In this last chapter, the prophet concludes his entire prophecy in general by punishing the perverse and godless customs. He proclaims the captivity and the future salvation. He is anxious for the people. He anxiously does everything to convert the people to the good, as a faithful shepherd is wont to do. He compares himself to a vine dresser or to the one who visits the vineyard and gathers the remains, and still does not find what he desires. This passage is taken from Moses, and so in other passages, Isa. 5, 7. The gatherer or vineyard keeper is the prophet who goes through the people etc. and finds nothing but the wicked.
V. 1. 4) [Oh, I am like one who slackens in the vineyard, where no grapes are found.
4) The following his V. 3. is in the Weimar edition without indication of a verse number still drawn to the introduction of the chapter.
det to eat, and yet would like to have the best fruit]. 5)
As those who gather figs, Autumnus [Herbstl does not stand here. In Amos 6) [Cap. 8, 1. f.] the same word is [XXX]: Behold, a container, as the fattening cattle are gathered together in the container etc. Ficus [figs] or that which is gathered. Similarly, summer also means. [Happened to me] like his who [seeks] grapes in the harvest, that is, I have become like
5) Vulgate: Vuo rniNi, ^uiu taotns suin sicnt <^ui ooHiZit in uutninno ruooinos vindoiniuo: non est dotrns ud ooinoüondnrn, xruoeo^nus üous dosiüoruvit uniinu intzu.
6) In the text, both here and in the Hall manuscript, instead of "Amos" it says: in yet erroneous. What is meant is the passage we have indicated. For in the Zwickau as well as in the Altenburg manuscript this passage is interpreted as follows. In Hosea there is no such passage.
a husbandman and a father of a family who visits his vineyard and wants fruit etc. Notice what is said about the cursed fig tree [Matth. 21, 18. ff.] etc. Quite similarly it is said in Isaiah, Cap. 5, 2: I thought I would find berries and grapes etc. but I have been deceived etc. "Would that there were a good man among them!" So much is missing, that so many berries would be there, that I could squeeze a grape. I desire the firstfruits, that is, I have not found so much that I could give the firstfruits to the priests; hardly do I find that I can eat myself. He understands combs that are full of berries etc. This is not to be understood of the supernumeraries: he finds absolutely nothing but combs of grapes and leaves without grapes etc.
V. 2. [The pious people (sanctus) are gone in this land.]
They are expressive words. "Holy" (sanctus) is he who has obtained mercy. He opposes truth to hypocrisy; [he means one who is] holy before God and righteous in his walk etc. Thus love is extinguished, that each seeks his own, and cares not that his brother perish. They are full of hatred and envy, which takes place where love is not. Each one seeks to drive his brother out of his own property.
Each one chases the other to destroy him. 1)
Mortem, that is, that he banish him (anathema); [this happens when] something is made nothing, and irretrievably. The banished was not loosed, Deut. 27, 28. f. That is, never shall it rise again or flourish again. He does not find the firstfruits, that is, true saints, but hypocrites. He did not want them.
V. 3. and think they do well when they do evil.
Not that they were so extraordinarily foolish that they would have considered the robbery something sacred etc. He is talking about the thoughts and actions of the hypocrites. That is, according to the truth they are not holy, but they are
1) Vulgate: Vir tratrsm suum aä martern venatur.
have the ambition [ to appear holy, they pretend], 2) which is absolutely not according to the truth. Ju that of which they most boast, they are most to be blamed etc. [Matth. 7, 18.:] "They come in sheep's clothing" etc. In Isaiah [Cap. 5, 2O.] it says: "They turn light into darkness" etc. That, in which God has the most abomination, that they praise the most.
What the prince wills, the judge will speak.
The prince demands, and the judge adheres to him in his decisions (adhaeret in reddendo), he collects the new taxes etc. Another sense is this: the prince, any one who is among them, is a promoter, a distresser; they do not serve the commonwealth, they do not protect the good etc. But the judge est in reddendo, that is, he takes gifts. The princes are wolves, the judges unjust, because they judge according to what is given to them; they look to gifts. The judge is after gifts, that is, if you give him, he will give you justice; if you do not give him, he will not give you justice. See the tenth Psalm, which is about the Antichrist.
[The mighty counsel according to their will of courage.]
The great ones order what they want, they do not benefit the people etc.; they corrupt the people spiritually and physically.
[And spin it any way they want.]
[Et conturbaverunt or] perplexem fecerunt, [they have it] "gewirret in each other". So it is written in the 2nd Psalm, v. 3 [: "Let us cast away their cords"], and elsewhere [Ps. 118, 27.]: in condensis. 3) This people is completely without order and law, they do what they want. The people are without law, the princes without fear etc. A proverb:
V. 4. The best of them is like a thorn, and the most upright like a hedge.
"Like a thorn." Are they all evil? etc. Matth. 7, 16. s: "Can one also read grapes
2) Added by us according to the Hall manuscript. In our original the sentence reads: 86Ü kubsnt stuüia, Hua.6 muito minus sunt vsru.
