be harder and more oppressive than those which went before it; and it should rule for a long time, and be lifted up more than the cedars of Lebanon. And all the wicked should fly to it, as wild beasts creep into the forest. And it shall come to pass, when the time of its end, that it should fall, shall have approached, then shall be revealed the dominion of my Messiah, who is like a fountain and a vine; and when he has been revealed, he will root out the multitude of its assembly. And as for the fact that thou didst see a lofty cedar which was left of that forest, and that the vine spoke with it words which thou didst hear, this is the explanation: the last leader who shall be left alive when the multitude of his assembly is destroyed, shall be bound, and they shall bring him to Mount Zion, and my Messiah will convict him of all his impious deeds, and will collect and set in his sight all the works of his hosts. And afterwards he will slay him, and will protect the rest of my people who shall be found in the place which I have chosen. And his dominion shall stand for ever, until the world of corruption be ended, and until the predicted times be fulfilled.'1

The Targumists also believe in the final destruction. of the enemies of Israel. According to the view presented in one passage, God will destroy them, and take vengeance on Magog, and so magnify the kingdom of the Messiah.2 Elsewhere Edom, or Rome, is threatened with destruction at the hands of the Persians.3 PseudoJonathan represents the Messiah as a king of the house of Judah, who shall wage war against his enemies, slaughter kings and rulers, and redden the mountains with blood. He takes advantage of the prophecy of

1 Chs. XXXV.-xl.

3 Lam. iv. 22.

2 1 Sam. ii. 10.

4 Gen. xlix. 11.

Balaam to enlarge on the same subject. The Moabites and Amalekites, Gog and all the children of the east, shall perish for ever; and the ships of war from Lombardy and Italy, and the legions from Constantinople, shall fall by the hand of king Messiah.1

Such were the hopes with which an oppressed and persecuted people consoled their misery. In the diviner providence of history their enemies are being gradually vanquished, and turned into friends, by the world-wide humanity and compassion of a far different Messiah.

1 Num. xxiv. 17-20, 24.

CHAPTER XIII.

GENERAL CHARACTER OF THE MESSIANIC REIGN.

It now devolves upon us to look at the Messiah in the exercise of the sovereignty which is to be established by the overthrow of his enemies. But before proceeding to the discussion of the various questions which arise in connection with this subject, we may briefly survey the general character of his government.

We have already quoted the short notice in the Sibylline Oracles, and have seen that, according to the view there presented, the Messiah is to establish a universal peace, relying, not on his own counsels, but on the commandments of God. We have also seen the character of the king as pourtrayed in the Psalms of Solomon. We have only to add a few words as to the nature of his He is to rule over Israel,' 2 and to 'judge kingly office. the tribes of a people sanctified by the Lord his God.'s He is to tend the flock of the Lord in faith and righteousness, and not suffer any to be infirm among them in their pasture.' 'No stranger and foreigner shall dwell any more among them. He will judge peoples and Gentiles in the wisdom of his righteousness; and he shall have peoples of the Gentiles to serve beneath his yoke,' 5 and Gentiles will come from the extremity of the earth

4

1 iii. 652-656.

3 xvii. 28.

2 xvii. 23.

'xvii. 45.

5 xvii. 31, 32.

to see his glory.1 Thus he will bless the people of the Lord in wisdom with gladness.' 2

Fourth Ezra notices in the briefest way the relation of the Messiah to the Jews:-' He will liberate with compassion the rest of my people, who have been saved upon my boundaries, and will gladden them until the end come, the day of judgment of which I spoke to thee from the beginning.' In the Apocalypse of Baruch it is said. that he will preserve alive every people that does not know Israel, and has not trodden down the seed of Jacob; that all nations shall be subjected to Israel; and that when the Messiah has humbled whatever is in the earth, he will sit in peace upon the throne of his kingdom.4 The character of the Messiah's rule is very clearly indicated in the Targums. He is to be a king,' who shall who‘shall hereafter rise and rule in the fear of the Lord.' 5 He' shall prepare his throne in goodness, and shall sit upon it in truth, in the city of David, judging and seeking judgment, and executing truth.' He shall reign and prosper, and execute the judgment of truth and righteousness in the earth. In his days they who are of the house of Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely.' And 'they shall bring tribute to the Messiah of Israel, who shall have dominion over those who are in the wilderness.' 8

Gfrörer appeals to the Targum of Zechariah, vi. 12, 13, as an evidence that in one view the regal and priestly offices were to be united in the Messiah.9 I think, however, that his translation is open to question, and it would have been more satisfactory if he had given the

1 xvii. 34.

2 xvii. 40.

3 xii. 34. See also vii. 28, where the same expression, jucundabit, is used.

4 Chs. lxxii., lxxiii.

6 Isai. xvi. 5.

8 Isai, xvi. 1.

5 2 Sam. xxiii. 3.

7 Jer. xxiii. 5.

9 Jahrh. d. H. ii. S. 345,

whole passage. He renders thus :-"Behold, a man, Messiah is his name he shall sit upon his throne and rule (as king), also he shall be a high priest upon his throne" and so on.' Without omissions the text stands thus: Behold, a man, Messiah is his name, who shall hereafter be revealed and magnified, and build the temple of the Lord. For he shall build the temple of the Lord, and shall bear the weapon [sceptre], and shall sit and rule on his throne; and there shall be a high priest by his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.' The concluding words, which adhere closely to the original Hebrew, show that two persons are intended; and if this be so, the Messiah is expressly distinguished from the priest. The words which I have translated, there shall be a high priest by his throne,'

would of course admit of the other וִיהֵי כָהֵן רַב עַל כּוּרְסוֹהִי

rendering; but the added words, omitted by Gfrörer, appear, both here and in the original, to be decisive.