МІСАН.

MICAH ii. 7: "O [thou that art] named The house of Jacob, is "the spirit of Jehovah straitened ?" &c. See chap. iii. 8.

mm, the spirit of Jehovah.

Do think that the power of God is diminished?. you and E. F. C. ROSENMÜLLER.

Is the mercy of God less now than it was before? MARCKIUS. Is there any want of the prophetic spirit? WILLIAMS. Is God's compassion and mercy confined or diminished? — DR. BOOTHROYD: Family Bible.

Chap. v. 2: "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, [though] thou be "little among the thousands of Judah, [yet] out of thee shall he "come forth unto me [that is] to be ruler in Israel; whose goings"forth [have been] from of old, from everlasting."

Y', he shall come forth.

That is, he will be born; for so NY is taken in Gen. xvii. 6; xxv. 25. Isa. xi. 1. Zerubbabel is rightly said to have come forth out of Bethlehem, because he was of the family of David, which took its rise in Bethlehem. - GROTIUS.

**'.... is applied to the birth of man or beast; growth of vegetables; coming out of light, water, or words.-JULIUS BATE: Crit. Heb. p. 253. [Amongst many other passages, this writer quotes the text under consideration.]

To come forth is the same as to be born. See Gen. x. 14; xvii. 6; xxv. 25. 1 Chron. ii. 53. Isa. xi. 1. WM. LOWTH.

[So Dr. PocoCK, E. F. C. ROSENMÜLLER, G. HOLDEN (Script. Test. pp. 248, 249); perhaps, indeed, a vast majority of Biblical critics and commentators; who generally acknowledge that y' denotes the nativity of Christ in Bethlehem, but, inconsistently enough, contend for a mystical signification of its derivative, vns, his goings-forth.]

Unto me.

By my appointment, and to do the great work for which I send . MR. SAMUEL CLARK.

him.

ANY, his goings-forth.

Some commentators advance a strange subtilty, that the prophet makes use of the plural number, goings-forth, on account of the twofold nature of Christ: but this involves an absurdity; for the prophet could not, either with propriety or reason, associate the human with. the divine nature, in regard to eternity. We know, indeed, that the Word of God was from everlasting; but we know also that it was only "in the fulness of the time," as St. Paul says, when Christ assumed flesh, Gal. iv. 4. .... Such a consideration would, therefore, be most absurd; and, besides, it was not uncommon for the Hebrews to confound the plural number with the singular.— CALVIN, [Similarly, SIXTINUS AMAMA, Antibarb. Bib. lib. iii. p. 573; and HACKSPAN, Nota in Dif. Script. Loca, tom. i. p. 13.]

Some understand лn of the eternal generation of the Son of God; .... but they do not produce any example to prove that goingforth is equivalent to generation. - HOUBIGANT.

Without disputing the doctrine of eternal generation, which many derive from this text, we much doubt its being here referred to. We should rather consider the term, which is of very general import, as referring to the divine appearances of the Messiah under the Old Testament, and the many deliverances wrought by him for his people Israel in almost every age. BISHOP WILSON, apud Cobbin. [So WILLIAMS; and similarly explained by JULIUS BATE, Crit. Heb. pp. 253–4; and J. J. GURNEY, Bib. Notes, p. 82; who oppose the notion, that "ny indicates the eternal generation of Christ.]

oby pp, from everlasting.

A temporibus longis. GROTIUS.

A temporibus priscis. —

LE CLERC. A seculis antiquis. HOUBIGANT.

A diebus seculi.

PAGNIN, ARIAS MONTANUS, TREMELLIUS AND

JUNIUS, PISCATOR, COCCEIUS AND SCHULZ, Lex. p. 1185.

From the times of old.

BATE: Crit. Heb. p. 254.

REMARK S.

by 'D', days of the age, does not signify eternity itself, but time long ago, as is evident from Mal. iii. 4. Amos ix. 11. Micah vii. 14, 20.- S. GLASS: Phil. Sac.; de Voc. Præfix. Sig. Obs. iv.

... עולם or עלם

seems to be much more frequently used for an indefinite than for infinite time. PARKHURST: Heb. Lex. v. pby.

MICHAELIS understands the expression as merely denoting the ancient date of the promise of the Messiah made to David. But, &c.— DR. J. P. SMITH: Script. Test. vol. i. p. 420.

מוצאתיו מקדם מימי עולם

Whose family has already been renowned in the oldest times.
J. D. MICHAELIS, apud Gurney's Notes.

Zerubbabel takes his origin from an illustrious house, of ancient times, that had been the reigning family during five hundred years. GROTIUS.

In some lower and subordinate sense, it is not impossible that the words of Micah may partially relate to some one of the Jewish princes. J. J. GURNEY: Bib. Notes, p. 74. [See also p. 84.]

The sense is, that before the creation of the world it was decreed, that in these days he who always was, and who was in times past promised to the fathers, should go forth into the world. MUNSTER.

