(Continued: Chapter IV-Israel's Repudiation of the National Sin)

12 The burden of the word of Jehovah concerning Israel. Thus saith Jehovah, who stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him: 2 behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of reeling unto all the peoples round about, and upon Judah also shall it be in the siege against Jerusalem. 3 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all the peoples; all that burden themselves with it shall be sore wounded; and all the nations of the earth shall be gathered together against it. 4 In that day, saith Jehovah, I will smite every horse with terror, and his rider with madness; and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the peoples with blindness. 5 And the chieftains of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in Jehovah of hosts their God. 6 In that day will I make the chieftains of Judah like a pan of fire among wood, and like a flaming torch among sheaves; and they shall devour all the peoples round about, on the right hand and on the left; and they of Jerusalem shall yet again dwell in their own place, even in Jerusalem. (Zech. 12:1-6).

Different prophets speak of this final war, which will be fought to stop all wars. Light is thrown upon this war in Revelation 16:12-16:

12 And the sixth poured out his bowl upon the great river, the river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way might by made ready for the kings that come from the sunrising. 13 And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits, as it were frogs: 14 for they are spirits of demons, working signs; which go forth unto the kings of the whole world, to gather them together unto the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. 15 (Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.) 16 And they gathered them together into the place which is called in Hebrew Har-magedon.

We may believe that Satan will marshall all his subjects for this mightiest of all conflicts—"the war of the great day of God, the Almighty."

B. Divine Assistance Given To The Remnant

7 Jehovah also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem be not magnified above Judah. 8 In that day shall Jehovah defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of Jehovah before them. 9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem (Zech. 12:7-9).

The combined forces of the armies of the world backed up and energized by all the power of Satan could wipe out the small forces of Israel at one stroke—but God. The Lord, by His omnipotence, will energize the faithful remnant so that the weakest one will become as David, the mightiest warrior of Jewish history, "and the house of David shall be as God."

The same promise of divine assistance in the last and final struggle with the world powers is promised to the remnant of Israel.

27 Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from Jehovah, and the justice due to me is passed away from my God? 28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard? The everlasting God, Jehovah, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary; there is no searching of his understanding. 29 He giveth power to the faint; and to him that hath no might he increaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31 but they that wait for Jehovah shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint (Isa. 40:27-31).

Jeremiah also refers to the miracles of divine assistance and deliverance extended to the remnant by the Lord in the end time: "Therefore, behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that they shall no more say, As Jehovah liveth, who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; 8 but, As Jehovah liveth, who brought up and who led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all the countries whither I had driven them. And they shall dwell in their own land" (Jer. 23:7,8). Ever since the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage to the present time, the prophets, the psalmists, and the singers of Israel have spoken most glowingly and enthusiastically concerning the mighty works and the miraculous deliverance which God performed in behalf of Israel. The very atmosphere in which Israel moved at the time of the Exodus was supercharged with the supernatural. No other period is comparable to it. Nevertheless, in the final scene of the drama of this Age, the miraculous element in behalf of the Chosen People will reach an all-time high. The miracles of protection and deliverance will be so mighty and powerful that they will eclipse even those wrought at the time of the Exodus, so that the people of Israel "shall no more say, As Jehovah liveth, who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; 8 but, As Jehovah liveth, who brought up and who led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all the countries whither I had driven them. And they shall dwell in their own land."

C. Penitent Israel Mourning Because Of The National Sin

By the terrific judgments of the Tribulation, the remnant of Israel will be brought to their knees—in a manner and to an extent as has never been experienced by any people. Dr. Abba Silver states in Messianic Speculations in Israel that in every major crisis through which Israel as a nation, or a portion of it, has been forced to pass, the people have sought comfort and consolation in the Messianic hope, as set forth in the writings of Moses and the Prophets. We may therefore be certain that in the final crisis, the Tribulation, they will again seek hope of deliverance in the Messianic prophecies. Undoubtedly they will be in dead earnest, searching what God has actually revealed. In their quest for knowledge and facts, they will study diligently, we may be certain, every Messianic passage in the Scriptures. Naturally, they will study the prophecy found in Zechariah 12:10, which, figuratively speaking, will prove to be a highly polished mirror into which the people of Israel will look and see themselves as God sees them. Doubtless, at first questions will arise in the minds of one here and another there as to whether or not Zechariah saw them in their predicament and thus spoke. The first impression of identifying themselves as those seen by the Prophet will rapidly deepen into a positive conviction and spread over the entire nation. As the light breaks in upon these truth seekers, suddenly God will pour out the Holy Spirit upon the nation, who will dispel all doubts, and who will burn into the very souls of the people a profound and unshakeable conviction that in crucifying Jesus of Nazareth nineteen hundred years ago, the leaders of Israel executed the Messiah for whom the nation had been longing.