3) Compare the note in the previous paper Col. 1249.
of thorns, and figs of thistles?"] Isaiah [Cap. 7, 24.] says: The land is full of thorns. The ram [Gen. 22, 13.] hung in the thorn hedge. The wicked are everywhere compared to thorns. The hypocrites and the wicked are like thorns; the good, if there are any, are thorns. There are only leaves, that is, words, but no fruits with the hypocrites. He admits that in appearance there are good, but in reality there is no good etc.
But when the day of your preachers shall come, when you shall be afflicted.
[This] speculationis s "the day of your preachers"], that is, you will be searched. The Assyrian king will come and punish as [the land] deserves. That is, I will carefully search out the wicked in the land, I will find them and punish them etc.
Desiderium above [v. 3.] should be pravitatem, XXXX, 1) "misfortune," denotes punishment and guilt, "you struggle for misfortune, you need disgrace." I will include guilt and punishment. Elsewhere it says [1 Kings 21, 21.]: I will bring misfortune upon them, "calamity and shame." In the Psalm [Ps. 91, 3.] it says: et a verbo aspero ["from the harmful pestilence" (XXXX XXX)] that is, from an unfortunate thing, from "misfortune." So it is here: as it pleases him, "he causes misfortune" etc.
V. 5. 6. sNo one believes his neighbor, no one relies on princes; keep the door of your mouth from the one who sleeps in your arms. For the son despises the father, the daughter sets herself against the mother, the cord is again the sister, and man's enemies are his own household.
Christ refers to this passage [Matth. 10, 21. 35. f.]. I understand this passage in this way: with viable and proverbial words he describes the faithlessness in the people, as we say: "There is no more faithfulness on earth." He wants to cause the people to believe neither the princes nor the priests etc. So Christ also cites it in a proverbial way etc.
1) This is how it should be read here, not what our original offers. The interpretation here reaches back into the third verse; but there it is not found.
This is the way of the world; do not be deceived by the false promises of the godless priests and princes etc. Trust in God and His word etc.
["Keep the door of thy mouth",] that is, shut thy mouth, that is, do not believe her. - ["She who sleeps in your arms," that is] a circumlocution for the wife. For so it is written in the world, that the son doeth a foolishness, "doeth a shame, foolishness, mischief." In Act etc. We see this today among brothers for the sake of gold, avarice, advantage, money. Because of money all act exceedingly wickedly. Much less can you hope for princes and lords, for priests, if father and son etc. Now he moves on to the consolations, after having proclaimed the misfortune and the punishment. The threat is directed against the wicked, the consolation to the godly.
V. 7. But I will look to the Lord, and expect the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.
He speaks in the person of all the godly who would like to help for the best, but are unable to do so because the wicked oppress them among whom they dwell. In this calamity I have nothing but to look up to the Lord. With great attentiveness I will wait for him etc. Ps. 5, 4: "I will take heed" etc. Even though I will be punished with the wicked, my God will hear me.
V. 8. Do not rejoice, my enemy, that I am down; I will rise again. And though I sit in darkness, yet the Lord is my light.
I will stand again. These are the consolations of the godly. I am sure that I will be restored, though I am again in tribulation under your captivity. Light is prosperity, darkness is misfortune.
V. 9.2) [I will bear the Lord's wrath, for I have sinned against him].
These are words of the godly who accuse themselves and please GOtte. They
2) Here, Weimar's has no cue, and the new verse number is only at the beginning of the following section.
do not speak of the work of their hands etc. It is incumbent upon us to bear and humbly confess our sin.
He will bring me to the light that I may see my delight in His grace.
That is, he will save me from these tribulations and make me joyful again. [Videbo, that is] delecter, myself will see my "pleasure" when he will justify me and condemn you 1) etc. [Videre, that is to see what I want; to see with pleasure etc.
V. 10. 2) My enemy will have to see it and stand with all the shame that now says to me etc.
"The enemy" is Babel and Assyria. - Operietur confusione, [she will] "put on shame" that says to me etc.
My eyes will see.
That is, I delight in seeing them because I see what I want.
2) That it will then be trampled on like dung in the alley.
[Babel and Assyria. A short verdict and judgment against Babel and Assyria.
V. ii. In that time your walls will be built, and God's word (lex) will go forth (longe flet).
The time when the statute was to be fulfilled has come; when Cyrus, the king of the Persians, defeated Assyria, he gave permission to rebuild the temple. He says this so that the longing for Jerusalem would remain with them. Lex is not the law of Moses, but a statute, orders of the citizens. It is written in the 2nd Psalm, v. 6: "I will preach of such a way", "preach of an ordination", of a new way of living etc. In Proverbs 4) [Cap. 8, 29Z.
1) Our template offers: huando (Erlanger: hua) ras justiüsadsris st ts darnnaNunt ste. Instead we have assumed: Hnando ras justiüeabit st ts äarüimkit.
2) This verse number is missing in Weimar's.
3) The Weimarsche has already here the verse number "11".
4) In our original in the text: ksalmus, Erlanger: xs., and both the Erlanger and the Weimarsche offer in the margin: Ps. 104, 9. But in this passage the word lsx does not occur. Instead of: xs. is to be read xrov.
it says: "He set the goal for the waters" (legem).
