God had, only from the womb, called Him; but it is just
as if it were said: Before I came forth from the womb, God had decreed
that I was to undertake this office. In the same manner Paul also says
that he had been separated from his mother's womb, although he was
chosen before [Pg 233] the foundation of the world." To be called from
the womb is, in itself, nothing extraordinary; it is common to all the
servants of the Lord. Jeremiah ascribes it to himself in chap. i. 5:
"Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before thou camest
forth out of the womb I sanctified thee;" and in harmony with this
passage in Jeremiah--not with that before us--Paul says in Gal. i. 15:
[Greek: ho theos ho aphorisas] (corresponding to: I have _sanctified_
thee) [Greek: me ek koilias metros mou.] But we have here merely the
_introduction to what follows_, where the calling, to which the Servant
of God had been destined from the womb appears as quite unique.--_From
the bowels of my mother hath He made mention of my name._ The name is
here not an ordinary proper name, but _a name descriptive of the
nature_,--one by which His office and vocation are designated. This
making mention was, in the case of Christ, not a thing concealed; the
prophecy before us received its palpable confirmation and fulfilment;
inasmuch as, in reference to it, Joseph received, even before His
birth, the command to call Him Jesus, Saviour: [Greek: texetai de huion
kai kaleseis to onoma autou Iesoun. autos gar sosei ton laon autou apo
ton hamartion auton], Matth. i. 21, after the same command had
previously come to Mary, Luke i. 31; comp. ii. 21, where, as we have
already remarked, there is a distinct reference to the passage before
us.

Ver. 2. "_And He hath made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow
of His hand hath He hid me, and He hath made me a sharpened arrow, in
His quiver hath He hid me._"

According to the common interpretation, the words: "He hath made my
mouth like a sharp sword. He hath made me a sharpened arrow," are to
express only such a gift of powerful, impressive speech as is common to
all the servants of God, to all the prophets. But the two subjoined
clauses are opposed to that interpretation. The second and fourth
clauses state the reason of the first and third, and point to the
source from which that emanates which is stated in them. There cannot
be any doubt but that in the second and fourth clauses, the Servant of
God indicates