Interpretation of David's last words, 2 Sam. 23:1-7.)

V. 1. These are the last words of David.

1 He means such last words, on which he wants to die and go away, as one says: Thereby I will leave it and remain forever. For these are not the last words of his life or regiment, but his last will and testament, which we Germans call "Seelrecht" (right of the soul), on which a man wants to die, so that it will happen and remain after his death. Ultima voluntas is what the lawyers call it; a person can live for a long time, talk a lot, do a lot and suffer a lot, but his will and last will always remain firm. So these are also David's last words, that is, his soul's testament, even though he may have spoken, done and suffered much after that; as follows in the text, when he had the people counted and was punished for it, appointed his son as king, built the temple on the foundations of the city.

to build the mountain Moriah, also took a young maiden, Abishag, a 2) Sunamite woman, as his wife, who was supposed to warm him, because none of the other wives were allowed to him after they had been violated by Absalom etc. [1 Kings 1:3.]

David the son of Jesse spoke.

(2) How humbly he looks on; he does not boast of his circumcision, nor of his holiness, nor of his kingdom, but badly, "The son of Jesse"; he is not ashamed of his lowly lineage, that he was a shepherd; yes, that is much more, he confesses his birth, when he came here full of sins, and worthy of death.

2) The words: "Abisag, eine" are missing in the Wittenberg, in the Jena and in Walch. Also in Latin the name Abisag is missing.

as all men are. For he will speak of other things so high, that no nobility nor holiness shall avail, and no misery, neither sin nor death, shall hurt.

The man assured of the Messiah of God Jacob spoke sweetly with Psalms Israel.

(3) Then he goes forth, and boasts exceedingly, but with truth, without all haughtiness. Here David is another man than Jesse's son. This he has not inherited from his birth, nor learned from his father, nor gained by his royal power or wisdom. It was given to him from above, without any merit on his part, so he is happy, praises and gives thanks so heartily. What is it then that he praises? First of all, it is that I am the man to whom God has promised the Messiah of the God of Jacob; that he will come from me, from my blood, tribe and house, I am sure and certain. Not only because God has promised it to me, who is certain and firm in His words and will certainly not lie to me, but also because I firmly believe it, stand firm and immovable on it, as I cannot fail in such faith, and comfortably rely on God's word with all confidence. Therefore I am joyful, willing to live and die as and when God wills. I know where I or my soul will stay and where I will leave it. It shall not float away from me in error or in doubt, nor shall it depart in evil. I have certain assurances from God about His Messiah, so I also have a firm, certain faith.

4 The word Hebrew is not well to give with one word. Constitutum est, says St. Jerome, is close enough. Stabilitus, certificatus, firmatus, gefestiget, I would like to say. But I am averse to new words, so it does not read well here either, gefestiget from Messia etc. I think the epistle Hebr. 11, 1. looks here at the word

XXX, since it speaks: fides est substantia; graece ύποβτασις, which we have translated: "Faith is a certain confidence." There is no other way to say it to a German, if he is to understand it. For faith is, and ought to be, a steadfastness of heart, the

does not waver, shake, tremble, falter or doubt, but stands firm and is sure of his cause. The same word is also found in the saying Isa. 40, 8: "God's word endures forever." "Abide", that is, it holds fast, is certain, does not waver, does not flinch, does not sink, does not fall, does not fail. Where this word comes into the heart with right faith, it makes the heart like it, also firm, certain and sure, so that it becomes so stiff, upright and hard against all temptation, devils, death, and whatever it may be called, that it defiantly and haughtily despises and scorns everything that wants to doubt, tremble, be angry and wrathful, because it knows that God's word cannot lie to it. Such is a stabilitus, substantiatus, constantius, substantificatus,1 ) hypostaticus, certus passive, sicut verbum Domini certum active; like Paulus 2 Tim. 1, 12.: "I know and am certain" etc., 2 Petr. 1, 10.: "Make your profession certain."

(5) So David is one who is sure of the promise, and believes it firmly, that Messiah, whom God promised to the patriarch Jacob (Gen. 49:10).(Gen. 49:10): "The scepter of Judah shall not depart until the coming of Shiloh"), should certainly come from his blood; and the promise of Messiah to Jacob is hereby negated and made clearer in David (as will follow), that henceforth the tribe of Judah is to be left on both sides, and that David's house alone must be looked to, as from it, and no other house in the tribe of Judah, Messiah must come in all certainty. Yet, although the two parts, promise and faith, must be together, for where there is no promise, there can be no faith, and where there is no faith, the promise comes to nothing; Faith, however, is not always equally firm, but is sometimes challenged and weak, but the promise, as the eternal word of God, always remains equally firm and certain for and for; therefore David is primarily called XXX, firm, that he has the firm promise, although he cannot keep or grasp the same without faith, he must also be there. This is said of the first.

6 On the other hand, he boasts: "Lovely with

1) In the Wittenberg, in the Jena, and in Walch: stantiüoatus; in Latin this word is missing.

Psalms Israel"; that is, he did not keep this certain promise of the Messiah with him, or only for himself. For faith does not rest and celebrate, it goes out, speaks and preaches of such a promise and grace of God that other people also come and share it. Yes, with great joy he begins to compose beautiful, sweet psalms, sings lovely, merry songs, so that at the same time he can cheerfully praise and thank God, and also usefully provoke and teach the people. So David also boasts here that he has made many beautiful, sweet, lovely psalms of the promised Messiah, which were to be sung in praise of God in Israel, and have also been sung, in which at the same time also excellent prophecy and high understanding are preached and given to the people of Israel. And since David began such poetry of the Psalms and brought it into pregnancy, many others were enlightened by it and awakened to be prophets, who also helped and made beautiful Psalms, such as the children Korah, Heman, Assaph etc.

(7) For he does not mean only the sweetness and sweetness of the Psalms according to grammatica and musica, where the words are graceful and artificial, and the song or tone is sweet and lovely, that is, beautiful text and beautiful notes, but rather according to theologia, according to the spiritual understanding, where the Psalms are quite sweet and lovely, because they are comforting to all sorrowful, miserable consciences, which are in the anguish of sins, and death torment and fear, and all kinds of distress and misery. To such hearts the Psalter, because it sings and preaches the Messiah, is a sweet, comforting, lovely song, even if one reads or says the mere words without notes. But the musica or notes, as a wonderful creature and gift of God, helps very well, especially when the crowd sings along and is very serious. For we read of the prophet Elisha, 2 Kings 3:15, that he awakens the spirit of prophecy in himself through the playing of the psaltery (since the psaltery was played according to the order of David); just as David often chases away the evil spirit of Saul with his playing of the psaltery, or prevents or weakens it, we read in 1 Sam. 16:23. For the evil spirit does not like it when one sings or preaches God's word in the right faith.

He is a spirit of sadness, and cannot remain where a heart is spiritually joyful (that is, in God and His Word); of which St. Anthony also says that spiritual joy hurts the devil.

But he calls his psalms "Israel's psalms" and does not want them to be his own or to have the glory of them alone, but Israel is to confirm them and judge and recognize them as his own. For it is important that the people of God or God's people accept a word or song and recognize it as right, because the spirit of God must be in such a people, who wants to be honored in his people. This is how we Christians speak of our psalmists. St. Ambrose made many beautiful hymnos ecclesiae, called hymns of the Church, because the Church accepted them and uses them as if she had made them and they were her songs. Therefore, one does not say: Thus sings Ambrose, Gregory, Prudentius, Sedulius, but, thus sings the Christian church. For they are now the church's songs, which Ambrosius, Sedulius etc. sing with the church, and the church with them, and when they die, the church remains, singing their songs forever. So David wants to call his psalms "Israel's psalms", that is, the psalms of the church, which has the same spirit that made them through David, and sings them continually, even after David's death. He felt in his spirit that his psalms would remain forever, as long as Israel or God's people would remain, that is, until the end of the world; as has happened until now, and will happen. That is why they should be called "Israel's Psalms".

V. 2. The Spirit of the Lord has spoken through me. And his speech has been through my tongue.

(9) Here David wants to become too strange for me, and to go too high; God grant that I may attain it a little; for here he begins to speak of the high holy trinity of divine being. First, he mentions the Holy Spirit, to whom he gives everything that the prophets prophesy. And on this and similar sayings St. Peter 2. ep. 1, 21. sees: "No prophecy has ever been produced by human will, but the Holy Spirit is the source of all prophecy.

The holy men of God have spoken by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, in the article of faith 1) one sings of the Holy Spirit thus: "Who has spoken through the prophets." So now one gives to the Holy Spirit the whole holy scripture, and the outward word and sacrament, so that our outward ears and senses are moved or moved; for also our Lord Christ Himself gives His words to the Holy Spirit, as He speaks Luc. 4, 18. from Is. 61, 1.: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, therefore He has anointed me" etc. and Matth. 12, 18. from Is. 42, 1.: "Behold, this is My servant, whom I have chosen. I will put my spirit upon him"; and Luc. 1, 35.: "The Holy Spirit overshadows Mariam", stirs her, takes her blood and makes her pregnant, so that the Lord says: "conceived by the Holy Spirit."

(10) What a glorious, arrogant arrogance this is! He who may boast that the Spirit of the Lord speaks through him, and that his tongue speaks the word of the Holy Spirit, must of course be very sure of his own things. This will not be David, son of Jesse, born in sins, but he who is raised to be a prophet by God's promise. Should he not make sweet psalms who has such a master who teaches him and speaks through him? Hear now who has ears to hear! My words are not my words, but he who hears me hears God, he who despises me despises God [Luc. 10, 16]. For I see that 'many of my descendants shall not hear my words, to their great hurt. Neither we nor anyone who is not a prophet may lead such fame. This we may do, provided we are holy and have the Holy Spirit, that we may boast ourselves catechumens and disciples of the prophets, as those who repeat and preach what we have heard and learned from the prophets and apostles, and are certain that the prophets taught them. These are called in the Old Testament the "prophets' children," who do not set anything of their own nor new, as the prophets do; but teach what they have from the prophets, and are "Israel," as David says, to whom he makes the Psalms.

1) That is, in the Nicene Creed.

V. 3. The God of Israel has spoken to me, the refuge of Israel has spoken, the righteous ruler among men, the ruler in the fear of God.

Now we have three speakers. David says above [v. 2] that the Spirit of the Lord spoke through his tongue; thus the person of the Holy Spirit is clearly indicated to us Christians. What Turks, Jews and other godless people believe, we do not respect. Thus we have heard that the outward effect is attributed to the Holy Spirit in the Scriptures and in our faith, since He speaks, baptizes and rules with us bodily through the prophets, apostles and church ministers. Therefore these words of David are also of the Holy Spirit, which he speaks through his tongue from two other speakers. What then does he speak of them? First, he speaks of the God of Israel, who spoke to David, that is, promised him. Now who God is, this speaker, we Christians know from the Gospel of John, namely, it is the Father, who spoke in the beginning, Gen. 1, 3: "Let there be light"; and His word is the person of the Son, by whose word all things were made, Jn. 1, 3. The same Son is called by the Spirit through David here XXX, the "stronghold of Israel, and righteous ruler over men". He also speaks, that is, the Holy Spirit introduces the guardian Israel that he also speaks. So all three persons speak, and yet is One Speaker, One Promiser, One Promise, as it is one God.

12) Just as the outward effect of God on man is assigned to the Holy Spirit, so it is the quality of the Son that He became man, a Lord and Judge over all men, and is set over all creatures, as Psalm 8:5-7 sings: "What is man, that you remember him, and the Son of man, that you visit him? Thou hast made him lack a little time of God, but with honors and ornaments thou hast crowned him. Thou hast made him ruler over the work of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet." It is not yet a threefold dominion, or three rulers, but One Ruler and One Dominion, which the Father has given to the Son, yes, to man and man's child, no doubt not in such a way that He excludes Himself and the Holy Spirit from it.

I have closed. Nevertheless, it is and is called man's dominion, which God gives him. Therefore, the same man who is called ruler here must be true God, because he possesses God's kingdom and is therefore equal to God in the unified rule. For God does not leave or give His honor or His own kingdom to anyone else; as He says in Exodus 20:3: "You shall have no other gods before Me," and Isaiah 42:8: "I will not give My honor to anyone else, nor My glory to idols." But now he gives his glory and kingdom to this man and to the Son of man, that is, he subjects everything that is made to him, as he himself has it under him: so the same man must be neither another God nor an idol, but the true, natural God with the Father and the Holy Spirit. If we have time and grace, we will discuss more such sayings hereafter, especially in the Psalter.

Now let us work out these words of David beforehand, wherein he finely confesses the two highest articles, that in God there are three distinct persons, and that the one, the Son, should become man, and receive the kingdom and glory from the Father above all things, and that the Holy Spirit should write these things in men's hearts by faith, who also proclaimed them beforehand by the bodily mouth and tongue of the prophets. This is not the work of men or angels, because it is not the work of men or angels to promise these things beforehand and to create faith in the hearts of men afterwards. It is God's gift (says St. Paul [Eph. 2, 8]) such faith, which the Holy Spirit works and gives.

(14) It is also not for everyone to notice and read the divine three persons differently in the Scriptures and Psalms; for where a carnal mind comes upon these words, he reads them one after another, as they are written: "The Spirit of the Lord has spoken through me, the God of Israel has spoken to me, the Lord of Israel has spoken, the righteous ruler among men" (2c), and do not think otherwise, it is all spoken by God, as by One Person, with many other words; or fall into the Jewish blindness, since they make David such a righteous ruler and ruler in the fear of God, and the promise in

The commandment and the laws are reversed, that he who wants to rule over men should be just and godly, when David so devoutly and heartily boasts that these are words of promise from the Messiah of the God of Jacob, and not commandments over worldly lords.

(15) It would be the same for him in the other Psalm, since the three persons speak differently, as three different speakers. God the Father speaks [Ps. 2, 6]: "I have set my king on my holy mountain." This king is certainly another person of yours who sets him as king. Now it follows quickly, "I will preach from the way," which reads as if it were still the Father, and so reason would read it, if it were the King, the Son, as follows [v. 7.]: "The Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee." That the same is a man is certain; for he shall preach, and be Messiah, as he says in the other verse: "They rage against the Lord and his Messiah." But that he is God is proved by the fact that the Father says, "Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee"; as we Christians well know. Item, that he gives him the whole earth as his own, with Gentiles, and what is in it, which is just as much as God's own kingdom. Item, he commands, v. 12: "They shall kiss the Son" or worship him, serve him with fear, and curses that "blessed are all those who trust in him", which belongs to God alone. Whether they do not all obey him according to the Gospel, nothing breaks off his rule over all creatures. Whoever will not be under him with grace must be under him with disgrace. He who will not reign with him must (like his enemies) be his footstool. He is judge over the living and the dead. Do you think that the Turk, the Pabst, the Jews and all the wicked people of the world and the devils will not want his grace, but will rage against it, so they will escape his power? They will certainly find out. For "God mocks them in heaven, and will speak to them in his wrath" [v. 4]. Summa, he is Lord, and remains Lord, as far as God himself is Lord, for he has given him dominion over everything; the power is certain, and remains well. Woe to him who does not accept it with grace, he will find it with wrath forever.

(16) Now here we have two distinct persons, the Father and the Son; so the Holy Spirit is without that, who made and spoke such Psalm 1) of the Father and the Son, introduced with their words, 2). Thus the distinct Trinity of Persons is in One inseparable Divine Being, and that the Son is Man and Messiah confesses, as it is confessed in the last words of David. A carnal heart runs over, or thinks that David made it as a pious man, of himself or others; as the blind Jews do; but David will not suffer the words to be ascribed to him. They are funny, lovely "Psalms Israel" (he says), but I did not make them, but "the Spirit of the Lord has spoken through me". And how could flesh and blood, reason and human wisdom speak of such high, incomprehensible things? It is vain foolishness and vexation before it.

17) But to confirm this opinion of David, that he believed as said and died on it, let us take before us the words on which he based himself, and from which he made such lovely psalms, which are found in 2 Sam. 7:12 ff. 1 Chron. 18:10 ff. and read thus:

[And the Lord hath declared unto thee, that the Lord will build thee an house; and when thy days be expired, and thou shalt return unto thy fathers, I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons. And I will establish his kingdom, and he shall build me an house, and I will establish his throne for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. And I will not turn away my mercy from him, as I turned it from him that was before thee; but I will set him in mine house and in my kingdom for ever; and his throne shall be established for ever.

1) In the original: "such psalms", that is: such psalm.

2) "introduced with their words" that is: in which father and son are introduced speaking. - Cruciger offers: kos psatmos, but here only the second Psalm is spoken of.

18) The first part, where he says: "The Lord proclaims to you that the Lord will build you a house", is clearly said about the house of David, that his children shall possess the scepter of Judah up to Messiah; as enough is said about this in that booklet about the Jews. 3) And here again we find the three persons in God; first of all the Holy Spirit, who speaks through the prophet Nathan, as we have seen above.

[§ 9] heard that the holy Scriptures are spoken by the Holy Spirit, according to the saying of David, "The Spirit of the Lord hath spoken by me." In the same way he speaks through all the prophets. Further, the Holy Spirit introduces the person of the Father in his speech, saying, "The Lord proclaimeth unto thee." And immediately after, the person of the Son, saying, "That the Lord will build thee an house." And yet there is one God and Lord, who speaks through Nathan, and David proclaims, and builds his house; all three One Speaker, One Proclaimer, One Builder. Whether such a difference of the persons is not seen by everyone's reason in the Scriptures, there is nothing to it. I know well how they gloss over this and similar words, the wise men who master the Holy Spirit.

(19) But where you find in the Scriptures that God speaks of God as if he were two persons, you may boldly reason that there three persons are indicated in the Godhead. As, here in this place the Lord speaks, that the Lord will build David a house. Item, Gen. 19, 24: "The Lord rained fire and brimstone from the Lord" etc. For the Holy Spirit is not a fool, nor a drunkard, that should speak one tittle, much less one word, in vain. Now if the Lord (that is, the Son) rains fire and brimstone from the Lord (that is, from the Father), then at the same time there is the Holy Spirit, who speaks such things through Abraham, or whoever it was, from the two Lord. Nevertheless, they are all three One Lord, One God, who rains fire and brimstone. We will hear more of such examples hereafter.

020 And the other piece, when he saith, When thy days be expired, and thou shalt go unto thy fathers, I will raise up thy seed after thee.

3) That is: in the writing "Of the Jews and their lies". Walch, St. Louis Edition, Vol. XX, 1902, § 96 ff.

awaken" etc. Here the right text is about Messiah. For such cannot be said of Solomon, much less of another son of David; it must be the right some son of David, Messiah, who was to come after the scepter of Judah. "He shall build me an house," he says, "and I will confirm his kingdom forever." This house cannot be the temple of Solomon. Because hard before it [1 Chron. 18, 4. 5.] he says: "You shall not build me a house for a dwelling. For I have not dwelt in any house since I brought the children of Israel out of Egypt." And Solomon himself 1 Kings 8:27: "Do you think that God will dwell on earth? Behold, heaven and all the heavens may not comprehend thee; how then shall this house which I have built?" But even more powerfully says Isaiah, Cap. 66, 1: "Thus saith the Lord, Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What then is this house that ye will build me? or what is the place where I shall rest?"

