ibutes contained in this
prophecy belong; but we must add and combine all the signs and
attributes which are contained in the parallel passages.

The Chaldean Paraphrast who, in so many instances, has faithfully
preserved the exegetical tradition, understands the Messiah by the
Servant of God; and so, from among the later Jewish expositors, do
_Dav. Kimchi_ and _Abarbanel_, the latter of whom says of the
non-Messianic interpretation, [Hebrew: wkl alh] [Pg 198] [Hebrew:
hHkmiM hkv bsnvriM] "that all these expositors were struck with
blindness." That this exposition was the current one among the Jews at
the time of Christ, appears from Luke ii. 32, where Simeon designates
the Saviour as the light to be revealed to the Gentiles [Greek: phos
eis apokalupsin ethnon], with a reference to Is xlii. 6; xlix. 6. It is
especially the latter passage which Simeon has in view, as also St.
Paul in Acts xiii. 46, 47, as appears from the words immediately
preceding [Greek: hoti eidon hoi ophthalmoi mou to soterion sou ho
hetoimasas kata prosopon panton ton laon], which evidently refer to
chap. xlix. But chap. xlix. is, as regards the point which here comes
into consideration, a mere repetition and confirmation of chap. xlii.

By the New Testament, this exposition has been introduced and
established in the Church of Christ. The words which, at the baptism of
Christ, resounded from heaven: [Greek: houtos estin ho huios mou ho
agapetos, en ho eudokesa], Matt. iii. 17 (comp. Mark i. 11) evidently
refer to ver. 1 of the chapter before us, and point out that He who had
now appeared was none other than He who had, centuries ago, been
predicted by the prophets. And so do likewise the words which,
according to Matt. xvii. 5 (compare Mark ix. 7; Luke ix. 35; 2 Pet. i.
17), at the transfiguration of Christ, towards the close of His
ministry, resounded from heaven in order to strengthen the Apostles:
[Greek: houtos estin ho huios mou ho agapetos, en ho eudokesa. autou
akouete.] These voices at the beginning and the close of Christ's
ministry have not been sufficiently attended to by those who have
raised doubts against the Messianic interpretation; for a doubt in this
must necessarily shake also the belief in the reality of those voices.
In both of the passages, the place of the Servant of God in chap. xlii.
1 (which passage is indeed not so much quoted, as only, in a free
treatment, referred to) is taken by the Son of God, from Ps. ii. 7,
just a