Thy first father hath sinned
Either Adam, as Kimchi, in whom all have sinned, and from whom
all derive a sinful and corrupt nature; or Abraham, as Jarchi,
the father of the Jewish nation, of whom they boasted, and in
whom they trusted, as being of his seed, and through whose merits
and worthiness they expected great things; yet he was but a
sinful man, though a good man, and a great believer; of whose
infirmity and frailty many instances are on record. Some have
thought Terah the father of Abraham is designed, who was an
idolater; others think some particular king is meant, the father
of his people; Aben Ezra supposes Jeroboam to be intended, the
first king of the ten tribes who made Israel to sin; but Kimchi
observes, it is better to understand it of Saul, who was the
first king over all Israel; others interpret it of Ahaz; and
others of Manasseh; Vitringa of Uriah the priest, in the times of
Ahaz; but it seems best to take the singular for the plural, as
the Arabic version does, which renders it, "your first fathers
have sinned"; all their forefathers had sinned, from their coming
out of Egypt to that day; and, therefore it was in vain to have
respect to them, or plead any worthiness of theirs in their
favour; besides, they imitated them in their sins, and were
filling up the measure of their iniquities: and thy
teachers have transgressed against me;
or "interpreters" F19; of the law to the people, the
Priests and Levites, Scribes and Pharisees; such who should have
taught the people, and instructed them in the knowledge of divine
things, and interceded with God for them; these were
transgressors of the law themselves, as well as despisers of the
Gospel; these rejected the counsel of God against themselves,
disbelieved the Messiah, and dissuaded the people from receiving
him; they were "orators" F20, as the word is by some rendered;
and they used all the oratory they were masters of against
Christ, and to persuade the people into an ill opinion of him,
and at last to insist upon his crucifixion.