21) Here God rejects with expressed words the great devotion of the Jews, who boasted of the temple, as if they built God a house, and did God great service with it, became proud, stiff-necked prophet murderers, yet God here confesses that he does not want to look at the temple, but a humble, afflicted spirit, which is afraid of his word [Is. 66, 2.], yes, that shall be his temple and rest; rejects also there all sacrifices and services of the temple, since he speaks, v. 3.: "He that killeth an ox is even as he that killeth a man. He who sacrifices a sheep is as one who breaks a dog's neck. He who offers a grain offering is as one who offers an offering of sow's blood. He that offereth incense is as one that offereth iniquity," that is, idolatry, "praise." For God did not have the temple built so that they would proudly despise His word and sacrifice much to sanctify themselves, but "that His name", not He Himself, "should dwell there" (as the Scripture says everywhere), that is, they should hear His word there and call upon Him, so that He would be honored. So they wanted the glory and honor of having such a temple, and beat the prophets to death for the sake of God's word.

(22) Therefore this house of God, which Messiah, David's son and God's son, is to build, must be a much greater and more glorious house. For, you yourself calculate, if God is to dwell in this house, it must be much greater and more glorious, neither heaven nor earth, because He is so great that heaven is His chair on which He sits, and earth is His footstool. What room is left here, where his head, breast, and arm may dwell? That it is well said, What house of stone and wood would ye build me for a dwelling, if heaven and earth were far, far too strait for me? Of this house the Holy Scriptures, especially the New Testament, teach us, and it is called the Holy Christian Church, as far as the world is; not only that, but also an eternal house, which abides and lives forever, since God eternally dwells, rules, and keeps house within it. This wants to become a little house and temple!

23 Now let us look at the carpenter or builder of this house. He is to be a man and David's son, as the text says, "one of your sons"; and yet he is to build a house of God that is better and more glorious than heaven and earth, and that will endure forever. Where will he get the art and power? This cannot be neither man's nor angel's art or power. For angels cannot create heaven or earth, not even the smallest creature, much less man. Therefore, this house's carpenter must be a real true God, who has the right power of divine nature to create heaven and earth, and much better, that is, he must be an almighty God, and yet is not the person who says of him: "I want to be his father, and he shall be my son, and he shall build me a house. Here the persons are tremendously and clearly distinguished, as father and son, and as master builder and master of the house. Nor can there be two gods, or the son be another and strange god. For the first commandment does not suffer it, saying, "Thou shalt not have other gods beside me"; and Deut. 6:4, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord," or God.

(24) Thus we have heard above [§ 9. 16]: Where the Scriptures speak of the two Persons of the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit, the third Person, is also with them, who does this through the

The prophets say that in this place it is thoroughly and powerfully proven and testified to a believing heart 1) that God, the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth, is certainly one true God, and apart from Him no other God can be 2) and yet is three different persons, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; so that only the Son became man and David's son. And for this reason, no doubt, the people of Israel were so severely commanded that they should not worship more than One God, so that they would not be offended when Messiah came and preached and believed for God, just as if he wanted to teach against Moses more than One God, or a foreign God, but to keep their ears and hearts still, to be taught how the first commandment of One God was to be understood correctly and thoroughly. Follows:

[1 Chron. 18, 14.] And I will set him in my house and in my kingdom forever.

25 What is this? Here let us hear. Hans shall be and remain eternal, as it is also said above [§ 22], therefore the master must also be eternal, and have an eternal divine power. Here he speaks further to David: "The house, which my son and your son shall build for me, he shall also be the master of the house inside, as well as I. He shall be like me in every way. He shall be like me in one house. I will put him in it, and he shall have it as myself. Now we have heard that this house of God is greater, better, and more glorious than heaven and earth. Now if David's son Messiah is master and ruler of this house, he is surely also master and ruler of heaven and earth, and much more and better. For he who is the master of this house, like God Himself, is certainly much more, 3) also the master of heaven and earth, like God Himself; but no one can be, except the one and only God, Creator of heaven and earth. From this it follows that Messiah, David's natural son, must be real true God, and not a foreign God. For,

1) "und bezeuget" is missing in the Erlanger.

2) "GOtt" is missing in the Erlanger.

8) Cruciger: rriulto plun's ipsa üoiuo. The Wittenberg and the Jena understood it the same way and therefore a comma after "much more". The Erlangen offers: "vielmehr auch" etc.

As I said, God does not allow a foreign god to be lord in his own house; he must and will have his honor and authority himself, and leave it to no one else. This should be clear enough that Messiah, David's son, is a lord and king in God's own kingdom, or equal to God; for it is certain that God speaks of Messiah there.

But if someone wants to Judaize, and these words "my house", "my kingdom", point to the temple in Jerusalem and to the people of Israel, he should do it without me for himself, because I know very well that God calls the temple his house, Is. 56, 7: "My house is a house of prayer", as Christ introduces this Matth. 21, 13. Luc. 19, 46. 2c, and Israel is called his kingdom, Ex. 19, 6: "You shall be my priestly kingdom" (but it says, "if you obey my voice and keep my covenant"). Also I know that God says Ezek. 18, 4. says: "The father's soul is mine as well as the son's soul." Yes, I know that the wine I drink and the bread I eat is also called his bread and wine; and what is there in heaven and earth that is not his? as he says Isa. 66, 1: "Heaven is my chair, the earth my footstool; what house will you build for me? Has not my hand made all this, and is all ready there?" that is, if I had not made heaven and earth before, where would you take lime, stones, wood, iron, and what belongs to the building? Is it not all mine before? Where did you get it? What did you work on it? Yes, who and white are you yourselves? Am I not your creator? So David also confesses in his beautiful praise, when he says about the supplies to build the temple, 1 Chron. 30, 11: "It is all yours, O Lord, and we offer you what we have received from your hands.

27 He also speaks of the sacrifice of this temple, Ps. 50:13: "What will you sacrifice to me? "Do you think I must eat beef and drink goat's blood?" Where did you get your sacrifices, ox, sheep, goats? Is it not all mine before? What are all the oxen, sheep, and all that go to 4) pasture on all the face of the earth? Have I them

4) Wittenberg and Jena: an.

Not created without all your help? Where would you take them as an offering to me, if I had not given them to you first? This is what is said: I must not have any of your sacrifices, and you must not think that you serve me with them, as if I had to have them and could not do without them; but this is the opinion that you should recognize and confess through such sacrifices how you have everything from me that you are and have, and thus honor, praise and glorify me [as] your God and Creator. Yes, for the sake of the cause I let it be called my sacrifices for a time. Where the cause is out, the sacrifice is nothing.

028 As I have called the temple my house, not that I should dwell therein, nor that ye should minister therein unto me: but for your sakes I have called it my house, that ye should pray therein, and praise me, and call upon me: for it shall not be my dwelling house, but your house of prayer; yea, it shall be called a house of prayer. Now for my sake it cannot be called a house of prayer, for I have no one to worship or call upon but God, whom I have no need of. Wherever my house is needed other than a house of prayer, it is a murderer's pit and not my house; as those who think they are doing me great service by building me a house want to be praised for it, and have the honor of such work and building, as if they had earned great favor with me. Then such a house must be destroyed, ruined and destroyed as the most shameful pit of murder, which is no longer my house, but the devil's own hell.

29. Now whoever, according to such a mind, wants to understand these words "my house", "my kingdom", as 26] said, of the temple and the people of Israel in this place, must also take it upon himself to prove with good, strong reason how the temple at Jerusalem and the people of Israel in the land of Canaan have always remained for and for, even now and until then, since the time of David, because the text here clearly states: David's house shall remain forever, and David's son, Messiah, shall sit in God's house and kingdom forever. We Christians must confess that we cannot prove this, as we know that God's house, the Temple at Jerusalem, was in ashes at 1500 years.

David's house and kingdom and the people of Israel have not been anything for 1500 years, nor have they had a regiment or kingdom in the land of Canaan, and we must stick to our previous understanding that the words "my house" and "my kingdom" must mean the eternal kingdom of God, where he wants to dwell and rule forever, which his son and David's son, Messiah, should build by his almighty divine power and wisdom. Let us hear David himself, how he understood these words. Thus it is written in 1 Chron. 18:16:

When Nathan had spoken all these words to David, David the king came and sat before the Lord, saying, "What am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?

30 Here David indicates that he understood the words well, since God promised him through Nathan: "I will be his father, and he shall be my son; I will set him in my house, and in my kingdom forever." Therefore he says, "What am I? What is my house, that thou bringest me hither?" It is too high and too glorious a thing that you promise me, that my house, I, my son, should come to sit in your own 1) eternal kingdom, to be Lord and King? O Lord God, where are you taking me? He cannot tell for great wonder, and calls it "until then". Whither, whither, my dear God? If I (that is, my flesh and blood) am to sit like you in your eternal kingdom, then my flesh and blood, my son and your son, will have to be right true God, who sits like you. Ah GOtt, where are you taking me? Follows:

V. 17. You have looked upon me as in the likeness of a man, who is God the Lord on high.

Almost all other Hebrew scholars interpret much differently here; however, some, such as Bernhard Ziegler, 2) give me evidence that it may be

1) "own" is missing in the Erlanger. Cruciger: in illo tno soüns ssrnpitsrno reZno.

2) Bernhard Ziegler, Hebrew professor at Leipzig. Walch, St. Louis edition, vol. XX, 2106, p. 18S. On October 10, 1543, he was promoted to DoctorDe Wette, vol. VI, p. 349.

and should be interpreted according to the Grammatica as I have now translated it. Herewith David clearly confesses that his son, Messiah, should certainly be a right man, in all form, manner and measure like another man, Phil. 2, 7, and yet above and on high, where no man-wise, but only God is and rules, he should be God, the Lord. This, I say, is clearly the opinion of David, spoken out in dry words. Therefore he says above [v. 14.], Whither, whither, dear God, dost thou bring me? And here: Why do you consider me unworthy, that my son should be king in your eternal kingdom? He understands well that in God's eternal kingdom, being king is not due to anyone but a true God. Since the Son of David is a man, and another person than the Father, who places him in his kingdom, and yet cannot be two, or more than one true God, David hereby concludes that his son, Messiah, must be a true, natural God, and yet not another God than the Father, but another person in the same unified, undivided Godhead, and the Holy Spirit, who speaks of the Father and Son as true God through Nathan and David, is the third person in the same unified Godhead.

This is the doctrine and faith of the New Testament, namely, that Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Son of David and the Virgin Mary, is a true man, the natural and eternal Son of God, one God with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and three distinct persons. Because David's words in this place gladly give such understanding, according to all kinds of Hebrew language, we Christians should neither seek nor respect any other understanding in it, but consider this [for] the only right understanding, all other interpretations for human futile conceit. The New Testament cannot be missing, so also the Old Testament, where it rhymes and is similar to the New.

33. may you ask here: If the words of David and Nathan so clearly give the article of the deity of Christ, how is it that neither the holy fathers, nor any other teacher, have seen or ever touched such a thing, and you new, young Hebrews

Why do the rabbis of the Jews not see it? Answer: The Hebrew language was little and poorly known after the time of the apostles. [The dear fathers and teachers were content with the New Testament, in which they have such things and all things abundantly and superfluously. But the prophets and apostles saw it well, as we shall hear hereafter. But that the rabbis do not see, it is quite true. 1) For he that is blind shall see nothing, as Isaias, Cap. 6, 10, saith of them, "With eyes that see ye shall be blind." Whoever has to learn from them will also become blind, certainly. Indeed, we ourselves would not see it either, if we "could not, enlightened by the New Testament, see rightly under the eyes of the Old. For without the New Testament, the Old is obscured, 2 Cor. 4:3, 4.

34) Behold our times, when we preach of the grace of Christ against the presumptuous works and holiness of our own, how many there are who see it, or receive it with earnestness? What is lacking? It is so brightly preached, taught, read, written, sung, painted, and practiced in all ways, that wood and stone should understand it, if they had a little sense: yet not pope, kings, princes, bishops, scholars, lords, nobles, citizens, peasants, see it, but pass by, blind with seeing eyes, deaf with hearing ears; for their heart is not at home, and stands elsewhere. So the prophets in their time prophesied of Christ clearly enough, that he should be God and Lord over all, as David does here. But few believed or respected it, the others were blind and deaf to it, followed their hearts and their conceit. It is called mystery, secret, and remains mystery. Whoever understands it and is serious about it, gives thanks to God, and does not turn to the other great heap of despisers.

35 Do you not think that Isaiah read this text of David with diligence, when he says, Cap. 9, 6. 7: "A child is born to us, a son is given to us, and his dominion is established.

1) Cruciger: iä sans rsets st msrito 6t - it certainly serves them right.

2) Thus the Wittenbergers and the Jenaers. Erlanger: serious.

His name is called Wonderful, Counselor, God, Hero, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, that his dominion may be great, and there be no end of peace, upon the throne of David and his kingdom, that he may establish it and strengthen it with judgment and righteousness from henceforth even for ever"? Here Isaiah takes the word out of Nathan's mouth, when he prophesies of Messiah that he shall be an everlasting king and father in the kingdom of God, and he also calls him God: for the word El, according to the letter, means power; but when it is a proper name (as here), it is called God, through all Scripture, who alone has power; as both Jews and Hebrews must confess.

Isaiah agrees with David and the New Testament that Christ is an eternal king and true God; therefore his kingdom must be a divine, eternal kingdom on the throne of David etc. For he especially moved the word "eternal kingdom", since God speaks to David through Nathan: "I will place your son in my kingdom forever", and feels well that this is spoken (as David speaks) of a man who must be on high El, that is, God. For to possess the eternal kingdom of God and to be king in it cannot be of a bad man, nor can it be a transient, temporal, earthly kingdom, which has an end, and the king must die with his children after him; but here the Son of David shall be an everlasting king in the everlasting kingdom of God, and, as Isaiah agrees, of peace no end; and he, the Son of David, the child that is born and given unto us, shall be an everlasting father and prince of peace, from henceforth even for ever. Therefore he must be God or El, who by his divine power can give and maintain such eternal peace.

37) Such eternity of the kingdom of Messiah is shown by Isaiah in more places than Cap. 51, 4. 5: "Take heed to me, 1) my people; hear me, my people. For from me shall go forth a law, and my judgment will I set for the light of the nations. My righteousness is near, and my salvation is gone forth," And soon.

1) "me" is missing in the Wittenberg, the Jena and the Erlangen. In the Latin it is expressed.

Then, v. 6: "My salvation shall endure forever, and my righteousness shall have no end." This is the eternal righteousness, of which Daniel also says, Cap. 9, 24: "Seventy weeks are determined, that eternal righteousness should come," and is Messiah, as all ancient Hebrews understood it. "Eternal righteousness" but and salvation cannot be a bad man nor angel, but must be God Himself; and yet David's Son, natural man, and another person of Him who speaks of Him, calling Him "my salvation, my righteousness." The third person is the Holy Spirit, who speaks such things of the two. So the New Testament also calls him, 1 Cor. 1, 30.: "Jesus Christ became to us from God a wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption." This rhymes with 2) Isaiah, and Isaiah with Paul.

38. item, Isaiah 60, 19. 20.: "The sun shall no more shine unto thee by day, neither shall the brightness of the moon shine unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God shall be thy glory. Thy sun shall go down no more, neither shall thy moon lose her light: for the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and the days of thy sorrow shall be at an end." Here it is clear that our eternal light is to be the Lord and our God Himself, and one Lord speaks of another; indeed, throughout the whole chapter it is not Isaiah who speaks, but the Lord, and says here: "The Lord shall be your everlasting light." Who is the Lord who speaks this? Without doubt God the Father. Who is the Lord of whom he speaks, "The Lord will be your eternal light"? Without a doubt God the Son, Jesus Christ. For here is written the great name of God, Jehovah, which we write in our Bible with these great letters, Lord, as distinguished from the other names. Who is it then that speaks these things through the tongue of Jehovah? Undoubtedly God the Holy Spirit, who speaks through the prophets, introducing the person of the Father, speaking of the eternal light, that is, of His Son, Jesus of Nazareth, David's and Mary's Son.

39. such an eternal light, yes, such a lord, can

2) "with" is missing in the Erlanger.

Nor can he be a bad angel or a bad man. And in this Isaiah's prophecy agrees with the New Testament, because our Lord Jesus Christ often calls Himself a light, Joh. 1, 4. 5.: "The life was the light of men, and the light shone into the darkness, but the darkness did not understand it. Because this rhymes with the New Testament, Isaiah's prophecy should be understood joyfully, and not differently from Jesus Christ, who has not prepared a kingdom for us under this sun and moon, which is passing away, but wants to be our eternal light, sun and moon, life and salvation, as he says above, Cap. 51, 6: "Lift up your eyes to heaven, and look down on earth! Heaven shall pass away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die as nothing: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall have no end.

40 Dear, tell me, can this and the like sayings also suffer the Jews' great understanding of their Messiah, who is to be a mortal, worldly king at Jerusalem, on earth? because God here holds His Messiah against heaven and earth, and says: "(The) heaven shall pass away like smoke (that will not happen without fire, 2 Pet. 3, 12.), the earth shall decay like an old garment, men shall die away like nothing. But his salvation, which is near (he says), his righteousness," which has gone forth, "shall abide forever," and be an everlasting light; for he is the Lord himself, and your God. Here you see if Isaiah understood the words of Nathan, 1 Chron! 18, 13, where he introduces God: "I will be his father, and he shall be my son; I will set him in my kingdom forever." And David's words, 1 Chron. 18, 17. where he says: "You have looked upon me as in the likeness of a man who is God the Lord on high"; and 2 Sam. 7, 19.: "This is a manner of a man who is the Lord the Lord", ubi Latinus1 ) habet: Ista est lex Adam, Domine Deus; et nihil significat [where the Latin has: "This is the law of Adam, O HErr GOtt", and gives no understanding).

41 Let us also see Daniel, who says

1) I,Ltinu8, that is, the Vulgate.

Cap. 7, 13. 14.: "I saw in the night vision, and behold, there came one in the clouds of heaven like the Son of man unto the Ancient of days, and was brought before him, and gave him power, and glory, and kingdom, that all nations and people and tongues should serve him. His power is eternal, which does not pass away, and his kingdom has no end." Christians can and do understand this saying, but let us also see how it rhymes with the New Testament. A man child he sees in the clouds; no doubt that his kingdom shall not be earthly, transitory, nor temporal, but heavenly and one, as he speaks, "The Ancient of days," that is, God the Father, "gave him dominion over all things, and his dominion shall be eternal, and have no end." This eternity or everlasting realm cannot be given to any bad creature, neither angels nor men, because it is divine power, and God's own power. What would or could God keep or have if He gave eternal power and eternal kingdom of Himself? He would keep nothing everywhere, and would himself come to nothing, because there is another who has the eternal power. There can be nothing above and apart from the eternal power. Eternal power comprehends everything and does not allow anything else or greater to be above it or outside of it; it must be God Himself and nothing else.

