soever I punished them but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings.

8¶ Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the

calamity had been the design of every threat, every chastisement.

howsoever 1 punished them, or her] These words have been variously translated and understood. Their simplest rendering is, according to all that I appointed concerning her. Judgments were appointed for Jerusalem if she repented not, if she turned not to God, and received not instruction from His prophets.

they rose early] The phrase expresses the set purpose and eager haste with which they sinned. It was with a high hand that they sinned. The absence of the conjunction between the verbs gives force to the prophet's language. The word for doings has always a bad sense when used of men.

The rest of the prophecy divides naturally into four parts, of which I (vv. 8-10) contains reasons for hope and patience; 2 (vv. 11-13) a description of Israel when restored; 3 (vv. 14—17) a song of triumph; 4 (vv. 18-20) a renewed assurance of restoration.

8. Therefore wait ye upon me] The meaning of the word therefore and its connection with what goes before will be determined by the force of the phrase, wait upon me. This always expresses a confident reliance on God (cf. Ps. xxxiii. 20; Isai. viii. 17; Hab. ii. 3). The words then can not be addressed in irony to those reckless sinners upon whom the longsuffering of God had had no effect, as if they were bidden to wait for the punishment that would soon come, but can only apply to the meek of the land (ii. 3), the remnant that God would spare, with which the future welfare of the nation was bound up. Therefore, because God would surely execute judgment upon the guilty, let the pious wait upon Him, patiently, trustfully, for He had good things in store for them; the punishment of the nations, of which mention is made immediately, should be followed not only by their admission to the knowledge and worship of God, but by the restoration of Israel.

saith the LORD] Lit. the Lord's utterance. until] is rather for, the preposition used after the verb is repeated. The passage might be rendered literally, wait for me, for the day. rise up to the prey] is the gesture of the warrior who rises up for the fight in the confiVOL. VI.

dent expectation of seizing the prey (cf. Ps. vii. 6; Isai. ii. 19, 21). The word for prey is rare, but its sense is quite certain from its use in Gen. xlix. 27; Isai. xxxiii. 23.

determination] is lit. judgment, judicial sentence, for the gathering of the nations for punishment, cp. Joel iii. 11-14.

+ Heb.

shoulder.

for all the earth, &c.] The judgment was to be universal. The language is the same as that used in i. 18, only what is there said of the whole land of Israel is applied here to all the earth.

9. For then will I, &c.] For introduces a new ground of hope for Israel. The chastisement of the heathen is to lead to their conversion, their conversion is to lead to the restoration of God's people. The meaning of the passage is obscured by the use of the word people. The prophet uses the plural. It should be peoples-all other nations besides the Jews. Hitherto they had been worshipping their idols, but then, when chastisement had done its appointed work, I will turn to them a pure language, or lip, i.e. I will work such a change in them that the lip that was rendered impure by words of praise and worship offered to idols, and words coming from an unsanctified heart, shall become pure (cp. Isai. vi. 5). The idiomatic use of the word turn here is well illustrated by S. x. 9, God gave him (lit. turned to him) another heart, cp. Isai. xix. 18.

The fruit of this pure lip is the sincere worship of God. Such is the meaning of the phrase to call upon the name of the Lord. Here public worship is referred to (cp. Gen. iv. 26) as is shewn by what follows.

to serve him with one consent] In the Heb. it is with one shoulder, as of men helping one another to support a heavy load. So, steadily, strenuously.

