Christology of the Old Testament: And a Commentary on the Messianic Predictions Volume I Part 25

Ver. 12. "_I will a.s.semble, surely I will a.s.semble, O Jacob, thee wholly: I will gather the remnant of Israel. I will bring_ [Pg 435]

_them together as the sheep of Bozrah; as a flock on their pasture, they shall make a noise by reason of men._ Ver. 13. _The breaker goeth up before them; they break through, pa.s.s through the gate and go out, and their King marches before them, and the Lord is on the head of them._"

The remark, that almost all the features of this description are borrowed from the deliverance out of Egypt, will throw much light upon the whole description. In the midst of oppression and misery, Israel, while there, increased by means of the blessing of the Lord, hidden under the cross, to greater and greater numbers; compare Exod. i. 12.

When the time of deliverance had arrived, the Lord, who had for a long time concealed Himself, manifested Himself again as their G.o.d. First, the people were gathered together, and then, the Lord went before them,--in a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night: Exod. xiii. 21. He led them out of Egypt, the house of bondage: Exod.

xx. 2. So it is here also. Ver. 12 describes the increase and gathering, and ver. 13 the deliverance. In both pa.s.sages, Israel's misery is represented under the figure of an abode in the house of bondage, or in prison, the gates of which the Lord opens--the walls of which He breaks down. In this allusion to, and connection with, the former deliverance, Micah agrees with his contemporaries, Hosea and Isaiah. The deeper reason of this lies in the typical import of the former deliverance, which forms a prophecy by deeds of all future deliverances, and contains within itself completely their germ and pledge; compare Hosea ii. 1, 2 (i. 10, 11); Is. xi. 11 ff.: "And the Lord shall stretch forth His hand a _second time_ to redeem the remnant of His people.... And He sets up an ensign for the nations, and gathers together the dispersed of Israel, and a.s.sembles the scattered of Judah from the four corners of the earth.... And the Lord smites with a curse the tongue of the Egyptian sea, and shakes His hand over the river, in the violence of His wind, and smites it to seven rivers, so that one may wade through in shoes. And there shall be a highway to the remnant of His people, ... like as it was to Israel in the day when he came up out of the land of Egypt." This reference to the typical deliverance clearly shows, that in the description we have carefully to separate between the thought and the language in which it is clothed.

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Ver. 12. The _Infin. absol._, which in both the clauses precedes the _tempus finitum_, expresses the emphasis which is to be placed on the _gathering_, as opposed to the carrying away, and the scattering formerly announced; for the latter, according to the view of man, and apart from G.o.d's mercy and omnipotence, did not seem to admit of any favourable turn. By "Jacob" and "Israel," several interpreters understand Judah alone; others, the ten tribes alone; others, both together. The last view is alone the correct one. This appears from i.

5, where, by Jacob and Israel, the whole nation is designated. The promise in the pa.s.sage before us stands closely related to the threatening uttered there. All Israel shall be given up to destruction on account of their sins; all Israel shall be saved by the grace of G.o.d. This a.s.sumption is confirmed by a comparison of the parallel pa.s.sages in Hosea and Isaiah, where the whole is designated by the two parts, Judah and Israel. Micah does not notice this division, because that visible separation, which even in the present was overbalanced by an invisible unity, shall disappear altogether in that future, when there shall be only one flock, as there is only one Shepherd.

The expression, "remnant of Israel," in the second clause, which corresponds to, "O Jacob, thee wholly," in the first, indicates, that the fulfilment of the promise, so far from doing away with the threatening, rather rests on its preceding realization. The Congregation of G.o.d, purified by the divine judgments, shall be _wholly_ gathered. Divine mercy has in itself no limits; and those which in the present are a.s.signed to it by the objects of mercy, shall then be removed.--The words, "I will bring them together," etc., indicate equally the faithfulness of the great Shepherd, who gathers His dispersed flock from all parts of the world, and the unexpected and wonderful increase of the flock; compare Jer. xxiii. 3: "And I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and lead them back to their pasture-ground, and they are fruitful and increase;" and x.x.xi. 10: "He that scattereth Israel will gather him and keep him as a shepherd does his flock."--Bozrah we consider to be the name of a capital of the Idumeans in Auranitis, four days' journey from Damascus. The great wealth of this town in flocks appears from Is. x.x.xiv. 6 (although a slaughter of men is spoken of in that pa.s.sage, yet evidently the wealth of Bozrah in natural [Pg 437]

flocks is there supposed), and can with perfect ease be accounted for from its situation. For, in its neighbourhood, there begins the immeasurable plain of Arabia, which, on one side, continues without interruption as far as _Dshof_, into the heart of Arabia, while, towards the North, it extends to Bagdad, under the name of _El Hamad_.