[Longe fiet, that isj longabitur, that is, the statute will come far away, namely the order of the Assyrian kingdom. In Job it says [Cap. 12, 18.]: "I dissolve the constraint of the kings", that is, the constitution, the customs, the manners of the kingdom.
V. 12 And in that day shall they come unto thee from Assyria, and from strong cities unto thee, from strong cities unto the waters, from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain.
"From Asshur," that is, from hither and thither, from Assyria and from strong cities, and from Tyre on (so I read) to the waters etc. These are Hebrew ways of speaking. That is, I will build Jerusalem and the temple again, to which all will run from all parts of the world, from different nations, as it happened etc.; that is, from everywhere the people will come together. These are promises, so that in the meantime the godly may be preserved in the fact that God will keep His promise. He indicates the kingdom in the word of promise, even though it is not yet so, 5) so that the godly may be sure that they will be brought back etc.
V. 13 For the land will be desolate.
This refers either to the Assyrians or to the Jews, but I don't like it. I connect it with the preceding, as if he wanted to say: Meanwhile surrender yourselves three, give yourselves "content". Your country must be devastated because you deserve it etc.
V. 14: But you feed your people with your staff.
This I draw to the future Christ, so that he concludes with the kingdom of Christ. You will be caught, you will be brought back again etc. This will actually apply to Christ: Feed, be thou shepherd, thou Christ. ["With your staff",] that is, take the gospel etc. Ps. 2, 9. feed the people that dwell in the forest.
5) In the Weimar: "(reads non stat) sam ita, ut" sts.
And in the field (in medio Carmeli).
Namely, that is where they graze. There are shepherds who lead the sheep out into the woods to feed them. He compares [with this] the church [and says of her] that she is in the midst of the woods, that is, among heathen and wild beasts. She has no other protector; she must trust in heaven. "You take care of him [your people]," for they have no one else. Carmel is a place famous for its abundance of fruit. He wants to say: Feed the people in danger, in the world, like any shepherd in an exceedingly fruitful place, that is, with the words of the Gospel etc.
Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as of old.
Those shall be pastured who never returned siud. [Juxta dies antiquos, that is, juxta dies seculi ["as of old"], in highly praised times. This forces that it must be understood spiritually, from the kingdom of Christ. Therefore it is to be taken according to secret interpretation and spiritually.
V. 15. I will make them see miracles.
The prophet veils and changes the person after the manner [of the prophets], namely: I, the shepherd Christ, will do new miracles, as I did in Egypt etc.
V. 16: That the Gentiles may see, and all their mighty men be ashamed.
This kingdom will extend and wander far. This is not true of the kingdom of Judah, which is not spread out among the Gentiles.
[And put her hand over her mouth.]
That is, those who hear the word of the gospel despise the powers of the flesh. They will not learn to trust in their powers, they will not boast of their powers.
And cover their ears.
Because of the boasting. As if to say, "O be silent, it soundeth not" from our^ righteousness. They will not boast and teach their righteousness after they have known the righteousness of Christ.
V. 17 They shall lick their chests like serpents, and tremble like worms in their holes; they shall be afraid of the Lord our God, and shall be terrified of you.
Another [passage] 1) of the fruits of the word among the Gentiles. That is, they will humble themselves, "thrust their protection into their pockets," will not straighten their necks, looking to the inestimable righteousness of Christ. Like little worms "they will crawl" from their holes or dwellings, they will tremble, Ps. 2, 11. That is, they will think little of themselves against the exceeding great glory of Christ. Therefore they will go out of their holes and nooks in dismay and haste. Such we see [in the worm] when we pass through thorny bushes; so those, having heard of the righteousness of Christ, will flee from their captivity in dismay and with haste, rejoicing in salvation and deliverance etc. They will consider all their own as nothing, but will esteem your righteousness great etc.
V. 18. Where is such a God as you are? Who forgives sin.
The one who remits, or cancels, or turns away ungodliness. Not all will be converted to the gospel. This Christ alone takes away sins.
Who does not keep his wrath forever.
He will not hold his wrath forever. The preaching of Christ's kingdom "will not hold hard," he will not hold hard this wrath because he has mercy zero. This is extraordinarily comforting in temptation, 2) [this can strengthen the] "heart" etc. Even in anger, he has no pleasure in death, but in mercy.
V. 19. He will have mercy on us again.
At the time of grace. "He will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea," that is, he will take them far away from us.
1) According to the Altenburg manuscript, we have added the word io6U8 to uüus. - The following German passage reads in the original: "schütze hu die lasche stosßen".
2) Instead of tbntutionks we have assumed tentution".
1332 L. XXVII, 59-S2. Interpretation of Nahum (1.), preface. W. VI, 3040 f. 1333
He speaks in one likeness. That is, they can never return to plague us, but he will make consciences completely free. 1) He concludes:
We have adopted faciet.
V. 20. [You will be faithful to Jacob and gracious to Abraham, as you swore to our fathers long ago].
For you will fulfill what you have promised. You have promised mercy and blessing to Jacob forever.
So much about Micah.