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into which it had fallen under the reign of Ahaz. By his "wonderful counsel" he awakened a religious spirit, not amongst his subjects of Judah only, but he also moved some of the members of the lax tribes of Asher, Zebulun, and Manasseh to unite in the public worship of the Temple, and to celebrate the grand festival of the Passover in its pure, ethical spirit. We can have no stronger evidence of the result of the pious labours of the king than that which is borne by the Hebrew chronicler, who, after having described the celebration of Hezekiah's Passover, adds, D' 120"

ויברכו את העם וישמע בקולם ותבוא תפלתם למעון קדשו ,לשמים

"that when the priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people their voice was heard, and their prayer ascended unto heaven." 1

As a political ruler, Hezekiah ranks in the annals of Judah as second only to David. He freed his country from the invasions of their border foe, the Philistines, whom he smote "even unto Gaza and the borders thereof." 2 He kept in awe the neighbouring tribes, and he was permitted to witness the destruction of the army of his most formidable enemy, the king of Assyria, which had sat down before Jerusalem, and to bring back to Judah the blessings of peace. Even Babylon, a State that had then risen into importance and was threatening the independence of adjacent countries, sought an alliance with the king of Judah, and sent an embassy to congratulate him

1 2 Chron. xxx.

2 Ib., verse 27.

on his recovery from a perilous sickness.1 Bearing in mind these historical facts, we need not go farther down the stream of time than the age of Isaiah to find the predictions of the seventh and ninth chapters of his book realised in the times and in the personal history of Hezekiah.

1 Isaiah xxix. 1.

X.

ON ISAIAH LII. 13 TO LIII. 12.

DELIVERED IN JUNE, 1872.

FIRST LECTURE.

הנה ישכיל עבדי ירום ונשא וגבה מאד : כאשר שממו עליך רבים כן משחת מאיש מראהו ותארו מבני אדם: כן יזה גוים רבים עליו יקפצו מלכים פיהם כי אשר לא־ ספר להם ראו ואשר לא-שמעו התבוננו : מי האמין לשמועתנו וזרוע ה' על מי נגלתה : ויעל כיונק לפניו וכשרש מארץ ציה לא תאר לו ולא הדר ונראהו ולא־ מראה ונחמדהו : נבזה וחדל אישים איש מכאבות וידוע חלי וכמסתר פנים ממנו נבזה ולא חשבנהו : אכן חלינו הוא נשא ומכאבינו סבלם ואנחנו חשבנהו נגוע מכה אלהים ומענה : והוא מחלל מפשעינו מדכא מעונותינו מוסר שלומנו עליו ובחברתו נרפא לנו : כלנו כצאן תעינו איש לדרכו פנינו ויהוה הפגיע בו את עון כלנו : נגש והוא נענה ולא יפתח פיו כשה לטבח יובל וכרחל לפני גוזיה נאלמה ולא יפתח פיו : מעצר וממשפט לקח ואת־ דורו מי ישוחח כי נגזר מארץ חיים מפשע עמי נגע למו : ויתן את רשעים קברו ואת עשיר במתיו על לא חמס עשה ולא מרמה בפיו : ויהוה חפץ דכאו החלי אם תשים אשם נפשו יראה זרע יאריך ימים וחפץ יהוה בידו יצלח : מעמל

K

נפשו יראה ישבע בדעתו יצדיק צדיק עבדי לרבים ועונתם הוא יסבל: לכן אחלק לו ברבים ואת עצומים יחלק שלל תחת אשר הערה למות נפשו ואת פשעים נמנה והוא

: חטא רבים נשא ולפשעים יפגיע :

and on whose behalf has He shall grow up like a

"Behold, my servant shall prosper : he shall be high, exalted, and exceedingly great. As many were astounded at thee (his visage being so much more marred than that of mankind, and his figure more than that of the sons of men): so shall he fill many nations with joy because of himself: kings shall close their mouth; for they shall witness what has not been told them, and reflect on what they have not heard. Who could have credited our report ? the power of the Lord been revealed ? tender plant, and as a root out of the dry ground: he has no form, no beauty, so that we should regard him ; and no appearance, so that he should afford us delight. Despised and abandoned of mankind, full of sorrows, and inured to suffering and as one from whom the countenance is hidden, despised and held by us of no account. Surely he bears our infirmities, and is burdened with our sorrows: we accounted him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. And he is bruised for our transgressions, lacerated for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace is upon him, and by his stripes we are healed. We have all gone astray like lost sheep every one has followed his own evil course; and the Lord hath visited upon him the iniquity of us all. He is dragged forth, he is oppressed, yet he openeth not his mouth he is like the lamb brought to the slaughter, and dumb, like a sheep before its shearers, and he openeth not his mouth. From prison and from sentence he was taken, and who of his generation spoke of him? for he was cut off from the land of the living. On account of the transgression of my people they are smitten. And he placed his grave with the wicked, and riches in his deaths, not because he did violence, nor because there was apostasy in his mouth. But it pleased the Lord to increase his sufferings though thou hast abandoned him to punishment, he shall behold his offspring, he shall prolong his days, and God's will shall prosper by his hand. He shall meet

with a recompense for his own sufferings: my righteous servant shall lead by his righteousness the many whose punishment he has borne. Therefore will I assign to him his portion amongst the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the powerful; because he exposed himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; and because he hath borne the sins of many, and hath prayed for the transgressors."

THE above section is not considered by the majority of Jewish expositors to come within the category of Messianic prophecies; but as it is held by our Christian brethren to be eminently Messianic, and as it is in this character that it is constantly forced on our notice, in season and out of season, by the agents of the Conversion Society, I could not well avoid passing it under notice, after having dealt with some of the foregoing chapters of Isaiah. In treating at the present time on this portion of Scripture, which has afforded such a wide field for theological speculation, I am happily enabled to avail myself of the learning and critical acumen which Professor Theodores has displayed in his review of a translation of and commentary on Isaiah liii., by a converted Jew,' who claims to be an authority for the genuine exposition of that chapter.

Prior to entering on the sense and the application of the text passage, I would fain offer a word or two of remark, bearing on the lectures recently delivered here on what are denominated the "Messianic" prophecies of Isaiah. Although they were addressed exclusively to the Synagogue

1 Rev. Mr. Margoliouth. See "Jewish Chronicle," June 25, 1847; July 9, 1847; July 23, 1847.

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