into Judah by Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and the granddaughter of Omri, 2 Chro. xxi. 6, xxii. 2-5.

that I should make] That is, your sins incur as a consequence that I should make, &c.

a desolation] Rather, as in the margin, an astonishment.

the inhabitants thereof] That is, the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

therefore ye shall bear] and ye shall bear. CHAP. VII. The interpretation of the opening of this chapter appears to be rightly indicated in the heading of our version. Not a few commentators, of older and more recent date, have taken the passage as a desponding soliloquy of the prophet himself. But this seems to be inconsistent with the context, especially with v. 7. The words are, it can hardly be doubted, put by Micah into the mouth of the true Israel, the Church in a broad sense, not excluding from the term the believers before the coming of Christ. The verse thus becomes immediately connected with the gloomy picture of the condition of things in the prophet's time at the conclusion of the preceding chapter, which is continued in what follows, vv. 2-6. In a similar way Isaiah puts words into the mouth of the Church, xlix. 1, &c.

my

1. my soul desired the firstripe fruit] soul is longing for the first-ripe fig. The earliest figs are valued, not only for their rarity, but their superior quality. See Jer. xxiv. 2; also Isai. xxviii. 4; Hos. ix. 10. They are sometimes gathered in June in the Holy Land, where the general gathering takes place in August. See Matt. xxi. 19. The Lord of the Church Himself sought in vain for the early fig. In this place, while the

I.

2 The a good man is perished out a Psal. 12. of the earth: and there is none up- Isai. 57. 1. right among men: they all lie in I Or, wait for blood; they hunt every man merciful. his brother with a net.

3¶ That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth this mischievous desire: so they wrap it up.

4 The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity.

5 ¶ Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep

godly, or,

Heb. the mischief of his soul.

Church is eagerly looking within her borders for the first produce of summer, she finds herself to be rather like a field of stubble after harvest, or a vineyard that has been stripped of its fruit: she sees nothing good, but the poor gleanings of old crops.

3. The construction of this verse is very

difficult, though there is not much doubt as to its substantial meaning. The arrangement of the clauses in our version cannot be maintained. The following is the most probable rendering: Both hands are upon evil

to do it thoroughly. The prince asks for reward, the judge judges for it; and the great man, he utters the mischief of his heart, and they all weave together, that is, all are set on one purpose to do evil.

do evil...earnestly] The literal rendering is, The meaning is either, to do evil thoroughly, or "both hands are upon evil to make it good." to do evil in such a way as to appear good, or, in the very spirit of Satan, to make evil their good.

4. the day of thy watchmen, &c.] The description of existing wickedness is again interrupted for a moment to denounce the coming judgment. The "watchmen” are the prophets, whose duty it was to look out for and to proclaim the "visitation," the "day of the Lord," which was surely to come on impenitent sinners. See Jer. vi. 17; Ezek. iii. xxxiii. 7, &c.

17,

5, 6. The gloomy description is resumed. The corruption reaches to the innermost recesses of society. Confidence is extinct. The dearest of human relationships are out of joint. On the use made by our Lord of the words of v. 6, see on Matt. x. 35, 36; Luke xii. 53.

b Matth. 10. 21, 35, 36.

Luke 21. 16.

6 For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house.

1 Or, Au thou wi

that is

7 Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.

8 Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.

9 I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he

7. Therefore I will look] And yet will I look. The soul of the faithful still holds fast her faith, in spite of the darkness. The promises of Jehovah cannot fail. Salvation will surely come. Prayers cannot fail to be answered.

8. The enemy whose insolent exultation is here deprecated is the Antichrist, the imperial tyranny ever in antagonism with the true faithful Israel. In Micah's time this was represented by Asshur (v. 12), in St John's time, by Rome. The faithful realize that the darkest moment of the night may be that which just precedes the dawn.

9, 10. The true believing heart finds strength to endure and sure hope of reconciliation in the consciousness that her own sins are the cause of her affliction, and in faith in the righteousness of the Lord. And this righteousness will not only manifest itself to her, but also to her enemy, who is now insulting over her, and would fain tread her down as the mire of the streets.

9. until he plead my cause] Cp. Ps. xxxv. 1, xliii. 1.

10. Where is the LORD thy God] Cp. Isai. x. 6; Joel ii. 17.

11. The mind of the prophet abruptly turns away from the insolence of the enemy to the glory of the dispensation to come. He addresses Ísrael, to whom the kingdoms of the earth are to be gathered. The verse is obscure. The best rendering appears to be, A day for building thy walls is at hand. That day shall the law of separation be utterly removed.

thy walls] The Hebrew word denotes

d

cover sa

shame.

< Psal

IQ.

Heb a shall be a treas

d Amos y

11, &L

12 In that day also he shall come de even to thee from Assyria, and from the fortified cities, and from the 10, fortress even to the river, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to

te.