(42) Here the text of Daniel also gives the article of the Godhead in three persons, and of the humanity of the Son; for there must be another person who gives, and another who receives. Namely, the Father gives eternal authority to the Son, and the Son has it from the Father, and all this from eternity, otherwise it would not be an eternal authority; so the Holy Spirit is there who speaks it through Daniel. For such a high, secret thing no one could know, if the Holy Spirit did not reveal it through the prophets; as was often said above [§ 9. 11] that the holy Scriptures are spoken by the Holy Spirit. Besides, the Son is nevertheless also a man-child, that is, a right man and David's son, to whom such eternal power is given. So we see how the prophets well regarded and understood Va's word "eternal," since God speaks to David through Nathan: "I will place my son and your son in my eternal kingdom."

43) Here, Mrs. Klüglingin, 1) the reason, which is ten times wiser than God Himself, is upset and asks: How can God give His eternal power from Himself to another? What would he himself retain? Is it not said above [§ 12] that God says Isa. 42, 8: "I will not give my glory to another, nor my praise to idols"; especially he cannot give it to a man who has not been from eternity, like God, but began here temporally, was born, and is mortal; as we Christians confess and preach about Jesus, David's and Mary's son. The Jews, Mahomet, Turks and Tartars are such highly intelligent people, who can grasp the incomprehensible nature of God in the spoon or nutshell of their reason, and say that God has no wife, therefore he can have no son. Fie, fie, fie to you, devil, with Jews and Mahomet, and all those who are students of blind, foolish, miserable reason in these high things that no one understands but God alone, and how 2) much the Holy Spirit has revealed to us through the prophets.

44 We Christians, enlightened by the New Testament, can answer correctly, clearly and finely, thus: Christ our Lord has two births, or two natures in One undivided Person; for He is One Christ, not (as the mad spirit Nestorii deceives) two Cyristi. After the first birth he received, not temporally, but from eternity, from the Father the eternal power or Godhead, and the Father gave it to him wholly and completely, as he himself has it from eternity. He did not give it to him in such a way that he deprived himself of it or got rid of it, but he gave the same authority to the Son, and no other, which he had completely and totally from eternity and retains for eternity. For there are not two Gods, but both Persons are one Godhead, and is rightly said, Isa. 42:8: "I will not give my glory to another, nor my praise to idols." For the Son is not another God, nor an idol, but with the Father one, true, eternal God.

1) Wittenberger and Erlanger: "klüglinne"; Jenaer: Mglinge".

2) Wittenberger and Erlanger: "where much". Jenaer: how much". Cruciger: quantum.

45 He himself speaks of this in John 16:15: "All that the Father has is mine. Does not say: The Father has nothing, I have it all alone; or: The Father has it all alone, I have nothing; but: The Father has it all; but the same "all" that he has, that is mine. This is plainly so much as said, that the Father and Son have one Godhead, and of the same all of the Father that is of the Son, the Holy Ghost also hath it; as he saith there, "He shall take it of mine." From which "Mine"? Undoubtedly from the Mine that the Father has. So the Holy Spirit takes from both your Father and Son the same complete whole Godhead from eternity. Item, John 5:26: "As the Father hath life in himself, even so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself"; and, v. 21:23: "As the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will; that they all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father." All this is said of the first, eternal, divine birth.

46 After the other, temporal, human birth, the eternal power of God was also given to him, but temporally, and not from eternity. For the humanity of Christ has not existed from eternity, as the divinity; but, as it is counted and written, Jesus, the Son of Mary, is 1543 years old this year. But from the moment that Godhead and humanity are united in one person, the man, the Son of Mary, is and is called almighty, eternal God, who has eternal power, and created and sustains everything, per communicationem idiomatum, because he is one person with the Godhead, and also true God. He speaks of this in Matth. 11, 27: "All things have been given to me by the Father", Matth. last, v. 18: "All authority has been given to me in heaven and [on] earth." Which one: "To me"? To me, JEsu of Nazareth, Mary's son and man born. From eternity I received them from the Father, before I became man; but when I became man, I received them temporally after mankind, and kept them secretly until my resurrection and ascension, when they were to be revealed and transfigured; as St. Paul Rom. 1, 4. says: He is transfigured, or "proved a Son of God powerfully". John calls it "trans-

cleansed" Cap. 7, 39.: "The Holy Spirit was not yet [there], because Jesus was not yet glorified."

(47) Behold now, whether Daniel speaketh not almost on the stroke, as did Isaias, of the Son of man receiving the everlasting kingdom from God, and as Nathan and David speak, that God would make David's son king in his everlasting kingdom; and that these things are spoken (saith David) as of a man who is God the Lord on high.

(48) Alas! that we Christians should recognize such unspeakable grace so abundantly, both in the New and Old Testaments, and not rejoice and give thanks as is fitting. It would not be a miracle if a Christian's heart thoroughly considered and grasped it, so that it would die of joy and come to life again of joy. What a wonder it is that God is man, speaks with us, lives, and dies for us! David is stunned and frozen with joy, he can no longer say: "What am I? What is my house that you have brought me there?

49. all this is still spoken of the text 1 Chron. 18. on which, as above

17] the last words of David are based on, that Christ must be true God and man. And what more springs from such a text, we will see later (with God's help). For the prophets after David, and he himself also, took much from it about Christ, that he was God and man. As the 110th Psalm, v. 1: "The Lord hath said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool." What else can 1) "sit at my right hand" mean but to sit like God, that is, to sit in God's eternal kingdom? For he sits not at his head, nor at his feet, neither higher nor lower; but at his right hand, like unto him, that heaven is as well his throne, and earth his footstool; as he saith Matt. last, v. 18: "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth"; and Marc, 16th [v. 19]: "He is taken up into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God." And when he asks the Pharisees, Matth. 22, 43. ff.: "If Christ is the Son of David, how then does he call him in the spirit (that is, the

1) Erlanger: "can be called".

Spirit speaking through him) his Lord? saying, "The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand," they could not answer him.

50) So the Jews 2) cannot answer it even today until eternity; they blaspheme very much, only contrary to us Christians, with clumsy, malicious profanity, also against their own old rabbis and teachers. You may read Lyram about this there. But we have the New Testament, which not only rhymes with this Psalm, and the Psalm is similar to it; in that we Christians (as has now often been said [§ 32]) have enough to draw the Old Testament to our understanding, and cannot lack it, but all other understanding must lack it. So Christ himself is there with his apostles, who testify and show us this understanding with rich words and works, and this psalm is also the Oerter one, since the three persons are proclaimed differently, in One Godhead; which alone is the understanding of the prophets and Christians, given by the Holy Spirit. Jews, Mahomet, reason shall know nothing of this. There is the Father, who says: "Sit at my right hand"; and is David's son, Christ, to whom he speaks such things.

51 Now the Father is not Christ, or the Son of David, and Christ is not the Father, yet he must sit at the right hand like the Father, having the same kingdom, authority, honor and everything. For God suffers no equal to sit beside Him in equal power and honor; therefore Christ, David's Son, must be right and with the Father a common God, sitting equal to Him; since no more than a common God must be; as the first commandment says, "Thou shalt have no other gods beside Me." So the Holy Spirit is also there, as the right one God, who speaks to us men through David and all the prophets, and reveals and teaches us all the truth of the Godhead; as David says: "The Spirit of the Lord has spoken through me," and Christ himself Matth. 22, 45: "How does David, through the Spirit, call Christ his Lord, if he is his Son?" Admittedly, without the Spirit he would

2) In the Erlanger: "They can" instead of: So can the Jews.

neither call it nor know it, as Christ would be his Son and Lord. The Holy Spirit, however, is not Christ the Son, nor the Father, and yet cannot be any other God. Thus it is evident that there is one God, and yet there are three distinct persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, from eternity to eternity.

52. Here someone wants to move why David says, "What am I? What is my house?" Item: "Thou hast looked upon me as a man that is on high God the Lord." But God did not say to him, "You shall be my son, and I will place you in my eternal kingdom." He said, "Your son shall be my son, and I will place him in my eternal kingdom." How then does David change the words of God, and interpret them to himself, as if he were the man who is God the Lord on high? Well, David is the father of this son (as you hear), and from his house and from his flesh and blood he shall come. Now it is in the nature of a father to rejoice in the glory of his son so high, and even higher than the son himself, to whom he grants all honor and good, and much more than to himself. Again, the scorn and disgrace inflicted on the Son is much more upsetting to him than it would be to himself. Therefore not only David, but also his whole house (as he says: "What is my house?") boasts of the glory, that from their flesh and blood such a son will come, who will sit at the right hand of God.

53 Thus one reads in the histories that a father, whom they call Chilo, died of joy, because he heard that his son had kept the victory in Olympus. 1) And a Roman woman, not knowing otherwise that her son had been slain by Hannibal at Cannae in the war with others, and he suddenly coming home healthy, when she looked at him, she fell down with joy and died. So David is so full of joy and spirit that he does not know how or what to say, and does not accept his son's honor, his flesh and blood, any other way than as if it had happened to him.

1) That is, in the Olympic Games.

54] Moreover, such a son of David is still in his flesh and blood at this time, and there is nothing of it but himself, David, in his person and with his flesh and blood, from which the son was to come in the future. For this history and these words happened in time before Nathan, David's son (from which cord Christ came, Luc. 3, 31.], was born; indeed, his mother Bathsheba had not yet become David's wife, but was still Uriah's wife, a good while before the fall and adultery. Therefore [it is] not a shapeless speech of a father, when he praises and thanks God of his son's glory, with these or such like words, Oh dear God! What am I? What do you look upon me for, that you honor me so highly, and make of my flesh and blood such a lord? For it is I who am the glory and the joy, for it is my flesh and blood that is still in me and on me, but in the future [but] 2) shall be born.

55 Therefore also our Lord Christ is often called in the prophets by the name of his father David, Hos. 3:5: "After this the children of Israel shall return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and shall honor the Lord and his mercy in the latter days. Here David is called our Lord Christ, and is placed in equal honor with God, and called Lord, whom they will seek and honor. It is one seeking, that they may seek and honor God and their King; just as with one faith we honor the Father and the Son, not with another faith the Father, and with another the Son. And here is the third person, the Holy Spirit, who speaks these things verbally through Hosea, and teaches us to believe.

56. item, Ezek. 34, 23. 24.: "I will raise up for them one shepherd to feed them, that is, my servant David, who will feed them and be their shepherd; I will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them." Here Christ is called David and God's servant, as he is also called Isa. 52, 13. "God's servant", and in 3) many places more. In addition Paul Phil. 2. makes a servant out of

2) This addition, which facilitates understanding, is found in the Wittenberg.

3) "an" is missing i" of the Jena and in the Erlanger.

to him, who 1) yet always and always preaches a true God, since he speaks, v. 5-7: "Let every man be like Jesus Christ, who, though he was in the form of God, did not consider it a robbery to be like God, but expressed himself, and took on the form of a servant" etc. Let us ask the apostle how he may speak so clumsily. If Christ is like God, how can he be a servant and in the form of a servant? If he is a servant, how can he be like God and in the form of God? But we Christians understand and know all these things well; but the Jews are confidently obdurate with this saying of Ezekiel, and want to be sure of their mind (I wanted to say madness); let them go.

57. item, Jeremiah 30:8, 9: "In that day, saith the Lord, I will break the yoke from off thy neck, and thy bands shall be rent; and they shall no more serve the strangers (or like aliens) within; but shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them." Here Christ is also called David, as the Jews, old and new, must understand this saying of Messiah, without that they do not understand the yoke and the bands rightly, want to make the prison of Babylon out of it. But the whole three chapters one after the other speak strongly of the redemption that Messiah is to do, that is, of the death and sins that the law brings upon us, of which Jews and reason know nothing. There is a reason for the Christians, and what has been Christian from the beginning of the world etc.

(58) Nevertheless, with this saying Jeremiah makes this king of his, David, the right God, because he puts God and this David together in the same service and honor that the people of Israel should do to him. For if this David were not the right God, God would not place him next to Himself and say: "They shall serve their God and their king David"; for it is said: "You shall not serve any other god, but you shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him only", Deut. 6, 13, and 10, 20. And do the words of Jeremiah agree with the saying 1 Chron. 18, 11. 17.: "I will place your son in My eternal kingdom, who is a man, and at the same time I will place him on the earth.

above, on high, is God the Lord, who is honored and served like the Father. Here the Holy Spirit must be the third person, who speaks such things through Jeremiah, and teaches us to believe and understand them, and is one God, beside whom we honor and serve no other God.

(59) With this it should be enough of the text 1 Chron. 18, on which David's last words are based, namely, that Christ is God and man, born of David, that we now want to return to David's last words, to end them, in which he confesses Christ as his Son and praises him for his God, according to the saying [1 Chron. 18, 17.]: "Thou hast looked upon me as a man," qui superne vel in supernis, vel in excelsis est Dominus Deus, "who high above, or on high, is God the Lord." For that our Latin text says in vocativo, Domine Deus, gives no sense, as little as 2 Sam. 7, 19.: Ista est lex Adam, Domine Deus; which would be better: Ista est lex vel forma hominis, Domini Dei; seu, qui sit Dominus Deus etc. Enough said of that now. But because the matter is so good, and, unfortunately, we are the least of the prophets and apostles who take care of Christ, the crucified David and eternal God, we want, before we finish the last words of David, to continue talking about it, to strengthen us in our faith, to annoy all devils, Jews, Mahometists, Papists, and what is hostile to this son of David.

(60) And first of all, let us take Moses, the chief fountain, source, father, and master of all the prophets, before us, and see if he will let himself be made a Christian, and stand by us, because Christ himself baptized him, John 5:46, saying, Moses wrote of me. If he wrote of him, he certainly also prophesied and preached of him, and commanded all the prophets after him to write and preach of Christ; as they did with all diligence, so that even all the Jews, young and old, know to say that a Messiah was to come. But Moses is buried to them, so that they cannot know where he lies. Therefore we will send two faithful, certain legates or messengers.

1) Thus the Wittenbergers. Jenaer and Erlanger: to them.

2) letzen - - verabschieden.

They are called John Evangelist and Paul Apostle, and they shall seek him, find him, wake him up, and bring him here. What does it matter, they will meet and not miss! But lest you forget what I said above [Preface § 8]: I want to take care of that this time, where the Hebrew text gladly gives itself and rhymes with the New Testament, that such is and should be the one right understanding of Scripture; everything else, what Jews, Hebrews, and whoever they are, according to their destroyed 1) and mangled, forced grammatica, chat against it, shall certainly be vain lies to us.

(61) St. John begins his Gospel thus: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made through the same, and without the same nothing was made that was made." These are the words of St. John, or rather of the Holy Spirit, who gives life to all things; now let us see if he can find Moses with this and raise him from the dead. For Moses heareth very softly, and cometh freely, and saith, Here am I. For even as thou, John, speakest of words, so have I spoken, and so speakest I, and thou takest the words out of my mouth. For so have I also written, in the beginning of my book, of the beginning of the creature [Gen. 1, 3. ff.]: "God said, Let there be light; and there was light. God said, Let there be a firmament among the waters. God said: Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into special places, that the dry land may be seen. God said: Let the earth bring forth grass and herbage. God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament, and let day and night be divided"; and so on.

Here Moses agrees with John that in the beginning of the creature there was a word, through which God spoke everything that is, created and made. And Moses does not lisp 2) or stammer here, nor are there any words.

1) crushed - torn by dots. Cruciger: "x ipsoruw puneti" et uxioibus irüsers oontortu. In English "och is the root word to stixptv - to perform in points. - Erlanger: zestiebten. - In the Wittenberg and in the Jena: "zestipten" and "zemarterten".

2) In the old editions: lisbet.

dark, uncertain speeches; the Grammatica is also certain that where there is a speaker, there is a λόγος, word or speech. Whether now the Jews, heretics, Mahomet dream their own interpretation here, contrary to the Christian faith, there we ask nothing. We have the text and Grammaticam Mosis for us, which stands dry and clear, that in the beginning and apart from all creatures God has spoken, and there is one word, through which God speaks everything; as St. John writes to us, Joh. 1, 1. ff. Which gospel the dear fathers Hilarius, Augustine, Cyril etc. have abundantly and powerfully acted upon, so that it is not necessary to write further about it now, their books are available. It is enough this time, that we see and hear here, how Moses rhymes with himself, so similar and even with John, that even the blind reason cannot deny it, but must confess according to the certain grammatica, that they both lead the same way and speech of the word, through which God created and made everything in the beginning.

63 For both Moses and John want to show how and by what instrument, or out of what God made such a great work, the whole world. But there is no tool, no wood nor stone, nothing at all, out of which the world was made; but by the Word alone were all things made. The Word, however, is not made, but it is with God in the beginning, when He made everything, as Moses says here: "God said, 'Let there be' this and that etc. By the word, he says, all things came into being. Now, apart from the creature, nothing can be with God that is not God Himself; therefore, the Word must be God Himself, as great and powerful as God Himself, because all things are made by Him; and yet cannot be the person who speaks the Word. The speaker and the word must be two different things. Again, there must be, not two gods, because there is no more than one, right, true God, and there must be one Creator of heaven and earth, not two or three Creators or gods. Thus Moses testifies with St. John that God and the Word are certainly two distinct persons, and yet both are one Creator and God, inseparable in the one divine essence.

64 So David read and understood Moses when he said Ps. 33, 6: "The heavens were made by the word of the Lord, and all his host by the spirit of his mouth. "Made" is the heaven and all that is in it and on it (he speaks). Dear, made of what? Out of nothing. By what? By his word, and by the spirit of his mouth. Doesn't David here also speak the same as Moses, and also wants to say with almost the same speech: God said: Let there be heaven, and there was heaven? But if heaven, 1) with all that is therein, was and is made by God's speaking or word, then without doubt the earth, with all that is therein, was and is also made by the same word. Now the Word is not heaven, nor earth, nor anything that is in it, or made with it by the Word. Therefore it must be God Himself, and yet another person of the speaker, who makes everything through the word, in some undivided essence, divine power, might and effect. But if we have the Word, we shall well find the third person, since David says here, "And by the spirit of his mouth all his host."

He says "made" only once: "The heavens were made by the word of the Lord, and all his host by the spirit of his mouth. 2) He calls three persons differently, namely the Lord, his word and his spirit; and yet he does not put more than One Maker, without any difference. It is all made. By whom? By One Maker, who is the Lord, Word, Spirit. The Lord does not make his own work special, the Word does not make his own work special, the Spirit does not make his own work special; all three distinct persons are one maker of every work; and every work is of all three persons, as of one maker or master. For as the Lord maketh heaven, so maketh the Word the same, and no other heaven; so maketh the Holy Ghost the same, and no other heaven; there is one that maketh it, and one that maketh it.

