the Week of Proper 23 / Ordinary 28
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New Living Translation
Zechariah 3:9
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Look, I put a special stone in front of Joshua. There are seven sides on that stone. I will carve a special message on it. This will show that in one day, I will remove the guilt from this land."
'For behold, the stone that I have put before Joshua; on one stone are seven eyes. Behold, I am going to engrave an inscription on it,' declares the LORD of armies, 'and I will remove the guilt of that land in one day.
Look, I put this stone in front of Joshua, a stone with seven sides. I will carve a message on it,' says the Lord All-Powerful. ‘And in one day I will take away the sin of this land.'
For, look, the stone that I have set before Joshua; on one stone are seven eyes: look, I will engrave the engraving thereof, says Yahweh of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
For behold, the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone [shall be] seven eyes; behold, I will engrave the graving of it saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
'For behold, the stone which I have set before Joshua; on that one stone are seven eyes (symbolizing infinite intelligence, omniscience). Behold, I will engrave an inscription on it,' declares the LORD of hosts, 'and I will remove the wickedness and guilt of this land in a single day.
For behold, on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven eyes, I will engrave its inscription, declares the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day.
For, behold, the stone that I have set before Joshua; on one stone are seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the engraving of it,' says Yahweh of Hosts, 'and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
For lo! the stoon which Y yaf bifor Jhesu, on o stoon ben seuene iyen; and lo! Y schal graue the grauyng therof, seith the Lord of oostis, and Y schal do a wei the wickidnesse of that lond in o dai.
For behold, the stone that I have set before Joshua; upon one stone are seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
See the stone I have set before Joshua; on that one stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave on it an inscription,' declares the LORD of Hosts, 'and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day.
Joshua, I have placed in front of you a stone with seven sides. I will engrave something on that stone, and in a single day I will forgive this guilty country.
For, behold, the stone that I have set before Joshua; upon one stone are seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
For see, the stone which I have put before Joshua; on one stone are seven eyes: see, the design cut on it will be my work, says the Lord of armies, and I will take away the sin of that land in one day.
For look at the stone I have put in front of Y'hoshua: on one stone are seven eyes; I will engrave what is to be written on it,' says Adonai -Tzva'ot; ‘and I will remove the guilt of this land in one day.
For behold, the stone that I have laid before Joshua—upon one stone are seven eyes; behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in one day.
For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone are seven facets; behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts: And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
For behold the stone that I haue layd before Ioshua: vpon one stone shall be seuen eyes, behold, I will engraue the grauing thereof, saith the Lord of hostes, and I will remoue the iniquitie of that land in one day.
See the stone that I have set in front of Joshua. There are seven eyes on that one stone, and I will cut writings on it,' says the Lord of All. ‘And I will take away the sin of that land in one day.
For on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven facets, I will engrave its inscription, says the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the guilt of this land in a single day.
For loe, the stone that I haue layd before Iehoshua: vpon one stone shalbe seuen eyes: beholde, I will cut out the grauing thereof, saith the Lord of hostes, and I will take away the iniquitie of this land in one day.
For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven facets; behold, I will open its gates, says the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in that day.
For lo! the stone which I have set before Joshua, Upon one stone, are Seven (pairs of) Eyes, - Behold me! cutting the engraving thereof, declareth Yahweh of hosts. So will I take away the iniquity of that land in one day.
For behold the stone that I have laid before Jesus: upon one stone there are seven eyes: behold I will grave the graving thereof, saith the Lord of hosts: and I will take away the iniquity of that land in one day.
For behold, upon the stone which I have set before Joshua, upon a single stone with seven facets, I will engrave its inscription, says the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the guilt of this land in a single day.
For lo, the stone that I haue layde before Iosua, vpon one stone shalbe seuen eyes: beholde, I wyll cut out the grauing therof, saith the Lorde of hoastes, and I wyll take away the sinne of the lande in one day.