I know that some writers pertinaciously assert, that the prophet here treats of Christ's eternal essence; and, so far as respects myself, I freely acknowledge that the Divinity of Christ is proved to us from this passage; but, because this concession will never be extorted from the Jews, I prefer understanding the sense agreeably to the simple meaning of the language, namely, that Christ will not suddenly come forth out of Bethlehem, as if God had determined nothing, long ago, concerning him. .... But the prophet declares, that the going-forth of the Messiah should be far different, inasmuch as God had decreed, from the beginning, to give his people a perpetual king. - CALVIN.

He showeth that the coming of Christ, and all his ways, were appointed of God from all eternity. ANNOTATOR IN BARKAR'S BIBLE, 1576. [So the Assembly's Annotations, which add, " Or, he was from everlasting, come forth from the Father by generation, and, by an eternal decree was by him appointed to be a Mediator."]

....

Here are two expressions, from of old and from everlasting, the rendering of two Hebrew phrases, either of which singly does sometimes denote eternity in the strict sense, and therefore both together may be thought to do so much rather. However, I pretend to call this construction of the passage no more than probable, since there is no ground sufficient for calling it certain and indisputable. DR. WATERLAND: Sermons, pp. 240, 241. [Similarly, G. HOLDEN, Script. Test. p. 250.]

[Even granting, what some Trinitarians do not acknowledge, that Micah v. 2 refers only to the Messiah, it is evident from the extracts, to say the least, that the text is justly susceptible of being interpreted so as to have no relation whatever to the eternal Deity of Christ.]

....

HAGGAI.

HAG. ii. 4, 5: "4. For I [am] with you, saith Jehovah of "hosts. 5. [According to] the word that I covenanted with you "when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: "fear ye not."

This word I covenanted with you (this command I gave to you) when ye came out of Egypt, and my spirit stood (my power was visibly and gloriously manifested) amongst you: fear ye not. - DAWSON'S translation and exposition in note on Gen. iv. 1.

78, the word.

Some would understand this of that eternal Word, John i. 1—4. 1 John i. 1, 2. Prov. viii. 22; and so 2 Sam. vii. 21; and these would deduce from this verse a testimony for the Trinity of persons.

this seems more acute than sound.. ASSEMBLY'S ANNOTATIONS.

'm, my spirit.

But

Either the prophetical spirit, with which Haggai, Zachariah, and Malachi, were endowed; or an inward power, derived from God, by which their minds were strengthened and encouraged to perform their work. DRUSIUS. [Similarly, Mr. S. CLARK and E. F. C. ROSENMÜLLER in loc.; Dr. HAMMOND in Annotations on the New Testament, Postscript, p. ix.; and many others.]

....

Some Christians understand this passage of the mystery of the Holy Trinity, and render the original thus: "Jehovah of hosts saith, I am with you with the Word," &c.; and Tremellius judges these words to be a most evident proof of the doctrine, — asserting that means the Father; 127, the Son; and 1, the Holy Spirit. We rather think, that 17 signifies the covenanting word, as such things are elsewhere attributed to the divine word, and are suitable to persons, though the word itself is not a person; as in Ps. cxlviii. 8; cvii. 20. Heb. i. 3. Acts x. 36. Jer. xxiii. 28. .... TARNOVIUS, in Comm. on Zach. iv. 6, admits that by the spirit of God is frequently meant the divine power, in which sense the phrase is there understood, as well as in Isa. xi. 4; xxxi. 3. 2 Thess. ii. 8. HACKSPAN: Notæ in Dif. Script. Loca, tom. ii. pp. 1026-29.

ZECHARIAH.

ZECH. ii. 3, 4: “ And, behold, the angel that talked with me went "forth, and another angel went out to meet him, and said unto him, "Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem," &c.

A notion has been entertained, that the angel who talked with Zechariah, and interpreted to him, was no other than Jehovah himself, the second person in the blessed Trinity. In examining some passages which follow, I think it will appear to be without sufficient foundation. In the meantime, let me observe, that here he is not only called simply an angel (that is, "a ministering spirit," as the apostle to the Hebrews explains the term, expressly contrasting it with "the Son," Heb. i. 14), but he is addressed by the other angel, not as a superior, but as a fellow-servant, to whom he delivers orders, as from a common master: "Run, speak to that young man, saying," &c. DR. BLAYNEY.

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Chap. ii. 8-11: "8. For thus saith Jehovah of hosts: After the "glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you, &c. "9. For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and ye "shall know that Jehovah of hosts hath sent me. 10. Sing and "rejoice, O daughter of Zion; for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the "midst of thee, saith Jehovah. 11. And many nations," &c.

Jehovah of hosts hath sent me.

After the glory hath he sent me. These words are to be understood as spoken by the prophet himself. WM. LOWTH. [SO JOSEPH BENSON.]

This language must be understood of the prophet himself, unless it be referred to the Messiah. — CALVIN'S Bible.

Michael, the governor of Judea, was commissioned by God to punish severely the neighbouring nations, who were hostile to the Jews. GROTIUS.

These are the words of the angel, or divine messenger, mentioned in chap. i. 9, 12, 14, 19; ii. 3. But it is worthy of remark, that the language of Jehovah himself, and that of his minister, who executes his commands, is in these verses blended together. E. F. C. ROSENMÜLLER.