1 Or,

it hath been.

rather the wall, or fence, of a plantation than the wall of a city. The figure implied seems to be that of the vineyard of Jehovah.

the decree] The chief difficulty of the verse hinges upon the way in which this word is taken. The Hebrew (choq) generally means a statute or ordinance. It probably here refers from the nations of the world. Its purport to the ordinance by which Israel was separated would thus be identical with the middle wall down (Eph. ii. 11-16). This sense naturally of partition," which the Messiah was to break

connects itself with the verse which follows. The thought expressed in vv. 11, 12 would then agree with that of Jer. iii. 16-18. What is before the prophet's sight is a vision of the expansion of the Redeemer's kingdom. See note on the following verse and on iv. 2. Other explanations of the passage, which are well supported, but are less probable, are (1) The day appointed (for building the walls) is far remote. (2) The (tyrannical) decrees (of the (enemies) shall be removed. (3) The law (of Jehovah) shall spread abroad.

12. In that day shall they come unto thee from Asshur and from the cities of Egypt, even from Egypt to the river Euphrates, &c. The promise to Israel, in its fullest sense, is identical with that already made specifically to Zion, iv. 2. As Asshur here represents the eastern world, so does Egypt the western. Compare with this prophecy that of Isaiah, xix. 18-25. Dr Pusey, without excluding the above explana tion, would refer the words of Micah primarily to the return of the children of Israel from the lands into which they had been carried captive.

13. Notwithstanding the land shall be deso

Or, Rule.

• Psal. 72.

for, creeping things.

dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings.

14 Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.

15 According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I shew unto him marvellous things.

16¶ The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf.

17 They shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of their holes like "worms of the earth:

late] Or, And the earth will be given over to desolation. This is the strict rendering of the Hebrew, and it appears to suit the context exactly, if we take the earth" to denote the guilty world, not obedient to the Divine call to join with the true Israel. But it must be admitted that a majority of commentators suppose the subject of the sentence to be the Holy Land, which, until the building of the walls (v. 11), that is, the setting up of the Messiah's kingdom, would have to go through a period of desolation. See Lev. xxvi. 33; I sai. i. 7. In order to make out this explanation, the verb must be taken as in the future perfect (as in our margin), or some such word as previously must be interpolated.

14. The true Israel again speaks, as in vv. I, 7, 8, now in prayer for Divine guidance and protection. Cp. Ps. xxviii. 9.

with thy rod] Rather, with thy staff, that is, staff of office, as the Shepherd of His people. Cp. v. 4; Ps. xxiii. 1-3, lxxx. 1.

solitarily] Rather, apart, i.e. apart from the enemies. Cp. Num. xxiii. 9; Deut. xxxiii. 28. The most considerable pasture regions of the Holy Land are named as typical of the abode for which the Lord's people are yearning.

15. Jehovah now answers their prayer. Cp. Ps. lxxviii. 11 sq.

According to the days] Like as in the days.

they shall be afraid of the LORD our God, and shall fear because of thee.

18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth Exod. 34by the transgression of the remnant of 6, 7. his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.

19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.

shew unto him] Jehovah, though He is addressing His people, speaks to them in the third person, as they had spoken of themselves in v. 14.

17. they shall be afraid of the LORD our God, and shall fear because of thee] The discourse has imperceptibly passed over to the person of the prophet himself.

18. Who is a God like unto thee] Cp. the words of the song of Moses, "Who is like unto thee among the gods?" Exod. xv. II. Some suppose that Micah here intends a play upon his own name. See on i. I.

the remnant of his heritage] This expression here, as elsewhere, is equivalent to the people of Jehovah, the true Israel. Micah

concludes his discourse with the same eternal

message of forgiving mercy and love towards those who turn to the Lord, which the inspired writers are never tired of repeating. Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7; Ps. lxxxvi. 5; Isai. lv. 7; Joel ii. 13; Jonah iv. 2; Nahum i. 7, &c.,

&c.

19. cast all their sins] Cp. Ps. ciii. 12; note on Lev. xvi. 22.

20. mercy to Abraham] These words of Micah are taken up by Zacharias, Luke i. 70 -74. Compare also the words of the Blessed Virgin, Luke i. 54, 55.

I. The Prophet. HE book of the vision of Nahum "THE the Elkoshite." In these few words of the prophet are comprised all the particulars that are known respecting him. And even these are not free from doubt. Whence did he derive his title of the Elkoshite? (LXX. 'EAKEσatos, Vulg. Elcesæus.) It is most probable that it was not a patronymic, but a local designation. Where, then, was Elkosh, the place of his birth or residence? Until modern times it was always believed that it was situated in Galilee'. With this agrees the testimony of Cyril of Alexandria. And a modern traveller (Schwarz, 'Descr. of Pal.' p. 188) says that the grave of Nahum is shewn at Kefr Tanchum, a village 2 Eng. miles N. of Tiberias. That Capernaum is in any way connected with the prophet Nahum is merely a conjecture.

