And he shall grow up as a tender plant before him, and as a root out of a thirsty ground: there is no beauty in him, nor comeliness: and we have seen him, and there was no sightliness, that we should be desirous of him:

“For Christ is of those who are humble-minded, and not of those who exalt themselves over His flock. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Sceptre of the majesty of God, did not come in the pomp of pride or arrogance, although He might have done so, but in a lowly condition, as the Holy Spirit had declared regarding Him. For He says, "Lord, who has believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? We have declared [our message] in His presence: He is, as it were, a child, and like a root in thirsty ground; He has no form nor glory, yea, we saw Him, and He had no form nor comeliness; but His form was without eminence, yea, deficient in comparison with the [ordinary] form of men. He is a man exposed to stripes and suffering, and acquainted with the endurance of grief: for His countenance was turned away; He was despised, and not esteemed. He bears our iniquities, and is in sorrow for our sakes; yet we supposed that [on His own account] He was exposed to labour, and stripes, and affliction. But He was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we were healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray; [every] man has wandered in his own way; and the Lord has delivered Him up for our sins, while He in the midst of His sufferings opens not His mouth. He was brought as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before her shearer is dumb, so He opens not His mouth. In His humiliation His judgment was taken away; who shall declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth. For the transgressions of my people was He brought down to death. And I will give the wicked for His sepulchre, and the rich for His death, because He did no iniquity, neither was guile found in His mouth. And the Lord is pleased to purify him by stripes. If you make an offering for sin, your soul shall see a long-lived seed. And the Lord is pleased to relieve Him of the affliction of His soul, to show Him light, and to form Him with understanding, to justify the Just One who ministers well to many; and He Himself shall carry their sins. On this account He shall inherit many, and shall divide the spoil of the strong; because His soul was delivered to death, and He was reckoned among the transgressors, and He bare the sins of many, and for their sins was He delivered." [Isaiah 53:1-12] And again He says, "I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All that see me have derided me; they have spoken with their lips; they have wagged their head, [saying] He hoped in God, let Him deliver Him, let Him save Him, since He delights in Him." [Psalm 22:6-8] You see, beloved, what is the example which has been given us; for if the Lord thus humbled Himself, what shall we do who have through Him come under the yoke of His grace?”

“For this reason [it is, said], "Who shall declare His generation?" since "He is a man, and who shall recognise Him?" But he to whom the Father which is in heaven has revealed Him, knows Him, so that he understands that He who "was not born either by the will of the flesh, or by the will of man," is the Son of man, this is Christ, the Son of the living God. For I have shown from the Scriptures, that no one of the sons of Adam is as to everything, and absolutely, called God, or named Lord. But that He is Himself in His own right, beyond all men who ever lived, God, and Lord, and King Eternal, and the Incarnate Word, proclaimed by all the prophets, the apostles, and by the Spirit Himself, may be seen by all who have attained to even a small portion of the truth. Now, the Scriptures would not have testified these things of Him, if, like others, He had been a mere man. But that He had, beyond all others, in Himself that pre-eminent birth which is from the Most High Father, and also experienced that pre-eminent generation which is from the Virgin, the divine Scriptures do in both respects testify of Him: also, that He was a man without comeliness, and liable to suffering; that He sat upon the foal of an ass; that He received for drink, vinegar and gall; that He was despised among the people, and humbled Himself even to death and that He is the holy Lord, the Wonderful, the Counsellor, the Beautiful in appearance, and the Mighty God, coming on the clouds as the Judge of all men;—all these things did the Scriptures prophesy of Him.”

“And that the Lord Himself was uncomely in aspect, the Spirit testifies by Esaias: "And we saw Him, and He had no form nor comeliness but His form was mean, inferior to men." Yet who was more admirable than the Lord? But it was not the beauty of the flesh visible to the eye, but the true beauty of both soul and body, which He exhibited, which in the former is beneficence; in the latter-that is, the flesh-immortality.”