Hear now, Jesus the high priest, thou, and thy neighbours that are sitting before thee: for they are diviners, for, behold, I bring forth my servant The Branch.
I am placing in front of Joshua a single stone with seven facets. I will engrave an inscription on it, and in a single day I will take away the sin of this land.
Notice the stone I have set before Joshua; on that one stone are seven eyes. I will engrave an inscription on it”—this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies—“and I will take away the iniquity of this land in a single day.
For, behold, the stone that I have set before Yehoshua; on one stone are seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the engraving of it,' says the LORD of Hosts, 'and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
For consider, the stone that I set before Joshua, on one stone are seven eyes. Look, I am going to engrave an inscription on it,' declares Yahweh of hosts, ‘and I will remove the guilt of that land in a single day.
For, behold, I will bring forth My Servant, the BRANCH. For behold, the stone which I have given before Joshua, on the one stone are seven eyes. I will engrave its engraving, says Jehovah of Hosts, and I will remove the iniquityof that land in one day.
For lo, the stone that I put before Joshua, On one stone [are] seven eyes, Lo, I am graving its graving, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, And I have removed the iniquity of that land in one day.
for lo, the stone that I haue layed before Iesua: vpon one stone shalbe vij. eyes. Beholde, I will hewe him out (saieth the LORDE of hoostes) and take awaye the synne of that londe in one daye.
As for the stone I have set before Joshua—on the one stone there are seven eyes. I am about to engrave an inscription on it,' says the Lord who rules over all, ‘to the effect that I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day.
For behold, the stone That I have laid before Joshua: Upon the stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave its inscription,' Says the LORD of hosts, "And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
'For behold, the stone that I have set before Joshua; on one stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave an inscription on it,' declares the LORD of hosts, 'and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
For behold, the stone that I have put before Joshua; on one stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave an inscription on it,' declares Yahweh of hosts, ‘and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
the stone: Psalms 118:22, Isaiah 8:14, Isaiah 8:15, Isaiah 28:16, Matthew 21:42-44, Acts 4:11, Romans 9:33, 1 Peter 2:4-8
seven: Zechariah 4:10, 2 Chronicles 16:9, Revelation 5:6
I will engrave: Exodus 28:11, Exodus 28:21, Exodus 28:36, John 6:27, 2 Corinthians 1:22, 2 Corinthians 3:3, 2 Timothy 2:19
remove: Zechariah 13:1, Isaiah 53:4-12, Jeremiah 31:34, Jeremiah 50:20, Daniel 9:24-27, Micah 7:18, Micah 7:19, John 1:29, Ephesians 2:16, Ephesians 2:17, Colossians 1:20, Colossians 1:21, 1 Timothy 2:5, 1 Timothy 2:6, Hebrews 7:27, Hebrews 9:25, Hebrews 9:26, Hebrews 10:10-18, 1 John 2:2
Reciprocal: Genesis 49:24 - the stone Leviticus 23:28 - General 1 Kings 1:20 - the eyes Ezra 2:2 - Jeshua Psalms 118:24 - the day Song of Solomon 8:6 - as a seal Luke 20:17 - The stone Hebrews 9:12 - once Revelation 1:4 - from the
Cross-References
The man replied, "It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it."
Then the Lord God asked the woman, "What have you done?" "The serpent deceived me," she replied. "That's why I ate it."
And to the man he said, "Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.
By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return."
Then the man—Adam—named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of all who live.
And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.
Afterward the Lord asked Cain, "Where is your brother? Where is Abel?" "I don't know," Cain responded. "Am I my brother's guardian?"
But the Lord came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building.
