receding verse.
This admonition implies that there existed a danger of losing a
participation in the light; and it is this danger which the Prophet
here more particularly details. It is not without reason, so the words
may be paraphrased, that I say: "Walk ye in the light of the Lord," for
at present the Lord has _forsaken_ the people on account of their sins,
and with that, a participation in His light is incompatible. By being
full of heathenish superstition, of false confidence in earthly things,
yea, even of the most disgraceful that can be imagined for Israel,
viz., gross idolatry, they rather become more and more ripe for the
divine judgment which will break in irresistibly upon them.]

[Footnote 2: So _Gesenius_ also in the _Thesaurus_: "The whole earth
shall be holy and shall more beautifully bloom and be adorned with
plenty of fruits and corn for the benefit of those who have escaped
from those calamities." _Gesenius'_ wavering clearly shows how little
satisfaction the non-Messianic explanation affords to its own abettors.
Besides the explanations of [Hebrew: cmH ihvh] by "the new growth of
the people," and "the rich produce of the country," he advances still a
third one, viz., "a divinely favoured ruler,"--an explanation which has
even the grammar against it, as we are at liberty to translate only:
"The Sprout of the Lord;" and likewise the analogy of [Hebrew: pri
harC], according to which the Genitive can have a reference to the
_origin_ only.]

[Pg 26]

THE PROPHECY, CHAP. VII.
IMMANUEL.

A crisis of the most important nature in the history of Israel is
formed by the Syrico-Ephraemitic war, by the expedition of the allied
kings, Rezin of Damascus, and Pekah of Samaria, which had been already
prepared under the reign of Jotham, and which broke out in the first
years of Ahaz. It was in consequence of this war that Asshur came
into the land. The inroad of the Assyrian King, Pul, under Menahem
of Israel, had been transitory only, comp. Vol. 1. p. 165. It was
only with the invasion under Ahaz that the tendency of Asshur began
of making lasting conquests on the other side of the Euphrates,
which could not fail to bring about a collision with the Egyptian
power. The succeeding powers in Asia and Europe followed Asshur's
steps. "Hitherto,"--so says _Caspari_, in his pamphlet on the
Syrico-Ephraemitic war, S. 17 ff.--"hitherto Israel had to do wi