mere
clearing up of the passage under consideration. We have here obtained
the Old Testament foundation for the New Testament doctrine, that all
judgment has been committed to the Son, while the harmony of the two
Testaments is exhibited in a remarkable instance. Compare with the
already cited Old Testament declarations, such passages as Matt. xiii.
41: [Greek: Apostelei ho huios tou anthropou tous angelous hautou, kai
sullexousin ek tes basileias autou panta ta skandala, kai tous
poiountas ten anomian.] and xxv. 31: [Greek: hOtan de elthe ho huios
tou anthropou en te doxe hautou, kai pantes hoi angeloi met' autou,
tote kathisei epi thronou doxes hautou.] In order to be convinced of
the identity of the Angel of the Lord and Christ (compare above, p. 107
sqq. and _Commentary on Rev._ i. p. 466), we may further direct
attention to the fact that the Angel of the Lord, who meets us
throughout the whole of the Old Testament, suddenly disappears in the
New Testament, and that to Christ all is ascribed which was in the Old
Testament attributed to the Angel of the Lord.

[Pg 367]

A second important question is:--What is to be understood by _the_
altar, [Hebrew: hmzbH]? Several interpreters adopt the opinion of
_Cyril_, and think of the altar at Bethel, or some other idolatrous
altar in the kingdom of Israel. Others (_e.g._, _Marckius_) are of
opinion that the article stands here without meaning, and that it is
the intention of the prophet only to represent God as appearing on some
altar, leaving it undetermined on which, in order thereby to indicate
that He required the blood of many men. But against such expositions
the article is conclusive. _The_ altar can be that altar only, of which
every one would think, if an altar [Greek: kat' exochen], and without a
more definite designation, were spoken of. Such was the brazen altar,
or altar of burnt-offering in the outer court of the temple at
Jerusalem. That it was this altar, and not the altar of incense before
the holy of holies, which received, in the common language of the
people, the name of _the_ altar, is easily explained from the
circumstance that it stood in a much closer relation to the people than
did the other which was withdrawn from their view. On this altar all
the sacrifices were offered, and it must, throughout, be understood,
when _the_ altar of the Lord is spoken of; compare remarks on Rev. vi.
9. But that which removes all doubt is the comparison with the par