Its length and breadth are calculated to amount to eight days' journey.

It contains many shrubs and blooming plants; compare _Burkhardt_ and _Ritter_.[4] Several interpreters consider ???? to be an appellative, and a.s.sign to it the signification "sheepfold," "cote." But there is no reason whatsoever in favour of such a meaning of Bozrah, while there is this argument against it, that the probable signification of ???? as the name of a town is "_locus munitus_" = ??????? or ??????????. It can hardly be supposed that the word should at the same time have had the significations of "fortress" and "fold." It is, moreover, more in harmony with the prophetical character to particularize, than to use a general term. As is shown, however, by the last member (with which, according to the accents, the words, "As [Pg 438] a flock on their pasture," must be connected), the point of comparison is not the a.s.sembling and gathering, but the mult.i.tude, the crowd,--"As the sheep of Bozrah" being thus tantamount to, "So that in mult.i.tude they are like the sheep of Bozrah." ??????????, from ??????, is, contrary to the general rule, doubly qualified, both by the article and by the suffix.

This has been accounted for on the ground that the little suffix had gradually lost its power. But it is perhaps more natural to suppose that the article sometimes lost its power, and coalesced with the noun.

The frequent use of the _Status emphaticus_ in undefined nouns, in the Syriac language (compare _Hofmann_, _Gram. Syr._, p. 290), presents an a.n.a.logy in favour of this opinion.--The last words graphically describe the noise produced by a numerous, closely compacted flock. The plur. of the Fem. refers to the sheep.--?? denotes the _causa efficiens_. They make a noise; and this noise proceeds from the numerous a.s.sembled people. The same connection of figure and thing occurs in Ezek. x.x.xiv.

31: "And ye (????) are My flock, the flock of My pasture are ye men;"

compare Ezek. x.x.xvi. 38.

Ver. 13. The whole verse must be explained by the figure of a prison, which lies at the foundation. The people of G.o.d are shut up in it, but are now delivered by G.o.d's powerful hand. By the "breaker," many interpreters understand the Lord Himself. But if we consider, that in a double clause, at the end of the verse, the Lord is mentioned as the leader of the expedition if we look to the type of the deliverance from Egypt, where Moses, as the breaker, marches in front of Israel; and if, further, we look to the parallel pa.s.sage in Hosea, where, with an evident allusion to that type, the children of Israel and of Judah appoint themselves one head; we shall rather be disposed to understand by the "breaker" the _dux et antesigna.n.u.s_ raised up by G.o.d. With the raising up and equipping of such a leader every divine deliverance commences; and that which, in the inferior deliverance, the typical leaders, Moses and Zerubbabel, were, Christ was in the highest and last deliverance. To Him the "breaker" has been referred by several Jewish interpreters (compare _Schottgen_, _Horae_ ii. p. 212); and if we compare chap. v., where that which is here indicated by general outlines only is further expanded and detailed, we shall have to urge against this interpretation this objection only, viz., that it excludes the [Pg 439] typical breakers,--that, in the place of the _ideal_ person of the breaker, which presents itself to the internal vision of the prophet, it puts the individual in whom this idea is most fully realized.--The words ?????? ??? are, by several interpreters, referred to the forcing and entering of hostile gates. Thus _Michaelis_, whom _Rosenmuller_ follows: "No gate shall be so fortified as to prevent them from forcing it." But this interpretation destroys the whole figure, and violates the type of the deliverance from Egypt which lies at the foundation. For the gate through which they break is certainly the gate of the prison.--The three verbs--"They break through, they pa.s.s through, they go out"--graphically describe their progress, which is not to be stopped by any human power.--The last words open up the view to the highest leader of the expedition; compare besides, Exod.

xiii. 21; Is. lii. 12: "For ye shall not go out in trembling, nor shall ye go out by flight. For the Lord goeth before you, and the G.o.d of Israel closeth your rear;" Is. xl. 11; Ps. lx.x.x. 3. In the exodus from Egypt, a visible symbol of the presence of G.o.d marched before the host, besides Moses, the breaker. On the return from Babylon, the Angel of the Lord was visible to the eye of faith only, as formerly when Abraham's servant journeyed to Mesopotamia, Gen. xxiv. 7. At the last and highest deliverance, the breaker was at once the King and G.o.d of the people.

As this prophecy has no limitation at all in itself, we are fully ent.i.tled to refer it to the whole sum of the deliverances and salvation which are destined for the Covenant-people; and to seek for its fulfilment in every event, either past or future, in the same degree as the fundamental idea--G.o.d's mercy upon His people--is manifested in it.

Every limitation to any particular event is evidently inadmissible; but, most of all, a limitation to the deliverance from the Babylonish captivity, which, especially with regard to Israel, can be considered as only a faint prelude of the fulfilment. They, however, have come nearest to the truth who a.s.sume an exclusive reference to Christ,--provided they acknowledge, that the conversion of the first fruits of Israel, at the time when Christ appeared in His humiliation, is not the end of His dealings with this people.

Footnote 1: The reference to the general judgment would indeed disappear, if we suppose ??? in ver. 2 to be addressed to _Israel_. It seems, indeed, to be in favour of this supposition, that, in 1 Kings xxii. 28, the people alone are called upon as witnesses, and that in Deut. x.x.xi. 28, x.x.xii. 1, and Is. i. 2, heaven and earth, and in Hos.

vi. 1, the mountains also, are called upon only in order to make the scene more solemn. But the reference of ??? to the nations mentioned immediately before, is too evident.

Footnote 2: Ver. 6 must be translated thus: _Not shall ye drop_ (prophesy),--_they_ (the false prophets) _drop; if they_ (the individuals addressed, the true prophets) _do not drop to these_ (the rapacious great), _the ignominy will not cease_, _i.e._, the ignominious destruction breaks in irresistibly. The fundamental pa.s.sage in Deut. x.x.xii. 2, and ver. 11 of the chapter before us, show that ????

has not the signification, "to talk," which is a.s.signed to it by _Caspari_. The false prophets must be considered as the accomplices of the corrupted great, especially as to the bulwark which they opposed to the true prophets, and their influence on the nation, and on their own consciences,--as indeed material power everywhere seeks for such a spiritual ally. If this be kept in view, the censure and threatening acquire a still greater unity.

Footnote 3: To a certain extent, however, verse 11 forms the transition: "If one were to come, a wind, and lie falsely: I will prophesy to thee of wine and of strong drink,--he would be the prophet of this people." Such a prophet Micah, indeed, is not; but although he neither can nor dare announce salvation _without_ judgment, he has, in the name of the Lord, to announce salvation _after_ the judgment. The very singular opinion, that in vers. 12, 13, the false prophets are introduced as speaking, is refuted by the single circ.u.mstance that, in ver. 12, the gathering of the _remnant_ of Israel only is promised, and hence the judgment is supposed to have preceded. It is no less erroneous if, instead of considering ver. 11 as introductory to vers.

12, 13, the latter be made to depend upon ver. 11, and be therefore considered as, to a certain extent, accidental.

Footnote 4: After the example of _v. Raumer_, _Robinson_, _Ritter_ (_Erdk._ 14, 101), it has now become customary to distinguish between two Bozrahs,--one in Auranitis, and the other in Edom. But the arguments adduced for this distinction are not of very great weight.

Nowhere is a "high situation" in reality ascribed to the Bozrah in Edom. The a.s.sertion, that Edom was always limited to the territory between the Dead Sea and the Red Sea, is opposed to Gen. x.x.xvi. 35, according to which pa.s.sage, even in the time before Moses, the Edomitic king, Hadad, smote Midian in the field of Moab; and further, to Lam.

iv. 21, according to which Edom dwells in the land of Uz, which can be sought for only in _Arabia Deserta_. We need to think only of that branch of the Midianites who had gone over to _Arabia Deserta_, whilst their chief settlement continued in _Arabia Petraea_. But the following arguments may be adduced _against_ the distinction. 1. Bozrah is constantly and simply spoken of, without any further distinctive designation. 2. The Edomitic Bozrah must have been a great and powerful city, which agrees well with the "mighty ruins" in _Hauran_, but not with the much more insignificant ruins near _Busseireh_ in _Dshebal_.

3. It is improbable that so important a city as that of Bozrah in Auranitis should never have been mentioned in Scripture.--But not satisfied with a double Bozrah, even a third, in Moab, has been a.s.sumed on the ground of Jer. xlviii. 24. But it is certainly strange that Bozrah, in that pa.s.sage, is mentioned as the last of all the Moabitish towns, and that, immediately after its mention, there follow the words, "Upon all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near." It may be that Bozrah was conquered by the Edomites and Moabites in common, or that, in later times, the latter obtained a kind of possession of the town in common with the former.

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CHAP. III.-V.

The discourse opens with new reproofs and threatenings. It is _first_, in vers. 1-4, directed against the rapacious great, who in ver. 2 are described as murderers of men (compare Sirach x.x.xi. 21: "He who taketh from his neighbour his livelihood, _killeth_ him"), and in ver. 3, as eaters of men, because they turn to their own advantage the necessaries of life of which they have robbed the poor. The discourse _then_ pa.s.ses over to the false prophets, vers. 5-7. Their character is described as hypocritical, weak, and selfish, and is incidentally contrasted with the character of the true prophet, as represented by himself, whose strength is always renewed by the Spirit of the Lord, and who, in this strength, serves only truth and righteousness, and holds up their sins to the people deluded by the false prophets, ver. 8. This the prophet continues to do in vers. 9-12. The three orders of divinely called rulers, upon whom the life or death of the Congregation was depending,--the princes, the priests, and the prophets (compare remarks on Zech. x. 1),--have become so degenerate, that they are not at all concerned for the glory of G.o.d, but only for their own interest. And while they have thus inwardly apostatized from Jehovah, they are strengthened in their false security by the promises which G.o.d has given to His people, and which they, altogether overlooking the fact that these are conditional, referred, in hypocritical blindness, to themselves. But G.o.d will, in a fearful manner, punish them for this apostasy, and frighten them from their security. The Congregation of the Lord, which has been desecrated inwardly, shall be so outwardly also. Zion shall become a corn-field; Jerusalem, the city of G.o.d, shall sink into rubbish and ruins; the Temple-hill shall again become what it was previous to its being the residence of G.o.d, viz., a thickly wooded hill, which shall then appear in all its natural lowness, and be considered as insignificant when compared with the neighbouring mountains.--In the whole section, the twelve verses of which are equally divided into three portions of four verses each, the prophet views chiefly the great, and the civil rulers. The false prophets, whom he takes up in the second of these subdivisions (vers. 5-8), come under consideration as their helpers only. In the third subdivision, [Pg 441]

the discourse is again directed to the great alone, in vers. 9, 10. The two other orders are added to them in vers. 11, 12 only; and the charges raised against them refer to their relation to the great. The _priests_ are not by any means reproved because they made teaching a profession, from which they derived their livelihood, but because, for bribes, they interpreted the law in a manner favourable to the rapacious l.u.s.ts of the great, and thereby, no less than the false prophets, a.s.sisted them in their wickedness.--The charge raised in ver.

10 against the great,--"Building up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity,"--has been frequently misunderstood. The words must not be explained from Hab. ii. 12, but from Ps. li. 20, where David prays to the Lord, "Build Thou the walls of Jerusalem," which he had destroyed by his blood, ver. 16. The word "building" is used ironically by Micah, and is tantamount to: "Ye who are destroying Jerusalem by blood and iniquity (compare ver. 12: 'For your sakes Zion shall be ploughed as a field'), instead of building it up by righteousness." Righteousness builds up, because it draws down G.o.d's blessing and protection; but unrighteousness destroys, because it calls down the curse of G.o.d.

The unfaithfulness of the Covenant-people can nevertheless not make void the faithfulness of G.o.d. The prophet, therefore, pa.s.ses suddenly from threatening to promise. _Calvin_ thus expresses the relation of these two: "But I must now come to the little remnant. Hitherto I have spoken about the judgment of G.o.d, which is near at hand, upon the king's councillors, upon the priests and prophets, upon the whole people in short, because they are all wicked and unG.o.dly, because the whole body is pervaded by contempt of G.o.d, and by desperate obstinacy.

Let them receive, then, that which they all have deserved. But I now gather the children of G.o.d apart, for to them too I have a message to deliver."

The intimate relation of the first part of the promise to the preceding threatening has been already demonstrated, p. 420. The Mount of Zion, which forms the subject of vers. 1-7, shall, in future, not only be restored to its former dignity, but it shall be exalted above all the mountains of the earth. The kingdom of G.o.d, which is represented by it, shall, by the glory imparted to it by a new revelation of the Lord (compare ver. 7: "And [Pg 442] the Lord shall be King over them on Mount Zion"), outs.h.i.+ne all the kingdoms of the world, and exercise an attractive power upon their citizens; so that they flow to Zion, there to receive the commands of the Lord, vers. 1, 2. By the sway which the Lord exercises from Zion, peace shall have its dwelling in the heathen world, ver. 3, and, consequently, the Congregation of the Lord ceases to be a prey to injury from the world's power, ver. 4^a. How incredible soever it may appear, this promise shall surely be fulfilled; for omnipotent faithfulness has given it, ver. 4^b, and has given it indeed for this very purpose; for it is altogether natural, and to be expected, that the glory of the Lord should in all eternity display itself in His dealings with His people, ver. 5. In vers. 6, 7, the promise receives a new impetus, by which it connects itself with ver.

4^a. In that time of mercy, the Lord will put an end to all the misery of His people.

Ver. 1. "_And it shall come to pa.s.s at the end of the days, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be firmly established on the top of the mountains, and exalted above the hills, and people flow unto it._"

The words, "And it shall come to pa.s.s," excite the attention to the great and unexpected turn which things are to take. The expression, ?????? ?????, is explained by many as meaning: "In times to come,"

"in future." But we have already proved, in our work on _Balaam_, p.