Notwithstanding the simplicity and the clarity of the thought and expression of the prophecy, several points have been raised, around which a ceaseless controversy rages. Every person supports the position held by himself and by that translation which is formed in the mold shaped by his peculiar theological bias.

Aben-Ezra, for instance, who wrote after Rashi, says: "All the heathen shall look to me to see what I shall do to those who pierced Messiah, the son of Joseph." Abarbanel, who was familiar with the expositions of Rashi and Kimchi, comments as follows: "It is more correct to interpret the passage of Messiah, the son of Joseph, as our rabbis, of blessed memory, have treated it in the treatise Sukkah, 'For he shall be a mighty man of valor of the tribe of Joseph, and shall at first be captain of the Lord's host in that war (namely, against Gog and Magog) but in that war shall die.'" This comment suggests an ancient interpretation current in Jewish circles concerning the two Messiahs: Messiah ben Joseph and Messiah ben David. The former, who is of the tribe of Ephraim, according to this interpretation, in the final catastrophe when Jerusalem is besieged by the armies of the world (Ezek. 39:17-29; Zech. 14:1-8) will lead the hosts of Israel against Gog and Magog, or Gog of the land of Magog. In the midst of the struggle he will be slain. Hence Aben Ezra says that the heathen shall look unto Me (God) to see what I will do to those who have pierced Messiah, the son of Joseph. The latter, who is Messiah ben David, is a descendant of David, who will reign in power and glory over Israel when she is no longer the tail of the nations but the head. This doctrine of the two Messiahs, which can be traced back only to the third or fourth century of the Common Era, probably is the exposition of certain Jewish scholars in explaining the seemingly irreconcilable teachings of the prophets concerning the sufferings and the glories of Messiah. Had these scholars studied carefully the Scriptures, ... they would not have invented the doctrine of two Messiahs but would have seen the two comings of the one and only Messiah: the first when He comes in humiliation and is rejected by His people; the second when He returns from heaven, to which He goes after His rejection and suffering, to reign in power and glory over the earth.

Moses Alshech, of Safed, Palestine, who flourished in the second half of the sixteenth century, commenting on the death of Messiah ben Joseph, sees the work of atonement in his death: "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 Rabbis, 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 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 sins; this is the meaning of 'They shall look upon Me.'"

Since there are not two Messiahs, but one Who is seen at His two different advents, if one will remove the expression, "the Son of Joseph," from the quotation above and insert "the Son of David," he will have a fairly accurate interpretation of the atoning death of the real Messiah Who is "pierced" for the sins of the nation as is seen in Isaiah, chapter 53 ... Of course, the position that Messiah is slain in battle is without Scriptural authority. The substitutionary death of Messiah is plainly reflected in this quotation. Likewise, the way to appropriate the atonement of Messiah's death is clearly stated: "therefore, in order that it may be reckoned to them as a perfect atonement, they will repent and look to the blessed One," etc. Since nothing is said in the context of Zechariah, chapter 12, of the atoning work of Messiah, except the fact that He has been pierced, and since the teaching of this passage on Zechariah 12:10, from Alshech corresponds to that of Isaiah, chapter 53, in the matter of the atoning death of the Pierced One, it is evident that Alshech and "our Rabbis, of blessed memory," recognized a most vital connection between these two passages. Not knowing the Scriptural teaching of "the Outline of Messiah's Career" and being unable to harmonize the seemingly irreconcilable teaching of the sufferings and glories of Messiah, they invented the doctrine of the two Messiahs and attributed the atoning death to the imaginary Messiah ben Joseph.¹

A second Jewish translation is that found in the "Jewish Family Bible," which was printed with the sanction of (the late) Rev. Dr. Adler, the chief rabbi. ("This version (British) is claimed to be the Authorized or Anglican Version, revised by Friedländer, Principal of the Jews' College, published in 1881"). This passage is thus translated: "But I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication, and they whom the nations are piercing shall look upon me, and shall mourn over it." To one who is familiar with the original text this quotation is not a translation but is an interpolated Targum designed for polemic purposes. It is very evident to scholars that words have been inserted into the text in order to eliminate all reference to a suffering and atoning Messiah. Therefore this rendering needs no further comment.

