Exposition of the Whole Bible

flocks; and it is here added, to diftinguifh it from _ another Bethlebem in the tribe of Zebulon, Fo h. xix, —

15. from which tribe the Meffiah was not to come, | but from the tribe of Fudab; and in which this Bethlehem was, and therefore called by Matthew, Bethlebem in the land of Judah; as it appears this was, from Ruth i. 1, 2. and from the Septuagint verfion of Fofb. xv. 60. where, as Ferom obferves, it was added by the Greek interpreters, or erafed out of the Hebrew text by the wickednefs of the.

Jews: the former feems righteft. Though thou be little among the thoufands of Fudah; this fupplement of ours, is according to Kimchi’s reading and fenfe of the words; which, in fome meafure, accounts for the difference between the prophet and the evangelift Matthew, by whom this place is faid to be not the leaft, as it might, and yet be little; befides, it might be little at one time, in Micah’s time, yet not little at another time, in Matthew's 5 it might be little with refpect to fome circumftances, as to pompous buildings, and number of inhabitants, and yet not little on account of its being the birth-place of great men, as Jefe, David, and efpecially the Meffiah: or the words may be rendered with an interrogation, art thou little? Sc +. thou art not: or thus, it is a tle thing to be among the thoufands of Fudah*; a greater honour fhall be put upon thee, by being the place of the Meffiah’s birth. Moreover, Mr. Pocock has fhewn out of R. Tanchum, both in his commentary on this place, and elfewhere ‘, that the word >»y¥ fignifies both little and great, or of great note and efteem. The tribes of J/rael were divided into tens, hundreds, and thoufands, over which there was a head or prince; hence, in Matthew, thefe are called the princes of Judah, Yet out of thee foall he come forth unto me, that is to be ruler in Ifrael; not Hezekiab, who very probably was now born at the time of this prophecy; nor was he born at Bethlehem, nor a ruler in J/rael, only king of Fudab: nor Zorobabel, who.was born in Baéylon, as his name fhews, was governor of Fudah, but not of [rael, nor can it be faid of him, or any mere man, what is faid in the next claufe: but the Mef— fiah is intended, as the Targum, “farchi, and Kimchi confefs, and other Fewi/o writers. The Targum is, ** out of thee fhall come forth before me the “¢ Meffiah, that he may exercife dominion over J/— ‘< yael.” ‘Farchi’s note is, ‘* out of thee fhall *¢ come forth unto me Meffiah, the fon of Davids” and fo he fays, the ftone which the builders refufed, &c. Pf. cxviii. 22. plainly fuggefting, that that paflage alfo belongs to the Meffiah, as it certainly does. Kimchi’s paraphrafe is, ‘* altho’ thou art ‘© little among the thoufands of Fudah, out of thee ‘* fhall come forth unto me a judge, to be ruler ** in J/rael, and this is the king Meffiah.” And Abarbinel*, mentioning thofe words in ch, iv. 13.

‘¢ fpeaks concerning the bufinefs of the king Mef= ** fiah, who fhall reign over them, and {hall be “< the prince of their army; and it is plain, that “* he fhall be of the houfe of David: and it is faid,

‘* city, in the midft of the cities of Fudab; and “* altho’ thou art little in the thoufands of Fudab, “< out of thee foall come forth unto me a man, a ruler “ in [frael, whofe goings forth are from the days of “< old; the meaning is, the goings forth of the fa-

«¢ mily of. that ruler are from the days of old3. that is, from the feed of David, and a rod from ** the ftem of Fe//e, who was of Bethlebem Fudab.”

