| Micah 5:5
| And this man shall be our peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land, and when he shall set his foot in our houses: and we shall raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.
| Peace. This regards Christ and not Zorobabel. (Calmet) --- Assyrian. That is, the persecutors of the Church; who are here called Assyrians by the prophet, because the Assyrians were at that time the chief enemies and persecutors of the people of God. (Challoner) --- The Persians held the empire which had belonged to Babylon and to Assyria, and was founded by Nemrod, Genesis 10:8. (Calmet) --- Seven, etc. The pastors of God's Church, and the defenders of the faith. The number seven, in Scripture; is taken to signify many; and when eight is joined with it, we are to understand that the number will be very great. (Challoner) --- See Ecclesiastes 11:2., and Ruth 4:16. (Calmet) --- Christ always preserves a great number, not withstanding the attacks of persecutors enabling bishops to feed them with a power which the people must revere, Hebrews xiii. (Worthington) --- Eight. Eschylus places Artaphanes between Smerdis and Hystaspes, the former of whom was one of the seven magi, and the latter one of the seven conspirators, (Calmet) or rather chief princes, who attacked the usurper. (Haydock) --- They always retained great privileges, so that they seemed all to govern. (V. Max. 9:2.; Herodotus 3:65.) See 1 Esdras 4:7., and Esther 1:14., where we find that the kings did nothing of importance without their seven counsellors. (Calmet) --- Principal. Septuagint, "bites (Symmachus, Christ's) of men," or people of the old as well as of the new law. (St. Jerome)
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