er; and the relation of
[Hebrew: cdiq] to [Hebrew: hcdiq] shows that here, too, He is
considered as such. To supply, as is done by some interpreters: "in
which (knowledge) He perceived the only possible means of redemption
and reconciliation, and gave practical effect to this knowledge," is,
after all, too unnatural; the [Pg 305] discourse would in that case be
so incomplete that we should have been shut up to conjectures. Others
translate: "By His doctrine;" but [Hebrew: det] never means "doctrine."
The explanation: "By His full, absolute knowledge of the divine
counsel" (_Haevernick_), or, "by the absolute knowledge of God"
(_Umbreit_), puts into the simple word, which only means "knowledge,"
more than is implied in it. According to the parallelism with the
subsequent words: "He shall bear their iniquities." and according to
the context (for, in the whole section, the Servant of God is not
described as a _Teacher_, but as a _Priest_, as He who, in order to
expiate our sin, has offered himself up as a sacrifice), [Hebrew:
hcdiq] must not be translated "to convert," but to "justify." In favour
of this translation is also the construction with [Hebrew: l], which is
to be accounted for from a modification of the signification: "to bring
righteousness." But it is specially the position of [Hebrew: cdiq]
which is decisive in favour of it. It is for the justification only
that the personal righteousness of the Servant of God has that
significant meaning which is, in this manner, assigned to it. Moreover,
in the _usus loquendi_, the meaning _to justify_ only occurs. In it,
the verb is used, chap. v. 23, l. 8; and there is no reason for
deviating from it in the only passage which can be adduced in favour of
the signification "to convert," viz., Dan. xii. 3: "And the wise,
[Hebrew: mwkiliM], shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and
_justify_ many as the stars, for ever and ever." In this passage, that
is applied to believers which, in chap. liii., was ascribed to Christ.
Even a certain strangeness in the style makes us suppose such a
transference; and the fact, that Daniel had our passage specially in
view, cannot be doubted, if we compare the [Hebrew: mwkiliM] of Daniel
with the [Hebrew: iwkil] with which the prophecy under consideration
opens (chap, lii, 13), and Daniel's: "justify many," with the passage
before us. The justification, which in its full sense belongs to Christ
the Head only, is by Daniel ascribed to