So Abendana*, a more modern Yew, paraphrafes ‘the words thus, ‘ out of thee fhall come forth ** unto me a judge, that is to. be ruler in J/raél, and this is the king Meffiah, for becaufe he is to be of the feed of David, from Bethlehem he will be.” To which may be added R. Jaac ', who having cited this paflage, obferves, and he, the ruler in J/rael, is the king Meffiah, who fhall come forth from the feed of David the king, who was of Bethlehem Fudah, as in 1 Sam. xvii. 12. Wherefore Lyra, having quoted Farchi, and given his fenfe of the paffage, remarks, hence it is plain, that fome catholicks, explaining this fcripture of king Hezekiah, judaize more than the Hebrews. Tho’ fome of them object the application of it to Jefus, who they fay ruled not over J/rael, but J/- rael over him, and put him to death; which it is true they did; but God exalted him to be a prince, as well as a Saviour, unto J/rael, notwithftanding that, and declared him to be Lord and Chritt, befides, previous to his death, and in the land of SJfrael, he gave abundant proof of his power and rule over univerfal nature, earth, air, and fea; over angels, good and bad; and over men and beafts: all creatures obeyed him; tho’ indeed his kingdom is not of this world, but of a fpiritual nature, and is over the fpiritual J/rae/ of God; and there is a time coming, when he will be king over all the earth. Now out of Bethlebem was the king Meffiah, the ruler in [/rael, to come forth, that is, here he was to be-born, as the phrafe fignifies, fee Gen. x. 14. and here our Jefus, the true Meffiah, was born, as appears from Matt. ii. 8, 11. Luke ii. 1—6, 11, 15, 16. and this is not only certain from the evangelic hiftory, but the Fews themfelves acknowledge it. One of their chronologers * affirms, that Fe/us the Nazarene was born at Bethlehem Fudah, a parfa and an half from Feru/alem, that is, about fix miles from it, which was the diftance ‘between them: and even the author of a blafphemous book ', pretending to give the life of Jefus, owns, that Bethlehem ‘Fudab was the place of his nativity: and it is clear, not only that the Fews in the times of Jefus, expected the Meffiah to come from hence, even both the chief priefts and fcribes of the. people, who, in anfwer to Herod’s queftion about the place of the Meffiah’s birth, direct him to this, according to Micah’s prophecy, Matt. ii. 4, 5, 6. and the common people, who thought to have confronted the Meffiahfhip of Jefus with it, Fobm vii. 41, 42. but others alfo, at other times. The tower of Edar being a place near. to Bethlehem-Ephratah, Gen. xxxv. 19, 21. Fonathan ben Uxziel, in his Targum of y¥. 19. fays of the tower of Edar, this is the place from whence the king Mefliah fhall be revealed in the end of days; nay, fome of them fay he is born already, and was born at Bethlehem... An Arabian, they fay ™, told a Few, ** the king Meffiah is born; «he replied to him, what is his name? he an- “<< fwered, Menachem (the comforter) is his name; “© he afked him, what is his father’s name? he re- “¢ plied, Hezekiah; he faid to him, from whence “< ig he? he anfwered, from the palace of the king “ of Bethlebem Fudab.” This fame ftory is told elfewhere ", with fome little variation, thus, that

bien the Arabian fhould fay to the Few, ‘* the Redeemer “* of the ews is born; he faid to him, what is his “* name? he replied, Menachem is his narne; and “* what’s his father’s name? he anfwered, Hezekiab; and where do they dwell? (he and his father); he replied, in Birath-Arba, in Bethlehem “* Judah.” Thefe things fhow their fenfé of this prophecy, and the convictions of their minds, as to the birth of the Meffiah, and the place of it. The words unto me, are thought by fome to. be redundant and fuperfluous; but contain in ‘them the glory and gofpel of the text, whether confidered as the words of God the Father; and then the fenfe is, that Chrift was to come forth in this place in human nature, or become incarnate, agreeable to the purpofe which God purpofed in himfelf; to the covenant made with him, before the world was; to an order he had given him as Mediator, and to his’ promife concerning him; and he came forth to him, and anfwered to all thefe; as well as this was in order to do his will and work, by fulfilling the law; preaching the gofpel; doing miracles; performing the work of redemption and falvation; by becoming a facrifice for fin, and fuffering death; and likewife it was for the glorifying of all the divine perfections: or whether as the words of the prophet, in the name of the church and people of God, to and for whom he was born, or became incarnate; he came forth unto them, to be their Mediator in general; to be the Redeemer and Saviour of them in particular; to execute his feveral offices of prophet, prieft and king; and to anfwer and fill up all relations he ftands in to them, of father, brother, head, and hufband. Whofe goings forth have been of old, from everlafting 5 which is faid of him, not becaufé his extraction was from David, who lived many ages before him; for admitting he was iz him, i his loins, as to his human nature, fo long ago, yet his goings forth were not from thence: nor becaufe he was prophefied of, and promifed very early, as he was from the beginning of the world; but neither a prophecy or promife of him can be called his going forth; which was only foretold and fpoken of, but not in actual being: nor becaufe it was decreed from eternity that he fhould come forth from Bethlebem, or be born there in time; for this is faying no more, than what might be faid of every one that was to be born in Bethlehem, and was born there: nor is this to be underftood of his manifeftations or appearances in an human form to the patriarchs, in the feveral ages of time; fince to thefe, as to other of the above things, the phrafe from everlafting, cannot be-afcribed: but either of his going forth in a way of grace towards his people, in aéts of love to them, delighting in thofe fons of men before the world was; in applying to his Father on their account, afking them of him, and betrothing them to himfelf; in becoming their furety, entring into a covenant with his Father for them, and being the head of election to them, receiving all bleffings and promifes of grace for them: or elfe of his eternal generation and Sonfhip, as commonly interpreted; who is the Only-begotten of the Father, of the fame nature with him, and a diftinét perfon from him; the eternal Word that went forth from him, and was with him from eternity, and is truly God. The phrafes are expreflive of the eternity of his divine nature and perfon; Farchi compares compares them with P/. lxxii. 16. before the fun was, bis name was Finnon, that is, the Son, the Son of God; fo as the former part of the text fets forth his human birth, this his divine generation; which, becaufe of the excellency and ineffablenefs of it, is expreffed in the plural number, goings Sorth. So R. Eliezer °, along with the above-mentioned paflage in the P/a/ms, produces this to prove the name of the Meffiah before the world was, whofe goings forth were from everlafting, when as yet the world was not created.

