. Because the bad shepherd does not
visit, the sheep are not sought, _q.d._, they are lost; but those who
did not visit, are now, in a very disagreeable manner, visited by God
([Hebrew: pqd elikM]); the good shepherd visits, and, therefore, the
sheep need not be sought. The clause: "They shall fear no more, nor be
terrified," receives its explanation from Ezek. xxxiv. 8: "Because my
flock are a prey, and meat to every beast of the field, because they
have no shepherd, and because my shepherds do not concern themselves
with the flock."

Ver. 5. "_Behold the days come, saith the Lord, and I raise unto David
a righteous Branch, and He ruleth as a King, and acteth wisely, and
worketh justice and righteousness in the land._"

The expression: "Behold the days come," according to the constant _usus
loquendi_ of Jeremiah, does not designate a progress in time, in
reference to what precedes, but only directs attention to the greatness
of that which is to be announced. It contains, at the same time, an
allusion to the contrast presented by the visible state of things,
which affords no ground for such a thing. How dark soever the present
state of things may be, the time is _still_ coming; although the heart
may loudly say. _No_, the word of _God_ must be more certain.
Concerning [Hebrew: cmH], compare Isa. iv. 2, and the passages of
Zechariah there quoted, [Hebrew: cdiq] stands here in the same
signification as in Zech. ix. 9,--different from that which it has in
Isa. liii. 11. In the latter passage, where the Servant of God is
described as the High Priest and sin-offering. His righteousness comes
into consideration as the fundamental condition of justification; here,
where He appears as King only,--as the cause of the diffusion of
justice and righteousness in the land. That there is implied in this a
contrast to the former kings, was pointed out as early as by
_Abarbanel_: "He shall not be an unrighteous seed, such as Jehoiakim
and his son, but a righteous [Pg 413] one." _Calvin_ also points out
"the obvious antithesis between Christ and so many false, and, as it
were, adulterous sons. For we know for certain that He alone was the
righteous seed of David; for although Hezekiah and Josiah were
legitimate successors, yet, when we look to others, they were, as it
were, monsters. Except three or four, all the rest were degenerate and
covenant-breakers." The words: "I raise unto David a righteous Branch"
are here, as well as in chap