erience in their own
cases was a prophecy by deeds of the sufferings of Christ; and we
should the less have any difficulty [Pg 251] in admitting their
knowledge of this, that it would be rather strange if they were
destitute of such knowledge.

Ver. 4. "_The Lord Jehovah hath given me a disciples tongue, that I
should know to help the weary with a word: He awakeneth morning by
morning, wakeneth mine ear, that I may hear as the disciples._"

The greater number of expositors explain a disciple's tongue by: "A
tongue such as instructed people or scholars possess,--an eloquent
tongue." But [Hebrew: lmd], everywhere else in Isaiah, means "pupil,"
"disciple," and is used especially of the disciples of the Lord, those
who go to His school, are instructed by Him; comp. chaps. viii. 16;
liv. 13. A disciple's tongue is such as the disciples of the Lord
possess. Its foundation is formed by the disciple's _ear_ mentioned at
the close of the verse. He who hears the Lord's words, speaks also the
Lord's words. The signification, "learned," is not suitable in the last
clause of the verse, and its reference to the first does not permit of
our assuming a different signification in either clause. Just as here
the Servant of God traces back to God that which He speaks, so Jesus
says, in John viii. 26: [Greek: kago ha ekousa par'autou tauta lalo
eis ton kosmon], comp. iii. 34: [Greek: hon gar apesteilen ho theos ta
rhemata tou theou lalei.] The verb [Hebrew: smK], which occurs only
here, means, according to the Arabic, "to help," "to support;"
_Aquila_: [Greek: huposterisai], Vulg. _sustentare_. Like other similar
verbs, _e.g._, [Hebrew: smK], in Gen. xxvii. 37, it is construed with a
double accusative: "that I may help the weary, word," _i.e._, may
support him by comforting words. The weary or fatigued are, like the
bent reed, the faintly burning wick, in chap. xlii. 3; the blind, the
prisoners sitting in darkness, _ibid._, ver. 7; the broken-hearted,
chap. lxi. 1; them that mourn, _ibid._, ver. 2. Just as here the
Servant of God represents the suffering and afflicted ones as the main
objects of His mission, so Christ announces, that His mission is
specially directed to these, comp. _e.g._, Matt. v. 4; xi. 28. In order
to be able to fulfil this mission. He must be able to draw from the
fulness of God, who looketh to him that is poor and of a contrite
spirit, chap. lxvi. 2, and who alone understands to heal the broken in
heart, and to bin