20. And his children shall be as aforetime, And his congregation shall be established before me, 21. And his prince shall be of his own race, And his governor shall come forth from the midst of him. A native Israelite is to be prince and ruler. Does this mean the King Messiah? or is it a subordinate ruler who, during the THEOCRACY, is to preside over the nation as their chief magistrate, under their enshrined Elohim, who is the true and only King in Jeshuron? I rather incline to this latter opinion, (even without adverting to what is said on the same subject in Ezekiel,) from the nature of the term used, which, I think, does not mean a person invested with sovereign authority, but rather a noble or principal person of the people themselves. Such a character there may be in Israel under the paramount rule of Christ and his saints. Some understand what follows as relating to this prince; but I rather incline, with Dr. Blaney, to understand it as relating to the nation of Israel. It is, as he observes, in sense much the same as the thirty-first chapter, thirty-third verse; and he also bids us compare our Lord's declaration in St. John's Gospel :-"None can come unto me, unless my Father, that has sent me, draw him." And I will draw him,' that he may come near to me; This appears to be the meaning of the term as used by Jeremiah, chap. xxv. 34, 35; where "the principal of the flock" are distinguished from the shepherds. By the principal of ,אדירי הצאן VOL. I. the flock is meant the strongest and leading sheep. "The antecedent to the pronoun in the twentieth and twentyfirst verses, is Jacob himself."-HORSLEY. K K 22. And ye shall be unto me a people, And I will be unto you Elohim. But we are admonished, as usual, that a singular manifestation of divine vengeance must precede this display of mercy and grace. 23. Behold the whirlwind of Jehovah! it goeth forth hot, Even a tearing whirlwind, on the head of the wicked shall it settle. 24. The fierce anger of Jehovah will not turn back, Until he hath wrought, and until he hath established the purposes of his heart; In the latter days ye shall discern it. CHAPTER XXXI. 1. At that time, saith Jehovah, Will I be for Elohim to all the families of Israel, And they shall be to me for a people; 2. Thus hath Jehovah said, In the wilderness a people, the relics from the sword, shall find favour, Israel, an advance to his restoring;' Afar off will Jehovah appear to him. This corroborates what we have understood from former oracles, that one event predicted of the second advent is the conducting of a preserved remnant of "A proceeding towards his restoration."-DR. BLANEY. • Psalm lxviii.; Hosea, ii. 14, &c. Compare also Isaiab, xxxv. 1, &c.; xl.; xli. 17; xlii. 11; xliii. 16, &c.; li. 9. Israelites through the wilderness, by a visible display of the divine glory.1 3. And with an eternal love have I loved thee, Therefore will I extend kindness to thee. Or perhaps more correctly, " And with an everlasting love will I love thee, after this sort will I extend," or "draw out kindness to thee." 2 4. Yet again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel, Yet again shalt thou deck thyself with thy tabrets, And shalt go forth with the pipe of those that make merry. 5. Yet again shalt thou plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria, Plant, ye planters, and eat the fruit." 6. For" the day is come," shall watchmen proclaim on Mount Ephraim; Arise ye, let us go up to Zion, unto Jehovah, our Elohim. 7. Surely thus hath Jehovah said, Shout forth joy unto Jacob, And congratulate with the chief of the nations. * Publish ye, praise ye, and say, Jehovah hath saved his people, The remnant of Israel. 8. Behold, I will bring them from the north country, And I will gather them from the extremities of the earth: The woman with child, and she that travaileth, together, Such is the prophetic description of the return of Israel, of the ten tribes in particular, agreeing with what we have read before. But it should seem they do not set out on their journey with complete anticipation of its glorious results. 9. Behold, with weeping shall they come, And amidst supplications will I lead them along; And I will conduct them to streams of water, And Ephraim, he shall be my first-born. 10. Hear the word of Jehovah, O ye nations, And report it to the coasts afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel hath gathered him, And hath kept him as a shepherd doth his flock: 11. For Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob, And has vindicated him from the hand of him who was stronger than he. 12. And they shall come and shall shout in the height of Zion, 13. Then shall the virgin rejoice with the pipe, And the young men and old men together: For I will turn their mourning into joy, I will also comfort them and gladden them after their sorrow: 14. And I will richly supply the priests with delicacies, And my people shall be satisfied with my bounty, saith This is clearly again the picture of a nation in the flesh, established in great temporal prosperity. What follows will be easily understood as connected with the prophecy of which it forms a part, though its accommodation, as applied to the murdered children of Bethlehem, is somewhat difficult. 15. Thus hath Jehovah said: A voice was heard in Ramah, A lamentation of most bitter weeping! Rachel, weeping for her children, Refuseth to be comforted, because they are not. 16. Thus hath Jehovah said: Refrain thy voice from weeping, And thine eyes from tears; For thy work shall have a reward, saith Jehovah, And they shall return out of the land of the enemy: 17. There is also hope in thy latter end, saith Jehovah, And thy children shall return unto their border. Ramah was a city of Benjamin, near to which Rachel, the mother of Benjamin and of Joseph, was buried. She is represented as weeping from her tomb for the captivity of her children, the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and, probably, part of Benjamin. But she is assured the - |