erpreters have followed the Mazoreths. But the
assumption of several of these, that [Hebrew: la] is only a different
writing for [Hebrew: lv], is altogether without foundation, compare the
remarks on chap. ix. 2; and the reading of the Mazoreths is just like
all the _Kris_, a mere conjecture, owing its origin, as has already
been [Pg 241] remarked by _Jerome_, only to a bad Jewish patriotism.
The circumstance that, with the sole exception, of 2 Chron. xxx. 3,--an
exception which, from the character of the language of that book, is of
no importance--the verb [Hebrew: asP] in the signification "to gather"
has the person to whom it is gathered never joined to it by means of
[Hebrew: l], but commonly by means of [Hebrew: al], is of so much the
greater importance, that [Hebrew: l] has nothing to do with [Hebrew:
al]. When _Stier_ remarks that ver. 6, where Jacob and Israel were
again beside each other in a completely parallel clause, proves that
Israel's gathering can be spoken of positively only, he has overlooked
the essential difference of ver. 5, which refers to the position of the
Servant of God towards the whole people and ver. 6, which refers to His
destination for the _election_.--The words: "And I am honoured in the
eyes of the Lord, and my God is my strength," _i.e._, my protection and
helper, recapitulate what, in ver. 2 and 3, was said about the high
dignity of the Servant of God, of which the effect appears, in ver. 6,
in His appointment to be the Saviour of the Gentiles, after the mission
to Israel has been fruitless. In ver. 6, it is not the decree of the
salvation of the Gentiles through Christ which forms the subject (that
decree is an eternal one), but rather that this decree should be
carried out. It is for this that Israel's unbelief offers an occasion
"As the salvation of the elect among Israel (in reference to the great
mass, the Servant of God had laboured in vain, ver. 4) would be too
small a reward for thee, I assign to thee in addition to them, an
infinitely larger inheritance, viz., the whole heathen world." [Hebrew:
wvb] in _Hiphil_ frequently means "to lead back," in the ordinary
sense, but sometimes also "to lead back into the former, or _normal_
condition," "to restore," compare remarks on Dan. ix. 25; Ps. lxxx. 4.
The parallel, "to raise up," which is opposed to the _lying down_ (Ps.
xli. 9), shows that here it stands in the sense of "to restore." The
local leading back belongs to the sphere of