1) The words: "and it became the sky? But is heaven" are missing in the original edition.

2) In the Wittenberg, Jena and Erlangen: "by the mouth of his spirit. In Latin, the scriptural citation is missing here.

is one work that all three persons do. Again, as the Lord makes all the host of heaven by his Spirit (as the text says, "By the Spirit of the Lord is all the host of heaven made"), so the Spirit makes the same, and no other host of heaven; so also the Word makes the same, and no other host of heaven.

For this reason, a Christian is well advised, as Athanasius says in his Symbolo, not to mix the persons into one person, or to divide or separate the one divine being into three persons. For if I give a special work to each person from the outside, in the creature, where the other two should not have anything to do with it, then I have divided the one Godhead and made three gods or creators; that is wrong. Again, where I do not give a special distinction i) to any person within 3) the Godhead, or apart from and above the creature, which is not due to the other two, I have mixed the persons into one person; this is also wrong. Here belongs the rule of St. Augustine: Opera Trinitatis ad extra sunt indivisa, the works, which God has made from within the Godhead, are not to be divided, 5) that is, one should not divide the persons into the works, assigning to each one from without its different work; but one should distinguish the person from within the Godhead, and yet assign to all three from within each work without distinction.

67. so that I may give examples: The Father is my God and your God and Creator, who made me and you; the same work that I and you are, the Son also made, is both my God and your God and Creator as the Father. So, the Holy Spirit made the same work that I and you are, and is my God and your God and Creator, as well as the Father and Son. Nor are there 6) three Gods or Creators, but one God and Creator of us all. Here, with this faith, I keep myself

3) inside ----- inside.

4) "a special distinction" - a special peculiarity. Cruciger: st non Uisoornas Singrüns xersonas sinAulis suis aeu proxriotatikus.

5) In the Jena and Erlangen: "zeteilen"; in the Wittenberg: "to divide". The prefix "ze" is our "zer". Cf. h 60: "zestipt", "zemartert".

6) "it" is missing in the Erlanger.

from the heresy of Arii and his like, that I do not divide the one divine being into three gods or creators; but keep in the right Christian faith no more than the one God and Creator of all creatures.

68. Again, if I now go above and beyond the creation or creature into the intrinsic, incomprehensible essence of divine nature, I find, as the Scriptures teach me (for reason is nothing here), that the Father is another distinct person from the Son, in the one undivided eternal Godhead; his distinction is that he is Father, and has the Godhead not from the Son, nor from anyone; the Son is a distinct person from the Father, in the same one fatherly Godhead; His difference is that He is the Son, and has the Godhead not of Himself, nor of anyone, but of the Father alone, as eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Spirit is a distinct person from the Father and the Son, in the same united Godhead; His difference is that He is the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father and the Son at the same time eternally, and having the Godhead not of Himself, nor of anyone, but both from the Father and the Son at the same time; and all this from everlasting to everlasting. Here, with this faith, I refrain from the heresy of Sabellii and his like, from Jews, Mahomet, and whoever else they are, who are smarter than God Himself, and do not mix the persons into one single person, but keep in the right Christian faith three different persons in the single, divine, eternal being, who nevertheless all three are one God, creator and agent of all things, towards us and the creatures.

69 All this is perhaps sharp or subtle to us Germans, and should remain cheaper in the schools. But because the devil stirs his tail in these last times, as if he would like to reawaken all kinds of heresy, and the world has become lustful and mad without it. Since we are tired of hearing new things, and weary of sound doctrine (as St. Paul prophesies in 2 Timothy 4:3), so that the devil's doors are open for him to lead in whatever he wants, it is useful and necessary that some, both laymen and scholars, especially pastors, preachers and schoolmasters, should also think of learning such necessary articles of our faith, and learn German.

talk. But if it be too hard for him, let him keep the catechism with the children, and pray against the devil and his heresy, against the Jews and Mahomet, lest he be led into temptation. Therefore, because we have come to this, we want to give those who like it more understanding of the article, that the one Godhead should not be separated, nor the persons mixed together, to strengthen and confess our faith.

(70) At the Jordan, when St. John baptized the Lord, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended bodily in the form of a dove, and the Father's voice was heard: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," Luc. 3:22. Here the dove is a creature, which not only the Holy Spirit created, but also the Father and Son; as said that opera Trinitatis ad extra sunt indivisa: what is creature, God made Father, Son and Holy Spirit at the same time, as one God; nor is the dove called the Holy Spirit alone, or, as Lucas says, the Holy Spirit alone descended in the form of the dove, and in no way would the Christian faith suffer that you would say of the dove: This is God the Father, or this is God the Son; but you must say: This is God the Holy Spirit; although God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one God; that you quite rightly say of the dove: This is God, and is no other God; and yet wrongly say: This is God the Father, or God the Son; but you must say: This is God the Holy Spirit.

So the voice that speaks, "This is my dear Son," etc. is a creature that not only the Father created, but also the Son and Holy Spirit, as said in Opera Trinitatis, etc., that apart from the Godhead all creatures are created at the same time by all three Persons, as by one God, and all three Persons are one God to the creature. And again, the creatures are one against the three persons, and not three works, nor is called and is the same voice of the Father alone; and cannot, as a Christian, say here of the voice: This is God the Holy Spirit, or: This is God the Son, but must say: This is God the Father; although God the Father, and God the Son, and God the Father, are one.

the Holy Spirit and God the Son and God the Father is one God; that you quite rightly say of the voice: This is God, and there is no other God; but wrongly say, This is God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit; but must say, This is God the Father.

(72) The same is to be said of the humanity of Christ, which is in itself a true creature, created at the same time by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and is not to be suffered to believe that the Father alone, or the Son alone, or the Holy Spirit alone, created this creature or humanity; but is an opus indivisum Trinitatis, a work which all three Persons created as one God and Creator of one work; as the angel Gabriel says to the Virgin Mary, Luc. 1, 35: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." Not only is the Holy Spirit upon you (he says), but also "the Most High"; that is, the Father will overshadow you with his power, that is, through his Son or Word; also so "that which is born in you shall be and be called the Son of the Most High," that thus the whole Trinity is here as one Creator, and has created and made the one work, mankind, and yet the Person of the Son alone is united with it, and became man, not the Father, nor Holy Spirit.

73. and you cannot say of this man: This is God the Father; or: This is God the Holy Spirit; but you must say: This is God the Son; although God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is one God, so that you quite rightly say of the man: This is God, and there is no other God; but you are wrong to say: This is God the 1) Father, or God the Holy Spirit, but you must say: This is God the Son; as St. Paul Col. 2, 9. says: "For in Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead," and yet the Father and the Holy Spirit are not deprived of the same Godhead, but are one God with the Son and the Man Christ. From this you see how the three divine persons are different, inwardly of the Godhead, to

and not to be mixed into one person, and yet not to separate the divine one being, or to make three gods; but outwardly, against the creature, to be one creator, so completely united, that also the creature, if the persons take on themselves differently, are of all three persons as one God's one work.

The doctors, especially Bonaventure, give a rough simile to understand such a thing. As: If three virgins put on a garment among themselves, all three of them attacking the garment and putting it on the third, and the third herself also attacking it in the same way: then all three put on the garment of the third, and yet only the third is clothed with the garment, and not the other two. Thus it is to be understood here that all three persons, as one unified God, created the unified humanity and united it with the Son in His person, that only the Son is man, and not the Father, nor the Holy Spirit. In the same way, one should understand the dove, which takes on the person of the Holy Spirit, and the voice, which takes on the person of the Father. Item, the fiery tongues on the day of Pentecost, in which the person of the Holy Spirit is revealed. Item, the wind, and what more is preached of the Holy Spirit, that he should do in Christendom or the Scriptures.

(75) Here the question arises: Why then do we say, or rather, why does the Scripture teach us to say, "I believe in God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth, and do not also call the Son Creator? Item: In Jesus Christ, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Item: That the Holy Spirit gives life, and has spoken through the prophets. Here the persons are outwardly assigned their special different works, as they themselves are distinguished. This is perhaps too sharp for simple-minded Christians, who may stick to their simple-minded belief that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit One God etc. But one must speak of this in Christianity, and learn to resist the devil and his heretics. First of all, it is 2) certain that God wants to be known by us here in faith, there

1) "the" is missing in the Erlanger.

2) "it" is missing in the Erlanger.

eternally in sight, as he is one God, and yet three persons; this is our eternal life, John 17:3. For this purpose he has given us his word and the holy scriptures, confirmed with great miraculous signs and works, that we should learn therein. For, if we were to know Him in this way, He would have to 1) truly teach us and reveal Himself to us and appear, so that we would not ascend to heaven on our own and find out what God is or what His divine nature is like. Well, for this he visibly needs his creature, as the Scriptures teach us, so that we may grasp it, for invisible creatures do not move our senses.

76 Accordingly, you must now view the creature in two ways. In the first way, as a creature or work in itself, absolute, so and so created or made by God. In this way, all creatures of God, that is, of all three persons, are one and the same work, without any difference; as has been said. For in this way they do not give us a different revelation of the three persons, because they are all the same work of the three persons, as of the one God. Secondly, you must look at them, not at themselves, absolute, but relative, according to their custom, as God uses them towards us. Here, God takes His creature, which has created all three persons, as a unified God, and needs it for an image or form, or shape, in which He reveals Himself and appears. Here are different images, shape, or revelation of the three different persons. So he needs the dove to be an image or revelation, in which the Holy Spirit reveals himself; and is a different image, which does not show the Father nor Son to us, but only the Holy Spirit, different. For the Father, Son and Holy Spirit wants the dove to show and reveal to us the Person of the Holy Spirit alone, so that we may be certain that God's one Being is certainly three distinct Persons from eternity. Therefore Lucas Cap. 3, 22: "The Holy Spirit descended in bodily form, like a dove."

(77) In the same way we speak of the Son, that he is revealed to us in mankind, or, as it were.

1) So the Jena and the Latin. Wittenberg and Erlangen: would have to.

St. Paul Phil. 2, 7. speaks in a servile form, grounded like another human being. And this form, or humanity, is not the image or revelation of the Father or the Holy Spirit, although it is the same creature of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, but it is a different form and revelation of the Son alone. For so it pleased God, that is, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, that the Son through this form or shape of humanity would be revealed and recognized among men as a distinct person from the Father and Holy Spirit, in one eternal unified being of divine nature. The same is to be said of the Father, that he is revealed to us in the voice. This form or shape is not the Son's or Holy Spirit's form or revelation, but only the Father's, who in such different form has wished to be known to us as a distinct person from the Son and Holy Spirit, in one undivided divine being.

78 Take also from the Grammatica a rough example. When the priest baptizes, or absolves, and says, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." These words are all God's creation and work in our mouths (as well as we ourselves and what we have), and are not different from the Father alone, or the Son alone, or the Holy Spirit alone, but from all three persons, the one God's one creature. But according to the interpretation or revelation, you must not say that this word "of the Father" means all three persons, but differentially the Father alone; the word "of the Son" differentially the Son alone; the word "of the Holy Spirit" differentially the Holy Spirit alone, in one unified Godhead, which is revealed to us by such words or interpretation, that three different persons are in the unified Godhead. For he saith not, In the names, as of many, or as if every person had a distinct name and essence; but "in the name" (saith he) as in One name of One essence, and yet three distinct persons.

79] So you see that the creature is to be regarded in two ways, ut res et signum, that it is something for itself, given by God.

and is also used to show or teach something else that it is not itself. Smoke is a res, a thing by itself, and yet also a sign of another thing which it is not, but shows and reveals the same, namely fire. Of this St. Augustine writes much de doctrina chri- stiana; but here, in this high matter, it is something more. For the humanity of Christ is not a bad sign, or a living form, just as the dove is not a living form, and the voice is not a living form or image; but the humanity, in which God's Son is revealed differently, is full, and united with God in One Person, who will eternally sit at the right hand of God in His kingdom, as promised to David, 1 Chron. 18, 12. 18, 12. The dove is a form, taken by the Holy Spirit for a time, to reveal itself; not united with Him in One Person eternally, but left again; like the angels take human form, appear in it, and leave again. So it is also done with the voice of the Father. For there is no promise that it should remain forever, but it is a temporal revelation.

80. Now, when we speak in child faith: "I believe in God the Father, Almighty Creator of heaven and earth," is not the opinion that the Person of the Father alone should be Almighty, Creator and Father, but that the Son is also Almighty, Creator and Father; the Holy Spirit also Almighty, Creator and Father; and yet not three Almighty, Creator, Fathers, but one Almighty, Creator, Father of heaven and earth, and of us all, just as the Father is our Savior and Redeemer, the Son our Savior and Redeemer, the Holy Spirit our Savior and Redeemer, and yet not three Saviors nor Redeemers, but one Savior and Redeemer. Just as the Father is our God, the Son our God, the Holy Spirit our God, yet not three Gods, but one God: so the Holy Spirit sanctifies Christianity, the Father also, the Son also, yet are not three saints or sanctifiers, but one sanctifier etc. Opera Trinitatis ad extra sunt indivisa...

(81) But all this is said so that we may believe and recognize the three persons in the one Godhead, and not mix the persons, nor separate the essence. The distinction of the Father (as we have heard [§ 68]) is that he has the Godhead from no one, but has given it from eternity, through the eternal birth, to the Son. Therefore the Son is God and Creator, like the Father; but he has all this from the Father, not again, the Father from the Son. For that the Father is God and Creator, he did not get that from the Son; but that the Son is God and Creator, he got that from the Father. So the Father or the Son does not get from the Holy Spirit that he is God and Creator; but that the Holy Spirit is God and Creator, that he gets from the Father and the Son. So the word "God Almighty, Creator" is written for the Father, and not for the Son and Holy Spirit, to note the difference of the Father from the Son and Holy Spirit in the Godhead. Again, the difference of the Son from the Father and Holy Spirit, 1) of the Holy Spirit from the Father and Son; namely, that the Father is the origin or source (so it should be called, as the Fathers do) of the Godhead, from whom the Son has it, and the Holy Spirit from the Son and Father for ever; and not again.

82) Above such inward difference of persons is now the outward difference, since the Son and Holy Spirit is revealed inwardly. The Son in humanity; for the Son alone became man, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of Mary the Virgin, suffered for us, died etc. as faith teaches further. But that nevertheless rightly means: God died for us. For the Son is God, and is no longer another God, but more persons in the same Godhead. The Holy Spirit alone is manifested differently in the fiery tongues, gifts, various tongues and miraculous signs etc., although mankind is made of all three persons, and the fiery tongues, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, of all three per

lt The words: "in the Godhead. Again, the difference of the Son from the Father and Holy Spirit" are missing in the original edition.

The first is that they are the creature and the work of others, as has been said enough for this time. One has delicious books about this, St. Augustine, Hilarii, Cyrilli, and such articles have remained pure in the papacy and among the school theologians that we have no quarrel with them about this.

Here some are concerned whether they call the person of the Father when they pray "Our Father" or the divine being? It is no wonder that, in this whimsical, incomprehensible article, whimsical thoughts occur to a man, one of which sometimes fails, or a word fails. But where the foundation of faith remains firm, such splinters, shavings or straws will not harm us. But the reason for faith (as stated in § 66 ff.) is that you believe that there are three persons in the one Godhead, and that each person is the same one perfect God; so that the persons are not mixed, the essence is not divided, but the difference of the persons and the unity of the essence remain. For this is that the angels for ever cannot be satisfied (as St. Peter [1 Ep. 1, 12] says) with seeing and marveling, and are eternally blessed; and if they could see it to the end, their blessedness would also be over and have an end; as we also shall see this, and thereby be eternally blessed, as the Lord says Jn. 17, 3: "This is life eternal, that they may know thee, and him whom thou hast sent, Jesus Christ." However, faith must hold to the word; reason can do nothing here, except to say that it is impossible, and contrary to itself, that three persons, each one a perfect God, and yet no more than a single God, and the Son alone a man; but to him who has the Father and Son, the Holy Spirit will well be known, from the Father and the Son.

84. so you have heard above [§ § 67. 80] that the Father is all our God and Father, the Son is all our God and Father, the Holy Spirit is all our God and Father; and yet is not more than one single God our Father. For the essence is undivided; therefore, whichever person you call, you have called the right one God in three persons, because each person is the same one complete God, and cannot err or fail in this. For Jesus Christ is not a

The Father and the Holy Spirit are not another God or Father or Creator, because the Father and the Holy Spirit are, even though they are another person. The Father and the Holy Spirit are also like that.

Therefore, it is not only wrong, but also impossible and void, that you would call the person of the Father, as the distinct person, Father, and not call the Son and Holy Spirit at the same time Father; for that would mean the divine essence separated, and the Son and Holy Spirit excluded. This is nothing. For according to such a way of personal fatherhood, the Father has no more than One Son, and the Son no more than One Father. He is not such a Father to you, and you are not such His Son; but this is the only Son from the Father forever, as the 2nd Psalm, v. 7, says: "The Lord said to me, 'You are my Son, today I have given birth to you'; but you are, according to your age, thirty, forty, fifty years, as long as you have been created and baptized, a temporal Son of all three Persons, One God. Quia opera Trinitatis ad extra sunt indivisa; sic cultus Trinitatis ad extra est indivisus; what God does to the creature, all three persons do without distinction.

For there is one divine essence of all three persons, and what we or the creature do to any person, we do to the one God, and to all three persons without distinction. For he is one God toward us, and in himself three persons distinct; as the Lord Christ himself says John 14:9, 10: "Philip, he who sees me sees the Father; how then do you say: Show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in me?" Joh. 5, 23. "They shall honor the Son, even as the Father." Joh. 10, 30. 31.: "I and the Father are One"; that is what we speak: One Thing, One Being, One God, One Lord. Here the Jews dug up stones and wanted to stone Him. Joh. 5, 17: "My Father works, or creates until now, and I also work"; therefore the Jews rather sought to kill him, that he not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was his Father, and made himself equal to God etc., Joh. 10, 33. I will stop now, because I wanted to write a book, so I got into preaching:

Read the Gospel of John, which teaches us all these things abundantly.

Now we have Moses agreeing with St. John that there was a Word in the beginning by which all things were made, and that such a Word could not be a creature or made, and yet be something other, or another Person, than God, of whom such a Word is. For since it is not made, but all things are made by it, it must be God, Creator of all creatures, since it is certain that apart from the creature that is made, there can be nothing but God who makes it; and yet the Word, the God and Creator by whom all things are made, is other than the speaker, or who speaks such a word. Hereby Moses became our witness and a Christian, teaching the very thing that we Christians teach, namely, that God had a Word in the beginning by which all things were made, as John writes.

