And the child grew
In body, in strength, and in stature; which shows that it was a
true body Christ assumed, and like ours, which did not come to
its maturity at once, but by degrees:
and waxed strong in spirit,
or in his soul; for as he had a true body, he had also a
reasonable soul; the faculties of which were far from being weak,
they were exceeding strong, and appeared stronger and stronger
every day; his understanding was clear, his judgment solid, and
his memory strong and retentive, his will, and the desires of it,
were to that which is good, and his affections cleaved unto it.
The Persic and Ethiopic versions read, "was strengthened in", or
"by the Holy Spirit"; with the grace and gifts of it; but the
former sense is best.
Filled with wisdom;
and knowledge as man; for this is to be understood, not of his
essential wisdom as God, nor of those treasures of wisdom and
knowledge, which were hid in him as mediator, to be dispensed to
his church; but of his created and natural wisdom, as man; in
which he increased gradually, as his body grew, and the faculties
of his soul opened under the influences of his deity, and the
power of his Spirit;
and the grace of God was upon him;
which designs not the fulness of grace that was in him, as
mediator, for the supply of his people: but either that internal
grace which was bestowed on his human nature, even the various
graces of the Spirit of God, and which flowed from the grace of
union of the two natures in him; or rather the love and favour of
God, which in various instances was in a very singular manner
manifested to him.