¥. 3. Therefore will he give them up, &c.] Or notwithftanding, as this particle fignifies; fee Hof. ii. 14. tho’ all this fhall be, yet previous to the birth of this perfon, the Lord would give up the Fews to trouble and diftrefs, and into the hands of their enemies; and the time from this prophet to the birth of Chrift, was a time for the moft part of great trouble to the Fews; not only was their country invaded, and their city befieged by Sennatherib in Hezekiah’s time, but fome years after that, they were wholly carried captive into Babylon; and when they returned, it was troublefome times with them; they met with many enemies that difturbed them, whilft they were rebuilding the city and temple; and after that they endured much tribulation, in the times of Antiochus Epiphanes, or of the Maccabees; nor were they long in any quiet, nor in any fettled ftate, unto the coming of the Meffiah. Or elfe this is to be underftood of what fhould be after his coming; for tho’ Jefus was born at Bethlebem, according to this plain prophecy, and had all the characters of the Meffiah in him, yet the Yews rejected him, and would not have him to reign over them; wherefore be, the Meffiah, as Yapbet interprets it, gave them up to judicial blindnefs and hardnefs of heart, and into the hands of their enemies the Romans; by whom they were deftroyed or carried captive, and difperfed among the nations; in which condition they ftill remain, and will, until the times of the Genéiles be fulfilled; fo long will Feru/alem be trodden under foot, or the Jews be given up to their will, according to Luke xxi. 24. or as here exprefled, until the time that fhe which travaileth hath brought forth, that is, according to the firft fenfe, until the virgin Mary travailed in birth with the Meffiah, and brought forth him her firft-born, Mazt. i. 25. or according to the latter, until Zion, or the church of God, travailed in prayer, and in the miniftry of the word, and brought forth many children to Chrift, both among Jews and Gentiles; and the fenfe is, that the ews fhall be given up to diftrefs and trouble, till the time of their converfion; fee Jf Ixvi. 7, 8. The Fews have a tradition in their Yalmud, that ** the Son of David ** would not come, until the kingdom fpreads it- “* felf over the whole world for nine months; as it “ is faid, therefore will he give them up, until the “* time that foe that travaileth bath brought forth; “* which is the time of a woman’s going with “< child.” This both Farchi and Kimchi take notice-of. In one place ’ it is called the kingdom of dram or Syria, and in another %, a blank is left for Edom, that is, Rome; for by the kingdom is meant the Roman empire, and which did extend all over the world before the coming of the Meffiah-Jefus, as appears from Lwke ii, 1. as well as from all profane hiftory. Then the remnant of bis i brethren foall return to the children of Ifrael, that is, the brethren of the Meffiah, as Kimchi and Abendana interpret it; who fhould return with the children of J/rael, as both they and Farchi explain it; to which the Zargum agrees. Kimchi’s note is, “< the remnant of his brethren; they are the tribes “ of Fudah and Benjamin, which remained when ‘© the cen tribes were carried captive; and the fur- ‘© names, his brethren, relate to the Meffiah.” So — Abendana', ‘© and the remnant bis brethren, they ‘* are the tribes of Fudah and Benjamin, they thal ‘*¢ return with the children of J/rae/, who are the ** ten tribes; as if he fhould fay, thefe and thefe ‘¢ fhall return to their land, and the king Meffiah © *¢ fhall reign over them; and the furnames, his “* brethren, refpect the Meffiah.” And to the fame purpofe R. [aac *, ‘* the remnant of the brethren *¢ of the Meffiah, who are the children of Fudab «* and Benjamin, that are left and remain of the ‘< calamities and perfecutions of the captivities, ‘¢ fhall return to their own land, together with *¢ the children of J/rael, who are the ten tribes.” Meaning either the remnant, according to the elec- © tion of grace, among the Geasiles; who with thofe among the Yews fhould be converted to Chrift in the firft times of the gofpel, thofe immediately following the birth of Chrift; the gofpel being preached both to the Fews and Gentiles, and fome of both were called and converted, and whom Chrift owned as his brethren, and were not -afhamed of; fee Matt. xii. 49, 50. Heb. ii. 11. oF the Lord’s chofen people, and brethren of Chritt, thofe of the two tribes of Fudab and Benjamin, and thofe of the ten tribes of J/rae/; who fhall join and coalefce together in feeking the Meffiah, embracing and profeffing him, and appointing him the one head over them, when they will turn to the Lord, and all J/rael fhall be faved; fee Fer t:4. Hof. i. 11. Rom. Xi. 25, 26.