Now let us also hear the other legate, Saint Paul, recently greeting and calling Moses. Col. 1, 15. ff. he speaks of our Lord Jesus Christ thus: "Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn before all creatures. For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are of the earth, visible and invisible; both thrones, and dominions, and principalities, and authorities; all things were created by him, and for him; and he is before all, and all things consist in him." These words could not have been spoken by Christ after mankind, that is certain; for he was not man before all creatures, but is Heuer 1543 year that he became man. And truly this is a mighty and clear saying, that Christ is an eternal God, Creator of heaven and earth, and that still today and forever all things exist, are preserved, or are made through Him, even all things that are high in heaven and earth, angels and spirits, visible and invisible. In this he agrees with John, when he says in Cap. 1, 3: "All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made." If Moses hears and confesses the words of John, he certainly also hears and confesses these words of Paul, and says: "Yes, my dear Paul, just as you and John say, so I also wrote that all things were created by the Word, Gen. 1, 3. ff.

89. further Paul says 1 Cor. 10, 4: "They drank of the spiritual rock that went with them, but the rock was Christ". If Christ was at that time the one who went with the children of Israel, and from whom they drank spiritually and were baptized spiritually, that is, if they had the same faith with us in the future Christ who has now appeared to us, then Christ must be the true eternal God. For one cannot believe in the angels, which is due to God alone, nor can they be our spiritual food; God Himself must be. Item, there 1 Cor. 10. he says, v. 9: "Let us not tempt Christ, as some tempted [him], and were slain of serpents." What is to be done here? Moses writes everywhere that it is the Lord Jehovah, the right one God, whom the children of Israel tempted, Ex. 17:2: "Why do you tempt the Lord?" 4 Mos. 14, 22. Says the Lord, "They have tempted me ten times." If it is the Lord, as Moses writes, how can it be Christ, as Paul writes? Now they must both write rightly; for the Holy Spirit is not contrary to Himself.

90. From this it follows tremendously and irrefutably that the God who led the people of Israel out of Egypt and through the Red Sea, guided them in the desert through the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire, fed them with the bread of heaven, and performed all the miracles described by Moses in his books; item, who brought them into the land of Canaan, and therein gave them kings and priesthood and all things, is the very God, and none other than Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Mary the Virgin, whom we Christians call our God and Lord, whom the Jews crucified, and still today blaspheme and curse, as Isaiah Cap. 8, 21: "In their fear they will curse their king and their God. Item, it is he who gives Mosi the ten commandments on Mount Sinai, and says Ex. 20, 2. 3.: "I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you out of Egypt; you shall have no other gods before me." Yes, Jesus Nazarenus, died on the cross for us, is the GOOD who speaks in the first commandment: "I, the Lord, am your GOOD." If the Jews and Mahomet should hear such, how they should rave! Nevertheless, it is true, and

must remain true forever, and he who does not believe it must tremble and burn forever.

91. for Moses stands clear, saying that by the saying, or word, of God all things were made; and David Ps. 33:6: "The heavens were made by the word of God. If the heavens are made by the word, then all other creatures are made by it; for he who makes one creature makes them all; he who does not make them all will not be able to make any. And so Moses and David agree with Johanne and Paulo, who also both say alike with them, "All things were created and made by the Word," or by Christ." Now if all things were made through him, and without him nothing was made, as the text of all four, Moses, David, John, and Paul, says; then under that which they call "all things" must be included, and not excluded, the exportation out of Egypt, and what more was done in the people of Israel; yea, all things that have been done everywhere from the beginning of creatures, are still being done, and will be done henceforth. For they are great and important words, saying, "All things were made by him." And as Moses says, "God said, Let there be; and there was." Although Moses does not name the Son, or Christ, according to the Grammatica, yet he names and confesses the saying, or Word, by which all things were made; so that he indicates that in God there is another who speaks, and another who is the Word, and yet is one Creator of all creatures. For something must also be reserved for the New Testament, in which the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are more clearly named, which 1) in the Old Testament God is called the Speaker, the Word, and the Spirit of the Lord.

Therefore the Jews, Turks and heretics do not help that they pretend to great devotion and boast against us Christians how they believe in the one God, Creator of heaven and earth, and also call Him Father with great earnestness, and yet it is nothing but vain, useless words, in which they use the name of God uselessly and misuse it against the other commandment; as Christ says John 8:54 to the Jews: "It is my Father who honors me, whom you say is your God, and you know him. 8, 54. to the Jews: "It is my Father who honors me, whom you say is your God, and you know him.

1) so. Trinity. Cruciger: yui, related a "f the previously inserted by him" vsus.

him not." Indeed, this rhymes very badly, calling the Father God, and not knowing who he is. For if you were to ask such a great holy 2) Jew, Turk, heretic, whether he also believes 3) that the same one God, Creator of heaven and earth (whose name they so devoutly praise and call Father, though all falsely), is also a Father, and has a Son apart from the creature in the Godhead? he would be terrified of great holiness, and consider such a thing an abominable blasphemy. If you ask further: whether this same God, Creator, Father (whom they thus call with their lying mouth), is also a son, and has a father in the Godhead? then he would plug his ears with great devotion, grit his teeth, 4) and worry that the earth would devour you and him. If you ask further: whether this same God, Creator, Father (as they boast), is also a Holy Spirit, and has the Father and Son, from whom he has his divine nature? then the most holy man would run away from you, as if you were the worst devil out of hell.

Here you see that they do not know what God is; and when they call Him: God, Creator, Father, they do not know what they say. For where God is not to be such a God (as the Scriptures teach us), who is a natural Father, a natural Son, and both have a natural Holy Spirit, in the one divine essence, God is nothing, and no God at all. Therefore, they have no God without taking God's name in vain and with sins, and invent for themselves their own God and Creator, who shall be their Father and they his children; take from him his natural fatherhood, his natural united son, and the natural Holy Spirit, that is, the whole right Godhead, and give him in exchange their vain dream and lies of God, Creator, Father; yes, such holy name of God they give to their dream and lies, that is, to the devil, who is their God and Father, a father of all lies; want to

2) Cruciger: vnläs sanotus 4uäsau8 stv. In the German editions: "such great saints, Jews" etc.

3) In the German editions: "gleubet"; Cruciger: ersäatlls.

4) Cruciger: äsn titrus inkrsnäst---he would grind dtü teeth.

nevertheless be the dearest little children and greatest" saints.

94. For it has been decided, and thus God Himself has revealed Himself to us, that He is one God, Creator and Father of heaven and earth; and the same one God, Creator and Father of all the world, is a natural Father of one Son in the Godhead; and the same one God, Creator and Father of all the world, is one natural Son of the Father in the Godhead; and the same one God, Creator and Father of all the world, is a Holy Spirit, of the Father and Son in the Godhead. For the three distinct persons are one God, Creator and Father of all the world; and each person is the same complete one God, Creator and Father of all the world. And when you call upon Jesus Christ, and say: O my dear Lord God, my Creator and Father, Jesus Christ, you one eternal God! you must not worry 1) that the Father and the Holy Spirit will be angry about it; but realize 2) that whichever person you call upon, you call upon all three persons, and upon the one God; for you cannot call upon one person without the others, since there is a single, undivided divine essence in all, and in each person. Again, you cannot deny any person in particular, there are all three and the one God denied altogether; as 1 John 2:23 says, "He that denieth the Son hath not the Father."

95 Yes, I say, it is not wrong, but well done, if you call upon Jesus Christ in this way, just as the church also sings of the Holy Spirit: Veni Pater pauperum, come, you Father of the miserable. But it is better to keep the order of the persons, and not to despise, as the apostles do, and the church does according to their example, when they name the person of the Father in the invocation or prayer, as in the Lord's Prayer etc. For he is the origin or fountain (as it can be called) of the Godhead in the Son and Holy Spirit, and the Son (when the Father is named) cannot be separated, but must be named at the same time.

1) Walch and the Erlanger: say".

2) We have assumed with Cruciger "Father, Son and Holy Spirit" as subject to "recognize". He translates: st totnin ciivinitntsin nAnosesrs st vslut nttsStari.

and meant. So also, the Holy Spirit must be named and meant with the Father and the Son, because no person can be a special God apart from the other. Thus St. Paul [2 Cor. 1, 3] and St. Peter [1 Ep. 1, 3] say: "Praise be to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all graces"; and he himself in the Gospel always prefigures the Father, and ascribes everything to him, and yet says, Joh. 5, 23. that they should honor the Son as the Father; item,Joh. 16, 15.: "All that the Father has is mine"; without the Father being the first person from whom the Son has it; and not again. But that some sins are committed differently against the Father, against the Son, and in the Holy Spirit, belongs to the revelation of the persons, not to the separation of the essence, of which a little has been said above, and more elsewhere,

(96) But how shall we do this, since St. John continues to write of the word, saying, "The Word became flesh. This will not rhyme with the word of which Moses writes, "God said, Let there be light"; or of which David says, "The heavens were made by the word of the Lord." So Moses, or the Word Himself (as we believe), commanded on Mount Sinai, Ex. 20:4, that no image or likeness should be made to Him, either in heaven or on earth; and John makes not an image, but a creature and man of it, saying [John 1:14], "The Word was made man." Paul does the same, and says [Rom. 1, 3. Gal. 4, 4.]: "He is the Son of David, or seed, born of a woman's image." Therefore Moses must speak of another word by which all things were created. By a man, who is himself a creature, nothing can be created. Also Paul and John are against themselves, that they make him a man, and yet say that all things were created by him.

97 Let us see if Moses can be found to say this. In Genesis 3:15 he writes that God said to the serpent: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. It is obvious that God is not talking here about a common serpent that lives in the grass or in the water.

It is not a bad, silly snake that eats frogs, but the serpent, which at that time was a beautiful animal and had a high spirit with it, which could not only speak, but also speak of high, divine things and commandments, as if it had learned it in heaven, which is not given to any creature, except the angels and men, and thereby does such harm that it causes man to fall into sin and eternal death, through the most beautiful appearance of the divine name. This is not a bad, silly little snake that eats frogs, but devours the whole world. It is the sorrowful devil in the serpent, who brought death into the world through sin. God speaks of this death-slayer and sin-master and world-eater that his head shall be crushed, that is, his power, death and sin shall be destroyed, life and righteousness shall be brought back.

98 And the seed of the woman shall do this. And as he fell man by a woman, which came from man without a woman, so shall the seed, which shall come from woman without a man, fall him again. This seed of the woman will have to be a man and a son; for in the Scriptures "man's seed" is called the fruit which is a son of a man (as is known), and it is quite special in this place that this child or man is called "woman's seed". Otherwise "seed" is called everywhere the man's or father's seed, as, Abraham's seed, David's seed, and so on, through and through, in Moses and the prophets "seed" is called the man's seed; that Moses in this place reads just like Lucas and Matthew, that this woman shall be a virgin, who without a man shall become a mother of her own seed alone. And because this rhymes with the New Testament, we Christians, according to the established rule, should not allow either Jews or devils to have any other understanding.

99. Summa, this seed of a woman shall be a man, that is certain; in addition, he must truly be God, or Moses will be an idolatrous prophet of the devil. For he gives this seed the power that belongs to God alone and to no creature, namely, that he should put away death and the slayer, sin and God's wrath, and restore righteousness and life.

bring. Dear, this no angel, nor all angels together will not do; it must be a higher, mightier man than all angels and all creatures are. A damned idolatrous prophet (I still say once) must be Moses, if he gives such works, which strangle and overcome death and sin, 1) to make alive and righteous, to a woman's seed, which is a mere creature, and not itself the one God, who alone can make alive, 2) as Joh. 1, 4. says of the word: "In him was life."

100. Reason itself must confess that whoever can subdue death can also restore life; whoever can subdue sin can restore righteousness; since to take away death is no different than to restore life; to take away sin is no different than to restore righteousness, of which the serpent (the devil in the serpent) brought Adam and Eve, along with all their descendants and children of men, evil, and by his lies fell into sin and death; as the text clearly states Gen. 2, 17: "You shall not eat of the tree, or you shall die." Against this the liar and murderer says Gen. 3, 4: "You may eat from it, and you will not die, but you will become like God and know everything. That is (as said above [§ 97]) all about sins and death, which the serpent has created and caused. Therefore, the serpent's subversion must be nothing else than destroying his work and power; as Paul says that Christ destroyed death and brought life to light, 2 Tim. 1, 10. What Jews, Mahomet, and others here make up with their glosses, we pay no attention to. Moses agrees here with the New Testament, that is enough for us.

Adam and Eve also had such a mind, that the seed of the woman must be God, who should crush the head of the devil. For Gen. 4, 1. when Eve gave birth to Cain, she thought, perhaps because 3) the

1) Erlanger: overcome.

2) In the original is missing: can.

3) In the editions is so interpimgirt, as we think for it, wrong: "thought she perhaps, because" etc., because Luther says: "Such mind has Adam and Eve had", not: perhaps had. In Latin "perhaps" is not expressed.

firstborn man on earth, he would be the best, and thought he should be the seed of the woman, but she the mother, or the woman; therefore she says, "I have the man, the Lord"; as if to say, This will be the man, the Lord, of whom God has spoken, the woman's seed etc. Call the child a man and HErrn, or GOtt; for here stands the great and own name of GOtt, Jehovah, which means nothing else but GOtt Himself alone in His nature or being; and XXX, which, where it stands alone, without a woman, does not mean badly a man-image, as all men are; but a Ausbund and distinguished man; as we Germans also say: This is a man! That wants to become a man! So Eva wants here: I have born a son, he will become a man, yes, he is the man, God Himself, who shall do it, and tread down the serpent, as God has spoken to us. How is it possible? how can it be possible for her to speak of her child in this way: I have the man, the Lord, when she had not understood the saying that the seed of the woman must be God, who should do what God had spoken?

She will not have understood it like this alone, but Adam will have talked with her about it long before, and will have practiced this saying among themselves, and will have comforted themselves against sin and death, which should be taken away by this seed, and the innocence and life of the lost should be brought back; otherwise they would have despaired. So God's will is not yet wise, that his outward word (like this) should be spoken in vain and not be understood by anyone; as he says Isa. 55, 11: "My word shall not return to me empty, but I will send it. Now there were only two people here, Adam and Eve, who could understand it, therefore they must have understood it fruitfully, blessedly and rightly, however, as we Christians, and before that all prophets have understood it.

103. In this the dear wretched mother Eve is lacking, that she thinks she is the woman, because there is no other woman on earth but she alone; and with great desire and longing she hopes that her son shall be the seed, the husband of Jehovah. This is too soon and too much hastened; but [she].

is not to be blamed that she would like to be rid of the sins and death, that is, of the devil soon. But God did not say to her: Your seed shall do it; also not to Adam: Your wife's seed shall be it, but reads to both of them their good text, which all human children still feel, until the end of the world. But to the serpent he turns, and says: I will again create for thee a tramp on the head, which shall be the seed of a woman; I will fell thee haughty, mighty, evil spirit by the son of man, that again all men shall run over thee and trample thee under their feet, as thou hast now trampled Adam and Eve under thee. This has done, is doing, and will do forever, our dear Lord Jesus Christ, with God the Father One Jehovah, Amen.

Here someone would like to say: How is it possible that neither a Christian nor a Jew has seen this in this place? Because the interpreters all do it differently. The Latin therefore: "I have received a man through God". 1) The other Hebrew thus: I got the man from the Lord. I do not ask now. I have above [Preface § 9) often conditioned, I want to have this time no master, but indicate my opinion in interpretation. If no one likes it, it is enough that [it] pleases only one. The Hebrew word XX is "the" or "the", and is an article accusativi, as all grammatici must confess. When Genesis Cap. 1, 1. says: "In the beginning God created XX heavens, and XX earth": that means in German: the heavens and the earth, and always so, in that and the following chapter. As "Adam recognized XX Heva, his wife". "Heva gave birth to XX Cain." Item, further she bore XXX Habel, his brother. Item, Adam begat XX Seth; Seth begat XX Enos; and so on. Just according to the manner Eve speaks here, since she had born Cain: XXXXXXXXX: I have got the man, the Lord. For she hopes (as said), Cain should be the seed, which was promised by God to crush the serpent's head.

105 And I know for certain, when the worst

1) Thus the old rationalists (e.g. Gesenius) and some newer Lutheran theologians, e.g. Köstlin, Martin Luther (3rd ed.), vol. II, p. 602, who calls Luther's translation and interpretation an "exegetical aberration".

Jews, who crucified Christ, or would be even worse than those, who would like to crucify him even now much more cruel; as one says of those, who crucified a cat in Hungary at Ofen the other day together with the Turks and carried it away, to mock God, our Lord Jesus Christ, with many shameful blasphemous words: such wicked, poisonous God and cat crucifiers, if they could believe, or had to confess (without faith) the truth of the language otherwise, they would say thus: Yes, you cursed goyim, if it were true that the seed of the woman was God and man, then we ourselves would well know that the text rhymes from the measure of his, since Eve speaks: "I have gotten the man, the Jehovah", and freely confess that the language gladly and finely gives that this son, the man and God, the Lord, would be. But what one interprets differently here, as: I got the man through the Lord, or from the Lord, or with the Lord, is a forced, naughty thing, and not the right kind and nature of language, nor can anyone else prove it. Yes, in this way the wicked people would have to confess. But since they cannot stand that God is man born of a female image, this text and the whole of Scripture must be wrong, or have them make another nose.

(106) In the same way, all other Hebrew scholars, if they look at the text correctly, would have to confess that this woman's seed is Jehovah, that is, God and man. For that this little word XX means "the" or "the", and is a nota accusativi, that is proven, convinced, known by all Hebrews, Jews and Christians in all grammars. But that it should also be ad, de, vel cum, of, or with, or through, is still unproven, and should probably remain unproven. For on the examples they lead from Rabbi Kimhi, or from Scripture, it can easily be said that the Hebrew language has never come up again, and the Jews cannot know virtutem omnium vocabulorum, sicut res ostendit; much less do they know vim phrasis, figurarum et idiotismorum; but they doubt, equivocir, grope, and seek, as an unlearned organist seeks the claves or organ pipes, and asks: Is it you, is it you?

For, as teachers of the Latin language write, it is much another thing to speak Latin, and to speak grammatically: so also it is much another thing to speak Hebrew, and to speak grammatically. Grammatically they may speak, but very unfinished; but Hebrew, pure, good, and finished speaking, is now impossible. Everyone learns German, or other languages, much better from oral speech, at home, in the marketplace, and in sermons, than from books. The letters are dead words, the oral speech are living words, which do not give themselves so actually and well in writing, as the spirit or soul of man gives them through the mouth. As St. Jerome writes of Demosthene and Aeschine in prologo, and of Livio: Habet, nescio quid, latentis energiae viva vox. Especially this is no good, since they pretend that XX may be called de, a, ab, that is, from; as: I got the man from the Lord; because the examples 1 Mos. 44, 4. 2 Mos. 9, 29.: Egressi XX urbe, and the like, do not do it; because one says quite well: Egressus urbem, aedificavit lapides in altare, but appositive.