The angel said to her, "Hagar, Sarai's servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?" "I'm running away from my mistress, Sarai," she replied.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
For, behold, the stone that I have laid before Joshua,.... Not the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel; nor the first and foundation stone of the temple laid by him in the presence of Joshua; but Christ the Stone of Israel, whom the builders refused, the foundation and corner stone of the spiritual building the church: and this was laid before Joshua to build his faith upon, to view his safety and security on it, and to take comfort from it for himself; and to lay it before others, and instruct them in the nature and use of it, for their comfort also. It was prophetically laid before him in the prophecies of Christ, that went before; and typically, when the foundation of the temple was laid, Ezra 3:9 the temple being a type of the church, and the foundation of it a type of Christ: and this being done by Jehovah, shows that he is the chief builder; that this stone must be an excellent one, that is of his laying; that that building must stand, which this is the foundation of; and that under builders have great encouragement to work; see Isaiah 28:16. Vitringa, on the place referred to, interprets Joshua of Isaiah, who prophesied of this stone in the said place, and before whom it was laid by a spirit of prophecy; Isaiah and Joshua being words of the same signification and formation: but Isaiah was no high priest; for there is no room to think that Joshua, in this verse, is another and distinct from Joshua the high priest, in the former:
upon one stone [shall be] seven eyes; meaning either the eyes of Christ himself, which he has, and are in him; for Christ is not only a Living Stone, but a seeing one, even all seeing; he is all eye. This may be an allusion to such stones that have the resemblance of eyes upon them: such a stone is that which Scheuchzer d speaks of, and calls "siliculus ommatias", being found in the river Sila; which represents the fore part of the bulb of the eye, and the black pupil of the eye in a snowy white; and, after a small interstice, as surrounded with another black circle; with which may be compared the "achates", in the middle of which is an onyx, resembling an eye, and is therefore named by Velschius e, "achates ommatias", and "onych ophthalmos". Some stones have on them the figures of the eyes of animals, and have their names from them; as the "oegophthalmos", which is very much like the eye of a goat; and "lycophthalmos", in the middle of which the black is surrounded with white, as the eyes of wolves, and in all respects like unto them; and "hyophthalmos", which bears the likeness of the eyes of swine: and some resemble human eyes; there is one called "triophthalmos", which is bred with the onyx, and represents three eyes of a man together; all which are made mention of by Pliny f: but here is a stone with seven eyes in it, denoting perfection of sight in him as a divine Person, special oversight of his people, and fulness of grace in him as Mediator; for the fulness of the gifts and graces of the Spirit in him, for the use of his people, is signified by seven eyes, Revelation 5:6 they may design the omniscience of Christ in general, which reaches to all persons and things, and greatly qualifies him to be the Head of the church, and Judge of the world; and likewise his special knowledge, care, and watchfulness of his own people, from everlasting, in time, at, and before, and after conversion, under all their trials and exercises: or they design the eyes which are looking to him, and are intent on him; and the sense is, that all eyes are upon him: the eyes of God the Father were upon him in the council and covenant of peace, and under the Old Testament, as the surety of his people, to make satisfaction for them; and, when the fulness of time was come, to send him forth; and during his infancy, and throughout his life, to preserve him; and in the whole of his humiliation, sufferings, and death, his eye was on him with pleasure and satisfaction; and when in the grave to raise him up; and now in heaven, for the acceptance of his people: the eyes of the Holy Spirit are on him, to take of his things, and show them to his people: the eyes of angels are upon him, in point of dependence, service, and worship; their eyes were upon him when here on earth, as he ascended to heaven, and now he is there; the eyes of all the saints, under the Old Testament, were upon him, expecting him, and looking to his person, and to his blood and sacrifice, that were to be offered; the eyes of all believers, under the New Testament, in all times and places, are to him for pardon, righteousness, life, and salvation; and the eyes of all, good and bad, will be fastened on him, when he comes a second time, in the clouds of heaven; and the eyes of all the glorified ones will be upon him to all eternity, beholding his glory; to this sense agrees the Targum, which renders the words, "upon one stone, seven eyes look to it". R. Joseph Kimchi interprets these eyes of seven men, Joshua, Ezra, Zerubbabel, Nehemiah, and the three prophets, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi:
