good proof that the ancient Rabbins explained it of their expected Meffiah *; but their modern expositors concur, I think, in reprefenting it as a defcription of the calamitous ftate and intended restoration of the Jewish people, who are here, as they fay, exhibited under the character of a single perfon. I have not discovered that their expofition refts upon any critical arguments, or upon these in any other than a very minute degree. The claufe in the ninth verse, which we render "for the tranfgreffion of my people was he ftricken," and in the margin" was the ftroke upon him,” the Jews read "for the tranfgreffion of my people was the ftroke upon them." And what they alledge in fupport of the alteration amounts only to this, that the Hebrew pronoun is capable of a plural, as well as of a fingular fignification; that is to fay, is capa ble of their conftruction as well as ours t And * Hulfe Theol. Jud. p. 430. + Bishop Lowth adopts in this place the reading of the Seventy, which gives fmitten to death," for the tranf And this is all the variation contended for: the reft of the prophecy they read as we do. The tranfgreffion of my people was he fmitten to death." The addition of the words "to death," makes an end of the Jewish interpretation of the claufe. And the authority, upon which this reading (though not given by the prefent Hebrew text) is adopted, Dr. Kennicot has fet forth by an argument, not only fo cogent, but fo clear and popular, that I beg leave to transcribe the substance of it into this note. "Origen, after having quoted at large this prophecy concerning the Meffiah, tells us, that having once made ufe of this paffage, in a dispute against fome that were accounted wife among the Jews, one of them replied, that the words did not mean one man, but one people, the Jews, who were fmitten of God, and difperfed among the Gentiles for their converfion; that he then urged many parts of this prophecy, to fhow the absurdity of this interpretation, and that he seemed to press them the hardest by this fentence-" for the tranfgreffion of my people was he fmitten to death." Now, as Origen, the author of the Hexapla, must have understood Hebrew, we cannot fuppofe that he would have urged this laft text as fo decifive, if the Greek version had not agreed here with the Hebrew text; nor that thefe wife Jews would have been at all diftreffed by this quotation, unlefs the Hebrew text had read agreeably to the words "to death," on which the argument principalty depended; for, by quoting it immediately, they would have triumphed The probability, therefore, of their expofition is a fubject of which we are as capable of judging as themselves. This judgement is open indeed to the good fenfe of every attentive reader. The application which the Jews contend for, appears to me to labour under infuperable difficulties; in particular, it may be demanded of them to explain, in whofe name or perfon, if the Jewish people be the fufferer, does the prophet fpeak, when he fays, "he hath borne our griefs, and carried our forrows, yet we over him, and reprobated his Greek verfion. This, whenever they could do it, was their conftant practice in their disputes with the Chriflians. Origen himself, who laboriously compared the Hebrew text with the Septuagint, has recorded the neceflity of arguing with the Jews, from fuch paffages only, as were in the Septuagint agreeable to the Hebrew. Wherefore, as Origen had carefully compared the Greek verfion of the Septuagint with the Hebrew text; and as he puzzled and confounded the learned Jews, by urging upon them the reading "to death" in this place; it feems almost impossible not to conclude, both from Origen's argument, and the filence of his Jewish adverfaries, that the Hebrew text at that time actually had the word agreeably to the version of the Seventy." Lowth's Ifaiah, p. 242. did esteem him ftricken, fmitten of God and afflicted; but he was wounded for our tranfgreffions, he was bruifed for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his fripes we are healed." Again, the defcription in the feventh verfe," he was oppreffed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb to the flaughter, and as a sheep before her fhearers is dumb, fo he openeth not his mouth," quadrates with no part of the Jewish history with which we are acquainted. The mention of the "grave," and the tomb," in the ninth verfe, is not very, applicable to the fortunes of a nation; and ftill lefs fo is the conclufion of the prophecy in the twelfth verfe, which expressly reprefents the fufferings as voluntary, and the fufferer as interceding for the offenders, "because he hath poured out his foul unto death, and he was numbered with the tranfgreffors, and he bare the fin of many, and made interceffion for the tranfgreffors." There are other prophecies of the Old Teftament, interpreted by Chriftians to relate to the gospel hiftory, which are deferving both of great regard, and of a very attentive confideration: but I content myfelf with ftating the above, as well because I think it the cleareft and the strongest of all, as because most of the reft, in order that their value be reprefented with any tolerable degree of fidelity, require a difcuffion unfuitable to the limits and nature of this work. The reader will find them difpofed in order, and distinctly explained, in Bishop Chandler's treatise upon the subject and he will bear in mind, what has been often, and, I think, truly, urged by the advocates of Christianity, that there is no other eminent perfon, to the hiftory of whofe life fo many circumstances can be made to apply. They who object, that much has been done by the power of chance, the ingenuity of accommodation, and the industry of research, ought to try whether the fame, or any thing like it, could be done, if Mahomet, or any other perfon, were propofed as the fubject of Jewish prophecy. : |