“For he whom you now treat with contempt was once above you. He who is now man was once the uncompounded. What he was he continued to be; what he was not he took to himself. In the beginning he was uncaused; for what is the cause of God? But afterwards for a cause he was born. And that cause was that you might be saved, who insult him and despise his godhead, because of this, that he took on him your denser nature, having converse with flesh by means of mind. While his inferior nature, the humanity, became God, because it was united to God and became one person because the higher nature prevailed, [this happened] in order that I too might be made God so far as he is made man. He was born—but he had been begotten. He was born of a woman—but she was a virgin. The first is human, the second divine. In his human nature he had no father, but also in his divine nature [he had] no mother. Both these belong to godhead. He dwelled in the womb—but he was recognized by the prophet [John the Baptist], himself still in the womb, leaping before the Word, for whose sake he came into being. He was wrapped in swaddling clothes—but he took off the swathing bands of the grave by his rising again. He was laid in a manger—but he was glorified by angels, and proclaimed by a star and worshiped by the magi. Why are you offended by what is presented to your sight, because you will not look at what is presented to your mind? He was driven into exile into Egypt—but he drove away the Egyptian idols. He had no form or comeliness in the eyes of the Jews—but to David he is fairer than the children of humankind. And on the mountain he was bright as the lightning and became more luminous than the sun, initiating us into the mystery of the future.”

“For not by any means in working wonders only was he wonderful, but even when merely showing himself, he was full of great grace. To declare this, the prophet said, "Fair in beauty beyond the children of humankind." When Isaiah says, "He had no form nor comeliness," he is comparing the [embodied Son] with the glory of his godhead, which surpasses all utterance and description. Or he is speaking of what took place at his passion, the dishonor that he underwent at the season of the cross and the mean estate that throughout his life he exemplified in all respects.”

“"For he grew up before him like a child," like a child dear to his Father, he says, because he will be dear to God. But "like a root out of the ground," which is deprived of water, he will also be deprived of life at the moment of the passion. In fact, God wanted these evil things to befall him. Others have seen these words as referring to the apostles who, like candid and young children, believed in him and did not refrain from knowing him, as the scribes and the Pharisees did. According to Qatraya, this points to the fact that Simeon had already blessed him in the temple before God when he was yet an unborn child. Or this: The Son offered our nature before God, like a child, and made it pleasing before God.”

“And he came up like a sapling before it This people, before this greatness came to it, was a very humble people, and it came up by itself like a sapling of the saplings of the trees. and like a root he came up from dry land. neither form had he in the beginning, nor comeliness. and we saw him that he had no appearance. Now shall we desire him? And when we saw him from the beginning without an appearance, how could we desire him? Now shall we desire him? This is a question.”

“And he grew up, etc. That Israelite who is the servant of the Lord, or the whole nation of the Israelites, grew up before him, that is, before the Lord, as a tender plant—comp., his branches shall spread (Hosea 14:7)— and as a root out of dry land, that neither produces fruit, nor distinguishes itself by its size. He hath no form. This expression has the same meaning as the phrase ותארו מבני אדם and his form was marred more than that of the sons of men (52:14). ולא מראה ולא נחמדהו = ולא מראה ונחמדהו there is no beauty, nor do we desire him; the negation לא before מראה, refers also to נחמדהו; comp. Prov. 21:14”

