n he awakes for a moment from his sweet dream (an
allusion to Prov. iii. 24), which, however, is not, like ordinary
dreams, without foundation. He looks around; every thing is dark,
dreary, and cold; nowhere is there consolation for the weary soul.
"Ah," he exclaims, "I have sweetly dreamed,"--and immediately the hand
of the Lord again seizes him, and carries him away from the scenes of
the Present.

There is not by any means a different salvation destined for Israel and
Judah; it is one salvation to be partaken of by both, who are in future
to be re-united into one covenant-people, into a nation of brethren.
From the parts, therefore, [Pg 427] the description returns, in vers.
27-40, to the whole from which it had proceeded, and is thus completely
rounded off, especially by the circumstance that, just in this close,
there is contained the crown of the promises, the substance and centre
of the declaration recurring here in ver. 33: "And I will be their God,
and they shall be my people."

The whole description in both chapters is Messianic; and after what we
have already had frequent occasion to remark, no farther proof is
necessary to show how inadmissible is a proceeding like that of
_Venema_, who cuts it all up into small pieces, and here assumes an
exclusive reference to the return from the captivity; there, to the
Maccabees, whom he almost raises to Saviours; in another place, to
Christ and His Kingdom. We ought therefore, indeed, to give an
exposition of the whole section; but, for external reasons, we are
obliged to limit ourselves to an exposition of the principal portion,
chap. xxxi. 31-40.

It is chap. xxxi. 22 only which we shall briefly explain, because that
passage was, in former times, understood by many interpreters to
contain a personal Messianic prophecy. "_How long wilt thou turn aside,
O thou apostate daughter? for the Lord createth a new thing in the
land, woman shall compass about man._" The last words of the verse are,
by the ancient interpreters, commonly explained as referring to
Christ's birth by a virgin. Thus, _e.g._, _Cocceius_: "It could not be
said more distinctly, at least not without ceasing to be enigmatical,
unless he had said that a virgin has born Christ the Son of God." But
quite apart from other arguments, this explanation is opposed by the
obvious consideration, in that case, just that would here be stated
which, in the birth of Christ by a virgin, is _not_ peculiar. For
[Hebrew