behold, I will engrave the engraving thereof, saith the Lord of hosts: either with the names of his elect, which are not only written in the book of the Lamb; but their persons are put into his hands, and engraven there; and are bore upon his shoulders, he having the care and government of them; and are upon his breastplate, and on his heart, he being their representative, and presenting them for a memorial before the Lord; as the names of the tribes of Israel were on the stones, on the shoulders, and on the breastplate of the high priest; in all which Jehovah is concerned: or else with the gifts and graces of the Spirit, like a carved or polished stone; his human body was prepared and formed by him, and his human soul was filled with him; and he, as Mediator, was full of grace and truth; which is one branch of his glory, and draws the eyes of believers to him: or these engravings may intend the sufferings of Christ; the wounds and marks in his flesh; or, the "openings" g, in his feet, hands, and side, as it may be rendered; the incisions and cuts made there by the nails and spear; which were according to the determination, will, and pleasure of God; according to his purposing and commanding will, which Christ was obedient to; and are pleasing to God, as being the accomplishment of his counsel and covenant; satisfactory to his law and justice; what procured the salvation of his people, and brought glory to him: unless this is rather to be understood of the exaltation and glorification of his human nature in heaven; of his being beautified, adorned, and crowned with glory and honour there, and made the head stone of the corner; and indeed all these things may be included. The allusion seems to be to engraving of stones, either by nature, or by art; some have forms and figures on them, which are not engraven by art, or man's device, but are of God, and by nature; such as those stones before mentioned, that have the resemblance of eyes upon them; and the "achates", which was wore in the ring of Pyrrhus king of Epirus, in which were seen the nine Muses, and Apollo holding a harp; and which were not engraven by art, as Pliny h observes; but the spots of nature's own accord were so placed, as that to each Muse its proper ensign was given: others are engraven by the art of men, as the onyx stones, which had the names of the children of Israel on them, wore on the shoulders of the high priest; by which instance it appears, that the art of engraving on precious stones is very ancient, and in which the ancients are said to excel; their engravings on agates, cornelians, and onyx, surpass anything of that kind produced by the moderns. Pyrgoteles, in the times of Alexander, and Dioscorides, under the first Roman emperors, were the most eminent engravers we read of. This art, with other polite arts, was buried under the ruins of the Roman empire, until it was retrieved in Italy at the beginning of the fifteenth century, by two Italians; and from that time has been common enough in Europe i: but since this stone here was for building, rather the allusion is to the engraving and polishing of corner stones and frontispieces in edifices; and particularly to those costly, curious, and carved stones used and laid in the temple; see Mark 13:1 or to the first stone laid in the foundation, in which little orbs were engraven, and medals of gold or silver put in them, bearing the name, country, and descent of the builder, and the day, year, and reign in which the structure was begun; which little orbs are thought to be called eyes, because of the orbicular form of the eye k: so Grotius thinks the engraving of the seven eyes on the stone is here referred to; which stone he takes to be the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel, when the foundation of the temple was laid, Zechariah 4:10 at which time these seven eyes were caused suddenly to appear on it, and is the wonder spoken of, Zechariah 3:8:
and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day; not Judea, nor Chaldea, but Immanuel's land, the church and people of God, Isaiah 8:8 even all the elect and covenant ones, for whom Christ suffered and died, and who are laid upon this stone; their sins Jehovah removed from them to Christ their surety; and Christ, by bearing them, and the punishment of them, took them away; and God removed them, both from him and them, upon his becoming a sacrifice for them; and that wholly out of sight, so as that he never will impute them to them, nor condemn them for them; and this was all done "in one day". Jarchi, upon the text, says,
"I know not what day this is;''
but we Christians know it was the day on which Christ suffered and died, and offered himself a sacrifice for sin; by which one offering of himself, once for all, he put away sin for ever; it was all done in one day, Hebrews 7:27 on the day he suffered, when he, expiring on the cross, said, "it is finished"; namely, sin, and complete salvation from it.