But that Moses also writes, Gen. 5, 22. and 6, 9.: Enoch ambulavit nx Deum, Noha ambulavit XX Deum; that they interpret: Enoch and Noah walked with God; this is no good, and does not read. Where did they walk with God? Towards the morning or towards the evening? It should be: ambulavit Deum, in accusativo; as the Latin also speak so: Vixit Sardanapalum; qui Curios1 ) simulant et bachanalia vivunt; exuit patrem; sic: Noha ambulavit Deum, id est, divinam viam, duxit vitam divinam; gessit et fecit opus Dei. So also St. Paul speaks Gal. 1, 10.: An suadeo Deum, vel homines? id est: An doceo divina vel humana? Ibidem Cap. 2, 20: Quod vivo. Rom. 6, 10: Quod vivit, vivit Deo. Idem 1 Petr. 4, 6. this and all more I know the Hebrews; as, 1 Mos. 39, 2.: The Lord was XX Joseph, with Joseph. Here we Germans must say so, but it does not give the accusativum well, and yet is accusativi nota in Ebraeo; it shall remain so. That is enough of the saying, since

1) Ouilos Dsntatus, the "defeater" of Pßrrhus, known for his great temperance.

Eve, or rather Moses, agrees with the New Testament that this seed of the woman is Jehovah, and understood by her and Moses thus, otherwise they both might well have spoken it differently.

109) Here also belongs the saying of Moses, Gen. 22, 18, where God promises Abraham with an oath, saying: "In your seed all XXX (Gentiles) on earth shall be blessed. Here the word XXX is written so that the present Jews (are they otherwise Jews) may revile and curse us, precisely so that we may boast of this blessing that God promises to Abraham, saying, "All XXX shall be blessed in your seed"; but they, the circumcised saints, want us Gentiles to be cursed, and they alone to be the seed of Abraha. But because they curse the Gentiles, and are such a seed by which all the Gentiles are cursed, it is evident that they are not Abraham's seed, but the devil's seed. For it is God, whose judgment is right and certain, who says that Abraham's seed shall not curse the Gentiles, as they do, but all the Gentiles shall be blessed in him; as has been done for 1543 years, and will be done until eternity.

Now, this blessing is not a human blessing, as one blesses with words, or wishes good morning or evening, for man cannot bless in any other way. Nor is it a devilish blessing, so that sorceresses bless children, cattle and the like, that they may prosper and be protected from misfortune. Neither is it a Jewish blessing, which is to be powerful and do wonders through the Shamhaperes 1) and their sorcery, with letters and figures, or God's name tetragrammaton; as the Turks' blessing is also the devil's blessing and idolatry, since they bless each other with letters and words in the fight, against iron and all weapons. Neither is it a papal blessing, which charms the water and wax, that they should become holy water and Agnus Dei, and get and help many virtues above their natural virtue: but it is a divine blessing, which God alone

1) Bergleiche Luther's writing of the Shem Hamphoras, St. Louis edition, vol. XX, 2051, K 60. In K 146 of this writing, "Schamhafteres" is correctly found, while the editions here offer "Schemhaperes".

can and will give. Such a blessing is not a mere word that gives us good morning or wishes us good morning, and nothing follows from it, but gives and creates everything that it speaks. As Gen. 1, 28. God blessed all animals and men, and said: XXXX XXX: "Be fruitful, and multiply." There it does not remain with the bare word, but follows from it the work, namely that animals and humans became fruitful, and multiplied, until they filled the world. And such a blessing stands and continues until the end of the world. For by such we are what we are and have, in body, soul, goods, and all that is or will be.

So this divine blessing, promised in Abraham's seed, is also a real, actual, living blessing, which creates what it says or blesses. For it is promised and given against the curse into which the serpent has plunged us through Adam's disobedience and sin, and herewith the promise of the woman's seed is negated, and is now to be called Abraham's seed; as it became David's seed afterward, and finally the virgin's seed. Therefore, "blessing in the seed of Abraham" means as much here as it does above [Gen. 3:15]: "The seed of the woman shall bruise the head of the serpent," that is, it shall take away sin and death, and bring back innocence and life. For sin and death is the curse under which we would have to lie forever, unless we were blessed again through this seed, that is, made alive and righteous, holy and blessed. Yes, so we are blessed in this seed of Abraham; yes, we boast of the blessing of Goyim, and accept it by faith, are very hopeful, proud and splendid against the devil, his power, death and sin, and all that is more; thus we sing and say: In the seed of Abraham, David and Mary the woman, we have forgiveness of sins, remission of sins, redemption from sins, salvation from death and all evil: "For he is made unto us of God", 1 Cor. 1, 30, "our righteousness, our wisdom, our redemption, our sanctification", our blessing, our comfort, life and joy forever. Praise be to God for ever and ever, Amen.

112. now shall this seed of abraham sol-

1944 Erl. S7, 70-7S. Interpretation of the last words of David/ 2 Sam. 23, 3. W. Ill, 287I-W7S. 1945

If the God of God is able to give and create a strong and substantial blessing among the nations, he will not have to be a mere man who cannot say more than "Good morning" to us, which all men can do, but must be the true, natural, one God, who has such blessings powerfully in his hand. For, to abolish sin and death, to give righteousness and life, are not the works of men nor of angels, but only of the one, eternal, divine Majesty, Creator of heaven and earth. Again: If he is to be Abraham's seed, that is, his child and son, he must not be pure God, but a true, natural man, of Abraham's flesh and blood; that is, he must be both God and man in one person. Further: Because he is not the person who speaks to Abraham of the seed or this person: "In your seed shall all the Gentiles be blessed", he must be another, different person. For he who says to Abraham, "In thy seed," etc., is not Abraham's seed, but speaks as of another, who is to be Abraham's seed. From this the difference of the two persons is derived, and yet the one, undivided God remains in his one divine being. Here the third person is found at the same time, who verbally expresses such things through Moses or angels from these two persons; as it is said above [§ 9 ff.] that the Holy Spirit is assigned the utterance of the verbal word, in which he is revealed to us differently; just as the humanity of the Son is different and its own revelation.

For us Christians, it is even more evident that the mother of this seed of Abraham must be a virgin, who should conceive and bear him without sin by the Holy Spirit. For if he was to be conceived by a man (like other Adam's children), he himself would also have to be conceived in sins, as the 51st Psalm, v. 7, laments of all men: "Behold, in sins I am conceived" etc. According to the way he himself would need another seed, in which he would have to be blessed, that is, redeemed from sins and death, and would not be a blessing for us, nor be able to give us one. But from this saying we have St. Paulum a

rich preacher, especially to the Romans and Galatians, since he teaches Abraham's and David's seed in this masterly way, that it is not necessary for us Christians to go on about it this time; for it is our daily bread and constant preaching, reading and singing.

Now see if Moses is not a good Christian, who so beautifully agrees with St. Paul and the whole New Testament. Should not the cursing Jews and devil-seeds stone such a heretic, as they often wanted to do in the desert? Should he be their prophet and master? O he is not worthy, with such heresy, that a circumcised saint should hear him called with his most holy ears; his name must be cursed with the accursed goyim, to whom he proclaims such glorious, blessed blessings. Although he does not exclude them with the word "all Goyim", for the people of Israel are also often called Goy in the Scriptures; but they exclude themselves, as David prophesies about them Ps. 109, 17. 18.: "He does not want the blessing, so it will remain far from him; he wants the curse, it will also come to him. And put on the curse like a shirt (the next garment on the body), and it has gone into his inward parts like water (through blood and flesh), and like oil into his bones" (through marrow and legs). We Christians now well understand the word of Christ Joh. 5, 46.: "If you believed Mosi, you also believed me, because of me he wrote." Certainly written, through his whole book, where he speaks of God and of Messiah. Item, the word Joh. 8, 56.: "Abraham, your father, was glad that he should see my day, and he saw it, and rejoiced." Where did he see it? In this saying, when he heard how his seed should be God and man, who should bless all nations, redeem them from sin and death, and make them eternally alive, holy and blessed; just as David, 1 Chron. 18, 16, had the same joy when the same son was promised to him.

115 Let us hear another saying from Moses. Ex. 33, 19. 20. when God was angry with the people because of the golden calf, and was not willing to go with the people, nor to take care of them, but commanded everything to Moses and sent an angel to him, he would no longer speak to the people, but spoke only to Moses, who said: "Let your glory be to me.

see. The Lord answered: I will pass all my goodness before thy face, and I will preach in the name of the Lord before thee, and will be gracious to whom I am gracious, and will have mercy on whom I have mercy. And said, My face thou canst not see, for no man can see me, and live." Look at this text, regardless of what ravens 1) or Jews devil in it, whether it also rhymes with the New Testament according to the unadulterated kind of language. Here the Lord Mosi answers, since he desires to see his glory, and says: It cannot be. But nevertheless he promises Mosi that he will let all his goods pass before him. This is a person, the father, who speaks of his son (who is all his goods, through whom he made all things), whom Moses, that is, his regiment and people of Israel, shall see, not in glory, but in a passing over, here in temporal life. For Moses in these stories and visions is not the born Moses of his father Amram, a privatus Moses, but the appointed prophet and head of the people of Israel, to whom he gives the law.

Immediately after this another person says: "And I will preach before you in the name of the Lord. Here you hear that the Lord will preach before Moses, that is, before the people of Israel, in the name of the Lord. What is this said: I the Lord will preach in the name of the Lord? Must there not be two different persons? One Lord who preaches and one Lord in whose name the Lord preaches. Now this preacher, who is a Lord, must certainly become a man if he is to preach before Moses and Israel. For the ministry of preaching God has commanded men, as prophets and apostles, through whom he proclaims his word to us. But what the preaching is to be in the name of the Lord follows: "I will be gracious to whom I am gracious, and have mercy on whom I have mercy," that is, I will not preach as you, Moses, must preach. For you must preach the law, thus: I command thee this day to do and to keep this and that: if not, it shall not be well with thee. But I will preach thus

1) Erlanger: "Rabben." "Raben" - rabbis; cf. Walch, St. Louis Edition, Vol. XX, 2093. 2103.

that in the sight of God the Lord no man is righteous or justified by the law, for no man keeps it as he ought, and is guilty of keeping it. Therefore your preaching makes vain and miserable people, showing them their sin, before which they cannot keep the law; therefore St. Paul calls it a ministry of sin and death, 2 Cor. 3, 6. Gal. 2, 16.

(117) But my preaching in the name of the Lord is thus: The Lord will do it himself, and his own merit and righteousness shall count for nothing, but he that shall have it shall have it by grace and mercy alone. He who seeks grace and mercy without merit shall have it. That is, "To whom I am gracious, I am gracious." So it is not said, "Whoever has the law or boasts of merit, I am gracious to him, but he who boasts of my graces, of him I am gracious to God. So that this saying goes primarily straight and mighty, not against the wretched sinners who are captive to the law, but against the stiff-necked, iron, brazen pride of their own righteousness. Behold, this is called preaching in the name of the Lord, that is, God wants to do what Christ preaches; but He preaches only grace, and says Joh. 7, 19: "None of you keep the law; and Joh. 8, 24: "If you do not believe that I am (that is, that I am the Jehovah, the First, the God Himself), then you must die in your sins." Joh. 1, 17.: "The law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through JEsum Christ."

Now hold such an opinion of the text of Moses in this place against the New Testament, and tell me if it does not rhyme with the same in a very fine, unconstrained, and very happy way, that one must neither force nor torture a word with strange glosses against its natural interpretation, but, as they read in the Hebrew language, so they agree with our Christian faith, which teaches us in the New Testament that Jesus Christ is Jehovah, God and man, and was preacher to the people of Israel; as St. Paul calls him Romans 15:8, minister circumcisionis, a preacher to the circumcised people of Israel; and he himself says Matthew 15:24. Paul calls him Rom. 15, 8, minister circumcisionis, a preacher of the circumcised people of Israel; and he himself Matth. 15, 24. says: "I am not sent but to the lost sheep of Israel"; he also forbade the apostles not to go among the Gentiles;

and here he says to Moses: "I will preach before you. As if to say, "I will personally preach to your people alone, and to circumcised Israel, especially to the wretched, whom you have humiliated with the law; as Isa. 61:1 says, "He has sent me to preach the gospel to the wretched. So the gospel is nothing else but the word of Christ, the Son of God, in which he preaches to us all grace and mercy, in the name of God the Father, who sent him for this purpose, and does everything himself through him in us.

This is the transition before Moses and his people, in which he knew us and all God's goodness was shown to us, and yet the glory of his divine being was not merely seen, nor will it be. For this does not belong to this life, but when we have died, then it shall come to pass, as he says Ex. 33:20: "No living man shall see me." This does not mean that God will never see a man, but rather that the resurrection of the dead is promised, since we will see Him. Alone it is said of this life. "No man," he says, "shall see me and live," that is, man may see me, but he must not live, must die first, and come into another life; there it shall not be denied him. Then he will understand that I am merciful to him whom I have been merciful; and that I have not been merciful to him at all, either for his righteousness or for the works of the law.

120 I know that this Hebrew word preach can also mean to call, to name, to read; as also Lyra and Burgensis testify, according to which it has a different letter and a different one around it; but as it stands here, with the little word "in" [X], it is commonly called preach, Gen. 4, 26. 12, 8. 13, 4. And whether the rabbis or quarrelsome Hebrews do not accept this, I do not care; I am satisfied, as I have often said, when Mosi's word, after the good manner of the Hebrew language, so finely and gladly detaches itself and gives way to the New Testament from the rabbis' compulsory interpretation, that everyone must say (whoever knows the language, whether he is not already a Christian or not) that the word "in" is a Christian.

1) mere--""veiled. Cruciger: ""6"".

would be): Well, if the Christians' faith is right, then Moses truly had their way with these words; for the words rhyme nowhere so finely and surely as in the New Testament. And in this way I would gladly take the whole Hebrew Bible from the Jews, from their shameful, blasphemous glosses; but it is not one man's work, it is enough to show others, who are more learned than I, an example or my good will, that they do it more and better.

121] And this is what follows in this place [Ex. 33:21-23]: "And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, there is a place by me, where thou shalt stand upon the rock; and when my glory shall pass, I will put thee in the cleft of the rock, and will hold my hand upon thee, until I pass by. And when I remove my hand from thee, thou shalt see my hindmost, but my face cannot be seen." Here also two persons speak Jehovah. One speaks, "When my glory shall pass away"; this is the person of the Father speaking of the passing away of his glory, that is, of his Son; and he himself the Son speaks, "Let it be he that passeth away. All this is said of Christ, God and man, passed here on earth; as is heard above [§§ 115. 116].

The other thing, when he says, "There is a place with me," and what he says about the rock and his hand over Moses until he passes by, I understand to mean that God, for the sake of the future rock, Christ, still protected and preserved the people of the law, or Israel, under his patience, because they could not keep the law. In which way Paul speaks Rom. 3, 25, that the sin, which remained under the law with divine patience, was forgiven at this time, when Christ came with his passing away etc. But after this transgression God has taken away the hand of such patience and protection of the rock. For the law is finished and fulfilled, [we] have no right to the patience or protection of the coming Christ. Yes, he is damned who still believes in Christ in the future and still wants to stand with Moses in the rock under God's hand. The rock and the hand are gone, we have the Lord and his transition, until which God's protection and patience should last. We see

now after him what he has made before us, 1) that is what is his hindmost, what he has left us behind, namely, that he died God and man for us and rose from the dead; and therefore may mankind be called his back or hindmost, in which we recognize him in this life, until we come there, where we shall also see his face and glory.

123) Moses makes the Lord such a preacher in the following 34th chapter, v. 5 ff: "And the Lord (Jesus Christ) came down in a cloud, and stood with him (Moses) there, and preached in the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed over before him, and cried (preached), O Lord God, merciful and gracious, patient, and [of] great 2) kindness, and true, who keepeth his kindness to a thousand generations, who forgiveth sin, iniquity, and transgression, before whom no man is innocent, who visiteth the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and fourth generations." Here the Latin Bible is wrong, whoever did it, which puts "Mosen" where "HErr" should stand. 3) [It] may have seemed unreasonable to such a master that the HErr should preach or call from the HErrn, which is better suited to Mosi. Burgensis also pleases me well, who holds that the text thus stands in the Hebrew: And the HErr went over before him and called (or preached) the HErrn HErrn GOtt, the 4) merciful, the gracious; in accusativo, or, as we say it in German: He preached of the HErrn HErrn GOtt. But it is and remains the same opinion; for it is the same in German, den HErrn, and von dem HErrn predigen.

(124) Well, this is also a bright text, that the Lord is a preacher, and preaches in the name of the Lord; there are two lords named, and yet they are not two gods nor lords; yes, the Lord, he says, preaches from the Lord, from the Lord, from the God; "Lord" is written twice, and God with it, of which there are three; nor do they have to be three gods. It is said above [§ 116 ff.] what it means,

1) Cruciger: snts nos. Erlanger: "for".

2) Erlanger: and large.

3) In the Vulgate 2 Mos. 34, 5. reads: Oumyus ässssnäissst Domina" psr nniiom, ststit *sum so, invosans nomsn Domini.

4) "den" is missing in the Erlanger.

The Lord preaches in the name of the Lord, namely, that Jesus Christ is this preacher, God and man, who was sent by the Father in the name of his Father and preached by his Father to Moses, that is, to the people of Moses, about all grace and mercy, so that no one can be justified by the law, because no one keeps it. He preaches the same sermon here in other words, saying: "The Lord comes to Moses and preaches. Why does he stand with Moses and not over him or far from him? The two preaching ministries, law and gospel, must be with each other, though the transactions are unequal. For Moses preaches of sins, and thereby kills; Christ preaches of grace, and thereby makes alive. But grace can create nothing where sin is not first revealed and recognized through the law. The Lord Christ himself says in Matth. II, 5 [15, 24] that he preaches the gospel to the miserable and to the lost sheep of Israel, that is, those who feel lost because of the law.

What does the Lord preach to Moses and before Moses? He preaches, he says, of the Lord God, gracious and merciful etc. That is, that three persons are One God, before whom nothing is counted but merit from the law, which are nothing before him, and in truth are nothing; but only grace and mercy, goodness and faithfulness, who forgives sin, transgression, and iniquity, and no man is innocent before him. If then you want to call God by His right name, as it is written here, that He is a forgiver of sins, merciful and gracious, and no one is innocent before Him, you do not have to make much boasting about Him, whether you are Moses, John, or whoever you want; but you must say with St. Paul, Rom. 3, 23.All the world is guilty before God, and lack glory in God," or that they must not say they are innocent and righteous before God; otherwise, they will remain subject to the last part, where he says [v. 5]: He searches out the iniquity of the fathers to the fourth generation; as Christ also says Marc. 16, 16: He who does not believe is condemned.