¥. 4. And he fhall fiand and feed in the firength of the Lord, &c.| The ruler in J/rael, before defcribed and prophefied of; the Mefiah, as Kimchi himfelf interprets it, and other Yewi/b writers. Kimcbi’s note is, ‘‘ after the affliction, the king ‘«¢ Meffiah fhall ftand and feed J/rael in the ftrength “< of the Lord;” and fo R. J/aac t paraphrafes the words exactly in the fame way: wherefore, as another learned Yew * obferves, thefe expreffions evince, that the ruler here fpoken of can be no other than the Meffiah; not Zorobabel, who never attained to this height and happinefs. He is both king and fhepherd, and to each of thefe the aét of. feeding is afcribed. The fame word, in the Greek | language, fignifies both to rule and to feed, and is ufed by Matthew, ch. ii. 6, and kings are often compared to fhepherds. Chrift feeds his people, his brethren, his flock, his fheep and lambs, alk truly converted ones; and this takes in the whole office of a fhepherd, and the care he has of his flock; he takes an exact account of them, goes before them, and leads them out into good pa- {tures; fets under-fhepherds over them; protects’ them from all their enemies; looks after what is loft or driven away; heals the fick, ftrengthens the weak, binds up the broken, and watches over his flock continually: he feeds them with himfelf, the bread of life, with his flefh and are meat and drink indeed; with the doétrines and ordinances of the gofpel; and which are found ~ to be fpiritual, favoury, f{trengthening, fatisfying, and foul-nourifhing food: and he /fands and does this, being raifed from the dead, and pofiefied of all power in heaven and in earth; which defigns not the pofition of his body, but the miniitration of his office, and his alacrity and readinefs to perform it, and his conftancy in it: and all this i# the firength of the Lord; in his own ftrength, as a divine perfon, which is the fame with the ftrength of Jehovah; and in the power and ftrength that is difpenfed to him as Mediator; and with his gofpel, the rod of his ftrength, and in fuch manner as to defend his flock from all that would devour -them: ia the majefty of the name of the Lord bis God; Jehovah the Father is the God of Chrit, as he is Mediator; and his name is in him, even the majelty of it; for as adivine perfon, he has the fame nature and perfections with him; and as man éxalted at his right-hand, has a name above every name.in.this world, or that to come; and itis by authority from him, in his office-capacity that he rules and feeds his people, having all judgment committed to him: and they shall abide, that is, his people, his flock, his fheep fed and ruled by him; thefe fhall continue and perfevere under his care and keeping; in him, in whom they are chofen and preferved; in his love, from which they can never be feparated; in his hands, out of which none can.pluck them; in his church, where they fhall ever remain; and fo may be confidered as a promife of the perfeverance of the faints in faith and holinefs to the end: or, they fhall fit”; quietly and fecurely, being freed from periecution, with which the chriftians were attended in the firft three centuries: this began to be accomplifhed in the times of Conftantius Chlorus, who fuccoured the chriftians in the times of Dioclefian, and with whom “the perfecutions ended, and peace and profperity followed: for now fhall he be great unto the ends of the earth; as he was in the times of Con fautine, and will be again. Chrift is great in himfelf, in his perfon and offices; and will appear to be fo unto all men, even unto the ends of the earth,- when his gofpel fhall be preached and fpread every where; when his kingdom fhall be enlarged, and be from fea to fea, and from the river to the ends of the earth; even then fhall he appear to be a great king over all the earth, and the great fhepherd of the fheep, the man, Jehovah’s fellow; and to have fuch a flock, and fo large, as never any had; when there will be one fold, and one fhepherd; for this: prophecy refpects the latter day- ‘ glory. Kimchi’s glofs is, “* the name of the Mef- * fiah fhall be magnified, after the judgment of “© the wicked.” y¥. 5. And this man foall be the peace, &c.]| “The word man is not in the text, only ¢his; and refers to the perfon before fpoken of, who was to be born in Bethlehem, to be the ruler in J/rae/, that fhould ftand and feed his people, and fhould be great to the ends of the earth; and is no other than the Meffiah, as Kimebi, and other Fewi/b writers own.. Kimchi’s note is, ‘* this peace refpects “¢ the Meffiah; for he fhall be the caufe or author “ of peace; as it is faid, Le fhall [peak peace unto “¢ the heathen, Zech. ix. 10;” and R. aac « expreffes his fenfe of the words in much the fame

