And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in
judgment,
&c.] That is, as the Lord would give honour and glory to the
people in general, so wisdom and prudence, a spirit of judgment
and discerning, to the king in particular, who sat on the throne
of judgment to do justice, and execute judgment among his
subjects: though this need not be restrained to the king, but be
applied to all the judges and magistrates in the land, who sat
and heard causes and complaints brought before them, for which
they should be qualified by the Lord; so Aben Ezra interprets it
of the sanhedrim: and for strength to them that turn the
battle to the gate;
as wisdom is promised to the king and judges of the land, so
strength of body and mind, valour and courage, to the prince and
his army; so that they should turn the battle, and cause their
enemies to fly before them, and pursue them to the very gates of
their cities, as Hezekiah did, ( 2 Kings 18:8
) . The Syriac version is, "who turn the battle from the gate";
who, when besieged, sally out upon the besiegers, and drive them
from their gates, oblige them to break up the siege, and fly
before them. The Vulgate Latin version renders it, "and strength
to them that return from war to the gate": that come home
victorious to their own houses; and so the Targum,
``that he may give victory to them that go out in war, to return them in peace to their own houses.''Wisdom in the cabinet and courts of judicature, and courage in the camp, are two great blessings to a nation, and serve much to explain the glory and beauty before promised.