Israel's coming out of Egypt and the Babylonish cap-
tivity; the second day between that and the times of
Antiochus, which was the third night; then the
third day follewed, which is the times of the Messiah:
but the Fargum comes nearer the truth, which para-
phrases the words thus, "he will quicken us in the
"days of consolation which are to come, and in the
"day of the resurrection of the dead he will raise us
"up ;" where by days of consolation are meant the
days of the Messiah, with which the Jews generally
connect the resurrection of the dead; and if we under-
stand them of the last days of the Messiah, it is not
much amiss; for the words respect the quickening and
raising up of the Jews in the latter day, the times of
Christ's spiritual coming and reign: and these two and
three days may be expressive of a long and short time,
as interpreters differently explain them; of a long
time, as the third day is a long time for a man to lie
dead, when there can be little or no hope of his .re-
viving, Luke xxiv. 31. or of a short time, for which
two or three days is a common phrase; and both true
in this case: it is a long time Israel and Judah have
been in captivity, and there may seem little hope of
their restoration; but it will be a short time with the
Lord, with whom a thousand years are as one day,
and one day as a thousand years: and this I take to be
the sense of the words, that after the second Millen-
nium, or the Lord's two days, and at the beginning
of the third, will be the tinte of their conversion and
restoration, reckoning from the last destruction of
them by the Romans; for not till then were Israel
and Judah wholly in a state of death: many of Israel
were mixed among those of Judah before the Baby-
lonish captivity, and many returned with them from
it; but, when destroyed by the Romans, there was
an end of their civil and church state; which will both
be revived on a better foundation at this period of
time: but if this conjecture is not agreeable {for I
only propose it as-such), the sense may be taken thus,
that in a short time after the repentance of Israel,
and their conversion to the Lord, they will be brought
into a very comfortable and happy state and condition,
both with respect to things temporal and spiritual.
And we shall live in his sight; comfortably, in a civil
sense, in their own land, and in the possession of all
their privileges and liberties; and in a spiritual sense,
by faith on Jesus Christ, whom they shall now em-
brace, and in the enjoyment of the Gospel and Gospel
ordinances; and. the prophet represents the penitents
and faithful among them.as believing and hoping for
these things. This may .be applied to the case of
sensible sinners, who, as they are in their natural state
dead in sin, and dead in law, so they see themselves
to be such when awakened; and yet entertain a secret
hope that sooner or later they shall be revived and
refreshed, and raised up to a more comfortable state,
and 'live in the presence of God, and the enjoyment of
his favonr. The ancient fathers generally understood
these words of Christ, who was buried on the sixth
flay, lay .in the grave the whole seventh day, and after
these two days, on the third, rose again from the
dead; and to this passage the apostle is thought to
have respect, 1 Cor. xv. 3. and also of the resurrection
of his people in and with him, and by virtue of his:
and true it is that Christ .rose from the dead on the
third day, and all his redeemed ones were quickened
and raised up together with him as their head and
representative, Ephes. ii. 5, 6. and iris in virtue of his
being quickened that they are regenerated and quick-
ened, and made alive, in a spiritual sense; he is the
author of their spiritual life, and their life itself; see
1 Pet. i. & and not only in virtue of his resurrection
is their spiritual resurrection from the death of sin
to a life of grace, but even their corporeal resurrection
at the last day; and as, in consequence of their spiritual
resurrection, they live in the sight of God a life of
grace and holiness by faith in Christ, and in a com-
fortable view and enjoyment of the divine favonr;
so they shall live eternally in the presence of God,
where are fulness of joy, and pleasures for evermore:
but the first sense is best, and most agreeable to the
context and scope of it.
Ver. 3. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know
the .Lord, &c.] The word if is not in the original text,
and the passage is not conditional, but absolute; for
as persons, when converted, know Christ, and not
before, when he is revealed to them, and in them, as
the only Saviour and Redeemer, so they continue and
increase in the knowledge of him; they earnestly
desire to know more of him, and eagerly pursue those
means and methods by which they attain to a greater
degree of it; for so the words are, and we shall know,
we shallJbllow on to know the Lord t; that grace, which
has given the first measure of spiritual and experi-
mental knowledge of him, will influence and engage
them to seek after more. The Jews, when they are
quickened, and turn to the Lord, will know him, own
and acknowledge him, as the Messiah,. the only Re-
deemer and Saviour; and will be so delighted with
the knowledge of him, that they will be desirous of,
and seek after, a larger measure of it; and indeed
they shall all know hitn,from the least to the greatest,
when the covenant of grace shall be renewed with
them, manifested and applied to them. The words
may be considered as a continuation of their exhor-
tation to one another from ver. 1. thus, and let us ac-
knowledge, let us follow on to lcnow him {u}; let us own
him as the true Messiah, whom we and our fathers
have rejected; and let us make use of all means to
gain more knowledge of him: or let us follow after
him, to serve and obey him, which is the practical
knowledge of him; let us imitate him, and follow him
the Lamb of God, embrace his Gospel, and submit to
his ordinances. So Kimchi interprets it, to know him;
that is, to serve him; first-know him, then serve him.
His going forth is prepared as the morning; that is,
the Lord's going forth, who is known, and followed
after to be more known; and is to be understood, not
of his going forth in the council and covenant of grace
from everlasting; nor of his incarnation in time, or

{t} \^hwhy ta tedl hpdrn hednw\^ "sciemusque, sequemur ad sciendum
Dominum", Montanus; "& cognoscemus, & persequemur ad cognoscendum
Jehovam", Zanchius; "sciemus persequemur", Liveleus.
{u} "Cognoscamus, sive agnoscamus, & persequamur scientiam Domini",
Schmidt.