Of AL 549 language; and it is an obfervation the Jews fometimes make, and which they give as a fign of the Meffiah’s coming, “ when you fee a Perfian horfe “* bound in the land of J/rae/, look for the feet ** of the Meffiah;” which is. the fenfe of Mic. v: 5. this foall be the peace, when the Affyrian comes into our land’, &c. fo Jefus the true Meffiah is called our peace, Eph. ii. 14. and is the caufe and author of peace, not only between Few and Gentile, but’ between God and men; which he has made by the blood of his crofs, and fpeaks and gives peace to men; and he is the author of peace in his churches, whofe kingdom is a kingdom of peace, of which there will be an abundance in the latter day; for all which he would not be fufficient was he a‘mere man; tho’ it was proper he fhould be aman, that he might have blood to fhed, a body to offer up, and in it die to procure peace; and yet be more than a man, God alfo, to put virtue and efficacy into what he did and fuftered to obtain it, as well as to fecure and continue the peace of his people, and preferve them from all their enemies: when the Afhrian fall come into our land; not Sennacherib king of Affyria; tho’ by the invafion of Judea, and fiege of Ferufalem, he might have lately been concerned in, and by reafon of the terror which that had raifed in the people, the Afyrian may be here put for any powerful enemy of the people of God in after-times; or fatan, and his principalities and powers, even all the powers of darknefs, Chrift our peace-maker engaged with, at the time he made peace by his fufferings and death; and perhaps may chiefly defign the Turk, the Gog and Magog of Ezekiel, as Mr. Mede * thinks, that will enter into the land of Fudea, in order to take it out of the hands of the Fews, who will be poffefled of it upon their converfion to Chrift; but he by his inftruments will fecure to them the pofléffion of it, and their peace and profperity in it: and when he fhall tread in our palaces; the palaces of our princes, and nobles, and great men, at Jeaft attempt to do it: shen shall we raife againt him, the Afyrian, or whatfoever enemy is meant by him: or, with him, that is, the Meffiah, as Kimchi and others * interpret it. ° The Targum is, ** then will we appoint over us;” which fenfe the above writer wonders at, as being contrary to the Hebrew text: feven fhepherds, and eight principal men, that is, many, as the phrafe is ufed in Eccl. xi. 2. to which paflage Aben Ezra and Kimchi refer us; thefe are, as the laft mentioned writer, and others fay °, the princes of the Meffiah; and according to the ancient * Fewi/h Rabbins, the feven fhepherds are particularly thefe, David in the midft, Adam, Seth, Methufelab, on his right-hand (Kimchi has it, Seth, Enoch, and Methufelab) and Abraham, Facob, and Mofes on his left-hand; and the eight principal men are, - Feffe, Saul, Samuel, Amos, Zephaniah, Zedekiah (in Kimchi and Rabbot ’tis Hezekiah) Elias, and Me/- fiah; but, as Aben Ezra, not fifteen perfons are defigned, at moft but eight, according to this form of fpeech in Prov. xxx. 15, 18, 21, 24, 29. Amos i. 3. Fc. Calmet “ takes:thofe feven or eight fhepherds to be the feven princes confederate with Darius the fon of Hy/ia/pes, who killed Smerdis the Magian, who had pofieffed himfelf of the a