, at the same time,
to the Kingdom of God, of which He is the Head. "Because He hath poured
out His soul unto death," [Hebrew: erh] in the _Niphal_, "to be poured
out," means in _Piel_ "to pour out," Gen. xxiv. 20, and Ps. cxli. 8,
where it is said of the soul: "Do not pour out my soul," just as here
the _Hiphil_ is used. The term has been transferred to the _soul_ from
the _blood_, in which is the soul. Gen. ix. 4: "Flesh with its soul
(namely with its blood) you shall not eat." Ver. 5: "Your blood in [Pg
309] which your souls." [Hebrew: nmnh], "He was numbered," is here,
according to the context, equivalent to: He caused himself to be
numbered; for it is only that which was undergone voluntarily which can
be stated as the reason of the _reward_. This voluntary undergoing,
however, is not implied in the word itself, but only in the connection
with: "He hath poured out His soul;" for that signifies a voluntary
act. The [Hebrew: pweiM] here, just as the [Hebrew: rweiM] in ver. 9,
are not sinners, but criminals. This appears from the connection in
which the being "numbered with the transgressors" stands with the
"pouring out of the soul unto death." We can hence think of executed
criminals only. The pure, innocent One was not only numbered with
sinners, such as all men are, but He was numbered with _criminals_. It
is in this sense also that our Lord understands the words, in His
quotation of them in Luke xxii. 37: [Greek: lego gar humin, hoti heti
touto to gegrammenon dei telesthenai en emoi, to. kai meta anomon
elogisthe, kai gar ta peri emou telos echei]; Compare Matt. xxvi. 54,
where the Lord strengthens His disciples against the offence of His
being taken a prisoner, by saying, with a view to the passage before
us: [Greek: pos oun plerothosin hai graphai, hoti houto dei genesthai];
ver. 56, where, after having reproached the guards for having numbered
Him with criminals: [Greek: hos epi lesten exelthete meta machairon kai
xulon sullabein me], He says to them: [Greek: touto de holon gegonen
hina plerothosin hai graphai ton propheton]. Mark, in chap. xv. 28,
designates the fact that two robbers were crucified with Christ, as the
most perfect fulfilment of our prophecy. It was in this fact that it
came out most palpably, that Christ had been made like criminals. The
rulers of the people caused two common criminals to be crucified with
Him, just that they might declare that they put Him altogether among
their number.--"And