A third Jewish interpretation and translation are found in the "Appendix of the Revised Version," issued by the Jewish Community in England in 1896. The translation is as follows: "And they (i.e. the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem) shall look up to me because of him whom they (i.e., the nations which come against Jerusalem) have pierced." This translation was suggested by Rashi, adopted by Kimchi, and later elaborated by Rabbi Isaak of Troki, who thus comments: "If it should happen that any of the Israelites should be pierced, namely, in that war, even though it should be one of the most inconsiderable, they shall wonder greatly how this could happen, and will think that this is the beginning of a fall and defeat before their enemies, as Joshua did. When the men of Ai smote thirty-six of Israel he said: 'Alas! 0 Lord God, why didst Thou cause this people to pass the Jordan?' And again: 'What shall I say when Israel turn their backs before their enemies?' (Josh. 7:8). So will it be at that time if they should see any of them pierced, they will be astonished, and look on Me on account of him whom they pierced." This translation is contrary to the grammar and to the natural sense of the context. The words אֵת אֲשֶׁר cannot possibly mean "because of Him whom" but simply "whom" which is preceded by אֵת, the definite sign of the object. This translation, like that in the translation of the Jewish Publication Society, makes "the house of David" and "the inhabitants of Jerusalem" the subject of the verb "shall look," but the "nations" of verse 9, which come against Jerusalem, the subject of the verb "pierced." It is a well-established and universally-known rule of every language that the noun which immediately precedes a verb is, unless the context indicates otherwise, the subject of said verb. Since these two verbs come together so very closely in this short sentence and are connected by "and," and since nothing indicates otherwise, to suppose that the prophet had a different subject for each of these verbs is illogical. Therefore, this translation is unjustifiable.

The fourth translation is that given by Isaac Leeser: "But I will pour out over the house of David, and over the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they will look up toward me (for every one) whom they have thrust through, and they will lament for him, as one lamenteth for an only son, and weep bitterly for him, as one weepeth bitterly for the first-born." The translator has inserted the phrase, "for every one" into the text. He has, however, placed it in parentheses by which fact evidently he intended to let it be known that it is not in the original. Instead of making the text plainer by his explanatory phrase, he has obscured its meaning. Doubtless, he would say that "the house of David" and "the inhabitants of Jerusalem" are the subject of the verb, "will look." What is the subject of "have thrust through"? He probably would say, "the nations." Who are those who "will lament"? The following context shows that they are the inhabitants of Jerusalem. The interpolated phrase has thrown the sentence into hopeless confusion. Since this phrase is not in the original, and since it beclouds the issue, this translation cannot be accepted.

One wonders why there is such a diversity of opinion among the different translators. The following facts may throw light upon the subject. Rashi (1040-1105) in his commentary of the Bible on this passage, according to David Baron, says: " 'They shall look back to mourn because the Gentiles had pierced some amongst them and killed some of them.' But in his commentary on the Talmud he says: 'The words, "the land shall mourn," are found in the prophecy of Zechariah, and he prophesies of the future that they shall mourn on account of Messiah, the son of Joseph, who shall be slain in the war of Gog and Magog' (Sukkah; fol. 52, Col. 1)." Continuing his comments on Rashi's methods of exegesis, Baron states: "for instance, Isaiah, chapter 53, which, in his commentary on the Bible, he expounds of the Jewish people; but in his commentary on the Talmud he explains of Messiah." One could explain the contradictory interpretations of the same passage upon the basis that he wrote these commentaries at different times and that he changed his views between his writing the first work and the second, if it were not for his statement in his commentary on Psalm 21, where he says: "Our rabbis have expounded it of the King Messiah, but it is better to expound it further of David himself, in order to answer heretics" (Baron). Hence it is certain that Rashi was moved by theological bias. It is altogether possible that the same factor has entered into the translations presented above. Such predisposition, however, did not enter into the rendering of the translation of Jewish Publication Society, which is true to the original; but this theological bias does find expression in a footnote. The original text is as follows:

וְשָׁפַכְתִּי עַל־בֵּית דָּוִיד וְעַל יוֹשֵׁב יְרוּשָׁלִַם רוּחַ חֵן וְתַחֲנוּנִים וְהִבִּיטוּ אֵלַי אֵת אֲשֶׁר־דָּקָרוּ וְסָפְדוּ עָלָיו

"And I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplication, and they shall look unto me whom they have pierced ..." (Zech. 12:10).