126 And notice that it does not say here, as in the first commandment, Exodus 20:6, "He who shows mercy to the thousandth member, to them,

who love me, and keep my commandments"; but for this it is written, "There is none innocent before him," that is, no one loves him, nor keeps his commandments, without those alone who boast no merit; but believe and call God gracious and merciful, and a forgiver of sins, but confess themselves guilty, and pray in the Lord's Prayer [Matth. 6, 12.], "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us." This means nothing else, but grace preached; not what we should do, as the Ten Commandments demand, and do not do; but what God wants to do with grace to us, and has done; as the New Testament teaches and testifies to us. Now we have the preacher who reveals himself to Mosi and prophesies what he wants to preach in the New Testament. And as he prophesied at that time with Moses, so we see it fulfilled in the New Testament, namely, that no one shall be justified and saved by his own righteousness, but only by the grace of God, which is preached to us through this preacher, his dear Son.

127 Now that Moses asks the Lord to go with him and not to let them go, and the Lord answers that he will go with them and do great miracles, he is reconciled with the people, renounces the covenant, writes other tablets, and briefly summarizes the Old Testament's commandments and service, how they should live and do. But of grace and forgiveness, as above [vv. 6, 7], there is nothing here. And the opinion is: Moses now has the comforting promise of the New Testament, since the Lord Himself wants to preach and rule; now he asks, because this people is commanded to him to teach and to rule until the New Testament, that the Lord be with him. For what shall I do? [Ex. 34:9, It is a stiff-necked wicked people. If you are not with us, forgiving sin and bearing it patiently until you yourself come and become a preacher of grace, we will be lost for hours. We must have your divine patience and protection in this regime, since we are to preach your law and yet will not keep it. And this is exactly what is said in the 33rd chapter, v. 22, about the protection and hand of God in the cleft of the rock.

128. for God answers and says

[Now I will do it, and will make a covenant with all thy people, and will do wonders which are not done in all the land, and among all the heathen: and all the people among whom thou art shall see the work of the Lord, how wonderful it is that I will do with thee. Watch and keep what I command you today etc. This is all said of the Old Testament and Moses' people; as also follows of the casting out of the Amorites, Cananites, Hittites etc. which was done in the Old Testament. And with diligence he avoids the word: "My people"; but calls them Mosi's people, "your people", and among whom you are. Yet, as I have promised, I will keep my hand over it, I will guard it in the rock, I will do great wonders that have never been done among all the nations. And it is true, read the Old Testament through and through, and you will see how many great miracles God has done in this people, from Moses to Christ, even though they are not his people, that is, not of grace, but of law; except for those who understood Moses and put their hope in Christ; the rest have been vain saints of works, and stiff-necked, glorified 1) lawmakers.

But notice how the text makes it clear that the Lord who speaks to Moses is Jesus Christ, the future preacher of the New Testament; for he also speaks differently of himself and of the Father, when he says Ex 34:10: "All your people shall see the miraculous work of the Lord," which I will do. Behold, it is the miraculous work of the Lord, of which he now speaks, and yet he will do it, which the Lord does; just as he also speaks John 5:19, "What the Father does, that also does the Son." Item, v. 17: "My Father works until now, and I also work." Item, v. 21: "As the Father raiseth the dead. As the Father raises the dead and brings them to life, so the Son also brings to life those whom He wills." This means that John is the same as Moses, and Moses is the same as John, and almost rhymes with the same word. Here are different two persons, father and son (like Jo-

1) Wittenberger and Jenaer: "rbumrettige"; Erlanger: ruhmredige. Cruciger: xsrsuusione xroxria" justioiav sibi xlaeentiuna.

2) "with" is missing in the Erlanger.

The Lord who speaks of the Lord and does the Lord's miraculous work (as Moses says) is one and the same, not two and the same work; therefore it must be no more than one Lord and God.

130. item, so further in the same place [v. 23.] the Lord speaks with Moses, and says: "Three times in the year every child shall appear before the ruler, the Lord God Israel." Here again the Lord speaks of the ruler, the Lord God Israel. For these are not the words of Moses, but of the Lord, who speaks to Moses, and commands him the Old Testament, which he wants to protect and bear with patience until his own future transition, as is said above 119) enough. Whether the ravens and the Jews interpret all this differently, and despise our understanding, that is right; God's enemy shall not see God's word. But what they spit here about this text is not worth that a sow or an ass should read, if they could read at all. Moses' face has horns, and shines too brightly that they cannot see into it; but we have Moses, that his words, unconstrained, natural in speech, so cordially and sweetly agree with the New Testament. And although he must rule the stiff-necked, wicked people of his time in the Old Testament, he also prophesies powerfully of Jesus Christ our Lord, that he is a true man, and with the Father and the Holy Spirit, in a distinct person, one true God, who does all that the Lord does. That is enough for us, we want to be called fools and unlearned in the Scriptures, and leave the Jews and Turks their high wisdom in their land of sleeping monkeys.

(131) Well, believe each one for himself what he will, I believe and know for certain that I and all Christians have Moses for us, and that he is a true Christian, yes, a teacher of Christians. [It does not hurt that he is still in his cap, and dressed in the Old Testament, as if he were not a Christian, like a pious monk, like St. Bernard, who walks as a monk, but is still in his faith a true, earnest Christian, who does not build, insist, and defy on his cap or order, like the rest of the crowd, but only on the grace of Jesus Christ; as he himself is.

often testifies. So Moses lets the other bunch boast of the law and circumcision, always goes along in such cap; but his heart, faith and confession is Jesus Christ, Son of God etc. Now if we have Moses, that is, the master and ruler, then his disciples, the prophets, will fall to us with multitudes after him, for they believe, confess and teach nothing else that neither Moses, their preceptor, does.

But where shall we put them, the beloved guests? This booklet is too small, [I] cannot put them all in here, so Moses cannot come all the way in. So let us do this: Let us go to them and eat with them; they have the kitchen and the cellar better prepared than we, and they can give us plenty of food and dine wonderfully. That is, each one take the prophets before him, read them diligently, and notice where the Lord Jehovah, Jesus Christ, speaks differently, or where he is spoken of. For now you have heard that it is he who speaks to Moses on Mount Sinai, guides Moses and the people, and performs miracles. And though he is not the only one who does them, but the Father and the Holy Spirit do all and one work with him, yet he reveals himself with such speaking and doing that he is a distinct person from the Father, in the one divine essence. And indeed, whoever understands so much in the Scriptures (which not everyone respects) that he can notice where the person speaks one from the other, as if there were more than one, he has soon seen the difference which is the Father's or the Son's person. But if you have the difference of the Father and the Son, then the person of the Holy Spirit is also different.

As Psalm 2, 7: "The Lord said to me: You are my son, today I have begotten you. And here, in Genesis, Ex. 33, 19.: "The Lord preacheth in the name of the Lord." Gen. 19:24: "The Lord rained down brimstone and fire from the Lord." Here you see quickly that the Lord who rains is the Son, from the Lord, that is, from the Father; for the Son is from the Father, and not again. Hof. 1, 7: "Thus saith the Lord; I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the Lord their God, and not by sword and bow" etc. Zephaniah 3:9, saith the Lord:

1956 Erl. S7, S4-SS. Interpretation of the last words of David, 2 Sam. 23, 3. W. Ill, 2M7-W8V. 1957

"I will turn to the nations a clean lip, that they all may call or preach in the name of the Lord, and serve him with one shoulder." Ps. 45, 8.: "Therefore hath thy God anointed thee with the oil of gladness?"; and, v. 12.: "The king shall delight in thy beauty: for he is thy God, and thou shalt worship him." Jer. 23:5, 6: "In that day will I raise up unto David a righteous plant; and that shall be his name, that he shall be called, O Lord, which is our righteousness."

But if the person does not manifest himself differently by speech, so that there seems to be no more than one person, then you may keep the rule given above [§ 132], so that you do not do wrong when you point the name Jehovah to our Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God. Of this take a fine example Isa. 50, 1: "Thus saith the Lord, Where is your mother's bill of divorcement, that I may leave her?" Here the Lord means the person of the Son, although he does not speak differently of his person, as Lyra and others also interpret it. And has pleased me many years ago, that Lyra goes out so freely, "Thus saith the Lord, that is, Jesus Christ." But if one reads the whole chapter after this piece (for Isaiah does not speak a word here, but the Lord speaks everything), it is found that the person of the Son, Jesus Christ, speaks here, not only according to the Godhead, but also according to humanity. For he speaks Isa. 50, 6: "My back I have given to them that smote me, and my cheeks to them that reproached me; and I hid not my face from shame and spittle: for the Lord help me" etc. Read the whole chapter and you will find that God is the Lord who suffers and has help from the Lord, that is, Christ is true God and man.

135 Such an example, since there is no clear difference of person, is taken from the epistle to the Hebrews, Cap. 1, 6, and speaks from the 97th Psalm, v. 7: "When he brings in the firstborn into the world, he says: And all the angels of God shall worship him. Here one sees no special sign that such a psalm is to be understood by Jesus Christ, God's Son, without it saying in the beginning: "The Lord has become King, the earth rejoices", which is a

Jew or spiritless man would not be allowed to be said of Christ. But the Spirit confesses that no person has become King except the Son; as the other Psalm testifies, v. 6: "I have set my King on my holy mountain Zion." 1 Chron. 18, 14: "I will set him in my kingdom forever." But that he is true God, this Psalm testifies, saying, "Let all the angels of God worship him"; Hebrew, then, "Worship him, all gods." "Gods" here cannot mean GOtt, who is not many, but only one GOtt; therefore he interprets it "angels." But he is the God whom they worship, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Therefore, those who understand this Psalm of Christ, as the epistle does, do not do wrong, although they do not see the difference of the person.

136. item, since the same epistle [Cap. 1, 10. 11.] leads from the 102nd Psalm, v. 26. 27: "You founded the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will pass away, but you remain. "etc. Nor does reason find any sign here that this was spoken and understood differently from Jesus Christ, as the epistle says, and would have found other brighter sayings in the Psalter; but he gives us such an example that we should look for Christ in the Scriptures, because he is certainly God and Creator, with the Father and the Holy Spirit; so that no one can do wrong who says of him that he is the one who created heaven and earth. But still we should diligently seek the different revelation of the person of the Son, and look at the words that give and reveal his person differently. Whoever does not have it better, let him accept this, which God promised David, 1 Chron. 18, 11, that his son Messiah should build God a house and be Lord and King in it forever, of which many psalms have been made.

This Psalm [Ps. 102, 14. f.] also prophesies of such a house and building, and anxiously asks that he will come and build Zion. This cannot be said of the fleshly Zion, which stood built then, which was not the house of God nor Zion, which David's son was to build and be king in it. Thus we have heard above [§ 23 ff.] that this builder and master of the house must be God.

and yet the Son of David. Therefore, the epistle leads this psalm right to the person of Jesus Christ, who is indeed One God and Creator with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, but with the building of God's house and kingdom is revealed as a different person than the Father. So also this is a different sign that Christ, the Son of God, is the seed of Abraham, through whom all the Gentiles shall be blessed and obey Him. Gen. 22:18, 49:10: "The Gentiles shall obey Shiloh," and Ps. 2:8: "Cry unto me, and I will give thee the Gentiles for an inheritance." This Psalm also speaks of such a kingdom among the Gentiles, and thus paints the person of the Son w.

Summa, there is One God, One Lord, One Divine Majesty, nature and essence of all three persons; but sometimes the person of the Father, sometimes of the Son, sometimes of the Holy Spirit is revealed. Whichever one is revealed, it is the one God in three persons, so that we may recognize the divine majesty correctly, and not, as Jews, heretics, Mahomet, blindly believe, as if God were nothing more than one person; God does not want that, but wants to be known, as He reveals Himself to us. And God is especially concerned with the revelation and knowledge of His Son, through all the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments; everything is directed to the Son. For the Scriptures are given for the sake of the Messiah or the Seed of the Son, who is to restore all that the serpent has corrupted: to take away sin, death, wrath; to restore innocence, life, paradise and the kingdom of heaven. And just as the fall of Adam happened, that he pushed himself differently against the Son, and yet at the same time sinned against all three persons, as the one God, so God again let His Son alone and differently become man, so that Adam would be raised up again through the Son differently, against whom he had pushed himself and fallen, and yet such raising up or redemption of all three persons is one and the same, as the work of the one God.

139. For when the serpent, the devil, wanted to fell Adam, he incited him against the Son differently, saying: "You will become like God. This was the son's

Both the devil and Adam wanted to deprive the Son of His honor, for only the Son is like, or the image of the invisible God, Col. 1:15, and the image of His divine being, who is like the Father in One Godhead, Heb. 1:3. And the devil had previously done the same thing in heaven, and learned with his angels about the same image, the Son of God; he did not let it suffice that he was the most beautiful image of God among all the angels (yet not born from eternity, but created in the beginning), but also wanted to be the inward, natural image of God, equal to the Son; as the fathers wrote the saying Isa. 14, 12-14. under the name of the king of Babylon: "How art thou fallen, O beautiful morning star? who said in thine heart, I will go up to heaven, and be like the most high God." For this reason the person of the Son was manifested in a different way, and became man, so that we, who had stumbled and fallen against His divinity, might rise again in Him through His humanity. So then, all Scripture, as I have said, is all Christ, Son of God and Son of Mary; all is to do with the same Son, that we may know Him differently, and thus see the Father and the Holy Spirit, One God, eternally. To him who has the Son, the Scriptures are open, and the greater and greater his faith in Christ becomes, the brighter the Scriptures shine for him.

[Of both natures in Christ.] 1)

If then you believe and understand that Christ is truly God and man, as the Scriptures teach us, see to it, and learn further to be sure that you do not separate the person of Christ, nor combine the two natures, or the divine and human natures, into one being, but distinguish the nature here, and keep the person one.

141. for here also many clever ones have come up against each other, that they either want to make Godhead and mankind One Nature, or else two persons, as Nestorius and Eutyches with their equals; but the Jews

1) This superscription is found in the Wittenberg and Jena editions. ,

and Turks are excellently high and over high in spirit here, and consider us Christians to be great fools. If he is God (they say), how can he die as a man? for God is immortal. If he is a man, how can he be God's son? for God has no wife. Here it goes, as one speaks: Money has honor, said the frog, and sat on a penny. Here the high, high, even higher, and most highly intelligent people, the Turks, Jews, teach us that God cannot die and has no wife; how would or could we poor Christians know such a high thing more and more, if it were not shown to us mad geese and ducks by such exceedingly high masters that God has no wife and cannot die? It would be no wonder that, where a Jew or Turk walks, the earth under him would become so joyful before such a high spirit that it would leap over the sky with him, and the sky would likewise fall down before such great wisdom, with stars, suns and moons, at the feet of the Jews, Turks, or in the abyss of hell, for it is, indeed, an incomprehensible wisdom that God has no wife, nor can he die. O Lord God, Christians know nothing of this! Who would order God a wet nurse? Where did he want to get a maid? Who wanted to bury him? Who wanted to whistle and dance at his wedding? Who wanted to hold his soul masses? 2) Fie on Christians for worshipping a mortal God and making a married man out of him! Blessed, blessed are Mahomet and Rabbis, who teach us much better. Fie, fie you nonsensical Mahomet! should you be called a prophet, you who are such a rude fool and ass?

Let these miserable fools depart, and think themselves wise, until they have had enough; but hold fast the Christian faith, which teacheth us by the Scriptures, that JESUS CHRIST is truly God, and the Son of God, and also truly man, the Son of David, and the Son of Mary; yet not two sons, or two men, or two persons; but one only Son, and one only Person, of and in two distinct natures, the Godhead and the Man-

1) Erlanger: that the.

2) Wittenberg and Erlanger: still hold.

heity. For as above, in the article on the Godhead, you must be careful not to combine three persons into one person, nor to separate the essence or nature into three gods, but to keep three different persons in one divine essence: so here again you must be careful not to divide or separate the one person into two persons, or to combine the two natures into one nature, but to keep two different natures in one unified person. And just as the two natures unite in one person, so also the names of both natures unite in the name of the one person; which is called in Latin communicatio idiomatum vel proprietatum. Thus, man is called and is born of the Virgin Mary, and crucified by the Jews; the same name shall be given to the Son of God, and say: God is born of Mary, and crucified by the Jews; for God and man are One Person, and not two sons, one of God, the other of Mary; but is one Son, of God and Mary.

143. Now if you were to say, as Nestorius did, that God, or Jesus, the Son of God, was not born of Mary, nor crucified of the Jews, but only man, the Son of Mary, behold, you make two persons, and separate the one person, that there is another person who is born and crucified, and another person who is not born nor crucified, and thus each nature becomes for itself a distinct person, and two distinct sons; which is as much as that God did not become man, but God remains for Himself a separate person from man, and man for himself a separate person from God. This is no good, this does not suffer the Scripture, which speaks Joh. 1, 14.: "And the Word became flesh." Luc. 1, 35.: "That which is born in you shall be called the Son of the Most High, the Son of God." And the infant faith says: "I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of Mary of virgins" etc., does not say that the Son of God is another, but the same who is born of Mary and becomes her son.

144 Again, if you would say, as Eutyches did, that the man Jesus, Mary

Son, is not the Creator of heaven and earth, or is not the Son of God, whom one should worship; as also recently a mad spirit pretended great grudges, how dangerously we Christians lived, that we worshipped a creature for God; the nonsensical fool reads no scripture nor books, but dreams out of his own mad head of such high things, and is a self-growing master klügel: Behold, here the person is separated again, and two persons are made out of one. Nestorius separates the persons in such a way that he tears mankind from the Godhead, and makes every nature a special person, so that man alone is especially crucified. Eutyches, on the other hand, separates the Godhead from mankind, so that he also makes every nature a special person, so that God should be worshipped as separated from mankind. But the Scriptures and the faith speak thus: When we worship the man born of Mary, we do not worship a separate man who is a separate person in himself, without God and apart from God, but we worship the one true God, who is one God with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and one person with mankind.

(145) He who does not have this understanding must err in the Scriptures, and cannot be trusted anywhere. For in the Scriptures Messiah is called God's servant, Isa. 42, 1. "Behold, this is my servant in whom I am well pleased"; and on the 53rd, v. 1 [Cap. 52, 13.]: "Behold, my servant shall go wisely"; yes, he is called "a worm, and not a man," Ps. 22, 7. 22, 7. And, more gruesome, he is called a poor sinner, Ps. 41, 5. "I said, Lord, be merciful to me, heal my soul, for I have sinned against thee." Ps. 69, 6: "God, you know my foolishness, and my debts are not hidden from you." Item, v. 10.: "The reproach of them that reproach thee is upon me." Ps. 40:13: "Sorrows have surrounded me without number; my sins have taken hold of me, that I cannot see; theirs is more than the hair of my head, and my heart hath forsaken me." Here reason, Jew and Mahomet cries out over us Christians: How can such be understood by God? How can God be a servant? How can he be a wretched sinner? Help God,

What nonsensical, mad, monstrous people we Christians are before such high, wise, holy people, who worship no creature, but only the one God.

