The words, "and it shall come to pass," introduce a new section; so
that the interval in the Hebrew manuscripts is here quite in its place.
With ver. 11 again, a new section begins. In ver. 1-9 we have the
appearance of the Messiah in relation to the whole earth; then, in the
second section, the way in which he becomes a centre to the whole
_Gentile world_; and in ver. 11 ff., what He grants to the _old
covenant-people_, for whom the Prophet was, in the first instance,
prophesying, and whose future he therefore describes more in detail.
Why His relation to the Gentile world is _first spoken of_ appears from
ver. 12; the Gentiles gathered to the Lord are the medium of His
salvation to the old covenant-people.--The _root_ designates here (and
likewise in chap. liii. 2), and in the passages founded upon this,
viz., in Rev. v. 5, xxii. 16, the _product_ of the root, that whereby
the root manifests itself, the shoot from the root; just as "seed" so
very often occurs for "product of the seed." This appears from a
comparison with ver. 1, where, more fully, the Messiah is called a
twig from Jesse's roots. _Bengel_ has already directed attention to
the antithesis of the root and ensign, in his Commentary on Rom. xv.
12: "A sweet antithesis: the root is undermost, [Pg 125] the ensign
rises uppermost; so that even the nations farthest off may behold
it."--[Hebrew: drw] with [Hebrew: l], [Hebrew: al], and [Hebrew: at],
has the signification "to apply to the true God, or some imaginary god,
in order to seek protection, help, counsel, advice, disclosures
regarding the future;" comp. Is. viii. 19; Deut. xii. 4, 5, and other
passages in _Gesenius'Thesaurus_. The Gentiles feel that they cannot
do without the Redeemer; they see, at the same time, His riches and
their poverty; and this knowledge urges them on to _seek_ Him, that
from him they may obtain _light_ (chap. xlii. 6), that He may
communicate to them His _law_ (chap. xlii. 4), that he may teach them
of His ways, and that they may walk in His paths (chap. ii. 3), &c. St.
Paul, in Rom. xv. 12, following the LXX., has [Greek: ep'auto ethne
elpiousi], which, as regards the sense, fully agrees with the original.
The beginning of the seeking took place when the representatives of the
Gentile world, the Maji from the East, came to Jerusalem, saying:
"Where is He that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star
in the East and are come to worship Him," Matt. ii. 2. The historical