Some Heb. mss. followed by Baer read hncb, i. e. pf. 3d sg. Qal; but this
66 MICAH
is difficult after inya, whereas the inf. cstr. of iS is a normal construc-
tion foil. prep.. But smoother sense results from the noun-form '^i}^'-?,
uncleanness {HWB.^^), which it is better to follow than to posit the Att,
noun '"iffpa (BDB.). — 11. nn i^n] An ace. designating the goal or
sphere of the action, Ko. ^"o.^ cf. irn 'n, Jb. 29'; ip8'3 'n, Je. 23'*; 'n
riD niB'py, Pr. 6'^ There is no need to change the text {v. s.) ; the idio-
matic use of ' walk' as designating a manner of life is common enough to
justify M.
§ 5. The Return of the Exiles (2^2- ^^).
A later editor, in a single eight-line str., prevailingly trimeter in
movement, offsets the announcement of exile made in § 4 by a
promise of Israel's return from exile under the protection and
leadership of Yahweh.
T WILL surely assemble Jacob, all of him;
I win surely gather the remnant of Israel.
I will put them together like a flock in the fold.
Like a herd in the midst of the pasture.
The breaker will go forth before them;
They will break through the gate and go forth thereat;
And their king will pass on before them;
Yea, Yahweh at their head.
This arrangement involves two modifications of M; (i) the omission
of the last two words of v. '^ as a gloss, (2) the omission of n3>"i from v. "
as a dittograph of naj'M in the following line. The str. shows a gradual
diminution in the length of its lines, from tetrameter through trimeter to
dimeter (in the last line only). Marti obtains a ten-line str. by retaining
all of M and beginning his eighth line with -\';z' notwithstanding its close
relation to the preceding vbs. as object. Siev. secures four of his indis-
pensable 'sevens' by omitting n^-^Nr and the last two words of v. "and
supposing a loss of one foot after "i>tJ'.
The difficulty of establishing any connection between these verses and
2i-" has long been felt. The history of interpretation records various
treatments. Among others, it has been interpreted as a continuation of
the threatening language of v. '", i. e."I will gather them to destruction,
etc."; so e. g. Ki., Ephraem Syrus, Theodoret, Grotius, Tarnovius, Cal.,
and in recent times van H.. Again, as the teaching of false prophets, either
spoken by Micah himself, viz. 'if I prophesy to this people of wine, etc.,
and say to them, "I will gather, etc." ' (so e. g. AE., Mich., Struensee);
or as a marginal note by Micah or an early reader representing the
contents of false prophecy (so e. g. Ew.); or as an interruption of Mi-
cah's utterance by the false prophets themselves (so e. g. Kl., Ro., Or.).
But against all three alternatives lies the fatal objection that these verses
212-13 57
presuppose the exile as a matter of fact— whereas the popular prophets
never admitted the possibility of exile (c/. 3")- Furthermore, the con-
tent of the verses is thoroughly in keeping with the teachings of the true
prophets of certain periods {v. i.). Another supposition is that, though
belonging to Micah, the verses are out of their original connection ; so
e. g. Ry., Ko. Einl. 327, Dr.; Stei. who places them after 4^; Condamin,
RB. 1902, who makes them foil. 4^
The evidence, however, seems convincing for the exilic or postexilic
origin of 2 '3- ". The total lack of connection and the presupposition of
the exile and the dispersion; the lack of any moral or religious prereq-
uisites on Israel's part to the restoration of Yahweh's favour; the use of
'remnant' to designate returning exiles (cf. Gie., Beitrdge z. Jesaia-Kritik,
37/.); and the parall. in phraseology and conception to such late pas-
sages as Ho. 22 Is. ii'i «• 52" Je. 31', all combine to mark the passage as
late (so Sta. ZAW. I, 162 /.; Kue. Einl. II, 359 /.; Cor. 340; Che. in
WRS. Pro/>/j.2, XXIII; We.; Now.; Gnmm, Lit. A pp.; Marti; Siev.),
Possibly these verses have displaced a more severe ending for the chapter,
with which the -icni of 3' originally made good connection (so Kue., Now.,
Grimm).
12. fiDNN] <S shall he gathered, perhaps a free rendering (Ry.).—
3p;,-<] iC = "-^-^-2^^ (gA. this people.— -[hj] Rd., with We., iS:; so Now.,
OortE'"-, Marti, Hal., Siev., Gu.; cf. <S (riiv TratrtJ'.- iJDiirx] (S adds as
obj., TTjv dTTocTTpo^Tiv uvToO {cf. S's similar addition with T^Pn); hence
Taylor would insert in>3^-.— mx^] Rd., with Wetzstein (in De. Je^aJas,
705) n-ivxa; so Now., OortEâ„¢-, Marti, Siev., Gu., HWB.^^; cf. B in ovili.
S e iv 6xvp(i)lJ'a.Ti. (^ iv e\lfei = nii-a (so g") ; so Dathe, Taylor,
van H.. Hal. nMj3. Hpt. n-jx33. Against the reading nn^x^, Hpt.
makes the point that we should hardly expect m>x here, when the
equivalent form ni^a occurs in Gn. 25I8 Nu. 31'" Ez. 25^ Ps. 69^8 i Ch.
6"; but cf. the equivalent forms ixj and laj. — y^-:i-\r<\ Rd., with Ro.,
n.3-in, carrying i over to foil, word; so Ry., SS., Elh., Pont, Gu., Now.,
Ooi-tE"!-, Marti, Siev., Hpt.. <& their lair. 15 caularum. S © ttjs
ip-flixov; hence Gr., Hal. naiD. Van H, -^^^n.— njD^nn] Rd. nrrnni; so
We., Gr., Now., Oort^"-, Marti, Hal., Gu.. <S they shall escape. & is
concealed. Van H. nji -inDnv— dinc] Van H. onNC.— 13. inon n'-y] (g
5ta T17S diaKOTTTjs = v.s^i ^Ji- — i^'^c] & sg.. A omits with remainder of the
verse.— n^y^] Om. as dittog. from foil, line; it is tautologous between
«->D and 1NXM, and likewise superfluous in the metre. — i;"^'] S» om..
12. Jacob, all of him . . . the remnant of Israel] By these two
terms the whole of the Hebrew people is embraced, the latter
phrase probably referring to the survivors of the northern kingdom.
The exile and dispersion are here treated not as possibilities, but
68 MICAH
as actually existing facts. Passages like this and 4^"'*, written in
periods when everything visible to the human eye was fraught with
discouragement and gloom, reveal the extraordinary capacity of the
Hebrew soul for faith — faith in its God and in its destiny. The
pronoun of the 2d person, as in ill, must give place to that of the
3d person (v. s.), in view of the parallel pronouns of the remainder
of the poem. It is impossible to find anything but words of en-
couragement and comfort here.* — Together will I put them like a
flock in the fold] ' Put together ' is here synonymous with the pre-
ceding 'assemble' and 'gather.' It refers not only to the two
halves of the nation heretofore separated but also to the more or
less widely scattered groups of exiles in various lands. The ' dias-
pora' began early, as is demonstrated by the existence of a Jewish
colony at Assuan on the Nile at least as early as 550 B.c.f RV.'s
sheep of Bozrah yields no satisfactory sense ; nor is it safe to render
' flock of the fold,' for botsrah does not have the meaning ' fold ' else-
where, cannot be assigned to any root which yields such a sense,
and lacks the preposition ' in ' which the parallelism seems to re-
quire. It is therefore necessary to adopt a slightly different read-
ing from M', V. s.. — Like a herd in the midst of the pasture] The
similes employed imply not merely the bringing together of Israel
from its different places of exile, but also the thought of Yahweh's
protecting care after the return; cf. Ps. 23^ — And they will he
tumultuous with people] These two words are a later expansion
as shown by the looseness of their connection, by the difficulty of
the grammar, and by their redundance in the metre. | The sub-
ject apparently is the 'fold' and the 'pasture.' For the figure in
the Hebrew, literally 'they will roar on account of men,' as des-
ignating great masses of people, cf. Is. 17*^. — 13. The breaker will
go forth before them] The figure of the flock and herd is still re-
tained, but the scene now shifts from Palestine as the fold and pas-
ture to the land of exile as a prison. Thence will Yahweh lead
them forth, going before them like the ram of the flock to break
down every barrier and remove every obstacle. That Yahweh is
* Contra van H. {ik s.), who finds it necessary to eliminate lines i, 2 and 8 as glosses made by
one who misunderstood the tenor of the passage,
t V. JMPS. in Biblical World, XXXI (ipoS). 448 ff..
% So also Siev., though working upon a different metrical basis.
212-13 6p
the 'breaker ' is shown by the parallel terms in lines 7 and 8, which
seem fatal objections to any attempt to identify the 'breaker' with
some particular part of the Israelitish army after the analogy of
I S. 13" Ju. 20^^ ^- Jos. 6^- °- ^^* The same verb is used to describe
Yahweh's activity in Ex. 19"- '" 2 S. 5-" i Ch. 14" Ps. Zo'\—They
â– will break through the gate and go forth thereat] The words 'and
pass on' which iH presents immediately after 'break through'
are redundant and render the following 'go forth' belated and
superfluous. Furthermore, the rendering 'pass on to the gate'
(so RV.) leaves the preceding verb without an object, while the
sense 'pass through' is difficult without a preposition. WTien to
these difficulties is added the metrical redundance, it seems nec-
essary to relegate the phrase to the margin. — And their king -will
pass on be/ore them, Yea—Yahweh at their head] The 'king' and
Yahweh are here identical, as in Je. 22^ Zp. 3'^ Is. 33^2 4121 43^ 44«
Ps. 89^^ To interpret 'king' as designating the Messianic ruler
or the exiled monarch would involve a double headship and leader-
ship of the returning procession such as finds no parallel elsewhere
in the Old Testament. For other pictures of similar tone, cf. Je.
31^^- Is. 40'^- 52^^
12 . n'^r] For this use of S3, cf. on i'. — P'-inc] Found prior to Isaiah
and Micah only in Gn. 45' (E), 2 S. 14^ Am. i« s'S i. e. twice in the sense
of posterity, once of the few surviving Philistines, and once of decunated
Israel. Isaiah is the first to introduce the thought of a holy remnant and
to apply it to returning exiles; cf. Meinhold, Der heilige Rest (1903). —
ms2] Ordinarily taken as from iX3, be inaccessible (common to Heb.
and Ar.) and given the meaning fold; v. s.. The reading n-jx2 is
supported in part by ^ ^ and furnishes a good parallel to iina. The
noun rn>s is a by-form of n^^a, corresponding to the Ar. slra, and
applied in Heb., Ar. and Syr. to the low stone wall surrounding an
encampment, or to the encampment itself, or to a sheepfold similarly
protected. — na-ri] For other cases of art. with sf., cf. Ges. ^ '" '; Ko.
S 303 6. — nJC^-|^] iH derives this from 3in, but the existence of the Hiph.
of this vb. is doubtful; the derivation from ncn {v. s.) is better. The
fem. pi. because the subjects r\-r-i and i3i represent ;/si«^5. — 13. n'^;-]
Proph. pf.; often used of return from exile, e. g. Ho. i" 2i= Is. ii>»;
cf. Na. 2'. — INS'-] On proph. pf. continued by waw consec. with impf.,
cf, K6. ^ '"; Dr. ^ «'.
* Contra Dr. Exp. 1887, pp. 259 /..
70 MICAH
§ 6. Denunciation of the Leaders and Prophets (3^"*).
Of the seven four-line strs. constituting this poem, three are
devoted to the secular leaders, three to the rehgious, and the last
to Micah himself.
Str. I charges the leaders of Israel with having perverted their
calling — they who should love and honour justice are devoted to
the pursuit of wickedness. Str. II in highly figurative language
pictures their oppression of the poor and helpless. Str. Ill an-
nounces a day of disaster when these leaders will reap the due re-
ward of their deeds and find that Yahweh turns a deaf ear to their
cry for help in their distress. Str. IV turns the charge against the
prophets of the day who being actuated by mercenary motives are
leading Israel astray. Str. V, under the figure of an eclipse, de-
clares the time to be at hand when the impotence of these prophets
will become manifest — prophets without vision. Str. VI describes
the shame and confusion that will overwhelm them when they
discover that God heeds not their cry. Str. VII sets forth, in sharp
contrast to the powerlessness just described, Micah's conscious-
ness of his own authority and power to denounce the sins of Israel.
I-JEAR now, ye heads of Jacob,
And rulers of the house of Israel:
Is it not yours to know justice.
Ye who hate good and love evil?
"DUT they eat the flesh of my people,
And their skin from upon them they strip off;
And their bones they lay bare and break them up,
Like meat in the pot, and flesh within the caldron.
"TTHEN will they cry unto Yahweh,
And he will not answer them;
But will hide his face from them.
Inasmuch as they have made their deeds evil.
[Thus has Yahweh said:]
r^ONCERNING the prophets who lead my people astray,
Who when they bite with their teeth preach peace;
But as for him who puts not into their mouths—
Against him they declare war.
"pHEREFORE, it will be night for you without vision.
And darkness for you without divination.
Yea, the sun will set upon those prophets,
And the day will become dark over them.
3»-« 71
A ND the seers will be ashamed,
And the diviners will blush.
And they will cover the upper lip, all of them.
Because there is no answer from God.
"RUT I, indeed, am full of power.
And justice and strength.
To declare to Jacob his transgression.
And to Israel his sin.
The sjTnmetry of the poem is apparent. In both groups of three strs.
each, the opening str. contains the address and the general charge, the
2d str. presents a series of bold figures, and the closing str. declares the
same climax — Yahweh's refusal to hear the cr}' of the wicked. Further-
more, Strs. Ill and VI alike are made up of short trenchant lines, an-
nouncements of doom which fall like the blows of a sledge-hammer.
This arrangement presupposes the omission of v. ^t. « as a variant of v. '
(so We., Now., Marti, Gu.; cj. Lohr, ZDMG. LXI, 3-6); the treatment
of N"nn p;:3 in v. <"= as a repetition of rs in v. «» (so Marti, Siev.); the
excision of r^^7\> nn rx from v. « as a gloss (so We., Now., Marti, Siev.,
Gu., Du.); and the exclusion of the introductory formulas inw. '-^as
extraneous to the poetic form.
Lohr and Siev. agree in excluding vv. ^-s from this piece and including
w. '•", but this fails to do Justice to the symmetrical relations between
w. '-* and 'â– ' on the one hand, and the logical and formal independence
of w. '-" on the other. Furthermore, their metrical arrangement (Lohr,
4+3 + 3 > Siev. 7-1-3) takes too great liberties with the text, removing no
less than twenty-five words from the fli of w. '-s, i. e. nearly one-fourth
of the material, and adding two words at the opening of v. ^.
1, irsi] Oi & = ">?xi; We., Marti, Gu., Hpt. om. as gloss; soS, im-
less in tempore at the close of 2" represents it. — xj-i^'cr] (& & add
nxT, as in v. '. — ^P";"] d & ul and 12 codd. of Kenn. and de R., '' n'3,
as in V. »; so Hal.. — "'J'Sp] ^ ol KaraXotTot; so also in v. ^ — 2. njn] Rd.
y-j, with Qr.. — 3ii;-] Gr. vp2 tij?. — oni'^ps] Hal. D^'C'n^ Sj,:c. — amsxj?] Hal.
nj^Sx. — 3. -is'Ni] d 6v rphirov. & H om. 1. Taylor, "^Nri. — aniSyr]
(gA.Q (iTri tCjv dariuv aiiruiv. — iC'^Di] C5 Kal ififKiaav; so "B. & they
throw into. — "is-xo] Rd. "ix'f J, with (15 ws ffdpKas; so Doderlein, Dathe,
Bauer, Jus., Ro., Stek., Taylor, Elh., We., Pont, Gr., Gu., Now.,
Oort^"-, Marti, Lohr, Siev., van H., Du., Hpt.. Now., slavishly foil,
by Marti, cites & in support of this reading, but & reproduces ^ liter-
ally. Hal. "ix"«??. — 4. tx] d ovTws. Lohr om. as gloss, but inserts
here, partly from v. » on^s? rc^o); cf. Siev.. — i-dm] Marti, inpM. — -irx;]
C5 avd'' wv; so &. — 'iJi i?">^] (8 freely, they have dealt wickedly in their
practices against themselves; similarly B. — 5. v^'-ti-n] <S ijyeipav, a free
rendering, corrected by several codd. to i]yia<rav. — v^r] Siev. om. metri
causa, as in M after ixip, where d adds it. — 6. nS'*^ p"-] We. and Now.
72 MICAH
insert ntny, cf. C5. — natt'm] Rd., with Hartmann, HDrm; so Ry., Or.,
Taylor, SS., Elh., We., Pont, Gr., Now., Marti, Hal., van H., Hpt., Du..
Gu., "irni. f^ treats as a verbal form. — DDpc] ilW^B.", Marti, Hpt., Du.,
Dpi7p for sake of parallelism with Jitn; but the rhyme supports jB. — 7 . iDj?i
DDtt' Vp] <]| /cai /caTaXaXiyo-ouo-t)/ /car' ayrw;', not a free rendering {contra Tay-
lor), but a mere guess. Cf. Schnurrer, Vol., Ry.. In Ez. 24"- =* where
this phrase occurs, CS renders ';' by vapaKaX^u; in Lv. 13'", by irepL^aX^ff-
6w. Stek. therefore suggests that (& derived it from tt'J?; but where B''y does
appear in UI, (5 failed to recognise it, rendering it by kXIvu in i S. 14^'
25X, by &ptn](xas rov diadai. in i S. 15", and by 8iafiacrd(r6ai in BS. 34'^
& renders 'a' as if from nor, lip. — njyc] Some Heb codd. n^j;j:; so®#.
— OinSx] (S a&rwp = DHi'^n; & = DHiSn 0''n'^i<. — 8. 0S1N1] d ^df jUt; =
^^x. e iKuUdv. Several codd. of (B read dXXd /ui};' = :^.— tinSc] <S
ip.w\-fi<T<j3; some codd. ivenX-qaeriv. — mni nn rx nr] Om. as gloss, '> 'n tn,
with We., Now., Marti, Siev., Du., Hpt.. Gie. Beru/sbegabung, 123,
om. ns< no. OortE^/i nna nj. — miaji odb'di] A om.; so cod. Reuch.
of S; so Taylor, Pont, Siev.. Chrysostom om. oorni, — Sx-itt"'?!] Two
mss. of (S = 'tt"' no"?!.
Str. I charges the rulers of Israel with having grossly betrayed
the trust reposed in them, — the guardians of justice have become
abettors of and participants in crime. — 1. But I said] No satis-
factory connection of this phrase with anything preceding can be
found. After the removal of the interpolation 2^^- ^^, with which
it has no point of contact, and of 2" (z;. s.), connection might be
made vdth 2'" by rendering, ' Furthermore, I said ' ; but a particle
would be expected to express such an idea, and it presupposes a
close integration of thought between 2^" and 3* ^- which does not
exist. Rather does a new theme present itself in ch. 3. It may be
that some connecting link between 2^° and 3^ has been lost ; other-
wise, this phrase must be regarded as an obscure marginal note. —
Heads of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel] The identical
terminology in v. ^, vdth the specifications in v. ^"j makes it clear
that the address both here and there is to the officials of Judah in
general and Jerusalem in particular. — Know justice] Cf. Am. 3*°.
The knowledge required is not mere intellectual appreciation of
the principles of justice, but a practical understanding of its obliga-
tions and a sympathy with its aims which will lead to a righteous
administration of law. — 2. Ye who hate good, etc.] Their con-
duct is, for Micah, susceptible of no other explanation. — Ye who
3"' 73
phick their skin from upon them and their flesh from upon their
bones] A gloss as is shown by the lack of any antecedents for the
pronouns, and by its substantial identity of contents with v. ^
Str. II is marked by the transfer to the 3d person from the 2d
person of direct address in Str. I, and by the contrast the picture of
the actual conduct of the rulers affords to the ideal suggested for
them in Str. I.— 3. Btit they eat the flesh of my people] The people
are in Micah's eyes like a defenceless flock at the mercy of wild
beasts; the watch-dogs who should protect the flock have pounced
upon them like ravening wolves. Micah's passionate sympathy
with his countrymen is reflected in the pronoun "my."— And their
skin from upon them they strip off and lay hare their hones] The
figures here employed suggest the violence and lawlessness of the
processes whereby the very life was crushed out of the small land-
owners. — And break them up like meat in the pot and flesh within
the caldron] These words are omitted by some scholars as an edi-
torial expansion of the preceding figure.* Similes or compar-
isons are not common in Mi. 1-3, it is true, though they are not
wholly lacking (i^- ^^ 3^); nor is the adjustment to the metre here
the most easy; while the verbs 'lay bare' and 'break' have different
objects, the latter referring to the fellow-citizens of Micah. But
all this is not conclusive of secondary origin. Micah, quite as well
as a later reader, could carry his figure through to the very end.
