Imatges de pàgina
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which is as much, if not more, than the history requires; David's legitimate defcendants would, in that time, amount to about 7680; for there were nine generations. But, in truth, they multiplied much fafter, (for Rehoboam, the grandson of David, had twenty-eight fons and fixty daughters, and Abijah, his great grandfon, had twenty-two fons and fixteen daughters) fo that they may well be fuppofed to be more than double the above number in the days of Ahaz.

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May we not here afk, whether thefe two kings could ever think of extirpating fo numerous a family? if they did, they muft have been very weak men.

This notion of a general maffacre, is founded on 2 Chron. xxviii. 7. where it is faid, that Maafeiah the king's fon was flain; whence it is inferred, "That, probably, the defign of the confederate princes, was, like eaftern conquerors, to destroy the houfe of David."

But this foundation is too weak to bear fuch a fuppofition, for the age of Maafeiah is uncertain: he might, perhaps, be old enough to bear arms.

The history is very much confufed, both in Kings and in Chronicles, for it makes Ahaz only eleven years old when his fon Hezekiah was born. The Vatican Septuagint in Chro nicles makes Ahaz twenty-five years old when he began to reign; and confequently, when he was born, Jotham his father was fixteen years old, which must also have been the age of Ahaz when Hezekiah was born: but in Kings the Vatican Septuagint reads twenty; as it is in the Hebrew text, in the Alexandrian, Aldus, and Complute edition of the Septuagint, of both places. In fhort, many inftances might be produced, if they were neceffary, to prove that the chronology of the kings of Ifrael and Judah, is too confufed to be depended upon.

But granting that Maafeiah was an infant when he was flain, it will by no means follow, from that conceffion, that the design of Rezin and Pekah was to deftroy the whole house of David. It is much more natural to fuppofe, that it was done by accident. In the confufion of war, many, things happen without defign. Women and children have been flain, when there has been no reason to suspect that a general extirpation was intended. It is true, we have not many inftances of this kind in modern times, but we must not forget, that the age when this happened, was uncivilized and barbarous. There are feveral things recorded in the Old Teftament hiftory, and faid to be done by goed men, for inftance, by David; which nothing can vindicate from great inhumanity and cruelty, but the ufual practice of the age. And in the prefent day we fometimes hear of fimilar inftances, among the Indians and Africans. VOL. XXIII. May, 1767. A a • But

• But it is further faid, that there is a remarkable change of perfons in the words; the first prophecy is addreffed to the whole house of David, "Hear ye now, O houfe of David; " but the latter is addreffed to Ahaz, " for the land that thou abhorreft," &c. Is this unusual in the Hebrew language? I appeal to those who are acquainted with it. I think it is very common.

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Other instances might be produced, but I fhall only mention the second verse of this chapter, "And it was told the "boufe of David, faying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim;

and his heart (y) was moved, and the heart of bis people." (1 1) Whofe heart was moved? not the heart of Ahaz, but the heart of the houfe of David. It seems very clear, that the prophet, in both the 2d and 13th verses, by the house of David, means the king; and addreffed him, in both the fingular and plural numbers, as the chief or head of the family, and the representative of the royal line.

Another objection to my fenfe of the paffage is, that it makes the prefence of Shear-jafhub entirely ufelefs, though his father was particularly commanded to take him with him.

I anfwer, No; far from it: for his prefence, at this time, was of great importance.

Dr. Kennicott hath well obferved from the name RU, that it is very probable this child was born the year before, when fo great a number of the people were either destroyed or carried into captivity. He feems, by his name, to have then been a fign or token for good to the people of the land: a kind of pledge that the captives fhould be restored to their country; for this name fignifies, "the remnant or remainder fhall return."

If this obfervation of Dr. Kennicott's be juft, and, to me, it appears perfectly fo; then his prefence at this time, must have been of very great importance. It reminded the king and people of a promife of fafety given them the year before. They knew the reafon for which he was called Shear-jafhub; his prefence, therefore, on fo critical an occafion, with his father, must have confirmed their truft and confidence in the divine protection.

