adversary without, but the misery was increased because there was strife and contention which prevailed among themselves, for " the Lord hath set (vaashallacJt) all men every one against his neighbour But now, having entered on the path of obedience, and made God's service their delight, God was going to " make their wants His care ":
"But now I will not be unto this people as in the former days, saith JeJwvah of hosts. For there shall be the seed of peace " (or, the seed of peace even); " the vine[1] shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew" which reminds us somewhat of the promise in Hos. ii. 21, 22: " And it shall come to pass in that day, I will answer, saitJi Jehovah, I will answer the heavens, and they shall answer the earth; and the earth shall answer the corn, and the wine, and the oil" etc.
And not only shall the blessing of the Lord resting on their toil produce plentiful harvests and abundant vintage, but no one shall despoil them of these gifts of God's bountifulness.
" And I will cause tJie remnant of this people to inherit all these things"
And the improvement in the condition of the restored remnant since they set themselves earnestly to the task of building God's house, was only a pledge of the greater things which God has promised them, and which yet await their fulfilment in the day of Israel's national restoration and conversion, as announced by the prophet in the first part of this chapter. The whole may be said to be summed up in the words in the I3th verse: "And it shall come to pass that, as ye were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, let your hands be strong"
- ↑ The expression j^jn c l^n jnj (zera-hashalom haggepheti) is peculiar, but I think that the rendering adopted by Keil, Koehler, Wright, and others is the correct one, and that zera-hashalom, "seed of peace," is a noun which stands in apposition to haggcphen, " the vine." Keil thinks that the vine may especially be called "the seed of peace," inasmuch as it can only prosper in days of peace, its cultivation requiring much care and attention, which it is impossible to bestow in times of war or adversity.