There is, however, another place of the same name, Alkush near Mosul. Here, according to recent tradition, is the prophet's grave, which is still visited by many Jewish pilgrims. Layard ("Nin. and Rem.' I. p. 233) speaks thus of it: "The tomb is a simple plaster

II. The Prophecy. Its date, subject, fulfilment and style .

PAGE

635

box, covered with green cloth, and chamber. standing at the upper end of a large The house containing the tomb is a modern building. There are no inscriptions, nor fragments of any antiquity near the place." The first extant notice of a connection between this place and Nahum is in the 16th century. This is of itself a serious objection. But it is not only Nahum whose restingplace is alleged to be here. The Jews assert that Jonah, Obadiah, and Jephthah the Gileadite are also buried in the neighbourhood. Such witnesses as these are not trustworthy. Further, is it at all likely that a prophet, addressing his countrymen in Judah from so distant a place as this, would have called himself simply "the Elkoshite"? If indeed he wrote for his fellow-captives in Assyria, the title would be intelligible, but there is nothing in his prophecy to indicate that he was not living at the time in Judah. In fact some of his words (i. 13, 15) seem to imply that he was among those to whom he spoke. Besides, we know that the ten tribes were placed " in the cities of the Medes" (2 K. xvii. 6). There is no proof that any of them

were settled near Nineveh.

It has indeed been asserted by Ewald that such is the vividness of the prophet's language, that he must have seen with his eyes the dangers that threatened Nineveh, and described what he saw. Such an assertion is inconsistent with a belief in prophetic inspiration, the reality of which may be proved from the words

of the prophet himself, for he certainly foretold events which no human foresight could divine, and of whose accomplishment there can be no doubt.

An appeal has been made to the knowledge shewn of Assyrian usages. Yet surely residence in the country was not required for this. Any Jew who lived in the time of Hezekiah could hardly fail to be familiar with such details as are given by Nahum. It is true that he uses what looks like a title (DDD, iii. 17) of Assyrian command. Jere miah (li. 27), however, has the same. And such a technical word could not be strange to the ears and lips of those whose land had been invaded and occupied by Assyrian armies. The most probable supposition is that Nahum migrated from his native place, before the overthrow of Israel, to Judah, and there lived and prophesied, at the same time as Isaiah.

II. The Prophecy. Its date, subject,

fulfilment and style.

Hitzig has tried to prove the later date of the prophet from several of the words that he uses, or from the peculiarity of their forms. Arguments of this kind are seldom satisfactory when employed against a well-supported tradition. In this case they are inherently weak, and have been elaborately examined by Dr Pusey (in his Introd. to Nahum, pp. 371, 372), who has shewn that no proof can be drawn from the prophet's language that he lived later than is commonly supposed.

The position assigned to Nahum among the Minor Prophets, between Micah and Habakkuk, is of itself an indication of the age in which he flourished. And when we examine his prophecy with the view of determining its date, we find evidence that confirms this traditional view.

The prophet addressing Judah (i. 12, 13) says, Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more. For now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder. And the affliction spoken of seems to be again alluded to shortly afterwards (ii. 2) in the figurative language, the emptiers have emptied them out, and marred their vine branches.

Such an affliction is that recorded in the book of Kings and in the prophet Isaiah, when Sennacherib came up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them, and Hezekiah gave him thirty talents of gold, and three hundred talents of silver, stripping the house of the Lord to meet the demand (2 K. xviii. 15, 16). This was the yoke that Judah had felt. And Sennacherib in his second invasion threatened to make it still heavier, by exacting more tribute, and transporting the people to his own land. Then it was that Isaiah was inspired to foretell the frustration of his plans, the overthrow of his army, his own retreat and tragical death (xxxvii. 7, 29). It is at least consistent with what Nahum has written, that he too was raised up at this crisis in his country's history, to be what his name signifies, a Comforter, to console his countrymen in the hour when they seemed within the grasp of a merciless enemy, with the assurance that Jehovah would protect and save them. The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him (i. 7). Certainly the death. of the wicked counseller, that imagined evil against the Lord (i. 11) is foretold in the words I will make thy grave (i. 14), whether they point to the scene of the tragedy or not, as the extinction of his family is announced-no more of thy name shall be sown. The same wicked one was no more to pass through Judah. It can hardly be doubted who is meant, if the narrative of the book of Kings is carefully and impartially read in connection with the prophecy (i. 15).

And with this agrees all that is intimated of the state of Judah and Assyria. The deliverance is promised while the yoke stiil presses hard, as it never pressed again. The wicked one had hitherto hindered the people from going up to keep their solemn feasts. Now the ways are open, and they are bidden to worship, and perform their vows (i. 15), the vows they had made in recent times of overwhelming fear.

The Assyrians are spoken of as in the fulness of their strength (i. 12, note). They are enriched alike by war and commerce. The lion filled his lair with prey (ii. 12). The merchants are multiplied above the stars of heaven (iii. 16). Such a description would suit the days