THE SHEPHERD-KING 357
the suggestion that the title noges (absolute ruler or " exactor ") is applied here to Israel s ideal king or absolute ruler in His relation, not to His own people, but to their and His enemies, from whom He will " exact submission and allegiance with a rod of iron," and who will make down trodden Israel to rule over those who have long oppressed and ruled over them.
" Now therefore be wise, O ye kings : Be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve Jehovah with fear, And rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish in the
way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him"
In the 5th verse the line of thought unfolded in the first three verses of this chapter is resumed, and the change which will come over the people after Jehovah of hosts, in the person of the Messiah, shall " visit His flock, the house of Judah " (ver. 3), is now fully described.
Instead of being like a troubled and helpless flock of sheep (ver. 2), they shall suddenly be transformed into His " goodly horse " (or " the horse of His Majesty ") in battle, and instead of being " afflicted " and at the mercy of their adversaries, they shall be as " mighty men " treading upon
- their enemies. The " mire of the streets " is used here as
a figure of their enemies, and is parallel to chap. ix. 15, where it is said, " they shall trample on the sling stones " (which is the figure of contempt used there to describe their adversaries), while they themselves are likened to the abhnei nezer, "stones of a crown" (or jewels set in a con secrated crown), lifted on high over the land. The figure is found elsewhere in the prophetic Scriptures. Thus Micah says, " Mine eyes shall behold her ( mine enemy ) ; now shall she be trodden down (or, a treading down ), as the mire of the street " ; * but Zechariah, by a yet bolder
1 Mic. vii. IO.
