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further of David himself, in order to answer heretics (see also Ps. ii., which he treats in the same way). Now, when an adversary is driven to deny in controversy what he elsewhere acknowledges to be true, he tacitly acknowledges the power of the argument which he thus tries to evade. Rashi's want of ingenuousness in the present instance is no small confirmation of the correctness and obviousness of the Christian exposition.

Thirdly, the Christian interpretation agrees with the context. The Jewish commentators all acknowledge, that the whole chapter refers to the times of the Messiah.

Fourthly, it connects naturally with the preceding and following words: "I will pour out upon the house of David, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and supplication: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son," &c. The looking and the mourning are represented as the consequences of the outpouring of the Spirit, but elsewhere true repentance is represented as the fruits of this spiritual influence, as in Ezek. xxxvi. 25-31, where, after the promise of the Spirit, the prophet adds, "Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations :" which would lead us to infer, that the great mourning over him that was pierced is the sorrow of repentance; and which is rendered still more probable by the further effect described in the xiiith chapter, namely, the cessation of idols and of false prophets. Now, on the Christian hypothesis, this is perfectly intelligible and consistent. The Jews rejected and pierced the Messiah, and therefore, when the Spirit is poured out, they will repent and mourn in bitterness of soul over him whom they pierced. Here is a cause adequate to the profundity of the grief, and a result exactly corresponding with the gift of the Spirit.

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Every word in the passage has its full force, and the connexion is easy and natural. Indeed so natural is this sense, that it has been seen by one of the most celebrated rabbies. Alshech, in his Commentary on Zechariah, has the following remarkable passage:-"I will do yet a third thing, and that is, that they shall look unto me,' for they shall lift up their eyes unto me in perfect repentance, when they see him whom they pierced, that is Messiah, the son of Joseph; for our rabbies, of blessed memory, have said, that he will take upon himself all the guilt of Israel, and shall then be slain in the war to make an atonement, in such a manner, that it shall be accounted as if Israel had pierced him, for on account of their sin he has died; and therefore, in order that it may be reckoned to them as a perfect atonement, they will repent, and look to the blessed One, saying that there is none beside Him to forgive those that mourn on account of him who died for their sin: this is the meaning of "They shall look upon me." Excepting the mention of Messiah ben Joseph, the rabbi has exactly given the Christian sense.

There is but one objection that can be made to the Christian interpretation, and that is, that the Christian version makes God himself the victim whom they pierced, but that shall be considered in the observations on the next chapter.

* ועוד שלישי' אעשה והיא כי הביטו אלי שיתלו עיניהם אלי בתשובה שלימה כראותם אשר

דקרו הוא משיח בן יוסף שאז"ל שיקבל על עצמו כל אשמו' יש' ויהרג אז במלחמ' לכפר בעד באופן שיחשב כאלו יש' דקרו אותו כי בחטאתם מת ועל כן למען יחשב להם לכפרה שלימה יעשו תשובה והביטו אליו ית' באמור כי אין זולתו למחול למתאבלים על אשר מת בעונם וזהו והביטו אלי את וכו'

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CHAPTER XIII.

1. "In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David."-It is possible that this is to be interpreted according to its literal sense, and so our rabbies, of blessed memory, have connected it with the verse,

Living waters shall go forth from Jerusalem." (ch. xiv.) They have said it may be interpreted that other springs shall be mixed with them. But the words, "there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David," show that it is only one fountain for sin and for uncleanness. They have further said, that when the waters reach the door of the house of David, they become a great river, for it is said, "In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David." And so far as the verse is interpreted literally, then the meaning of the words, "for sin and for uncleanness" will be, that before that day no waters went forth in Jerusalem in the midst of the city, but then living waters shall go forth in the city, and they shall not be obliged to go forth outside the city for the waters of purification, for which living water is required, as it is written; and thus also for her that labours under uncleanness for whom living water is necessary.

2. "And it shall come to pass I will cut off the names of the idols," either of those that were there formerly before their captivity, or the idols which the uncircumcised worship there at this day.

"And the prophets also."-The false prophets who were there during the first temple.

"And the unclean spirit."-The evil affection y

"3. "And it shall come to pass, when any shall yet prophesy."—I will cause the prophets to pass out, but if

there should be a sinner who will prophesy by a lying spirit, and lie, and say that he prophesies by the Spirit of God, Israel shall at that time possess such knowledge and understanding, that they will recognise the words of that prophet whether they be lies or truth: and his father and mother that begat him shall say to him, Thou shalt not live, for thou speakest lies in the name of the Lord.

“That begat him.”—This is to make the matter clearer, for he had already mentioned his father and mother.

"His father and his mother shall thrust him through." -They shall beat him and wound him to chastise him, or the meaning of "shall thrust him through" is, They shall kill him; as it is said, Thou shalt not live.

4. "And it shall come to pass in that day, they shall be ashamed."-When they see that their prophecies are not fulfilled, they shall be ashamed.

ins is the infinitive with the addition of . And so in the Mishna is a similar form 27 in the words,

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"Neither shall they wear a garment of hair to deceive."-This was the custom of the false prophets to wear sackcloth, or a garment of hair.

:

"In order to deceive.-That they may be able to deceive, and that the children of men may believe in them for they show themselves before the children of men that they are separate,t and righteous, and upright men, and that would not speak lies. But when they see that their prophecy is not fulfilled, they shall have shame, and leave off their deeds, and their visions, and their garments, and shall deny their prophecy, and shall say that they are not prophets, and have never prophesied, but are tillers of the ground. They shall not busy themselves with these things, but with the tilling of the ground, and with cattle and property.

* Pirke Avoth. c. v. 1.

Literally Pharisees.

5. "But he shall say."-He shall say to him that asks him, where is his prophecy. He shall deny and say, I am not a Prophet.

-He taught me to be a shepherd of cattle, and to employ myself with tilling the ground.

6. "And one shall say to him, What are these wounds in thy hands?"-If it be so, that thou hast not been a prophet, what are these wounds in thy hands, for the wounds are a sign that thou hast prophesied, and that thy father and mother have smitten thee and chastised thee, that thou shouldest not prophesy.

"Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends."-He shall say, these wounds are not on account of prophecy, but my friends wounded and chastised me because I was abandoned, and was not industrious in cultivating the land in my youth, and they beat me that I should cease from the profligacy of young men, and should set to my work. And the reason of the wounds being in the hands is, that they used to bind his hands and feet that he should not go out.

The sense of the whole passage refers to the future, for God has appointed as to the future, and has said, “It shall come to pass afterwards, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy," &c. (Joel). But those persons who cannot prophesy will envy the others who can prophesy, and will make themselves prophets like the others, but their fathers who hear their prophecy will know that it is a lie, and will say to them, Thou shalt not live, for thou hast spoken lies in the name of the Lord. But my lord, my father, may his memory be blessed, has interpreted this of the future, in the time of the resurrection, and has said, "When the dead live, as is written in Daniel, Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, i. e., the righteous, and some to everlasting shame and contempt, i. e., Those who have denied

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