The expression "I will pour" is the same promise of the coming of God's Spirit as is mentioned by Joel 2:28 ff; Ezek. 39:29; Isa. 44:3, etc.

"The Spirit of grace and supplication" is none other than the Holy Spirit of whom Isaiah speaks in 11:2. Here He is called "the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord." He is thus spoken of because it is He who imparts the graces enumerated to those who trust in Him. In the present passage, He is called the spirit of grace and supplications because He will melt the heart and dispose the soul of the penitent remnant toward God. He will likewise cause them to pray as they have never before. The words "grace" and "supplications" are related as cause and effect.

"They shall look." While the original word means simply looking with the physical eye, it also carries the idea of "trustful hope and longing." It likewise means "to regard," "to consider," and "to contemplate." It is used thus in Numbers 21:9: "And Moses made a serpent of brass that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld it (or 'looked unto'), the serpent of brass, he lived." The same word is likewise used in Numbers 12:8 in referring to Moses' looking upon God. Thus the penitent remnant of Israel at the second advent, being thoroughly convicted of sin, will look with hopeful trust unto Him whom the nation pierced at His first coming.

The words וְהִבִּיטוּ אֵלַי "they shall look unto me" of the Masoretic text have been the occasion of much dispute both by Jews and rationalistic critics. This reading is supported by the ancient versions and extant manuscripts with very few exceptions. It is also accepted as correct by the four Jewish versions quoted above. Some few manuscripts have "unto him" as their marginal reading (קרי). This marginal reading has in several instances been incorporated into the text through mistake. Since, however, the ancient versions and the majority of the manuscripts are against it, it cannot be correct.

The ancient scholars evidently knowing that "Me" refers to God (the speaker), seeing that He is pierced and being unable to understand how such can be the case, placed "unto him" in the margin as an explanation of the difficulty. The speaker, as is stated in verse 1, is "the Lord who stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him." As is seen in Isaiah 48:12-16, He is the first one of the two Divine Persons mentioned there whom אֲדֹנַי יֳהוָה sent. In other words, He is the second one of the Divine Personalities.

"They shall look unto me whom they have pierced." The word translated "pierced" occurs in Numbers 25:7,8 and also in Zechariah 13:3 and means to pierce or thrust through with a spear or lance as is clear from the context. This piercing of the Lord is evidently the piercing of "the servant of the Lord" of Isaiah 53 and "the silent sufferer" of Psalm 22. The facts ... show that the Pierced One of these Scriptures is none other than Messiah. The Pierced One of the Zechariah passage, as has been interpreted by the earliest Jewish scholars, is also Messiah, God manifest in the flesh. The seeming difficulty connected with the piercing of God becomes very clear in the light of Isaiah 9:5,6 which foretells God's taking human form, while Isaiah 7:14 states that it is by virgin birth. Therefore after God assumes human form, the inhabitants of Jerusalem pierce Him. No one is to think that this passage means that all of the inhabitants of Jerusalem actually do the piercing. A thing is said to be done by the man who gives the order as well as by the one who actually carries out his instructions. Furthermore, since throughout the Tenach the solidarity of the Jewish race is assumed, and oneness of spirit animates the nation throughout its history, the besieged and distressed remnant of the nation in the final conflict is said to have pierced Him.

"They shall mourn for him." In the preceding clauses it is said that the inhabitants of Jerusalem look unto me (God), but in this clause it is said "they shall mourn for 'Him.'" There is a sudden and abrupt change from the first person to that of the third which has occasioned much controversy among scholars. The flow of thought demands, however, that the "Him" and "Me" refer to the same one. Why such a change? Throughout the Psalms the writers frequently change very abruptly, in a dramatic way, from the second to the third person and vice versa. One has no difficulty, however, in understanding the import of such passages. Why should one experience any trouble here? "But just as the words, 'They shall look unto Me,' set forth the essential oneness of the Pierced One with the Lord, so does the sudden transition in the same verse from the first person to the third, and the words, 'they shall mourn for him,' teach us that, as to His person, He is yet distinct from God." Thus appears in this glorious passage the teaching of the Tri-Unity of the God of Israel: the Lord God, the Holy Spirit, and the Pierced Messiah—a Divine Person in human form. At the time Israel accepts Him Whom she pierced, the following prophecy will be fulfilled: "in that day shall the Lord be one, and his name one," which statement is but an abbreviated method of saying God will be recognized as "the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people" (Jer. 31:1). He will also be the God of all families of the earth and be worshipped by all.