It is true that reason does not find this in its Bible, that is, in the smoke hole, or in the land of the sleeping monkeys. Neither do the Jews find it in their Bible, that is, in the Talmud, among the Säupirzel, as they study their Schamhaperes inside. Mahomet also does not find it in his Bible, that is, in the whore bed; for therein he has studied the most; as he boasts, the disgraceful filth, that God (the devil) has given him so much strength of his body that forty women may not be enough for him to bed. 1) Yes, just as he studied in the same bible, in the whores' flesh, so also his chaste book, the Alkoran, is luscious and tasty; he has sought and found the spirit of his prophecy in the right place, in the Venus mountain. Who then studies in such books, what wonder is it that he knows nothing of God, nor of Messiah; if they know not what they speak or do?

We Christians know (praise and thanks to God for eternity!) that Messiah is God's only eternal Son, whom He sent into the world to take our sin upon Himself, to die for us, and to overcome death for us; as Is. 53, 6. 10. clearly says: "We all went astray, but God laid all our sin upon Him, and He gave His life as a guilt offering" etc. Therefore we sing and boast with all joy that God's Son, the right one God with the Father and Holy Spirit, became man for us, a servant, a sinner, a worm; God died, God bore our sin on the Cross, in His own body; God redeemed us by His own blood. For God and man are One Person; what man does, suffers and speaks here, that God does, suffers and speaks; and what God does and speaks, that man does and speaks, who is one Son, God's and Mary's, in One undivided Person, and two different natures. The devil, and his fornicator and whore-hunter Mahomet, and his shame-haperists, the Jews,

1) Compare "Brother Richard's Laying of the Atcoran," Walch, St. Louis Edition, vol. XX, 2239, § 72.

may be angry at this, blaspheme, curse (who can't leave it); but all together they shall tremble in the abyss of hell eternally for it, rattle their teeth and howl, there shall not belong long(whether God wills), amen.

148. Here I will stop this time to speak of these high articles from the Old Testament, for I hope that our Hebrew scholars are hereby admonished enough that they should take the Old Testament from the rabbis wherever they can, regardless of their interpretation, glosses, or grammars, because the rabbis themselves often do not know each other in this, where they are at home, and like to equivocate the vocabula and sentences to their great intellect, since the letter likes to rhyme with the New Testament, and it is certain that Jesus Christ is the Lord over all, to whom the Scriptures should bear witness, as they alone are given for his sake. This time I did not want to lead much to the New Testament, because in it everything is clear (that is why the Jews do not accept it), now at 1500 years; and especially in the Gospel of John, where almost above the other word (as one speaks) Jesus is preached as God and man, in one person. The same John, together with other apostles, evangelists, and many thousands of their disciples, were also Jews, or Israel and Abraham's seed by blood, as well and much purer and more certain than these present Jews or Israel are, whom no one knows who they are, or where they come from.

If we want to believe the Jews or Israel, then we should believe these Jews and Israel, who for 1500 years have publicly ruled the church throughout the world through their gospel, have overcome devils, death and sin, have interpreted the scriptures of the prophets, and have always performed miracles for and through their disciples. I say that we should believe such true, known Jews and Israelites more cheaply than we should believe the false, unknown Jews or Israelites, who for these 1500 years have done no miracle, interpreted no scripture of the prophets, perverted everything, and in the light have publicly done nothing, but in their corner, like the children of darkness, that is, of the devil, have vainly blasphemed, cursed, murdered and lied against the true Jews and Israelites.

(That is, against the apostles and prophets) have practiced, and still practice daily: that they may be proved to be neither Israel nor Abraham's seed, but poisonous, devilish enemies of the right of Israel and Abraham's children, and thieves, robbers, and transgressors of the holy Scriptures. Therefore, as of public thieves, one should again take the Scriptures, where the Grammatica gladly exists, and rhymes with the New Testament; as the apostles give us examples abundantly enough.

150 I will therefore return to the last words of David, as I began this booklet, and tie the little wreath together with the end and beginning, for I have rambled enough. Others can and will (I hope) do better, and search diligently for the Lord Christ in the Old Hebrew Testament, for he can be found gladly in it, especially in the Psalter and Isaiah. Try it according to the rule given above [§ 32 f.], and you will believe me and thank God. Now, I have begun this booklet in such a way that David's last words should be interpreted and understood according to Christian understanding, in this way:

V. 1-3. David the son of Jesse spoke; the man assured of the Messiah of the God of Jacob spoke sweetly with Psalms Israel: The Spirit of the Lord has spoken through me, and his speech has been through my tongue; the God of Israel has spoken to me, the refuge of Israel has spoken, the righteous ruler among men, the ruler in the fear of God.

151 Three speakers are here (as said above [§ 11]), the Spirit of the Lord, the God of Israel, the hoard of Israel; and yet is one speaker. But by the third, which is, by the "Hoard of Israel," it is written, "The ruler among men, the ruler in the fear of God." This ruler is Messiah, as the Chaldean text also gives. Now in the Hebrew it hangs on one another, namely, "The stronghold of Israel, the righteous ruler, theruler in the fear of God." But it is certain that XXXXX XXX is called the Hori Israel, and is God Himself; and yet is also Messiah, the man and ruler in the fear of God. "Ruler" here is Hebrew XXXX, which does not mean HErr, like GOtt HErr

1966 Erl. S7, SS-S7. Interpretations on the second book of Samuel. W. Ill, 2S0l-2sol. 1967

but as men are lords and reign; and where God is so called, thou mayest boldly understand Jesus Christ there. As when Gideon speaks Judges. 8, 23: "I will not be your lord, neither shall my son be your lord, but the Lord shall be your lord." Ps. 22, 29.: "The Lord has a kingdom, and he rules among the nations." Ps. 59, 14.: "The God of Jacob is ruler in all the earth." So also Psalm 8, 7. speaks of Christ: "You will make him ruler over the work of your hands; you have put everything under his feet", which is just as much as David says here that he is "the guardian of Israel" (that is God) and "righteous ruler" (that is man) over everything that God has made. That is, to be like God, and yet also to be man.

He calls him a "righteous ruler. This is not speaking of worldly, temporal righteousness, of which David otherwise made a beautiful psalm, namely the 101st psalm, "Of grace and justice I will sing", but of the eternal righteousness, which Messiah brought into the world, and redeemed us from sins, and made us righteous. For, as follows, he speaks of the eternal covenant that God established with David's house, as Isaiah also understands it in the 55th chapter, v. 3: "I will keep you faithful to the grace promised to David"; and Ps. 89, 3. 5: "An everlasting grace will be established, and you will keep your truth faithful in heaven." For this, worldly righteousness is much too small, which, where it is best (which seldom happens), hardly preserves outward peace, resists murder, robbery, adultery, theft, etc., for with this one is nowhere righteous before God, although He rewards them temporally and gloriously with riches, honor, power, happiness, etc., which before God are bad, small, perishable rewards, which He also gives to His enemies more abundantly than to His dear children, who have a better reward to hope for, of which the world knows nothing.

Therefore the Rabbis and their followers have no understanding, because they think that David was said to be righteous and to live godly, because he was set up as a king and ruler. No, it is another man, this ruler in righteousness and godliness. David has by his regiment

Not one man made righteous and godly, not even himself, not even Moses with his law, Rom. 3, 10. 24. but are all made righteous and godly through this ruler Messiah and shepherd of Israel, Jehovah Christ; as also Zechariah Cap. 9, 9. says: "Rejoice, O daughter of Zion, behold, your King comes to you meekly, a righteous man and a Savior, riding on an ass" etc. And Paul 1 Cor. 1, 30. 31: "He is made unto us of God wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption: that whosoever shall boast (as it is written), let him boast of the Lord," and not of our own righteousness, wisdom etc. For this is his dominion. For this reason he is set up as Lord, to do such works among men, to make them righteous, and to restore them to godliness, innocence and obedience, from which we fell in paradise through the serpent's wiles. It is not necessary to speak of this righteousness and fear of God here; it is our daily sermon how we are justified and saved in Christ alone, by pure grace. Follows: 1)

V. 4. and as the light of the morning, when the sun goes out in the morning without clouds, when from the brightness after the rain the grass grows out of the earth.

He compares the reign or kingdom of Messiah, who is to restore and establish righteousness and the fear of God, to the beautiful, lovely nature of winter; for winter, because the sun departs from us, covers the earth with frost, ice, and snow, so that all trees become bare, all plants dull, and nothing grows green, nor blossoms, nor bears fruit, and everything is to be seen as a dead world. But when, toward summer, the sun comes to us again, the earth is refreshed, everything grows green and blossoms, everything springs up beautifully, everything becomes new, and the world is alive and joyful again. For all people, even the pagans, consider the Lenzen the merriest part of the year, as Virgilius writes: Tunc formosissimus annus;3 ) and considers it that the world is

1) "Follows" is missing in the Erlanger.

2) Wittenberger and Erlanger: as. In this reading, the subject of the sentence would be missing, and "the world" would have to be added.

3) VirK. Vneotioa, Del. Ill, 57: Huoo ki-ooctsvt Silva", vluro lormosissimus annus.

1968 Erl. S7, 97-S9. Interpretation of the last words of David, 2 Sam. 23, 4. W. Ill, WV4-28W. 1969

in the month of Lenzen, which is in accordance with the Holy Scripture, because Moses sets April as the first month of the year. So the reign and kingdom of grace is also a happy, joyful time, in which Messiah makes us righteous and godly, so that we grow green, blossom, smell good, grow and become fruitful. For he is the sun of righteousness that comes near to us again, as Malachi Cap. 4:2, "The sun of righteousness shall rise for you who fear my name, and salvation shall be under his wings." Therefore he also wanted to rise bodily from the dead in the spring or April, in the merry time, and to begin his reign, even though he was born in winter, that is, because of our sin he gave himself to all kinds of sorrow and death of Adam, and thus endured the hard winter for 33 years.

(155) For as the prophet David signifies the blessed time of grace through Lenzen, which appears to us through Messiah his son, so he indicates that the winter signifies the antitype, namely, the time of disgrace under original sin, which we have through Adam's fall. And God has thus in His creation presented sin and grace to us for eternal remembrance until the last day (when other years, earth and heaven will be), so that they are preached to us daily and yearly through winter and summer, when we have ears to hear and eyes to see. According to this spiritual interpretation, Adam was first in the beautiful Lenzen (since he was also created bodily1) in Lenzen, in the beginning of the year), but soon brought the spiritual winter upon himself through sin, which Christ, the dear sun, drove out again, and began Lenzen. And so it goes: He who lives in the winter never dies; he who dies in the winter never lives; that is: "He who believes and is baptized will be saved, he who does not believe will be condemned" [Marc. 16, 16.]. For to him the sun escapes, to him the sun rises, of which David prophesies here.

156 Not only that of winter and summer David means, but rather and closer

1) Erlanger: lovely. Wittenberger and Jenaer: bodily. Cruciger: vnrxorslitvr.

This mystery, that Messiah's rule should not be like Moses' rule. Mosi's rule is the rule of the law, which not only does not take away sin, but also increases it, that is, reveals how great and abominable it is, and punishes it, thereby frightening man, and (to speak so) making him hostile to God's judgments and His law, by which he is condemned and killed in his sin. This is Mount Sinai, where it thunders, thunders, rains, and earthquakes, as if heaven and earth were about to fall, and the sun is hidden much deeper behind the dark clouds, whether it is in the season of lightning or in winter, when it sometimes shines brightly, but the sun's power is too far away from us. For the Gentiles so live without law in the unknown sins of winter, much safer are neither God's people, who must suffer thunder and lightning even at the time of the leniency of the law. For where the sun, Christ, does not shine brightly, there also the spring is not merry, but Moses makes it with the thunder of the law all frightened and quite deadly. So the weather in the sky is also an eternal prophet, so that sometimes the law also hastens us in our conscience, who are nevertheless in the time of grace.

But here, in Messiah's time, when he himself shall reign to make us righteous and blessed with grace, it will be as pleasant as the best time of the year, when before day there is a pleasant, warm rain, that is, the comforting gospel is preached; and immediately thereafter the sun, Christ, rises in our hearts, through right faith, without Moses' clouds, thunder, and lightning. There it grows, it greens, it blossoms, and the day is full of joy and peace, the like of which the whole year does not have. For here it is said: Winter, clouds, thunder, sin, death and all terror overcome, and a beautiful, joyful Easter day kept until eternity. Behold, this is called the reign of David, his Son Messiah, like a day in the spring, when it rains early, and the sun rises most lovely, and makes green and flourishing,

2) In the original: bodily.

1970 Eri. 37, 99-ios. Interpretations on the Second Book of Samuel. W. m, 2g "s-2sos. 1971

smelling, and everything lively and cheerful. Ask yourself if it is not the best and happiest time of the year. Follows:

V. 5. For my house is not so with God; for he hath made me a covenant for ever, and all things are well ordered and kept.

158. it is said from 1 Chron. 18, 16. that these words: "My house is not so with God", should mean so much: "Oh, what am I? what is my house, against God?" Indeed, there is not such a house worthy of such unspeakable honors with God, from which Messiah, the XXXXX XXX, God's son, the righteous ruler among men, shall be born. And hereby David falls down in great humility and wonder that from his flesh and blood such great things shall come.

The other piece, of the eternal covenant and the house of David, I have dealt with quite enough in the booklet of the Jews, 1) and have thus given others cause to go further and better. The following two words, XXXXX and XXXX, well ordered and kept, are set with diligence, for teaching and comfort. For when you look at the histories, you will think that God has forgotten his covenant and has not kept it. The house of David and his descendants are so chaotic, disorderly and strange. It has not been kept alone until Messiah, but everything has remained well and in its order, against all devils and men. And no man hath been able to change it, nor to restrain it, but hath left it to go and stand, a scepter of Judah, as it is promised, until Messiah.

160 But according to Messiah, his kingdom, the church, is outwardly to be seen, much more desolate and disorderly, that there is no more torn, miserable, null regiment or dominion, than the Christian church, Christ's dominion. Here tyrants rend it and [make] it desolate with fire, water, sword, and all power. Here, the red spirits and heresies are tearing it apart and destroying it. So do the false Christians with their evil life, as if there were no more shameful, disorderly rule on earth. And all of these are working away, or rather the wicked

1" Walch, St. Louis Edition, vol. XX, 2015 et seq.

Spirit by them, that Christ's reign should be nothing, or ever a miserable, disorderly thing. And Summa, Christ poses as if he has forgotten his rule, and is nowhere home, that here neither XXXXX nor XXXX is seen by reason; nor is it called XXX XXXXX and XXXX.

XXXX, everything well ordered and kept. Though we see it not, yet he seeth it that saith, High, Cap. 8:12: "My vineyard is before me." Matth. 28, 20.: "Behold, I am with you to the end of the world." Joh. 16, 33.: "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." Nevertheless, we see that always remained and remains a people who honor the name of Christ, have His word, baptism, sacrament, key and spirit, even against all the gates of hell. Follows:

To whom all my salvation and doings are, that nothing grows.

161. He wants to say: I am also a king and lord, above all kings, ordered by God, have waged many wars, have had great fortune, victory and salvation by God's help and miraculous deed, have also done much in the regiment, have ruled well, have set up and established the kingdom well, have administered justice, and have also suffered much because of it; but such my kingdom, rather the kingdom of all kings on earth, compared to this rule of my son Messiah, the XXXXX XXX, is nothing but a dry branch, which has never grown or been founded. For I and no king have conquered the victory against death, sin, hell, the devil and the world; neither has ours done so in his reign, that he made the people righteous, godly and eternally blessed. We are poor, meager, scanty lords in our regiment; but my son Messiah, the XXXXX XXX, that is the man who has obtained the victory over sin, death, the devil, hell, the world and everything, who has a regiment in which he does and accomplishes this, that he makes all his own eternally righteous and blessed; that is, green, flourishing, fruitful, and that can never wither away.

162) I have translated the word XXX "to do" according to the example of Solomon, Ecclesiastes 3:1: "To every thing there is a season, and to every thing that is done there is an hour. For this is how one speaks German: You must do something.

1972 Erl. 37, los-10t. Interpretation of the last words of David, 2 Sain. 23, 5-7. W. Ill, 2909-2911. 1973

so that you do not walk idly, but do something to nourish yourself. Thus "to do" is called all kinds of state in which one exercises oneself in this life; and the philosophers also call it placita, proposita, instituta, because it pleases one to do this and another to do that. For it really means to have a liking or will, desire, inclination for a thing; for he who has no will for it does not do it, or does it in such a way that it would be as good as undone.

V. 6. 7. But Belial are all like thistles cast out, which cannot be caught with hands; but he that shall attack them must have iron and spears in his hand, and shall be burned with fire in the tabernacle.

Here he prophesies about the Jews who would not accept such a Lord and Messiah, and calls them or, as we are used to, Belial, which means useless or harmful in German. According to the outward rule, they are called useless, bad boys who like to do harm. But David is speaking here in the spirit of the kingdom of Christ, where it has this way that those who are hostile to the kingdom of Christ, as Jews, heretics, pagans, are considered the most useful. For even now the Jews, Mahomet, Pabst, and the red spirits make themselves believe that they are doing vain service to God, where they can harm the true Christians. These do not want to be called, but only the most useful. Thus says Jeremiah Cap. 23:32 of the false prophets: "Their usefulness is of no use to this people," that is, they 1) are the most harmful, precisely because they want to be the most useful. Summa, the Christians are Belial's and the devil's children, but these alone are God's children; what they do is right until God casts them out and burns them with the fire of His wrath; as we see in the present Jews what a terrible fire of divine wrath has come upon them.

164. he compares them to thistles in the grain

in the field, which, in my opinion, Christ the Lord calls Matth. 13, 25. zizania, which we have translated "weeds". St. Ambrose in Hexa. says: Ex tritici semine degenerans in proprium genus, which we call trespen. But Christ speaks of an aergern, which one separates from the grain in the harvest and burns with fire, and almost needs the same words as David, who also separates his thistles and burns them with fire. Therefore zizania will be here, which means David, the large, evil, thorny thistles, or the other thistles, which our farmers call great graet, which one separates with scythes, sickles and rakes or spit wood in the harvest, because with hands no one can attack them both, and serve nowhere but into the fire; but tresps are needed for the cattle. So the stubborn Jews are such evil, thorny thistles and mad graetes that they have not been and still are not to be converted by any good deed or miracle of God, but have been cast out by the Romans' iron and spears, and burned with their city in their own dwelling, even with bodily fire. Above this they still burn in themselves, where they are in misery, with spiritual fire of divine wrath. Thus David proclaimed his destruction and final ruin to this people, because they did not want this king, as the Lord prophesied Luc. 19, 43, 44, and Dan. 9, 26, Zech. 14, 2.

Herewith I will have translated and interpreted the last words of David according to my own sense. God grant that our theologians may confidently study Hebrew, and bring the Bible home to us again from the wanton thieves, and do everything better than I have done; that is, that they do not give themselves captive to the rabbis in their tortured grammatica and false interpretation, so that we may find and recognize the dear Lord and Savior brightly and clearly in the Scriptures.

To Him be praise and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever, Amen.

1) "they" is missing in the Wittenberg and in the Jena.

S) Wittenberg and Jena: must separate out.

End of the third part.