FINAL CONFLICT AND DELIVERANCE 453
chief (David for the royal, and Levi for the priestly), and the other (Nathan for the royal, and Shimei for the priestly), for the subordinate families of their lines as including and representing the whole to indicate, as Hengstenberg suggests, that the mourning spoken of would pervade every family (of these lines) from the highest to the lowest.
But though these, as the two aristocratic and privileged lines, the rulers and priests, who, alas! in times past often set an evil example to the whole nation, will now be fore most in their self-contrition and mourning over the great national sin, their example for good will now also be followed by all the rest of the people. This is expressed in the last verse of the chapter, which tells us that " all the families that remain shall mourn, every family apart, and their wives apart."
In the last sentence of the chapter, not only the magni tude and universality, but the depth and intensity, as well as the individual character of this unprecedented mourning, is once again described. It is strikingly pictured as a mourning which shall not only be manifested in public, but be participated in by each family apart. And not only are families spoken of as mourning apart from families, but individuals, compelled by the deep sorrow which shall overwhelm them, shall weep apart by themselves.
This depicts a sorrow greater than any previous sorrow. Even husbands shall mourn apart from their wives, and wives apart from their husbands, because each individual man or woman will be overwhelmed with his or her own individual share in the guilt of having slain their Messiah.
It will thus be both a national and individual mourning at the same time, and no mere ceremonial lamentation, but a genuine sorrow of heart. " Each individual shall experi ence the grief so keenly as to desire to hide himself from the eyes of others " 1 even from those nearest to them.
The only one who will be able effectually to comfort them in this great mourning will be the Lord Himself, He over whom ttiey shall mourn. And He shall comfort them
1 Wright.