"And they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son." The suffering remnant shall see the mistake of centuries, both its own and that of their fathers, and in genuine contrition and repentance will mourn over him. It will be such intense mourning as that which only fond parents can experience over a first-born son. Since the Messiah is God manifest in the flesh and is called by the Lord, "My Son," He is God's Son in a special and unique sense. He has a human mother, as is declared by Isaiah the prophet, but no human father. Therefore in a very real sense He is God's "firstborn." The mourning, on the part of the remnant, over Him will be, therefore, like the mourning for an only son, as seen in Zechariah 12:10-14.

With spiritual vision illuminated and with an overwhelming sense of guilt when the surviving remnant looks unto God Whom they have pierced, there will be such a universal mourning and genuine repentance as has never been throughout the annals of history. The entire nation will see its mistake and wholeheartedly will accept the pierced Messiah as its real Shepherd. By so doing, the people of Israel will be enabled to see the "fountain ... for sin and for uncleanness" which was opened for them when Messiah came at first and was pierced for their transgressions (Zech. 13:1; Isaiah, chapter 53).

The truth gleaned from the prediction regarding the tragic death and vicarious suffering of Messiah, as found in Zechariah 12:10-13:1,7, stands out in bold relief when studied especially in the light of Psalm 22. This hymn sets forth the sufferings of Messiah at His first coming (vv. 1-21) and the glory that shall follow at His Second Coming (vv. 22-31).

The Execution of the Suffering Servant

In approaching the study of this passage it is well to note the clear outline and individuality of the sufferer. Note his birth, "but Thou art He that took me out of the womb; Thou didst make me trust when I was upon my mother's breasts." That the Psalmist is depicting an individual is seen from the fact that the sufferer speaks of his "bones" and "heart" (verse 14 (15), "tongue" and "jaws" (verse 15(16), "hands and feet" (verse 16(17), and "his garments" (verse 18(19).

His situation is described very minutely. He is in a certain place for "All they that see me laugh me to scorn" (verse 7(8), and "a company of evil-doers have inclosed me" (verse 16 (17). He has been deprived of his clothing, for says he, "I may count all my bones" (verse 17 (18). In this nude condition public gaze is directed upon him for "they look and stare upon me." His enemies have stripped him and have his garments, for "they part my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots" (verse 18 (19). He has suffered bodily mistreatment for "they pierced my hands and my feet" (verse 16 (17).

Furthermore, the implication of the words ²יַבִּיטוּ יִרְאוּ "they looked about, they gazed at me" is doubtless that the observers have difficulty in seeing or identifying the sufferer. This inference suggests two possibilities: firstly, that he is associated with others in suffering and the observer upon his arrival at the scene has difficulty in distinguishing him from the others; secondly, that darkness obscures the scene on account of which the onlookers experience difficulty in gazing upon him.

Finally, the sufferer has been subjected to at least one form of bodily suffering, namely, "they have bored through my hands and my feet."³

At the time of the suffering the victim is friendless and alone; for his friends have either forsaken him or are in the background.

He has violent, bitter, and strong enemies, which fact is proved by his being a "reproach of men" and "despised of the nation." The first of these expressions refers to the contempt of men in general toward him; the second, to the bitter hatred of his own nation. Those looking upon him "laugh him to scorn" and taunt him with the words "commit thyself unto the Lord; let Him deliver him; let Him rescue him, seeing He delighteth in him." These enemies he compares to "strong bulls of Bashan"; likewise, he compares each of them to a "ravening and a roaring lion" and finally he calls them "dogs," after which statement he plainly shows that they are wicked men, for he refers to them as a "company of evil-doers." Among his opponents are the officials or representatives of the government, for he refers to the latter in his prayer, "deliver my soul from the sword." The sword is a symbol of the government, its power, and its use of weapons to enforce law. See Isa. 2:4.

His sufferings are extreme and prolonged. His strength is poured out like water; the members of his body are violently pulled; hence "all my bones are out of joint"; his physical vigor and resistance are diminishing, for his "heart is like wax"; it is melted within him; his physical strength approaches the vanishing point, for "my strength is dried up like a potsherd"; he suffers from thirst because his "tongue cleaveth to my jaws"; and finally, he is conscious of the near end of life, for "Thou hast brought me into the dust of death."