“Who has believed? Here he begins to set down remedies against the obstacles spoken of: and first, against sin, he promises the passion of Christ; second, against dejection, he promises exaltation, chapter 54: Give praise, thou barren; third, against poverty, he promises the free enjoyment of things, (chapter 55), All you that thirst. On the first point, two things. First he shows the loftiness of the mystery, because it is not easily believed even by report. By report — of those things which we have heard from you concerning Christ. (Abdias): We have heard a report, etc.; Habacuc 3: Lord, I have heard your hearing, and I feared. Nor is it easily seen — and the arm, that is, the Son of God, the power of God. Job 40: If you have an arm like God. Second, he pursues the order of what came to pass: and first, setting forth a likeness as to his exaltation: and he shall ascend — being born from his mother's womb, rising again from death, ascending from the world into heaven, and into the faith of the nations — like a young shoot, which grows upward and multiplies broadly. Above, 11: There shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise out of his root. And as to his humanity: and as a root out of thirsty ground — that is, out of ground without moisture, which by reason of its dryness appears unlovely; so too he himself was born of his mother without male moisture. Apocalypse, last chapter: I am the root of David. Second, he sets down the exposition of the likeness: there is not. And first as to his humiliation; second as to his exaltation, from anguish. On the first, two things. First he describes Christ's humility; second, the meekness of the humbled one, he was offered. On the first, three things. First he describes the office of humility; second, the contempt of the humbled one, and as it were hidden; third, the fruit of the humiliation, but he was wounded. On the first, two things. First his humility is shown as to the concealment of his majesty: there is not to him beauty — as to the abundance of interior goods — nor comeliness — as to the abundance of exterior goods: for beauty properly regards loveliness as to the proportion of the members, but comeliness regards the fittingness of color and of the other things surrounding it. He had, indeed, beauty, for he was beautiful in form beyond the sons of men (Psalm 44); but it lay hidden on account of the weakness he had assumed. He had comeliness, for strength and comeliness are his clothing, Proverbs, last chapter; but it lay hidden on account of the poverty he kept. Whence Canticles 2: Let your voice sound in my ears. And therefore we — who were then unbelieving and afterward converted, in whose person he speaks — saw him, bodily, and there was no — magnificent — appearance, according to what is said, that the beauty of Priam was worthy of empire. Second, his humility is shown as to the manifestation of weakness: and we desired him, awaiting him with desire as a great redeemer. Aggeus 2: Behold, the desired of all nations shall come. And in dignity, against which we saw him despised, inglorious, the most abject of men, on account of the most shameful kind of death. Wisdom 2: Let us condemn him to a most shameful death. Proverbs 30: I am the most foolish of men. Great also in prosperity; against which we find him a man of sorrows, as it were wretched, full of sorrows. Lamentations 1: O all you who pass by the way, attend and see if there is sorrow like my sorrow. Great also in power; against which we find him knowing infirmity, by experience. 2 Corinthians, last chapter: For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he lives by the power of God. And as it were hidden. Here he shows the contempt of the humbled one: and first as to the majesty concealed in the withdrawal of honor, as it were hidden — majesty lying concealed beneath the weakness of the flesh. Whence we esteemed him not — not paying him the honor due. Above, 45: Truly you are a hidden God. Second, as to the weakness displayed, setting down the sign of that weakness: truly — as a true man — infirmities: weaknesses, such as hunger and thirst, he bore, he sustained; sorrows, sensible ones, in the passion; and sadness — or, taking infirmities as sins — he took away from us, or, in our place, he sustained the punishments. 1 Peter 2: He bore our sins upon the wood. Setting down also the contempt: and we esteemed him as it were a leper, unclean and a sinner, and therefore struck by God — for his own sins, as to the punishments — and humbled, as to the disgraces. Job 22: For your very great malice, and your infinite iniquities. And 39: They abhor, etc. Note on that word: And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? — that Christ is the arm, first, for scourging the demons. Psalm 88: With the arm of your strength you have scattered your enemies. Second, for supporting the weak. Above, 40: In his arm he will lift up the lambs. Third, for defending the faithful. Wisdom 5: His right hand shall rule them. Likewise on that word, young shoot — that Christ is the rod, first, for striking. Numbers 24: A star shall rise out of Jacob, and a rod shall spring up from Israel; second, for sustaining. Psalm 22: Your rod and your staff, they have comforted me. Third, for directing. Psalm 44: The rod of your direction. Likewise on that word, a root out of the ground — that Christ is the root, first, on account of its being hidden. Ecclesiasticus 1: To whom has the root of wisdom been revealed? Second, on account of the ministering of nourishment. Jeremias 17: He shall be like a tree that sends out its roots toward moisture. Third, on account of the sustaining of the whole tree. Romans 11: You do not carry the root. But he was wounded. Here he sets down the fruit of the humiliation, or of the passion: and first he assigns the moving reason: but he, not as we thought, was wounded — with thorns, nails, the lance — for our iniquities, to be taken away. Bruised — with scourges and blows. Or, wounded, as to what is said, struck; bruised, as to what is said, humbled. Lamentations 4: The spirit of our mouth, Christ the Lord. Second, he shows the benefit that follows, in the reconciliation of peace: the chastisement of peace — that is, he himself, for us, sustained the chastisement of correction; through which peace we have access to God. Romans 5: For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son; and in the restoration of lost health, by his bruise, which he had from the rods. 1 Peter 2: By whose bruise you were healed. Psalm 102: Who is propitious to all your iniquities, who heals all your infirmities. Third, he shows