e necessity which exists for
the promise in [Pg 210] ver. 3, which, without such ca foundation,
would be baseless. The context and the parallelism with "whom I have
chosen" show that the designation, "servant of God" in these verses has
no reference to a duty imposed, but to a privilege, a relation which is
the pledge of divine aid to Israel. Jeshurun stands as a kind of _nomen
proprium_, and is not parallel to [Hebrew: ebdi], but to Jacob. In
chap. xliv. 21: "Remember this, O Jacob, and Israel, for thou art my
servant, I have formed thee for a servant to me, Israel, thou shalt not
be forgotten of me," the [Hebrew: alh] "this" refers to the folly of
idolatry exhibited in the preceding verses. The duty that Israel should
remember this, is founded upon the fact, that he is the servant of the
Lord, called by Him to a glorious dignity, to high prerogatives, of
which he must not rob himself by apostatizing from Him. It is He who
has bestowed upon him this dignity, and He will soon show by deeds,
that He cannot forget him, if only his heart does not forget his God.
In a similar manner, in chap. xlv. 4, the protecting providence and
love of God are looked to. The aspect of the duty and of the service
which Israel has to perform to his Lord, is specially pointed out in a
single passage only, in chap. xlii. 19; all the other passages place
the dignity in the foreground. That, in the designation. Servant of
God, in the passage before us, prominence is also given to the dignity,
is confirmed by the addition of "whom I uphold," which presents itself
as an immediate consequence of the relation of a servant of God, and by
the parallel: "mine elect in whom my soul delighteth."--[Hebrew: tmK]
"to take," "to seize," "to hold," when followed by [Hebrew: b], always
signifies _to lay hold of_, _to hold fast_, _to support_. With the
words: "Behold my servant whom I uphold," corresponds what the Lord
says in John viii. 29: [Greek: ho pempsas me met'emou estin. ouk
apheke me monon ho Pater, hoti ego ta aresta auto poio pantote]; comp.
John iii. 2; Acts x. 38. The Preterite [Hebrew: ntti] is employed,
because the communication of the Spirit is the condition of his
bringing forth right, just as, in ver. 6, the _calling_ is the ground
of the preservation. In the whole of the description of the Servant of
God, the Future prevails throughout; the _Praeteritum propheticum_ is
employed only, where something is to be designated, which, relatively,
is