till [Pg 101] in their eyes they
could not avoid laughing at themselves for having stood so much in awe
of him.

As is commonly the case in the Messianic prophecies, so here, too, no
attention is paid to the development of Christ's Kingdom in time.
Everything, therefore, is fulfilled only as to its beginning; and the
complete fulfilment still stands out for that future in which, after
the fulness of the Gentiles has been brought in, and apostate Israel
has been converted, the consequences of the fall shall, in the outward
nature also, be removed.

Ver. 1. "_And there cometh forth a twig from the stump of Jesse, and a
branch from his roots shall bear fruit._"

The circumstance that the words in the first verse are completed in the
number seven, divided into three and four, intimates that the Prophet
here enters upon the territory of the revelation of a mystery of the
Kingdom of God. Totally different--so the Prophet begins--from the fate
of Asshur, just now proclaimed, shall that of the royal house of David
be. Asshur shall be humbled at a time when he is most elevated. Lebanon
falls through the mighty One: but the house of David shall be exalted
at a time when he is most humbled. Who then would tremble and be
afraid, although it go downward? _Luther_ says: "This is a short
summary of the whole of theology and of the works of God, that Christ
did not come till the trunk had died, and was altogether in a hopeless
condition; that hence, when all hope is gone, we are to believe that it
is the time of salvation, and that God is then nearest when He seems to
be farthest off!" The same contrast appears in Ezek. xvii. 24. The Lord
brings down the high tree of the world's power, and exalts the low tree
of the Davidic house. The word [Hebrew: gze] does not mean "stem" in
general, as several rationalistic interpreters, and _Meier_ last, have
asserted, but rather stump, _truncus_, [Greek: kormos], as _Aquila_,
_Symmachus_, _Theodotion_, translate. This is proved from the following
reasons: (1) the derivation from [Hebrew: gze], in Arabic _secuit_,
equivalent to [Hebrew: gde], "to cut off," chap. ix. 9; x. 33. The
[Hebrew: gdeiM] in latter passage clearly refers to the [Hebrew: gze]
here. The proud trees of Asshur shall be _cut down_; from the cut down
trunk of David there shall grow up a _new_ tree overshadowing the
earth, and offering glorious fruits to them that dwell on it.--(2) The
_usus loquendi_. The signification, "stump,