the necessity impending on our part, because all were infirm: whence all need a physician, and no other could supply a sufficient remedy. Romans 3: For there is no distinction between the Jew and the Greek: for all have sinned, and need penance. All we like sheep — 1 Peter 2: You were once as sheep not having a shepherd. He was offered. Here he shows the meekness of the sufferer; and first he sets forth this meekness itself, and first as to his voluntary offering of himself: he was offered — to God the Father, for us, as a victim; Psalm 53: I will freely sacrifice to you. Second, as to his patient suffering: and he opened not his mouth — as one contradicting and contending: even before Herod he answered nothing, Luke 23. Lamentations 4: Out of the mouth of the Most High, etc. Second, he sets down a likeness: as a sheep to the slaughter — because he was killed without resistance — and as a lamb, suffering injury without contradiction. Jeremias 11: I am as a lamb that is carried to be a victim. Note on that word, the most abject — that Christ was the most abject, first on account of the bitterness of his sorrow. Lamentations 1: O all you who pass by the way, attend and see if there is sorrow like my sorrow. Second, on account of the shamefulness of his death. Wisdom 2: Let us condemn him to a most shameful death. Third, on account of the greatness of the crime laid upon him. Proverbs 30: I am the most foolish of men, and the wisdom of men is not with me. Likewise on that word, a man of sorrows — that Christ was full of sorrows, first on account of the necessity of the malady. Above, 1: From the sole of the foot even to the crown there is no soundness in it. Second, on account of the outpouring of graces. John 1: Of his fullness we have all received grace. Third, on account of our obligation. 2 Corinthians 5: For this Christ has died, etc. From anguish. Having set down the humility of the passion, here he begins to set forth the glory of the exaltation, which is the reward of the passion, as is said, Philippians 2: For which cause God has exalted him. And first as to the escaping of dangers; second as to the vengeance upon his enemies, and he shall give the wicked; third as to the justification of men, if he shall lay down; fourth as to the victory over rebels, therefore will I distribute. On the first, two things. First he sets down the reward: from anguish — of the passion; from judgment — the unjust judgment by which he was judged by others — he was taken up, in the resurrection. Proverbs 11: The just man is delivered out of anguish. Second, he sets down the merit, setting forth the dignity of the sufferer, so that from the condition of the person the merit of the passion might be weighed: his generation — the eternal one, by which he is from the Father without a mother, or the temporal one, by which he is from a mother without a father — who? As it were no one, by natural reason, although in some measure by divine inspiration. Ecclesiasticus 43: Who has seen him, and shall declare? Setting down also the passion inflicted upon him: for he was cut off — by death, at the hands of the Jews — out of the land of the living — out of this life. Jeremias 12: Come, let us put wood into his bread, and root him out of the land of the living. Setting down also, on the part of God the Father, the acceptance of the passion: for the wickedness I struck — I permitted him to be struck. 1 Peter 3: Christ once for our sins, etc. And he shall give the wicked. Here he sets down the second point, namely the vengeance upon those who persecuted him: and first he sets down the reward: and he shall give the wicked — the Jews, into the hands of the Romans — for burial — because they had him guarded in the sepulcher. Proverbs 21: For the just shall be given, etc. Second, he sets down the merit as to the innocence of his life: because he did no iniquity — as to the sin of deed; in his mouth — as to the sin of the mouth. 1 Peter 2: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. And as to his obedience unto death: and the Lord — the Father — willed. And he himself was obedient to the Father even unto death. Philippians 2: Become obedient unto death. 1 Corinthians 1: That which is weak of God is stronger than men. If he shall lay down. Here he sets down the third point, namely that through him the justification of men was accomplished: and first he sets down the reward against the sorrow of death, if he shall lay down — of his own will. John 10: I lay down my life. He shall see a long-lived seed — unto the end of the world, sons being regenerated for him by the power of his death. John 12: Unless the grain of wheat falling into the ground be dead, itself remains alone; but if it be dead, it brings forth much fruit. And the will shall be directed — shall be fulfilled — in his hand — in his work. 1 Thessalonians 4: This is the will of God, your sanctification. And against the labor of teaching: because he labored — in preaching and going about — he shall see — the nations converted to him — and shall be satisfied — as one having what he intends. John 4: I have food to eat which you know not. Second, he sets down the merit as to the exercise of preaching: by knowledge — that is, by teaching. Romans 5: Justified freely by faith. John 6: Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. And as to the torment of death: iniquities — that is, the punishments for iniquities. Above, 46: I have made, I will bear. Therefore will I distribute. Here he sets down the fourth point, namely the victory over enemies: and first he sets down the subjection of the enemies: therefore will I distribute — as it were, I will give him his portion — the many — who shall believe in him — and he shall divide the spoils of the strong — that is, of those held captive by the demons — to his disciples, setting different ones over different nations. Osee 13: He shall snatch away the treasure of every desirable vessel. Psalm 67: The king of powers, of the beloved, beloved, and of the beauty of the house, to divide the spoils. Second, he sets down the reason of the subjection: as to death, because he delivered — and as to the kind of death, and with the wicked. Luke 23: And there were crucified with him two malefactors. Psalm 87: I am reckoned with them that go down into the pit. Third, the salvation of those subjected. For he did not subject them to himself as a tyrant, to torment them, but to save them. And he himself bore the sin of many — efficiently, though of all sufficiently — took it away, and prayed for the transgressors. Luke 23: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