10. As this verse stands in the A.V. the meaning is that the Jews who had been dispersed as far as Ethiopia (Heb. Cush) should return to their land, and there bring an offering to God.

the daughter of my dispersed] is a phrase that can hardly apply to any but the Jews. But the words may also be rendered thus:From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, they shall

XX

:

bring mine offering, my suppliants, the daughter of my dispersed. The Chaldee paraphrast understood the passage thus, and many modern scholars construe it in the same way. This interpretation suits the context (vv. 8, 9) in which the heathen nations are spoken of. They are first punished, then converted, and the fruit of their conversion is to restore the Jewish exiles to their own land. The Jews themselves are the offering which the Gentiles bring in token of their faith in God. And this agrees remarkably with a prediction in Isaiah (lxvi. 20), in which the Jews are spoken of as an offering brought by the Gentiles. There (v. 19) several nations are mentioned by name; here only one, and that very remote. The Ethiopians alone be named may here as having been named before in the prophecy (ii. 12). The fulfilment of the words is still future, and the time indicated seems to be the same as that foretold in Rom. xi. 25 foll. The phrase from beyond the rivers of Ethiopia occurs in Isai. xviii. 1 (see note there). It is well known that there is a large number of Jews in Abyssinia, where they bear the name of Falashas or immigrants. There is a full account of them in the work of a missionary who has visited them; Stern, Wanderings among the Falashas.'

offering] is a technical word, meaning, in contrast with sacrifice, a bloodless gift. See notes on Lev. ii.

11. In that day] The day foretold in v. 8. shalt thou not be ashamed, &c.] Hitherto the pious few had been exposed to shame and scorn, because involved in the punishment for national transgressions. Henceforth the cause of such shame should cease. The words of Isaiah (1x. 21) may be compared, thy people also shall be all righteous.

for then] Such characters as are described in vv. 3, 4 should no longer be found.

them that rejoice in thy pride] It was overweening pride and arrogance that lay at the root of all their sins. The same phrase is found in Isai. xiii. 3 (A.V. them that rejoice in My highness). They should no more be haughty in (as in margin) God's holy mountain, in Jerusalem. The princes and judges, the priests and prophets, had sinned with a

and they shall trust in the name of the LORD.

13 The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.

14 ¶ Sing, Odaughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice

high band, presumptuously (Num. xv. 30), in flagrant violation of the plainest laws.

12. I will also] Better, And I will leave, i.e. leave as a remnant.

afflicted and poor] There is a very similar passage in Isaiah (xiv. 32), the poor (or afflicted) of His people shall trust in it. Cp. Zech. xi. 7, II.

These words express primarily the outward condition, but it suits the context better to understand them as expressive of lowliness of mind, poverty of spirit (Matt. v. 3). The poor and afflicted are contrasted with the proud and haughty of the previous verse. They trust not in the temple, not in themselves, but in the name of the Lord.

13. The remnant] The substantive is a derivative of the verb used in the previous verse, I will leave. Here the performance of duty to man is described. They would become like Him Whom they worshipped. They would do no iniquity (cp. v. 5). The citizens should be free from the sins of lying and deceit, which had disgraced even the prophets of earlier days (v. 4).

for] The particle seems to be used because their state of security depended upon their obedience, and so was a proof of it. In the words none shall make them afraid the prophet uses the very phrase employed in the Law (Lev. xxvi. 6), when the blessings attendant upon keeping the commandments are enumerated. In Hebrew they is expressed, and is therefore emphatic. These, such as might seem too feeble to be safe.

14-17. The prophet bids Zion rejoice and sing in prospect of future happiness. Trials and calamities were before her citizens, but they might be armed with patience; nay, rejoice in tribulation, because their sufferings, however severe, would surely be followed by such consolations and joys as they had never yet known. The grounds of rejoicing are three: (1) The removal of chastisement and the sure tokens of the presence of the Great King amongst them. (2) Their perfect safety. (3) The manifestation of God's almighty power and tender love.

14. shout, O Israel] The verb is in the

• Isai

6.5

plural, as Israel stands for Israelites. There had been a rejoicing that was evil, because it was the expression of pride (v. 11). Here the citizens of Jerusalem are bidden to rejoice, to pour out, without stint, all the joy of their heart in songs of praise and shouts of triumph for all the blessings they had received.