d Specimen. Lithograph. Helvet. Curois. fig. 37. p. 27. e Hecatost. I. Obs. 22. apud ib. f Nat. Hist. l. 37. c. 11. g ××¤×ª× ×¤×ª×× "aperiens apertionem ejus", Montanus; "aperio", Munster. h Nat. Hist. l. 37. c. 1. i Chamber's Dictionary, in the word "Engraving". k Capellus in loc.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
For behold the stone, that I hare laid before Joshua - This must be an expansion of what he had said, or the ground of it, being introduced by, for. It must be something future, to be done by God Himself, since God says, âI will grave the graving thereof;â something connected with the remission of sins, which follows upon that graying. The stone, then, cannot be the stone of foundation of the material temple (Rashi). For this had long before been laid. The head-cornerstone, the completion of the building , had nothing remarkable, why God should be said to grave it. The plumbline was not a part even of the material temple. âThe stone is one stone.â But to interpret it by other prophecy, one stone there is, of which God says, âBehold I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation, he that believeth shall not make hasteâ Isaiah 28:16; that stone, of which our Lord reminded the Jews, âthe stone which the builders refused is become the head-stone of the cornerâ ; âJesus Christ Himself, the chief cornerstone, in whom all the building, fitly framed together, groweth into an holy temple in the Lord, in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spiritâ Ephesians 2:20-21.
On this stone had Joshua, with all those typical priests, to look, in whom alone they and all have forgiveness, whose Sacrifice their sacrifices pictured and pleaded. âIt,â says an old mystical Jewish book , a âis the stone of foundation, on which the earth is founded, which God Himself laid, that the world might receive blessing from itâ . âThe Shechinah is called the stone, through which the world subsisteth; of which it is said, âA stone of seven eyes, and, the stone which the builders refused.ââ This âstone,â God says, I have laid or set before Joshua, that is, for him to consider; as He speaks to Solomon and his children, of âMy commandments which I have set before youâ 1 Kings 9:6.
Rup.: âThat the stone is the Lord Jesus Christ, the head cornerstone, elect, laid as a foundation; and that the seven eyes on the one stone are the sevenfold Spirit of God which rested upon Him, is or ought to be unknown to no one. For to Him âGod giveth not the Spirit by measureâ John 3:34, and âin Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodilyâ Colossians 2:9. This stone was rejected by people, but chosen and honored by God.â Osorius: âThis stone then, on which the house of God and our whole salvation resteth, is placed by God before that high priest. That is, the most holy Name of Jesus, the virtue piety and largeness of Jesus is, by the Divine Spirit, showed to the priest, that he might understand the End of the law and holiness, to whom all the actions of life and the offices of the priesthood were to be referred. In which stone was foreshown to the divine man, not the invisible strength only, but also the manifold light of the Divine Intelligence. For it follows;â
Upon this one stone are seven eyes - Whether they are the eyes of God, resting in loving care upon it, or whether, as the wheels in Ezekielâs vision were âfull of eyes round aboutâ Ezekiel 1:18; Ezekiel 10:12, the eyes are pictured as on the stone itself, marking that it symbolized a being with manifold intelligence. Zechariah speaks of the eyes of âthe Lord which run to and fro on the earthâ Zechariah 4:10, and John, of the âLamb, as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God, seat forth into all the earthâ Revelation 5:6. Either symbol harmonizes with the context, and is admissible in language. before and afterward, I have laid it, I will engrave the graving thereof; and so it corresponds to the âIt shall grow up before Him as a tender plantâ Isaiah 53:2. But the contrast, that on one stone there are seven eyes, perhaps rather suggests that the eyes are on the stone itself, and He, the âLiving Stone,â is pictured with an universality of sight, whereby, with a divine knowledge, He surveys and provides for the well-being of His whole Church. It has some analogy too to the sevenfold Spirit which was to rest upon Him. . âFor this stone to have seven eyes is to retain in operation the whole virtue of the Spirit of seven-fold grace. For according to the distribution of the Holy Spirit, ones receives prophecy; another, knowledge; another, miracles; another, kinds of tongues; another, interpretation of words; but no one attaineth to have all the gifts of that same Spirit. But our Creator taking on Him our infirmities, because, through the power of His Divinity, He showed that He had at once in Him all the virtues of the Holy Spirit, united beyond doubt the bright gleams of the sevenfold constellation.â âNone among men had together all the operations of the Holy Spirit, save the Mediator of God and man alone, whose is that same Spirit, who proceeds from the Father before all worlds.â