“For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant,.... Which springs out of the earth without notice; low in its beginning, slow in its growth, liable to be crushed with the foot, or destroyed with the frost, and no great probability of its coming to any perfection; or rather as a little "sucker", as the word (b) signifies, which grows out of the root of a tree, at some little distance from it, of which no notice or care is taken, nor anything hoped for from it; and the figure denotes the mean and unpromising appearance of Christ at his incarnation; which is the reason given why the Jews in general disbelieved, rejected, and despised him; for this phrase of "growing up" does not design his exaltation, or rising up from a low to a high estate; but his mean entrance into the world, like that of the springing up of a low and insignificant plant or shrub out of the earth: and the phrase "before him" is to be understood either of God the Father, by whom he was taken notice of, though not by men; and in whose sight he was precious, though despised by men; or his growing up, and the manner of it, or his mean appearance, were all before the Lord, and according to his will: or else it may be understood of Christ himself, and be rendered "before himself", who was meek and lowly, and was mean and low in his own eyes; or rather it may be interpreted of the unbelieving Jew, of any or everyone of them that did not believe the report concerning him: because before him, in the sight of everyone of them, he sprung up in the manner described; unless it can be thought that it would be better rendered "to his face" (c); or "to his appearance"; that is, as to his outward appearance, in the external view of him, so he grew up: and as a root out of a dry ground; or rather, "as a branch from a root out of a dry ground"; agreeably to Isa 11:1, meaning not so much the land of Judea, where he was born; or the country of Galilee, where he was brought up; as the family of David, from whence he sprung, which was reduced to a very low condition when he was born of it; his supposed father being a carpenter, and his real mother a poor virgin in Nazareth, though both of the lineage and house of David; from this passage the ancient Jews (d) are said to conclude that the Messiah would be born without a father, or the seed of man: he hath no form nor comeliness; like a poor plant or shrub just crept out of the ground, in a dry and barren soil, ready to wither away as soon as up; has no strength nor straightness, of body; without verdure, leaves, blossom, and fruit things which make plants comely and beautiful. This regards not the countenance of Christ, which probably was comely, as were his types Moses and David; since he is said to be "fairer than the children of men"; and since his human nature was the immediate produce of the Holy Ghost, and without sin: but his outward circumstances; there was no majesty in him, or signs of it; it did not look probable that he would be a tall cedar, or a prince in Israel, much less the Prince Messiah; he was born of mean parents; brought up in a contemptible part of the country; lived in a town out of which no good is said to come; dwelt in a mean cottage, and worked at a trade: and when we shall see him: as he grows up, and comes into public life and service, declaring himself, or declared by others, to be the Messiah: here the prophet represents the Jews that would live in Christ's time, who would see his person, hear his doctrines, and be witnesses of his miracles, and yet say, there is no beauty, that we should desire him; or "sightliness" (e) in him; nothing that looks grand and majestic, or like a king; they not beholding with an eye of faith his glory, as the glory of the only begotten of the Father; only viewing him in his outward circumstances, and so made their estimate of him; they expected the Messiah as a temporal prince, appearing in great pomp and state, to deliver them from the Roman yoke, and restore their nation to its former splendour and glory; and being disappointed herein was the true reason of their unbelief, before complained of, and why they did not desire him, who is the desire of all nations. (b) , Sept.; , Theodotion, vox a "lac sugere, proprie lactantem significat", Rivet. Sanctius, "surculus tener, veluti laetens", Forerius. (c) "ad faciem suam, vel in facie, sua", Rivet.; "quoad conspectum, vel quoad faciem suam, seu faciem ejus", Sanctius. (d) R. Hadarson apud Galatia, de Arcan. Cathol. Ver. l. 8. c. 2. p. 549. (e) "non aspectus", Munster: Vatablus, Pagninus, Montanus; "nulla spectabilis forma", Vitringa.”