15. The LORD, &c.] Judgments are here penalties inflicted by righteous judicial sentence, chastisements appointed by God (cp. Ezek. v. 8). And as He sent them, He alone removed them. So it was He Who had cast out Zion's enemy. The same verb is used in Lev. xiv. 36 of clearing out a house, in Isai. xl. 3, lvii. 14 of clearing and preparing a road. When the enemy has done the work allotted to him, a Divine hand puts him aside. The true King of Israel is once more acknowledged and obeyed by His subjects, now no longer rebellious (cp. Isai. lii. 7; Ezek. xlviii. 35), and therefore they shall not see evil any more. see] is equivalent to feel, experience, cp. Jer.

V. 12.

16. In that day] So conspicuous should be the sign of God's favour to His people that others should observe it, and express their joyous sympathy with Jerusalem's prosperity. There is a great similarity between this place and Isai. lxii. 2—4.

and to Zion] Better, Zion, in the vocative. Slackness of hands is the emblem of despondency, cp. 2 S. iv. 1; Isai. xiii. 7.

17. thy God] In this one title there was the sure pledge of all good. He is mighty. The epithet recalls some places in Deuteronomy (vii. 21, x. 17), in which it is used to give Israel courage in the face of all dangers. Because He is such, He can and will save. Cp. Jer. xiv.

9.

be will rejoice, &c.] There is a close resemblance between this place and Isai. lxii. 5, as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee. The emphatic expression rejoice with joy is found also in Ps. lxviii. 3.

be will rest in his love] Lit. He will be silent in His love (marg.). The silence may indicate that He would make no mention of His people's sins, that in the greatness of His

18-20. The joys of which the prophet speaks were distant. He does not forget the present sorrows of Israel or the sufferings they had yet to bear, before they could raise the shout of triumph. He has words of comfort specially adapted to cheer the hearts of those who mourned in Zion. It is God Himself Who now speaks (v. 20) to the sorrowful, assuring them that He knows their sorrows, that He will deliver and restore them, take away their reproach, and make them famous.

18. This obscure verse may be rendered somewhat clearer by a literal translation, in which the order of the words in the original is carefully retained: Them that sorrow for the solemn assembly I gather. Of, or from thee they are, a burden upon her is reproach.

It is Zion or Jerusalem that is still addressed. Her citizens are exiles, and among them are some at least who mourn that they cannot go up to the Holy City to take part in solemn assembly and sacred festival there. Their xliii. Cp. Lam. i. 4, ii. 6. In Isai. xxxiii. 20 feelings would find utterance in Pss. xlii., Zion is called the city of our solemnities. Such are of, or from Zion, her true children, alive to all the privileges of the covenant, taking delight in sacred worship. These God will gather from among the heathen, and since this is sure, the past tense is used, I have gathered. In the meanwhile there is a heavy burden on

Zion, and that burden is the reproach of her foes, cp. Ps. cxxxvii. Here there is one of those sudden changes of person, so frequent in the prophetical writings, upon her instead of upon thee.

19. It is hard for "Zion in her anguish" to believe these good tidings. Her condition

as a captive seems so hopeless. Hence she is bidden to look to God as her deliverer.

Behold] The event is strange, but certain. I will undo] Rather, I will deal with; clearly, in the way of retribution here.

What follows contains references to earlier prophecies. The words of Micah (iv. 6) are In that day...will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out...and I

will make her that halted a remnant.

I will set them for a praise and a name. There is an allusion to Deut. xxvi. 18, 19, where God covenants to Israel, if obedient, to make them high above all nations...in (or for) praise, and in (or for) a name (cp. Deut. xxviii. 1).

When the people of Israel recognized the hand of God in their chastisements, returned to Him, and kept His laws, He would fulfil to the letter His part of the ancient covenant. Not only would He restore them and bless them, but make them famous in every land of their shame, or, as the words may be rendered literally, in all the earth, their shame, i.e. the scene of their shame. Wherever the Jews in their dispersion had been treated with indignity, they should one day be honoured and praised.

