted often in many consecutive verses of 1Inma.D.1ltll He iook with him hi.I 10n, without relief: but secondly, after auoh wb.c, hem, the symbolical ne.m.e of Shear- denunciations, 11 dawn of hope and comfort jaahuh (" A remna11t ehall ri.turn "). Sabse- appearing, and culmin.o.ting in unutterable qu,!Dtly a.rwther 10n WaB born to the prophet, bleB11ing under the Messie.h's killgdom ; and t.c, whom wu given the namo Maher-shalal- thirdly, th.ia dawn of hope being for e. fODl• lw!h-bi.z (" Swift of 1poil, hasty of pr_ey," nant only of the ruce, co111parod in one place Cab Ewald rendm; ar, "The 1poil B~b, w e. gloo.ni.Dg of tbe p11,pe11 when t)le on. 1x, 1-33.J THE EPISTLE OF PA UL 'l'O THE ROMANS. 271