“Plant. Hebrew also, “suckling child.” (Septuagint, &c.) — Ground. The blessed Virgin [Mary]. (Calmet) — Was. Septuagint, “he had no appearance nor beauty. But his appearance was abject and deficient above all men; a,” &c. — That we. Literally, “and we have desired him.” Notwithstanding his abject condition, He was the desired of all nations, and by his wounds we are healed. (Haydock) — Some assert that the person of Christ was not beautiful, while others think that his wounds prevented it from being discerned. Salmeron would supply a negation from the first number: “We have not desired him.””

“tender plant--Messiah grew silently and insensibly, as a sucker from an ancient stock, seemingly dead (namely, the house of David, then in a decayed state) (see on Isa 11:1). shall grow . . . hath--rather, "grew up . . . had." before him--before Jehovah. Though unknown to the world (Joh 1:11), Messiah was observed by God, who ordered the most minute circumstances attending His growth. root--that is, sprout from a root. form--beautiful form: sorrow had marred His once beautiful form. and when we shall see--rather, joined with the previous words, "Nor comeliness (attractiveness) that we should look (with delight) on Him." there is--rather, "was." The studied reticence of the New Testament as to His form, stature, color, &c., was designed to prevent our dwelling on the bodily, rather than on His moral beauty, holiness, love, &c., also a providential protest against the making and veneration of images of Him. The letter of P. LENTULUS to the emperor Tiberius, describing His person, is spurious; so also the story of His sending His portrait to Abgar, king of Edessa; and the alleged impression of His countenance on the handkerchief of Veronica. The former part of this verse refers to His birth and childhood; the latter to His first public appearance [VITRINGA].”

“The confession, which follows, grows out of the great lamentation depicted by Zechariah in Zac 12:11. "And he sprang up like a layer-shoot before Him, and like a root-sprout out of dry ground: he had no form, and no beauty; and we looked, and there was no look, such that we could have found pleasure in him." Isa 53:2, as a sequel to Isa 53:1, looks back to the past, and describes how the arm of Jehovah manifested itself in the servant's course of life from the very beginning, though imperceptibly at first, and unobserved by those who merely noticed the outside. The suffix of לפניו cannot refer to the subject of the interrogative sentence, as Hahn and Hofmann suppose, for the answer to the quis there is nemo; it relates to Jehovah, by which it is immediately preceded. Before Jehovah, namely, so that He, whose counsel thus began to be fulfilled, fixed His eye upon him with watchfulness and protecting care, he grew up כּיּונק, like the suckling, i.e., (in a horticultural sense) the tender twig which sucks up its nourishment from the root and stem (not as Hitzig supposes, according to Eze 31:16, from the moisture in the soil); for the tender twig upon a tree, or trunk, or stalk, is called ינקת (for which we have יונק here): vid., Eze 17:22, the twig of a cedar; Psa 80:12 (11), of a vine; Job 8:16, of a liana. It is thought of here as a layer, as in Eze 17:22; and, indeed, as the second figure shows when taken in connection with Isa 11:1, as having been laid down after the proud cedar of the Davidic monarchy from which it sprang had been felled; for elsewhere it is compared to a shoot which springs from the root left in the ground after the tree has been felled. Both figures depict the lowly and unattractive character of the small though vigorous beginning. The expression "out of dry ground," which belongs to both figures, brings out, in addition, the miserable character of the external circumstances in the midst of which the birth and growth of the servant had taken place. The "dry ground" is the existing state of the enslaved and degraded nation; i.e., he was subject to all the conditions inseparable from a nation that had been given up to the power of the world, and was not only enduring all the consequent misery, but was in utter ignorance as to its cause; in a word, the dry ground is the corrupt character of the age. In what follows, the majority of the commentators have departed from the accents, and adopted the rendering, "he had no form and no beauty, that we should look at Him" (should have looked at Him), viz., with fixed looks that loved to dwell upon Him. This rendering was adopted by Symmachus and Vitringa (ἳνα εἴδωμεν αὐτόν; ut ipsum respiceremus). But Luther, Stier, and others, very properly adhere to the existing punctuation; since the other would lead us to expect בּו ונראה instead of ונראהוּ, and the close reciprocal relation of ולא־מראה ונראהוּ, which resembles a play upon the words, is entirely expunged. The meaning therefore is, "We saw Him, and there was nothing in His appearance to make us desire Him, or feel attracted by Him." The literal rendering of the Hebrew, with its lively method of transferring you into the precise situation, is ut concupisceremus eum (delectaremur eo); whereas, in our oriental style, we should rather have written ut concupivissemus, using the pluperfect instead of the imperfect, or the tense of the associated past. Even in this sense ונראהוּ is very far from being unmeaning: He dwelt in Israel, so that they had Him bodily before their eyes, but in His outward appearance there was nothing to attract or delight the senses.”