'Or, according to fome writers, Ifaiah might offer his fon as an earneft or pledge of the confidence, which he had in the divine promise of safety. It must be acknowledged, that no one's prefence could be fo encouraging as Shear jafhub's, because his name was given him in token of divine favour.'

It is faid by Dr. Kennicott and others, that the prophecy contained in the 14th and 15th verfes, can refer only to the Meffiah, because he alone was born of a virgin.

This objection leads the author to confider the real meaning of, which, it is afferted, ftrictly fignifies a virgin.

This word occurs feven times in the Old Testament, namely, befides the place in difpute, Gen. xxiv. 43. Exod. ii. 8. Pfal. lxviii. 25. Prov. xxx. 19. Cant. i. 3. vi. 8. The last passage feems mostly to favour this opinion; for there, virgins are diftinguished from queens and concubines. But, he thinks, this diftinction is no proof at all, because the fame, or rather a stronger diftinction is made, Ezek. xliv. 22. in favour of, which, as he endeavours to fhew, is the word that answers to the idea of a virgin; fee alfo Judges xix. 24. The fix other places occurs are by no means certain; but 2 occurs fifty-nine times in several of them it fignifies a virgin, in the ftricteft fense of the word. See Deut. xxii. In fhort, he takes the true meaning of hy to be a young woman, mar

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ried or unmarried, a virgin or not a virgin.

*

As to the argument founded upon the derivation of this word, it is, he thinks, of very little weight; because, after all that has been faid by lexicographers and others, it is by no means certain; and fuppofing it was, is it not true, that derivatives in all lanoften differ in fenfe from their primitives or roots? guages, Mr. Mann, in his first differtation, De vero anno natali Chrifti, and Dr. Kennicott lay great ftrefs upon the word, behold. They fay, "The prophet here, in the moft folemn manner, raises the attention of king and people, and promises,'in the name of the Lord, a sign or miracle; when (according to the sense proposed by Dr. W) no more is meant, than that a fon fhould be born of a young married woman, which is evidently no wonder; no miracle at all."

Our author answers, That it fhould be foretold, that this young woman fhould bear a fon, and that before that fon fhould be capable of diftinguishing between good and evil, fuch and fuch events fhould come to pafs, is certainly a wonder, and a real miracle; for it could not be known without inspiration. The word behold naturally refers to this circumftance, and not to a young woman's being with child.'

The prophet fays, fhall conceive; that is, fays Dr. W—, this young woman fhall conceive; probably Isaiah pointed with his hand to a young woman then prefent. The emphatic is thus rendered by Dr. Kennicott, ver. 16. and by our tranflators Deut. iv. 40. and in several other places.

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in Arabic fignifies to Separate, which etymology of agrees as well with the idea of virgo intacta, as hy to conceal, the fuppofed root of y, does.

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Iminanuel, he fays, might very properly be the name of a child, who was to be a fign or earneft of divine favour and protection. For much the fame reason, Isaiah's child was called Shear-jafhub; and it was ufual among the Hebrews to call their children by names expreffive of fome circumftances relative to the hopes or fears, the profperity or adverfity of parents.

*

• The 15th verse is expreffive of the plenty with which the land fhould abound during this child's infancy, "Butter or milk and honey fhall he eat." As the land was ravaged, and the capital befieged, this circumstance is mentioned with great propriety.

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This child was to be nourished with the ufual food of infants," till (not that) he knew how to refufe the evil and chuse the good."

But ftill, as a farther comfort to them in their diftrefs; the prophet fays, that even before the child, of whom he was speaking, was of age to difcern good from evil, "the land which thou abhorreft fhall be forfaken of (or lofe) both her kings." Rezin and Pekah should both be deftroyed, which fhortly after came to pafs.'