20. At that time] Twice in this verse,

again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD.

once in the previous verse, the time is mentioned. It is firmly fixed in the Divine counsels. And the assurance of restoration is repeated in what follows.

will I bring you again] Better, I will bring you in or, as we might express it in English, bring you home, and this even in the time that I gather you. Not only should they be gathered together from the many lands to which they had been scattered, but should be brought home to their own land. And these two events, so closely connected, shall be so strange, that all the world n.ust notice them.

a name and a praise] are in Heb. the same words as are rendered in v. 19 praise and fame. Not only in the lands in which they had been exiles, but among all the peoples, or nations, of the earth they should be cele brated. Thus should be fulfilled the promise in Deut. xxviii. 10 (where people should be peoples). In every

captivity] is plural in Hebrew. other place, except Ezek. xvi. 53, the word is found in the singular. It may point to the final restoration of the Jews. For the phrase turn back your captivity see note on Deut. xxx. 3.

before your eyes] Visibly, conspicuously, signally, so that there cannot be a doubt Who has wrought this great work, cp. Deut. xxix. 2; Isai. lii. 8.

ON

his mission.

N the first of these points there is little known, and the second very admits of no discussion.

Haggai stands first in order of the minor prophets after the captivity. It is a probable conjecture that he was one of the exiles, who returned to Jerusalem in compliance with the edict of Cyrus, in which case he was cotemporary with Daniel; it is possible, but not probable, that he was one of the few who had seen the house of the Lord before its devastation by Nebuzar-adan (2 K. xxv. 9), in which case he was also a cotemporary of Jeremiah and Ezekiel. His call to the prophetic office was subsequent to the latest utterance of Daniel, and is assigned by himself to the second year of Darius, son of Hystaspes (B.C.

520).

Nothing is known of his parentage or tribe; or of the time of his death. It may be assumed that he was present at the setting up of the altar of the God of Israel at Jerusalem (Ezra iii. 2), and also that he witnessed the completion of the house of God in the sixth year of Darius the king (Ezra vi. 15), a work which his zeal as a prophet of God had so largely contributed to accomplish.

The history of this period of 21 years is contained in the Book of Ezra, begin ning at chap. iii. v. 2, down to the end of ch. vi. (but omitting ch. iv. 6— 23, and the last five words of v. 14 chap. vi); and this portion of the Book of

bability to the pen of Haggai. (See the article on the Book of Ezra in Smith's 'Dictionary of the Bible' by the Bishop of Bath and Wells.) He has also been credited, in conjunction with his cotemporary Zechariah, with the authorship

of certain Psalms.

The LXX. attribute Psalms cxxxviii.

and cxlvi.-cxlviii.to Haggai and Zechariah. The Vulgate heads Ps. cxi, with the words Alleluia Reversionis Aggei et Zacharia; and Ps. cxlv. with Alleluia, Aggei et Zacharia. As to the three Hallelujah Psalms and Ps. cxlv., which immediately precedes them, the internal evidence is not adverse to this suggestion; see introductory note to Ps. cxlvi. Vol. IV. P. 496. So much cannot be said of Pss. cxi. and cxxxviii.

ously explained by lexicographers and The name Haggai has been vari

commentators. Gesenius and Fürst take it to be an Aramaic adjectival form from hag, a feast, and, like the proper name of Haggi, a son of Gad (Gen. xlvi. 16, Num. xxvi. 15), they explain it by festive'. Others take it to be an abbreviated form of Haggiah (=festival of Jehovah), which is found in 1 Chron. vi. 30. Jerome

assumes a connection between the name Haggai and the festive or joyous cha

1 The verb is cognate of the transitive verb in, to cause to revolve, to enclose, and so is rendered to move oneself in a circle, to dance (1 S. xxx. 16), to solemnize a feast with joy (Exod. v. 1; Lev. xxiii. 41), where it is used with special reference to the pilgrims and pilgrim-processions at the three great feasts,