on
with a view to those only who are objects of His judging activity. From
that which follows, where changes are spoken of which shall take place
on the whole earth, it follows that [Hebrew: arC] must be taken in the
signification of "earth." and not of "land." Hand in hand with the
infinite extent of the King's exercise of justice goes also the manner
of it. "The whole earth," and the "breath of the mouth," correspond
with one another.--In the words "with the rod of His mouth," a tacit
antithesis lies at the foundation. As kings strike with the sceptre, so
He smiteth with His mouth.--[Hebrew: wbT], the ensign of royal dignity,
is the symbol of the whole earthly power, which, being external and
exercised by external means, must needs be limited, and insufficient
for the perfect exercise of justice. The exercise of justice on the
part of earthly kings reaches so far only as their hand armed with the
smiting sceptre. But that great King is, in the exercise of justice,
supported by His _Omnipotence_. He punishes and destroys by His mere
word. Several interpreters understand this as a mere designation of His
severity in punishing,--"the rod of His mouth" to be equivalent to
"severity of punishment;"--but that such is not the meaning appears
from the following clause, where likewise special weight is attached to
the circumstance that the Messiah inflicts punishment by His mere word;
"the breath of His lips" is equivalent [Pg 118] to "mere words," "mere
command;" compare "breath of His mouth," in Ps. xxxiii. 6. _Hitzig's_
explanation, "the angry breath of His lips," does not interpret, but
interpolate. In the future Son of David every word is, at the same
time, a deed; He speaks and it is done. The same which is here said of
the Messiah is, in other passages, attributed to _God_: compare Job xv.
30, where it is said of the wicked: "By the breath of His mouth he
shall go away;" Hos. vi. 5: "I have slain them by the word of my
mouth." In general, according to the precedent in Gen. i., doing by the
mere word is, in Scripture, the characteristic designation of Divine
Omnipotence. Parallel is chap. xlix. 2, where Christ says: "And He hath
made my mouth like a sharp sword," equivalent to: He has endowed me
with His Omnipotence, so that my word also exercises destructive
effect, just as His. In Rev. i. 16, it is said of Christ: "And out of
His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword,"--to designate the destructive
power of His word borne