interpretation widely spread, repenting sinners are designated [Pg 216]
by the bent reed, and dimly burning wick. Thus Luther writes: "That
means that the wounded conscience, those who are terrified at the sight
of their sins, the weak in life and faith are not cast away by Him, are
not oppressed and condemned, but that He cares for them, tends and
nurses them, makes them whole and embraces them with love." But
repenting sinners do not here come into consideration _per se_, but
only as one species of the wretched, inasmuch as, according to Luther's
expression, truly to feel sin is a torment beyond all torments.--The
last words: "In truth shall He bring forth right" again take up the
close of ver. 1, after the means have been stated, in the intervening
words, by which He is to bring about the result. The [Hebrew: lamt]
must not be translated: "For truth" (LXX: [Greek: eis aletheian]); for
there is a thorough difference between [Hebrew: l] and [Hebrew: al];
the former does not, like the latter, designate the motion towards some
object, but is rather, here also, a preposition signifying "belonging
to;" hence [Hebrew: lamt] means "belonging to truth," "in a true
manner," "in truth." By every other mode of dealing, right would be
established _in appearance_ and _outwardly_ only. Matthew renders it:
[Greek: heos an ekbale eis nikos ten krisin], "until He has led right
to victory." By the addition of [Greek: heos] he intimates, that the
last words state the result which is brought about by the conduct of
the Servant of God described in the preceding words. [Greek: Eis
nikos] is a free translation of [Hebrew: lamt]; [Greek: krisis] is
"right," as in chap. xxiii. 23.--How objectionable and untenable all
the non-Messianic explanations are, appears very clearly in this verse.
If Israel were the Servant of God, then the _Gentile world_ must be
represented by the bent reed and dimly burning wick. But in that case,
we must have recourse to such arbitrary interpretations as, _e.g._,
that given by _Koester_: "The weak faith and imperfect knowledge of the
Gentiles." No weak faith, no imperfect knowledge, however, is spoken
of; but the Servant of God appears as a Saviour of the poor and
afflicted, of those broken by sufferings. Those who, by the Servant of
God, understand the better portion of the people, or the prophetic
order, speak of "the meek spirit of the mode of teaching, which does
not by any means altogether crush the sinner alre