—or, the dimness of anguish and of darkness is dispelled. Heaven and earth are here opposed to one another, as sea and land are in ch. 5:30. Distress and darkness are here identified, as distress and light are there contrasted.

23. This darkness is to be dispelled; for (there shall) not (be) darkness (forever) to her who is now distressed (literally, to whom there is distress). The present calamity, or that just predicted, is not to be perpetual. The future state of things. shall exhibit a strange contrast with the former. As the former time degraded the land of Zebulon and the land of Naphtali, so the latter glorifies the way of the sea, the bank of the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The same region is described in both clauses, namely, the northern extremity of the land of Israel. This is designated, first, by the tribes which occupied it, then, by its relative position with respect to Jordan and the sea of Tiberias. This part of the country, from being the most degraded and afflicted, should receive peculiar honour. Its debasement and distress both arose from its remote and frontier situation, proximity to the heathen, intercourse and mixture with them, and constant exposure to the first attacks of enemies, who usually entered Canaan from the north. To the former of these reasons may be traced the expressions of contempt for Galilee recorded in the books of the New Testament (John 1:46. 7:52. Matt. 26:69. Acts 1:11. 2: :7). How this disgrace was to be exchanged for honour, is explained in the next verse. The sea mentioned in the last clause is. not the Mediterranean but the sea of Galilee, as appears from Matt. 4: 15, 16. The region spoken of was that along the Jordan (on one or both sides) near the sea of Galilee.

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CHAPTER IX.

THE change for the better, which was promised at the close of the eighth chapter, is described in the ninth as consisting in the rise of a great light upon the darkness, in the increase of the nation and their joy, excited by deliverance from bondage and the universal prevalence of peace, arising from the advent of a divine successor to David, who should restore, establish, and enlarge his kingdom without any limitation, vs. 1-6.

From the times of the Messiah, the Prophet suddenly reverts. to his own, and again predicts the punishment of Ephraim by repeated strokes. The people had been warned both by messages from God and by experience, but had continued to indulge their proud self-confidence, in consequence of which God allowed the Assyrians, after overthrowing Rezin, to attack them also, while at the same time they were harassed by perpetual assaults from their hostile neighbours, vs. 7–11.

Still they did not repent and return to God, who therefore cut off suddenly many of all classes, but especially the rulers. of the nation and the false prophets, the flattering seducers of the wretched people, from whom he must now withhold even the ordinary proofs of his compassion, vs. 12-16.

All this was the natural effect of sin, like a fire in a thicket, which at last consumes the forest, and involves the land in smoke and flame. Yet amidst these strokes of the divine displeasure, they were still indulging mutual animosities and jealousies, insomuch that Israel was like a famished man devouring his own flesh. Manasseh thus devoured Ephraim and Ephraim Manasseh, while the two together tried to devour Judah, vs. 17-20.

It has been observed already that the division of the chapters is in this part of the book peculiarly unfortunate; the first part of the ninth (vs. 1-6) containing the conclusion of the eighth, and the first part of the tenth (vs. 1–4) the conclusion of the ninth.

The numbers of the verses in this chapter differ in the Hebrew and English Bibles; what is the last verse of the eighth in the former is the first of the ninth in the latter. The references in the commentary are all to the divisions of the Hebrew text.

1. The people (just described, i. e. the people of Galilee), those walking in the dark (expressive both of spiritual blindness and extreme distress), have seen a great light (the change being presented to the Prophet's view as already past): the dwellers in the land of the shadow of death (i. e. of intense darkness), light has beamed upon them. These words, in a general sense, may be descriptive of any great and sudden change in the condition of the people, especially of one from ignorance and misery to illumination and enjoyment. They are still more appropriate to Christ as the light of the world (John 8:12), a light to the nations (Isai. 42: 6. 49: 6), and the sun of righteousness (Mal. 4:2), which rose upon the world when he manifested forth his glory by his teachings and his miracles in Galilee (John 2:11). It was in this benighted and degraded region that he first appeared as a messenger from God; and in that appearance we are expressly taught that this prediction. was fulfilled (Matt. 4: 12-17).

2. The Prophet now, by a sudden apostrophe, addresses God himself, who, by bestowing on the Galileans this great light, would not only honour them, but afford occasion of great joy to all the true Israel, including those who should be gathered from the gentiles. Thou hast enlarged the nation (i. e. Israel in

general), thou hast increased its joy (literally, to it thou hast increased the joy); they rejoice before thee like the joy in harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. The increase of the nation means the increase of the people in their own land, not a mere growth of population, but an increase of the true Israel by the calling of the gentiles. To the promise here given there is probably allusion in the language of the angel who announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds (Luke 2:10): Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all the people, i. e. to the whole nation, all the Israel of God.

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3. This verse assigns the reason or occasion of the promised joy. They shall rejoice before thee, that (or because) the yoke of his burden (his burdensome yoke), and the rod of his shoulder (or back) and the staff of the one driving him (his task-master, slave-driver) thou hast broken, like the day (as in the day) of Midian, as Gideon routed Midian, i. e. suddenly, totally, and by special aid from heaven. This promise was fulfilled in the glorious deliverance of the Galileans (the first converts to Christianity), and of all who with them made up the true Israel, from the heavy burden of the covenant of works, the galling yoke of the Mosaic law, the service of the devil, and the bondage of corruption. Outward deliverance is only promised, so far as it accompanied the spiritual change or was included in it. The day of any one in Hebrew often means the day in which something memorable happens to him, or is done by him (vide supra, ch. 2:12) and in Arabic is absolutely used for a day of battle. The rout of the Midianites, recorded in the seventh chapter of Judges, is here referred to, because it was a wonderful display of divine power, without the use of any adequate human means- -and also, because it took place in the same part of the country which this prophecy refers to. Jezreel, where the battle was fought (Judg. 6:33), was in the territory of Manasseh, to which tribe Gideon himself belonged (Judg.

6:15); but he was aided by the neighbouring tribes of Asher, Zebulon, and Naphtali (Judg. 6:35).

4. The destruction of the oppressing power shall be followed by profound and universal peace. To express this idea, the Prophet describes the equipments of the soldier as consumed with fire. For all the armour of the armed man (or the man-atarms, who mingles) in the tumult (of battle), and the garment rolled in blood, shall be for burning (and for) food (or fuel) of fire. In other words, the usual accompaniments of battle shall be utterly destroyed, and by implication, war itself shall cease. It is not the weapons of the enemy alone, but all weapons of war, that are to be consumed; not merely because they have been used for a bad purpose, but because they are hereafter to be useless. It is not so much a prophecy of conquest as of peace; a peace however which is not to be expected till the enemies of God are overcome; and therefore the prediction may be said to include both events, the final overthrow of all opposing powers and the subsequent prevalence of universal peace. This last is uniformly spoken of in Scripture as characteristic of Messiah's reign, both internal and external, in society at large and in the hearts of his people. With respect to the latter, the prediction has been verified with more or less distinctness, in every case of true conversion. With respect to the former, its fulfilment is inchoate, but will one day be complete, when the lion and the lamb shall lie down together, and He who is the Prince of Peace shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth. An allusion to this promise and its final consummation may be found in the words of the heavenly host who celebrated the Saviour's birth (Luke 2:14), Glory to God in the highest, and on earth PEACE, good will to men. Fire is mentioned simply as a powerful consuming agent, to express the abolition of the implements of war, and, as a necessary consequence, of war itself.