465 seq., that the right explanation is: "At the end of the days."

This is the explanation given by the LXX. also, who commonly render it by ?? ta?? ?s??ta?s ???a??; and by the Chaldee Paraphrast, who translates it by ???? ?????. The reasons which seem, at first sight, to favour the signification "in future," are invalidated by these two considerations:--_first_, that it is not at all necessary that the end be just absolutely the last, but only the end of those events which the speaker is reviewing; and, _second_, that it altogether depends upon the will of the speaker, what extent he is to a.s.sign to the beginning and to the end. The expression is used by the prophets in a manner different from that of the Pentateuch. The prophets use it almost exclusively with a reference to the Messianic times,--an _usus loquendi_ which originated in Deut. iv. 30. They divide the whole duration of the kingdom of G.o.d into two parts, the beginning and the end,--the state of humiliation, and [Pg 443] the state of glorification. The line of demarcation is formed by the birth of the Messiah, according to v. 2 (3): "He will give them up until she who is bearing brings forth."--"The mountain of the house of the Lord" is, according to the common _usus loquendi_, not Moriah, but the whole mountain of Zion, of which Moriah was considered as a part; compare Ps.

lxxvi. 3, lxxviii. 68. In ver. 8, the prophet speaks of two parts only, Zion and Jerusalem. In iii. 12, Zion only, as the better part, is first spoken of; and then, in the second clause, Jerusalem and the mountain of the house, the latter corresponding to Zion, are contrasted with each other, or Jerusalem and Mount Zion considered in its highest quality as the temple-mountain.--????, "fixed," "firmly established,"

implies more than, simply, "placed." It shows that the change is not merely momentary, but that the temple-mountain shall be exalted for ever, and that no earthly power shall be able to abase it. It thus goes hand in hand with the declaration in ver. 7: "The Lord shall be king over them from now _until eternity_." The same word ???? is used in 1 Kings ii. 45 of the immutable firmness of the throne of David: "The throne of David shall be firmly established before the Lord for ever;"

compare 2 Sam. vii. 12, 13. The commentary on ???? is given by Dan. ii.

44: "And in the days of these kings shall the G.o.d of heaven set up a kingdom which shall not be destroyed in all eternity ... it shall break in pieces and destroy all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever."

That ???? ????? does not mean, "at the head of the mountains," _i.e._, standing at the head, as the first among them (as _Hitzig_ and others think), but "on the summit of the mountains" (the ? is used in a similar manner in Judg. ix. 7, compared with 1 Sam. xxvi, 13), is evident from the fact that ????, in connection with ??, is constantly used of the summit of the mountains, and, hence, cannot be used in a figurative sense, in this connection. The sense can therefore be this only: "Zion, in future, so pre-eminently stands out from among the other mountains, that these serve, as it were, only for its foundation." Now, the elevation of the temple-mountain is considered, by several interpreters, as a _physical_ one. Pa.s.sages from Jewish commentaries, in which the expectation is expressed that, in the days of the Messiah, Jehovah would bring near Mount Carmel and Tabor, and place Jerusalem on [Pg 444] the summit of them, will be found in _Galatinus_, _de Arcanis Catholicae Veritatis_, L. v. c. 3. The literal explanation has, in recent times, been defended by _Hofmann_ and _Drechsler_. But _Caspari_, by pointing out the exact correspondence between the words, "The mountain of the house of the Lord shall be firmly established on the top of the mountains," and the words in ver.

2, "The law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem," has proved in a very striking manner that the elevation is a moral one. "As 1^b corresponds to 2^a, so does 1^a to 2^b; ver. 1^a is the ground of ver. 1^b; ver. 2^a, by which ver. 1^b is further expanded, is the consequence of 2^b. Hence 2^b must be substantially identical with ver. 1^a; but 2^b speaks of something that points to the moral height of Mount Zion, and states something upon which it is based." To this it may be added, that height, in a moral sense, is often ascribed to the temple-mountain, even with reference to the ante-Messianic time, and that the pa.s.sage under consideration could be disjoined from these by force only. It is upon such a view of it, indeed, that the use of ??? in reference to the journeys to Jerusalem rests, just as it is here used in ver. 2. We may, moreover, compare Ps.

xlviii. 3; Ezek. xvii. 22, 33: "And I plant upon a mountain high and elevated. On the high mountains of Israel I will plant it;" but especially Ps. lxviii. 16: "Mountain of G.o.d is the mountain of Bashan, the top of mountains is the mountain of Bashan." Ver. 17. "Why do ye tops of mountains insidiously observe the mountain which G.o.d desireth for His residence? Yea, the Lord will dwell in it for ever." The mountain of G.o.d is, in these verses, an emblem of the kingdoms of the world, which are powerful through G.o.d's grace. In ver. 16, the Psalmist declares what the mountain of Bashan is. In ver. 17, he rejects the unfounded claims which it raises on account of its real advantages.

