and trouble, till the time of their conversion, see Isa.
lxvi. 7, 8. The Jews have a tradition in their Talmud,
that "the son of David would not come until the
"kingdom spreads itseft over the whole world for nine
"months ;'as it is said, therefore will he give them up
"until the time that she that travaileth hath brought
"forth; which is the time ofa woman's going with-
" child." This both Jarchi and Kimchi take notice
of. In one place {} it is called the kingdon of Aram or
Syria; and in another {q} a blank is left for Edom, that
is, Rome; for by the kingdora is meant the Roman
empire, aud which did extend all over the world before
the coming of the Messiah Jesus, as appears from Luke
iS. 1. as well as from all profane history. Then the
remnant of his brethren shall return to the children of
Israel; that is, the brethren of the Messiah, as Kimchi
and Abendana interpret it; who should return with the
children of Israel, as both they and Jarchi explain it;
to which the Targum agrees. Kimchi's note is," the
"remnant of his brethren; they are the tribes of Judah
"and Benjamin, which remained when the ten tribes
" were carried captive ; and the surnames, his brethren,
"relate to the Messiah." So-Abendana {}, "and the
"remnant his brethren; they are the t,ibes of Judah
"and Benjamin, they shall return with the children
"of Israel, who are the ten tribes; as if he should
"say, these and these shall return to their land, and
"King Messiah shall reign over them; and the sur-
"names, his brethren, respect the Messiah." And
to the same purpose R. ISaac {s}, "the remnant of the
"brethren of the Messiah, who are the children of
"Judah and Benjamin, that are left and remain of the
" calamities and persecutions of the captivities, shall
"return to their own !and, together with the children
"of I'srael, who are the ten tribes." Meaning either
the remnant, according to the election of grace, among
the Gentiles; who with those among the Jews should
be converted  to Christ in the first times of the Gospel,
those immediately following the birth of Christ; the
Gospel being preached both to the Jews and Gentiles,-
and some of both were called and converted, and whom
Christ owned as his brethren, and were not ashamed
of; see Matt. xii. 49, 50. Heb. iS. 11. or the Lord's
chosen people, and brethren of Christ, those of,he
two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and those of the ten
tribes of Israel; who shall join and coalesce together
in seeking the Messiah, embracing and professing
him, and appoint'rag him the one Head over them,
when they will turn to the Lord, and all Israel
shall. be saved; see Jet. 1. 4. Hos. i. 11. Rom. xi.
25, 26.
Vet. 4. And he shall stand and feed in the strength of
the Lord, &c.] The ruler in Israel, before described
and prophesied of; the Messiah, as Kimchi himself
interpretsit, and other Jewish writers. KimChi's note
if,, "after the affliction, the King Messiah shall stand
"and feed Israel in the strength of the Lord ;" and so
R. Isaac t paraphrases the words exactly in the same
way: wherefore,. as another learned Jew {u} observes,
these expressions evince that the ruler here spoken of
can be no other than the Messiah; not ZorSbabel, Who
never attained to this height and happiness. He iS
both King and Shepherd, and to each of these the act
of feeding is ascribed. The same word, in the Greek
language, signifies both to rule and to feed. and is used
by Matthew, ch. iS. 6. and kings are often compared
to shepherds. Christ feeds his people, his brethren.
his flock, his sheep, and lambs. all .truly converted.
ones; and this takes in the whole office of a shepherd,.
ú and the care he has of his flock; he takes an exact
account of them, goes before them, and leads them
out into good pastures; sets under-shepherds over
them; protects them from, all their enemies; looks
after what is lost or driven away; heals the sick,
strengthens the weak, binds up the broken, and
watches over his-flock continually: he feeds them.with,
himself, the bread of life, with his flesh and blood,.
which are meat and drink indeed; with the doctrines-
and ordinances of tim Gospel; and which are found
to be spiritual, savoury, strengthening, satisfying, and..
soul-nourishing food.: and he stands and does this,
being raised from the dead, and possessed of all power
in heaven and in earth; which designs not the position
of his body, but the ministration of his office, and his
alacrity and readiness to perform it, and his constancy
in it: and all this in the strength of the Lord; in his
own strength, as a divine Person, which is the same
with the strength of Jehovah; and in the power and
strength that is dispensed to him as Mediator_; and
with his Gospel, the rod of his strength, and in such
manner as to defend his flock from all that would de-
vour them: in the majesty of the name of ,he Lord liis
God.; Jehovah the Father is the God of Christ, as
is Mediator; and his name.is in hi,n, even the majesty
of it; for, as a divine Person, he has the same nature and
perfections with him; and as man, exalted at .his right
hand, has a name above every name in this world, or
th.at to come; and it is by authority from him, in his
office-capacity,' that he .rules and feeds his people,
having all judgment committed to him: and they shall
abide; that is, his people, his flock, his sheep fed and
ruled by him; these shall continue and persevere under
his care and keeping; in him, in whom they are chosen
and preserved; in his love, fi'om which they can never
be separated; in his hands, out of which n. One can
plu.ck them; in his church, where they shall ever re-
main; and so may be considered as a promise of tlie
perseverance of the saints in faith and holiness to the
end: or, they shall sit {w}; quietly and s.ccurely, being
freed from persecution,. with which the Christians were
at,ended in the first three centuries : this began to be
accomplis. hed in the times of Cons,an,ins Chlorus, who
suecoured the Christians in the times of Dioclesian,.
and with whom the persecutions ended, and peace and
prosperity followed: for now shall he be great unto the
ends of the earth; as, he was in the times of Constan--
tine, and' will be again.. Christ is great in himself, in,
his person and offices; and will appear to be so unW


{p} T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 10. 1.
{q} T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 98. 2.
{r} Not. in Miclol Yophi in loc.
{s} Chizzuk Emunah, par. 1. p. 281.
{t} Ibid.
{u} Tanchuma apud Pocock in loc.
{w} \^wbvy\^ sedebunt, Tigurine version, Vatablus, Drusius; considebunt,
Cocceius; so R. Isaac, they shall sit safely in his time, as is said above,
ch. iv. 4. they shall sit every man, &c. Chizzuk Emunah, ut supra.