The devastation of the poor is total and irreparable.f
Str. Ill announces the coming of a day when Yahweh will ig-
nore the cry of these oppressors now brought low, because they
have ignored his call to righteousness and justice. — 4. Then will
they cry] A reference to the coming judgment spoken of in 2^- ^- ";
cf. the similar use of 'now' as = 'then' in Am. (y' Ho. 2^'^.— And he
will not answer them] For the converse of this attitude, cf. Ps.
T,^^^.—But will hide his face from them] That he may not be
moved to pity by the sight of their distress. A common figure for
* So We., Now., Marti, Lohr, Siev., Gu..
t If the language of Micah be thought stronger than the facts warranted, attention need
only be called to the atrocities perpetrated upon the peasants of Germany in a supposedly more
civilised age, which resulted in the outbreak of the Peasants' War; and that too with the sup-
port of the laws. See Schaff, History oj the Christian Church, VI, 44° /?■; Newman, Manual of
Church History, II, 69 #.; Zimmermann, Allgemeine Geschichte des grossen Bauernkri^gs
Ci8S4).
74 MICAH
the divine displeasure; cf. Is. i^= 8" Dt. 31"- ^* 32^" Jb. 13=^ Ps. I3^
—At that time] A gloss, as shown by the metre,* intended to define
more closely the application of * then ' in line i ; cf. 2^. — Inasmuch
as they have made their deeds evil] A pregnant use of ^Dt^D, im-
plying a comparison; the wicked conduct of the rich is clear
evidence that they have turned a deaf ear to the call of Yahweh
through his prophets; Yahweh now treats them in like manner.f
Str. IV turns to another class of offenders, the popular prophets,
whom Micah charges with base subservience to selfish ends. — 5.
Thus has Yahweh said] This phrase, stating the divine authority
of the message about to be uttered, lies outside of the movement
of the poem; cf. Am. i*^ 2^°^ 3^^'' 4^ S^^.— Concerning the prophets
who lead my people astray] The prophets here denounced are the
members of the prophetic guilds (see H.'^^, xlix-lviii), the best
of whom were victims of a too narrow patriotism and a low idea
of God. Micah, with the undiscriminating passion of indigna-
tion, treats them all aUke as swayed by unworthy motives. The
cleft between the lower and the higher types of prophecy began at
least as early as the days of Micaiah ben Imlah (i K. 22) and grew
wider with each succeeding generation; cf. 3" Am. 7'^ Is. 9'^^ Je. 28.
But the true prophet, in the face of opposition and isolation, re-
mained certain that he only was the interpreter of the will of God.
— Who when they bite with their teeth preach peace] Not in the
sense that they hypocritically proclaim prosperity though con-
scious that they are all the time injuring the people; J but, as is
shown by the following lines, that their good will is conditioned
upon their being well fed.§ For a later estimate of the value and
authenticity of prophecies of prosperity, see Je. 28^- ^. — But if one
puts not into their mouths they declare war against him] It seems
less likely that prediction of national war is meant by this,** than
that these mercenary prophets levy a tyrannical species of black-
mail upon their constituents. The man who will not contribute
* So Marti, Now.^, Lohr, Siev., Gu., Du.; so also in Am. s"
t Gu. suspects this clause to be a later addition; but the only ground urged is its prosaic
character. May not a prophet descend to prose occasionally? Homer sometimes nods.
t So Casp..
§ For a similar indignant charge made by the Greek tragic poets against venal soothsayers,
V. Sophocles, Antigone, 1036: .lEschylus, Agamemnon, 1168. ♦* We., Van H..
3'"' 75
to their support is subjected to slander and abuse of various
kinds. They represent it to be Yahweh's will that such men be
treated as his enemies. The verb rendered 'declare' literally
means ' sanctify,' ' consecrate,' and has reference to the religious
ceremonies always associated with the actual commencement of
hostilities; cf. i S. is*-'^ Je. 6^ Is. 13^ Jo. 4' Dt. 20I* Prophets
who thus brought their high calling into disgrace for the further-
ance of their own selfish ends seem never to have been lacking,
from the earliest times {cf. Am. 7^^) even down to the days of the
early Christian church. f
Str. V, under the figure of an eclipse, represents the spiritual
darkness into which the prophets will be plunged on the approach-