Although it be great, yet Mount Zion is infinitely greater, and vain are all its efforts to overturn this relation. This pa.s.sage, then, leads to another argument against the literal interpretation. We find in it the kingdoms represented under the figure of mountains,[1]--a mode of representation which is of very frequent occurrence in Scripture; compare my Commentary on [Pg 445] Ps. lxv. 7, lxxvi. 5; Rev.

viii. 8, xvii. 9. The more difficult it was to separate, according to the Israelitish conception, _mountain_ and _kingdom_, the more natural it was to find, in the pa.s.sage before us, expression given to the thought, that the kingdom of G.o.d would, in future, be exalted above all the kingdoms of the world. If we take into account the common practice of employing "mountain" in a figurative sense, it is natural to suppose that not the exaltation alone is to be understood figuratively, but that the mountain itself also is to be regarded chiefly in its symbolical signification,--as the symbol of the kingdom of G.o.d in Israel; although, in this aspect, we should expect, at least in the beginning of the relation, that the thing itself should still be connected with the symbol; afterwards they may be disjoined without any hesitation. The deep grief which must, of necessity, have been called forth by the announcement in iii. 12, did not regard the mountain as such. It had, for its real object, the condition of the kingdom of G.o.d which was prefigured by the condition of the mountain; and it is just this to which the consolation has respect.--But by what means is the exaltation of the temple-mountain to be effected? _Cocceius_ has already directed attention to the circ.u.mstance, that it must not be supposed to consist in the flowing of the people unto it; for that is not the _cause_, but the _effect_. We find the correct answer in ver.

2: "The law goeth forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem;" and in ver. 7: "And the Lord will be king over them on Mount Zion." The exaltation will, accordingly, be effected by a glorious manifestation of the Lord within His congregation; in consequence of which, Zion becomes the centre of the whole earth. That this manifestation is to take place in Christ, is brought out only subsequently; compare especially, v. 1, 3 (2-4). A parallel pa.s.sage is also Ezek. xl. 2, where Mount Zion is likewise seen exalted in the Messianic time.

Ver. 2. "_And many nations go and say, Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the G.o.d of Jacob, that He may teach us His ways, and that we may walk in His path; for from Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem._"

From the words, "And many nations go," to "paths," we have an expansion of--"People flow unto it." Zech. viii. 20-23 are founded upon, and serve as a commentary on the pa.s.sage before [Pg 446] us. The people go to one another, and send messengers to one another; a powerful commotion pervades the heathen world, which causes them to seek Zion, that had formerly been despised by them. It makes no substantial difference whether the going is to be understood physically or spiritually,--whether the people flow to the literal Mount Zion, or to the Church, which is thereby prefigured. All that is requisite is, that the commencement of their going and flowing must belong to a time in which the symbol and the thing symbolized were still connected,--when the literal Zion was still the seat of the Church. The _plurality_ of nations forms a contrast with the _unity_, but not with the _universality_, as is shown by a comparison of the parallel pa.s.sage in Isaiah, where the "many people" are preceded by the mention of "all the heathens (????????, _i.e._, the whole heathen world) flow unto it,"

instead of--"People flow unto it," as in Micah. Formerly, _one_ people only went to Zion, in order there to offer to the Lord their wors.h.i.+p, and to be taught His ways, Exod. xxiii. 17, x.x.xiv. 23; Deut. x.x.xi. 10 sqq.; now, many people flow thither. In the antic.i.p.ation of this future glory of Mount Zion, which will infinitely outs.h.i.+ne that of the present, the sad interval described in iii. 12, during which the mountain of the house is altogether forsaken, may be more easily borne.

The connection of ???? with ??, which is rather uncommon, may be most simply explained by viewing the instruction as proceeding from its object. "The ways of the Lord" are the ways in which He would have men to walk,--that mode of life which is well-pleasing to Him. The contrast of it is walking in one's own ways. Is. liii. 6,--regulating of one's life according to the desires of one's own corrupt heart.--The last words, "For from Zion, etc.," are not to be conceived of as spoken by the people, stirring up and encouraging one another, but by the prophet. They state the reason why the people are so anxious to go to Zion; and this accounts also for the circ.u.mstance that Zion is so emphatically placed at the beginning. Zion shall, at that time, be the residence of the true G.o.d, and proved to be such by glorious revelations; and from it His commands go forth over the whole earth.