Mr. Mann understands the latter claufe of ver. 16. thus: The land which thou, Ahaz, vexeft with thy idolatry, that is, the land of Judah, shall be forfaken of both these kings. The fame word is fo tranflated in the fixth verfe of this chapter, and this fenfe feems to be moft agreeable to the fcope of the paffage.

Thus, fays Dr. W, it appears, that the whole prophecy is, in every part, juftly applicable to this child, who was foon afterwards to be born; and he was to be confidered as a pledge or token of divine favour, by his being called Immanuel, God with, or in the midst of us.'

Accordingly he thus tranflates the paffage. "Then he said, Hear ye now, O Houfe of David, is it a final thing with you to weary men, but will you weary my God alfo ? Nevertheless the Lord himfelf will give you a fign, (that is a mark or token of his favour) behold this young woman fhall conceive, and bear a

* In chap. viii. 8. Ifaiah calls the land of Judah the land of Immanuel; that is, the land whose safety was promised and fignified by the birth of the child called Immanuel. This child could not be Chrift, because he is never called the king of Judah. He is the king of the whole earth. Nathaniel, indeed, John, i. 49. called him the king of Ifrael; but he laboured under the fame mistake with all his countrymen, who expected a temporal Meffiah; but this could not be the cafe with the prophet. Ifaiah does not feem to speak of the Meffiah till the 9th chapter. See Dr. Gregory Sharpe's 2d Argument, page 90.'

fon,

fon, (is conceiving and bearing a fon) and call his name Im manuel. Milk and honey fhall he eat, till he fhall know to refufe the evil and chufe the good. But before this child shall know to refufe the evil and chufe the good, the land (of Judah) which thou (Ahaz) vexeft (or troubleft with thy idolatries) fhall be forfaken of both her kings."

The principal objection against this interpretation arifes from St. Matthew's applying the prophecy to our Saviour.

Our author answers; It is not poffible, indeed, to reconcile Matthew ii. 15-23. and, perhaps, fome other paffages in his gofpel, with any particular prophecy, now extant in the Old Teftament. Chap. ii. 23. feems attended with the least difficulties, for there it is faid, a zwv wрopиtwv, "by the pro phets;" that is, though no particular prophet made use of these words, yet they all reprefent Meffiah as a fufferer. The word is not Napar, a Nazarene, but Nalapar, a Nazorite.

'But chap. ii. 15. cannot be vindicated in the fame manner, for the paffage in Hofea, where these words are found, is not a prophecy of a future event, but a declaration of an event long paft; and therefore could not be fulfilled when the child Jefus came out of Egypt.

If these, and the like paffages, cannot be the accomplishment of prophecies; what must be done with them? must the Evangelist be given up? I don't think that at all necessary. Can we suppose, then, that thefe paffages in the Old Teftament are loft; perhaps erafed by the Jews, as Mr. Whiston suspects of fome others, out of enmity to Jefus ; but this could not be for we have not the leaft footsteps of fuch a charge against them, in the paffages referred to by St. Matthew, among all the writers of antiquity. Indeed, they could have no motive to it, till our Saviour was born; and, had they attempted it after. wards, they could not have avoided immediate detection.

In Matthew i. 22, and ii. 15, the words are, iva wangwon To enon," that it might be fulfilled which was spoken." But how can it be faid, that any thing is fulfilled which was not fpoken to be fulfilled? as in chap. ii. 15. or not spoken by a prophet, in the fenfe which it is cited by an evangelift?

Muft we not, therefore, in fuch places, foften the meaning of the verb Anpow, and understand it to fignify an allufion to, or an accommodation (by way of illuftration, not proof) of a paffage to a particular fenfe, to which it originally had no reference ?

"If

The learned Dr. Gregory Sharpe, in his Second Argument in defence of Chriftianity taken from the ancient prophecies, page 348, &c. hath the following judicious obfervations. it be objected, that fuch expreffions as thefe, of fulfilling a prophecy, and that it might be true which was faid by the prophet, feem

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