by Omnipotence, the omnipotent punitive power
of Christ against enemies, both internal and external. An instance of
the manner in which Christ smites by the word of His mouth is offered
by Acts v. 3 (where, according to the analogy of the word spoken in the
name of God by Elijah, 2 Kings i. 10, 12, and by Elisha, 2 Kings ii.
24, v. 27, the Apostles are to be considered only as His instruments):
[Greek: akouon de Ananias tous logous toutous peson exepsuxe], comp.
ver. 10; xiii. 11. The Chaldee translates: "And by the word of His lips
wicked Armillus shall die." He refers [Hebrew: rwe] not to the ideal
person of the wicked, but to an individual, _Armillus_, ([Greek:
eremolaos], corresponding to the name of Balaam, compounded of [Hebrew:
ble] "devouring," "destruction," and [Hebrew: eM] "people") the
formidable, last enemy of the Jews who shall carry on severe wars with
them, slay the Messiah ben Joseph, but at length be slain by the
Messiah ben David with a mere word, compare _Buxtorf_, _Lex. Chald._
cap. 221-224: _Eisenmenger_, _entdecktes Judenthum_ ii. S. 705 ff. In 2
Thess. ii. 8, in the description of Antichrist's destruction by Christ:
[Greek: hon ho Kurios Iesous analosei to pneumati tou stomatos autou],
there is an intentional and significant allusion to the passage before
us, Antichrist there being, like [Hebrew: rwe] here, an ideal person;
for the arguments in proof, see my Comment, on Revelation, vol. ii.

Ver. 5. "_And righteousness is the girdle of His loins, and
faithfulness the girdle of His reins._"

[Pg 119]

Righteousness and faithfulness are in a similar manner connected in 1
Sam. xxvi. 13 (? Prov. xii. 17). Faithfulness is trustworthiness. The
point of comparison with the girdle is the closeness of the union;
comp. Ps. cix. 19; Jer. xiii. 1, 2, 11.

In ver. 6, the Prophet passes from the _person_ of the glorious King to
a description of His Kingdom. With regard to ver. 6-8, the question
arises, whether the description is to be understood figuratively or
literally; whether the Prophet intends to describe the cessation
of all hostility among men, or whether he expected that, in the
Messianic time, even among the irrational creation, all hostility and
destruction, every thing pernicious was to cease. Most of the ancient
interpreters are attached to the former view. Thus _Theodoret_ says:
"In a figurative manner, under the image of domesticated and wild
animals, the Prophet taught the change of the hab