???, "to go out," stands here, as in ver. 1, in the sense of "to go forth." As the sphere for the going forth of the law from Zion is not limited, it must be considered in as wide an extent as possible; in harmony with the preceding words, [Pg 447] according to which we must think of "people," "many nations," as being comprehended within this sphere.--We must not overlook the fact that the article is awanting before ????, and that the law is not more strictly defined as the law of G.o.d. It is intended, in the first place, only to indicate that despised and desolate Zion is to be the seat of legislation for the whole earth. The law itself is then more strictly defined as the word of G.o.d. Many interpreters understand ???? here as meaning religion in general;[2] the going forth is explained by them of its spreading itself. From Zion, true religion is to extend over all the nations; and hence it is that to Zion the eyes of all of them are directed. Thus, _e.g._, _Theodoret_, who remarks: "This is the preaching of the Gospel, which began at Jerusalem, and from thence, as from its source, flowed over all the earth, offering drink to those who came to it in faith."

But ???? never signifies "doctrine," "religion," any more than does ????: it is always used as meaning "law;" and this sense of it can with the less propriety be departed from here, as the people, according to what precedes, flow to Zion not in order to seek religion in general, but laws for their conduct in life. But even if we were to follow _Caspari_, and to modify the explanation thus, "The law, which was formerly confined to Zion, and hence to a narrow circle, shall go forth from thence into the wide world,"--weighty objections to it would still remain. If "to go forth" were to be understood as meaning "to spread,"

the sphere of the going forth would have been more closely determined; as, _e.g._, in Is. xlii. 1: "He shall bring forth judgment _to the Gentiles_." In Is. li. 4, "Law shall _go out_ from Me, and My judgment I will make for a light of the people," _to go out_ is tantamount to, _to go forth_. "Mine arms shall judge the people," in li. 5, is parallel to it. ??? in itself does not mean "to go forth."

_Further_--The circ.u.mstance that the law spreads from Zion, does not account sufficiently for the zeal with which the nations flow to Zion.

If it _goes out_, there is then no need for their seeking for it at its home. In Zech. viii. 20-23, also, the thronging of the people to Zion, in order to enter there into a closer relation to the Lord, forms the subject of discourse. Zion, as the place where the Lord of [Pg 448] the whole earth issues His orders, as if from His residence (Is. xi. 10), forms an appropriate contrast to "Zion shall be ploughed as a field,"--a suitable parallel to the exaltation of the temple-mountain above all the mountains of the earth, to which the prophet here returns, after having, in the first part of the verse, expanded the thought: "People flow unto it;" and to vers. 7, 8 also, where Zion appears likewise as the seat of dominion.

Ver. 3. "_And He judges among many people, and rebukes strong nations, even unto a distance. And they heat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-knives; nation shall not lift up a sword, against nation, neither shall they learn war any more._"

It appears strange to us that here we see ourselves transferred all at once to the sphere of the general description of the Messianic time; for, according to the whole context, and to the contrast with chap.

iii., we expect such predictions as will serve especially for the consolation of the daughter of Zion, whose heart had been pierced by the announcement that the mountain of the house should become a wooded hill, and that she herself should be given into the power of the Gentiles. But this difficulty is removed by remarking that this verse only prepares the way for ver. 4, where there is a representation of the advantage which accrues to the daughter of Zion from the spirit of peace, which, through the powerful influence of Zion's G.o.d, has become prevalent in the heathen world. It is from failing to perceive the connection of the two verses, that the remark of _Hitzig_ has arisen: "It is very probable that Micah, if he had been the (original) author, would rather have mentioned the change and restoration of Jerusalem, than the change of the arms."--The subject is the Lord. That it was through _Christ_, who as early as in the Song of Solomon appears as the true Solomon, that the Lord would carry out what is here announced, the prophet could, according to his plan, detail only afterwards. In chap.