This innocent victim has been trusting in his God from the day of his birth for "Thou art He that took me out of the womb; Thou didst make me trust when I was upon my mother's breasts. I was cast upon Thee from the womb; Thou art my God since my mother bare me." In this crisis he recognizes that he still sustains his life-long relationship to God who at present has withdrawn from him, which withdrawal is the occasion of his enemies' persecuting him.

The sufferings, groanings, and cryings of this innocent sufferer do not for a moment draw forth the slightest intimation of any guilt or sin on his part. When the sufferings seem to reach their climax, suddenly the groanings cease. This cessation comes with the words at the close of verse 21 (22); עֲנִיתָנִי "Thou hast answered me." In the words of another let it be said "When it ceases it ceases altogether; there is absolutely no recurrence of pain, no trace further of a single sob."

With verse 22 (23) the curtain, as it were, rises. He who has agonized in such excruciating pain, and who has also suffered such inward mental and spiritual agony in verse 22 (23), now steps forward into the midst of his brethren to whom he declares the Name of God. It cannot be doubted that it is the same voice that thus suddenly breaks out into praise, for the meter is the same, the direct address to the Lord is the same, and, allowing for change of tone, the theme is the same: the lament has been "he hath not heard"; the joy now is "he hath heard." Moreover, as if to make this point clear, the very terms of the announcement, which the late sufferer now makes to his brethren brings to them vivid reminiscences of the shame and pain through which he has passed: by man he has been detested and deeply humbled, God hid His face, and the sufferer has cried for help. Now all is changed and by every sign of continuity of speech, one is warranted to rest in the conclusion that it is the same voice that tells the joyful news. Among the certain marks identifying the late sufferer with the speaker in the great assembly in verses 22-31 (23-32), is the use of the personal pronoun I which refers to him who lately cried, but who, having been heard, now praises God for his deliverance. In an impersonal way he refers to his affliction out of which the Lord has delivered him, in the following words: "For he has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Neither hath he hid his face from him; But when he cried unto him, he heard." It is doubtless, probable that those referred to by "ye that fear the Lord, praise Him," are Gentile worshipers of God, and those called "all ye the seed of Jacob ... all ye the seed of Israel," the purified and cleansed remnant of Israel, both of whom constitute the great assembly to whom he declares God, His Deliverer's Name and in the midst of which he praises God, saying, "Of thee cometh my praise," because God has heard and delivered him from his sufferings.

Before and during the suffering the tortured one has no brethren in view, but later on there is a vast throng to whom he proclaims God's Name. In verses 27-31 (28-32) he sees the time when the whole world shall constitute one great kingdom of God and all nations shall worship God and Him only.

That there is a connection on the one hand, between the suffering of the subject of this Psalm and, on the other hand, the gathering of "the great assembly" and the consolidation of all kingdoms into "the kingdom" of the Lord, over which He rules, is evident from the fact that the delivered triumphant sufferer appears in the midst of the great assembly and proclaims the Name of God to his brethren.



Footnotes:

¹ Though the doctrine of a Messiah ben Joseph may be traced back to the fourth century, the Servant of Isa. 53 was interpreted as Messiah ben David to the time of Rashi. Gradually in certain circles the atoning work of Messiah was attributed to the fictitious Messiah ben Joseph.

² That these Hebrew words have such significations is clearly seen in I Samuel 17:42.

³ The word כארי "bored through" or "pierced" undoubtedly is to be taken literally. The Masoretic scholars, who invented the vowel pointings and who did their work about the 8th century of the Christian era, have pointed the text and made it read "like a lion my hands and my feet." Of course their selection of the vowel pointings for this line was determined by their theological interpretation of the passage. It is a well-known fact that the fundamental difference between Judaism and Christianity had become in their day more or less chronic by reason of the fact that the controversy had lasted about seven hundred years. It is quite possible that honest scholarly men might be influenced unconsciously by theological bias; hence a translation or interpretation of such a crucial passage as this one, which was made by scholarly devout men prior to the rise of the controversy, would more likely represent the original meaning of the passage. Such a translation as that made by the Hebrew-Greek scholars who translated the Septuagint is more reliable on such controverted points as this one. This translation uses the word ὤρυξαν, "digged through." This fact confirms the reading of the English translation, namely, "they pierced my hands and my feet."

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