her in-law "thy people shall be my people." Will Mr.
Everett look a little farther to the 1 Sam. ch. v. 10. in the Hebrew,
(not in a translation,) where he will find the Gentile Philistines
saying, "They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to
slay me and my people?" (ac. to the Hebr.) again, v. 11. "Send
away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go to his own place,
that it slay me not and my people." (ac. to the Hebr.)[fn57]

Mr. Everett, therefore, may understand from these examples, why
I passed over this phrase "without even the attempt of an
explanation;" because, truly, I never dreamed, that this formidable
objection, would have been made: or that any man would write,
upon the Jewish controversy, who did not first inform himself of
the contents and phraseology of the Hebrew Bible.

Having, as I believe, shewn that the 53d. chapter of Isiah can be
understood of "God's servant Israel," I will now attempt to shew
the reasons why I think that it cannot relate to Jesus of Nazareth.

1st. Of the subject of this prophecy it is said v. 9. "and he
appointed his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his
deaths," in the plural. Now of Jesus we read in the gospels the
direct contrary: for the gospels represent that his death was with
the wicked, and his grave with the rich.[fn58]

2. The use of the word deaths, in the plural, appears to me to
necessitate the application of the prophecy to a people, not to an
individual. The same is evident distinctly from the Hebrew of v. 8.
at the end of the verse, in the word "lamoo."

3. The subject of this prophecy is said to have been "oppressed",
i. e. by pecuniary exactions: for that is the radical idea of the
Hebrew word, as is shown and asserted in the lexicons of the
Hebrew language.[fn59] This is peculiarly true of the Jewish
nation, but was not true at all with regard to Jesus.

And to conclude, this prophecy is quoted repeatedly in the New
Testament. Now, that none of the quotations in the New
Testament from the Old can be maintained as prophecies fulfilled
by Jesus, is the opinion of the learned Christians Michaelis,
Eichorn; Semler, Eckerman, Lessing, &c. as is allowed by Mr.
Everett: of course the 53d ch. of Isaiah in their opinions cannot be
adduced as a prophetic proof of Christianity: and Mr. Everett, in
maintaining the contrary, has to struggle not only against
argument, but the strongest Christian authority that can be
produced on any quest