Verse 4
"From him shall come forth the corner stone, from him the nail, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler together."
This is a dramatic reference to Jesus Christ the Messiah. He is the chief cornerstone (1 Peter 2:3-8); he is the nail, or the tent peg, upon which all depends; he is the battle bow, and from him comes every ruler together.
"Every ruler ..." All earthly authority derives from Christ who told Pilate that he would have no power at all except it had been given to him from above (John 19:11).
"Him ..." has as its antecedent Judah in the previous verse. Jesus Christ came of that tribe; and in this passage the true character of the Son of God as "The lion of the tribe of Judah" is set forth. "Even the Targum interprets this verse as a reference to Messiah."[11]
The RSV has "them" instead of "him" in this place, but the meaning is the same either way. Christ was descended both from Judah as an individual, "him," and also from the tribe of Judah, "them."
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