THE MESSIAHSHIP OF CHRIST.
[The following extracts are from "The Messiahship of Jesus, a course of lectures by Joseph Samuel C. F. Frey, author of a Hebrew grammar, Hebrew Dictionary, Scripture Types, &c.," to his brethren the Jews. Published by the American Baptist Publication Society. A. C. HUDSON.] THE TIME PREDICTED FOR THE ADVENT OF THE SHILOH OR MESSIAH.—It is evident that he was to come before the scepter ceased from Judah, or rather during the existence of the tribe of Judah, distinctly known by genealogy. The Hebrew word shewet, translated scepter, is not in use as a verb, and as a noun it signifies literally a rod or staff of any kind, but it is used figuratively for a scepter, the ensign of royal authority; a tribe, a branch of a family or nation; or the ensign of tribunal jurisdiction, exercised by the head of a tribe. It is evident that the word in this passage [Gen. xlix, 10] has no reference to royal authority, and should not be translated by the word scepter, but "the tribe of Judah," for (as Bishop Sherlock and others have justly observed) that it could not, with any sort of propriety be said, the scepter should not depart from Judah, when Judah had no scepter, nor was to have any for many generations afterwards; besides, the royal authority departed from Judah above five hundred years before the birth of Christ. The true and legitimate meaning, therefore, of the word shewet is the tribe or tribeship, the same as in verses 16 and 28 of this very chapter: "Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel." "All these are the twelve tribes of Israel." The import of this part of the prediction, therefore, is plainly this, that the tribe of Judah should not be scattered and confounded as the rest of the tribes of Jacob would be, but should remain a distinct tribe, known by genealogy until the Messiah should come. Hence great care was taken by numbering this tribe more frequently, to preserve its genealogy. See 1 Sam. ii, 8. 2 Sam. ii, 4. 2 Chron. xii, 15.
The next sentence descriptive of the time of Messiah's advent, is thus expressed: "Nor a law-giver from between his feet," or "of his offspring." The word Mechokok, a law-giver, is variously translated. The radical meaning is, "to engrave." Hence are derived laws, statutes, kings, rulers, leaders, scribes and teachers. It cannot mean in this passage "a law-giver," for no tribe had a right to make any laws; for God himself was their Law-giver, and by his laws the king himself was to be governed; but each tribe had its prince or ruler, not to make laws, but like magistrates to judge the tribe by the laws of God; or as the three Targums and other Jewish writers expressed it, the scribes and teachers of the law. From what has been said, it is evident that Shiloh, the Messiah was to appear while Judah was a distinct tribe, having its genealogies and its magistrates, lawyers, and expounders of God's laws. Hence great care has been taken to keep up the genealogy of this tribe until the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus. But it is an undeniable fact that the tribe of Judah as well as all the other tribes, has lost its genealogies for more than 1700 years; and therefore the Messiah must have come or the prediction is false. To assert the latter would be blasphemy; to deny the former, is unreasonable. In a manuscript book written by a Mr. Barnet one of our nation, who lived and died a pious Christian, is the following judicious observation: "The word shewet here mentioned in Jacob's prophecy, and commonly translated scepter, meaning royal dominions, should, in my opinion, be literally understood the tribe, as expressed in the 28th verse of this chapter: "These are the tribes." Judah was not to cease being a tribe (although ten were removed and carried away), distinguished and known by its genealogies as such, until Shiloh came; nor till then was the Law-giver to cease from between his feet, for the sanhedrim were still in Jerusalem when our Saviour came, and these genealogies subsisted only to prove him, in his human nature son of Abraham, son of Judah, and son of David. The tribe at his coming was to withdraw from Judah, and unto Shiloh were the nations to be gathered, and this prophecy was literally fulfilled, for the ten tribes were carried away captives, but Judah remained; and remained a tribe distinct from Levi and Benjamin in the days of Jesus, even to the destruction of the temple. Until the days of Jesus the genealogies of the tribe of Judah as a known distinct tribe, were preserved; and the Jews themselves allow that Jesus was of the tribe of Judah; but as soon as the Christian church was established, or the aggregation was to Shiloh, then fell down the partition wall between Jew and Gentile. He came for whom was ordered the distinction of tribes and genealogies, to mark his descent. For him they subsisted, and having finished their design and destination they exist no more. Was the law-giver, ruler or magistrate not to cease until Shiloh came? This also was fulfilled. There were always up to the time of the last captivity rulers in Israel, either a king or governor, as there were unto the time of Christ under the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks and Romans, such as Gedaliah and Zerubbabel, and particularly the Sanhedrim, a court of judicature, the members of which chiefly consisted of the tribe of Judah; and the Nasi or prince of it was always of that tribe and which retained its power till the latter end of Herod's reign when Christ had come, but soon after it lost its power.