Osorius: âThe stone is one. For as we have in God One Spirit, one faith, one sacrament of that most pure laver, so we worship One Christ, the one only Deliverer of the human race, and Author of our righteousness and everlasting salvation; and strengthened by His guardianship, we hope for immortality and eternal glory. Who, though He be One, governs all things with ineffable wisdom. For His wisdom is aptly described by the seven eyes. For the number seven generally describes an universality of good.â
Behold I will engrave the graving thereof - As of a costly stone. What the graving is, is not explained; but manifestly it is everything which concurs to its beauty. . âThis stone is of earth, and of the power and workmanship of God.â . âIt signifies Him who had His birth in virgin-earth, but framed skillfully by the power of the Holy Spirit.â That Precious Stone was further graven, through the providence and will of God, when Jerome: âHe caused it to be wounded by the nails of the Cross and the soldierâs lance, and in His passion took away the iniquity of the earth in one day, of which it is written, âThis is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in itâ Psalms 118:24. Beautiful were the gifts and graces which Christ received, as Man; but beautiful beyond all beauty must be those glorious scars, with which He allowed His whole Body to be riven, that , âthroughout the whole frame His love might be engraven.â Ribera: âWhat even in the Body of the Lord can be lovelier or more lightful than those five Wounds, which He willed to retain in His immortal Being, lest the blessed should be deprived of that splendor, surpassing far the light of sun had stars?â
And I will remove the iniquity of the land in one day - On âone dayâ in the year was the typical atonement; in one day absolutely, God Himself would make the iniquity of that land to depart. âOne dayâ is always emphatic , that things are crowded into it, which seemed too much for one day. Year by year came the day of atonement: its yearly repetition showed that nothing lasting was effected. On âone dayâ that removal should be, which needed no renewal . A Jewish writer confessed the mystery, while he said, (Rashi), âOne day; I know not what that day is.â Ask any Christian child, âOn what day was iniquity removed, not from the land only, but from all lands?â he would say, âOn the day when Jesus died.â
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Zechariah 3:9. For behold the stone that I have laid — Alluding no doubt to the foundation stone of the temple: but this represented Christ Jesus: "Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a STONE, a tried stone, a precious CORNER STONE, a SURE FOUNDATION," Isaiah 28:16. This means Christ, and none other; on him his whole Church rests, as a building does on its foundation.
Upon one stone shall be seven eyes — This is supposed to mean the providence of God, as under it all the work should be completed.
There may be an allusion to the seven counsellors, which stood always about the persons of the Asiatics sovereigns; and those who were the governors of provinces were termed the eyes of the king. To this there is an allusion in Revelation 1:4. In Christ there is a plentitude of wisdom, power, goodness, mercy, truth, love, and compassion, to direct, protect, save, uphold, purify, govern, and preserve all the souls that trust in him.
I will engrave the graving thereof — This is an allusion to engraving precious stones, in which the ancients greatly excelled. Heads, animals, and various devices were the subjects of those engravings. But what was this engraving? Was it not the following words? I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day;" and was not this when Jesus Christ expired upon the cross? This was the grand, the only atonement, satisfaction, and sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Does not our Lord refer to this place, John 6:27? Him hath God thy Father sealed; and on the inscription there was, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." See the note on the above passage.
