THE PRINCE OF PEACE 297
" And Ekron shall be as the Jebusite" which latter, to quote the word of another commentator, " stands here for the former inhabitants of the citadel of Zion," who adopted the religion of Israel after the conquest of this citadel of David, and were incorporated into the nation of the Lord. " This is evident from the example of the Jebusite Araunah, who lived in the midst of the covenant nation (2 Sam. xxiv. and i Chron. xxi.) as a distinguished man of property, and not only sold his threshing-floor to King David as a site for the future Temple, but also offered to present the oxen with which he had been ploughing, as well as the plough itself, for a burnt-offering."
Here we are reminded once again that though the more immediate reference of the prophecy in this chapter was to Alexander s march and conquests, it looked on and merges into a more distant future. Koehler rightly points out that this 7th verse was not fulfilled by the deeds of Alexander, " since neither the remnant of the Phoenicians nor the other heathen dwelling in the midst of Israel were converted to Jehovah through the calamities connected with his expedi tion." On this ground this German scholar regards the conquests of Alexander as the commencement of the fulfil ment, which was then continued through the calamities caused by the wars of succession the conflicts between the Egyptians, Syrians, and Romans until it was completed by the fact that the heathen tribes within the boundaries of Israel gradually disappeared as separate tribes, and their remnants were received into the community of those who confessed Israel s God. But, as Keil observes, " we must
tribe or "clan" injudah. Calvin, however, gives quite a different interpretation to this somewhat difficult passage. He paraphrases the 7th verse thus : "I will rescue the Jew from the teeth of the Philistine" (the figure, according to him, being taken from wild beasts rending their prey with the teeth), "who would have devoured him as he would devour blood or flesh of his abominable sacrifices to idols ; and even /te, the seemingly ignoble remnant of the Jews, shall be sacred to our God ; and though so long in a servile position, and bereft of dignity, I will make them all to be as governors, or princes, ruling others ; and Ekron shall be as a tributary bondservant, as the Jebusite." Then the antithesis would be between the Jew that remaineth and the Ekronite. But the interpreta tion I have given above is doubtless the correct one.