iv. 1-7, he describes how Zion is glorified by what the Lord does from thence; in ver. 8, by the restoration of the dominion of the Davidic race; and in v. 1 ff., by the appearance of the Messiah. It is especially from v. 3 (4), according to which the Messiah stands and feeds in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His G.o.d,--and from v. 4 (5), according [Pg 449] to which He is the Peace, that we infer with certainty that the judging also shall be done by His mediation. In Isaiah we meet the person of the Messiah in the prophecy of chap. iv., which, along with that in chap. ii., belongs to one discourse, and supplements it. The judging and rebuking (????? with ?, "to rebuke," "to reprove") refer to the strifes among the nations which hitherto could not be allayed, because there was wanting the counterpoise to selfishness which was productive of wrong. But such a counterpoise is now given in the word of G.o.d, which, carried home by His Spirit, penetrates deeply into the heart.--"_Strong_ nations," who were hitherto most ready to seize the sword. The words, "And they beat," etc., refer to Joel iv. (iii.) 10, where the heathen beat their ploughshares into swords, their pruning-knives into spears; and they do so to the prejudice of the people of G.o.d, which the prophet, although apparently he speaks in general terms, has specially in view. By this allusion Micah indicates that, with reference to the disposition of the heathen world, Joel has spoken a word, true, indeed, but giving only a partial view. The words of _Justinus_ in the _Dialogus c.u.m Tryphone_--For, having learned the fear and wors.h.i.+p of G.o.d from the Law and Gospel which came to us through the Apostles from Jerusalem, we have fled for refuge to the G.o.d of Jacob, and the G.o.d of Israel; and we, who formerly were filled with war and murder, and every wickedness, have put away the instruments of war from the whole earth, and have, every one of us, changed the swords into ploughshares, and the spears into agricultural implements, and cultivate the fear of G.o.d, justice, brotherly love, faith, hope," etc.,--show that, even soon after the appearance of Christ, it was held that the fulfilment of this prophecy had commenced. But it was acknowledged by the prophet also, that even after the appearance of the salvation, this description would, in the meantime, give only a partial exhibition of the truth; inasmuch as not every one will submit to the judging activity of the Lord, how powerful soever may be the effect of the new principle which entered into the life of the nations; for in v. 4, 5 (5, 6) he speaks of the nations which, in the Messianic time, attack the people of G.o.d; in ver. 8 (9), of their adversaries and enemies; and in ver. 14 (15), of such as do not hear. But the [Pg 450] imperfect fulfilment is a pledge and guarantee for that which is perfect, as it will take place when, by the last judgment, they have been removed who have obstinately preserved within themselves the spirit of strife and hatred. According to the predictions of the prophets--compare especially Is. xi. 6, 7--peace shall, at some future period, be extended even to the irrational creation, and the strife which has come upon earth by the fall, shall entirely cease from it.

Ver. 4. "_And they sit every man under his vine, and under his fig-tree, and none maketh them afraid; for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it._"

This verse contains a description of the happy consequences which the peaceful influence which goes forth from the Lord to the heathen world, shall have upon Israel. For Israel is the subject in ????, and the verse does not at all pretend to give a description of "a Solomonic time for all the nations." This is shown by what is stated, in the following verse, as to the ground of this happy change, as well as by a comparison of the fundamental pa.s.sages. Lev. xxvi. 6: "And I give peace in the land, and ye lie down, and none maketh you afraid;" and 1 Kings v. 5 (iv. 25): "And Judah and Israel dwelt safely every man under his vine and fig-tree, from Dan to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon;" and of the parallel pa.s.sages, Micah v. 4 (5); Zech. iii. 10. It is _further_ shown by the connection with what precedes, where great calamity, and the devastation of their whole country had been predicted to Israel,--and by the mention of the vine and fig-tree, which are characteristic of the land of Israel. The words, "For the mouth of the Lord," etc., point out the pledge, which the person of Him who promises affords for the fulfilment of the promise, which appears incredible.

Ver. 5. "_For all the nations shall walk, every one in the name of their G.o.d; and we will walk in the name of the Lord our G.o.d for ever and ever._"

The causal particle ?? states the ground of the fact that the Lord of hosts has spoken this, and given the promise of the final safety of Israel, and of his enjoying peace after the strife, in consequence of G.o.d's exercising dominion from Zion over the whole heathen world; while this peace after the strife is then more fully described in vers. 6, 7.

The lot of every people corresponds to the nature of their G.o.d. And now, how [Pg 451] could it be otherwise, than that all other nations should be humbled, because their G.o.ds are idols, while Israel, on the other hand, is exalted and endowed with everlasting salvation and prosperity, because his G.o.d is the only true G.o.d? Is. xlv. 16, 17 is parallel: "They shall be ashamed, and also confounded, all of them; they shall go to confusion, the makers of idols. Israel is saved by the Lord, with an everlasting salvation; ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded in all eternity."--"The name of the Lord" is the complex whole of His excellency which is revealed, and proved by deeds; compare Prov. xviii. 10: "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runneth into it and is exalted." Inasmuch as the name of the Lord is to manifest itself in His dealings with His people, it represents itself as the way in which they are to walk: the prayer of the Psalmist in Ps.

xxv. 5, that the Lord would lead him in His _truth_, forms a parallel to this; and so does also what he says in ver. 9 of the same Psalm, that "He guides the meek in _judgment_." But exactly corresponding is Zech. x. 12: "And I strengthen them in the Lord, and _in His name shall they walk_" = in the path of His name, so that the latter manifests itself in His dealings with them; compare the remarks on that pa.s.sage.