final inauguration and glory. "A KING "shall proceed from the sons of Jacob," (say Onkelos and the Jerusalem Targum *,) "their REDEEMER shall come from amongst "them; and the reign of THE KING MES<< SIAH shall be exalted." And Eusebius says, on this passage :-" If no other of the "rulers or kings of the circumcision was

ever exalted to be LORD over many na"tions, (and no history records that any of "them ever were), truth proclaims aloud, "that those words can only intend our "SAVIOUR."

If, then, we are to understand this prophecy of "the latter days" (which phrase is exclusively assigned, in Scripture, to the times following the first coming of the Messiah), as pointing to our Lord's final manifestation of His power and dominion; what is this Agag, who is adduced as the last power over whom that Messiah should triumph? To this question, no satisfactory answer has ever yet, or can be given.

* Ap. Patrick, in Num. xxiv.

+ Demonst, Evang. ii. 95.

But, if we look back beyond the present Hebrew text, to that text from which the ancient Jews translated, we may be able to discover, that this prophecy is in entire concord with that of Ezekiel; for it was thus read by the Septuagint.

"A MAN (i. e. Messiah) shall come out of his seed (i. e. the seed of Israel), and "shall rule over many nations; ' and - HIS kingdom shall be exalted over GOGUE, гNг. "God brought HIм forth out of Egypt; HIS glory is as that of the Unicorn.

HE shall "eat up the nations HIS enemies, and shall "draw the marrow from their bones, and "shall pierce His adversary with His arrows. "He lay down as a lion, and as the whelp of "a lion; who shall make HIM rise up? They 66 are blessed who bless THEE, and cursed who

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curseTHEE. A STAR shall arise out of Jacob, "and A MAN shall arise out of Israel," &c.

Here we read, in the most ancient version of this Prophecy, that it was not Agag, over whom the final kingdom of THE MES SIAH would triumph; but GoGUE, гnr, the last enemy and tyrant in His Church.

The Samaritan text, the Greek text of Symmachus (according to Montfaucon), and also the old Italic version quoted by Cyprian, read the same; and we are told that the same reading is preserved in the Sclavonian, Russian, and Armenian versions. And this is in exact agreement with the succeeding Prophecies of Ezekiel and of St. John. Hence then we may be authorised, to account this prophecy of Balaam as one of those which expressly foretold the final triumph of the Messiah's kingdom, over the last enemy of THE CHRISTIAN NATIONS prophetically denominated GOGUE: "him, namely, of whom God "spake in former days, by His servants the Prophets of Israel, that He would bring "him against HIS CHURCH."

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"Com

V. 19. A GREAT COMMOTION.] "motio magna." (Hieron.) Archbishop Newcome incautiously observed: "Hou

bigant says rightly, that an earthquake is "described in this and the following verse.' The observation of David Levi is far more judicious, and more consonant to the imagery of the Prophets. "The great

"shaking' does not denote an earthquake, as Archbishop Newcome (after Houbi

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gant) has erroneously thought: but, under "this figure, the Prophet has shown the "dreadful slaughter of the nations, who "are compared to the fishes of the sea,' &c.. "(Compare Habakkuk, i. 14.) And 'the

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fall of the mountains,' &c. denotes the fall "of their kings, princes, and great men; "the same as 'the heavens,' &c. denote "thrones and dignities; and therefore the Prophet immediately explains the figure;

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ver. 21. And I will call for a sword

against him throughout all My mountains, "saith the LORD GOD*,'" &c. This GREAT COMMOTION among the nations, was to distinguish the Age of GOGUE.

V. 21. I will call for a sword against HIM;] i. e. against GOGUE. See ver. 6, chap. xxxix.

Ibid. Throughout all My holy mountains:] i. e. throughout all that portion of the earth, where the Church of THE MESSIAH is chiefly seated and established.

*"Dissert. on Proph." vol. ii, p. 317.

Ibid. Man's sword, &c.] i. e. every man's sword shall be directed against his fellow. "Gladius uniuscujusque (sive ho"minis) in fratrem suum dirigetur." (Hieron.) There shall be a state of UNIVERSAL WAR against GOGUE and his people, immediately consequent upon his repulse from Ros.

V. 22. I will plead against him with pestilence, and with blood, &c.] "Peste, sive "morte." (Hieron.) This menace, declares a powerful intervention of Providence for the overthrow of THE TYRANT; according to the Commentary of Vitringa, "GOD will exe"cute a signal example of His vengeance, "for the welfare of HIS CHURCH; and will "destroy the formidable hosts by tremen"dous judgments, causing them either to be "cast down by tempests with which HE "will oppose them from heaven, or to be "consumed by pestilence and other plagues, "or mutually to destroy each other." See above, page 12: