udgments: Therefore They MustPrepare for the Last and Worst Judgment of All.
      
1. kine of Bashan--fat and wanton cattle such as the rich pasture of Bashan (east of Jordan, between Hermon and Gilead) was famed for ( De 32:14; Ps 22:12; Eze 39:18\Q="x.xxx.v-p3.1"). Figurative for those luxurious nobles mentioned, Am 3:9, 10, 12, 15\Q="x.xxx.v-p3.2". The feminine, \ikine,\ior \icows,\inot \ibulls,\iexpresses their effeminacy. This accounts for masculine forms in the \iHebrew\ibeing intermixed with feminine; the latter being figurative, the former the real persons meant.
      
say to their masters--that is, to \itheir king,\iwith whom the princes indulged in potations ( Ho 7:5\Q="x.xxx.v-p4.1"), and whom here they importune for more wine. "Bring" is \isingular,\iin the \iHebrew\iimplying that \ione\i"master" alone is meant.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.v-p4.2"2. The Lord--the same \iHebrew\ias "masters" ( Am 4:1\Q="x.xxx.v-p5.1"). Israel's nobles say to their master or lord, Bring us drink: but "the Lord" of him and them "hath sworn," &c.
      
by his holiness--which binds Him to punish the guilty ( Ps 89:35\Q="x.xxx.v-p6.1").
      
he will take yon away--that is God by the instrumentality of the enemy.
      
with hooks--literally, "thorns" (compare 2Ch 33:11\Q="x.xxx.v-p8.1"). As fish are taken out of the water by hooks, so the Israelites are to be taken out of their cities by the enemy ( Eze 29:4\Q="x.xxx.v-p8.2"; compare Job 41:1, 2; Jer 16:16; Hab 1:15\Q="x.xxx.v-p8.3"). The image is the more appropriate, as anciently captives were led by their conquerors by a hook made to pass through the nose ( 2Ki 19:28\Q="x.xxx.v-p8.4"), as is to be seen in the Assyrian remains.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.v-p8.5"3. go out at the breaches--namely, of the city walls broken by the enemy.
      
every \icow at that which is\ibefore her--figurative for \ithe once luxurious nobles\i(compare "kine of Bashan," Am 4:1\Q="x.xxx.v-p10.1") shall go out \ieach one right before her;\inot through the gates, but \ieach at the breach before him,\inot turning to the right or left, apart from one another.
      
ye shall cast \ithem\iinto the palace--"them," that is, "your posterity," from Am 4:2\Q="x.xxx.v-p11.1". You yourselves shall escape through the breaches, after having cast your little children into the palace, so as not to see their destruction, and to escape the more quickly. Rather, "ye shall cast \iyourselves\iinto the palace," so as to escape from it out of the city [Calvin]. The palace, the scene of the princes' riots ( Am 3:10, 15; 4:1\Q="x.xxx.v-p11.3"), is to be the scene of their ignominious flight. Compare in the similar case of \iJerusalem's\icapture, the king's escape by way of the palace, through a breach in the wall ( Eze 12:5, 12\Q="x.xxx.v-p11.4").Geseniustranslates, "Ye shall be cast (as captives) into the (enemy's) stronghold"; in this view, the enemy's stronghold is called "palace," in retributive contrast to the "palaces" of Israel's nobles, the \istore houses\iof their \irobberies\i( Am 3:10\Q="x.xxx.v-p11.6").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.v-p11.7"4.God gives them up to their self-willed idolatry, that they may see how unable their idols are to save them from their coming calamities. So Eze 20:39\Q="x.xxx.v-p12.1".
      
Beth-el--( Am 3:14\Q="x.xxx.v-p13.1").
      
Gilgal--( Ho 4:15; 9:15; 12:11\Q="x.xxx.v-p14.1").
      
sacrifices every morning--as commanded in the law ( Nu 28:3, 4\Q="x.xxx.v-p15.1"). They imitated the letter, while violating by calf-worship the spirit, of the Jerusalem temple-worship.
      
after three years--every third year; literally, "after three (years of) days" (that is, the fullest complement of days, or \ia year\i); "after three \ifull\iyears." Compare Le 25:20; Jud 17:10\Q="x.xxx.v-p16.1", and "the days" for the \iyears,\i Joe 1:2\Q="x.xxx.v-p16.2". So \ia month of days\iis used for \ia full month,\iwanting no day to complete it ( Ge 29:14\Q="x.xxx.v-p16.3", \iMargin;\i Nu 11:20, 21\Q="x.xxx.v-p16.4"). The Israelites here also kept to the letter of the law in bringing in the tithes of their increase every third year ( De 14:28; 26:12\Q="x.xxx.v-p16.5").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.v-p16.6"5. offer--literally, "burn incense"; that is, "offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with \iburnt incense\iand with leavened bread." The frankincense was laid on the meat offering, and taken by the priest from it to burn on the altar ( Le 2:1, 2, 8-11\Q="x.xxx.v-p17.1"). Though \iunleavened cakes\iwere to accompany the peace offering sacrifice of animals, \ileavened bread\iwas also commanded ( Le 7:12, 13\Q="x.xxx.v-p17.2"), but not as a "meat offering" ( Le 2:11\Q="x.xxx.v-p17.3").
      
this liketh you--that is, this is what ye like.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.v-p18.1"6-11.Jehovah details His several chastisements inflicted with a view to reclaiming them: but adds to each the same sad result, "yet have ye not returned unto Me" ( Isa 9:13; Jer 5:3; Ho 7:10\Q="x.xxx.v-p19.1"); the monotonous repetition of the same burden marking their pitiable obstinacy.
      
cleanness of teeth--explained by the parallel, "want of bread." The famine alluded to is that mentioned in 2Ki 8:1\Q="x.xxx.v-p20.1"[Grotius]. Where there is no food to masticate, the teeth are free from uncleanness, but it is the cleanness of want. Compare Pr 14:4\Q="x.xxx.v-p20.3", "Where no oxen are, the crib is clean." So spiritually, where all is outwardly smooth and clean, it is often because there is no solid religion. Better fighting and fears with real piety, than peace and respectable decorum without spiritual life.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.v-p20.4"7. withholden ... rain ... three months to ... harvest--the time when rain was most needed, and when usually "the latter rain" fell, namely, in spring, the latter half of February, and the whole of March and April ( Ho 6:3; Joe 2:23\Q="x.xxx.v-p21.1"). The drought meant is that mentioned in 1Ki 17:1\Q="x.xxx.v-p21.2"[Grotius].
      
rain upon one city ... not ... upon another--Any rain that fell was only partial.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.v-p22.1"8. three cities wandered--that is, \ithe inhabitants of\ithree cities (compare Jer 14:1-6\Q="x.xxx.v-p23.1").Grotiusexplains this verse and Am 4:7\Q="x.xxx.v-p23.3", "The rain fell on neighboring countries, but not on Israel, which marked the drought to be, not accidental, but the special judgment of God." The Israelites were obliged to leave their cities and homes to seek water at a distance [Calvin].
      
 \Q="x.xxx.v-p23.5"9. blasting--the blighting influence of the east wind on the corn ( Ge 41:6\Q="x.xxx.v-p24.1").
      
when ... gardens ... increased--In vain ye multiplied your gardens, &c., for I destroyed their produce.Bochartsupports \iMargin,\i"the \imultitude\iof your gardens."
      
palmer worm--A species of \ilocust\iis here meant, hurtful to fruits of trees, not to herbage or corn. The same east wind which brought the drought, blasting, and mildew, brought also the locusts into Judea [Bochart], ( Ex 10:13\Q="x.xxx.v-p26.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.v-p26.3"10. pestilence after the manner of Egypt--such as I formerly sent on the Egyptians ( Ex 9:3, 8, &c.; Ex 12:29; De 28:27, 60\Q="x.xxx.v-p27.1"). Compare the same phrase, Isa 10:24\Q="x.xxx.v-p27.2".
      
have taken away your horses--literally, "accompanied with the captivity of your horses"; I have given up your young men to be slain, and their horses to be taken by the foe (compare 2Ki 13:7\Q="x.xxx.v-p28.1").
      
stink of your camps--that is, of your slain men (compare Isa 34:3; Joe 2:20\Q="x.xxx.v-p29.1").
      
to come up unto your nostrils--The \iHebrew\iis more emphatic, "to come up, \iand that\iunto your nostrils."
      
 \Q="x.xxx.v-p30.1"11. some of you--some parts of your territory.
      
as God overthrew Sodom--( De 29:23; Isa 13:19; Jer 49:18; 50:40; 2Pe 2:6; Jude 7\Q="x.xxx.v-p32.1"). "God" is often repeated in \iHebrew\iinstead of " \iI.\i" The earthquake here apparently alluded to is not that in the reign of Uzziah, which occurred "two years" later ( Am 1:1\Q="x.xxx.v-p32.2"). Traces of earthquakes and volcanic agency abound in Palestine. The allusion here is to some of the effects of these in previous times. Compare the prophecy, De 28:15-68, with Am 4:6-11\Q="x.xxx.v-p32.3"here.
      
as a firebrand plucked out of ... burning--(Compare Isa 7:4; Zec 3:2\Q="x.xxx.v-p33.1"). The phrase is proverbial for a narrow escape from utter extinction. Though Israel revived as a nation under Jeroboam II, it was but for a time, and that after an almost utter destruction previously ( 2Ki 14:26\Q="x.xxx.v-p33.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.v-p33.3"12. Therefore--as all chastisements have failed to make thee "return unto Me."
      
thus will I do unto thee--as I have threatened ( Am 4:2, 3\Q="x.xxx.v-p35.1").
      
prepare to meet thy God--God is about to inflict the last and worst judgment on thee, the extinction of thy nationality; consider then what preparation thou canst make for encountering Him as thy foe ( Jer 46:14; Lu 14:31, 32\Q="x.xxx.v-p36.1"). But as that would be madness to think of ( Isa 27:4; Eze 22:14; Heb 10:31\Q="x.xxx.v-p36.2"), see what can be done towards mitigating the severity of the coming judgment, by penitence ( Isa 27:5; 1Co 11:31\Q="x.xxx.v-p36.3"). This latter exhortation is followed up in Am 5:4, 6, 8, 14, 15\Q="x.xxx.v-p36.4".
      
 \Q="x.xxx.v-p36.5"13.The God whom Israel is to "prepare to meet" ( Am 4:12\Q="x.xxx.v-p37.1") is here described in sublime terms.
      
wind--not as the \iMargin,\i"spirit." The God with whom thou hast to do is the Omnipotent Maker of things \iseen,\isuch as the stupendous mountains, and of things \itoo subtle\ito be seen, though of powerful agency, as the "wind."
      
declareth unto man ... his thought--( Ps 139:2\Q="x.xxx.v-p39.1"). Ye think that your secret thoughts escape My cognizance, but I am the searcher of hearts.
      
maketh ... morning darkness--( Am 5:8; 8:9\Q="x.xxx.v-p40.1"). Both literally turning the sunshine into darkness, and figuratively turning the prosperity of the ungodly into sudden adversity ( Ps 73:12, 18, 19\Q="x.xxx.v-p40.2"; compare Jer 13:16\Q="x.xxx.v-p40.3").
      
treadeth upon ... high places--God treadeth down the proud of the earth. He subjects to Him all things however high they be ( Mic 1:3\Q="x.xxx.v-p41.1"). Compare De 32:13; 33:29\Q="x.xxx.v-p41.2", where the same phrase is used of God's people, elevated by God above every other human height.
      

\C3="Chapter 5" \Q="x.xxx.vi-p0.1"CHAPTER 5
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vi-p1.1" Am 5:1-27\Q="x.xxx.vi-p2.1".Elegy over the Prostrate Kingdom: Renewed Exhortations to Repentance: God Declares that the Coming Day of Judgment Shall Be Terrible to the Scorners WhoDespise It: Ceremonial Services Are Not Acceptable to Him Where True Piety Exists Not: Israel Shall ThereforeBe Removed Far Eastward.
      
1. lamentation--an elegy for the destruction coming on you. Compare Eze 32:2\Q="x.xxx.vi-p3.1", "take up," namely, as a mournful \iburden\i( Eze 19:1; 27:2\Q="x.xxx.vi-p3.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vi-p3.3"2. virgin of Israel--the Israelite state heretofore unsubdued by foreigners. Compare Isa 23:12; Jer 18:13; 31:4, 21; La 2:13\Q="x.xxx.vi-p4.1"; may be interpreted, Thou who wast once the "virgin daughter of Zion." Rather, "virgin" as applied to a state implies its beauty, and the delights on which it prides itself, its luxuries, power, and wealth [Calvin].
      
no more rise--in the existing order of things: in the Messianic dispensation it is to rise again, according to many prophecies. Compare 2Ki 6:23; 24:7\Q="x.xxx.vi-p5.1", for the restricted sense of "no more."
      
forsaken upon her land--or, "prostrated upon," &c. (compare Eze 29:5; 32:4\Q="x.xxx.vi-p6.1") [Maurer].
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vi-p6.3"3. went out by a thousand--that is, "the city from which there used to go out a thousand" equipped for war. "City" is put for "the inhabitants of the city," as in Am 4:8\Q="x.xxx.vi-p7.1".
      
shall leave ... hundred--shall have only a hundred left, the rest being destroyed by sword and pestilence ( De 28:62\Q="x.xxx.vi-p8.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vi-p8.2"4. Seek ye me, and ye shall live--literally, "Seek ... Me, and \ilive.\i" The second imperative expresses the \icertainty\iof "life" (escape from judgment) resulting from obedience to the precept in the first imperative. If they perish, it is their own fault; God would forgive, if they would repent ( Isa 55:3, 6\Q="x.xxx.vi-p9.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vi-p9.2"5. seek not Beth-el--that is, the calves at Beth-el.
      
Gilgal--(See on).
      
Beer-sheba--in Judah on the southern frontier towards Edom. Once "the well of the oath" by Jehovah, ratifying Abraham's covenant with Abimelech, and the scene of his calling on "the Lord, the everlasting God" ( Ge 21:31, 33\Q="x.xxx.vi-p12.1"), now a stronghold of idolatry ( Am 8:14\Q="x.xxx.vi-p12.2").
      
Gilgal shall surely go into captivity--a play on similar sounds in the \iHebrew, Gilgal, galoh, yigleh:\i"Gilgal (the place of \irolling\i) shall rolling be rolled away."
      
Beth-el shall come to naught--Beth-el (that is, the "house of God"), called because of its vain idols Beth-aven (that is, "the house of vanity," or "naught," Ho 4:15; 10:5, 8\Q="x.xxx.vi-p14.1"), shall indeed "come to naught."
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vi-p14.2"6. break out like fire--bursting through everything in His way. God is "a consuming fire" ( De 4:24; Isa 10:17; La 2:3\Q="x.xxx.vi-p15.1").
      
the house of Joseph--the kingdom of Israel, of which the tribe of Ephraim, Joseph's son, was the chief tribe (compare Eze 37:16\Q="x.xxx.vi-p16.1").
      
none to quench it in Beth-el--that is, none in Beth-el to quench it; none of the Beth-el idols on which Israel so depended, able to remove the divine judgments.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vi-p17.1"7. turn judgment to wormwood--that is, pervert it to most bitter wrong. As justice is sweet, so injustice is bitter to the injured. "Wormwood" is from a \iHebrew\iroot, to "execrate," on account of its noxious and bitter qualities.
      
leave on righteousness in ... earth--Maurertranslates, " \icast\irighteousness \ito the ground,\i" as in Isa 28:2; Da 8:12\Q="x.xxx.vi-p19.2".
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vi-p19.3"8. the seven stars--literally, the \iheap\ior cluster of \iseven\ilarger stars and others smaller ( Job 9:9; 38:31\Q="x.xxx.vi-p20.1"). The former whole passage seems to have been in Amos' mind. He names the stars well known to shepherds (to which class Amos belonged), Orion as the precursor of the tempests which are here threatened, and the Pleiades as ushering in spring.
      
shadow of death--Hebraism for \ithe densest darkness.\i
      
calleth for the waters of the sea--both to send \ideluges\iin judgment, and the ordinary \irain\iin mercy ( 1Ki 18:44\Q="x.xxx.vi-p22.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vi-p22.2"9. strengtheneth the spoiled--literally, "spoil" or "devastation": hence the "person spoiled."Winer,Maurer, and the best modern critics translate, " \imaketh devastation\i(or \idestruction\i) \isuddenly to arise,\i" literally, "maketh it to gleam forth like the dawn." Ancient versions support \iEnglish Version.\iThe \iHebrew\iis elsewhere used, \ito make, to shine, to make glad:\iand as \iEnglish Version\ihere ( Ps 39:13\Q="x.xxx.vi-p23.3"), "recover \istrength.\i"
      
the spoiled shall come--"devastation," or "destruction shall come upon" [Maurer]. \iEnglish Version\iexpresses that, strong as Israel fancies herself after the successes of Jeroboam II ( 2Ki 14:25\Q="x.xxx.vi-p24.2"), even the \iweakest\ican be made by God to prevail against the strong.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vi-p24.3"10. him that rebuketh in the gate--the \ijudge\iwho condemns their iniquity \iin the place of judgment\i( Isa 29:21\Q="x.xxx.vi-p25.1").
      
abhor him that speaketh uprightly--the \iprophet\itelling them the unwelcome truth: answering in the parallelism to the \ijudge,\i"that rebuketh in the gate" (compare 1Ki 22:8; Pr 9:8; 12:1; Jer 36:23\Q="x.xxx.vi-p26.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vi-p26.2"11. burdens of wheat-- \iburdensome taxes\ilevied in kind from the \iwheat\iof the needy, to pamper the lusts of the great [Henderson]. Or wheat advanced in time of scarcity, and exacted again at a burdensome interest [Rabbi Salomon].
      
built houses ... but not dwell in them ... vineyards, ... but not drink wine of them--according to the original prophecy of Moses ( De 28:30, 38, 39\Q="x.xxx.vi-p28.1"). The converse shall be true in restored Israel ( Am 9:14; Isa 65:21, 22\Q="x.xxx.vi-p28.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vi-p28.3"12. they afflict ... they take--rather, "(ye) who afflict ... take."
      
bribe--literally, a \iprice\iwith which one who has an unjust cause \iransoms\ihimself from your sentence ( 1Sa 12:3\Q="x.xxx.vi-p30.1", \iMargin;\i Pr 6:35\Q="x.xxx.vi-p30.2").
      
turn aside the poor in the gate--refuse them their right \iin the place of justice\i( Am 2:7; Isa 29:21\Q="x.xxx.vi-p31.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vi-p31.2"13. the prudent--the spiritually wise.
      
shall keep silence--not mere silence of tongue, but the prudent shall keep himself quiet from taking part in any public or private affairs which he can avoid: as it is "an evil time," and one in which all law is set at naught. Eph 5:16\Q="x.xxx.vi-p33.1"refers to this. Instead of impatiently agitating against irremediable evils, the godly wise will not cast pearls before swine, who would trample these, and rend the offerers ( Mt 7:6\Q="x.xxx.vi-p33.2"), but will patiently wait for God's time of deliverance in silent submission ( Ps 39:9\Q="x.xxx.vi-p33.3").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vi-p33.4"14. and so--on condition of your "seeking good."
      
shall be with you, as ye have spoken--as ye have boasted; namely, that God is with you, and that you are His people ( Mic 3:11\Q="x.xxx.vi-p35.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vi-p35.2"15. Hate ... evil ... love ... good--( Isa 1:16, 17; Ro 12:9\Q="x.xxx.vi-p36.1").
      
judgment in the gate-- \ijustice\iin the place where causes are tried.
      
it may be that the Lord ... will be gracious--so, "peradventure" ( Ex 32:30\Q="x.xxx.vi-p38.1"). Not that men are to come to God with an \iuncertainty\iwhether or no He will be gracious: the expression merely implies the difficulty in the way, because of the want of true repentance on man's part, so as to stimulate the zealous earnestness of believers in seeking God (compare Ge 16:2; Joe 2:14; Ac 8:22\Q="x.xxx.vi-p38.2").
      
the remnant of Joseph--(see Am 5:6\Q="x.xxx.vi-p39.1"). Israel (represented by "Ephraim," the leading tribe, and descendant of Joseph) was, as compared to what it once was, now but a remnant, Hazael of Syria having smitten all the coasts from Jordan eastward, Gilead and Bashan, Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh ( 2Ki 10:32, 33\Q="x.xxx.vi-p39.2") [Henderson]. Rather, "the remnant of Israel that shall have been left after the wicked have been destroyed" [Maurer].
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vi-p39.5"16. Therefore--resumed from Am 5:13\Q="x.xxx.vi-p40.1". God foresees they will not obey the exhortation ( Am 5:14, 15\Q="x.xxx.vi-p40.2"), but will persevere in the unrighteousness stigmatized ( Am 5:7, 10, 12\Q="x.xxx.vi-p40.3").
      
the Lord--Jehovah.
      
the God of hosts, the Lord--an accumulation of titles, of which His lordship over all things is the climax, to mark that from His judgment there is no appeal.
      
streets ... highways--the \ibroad open spaces\iand the \inarrow streets\icommon in the East.
      
call the husbandman to mourning--The citizens shall call the inexperienced \ihusbandmen\ito act the part usually performed by professional mourners, as there will not be enough of the latter for the universal mourning which prevails.
      
such as are skilful of lamentation--professional mourners hired to lead off the lamentations for the deceased; alluded to in Ec 12:5\Q="x.xxx.vi-p45.1"; generally women ( Jer 9:17-19\Q="x.xxx.vi-p45.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vi-p45.3"17. in all vineyards ... wailing--where usually songs of joy were heard.
      
pass through thee--taking vengeance ( Ex 12:12, 23; Na 1:12\Q="x.xxx.vi-p47.1"). "Pass \iover\i" and "pass by," on the contrary, are used of God's \iforgiving\i( Ex 12:23; Mic 7:18\Q="x.xxx.vi-p47.2"; compare Am 7:8\Q="x.xxx.vi-p47.3").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vi-p47.4"18.Woe unto you who do not scruple to say in irony, "We desire that the day of the Lord would come," that is, "Woe to you who treat it as if it were a mere dream of the prophets" ( Isa 5:19; Jer 17:15; Eze 12:22\Q="x.xxx.vi-p48.1").
      
to what end is it for you!--Amos taking their ironical words in earnest: for God often takes the blasphemer at his own word, in righteous retribution making the scoffer's jest a terrible reality against himself. Ye have but little reason to desire the day of the Lord; for it will be to you calamity, and not joy.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vi-p49.1"19. As if a man did flee ... a lion, and a bear met him--Trying to escape one calamity, he falls into another. This perhaps implies that in Am 5:18\Q="x.xxx.vi-p50.1"their ironical desire for the day of the Lord was as if it would be an escape from existing calamities. The coming of the day of the Lord would be good news to us, if true: for we have served God (that is, the golden calves). So do hypocrites flatter themselves as to death and judgment, as if these would be a relief from existing ills of life. The lion may from generosity spare the prostrate, but the \ibear\ispares none (compare Job 20:24; Isa 24:18\Q="x.xxx.vi-p50.2").
      
leaned ... on the wall--on the side wall of the house, to support himself from falling. Snakes often hid themselves in fissures in a wall. Those not reformed by God's judgments will be pursued by them: if they escape one, another is ready to seize them.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vi-p51.1" \Q="x.xxx.vi-p51.2"21. I hate, I despise--The two verbs joined without a conjunction express God's strong abhorrence.
      
your feast days-- \iyours;\inot \iMine;\iI do not acknowledge them: unlike those in Judah, yours are of human, not divine institution.
      
I will not smell--that is, I will take \ino delight in\ithe sacrifices offered ( Ge 8:21; Le 26:31\Q="x.xxx.vi-p54.1").
      
in your solemn assemblies--literally, "days of restraint." Isa 1:10-15\Q="x.xxx.vi-p55.1"is parallel. Isaiah is fuller; Amos, more condensed. Amos condemns Israel not only on the ground of their thinking to satisfy God by sacrifices without obedience (the charge brought by Isaiah against the Jews), but also because even their external ritual was a mere corruption, and unsanctioned by God.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vi-p55.2"22. meat offerings--flour, &c. Unbloody offerings.
      
peace offerings--offerings for obtaining from God peace and prosperity. \iHebrew,\i"thank offerings."
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vi-p57.1"23. Take ... away from me--literally, "Take away, \ifrom upon\iMe"; the idea being that of a \iburden\ipressing \iupon\ithe bearer. So Isa 1:14\Q="x.xxx.vi-p58.1", "They are a trouble unto Me (literally, 'a burden \iupon\iMe'): I am weary to bear them."
      
the noise of thy songs--The hymns and instrumental music on sacred occasions are to Me nothing but a disagreeable \inoise.\i
      
I will not hear--Isaiah substitutes "prayers" ( Isa 1:15\Q="x.xxx.vi-p60.1") for the "songs" and "melody" here; but, like Amos, closes with "I will not hear."
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vi-p60.2"24. judgment--justice.
      
run down--literally, "roll," that is, flow abundantly ( Isa 48:18\Q="x.xxx.vi-p62.1"). Without the desire to fulfil righteousness in the offerer, the sacrifice is hateful to God ( 1Sa 15:22; Ps 66:18; Ho 6:6; Mic 6:8\Q="x.xxx.vi-p62.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vi-p62.3"25, 26. Have ye offered?&c.--Yes: ye have. "But (all the time with strange inconsistency) ye have borne (aloft in solemn pomp) the tabernacle (that is, the portable shrine, or model \itabernacle:\ismall enough not to be detected by Moses; compare Ac 19:24\Q="x.xxx.vi-p63.1") of your Molech" (that idol is " \iyour\i" god; I am not, though ye go through the form of presenting offerings to Me). The question, "Have ye," is not a denial (for they \idid\ioffer in the wilderness to Jehovah sacrifices of the cattle which they took with them in their nomad life there, Ex 24:4; Nu 7:1-89; 9:1\Q="x.xxx.vi-p63.2", &c.), but a strong affirmation (compare 1Sa 2:27, 28; Jer 31:20; Eze 20:4\Q="x.xxx.vi-p63.3"). The sin of Israel in Amos' time is the very sin of their forefathers, mocking God with worship, while at the same time worshipping idols (compare Eze 20:39\Q="x.xxx.vi-p63.4"). It was clandestine in Moses' time, else he would have put it down; he was aware generally of their unfaithfulness, though not knowing the particulars ( De 31:21, 27\Q="x.xxx.vi-p63.5").
      
Molech ... Chiun--"Molech" means "king" answering to \iMars\i[Bengel]; \ithe Sun\i[Jablonski]; \iSaturn,\ithe same as "Chiun" [Maurer]. The \iSeptuagint\itranslates "Chiun" into \iRemphan,\ias Stephen quotes it ( Ac 7:42, 43\Q="x.xxx.vi-p64.4"). The same god often had different names. \iMolech\iis the Ammonite name; \iChiun,\ithe Arabic and Persian name, written also \iChevan.\iIn an Arabic lexicon \iChiun\imeans "austere"; so astrologers represented \iSaturn\ias a planet baleful in his influence. Hence the Phœnicians offered human sacrifices to him, children especially; so idolatrous Israel also. \iRimmon\iwas the Syrian name ( 2Ki 5:18\Q="x.xxx.vi-p64.5"); pronounced as \iRemvan,\ior "Remphan," just as \iChiun\iwas also \iChevan.\iMolech had the form of a king; Chevan, or Chiun, of a star [Grotius]. Remphan was the Egyptian name for \iSaturn:\ihence the \iSeptuagint\itranslator of Amos gave the Egyptian name for the \iHebrew,\ibeing an Egyptian. [HodiusII, \iDe Bibliorum Textibus Originalibus.\i4.115]. The same as the Nile, of which the Egyptians made the star \iSaturn\ithe representative [Harenberg].Bengelconsiders \iRemphan\ior \iRephan\iakin to \iTeraphim\iand \iRemphis,\ithe name of a king of Egypt. The Hebrews became infected with Sabeanism, the oldest form of idolatry, the worship of the \iSaba\ior starry hosts, in their stay in the Arabian desert, where Job notices its prevalence ( Job 31:26\Q="x.xxx.vi-p64.10"); in opposition, in Am 5:27\Q="x.xxx.vi-p64.11", Jehovah declares Himself "the God of \ihosts.\i"
      
the star of your god--R. Isaac Carosays all the astrologers represented Saturn as \ithe star of Israel.\iProbably there was a figure of a star on the head of the image of the idol, to represent the planet Saturn; hence "images" correspond to "star" in the parallel clause. A star in hieroglyphics represents God ( Nu 24:17\Q="x.xxx.vi-p65.2"). "Images" are either a Hebraism for "image," or refer to the many images made to represent Chiun.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vi-p65.3" \Q="x.xxx.vi-p65.4"27. beyond Damascus--In Ac 7:43\Q="x.xxx.vi-p66.1"it is "beyond \iBabylon,\i" which includes \ibeyond Damascus.\iIn Amos' time, Damascus was the object of Israel's fear because of the Syrian wars. Babylon was not yet named as the place of their captivity. Stephen supplies this name. Their place of exile was in fact, as he states, " \ibeyond\iBabylon," in Halah and Habor by the river Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes ( 2Ki 17:6\Q="x.xxx.vi-p66.2"; compare here Am 1:5; 4:3; 6:14\Q="x.xxx.vi-p66.3"). The road to Assyria lay through "Damascus." It is therefore specified, that not merely shall they be carried captives to Damascus, as they had been by Syrian kings ( 2Ki 10:32, 33; 13:7\Q="x.xxx.vi-p66.4"), but, beyond that, to a region whence a return was not so possible as from Damascus. They were led captive by Satan into idolatry, therefore God caused them to go captive among idolaters. Compare 2Ki 15:29; 16:9; Isa 8:4\Q="x.xxx.vi-p66.5", whence it appears Tiglath-pileser attacked Israel and Damascus at the same time at Ahaz' request ( Am 3:11\Q="x.xxx.vi-p66.6").
      

\C3="Chapter 6" \Q="x.xxx.vii-p0.1"CHAPTER 6
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vii-p1.1" Am 6:1-14\Q="x.xxx.vii-p2.1".Denunciation of Both the Sister Nations(Especially Their Nobles)For Wanton Security--Zion, as Well as Samaria: Threat of the Exile: Ruin of Their Palaces and Slaughter of the People: Their Perverse Injustice.
      
1. named chief of the nations--that is, you nobles, so eminent in influence, that your names are celebrated among the chief nations [Ludovicus De Dieu]. \iHebrew,\i"Men designated by name among the first-fruits of the nations," that is, men of note in Israel, the people chosen by God as first of the nations ( Ex 19:5\Q="x.xxx.vii-p3.2"; compare Nu 24:20\Q="x.xxx.vii-p3.3") [Piscator].
      
to whom ... Israel came--that is, the princes to whom the Israelites used to repair for the decision of controversies, recognizing their authority [Maurer]. I prefer to refer "which" to the antecedent "Zion" and "Samaria"; these were esteemed "chief" strongholds among the heathen nations "to whom ... Israel came" when it entered Canaan; Am 6:2\Q="x.xxx.vii-p4.2"accords with this.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vii-p4.3"2. Calneh--on the east bank of the Tigris. Once powerful, but recently subjugated by Assyria ( Isa 10:9\Q="x.xxx.vii-p5.1"; about 794B.C.).
      
Hameth--subjugated by Jeroboam II ( 2Ki 14:25\Q="x.xxx.vii-p6.1"). Also by Assyria subsequently ( 2Ki 18:34\Q="x.xxx.vii-p6.2"). Compare Am 6:14\Q="x.xxx.vii-p6.3".
      
Gath--subjugated by Uzziah ( 2Ch 26:6\Q="x.xxx.vii-p7.1").
      
be they better--no. Their so recent subjugation renders it needless for Me to tell you they \iare\inot. And yet they \ionce were;\istill they could not defend themselves against the enemy. How vain, then, \iyour\isecure confidence in the strength of Mounts Zion and Samaria! He takes cities respectively east, north, south, and west of Israel (compare Na 3:8\Q="x.xxx.vii-p8.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vii-p8.2"3.Ye persuade yourselves that "the evil day" foretold by the prophets is "far off," though they declare it near ( Eze 12:22, 27\Q="x.xxx.vii-p9.1"). Ye in your imagination put it far off, and therefore bring near \iviolent oppression,\isuffering it to \isit enthroned,\ias it were, among you ( Ps 94:20\Q="x.xxx.vii-p9.2"). The notion of judgment being far off has always been an incentive to the sinner's recklessness of living ( Ec 8:12, 13; Mt 24:48\Q="x.xxx.vii-p9.3"). Yet that very recklessness brings near the evil day which he puts far off. "Ye bring on fever by your intemperance, and yet would put it far off" [Calvin].
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vii-p9.5"4.(See Am 2:8\Q="x.xxx.vii-p10.1").
      
beds of ivory--that is, adorned, or inlaid, with ivory ( Am 3:15\Q="x.xxx.vii-p11.1").
      
stretch themselves--in luxurious self-indulgence.
      
lambs out of the flock--picked out as the choicest, for their owners' selfish gratification.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vii-p13.1"5. chant--literally, "mark distinct sounds and tones."
      
viol--the lyre, or lute.
      
invent ... instruments ... like David--They fancy they equal David in musical skill ( 1Ch 23:5; Ne 12:36\Q="x.xxx.vii-p16.1"). They defend their luxurious passion for music by his example: forgetting that \ihe\ipursued this study when at peace and free from danger, and that for the praise of God; but \ithey\ipursue for their own self-gratification, and that when God is angry and ruin is imminent.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vii-p16.2"6. drink ... in bowls--in the \ilarge vessels\ior basins in which wine was mixed; not satisfied with the smaller \icups\ifrom which it was ordinarily drunk, after having been poured from the large mixer.
      
chief ointments--that is, the most costly: not for health or cleanliness, but wanton luxury.
      
not grieved for the affliction of Joseph--literally, "the breach," that is, the national wound or calamity ( Ps 60:2; Eze 34:4\Q="x.xxx.vii-p19.1") of the house of \iJoseph\i( Am 5:6\Q="x.xxx.vii-p19.2"); resembling in this the heartlessness of their forefathers, the sons of Jacob, towards Joseph, "eating bread" while their brother lay in the pit, and then selling him to Ishmaelites.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vii-p19.3"7. Therefore ... shall they go captive with the first--As they were first among the people in rank ( Am 6:1\Q="x.xxx.vii-p20.1"), and anointed themselves "with the chief ointments" ( Am 6:6\Q="x.xxx.vii-p20.2"), so shall they be among the foremost in going into captivity.
      
banquet--literally, the "merry-making shout of revellers"; from an \iArabic\iroot, "to cry out." In the \iHebrew, marzeach;\ihere, there is an allusion to \imizraqu,\i"bowls" ( Am 6:6\Q="x.xxx.vii-p21.1").
      
them that stretched themselves--on luxurious couches ( Am 6:4\Q="x.xxx.vii-p22.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vii-p22.2"8. the excellency of Jacob--( Ps 47:4\Q="x.xxx.vii-p23.1"). The \isanctuary\iwhich was the great glory of the covenant-people [Vatablus], ( Eze 24:21\Q="x.xxx.vii-p23.3"). The priesthood, and kingdom, and dignity, conferred on them by God. These, saith God, are of no account in My eyes towards averting punishment [Calvin].
      
hate his palaces--as being the storehouses of "robbery" ( Am 3:10, 15\Q="x.xxx.vii-p24.1"). How sad a change from God's \ilove\iof Zion's gates ( Ps 87:2\Q="x.xxx.vii-p24.2") and palaces ( Ps 48:3, 13\Q="x.xxx.vii-p24.3"), owing to the people's sin!
      
the city--collectively: both Zion and Samaria ( Am 6:1\Q="x.xxx.vii-p25.1").
      
all that is therein--literally, "its fulness"; the \imultitude\iof men and of riches in it (compare Ps 24:1\Q="x.xxx.vii-p26.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vii-p26.2"9.If as many as \iten\i( Le 26:26; Zec 8:23\Q="x.xxx.vii-p27.1") remain in a house (a rare case, and only in the scattered villages, as there will be scarcely a house in which the enemy will leave any), they shall all, to a man, die of the plague, a frequent concomitant of war in the East ( Jer 24:10; 44:13; Eze 6:11\Q="x.xxx.vii-p27.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vii-p27.3"10. a man's uncle--The nearest relatives had the duty of burying the dead ( Ge 25:9; 35:29; Jud 16:31\Q="x.xxx.vii-p28.1"). No nearer relative was left of this man than an \iuncle.\i
      
and he that burneth him--the uncle, who is \ialso\iat the same time the one that burneth him (one of the "ten," Am 6:9\Q="x.xxx.vii-p29.1"). Burial was the usual Hebrew mode of disposing of their dead. But in cases of necessity, as when the men of Jabesh-gilead took the bodies of Saul and his three sons from the walls of Beth-shan and burned them to save them from being insulted by the Philistines, burning was practised. So in this case, to prevent contagion.
      
the bones--that is, the dead \ibody\i( Ge 50:25\Q="x.xxx.vii-p30.1"). Perhaps here there is an allusion in the phrase to the \iemaciated\icondition of the body, which was little else but skin and bones.
      
say unto him that is by the sides of the house--that is, to the only one left of the ten \iin the interior of the house\i[Maurer] (compare \iNote,\isee on).
      
Hold thy tongue ... we may not ... mention ... the Lord--After receiving the reply, that none is left besides the one addressed, when the man outside fancies the man still surviving inside to be on the point, as was customary, of expressing devout gratitude to God who spared him, the man outside interrupts him, "Hold thy tongue! for there is not now cause for mentioning with praise ( Jos 23:7\Q="x.xxx.vii-p32.1") the name of Jehovah"; for \ithou\ialso must die; as all the ten are to die to the last man ( Am 6:9\Q="x.xxx.vii-p32.2"; compare Am 8:3\Q="x.xxx.vii-p32.3"). Formerly ye boasted in the name of Jehovah, as if ye were His peculiar people; now ye shall be silent and shudder at His name, as hostile to you, and as one from whom ye wish to be hidden ( Re 6:16\Q="x.xxx.vii-p32.4"), [Calvin].
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vii-p32.6"11. commandeth, and he will smite--His word of command, when once given, cannot but be fulfilled ( Isa 55:11\Q="x.xxx.vii-p33.1"). His mere word is enough to smite with destruction.
      
great house ... little house--He will spare none, great or small ( Am 3:15\Q="x.xxx.vii-p34.1").Jeromeinterprets "the great house" as Israel, and "the small house" as Judah: the former being reduced to branches or ruins, literally, "small drops"; the latter, though injured with "clefts" or rents, which threaten its fall, yet still permitted to stand.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vii-p34.3"12.In turning "judgment (justice) into gall (poison), and ... righteousness into hemlock" (or wormwood, bitter and noxious), ye act as perversely as if one were to make "horses run upon the rock" or to "plough with oxen there" [Maurer]. As horses and oxen are useless on a rock, so ye are incapable of fulfilling justice [Grotius]. Ye impede the course of God's benefits, because ye are as it were a hard rock on which His favor cannot run. "Those that will not be tilled as fields, shall be abandoned as rocks" [Calvin].
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vii-p35.4"13. rejoice in a thing of naught--that is, in your vain and fleeting riches.
      
Have we not taken to us horns--that is, acquired power, so as to conquer our neighbors ( 2Ki 14:25\Q="x.xxx.vii-p37.1"). \iHorns\iare the Hebrew symbol of \ipower,\ibeing the instrument of strength in many animals ( Ps 75:10\Q="x.xxx.vii-p37.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.vii-p37.3"14. from the entering in of Hamath--the point of entrance for an invading army (as Assyria) into Israel from the north; specified here, as Hamath had been just before subjugated by Jeroboam II ( Am 6:2\Q="x.xxx.vii-p38.1"). Do not glory in your recently acquired city, for it shall be the starting-point for the foe to afflict you. How sad the contrast to the feast of Solomon attended by a congregation \ifrom\ithis same \iHamath,\ithe most northern boundary of Israel, \ito\ithe Nile, the \iriver of Egypt,\ithe most southern boundary!
      
unto the river of the wilderness--that is, to Kedron, which empties itself into the north bay of the Dead Sea below Jericho ( 2Ch 28:15\Q="x.xxx.vii-p39.1"), the southern boundary of the ten tribes ( 2Ki 14:25\Q="x.xxx.vii-p39.2", "from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain") [Maurer]. \iTo the river Nile,\iwhich skirts the Arabian wilderness and separates Egypt from Canaan [Grotius]. If this verse includes Judah, as well as Israel (compare Am 6:1\Q="x.xxx.vii-p39.5", "Zion" and "Samaria"),Grotius'view is correct; and it agrees with 1Ki 8:65\Q="x.xxx.vii-p39.7".
      

\C3="Chapter 7" \Q="x.xxx.viii-p0.1"CHAPTER 7
      
 \Q="x.xxx.viii-p1.1" Am. 7:1-9\Q="x.xxx.viii-p2.1". The seventh, eighth, and ninth chapters containVisions, with Their Explanations.The seventh chapter consists of two parts. First ( Am 7:1-9\Q="x.xxx.viii-p2.3"):Prophecies Illustrated by Three Symbols:(1) A vision of \igrasshoppers\ior young locusts, which devour the grass, but are removed at Amos' entreaty; (2) \iFire\idrying up even the deep, and withering part of the land, but removed at Amos' entreaty; (3) A \iplumb-line\ito mark the buildings for destruction. Secondly ( Am 7:10-17\Q="x.xxx.viii-p2.5"):Narrative of Amaziah's Interruption of Amos in Consequence of the Foregoing Prophecies, and Prediction of His Doom.
      
1. showed ... me; and, behold--The same formula prefaces the three visions in this chapter, and the fourth in Am 8:1\Q="x.xxx.viii-p3.1".
      
grasshoppers--rather, "locusts" in the caterpillar state, from a \iHebrew\iroot, "to creep forth." In the autumn the eggs are deposited in the earth; in the spring the young come forth [Maurer].
      
the latter growth--namely, of grass, which comes up after the mowing. They do not in the East mow their grass and make hay of it, but cut it off the ground as they require it.
      
the king's mowings--the first-fruits of the mown grass, tyrannically exacted by the king from the people. The literal locusts, as in Joel, are probably symbols of human foes: thus the "growth" of grass "after the king's mowings" will mean the political revival of Israel under Jeroboam II ( 2Ki 14:25\Q="x.xxx.viii-p6.1"), after it had been mown down, as it were, by Hazael and Ben-hadad of Syria ( 2Ki 13:3\Q="x.xxx.viii-p6.2"), [Grotius].
      
 \Q="x.xxx.viii-p6.4"2. by whom shall Jacob arise?--If Thou, O God, dost not spare, how can \iJacob maintain his ground,\ireduced as he is by repeated attacks of the Assyrians, and erelong about to be invaded by the Assyrian Pul ( 2Ki 15:19, 20\Q="x.xxx.viii-p7.1")? Compare Isa 51:19\Q="x.xxx.viii-p7.2". The mention of "Jacob" is a plea that God should "remember for them His covenant" with their forefather, the patriarch ( Ps 106:45\Q="x.xxx.viii-p7.3").
      
he is small--reduced in numbers and in strength.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.viii-p8.1"3. repented for this--that is, of this. The change was not in the mind of God ( Nu 2:19; Jas 1:17\Q="x.xxx.viii-p9.1"), but in the effect outwardly. God unchangeably does what is just; it is just that He should hear intercessory prayer ( Jas 5:16-18\Q="x.xxx.viii-p9.2"), as it would have been just for Him to have let judgment take its course at once on the guilty nation, but for the prayer of one or two righteous men in it (compare Ge 18:23-33; 1Sa 15:11; Jer 42:10\Q="x.xxx.viii-p9.3"). The repentance of the sinner, and God's regard to His own attributes of mercy and covenanted love, also cause God outwardly to deal with him as if he repented ( Jon 3:10\Q="x.xxx.viii-p9.4"), whereas the change in outward dealing is in strictest harmony with God's own unchangeableness.
      
It shall not be--Israel's utter overthrow now. Pul was influenced by God to accept money and withdraw from Israel.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.viii-p10.1"4. called to contend--that is, with Israel judicially ( Job 9:3; Isa 66:16; Eze 38:22\Q="x.xxx.viii-p11.1"). He ordered to come at His call the infliction of punishment by "fire" on Israel, that is, drought (compare Am 4:6-11\Q="x.xxx.viii-p11.2"), [Maurer]. Rather, \iwar\i( Nu 21:28\Q="x.xxx.viii-p11.4"), namely, Tiglath-pileser [Grotius].
      
devoured the ... deep--that is, a great part of Israel, whom he carried away. \iWaters\iare the symbol for \imany people\i( Re 17:15\Q="x.xxx.viii-p12.1").
      
did eat up a part--namely, all the \iland\i(compare Am 4:7\Q="x.xxx.viii-p13.1") of Israel east of Jordan ( 1Ch 5:26; Isa 9:1\Q="x.xxx.viii-p13.2"). This was a worse judgment than the previous one: the locusts ate up the grass: the fire not only affects the surface of the ground, but burns up the very roots and reaches even to the deep.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.viii-p13.3" \Q="x.xxx.viii-p13.4" \Q="x.xxx.viii-p13.5"7. wall made by a plumb-line--namely, perpendicular.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.viii-p14.1"8. plumb-line in ... midst of ... Israel--No longer are the symbols, as in the former two, stated generally; this one is expressly applied to Israel. God's long-suffering is worn out by Israel's perversity: so Amos ceases to intercede (compare Ge 18:33\Q="x.xxx.viii-p15.1"). The plummet line was used not only in building, but in destroying houses ( 2Ki 21:13; Isa 28:17; 34:11; La 2:8\Q="x.xxx.viii-p15.2"). It denotes that God's judgments are measured out by the most exact rules of justice. Here it is placed "in the midst" of Israel, that is, the judgment is not to be confined to an outer part of Israel, as by Tiglath-pileser; it is to reach the very center. This was fulfilled when Shalmaneser, after a three years' siege of Samaria, took it and carried away Israel captive finally to Assyria ( 2Ki 17:3, 5, 6, 23\Q="x.xxx.viii-p15.3").
      
not ... pass by ... any more--not forgive them any more ( Am 8:2; Pr 19:11; Mic 7:18\Q="x.xxx.viii-p16.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.viii-p16.2"9. high places--dedicated to idols.
      
of Isaac--They boasted of their following the example of their forefather Isaac, in erecting high places at Beer-sheba ( Am 5:5\Q="x.xxx.viii-p18.1"; compare Ge 26:23, 24; 46:1\Q="x.xxx.viii-p18.2"); but he and Abraham erected them before the temple was appointed at Jerusalem--and to God; whereas they did so, after the temple had been fixed as the only place for sacrifices--and to idols. In the \iHebrew\ihere "Isaac" is written with \is,\iinstead of the usual \its;\iboth forms mean "laughter"; the change of spelling perhaps expresses that their "high places of Isaac" may be well so called, but not as they meant by the name; for they are only fit to be \ilaughed at\iin scorn. Probably, however, the mention of "Isaac" and "Israel" simply expresses that these names, which their degenerate posterity boasted in as if ensuring their safety, will not save them and their idolatrous "sanctuaries" on which they depended from ruin (compare Am 8:14\Q="x.xxx.viii-p18.3").
      
house of Jeroboam with ... sword--fulfilled in the extinction of Zachariah, son of Jeroboam II, the last of the descendants of Jeroboam I, who had originated the idolatry of the calves ( 2Ki 15:8-10\Q="x.xxx.viii-p19.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.viii-p19.2" Am. 7:10-17\Q="x.xxx.viii-p20.1".Amaziah's Charge against Amos: His Doom Foretold.
      
10. priest of Beth-el--chief priest of the royal sanctuary to the calves at Beth-el. These being a device of state policy to keep Israel separate from Judah. Amaziah construes Amos words against them as treason. So in the case of Elijah and Jeremiah ( 1Ki 18:17; Jer 37:13, 14\Q="x.xxx.viii-p21.1"). So the antitype Jesus was charged ( Joh 19:12\Q="x.xxx.viii-p21.2"); political expediency being made in all ages the pretext for dishonoring God and persecuting His servants ( Joh 11:48-50\Q="x.xxx.viii-p21.3"). So in the case of Paul ( Ac 17:6, 7; 24:5\Q="x.xxx.viii-p21.4").
      
in the midst of ... Israel--probably alluding to Amos' own words, "in the midst of ... Israel" ( Am 7:8\Q="x.xxx.viii-p22.1"), foretelling the state's overthrow \ito the very center.\iNot secretly, or in a corner, but openly, in \ithe very center of the state,\iso as to upset the whole utterly.
      
land is not able to bear all his words--They are so many and so intolerable. A sedition will be the result. The mention of his being "priest of Beth-el" implies that it was for his own priestly gain, not for the king or state, he was so keen.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.viii-p23.1"11. Jeroboam shall die,&c.--Amos had not said this: but that "the \ihouse\iof Jeroboam" should fall "with the sword" ( Am 7:9\Q="x.xxx.viii-p24.1"). But Amaziah exaggerates the charge, to excite Jeroboam against him. The king, however, did not give ear to Amaziah, probably from religious awe of the prophet of Jehovah.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.viii-p24.2"12. Also--Besides informing the king against Amos, lest that course should fail, as it did, Amaziah urges the troublesome prophet himself to go back to his own land Judah, pretending to advise him in friendliness.
      
seer--said contemptuously in reference to Amos' \ivisions\iwhich precede.
      
there eat bread--You can earn a livelihood there, whereas remaining here you will be ruined. He judges of Amos by his own selfishness, as if regard to one's own safety and livelihood are the paramount considerations. So the false prophets ( Eze 13:19\Q="x.xxx.viii-p27.1") were ready to say whatever pleased their hearers, however false, for "handfuls of barley and pieces of bread."
      
 \Q="x.xxx.viii-p27.2"13. prophesy not again--( Am 2:12\Q="x.xxx.viii-p28.1").
      
at Beth-el--Amaziah wants to be let alone at least in his own residence.
      
the king's chapel--Beth-el was preferred by the king to Dan, the other seat of the calf-worship, as being nearer Samaria, the capital, and as hallowed by Jacob of old ( Ge 28:16, 19; 35:6, 7\Q="x.xxx.viii-p30.1"). He argues by implication against Amos' presumption, as a private man, in speaking against the worship sanctioned by the king, and that in the very place consecrated to it for the king's own devotions.
      
king's court--that is, residence: the seat of empire, where the king holds his court, and which thou oughtest to have reverenced. Samaria was the usual king's residence: but for the convenience of attending the calf-worship, a royal palace was at Beth-el also.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.viii-p31.1"14. I \iwas\ino prophet--in answer to Amaziah's insinuation ( Am 7:12\Q="x.xxx.viii-p32.1"), that he discharged the prophetical office to earn his "bread" (like Israel's mercenary prophets). So far from being rewarded, Jehovah's prophets had to expect imprisonment and even death as the result of their prophesying in Samaria or Israel: whereas the prophets of Baal were maintained at the king's expense (compare 1Ki 18:19\Q="x.xxx.viii-p32.2"). I was not, says Amos, of the order of prophets, or educated in their schools, and deriving a livelihood from exercising the public functions of a prophet. I am a \ishepherd\i(compare Am 7:15\Q="x.xxx.viii-p32.3", "flock"; the \iHebrew\ifor "herdsman" includes the meaning, \ishepherd,\icompare Am 1:1\Q="x.xxx.viii-p32.4") in humble position, who did not even think of prophesying among you, until a divine call impelled me to it.
      
prophet's son--that is, disciple. Schools of prophets are mentioned first in First Samuel; in these youths were educated to serve the theocracy as public instructors. Only in the kingdom of the ten tribes is the continuance of the schools of the prophets mentioned. They were missionary stations near the chief seats of superstition in Israel, and associations endowed with the Spirit of God; none were admitted but those to whom the Spirit had been previously imparted. Their spiritual fathers travelled about to visit the training schools, and cared for the members and even their widows ( 2Ki 4:1, 2\Q="x.xxx.viii-p33.1"). The pupils had their common board in them, and after leaving them still continued members. The offerings which in Judah were given by the pious to the Levites, in Israel went to the schools of the prophets ( 2Ki 4:42\Q="x.xxx.viii-p33.2"). Prophecy (for example, Elijah and Elisha) in Israel was more connected with extraordinary events than in Judah, inasmuch as, in the absence of the legal hierarchy of the latter, it needed to have more palpable divine sanction.
      
sycamore--abounding in Palestine. The fruit was like the fig, but inferior; according toPliny, a sort of compound, as the name expresses, of the fig and the mulberry. It was only eaten by the poorest (compare 1Ki 10:27\Q="x.xxx.viii-p34.2").
      
gatherer--one occupied with their cultivation [Maurer]. To cultivate it, an incision was made in the fruit when of a certain size, and on the fourth day afterwards it ripened [Pliny, \iNatural History,\i13.7,14].GrotiusfromJeromesays, if it be not plucked off and "gathered" (which favors \iEnglish Version\i), it is spoiled by gnats.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.viii-p35.5"15. took me as I followed the flock--So David was taken ( 2Sa 7:8; Ps 78:70, 71\Q="x.xxx.viii-p36.1"). Messiah is the antitypical \iShepherd\i( Ps 23:1-6; Joh 10:1-18\Q="x.xxx.viii-p36.2").
      
unto my people--"against" [Maurer]; so Am 7:16\Q="x.xxx.viii-p37.2". Jehovah claims them still as \iHis\iby right, though slighting His authority. God would recover them to His service by the prophet's ministry.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.viii-p37.3"16. drop--distil as the refreshing drops of rain ( De 32:2; Eze 21:2\Q="x.xxx.viii-p38.1"; compare Mic 2:6, 11\Q="x.xxx.viii-p38.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.viii-p38.3"17. Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city--that is, shall be forced by the enemy, while thou art looking on, unable to prevent her dishonor ( Isa 13:16; La 5:11\Q="x.xxx.viii-p39.1"). The words, "saithTHE Lordare in striking opposition to " \iThou\isayest" ( Am 7:16\Q="x.xxx.viii-p39.3").
      
divided by line--among the foe.
      
a polluted land--Israel regarded every foreign land as that which really her own land was now, "polluted" ( Isa 24:5; Jer 2:7\Q="x.xxx.viii-p41.1").
      

\C3="Chapter 8" \Q="x.xxx.ix-p0.1"CHAPTER 8
      
 \Q="x.xxx.ix-p1.1" Am 8:1-14\Q="x.xxx.ix-p2.1".Vision of a Basket of Summer Fruit Symbolical, of Israel's End. Resuming the Series of Symbols Interrupted by Amaziah, Amos Adds a Fourth. TheAvarice of the Oppressors of the Poor: The Overthrow of the Nation: The Wish for the Means of Religious Counsel, when There Shall Be a Famine of the Word.
      
1. summer fruit-- \iHebrew, kitz.\iIn Am 8:2\Q="x.xxx.ix-p3.1""end" is in \iHebrew, keetz.\iThe similarity of sounds implies that, as the \isummer\iis the \iend\iof the year and the time of the ripeness of fruits, so Israel is \iripe\ifor her \ilast\ipunishment, \iending\iher national existence. As the fruit is plucked when ripe from the tree, so Israel from her land.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.ix-p3.2"2. end--( Eze 7:2, 6\Q="x.xxx.ix-p4.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.ix-p4.2"3. songs of ... temple--( Am 5:23\Q="x.xxx.ix-p5.1"). The joyous hymns in the temple of Judah (or rather, in the \iBeth-el\i"royal temple," Am 7:13\Q="x.xxx.ix-p5.2"; for the allusion is to \iIsrael,\inot Judah, throughout this chapter) shall be changed into "howlings."Grotiustranslates, "palace"; compare Am 6:5\Q="x.xxx.ix-p5.4", as to the songs there. But Am 5:23, and Am 7:13\Q="x.xxx.ix-p5.5", favor \iEnglish Version.\i
      
they shall cast them forth with silence--not as the \iMargin,\i"be silent." It is an adverb, "silently." There shall be such great slaughter as even to prevent the bodies being buried [Calvin]. There shall be none of the usual professional mourners ( Am 5:16\Q="x.xxx.ix-p6.2"), but the bodies will be cast out in silence. Perhaps also is meant that terror, both of God (compare Am 6:10\Q="x.xxx.ix-p6.3") and of the foe, shall close their lips.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.ix-p6.4"4. Hear--The nobles needed to be urged thus, as hating to \ihear\ireproof.
      
swallow up the needy--or, "gape after," that is, pant for their goods; so the word is used, Job 7:2\Q="x.xxx.ix-p8.1", \iMargin.\i
      
to make the poor ... to fail--"that they (themselves) may be placed alone in the midst of the earth" ( Isa 5:8\Q="x.xxx.ix-p9.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.ix-p9.2"5.So greedy are they of unjust gain that they cannot spare a single day, however sacred, from pursuing it. They are strangers to God and enemies to themselves, who love market days better than sabbath days; and they who have lost piety will not long keep honesty. The new moons ( Nu 10:10\Q="x.xxx.ix-p10.1") and sabbaths were to be kept without working or trading ( Ne 10:31\Q="x.xxx.ix-p10.2").
      
set forth wheat--literally, "open out" stores of wheat for sale.
      
ephah--containing three seahs, or above three pecks.
      
making ... small--making it below the just weight to purchasers.
      
shekel great--taking from purchasers a greater weight of money than was due. Shekels used to be \iweighed out\iin payments ( Ge 23:16\Q="x.xxx.ix-p14.1"). Thus they committed a double fraud against the law ( De 25:13, 14\Q="x.xxx.ix-p14.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.ix-p14.3"6. buy ... poor for silver ... pair of shoes--that is, that we may compel the needy for money, or any other thing of however little worth, to sell themselves to us as bondmen, in defiance of Le 25:39\Q="x.xxx.ix-p15.1"; the very thing which brings down God's judgment ( Am 2:6\Q="x.xxx.ix-p15.2").
      
sell the refuse of ... wheat--which contains no nutriment, but which the poor eat at a low price, being unable to pay for flour.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.ix-p16.1"7. Lord hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob--that is, by Himself, in whom Jacob's seed glory [Maurer]. Rather, by the spiritual privileges of Israel, the adoption as His peculiar people [Calvin], the temple, and its Shekinah symbol of His presence. Compare Am 6:8\Q="x.xxx.ix-p17.3", where it means Jehovah's \itemple\i(compare Am 4:2\Q="x.xxx.ix-p17.4").
      
never forget--not \ipass by\iwithout punishing ( Am 8:2; Ho 8:13; 9:9\Q="x.xxx.ix-p18.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.ix-p18.2"8. the land ... rise up wholly as a flood--The land will, as it were, be wholly turned into a flooding river (a flood being the image of overwhelming calamity, Da 9:26\Q="x.xxx.ix-p19.1").
      
cast out and drowned,&c.--swept away and overwhelmed, as the land adjoining the Nile is by it, when flooding ( Am 9:5\Q="x.xxx.ix-p20.1"). The Nile rises generally twenty feet. The waters then "cast out" mire and dirt ( Isa 57:20\Q="x.xxx.ix-p20.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.ix-p20.3"9."Darkness" made to rise "at noon" is the emblem of great calamities ( Jer 15:9; Eze 32:7-10\Q="x.xxx.ix-p21.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.ix-p21.2"10. baldness--a sign of mourning ( Isa 15:2; Jer 48:37; Eze 7:18\Q="x.xxx.ix-p22.1").
      
I will make it as ... mourning of an only son--"it," that is, "the earth" ( Am 8:9\Q="x.xxx.ix-p23.1"). I will reduce the land to such a state that there shall be the same occasion for mourning as when parents mourn for an only son ( Jer 6:26; Zec 12:10\Q="x.xxx.ix-p23.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.ix-p23.3"11. famine of ... hearing the words of the Lord--a just retribution on those who now will not hear the Lord's prophets, nay even try to drive them away, as Amaziah did ( Am 7:12\Q="x.xxx.ix-p24.1"); they shall look in vain, in their distress, for divine counsel, such as the prophets now offer ( Eze 7:26; Mic 3:7\Q="x.xxx.ix-p24.2"). Compare as to the Jews' rejection of Messiah, and their consequent rejection by Him ( Mt 21:43\Q="x.xxx.ix-p24.3"); and their desire for Messiah too late ( Lu 17:22; Joh 7:34; 8:21\Q="x.xxx.ix-p24.4"). So, the prodigal when he had sojourned awhile in the "far-off country, began to be in want" in the "mighty famine" which arose ( Lu 15:14\Q="x.xxx.ix-p24.5"; compare 1Sa 3:1; 7:2\Q="x.xxx.ix-p24.6"). It is remarkable that the Jews' religion is almost the only one that \icould\ibe abolished \iagainst the will of the people themselves,\ion account of its being dependent on a particular \iplace,\inamely, the temple. When that was destroyed, the Mosaic ritual, which could not exist without it, necessarily ceased. Providence designed it, that, as the law gave way to the Gospel, so all men should perceive it was so, in spite of the Jews' obstinate rejection of the Gospel.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.ix-p24.7"12. they shall wander from sea to sea--that is, from the Dead Sea to the Mediterranean, from east to west.
      
from ... north ... to ... east--where we might expect "from north to south." But so alienated was Israel from Judah, that no Israelite even then would think of repairing \isouthward,\ithat is, to Jerusalem for religious information. The circuit is traced as in Nu 34:3\Q="x.xxx.ix-p26.1", &c., except that the south is omitted. Their "seeking the word of the Lord" would not be from a sincere desire to obey God, but under the pressure of punishment.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.ix-p26.2"13. faint for thirst--namely, thirst for hearing the words of the Lord, being destitute of all other comfort. If even the young and strong faint, how much more the infirm ( Isa 40:30, 31\Q="x.xxx.ix-p27.1")!
      
 \Q="x.xxx.ix-p27.2"14. swear by the sin of Samaria--namely, the calves ( De 9:21; Ho 4:15\Q="x.xxx.ix-p28.1"). "Swear by" means to \iworship\i( Ps 63:11\Q="x.xxx.ix-p28.2").
      
The manner--that is, as "the way" is used ( Ps 139:24; Ac 9:2\Q="x.xxx.ix-p29.1"), \ithe mode of worship.\i
      
Thy god, O Dan--the other golden calf at Dan ( 1Ki 22:26-30\Q="x.xxx.ix-p30.1").
      
liveth ... liveth--rather, "May thy god ... live ... may the manner ... live." Or, "As (surely as) thy god, O Dan, liveth." This is their formula when they swear; not "May Jehovah live!" or, "As Jehovah liveth!"
      

\C3="Chapter 9" \Q="x.xxx.x-p0.1"CHAPTER 9
      
 \Q="x.xxx.x-p1.1" Am 9:1-15\Q="x.xxx.x-p2.1".Fifth and Last Vision.
      
 \iNone can escape the coming judgment in any hiding-place: for God is omnipresent and irresistible\i( Am 9:1-6\Q="x.xxx.x-p3.1"). \iAs a kingdom, Israel shall perish as if it never was in covenant with Him: but as individuals the house of Jacob shall not utterly perish, nay, not one of the least of the righteous shall fall, but only all the sinners\i( Am 9:7-10\Q="x.xxx.x-p3.2"). \iRestoration of the Jews finally to their own land after the re-establishment of the fallen tabernacle of David; consequent conversion of all the heathen\i( Am 9:11-15\Q="x.xxx.x-p3.3").
      
1. Lord ... upon the altar--namely, in the idolatrous temple at Beth-el; the calves which were spoken of in Am 8:14\Q="x.xxx.x-p4.1". Hither they would flee for protection from the Assyrians, and would perish in the ruins, with the vain object of their trust [Henderson]. Jehovah stands here to direct the destruction of it, them, and the idolatrous nation. He demands many victims on the altar, but they are to be human victims.CalvinandFairbairn, and others, make it in the \itemple at Jerusalem.\iJudgment was to descend both on Israel and Judah. As the services of both alike ought to have been offered on the Jerusalem temple-altar, it is there that Jehovah ideally stands, as if the whole people were assembled there, their abominations lying unpardoned there, and crying for vengeance, though in fact committed elsewhere (compare Eze 8:1-18\Q="x.xxx.x-p4.5"). This view harmonizes with the similarity of the vision in Amos to that in Isa 6:1-13\Q="x.xxx.x-p4.6", \iat Jerusalem.\iAlso with the end of this chapter ( Am 9:11-15\Q="x.xxx.x-p4.7"), which applies both to \iJudah\iand Israel: "the tabernacle of David," namely, at Jerusalem. His attitude, "standing," implies fixity of purpose.
      
lintel--rather, the sphere-like \icapital\iof the column [Maurer].
      
posts--rather, "thresholds," as in Isa 6:4\Q="x.xxx.x-p6.1", \iMargin.\iThe temple is to be smitten below as well as above, to ensure utter destruction.
      
cut them in the head--namely, with the broken fragments of the capitals and columns (compare Ps 68:21; Hab 3:13\Q="x.xxx.x-p7.1").
      
slay the last of them--their posterity [Henderson]. The survivors [Maurer]. Jehovah's directions are addressed to His angels, ministers of judgment (compare Eze 9:1-11\Q="x.xxx.x-p8.3").
      
he that fleeth ... shall not flee away--He who fancies himself safe and out of reach of the enemy shall be taken ( Am 2:14\Q="x.xxx.x-p9.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.x-p9.2"2. Though they dig into hell--though they hide ever so deeply in the earth ( Ps 139:8\Q="x.xxx.x-p10.1").
      
though they climb up to heaven--though they ascend the greatest heights ( Job 20:6, 7; Jer 51:53; Ob 4\Q="x.xxx.x-p11.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.x-p11.2"3. Carmel--where the forests, and, on the west side, the caves, furnished hiding-places ( Am 1:2; Jud 6:2; 1Sa 13:6\Q="x.xxx.x-p12.1").
      
the sea--the Mediterranean, which flows at the foot of Mount Carmel; forming a strong antithesis to it.
      
command the serpent--the sea-serpent, a term used for any great water monster ( Isa 27:1\Q="x.xxx.x-p14.1"). The symbol of \icruel and oppressive kings\i( Ps 74:13, 14\Q="x.xxx.x-p14.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.x-p14.3"4. though they go into captivity--hoping to save their lives by voluntarily surrendering to the foe.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.x-p15.1"5.As Amos had threatened that nowhere should the Israelites be safe from the divine judgments, he here shows God's omnipotent ability to execute His threats. So in the case of the threat in Am 8:8\Q="x.xxx.x-p16.1", God is here stated to be the first cause of the mourning of "all that dwell" in the land, and of its rising "like a flood, and of its being "drowned, as by the flood of Egypt."
      
 \Q="x.xxx.x-p16.2"6. stories--literally, "ascents," that is, upper chambers, to which the ascent is by steps [Maurer]; evidently referring to the words in Ps 104:3, 13\Q="x.xxx.x-p17.2".Grotiusexplains it, \iGod's royal throne,\iexpressed in language drawn from Solomon's throne, to which the ascent was by steps (compare 1Ki 10:18, 19\Q="x.xxx.x-p17.4").
      
founded his troop--namely, all animate creatures, which are God's \itroop,\ior \ihost\i( Ge 2:1\Q="x.xxx.x-p18.1"), doing His will ( Ps 103:20, 21; Joe 2:11\Q="x.xxx.x-p18.2").Maurertranslates, "His \ivault,\i" that is, the vaulted sky, which seems to rest on the earth supported by the horizon.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.x-p18.4"7. unto me--however great ye seem \ito yourselves.\iDo not rely on past privileges, and on My having delivered you from Egypt, as if therefore I never would remove you from Canaan. I make no more account of you than of "the Ethiopian" (compare Jer 13:23\Q="x.xxx.x-p19.1"). "Have not I (who) brought you out of Egypt," done as much for other peoples? For instance, did I not bring "the Philistines (see on, &c.) from Caphtor (compare De 2:23\Q="x.xxx.x-p19.4"; see on), where they had been bond-servants, and the Syrians from Kir?" It is appropriate, that as the Syrians migrated into Syria from Kir (compare \iNote,\isee on), so they should be carried back captive into the same land (see on; 2Ki 16:9\Q="x.xxx.x-p19.11"), just as elsewhere Israel is threatened with a return to Egypt whence they had been delivered. The "Ethiopians," \iHebrew,\i"Cushites," were originally akin to the race that founded Babylon: the cuneiform inscriptions in this confirming independently the Scripture statement ( Ge 10:6, 8, 10\Q="x.xxx.x-p19.12").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.x-p19.13"8. eyes ... upon the sinful kingdom--that is, I am watching all its sinful course in order to punish it (compare Am 9:4; Ps 34:15, 16\Q="x.xxx.x-p20.1").
      
not utterly destroy the house of Jacob--Though as a "kingdom" the nation is now utterly to perish, a remnant is to be spared for "Jacob," their forefather's sake (compare Jer 30:11\Q="x.xxx.x-p21.1"); to fulfil the covenant whereby "the seed of Israel" is hereafter to be "a nation for ever" ( Jer 31:36\Q="x.xxx.x-p21.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.x-p21.3"9. sift--I will cause the Israelites to be tossed about through all nations as corn is shaken about in a sieve, in such a way, however, that while the chaff and dust (the wicked) fall through (perish), all the solid grains (the godly elect) remain (are preserved), ( Ro 11:26\Q="x.xxx.x-p22.1"; compare \iNote,\isee on). So spiritual Israel's final safety is ensured ( Lu 22:32; Joh 10:28; 6:39\Q="x.xxx.x-p22.4").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.x-p22.5"10. All the sinners--answering to the chaff in the image in Am 9:9\Q="x.xxx.x-p23.1", which falls on the earth, in opposition "to the grain" that does not "fall."
      
overtake ... us--"come on us from behind" [Maurer].
      
 \Q="x.xxx.x-p24.2"11. In that day--quoted by James ( Ac 15:16, 17\Q="x.xxx.x-p25.1"), "After this," that is, in the dispensation of Messiah ( Ge 49:10; Ho 3:4, 5; Joe 2:28; 3:1\Q="x.xxx.x-p25.2").
      
tabernacle of David--not "the \ihouse\iof David," which is used of his affairs when prospering ( 2Sa 3:1\Q="x.xxx.x-p26.1"), but the \itent\ior \ibooth,\iexpressing the low condition to which his kingdom and family had fallen in Amos' time, and subsequently at the Babylonian captivity before the restoration; and secondarily, in the last days preceding Israel's restoration under Messiah, the antitype to David ( Ps 102:13, 14; Jer 30:9; Eze 34:24; 37:24\Q="x.xxx.x-p26.2"; see on). The type is taken from architecture ( Eph 2:20\Q="x.xxx.x-p26.5"). The restoration under Zerubbabel can only be a partial, temporary fulfilment; for it did not include Israel, which nation is the main subject of Amos' prophecies, but only Judah; also Zerubbabel's kingdom was not independent and settled; also all the prophets end their prophecies with Messiah, whose advent is the cure of all previous disorders. "Tabernacle" is appropriate to Him, as His human nature is the tabernacle which He assumed in becoming Immanuel, "God with us" ( Joh 1:14\Q="x.xxx.x-p26.6"). "Dwelt," literally, \itabernacled\i"among us" (compare Re 21:3\Q="x.xxx.x-p26.7"). Some understand "the tabernacle of David" as that which David pitched for the ark in Zion, after bringing it from Obed-edom's house. It remained there all his reign for thirty years, till the temple of Solomon was built, whereas the "tabernacle of the congregation" remained at Gibeon ( 2Ch 1:3\Q="x.xxx.x-p26.8"), where the priests ministered in sacrifices ( 1Ch 16:39\Q="x.xxx.x-p26.9"). Song and praise was the service of David's attendants before the ark (Asaph, &c.): a type of the gospel separation between the sacrificial service ( \iMessiah's\ipriesthood now \iin heaven\i) and the access of \ibelievers on earth\ito the presence of God, apart from the former (compare 2Sa 6:12-17; 1Ch 16:37-39; 2Ch 1:3\Q="x.xxx.x-p26.10").
      
breaches thereof--literally, "of them," that is, of the \iwhole\ination, Israel as well as Judah.
      
as in ... days of old--as it was formerly in the days of David and Solomon, when the kingdom was in its full extent and undivided.
      
 \Q="x.xxx.x-p28.1"12. That they may possess ... remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen--"Edom," the bitter foe, though the brother, of Israel; therefore to be punished ( Am 1:11, 12\Q="x.xxx.x-p29.1"), Israel shall be lord of the "remnant" of Edom left after the punishment of the latter. James quotes it, "That \ithe residue of men\imight \iseek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles,\i" &c. For "all the heathen" nations stand on the same footing as \iEdom:\iEdom is the representative of them all. The \iresidue\ior \iremnant\iin both cases expresses those left after great antecedent calamities ( Ro 9:27; Zec 14:16\Q="x.xxx.x-p29.2"). Here the conversion of " \iall\inations" (of which the earnest was given in James's time) is represented as only to be realized on the re-establishment of the theocracy under Messiah, the Heir of the throne of David ( Am 9:11\Q="x.xxx.x-p29.3"). The possession of the heathen nations by Israel is to be spiritual, the latter being the ministers to the former for their conversion to Messiah, King of the Jews; just as the first conversions of pagans were through the ministry of the apostles, who were Jews. Compare Isa 54:3\Q="x.xxx.x-p29.4", "thy seed shall \iinherit the Gentiles\i" (compare Isa 49:8; Ro 4:13\Q="x.xxx.x-p29.5"). A remnant of Edom became Jews under John Hyrcanus, and the rest amalgamated with the Arabians, who became Christians subsequently.
      
which are called by my name--that is, who belong to Me, whom I claim as Mine ( Ps 2:8\Q="x.xxx.x-p30.1"); in the purposes of electing grace, God terms them already \icalled by His name.\iCompare the title, "the children," applied by anticipation, Heb 2:14\Q="x.xxx.x-p30.2". Hence as an act of sovereign grace, fulfilling His promise, it is spoken of God. Proclaim His title as sovereign, "the Lord that doeth this" ("all these things," Ac 15:17\Q="x.xxx.x-p30.3", namely, all these and such like acts of sovereign love).
      
 \Q="x.xxx.x-p30.4"13. the days come--at the future restoration of the Jews to their own land.
      
ploughman shall overtake ... reaper ... treader of grapes him that soweth--fulfilling Le 26:5\Q="x.xxx.x-p32.1". Such shall be the abundance that the harvest and vintage can hardly be gathered before the time for preparing for the next crop shall come. Instead of the greater part of the year being spent in war, the whole shall be spent in sowing and reaping the fruits of earth. Compare Isa 65:21-23\Q="x.xxx.x-p32.2", as to the same period.
      
soweth seed--literally, "draweth it forth," namely, from the sack in order to sow it.
      
mountains ... drop sweet wine--an appropriate image, as the vines in Palestine were trained on \iterraces at the sides of the hills.\i
      
 \Q="x.xxx.x-p34.1"14. build the waste cities--( Isa 61:4; Eze 36:33-36\Q="x.xxx.x-p35.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxx.x-p35.2"15. plant them ... no more be pulled up--( Jer 32:41\Q="x.xxx.x-p36.1").
      
thy God--Israel's; this is the ground of their restoration, God's original choice of them as His.
      
\C2="Obadiah"
THE BOOK OF
OBADIAH
 \iCommentary by\iA. R. Faussett
      

\C3="Introduction"INTRODUCTION
      
This is the shortest book in the Old Testament. The name means "servant of Jehovah." Obadiah stands fourth among the minor prophets according to the Hebrew arrangement of the canon, the fifth according to the Greek. Some consider him to be the same as the Obadiah who superintended the restoration of the temple under Josiah, 627B.C.( 2Ch 34:12\Q="x.xxxi.i-p2.2"). But Ob 11-16, 20\Q="x.xxxi.i-p2.3"imply that Jerusalem was by this time overthrown by the Chaldeans, and that he refers to the cruelty of Edom towards the Jews on that occasion, which is referred to also in La 4:21, 22; Eze 25:12-14; 35:1-15; Ps 137:7\Q="x.xxxi.i-p2.4". From comparing Ob 5 with Jer 49:9\Q="x.xxxi.i-p2.5", Ob 6 with Jer 49:10\Q="x.xxxi.i-p2.6", Ob 8 with Jer 49:7\Q="x.xxxi.i-p2.7", it appears that Jeremiah embodied in his prophecies part of Obadiah's, as he had done in the case of other prophets also (compare Isa 15:1-16:14 with Jer 48:1-47\Q="x.xxxi.i-p2.8"). The reason for the present position of Obadiah before other of the minor prophets anterior in date is: Amos at the close of his prophecies foretells the subjugation of Edom hereafter by the Jews; the arranger of the minor prophets in one volume, therefore, placed Obadiah next, as being a fuller statement, and, as it were, a commentary on the foregoing briefer prophecy of Amos as to Edom [Maurer]. (Compare Am 1:11\Q="x.xxxi.i-p2.10"). The date of Obadiah's prophecies was probably immediately after the taking of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, 588B.C.Five years afterwards (583B.C.) Edom was conquered by Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah must have incorporated part of Obadiah's prophecies with his own immediately after they were uttered, thus stamping his canonicity.
      
Jeromemakes him contemporary with Hosea, Joel, and Amos. It is an argument in favor of this view that Jeremiah would be more likely to insert in his prophecies a portion from a preceding prophet than from a contemporary. If so, the allusion in Ob 11-14\Q="x.xxxi.i-p3.2"will be to one of the former captures of Jerusalem: by the Egyptians under Rehoboam ( 1Ki 14:25, 26; 2Ch 12:2\Q="x.xxxi.i-p3.3", &c.), or that by the Philistines and Arabians in the reign of Joram ( 2Ch 21:16, 17\Q="x.xxxi.i-p3.4"); or that by Joash, king of Israel, in the reign of Amaziah ( 2Ch 25:22, 23\Q="x.xxxi.i-p3.5"); or that in the reign of Jehoiakim ( 2Ki 24:1\Q="x.xxxi.i-p3.6", &c.); or that in the reign of Jehoiachin ( 2Ki 24:8-16\Q="x.xxxi.i-p3.7"). On all occasions the Idumeans were hostile to the Jews; and the terms in which that enmity is characterized are not stronger in Obadiah than in Joe 3:19 (compare Ob 10); Am 1:11, 12\Q="x.xxxi.i-p3.8". The probable capture of Jerusalem alluded to by Obadiah is that by Joash and the Israelites in the reign of Amaziah. For as, a little before, in the reign of the same Amaziah, the Jews had treated harshly the Edomites after conquering them in battle ( 2Ch 25:11-23\Q="x.xxxi.i-p3.9"), it is probable that the Edomites, in revenge, joined the Israelites in the attack on Jerusalem [Jaeger].
      
This book may be divided into two parts: (1) Ob 1-6\Q="x.xxxi.i-p4.1"set forth Edom's violence toward his brother Israel in the day of the latter's distress, and his coming destruction with the rest of the foes of Judah; (2) Ob 17-21\Q="x.xxxi.i-p4.2", the coming re-establishment of the Jews in their own possessions, to which shall be added those of the neighboring peoples, and especially those of Edom.
      

\C3="Chapter 1" \Q="x.xxxi.ii-p0.1"CHAPTER 1
      
 \Q="x.xxxi.ii-p1.1" Ob 1-21\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p2.1".Doom of Edom for Cruelty to Judah, Edom's Brother; Restoration of the Jews.
      
1. Obadiah--that is, servant of Jehovah; same as \iAbdeel\iand \iArabic Abd-allah.\i
      
We--I and my people.
      
heard--( Isa 21:10\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p5.1").
      
and an ambassador is sent--Yea, an ambassador is \ialready\isent, namely, an angel, to stir up the Assyrians (and afterwards the Chaldeans) against Edom. The result of the ambassador's message on the heathen is, they simultaneously exclaim, "Arise ye, and let us (with united strength) rise," &c. Jer 49:14\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p6.1"quotes this.
      
 \Q="x.xxxi.ii-p6.2"2. I have made thee small--Thy reduction to insignificance is \ias sure as if it were already accomplished;\itherefore the past tense is used [Maurer]. Edom then extended from Dedan of Arabia to Bozrah in the north ( Jer 49:8, 13\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p7.2").Calvinexplains it, "Whereas thou wast made by Me an insignificant people, why art thou so \iproud\i" ( Ob 3\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p7.4")? But if so, why should the heathen peoples be needed to subdue one so insignificant? Jer 49:15\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p7.5", confirmsMaurer'sview.
      
 \Q="x.xxxi.ii-p7.7"3. clefts of ... rock--( So 2:14; Jer 48:28\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p8.1"). The cities of Edom, and among them Petra ( \iHebrew, sela,\imeaning "rock," 2Ki 14:7\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p8.2", \iMargin\i), the capital, in the Wady Musa, consisted of houses mostly cut in the rocks.
      
 \Q="x.xxxi.ii-p8.3"4. exalt \ithyself\i--or supply from the second clause, "thy nest" [Maurer] (Compare Job 20:6; Jer 49:16; Am 9:2\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p9.2").
      
set ... nest among ... stars--namely, on the loftiest hills which seem to reach the very stars. Edom is a type of Antichrist ( Isa 14:13; Da 8:10; 11:37\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p10.1").
      
thence will I bring thee down--in spite of thy boast ( Ob 3\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p11.1"), " \iWho\ishall bring me down?"
      
 \Q="x.xxxi.ii-p11.2"5.The spoliation which thou shalt suffer shall not be such as that which thieves cause, bad as that is, for these when they have seized enough, or all they can get in a hurry, leave the rest--nor such as grape-gatherers cause in a vineyard, for they, when they have gathered most of the grapes, leave gleanings behind--but it shall be utter, so as to leave thee nothing. The exclamation, "How art thou cut off!" bursting in amidst the words of the image, marks strongly excited feeling. The contrast between Edom where no gleanings shall be left, and Israel where at the worst a gleaning is left ( Isa 17:6; 24:13\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p12.1"), is striking.
      
 \Q="x.xxxi.ii-p12.2"6. How are \ithe things of\iEsau searched out!--by hostile soldiers seeking booty. Compare with Ob 5, 6 here, Jer 49:9, 10\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p13.1".
      
hidden things--or "places." Edom abounded in such hiding-places, as caves, clefts in the rock, &c. None of these would be left unexplored by the foe.
      
 \Q="x.xxxi.ii-p14.1"7. Men of thy confederacy--that is, thy confederates.
      
brought thee ... to the border--that is, when Idumean ambassadors shall go to confederate states seeking aid, these latter shall conduct them with due ceremony to their border, giving them empty compliments, but not the aid required [Drusius]. This view agrees with the context, which speaks of false friends \ideceiving\iEdom: that is, failing to give help in need (compare Job 6:14, 15\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p16.2").Calvintranslates, "have \idriven,\i" that is, \ishall drive thee;\ishall help to drive thee \ito thy border\ion thy way into captivity in foreign lands.
      
the men that were at peace with thee--literally, "the men of thy peace." Compare Ps 41:9; Jer 38:22\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p17.1", \iMargin,\iwhere also the same formula occurs, "prevailed against thee."
      
they that eat thy bread--the poorer tribes of the desert who subsisted on the bounty of Edom. Compare again Ps 41:9\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p18.1", which seems to have been before Obadiah's mind, as his words were before Jeremiah's.
      
have laid a wound under thee--"laid" implies that their intimacy was used as aSNARE \ilaid\iwith a view to wound; also, these guest friends of Edom, instead of the cushions ordinarily \ilaid\iunder guests at table, \ilaid\isnares to wound, that is, had a secret understanding with Edom's foe for that purpose.Maurertranslates, "a snare." But \iEnglish Version\iagrees with the \iHebrew,\iwhich means, literally, "a bandage for a wound."
      
none understanding--none of the wisdom for which Edom was famed (see Ob 8\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p20.1") to extricate him from his perilous position.
      
in him--instead of "in thee." The change implies the alienation of God from Edom: Edom has so estranged himself from God, that He speaks now \iof\ihim, not \ito\ihim.
      
 \Q="x.xxxi.ii-p21.1"8.( Isa 49:7\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p22.1"; compare Job 5:12, 13; Isa 19:3; Jer 19:7\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p22.2").
      
in that day ... even destroy--Heretofore Edom, through its intercourse with Babylon and Egypt, and from its means of information through the many caravans passing to and fro between Europe and India, has been famed for knowledge; but in that day \iat last\i("even") I will destroy its wise men.
      
mount of Esau--that is, Idumea, which was a mountainous region.
      
 \Q="x.xxxi.ii-p24.1"9. cut off by slaughter--Maurertranslates, "on account of the slaughter," namely, that inflicted on Judea by Edom (compare Ob 14\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p25.2"). The \iSeptuagint, Syriac,\iand \iVulgate\iconnect these words with Ob 10\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p25.3", "for the slaughter, for the violence (of which thou art guilty) against thy brother Jacob." \iEnglish Version,\i"cut off \iby slaughter\i" (that is, an \iutter\icutting off), answers well to "cut off \ifor ever\i" ( Ob 10\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p25.4"). However, the arrangement of the \iSeptuagint\igives a better parallelism in Ob 10\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p25.5". "For the \islaughter\i" (1) being balanced in just retribution by "thou shalt be \icut off\ifor ever" (4); as "For thy \iviolence\i(not so bad as \islaughter\i) against thy brother Jacob" (2) is balanced by " \ishame\i(not so bad as being \icut off\i) shall cover thee" (3). Shame and extinction shall repay violence and slaughter ( Mt 26:52; Re 13:10\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p25.6"). Compare as to Edom's violence, Ps 137:7; Eze 25:12; Am 1:11\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p25.7".
      
 \Q="x.xxxi.ii-p25.8"10. against thy brother--This aggravates the sin of Esau, that it was against him who was his brother by birth and by circumcision. The posterity of Esau followed in the steps of their father's hatred to Jacob by violence against Jacob's seed ( Ge 27:41\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p26.1").
      
Jacob--not merely his own brother, but his \itwin\ibrother; hence the name \iJacob,\inot Israel, is here put emphatically. Compare De 23:7\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p27.1"for the opposite feeling which Jacob's seed was commanded to entertain towards Edom's.
      
shame ... cover thee--( Ps 35:26; 69:7\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p28.1").
      
for ever--( Isa 34:10; Eze 35:9; Mal 1:4\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p29.1"). Idumea, \ias a nation,\ishould be "cut off for ever," though the land should be again inhabited.
      
 \Q="x.xxxi.ii-p29.2"11. thou stoodest on the other side--in an attitude of hostility, rather than the sympathy which became a brother, feasting thine eyes (see Ob 12\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p30.1") with the misery of Jacob, and eagerly watching for his destruction. So Messiah, the antitype to Jerusalem, abandoned by His kinsmen ( Ps 38:11\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p30.2").
      
strangers--the Philistines, Arabians in the reign of Jehoram, &c. ( 2Ch 21:16\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p31.1"); the Syrians in the reign of Joash of Judah ( 2Ch 24:24\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p31.2"); the Chaldeans ( 2Ch 36:1-23\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p31.3").
      
carried ... captive his forces--his "host" ( Ob 20\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p32.1"): the multitude of Jerusalem's inhabitants.
      
cast lots upon Jerusalem--( Joe 3:3\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p33.1"). So Messiah, Jerusalem's antitype, had lots cast for His only earthly possessions ( Ps 22:18\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p33.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxi.ii-p33.3"12. looked on--with malignant pleasure, and a brutal stare. So the antitypes, Messiah's foes ( Ps 22:17\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p34.1").Maurertranslates, as the \iMargin,\i"thou shouldest not look" any more. \iEnglish Version\iagrees with the context better.
      
the day of thy brother--his day of calamity.
      
became a stranger--that is, was banished as an alien from his own land. God sends heavy calamities on those who rejoice in the calamities of their enemies ( Pr 17:5; 24:17, 18\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p36.1"). Contrast the opposite conduct of David and of the divine Son of David in a like case ( Ps 35:13-15\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p36.2").
      
spoken proudly--literally, "made great the mouth"; proudly insulting the fallen ( Eze 35:13\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p37.1", \iMargin;\icompare 1Sa 2:8; Re 13:6\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p37.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxi.ii-p37.3"13. substance--translated "forces" in Ob 11\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p38.1".
      
 \Q="x.xxxi.ii-p38.2"14. stood in the crossway, to cut off those of his--Judah's.
      
that did escape--The Jews naturally fled by the crossways. (Maurertranslates, "narrow mountain passes") well known to them, to escape to the desert, and through Edom to Egypt; but the Edomites stood ready to intercept the fugitives and either kill or "deliver them up" to the foe.
      
 \Q="x.xxxi.ii-p40.2"15. For--resumptive in connection with Ob 10\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p41.1", wherein Edom was threatened with \icutting off for ever.\i
      
the day of the Lord--the day in which He will manifest Himself as the Righteous Punisher of the ungodly peoples ( Joe 3:14\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p42.1"). The "all" shows that the fulfilment is not exhausted in the punishment inflicted on the surrounding nations by the instrumentality of Nebuchadnezzar; but, as in Joe 3:14, and Zec 12:3\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p42.2", that the last judgment to come on the nations confederate against Jerusalem is referred to.
      
as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee--the righteous principle of retribution in kind ( Le 24:17; Mt 7:2\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p43.1"; compare Jud 1:6, 7; 8:19; Es 7:10\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p43.2").
      
thy reward--the reward of thy deed (compare Isa 3:9-11\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p44.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxi.ii-p44.2"16. ye ... upon my holy mountain--a periphrasis for, "ye Jews" [Maurer], whom Obadiah now by a sudden apostrophe addresses. The clause, "upon My holy mountain," expresses the reason of the vengeance to be taken on Judah's foes; namely, that Jerusalem is God's holy mountain, the seat of His temple, and Judah His covenant-people. Jer 49:12\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p45.2", which is copied from Obadiah, establishes this view (compare 1Pe 4:17\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p45.3").
      
as ye have drunk,&c.--namely, the cup of wrath, being dispossessed of your goods and places as a nation, by Edom and all the heathen; so shall all the heathen (Edom included) drink the same cup ( Ps 60:3; Isa 51:17, 22; Jer 13:12, 13; 25:15-33; 49:12; 51:7; La 4:21, 22\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p46.1" Na 3:11; Hab 2:16\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p46.2").
      
continually--whereas Judah's calamity shall be temporary ( Ob 17\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p47.1"). The foes of Judah shall never regain their former position ( Ob 18, 19\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p47.2").
      
swallow down--so as not to leave anything in the cup of calamity; not merely "drink" ( Ps 75:8\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p48.1").
      
be as though they had not been--not a trace left of their national existence ( Job 10:19; Ps 37:36; Eze 26:21\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p49.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxi.ii-p49.2"17. upon ... Zion ... deliverance--both in the literal sense and spiritual sense ( Joe 2:32; Isa 46:13; 59:20; Ro 11:26\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p50.1").Maureras the \iMargin\iexplains it, "there shall be a remnant that shall escape." Compare Isa 37:32\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p50.3"; to the deliverance from Sennacherib there describedGrotiusthinks Obadiah here refers. "Jerusalem shall not be taken, and many of the neighboring peoples also shall find deliverance there." Unlike Judah's heathen foes of whom no remnant shall escape ( Ob 9, 16\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p50.5"), a remnant of Jews shall escape when the rest of the nation has perished, and shall regain their ancient "possessions."
      
there shall be holiness--that is, Zion shall be sacrosanct or inviolable: no more violated by foreign invaders ( Isa 42:1; Joe 3:17\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p51.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxi.ii-p51.2"18. fire--See the same figure, Nu 21:28; Isa 5:24; 10:17\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p52.1".
      
house of Jacob ... Joseph--that is, the two kingdoms, Judah and Ephraim or Israel [Jerome]. The two shall form one kingdom, their former feuds being laid aside ( Isa 11:12, 13; 37:22-28; Jer 3:18; Ho 1:11\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p53.2"). The Jews returned with some of the Israelites from Babylon; and, under John Hyrcanus, so subdued and, compelling them to be circumcised, incorporated the Idumeans with themselves that they formed part of the nation [Josephus, \iAntiquities,\i13.17; 12.11]. This was but an earnest of the future union of Israel and Judah in the possession of the enlarged land as one kingdom ( Eze 37:16\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p53.4", &c.).
      
stubble--( Mal 4:1\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p54.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxi.ii-p54.2"19. they of the south--The Jews who in the coming time are to occupy the south of Judea shall possess, in addition to their own territory, the adjoining \imountainous region of Edom.\i
      
they of the plain--The Jews who shall occupy the low country along the Mediterranean, south and southwest of Palestine, shall possess, in addition to their own territory, the land of "the Philistines," which runs as a long strip between the hills and the sea.
      
and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim--that is, the rightful owners shall be restored, the Ephraimites to the fields of Ephraim.
      
Benjamin shall possess Gilead--that is, the region east of Jordan, occupied formerly by Reuben, Gad, and half Manasseh. Benjamin shall possess besides its own territory the adjoining territory eastward, while the two and a half tribes shall in the redistribution occupy the adjoining territory of Moab and Ammon.
      
 \Q="x.xxxi.ii-p58.1"20. the captivity of this host--that is, the captives of this multitude of Israelites.
      
shall possess that of the Canaanites--Maurertranslates, "the captives ... whom the Canaanites (carried away captive into Phœnicia) even unto Zarephath, shall possess the south," namely, Idumea as well as the south ( Ob 19\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p60.2").Henderson, similarly, "the captives that are among the Canaanites," &c. But the corresponding clauses of the parallelism are better balanced in \iEnglish Version,\i"the ten tribes of Israel shall possess the territory of the Canaanites," namely, Western Palestine and Phœnicia ( Jud 3:3\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p60.4"). "And the captives of Jerusalem (and Judah) shall possess the southern cities," namely, Edom, &c. Each has the region respectively adjoining assigned to it; Israel has the western Canaanite region; Judah, the southern.
      
even unto Zarephath--near Zidon; called Sarepta in Lu 4:26\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p61.1". The name implies it was a place for smelting metals. From this quarter came the "woman of Canaan" ( Mt 15:21, 22\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p61.2"). Captives of the Jews had been carried into the coasts of Palestine or Canaan, about Tyre and Zidon ( Joe 3:3, 4; Am 1:9\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p61.3"). The Jews when restored shall possess the territory of their ancient oppressors.
      
in Sepharad--that is, the Bosphorus [Jerome, from his \iHebrew Instructor\i]. Sephar, according to others ( Ge 10:30\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p62.2"). Palæography confirmsJerome. In the cuneiform inscription containing a list of the tribes of Persia [Niebuhr, \iTab.\i31.1], before Ionia and Greece, and after Cappadocia, comes the name CPaRaD. It was therefore a district of Western Asia Minor, about Lydia, and near the Bosphorus. It is made an appellative byMaurer. "The Jerusalem captives \iof the dispersion\i" (compare Jas 1:1\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p62.6"), wherever they be dispersed, shall return and possess the southern cities. Sepharad, though literally the district near the Bosphorus, represents the Jews' far and wide dispersion.Jeromesays the name in Assyrian means a \iboundary,\ithat is, "the Jews scattered in all boundaries and regions."
      
 \Q="x.xxxi.ii-p62.8"21. saviours--There will be in the kingdom yet to come no king, but a prince; the sabbatic period of the judges will return (compare the phrase so frequent in Judges, only once found in the times of the kings, 2Ch 14:1\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p63.1", "the land had \irest\i"), when there was no visible king, but God reigned in the theocracy. Israelites, not strangers, shall dispense justice to a God-fearing people ( Isa 1:26; Eze 45:1-25\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p63.2"). The judges were not such a burden to the people as the kings proved afterwards ( 1Sa 8:11-20\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p63.3"). In their time the people more readily repented than under the kings (compare 2Ch 15:17\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p63.4"), [Roos]. Judges were from time to time raised up as \isaviours\ior \ideliverers\iof Israel from the enemy. These, and the similar deliverers in the long subsequent age of Antiochus, the Maccabees, who conquered the \iIdumeans\i(as here foretold, compare 2 Maccabees 10:15,23\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p63.6"), were types of the peaceful period yet to come to Israel.
      
to judge ... Esau-- \ito punish\i(so "judge," 1Sa 3:13\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p64.1") ... Edom (compare Ob 1-9, 15-19\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p64.2"). Edom is the type of Israel's and God's last foes ( Isa 63:1-4\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p64.3").
      
kingdom shall be the Lord's--under Messiah ( Da 2:44; 7:14, 27; Zec 14:9; Lu 1:33; Re 11:15; 19:6\Q="x.xxxi.ii-p65.1").
      
\C2="Jonah"
THE BOOK OF
JONAH
 \iCommentary by\iA. R. Faussett
      

\C3="Introduction"INTRODUCTION
      
Jonahwas the son of Amittai, of Gath-hepher in Zebulun (called Gittah-hepher in Jos 19:10-13\Q="x.xxxii.i-p2.2"), so that he belonged to the kingdom of the ten tribes, not to Judah. His date is to be gathered from 2Ki 14:25-27\Q="x.xxxii.i-p2.3", "He (Jeroboam II) restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which He spake by the hand of His servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gath-hepher. For the Lord saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter: for there was not any shut up, nor any left, nor any helper for Israel. And the Lord said not that He would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven: but He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash." Now as this prophecy of Jonah was given at a time when Israel was at the lowest point of depression, when "there was not any shut up or left," that is, confined or left at large, none to act as a helper for Israel, it cannot have been given in Jeroboam's reign, which was marked by prosperity, for in it Syria was worsted in fulfilment of the prophecy, and Israel raised to its former "greatness." It must have been, therefore, in the early part of the reign of Joash, Jeroboam's father, who had found Israel in subjection to Syria, but had raised it by victories which were followed up so successfully by Jeroboam. Thus Jonah was the earliest of the prophets, and close upon Elisha, who died in Joash's reign, having just before his death given a token prophetical of the thrice defeat of Syria ( 2Ki 13:14-21\Q="x.xxxii.i-p2.4"). Hosea and Amos prophesied also in the reign of Jeroboam II, but towards the closing part of his forty-one years' reign. The transactions in the Book of Jonah probably occurred in the latter part of his life; if so, the book is not much older than part of the writings of Hosea and Amos. The use of the third person is no argument against Jonah himself being the writer: for the sacred writers in mentioning themselves do so in the third person (compare Joh 19:26\Q="x.xxxii.i-p2.5"). Nor is the use of the past tense ( Jon 3:3\Q="x.xxxii.i-p2.6", "Now Nineveh \iwas\ian exceeding great city") a proof that Nineveh's greatness was past when the Book of Jonah was being written; it is simply used to carry on the negative uniformly,--"the word of the Lord \icame\ito Jonah ... so Jonah \iarose\i... now Nineveh \iwas,\i" &c. ( Jon 1:1; 3:3\Q="x.xxxii.i-p2.7"). The mention of its \igreatness\iproves rather that the book was written at an early date, \ibefore\ithe Israelites had that intimate knowledge of it which they must have had soon afterwards through frequent Assyrian inroads.
      
As early asJulianandPorphyry, pagans ridiculed the credulity of Christians in believing the deliverance of Jonah by a fish. Some infidels have derived it from the heathen fable of the deliverance of Andromeda from a sea monster by Perseus [Apollodorus, \iThe Library,\i2.4,3]; or from that of Arion the musician thrown into the sea by sailors, and carried safe to shore on a dolphin [Herodotus, \iHistory,\i1.24]; or from that of Hercules, who sprang into the jaws of a sea monster, and was three days in its belly, when he undertook to save Hesione [Diodorus Siculus, \iHistorical Library,\i4.42;Homer, \iThe Iliad,\i20.145; 21.442]. Probably the heathen fables are, vice versa, corruptions of the sacred narrative, if there be any connection.Jeromestates that near Joppa lay rocks, pointed out as those to which Andromeda was bound when exposed to the sea monster. This fable implies the likelihood of the story of Jonah having passed through the Phœnicians in a corrupted form to Greece. That the account of Jonah is history, and not parable (as rationalists represent), appears from our Lord's reference to it, in which the \ipersonal existence, miraculous fate,\iand \iprophetical office\iof Jonah are explicitly asserted: "No sign shall be given but the \isign\iof \ithe prophet\iJonas: for, as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" ( Mt 12:39, 40\Q="x.xxxii.i-p3.8"). The Lord recognizes his being in the belly of the fish as a "sign," that is, a real miracle, typical of a similar event in His own history; and assumes the execution of the prophet's commission to Nineveh, "The men of Nineveh ... repented at the preaching of Jonas; and behold, a greater than Jonas is here" ( Mt 12:41\Q="x.xxxii.i-p3.9").
      
It seemed strange toKimchi, a Jew himself, that the Book of Jonah is among the Scriptures, as the only prophecy in it concerns Nineveh, a heathen city, and makes no mention of Israel, which is referred to by every other prophet. The reason seems to be: a tacit reproof of Israel is intended; a heathen people were ready to repent at the first preaching of the prophet, a stranger to them; but Israel, who boasted of being God's elect, repented not, though warned by their own prophets at all seasons. This was an anticipatory streak of light before the dawn of the full "light to lighten the Gentiles" ( Lu 2:32\Q="x.xxxii.i-p4.2"). Jonah is himself a strange paradox: a prophet of God, and yet a runaway from God: a man drowned, and yet alive: a preacher of repentance, yet one that repines at repentance. Yet Jonah, saved from the jaws of death himself on repentance, was the fittest to give a hope to Nineveh, doomed though it was, of a merciful respite on its repentance. The patience and pity of God stand in striking contrast with the selfishness and hard-heartedness of man.
      
Nineveh in particular was chosen to teach Israel these lessons, on account of its being capital of the then world kingdom, and because it was now beginning to make its power felt by Israel. Our Lord ( Mt 12:41\Q="x.xxxii.i-p5.1") makes Nineveh's repentance a reproof of the Jews' impenitence in His day, just as Jonah provoked Israel to jealousy ( De 32:21\Q="x.xxxii.i-p5.2") by the same example. Jonah's mission to Nineveh implied that a heathen city afforded as legitimate a field for the prophet's labors as Israel, and with a more successful result (compare Am 9:7\Q="x.xxxii.i-p5.3").
      
The book is prose narrative throughout, except the prayer of thanksgiving in the second chapter ( Jon 2:1-9\Q="x.xxxii.i-p6.1"). The Chaldæisms in the original do not prove spuriousness, or a later age, but were natural in the language of one living in Zebulun on the borders of the north, whence \iAramaic\ipeculiarities would readily arise; moreover, his message to Nineveh implies acquaintance with Assyrian. Living as Jonah did in a part of Israel exposed to Assyrian invasions, he probably stood in the same relation to Assyria as Elijah and Elisha had stood to Syria. The purity of the language implies the antiquity of the book, and the likelihood of its being Jonah's own writing. Indeed, none but Jonah could have written or dictated such peculiar details, known only to himself.
      
The tradition that places the tomb of Jonah opposite to Mosul, and names it "Nebbi Junus" (that is, "prophet Jonah"), originated probably in the spot having been occupied by a Christian church or convent dedicated to him [Layard]. A more ancient tradition ofJerome'stime placed the tomb in Jonah's native village of Gath-hepher.
      

\C3="Chapter 1" \Q="x.xxxii.ii-p0.1"CHAPTER 1
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.ii-p1.1" Jon 1:1-17\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p2.1".Jonah's Commission to Nineveh, Flight, Punishment, and Preservation by Miracle.
      
1. Jonah--meaning in \iHebrew,\i"dove." Compare Ge 8:8, 9\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p3.1", where the dove in vain seeks rest after flying from Noah and the ark: so Jonah.Grotiusnot so well explains it, "one sprung from Greece" or Ionia, where there were prophets called \iAmythaonidæ.\i
      
Amittai-- \iHebrew\ifor "truth," "truth-telling"; appropriate to a prophet.
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.ii-p4.1"2. to Nineveh--east of the Tigris, opposite the modern Mosul. The only case of a prophet being sent to the heathen. Jonah, however, is sent to Nineveh, not solely for Nineveh's good, but also to shame \iIsrael,\iby the fact of a heathen city repenting at the first preaching of a single stranger, Jonah, whereas God's people will not repent, though preached to by their many national prophets, late and early. Nineveh means "the residence of Ninus," that is, Nimrod. Ge 10:11\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p5.1", where the translation ought to be, " \iHe\i(Nimrod) went forth \iinto Assyria\iand builded Nineveh." Modern research into the cuneiform inscriptions confirms the Scripture account that Babylon was founded earlier than Nineveh, and that both cities were built by descendants of Ham, encroaching on the territory assigned to Shem ( Ge 10:5, 6, 8, 10, 25\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p5.2").
      
great city--four hundred eighty stadia in circumference, one hundred fifty in length, and ninety in breadth [Diodorus Siculus, 2.3]. Taken by Arbaces the Mede, in the reign of Sardanapalus, about the seventh year of Uzziah; and a second time by Nabopolassar of Babylon and Cyaxares the Mede in 625B.C.See on.
      
cry--( Isa 40:6; 58:1\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p7.1").
      
come up before me--( Ge 4:10; 6:13; 18:21; Ezr 9:6; Re 18:5\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p8.1"); that is, their wickedness is so great as to require My open interposition for punishment.
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.ii-p8.2"3. flee--Jonah's motive for flight is hinted at in Jon 4:2\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p9.1": fear that after venturing on such a dangerous commission to so powerful a heathen city, his prophetical threats should be set aside by God's "repenting of the evil," just as God had so long spared Israel notwithstanding so many provocations, and so he should seem a false prophet. Besides, he may have felt it beneath him to discharge a commission to a foreign idolatrous nation, whose destruction he desired rather than their repentance. This is the only case of a prophet, charged with a prophetical message, concealing it.
      
from the presence of the Lord--(Compare Ge 4:16\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p10.1"). Jonah thought in fleeing from the land of Israel, where Jehovah was peculiarly present, that he should escape from Jehovah's prophecy-inspiring influence. He probably knew the truth stated in Ps 139:7-10\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p10.2", but virtually ignored it (compare Ge 3:8-10; Jer 23:24\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p10.3").
      
went down--appropriate in going from land to the sea ( Ps 107:23\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p11.1").
      
Joppa--now Jaffa, in the region of Dan; a harbor as early as Solomon's time ( 2Ch 2:16\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p12.1").
      
Tarshish--Tartessus in Spain; in the farthest west at the greatest distance from Nineveh in the east.
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.ii-p13.1"4. sent out--literally, \icaused\ia wind \ito burst forth.\iCoverdaletranslates, "hurled a greate wynde into the see."
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.ii-p14.2"5. mariners were afraid--though used to storms; the danger therefore must have been extreme.
      
cried every man unto his god--The idols proved unable to save them, though each, according to Phœnician custom, called on his tutelary god. But Jehovah proved able: and the heathen sailors owned it in the end by sacrificing to Him ( Jon 1:16\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p16.1").
      
into the sides--that is, the interior recesses (compare 1Sa 24:3; Isa 14:13, 15\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p17.1"). Those conscious of guilt shrink from the presence of their fellow man into concealment.
      
fast asleep--Sleep is no necessary proof of innocence; it may be the fruit of carnal security and a seared conscience. How different was Jesus' sleep on the Sea of Galilee! ( Mr 4:37-39\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p18.1"). Guilty Jonah's indifference to fear contrasts with the unoffending mariners' alarm. The original therefore is in the nominative absolute: "But \ias for Jonah,\ihe," &c. Compare spiritually, Eph 5:14\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p18.2".
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.ii-p18.3"6. call upon thy God--The ancient heathen in dangers called on foreign gods, besides their national ones (compare Ps 107:28\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p19.1").Maurertranslates the preceding clause, "What is the reason that thou sleepest?"
      
think upon us--for good (compare Ge 8:1; Ex 2:25; 3:7, 9; Ps 40:17\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p20.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.ii-p20.2"7. cast lots--God sometimes sanctioned this mode of deciding in difficult cases. Compare the similar instance of Achan, whose guilt involved Israel in suffering, until God revealed the offender, probably by the casting of lots ( Pr 16:33; Ac 1:26\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p21.1"). Primitive tradition and natural conscience led even the heathen to believe that one guilty man involves all his associates, though innocent, in punishment. SoCicero[ \iThe Nature of the Gods,\i3.37] mentions that the mariners sailing with Diagoras, an atheist, attributed a storm that overtook them to his presence in the ship (compareHorace's \iOdes,\i3.2.26).
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.ii-p21.4"8.The guilty individual being discovered is interrogated so as to make full confession with his own mouth. So in Achan's case ( Jos 7:19\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p22.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.ii-p22.2"9. I am an Hebrew--He does not say "an Israelite." For this was the name used among themselves; "Hebrew," among foreigners ( Ge 40:15; Ex 3:18\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p23.1").
      
I fear the Lord--in profession: his practice belied his profession: his profession aggravated his guilt.
      
God ... which ... made the sea--appropriately expressed, as accounting for the tempest sent on the \isea.\iThe heathen had distinct gods for the "heaven," the "sea," and the "land." Jehovah is the one and only true God of all alike. Jonah at last is awakened by the violent remedy from his lethargy. Jonah was but the reflection of Israel's backsliding from God, and so must bear the righteous punishment. The guilt of the minister is the result of that of the people, as in Moses' case ( De 4:21\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p25.1"). This is what makes Jonah a suitable type of Messiah, who bore the \iimputed\isin of the people.
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.ii-p25.2"10."The men were exceedingly afraid," when made aware of the wrath of so powerful a God at the flight of Jonah.
      
Why hast thou done this?--If professors of religion do wrong, they will hear of it from those who make no such profession.
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.ii-p27.1"11. What shall we do unto thee?--They ask this, as Jonah himself must best know how his God is to be appeased. "We would gladly save thee, if we can do so, and yet be saved ourselves" ( Jon 1:13, 14\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p28.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.ii-p28.2"12. cast me ... into the sea--Herein Jonah is a type of Messiah, the one man who offered Himself to die, in order to allay the stormy flood of God's wrath (compare Ps 69:1, 2\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p29.1", as to Messiah), which otherwise must have engulfed all other men. So Caiaphas by the Spirit declared it expedient that one man should die, and that the whole nation should not perish ( Joh 11:50\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p29.2"). Jonah also herein is a specimen of true repentance, which leads the penitent to "accept the punishment of his iniquity" ( Le 26:41, 43\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p29.3"), and to be more indignant at his sin than at his suffering.
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.ii-p29.4"13. they could not--( Pr 21:30\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p30.1"). Wind and tide--God's displeasure and God's counsel--were against them.
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.ii-p30.2"14. for this man's life--that is, for taking this man's life.
      
innocent blood--Do not punish us as Thou wouldst punish the shedders of innocent blood (compare De 21:8\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p32.1"). In the case of the Antitype, Pontius Pilate washed his hands and confessed Christ's \iinnocence,\i"I am innocent of the blood of this \ijust\iperson." But whereas Jonah the victim was guilty and the sailors innocent, Christ our sacrificial victim was innocent and Pontius Pilate and nil of us men were guilty. But by \iimputation\iof our guilt to Him and His righteousness to us, the spotless Antitype exactly corresponds to the guilty type.
      
thou ... Lord, hast done as it pleased thee--That Jonah has embarked in this ship, that a tempest has arisen, that he has been detected by casting of lots, that he has passed sentence on himself, is all Thy doing. We reluctantly put him to death, but it is Thy pleasure it should be so.
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.ii-p33.1"15. sea ceased ... raging--so at Jesus' word ( Lu 8:24\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p34.1"). God spares the prayerful penitent, a truth illustrated now in the case of the sailors, presently in that of Jonah, and thirdly, in that of Nineveh.
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.ii-p34.2"16. offered a sacrifice--They offered some sacrifice of thanksgiving at once, and vowed more when they should land.Glassiusthinks it means only, "They \ipromised\ito offer a sacrifice."
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.ii-p35.2"17. prepared a great fish--not \icreated\ispecially for this purpose, but appointed in His providence, to which all creatures are subservient. The fish, through a mistranslation of Mt 12:40\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p36.1", was formerly supposed to be a whale; there, as here, the original means "a great fish." The whale's neck is too narrow to receive a man.Bochartthinks, the \idog-fish,\ithe stomach of which is so large that the body of a man in armor was once found in it [ \iHierozoicon,\i2.5.12]. Others, the \ishark\i[Jebb]. The \icavity in the whale's throat,\ilarge enough, according toCaptain Scoresby, to hold a ship's jolly boat full of men. A \imiracle\iin any view is needed, and we have no data to speculate further. A "sign" or miracle it is expressly called by our Lord in Mt 12:39\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p36.5". Respiration in such a position could only be by miracle. The miraculous interposition was not without a sufficient reason; it was calculated to affect not only Jonah, but also Nineveh and Israel. The life of a prophet was often marked by experiences which made him, through sympathy, best suited for discharging the prophetical function to his hearers and his people. The infinite resources of God in mercy as well as judgment are prefigured in the devourer being transformed into Jonah's preserver. Jonah's condition under punishment, shut out from the outer world, was rendered as much as possible the emblem of death, a present type to Nineveh and Israel, of the death in sin, as his deliverance was of the spiritual resurrection on repentance; as also, a future type of Jesus' literal death for sin, and resurrection by the Spirit of God.
      
three days and three nights--probably, like the Antitype, Christ, Jonah was cast forth on the land on the \ithird\iday ( Mt 12:40\Q="x.xxxii.ii-p37.1"); the Hebrew counting the first and third parts of days as whole twenty-four hour days.
      

\C3="Chapter 2" \Q="x.xxxii.iii-p0.1"CHAPTER 2
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.iii-p1.1" Jon 2:1-10\Q="x.xxxii.iii-p2.1".Jonah's Prayer of Faith and Deliverance.
      
1. his God--"his" still, though Jonah had fled from Him. Faith enables Jonah now to feel this; just as the returning prodigal says of the Father, from whom he had wandered, "I will arise and go to \imy\iFather" ( Lu 15:18\Q="x.xxxii.iii-p3.1").
      
out of the fish's belly--Every place may serve as an oratory. No place is amiss for prayer. Others translate, "when (delivered) out of the fish's belly." \iEnglish Version\iis better.
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.iii-p4.1"2.His prayer is partly descriptive and precatory, partly eucharistical. Jonah incorporates with his own language inspired utterances familiar to the Church long before in Jon 2:2, Ps 120:1\Q="x.xxxii.iii-p5.1"; in Jon 2:3, Ps 42:7\Q="x.xxxii.iii-p5.2"; in Jon 2:4, Ps 31:22\Q="x.xxxii.iii-p5.3"; in Jon 2:5, Ps 69:1\Q="x.xxxii.iii-p5.4"; in Jon 2:7, Ps 142:3; 18:6\Q="x.xxxii.iii-p5.5"; in Jon 2:8, Ps 31:6\Q="x.xxxii.iii-p5.6"; in Jon 2:9, Ps 116:17, 18, and 3:8\Q="x.xxxii.iii-p5.7". Jonah, an inspired man, thus attests both the antiquity and inspiration of the Psalms. It marks the spirit of faith, that Jonah identifies himself with the saints of old, appropriating their experiences as recorded in the Word of God ( Ps 119:50\Q="x.xxxii.iii-p5.8"). Affliction opens up the mine of Scripture, before seen only on the surface.
      
out of the belly of hell-- \iSheol,\ithe unseen world, which the belly of the fish resembled.
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.iii-p6.1"3. thou hadst cast ... thy billows ... thy waves--Jonah recognizes the source whence his sufferings came. It was no mere chance, but \ithe hand of God\iwhich sent them. Compare Job's similar recognition of God's hand in calamities, Job 1:21; 2:10\Q="x.xxxii.iii-p7.1"; and David's, 2Sa 16:5-11\Q="x.xxxii.iii-p7.2".
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.iii-p7.3"4. cast out from thy sight--that is, from Thy favorable regard. A just retribution on one who had fled " \ifrom the presence\iof the Lord" ( Jon 1:3\Q="x.xxxii.iii-p8.1"). Now that he has got his desire, he feels it to be his bitterest sorrow to be deprived of God's presence, which once he regarded as a burden, and from which he desired to escape. He had turned his back on God; so God turned His back on him, making his sin his punishment.
      
toward thy holy temple--In the confidence of faith he anticipates yet to see the temple at Jerusalem, the appointed place of worship ( 1Ki 8:38\Q="x.xxxii.iii-p9.1"), and there to render thanksgiving [Henderson]. Rather, I think, "Though cast out of Thy sight, I will still \iwith the eye of faith\ionce more \ilook in prayer\itowards Thy temple at Jerusalem, whither, as Thy earthly throne, Thou hast desired Thy worshippers to direct their prayers."
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.iii-p9.3"5. even to the soul--that is, threatening to extinguish the \ianimal life.\i
      
weeds--He felt as if the seaweeds through which he was dragged were wrapped about his head.
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.iii-p11.1"6. bottoms of ... mountains--their \iextremities\iwhere they \iterminate\iin the hidden depths of the sea. Compare Ps 18:7\Q="x.xxxii.iii-p12.1", "the foundations of the hills" ( Ps 18:15\Q="x.xxxii.iii-p12.2").
      
earth with her bars was about me--Earth, the land of the living, is (not "was") shut against me.
      
for ever--so far as any effort of \imine\ican deliver me.
      
yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption--rather, "Thou \ibringest\i... from the pit" [Maurer]. As in the previous clauses he expresses the hopelessness of his state, so in this, his sure hope of deliverance through Jehovah's infinite resources. "Against hope he believes in hope," and speaks as if the deliverance were actually being accomplished. Hezekiah seems to have incorporated Jonah's very words in his prayer ( Isa 38:17\Q="x.xxxii.iii-p15.2"), just as Jonah appropriated the language of the Psalms.
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.iii-p15.3"7. soul fainted ... I remembered the Lord--beautifully exemplifying the triumph of spirit over flesh, of faith over sense ( Ps 73:26; 42:6\Q="x.xxxii.iii-p16.1"). For a time troubles shut out hope; but faith revived when Jonah "remembered the Lord," what a gracious God He is, and how now He still preserves his life and consciousness in his dark prison-house.
      
into thine holy temple--the temple at Jerusalem ( Jon 2:4\Q="x.xxxii.iii-p17.1"). As there he looks in believing prayer towards it, so here he regards his prayer as already heard.
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.iii-p17.2"8. observe lying vanities--regard or reverence idols, powerless to save ( Ps 31:6\Q="x.xxxii.iii-p18.1").
      
mercy--Jehovah, the very idea of whom is identified now in Jonah's mind with mercy and loving-kindness. As the Psalmist ( Ps 144:2\Q="x.xxxii.iii-p19.1") styles Him, "my goodness"; God who is to me all beneficence. Compare Ps 59:17\Q="x.xxxii.iii-p19.2", "the God of my mercy," literally, "my kindness-God." Jonah had "forsaken His own mercy," God, to flee to heathen lands where "lying vanities" (idols) were worshipped. But now, taught by his own preservation in conscious life in the fish's belly, and by the inability of the mariners' idols to lull the storm ( Jon 1:5\Q="x.xxxii.iii-p19.3"), estrangement from God seems estrangement from his own happiness ( Jer 2:13; 17:13\Q="x.xxxii.iii-p19.4"). Prayer has been restrained in Jonah's case, so that he was "fast asleep" in the midst of danger, heretofore; but now prayer is the sure sign of his return to God.
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.iii-p19.5"9. I will sacrifice ... thanksgiving--In the believing anticipation of sure deliverance, he offers thanksgivings already. So Jehoshaphat ( 2Ch 20:21\Q="x.xxxii.iii-p20.1") appointed singers to \ipraise\ithe Lord in front of the army before the battle with Moab and Ammon, as if the victory was already gained. God honors such confidence in Him. There is also herein a mark of sanctified affliction, that he vows amendment and thankful obedience ( Ps 119:67\Q="x.xxxii.iii-p20.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.iii-p20.3"10. upon the dry land--probably on the coast of Palestine.
      

\C3="Chapter 3" \Q="x.xxxii.iv-p0.1"CHAPTER 3
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.iv-p1.1" Jon 3:1-10\Q="x.xxxii.iv-p2.1".Jonah's Second Commission to Nineveh: The Ninevites Repent of Their Evil Way: So God Repents of the Evil Threatened.
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.iv-p2.3"2. preach ... the preaching--literally, "proclaim the proclamation." On the former occasion the specific object of his commission to Nineveh was declared; here it is indeterminate. This is to show how freely he yields himself, in the spirit of unconditional obedience, to speak whatever God may please.
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.iv-p3.1"3. arose and went--like the son who was at first disobedient to the father's command, "Go work in my vineyard," but who afterwards "repented and went" ( Mt 21:28, 29\Q="x.xxxii.iv-p4.1"). Jonah was thus the fittest instrument for proclaiming judgment, and yet hope of mercy on repentance to Nineveh, being himself a living exemplification of both--judgment in his entombment in the fish, mercy on repentance in his deliverance. Israel professing to obey, but not obeying, and so doomed to exile in the same Nineveh, answers to the son who said, "I go, sir, and went not." In Lu 11:30\Q="x.xxxii.iv-p4.2"it is said that Jonas was not only a sign to the men in Christ's time, but also "unto the Ninevites." On the latter occasion ( Mt 16:1-4\Q="x.xxxii.iv-p4.3") when the Pharisees and Sadducees tempted Him, asking a sign \ifrom heaven,\iHe answered, "No sign shall be given, but the sign of the prophet Jonas," Mt 12:39\Q="x.xxxii.iv-p4.4". Thus the sign had a \itwofold\iaspect, a direct bearing on the Ninevites, an indirect bearing on the Jews in Christ's time. To the Ninevites he was not merely a prophet, but himself a wonder in the earth, as one who had tasted of death, and yet had not seen corruption, but had now returned to witness among them for God. If the Ninevites had indulged in a captious spirit, they never would have inquired and so known Jonah's wonderful history; but being humbled by God's awful message, they learned from Jonah himself that it was the previous concealing in his bosom of the same message of their own doom that caused him to be entombed as an outcast from the living. Thus he was a "sign" to them of wrath on the one hand, and, on the other, of mercy. Guilty Jonah saved from the jaws of death gives a ray of hope to guilty Nineveh. Thus God, who brings good from evil, made Jonah in his fall, punishment, and restoration, a sign (an \iembodied lesson\ior \iliving symbol\i) through which the Ninevites were roused to hear and repent, as they would not have been likely to do, had he gone on the first commission before his living entombment and resurrection. To do evil that good may come, is a policy which can only come from Satan; but from evil already done to extract an instrument against the kingdom of darkness, is a triumphant display of the grace and wisdom of God. To the Pharisees in Christ's time, who, not content with the many signs exhibited by Him, still demanded a sign \ifrom heaven,\iHe gave a sign in the opposite quarter, namely, Jonah, who came "out of the belly of \ihell\i" (the unseen region). They looked for a Messiah gloriously coming in the clouds of \iheaven;\ithe Messiah, on the contrary, is to pass through a like, though a deeper, humiliation than Jonah; He is to lie "in the heart of \ithe earth.\i" Jonah and his Antitype alike appeared low and friendless among their hearers; both victims to death for God's wrath against sin, both preaching repentance. Repentance derives all its efficacy from the death of Christ, just as Jonah's message derived its weight with the Ninevites from his entombment. The Jews stumbled at Christ's death, the very fact which ought to have led them to Him, as Jonah's entombment attracted the Ninevites to his message. As Jonah's restoration gave hope of God's placability to Nineveh, so Christ's resurrection assures us God is fully reconciled to man by Christ's death. But Jonah's entombment only had the effect of a \imoral suasive;\iChrist's death is an \iefficacious instrument\iof reconciliation between God and man [Fairbairn].
      
Nineveh was an exceeding great city--literally, "great to God," that is, before God. All greatness was in the Hebrew mind associated withGod; hence arose the idiom (compare "great mountains," \iMargin,\i"mountains of God," Ps 36:6\Q="x.xxxii.iv-p5.2"; "goodly cedars," \iMargin,\i"cedars of God," Ps 80:10\Q="x.xxxii.iv-p5.3"; "a mighty hunter \ibefore the Lord,\i" Ge 10:9\Q="x.xxxii.iv-p5.4").
      
three days' journey--that is, about sixty miles, allowing about twenty miles for a day's journey. Jonah's statement is confirmed by heathen writers, who describe Nineveh as four hundred eighty stadia in circumference [Diodorus Siculus, 2.3].Herodotusdefines a day's journey to be one hundred fifty stadia; so three days' journey will not be much belowDiodorus'estimate. The parallelogram in Central Assyria covered with remains of buildings has Khorsabad northeast; Koyunjik and Nebbi Yunus near the Tigris, northwest; Nimroud, between the Tigris and the Zab, southwest; and Karamless, at a distance inward from the Zab, southeast. From Koyunjik to Nimroud is about eighteen miles; from Khorsabad to Karamless, the same; from Koyunjik to Khorsabad, thirteen or fourteen miles; from Nimroud to Karamless, fourteen miles. The length thus was greater than the breadth; compare Jon 3:4\Q="x.xxxii.iv-p6.4", "a day's journey," which is confirmed by heathen writers and by modern measurements. The walls were a hundred feet high, and broad enough to allow three chariots abreast, and had moreover fifteen hundred lofty towers. The space between, including large parks and arable ground, as well as houses, was Nineveh in its full extent. The oldest palaces are at Nimroud, which was probably the original site.Layardlatterly has thought that the name Nineveh belonged originally to Koyunjik, rather than to Nimroud. Jonah ( Jon 4:11\Q="x.xxxii.iv-p6.6") mentions the children as numbering one hundred twenty thousand, which would give about a million to the whole population. Existing ruins show that Nineveh acquired its greatest extent under the kings of the second dynasty, that is, the kings mentioned in Scripture; it was then that Jonah visited it, and the reports of its magnificence were carried to the west [Layard].
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.iv-p6.8"4. a day's journey--not going straight forward without stopping: for the city was but eighteen miles in length; but stopping in his progress from time to time to announce his message to the crowds gathering about him.
      
Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown--The commission, given indefinitely at his setting out, assumes now on his arrival a definite form, and that severer than before. It is no longer a cry against the sins of Nineveh, but an announcement of its ruin in forty days. This number is in Scripture associated often with humiliation. It was forty days that Moses, Elijah, and Christ fasted. Forty years elapsed from the beginning of Christ's ministry (the antitype of Jonah's) to the destruction of Jerusalem. The more definite form of the denunciation implies that Nineveh has now almost filled up the measure of her guilt. The change in the form which the Ninevites would hear from Jonah on anxious inquiry into his history, would alarm them the more, as implying the increasing nearness and certainty of their doom, and would at the same time reprove Jonah for his previous guilt in delaying to warn them. The very solitariness of the one message announced by the stranger thus suddenly appearing among them, would impress them with the more awe. Learning from him, that so far from lightly prophesying evil against them, he had shrunk from announcing a less severe denunciation, and therefore had been cast into the deep and only saved by miracle, they felt how imminent was their peril, threatened as they now were by a prophet whose fortunes were so closely bound up with theirs. In Noah's days one hundred twenty years of warning were given to men, yet they repented not till the flood came, and it was too late. But in the case of Nineveh, God granted a double mercy: first, that its people should repent immediately after threatening; second, that pardon should immediately follow their repentance.
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.iv-p8.1"5. believed God--gave credit to Jonah's message from God; thus recognizing Jehovah as the true God.
      
fast ... sackcloth--In the East outward actions are often used as symbolical expressions of inward feelings. So fasting and clothing in sackcloth were customary in humiliation. Compare in Ahab's case, parallel to that of Nineveh, both receiving a \irespite\ion penitence ( 1Ki 21:27; 20:31, 32; Joe 1:13\Q="x.xxxii.iv-p10.1").
      
from the greatest ... to the least--The penitence was not partial, but pervading all classes.
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.iv-p11.1"6. in ashes--emblem of the deepest humiliation ( Job 2:8; Eze 27:30\Q="x.xxxii.iv-p12.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.iv-p12.2"7. neither ... beast ... taste any thing--The brute creatures share in the evil effects of man's sin ( Jon 4:11; Ro 8:20, 22\Q="x.xxxii.iv-p13.1"); so they here according to Eastern custom, are made to share in man's outward indications of humiliation. "When the Persian general Masistias was slain, the horses and mules of the Persians were shorn, as well as themselves" [NewcomefromPlutarch; alsoHerodotus, 9.24].
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.iv-p13.5"8. cry ... turn--Prayer without reformation is a mockery of God ( Ps 66:18; Isa 58:6\Q="x.xxxii.iv-p14.1"). Prayer, on the other hand, must precede true reformation, as we cannot turn to God from our evil way unless God first turns us ( Jer 31:18, 19\Q="x.xxxii.iv-p14.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.iv-p14.3"9. Who can tell--(Compare Joe 2:14\Q="x.xxxii.iv-p15.1"). Their acting on a vague possibility of God's mercy, without any special ground of encouragement, is the more remarkable instance of faith, as they had to break through long-rooted prejudices in giving up idols to seek Jehovah at all. The only ground which their ready faith rested on, was the fact of God sending one to warn them, instead of destroying them at once; this suggested the thought of a possibility of pardon. Hence they are cited by Christ as about to condemn in the judgment those who, with much greater light and privileges, yet repent not ( Mt 12:41\Q="x.xxxii.iv-p15.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.iv-p15.3"10. God repented of the evil--When the message was sent to them, they were so ripe for judgment that a purpose of destruction to take effect in forty days was the only word God's righteous abhorrence of sin admitted of as to them. But when they repented, the position in which they stood towards God's righteousness was altered. So God's mode of dealing with them must alter accordingly, if God is not to be inconsistent with His own immutable character of dealing with men according to their works and state of heart, taking vengeance at last on the hardened impenitent, and delighting to show mercy on the penitent. Compare Abraham's reasoning, Ge 18:25; Eze 18:21-25; Jer 18:7-10\Q="x.xxxii.iv-p16.1". What was really a change \iin them\iand in God's corresponding dealings is, in condescension to human conceptions, represented as a change in God (compare Ex 32:14\Q="x.xxxii.iv-p16.2"), who, in His essential righteousness and mercy, changeth not ( Nu 23:19; 1Sa 15:29; Mal 3:6; Jas 1:17\Q="x.xxxii.iv-p16.3"). The reason why the announcement of destruction was made absolute, and not dependent on Nineveh's continued impenitence, was that this form was the only one calculated to rouse them; and at the same time it was a \itruthful\irepresentation of God's purpose towards Nineveh under its existing state, and of Nineveh's due. When that state ceased, a new relation of Nineveh to God, not contemplated in the message, came in, and room was made for the word to take effect, "the curse causeless shall not come" [Fairbairn]. Prophecy is not merely for the sake of proving God's omniscience by the verification of predictions of the future, but is mainly designed to vindicate God's justice and mercy in dealing with the impenitent and penitent respectively ( Ro 11:22\Q="x.xxxii.iv-p16.5"). The Bible ever assigns the first place to the eternal principles of righteousness, rooted in the character of God, subordinating to them all divine arrangements. God's sparing Nineveh, when in the jaws of destruction, on the first dawn of repentance encourages the timid penitent, and shows beforehand that Israel's doom, soon after accomplished, is to be ascribed, not to unwillingness to forgive on God's part, but to their own obstinate impenitence.
      

\C3="Chapter 4" \Q="x.xxxii.v-p0.1"CHAPTER 4
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.v-p1.1" Jon 4:1-11\Q="x.xxxii.v-p2.1".Jonah Frets at God's Mercy to Nineveh: Is Reproved by the Type of a Gourd.
      
1. angry--literally, "hot," probably, with \igrief\ior \ivexation,\irather than \ianger\i[Fairbairn]. How sad the contrast between God's feeling on the repentance of Nineveh towards Him, and Jonah's feeling on the repentance of God towards Nineveh. Strange in one who was himself a monument of mercy on his repentance! We all, like him, need the lesson taught in the parable of the unforgiving, though forgiven, debtor ( Mt 18:23-35\Q="x.xxxii.v-p3.2"). Jonah was grieved because Nineveh's preservation, after his denunciation, made him seem a false prophet [Calvin]. But it would make Jonah a demon, not a man, to have preferred the destruction of six hundred thousand men rather than that his prophecy should be set aside through God's mercy triumphing over judgment. And God in that case would have severely chastised, whereas he only expostulates mildly with him, and by a mode of dealing, at once gentle and condescending, tries to show him his error. Moreover, Jonah himself, in apologizing for his vexation, does not mention \ithe failure of his prediction\ias the cause: but solely the thought of God's \islowness to anger.\iThis was what led him to flee to Tarshish at his first commission; not the likelihood \ithen\iof his prediction being falsified; for in fact his commission then was not to foretell Nineveh's downfall, but simply to "cry against" Nineveh's "wickedness" as having "come up before God." Jonah could hardly have been so vexed for the letter of his prediction failing, when the end of his commission had virtually been gained in leading Nineveh to repentance. This then cannot have been regarded by Jonah as the \iultimate\iend of his commission. If Nineveh had been the prominent object with him, he would have rejoiced at the result of his mission. But Israel was the prominent aim of Jonah, as a prophet of the elect people. Probably then he regarded the destruction of Nineveh as fitted to be an example of God's judgment at last suspending His long forbearance so as to startle Israel from its desperate degeneracy, heightened by its new prosperity under Jeroboam II at that very time, in a way that all other means had failed to do. Jonah, despairing of anything effectual being done for God in Israel, unless there were first given a striking example of severity, thought when he proclaimed the downfall of Nineveh in forty days, that now at last God is about to give such an example; so when this means of awakening Israel was set aside by God's mercy on Nineveh's repentance, he was bitterly disappointed, not from pride or mercilessness, but from hopelessness as to anything being possible for the reformation of Israel, now that his cherished hope is baffled. ButGod'splan was to teach Israel, by the example of Nineveh, how inexcusable is their own impenitence, and how inevitable their ruin if they persevere. Repenting Nineveh has proved herself more worthy of God's favor than apostate Israel; the children of the covenant have not only fallen down to, but actually below, the level of a heathen people; Israel, therefore, must go down, and the heathen rise above her. Jonah did not know the important lessons of hope to the penitent, and condemnation to those amidst outward privileges impenitent, which Nineveh's preservation on repentance was to have for aftertimes, and to all ages. He could not foresee that Messiah Himself was thus to apply that history. A lesson to us that if we \icould\iin any particular alter the plan of Providence, it would not be for the better, but for the worse [Fairbairn].
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.v-p3.6"2. my saying--my thought, or feeling.
      
fled before-- \iI anticipated by fleeing,\ithe disappointment of my design through Thy long-suffering mercy.
      
gracious ... and merciful,&c.--Jonah here has before his mind Ex 34:6\Q="x.xxxii.v-p6.1"; as Joel ( Joe 2:13\Q="x.xxxii.v-p6.2") in his turn quotes from Jonah.
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.v-p6.3"3.Jonah's impatience of life under disappointed hopes of Israel's reformation through the destruction of Nineveh, is like that of Elijah at his plan for reforming Israel ( 1Ki 18:1-46\Q="x.xxxii.v-p7.1") failing through Jezebel ( 1Ki 19:4\Q="x.xxxii.v-p7.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.v-p7.3"4. Doest thou well to be angry?--or \igrieved;\irather as the \iMargin,\i"Art thou \imuch\iangry," or "grieved?" [Fairbairnwith the \iSeptuagint\iand \iSyriac\i]. But \iEnglish Version\isuits the spirit of the passage, and is quite tenable in the \iHebrew\i[Gesenius].
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.v-p8.3"5. made him a booth--that is, a temporary hut of branches and leaves, so slightly formed as to be open to the wind and sun's heat.
      
see what would become of the city--The term of forty days had not yet elapsed, and Jonah did not know that anything more than a suspension, or mitigation, of judgment had been granted to Nineveh. Therefore, not from sullennesss, but in order to watch the event from a neighboring station, he lodged in the booth. As a stranger, he did not know the depth of Nineveh's repentance; besides, from the Old Testament standpoint he knew that chastening judgments often followed, as in David's case ( 2Sa 12:10-12, 14\Q="x.xxxii.v-p10.1"), even where sin had been repented of. To show him what he knew not, the largeness and completeness of God's mercy to penitent Nineveh, and the reasonableness of it, God made his booth a school of discipline to give him more enlightened views.
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.v-p10.2"6. gourd-- \iHebrew, kikaion;\ithe Egyptian \ikiki,\ithe "ricinus" or castor-oil plant, commonly called "palm-christ" ( \ipalma-christi\i). It grows from eight to ten feet high. Only one leaf grows on a branch, but that leaf being often more than a foot large, the collective leaves give good shelter from the heat. It grows rapidly, and fades as suddenly when injured.
      
to deliver him from his grief--It was therefore \igrief,\inot selfish anger, which Jonah felt (see on). Some external comforts will often turn the mind away from its sorrowful bent.
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.v-p12.3"7. a worm--of a particular kind, deadly to the ricinus. A small worm at the root destroys a large gourd. So it takes but little to make our creature comforts wither. It should silence discontent to remember, that when our gourd is gone, our God is not gone.
      
the next day--after Jonah was so "exceeding glad" (compare Ps 80:7\Q="x.xxxii.v-p14.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.v-p14.2"8. vehement--rather, "scorching"; the \iMargin,\i"silent," expressing sultry \istillness,\inot \ivehemence.\i
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.v-p15.1"9.(See on).
      
I do well to be angry, even unto death--"I am very much grieved, even to death" [Fairbairn]. So the Antitype ( Mt 26:38\Q="x.xxxii.v-p17.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.v-p17.3"10, 11.The main lesson of the book. If Jonah so pities a plant which cost him no toil to rear, and which is so short lived and valueless, much more must Jehovah pity those hundreds of thousands of immortal men and women in great Nineveh whom He has made with such a display of creative power, especially when many of them repent, and seeing that, if all in it were destroyed, "more than six score thousand" of \iunoffending\ichildren, besides "much cattle," would be involved in the common destruction: Compare the same argument drawn from God's justice and mercy in Ge 18:23-33\Q="x.xxxii.v-p18.1". A similar illustration from the insignificance of a plant, which "to-day is and to-morrow is cast into the oven," and which, nevertheless, is clothed by God with surpassing beauty, is given by Christ to prove that God will care for the infinitely more precious bodies and souls of men who are to live for ever ( Mt 6:28-30\Q="x.xxxii.v-p18.2"). One soul is of more value than the whole world; surely, then, one soul is of more value than many gourds. The point of comparison spiritually is the \ineed\iwhich Jonah, for the time being, had of the foliage of the gourd. However he might dispense with it at other times, now it was necessary for his comfort, and almost for his life. So now that Nineveh, as a city, fears God and turns to Him, God's cause needs it, and would suffer by its overthrow, just as Jonah's material well-being suffered by the withering of the gourd. If there were any hope of Israel's being awakened by Nineveh's destruction to fulfil her high destination of being a light to surrounding heathenism, then there would not have been the same need to God's cause of Nineveh's preservation, (though there would have always been need of saving the penitent). But as Israel, after judgments, now with returning prosperity turns back to apostasy, the means \ineeded\ito vindicate God's cause, and provoke Israel, if possible, to jealousy, is the example of the great capital of heathendom suddenly repenting at the first warning, and consequently being spared. Thus Israel would see the kingdom of heaven transplanted from its ancient seat to another which would willingly yield its spiritual fruits. The tidings which Jonah brought back to his countrymen of Nineveh's repentance and rescue, would, if believingly understood, be far more fitted than the news of its overthrow to recall Israel to the service of God. Israel failed to learn the lesson, and so was cast out of her land. But even this was not an unmitigated evil. Jonah was a type, as of Christ, so also of Israel. Jonah, though an outcast, was highly honored of God in Nineveh; so Israel's outcast condition would prove no impediment to her serving God's cause still, if only she was faithful to God. Ezekiel and Daniel were so at Babylon; and the Jews, scattered in all lands as witnesses for the one true God, pioneered the way for Christianity, so that it spread with a rapidity which otherwise was not likely to have attended it [Fairbairn].
      
 \Q="x.xxxii.v-p18.4"11. that cannot discern between their right hand and their left--children under three of four years old ( De 1:39\Q="x.xxxii.v-p19.1"). \iSix score thousand\iof these, allowing them to be a fifth of the whole, would give a \itotal\ipopulation of six hundred thousand.
      
much cattle--God cares even for the brute creatures, of which man takes little account. These in wonderful powers and in utility are far above the shrub which Jonah is so concerned about. Yet Jonah is reckless as to their destruction and that of innocent children. The abruptness of the close of the book is more strikingly suggestive than if the thought had been followed out in detail.
      
\C2="Micah"
THE BOOK OF
MICAH
 \iCommentary by\iA. R. Faussett
      

\C3="Introduction"INTRODUCTION
      
Micahwas a native of Moresheth, not the same as Mareshah in Mic 1:15\Q="x.xxxiii.i-p2.2", but the town called Moresheth-gath ( Mic 1:14\Q="x.xxxiii.i-p2.3"), which lay near Eleutheropolis, west of Jerusalem, on the border of the Philistine country; so called to distinguish it from Moresheth of Judah. His full name is \iMicaiah\i(not the Micaiah mentioned 1Ki 22:8\Q="x.xxxiii.i-p2.4", the son of Imlah), signifying, \iWho is like Jehovah?\iThe time of his prophesying is stated in the introduction to be in the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, that is, between 757 and 699B.C.Jeremiah ( Jer 26:18\Q="x.xxxiii.i-p2.6") quotes Mic 3:12\Q="x.xxxiii.i-p2.7", as delivered in the reign of Hezekiah. He was thus a contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea. The idolatries practised in the reign of Ahaz accord with Micah's denunciations of such gross evils, and confirm the truth of the time assigned Mic 1:1\Q="x.xxxiii.i-p2.8". His prophecies are partly against Israel (Samaria), partly against Judah. As Samaria, Israel's metropolis, was taken first, and Jerusalem, the capital of Judah subsequently, in the introductory heading, Mic 1:1\Q="x.xxxiii.i-p2.9", \iSamaria\iis put first, then \iJerusalem.\iHe prophesies the capture of both; the Jews' captivity and restoration; and the coming and reign of Messiah. His style is full, round, and perspicuous; his diction pure, and his parallelisms regular. His description of Jehovah ( Mic 7:18, 19\Q="x.xxxiii.i-p2.10") is not surpassed by any elsewhere in Scripture. The similarity between Isaiah and Micah in some passages (compare Mic 4:1-3, with Isa 2:2-4\Q="x.xxxiii.i-p2.11") is to be accounted for by their being contemporaries, acquainted with each other's inspired writings, and having the same subjects for their theme.Hengstenbergmaintains that the passage in Micah is the original. Isaiah was somewhat the older, being a prophet in the reign of Uzziah, Jotham's predecessor, whereas Micah began his prophecies under Jotham.
      
The book consists of two parts: (1) the first through fifth chapters; (2) the sixth and seventh chapters, a dialogue or contestation between Jehovah and His people, in which He reproaches them with their unnatural and ungrateful conduct, and threatens judgment for their corruptions, but consoles them with the promise of restoration from captivity.
      
Micah stands sixth of the minor prophets in the \iHebrew\icanon, but third in the \iSeptuagint.\i
      

\C3="Chapter 1" \Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p0.1"CHAPTER 1
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p1.1" Mic 1:1-16\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p2.1".God's Wrath against Samaria and Judah; the Former Is to Be Overthrown; Such Judgments in Prospect Call for Mourning.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p2.3"2. all that therein is-- \iHebrew,\i"whatever fills it." Micaiah, son of Imlah, our prophet's namesake, begins his prophecy similarly, "Hearken, O people, every one of you." Micah designedly uses the same preface, implying that his ministrations are a continuation of his predecessor's of the same name. Both probably had before their mind Moses' similar attestation of heaven and earth in a like case ( De 31:28; 32:1\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p3.1"; compare Isa 1:2\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p3.2").
      
God be witness against you--namely, that none of you can say, when the time of your punishment shall come, that you were not forewarned. The punishment denounced is stated in Mic 1:3\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p4.1", &c.
      
from his holy temple--that is, heaven ( 1Ki 8:30; Ps 11:4; Jon 2:7\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p5.1"; compare Ro 1:18\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p5.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p5.3"3. tread upon the high places of the earth--He shall destroy the fortified heights (compare De 32:13; 33:29\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p6.1") [Grotius].
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p6.3"4.Imagery from earthquakes and volcanic agency, to describe the terrors which attend Jehovah's coming in judgment (compare Jud 5:5\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p7.1"). Neither men of high degree, as the mountains, nor men of low degree, as the valleys, can secure themselves or their land from the judgments of God.
      
as wax--( Ps 97:5\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p8.1"; compare Isa 64:1-3\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p8.2"). The third clause, "as wax," &c., answers to the first in the parallelism, "the mountains shall be molten"; the fourth, "as the waters," &c., to the second, "the valleys shall be cleft." As wax melts by fire, so the mountains before God, at His approach; and as waters poured down a steep cannot stand but are diffused abroad, so the valleys shall be cleft before Jehovah.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p8.3"5. For the transgression of Jacob is all this--All these terrors attending Jehovah's coming are caused by the sins of Jacob or Israel, that is, the whole people.
      
What is the transgression of Jacob?--Taking up the question often in the mouths of the people when reproved, "What is our transgression?" (compare Mal 1:6, 7\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p10.1"), He answers, Is it not Samaria? Is not that city (the seat of the calf-worship) the cause of Jacob's apostasy ( 1Ki 14:16; 15:26, 34; 16:13, 19, 25, 30\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p10.2")?
      
and what are the high places of Judah?--What city is the cause of the idolatries on the high places of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem (compare 2Ki 18:4\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p11.1")?
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p11.2"6.Samaria's punishment is mentioned first, as it was to fall before Jerusalem.
      
as an heap of the field--( Mic 3:12\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p13.1"). Such a heap of stones and rubbish as is gathered out of fields, to clear them ( Ho 12:11\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p13.2"). Palestine is of a soil abounding in stones, which are gathered out before the vines are planted ( Isa 5:2\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p13.3").
      
as plantings of a vineyard--as a place where vines are planted. Vineyards were cultivated on the sides of hills exposed to the sun. The hill on which Samaria was built by Omri, had been, doubtless, planted with vines originally; now it is to be reduced again to its original state ( 1Ki 16:24\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p14.1").
      
pour down-- \idash down\ithe stones of the city into the valley beneath. A graphic picture of the present appearance of the ruins, which is as though "the buildings of the ancient city had been thrown down from the brow of the hill" [ \iScottish Mission of Inquiry,\ipp. 293,294].
      
discover the foundations--destroy it so utterly as to lay bare its foundations ( Eze 13:14\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p16.1"). Samaria was destroyed by Shalmaneser.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p16.2"7. all the hires--the wealth which Israel boasted of receiving from her idols as the "rewards" or "hire" for worshipping them ( Ho 2:5, 12\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p17.1").
      
idols ... will I ... desolate--that is, give them up to the foe to strip off the silver and gold with which they are overlaid.
      
she gathered it of the hire of an harlot, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot--Israel gathered (made for herself) her idols from the gold and silver received from false gods, as she thought, the "hire" of her worshipping them; and they shall again become what they had been before, the hire of spiritual harlotry, that is, the prosperity of the foe, who also being worshippers of idols will ascribe the acquisition to their idols [Maurer].Grotiusexplains it, \iThe offerings sent to Israel's temple by the Assyrians,\iwhose idolatry Israel adopted, shall go back to the Assyrians, her teachers in idolatry, as the hire or \ifee for having taught it.\iThe image of a \iharlot's hire\ifor the supposed temporal reward of spiritual fornication, is more common in Scripture ( Ho 9:1\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p19.3").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p19.4"8. Therefore I will wail--The prophet first shows how the coming judgment affects himself, in order that he might affect the minds of his countrymen similarly.
      
stripped--that is, \iof shoes,\ior \isandals,\ias the \iSeptuagint\itranslates. Otherwise "naked" would be a tautology.
      
naked--"Naked" means \idivested of the upper garment\i( Isa 20:2\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p22.1"). "Naked and barefoot," the sign of mourning ( 2Sa 15:30\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p22.2"). The prophet's upper garment was usually rough and coarse-haired ( 2Ki 1:8; Zec 13:4\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p22.3").
      
like the dragons--soJerome. Rather, "the wild dogs," jackals or wolves, which wail like an infant when in distress or alone [Maurer]. (See on).
      
owls--rather, "ostriches," which give a shrill and long-drawn, sigh-like cry, especially at night.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p24.1"9. wound ... incurable--Her case, politically and morally, is desperate ( Jer 8:22\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p25.1").
      
it is come--the wound, or impending calamity (compare Isa 10:28\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p26.1").
      
he is come ... even to Jerusalem--The evil is no longer limited to Israel. The prophet foresees Sennacherib coming even "to the gate" of the principal city. The use of "it" and "he" is appropriately distinct. "It," the calamity, "came unto" Judah, many of the inhabitants of which suffered, but did not reach the citizens of Jerusalem, "the gate" of which the foe ("he") "came unto," but did not enter ( Isa 36:1;37:33-37\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p27.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p27.2"10. Declare ye it not at Gath--on the borders of Judea, one of the five cities of the Philistines, who would exult at the calamity of the Hebrews ( 2Sa 1:20\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p28.1"). Gratify not those who exult over the falls of the Israel of God.
      
weep ye not at all--Do not betray your inward sorrow by outward weeping, within the cognizance of the enemy, lest they should exult at it.Relandtranslates, "Weep not \iin Acco,\i" that is, Ptolemais, now St. Jean d'Acre, near the foot of Mount Carmel; allotted to Asher, but never occupied by that tribe ( Jud 1:31\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p29.2"); Acco's inhabitants would, therefore, like Gath's, rejoice at Israel's disaster. Thus the parallelism is best carried out in all the three clauses of the verse, and there is a similar play on sounds in each, in the \iHebrew Gath,\iresembling in sound the \iHebrew\ifor "declare"; \iAcco,\iresembling the \iHebrew\ifor "weep"; and \iAphrah,\imeaning "dust." While the Hebrews were not to expose their misery to foreigners, they ought to bewail it in their own cities, for example, Aphrah or Ophrah ( Jos 18:23; 1Sa 13:17\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p29.3"), in the tribe of Benjamin. To "roll in the dust" marked deep sorrow ( Jer 6:26; Eze 27:30\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p29.4").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p29.5"11. Pass ye away--that is, Thou shall go into captivity.
      
inhabitant of Saphir--a village amidst the hills of Judah, between Eleutheropolis and Ascalon, called so, from the \iHebrew\iword for "beauty." Though thy name be "beauty," which heretofore was thy characteristic, thou shalt have thy "shame" made "naked." This city shall be dismantled of its walls, which are the garments, as it were, of cities; its citizens also shall be hurried into captivity, with persons exposed ( Isa 47:3; Eze 16:37; Ho 2:10\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p31.1").
      
the inhabitant of Zaanan came not forth--Its inhabitants did not come forth to console the people of Beth-ezel in their mourning, because the calamity was universal; none was exempt from it (compare Jer 6:25\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p32.1"). "Zaanan" is the same as Zenan, in Judah ( Jos 15:37\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p32.2"), meaning the "place of flocks." The form of the name used is made like the \iHebrew\ifor "came forth." Though in name seeming to imply that thou dost \icome forth,\ithou "camest not forth."
      
Beth-ezel--perhaps Azal ( Zec 14:5\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p33.1"), near Jerusalem. It means a "house on the side," or "near." Though \iso near,\ias its name implies, to Zaanan, Beth-ezel received no succor or sympathy from Zaanan.
      
he shall receive of you his standing--"he," that is, the foe; "his standing," that is, his sustenance [Piscator]. Or, "he shall be caused a delay by you, Zaanan." He shall be brought to a stand for a time in besieging you; hence it is said just before, "Zaanan came not forth," that is, shut herself up within her walls to withstand a siege. But it was only for a time. She, too, fell like Beth-ezel before her [Vatablus].Maurerconstrues thus: "The inhabitant of Zaanan came not forth; the mourning of Beth-ezel \itakes away from\iyou her shelter." Though Beth-ezel be \iat your side\i(that is, near), according to her name, yet as she also mourns under the oppression of the foe, she cannot give you shelter, or be \iat your side\ias a helper (as her name might lead you to expect), if you come forth and be intercepted by him from returning to Zaanan.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p34.4"12. Maroth--possibly the same as Maarath ( Jos 15:59\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p35.1"). Perhaps a different town, lying between the previously mentioned towns and the capital, and one of those plundered by Rab-shakeh on his way to it.
      
waited carefully for good--that is, for better fortune, but in vain [Calvin].Geseniustranslates, " \iis grieved\ifor her goods," "taken away" from her. This accords with the meaning of Maroth, "bitterness," to which allusion is made in "is grieved." But the antithesis favors \iEnglish Version,\i"waited carefully (that is, anxiously) for \igood,\ibut \ievil\icame down."
      
from the Lord--not from \ichance.\i
      
unto the gate of Jerusalem--after the other cities of Judah have been taken.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p38.1"13."Bind the chariot to the swift \isteed,\i" in order by a hasty flight to escape the invading foe. Compare \iNote,\isee on, on "Lachish," at which Sennacherib fixed his headquarters ( 2Ki 18:14, 17; Jer 34:7\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p39.3").
      
she is the beginning of the sin to ... Zion--Lachish was the first of the cities of Judah, according to this passage, to introduce the worship of false gods, imitating what Jeroboam had introduced in Israel. As lying near the border of the north kingdom, Lachish was first to be infected by its idolatry, which thence spread to Jerusalem.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p40.1"14. shalt thou give presents to Moresheth-gath--that its inhabitants may send thee help.Maurerexplains it, "thou shalt give a writing of renunciation to Moresheth-gath," that is, thou shalt renounce all claim to it, being compelled to yield it up to the foe. "Thou," that is, Judah. "Israel" in this verse is used for the kingdom of \iJudah,\iwhich was the chief representative of the whole nation of Israel. Moresheth-gath is so called because it had fallen for a time under the power of the neighboring Philistines of \iGath.\iIt was the native town of Micah ( Mic 1:1\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p41.2").
      
Achzib--meaning "lying." Achzib, as its name implies, shall prove a "lie to ... Israel," that is, shall disappoint Israel's hopes of succor from her (compare Job 6:15-20; Jer 15:18\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p42.1"). Achzib was in Judah between Keilah and Mareshah ( Jos 15:44\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p42.2"). Perhaps the same as Chezib ( Ge 38:5\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p42.3").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p42.4"15. Yet will I bring an heir unto thee--rather, " \ithe\iheir." As thou art now occupied by possessors who expelled the former inhabitants, so will I bring "yet" again \ithe\inew \ipossessor,\inamely, the Assyrian foe. Other heirs will supplant us in every inheritance but that of heaven. There is a play upon the meaning of Mareshah, "an inheritance": there shall come the new \iheir\iof the \iinheritance.\i
      
Adullam the glory of Israel--so called as being superior in situation; when it and the neighboring cities fell, Israel's glory was gone.Maurer, as the \iMargin,\itranslates, "the glory of Israel" (her chief citizens: answering to "thy delicate children," Mic 1:16\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p44.2") "shall come in flight to Adullam." \iEnglish Version\ibetter preserves the parallelism, "the heir" in the first clause answering to "he" in the second.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p44.3"16. Make thee bald,&c.--a token of deep mourning ( Ezr 9:3; Job 1:20\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p45.1"). Mourn, O land, for thy darling children.
      
poll--shave off thy hair.
      
enlarge thy baldness--Mourn grievously. The land is compared to a mother weeping for her children.
      
as the eagle--the bald eagle, or the dark-winged vulture. In the moulting season all eagles are comparatively bald (compare Ps 103:5\Q="x.xxxiii.ii-p48.1").
      

\C3="Chapter 2" \Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p0.1"CHAPTER 2
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p1.1" Mic 2:1-13\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p2.1".Denunciation of the Evils Prevalent: The People's Unwillingness to Hear the Truth: Their Expulsion From the Land the Fitting Fruit of Their Sin:Yet Judah and Israel Are Hereafter to Be Restored.
      
1. devise ... work ... practise--They do evil not merely on a sudden impulse, but with deliberate design. As in the former chapter sins against the first table are reproved, so in this chapter sins against the second table. A gradation: "devise" is the \iconception\iof the evil purpose; "work" ( Ps 58:2\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p3.1"), or "fabricate," the \imaturing\iof the scheme; "practise," or "effect," the \iexecution\iof it.
      
because it is in the power of their hand--for the phrase see Ge 31:29; Pr 3:27\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p4.1". Might, not right, is what regulates their conduct. Where they can, they commit oppression; where they do not, it is because they cannot.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p4.2"2.Parallelism, "Take by violence," answers to "take away"; "fields" and "houses," to "house" and "heritage" (that is, one's land).
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p5.1"3. against this family--against the nation, and especially against those reprobated in Mic 2:1, 2\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p6.1".
      
I devise an evil--a happy antithesis between God's dealings and the Jews' dealings ( Mic 2:1\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p7.1"). Ye "devise evil" against your fellow countrymen; I devise evil against you. Ye devise it wrongfully, I by righteous retribution in kind.
      
from which ye shall not remove your necks--as ye have done from the law. The yoke I shall impose shall be one which ye cannot shake off. They who will not bend to God's "easy yoke" ( Mt 11:29, 30\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p8.1"), shall feel His iron yoke.
      
go haughtily--(Compare \iNote,\isee on). Ye shall not walk as now with neck haughtily uplifted, for the yoke shall press down your "neck."
      
this time is evil--rather, "for \ithat\itime shall be an evil time," namely, the time of the carrying away into captivity (compare Am 5:13; Eph 5:16\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p10.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p10.2"4. one take up a parable against you--that is, Some of your foes shall do so, taking in derision from your own mouth your "lamentation," namely, "We be spoiled," &c.
      
lament with a doleful lamentation--literally, "lament with a lamentation of lamentations." \iHebrew, naha, nehi, nihyah,\ithe repetition representing the continuous and monotonous wail.
      
he hath changed the portion of my people--a charge of injustice against Jehovah. He transfers to other nations the sacred territory assigned as the rightful portion of our people ( Mic 1:15\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p13.1").
      
turning away he hath divided our fields--Turning away from us to the enemy, He hath divided among them our fields.Calvin, as the \iMargin,\iexplains, " \iInstead of restoring\iour territory, He hath divided our fields among our enemies, each of whom henceforward will have an interest in keeping what he hath gotten: so that we are utterly shut out from hope of restoration."Maurertranslates as a noun, "He hath divided our fields \ito a rebel,\i" that is, to the foe who is a rebel against the true God, and a worshipper of idols. So "backsliding," that is, backslider ( Jer 49:4\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p14.3"). \iEnglish Version\igives a good sense; and is quite tenable in the \iHebrew.\i
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p14.4"5. Therefore--resumed from Mic 2:3\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p15.1". On account of your crimes described in Mic 2:1, 2\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p15.2".
      
thou--the ideal individual ("me," Mic 2:4\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p16.1"), representing the guilty people in whose name he spoke.
      
none that ... cast a cord by lot--none who shall have any possession \imeasured out.\i
      
in the congregation of the Lord--among the people consecrated to Jehovah. By covetousness and violence ( Mic 2:2\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p18.1") they had forfeited "the portion of Jehovah's people." This is God's implied answer to their complaint of injustice ( Mic 2:4\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p18.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p18.3"6. Prophesy ye not, say they--namely, the Israelites say to the true prophets, when announcing unwelcome truths. Therefore God judicially abandons them to their own ways: "The prophets, by whose ministry they might have been saved from \ishame\i(ignominious captivity), shall not (that is, no longer) prophesy to them" ( Isa 30:10; Am 2:12; 7:16\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p19.1").Maurertranslates the latter clause, "they shall not prophesy \iof such things\i" (as in Mic 2:3-5\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p19.3", these being rebellious Israel's words); "let them not prophesy"; "they never cease from insult" (from prophesying insults to us). \iEnglish Version\iis supported by the parallelism: wherein the similarity of sound and word implies how exactly God makes their punishment answer to their sin, and takes them at their own word. "Prophesy," literally, "drop" ( De 32:2; Eze 21:2\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p19.4").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p19.5"7. O thou ... named the house of Jacob--priding thyself on the \iname,\ithough having naught of the spirit, of thy progenitor. Also, bearing the name which ought to remind thee of God's favors granted to thee because of His covenant with Jacob.
      
is the Spirit of the Lord straitened?--Is His \icompassion\icontracted within narrower limits now than formerly, so that He should delight in your destruction (compare Ps 77:7-9; Isa 59:1, 2\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p21.1")?
      
are these his doings?--that is, Are such threatenings His delight? Ye dislike the prophets' threatenings ( Mic 2:6\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p22.1"): but who is to blame? Not God, for He delights in blessing, rather than threatening; but yourselves ( Mic 2:8\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p22.2") who provoke His threatenings [Grotius].Calvintranslates, "Are your doings such as are prescribed by Him?" Ye boast of being God's peculiar people: Do ye then conform your lives to God's law?
      
do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly--Are not My words good to the upright? If your ways were upright, My words would not be threatening (compare Ps 18:26; Mt 11:19; Joh 7:17\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p23.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p23.2"8.Your ways are not such that I can deal with you as I would with the upright.
      
Even of late--literally, "yesterday," "long ago." So "of old." \iHebrew,\i"yesterday" ( Isa 30:33\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p25.1"); "heretofore," \iHebrew,\i"since yesterday" ( Jos 3:4\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p25.2").
      
my people is risen up as an enemy--that is, has rebelled against My precepts; also has become \ian enemy\ito the unoffending passers-by.
      
robe with the garment--Not content with the outer "garment," ye greedily rob passers-by of the ornamental "robe" fitting the body closely and flowing down to the feet [Ludovicus De Dieu] ( Mt 5:40\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p27.2").
      
as men averse from war--in antithesis to ( \iMy people\i) "as an enemy." Israel treats the innocent passers-by, though "averse from war," as an enemy" would treat captives in his power, stripping them of their habiliments as lawful spoils.Grotiustranslates, "as men \ireturning\ifrom war," that is, as captives over whom the right of war gives the victors an absolute power. \iEnglish Version\iis supported by the antithesis.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p28.2"9. The women of my people--that is, the \iwidows\iof the men slain by you ( Mic 2:2\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p29.1") ye cast out from their homes which had been their delight, and seize on them for yourselves.
      
from their children--that is, from the orphans of the widows.
      
taken away my glory--namely, their substance and raiment, which, being the fruit of God's blessing on the young, reflected \iGod's glory.\iThus Israel's crime was not merely robbery, but sacrilege. Their sex did not save the women, nor their age the children from violence.
      
for ever--There was no repentance. They persevered in sin. The pledged garment was to be restored to the poor before sunset ( Ex 22:26, 27\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p32.1"); but these \inever\irestored their unlawful booty.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p32.2"10. Arise ye, and depart--not an exhortation to the children of God to depart out of an ungodly world, as it is often applied; though that sentiment is a scriptural one. This world is doubtless not our "rest," being "polluted" with sin: it is our passage, not our portion; our aim, not our home ( 2Co 6:17; Heb 13:14\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p33.1"). The imperatives express the \icertainty\iof the \ifuture\ievent \ipredicted.\i"Since such are your doings (compare Mic 2:7, 8\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p33.2", &c.), My sentence on you is irrevocable ( Mic 2:4, 5\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p33.3"), however distasteful to you ( Mic 2:6\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p33.4"); ye who have \icast out\iothers from their homes and possessions ( Mic 2:2, 8, 9\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p33.5") must \iarise, depart,\iand be cast out of your own ( Mic 2:4, 5\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p33.6"): \ifor this is not your rest\i" ( Nu 10:33; De 12:9; Ps 95:11\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p33.7"). Canaan was designed to be a \irest\ito them after their wilderness fatigues. But it is to be so no longer. Thus God refutes the people's self-confidence, as if God were bound to them inseparably. The promise ( Ps 132:14\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p33.8") is quite consistent with temporary withdrawal of God from Israel for their sins.
      
it shall destroy you-- \iThe land\ishall spew you out, because of the defilements wherewith ye "polluted" it ( Le 18:25, 28; Jer 3:2; Eze 36:12-14\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p34.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p34.2"11. walking in the spirit--The \iHebrew\imeans also "wind." "If a man professing to have the 'spirit' of inspiration ( Eze 13:3\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p35.1"; so 'man of the spirit,' that is, one claiming inspiration, Ho 9:7\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p35.2"), but really walking in 'wind' (prophecy void of nutriment for the soul, and unsubstantial as the \iwind\i) and falsehood, do lie, saying (that which ye like to hear), I will prophesy," &c., even such a one, however false his prophecies, since he flatters your wishes, shall be your prophet (compare Mic 2:6; Jer 5:31\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p35.3").
      
prophesy ... of wine--that is, of an abundant supply of wine.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p36.1"12.A sudden transition from threats to the promise of a glorious restoration. Compare a similar transition in Ho 1:9, 10\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p37.1". Jehovah, too, prophesies of good things to come, but not like the false prophets, "of wine and strong drink" ( Mic 2:11\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p37.2"). After I have sent you into captivity as I have just threatened, I will thence assemble you again (compare Mic 4:6, 7\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p37.3").
      
all of thee--The restoration from Babylon was partial. Therefore that here meant must be still future, when " \iall\iIsrael shall be saved" ( Ro 11:26\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p38.1"). The restoration from "Babylon" (specified ( Mic 4:10\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p38.2") is the type of the future one.
      
Jacob ... Israel--the ten tribes' kingdom ( Ho 12:2\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p39.1") and Judah ( 2Ch 19:8; 21:2, 4\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p39.2").
      
remnant--the elect remnant, which shall survive the previous calamities of Judah, and from which the nation is to spring into new life ( Isa 6:13; 10:20-22\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p40.1").
      
as the sheep of Bozrah--a region famed for its rich pastures (compare 2Ki 3:4\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p41.1").Geseniusfor Bozrah translates, "sheepfold." But thus there will be tautology unless the next clause be translated, "in the midst of their \ipasture.\i" \iEnglish Version\iis more favored by the \iHebrew.\i
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p41.3"13. The breaker--Jehovah-Messiah, who \ibreaks\ithrough every obstacle in the way of their restoration: not as formerly \ibreaking forth\ito destroy them for transgression ( Ex 19:22; Jud 21:15\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p42.1"), but breaking a way for them through their enemies.
      
they--the returning Israelites and Jews.
      
passed through the gate--that is, through the gate of the foe's city in which they had been captives. So the image of the resurrection ( Ho 13:14\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p44.1") represents Israel's restoration.
      
their king--"the Breaker," peculiarly " \itheir\iking" ( Ho 3:5; Mt 27:37\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p45.1").
      
pass before them--as He did when they went up out of Egypt ( Ex 13:21; De 1:30, 33\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p46.1").
      
the Lord on the head of them--Jehovah at their head ( Isa 52:12\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p47.1"). Messiah, the second person, is meant (compare Ex 23:20; 33:14; Isa 63:9\Q="x.xxxiii.iii-p47.2").
      

\C3="Chapter 3" \Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p0.1"CHAPTER 3
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p1.1" Mic 3:1-12\Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p2.1".The Sins of the Princes, Prophets, and Priests: The Consequent Desolation of Zion.
      
1. princes--magistrates or judges.
      
Is it not for you?--Is it not your special function ( Jer 5:4, 5\Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p4.1")?
      
judgment--justice. Ye sit in judgment on others; surely then ye ought to know the judgment for injustice which awaits yourselves ( Ro 2:1\Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p5.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p5.2"2. pluck off their skin ... flesh--rob their fellow countrymen of all their substance ( Ps 14:4; Pr 30:14\Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p6.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p6.2"3. pot ... flesh within ... caldron--manifold species of cruel oppressions. Compare Eze 24:3\Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p7.1", &c., containing, as to the coming punishment, the same figure as is here used of the sin: implying that the sin and punishment exactly correspond.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p7.2"4. Then--at the time of judgment, which Micah takes for granted, so certain is it (compare Mic 2:3\Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p8.1").
      
they cry ... but he will not hear--just as those oppressed by them had formerly cried, and they would not hear. Their prayer shall be rejected, because it is the mere cry of nature for deliverance from pain, not that of repentance for deliverance from sin.
      
ill in their doings--Men cannot expect to do ill and fare well.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p10.1"5.Here he attacks the false prophets, as before he had attacked the "princes."
      
make my people err--knowingly mislead My people by not denouncing their sins as incurring judgment.
      
bite with ... teeth, and cry, Peace--that is, who, so long as they are supplied with food, promise \ipeace\iand prosperity in their prophecies.
      
he that putteth not into their mouths, they ... prepare war against him--Whenever they are not supplied with food, they foretell war and calamity.
      
prepare war--literally, "sanctify war," that is, proclaim it as a \iholy\ijudgment of God because they are not fed (see on; compare Isa 13:3; Joe 1:14\Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p15.3").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p15.4"6. night ... dark--Calamities shall press on you so overwhelming as to compel you to cease pretending to \idivine\i( Zec 13:4\Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p16.1"). Darkness is often the image of calamity ( Isa 8:22; Am 5:18; 8:9\Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p16.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p16.3"7. cover their lips--The Orientals prided themselves on the moustache and beard ("upper lip," \iMargin\i). To \icover\iit, therefore, was a token of shame and sorrow ( Le 13:45; Eze 24:17, 22\Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p17.1"). "They shall be so ashamed of themselves as \inot to dare to open their mouths\ior boast of the name of prophet" [Calvin].
      
there is no answer of God--They shall no more profess to have responses from God, being struck dumb with calamities ( Mic 3:6\Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p18.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p18.2"8. I--in contrast to the false prophets ( Mic 3:5, 7\Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p19.1").
      
full of power--that which "the Spirit of Jehovah" imparts for the discharge of the prophetical function ( Lu 1:17; 24:49; Ac 1:8\Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p20.1").
      
judgment--a sense of \ijustice\i[Maurer]; as opposed to the false prophets' speaking to please men, not from a regard to truth. Or, "judgment" to discern between graver and lighter offenses, and to denounce punishments accordingly [Grotius].
      
might--moral \iintrepidity\iin speaking the truth at all costs ( 2Ti 1:7\Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p22.1").
      
to declare unto Jacob his ... sin--( Isa 58:1\Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p23.1"). Not to flatter the sinner as the false prophets do with promises of peace.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p23.2"9. Hear--resumed from Mic 3:1\Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p24.1". Here begins the leading subject of the prophecy: a demonstration of his assertion that he is "full of power by the Spirit of Jehovah" ( Mic 3:8\Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p24.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p24.3"10. They--change of person from "ye" ( Mic 3:9\Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p25.1"); the third person puts them to a greater distance as estranged from Him. It is, literally, " \iWhosoever\ibuilds," \isingular.\i
      
build up Zion with blood--build on it stately mansions with wealth obtained by the condemnation and murder of the innocent ( Jer 22:13; Eze 22:27; Hab 2:12\Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p26.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p26.2"11. heads thereof--the princes of Jerusalem.
      
judge for reward--take bribes as judges ( Mic 7:3\Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p28.1").
      
priests teach for hire--It was their duty to teach the law and to decide controversies gratuitously ( Le 10:11; De 17:11; Mal 2:7\Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p29.1"; compare Jer 6:13; Jude 11\Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p29.2").
      
prophets ... divine--that is, false prophets.
      
Is not the Lord among us?--namely in the temple ( Isa 48:2; Jer 7:4, 8-11\Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p31.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p31.2"12. Jer 26:18\Q="x.xxxiii.iv-p32.1"quotes this verse. The Talmud andMaimonidesrecord that at the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans under Titus, Terentius Rufus, who was left in command of the army, with a ploughshare tore up the foundations of the temple.
      
mountain of the house--the height on which the temple stands.
      
as the high places of the forest--shall become as heights in a forest overrun with wild shrubs and brushwood.
      

\C3="Chapter 4" \Q="x.xxxiii.v-p0.1"CHAPTER 4
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.v-p1.1" Mic 4:1-13\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p2.1".Transition to the Glory, Peace, Kingdom, and Victory of Zion.
      
1-3.Almost identical with Isa 2:2-4\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p3.1".
      
the mountain of the house of the Lord--which just before ( Mic 3:12\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p4.1") had been doomed to be a wild forest height. Under Messiah, its elevation is to be not that of situation, but of moral dignity, as the seat of God's universal empire.
      
people shall flow into it--In Isaiah it is "all nations": a more universal prophecy.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.v-p5.1" \Q="x.xxxiii.v-p5.2"3. rebuke--convict of sin ( Joh 16:8, 9\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p6.1"); and subdue with judgments ( Ps 2:5, 9; 110:5, 6; Re 2:27; 12:5\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p6.2").
      
many people ... strong nations afar off--In Isa 2:4\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p7.1"it is "the nations ... many people."
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.v-p7.2"4. sit every man under his vine,&c.--that is, enjoy the most prosperous tranquillity ( 1Ki 4:25; Zec 3:10\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p8.1"). The "vine" and "fig tree" are mentioned rather than a \ihouse,\ito signify, there will be no need of a covert; men will be safe even in the fields and open air.
      
Lord of hosts hath spoken it--Therefore it must come to pass, however unlikely now it may seem.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.v-p9.1"5. For--rather, \iThough it be that\iall people walk after their several gods, yet we (the Jews in the dispersion) will walk in the name of the Lord. So the \iHebrew\iparticle means in the \iMargin,\i Ge 8:21; Ex 13:17; Jos 17:18\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p10.1". The resolution of the exile Jews is: As Jehovah gives us hope of so glorious a restoration, notwithstanding the overthrow of our temple and nation, we must in confident reliance on His promise persevere in the true worship of Him, however the nations around, our superiors now in strength and numbers, walk after their gods [Rosenmuller]. As the Jews were thoroughly weaned from idols by the Babylonian captivity, so they shall be completely cured of unbelief by their present long dispersion ( Zec 10:8-12\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p10.3").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.v-p10.4"6. assemble her that halteth--feminine for neuter in \iHebrew\iidiom, " \iwhatever halteth\i": metaphor from sheep wearied out with a journey: all the suffering exiles of Israel ( Eze 34:16; Zep 3:19\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p11.1").
      
her ... driven out--all Israel's outcasts. Called "the Lord's flock" ( Jer 13:17; Eze 34:13; 37:21\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p12.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.v-p12.2"7. I will make her that halted a remnant--I will cause a remnant to remain which shall not perish.
      
Lord shall reign ... in ... Zion--David's kingdom shall be restored in the person of Messiah, who is the seed of David and at the same time Jehovah ( Isa 24:23\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p14.1").
      
for ever--( Isa 9:6, 7; Da 7:14, 27; Lu 1:33; Re 11:15\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p15.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.v-p15.2"8. tower of the flock--following up the metaphor of \isheep\i(see on). Jerusalem is called the "tower," from which the King and Shepherd observes and guards His flock: both the spiritual Jerusalem, the Church now whose tower-like elevation is that of doctrine and practice ( So 4:4\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p16.3", "Thy neck is like the \itower\iof David"), and the literal hereafter ( Jer 3:17\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p16.4"). In large pastures it was usual to erect a high wooden tower, so as to oversee the flock.Jerometakes the \iHebrew\ifor "flock," \iEder\ior \iEdar,\ias a proper name, namely, a village near Beth-lehem, for which it is put, Beth-lehem being taken to represent the \iroyal stock of David\i( Mic 5:2\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p16.6"; compare Ge 35:21\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p16.7"). But the explanatory words, "the stronghold of the daughter of Zion," confirm \iEnglish Version.\i
      
stronghold-- \iHebrew,\i"Ophel"; an impregnable height on Mount Zion ( 2Ch 27:3; 33:14; Ne 3:26, 27\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p17.1").
      
unto thee shall ... come ... the first dominion--namely, the dominion formerly exercised by thee shall come back to thee.
      
kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem--rather, "the kingdom \iof\ithe daughter of Jerusalem shall come (again)"; such as it was under David, before its being weakened by the secession of the ten tribes.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.v-p19.1"9.Addressed to the daughter of Zion, in her consternation at the approach of the Chaldeans.
      
 \iis there\ino king in thee?--asked tauntingly. There is a king in her; but it is the same as if there were none, so helpless to devise means of escape are he and his counsellors [Maurer]. Or, Zion's pains are because her king \iis\itaken away from her ( Jer 52:9; La 4:20; Eze 12:13\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p21.2") [Calvin]. The former is perhaps the preferable view (compare Jer 49:7\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p21.4"). The latter, however, describes better Zion's kingless state during her present long dispersion ( Ho 3:4, 5\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p21.5").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.v-p21.6"10. Be in pain, and labour--carrying on the metaphor of a pregnant woman. Thou shalt be affected with bitter sorrows before thy deliverance shall come. I do not forbid thy grieving, but I bring thee consolation. Though God cares for His children, yet they must not expect to be exempt from trouble, but must prepare for it.
      
go forth out of the city--on its capture. So "come out" is used 2Ki 24:12; Isa 36:16\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p23.1".
      
dwell in the field--namely, in the open country, defenseless, instead of their fortified \icity.\iBeside the Chebar ( Ps 137:1; Eze 3:15\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p24.1").
      
Babylon--Like Isaiah, Micah looks beyond the existing Assyrian dynasty to the Babylonian, and to Judah's captivity under it, and restoration ( Isa 39:7; 43:14; 48:20\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p25.1"). Had they been, as rationalists represent, merely sagacious politicians, they would have restricted their prophecies to the sphere of the existing \iAssyrian\idynasty. But their seeing into the far-off future of \iBabylon's\isubsequent supremacy, and Judah's connection with her, proves them to be inspired prophets.
      
there ... there--emphatic repetition. The very scene of thy calamities is to be the scene of thy deliverance. In the midst of enemies, where all hope seems cut off, \ithere\ishall Cyrus, the deliverer, appear (compare Jud 14:14\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p26.1"). Cyrus again being the type of the greater Deliverer, who shall finally restore Israel.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.v-p26.2"11. many nations--the subject peoples composing Babylon's armies: and also Edom, Ammon, &c., who exulted in Judah's fall ( La 2:16; Ob 11-13\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p27.1").
      
defiled--metaphor from a virgin. Let her be defiled (that is, outraged by violence and bloodshed), and let our eye gaze insultingly on her shame and sorrow ( Mic 7:10\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p28.1"). Her foes desired to feast their \ieyes\ion her calamities.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.v-p28.2"12. thoughts of the Lord--Their \iunsearchable wisdom,\ioverruling seeming disaster to the final good of His people, is the very ground on which the restoration of Israel hereafter (of which the restoration from Babylon is a type) is based in Isa 55:8\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p29.1"; compare with Mic 4:3, 12, 13\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p29.2", which prove that \iIsrael,\inot merely the Christian Church, is the ultimate subject of the prophecy; also in Ro 11:13\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p29.3". God's counsel is to discipline His people for a time with the foe as a scourge; and then to destroy the foe by the hands of His people.
      
gather them as ... sheaves--them who "gathered" themselves for Zion's destruction ( Mic 4:11\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p30.1") the Lord "shall gather" for destruction by Zion ( Mic 4:13\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p30.2"), like \isheaves gathered to be threshed\i(compare Isa 21:10; Jer 51:33\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p30.3"). The \iHebrew\iis \isingular,\i"sheaf." However great the numbers of the foe, they are all but as \ione sheaf\iready to be threshed [Calvin]. Threshing was done by treading with the feet: hence the propriety of the image for treading under foot and breaking asunder the foe.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.v-p30.5"13. thresh--destroy thy foes "gathered" by Jehovah as "sheaves" ( Isa 41:15, 16\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p31.1").
      
thine horn--Zion being compared to an ox treading corn, and an ox's strength lying in the horns, her \istrength\iis implied by giving her a \ihorn of iron\i(compare 1Ki 22:11\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p32.1").
      
beat in pieces many--( Da 2:44\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p33.1").
      
I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord--God subjects the nations to Zion, not for her own selfish aggrandizement, but for His glory ( Isa 60:6, 9; Zec 14:20\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p34.1", with which compare Isa 23:18\Q="x.xxxiii.v-p34.2") and for their ultimate good; therefore He is here called, not merely God of Israel, but "Lord of the whole earth."
      

\C3="Chapter 5" \Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p0.1"CHAPTER 5
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p1.1" Mic 5:1-15\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p2.1".The Calamities Which Precede Messiah's Advent. His Kingdom, Conquest of Jacob's Foes, and Blessing upon His People.
      
1. gather thyself in troops--that is, thou shalt do so, to resist the enemy. Lest the faithful should fall into carnal security because of the previous promises, he reminds them of the calamities which are to precede the prosperity.
      
daughter of troops--Jerusalem is so called on account of her numerous \itroops.\i
      
he hath laid siege-- \ithe enemy\ihath.
      
they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek--the greatest of insults to an Oriental. Zedekiah, the judge (or \iking,\i Am 2:3\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p6.1") of Israel, was loaded with insults by the Chaldeans; so also the other princes and judges ( La 3:30\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p6.2").Hengstenbergthinks the expression, "the judge," marks a time when no king of the house of David reigned. The smiting on the cheek of other judges of Israel was a type of the same indignity offered to Him who nevertheless is the Judge, not only of Israel, but also of the world, and who is "from everlasting" ( Mic 5:2; Isa 50:6; Mt 26:67; 27:30\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p6.4").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p6.5"2. Beth-lehem Ephratah--( Ge 48:7\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p7.1"), or, Beth-lehem Judah; so called to distinguish it from Beth-lehem in Zebulun. It is a few miles southwest of Jerusalem. Beth-lehem means "the house of bread"; \iEphratah\imeans "fruitful": both names referring to the fertility of the region.
      
though thou be little among-- \ithough thou be scarcely large enough to be reckoned among,\i&c. It was insignificant in size and population; so that in Jos 15:21\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p8.1", &c., it is not enumerated among the cities of Judah; nor in the list in Ne 11:25\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p8.2", &c. Under Rehoboam it became a city: 2Ch 11:6\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p8.3", "He \ibuilt\iBeth-lehem." Mt 2:6\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p8.4"seems to contradict Micah, "thou art \inot\ithe least," But really he, by an independent testimony of the Spirit, confirms the prophet, Little in \iworldly\iimportance, thou art not least (that is, far from least, yea, \ithe very greatest\i) among the thousands, of princes of Judah, in the spiritual significance of being the birthplace of Messiah ( Joh 7:42\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p8.5"). God chooses the little things of the world to eclipse in glory its greatest things ( Jud 6:15; Joh 1:46; 1Co 1:27, 28\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p8.6"). The low state of David's line when Messiah was born is also implied here.
      
thousands--Each tribe was divided into \iclans\ior "thousands" (each thousand containing a thousand families: like our old English division of counties into \ihundreds\i), which had their several heads or "princes"; hence in Mt 2:6\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p9.1"it is quoted "princes," substantially the same as in Micah, and authoritatively explained in Matthew. It is not so much this thousand that is preferred to the other thousands of Judah, but the Governor or Chief Prince out of it, who is preferred to the governors of all the other thousands. It is called a "town" (rather in the \iGreek,\i"village"), Joh 7:42\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p9.2"; though scarcely containing a thousand inhabitants, it is ranked among the "thousands" or larger divisions of the tribe, because of its being the cradle of David's line, and of the Divine Son of David. Moses divided the people into thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, with their respective "rulers" ( Ex 18:25\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p9.3"; compare 1Sa 10:19\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p9.4").
      
unto me--unto God the Father ( Lu 1:32\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p10.1"): to fulfil all the Father's will and purpose from eternity. So the Son declares ( Ps 2:7; 40:7, 8; Joh 4:34\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p10.2"); and the Father confirms it ( Mt 3:17; 12:18\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p10.3", compare with Isa 42:1\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p10.4"). God's glory is hereby made the ultimate end of redemption.
      
ruler--the "Shiloh," "Prince of peace," "on whose shoulders the government is laid" ( Ge 49:10; Isa 9:6\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p11.1"). In 2Sa 23:3\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p11.2", " \iHe that ruleth\iover men must be just," the same \iHebrew\iword is employed; Messiah alone realizes David's ideal of a ruler. Also in Jer 30:21\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p11.3", " \itheir governor\ishall proceed from the midst of them"; answering closely to "out of thee shall come forth \ithe ruler,\i" here (compare Isa 11:1-4\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p11.4").
      
goings forth ... from everlasting--The plain antithesis of this clause, to "come forth out of thee" ( \ifrom Beth-lehem\i), shows that the eternal generation of the Son is meant. The terms convey the strongest assertion of infinite duration of which the \iHebrew\ilanguage is capable (compare Ps 90:2; Pr 8:22, 23; Joh 1:1\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p12.1"). Messiah's generation as man coming forth unto God to do His will on earth is \ifrom Beth-lehem;\ibut as Son of God, His goings forth are \ifrom everlasting.\iThe promise of the Redeemer at first was vaguely general ( Ge 3:15\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p12.2"). Then the Shemitic division of mankind is declared as the quarter in which He was to be looked for ( Ge 9:26, 27\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p12.3"); then it grows clearer, defining the race and nation whence the Deliverer should come, namely, the seed of Abraham, the Jews ( Ge 12:3\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p12.4"); then the particular tribe, Judah ( Ge 49:10\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p12.5"); then the family, that of David ( Ps 89:19, 20\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p12.6"); then the very town of His birth, here. And as His coming drew nigh, the very parentage ( Mt 1:1-17; Lu 1:26-35; 2:1-7\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p12.7"); and then all the scattered rays of prophecy concentrate in Jesus, as their focus ( Heb 1:1, 2\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p12.8").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p12.9"3." \iTherefore\i(because of His settled plan) \iwill\iGod \igive up\ito their foes His people Israel, \iuntil,\i" &c.
      
she which travaileth hath brought forth--namely, "the virgin" mother, mentioned by Micah's contemporary, Isa 7:14\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p14.1". \iZion\i"in travail" ( Mic 4:9, 10\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p14.2") answers to the \ivirgin\iin travail of Messiah. Israel's deliverance from her long travail-pains of sorrow will synchronize with the appearance of the Messiah as her Redeemer ( Ro 11:26\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p14.3") in the last days, as the Church's spiritual deliverance synchronized with the virgin's giving birth to Him at His first advent. The ancient \iChurch's\itravail-like waiting for Messiah is represented by \ithe virgin's\itravail. Hence, \iboth\imay be meant. It cannot be \irestricted\ito the Virgin Mary: for Israel is still "given up," though Messiah has been "brought forth" eighteen and a half centuries ago. But the Church's throes are included, which are only to be ended when Christ, having been preached for a witness to all nations, shall at last appear as the Deliverer of Jacob, and when the times of the Gentiles shall be fulfilled, and Israel as a nation shall be born in a day ( Isa 66:7-11; Lu 21:24; Re 12:1, 2, 4\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p14.4"; compare Ro 8:22\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p14.5").
      
the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel--(Compare Mic 4:7\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p15.1"). The remainder of the Israelites dispersed in foreign lands shall return to join their countrymen in Canaan. The \iHebrew\ifor "unto" is, literally, "upon," implying superaddition to those already gathered.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p15.2"4. he shall stand--that is, persevere: implying the endurance of His kingdom [Calvin]. Rather, His sedulous care and pastoral circumspection, as a shepherd \istands\ierect to survey and guard His flock on every side ( Isa 61:5\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p16.2") [Maurer].
      
feed--that is, rule: as the \iGreek\iword similarly in Mt 2:6\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p17.1", \iMargin,\imeans both "feed" and "rule" ( Isa 40:11; 49:10; Eze 34:23\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p17.2"; compare 2Sa 5:2; 7:8\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p17.3").
      
in the majesty of the name of the Lord--possessing the majesty of all Jehovah's \irevealed attributes\i("name") ( Isa 11:2; Php 2:6, 9; Heb 2:7-9\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p18.1").
      
his God--God is " \iHis\iGod" in a oneness of relation distinct from the sense in which God is \iour\iGod ( Joh 20:17\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p19.1").
      
they shall abide--the Israelites ("they," namely, the \ireturning remnant\iand the "children of Israel previously in Canaan) shall \idwell in permanent security and prosperity\i( Mic 4:4; Isa 14:30\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p20.1").
      
unto the ends of the earth--( Mic 4:1; Ps 72:8; Zec 9:10\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p21.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p21.2"5. this man--in \iHebrew\isimply "This." The One just mentioned; He and He alone. Emphatical for Messiah (compare Ge 5:29\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p22.1").
      
the peace--the fountainhead of peace between God and man, between Israel and Israel's justly offended God ( Ge 49:10; Isa 9:6; Eph 2:14, 17; Col 1:20\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p23.1"), and, as the consequence, the fountain of "peace on earth," where heretofore all is strife ( Mic 4:3; Ho 2:18; Zec 9:10; Lu 2:14\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p23.2").
      
the Assyrian--Being Israel's most powerful foe at that time, Assyria is made the representative of all the foes of Israel in all ages, who shall receive their final destruction at Messiah's appearing ( Eze 38:1-23\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p24.1").
      
seven shepherds, and eight--"Seven" expresses perfection; "seven and eight" is an idiom for \ia full and sufficient number\i( Job 5:19; Pr 6:16; Ec 11:2\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p25.1").
      
principal men--literally, "anointed (humble) men" ( Ps 62:9\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p26.1"), such as the apostles were. Their anointing, or consecration and qualification to office, was by the Holy Spirit [Calvin] ( 1Jo 2:20, 27\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p26.3"). "Princes" also were anointed, and they are mentioned as under Messiah ( Isa 32:1\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p26.4"). \iEnglish Version\itherefore gives the probable sense.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p26.5"6. waste--literally, "eat up": following up the metaphor of "shepherds" (compare Nu 22:4; Jer 6:3\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p27.1").
      
land of Nimrod--Babylon ( Mic 4:10; Ge 10:10\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p28.1"); or, including Assyria also, to which he extended his borders ( Ge 10:11\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p28.2").
      
in the entrances--the passes into Assyria ( 2Ki 3:21\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p29.1"). The \iMargin\iandJerome, misled by a needless attention to the parallelism, "with the sword," translate, "with her own naked swords"; as in Ps 55:21\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p29.3"the \iHebrew\iis translated. But "in the entrances" of Assyria, answers to, "within our borders." As the Assyrians invade \iour borders,\iso shall \itheir own\iborders or "entrances" be invaded.
      
he ... he-- \iMessiah\ishall deliver us, when the \iAssyrian\ishall come.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p30.1"7. remnant of Jacob--already mentioned in Mic 5:3\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p31.1". It in comparative smallness stands in antithesis to the "many people." Though Israel be but a remnant amidst many nations after her restoration, yet she shall exercise the same blessed influence in quickening them spiritually that the small imperceptible dew exercises in refreshing the grass ( De 32:2; Ps 72:6; 110:3\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p31.2"). The influence of the Jews restored from Babylon in making many Gentile proselytes is an earnest of a larger similar effect hereafter ( Isa 66:19; Zec 8:13\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p31.3").
      
from the Lord--Israel's restoration and the consequent conversion of the Gentiles are solely of grace.
      
tarrieth not for man--entirely God's work, as independent of human contrivance as the dew and rains that fertilize the soil.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p33.1"8. as a lion--In Mic 5:7\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p34.1"Israel's benignant influence on the nations is described; but here her vengeance on the godless hosts who assail her ( Isa 66:15, 16, 19, 24; Zec 12:3, 6, 8, 9; 14:17, 18\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p34.2"). Judah will be "as as lion," not in respect to its cruelty, but in its power of striking terror into all opponents. Under the Maccabees, the Jews acquired Idumea, Samaria, and parts of the territory of Ammon and Moab [Grotius]. But this was only the earnest of their future glory on their coming restoration.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p34.4"9. Thine hand shall be lifted up--In Isa 26:11\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p35.1"it is \iJehovah's\ihand that is lifted up; here \iIsrael's\ias Mic 5:8\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p35.2"implies, just as "Zion" is addressed and directed to "beat in pieces many people" ( Mic 4:13\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p35.3"; compare Isa 54:15, 17\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p35.4"). For Israel's foes are Jehovah's foes. When her hand is said to be lifted up, it is Jehovah's hand that strikes the foe by her (compare Ex 13:9, with Ex 14:8\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p35.5").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p35.6"10. cut off thy horses ... chariots--namely, those used for the purposes of war. Israel had been forbidden the use of cavalry, or to go to Egypt for horses ( De 17:16\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p36.1"), lest they should trust in worldly forces, rather than in God ( Ps 20:7\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p36.2"). Solomon had disregarded this command ( 1Ki 10:26, 28\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p36.3"). Hereafter, saith God, I will remove these impediments to the free course of My grace: horses, chariots, &c., on which ye trust. The Church will never be safe, till she is stripped of all creature trusts, and rests on Jehovah alone [Calvin]. The universal peace given by God shall cause warlike instruments to be needless. He will \icut\ithem \ioff\ifrom Israel ( Zec 9:10\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p36.5"); as she will cut them off from Babylon, the representative of the nations ( Jer 50:37; 51:21\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p36.6").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p36.7"11. cut off ... cities ... strongholds--such as are fortified for war. In that time of peace, men shall live in unwalled villages ( Eze 38:11\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p37.1"; compare Jer 23:6; 49:31; Zec 2:8\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p37.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p37.3"12. witchcrafts out of thine hand--that is, which thou now usest.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p38.1"13. graven images ... cut off--(Compare Isa 2:8, 18-21; 30:22; Zec 13:2\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p39.1").
      
standing images--statues.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p40.1"14. groves ... cities--The "groves" are the idolatrous symbol of Astarte ( De 16:21; 2Ki 21:7\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p41.1"). "Cities" being parallel to "groves," must mean cities in or near which such idolatrous groves existed. Compare "city of the house of Baal" ( 2Ki 10:25\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p41.2"), that is, a portion of the city sacred to Baal.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p41.3"15. vengeance ... such as they have not heard--or, as the \iHebrew order\ifavors, "the \inations\ithat have not hearkened to My warnings." So the \iSeptuagint\i( Ps 149:7\Q="x.xxxiii.vi-p42.1").
      

\C3="Chapter 6" \Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p0.1"CHAPTER 6
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p1.1" Mic 6:1-16\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p2.1".Appeal before All Creation to the Israelites to Testify, if They Can, if Jehovah Ever Did Aught but Acts of Kindness to Them from the Earliest Period:God Requires of Them Not So Much Sacrifices, as Real Piety and Justice: Their Impieties and Coming Punishment.
      
1. contend thou--Israel is called by Jehovah to plead with Him in controversy. Mic 5:11-13\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p3.1"suggested the transition from those happy times described in the fourth and fifth chapters, to the prophet's own degenerate times and people.
      
before the mountains--in their presence; personified as if witnesses (compare Mic 1:2; De 32:1; Isa 1:2\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p4.1"). Not as the \iMargin,\i"with"; as God's controversy is with Israel, not \iwith\ithem.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p4.2"2. Lord's controversy--How great is Jehovah's condescension, who, though the supreme Lord of all, yet wishes to prove to worms of the earth the equity of His dealings ( Isa 5:3; 43:26\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p5.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p5.2"3. my people--the greatest aggravation of their sin, that God always treated them, and still treats them, as \iHis people.\i
      
what have I done unto thee?--save kindness, that thou revoltest from Me ( Jer 2:5, 31\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p7.1").
      
wherein have I wearied thee?--What commandments have I enjoined that should have wearied thee as irksome ( 1Jo 5:3\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p8.1")?
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p8.2"4. For-- \iOn the contrary,\iso far from doing anything harsh, I did thee every kindness from the earliest years of thy nationality.
      
Miriam--mentioned, as being the prophetess who led the female chorus who sang the song of Moses ( Ex 15:20\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p10.1"). God sent Moses to give the best laws; Aaron to pray for the people; Miriam as an example to the women of Israel.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p10.2"5. what Balak ... consulted--how Balak plotted to destroy thee by getting Balaam to curse thee ( Nu 22:5\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p11.1").
      
what Balaam ... answered--how the avaricious prophet was constrained against his own will, to bless Israel whom he had desired to curse for the sake of Balak's reward ( Nu 24:9-11\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p12.1") [Maurer].Grotiusexplains it, "how Balaam \ianswered,\ithat the only way to injure thee was by tempting thee to idolatry and whoredom" ( Nu 31:16\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p12.4"). The mention of "Shittim" agrees with this: as it was the scene of Israel's sin ( Nu 25:1-5; 2Pe 2:15; Re 2:14\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p12.5").
      
from Shittim unto Gilgal--not that Balaam accompanied Israel from Shittim \ito Gilgal:\ifor he was slain in Midian ( Nu 31:8\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p13.1"). But the clause, "from Shittim," alone applies to Balaam. "Remember" God's kindnesses "from Shittim," the scene of Balaam's wicked counsel taking effect in Israel's sin, whereby Israel merited utter destruction but for God's sparing mercy, "to Gilgal," the place of Israel's first encampment in the promised land between Jericho and Jordan, where God renewed the covenant with Israel by circumcision ( Jos 5:2-11\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p13.2").
      
know the righteousness--Recognize that, so far from God having treated thee harshly ( Mic 6:3\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p14.1"), His dealings have been kindness itself (so "righteous acts" for \igracious,\i Jud 5:11; Ps 24:5, 112:9\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p14.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p14.3"6. Wherewith shall I come before the Lord?--The people, convicted by the previous appeal of Jehovah to them, ask as if they knew not (compare Mic 6:8\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p15.1") what Jehovah requires of them to appease Him, adding that they are ready to offer an immense heap of sacrifices, and those the most costly, even to the fruit of their own body.
      
burnt offerings--( Le 1:1-17\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p16.1").
      
calves of a year old--which used to be offered for a priest ( Le 9:2, 3\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p17.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p17.2"7. rivers of oil--used in sacrifices ( Le 2:1, 15\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p18.1"). Will God be appeased by my offering so much oil that it shall flow in myriads of torrents?
      
my first-born--( 2Ki 3:27\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p19.1"). As the king of Moab did.
      
fruit of my body-- \imy children,\ias an atonement ( Ps 132:11\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p20.1"). The Jews offered human sacrifices in the valley of Hinnom ( Jer 19:5; 32:35; Eze 23:27\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p20.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p20.3"8. He--Jehovah.
      
hath showed thee--long ago, so that thou needest not ask the question as if thou hadst never heard ( Mic 6:6\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p22.1"; compare De 10:12; 30:11-14\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p22.2").
      
what is good--"the good things to come" under Messiah, of which "the law had the shadow." The Mosaic sacrifices were but suggestive foreshadowings of His \ibetter\isacrifice ( Heb 9:23; 10:1\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p23.1"). To have this "good" first "showed," or \irevealed\iby the Spirit, is the only basis for the superstructure of the moral requirements which follow. Thus the way was prepared for the Gospel. The banishment of the Jews from Palestine is designed to preclude the possibility of their looking to the Mosaic rites for redemption, and shuts them up to Messiah.
      
justly ... mercy--preferred by God to sacrifices. For the latter being \ipositive\iordinances, are only \imeans\idesigned with a view to the former, which being \imoral\iduties are the \iends,\iand of everlasting obligation ( 1Sa 15:22; Ho 6:6; 12:6; Am 5:22, 24\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p24.1"). Two duties towards \iman\iare specified-- \ijustice,\ior strict equity; and \imercy,\ior a kindly abatement of what we might justly demand, and a hearty desire to do good to others.
      
to walk humbly with thy God--passive and active obedience towards God. The three moral duties here are summed up by our Lord ( Mt 23:23\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p25.1"), "judgment, mercy, and faith" (in Lu 11:42\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p25.2", "the love of God"). Compare Jas 1:27\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p25.3". \iTo walk with God\iimplies constant prayer and watchfulness, familiar yet "humble" converse with God ( Ge 5:24; 17:1\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p25.4").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p25.5"9. unto the city--Jerusalem.
      
 \ithe man of\iwisdom--As in Pr 13:6\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p27.1", \iHebrew,\i"sin" is used for " \ia man of\isin," and in Ps 109:4\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p27.2", "prayer" for " \ia man of\iprayer"; so here "wisdom" for " \ithe man of\iwisdom."
      
shall see thy name--shall regard Thee, in Thy revelations of Thyself. Compare the end of Mic 2:7\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p28.1". God's "name" expresses the sum-total of His revealed attributes. Contrast with this Isa 26:10\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p28.2", "will not behold the majesty of the Lord." Another reading is adopted by the \iSeptuagint, Syriac,\iand \iVulgate,\i"there is deliverance for those who \ifear\iThy name." \iEnglish Version\iis better suited to the connection; and the rarity of the \iHebrew\iexpression, as compared with the frequency of that in the other reading, makes it less likely to be an interpolation.
      
hear ... the rod,&c.--Hear what punishment (compare Mic 6:13, &c.; Isa 9:3; 10:5, 24\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p29.1") awaits you, and from whom. I am but a man, and so ye may disregard me; but remember my message is not mine, but God's. Hear the rod when it is come, and you feel its smart. Hear what counsels, what cautions it speaks.
      
appointed it--( Jer 47:7\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p30.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p30.2"10. Are there yet--notwithstanding all My warnings. Is there to be no end of acquiring treasures by wickedness? Jehovah is speaking ( Mic 6:9\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p31.1").
      
scant measure ... abominable--( Pr 11:1; Am 8:5\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p32.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p32.2"11. Shall I count them pure--literally, "Shall I be pure with?" &c. \iWith the pure God shows Himself pure;\ibut \iwith the froward\iGod \ishows Himself froward\i( Ps 18:26\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p33.1"). Men often are changeable in their judgments. But God, in the case of the impure who use "wicked balances," cannot be pure, that is, cannot deal with them as He would with the pure.VatablusandHendersonmake the "I" to be "any one"; "Can I (that is, one) be innocent with wicked balances?" But as "I," in Mic 6:13\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p33.4", refers to Jehovah, it must refer to Him also here.
      
the bag--in which weights used to be carried, as well as money ( De 25:13; Pr 16:11\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p34.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p34.2"12. For--rather, "Inasmuch as"; the conclusion "therefore," &c. following in Mic 6:13\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p35.1".
      
thereof--of Jerusalem.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p36.1"13. make \ithee\isick in smiting--( Le 26:16\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p37.1", to which perhaps the allusion here is, as in Mic 6:14; Ps 107:17, 18; Jer 13:13\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p37.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p37.3"14. eat ... not be satisfied--fulfiling the threat, Le 26:26\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p38.1".
      
thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee--Thou shalt be cast down, not merely on My borders, but in the midst of thee, thy metropolis and temple being overthrown [Tirinus]. Even though there should be no enemy, yet thou shalt be consumed with intestine evils [Calvin].Maurertranslates as from an \iArabic\iroot, "there shall be \iemptiness\iin thy belly." SimilarlyGrotius, "there shall be a sinking of thy belly (once filled with food), through hunger." This suits the parallelism to the first clause. But \iEnglish Version\imaintains the parallelism sufficiently. The casting down in the midst of the land, including the failure of food, through the invasion thus answering to, "Thou shalt eat, and not be satisfied."
      
thou shalt take hold, but ... not deliver--Thou shalt take hold (with thine arms), in order to save [Calvin] thy wives, children and goods.Maurer, from a different root, translates, "thou shalt remove them," in order to save them from the foe. But thou shalt fail in the attempt to deliver them ( Jer 50:37\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p40.3").
      
that which thou deliverest--If haply thou dost rescue aught, it will be for a time: I will give it up to the foe's sword.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p41.1"15. sow ... not reap--fulfilling the threat ( Le 26:16; De 28:38-40; Am 5:11\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p42.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p42.2"16. statutes of Omri--the founder of Samaria and of Ahab's wicked house; and a supporter of Jeroboam's superstitions ( 1Ki 16:16-28\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p43.1"). This verse is a recapitulation of what was more fully stated before, Judah's sin and consequent punishment. Judah, though at variance with Israel on all things else, imitated her impiety.
      
works of ... Ahab--( 1Ki 21:25, 26\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p44.1").
      
ye walk in their counsels--Though these superstitions were the fruit of their king's "counsels" as a master stroke of state policy, yet these pretexts were no excuse for setting at naught the counsels and will of God.
      
that I should make thee a desolation--Thy conduct is framed so, as if it was thy set purpose "that I should make thee a desolation."
      
inhabitants thereof--namely, of Jerusalem.
      
hissing--( La 2:15\Q="x.xxxiii.vii-p48.1").
      
the reproach of my people--The very thing ye boast of, namely, that ye are "My people," will only increase the severity of your punishment. The greater My grace to you, the greater shall be your punishment for having despised it, Your being God's people in name, while walking in His love, was an honor; but now the name, without the reality, is only a "reproach" to you.
      

\C3="Chapter 7" \Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p0.1"CHAPTER 7
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p1.1" Mic 7:1-20\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p2.1".The Universality of the Corruption; the Chosen Remnant, Driven from Every Human Confidence, Turns to God;Triumphs by Faith over Her Enemies; Is Comforted by God's Promises in Answer to Prayer, and by the Confusion of Her Enemies, and So Breaks Forth intoPraises of God's Character.
      
1. I am as when,&c.--It is the same with me as with one seeking fruits after the harvest, grapes after the vintage. "There is not a cluster" to be found: no "first-ripe fruit" (or "early fig"; see on) which "my soul desireth" [Maurer]. So I look in vain for any good men left ( Mic 7:2\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p3.4").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p3.5"2.The \iHebrew\iexpresses "one \imerciful and good\iin relation to man," rather than to God.
      
is perished out of the earth--( Ps 12:1\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p5.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p5.2"3. That they may do evil with both hands earnestly--literally, "Their hands are for evil that they may do it well" (that is, cleverly and successfully).
      
the great man, he--emphatic repetition. \iAs for the great man, he\ino sooner has expressed his bad desire (literally, the "mischief" or "lust of his soul"), than the venal judges are ready to wrest the decision of the case according to his wish.
      
so they wrap it up--The \iHebrew\iis used of \iintertwining cords together.\iThe "threefold cord is not quickly broken" ( Ec 4:12\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p8.1"); here the "prince," the "judge," and the "great man" are the three in guilty complicity. "They wrap it up," namely, they conspire to carry out the great man's desire at the sacrifice of justice.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p8.2"4. as a brier--or \ithorn;\ipricking with injury all who come in contact with them ( 2Sa 23:6, 7; Isa 55:13; Eze 2:6\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p9.1").
      
the day of thy watchmen--the day foretold by thy (true) prophets, as the time of "thy visitation" in wrath [Grotius]. Or, "the day of thy \ifalse\iprophets being punished"; they are specially threatened as being not only blind themselves, but leading others blindfold [Calvin].
      
now--at the time foretold, "at that time"; the prophet transporting himself into it.
      
perplexity--( Isa 22:5\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p12.1"). They shall not know whither to turn.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p12.2"5. Trust ye not in a friend--Faith is kept nowhere: all to a man are treacherous ( Jer 9:2-6\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p13.1"). When justice is perverted by the great, faith nowhere is safe. So, in gospel times of persecution, "a man's foes are they of his own household" ( Mt 10:35, 36; Lu 12:53\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p13.2").
      
guide--a counsellor [Calvin] able to help and advise (compare Ps 118:8, 9; 146:3\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p14.2"). \iThe head of your family,\ito whom all the members of the family would naturally repair in emergencies. Similarly the \iHebrew\iis translated in Jos 22:14\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p14.3"and "chief friends" in Pr 16:28\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p14.4"[Grotius].
      
her that lieth in thy bosom--thy wife ( De 13:6\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p15.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p15.2"6. son dishonoureth the father--The state of unnatural lawlessness in all relations of life is here described which is to characterize the last times, before Messiah comes to punish the ungodly and save Israel (compare Lu 21:16; 2Ti 3:1-3\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p16.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p16.2"7. Therefore I will look unto the Lord--as if no one else were before mine eyes. We must not only "look \iunto\ithe Lord," but also "wait \ifor\iHim." Having no hope from man ( Mic 7:5, 6\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p17.1"), Micah speaks in the name of Israel, who herein, taught by chastisement ( Mic 7:4\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p17.2") to feel her sin ( Mic 7:9\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p17.3"), casts herself on the Lord as her only hope," in patient waiting ( La 3:26\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p17.4"). She did so under the Babylonian captivity; she shall do so again hereafter when the spirit of grace shall be poured on her ( Zec 12:10-13\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p17.5").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p17.6"8. Rejoice not--at my fall.
      
when I fall, I shall arise--( Ps 37:24; Pr 24:16\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p19.1").
      
when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light--Israel reasons as her divine representative, Messiah, reasoned by faith in His hour of darkness and desertion ( Isa 50:7, 8, 10\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p20.1"). Israel addresses Babylon, her triumphant foe (or Edom), as \ia female;\ithe type of her last and worst foes ( Ps 137:7, 8\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p20.2"). "Mine enemy," in \iHebrew,\iis feminine.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p20.3"9. bear--patiently.
      
the indignation of the Lord--His punishment inflicted on me ( La 3:39\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p22.1"). The true penitent "accepts the punishment of his iniquity" ( Le 26:41, 43\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p22.2"); they who murmur against God, do not yet know their guilt ( Job 40:4, 5\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p22.3").
      
execute judgment for me--against my foe. God's people plead guilty before God; but, in respect to their human foes, they are innocent and undeserving of their foes' injuries.
      
bring me forth to the light--to the temporal and spiritual redemption.
      
I shall behold his righteousness--His gracious faithfulness to His promises ( Ps 103:17\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p25.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p25.2"10. shame shall cover her--in seeing how utterly mistaken she was in supposing that I was utterly ruined.
      
Where is ... thy God--( Ps 42:3, 10\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p27.1"). If He be " \ithy\iGod," as thou sayest, let Him come now and deliver thee. So as to Israel's representative, Messiah ( Mt 27:43\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p27.2").
      
mine eyes shall behold her--a just retribution in kind upon the foe who had said, "Let our \ieye look upon\iZion." Zion shall behold her foe prostrate, not with the carnal joy of revenge, but with spiritual joy in God's vindicating His own righteousness ( Isa 66:24; Re 16:5-7\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p28.1").
      
shall she be trodden down--herself, who had trodden down me.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p29.1"11. thy walls ... be built--under Cyrus, after the seventy years' captivity; and again, hereafter, when the Jews shall be restored ( Am 9:11; Zec 12:6\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p30.1").
      
shall the decree be far removed--namely, thy tyrannical decree or rule of Babylon shall be put away from thee, "the statutes that were not good" ( Eze 20:25\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p31.1") [Calvin]. Ps 102:13-16; Isa 9:4\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p31.3". The \iHebrew\iis againstMaurer'stranslation, "the boundary of the city shall be \ifar extended,\i" so as to contain the people flocking into it from all nations ( Mic 7:12; Isa 49:20; 54:2\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p31.5").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p31.6"12. In that day also--rather, an answer to the supposed question of Zion, When shall my walls be built? "The day (of thy walls being built) is the day when he (that is, many) shall come to thee from Assyria," &c. [Ludovicus De Dieu]. The Assyrians (including the Babylonians) who spoiled thee shall come.
      
and \ifrom\ithe fortified cities--rather, to suit the parallelism, "from Assyria \ieven to Egypt.\i" ( \iMatzor\imay be so translated). So Assyria and Egypt are contrasted in Isa 19:23\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p33.1"[Maurer].Calvinagrees with \iEnglish Version,\i"from all fortified cities."
      
from the fortress even to the river--"from \iEgypt\ieven to the river" Euphrates (answering in parallelism to "Assyria") [Maurer]. Compare Isa 11:15, 16; 19:23-25; 27:13; Ho 11:11; Zec 10:10\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p34.2".
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p34.3"13.However glorious the prospect of restoration, the Jews are not to forget the visitation on their "land" which is to intervene for the "fruit of (evil caused by) their doings" (compare Pr 1:31; Isa 3:10, 11; Jer 21:14\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p35.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p35.2"14. Feed thy people--Prayer of the prophet, in the name of his people to God, which, as God fulfils believing prayer, is prophetical of what God \iwould\ido. When God is about to deliver His people, He stirs up their friends to pray for them.
      
Feed--including the idea of both pastoral \irule\iand care over His people ( Mic 5:4\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p37.1", \iMargin\i), regarded as a flock ( Ps 80:1; 100:3\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p37.2"). Our calamity must be fatal to the nation, unless Thou of Thy unmerited grace, remembering Thy covenant with "Thine heritage" ( De 4:20; 7:6; 32:9\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p37.3"), shalt restore us.
      
thy rod--the shepherd's rod, wherewith He directs the flock ( Ps 23:4\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p38.1"). No longer the rod of punishment ( Mic 6:9\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p38.2").
      
which dwell solitarily in the wood, in ... Carmel--Let Thy people who have been dwelling as it were in a solitude of woods ( \iin\ithe world, but not \iof\iit), scattered among various nations, dwell in Carmel, that is, where there are fruit-bearing lands and vineyards [Calvin]. Rather, "which are about to dwell (that is, that they may dwell) separate in the wood, in ... Carmel" [Maurer], which are to be no longer mingled with the heathen, but are to dwell as a distinct people in their own land. Micah has here Balaam's prophecy in view (compare Mic 6:5\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p39.3", where also Balaam is referred to). "Lo, the people shall dwell \ialone\i" ( Nu 23:9\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p39.4"; compare De 33:28\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p39.5"). To "feed in the wood in Carmel," is to feed in the rich pastures among its woods. To "sleep in the woods," is the image of \imost perfect security\i( Eze 34:25\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p39.6"). So that the Jews' "security," as well as their \idistinct nationality,\iis here foretold. Also Jer 49:31\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p39.7".
      
Bashan--famed for its cattle ( Ps 22:12; Am 4:1\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p40.1"). Parallel to this passage is Jer 50:19\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p40.2". Bashan and Gilead, east of Jordan, were chosen by Reuben, Gad, and half Manasseh, as abounding in pastures suited for their many cattle ( Nu 32:1-42; De 3:12-17\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p40.3").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p40.4"15. thy ... him--both referring to Israel. So in Mic 7:19\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p41.1"the person is changed from the first to the third, "us ... our ... their." Jehovah here answers Micah's prayer in Mic 7:14\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p41.2", assuring him, that as He delivered His people from Egypt by miraculous power, so He would again "show" it in their behalf ( Jer 16:14, 15\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p41.3").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p41.4"16. shall see--the "marvellous things" ( Mic 7:15; Isa 26:11\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p42.1").
      
confounded at all their might--having so suddenly proved unavailing: that might wherewith they had thought that there is nothing which they could not effect against God's people.
      
lay ... hand upon ... mouth--the gesture of silence ( Job 21:5; 40:4; Ps 107:42; Isa 52:15\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p44.1"). They shall be struck dumb at Israel's marvellous deliverance, and no longer boast that God's people is destroyed.
      
ears ... deaf--They shall stand astounded so as not to hear what shall be said [Grotius]. Once they had eagerly drunk in all rumors as so many messages of victories; but then they shall be afraid of hearing them, because they continually fear new disasters, when they see the God of Israel to be so powerful [Calvin]. They shall close their ears so as not to be compelled to hear of Israel's successes.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p45.3"17. lick the dust--in abject prostration as suppliants ( Ps 72:9\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p46.1"; compare Isa 49:23; 65:25\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p46.2").
      
move out of their holes--As reptiles from their holes, they shall come forth from their hiding-places, or fortresses ( Ps 18:45\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p47.1"), to give themselves up to the conquerors. More literally, "they shall tremble from," that is, tremblingly come forth from their coverts.
      
like worms--reptiles or crawlers ( De 32:24\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p48.1").
      
they shall be afraid of the Lord--or, they shall \iin fear turn with haste\ito the Lord. Thus the antithesis is brought out. They shall tremble forth \ifrom\itheir holes: they shall in trepidation turn \ito\ithe Lord for salvation (compare \iNote,\isee on, and Jer 33:9\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p49.3").
      
fear because of thee--shall fear Thee, Jehovah (and so fear Israel as under Thy guardianship). There is a change here from speaking \iof\iGod to speaking \ito\iGod [Maurer]. Or rather, "shall fear thee, Israel" [Henderson].
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p50.3"18.Grateful at such unlooked-for grace being promised to Israel, Micah breaks forth into praises of Jehovah.
      
passeth by the transgression--not conniving at it, but forgiving it; leaving it unpunished, as a traveller \ipasses by\iwhat he chooses not to look into ( Pr 19:11\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p52.1"). Contrast Am 7:8\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p52.2", and " \imark\iiniquities," Ps 130:3\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p52.3".
      
the remnant--who shall be permitted to survive the previous judgment: the elect remnant of grace ( Mic 4:7; 5:3, 7, 8\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p53.1").
      
retaineth not ... anger--( Ps 103:9\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p54.1").
      
delighteth in mercy--God's forgiving is founded on His nature, which delights in loving-kindness, and is averse from wrath.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p55.1"19. turn again--to us, from having been turned away from us.
      
subdue our iniquities--literally, "tread under foot," as being hostile and deadly to us. Without subjugation of our bad propensities, even pardon could not give us peace. When God takes away the guilt of sin that it may not condemn us, He takes away also the power of sin that it may not rule us.
      
cast ... into ... depths of the sea--never to rise again to view, buried out of sight in eternal oblivion: not merely at the shore side, where they may rise again.
      
our ... their--change of person. Micah in the first case identifying himself and his sins with his people and their sins; in the second, speaking \iof\ithem and their sins.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p59.1"20. perform the truth--the faithful promise.
      
to Jacob ... Abraham--Thou shalt make good to their posterity the promise made to the patriarchs. God's promises are called "mercy," because they flow slowly from grace; "truth," because they will be surely performed ( Lu 1:72, 73; 1Th 5:24\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p61.1").
      
sworn unto our fathers--( Ps 105:9, 10\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p62.1"). The promise to Abraham is in Ge 12:2\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p62.2"; to Isaac, in Ge 26:24\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p62.3"; to Jacob, in Ge 28:13\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p62.4". This unchangeable promise implied an engagement that the seed of the patriarchs should never perish, and should be restored to their inheritance as often as they turned wholly to God ( De 30:1, 2\Q="x.xxxiii.viii-p62.5").
      
\C2="Nahum"
THE BOOK OF
NAHUM
 \iCommentary by\iA. R. Faussett
      

\C3="Introduction"INTRODUCTION
      
Nahummeans "consolation" and "vengeance"; symbolizing the "consolation" in the book for God's people, and the "vengeance" coming on their enemies. In the first chapter the two themes alternate; but as the prophet advances, vengeance on the capital of the Assyrian foe is the predominant topic. He is called "the Elkoshite" ( Na 1:1\Q="x.xxxiv.i-p2.2"), from \iElkosh,\ior Elkesi, a village of Galilee, pointed out toJerome[ \iPreface in Nahum\i] as a place of note among the Jews, having traces of ancient buildings. The name \iCapernaum,\ithat is, "village of Nahum," seems to take its name from Nahum having resided in it, though born in Elkosh in the neighborhood. There is another Elkosh east of the Tigris, and north of Mosul, believed by Jewish pilgrims to be the birthplace and burial place of the prophet. But the book of Nahum in its allusions shows a particularity of acquaintance with Palestine ( Na 1:4\Q="x.xxxiv.i-p2.4"), and only a more general knowledge as to Nineveh ( Na 2:4-6; 3:2, 3\Q="x.xxxiv.i-p2.5").
      
His graphic description of Sennacherib and his army ( Na 1:9-12\Q="x.xxxiv.i-p3.1") makes it not unlikely that he was in or near Jerusalem at the time: hence the number of phrases corresponding to those of Isaiah (compare Na 1:8, 9, with Isa 8:8; 10:23\Q="x.xxxiv.i-p3.2"; Na 2:10, with Isa 24:1; 21:3\Q="x.xxxiv.i-p3.3"; Na 1:15, with Isa 52:7\Q="x.xxxiv.i-p3.4"). The prophecy in Na 1:14\Q="x.xxxiv.i-p3.5"probably refers to the murder of Sennacherib twenty years after his return from Palestine ( Isa 37:38\Q="x.xxxiv.i-p3.6"). The date of his prophecies, thus, seems to be about the former years of Hezekiah. SoJeromethinks. He plainly writes while the Assyrian power was yet unbroken ( Na 1:12; 2:11-13\Q="x.xxxiv.i-p3.8" Na 3:15-17\Q="x.xxxiv.i-p3.9"). The correspondence between the sentiments of Nahum and those of Isaiah and Hezekiah, as recorded in Second Kings and Isaiah, proves the likelihood of Nahum's prophecies belonging to the time when Sennacherib was demanding the surrender of Jerusalem, and had not yet raised the siege (compare Na 1:2, &c., with 2Ki 19:14, 15\Q="x.xxxiv.i-p3.10"; Na 1:7, with 2Ki 18:22; 19:19, 31; 2Ch 32:7, 8\Q="x.xxxiv.i-p3.11"; Na 1:9, 11, with 2Ki 19:22, 27, 28\Q="x.xxxiv.i-p3.12"; Na 1:14, with 2Ki 19:6, 7\Q="x.xxxiv.i-p3.13"; Na 1:15; 2:1, 2, with 2Ki 19:32, 33\Q="x.xxxiv.i-p3.14"; Na 2:13, with 2Ki 19:22, 23\Q="x.xxxiv.i-p3.15"). The historical data in the book itself are the humiliation of Israel and Judah by Assyria ( Na 2:2\Q="x.xxxiv.i-p3.16"); the invasion of Judah ( Na 1:9, 11\Q="x.xxxiv.i-p3.17"); and the conquest of No-ammon, or Thebes, in Upper Egypt ( Na 3:8-10\Q="x.xxxiv.i-p3.18"). Tiglath-pileser and Shalmaneser had carried away Israel. The Jews were harassed by the Syrians, and impoverished by Ahaz' payments to Tiglath-pileser ( 2Ch 28:1-27; Isa 7:9\Q="x.xxxiv.i-p3.19"). Sargon, Shalmaneser's successor, after the reduction of Phœnicia by the latter, fearing lest Egypt should join Palestine against him, undertook an expedition to Africa ( Isa 20:1-6\Q="x.xxxiv.i-p3.20"), and took Thebes; the latter fact we know only from Nahum, but the \isuccess\iof the expedition in general is corroborated in Isa 20:1-6\Q="x.xxxiv.i-p3.21". Sennacherib, Sargon's successor, made the last Assyrian attempt against Judea, ending in the destruction of his army in the fourteenth year of Hezekiah (713-710B.C.). As Nahum refers to this in part prophetically, in part as matter of history ( Na 1:9-13; 2:13\Q="x.xxxiv.i-p3.23"), he must have lived about 720-714B.C., that is, almost a hundred years before the event foretold, namely, the overthrow of Nineveh by the joint forces of Cyaxares and Nabopolassar in the reign of Chyniladanus, 625 or 603B.C.
      
The prophecy is remarkable for its unity of aim. Nahum's object was to inspire his countrymen, the Jews, with the assurance that, however alarming their position might seem, exposed to the attacks of the mighty Assyrian, who had already carried away the ten tribes, yet that not only should the Assyrian (Sennacherib) fail in his attack on Jerusalem, but Nineveh, his own capital, be taken and his empire overthrown; and this, not by an arbitrary exercise of Jehovah's power, but for the iniquities of the city and its people.
      
His position in the canon is seventh of the minor prophets in both the Hebrew and Greek arrangement. He is seventh in point of date.
      
His style is clear, elegant, and forcible. Its most striking characteristic is the power of representing several phases of an idea in the briefest sentences, as in the majestic description of God in the commencement, the conquest of Nineveh, and the destruction of No-ammon [Eichorn].De Wettecalls attention to his variety of manner in presenting ideas, as marking great poetic talent. "Here there is something sonorous in his language there something murmuring; with both these alternates something that is soft, delicate, and melting, as the subject demands." Excepting two alleged Assyrian words ( Na 3:17\Q="x.xxxiv.i-p6.3"), \iEnglish Version,\i"crowned," or \iprinces,\iand \iEnglish Version,\i"captains," or \isatraps\i(used by Jer 51:27\Q="x.xxxiv.i-p6.4"), the language is pure. These two, doubtless, came to be known in Judea from the intercourse with Assyria in the eighth and seventh centuriesB.C.
      

\C3="Chapter 1" \Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p0.1"CHAPTER 1
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p1.1" Na 1:1-15\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p2.1".Jehovah's Attributes as a Jealous Judge of Sin, Yet Merciful to His Trusting People, Should Inspire Them with Confidence. He WillNot Allow the Assyrians Again to Assail Them, but Will Destroy the Foe.
      
1. burden of Nineveh--the \iprophetic doom\iof Nineveh. Nahum prophesied against that city a hundred fifty years after Jonah.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p3.1"2. jealous--In this there is sternness, yet tender affection. We are jealous only of those we love: a husband, of a wife; a king, of his subjects' loyalty. God is jealous of men because He loves them. God will not bear a rival in His claims on them. His burning jealousy for His own wounded honor and their love, as much as His justice, accounts for all His fearful judgments: the flood, the destruction of Jerusalem, that of Nineveh. His jealousy will not admit of His friends being oppressed, and their enemies flourishing (compare Ex 20:5; 1Co 16:22; 2Co 11:2\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p4.1"). \iBurning zeal\ienters into the idea in "jealous" here (compare Nu 25:11, 13; 1Ki 19:10\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p4.2").
      
the Lord revengeth ... Lord revengeth--The repetition of the incommunicable nameJehovah, and of His \irevenging,\igives an awful solemnity to the introduction.
      
furious--literally, "a master of fury." So \ia master of the tongue,\ithat is, "eloquent." "One who, if He pleases, can most readily give effect to His fury" [Grotius]. Nahum has in view the provocation to fury given to God by the Assyrians, after having carried away the ten tribes, now proceeding to invade Judea under Hezekiah.
      
reserveth wrath for his enemies-- \ireserves it\iagainst His own appointed time ( 2Pe 2:9\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p7.1"). After long waiting for their repentance in vain, at length punishing them. A wrong estimate of Jehovah is formed from His suspending punishment: it is not that He is insensible or dilatory, but He reserves wrath for His own fit time. In the case of the penitent, He does not \ireserve\ior retain His anger ( Ps 103:9; Jer 3:5, 12; Mic 7:18\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p7.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p7.3"3. slow to anger, and great in power--that is, \ibut\igreat in power, so as to be able in a moment, if He pleases, to destroy the wicked. His long-suffering is not from want of power to punish ( Ex 34:6, 7\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p8.1").
      
not at all acquit--literally, "will not acquitting acquit," or treat as innocent.
      
Lord hath his way in the whirlwind--From this to Na 1:5\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p10.1", inclusive, is a description of His power exhibited in the phenomena of nature, especially when He is wroth. His vengeance shall sweep away the Assyrian foe like a whirlwind ( Pr 10:25\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p10.2").
      
clouds are the dust of his feet--Large as they are, He treads on them, as a man would on the small dust; He is Lord of the clouds, and uses them as He pleases.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p11.1"4. rebuketh the sea--as Jesus did ( Mt 8:26\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p12.1"), proving Himself God (compare Isa 50:2\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p12.2").
      
Bashan languisheth--through drought; ordinarily it was a region famed for its rich pasturage (compare Joe 1:10\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p13.1").
      
flower of Lebanon-- \iits bloom;\iall that blooms so luxuriantly on Lebanon ( Ho 14:7\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p14.1"). As Bashan was famed for its pastures, Carmel for its corn fields and vineyards, so Lebanon for its forests ( Isa 33:9\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p14.2"). There is nothing in the world so blooming that God cannot change it when He is wroth.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p14.3"5. earth is burned--soGrotius. Rather, "lifts itself," that is, "heaveth" [Maurer]: as the \iHebrew\iis translated in Ps 89:9; Ho 13:1\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p15.3"; compare 2Sa 5:21\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p15.4", \iMargin.\i
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p15.5"6. fury is poured out like fire--like the liquid fire poured out of volcanoes in all directions (see Jer 7:20\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p16.1").
      
rocks are thrown down--or, "are burnt asunder"; the usual effect of volcanic fire ( Jer 51:25, 56\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p17.1"). As Hannibal burst asunder the Alpine rocks by fire to make a passage for his army [Grotius].
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p17.3"7.Here Nahum enters on his special subject, for which the previous verses have prepared the way, namely, to assure his people of safety in Jehovah under the impending attack of Sennacherib ( Na 1:7\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p18.1"), and to announce the doom of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian foe ( Na 1:8\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p18.2"). The contrast of Na 1:7, 8\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p18.3"heightens the force.
      
he knoweth--recognizes as His own ( Ho 13:5; Am 3:2\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p19.1"); and so, cares for and guards ( Ps 1:6; 2Ti 2:19\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p19.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p19.3"8. with an overrunning flood--that is, with irresistible might which \ioverruns\ievery barrier like a flood. This image is often applied to overwhelming \iarmies\iof invaders. Also of \icalamity\iin general ( Ps 32:6; 42:7; 90:5\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p20.1"). There is, perhaps, a special allusion to the mode of Nineveh's capture by the Medo-Babylonian army; namely, through a \iflood\iin the river which broke down the wall twenty furlongs (see on; Isa 8:8; Da 9:26; 11:10, 22, 40\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p20.4").
      
end of the place thereof--Nineveh is personified as a queen; and " \iher\iplace" of residence (the \iHebrew\ifor "thereof" is feminine) is \ithe city itself\i( Na 2:8\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p21.1"), [Maurer]. Or, He shall so utterly destroy Nineveh that its place cannot be found; Na 3:17\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p21.3"confirms this (compare Ps 37:36; Da 2:35; Re 12:8; 20:11\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p21.4").
      
darkness--the severest calamities.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p22.1"9. What do ye imagine against the Lord?--abrupt address to the Assyrians. How mad is your attempt, O Assyrians, to resist so powerful a God! What can ye do against such an adversary, successful though ye have been against all other adversaries? Ye \iimagine\iye have to \ido\imerely with mortals and with a weak people, and that so you will gain an easy victory; but you have to encounter God, the protector of His people. Parallel to Isa 37:23-29\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p23.1"; compare Ps 1:1\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p23.2".
      
he will make an utter end--The utter overthrow of Sennacherib's host, soon about to take place, is an earnest of the "utter end" of Nineveh itself.
      
affliction shall not rise up the second time--Judah's "affliction" caused by the invasion shall never rise again. So Na 1:12\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p25.1". ButCalvintakes the "affliction" to be that \iof Assyria:\i"There will be no need of His inflicting on you a second blow: He will make an utter end of you once for all" ( 1Sa 3:12; 26:8; 2Sa 20:10\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p25.3"). If so, this verse, in contrast to Na 1:12\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p25.4", will express, Affliction shall visit the Assyrian no more, in a sense very different from that in which God will afflict Judah no more. In the Assyrian's case, because the blow will be fatally final; the latter, because God will make lasting blessedness in Judah's case succeed temporary chastisement. But it seems simpler to refer "affliction" here, as in Na 1:12\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p25.5", to Judah; indeed \idestruction,\irather than \iaffliction,\iapplies to the Assyrian.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p25.6"10. while they are folden together as thorns--literally, " \ito the same degree as thorns\i" (compare 1Ch 4:27\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p26.1", \iMargin\i). As thorns, so folded together and entangled that they cannot be loosed asunder without trouble, are thrown by the husbandmen all in a mass into the fire, so the Assyrians shall all be given together to destruction. Compare 2Sa 23:6, 7\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p26.2", where also "thorns" are the image of the wicked. As this image represents the speediness of their destruction \iin a mass,\iso that of "drunkards," their rushing as it were \iof their own accord\iinto it; for drunkards fall down without any one pushing them [Kimchi].Calvinexplains, \iAlthough\iye be \idangerous to touch\ias thorns (that is, full of rage and violence), yet the Lord can easily consume you. But "although" will hardly apply to the next clause. \iEnglish Version\iandKimchi, therefore, are to be preferred. The comparison to drunkards is appropriate. For drunkards, though exulting and bold, are weak and easily thrown down by even a finger touching them. So the insolent self-confidence of the Assyrians shall precipitate their overthrow by God. The \iHebrew\iis " \isoaked,\i" or "drunken as with their own wine." Their drunken revelries are perhaps \ialluded to,\iduring which the foe (according toDiodorus Siculus[2]) broke into their city, and Sardanapalus \iburned\ihis palace; though the main and ultimate destruction of Nineveh referred to by Nahum was long subsequent to that under Sardanapalus.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p26.7"11.The cause of Nineveh's overthrow: Sennacherib's plots against Judah.
      
come out of thee--O Nineveh. From thyself shall arise the source of thy own ruin. Thou shalt have only thyself to blame for it.
      
imagineth evil--Sennacherib carried out the \iimaginations\iof his countrymen ( Na 1:9\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p29.1") against the Lord and His people ( 2Ki 19:22, 23\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p29.2").
      
a wicked counsellor--literally, "a counsellor of Belial." Belial means "without profit," worthless, and so bad ( 1Sa 25:25; 2Co 6:15\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p30.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p30.2"12-14.The same truths repeated as in Na 1:9-11\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p31.1", Jehovah here being the speaker. He addresses Judah, prophesying good to it, and evil to the Assyrian.
      
Though they be quiet--that is, without fear, and tranquilly secure. So \iChaldee\iandCalvin. Or, "entire," "complete"; "Though their power be \iunbroken\i[Maurer], and though they be \iso many, yet even so\ithey shall be cut down" (literally, "shorn"; as \ihair shaved off closely by a razor,\i Isa 7:20\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p32.3"). As the Assyrian was a razor shaving others, so shall he be shaven himself. Retribution in kind. In the height of their pride and power, they shall be clean cut off. The same \iHebrew\istands for "likewise" and "yet thus." So \imany\ias they are, \iso\imany shall they perish.
      
when he shall pass through--or, "and he shall pass away," namely, "the wicked counsellor" ( Na 1:11\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p33.1"), Sennacherib. The change of number to the \isingular\idistinguishes \ihim\ifrom \ihis host. They\ishall be cut down, \ihe\ishall pass away home ( 2Ki 19:35, 36\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p33.2") [Henderson]. \iEnglish Version\iis better, "they shall be cut down, "when" He (Jehovah) shall pass through," destroying by one stroke the Assyrian host. This gives the reason why they with all their numbers and power are to be so utterly cut off. Compare "pass through," that is, in destroying power ( Eze 12:12, 23; Isa 8:8; Da 11:10\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p33.4").
      
Though I have afflicted thee--Judah, "I will afflict thee no more" ( Isa 40:1, 2; 52:1, 2\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p34.1"). The contrast is between "they," the Assyrians, and "thee," Judah. \iTheir\ipunishment is fatal and final. Judah's was temporary and corrective.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p34.2"13. will I break his yoke--the Assyrian's yoke, namely, the tribute imposed by Sennacherib on Hezekiah ( 2Ki 18:14\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p35.1").
      
from off thee--O Judah ( Isa 10:27\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p36.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p36.2"14. that no more of thy name be sown--that no more of thy seed, bearing thy name, as kings of Nineveh, be propagated; that thy dynasty become extinct, namely, on the destruction of Nineveh here foretold; "thee" means the \iking of Assyria.\i
      
will I cut off ... graven image--The Medes under Cyaxares, the joint destroyers of Nineveh with the Babylonians, hated idolatry, and would delight in destroying its idols. As the Assyrians had treated the gods of other nations, so their own should be treated ( 2Ki 19:18\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p38.1"). The Assyrian palaces partook of a sacred character [Layard]; so that "house of thy gods" \imay\irefer to the \ipalace.\iAt Khorsabad there is remaining a representation of a man cutting an idol to pieces.
      
I will make thy grave--rather, "I will make it (namely, 'the house of thy gods,' that is, 'Nisroch') thy grave" ( 2Ki 19:37; Isa 37:38\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p39.1"). Thus, by Sennacherib's being slain in it, Nisroch's house should be defiled. Neither thy gods, nor thy temple, shall save thee; but the latter shall be thy sepulchre.
      
thou art vile--or, thou art lighter than due weight ( Da 5:27\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p40.1"; compare Job 31:6\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p40.2") [Maurer].
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p40.4"15.This verse is joined in the \iHebrew\itext to the second chapter. It is nearly the same as Isa 52:7\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p41.1", referring to the similar deliverance from Babylon.
      
him that bringeth good tidings--announcing the overthrow of Sennacherib and deliverance of Jerusalem. The "mountains" are those round Jerusalem, on which Sennacherib's host had so lately encamped, preventing Judah from keeping her "feasts," but on which messengers now speed to Jerusalem, publishing his overthrow with a loud voice where lately they durst not have opened their mouths. A type of the far more glorious spiritual deliverance of God's people from Satan by Messiah, heralded by ministers of the Gospel ( Ro 10:15\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p42.1").
      
perform thy vows--which thou didst promise if God would deliver thee from the Assyrian.
      
the wicked--literally, "Belial"; the same as the "counsellor of Belial" ( Na 1:11\Q="x.xxxiv.ii-p44.1", \iMargin\i); namely, Sennacherib.
      

\C3="Chapter 2" \Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p0.1"CHAPTER 2
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p1.1" Na 2:1-13\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p2.1".The Advance of the Destroying Forces against Nineveh, after It Was Used as God's Rod for a Time to Chastise His People: The Capture ofThat Lion's Dwelling, According to the Sure Word of Jehovah.
      
1. He that dasheth in pieces--God's "battle axe," wherewith He "breaks in pieces" His enemies. Jer 51:20\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p3.1"applies the same \iHebrew\iterm to Nebuchadnezzar (compare Pr 25:18; Jer 50:23\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p3.2", "the hammer of the whole earth"). Here the Medo-Babylonian army under Cyaxares and Nabopolassar, that destroyed Nineveh, is prophetically meant.
      
before thy face--before Nineveh. \iOpenly,\iso that the work of God may be manifest.
      
watch the way--by which the foe will attack, so as to be ready to meet him. Ironical advice; equivalent to a prophecy, Thou shalt have need to use all possible means of defense; but use what thou wilt, all will be in vain.
      
make thy loins strong--The loins are the seat of strength; to gird them up is to prepare all one's strength for conflict ( Job 40:7\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p6.1"). Also gird on thy sword ( 2Sa 20:8; 2Ki 4:29\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p6.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p6.3"2. For the Lord hath turned away the excellency of Jacob--that is, the time for Nineveh's overthrow is ripe, because Jacob (Judah) and Israel (the ten tribes) have been sufficiently chastised. The Assyrian rod of chastisement, having done its work, is to be thrown into the fire. If God chastised Jacob and Israel with all their "excellency" (Jerusalem and the temple, which was their pre-eminent excellency above all nations in God's eyes, Ps 47:4; 87:2; Eze 24:21\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p7.1"; see on), how much more will He punish fatally Nineveh, an alien to Him, and idolatrous?Maurer, not so well, translates, "restores," or "will restore the excellency of Jacob."
      
emptiers--the Assyrian spoilers.
      
have emptied them out--have spoiled the Israelites and Jews ( Ho 10:1\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p9.1"). Compare Ps 80:8-16\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p9.2", on "vine branches," as applied to Israel.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p9.3"3. his mighty men--the Medo-Babylonian general's \imighty men\iattacking Nineveh.
      
made red--The ancients dyed their bull's-hide shields \ired,\ipartly to strike terror into the enemy, chiefly lest the blood from wounds which they might receive should be perceived and give confidence to the foe [Calvin].G. V. Smithconjectures that the reference is to the red reflection of the sun's rays from shields of bronze or copper, such as are found among the Assyrian remains.
      
in scarlet--or \icrimson\imilitary tunics (compare Mt 27:28\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p12.1").Xenophonmentions that the Medes were fond of this color. The Lydians and Tyrians extracted the dye from a particular worm.
      
chariots ... with flaming torches--that is, the chariots shall be like flaming torches, their wheels in lightning-like rapidity of rotation flashing light and striking sparks from the stones over which they pass (compare Isa 5:28\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p13.1"). \iEnglish Version\isupposes a transposition of the \iHebrew\iletters. It is better to translate the \iHebrew\ias it is, "the chariots (shall be furnished) with fire-flashing \iscythes\i" (literally, "with the fire," or glitter, \iof iron weapons\i). Iron scythes were fixed at right angles to the axles and turned down, or parallel to it, inserted into the felly of the wheel. The Medes, perhaps, had such chariots, though no traces of them are found in Assyrian remains. On account of the latter fact, it may be better to translate, "the chariots (shall come) with the glitter of \isteel weapons\i" [MaurerandG. V. Smith].
      
in the day of his preparation--Jehovah's( Isa 13:3\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p14.2"). Or, " \iMedo-Babylonian commander's\iday of preparation for the attack" ( Na 2:1\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p14.3"). "He" confirms this, and "his" in this verse.
      
the fir trees--their fir-tree lances.
      
terribly shaken--branded so as to strike terror. Or, "shall be tremulous with being brandished" [Maurer].
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p16.2"4. rage--are driven in furious haste ( Jer 46:9\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p17.1").
      
justle one against another--run to and fro [Maurer].
      
in the broad ways--( 2Ch 32:6\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p19.1"). Large open spaces in the suburbs of Nineveh.
      
they shall seem like torches--literally, "their (feminine in \iHebrew\i) appearance (is)": namely, the appearance of \ithe broad places\iis like that of torches, through the numbers of chariots in them flashing in the sun ( Pr 8:26\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p20.1", \iMargin\i).
      
run like the lightnings--with rapid violence ( Mt 24:27; Lu 10:18\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p21.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p21.2"5.The Assyrian preparations for defense.
      
He--the Assyrian king.
      
shall recount his worthies--( Na 3:18\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p24.1"). \iReview,\ior \icount over in his mind,\ihis nobles, choosing out the bravest to hasten to the walls and repel the attack. But in vain; for
      
they shall stumble in their walk--"they shall stumble in their \iadvance\i" through fear and hurry.
      
the defence shall be prepared--rather, \ithe covering machine\iused \iby besiegers\ito protect themselves in advancing to the wall. Such sudden transitions, as here from the besieged to the besiegers, are frequent (compare Eze 4:2\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p26.1"), [Maurer]. Or, used \iby the besieged Assyrians\i[Calvin].
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p26.4"6. The gates of the rivers ... opened--The river wall on the Tigris (the west defense of Nineveh) was 4,530 yards long. On the north, south, and east sides, there were large moats, capable of being easily filled with water from the Khosru. Traces of dams ("gates," or sluices) for regulating the supply are still visible, so that the whole city could be surrounded with a water barrier ( Na 2:8\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p27.1"). Besides, on the east, the weakest side, it was further protected by a lofty double rampart with a moat two hundred feet wide between its two parts, cut in the rocky ground. The moats or canals, flooded by the Ninevites before the siege to repel the foe, were made a dry bed to march into the city, by the foe turning the waters into a different channel: as Cyrus did in the siege of Babylon [Maurer]. In the earlier capture of Nineveh by Arbaces the Mede, and Belesis the Babylonian,Diodorus Siculus, [1.2.80], states that there was an old prophecy that it should not be taken till the river became its enemy; so in the third year of the siege, the river by a flood broke down the walls twenty furlongs, and the king thereupon burnt himself and his palace and all his concubines and wealth together, and the enemy entered by the breach in the wall. Fire and water were doubtless the means of the second destruction here foretold, as of the first.
      
dissolved--by the inundation [Henderson]. Or, those in the palace shall melt with fear, namely, the king and his nobles [Grotius].
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p28.3"7. Huzzab--the name of the queen of Nineveh, from a \iHebrew\iroot implying that she \istood by\ithe king ( Ps 45:9\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p29.1"), [Vatablus]. Rather, Nineveh personified as a queen. She who had long \istood\iin the most supreme prosperity. SimilarlyCalvin.Maurermakes it not a proper name, and translates, "It is established," or "determined" (compare Ge 41:32\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p29.5"). \iEnglish Version\iis more supported by the parallelism.
      
led away captive--The \iHebrew\irequires rather, "she \iis laid bare\i"; brought forth from the apartments where Eastern women remained secluded, and is stripped of her ornamental attire. Compare Isa 47:2, 3\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p30.1", where the same image of a woman with face and legs exposed is used of a city captive and dismantled (compare Na 3:5\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p30.2"), [Maurer].
      
brought up--Her people shall be \imade to go up\ito Babylon. Compare the use of "go up" for \imoving from\ia place in Jer 21:2\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p31.1".
      
her maids ... as ... doves--As Nineveh is compared to a queen dethroned and dishonored, so she has here assigned to her in the image \ihandmaids attending her with dove-like plaints\i( Isa 38:14; 59:11\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p32.1". The image implies \ihelplessness and grief suppressed, but at times breaking out\i). The minor cities and dependencies of Nineveh may be meant, or her captive women [Jerome].GrotiusandMaurertranslate, for "lead \iher,\i" " \imoan,\i" or " \isigh.\i"
      
tabering-- \ibeating\ion their breasts \ias on a tambourine.\i
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p33.1"8. But--rather, "Though" [G. V. Smith].
      
of old--rather, "from the days that she hath been"; from the earliest period of her existence. Alluding to Nineveh's antiquity ( Ge 10:11\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p35.1"). "Though Nineveh has been of old defended by water surrounding her, yet her inhabitants shall flee away."Grotius, less probably (compare Na 3:8-12\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p35.3"), interprets, the "waters" of her \inumerous population\i( Isa 8:7; Jer 51:13; Re 17:15\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p35.4").
      
Stand, stand, \ishall they cry\i--that is, the few patriotic citizens \ishall cry\ito their \ifleeing\icountrymen; "but none looketh back," much less stops in flight, so panic-stricken are they.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p36.1"9. silver ... gold--The conquerors are summoned to plunder the city. Nineveh's riches arose from the annual tribute paid by so many subject states, as well as from its extensive merchandise ( Na 3:16; Eze 27:23, 24\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p37.1").
      
store--accumulated by the plunder of subject nations. It is remarkable, that while small articles of value (bronze inlaid with gold, gems, seals, and alabaster \ivases\i) are found in the ruins of Nineveh, there are is none of \igold\iand \isilver.\iThese, as here foretold, were "taken for spoil" before the palaces were set on fire.
      
glory out of all the pleasant furniture--or, "there is abundance of precious vessels of every kind" [Maurer].
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p39.2"10.Literally, "emptiness, and emptiedness, and devastation." The accumulation of substantives without a verb (as in Na 3:2\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p40.1"), the two first of the three being derivatives of the same root, and like in sound, and the number of syllables in them increasing in a kind of climax, intensify the gloomy effectiveness of the expression. \iHebrew, Bukah, Mebukah, Mebullakah\i(compare Isa 24:1, 3, 4; Zep 1:15\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p40.2").
      
faces of all gather blackness--(See on).Calvintranslates, "withdraw (literally, 'gather up') their glow," or flush, that is, grow pale. This is probably the better rendering. SoMaurer.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p41.5"11. dwelling of ... lions--Nineveh, the seat of empire of the rapacious and destructive warriors of various ranks, typified by the "lions," "young lions," "old lion" (or \ilioness\i[Maurer]), "the lion's whelp." The image is peculiarly appropriate, as lions of every form, winged, and sometimes with the head of a man, are frequent in the Assyrian sepulchres. It was as full of spoils of all nations as a lion's den is of remains of its prey. The question, "Where," &c., implies that Jehovah "would make an utter end of \ithe place,\i" so that its very site could not be found ( Na 1:8\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p42.2"). It is a question expressing wonder, so incredible did it then seem.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p42.3"12. prey ... ravin--different kinds of prey. Compare Isa 3:1\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p43.1", "the stay and the staff."
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p43.2"13. burn ... in the smoke--or (so as to pass) " \iinto\ismoke," that is, "entirely" [Maurer], ( Ps 37:20; 46:9\Q="x.xxxiv.iii-p44.2").Calvin, like \iEnglish Version,\iexplains, As soon as the flame catches, and the fire smokes, by the mere smoke I will burn her chariots.
      
cut off thy prey from the earth--Thou shalt no more carry off prey from the nations of the earth.
      
the voice of thy messengers ... no more ... heard--No more shall thy emissaries be heard throughout thy provinces conveying thy king's commands, and exacting tribute of subject nations.
      

\C3="Chapter 3" \Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p0.1"CHAPTER 3
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p1.1" Na 3:1-19\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p2.1".Repetition of Nineveh's Doom, with New Features; the Cause Is Her Tyranny, Rapine, and Cruelty: No-ammon's Fortifications Did Not SaveHer; It Is Vain, Therefore, for Nineveh to Think Her Defenses Will Secure Her against God's Sentence.
      
1. the bloody city!--literally, "city of blood," namely, shed by Nineveh; just so now her own blood is to be shed.
      
robbery--violence [Maurer]. Extortion [Grotius].
      
the prey departeth not--Nineveh never ceases to live by rapine. Or, the \iHebrew\iverb is transitive, "she (Nineveh) does not make the prey depart"; she ceases not to plunder.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p5.1"2.The reader is transported into the midst of the fight (compare Jer 47:3\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p6.1"). The "noise of the whips" urging on the horses (in the chariots) is heard, and of "the rattling of the wheels" of war chariots, and the "horses" are seen "prancing," and the "chariots jumping," &c.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p6.2"3. horseman--distinct from "the horses" (in the chariots, Na 3:2\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p7.1").
      
lifteth up--denoting readiness for fight [Ewald].Geseniustranslates, "lifteth up (literally, 'makes to ascend') his horse." SimilarlyMaurer, "makes his horse to rise up on his hind feet." \iVulgate\itranslates, "ascending," that is, making his horse to advance up to the assault. This last is perhaps better than \iEnglish Version.\i
      
the bright sword and the glittering spear--literally, "the glitter of the sword and the flash of the spear!" This, as well as the translation, "the horseman advancing up," more graphically presents the battle scene to the eye.
      
they stumble upon their corpses--The \iMedo-Babylonian\ienemy stumble upon the \iAssyrian corpses.\i
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p10.1"4. Because of the multitude of the whoredoms--This assigns the reason for Nineveh's destruction.
      
of the well-favoured harlot--As Assyria was not a worshipper of the true God, "whoredoms" cannot mean, as in the case of Israel, apostasy to the worship of false gods; but, her \iharlot-like artifices\iwhereby she allured neighboring states so as to subject them to herself. As the unwary are allured by the "well-favored harlot's" looks, so Israel, Judah (for example, under Ahaz, who, calling to his aid Tiglath-pileser, was made tributary by him, 2Ki 16:7-10\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p12.1"), and other nations, were tempted by the plausible professions of Assyria, and by the lure of commerce ( Re 18:2, 3\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p12.2"), to trust her.
      
witchcrafts--( Isa 47:9, 12\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p13.1"). Alluding to the love incantations whereby harlots tried to dement and ensnare youths; answering to the subtle machinations whereby Assyria attracted nations to her.
      
selleth--deprives of their liberty; as slaves used to be \isold:\iand in other property also \isale\iwas a usual mode of transfer.Maurerunderstands it of depriving nations of their freedom, and literally \iselling\ithem as slaves to distant peoples ( Joe 3:2, 3, 6-8\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p14.2"). But elsewhere there is no evidence that the Assyrians did this.
      
families--peoples.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p15.1"5. I will discover thy skirts upon thy face--that is, discover thy nakedness by \ithrowing up thy skirts upon thy face\i(the greatest possible insult), pulling them up as as high as thy head ( Jer 13:22; Eze 16:37-41\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p16.1"). I will treat thee not as a matron, but as a harlot whose shame is exposed; her gaudy finery being lifted up off her ( Isa 47:2, 3\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p16.2"). So Nineveh shall be stripped of all her glory and defenses on which she prides herself.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p16.3"6. cast abominable filth upon thee--as infamous harlots used to be treated.
      
gazing stock--exposed to public ignominy as a warning to others ( Eze 28:17\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p18.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p18.2"7. all ... that look upon thee--when thou hast been made "a gazing stock" ( Na 3:6\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p19.1").
      
shall flee from thee--as a thing horrible to look upon. Compare "standing \iafar off,\i" Re 18:10\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p20.1".
      
whence shall I seek comforters for thee?--Compare Isa 51:19\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p21.1", which Nahum had before his mind.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p21.2"8. populous No--rather, as \iHebrew,\i"No-ammon," the Egyptian name for Thebes in Upper Egypt; meaning the \iportion\ior \ipossession of Ammon,\ithe Egyptian Jupiter (whence the Greeks called the city Diospolis), who was especially worshipped there. The Egyptian inscriptions call the god \iAmon-re,\ithat is, \iAmon the Sun;\ihe is represented as a human figure with a ram's head, seated on a chair ( Jer 46:25; Eze 30:14-16\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p22.1"). The blow inflicted on No-ammon, described in Na 3:10\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p22.2", was probably by the Assyrian Sargon (see on;). As Thebes, with all her resources, was overcome by Assyria, so Assyrian Nineveh, notwithstanding all her might, in her turn, shall be overcome by Babylon. \iEnglish Version,\i"populous," if correct, implies that No's large population did not save her from destruction.
      
situate among the rivers--probably the \ichannels\iinto which the Nile here divides (compare Isa 19:6-8\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p23.1"). Thebes lay on both sides of the river. It was famed inHomer'stime for its hundred gates [ \iIliad,\i9.381]. Its ruins still describe a circumference of twenty-seven miles. Of them the temples of Luxor and Karnak, east of the river, are most famous. The colonnade of the former, and the grand hall of the latter, are of stupendous dimensions. One wall still represents the expedition of Shishak against Jerusalem under Rehoboam ( 1Ki 14:25; 2Ch 12:2-9\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p23.3").
      
whose ... wall was from the sea--that is, \irose up\i"from the sea."Maurertranslates, "whose wall consisted \iof the sea.\i" But this would be a mere repetition of the former clause. The Nile is called a \isea,\ifrom its appearance in the annual flood ( Isa 19:5\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p24.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p24.3"9. Ethiopia-- \iHebrew, Cush.\iEthiopia is thought at this time to have been mistress of Upper Egypt.
      
Egypt--Lower Egypt.
      
her strength--her safeguard as an ally.
      
it was infinite--The resources of these, her allies, were endless.
      
Put--or Phut ( Ge 10:6\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p29.1"); descended from Ham ( Eze 27:10\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p29.2"). From a root meaning a \ibow;\ias they were famed as archers [Gesenius]. Probably west of Lower Egypt.Josephus[ \iAntiquities,\i1:6.2] identifies it with Mauritania (compare Jer 46:9\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p29.5", \iMargin;\i Eze 38:5\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p29.6").
      
Lubim--the Libyans, whose capital was Cyrene; extending along the Mediterranean west of Egypt ( 2Ch 12:3; 16:8; Ac 2:10\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p30.1"). As, however, the \iLubim\iare always connected with the Egyptians and Ethiopians, they are perhaps distinct from the \iLibyans.\iThe Lubim were probably at first wandering tribes, who afterwards were settled under Carthage in the region of Cyrene, under the name Libyans.
      
thy--No's.
      
helpers--literally, "in thy help," that is, among thy auxiliaries.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p32.1"10.Notwithstanding all her might, she was overcome.
      
cast lots for her honourable men--They divided them among themselves by lot, as slaves ( Joe 3:3\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p34.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p34.2"11. drunken--made to drink of the cup of Jehovah's wrath ( Isa 51:17, 21; Jer 25:15\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p35.1").
      
hid--covered out of sight: a prediction remarkably verified in the state in which the ruins of Nineveh have been found [G. V. Smith]. But as "hid" precedes "seek strength," &c., it rather refers to Nineveh's state when attacked by her foe: "Thou who now so vauntest thyself, shalt be compelled to seek a hiding-place from the foe" [Calvin]; or, shalt be neglected and slighted by all [Maurer].
      
seek strength because of the enemy--Thou too, like Thebes ( Na 3:9\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p37.1"), shalt have recourse to other nations for help against thy Medo-Babylonian enemy.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p37.2"12. thy strongholds--on the borders of Assyria, protecting the approaches to Nineveh: "the gates of thy land" ( Na 3:13\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p38.1").
      
fig trees with the first ripe figs--expressing the rapidity and ease of the capture of Nineveh (compare Isa 28:4; Re 6:13\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p39.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p39.2"13. thy people--thy soldiers.
      
women--unable to fight for thee ( Isa 19:16; Jer 50:37; 51:30\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p41.1").
      
gates on thy land--the fortified passes or entrances to the region of Nineveh (compare Jer 15:7\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p42.1"). Northeast of Nineveh there were hills affording a natural barrier against an invader; the guarded passes through these are probably "the gates of the land" meant.
      
fire shall devour thy bars--the "bars" of the fortresses at the passes into Assyria. So in Assyrian remains the Assyrians themselves are represented as setting fire to the gates of a city [Bonomi, \iNineveh,\ipp. 194, 197].
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p43.2"14.Ironical exhortation to Nineveh to defend herself.
      
Draw ... waters--so as not to be without water for drinking, in the event of being cut off by the besiegers from the fountains.
      
make strong the brick-kiln--or "repair" [Maurer]; so as to have a supply of bricks formed of kiln-burnt clay, to repair breaches in the ramparts, or to build new fortifications inside when the outer ones are taken by the foe.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p46.2"15. There--in the very scene of thy great preparations for defense; and where thou now art so secure.
      
fire--even as at the former destruction; Sardanapalus (Pul?) perished with all his household in the conflagration of his palace, having in despair set it on fire, the traces of which are still remaining.
      
cankerworm--"the licking locust" [Henderson].
      
make thyself many as the locusts--"the swarming locusts" [Henderson]; that is, however "many" be thy forces, like those of "the swarming locusts," or the "licking locusts," yet the foe shall consume thee as the "licking locust" licks up all before it.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p50.2"16. multiplied thy merchants--( Eze 27:23, 24\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p51.1"). Nineveh, by large canals, had easy access to Babylon; and it was one of the great routes for the people of the west and northwest to that city; lying on the Tigris it had access to the sea. The Phœnicians carried its wares everywhere. Hence its merchandise is so much spoken of.
      
the cankerworm spoileth, and fleeth away--that is, spoiled \ithy merchants.\iThe "cankerworm," or licking locust, answers to the Medo-Babylonian invaders of Nineveh [G. V. Smith].Calvinexplains less probably, "Thy merchants spoiled many regions; but the same shall befall them as befalls locusts, they in a moment shall be scattered and flee away."Maurer, somewhat similarly, "The licking locust puts off (the envelope in which his wings had been folded), and teeth away" ( Na 2:9\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p52.4"; compare Joe 1:4\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p52.5"). The \iHebrew\ihas ten different names for the locust, so destructive was it.
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p52.6"17. Thy crowned--Thy princes ( Re 9:7\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p53.1"). The king's nobles and officers wore the tiara, as well as the king; hence they are called here "thy crowned ones."
      
as the locusts--as many as \ithe swarming locusts.\i
      
thy captains-- \iTiphsar,\ian \iAssyrian\iword; found also in Jer 51:27\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p55.1", meaning \isatraps\i[Michaelis]; or rather, "military leaders" [Maurer]. The last syllable, \isar\imeans a "prince," and is found in \iBelshaz-zar, Nabopolas-sar, Nebuchadnez-zar.\i
      
as the great grasshoppers--literally, "as the locust of locusts," that is, the largest locust.Maurertranslates, "as many as \ilocusts upon locusts,\i" that is, swarms of locusts. \iHebrew\iidiom favors \iEnglish Version.\i
      
in the hedges in the cold--Cold deprives the locust of the power of flight; so they alight in cold weather and at night, but when warmed by the sun soon "flee away." So shall the Assyrian multitudes suddenly disappear, not leaving a trace behind (comparePliny, \iNatural History,\i11.29).
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p57.2"18. Thy shepherds--that is, Thy leaders.
      
slumber--are carelessly secure [Maurer]. Rather, "lie in death's sleep, having been slain" [Jerome] ( Ex 15:16; Ps 76:6\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p59.3").
      
shall dwell \iin the dust\i--( Ps 7:5; 94:17\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p60.1").
      
thy people is scattered--the necessary consequence of their leaders being laid low ( 1Ki 22:17\Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p61.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxiv.iv-p61.2"19. bruit--the report.
      
clap the hands--with joy at thy fall. The sole descendants of the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians in the whole country are the Nestorian Christians, who speak a Chaldean language [Layard].
      
upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?--implying God's long forbearance, and the consequent enormity of Assyria's guilt, rendering her case one that admitted no hope of restoration.
      
\C2="Habakkuk"
THE BOOK OF
HABAKKUK
 \iCommentary by\iA. R. Faussett
      

\C3="Introduction"INTRODUCTION
      
Habakkuk,from a \iHebrew\iroot meaning to "embrace," denoting a "favorite" (namely, of God) and a "struggler" (for his country's good). Some ancient authors represent him as belonging to the tribe of Levi; others [Pseudo Epiphanius], to that of Simeon. The inscription to Bel and the dragon in the \iSeptuagint\iasserts the former; and Hab 3:19\Q="x.xxxv.i-p2.3"perhaps favors this.Eusebius[ \iEcclesiastical History,\i7.29] states that in his time Habakkuk's tomb was shown at Celia in Palestine.
      
The time seems to have been about 610B.C.For the Chaldeans attacked Jerusalem in the ninth month of the fifth year of Jehoiakim, 605B.C.( 2Ki 24:1; 2Ch 36:6; Jer 46:2; 36:9\Q="x.xxxv.i-p3.3"). And Habakkuk ( Hab 1:5, 6\Q="x.xxxv.i-p3.4", &c.) speaks of the Chaldeans as about to invade Judah, but not as having actually done so. In the second chapter he proceeds to comfort his people by foretelling the humiliation of their conquerors, and that the vision will soon have its fulfilment. In the third chapter the prophet in a sublime ode celebrates the deliverances wrought by Jehovah for His people in times past, as the ground of assurance, notwithstanding all their existing calamities, that He will deliver them again. Hab 3:16\Q="x.xxxv.i-p3.5"shows that the invader is still coming, and not yet arrived; so that the whole refers to the invasion in Jehoiakim's times, not those under Jehoiachin and Zedekiah. The Apocryphal appendix to Daniel states that he lived to see the Babylonian exile (588B.C.), which accords with his prophesying early in Jehoiakim's reign, about 610B.C.
      
The position of the book immediately after Nahum is appropriate; as Nahum treated of the judgments of the Lord on Assyria, for its violence against Israel, so Habakkuk, those inflicted by, and on, the Chaldeans for the same reason.
      
The style is poetical and sublime. The parallelisms are generally regular. Borrowed ideas occur (compare Hab 3:19, with Ps 18:33\Q="x.xxxv.i-p5.1"; Hab 2:6, with Isa 14:4\Q="x.xxxv.i-p5.2"; Hab 2:14, with Isa 11:9\Q="x.xxxv.i-p5.3").
      
The ancient catalogues imply that his book is part of the canon of Scripture. In the New Testament, Ro 1:17 quotes Hab 2:4\Q="x.xxxv.i-p6.1"(though not naming him); compare also Ga 3:11; Heb 10:38\Q="x.xxxv.i-p6.2". Ac 13:40, 41 quotes Hab 1:5\Q="x.xxxv.i-p6.3". One or two \iHebrew\iwords peculiar to Habakkuk occur ( Hab 1:9; 2:6, 16\Q="x.xxxv.i-p6.4").
      

\C3="Chapter 1" \Q="x.xxxv.ii-p0.1"CHAPTER 1
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.ii-p1.1" Hab 1:1-17\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p2.1".Habakkuk's Expostulation with Jehovah on Account of the Prevalence of Injustice: Jehovah Summons Attention to His Purpose of Sending the Chaldeans as the Avengers. The ProphetComplains, that These Are Worse than Those on Whom Vengeance Was to Be Taken.
      
1. burden--the prophetic sentence.
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.ii-p3.1"2, 3. violence ... Why dost thou show me iniquity?--Similar language is used of the Chaldeans ( Hab 1:9, 13\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p4.1"), as here is used of the Jews: implying, that as the Jews sinned by \iviolence\iand \iinjustice,\iso they should be punished by \iviolence\iand \iinjustice\i( Pr 1:31\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p4.2"). Jehoiakim's reign was marked by injustice, treachery, and bloodshed ( Jer 22:3, 13-17\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p4.3"). Therefore the Chaldeans should be sent to deal with him and his nobles according to their dealings with others ( Hab 1:6, 10, 11, 17\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p4.4"). Compare Jeremiah's expostulation with Jehovah, Jer 12:1; 20:8; and Job 19:7, 8\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p4.5".
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.ii-p4.6"3. cause me to behold grievance--Maurerdenies that the \iHebrew\iverb is ever \iactive;\ihe translates, "(Wherefore) dost Thou behold (without doing aught to check) grievance?" The context favors \iEnglish Version.\i
      
there are that raise up strife and contention--soCalvin. ButMaurer, not so well, translates, "There is strife, and contention raises \iitself.\i"
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.ii-p6.3"4. Therefore--because Thou dost suffer such crimes to go unpunished.
      
law is slacked--is chilled. It has no authority and secures no respect.
      
judgment--justice.
      
wrong judgment proceedeth--Decisions are given contrary to right.
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.ii-p10.1"5. Behold ... marvellously ... a work--(Compare Isa 29:14\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p11.1"). Quoted by Paul ( Ac 13:41\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p11.2").
      
among the heathen--In Ac 13:41\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p12.1", "ye despisers," from the \iSeptuagint.\iSo the \iSyriac\iand \iArabic\iversions; perhaps from a different \iHebrew\ireading. In the \iEnglish Version\ireading of Habakkuk, God, in reply to the prophet's expostulation, addresses the Jews as about to be punished, "Behold ye \iamong the heathen\i(with whom ye deserve to be classed, and by whom ye shall be punished, as despisers; the sense \iimplied,\iwhich Paul \iexpresses\i): learn from them what ye refused to learn from Me!" For "wonder marvellously," Paul, in Ac 13:41\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p12.2", has, "wonder \iand perish,\i" which gives the \isense,\inot the literal wording, of the \iHebrew,\i"Wonder, wonder," that is, be overwhelmed in wonder. The despisers are to be given up to their own stupefaction, and so perish. The Israelite unbelievers would not credit the prophecy as to the fearfulness of the destruction to be wrought by the Chaldeans, nor afterwards the deliverance promised from that nation. So analogously, in Paul's day, the Jews would not credit the judgment coming on them by the Romans, nor the salvation proclaimed through Jesus. Thus the same Scripture applied to both.
      
ye will not believe, though it be told you--that is, ye will not believe \inow that I foretell it.\i
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.ii-p13.1"6. I raise up--not referring to God's having brought the Chaldeans from their original seats to Babylonia (see on), for they had already been upwards of twenty years (since Nabopolassar's era) in political power there; but to His being about now to raise them up as the instruments of God's "work" of judgment on the Jews ( 2Ch 36:6\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p14.3"). The \iHebrew\iis \ifuture,\i"I will raise up."
      
bitter--that is, cruel ( Jer 50:42\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p15.1"; compare Jud 18:25\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p15.2", \iMargin;\i 2Sa 17:8\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p15.3").
      
hasty--not \ipassionate,\ibut "impetuous."
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.ii-p16.1"7. their judgment and ... dignity ... proceed of themselves--that is, they recognize no \ijudge\isave themselves, and they get for themselves and keep their own "dignity" without needing others' help. It will be vain for the Jews to complain of their tyrannical \ijudgments;\ifor whatever the Chaldeans decree they will do according to their own will, they will not brook anyone attempting to interfere.
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.ii-p17.1"8. swifter than the leopards--Oppian[ \iCynegeticks,\i3.76], says of the leopard, "It runs most swiftly straight on: you would fancy it was flying through the air."
      
more fierce--rather, "more keen"; literally, "sharp."
      
evening wolves--wolves famished with fasting all day and so most keen in attacking the fold under covert of the approaching night ( Jer 5:6; Zep 3:3\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p20.1"; compare Ge 49:27\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p20.2"). Hence "twilight" is termed in \iArabic\iand \iPersian\i"the wolf's tail"; and in French, \ientre chien et loup.\i
      
spread themselves--proudly; as in Jer 50:11, and Mal 4:2\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p21.1", it implies \istrength\iand \ivigor.\iSo also the \iArabic\icognate word [Maurer].
      
their horsemen ... come from far--and yet are not wearied by the long journey.
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.ii-p22.1"9. all for violence--The sole object of all is not to establish just rights, but to get all they can by violence.
      
their faces shall sup up as the east wind--that is, they shall, as it were, \iswallow up\iall before them; so the horse in Job 39:24\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p24.1"is said to " \iswallow\ithe ground with fierceness and rage."Maurertakes it from an \iArabic\iroot, "the \idesire\iof their faces," that is, the eager desire expressed by their faces.Henderson, withSymmachusand \iSyriac,\itranslates, "the aspect."
      
as the east wind--the simoon, which spreads devastation wherever it passes ( Isa 27:8\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p25.1").Geseniustranslates, "(is) forwards." The rendering proposed, \ieastward,\ias if it referred to the Chaldeans' return home \ieastward\ifrom Judea, laden with spoils, is improbable. Their "gathering the sand" accords with the simoon being meant, as it carries with it whirlwinds of sand collected in the desert.
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.ii-p25.3"10. scoff at ... kings--as unable to resist them.
      
they shall heap dust, and take it--"they shall heap" earth mounds outside, and so "take every stronghold" (compare 2Sa 20:15; 2Ki 19:32\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p27.1") [Grotius].
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.ii-p27.3"11. Then--when elated by his successes.
      
shall his mind change--He shall lose whatever of reason or moderation ever was in him, with pride.
      
he shall pass over--all bounds and restraints: his pride preparing the sure way for his destruction ( Pr 16:18\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p30.1"). The language is very similar to that describing Nebuchadnezzar's "change" from man's heart (understanding) to that of a beast, because of pride (see on;;). An undesigned coincidence between the two sacred books written independently.
      
 \iimputing\ithis his power unto his god--( Da 5:4\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p31.1"). Sacrilegious arrogance, in ascribing to his idol Bel the glory that belongs to God [Calvin].Grotiusexplains, "(saying that) his power is his own as one who is a god to himself" (compare Hab 1:16, and Da 3:1-30\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p31.4"). SoMaurer, "He shall offend as one to whom his power is his god" ( Job 12:6\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p31.6"; see on).
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.ii-p31.9"12.In opposition to the impious deifying of the Chaldeans power as their god (Maurer, or, as the \iEnglish Version,\itheir attributing of their successes to their idols), the prophet, in an impassioned address to Jehovah, vindicates His being "from everlasting," as contrasted with the Chaldean so-called "god."
      
my God, mine Holy One--Habakkuk speaks in the name of his people. God was "the Holy One of \iIsrael,\i" against whom the Chaldean was setting up himself ( Isa 37:23\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p33.1").
      
we shall not die--Thou, as being \iour\iGod, wilt not permit the Chaldeans utterly to destroy us. This reading is one of the eighteen called by the Hebrews "the appointment of the scribes"; the Rabbis think that Ezra and his colleagues corrected the old reading, " \iThou shalt\inot die."
      
thou hast ordained them for judgment--that is, to execute Thy judgments.
      
for correction--to chastise transgressors ( Isa 10:5-7\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p36.1"). But not that they may deify their own power ( Hab 1:11\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p36.2", for their power is from Thee, and but for a time); nor that they may destroy utterly Thy people. The \iHebrew\ifor "mighty God" is \iRock\i( De 32:4\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p36.3"). However the world is shaken, or man's faith wavers, God remains unshaken as the Rock of Ages ( Isa 26:4\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p36.4", \iMargin\i).
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.ii-p36.5"13. purer ... than to behold evil--without being displeased at it.
      
canst not look on iniquity--unjust injuries done to Thy people. The prophet checks himself from being carried too far in his expostulatory complaint, by putting before himself honorable sentiments of God.
      
them that deal treacherously--the Chaldeans, once allies of the Jews, but now their violent oppressors. Compare "treacherous dealers," ( Isa 21:2; 24:16\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p39.1"). Instead of speaking evil against God, he goes to God Himself for the remedy for his perplexity ( Ps 73:11-17\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p39.2").
      
devoureth the man that is more righteous--The Chaldean oppresses the Jew, who with all his faults, is better than his oppressor (compare Eze 16:51, 52\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p40.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.ii-p40.2"14. And--that is, And \iso,\iby suffering oppressors to go unpunished, "Thou makest men as the fishes ... that have no ruler"; that is, no defender. All may fish in the sea with impunity; so the Chaldeans with impunity afflict Thy people, as these have no longer the God of the theocracy, their King, to defend them. Thou reducest men to such a state of anarchy, by wrong going unpunished, as if there were no God. He compares the world to the \isea;\imen to \ifishes;\iNebuchadnezzar to a \ifisherman\i( Hab 1:15-17\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p41.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.ii-p41.2"15. they take up all of them--all kinds of fishes, that is, \imen,\ias captives, and all other prey that comes in their way.
      
with the angle--that is, the hook. Some they take up as with the hook, one by one; others in shoals, as in a "net" and "drag" or enclosing net.
      
therefore--because of their successes.
      
they rejoice--They glory in their crimes because attended with success (compare Hab 1:11\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p45.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.ii-p45.2"16. sacrifice unto their net--that is, their arms, power, and military skill, wherewith they gained their victories; instead of to God. Compare Hab 1:11\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p46.1",Maurer'sinterpretation. They idolize themselves for their own cleverness and might ( De 8:17; Isa 10:13; 37:24, 25\Q="x.xxxv.ii-p46.3").
      
by them--by their net and dragnet.
      
their portion--image from a banquet: the prey which they have gotten.
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.ii-p48.1"17. Shall they ... empty their net?--Shall they be allowed without interruption to enjoy the fruits of their violence?
      
therefore--seeing that they attribute all their successes to themselves, and not to Thee. The answer to the prophet's question, he by inspiration gives himself in the second chapter.
      

\C3="Chapter 2" \Q="x.xxxv.iii-p0.1"CHAPTER 2
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iii-p1.1" Hab 2:1-20\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p2.1".The Prophet, Waiting Earnestly for an Answer to His Complaints(First Chapter),Receives a Revelation, Which Is to Be Fulfilled, Not Immediately, Yet in Due Time, and Is Therefore to Be Waited for in Faith:The Chaldeans Shall Be Punished for Their Cruel Rapacity, nor Can Their False GodSAvert the Judgment of Jehovah, the Only True God.
      
1. stand upon ... watch--that is, watch-post. The prophets often compare themselves, awaiting the revelations of Jehovah with earnest patience, to watchmen on an eminence watching with intent eye all that comes within their view ( Isa 21:8, 11; Jer 6:17; Eze 3:17; 33:2, 3\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p3.1"; compare Ps 5:3; 85:8\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p3.2"). The "watch-post" is the withdrawal of the whole soul from earthly, and fixing it on heavenly, things. The accumulation of synonyms, "stand upon ... watch ... set me upon ... tower ... watch to see" implies persevering fixity of attention.
      
what he will say unto me--in answer to my complaints ( Hab 1:13\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p4.1"). Literally, "in me," God speaking, not to the prophet's outward ear, but \iinwardly.\iWhen we have prayed to God, we must observe what answers God gives by His word, His Spirit, and His providences.
      
what I shall answer when I am reproved--what answer I am to make to the \ireproof\iwhich I anticipate from God on account of the liberty of my expostulation with Him.Maurertranslates, "What I am to answer in respect to my complaint against Jehovah" ( Hab 1:12-17\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p5.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iii-p5.3"2. Write the vision--which I am about to reveal to thee.
      
make it plain--( De 27:8\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p7.1"). In large legible characters.
      
upon tables--boxwood tables covered with wax, on which national affairs were engraved with an iron pen, and then hung up in public, at the prophets' own houses, or at the temple, that those who passed might read them. Compare Lu 1:63\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p8.1", "writing table," that is, tablet.
      
that he may run that readeth it--commonly explained, "so intelligible as to be easily read by any one running past"; but then it would be, "that he that runneth may read it." The true sense is, "so legible \ithat whoever readeth it, may run\ito tell all whom he can the good news of the foe's coming doom, and Judah's deliverance." Compare Da 12:4\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p9.1", "many shall \irun\ito and fro," namely, with the explanation of the prophecy, then unsealed; also, Re 22:17\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p9.2", "let him that heareth (the good news) say (to every one within his reach), Come." "Run" is equivalent to \iannounce the divine revelation\i( Jer 23:21\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p9.3"); as everyone who becomes informed of a divine message is bound to \irun,\ithat is, use all despatch to make it known to others [Henderson].Grotius,Ludovicus De Dieu, andMaurerinterpret it: "Run" is not literal \irunning,\ibut "that he who reads it may run through it," that is, read it \iat once without difficulty.\i
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iii-p9.8"3. for--assigning the cause why it ought to be \icommitted to writing: because\iits fulfilment belongs to the future.
      
the vision is yet for an appointed time--( Da 10:14; 11:27, 35\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p11.1"). Though the time appointed by God for the fulfilment be yet future, it should be enough for your faith that God hath spoken it ( La 3:26\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p11.2").
      
at the end it shall speak--Maurertranslates, "it \ipants for\ithe end." But the antithesis between, "it shall \ispeak,\i" and "not be silent," makes \iEnglish Version\ithe better rendering. So the \iHebrew\iis translated in Pr 12:17\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p12.2". Literally, "breathe out words," "break forth as a blast."
      
though it tarry, wait for it--( Ge 49:18\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p13.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iii-p13.2"4. his soul which is lifted up--the Chaldean's [Maurer]. The unbelieving Jew's [Henderson].
      
is not upright in him--that is, is not accounted upright in God's sight; in antithesis to "shall live." So Heb 10:38\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p15.1", which with inspired authority applies the general sense to the particular case which Paul had in view, "If any man \idraw back\i(one result of being 'lifted up' with overweening arrogancy), \imy soul shall have no pleasure in him.\i"
      
the just shall live by his faith--the \iJewish nation,\ias opposed to the unbelieving Chaldean (compare Hab 2:5, &c.; Hab 1:6, &c.; Hab 1:13\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p16.1") [Maurer].Henderson'sview is that the \ibelieving\iJew is meant, as opposed to the unbelieving Jew (compare Ro 1:17; Ga 3:11\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p16.4"). The believing Jew, though God's promise tarry, will wait for it; the unbelieving "draws back," as Heb 10:38\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p16.5"expresses it. The sense, inMaurer'sview, which accords better with the context ( Hab 2:5\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p16.7", &c.). is: the Chaldean, though for a time seeming to prosper, yet being lifted up with haughty unbelief ( Hab 1:11, 16\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p16.8"), is not upright; that is, has \ino right\istability of soul resting on God, to ensure permanence of prosperity; hence, though for a time executing God's judgments, he at last becomes "lifted up" so as to attribute to his own power what is the work of God, and in this sense "draws back" ( Heb 10:38\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p16.9"), becoming thereby a type of all backsliders who thereby incur God's displeasure; as the believing Jew is of all who \iwait\ifor God's promises with patient \ifaith,\iand so "live" (stand accepted) before God. The \iHebrew\iaccents induceBengelto translate, "he who is just by his faith shall live." Other manuscripts read the accents as \iEnglish Version,\iwhich agrees better with \iHebrew\isyntax.
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iii-p16.11"5. Yea also, because--additional reason why the Jews may look for God punishing their Chaldean foe, namely, \ibecause ... he is\i
      
a proud man--rather, this clause continues the reason for the Jews expecting the punishment of the Chaldeans, "because he transgresseth by wine (a besetting sin of Babylon, compare Da 5:1-31\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p18.1", andCurtius[5.1]), \ibeing\ia proud man." Love of wine often begets a \iproud\icontempt of divine things, as in Belshazzar's case, which was the immediate cause of the fall of Babylon ( Da 5:2-4, 30\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p18.3"; compare Pr 20:1; 30:9; 31:5\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p18.4").
      
enlargeth his desire as hell--the grave, or the unseen world, which is "never full" ( Pr 27:20; 30:16; Isa 5:14\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p19.1"). The Chaldeans under Nebuchadnezzar were filled with an insatiable desire of conquest. Another reason for their punishment.
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iii-p19.2"6. Shall not all these--the "nations" and "peoples" ( Hab 2:5\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p20.1") "heaped unto him" by the Chaldean.
      
take up a parable--a derisive song. Habakkuk follows Isaiah ( Isa 14:4\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p21.1") and Micah ( Mic 2:4\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p21.2") in the phraseology.
      
against him--when dislodged from his former eminence.
      
Woe--The "derisive song" here begins, and continues to the end of the chapter. It is a symmetrical whole, and consists of five stanzas, the first three consisting of three verses each, the fourth of four verses, and the last of two. Each stanza has its own subject, and all except the last begin with "Woe"; and all have a closing verse introduced with "for," "because," or "but."
      
how long?-- \ihow long\idestined to retain his ill-gotten gains? But for a short time, as his fall now proves [Maurer]. "Covetousness is the greatest bane to men. For they who invade others' goods, often lose even their own" [Menander].Calvinmakes "how long?" to be the cry of those groaning under the Chaldean oppression while it still lasted: How long shall such oppression be permitted to continue? But it is plainly part of the \iderisive song,\iafter the Chaldean tyranny had passed away.
      
ladeth himself with thick clay--namely, gold and silver dug out of the "clay," of which they are a part. The covetous man in heaping them together is only lading himself with a clay burden, as he dares not enjoy them, and is always anxious about them.LeeandFullertranslate the \iHebrew\ias a reduplicated single noun, and not two words, "an accumulation of pledges" ( De 24:10-13\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p25.3"). The Chaldean is compared to a harsh usurer, and his ill-gotten treasures to heaps of pledges in the hands of a usurer.
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iii-p25.4"7. suddenly--the answer to the question, "How long?" ( Hab 2:6\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p26.1").
      
bite--often used of \iusury;\iso favoringLee'srendering ( Hab 2:6\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p27.2"). As the Chaldean, like a usurer, oppressed others, so other nations shall, like usurers, \itake pledges of,\ithat is, spoil, him.
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iii-p27.3"8. the remnant of the people--Those remaining of the peoples spoiled by thee, though but a remnant, will suffice to inflict vengeance on thee.
      
the violence of the land ... city--that is, on account of \ithy violent oppression of the lands and cities\iof the earth [Grotius] (compare Hab 2:5, 6, 12\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p29.2"). The same phrase occurs in Hab 2:17\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p29.3", where the "land" and "city" are Judea and Jerusalem.
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iii-p29.4"9. coveteth an evil covetousness--that is, a covetousness so surpassingly evil as to be fatal to himself.
      
to his house--greedily seizing enormous wealth, not merely for himself, but for his family, to which it is destined to be fatal. The very same "evil covetousness" that was the cause of Jehoiakim's being given up to the Chaldean oppressor ( Jer 22:13\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p31.1") shall be the cause of the Chaldean's own destruction.
      
set his nest on high--( Nu 24:21; Jer 49:16; Ob 4\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p32.1"). The image is from an eagle ( Job 39:27\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p32.2"). The \iroyal citadel\iis meant. The Chaldean built high towers, like the Babel founders, to "be delivered from the power of evil" ( Ge 11:4\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p32.3").
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iii-p32.4"10. Thou hast consulted shame ... by cutting off many--Maurer, more literally, "Thou hast consulted shame ... to destroy many," that is, in consulting (determining) to cut off many, thou hast consulted shame to thy house.
      
sinned against thy soul--that is, against thyself; thou art the guilty cause of thine own ruin ( Pr 8:36; 20:2\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p34.1"). They who wrong their neighbors, do much greater wrong to their own souls.
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iii-p34.2"11. stone ... cry out--personification. The very stones of thy palace built by rapine shall testify against thee ( Lu 19:40\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p35.1").
      
the beam out of the timber--the crossbeam or main rafter connecting the timbers in the walls.
      
shall answer it--namely, the stone. The stone shall begin and the crossbeam continue the cry against thy rapine.
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iii-p37.1"12. buildeth a town with blood--namely, Babylon rebuilt and enlarged by blood-bought spoils (compare Da 4:30\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p38.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iii-p38.2"13. is it not of the Lord of hosts--Jehovah, who has at His command all the \ihosts\iof heaven and earth, is the righteous author of Babylon's destruction. "Shall not God have His turn, when cruel rapacious men have triumphed so long, though He seem now to be still?" [Calvin].
      
people ... labour in the ... fire ... weary themselves for ... vanity--The Chaldeans labor at what is to be food for the fire, namely, their city and fortresses which shall be burnt. Jer 51:58\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p40.1"adopts the same phraseology to express the vanity of the Chaldean's labor on Babylon, as doomed to the flames.
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iii-p40.2"14.Adapted from Isa 11:9\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p41.1". Here the sense is, "The Jews shall be restored and the temple rebuilt, so that God's glory in saving His people, and punishing their Chaldean foe, shall be manifested throughout the world," of which the Babylonian empire formed the greatest part; a type of the ultimate full manifestation of His glory in the final salvation of Israel and His Church, and the destruction of all their foes.
      
waters cover the sea--namely, the bottom of the sea; the sea-bed.
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iii-p42.1"15. giveth ... neighbour drink ... puttest ... bottle to him--literally, "skin," as the Easterns use "bottles" of skin for wine.Maurer, from a different \iHebrew\iroot, translates, "that pourest in thy \iwrath.\i" \iEnglish Version\ikeeps up the metaphor better. It is not enough for thee to be "drunken" thyself, unless thou canst lead others into the same state. The thing meant is, that the Chaldean king, with his insatiable desires (a kind of \iintoxication\i), allured neighboring states into the same mad thirst for war to obtain booty, and then at last exposed them to loss and shame (compare Isa 51:17; Ob 16\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p43.2"). An appropriate image of Babylon, which at last fell during a drunken revel ( Da 5:1-31\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p43.3").
      
that thou mayest look on their nakedness!--with light, like Ham of old ( Ge 9:22\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p44.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iii-p44.2"16. art filled--now that thou art fallen. "Thou art filled" indeed (though so insatiable), but it is "with shame."
      
shame for glory--instead of thy former glory ( Ho 4:7\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p46.1").
      
drink thou also--The cup of sorrow is now in thy turn to pass to thee ( Jer 25:15-17; La 4:21\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p47.1").
      
thy foreskin--expressing in Hebrew feeling the most utter contempt. So of Goliath ( 1Sa 17:36\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p48.1"). It is not merely thy "nakedness," as in Hab 2:15\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p48.2", that shall be "uncovered," but the foreskin, the badge of thy being an uncircumcised alien from God. The same shall be done to thee, as thou didst to others, and worse.
      
cup ... shall be turned unto thee--literally, "shall \iturn itself,\i" namely, from the nations whom thou hast made to drink it. "Thou shalt drink it \iall,\iso that it may be \iturned\ias being drained" [Grotius].
      
shameful spewing--that is, vomiting; namely, that of the king of Babylon, compelled to disgorge the spoil he had swallowed. It expresses also the ignominious state of Babylon in its calamity ( Jer 25:27\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p50.1"). "Be drunken, spew, and fall." Less appropriately it is explained \iof the foe\ispewing in the face of the Babylonian king.
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iii-p50.2"17. the violence of Lebanon--thy "violence" against "Lebanon," that is, Jerusalem ( Isa 37:24; Jer 22:23; Eze 17:3, 12\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p51.1"; for Lebanon's cedars were used in building the temple and houses of Jerusalem; and its beauty made it a fit type of the metropolis), shall fall on thine own head.
      
cover--that is, \icompletely\ioverwhelm.
      
the spoil of beasts, which made them afraid--Maurerexplains, " \ithe spoiling\iinflicted on \ithe beasts\iof Lebanon (that is, on the people of Jerusalem, of which city 'Lebanon' is the type), \iwhich made them afraid\i(shall cover thee)." But it seems inappropriate to compare the elect people to "beasts." I therefore prefer explaining, "the spoiling of beasts," that is, such as is inflicted on beasts caught in a net, and "which makes them afraid (shall cover thee)." Thus the Babylonians are compared to wild beasts terrified at being caught suddenly in a net. In cruel rapacity they resembled wild beasts. The ancients read, "the spoiling of wild beasts \ishall make\iTHEE \iafraid.\i" Or else explain, "the spoiling of beasts (the Medes and Persians) which ( \iinflicted by thee\i) made them afraid (shall in turn cover thyself--revert on thyself from them)." This accords better with the parallel clause, "the violence of Lebanon," that is, inflicted by thee on Lebanon. As thou didst hunt men as wild beasts, so shalt thou be hunted thyself as a wild beast, which thou resemblest in cruelty.
      
because of men's blood--shed by thee; repeated from Hab 2:8\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p54.1". But here the "land" and "city" are used of \iJudea\iand \iJerusalem:\inot of the \iearth\iand cities \igenerally,\ias in Hab 2:8\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p54.2".
      
the violence of the land,&c.--that is, inflicted \ion the\iland by thee.
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iii-p55.1"18.The powerlessness of the idols to save Babylon from its doom is a fitting introduction to the last stanza ( Hab 2:19\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p56.1"), which, as the former four, begins with "Woe."
      
teacher of lies--its priests and prophets uttering lying oracles, as if from it.
      
make dumb idols--Though men can "make" idols, they cannot \imake them speak.\i
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iii-p58.1"19. Awake--Arise to my help.
      
it shall teach!--rather, An exclamation \iof the prophet,\iimplying an ironical question to which a negative answer must be given. What! "It teach?" Certainly not [Maurer]. Or, "It (the idol itself) shall (that is, ought to) teach you that it is deaf, and therefore no God" [Calvin]. Compare "they are their own witnesses" ( Isa 44:9\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p60.3").
      
Behold--The \iHebrew\iis nominative, "There it is" [Henderson].
      
it is laid over with gold ... no breath ... in the midst--Outside it has some splendor, within none.
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iii-p62.1"20. But the Lord--Jehovah; in striking contrast with the idols.
      
in his holy temple--"His place" ( Isa 26:21\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p64.1"); heaven ( Ps 11:4; Jon 2:7; Mic 1:2\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p64.2"). The temple at Jerusalem is a type of it, and there God is to be worshipped. He does not lie hid under gold and silver, as the idols of Babylon, but reigns in heaven and fills heaven, and thence succors His people.
      
keep silence--in token of reverent submission and subjection to His judgments ( Job 40:4; Ps 76:8; Zep 1:7; Zec 2:13\Q="x.xxxv.iii-p65.1").
      

\C3="Chapter 3" \Q="x.xxxv.iv-p0.1"CHAPTER 3
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iv-p1.1" Hab 3:1-19\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p2.1".Habakkuk's Prayer to God: God's Glorious Revelation of Himself at Sinai and at Gibeon, a Pledge of His Interposing Again in Behalf of Israel against Babylon, andAll Other Foes; Hence the Prophet's Confidence Amid Calamities.
      
This sublime ode begins with an exordium ( Hab 3:1, 2\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p3.1"), then follows the main subject, then the peroration ( Hab 3:16-19\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p3.2"), a summary of the practical truth, which the whole is designed to teach. ( De 33:2-5; Ps 77:13-20\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p3.3"are parallel odes). This was probably designed by the Spirit to be a fit formula of prayer for the people, first in their Babylonian exile, and now in their dispersion, especially towards the close of it, just before the great Deliverer is to interpose for them. It was used in public worship, as the musical term, "Selah!" ( Hab 3:3, 9, 13\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p3.4"), implies.
      
1. prayer--the only strictly called prayers are in Hab 3:2\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p4.1". But all devotional addresses to God are called "prayers" ( Ps 72:20\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p4.2"). The \iHebrew\iis from a root "to apply to a judge for a favorable decision." \iPrayers\iin which \ipraises\ito God for deliverance, anticipated in the sure confidence of faith, are especially calculated to enlist Jehovah on His people's side ( 2Ch 20:20-22, 26\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p4.3").
      
upon Shigionoth--a musical phrase, "after the manner of elegies," or mournful odes, from an \iArabic\iroot [Lee]; the phrase is \isingular\iin Ps 7:1\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p5.2", title. More simply, from a \iHebrew\iroot to "err," "on account of \isins of ignorance.\i" Habakkuk thus teaches his countrymen to confess not only their more grievous sins, but also their \ierrors\iand \inegligences,\iinto which they were especially likely to fall when in exile away from the Holy Land [Calvin]. So \iVulgate\iandAquila, andSymmachus."For voluntary transgressors" [Jerome]. Probably the subject would regulate the kind of music.DelitzschandHendersontranslate, "With triumphal music," from the same root "to err," implying its enthusiastic irregularity.
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iv-p5.9"2. I have heard thy speech--Thy revelation to me concerning the coming chastisement of the Jews [Calvin], and the destruction of their oppressors. This is Habakkuk's reply to God's communication [Grotius].Maurertranslates, "the report of Thy coming," literally, "Thy report."
      
and was afraid--reverential fear of God's judgments ( Hab 3:16\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p7.1").
      
revive thy work--Perfect the \iwork\iof delivering \iThy\ipeople, and do not let Thy promise lie as if it were dead, but \igive it new life\iby performing it [Menochius].Calvinexplains "thy work" to be \iIsrael;\icalled "the work of My hands" ( Isa 45:11\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p8.3"). God's elect people are peculiarly His work ( Isa 43:1\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p8.4"), pre-eminently illustrating His power, wisdom, and goodness. "Though we seem, as it were, dead nationally, \irevive\ius" ( Ps 85:6\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p8.5"). However ( Ps 64:9\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p8.6"), where "the work of God" refers to \iHis judgment on their enemies,\ifavors the former view ( Ps 90:16, 17; Isa 51:9, 10\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p8.7").
      
in the midst of the years--namely, of calamity in which we live. Now that our calamities are at their height; during our seventy years' captivity.Calvinmore fancifully explains it, in the midst of the years of Thy people, extending from Abraham to Messiah; if they be cut off before His coming, they will be cut off as it were \iin the midst of their years,\ibefore attaining their maturity. SoBengelmakes \ithe midst of the years\ito be the middle point of the years of the world. There is a strikingly similar phrase ( Da 9:27\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p9.3"), \iIn the midst of the week.\iThe parallel clause, "in wrath" (that is, \iin the midst\iof wrath), however, shows that "in the midst of the years" means "in the years of our present exile and calamity."
      
make known--Made \iit\i( \iThy\iwork) known by experimental proof; show in very deed, that this is Thy work.
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iv-p10.1"3. God-- \isingular\iin the \iHebrew,\i"Eloah," instead of "Elohim," \iplural,\iusually employed. The \isingular\iis not found in any other of the minor prophets, or Jeremiah, or Ezekiel; but it is in Isaiah, Daniel, Job, and Deuteronomy.
      
from Teman--the country south of Judea and near Edom, in which latter country Mount Paran was situated [Henderson]. "Paran" is the desert region, extending from the south of Judah to Sinai. Seir, Sinai, and Paran are adjacent to one another, and are hence associated together, in respect to God's giving of the law ( De 33:2\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p12.2"). Teman is so identified with Seir or \iEdom,\ias here to be substituted for it. Habakkuk appeals to God's glorious manifestations to His people at Sinai, as the ground for praying that God will "revive His work" ( Hab 3:2\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p12.3") now. For He is the same God now as ever.
      
Selah--a musical sign, put at the close of sections and strophes, always at the end of a verse, except thrice; namely, here, and Hab 3:9, and Ps 55:19; 57:3\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p13.1", where, however, it closes the hemistich. It implies a change of the modulation. It comes from a root to "rest" or "pause" [Gesenius]; implying a cessation of the chant, during an instrumental interlude. The solemn pause here prepares the mind for contemplating the glorious description of Jehovah's manifestation which follows.
      
earth ... full of his praise--that is, of His glories which were calculated to call forth universal \ipraise;\ithe parallelism to "glory" proves this to be the sense.
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iv-p14.1"4. as the light--namely, of the sun ( Job 37:21; Pr 4:18\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p15.1").
      
horns--the emblem of \ipower\iwielded by "His hand" [Ludovicus De Dieu]. "Rays" emanating from "His hand," compared by the Arabs to the horns of the gazelle (compare "hind of the morning," Ps 22:1\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p16.2", title, \iMargin\i). The \iHebrew\iverb for to "emit rays," is from the root meaning "horns" ( Ex 34:29, 30, 35\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p16.3") [Grotius]. The rays are His \ilightnings\i( Ps 18:8\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p16.5"), [Maurer].
      
there-- \iin that "brightness." In it,\inotwithstanding its brilliancy, there was but the veil "( \ithe hiding\i) of His power." Even "light," God's "garment," covers, instead of revealing fully, His surpassing glory ( Ps 104:2\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p17.1") [Henderson]. Or, \ion Mount Sinai\i[Drusius]. (Compare Ex 24:17\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p17.4"). The \iSeptuagint\iand \iSyriac\iversions read for "there," \iHe made\ia hiding, &c.; He hid Himself with clouds. \iEnglish Version\iis better, whichCalvinexplains, there is said to be "a hiding of God's power," because God did not reveal it indiscriminately to all, but specially to His people ( Ps 31:20\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p17.6"). The contrast seems to me to be between the "horns" or \iemanations\iout of His power ("hand"), and that "power" itself. The latter was \ihidden,\iwhereas the "horns" or \iemanations\ialone were manifested. If the mere scintillations were so awfully overwhelming, how much more so the hidden power itself! This was especially true of His manifestation at Sinai ( Ps 18:11\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p17.7"; compare Isa 45:15, 17\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p17.8").
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iv-p17.9"5. pestilence--to destroy His people's foes ( 1Sa 5:9, 11\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p18.1"). As Jehovah's advent is glorious to His people, so it is terrible to His foes.
      
burning coals-- Ps 18:8\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p19.1"favors \iEnglish Version.\iBut the parallelism requires, as the \iMargin\itranslates, "burning disease" (compare De 32:24; Ps 91:6\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p19.2").
      
went ... at his feet--that is, after Him, as His attendants ( Jud 4:10\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p20.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iv-p20.2"6. He stood, and measured the earth--Jehovah, in His advance, is represented as stopping suddenly, and \imeasuring\ithe earth with His all-seeing glance, whereat there is universal consternation.Maurer, from a different root, translates, " \irocked\ithe earth"; which answers better to the parallel "drove asunder"; the \iHebrew\ifor which latter, however, may be better translated, "made to tremble."
      
everlasting mountains--which have ever been remembered as retaining the same place and form from the foundation of the world.
      
did bow--as it were, in reverent submission.
      
his ways are everlasting--His marvellous ways of working for the salvation of His people mark His everlasting character: such as He was in His workings for them formerly, such shall He be now.
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iv-p24.1"7. the tents--that is, the dwellers.
      
Cushan--the same as \iCush;\imade "Cush- \ian\i" to harmonize with "Midi- \ian\i" in the parallel clause. So \iLotan\iis found in the \iHebrew\iof Genesis for \iLot.\iBocharttherefore considers it equivalent to Midian, or a part of Arabia. So in Nu 12:1\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p26.2", Moses' Midianite wife is called an Ethiopian ( \iHebrew, Cushite\i).Maurerthinks \ithe dwellers on both sides of the Arabian Gulf,\ior \iRed Sea,\iare meant; for in Hab 3:6\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p26.4"God's \ieverlasting\ior ancient \iways\iof delivering His people are mentioned; and in Hab 3:8\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p26.5", the dividing of the Red Sea for them. Compare Miriam's song as to the \ifear\iof Israel's foes far and near caused thereby ( Ex 15:14-16\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p26.6"). Hebrew expositors refer it to Chushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia, or Syria, the first oppressor of Israel ( Jud 3:8, 10\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p26.7"), from whom Othniel delivered them. Thus the second hemistich of the verse will refer to the deliverance of Israel from Midian by Gideon ( Jud 6:1-7:25\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p26.8") to which Hab 3:11\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p26.9"plainly refers. Whichever of these views be correct, the general reference is to God's interpositions against Israel's foes of old.
      
in affliction--rather, " \iunder\iaffliction" (regarded) as a heavy burden. Literally, "vanity" or "iniquity," hence the \ipunishment\iof it (compare Nu 25:17, 18\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p27.1").
      
curtains--the coverings of their tents; the shifting habitations of the nomad tribes, which resembled the modern Bedouins.
      
tremble--namely, at Jehovah's terrible interposition for Israel against them.
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iv-p29.1"8. Was the Lord displeased against the rivers?--"Was the cause of His dividing the Red Sea and Jordan His displeasure against these waters?" The answer to this is tacitly implied in "Thy chariots \iof salvation.\i" "Nay; it was not displeasure against the waters, but His pleasure in interposing for His people's \isalvation\i" (compare Hab 3:10\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p30.1").
      
thy chariots--in antithesis to Thy foe, \iPharaoh's\ichariots," which, notwithstanding their power and numbers, were engulfed in the waters of \idestruction.\iGod can make the most unlikely means work for His people's salvation ( Ex 14:7, 9, 23, 25-28; 15:3-8, 19\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p31.1"). Jehovah's chariots are His angels ( Ps 68:17\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p31.2"), or the cherubim, or the ark ( Jos 3:13; 4:7\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p31.3"; compare So 1:9\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p31.4").
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iv-p31.5"9. bow ... made ... naked--that is, was drawn forth from its cover, in which bows usually were cased when not in use. Compare Isa 22:6\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p32.1", "Kir uncovered the shield."
      
 \iaccording\ito the oaths of the tribes \ieven thy\iword--that is, Thy \ioaths\iof promise to \ithe tribes\iof Israel ( Ps 77:8; Lu 1:73, 74\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p33.1"). Habakkuk shows that God's miraculous interpositions for His people were not limited to one time, but that God's \ioaths\ito His people are sure ground for their always expecting them. The mention of the \itribes,\irather than \iAbraham\ior Moses, is in order that they may not doubt that to them belongs this grace of which Abraham was the depository [CalvinandJerome].Maurertranslates, "The spears were glutted with blood, the triumphal song!" that is, no sooner did Jehovah begin the battle by baring His bow, than the spears were glutted with blood and the triumphal song sung.
      
Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers--the result of the earthquake caused by God's approach [Maurer].Grotiusrefers it to the bringing forth water from the rock ( Ex 17:6; Nu 20:10, 11; Ps 78:15, 16; 105:4\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p34.3"). But the context implies not the giving of water to His people to drink, but the fearful physical phenomena attending Jehovah's attack on Israel's foes.
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iv-p34.4"10. The mountains--repetition with increased emphasis of some of the tremendous phenomena mentioned in Hab 3:6\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p35.1".
      
overflowing of the water passed by--namely, of the Red Sea; and again, of the Jordan. God marked His favor to His people in all the elements, causing every obstacle, whether mountains or waters, which impeded their progress, to "pass away" [Calvin].Maurer, not so well, translates, "torrents (rains) of water rush down."
      
lifted ... hands on high--namely, its billows \ilifted on high\iby the tempest. Personification. As men signify by \ivoice\ior gesture of \ihand\ithat they will do what they are commanded, so these parts of nature testified their obedience to God's will ( Ex 14:22; Jos 3:16; Ps 77:17, 18; 114:4\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p37.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iv-p37.2"11. sun ... moon stood still--at Joshua's command ( Jos 10:12, 13\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p38.1").Maurerwrongly translates, "stand" ( \iwithdrawn,\ior \ihidden from view,\iby the clouds which covered the sky during the thunders).
      
light of thine arrows--hail mixed with lightnings ( Jos 10:10, 11\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p39.1").
      
they went--The \isun\iand \imoon\i"went," not as always heretofore, but according to the light and direction of Jehovah's arrows, namely, His lightnings hurled in defense of His people; astonished at these they stood still [Calvin].Maurertranslates, "At the light of Thine arrows (which) went" or flew.
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iv-p40.3"12. march--implying Jehovah's majestic and irresistible progress before His people ( Jud 5:4; Ps 68:7\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p41.1"). Israel would not have dared to attack the nations, unless Jehovah had gone before.
      
thresh--( Mic 4:13\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p42.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iv-p42.2"13. with thine anointed--with Messiah; of whom Moses, Joshua, and David, God's anointed leaders of Israel, were the types ( Ps 89:19, 20, 38\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p43.1"). God from the beginning delivered His people in person, or by the hand of a Mediator ( Isa 63:11\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p43.2"). Thus Habakkuk confirms believers in the hope of their deliverance, as well because God is always the same, as also because the same anointed Mediator is ready now to fulfil God's will and interpose for Israel, as of old [Calvin].Maurertranslates to suit the parallelism, "for salvation to Thine anointed," namely, Israel's \iking\iin the abstract, answering to the "people" in the former clause (compare Ps 28:8; La 4:20\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p43.5"). Or Israel is meant, the \ianointed,\ithat is, consecrated people of Jehovah ( Ps 105:15\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p43.6").
      
woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked--probably an allusion to Ps 68:21\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p44.1". Each \ihead person\isprung from and belonging to \ithe house of\iIsrael's \iwicked\ifoes; such as Jabin, whose city Hazor was "the head of all the kingdoms" of Canaan ( Jos 11:10\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p44.2"; compare Jud 4:2, 3, 13\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p44.3").
      
discovering the foundation--Thou destroyedst high and low. As "the \ihead\iof the house" means the prince, so the "foundation" means the general \ihost\iof the enemy.
      
unto the neck--image from a flood reaching \ito the neck\i( Isa 8:8; 30:28\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p46.1"). So God, by His wrath overflowing on the foe, caused their princes' \inecks\ito be trodden under foot by Israel's leaders ( Jos 10:24; 11:8, 12\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p46.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iv-p46.3"14. strike ... with his staves--with the "wicked" ( Hab 3:13\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p47.1") foe's own sword (Maurertranslates, "spears") ( Jud 7:22\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p47.3").
      
head of his villages--Not only kings were overthrown by God's hand, but His vengeance passed through the foe's \ivillages\iand dependencies. A just retribution, as the foe had made "the inhabitants of Israel's villages to cease" ( Jud 5:7\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p48.1").Grotiustranslates, "of his warriors";Gesenius, "the chief of his captains."
      
to scatter me-- \iIsrael,\iwith whom Habakkuk identifies himself (compare Hab 1:12\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p49.1").
      
rejoicing ... to devour the poor secretly--"The poor" means the \iIsraelites,\ifor whom in their helpless state the foe lurks \iin his lair,\ilike a wild beast, to pounce on and \idevour\i( Ps 10:9; 17:12\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p50.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iv-p50.2"15. Thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses--( Hab 3:8\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p51.1"). No obstacle could prevent Thy progress when leading Thy people in safety to their inheritance, whether the Red Sea, Jordan, or the figurative waves of foes raging against Israel ( Ps 65:7; 77:19\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p51.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iv-p51.3"16. When I heard ... trembled--namely, at the judgments which God had declared ( Hab 1:1-17\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p52.1") were to be inflicted on Judea by the Chaldeans.
      
belly--The \ibowels\iwere thought by the Hebrews to be the seat of yearning compassion ( Jer 31:20\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p53.1"). Or "heard" may refer to Hab 3:2\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p53.2", "When I \iheard\ias to Jehovah's coming interposition for Israel against the Chaldeans being still at some distance" ( Hab 2:3\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p53.3"); so also the voice" [Maurer].
      
at the voice--of the divine threatenings ( Hab 1:6\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p54.1"). The faithful tremble at the \ivoice\ialone of God before He inflicts punishment. Habakkuk speaks in the person of all the faithful in Israel.
      
trembled in myself--that is, I trembled all over [Grotius].
      
that I might rest in the day of trouble--The true and only path to \irest\iis through such fear. Whoever is securely torpid and hardened towards God, will be tumultuously agitated in the day of affliction, and so will bring on himself a worse destruction; but he who in time meets God's wrath and trembles at His threats, prepares the best \irest\ifor himself in the day of affliction [Calvin].Hendersontranslates, "Yet I shall have rest." Habakkuk thus consoling his mind, Though trembling at the calamity coming, yet I shall have rest in God ( Isa 26:3\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p56.3"). But that sentiment does not seem to be directly asserted till Hab 3:17\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p56.4", as the words following at the close of this verse imply.
      
when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade--rather (as \iEnglish Version\iis a mere truism), connected with the preceding clause, "that I might rest ... when he (the Chaldean foe) cometh up unto the people (the Jews), \ithat he may cut them off\i" [Calvin]. The \iHebrew\ifor "invade" means, \ito rush upon, or to attack and cut off with congregated troops.\i
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iv-p57.2"17.Destroy the "vines" and "fig trees" of the carnal heart, and his mirth ceases. But those who when full enjoyed God in all, when emptied can enjoy all in God. They can sit down upon the heap of ruined creature comforts, and rejoice in Him as the "God of their salvation." Running in the way of His commandments, we outrun our troubles. Thus Habakkuk, beginning his prayer with trembling, ends it with a song of triumph ( Job 13:15; Ps 4:7; 43:3, 5\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p58.1").
      
labour of the olive--that is, the \ifruit\iexpected from the olive.
      
fail--literally, "lie," that is, disappoint the hope ( Isa 58:11\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p60.1", \iMargin\i).
      
fields--from a \iHebrew\iroot meaning "to be yellow"; as they look at harvest-time.
      
meat--food, grain.
      
cut off--that is, cease.
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iv-p63.1"18. yet I will rejoice--The prophet speaks in the name of his people.
      
 \Q="x.xxxv.iv-p64.1"19. hinds' feet ... walk upon ... high places--Habakkuk has here before his mind Ps 18:33, 34; De 32:13\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p65.1". "Hinds' (gazelles') feet" imply the \iswiftness\iwith which God enables him (the prophet and his people) to escape from his enemies, and return to his native land. The "high places" are called "mine," to imply that Israel shall be restored to \ihis own\iland, a land of hills which are places of safety and of eminence (compare Ge 19:17; Mt 24:16\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p65.2"). Probably not only the \isafety,\ibut the \imoral elevation,\iof Israel above all the lands of the earth is implied ( De 33:29\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p65.3").
      
on my stringed instruments-- \ineginoth.\iThis is the prophet's direction to the \iprecentor\i("chief singer") as to how the preceding ode ( Hab 3:1-19\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p66.1") is to be performed (compare Ps 4:1; 6:1\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p66.2", titles). The prophet had in mind a certain form of stringed instrument adapted to certain numbers and measures. This formula at the end of the ode, directing the kind of instrument to be used, agrees with that in the beginning of it, which directs the kind of melody (compare Isa 38:20\Q="x.xxxv.iv-p66.3").
      
\C2="Zephaniah"
THE BOOK OF
ZEPHANIAH
 \iCommentary by\iA. R. Faussett
      

\C3="Introduction"INTRODUCTION
      
Zephaniah,ninth in order of the minor prophets, prophesied "in the days of Josiah" ( Zep 1:1\Q="x.xxxvi.i-p2.2"), that is, between 642 and 611B.C.The name means "Jehovah hath guarded," literally, "hidden" ( Ps 27:5; 83:3\Q="x.xxxvi.i-p2.4"). The specification in the introductory heading, of not only his father, but also his grandfather, and great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather, implies that the latter were persons of note, or else the design was to distinguish him from another Zephaniah of note at the time of the captivity. The Jews' supposition, that persons recorded as a prophet's ancestors were themselves endowed with the prophetic spirit, seems groundless. There is no impossibility of the Hezekiah, who was Zephaniah's great-great-grandfather, being King Hezekiah as to the number of generations; for Hezekiah's reign of twenty-nine years, and his successor's reign of fifty-five years, admit of \ifour\igenerations interposing between. Yet the omission of the designation, "king of Judah," is fatal to the theory (compare Pr 25:1; Isa 38:9\Q="x.xxxvi.i-p2.5").
      
He must have flourished in the earlier part of Josiah's reign. In Zep 2:13-15\Q="x.xxxvi.i-p3.1"he foretells the doom of Nineveh, which happened in 625B.C.; and in Zep 1:4\Q="x.xxxvi.i-p3.3"he denounces various forms of idolatry, and specially that of Baal. Now Josiah's reformation began in the twelfth and was completed in the eighteenth year of his reign. Zephaniah, therefore, in denouncing Baal worship, co-operated with that good king in his efforts, and so must have prophesied somewhere between the twelfth and eighteenth years of his reign. The silence of the historical books is no argument against this, as it would equally apply against Jeremiah's prophetical existence at the same time. Jewish tradition says that Zephaniah had for his colleagues Jeremiah, whose sphere of labor was the thoroughfares and market places, and Huldah the prophetess, who exercised her vocation in the college in Jerusalem.
      
The prophecy begins with the nation's sin and the fearful retribution coming at the hands of the Chaldeans. These are not mentioned by name, as in Jeremiah; for the prophecies of the latter, being nearer the fulfilment, become more explicit than those of an earlier date. The second chapter dooms the persecuting states in the neighborhood as well as Judea itself. The third chapter denounces Jerusalem, but concludes with the promise of her joyful re-establishment in the theocracy.
      
The style, though not generally sublime, is graphic and vivid in details (compare Zep 1:4-12\Q="x.xxxvi.i-p5.1"). The language is pure, and free from Aramaisms. There are occasional coincidences with former prophets (compare Zep 2:14, with Isa 34:11\Q="x.xxxvi.i-p5.2"; Zep 2:15, with Isa 47:8\Q="x.xxxvi.i-p5.3"; Zep 3:10, with Isa 18:1\Q="x.xxxvi.i-p5.4"; Zep 2:8, with Isa 16:6\Q="x.xxxvi.i-p5.5"; also Zep 1:5, with Jer 8:2\Q="x.xxxvi.i-p5.6"; Zep 1:12, with Jer 48:11\Q="x.xxxvi.i-p5.7"). Such coincidences in part arise from the phraseology of \iHebrew\iprophetic poetry being the common language of the inspired brotherhood. The New Testament, at Ro 15:6\Q="x.xxxvi.i-p5.8", seems to refer to Zep 3:9\Q="x.xxxvi.i-p5.9".
      

\C3="Chapter 1" \Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p0.1"CHAPTER 1
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p1.1" Zep 1:1-18\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p2.1".God's Severe Judgment on Judah for Its Idolatry and Neglect of Him: The Rapid Approach of the Judgment, and the Impossibility of Escape.
      
1. days of Josiah--Had their idolatries been under former kings, they might have said, Our kings have forced us to this and that. But under Josiah, who did all in his power to reform them, they have no such excuse.
      
son of Amon--the idolater, whose bad practices the Jews clung to, rather than the good example of Josiah, his son; so incorrigible were they in sin.
      
Judah--Israel's ten tribes had gone into captivity before this.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p5.1"2. utterly consume--from a root to "sweep away," or "scrape off utterly." See Jer 8:13\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p6.1", \iMargin,\iand here.
      
from off the land--of Judah.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p7.1"3.Enumeration in detail of the "all things" ( Zep 1:2\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p8.1"; compare Jer 9:10; Ho 4:3\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p8.2").
      
the stumbling-blocks--idols which cause Judah to offend or stumble ( Eze 14:3, 4, 7\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p9.1").
      
with the wicked--The idols and their worshippers shall be involved in a common destruction.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p10.1"4. stretch out mine hand--indicating some remarkable and unusual work of vengeance ( Isa 5:25; 9:12, 17, 21\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p11.1").
      
Judah--including Benjamin. These two tribes are to suffer, which thought themselves perpetually secure, because they escaped the captivity in which the ten tribes were involved.
      
Jerusalem--the fountainhead of the evil. God begins with His sanctuary ( Eze 9:6\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p13.1"), and those who are nigh Him ( Le 10:3\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p13.2").
      
the remnant of Baal--the remains of Baal worship, which as yet Josiah was unable utterly to eradicate in remote places. Baal was the Phœnician tutelary god. From the time of the Judges ( Jud 2:13\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p14.1"), Israel had fallen into this idolatry; and Manasseh lately had set up this idol within Jehovah's temple itself ( 2Ki 21:3, 5, 7\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p14.2"). Josiah began his reformation in the twelfth year of his reign ( 2Ch 34:4, 8\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p14.3"), and in the eighteenth had as far as possible completed it.
      
Chemarims--idol priests, who had not reached the age of puberty; meaning "ministers of the gods" [Serviuson \iÆneid,\i11], the same name as the Tyrian \iCamilli, r\iand \il\ibeing interchangeable (compare Ho 10:5\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p15.2", \iMargin\i). Josiah is expressly said ( 2Ki 23:5\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p15.3", \iMargin\i) to have "put down the Chemarim." The \iHebrew\iroot means "black" (from the \iblack garments\iwhich they wore or the \imarks\iwhich they branded on their foreheads); or "zealous," from their idolatrous fanaticism. The very "name," as well as themselves, shall be forgotten.
      
the priests--of Jehovah, of Aaronic descent, who ought to have used all their power to eradicate, but who secretly abetted, idolatry (compare Zep 3:4; Eze 8:1-18; 22:26; 44:10\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p16.1"). From the \ipriests\iZephaniah passes to the \ipeople.\i
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p16.2"5. worship the host of heaven-- \iSaba:\iwhence, in contrast to Sabeanism, Jehovah is called \iLord of Sabaoth.\i
      
upon the housetops--which were flat ( 2Ki 23:5, 6, 12; Jer 19:13; 32:29\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p18.1").
      
swear by the Lord--rather, "swear \ito\iJehovah" ( 2Ch 15:14\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p19.2"); solemnly dedicating themselves to Him (compare Isa 48:1; Ho 4:15\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p19.3").
      
and--" \iand yet\i(with strange inconsistency, 1Ki 18:21; Eze 20:39; Mt 6:24\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p20.1") swear by Malcham," that is, " \itheir king\i" [Maurer]: the same as Molech (see on), and "Milcom the god of ... Ammon" ( 1Ki 11:33\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p20.5"). If Satan have half the heart, he will have all; if the Lord have but half offered to Him, He will have none.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p20.6"6.This verse describes more comprehensively those guilty of defection from Jehovah in any way ( Jer 2:13, 17\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p21.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p21.2"7. Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord--( Hab 2:20\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p22.1"). Let the \iearth\ibe silent at His approach [Maurer]. Or, "Thou whosoever hast been wont to speak against God, as if He had no care about earthly affairs, cease thy murmurs and self-justifications; submit thyself to God, and repent in time" [Calvin].
      
Lord ... prepared a sacrifice--namely, a slaughter of the guilty Jews, the victims due to His justice ( Isa 34:6; Jer 46:10; Eze 39:17\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p23.1").
      
bid his guests--literally, "sanctified His called ones" (compare Isa 13:3\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p24.1"). It enhances the bitterness of the judgment that the heathen Chaldeans should be \isanctified,\ior consecrated as it were, by God as His priests, and be \icalled\ito eat the flesh of the elect people; as on feast days the priests used to feast among themselves on the remains of the sacrifices [Calvin]. \iEnglish Version\itakes it not of the \ipriests,\ibut the \iguests bidden,\iwho also had to "sanctify" or purify themselves before coming to the sacrificial feast ( 1Sa 9:13, 22; 16:5\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p24.3"). Nebuchadnezzar was \ibidden\ito come to take vengeance on guilty Jerusalem ( Jer 25:9\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p24.4").
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p24.5"8. the princes--who ought to have been an example of good to others, but were ringleaders in all evil.
      
the king's children--fulfilled on Zedekiah's children ( Jer 39:6\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p26.1"); and previously, on Jehoahaz and Eliakim, the sons of Josiah ( 2Ki 23:31, 36; 2Ch 36:6\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p26.2"; compare also 2Ki 20:18; 21:13\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p26.3"). Huldah the prophetess ( 2Ki 22:20\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p26.4") intimated that which Zephaniah now more expressly foretells.
      
all such as are clothed with strange apparel--the \iprinces\ior \icourtiers\iwho attired themselves in costly garments, imported from abroad; partly for the sake of luxury, and partly to ingratiate themselves with foreign great nations whose costume as well as their idolatries they imitated, [Calvin]; whereas in costume, as in other respects, God would have them to be separate from the nations.Grotiusrefers the "strange apparel" to garments forbidden by the law, for example, men's garments worn by women, and vice versa, a heathen usage in the worship of Mars and Venus ( De 22:5\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p27.3").
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p27.4"9. those that leap on the threshold--the servants of the princes, who, after having gotten prey (like hounds) for their masters, leap exultingly on their masters' thresholds; or, on the thresholds of the houses which they break into [Calvin].Jeromeexplains it of those \iwho walk up the steps into the sanctuary with haughtiness.\iRosenmullertranslates, "Leap \iover\ithe threshold"; namely, in imitation of the Philistine custom of not treading on the threshold, which arose from the head and hands of Dragon being broken off on the threshold before the ark ( 1Sa 5:5\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p28.4"). Compare Isa 2:6\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p28.5", "thy people ... are soothsayers \ilike the Philistines.\i"Calvin'sview agrees best with the latter clause of the verse.
      
fill ... masters' houses with violence,&c.--that is, with goods obtained \iwith violence,\i&c.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p29.1"10. fish gate--( 2Ch 33:14; Ne 3:3; 12:39\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p30.1"). Situated on the east of the lower city, north of the sheep gate [Maurer]: near the stronghold of David in Milo, between Zion and the lower city, towards the west [Jerome]. This verse describes the state of the city when it was besieged by Nebuchadnezzar. It was through the fish gate that he entered the city. It received its name from the fish market which was near it. Through it passed those who used to bring fish from the lake of Tiberias and Jordan. It answers to what is now called the Damascus gate [Henderson].
      
the second--namely, the gate which was \isecond\iin dignity [Calvin]. Or, the \isecond\ior lower part of the city. Appropriately, the fish gate, or extreme end of the lower part of the city, first resounds with the cries of the citizens as the foe approaches; then, as he advances further, that part of the city itself, namely, its inner part; lastly, when the foe is actually come and has burst in, the hills, the higher ones, especially Zion and Moriah, on which the upper city and temple were founded [Maurer]. The \isecond,\ior lower city, answers to Akra, north of Zion, and separated from it by the valley of Tyropœon running down to the pool of Siloam [Henderson]. The \iHebrew\iis translated "college," 2Ki 22:14\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p31.4"; soVatabluswould translate here.
      
hills--not here those outside, but those within the walls: Zion, Moriah, and Ophel.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p32.1"11. Maktesh--rather, "the mortar," a name applied to the valley of Siloam from its hollow shape [Jerome]. The valley between Zion and Mount Olivet, at the eastern extremity of Mount Moriah, where the merchants dwelt. Zec 14:21\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p33.2", "The Canaanite," namely, merchant [ \iChaldee Version\i]. The Tyropœon (that is, \icheese-makers'\i) valley below Mount Akra [Rosenmuller]. Better \iJerusalem itself,\iso called as lying in the midst of hills ( Isa 22:1; Jer 21:13\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p33.4") and as doomed to be the scene of its people being destroyed as corn or drugs are pounded in a \imortar\i( Pr 27:22\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p33.5") [Maurer]. Compare the similar image of a "pot" ( Eze 24:3, 6\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p33.7"). The reason for the destruction is subjoined, namely, its \imerchant people's\igreediness of gain.
      
all the merchant people--literally, the "Canaanite people": irony: all the merchant people of Jerusalem are very \iCanaanites\iin greed for gain and in idolatries (see on).
      
all ... that bear silver--loading themselves with that which will prove but a \iburden\i( Hab 2:6\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p35.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p35.2"12. search ... with candles--or lamps; so as to leave no dark corner in it wherein sin can escape the punishment, of which the Chaldeans are My instruments (compare Zep 1:13; Lu 15:8\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p36.1").
      
settled on their lees--"hardened" or crusted; image from the crust formed at the bottom of wines long left undisturbed ( Jer 48:11\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p37.1"). The effect of \iwealthy undisturbed ease\i("lees") on the ungodly is \ihardening:\ithey become stupidly secure (compare Ps 55:19; Am 6:1\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p37.2").
      
Lord will not do good ... evil--They deny that God regards human affairs, or renders good to the good; or evil to the evil, but that all things go haphazard ( Ps 10:4; Mal 2:17\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p38.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p38.2"13. Therefore their goods shall become a booty,&c.--Fulfilling the prophecy in De 28:30, 39\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p39.1"(compare Am 5:11\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p39.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p39.3"14. voice of ... day of ... Lord--that is, Jehovah ushering in that day with a roar of vengeance against the guilty ( Jer 25:30; Am 1:2\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p40.1"). They who will not now heed ( Zep 1:12\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p40.2") His voice by His prophets, must heed it when uttered by the avenging foe.
      
mighty ... shall cry ... bitterly--in hopeless despair; the might on which Jerusalem now prides itself, shall then fail utterly.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p41.1"15. wasteness ... desolation--The \iHebrew\iterms by their similarity of sounds, \iShoah, Umeshoah,\iexpress the dreary monotony of desolation (see on).
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p42.3"16. the trumpet--namely, of the besieging enemy ( Am 2:2\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p43.1").
      
alarm--the war shout [Maurer].
      
towers--literally, "angles"; for city walls used not to be built in a direct line, but with sinuous curves and angles, so that besiegers advancing might be assailed not only in front, but on both sides, caught as it were in a cul-de-sac; towers were built especially at the angles. SoTacitusdescribes the walls of Jerusalem [ \iHistories,\i5.11.7].
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p45.2"17. like blind men--unable to see whither to turn themselves so as to find an escape from existing evils.
      
flesh-- \iHebrew,\i"bread"; so the \iArabic\iterm for "bread" is used for "flesh" ( Mt 26:26\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p47.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p47.2"18. Neither ... silver nor ... gold shall ... deliver them,&c.--( Pr 11:4\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p48.1").
      
fire of his jealousy--( Eze 38:19\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p49.1"); His wrath jealous for His honor consuming the guilty like fire.
      
make even a speedy riddance of all--rather, a "consummation" (complete destruction: "full end," Jer 46:28; Eze 11:13\Q="x.xxxvi.ii-p50.1") " \ialtogether\isudden" [Maurer]. "A consumption, \iand that\ia sudden one" [Calvin].
      

\C3="Chapter 2" \Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p0.1"CHAPTER 2
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p1.1" Zep 2:1-15\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p2.1".Exhortation to Repent before the Chaldean Invaders Come. Doom of Judah's Foes, the Philistines, Moab, Ammon, with Their Idols, and Ethiopia and Assyria.
      
1. Gather yourselves-- \ito a religious assembly,\ito avert the judgment by prayers ( Joe 2:16\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p3.1") [Grotius]. Or, so as not to be dissipated "as chaff" ( Zep 2:2\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p3.3"). The \iHebrew\iis akin to a root meaning "chaff." Self-confidence and corrupt desires are the dissipation from which they are exhorted to \igather themselves\i[Calvin]. The foe otherwise, like the wind, will scatter you "as the chaff." Repentance is the \igathering of themselves\imeant.
      
nation not desired--(Compare 2Ch 21:20\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p4.1"), that is, not desirable; unworthy of the grace or favor of God; and yet God so magnifies that grace as to be still solicitous for their safety, though they had destroyed themselves and forfeited all claims on His grace [Calvin]. The \iMargin\ifrom \iChaldee Version\ihas, "not desirous," namely of returning to God.MaurerandGeseniustranslate, "Not waxing pale," that is, dead to shame. \iEnglish Version\iis best.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p4.5"2. Before the decree bring forth--that is, Before God's decree against you announced by me ( Zep 1:1-18\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p5.1") \ihave its fulfilment.\iAs the embryo lies hid in the womb, and then emerges to light in its own due time, so though God for a time hides His vengeance, yet He \ibrings\iit \iforth\iat the proper season.
      
before the day pass as the chaff--that is, before \ithe day\ifor repentance \ipass,\iand with it you, the ungodly, pass away \ias the chaff\i( Job 21:18; Ps 1:4\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p6.1").Maurerputs it parenthetically, "the day (that is, time) passes as the chaff (that is, most quickly)."Calvin, "before the decree bring forth" (the predicted vengeance), (then) the chaff (the Jews) shall pass in a day, that is, in a moment, though they thought that it would be long before they could be overthrown. \iEnglish Version\iis best; the latter clause being explanatory of the former, and so the \ibefore\ibeing understood, not expressed.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p6.4"3.As in Zep 2:1\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p7.1"(compare \iNote,\isee on) he had warned the hardened among the people to humble themselves, so now he admonishes "the meek" to proceed in their right course, that so they may escape the general calamity ( Ps 76:9\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p7.4"). The \imeek\ibow themselves under God's chastisements to God's will, whereas the ungodly become only the more hardened by them.
      
Seek ye the Lord--in contrast to those that "sought not the Lord" ( Zep 1:6\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p8.1"). The \imeek\iare not to regard what the multitudes do, but seek God at once.
      
his judgment--that is, law. The true way of "seeking the Lord" is to "work judgment," not merely to be zealous about outward ordinances.
      
seek meekness--not perversely murmuring against God's dealings, but patiently submitting to them, and composedly waiting for deliverance.
      
it may be ye shall be hid--( Isa 26:20; Am 5:6\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p11.1"). This phrase does not imply doubt of the deliverance of the godly, but expresses the difficulty of it, as well that the ungodly may see the certainty of their doom, as also that the faithful may value the more the grace of God in their case ( 1Pe 4:17-19\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p11.2") [Calvin]. Compare 2Ki 25:12\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p11.4".
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p11.5"4. For--He makes the punishment awaiting the neighboring states an argument why the ungodly should repent ( Zep 2:1\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p12.1") and the godly persevere, namely, that so they may escape from the general calamity.
      
Gaza shall be forsaken--In the \iHebrew\ithere is a play of similar sounds, \iGaza Gazubah;\iGaza shall be forsaken, as its name implies. So the \iHebrew\iof the next clause, \iEkron teeakeer.\i
      
at the noonday--when on account of the heat Orientals usually sleep, and military operations are suspended ( 2Sa 4:5\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p14.1"). Hence an attack \iat noon\iimplies one sudden and unexpected ( Jer 6:4, 5; 15:8\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p14.2").
      
Ekron-- \iFour\icities of the Philistines are mentioned, whereas \ifive\iwas the normal number of their leading cities. Gath is omitted, being at this time under the Jews' dominion. David had subjugated it ( 1Ch 18:1\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p15.1"). Under Joram the Philistines almost regained it ( 2Ch 21:16\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p15.2"), but Uzziah ( 2Ch 26:6\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p15.3") and Hezekiah ( 2Ki 18:8\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p15.4") having conquered them, it remained under the Jews. Am 1:6; Zec 9:5, 6; Jer 25:20\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p15.5", similarly mention only \ifour\icities of the Philistines.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p15.6"5. inhabitants of the seacoast--the Philistines dwelling on the strip of seacoast southwest of Canaan. Literally, the "cord" or "line" of sea (compare Jer 47:7; Eze 25:16\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p16.1").
      
the Cherethites--the Cretans, a name applied to the Philistines as sprung from Crete ( De 2:23; Jer 47:4; Am 9:7\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p17.1"). \iPhilistine\imeans "an emigrant."
      
Canaan ... land of the Philistines--They occupied the southwest of \iCanaan\i( Jos 13:2, 3\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p18.1"); a name which hints that they are doomed to the same destruction as the early occupants of the land.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p18.2"6. dwellings \iand\icottages for shepherds--rather, "dwellings with cisterns" (that is, water-tanks \idug\iin the earth) \ifor shepherds.\iInstead of a thick population and tillage, the region shall become a pasturage for nomad shepherds' flocks. The \iHebrew\ifor "dug cisterns," \iCeroth,\iseems a play on sounds, alluding to their name Cherethites ( Zep 2:5\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p19.1"): Their land shall become what their national name implies, a land of \icisterns.\iMaurertranslates, " \iFeasts\ifor shepherds' (flocks)," that is, one wide pasturage.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p19.3"7. remnant of ... Judah--those of the Jews who shall be left after the coming calamity, and who shall return from exile.
      
feed thereupon--namely, in the pastures of that seacoast region ( Zep 2:6\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p21.1").
      
visit--in mercy ( Ex 4:31\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p22.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p22.2"8. I have heard--A seasonable consolation to Judah when wantonly assailed by Moab and Ammon with impunity: God saith, "I have heard it all, though I might seem to men not to have observed it because I did not immediately inflict punishment."
      
magnified themselves--acted haughtily, invading the territory of Judah ( Jer 48:29; 49:1\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p24.1"; compare Zep 2:10; Ps 35:26; Ob 12\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p24.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p24.3"9. the breeding of nettles--or, \ithe overspreading\iof nettles, that is, a place overrun with them.
      
salt pits--found at the south of the Dead Sea. The water overflows in the spring, and salt is left by the evaporation. Salt land is barren ( Jud 9:45; Ps 107:34\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p26.1", \iMargin\i).
      
possess them--that is, their land; in retribution for their having occupied Judah's land.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p27.1"10.(Compare Zep 2:8\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p28.1").
      
their pride--in antithesis to the \imeek\i( Zep 2:3\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p29.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p29.2"11. famish--bring low by taking from the idols their former fame; as beasts are famished by their food being withheld. Also by destroying the kingdoms under the tutelage of idols ( Ps 96:4; Isa 46:1\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p30.1").
      
gods of the earth--who have their existence only \ion earth,\inot in heaven as the true God.
      
every one from his place--each \iin his own\iGentile \ihome,\itaught by the Jews in the true religion: not in Jerusalem alone shall men worship God, but everywhere ( Ps 68:29, 30; Mal 1:11; Joh 4:21; 1Co 1:2; 1Ti 2:8\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p32.1"). It does not mean, as in Isa 2:2; Mic 4:1, 2; Zec 8:22; 14:16\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p32.2"that they shall come \ifrom\itheir several \iplaces\ito Jerusalem to worship [Maurer].
      
all ... isles of ... heathen--that is, all the maritime regions, especially the west, now being fulfilled in the gathering in of the Gentiles to Messiah.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p33.1"12.Fulfilled when Nebuchadnezzar (God's \isword,\i Isa 10:5\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p34.1") conquered Egypt, with which Ethiopia was closely connected as its ally ( Jer 46:2-9; Eze 30:5-9\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p34.2").
      
Ye--literally, "They." The third person expresses estrangement; while doomed before God's tribunal in the second person, they are spoken of in the third as aliens from God.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p35.1"13.Here he passes suddenly to the north. Nineveh was destroyed by Cyaxares and Nabopolassar, 625B.C.The Scythian hordes, by an inroad into Media and thence in the southwest of Asia (thought by many to be the forces described by Zephaniah, as the invaders of Judea, rather than the Chaldeans), for a while interrupted Cyaxares' operations; but he finally succeeded. Arbaces and Belesis previously subverted the Assyrian empire under Sardanapalus (that is, Pul?), 877B.C.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p36.3"14. flocks--of sheep; answering to "beasts" in the parallel clause. Wide pastures for sheep and haunts for wild beasts shall be where once there was a teeming population (compare Zep 2:6\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p37.1").Maurer, needlessly for the parallelism, makes it "flocks \iof savage animals.\i"
      
beasts of the nations--that is, beasts of the earth ( Ge 1:24\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p38.1"). Not asRosenmuller, "all kinds of beasts that form a nation," that is, gregarious beasts ( Pr 30:25, 26\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p38.3").
      
cormorant--rather, the "pelican" (so Ps 102:6; Isa 34:11\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p39.1", \iMargin\i).
      
bittern--( Isa 14:23\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p40.1").Maurertranslates, "the hedgehog";Henderson, "the porcupine."
      
upper lintels--rather, " \ithe capitals\iof her columns," namely, in her temples and palaces [Maurer]. Or, "on the pomegranate-like knops at the tops of the houses" [Grotius].
      
their voice shall sing in the windows--The desert-frequenting birds' "voice in the windows" implies desolation reigning in the upper parts of the palaces, answering to "desolation ... in the thresholds," that is, in the lower.
      
he shall uncover the cedar work--laying the cedar wainscoting on the walls, and beams of the ceiling, bare to wind and rain, the roof being torn off, and the windows and doors broken through. All this is designed as a consolation to the Jews that they may bear their calamities patiently, knowing that God will avenge them.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p43.1"15.Nothing then seemed more improbable than that the capital of so vast an empire, a city sixty miles in compass, with walls one hundred feet high, and so thick that three chariots could go abreast on them, and with fifteen hundred towers, should be so totally destroyed that its site is with difficulty discovered. Yet so it is, as the prophet foretold.
      
there is none beside me--This peculiar phrase, expressing self-gratulation as if peerless, is plainly adopted from Isa 47:8\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p45.1". The later prophets, when the spirit of prophecy was on the verge of departing, leaned more on the predictions of their predecessors.
      
hiss--in astonishment at a desolation so great and sudden ( 1Ki 9:8\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p46.1"); also in derision ( Job 27:23; La 2:15; Eze 27:36\Q="x.xxxvi.iii-p46.2").
      

\C3="Chapter 3" \Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p0.1"CHAPTER 3
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p1.1" Zep 3:1-20\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p2.1".Resumption of the Denunciation of Jerusalem, as Being Unreformed by the Punishment of Other Nations: After Her Chastisement Jehovah Will Interpose for Her against HerFoes; His Worship Shall Flourish in All Lands, Beginning at Jerusalem, Where He Shall Be in the Midst of His People, andShall Make Them a Praise in All the Earth.
      
1. filthy--Maurertranslates from a different root, "rebellious," "contumacious." But the following term, "polluted," refers rather to her inward moral \ifilth,\iin spite of her outward ceremonial purity [Calvin].Grotiussays, the \iHebrew\iis used of women who have prostituted their virtue. There is in the \iHebrew Moreah;\ia play on the name \iMoriah,\ithe hill on which the temple was built; implying the glaring contrast between their \ifilthiness\iand the holiness of the worship on Moriah in which they professed to have a share.
      
oppressing--namely, the poor, weak, widows, orphans and strangers ( Jer 22:3\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p4.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p4.2"2. received not correction--Jerusalem is incurable, obstinately rejecting salutary admonition, and refusing to be reformed by "correction" ( Jer 5:3\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p5.1").
      
trusted not in ... Lord--Distrust in the Lord as if He were insufficient, is the parent of all superstitions and wickednesses [Calvin].
      
drew not near to her God--Though God was specially near to her ( De 4:7\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p7.1") as "her God," yet she drew not near to Him, but gratuitously estranged herself from Him.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p7.2"3. roaring--for prey ( Pr 28:15; Eze 22:27; Am 3:4; Mic 2:2\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p8.1").
      
evening wolves--which are most ravenous at evening after being foodless all day ( Jer 5:6; Hab 1:8\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p9.1").
      
they gnaw not the bones till the morrow--rather, "they put not off till to-morrow to gnaw the bones"; but devour all at once, bones and flesh, so ragingly ravenous are they [Calvin].
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p10.2"4. light--in whose life and teaching there is no truth, gravity, or steadiness.
      
treacherous--false to Jehovah, whose prophets they profess to be ( Jer 23:32; Eze 22:28\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p12.1").
      
polluted ... sanctuary--by their profane deeds.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p13.1"5-7.The Jews regard not God's justice manifested in the midst of them, nor His judgments on the guilty nations around.
      
The just Lord--Why then are ye so unjust?
      
is in the midst thereof--He retorts on them their own boast, "Is not the Lord among us" ( Mic 3:11\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p16.1")? True He is, but it is for another end from what ye think [Calvin]; namely, to lead you \iby the example of His righteousness\ito be righteous. Le 19:2\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p16.3", "Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy" [Maurer]. ButCalvin, "That ye may feel His hand to be the nearer \ifor taking vengeance for your crimes:\i'He will not do iniquity' by suffering your sins to go unpunished" ( De 32:4\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p16.6").
      
every morning--literally, "morning by morning." The time in the sultry East for dispensing justice.
      
bring ... to light--publicly and manifestly by the teaching of His prophets, which aggravates their guilt; also by samples of His judgments on the guilty.
      
he faileth not--He is continually setting before you samples of His justice, sparing no pains. Compare Isa 5:4; 50:4\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p19.1", "he wakeneth \imorning by morning.\i"
      
knoweth no shame--The unjust Jews are not shamed by His justice into repentance.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p20.1"6.I had hoped that My people by My judgments on other nations would be led to amendment; but they are not, so blinded by sin are they.
      
towers--literally, "angles" or "corners"; hence the \itowers\ibuilt at the angles of their city walls. Under Josiah's long and peaceful reign the Jews were undisturbed, while the great incursion of Scythians into Western Asia took place. The judgment on the ten tribes in a former reign also is here alluded to.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p22.1"7. I said, Surely,&c.--God speaks after the manner of men in condescension to man's infirmity; not as though God was ignorant of the future contingency, but in their sense, \iSurely one might have expected\iye would under such circumstances repent: but no!
      
thou--at least, O Jerusalem! Compare " \ithou, even thou,\iat least in this thy day" ( Lu 19:42\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p24.1").
      
their dwelling--the \isanctuary\i[Buxtorf]. Or, the \icity.\iCompare Jesus' words ( Lu 13:35\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p25.2"), "Behold, \iyour house\iis left unto you desolate" ( Le 26:31, 32; Ps 69:25\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p25.3"); and used as to \ithe temple\i( Mic 3:12\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p25.4"). "Their" is used instead of "thy"; this change of person implies that God puts them to a greater distance.
      
howsoever I punished them--Howsoever I might have punished them, I would not have \icut off their dwelling.\iCalvin, "Howsoever I had marked them out for punishment" because of their provocations, still, if even then they had repented, taught by My corrections, I was ready to have pardoned them.Maurer, "Altogether in accordance with what I had long ago decreed (ordained) concerning you" ( De 28:1-14\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p26.3", and, on the other hand, De 28:15-68; 27:15-26\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p26.4"). \iEnglish Version,\iorCalvin'sview, is better.
      
rose early, and corrupted,&c.--Early morning is in the East the best time for transacting serious business, before the relaxing heat of midday comes on. Thus it means, With the greatest earnestness they set themselves to "corrupt \iall\itheir doings" ( Ge 6:12; Isa 5:11; Jer 11:7; 25:3\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p27.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p27.2"8. wait ye upon me--Here Jehovah turns to the pious Jews. Amidst all these judgments on the Jewish nation, look forward to the glorious time of restoration to be ushered in by God's precious outpouring of wrath on all nations, Isa 30:18-33\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p28.1"; where the same phrase, "blessed are all they that \iwait for\iHim," is used as to the same great event.Calvinerroneously makes this verse an address to the ungodly; and soMaurer, "Ye shall not have to wait for Me in vain"; I will presently come armed with indignation: I will no longer contend with you by My prophets.
      
until the day--that is, waiting for the day ( Hab 2:3\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p29.1").
      
rise up to the prey--like a savage beast rising from his lair, greedy for the prey (compare Mt 24:28\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p30.1"). Or rather, as a warrior leading Israel to \icertain victory,\iwhich is expressed by "the prey," or \ibooty,\iwhich is the reward of victory. The \iSeptuagint\iand \iSyriac\iversions read the \iHebrew,\i"I rise up as a \iwitness\i" (compare Job 16:8; Mal 3:5\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p30.2"). Jehovah being in this view \iwitness,\iaccuser, and judge. \iEnglish Version\iis better (compare Isa 33:23\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p30.3").
      
gather the nations--against Jerusalem ( Zec 14:2\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p31.1"), to pour out His indignation upon them there ( Joe 3:2; Zec 12:2, 3\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p31.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p31.3"9. For--The blessed things promised in this and Zep 3:10\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p32.1"are the immediate results of the punishment inflicted on the nations, mentioned in Zep 3:8\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p32.2"(compare Zep 3:19\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p32.3").
      
turn to the people a pure language--that is, \ichanging\itheir impure language I will \igive\ito them again \ia pure language\i(literally, "lip"). Compare for this \iHebrew\iidiom, 1Sa 10:9\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p33.1", \iMargin.\iThe confusion of languages was of the penalty sin, probably idolatry at Babel ( Ge 11:1-6\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p33.2", \iMargin,\iwhere also "lip" expresses \ilanguage,\iand perhaps also \ireligion;\i Zep 3:4\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p33.3", "a tower whose top \imay reach\iunto heaven," or rather, \ipoints to heaven,\inamely, dedicated to \ithe heavens\iidolized, or Bel); certainly, of rebellion against God's will. An earnest of the removal of this penalty was the gift of tongues on Pentecost ( Ac 2:6-13\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p33.4"). The full restoration of the earth's unity of language and of worship is yet future, and is connected with the restoration of the Jews, to be followed by the conversion of the world. Compare Isa 19:18; Zec 14:9; Ro 15:6\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p33.5", "with one mind and \ione mouth\iglorify God." The Gentiles' \ilips\ihave been rendered impure through being the instruments of calling on idols and dishonoring God (compare Ps 16:4; Ho 2:17\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p33.6"). Whether \iHebrew\ishall be the one universal language or not, the God of the Hebrews shall be the one only object of worship. Until the Holy Ghost purify the \ilips,\iwe cannot rightly call upon God ( Isa 6:5-7\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p33.7").
      
serve him with one consent--literally, "shoulder" or "back"; metaphor from a yoke, or burden, borne between two ( Nu 13:23\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p34.1"); helping one another with conjoint effort. If one of the two bearers of a burden, laid on both conjointly, give way, the burden must fall to the earth [Calvin]. Christ's rule is called a \iburden\i( Mt 11:30; Ac 15:28; Re 2:24\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p34.3"; compare 2Co 6:14\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p34.4"for the same image).
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p34.5"10. From beyond ... Ethiopia my suppliants--literally, "burners of incense" (compare Ps 141:2; Re 5:8; 8:3, 4\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p35.1"). The Israelites are meant, called "the daughter of My dispersed," a \iHebrew\iidiom for \iMy dispersed people.\i"The rivers of Ethiopia" are those which enclose it on the north. In the west of Abyssinia there has long existed a people called \iFalashas,\ior "emigrants" (akin to the synonym "Philistine"). These trace their origin to Palestine and profess the Jewish religion. In physical traits they resemble the Arabs. When Bruce was there, they had a Jewish king, Gideon, and his queen, Judith. Probably the Abyssinian Christians were originally in part converted Jews. They are here made the representatives of all Israel which is to be restored.
      
shall bring mine offering--that is, the \ioffering\ithat is \iMy right.\iI prefer, withDe Wetteand \iChaldee Version,\imaking "suppliants" the objective case, not the nominative. The \ipeoples:\i( Zep 3:8, 9\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p36.2"), brought to fear Me by My judgments, "shall bring as Mine offering My suppliants (an appropriate term for the Jews, on whom then there shall have been poured the spirit of \isupplications,\i Zec 12:10\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p36.3"), the daughter of My dispersed." So Isa 66:20\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p36.4", "they shall bring all your brethren for an \ioffering\iunto the Lord." CompareHorsley'sview of Isa 18:1, 2, 7\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p36.6". England in this view may be the naval power to restore Israel to Palestine ( Isa 60:9\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p36.7"). The \iHebrew\ifor "Ethiopia" is \iCush,\iwhich may include not only Ethiopia, but also the region of the Tigris and Babylon, where Nimrod, Cush's son ( Ge 10:8-12\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p36.8"), founded Nineveh and acquired Babylon, and where the ten tribes are mentioned as being scattered ( 1Pe 1:1; 5:13\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p36.9"; compare Isa 11:11\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p36.10"). The restoration under Cyrus of the Jews transported under Pharaoh-necho to Egypt and Ethiopia, was an earnest of the future restoration under Christ.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p36.11"11. shalt thou not be ashamed--Thou shalt then have no cause to be ashamed; for I will then \itake away out of the midst of thee\ithose who by their sins gave thee cause for shame ( Zep 3:7\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p37.1").
      
them that rejoice in thy pride--those priding themselves \ion that which thou boastest of,\ithy temple ("My holy mountain"), thy election as God's people, &c., in the Pharisaic spirit ( Jer 7:4; Mic 3:11; Mt 3:9\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p38.1"). Compare Jer 13:17\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p38.2", "mine eyes shall weep for \iyour pride.\i" The converted remnant shall be of a humble spirit ( Zep 3:12; Isa 66:2, 10\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p38.3").
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p38.4"12. afflicted ... they shall trust in ... Lord--the blessed effect of sanctified affliction on the Jewish remnant. Entire trust in the Lord cannot be, except where all cause for boasting is taken away ( Isa 14:32; Zec 11:11\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p39.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p39.2"13. nor speak lies--worshipping God in truth, and towards man having love without dissimulation. The characteristic of the 144,000 \isealed of Israel.\i
      
none shall make them afraid--either foreign foe, or unjust prince ( Zep 3:3\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p41.1"), prophet, or priest ( Zep 3:4\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p41.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p41.3"14.The prophet in mental vision sees the joyful day of Zion present, and bids her rejoice at it.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p42.1"15.The cause for joy: "The Lord hath taken away thy judgments," namely, those sent by Him upon thee. After the taking away of sin ( Zep 3:13\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p43.1") follows the taking away of trouble. When the cause is removed, the effect will cease. Happiness follows in the wake of holiness.
      
the Lord is in the midst of thee--Though He seemed to desert thee for a time, He is now present as thy safeguard ( Zep 3:17\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p44.1").
      
not see evil any more--Thou shalt not \iexperience\iit ( Jer 5:12; 44:17\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p45.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p45.2"16. Let not thine hands be slack--( Heb 12:12\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p46.1"). Do not faint in the work of the Lord.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p46.2"17. he will rest in his love--content with it as His supreme delight (compare Lu 15:7, 10\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p47.1") [Calvin], ( Isa 62:5; 65:19\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p47.3"). Or, \iHe shall be silent,\inamely as to thy faults, not imputing them to thee [Maurer] ( Ps 32:2; Eze 33:16\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p47.5"). I prefer explaining it of that calm \isilent\ijoy in the possession of the object of one's love, too great for words to express: just as God after the six days of creation \irested\iwith silent satisfaction in His work, for "behold it was very good" ( Ge 1:31; 2:2\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p47.6"). So the parallel clause by contrast expresses the joy, not kept silent as this, but uttered in "singing."
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p47.7"18. sorrowful for the solemn assembly--pining after the solemn assembly which they cannot celebrate in exile ( La 1:4; 2:6\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p48.1").
      
who are of thee--that is, of thy true citizens; and whom therefore I will restore.
      
to whom the reproach of it was a burden--that is, to whom \ithy\ireproach ("the reproach of My people," Mic 6:16\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p50.1"; their ignominious captivity) was a burden. "Of it" is put \iof thee,\ias the person is often changed. Those who shared in the burden of reproach which fell on My people. Compare Isa 25:8\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p50.2", "the rebuke of His people shall He take away from off all the earth."
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p50.3"19. undo--Maurertranslates, "I will deal with," that is, as they deserve. Compare Eze 23:25\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p51.2", where the \iHebrew\iis similarly translated. The destruction of Israel's foes precedes Israel's restoration ( Isa 66:15, 16\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p51.3").
      
her that halteth--all that are helpless. Their weakness will be no barrier in the way of My restoring them. So in Ps 35:15\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p52.1", \iMargin,\i"halting" is used for \iadversity.\iAlso Eze 34:16; Mic 4:6, 7\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p52.2".
      
I will get them praise,&c.--literally, "I will make them (to become) a praise and a name," &c.
      
shame--( Eze 34:29\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p54.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p54.2"20. make you a name ... praise--make you to become celebrated and praised.
      
turn back your captivity--bring back your captives [Maurer]. The \iHebrew\iis \iplural,\i"captivities"; to express the captivities of different ages of their history, as well as the diversity of places in which they were and are dispersed.
      
before your eyes--Incredible as the event may seem, \iyour own eyes\iwith delight shall see it. You will scarcely believe it for joy, but the testimony of your own eyes shall convince you of the delightful reality (compare Lu 24:41\Q="x.xxxvi.iv-p57.1").
      
\C2="Haggai"
THE BOOK OF
HAGGAI
 \iCommentary by\iA. R. Faussett
      

\C3="Introduction"INTRODUCTION
      
Thename \iHaggai\imeans "my feast"; given, according toCocceius, in anticipation of the joyous return from exile. He probably was one of the Jewish exiles (of the tribes Judah, Benjamin, and Levi) who returned under Zerubbabel, the civil head of the people, and Joshua, the high priest, 536B.C., when Cyrus (actuated by the striking prophecies as to himself, Isa 44:28; 45:1\Q="x.xxxvii.i-p2.4") granted them their liberty, and furnished them with the necessaries for restoring the temple ( 2Ch 36:23; Ezr 1:1; 2:2\Q="x.xxxvii.i-p2.5"). The work of rebuilding went on under Cyrus and his successor Cambyses (called Ahasuerus in Ezr 4:6\Q="x.xxxvii.i-p2.6") in spite of opposition from the Samaritans, who, when their offers of help were declined, began to try to hinder it. These at last obtained an interdict from the usurper Smerdis the Magian (called Artaxerxes in Ezr 4:7-23\Q="x.xxxvii.i-p2.7"), whose suspicions were easy to rouse. The Jews thereupon became so indifferent to the work that when Darius came to the throne (521B.C.), virtually setting aside the prohibitions of the usurper, instead of recommencing their labors, they pretended that as the prophecy of \ithe seventy years\iapplied to the temple as well as to the captivity in Babylon ( Hag 1:2\Q="x.xxxvii.i-p2.9"), they were only in the sixty-eighth year of it [Henderson]; so that, the proper time not having yet arrived, they might devote themselves to building splendid mansions for themselves. Haggai and Zechariah were commissioned by Jehovah ( Hag 1:1\Q="x.xxxvii.i-p2.11") in the second year of Darius (Hystaspes), 520B.C., sixteen years after the return under Zerubbabel, to rouse them from their selfishness to resume the work which for fourteen years had been suspended. Haggai preceded Zechariah in the work by two months.
      
The dates of his four distinct prophecies are accurately given: (1) The first ( Hag 1:1-15\Q="x.xxxvii.i-p3.1"), on the first day of the sixth month of the second year of Darius, 520B.C., reproved the people for their apathy in allowing the temple to lie in ruins and reminded them of their ill success in everything because of their not honoring God as to His house. The result was that twenty-four days afterwards they commenced building under Zerubbabel ( Hag 1:12-15\Q="x.xxxvii.i-p3.3"). (2) The second, on the twenty-first day of the seventh month ( Hag 2:1-9\Q="x.xxxvii.i-p3.4"), predicts that the glory of the new temple would be greater than that of Solomon's, so that the people need not be discouraged by the inferiority in outward splendor of the new, as compared with the old temple, which had so moved to tears the elders who had remembered the old ( Ezr 3:12, 13\Q="x.xxxvii.i-p3.5"). Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel had implied the same prediction, whence some had doubted whether they ought to proceed with a building so inferior to the former one; but Haggai shows wherein the superior glory was to consist, namely, in the presence of Him who is the "desire of all nations" ( Hag 2:7\Q="x.xxxvii.i-p3.6"). (3) The third, on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month ( Hag 2:10-19\Q="x.xxxvii.i-p3.7"), refers to a period when building materials had been collected, and the workmen had begun to put them together, from which time forth God promises His blessing; it begins with removing their past error as to the efficacy of mere outward observances to cleanse from the taint of disobedience as to the temple building. (4) The fourth ( Hag 2:20-23\Q="x.xxxvii.i-p3.8"), on the same day as the preceding, was addressed to Zerubbabel, as the representative of the theocratic people, and as having asked as to the national revolutions spoken of in the second prophecy ( Hag 2:7\Q="x.xxxvii.i-p3.9").
      
The prophecies are all so brief as to suggest the supposition that they are only a summary of the original discourses. The space occupied is but three months from the first to the last.
      
The Jews' adversaries, on the resumption of the work under Zerubbabel, Haggai, and Zechariah, tried to set Darius against it; but that monarch confirmed Cyrus' decree and ordered all help to be given to the building of the temple ( Ezr 5:3, &c.; Ezr 6:1\Q="x.xxxvii.i-p5.1", &c.). So the temple was completed in the sixth year of Darius' reign 516-515B.C.( Ezr 6:14\Q="x.xxxvii.i-p5.3").
      
The style of Haggai is consonant with his messages: pathetic in exhortation, vehement in reproofs, elevated in contemplating the glorious future. The repetition of the same phrases (for example, "saith the Lord," or "the Lord of hosts," Hag 1:2, 5, 7\Q="x.xxxvii.i-p6.1"; and thrice in one verse, Hag 2:4\Q="x.xxxvii.i-p6.2"; so "the spirit," thrice in one verse, Hag 1:14\Q="x.xxxvii.i-p6.3") gives a simple earnestness to his style, calculated to awaken the solemn attention of the people, and to awaken them from their apathy, to which also the interrogatory form, often adopted, especially tends. Chaldaisms occur ( Hag 2:3; 2:6; 2:16\Q="x.xxxvii.i-p6.4"), as might have been expected in a writer who was so long in Chaldea. Parts are purely prose history; the rest is somewhat rhythmical, and observant of poetic parallelism.
      
Haggai is referred to in Ezr 5:1; 6:14\Q="x.xxxvii.i-p7.1"; and in the New Testament ( Heb 12:26\Q="x.xxxvii.i-p7.2"; compare Hag 2:6, 7, 22\Q="x.xxxvii.i-p7.3").
      

\C3="Chapter 1" \Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p0.1"CHAPTER 1
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p1.1" Hag 1:1-15\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p2.1".Haggai Calls the People to Consider Their Ways in Neglecting to Build God's House: The Evil of This Neglect to Themselves: TheHonor to God of Attending to It: The People's Penitent Obedience under Zerubbabel Followed by God's Gracious Assurance.
      
1. second year of Darius--Hystaspes, the king of Medo-Persia, the second of the world empires, Babylon having been overthrown by the Persian Cyrus. The Jews having no king of their own, dated by the reign of the world kings to whom they were subject. Darius was a common name of the Persian kings, as Pharaoh of those of Egypt, and Cæsar of those of Rome. The name in the cuneiform inscriptions at Persepolis is written \iDaryawus,\ifrom the root \iDarh,\i"to preserve," the \iConservator\i[Lassen].Herodotus[6.98] explains it \iCoercer.\iOften opposite attributes are assigned to the same god; in which light the Persians viewed their king. Ezr 4:24\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p3.3"harmonizes with Haggai in making this year the date of the resumption of the building.
      
sixth month--of the Hebrew year, not of Darius' reign (compare Zec 1:7; 7:1, 3; 8:19\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p4.1"). Two months later ("the eighth month," Zec 1:1\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p4.2") Zechariah began to prophesy, seconding Haggai.
      
the Lord-- \iHebrew,\iJehovah: God's covenant title, implying His unchangeableness, the guarantee of His faithfulness in keeping His promises to His people.
      
by Haggai-- \iHebrew,\i"in the hand of Haggai"; God being the real speaker, His prophet but the instrument (compare Ac 7:35; Ga 3:19\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p6.1").
      
Zerubbabel--called also Shesh-bazzar in Ezr 1:8; 5:14, 16\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p7.1", where the same work is attributed to Shesh-bazzar that in Ezr 3:8\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p7.2"is attributed to Zerubbabel. Shesh-bazzar is probably his \iChaldean\iname; as Belteshazzar was that of Daniel. Zerubbabel, his \iHebrew\iname, means "one born in Babylon."
      
son of Shealtiel--or Salathiel. But 1Ch 3:17, 19\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p8.1"makes Pedaiah his father. Probably he was adopted by his \iuncle\iSalathiel, or Shealtiel, at the death of his father (compare Mt 1:12; Lu 3:27\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p8.2").
      
governor of Judah--to which office Cyrus had appointed him. The \iHebrew Pechah\iis akin to the original of the modern Turkish \iPasha;\ione ruling a region of the Persian empire of less extent than that under a satrap.
      
Joshua--called Jeshua ( Ezr 2:2\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p10.1"); so the son of Nun in Ne 8:17\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p10.2".
      
Josedech--or Jehozadak ( 1Ch 6:15\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p11.1"), one of those carried captive by Nebuchadnezzar. Haggai addresses the civil and the religious representatives of the people, so as to have them as his associates in giving God's commands; thus priest, prophet, and ruler jointly testify in God's name.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p11.2"2. the Lord of hosts--Jehovah, Lord of the powers of heaven and earth, and therefore requiring implicit obedience.
      
This people--"This" sluggish and selfish "people." He does not say, \iMy\ipeople, since they had neglected the service of God.
      
The time--the proper time for building the temple. Two out of the seventy predicted years of captivity (dating from the destruction of the temple, 558B.C., 2Ki 25:9\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p14.2") were yet unexpired; this they make their plea for delay [Henderson]. The seventy years of captivity were completed long ago in the first year of Cyrus, 536B.C.( Jer 29:10\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p14.5"); dating from 606B.C., Jehoiakim's captivity ( 2Ch 36:6\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p14.7"). The seventy years to the completion of the temple ( Jer 25:12\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p14.8") were completed this very year, the second of Darius [Vatablus]. Ingenious in excuses, they pretended that the interruption in the work caused by their enemies proved it was \inot yet the proper time;\iwhereas their real motive was selfish dislike of the trouble, expense, and danger from enemies. "God," say they, "hath interposed many difficulties to punish our rash haste" [Calvin]. Smerdis' interdict was no longer in force, now that Darius the rightful king was on the throne; therefore they had no real excuse for not beginning at once to build.Auberlendenies that by "Artaxerxes" in Ezr 4:7-22\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p14.12"is meant Smerdis. Whether Smerdis or Artaxerxes Longimanus be meant, the interdict referred only to the rebuilding of the \icity,\iwhich the Persian kings feared might, if rebuilt, cause them trouble to subdue; not to the rebuilding of the \itemple.\iBut the Jews were easily turned aside from the work. Spiritually, like the Jews, men do not say they will never be religious, but, It is not time yet. So the great work of life is left undone.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p14.13" \Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p14.14"4. Is it time--It is not time ( Hag 1:2\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p15.1"), ye say, to build Jehovah's house; yet how is it that ye make it a fit time not only to \ibuild,\ibut to "dwell" at ease in your own houses?
      
you, O ye--rather, for "you, you"; the repetition marking the shameful contrast between their concern for \ithemselves,\iand their unconcern for God [Maurer]. Compare a similar repetition in 1Sa 25:24; Zec 7:5\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p16.2".
      
ceiled--rather, "wainscoted," or "paneled," referring to the walls as well as the ceilings; furnished not only with comfort but luxury, in sad contrast to God's house not merely unadorned, but the very walls not raised above the foundations. How different David's feelings ( 2Sa 7:2\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p17.1")!
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p17.2"5. Consider your ways--literally, "Set your heart" on your ways. The \iplural\iimplies, Consider both what ye have done (actively, La 3:40\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p18.1") and what ye have suffered (passively) [Jerome]. Ponder earnestly whether ye have gained by seeking self at the sacrifice of God.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p18.3"6.Nothing has prospered with you while you neglected your duty to God. The punishment corresponds to the sin. They thought to escape poverty by not building, but keeping their money to themselves; God brought it on them \ifor\inot building ( Pr 13:7; 11:24; Mt 6:33\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p19.1"). Instead of cheating God, they had been only cheating themselves.
      
ye clothe ... but ... none warm--through insufficiency of clothing; as ye are unable through poverty from failure of your crops to purchase sufficient clothing. The verbs are infinitive, implying a \icontinued state:\i"Ye have sown, and \ibeen bringing in\ibut little; ye have \ibeen eating,\ibut not to \ibeing satisfied;\iye have \ibeen drinking,\ibut not to \ibeing filled;\iye have been \iputting\ion clothes, but not to \ibeing warmed\i" [Moore]. Careful consideration of God's dealings with us will indicate God's will regarding us. The events of life are the hieroglyphics in which God records His feelings towards us, the key to which is found in the Bible [Moore].
      
wages ... put ... into a bag with holes--proverbial for labor and money spent profitlessly ( Zec 8:10\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p21.1"; compare Isa 55:2; Jer 2:13\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p21.2"). Contrast, spiritually, the "bags that wax not old, the treasure in heaven that faileth not" ( Lu 12:33\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p21.3"). Through the high cost of necessaries, those who wrought for a day's wages parted with them at once, as if they had put them into a bag with holes.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p21.4" \Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p21.5"8. Go up to the mountain--Moriah [Rosenmuller]; Lebanon [Henderson]. Rather, generally, \ithe mountains\iaround, now covered with wood, the growth of the long period of the captivity. So Ne 8:15\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p22.3", "Go forth unto \ithe mount,\i" that is, the neighboring hills [Maurer].
      
wood--Haggai specifies this as being the first necessary; not to the exclusion of other materials. \iStones\ialso were doubtless needed. That the old walls were not standing, as the Hebrew interpreters quoted byJeromestate, or the new walls partly built, appears from Hag 2:18\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p23.2", where express mention is made of \ilaying the foundations.\i
      
I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified--I will be propitious to suppliants in it ( 1Ki 8:30\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p24.1"), and shall receive the honor due to Me which has been withheld. In neglecting the temple, which is the mirror of My presence, ye dishonor Me [Calvin]; in its being built, ye shall glorify Me.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p24.3"9. Ye looked for much--literally, "looked" so as to turn your eyes "to much." The \iHebrew\iinfinitive here expresses \icontinued\ilooking. Ye hoped to have your store made "much" by neglecting the temple. The greater was your greediness, the more bitter your disappointment in being poorer than ever.
      
when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it--even the little crop brought into your barns I \idissipated.\i"I did blow upon," that is, I scattered and caused to perish with My mere breath, as scattered and blighted corn.
      
mine house ... his own house--in emphatic antithesis.
      
ye run--expressing the keenness of everyone of them in pursuing their own selfish interests. Compare "run," Ps 119:32; Pr 1:16\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p28.1", contrasted with their apathy about God's house.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p28.2"10. heaven ... is stayed from dew--literally, "stays itself." Thus heaven or the sky is personified; implying that inanimate nature obeys Jehovah's will; and, shocked at His people's disobedience, withholds its goods from them (compare Jer 2:12, 13\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p29.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p29.2"11. I called--what the "heaven" and "earth," the second causes, were said to do ( Hag 1:10\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p30.1"), being the \ivisible\iinstruments, Jehovah, in this verse, the invisible first cause, declares to be His doing. He "calls for" famine, &c., as instruments of His wrath ( 2Ki 8:1; Ps 105:16\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p30.2"). The contrast is striking between the prompt obedience of these material agencies, and the slothful disobedience of living men, His people.
      
drought-- \iHebrew, Choreb,\ilike in sound to \iChareeb,\i"waste" ( Hag 1:4, 9\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p31.1"), said of God's house; implying the correspondence between the sin and its punishment. Ye have let My house be \iwaste,\iand I will send on all that is yours a \iwasting drought.\iThis would affect not merely the "corn," &c., but also "men" and "cattle," who must perish in the absence of the "corn," &c., lost by the drought.
      
labour of the hands--all the fruits of lands, gardens, and vineyards, obtained by labor of the hands ( De 28:33; Ps 78:46\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p32.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p32.2"12. remnant of the people--all those who have returned from the exile ( Zec 8:6\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p33.1").
      
as ... God sent him--according to all that Jehovah had enjoined him to speak. But as it is not till Hag 1:14\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p34.1"after Haggai's second message ( Hag 1:13\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p34.2") that the people actually \iobeyed,\iMaurertranslates here, " \ihearkened to\ithe voice of the Lord," and instead of "as," " \ibecause\ithe Lord had sent him." However, \iEnglish Version\irightly represents their \ipurpose\iof obedience as obedience in God's eyes already, though not carried into effect till Hag 1:14\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p34.4".
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p34.5"13. the Lord's messenger--so the priests ( Mal 2:7\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p35.1") are called (compare Ga 4:14; 2Pe 1:21\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p35.2").
      
in the Lord's message--by the Lord's authority and commission: on the Lord's embassage.
      
I \iam\iwith you--( Mt 28:20\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p37.1"). On the people showing the mere disposition to obey, even before they actually set to work, God passes at once from the reproving tone to that of tenderness. He hastens as it were to forget their former unfaithfulness, and to assure them, when obedient, that He \iboth is and will be\iwith them: \iHebrew,\i"I with you!" God's presence is the best of blessings, for it includes all others. This is the sure guarantee of their success no matter how many their foes might be ( Ro 8:31\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p37.2"). Nothing more inspirits men and rouses them from torpor, than, when relying on the promises of divine aid, they have a sure hope of a successful issue [Calvin].
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p37.4"14. Lord stirred up the spirit of,&c.--God gave them alacrity and perseverance in the good work, though slothful in themselves. Every good impulse and revival of religion is the direct work of God by His Spirit.
      
came and did work--collected the wood and stones and other materials (compare Hag 1:8\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p39.1") for the work. Not actually built or "laid the (secondary) foundations" of the temple, for this was not done till three months after, namely, the twenty-fourth day of the \ininth\imonth ( Hag 2:18\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p39.2") [Grotius].
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p39.4"15. four and twentieth day--twenty-three days after the first message of Haggai ( Hag 1:1\Q="x.xxxvii.ii-p40.1").
      

\C3="Chapter 2" \Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p0.1"CHAPTER 2
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p1.1" Hag 2:1-9\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p2.1".Second Prophecy. \iThe people, discouraged at the inferiority of this temple to Solomon's, are encouraged nevertheless to persevere, because God is with them, and this house by its connection with Messiah's kingdom shall have a glory far above that of gold and silver.\i
      
1. seventh month--of the Hebrew year; in the second year of Darius' reign ( Hag 1:1\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p3.1"); not quite a month after they had begun the work ( Hag 1:15\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p3.2"). This prophecy was very shortly before that of Zechariah.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p3.3" \Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p3.4"3. Who is left ... that saw ... first glory--Many elders present at the laying of the foundation of the second temple who had seen the first temple ( Ezr 3:12, 13\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p4.1") in all its glory, wept at the contrast presented by the rough and unpromising appearance of the former in its beginnings. From the destruction of the first temple to the second year of Darius Hystaspes, the date of Haggai's prophecy, was a space of seventy years ( Zec 1:12\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p4.2"); and to the first year of Cyrus, or the end of the captivity, fifty-two years; so that the elders might easily remember the first temple. The Jews note five points of inferiority: The absence from the second temple of (1) the sacred fire; (2) the Shekinah; (3) the ark and cherubim; (4) the Urim and Thummim; (5) the spirit of prophecy. The connection of it with Messiah more than counterbalanced all these; for He is the antitype to all the five ( Hag 2:9\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p4.3").
      
how do ye see it now?--God's estimate of things is very different from man's ( Zec 8:6\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p5.1"; compare 1Sa 16:7\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p5.2"). However low their estimate of the present temple ("it") from its outward inferiority, God holds it superior ( Zec 4:10; 1Co 1:27, 28\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p5.3").
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p5.4"4. be strong ... for I am with you--The greatest \istrength\iis to have Jehovah \iwith\ius as our strength. Not in man's "might," but in that of God's Spirit ( Zec 4:6\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p6.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p6.2"5. \iAccording to\ithe word that--literally, "(I am with you) the word (or \ithing\i) which I covenanted"; that is, I am with you as I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt ( Ex 19:5, 6; 34:10, 11\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p7.1"). The \icovenant\ipromise of God to the elect people at Sinai is an additional motive for their persevering. The \iHebrew\ifor to "covenant" is literally "to cut," alluding to the sacrificial victims \icut\iin ratification of a covenant.
      
so--or, "and."
      
my Spirit remaineth among you--to strengthen you for the work ( Hag 1:14; Zec 4:6\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p9.1"). The inspiration of Haggai and Zechariah at this time was a specimen of the presence of God's \iSpirit\iremaining still \iwith\iHis people, as He had been with Moses and Israel of old ( Ezr 5:1; Isa 63:11\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p9.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p9.3"6. Yet once, it \iis\ia little while--or, "(it is) yet \ia\ilittle while." The \iHebrew\ifor "once" expresses the indefinite article "a" [Maurer]. Or, "it is yet \ionly\ia little while"; literally, "one little," that is, a single brief space till a series of movements is to begin; namely, the shakings of nations soon to begin which are to end in the advent of Messiah, "the desire of all nations" [Moore]. The \ishaking of nations\iimplies judgments of wrath on the foes of God's people, to precede the reign of the Prince of peace ( Isa 13:13\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p10.3"). The kingdoms of the world are but the scaffolding for God's spiritual temple, to be thrown down when their purpose is accomplished. The transitoriness of all that is earthly should lead men to seek "peace" in Messiah's everlasting kingdom ( Hag 2:9; Heb 12:27, 28\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p10.4") [Moore]. The Jews in Haggai's times hesitated about going forward with the work, through dread of the world power, Medo-Persia, influenced by the craft of Samaria. The prophet assures them this and all other world powers are to fall before Messiah, who is to be associated with this temple; therefore they need fear naught. So Heb 12:26\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p10.6", which quotes this passage; the apostle compares the heavier punishment which awaits the disobedient under the New Testament with that which met such under the Old Testament. At the establishment of the Sinaitic covenant, only the earth was shaken to introduce it, but now heaven and earth and all things are to be shaken, that is, along with prodigies in the world of nature, all kingdoms that stand in the way of Messiah's kingdom, "which cannot be shaken," are to be upturned ( Da 2:35, 44; Mt 21:44\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p10.7"). Heb 12:27\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p10.8", "Yet \ionce more,\i" favors \iEnglish Version.\iPaul condenses together the two verses of Haggai ( Hag 2:6, 7, and Hag 2:21, 22\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p10.9"), implying that it was one and the same shaking, of which the former verses of Haggai denote the beginning, the latter the end. The shaking began introductory to the first advent; it will be finished at the second. Concerning the former, compare Mt 3:17; 27:51; 28:2; Ac 2:2; 4:31\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p10.10"; concerning the latter, Mt 24:7; Re 16:20; 18:20; 20:11\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p10.11"[Bengel]. There is scarcely a prophecy of Messiah in the Old Testament which does not, to some extent at least, refer to His second coming [Sir Isaac Newton]. Ps 68:8\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p10.14"mentions the \iheavens\idropping near the mountain (Sinai); but Haggai speaks of the whole created heavens: "Wait only \ia little while,\ithough the promised event is not apparent yet; for soon will God change things for the better: do not stop short with these preludes and fix your eyes on the present state of the temple [Calvin]. God shook the \iheavens\iby the lightnings at Sinai; the \iearth,\ithat it should give forth waters; the \isea,\ithat it should be divided asunder. In Christ's time God \ishook the heaven,\iwhen He spake from it; the \iearth,\iwhen it quaked; the \isea,\iwhen He commanded the winds and waves [Grotius].Cicerorecords at the time of Christ the silencing of the heathen oracles; andDio, the fall of the idols in the Roman capitol.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p10.19"7. shake--not \iconvert;\ibut cause that agitation which is to precede Messiah's coming as the healer of the nations' agitations. The previous shaking shall cause the yearning " \idesire\i" for the Prince of peace.Mooreand others translate "the beauty," or "the desirable things (the precious gifts) of all nations shall come" ( Isa 60:5, 11; 61:6\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p11.2"). He brings these objections to applying "the desire of all nations" to Messiah: (1) The \iHebrew\imeans the \iquality,\inot the \ithing\idesired, namely, its \idesirableness\ior beauty, But the abstract is often put for the concrete. So "a man of desires," that is, \ione desired\ior \idesirable\i( Da 9:23; 10:11\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p11.3", \iMargin;\i Da 10:3\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p11.4", \iMargin\i). (2) Messiah was not desired by all nations, but "a root out of a dry ground," having "no beauty that we should \idesire\iHim" ( Isa 53:2\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p11.5"). But what is implied is not that the nations definitely desired \iHim,\ibut that He was the only one to satisfy the yearning desires which all felt unconsciously for a Saviour, shown in their painful rites and bloody sacrifices. Moreover, while the Jews as a nation desired Him not (to which people Isa 53:2\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p11.6"refers), the Gentiles, who are plainly pointed out by "all nations," accepted Him; and so to them He was peculiarly desirable. (3) The verb, "shall come," is \iplural,\iwhich requires the noun to be understood in the \iplural,\iwhereas if Messiah be intended, the noun is \isingular.\iBut when two nouns stand together, of which one is governed by the other, the verb agrees sometimes \iin number\iwith the latter, though it really has the former as its nominative, that is, the \iHebrew\i"come" is made \iin number\ito agree with "nations," though really agreeing with "the desire." Besides, Messiah may be described as realizing in Himself at His coming " \ithe desires\i(the noun expressing collectively the \iplural\i) of all nations"; whence the verb is \iplural.\iSo in So 5:16\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p11.7", "He is altogether lovely," in the \iHebrew\ithe same word as here, "all \idesires,\i" that is, altogether desirable, or the object of desires. (4) Hag 2:8\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p11.8", "The silver is mine," &c.; accords with the translation, "the choice things of all nations" shall be brought in. But Hag 2:8\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p11.9"harmonizes quite as well with \iEnglish Version\iof Hag 2:7\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p11.10", as the note on eighth verse will show; see on. (5) the \iSeptuagint\iand \iSyriac\iversions agree withMoore'stranslation. But \iVulgate\iconfirms \iEnglish Version.\iSo also early Jewish Rabbis beforeJerome'stime.Plato[ \iAlcibiades,\i2] shows the yearning of the Gentiles after a spiritual deliverer: "It is therefore necessary," says Alcibiades on the subject of acceptable worship, "to wait until One teach us how we ought to behave towards the gods and men." Alcibiades replies, "When shall that time arrive, and who shall that Teacher be? For most glad would I be to see such a man." The "good tidings of great joy" were "to all people" ( Lu 2:10\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p11.16"). The Jews, and those in the adjoining nations instructed by them, looked for \iShiloh\ito \icome unto whom the gathering of the people was to be,\ifrom Jacob's prophecy ( Ge 49:10\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p11.17"). The early patriarchs, Job ( Job 19:25-27; 33:23-26\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p11.18") and Abraham ( Joh 8:56\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p11.19"), \idesired Him.\i
      
fill this house with glory--( Hag 2:9\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p12.1"). As the first temple was filled with the cloud of glory, the symbol of God ( 1Ki 8:11; 2Ch 5:14\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p12.2"), so this second temple was filled with the "glory" of God ( Joh 1:14\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p12.3") \iveiled\iin the flesh (as it were in the cloud) at Christ's first coming, when He entered it and performed miracles there ( Mt 21:12-14\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p12.4"); but that "glory" is to be \irevealed\iat His second coming, as this prophecy in its ulterior reference foretells ( Mal 3:1\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p12.5"). The Jews before the destruction of Jerusalem all expected Messiah would appear in the second temple. Since that time they invent various forced and false interpretations of such plain Messianic prophecies.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p12.6"8. The silver is mine--( Job 41:11; Ps 50:12\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p13.1"). Ye are disappointed at the absence of these precious metals in the adorning of this temple, as compared with the first temple: If I pleased I could adorn this temple with them, but I will adorn it with a "glory" ( Hag 2:7, 9\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p13.2") far more precious; namely, with the presence of My divine Son in His veiled glory first, and at His second coming with His revealed glory, accompanied with outward adornment of gold and silver, of which the golden covering within and without put on by Herod is the type. Then shall the nations bring offerings of those precious metals which ye now miss so much ( Isa 2:3; 60:3, 6, 7; Eze 43:2, 4, 5; 44:4\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p13.3"). The heavenly Jerusalem shall be similarly adorned, but shall need "no temple" ( Re 21:10-22\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p13.4"). Compare 1Co 3:12\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p13.5", where \igold\iand \isilver\irepresent the most precious things ( Zec 2:5\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p13.6"). The inward glory of New Testament redemption far exceeds the outward glory of the Old Testament dispensation. So, in the case of the individual poor believer, God, if He pleased, could bestow gold and silver, but He bestows far better treasures, the possession of which might be endangered by that of the former ( Jas 2:5\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p13.7").
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p13.8"9. The glory of this latter house ... greater than of the former--namely, through the presence of Messiah, \iin\i(whose) \iface is given the light of the knowledge of the glory of God\i( 2Co 4:6\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p14.1"; compare Heb 1:2\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p14.2"), and who said of Himself, "in this place is one greater than the temple" ( Mt 12:6\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p14.3"), and who "sat daily teaching in it" ( Mt 26:55\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p14.4"). Though Zerubbabel's temple was taken down to the foundations when Herod rebuilt the temple, the latter was considered, in a religious point of view, as not a \ithird\itemple, but virtually the second temple.
      
in this place ... peace--namely, at Jerusalem, the metropolis of the kingdom of God, whose seat was the temple: where Messiah "made peace through the blood of His cross" ( Col 1:20\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p15.1"). Thus the "glory" consists in this "peace." This peace begins by the removal of the difficulty in the way of the just God accepting the guilty ( Ps 85:8, 10; Isa 9:6, 7; 53:5; Zec 6:13; 2Co 5:18, 19\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p15.2"); then it creates peace in the sinner's own heart ( Isa 57:19; Ac 10:36; Ro 5:1; 14:17; Eph 2:13-17; Php 4:7\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p15.3"); then peace in the whole earth ( Mic 5:5; Lu 2:14\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p15.4"). First peace between God and man, then between man and God, then between man and man ( Isa 2:4; Ho 2:18; Zec 9:10\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p15.5"). As "Shiloh" ( Ge 49:10\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p15.6") means \ipeace,\ithis verse confirms the view that Hag 2:7\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p15.7", "the desire of all nations," refers to Shiloh or Messiah, foretold in Ge 49:10\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p15.8".
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p15.9" Hag 2:10-19\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p16.1".Third Prophecy. \iSacrifices without obedience (in respect to God's command to build the temple) could not sanctify. Now that they are obedient, God will bless them, though no sign is seen of fertility as yet.\i
      
10. four and twentieth day ... ninth month--three days more than two months from the second prophecy ( Hag 2:1\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p17.1"); in the month Chisleu, the lunar one about the time of our December. The Jews seem to have made considerable progress in the work in the interval ( Hag 2:15-18\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p17.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p17.3"11. Ask ... the priests--Propose this question to them on the law. The priests were the authorized expounders of the law ( Le 10:11; De 33:10; Eze 44:23; Mal 2:7\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p18.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p18.2"12."Holy flesh" (that is, the flesh of a sacrifice, Jer 11:15\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p19.1"), indeed, makes holy the "skirt" in which it is carried; but that "skirt" cannot impart its sanctity to any thing beyond, as "bread," &c. ( Le 6:27\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p19.2"). This is cited to illustrate the principle, that a sacrifice, holy, as enveloping divine things (just as the "skirt" is "holy" which envelops "holy" flesh), cannot by its inherent or \iopus operatum\iefficacy make holy a person whose disobedience, as that of the Jew while neglecting God's house, made him unholy.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p19.3"13.On the other hand, a legally "unclean" person imparts his uncleanness to any thing, whereas a legally holy thing cannot confer its sanctity on an "unclean" person ( Nu 19:11, 13, 22\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p20.1"). Legal sanctity is not so readily communicated as legal impurity. So the paths to sin are manifold: the paths to holiness one, and that one of difficult access [Grotius]. One drop of filth will defile a vase of water: many drops of water will not purity a vase of filth [Moore].
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p20.4"14. Then answered Haggai--rather, "Then Haggai answered (in rejoinder to the priests' answer) and said" [Maurer].
      
so is this people--heretofore not in such an obedient state of mind as to deserve to be called \iMy\ipeople ( Tit 1:15\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p22.1"). Here he applies the two cases just stated. By the first case, "this people" is not made "holy" by their offerings "there" (namely, on the altar built in the open air, under Cyrus, Ezr 3:3\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p22.2"); though the ritual sacrifice can ordinarily sanctify outwardly so far as it reaches ( Heb 9:13\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p22.3"), as the "holy flesh" sanctified the "skirt," yet it cannot make the offerers in their persons and all their works acceptable to God, because lacking the spirit of obedience ( 1Sa 15:22\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p22.4") so long as they neglected to build the Lord's house. On the contrary, by the second case, they made "unclean" their very \iofferings\iby being unclean through "dead works" (disobedience), just as the person unclean by contact with a dead body imparted his uncleanness to all that he touched (compare Heb 9:14\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p22.5"). This all applies to them as they had been, not as they are now that they have begun to obey; the design is to guard them against falling back again. The "there" points to the altar, probably in view of the audience which the prophet addressed.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p22.6"15. consider--literally, "lay it to heart." Ponder earnestly, retracing the past "upward" (that is, backward), comparing what evils heretofore befell you before ye set about this work, with the present time when you have again commenced it, and when in consequence I now engage to "bless you." Hence ye may perceive the evils of disobedience and the blessing of obedience.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p23.1"16. Since those \idays\iwere--from the time that those days of your neglect of the temple work have been.
      
when \ione\icame to an heap of twenty \imeasures\i--that is, to a heap \iwhich he had expected would be one\iof twenty measures, there were but ten.
      
fifty \ivessels\iout of the press--As the \iSeptuagint\itranslates "measure," and \iVulgate\i"a flagon," and as we should rather expect \ivat\ithan \ipress.\iMaurertranslates (omitting \ivessels,\iwhich is not in the original), " \ipurahs,\i" or "wine-measures."
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p26.2"17.Appropriated from Am 4:9\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p27.1", whose canonicity is thus sealed by Haggai's inspired authority; in the last clause, " \iturned,\i" however, has to be supplied, its omission marking by the elliptical abruptness ("yet ye not to Me!") God's displeasure. Compare "( \ilet him come\i) unto Me!" Moses in excitement omitting the bracketed words ( Ex 32:26\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p27.2"). "Blasting" results from excessive drought; "mildew, from excessive moisture.
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p27.3"18.Resumed from Hag 2:15\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p28.1"after Hag 2:16, 17\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p28.2", that the blessing in Hag 2:19\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p28.3"may stand in the more marked contrast with the curse in Hag 2:16, 17\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p28.4". Affliction will harden the heart, if not referred to God as its author [Moore].
      
 \ieven\ifrom the day that the foundation of ... temple was laid--The first foundation beneath the earth had been long ago laid in the second year of Cyrus, 535B.C.( Ezr 3:10, 11\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p29.2"); the foundation now laid was the secondary one, which, above the earth, was laid on the previous work [Tirinus]. Or, translate, "From this day on which the temple is being begun," namely, on the foundations long ago laid [Grotius].Maurertranslates, "Consider ... from the four and twentieth day ... \ito\i(the time which has elapsed) from the day on which the foundation ... was laid." The \iHebrew\isupports \iEnglish Version.\i
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p29.6"19. Is the seed yet in the barn?--implying, It is \inot.\iIt has been already sown this month, and there are no more signs of its bearing a good crop, much less of its being safely stored \iin the barn,\ithan there were in the past season, when there was such a failure; yet I promise to you \ifrom this day\i(emphatically marking by the repetition the connection of the blessing with \ithe day\iof their obedience) a \iblessing\iin an abundant harvest. So also the vine, &c., which heretofore have borne little or nothing, shall be \iblessed\iwith productiveness. Thus it will be made evident that the blessing is due to Me, not to nature. We may trust God's promise to bless us, though we see no visible sign of its fulfilment ( Hab 2:3\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p30.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p30.2" Hag 2:20-23\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p31.1".Fourth Prophecy. \iGod's promise through Zerubbabel to Israel of safety in the coming commotions.\i
      
20. the month--the ninth in the second year of Darius. The same date as Prophecy III ( Hag 2:10\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p32.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p32.2"21. to Zerubbabel--Perhaps Zerubbabel had asked as to the convulsions foretold ( Hag 2:6, 7\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p33.1"). This is the reply: The Jews had been led to fear that these convulsions would destroy their national existence. \iZerubbabel,\itherefore, as their civil leader and representative is addressed, not Joshua, their religious leader. Messiah is the antitypical Zerubbabel, their national Representative and King, with whom God the Father makes the covenant wherein they, as identified with Him, are assured of safety in God's electing love (compare Hag 2:23\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p33.2", "will make thee as a signet"; "I have chosen thee").
      
shake ... heavens--(see on); violent political convulsions accompanied with physical prodigies ( Mt 24:7, 29\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p34.3").
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p34.4"22.All other world kingdoms are to be overthrown to make way for Christ's universal kingdom ( Da 2:44\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p35.1"). War chariots are to give place to His reign of peace ( Mic 5:10; Zec 9:10\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p35.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p35.3"23. take thee--under My protection and to promote thee and thy people to honor ( Ps 78:70\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p36.1").
      
a signet--( So 8:6; Jer 22:24\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p37.1"). A ring with a seal on it; the legal representative of the owner; generally of precious stones and gold, &c., and much valued. Being worn on the finger, it was an object of constant regard. In all which points of view the theocratic people, and their representative, Zerubbabel the type, and Messiah his descendant the Antitype, are regarded by God. The safety of Israel to the end is guaranteed in Messiah, in whom God hath chosen them as His own ( Isa 42:1; 43:10; 44:1; 49:3\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p37.2"). So the spiritual Israel is sealed in their covenant head by His Spirit ( 2Co 1:20, 22; Eph 1:4, 13, 14\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p37.3"). All is ascribed, not to the merits of Zerubbabel, but to God's gratuitous \ichoice.\iChrist is the "signet" on God's hand: always in the Father's presence, ever pleasing in his sight. The signet of an Eastern monarch was the sign of \idelegated authority;\iso Christ ( Mt 28:18; Joh 5:22, 23\Q="x.xxxvii.iii-p37.4").
      
\C2="Zechariah"
THE BOOK OF
ZECHARIAH
 \iCommentary by\iA. R. Faussett
      

\C3="Introduction"INTRODUCTION
      
Thename \iZechariah\imeans \ione whom Jehovah remembers:\ia common name, four others of the same name occurring in the Old Testament. Like Jeremiah and Ezekiel, he was a priest as well as a prophet, which adapts him for the sacerdotal character of some of his prophecies ( Zec 6:13\Q="x.xxxviii.i-p2.2"). He is called "the son of Berechiah the son of Iddo" ( Zec 1:1\Q="x.xxxviii.i-p2.3"); but simply "the son of Iddo" in Ezr 5:1; 6:14\Q="x.xxxviii.i-p2.4". Probably his father died when he was young; and hence, as sometimes occurs in Jewish genealogies, he is called "the son of Iddo," his grandfather. Iddo was one of the priests who returned to Zerubbabel and Joshua from Babylon ( Ne 12:4\Q="x.xxxviii.i-p2.5").
      
Zechariah entered early on his prophetic functions ( Zec 2:4\Q="x.xxxviii.i-p3.1"); only two months later than Haggai, in the second year of Darius' reign, 520B.C.The design of both prophets was to encourage the people and their religious and civil leaders, Joshua and Zerubbabel, in their work of rebuilding the temple, after the interruption caused by the Samaritans (seeto Haggai). Zechariah does so especially by unfolding in detail the glorious future in connection with the present depressed appearance of the theocracy, and its visible symbol, the temple. He must have been very young in leaving Babylonia, where he was born. The Zechariah, son of Barachias, mentioned by our Lord ( Mt 23:35\Q="x.xxxviii.i-p3.4") as slain between the porch and the altar, must have been the one called the son of \iJehoiada\iin 2Ch 24:21\Q="x.xxxviii.i-p3.5", who so perished: the same person often had two names; and our Lord, in referring to the \iHebrew\iBible, of which Second Chronicles is the last book, would naturally mention the last martyr in the \iHebrew\iorder of the canon, as He had instanced Abel as the first. Owing to Mt 27:9 quoting Zec 11:12, 13\Q="x.xxxviii.i-p3.6"as the words of \iJeremiah,\iMededoubts the authenticity of the ninth through the fourteenth chapters, and ascribes them to \iJeremiah:\ihe thinks that these chapters were not found till after the return from the captivity, and being approved by Zechariah, were added to his prophecies, as Agur's Proverbs were added to those of Solomon. All the oldest authorities, except two manuscripts of the old Italian or Pre-Vulgate version, read \iJeremiah\iin Mt 27:9\Q="x.xxxviii.i-p3.8". The quotation there is not to the letter copied from Zechariah, Jer 18:1, 2; 32:6-12\Q="x.xxxviii.i-p3.9", may also have been in the mind of Matthew, and perhaps in the mind of Zechariah, whence the former mentions \iJeremiah.\iHengstenbergsimilarly thinks that Matthew names \iJeremiah,\irather than \iZechariah,\ito turn attention to the fact that Zechariah's prophecy is but a reiteration of the fearful oracle in Jer 18:1-19:15\Q="x.xxxviii.i-p3.11", to be fulfilled in the destruction of the Jewish nation. Jeremiah had already, by the image of a potter's vessel, portrayed their ruin in Nebuchadnezzar's invasion; and as Zechariah virtually repeats this threat, to be inflicted again under Messiah for the nation's rejection of Him, Matthew, virtually, by mentioning \iJeremiah,\iimplies that the "field of blood" [ Mt 27:8, 9\Q="x.xxxviii.i-p3.12"], now bought by "the reward of iniquity" [ Ac 1:18\Q="x.xxxviii.i-p3.13"] in the valley of Hinnom, was long ago a scene of prophetic doom in which awful disaster had been symbolically predicted: that the present purchase of that field with the traitor's price renewed the prophecy and revived the curse--a curse pronounced of old by Jeremiah, and once fulfilled in the Babylonian siege--a curse reiterated by Zechariah, and again to be verified in the Roman desolation.Lightfoot(referring toB. BathraandKimchi) less probably thinks the third division of Scripture, the prophets, began with Jeremiah, and that the whole body of prophets is thus quoted by the name "Jeremiah." The mention of "Ephraim" and "Israel" in these chapters as distinct from Judah, does not prove that the prophecy was written while the ten tribes existed as a separate kingdom. It rather implies that hereafter not only Judah, but the ten tribes also, shall be restored, the earnest of which was given in the numbers out of the ten tribes who returned with their brethren the Jews from captivity under Cyrus. There is nothing in these characters to imply that a king reigned in Judah at that time. The editor of the \iHebrew\icanon joined these chapters to Zechariah, not to Jeremiah; the \iSeptuagint,\ithree hundred yearsB.C., confirms this.
      
The prophecy consists of four parts: (1) Introductory, Zec 1:1-6\Q="x.xxxviii.i-p4.1". (2) Symbolical, Zec 1:7\Q="x.xxxviii.i-p4.2", to the end of the sixth chapter, containing nine visions; all these were vouchsafed in one night, and are of a symbolical character. (3) Didactic, the seventh and eighth chapters containing an answer to a query of the Beth-elites concerning a certain feast. And (4) Prophetic, the ninth chapter to the end. These six last chapters predict Alexander's expedition along the west coast of Palestine to Egypt; God's protection of the Jews, both at that time and under the Maccabees; the advent, sufferings, and reign of Messiah; the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome, and dissolution of the Jews' polity; their conversion and restoration; the overthrow of the wicked confederacy which assailed them in Canaan; and the Gentiles' joining in their holy worship [Henderson]. The difference in style between the former and the latter chapters is due to the difference of subject; the first six chapters being of a symbolical and peculiar character, while the poetical style of the concluding chapters is adapted admirably to the subjects treated. The titles ( Zec 9:1; 12:1\Q="x.xxxviii.i-p4.4") accord with the prophetic matter which follows; nor is it necessary for unity of authorship that the introductory formulas occurring in the first eight chapters should occur in the last six. The non-reference in the last six chapters to the completion of the temple and the Jews' restoration after the captivity is just what we should expect, if, as seems likely, these chapters were written long after the completion of the temple and the restoration of the Jews' polity after the captivity, in circumstances different from those which engaged the prophet when he wrote the earlier chapters.
      
The style varies with the subject: at one time conversational, at another poetical. His symbols are enigmatical and are therefore accompanied with explanations. His prose is like that of Ezekiel--diffuse, uniform, and repetitious. The rhythm is somewhat unequal, and the parallelisms are not altogether symmetrical. Still, there is found often much of the elevation met with in the earlier prophets, and a general congruity between the style and the subjects. Graphic vividness is his peculiar merit. Chaldæisms occur occasionally. Another special characteristic of Zechariah is his introduction of spiritual beings into his prophetic scenes.
      

\C3="Chapter 1" \Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p0.1"CHAPTER 1
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p1.1" Zec 1:1-17\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p2.1".Introductory Exhortation to Repentance. The Visions. \iThe man among the myrtles: Comforting explanation by the angel, an encouragement to the Jews to build the city and temple: The four horns and four artificers.\i
      
1.See
      
2.God fulfilled His threats against your fathers; beware, then, lest by disregarding His voice by me, as they did in the case of former prophets, \iye\isuffer like them. The special object Zechariah aims at is that they should awake from their selfish negligence to obey God's command to rebuild His temple ( Hag 1:4-8\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p4.1").
      
sore displeased-- \iHebrew,\i"displeased with a displeasure," that is, vehemently, with no common displeasure, exhibited in the destruction of the Jews' city and in their captivity.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p5.1"3. saith the Lord of hosts--a phrase frequent in Haggai and Zechariah, implying God's boundless resources and universal power, so as to inspire the Jews with confidence to work.
      
Turn ye unto me ... and I will turn--that is, \iand then,\ias the sure consequence, "I will turn unto you" ( Mal 3:7; Jas 4:8\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p7.1"; compare also Jer 3:12; Eze 18:30; Mic 7:19\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p7.2"). Though God hath brought you back from captivity, yet this state will not last long unless ye are really converted. God has heavier scourges ready, and has begun to give symptoms of displeasure [Calvin]. ( Hag 1:6\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p7.4").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p7.5"4. Be ye not as your fathers--The Jews boasted of their \ifathers;\ibut he shows that their fathers were refractory, and that ancient example and long usage will not justify disobedience ( 2Ch 36:15, 16\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p8.1").
      
the former prophets--those who lived before the captivity. It aggravated their guilt that, not only had they the law, but they had been often called to repent by God's \iprophets.\i
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p9.1"5. Your fathers ... and the prophets, do they live for ever?--In contrast to " \iMy\iwords" ( Zec 1:6\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p10.1"), which "endure for ever" ( 1Pe 1:25\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p10.2"). "Your fathers have perished, as was foretold; and their fate ought to warn you. But you may say, The prophets too are dead. I grant it, but still My words do not die: though dead, their prophetical words from Me, fulfilled against \iyour fathers,\iare not dead with them. Beware, then, lest ye share their fate."
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p10.3"6. statutes--My determined purposes to punish for sin.
      
which I commanded my servants--namely, to announce to your fathers.
      
did they not take hold--that is, overtake, as a foe overtakes one fleeing.
      
they returned-- \iTurning\ifrom their former self-satisfaction, they recognized their punishment as that which God's prophets had foretold.
      
thought to do--that is, decreed to do. Compare with this verse La 2:17\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p15.1".
      
our ways--evil ways ( Jer 4:18; 17:10; 23:2\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p16.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p16.2"7.The general plan of the nine following visions ( Zec 1:8-6:15\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p17.1") is first to present the symbol; then, on a question being put, to subjoin the interpretation. Though the visions are distinct, they form one grand whole, presented in one night to the prophet's mind, two or three months after the prophet's first commission ( Zec 1:1\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p17.2").
      
Sebat--the eleventh month of the Jewish year, from the new moon in February to the new moon in March. The term is \iChaldee,\imeaning a "shoot," namely, the month when trees begin to shoot or bud.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p18.1"8. by night--The Jews begin their day with sunset; therefore the night which preceded the twenty-fourth day of the month is meant ( Zec 1:7\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p19.1").
      
a man--Jehovah, the second person of the Trinity, manifested in \iman's\iform, an earnest of the incarnation; called the "angel of Jehovah" ( Zec 1:11, 12\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p20.1"), "Jehovah the angel of the covenant" ( Mal 3:1\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p20.2"; compare Ge 16:7 with Zec 1:13\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p20.3"; Ge 22:11 with Zec 1:12\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p20.4"; Ex 3:2 with Zec 1:4\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p20.5"). Being at once divine and human, He must be God and man in one person.
      
riding--implying swiftness in executing God's will in His providence; hastening to help His people.
      
red horse--the color that represents \ibloodshed:\iimplying vengeance to be inflicted on the foes of Israel (compare 2Ki 3:22; Isa 63:1, 2; Re 6:4\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p22.1"); also \ifiery zeal.\i
      
among the myrtle trees--symbol of the Jewish Church: not a stately cedar, but a lowly, though fragrant, myrtle. It was its depressed state that caused the Jews to despond; this vision is designed to cheer them with better hopes. The uncreated angel of Jehovah's presence \istanding\i(as His abiding place, Ps 132:14\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p23.1") \iamong\ithem, is a guarantee for her safety, lowly though she now be.
      
in the bottom--in a low place or bottom of a river; alluding to Babylon near the rivers Euphrates and Tigris, the scene of Judah's captivity. The myrtle delights in low places and the banks of waters [Pembellus].Maurertranslates, from a different root, "in a \ishady\iplace."
      
red horses--that is, \ihorsemen\imounted \ion red horses;\i Zec 1:10, 11\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p25.1", confirm this view.
      
speckled ... white--The "white" implies triumph and victory for Judah; "speckled" (from a root "to intertwine"), a combination of the two colors \iwhite\iand \ired\i(bay [Moore]), implies a state of things mixed, partly prosperous, partly otherwise [Henderson]; or, the connection of the wrath (answering to the "red") about to fall on the Jews' foes, and triumph (answering to the "white") to the Jews themselves in God's arrangements for His people [Moore]. Some angels ("the red horses") exercised offices of vengeance; others ("the white"), those of joy; others ("the speckled"), those of a mixed character (compare Zec 6:2, 3\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p26.4"). God has ministers of every kind for promoting the interests of His Church.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p26.5"9. the angel that talked with me--not the "man upon the red horse," as is evident from Zec 1:10\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p27.1", where he (the Divine Angel) is distinguished from the "angel that talked with me" (the phrase used of him, Zec 1:13, 14; Zec 2:3; 4:1, 4, 5; 5:5, 10; 6:4\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p27.2"), that is, the interpreting angel. The \iHebrew\ifor " \iwith\ime," or, " \iin\ime" ( Nu 12:8\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p27.3"), implies \iinternal, intimate\icommunication [Jerome].
      
show thee--reveal to thy mental vision.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p28.1"10. answered--The "angel of the covenant" here gives the reply instead of the interpreting angel, to imply that all communications through the interpreting angel come from Him as their source.
      
Lord hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth--If "Satan walks to and fro in the earth" (implying \irestless activity\i) on errands of mischief to God's people ( Job 1:7\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p30.1"), the Lord \isends\iother angels to "walk to and fro" with unceasing activity everywhere to counterwork Satan's designs, and to defend His people ( Ps 34:7; 91:11; 103:20, 21; Heb 1:14\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p30.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p30.3"11.The attendant angels report to the Lord of angels, "the earth ... is at rest." The flourishing state of the heathen "earth," while Judah was desolate and its temple not yet restored, is the powerful plea in the Divine Angel's intercession with God the Father in Zec 1:12\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p31.1". When Judah was depressed to the lowest point, and the heathen elated to the highest, it was time for Jehovah to work for His people.
      
sitteth still--dwells surely.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p32.1"12.Not only does Messiah \istand among\iHis people (the "myrtles," Zec 1:8\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p33.1"), but intercedes for them with the Father ("Lord," or "Jehovah of hosts") effectively ( Zec 1:13; Heb 7:25\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p33.2"). Compare Ps 102:13-20; Isa 62:6, 7\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p33.3", as to Judah's restoration in answer to prayer.
      
answered and said--said \iin continuation\iof the discourse: \iproceeded to say.\i
      
how long--Messiah's people pray similarly to their Head. Re 6:10\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p35.1", "How long," &c. Heretofore it was vain to pray, but now that the divinely appointed "threescore and ten years" ( Jer 25:11; 29:10\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p35.2") are elapsed, it is time to pray to Thee for the fulfilment of Thy promise, seeing that Thy grace is not yet fully manifested, nor Thy promise fulfilled. God's promises are not to make us slothful, but to quicken our prayers.Henderson, dating the seventy years from the destruction of Jerusalem (588B.C.), supposes two years of the seventy had yet to run (520B.C.).
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p35.6"13. the Lord--Jehovah, called "the angel of the Lord (Jehovah)" ( Zec 1:12\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p36.2").
      
good words \iand\icomfortable words--literally, "words, consolations." The subject of these consolatory words is stated in Zec 1:14\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p37.1", &c.; the promise of full re-establishment, Jer 29:10, 11\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p37.2"(compare Isa 57:18; Ho 11:8\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p37.3").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p37.4"14. Cry--Proclaim so as to be heard clearly by all ( Isa 40:6; 58:1\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p38.1").
      
I am jealous for Jerusalem--As a husband jealous for his wife, wronged by others, so Jehovah is for Judah, who has been injured wantonly by the heathen ( Zec 8:2; Nu 25:11, 13; 1Ki 19:10; Joe 2:18\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p39.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p39.2"15. very sore displeased with the heathen--in contrast with "I was \ibut a little\idispleased" with My people. God's displeasure with His people is temporary and for their chastening; with the heathen oppressors, it is final and fatal ( Jer 30:11\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p40.1"). God's instruments for chastising His people, when He has done with them, He casts into the fire.
      
are at ease--carnally secure. A stronger phrase than "is at rest" ( Zec 1:11\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p41.1"). They are "at ease," but as I am "sore displeased" with them, their ease is accursed. Judah is in "affliction," but as I love her and am jealous for her, she has every reason to be encouraged in prosecuting the temple work.
      
helped forward the affliction--afflicted My people more than I desired. The heathen sought the utter extinction of Judah to gratify their own ambition and revenge ( Isa 47:6; Eze 25:3, 6; Ob 10-17\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p42.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p42.2"16. I am returned--whereas in anger I had before withdrawn from her ( Ho 5:15\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p43.1").
      
with mercies--not merely of one kind, nor once only, but repeated mercies.
      
my house shall be built--which at this time (the second year of Darius, Zec 1:1\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p45.1") had only its foundations laid ( Hag 2:18\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p45.2"). It was not completed till the sixth year of Darius ( Ezr 6:15\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p45.3").
      
line--( Job 38:5\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p46.1"). The measuring-line for building, not hastily, but with measured regularity. Not only the temple, but \iJerusalem\ialso was to be rebuilt ( Ne 2:3\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p46.2", &c.; compare Zec 2:1, 2\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p46.3"). Also, as to the future temple and city, Eze 41:3; 42:1-44:31; 45:6\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p46.4".
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p46.5"17. yet--though heretofore lying in abject prostration.
      
My cities--not only Jerusalem, but the subordinate \icities\iof Judah. God claims them all as peculiarly \iHis,\iand therefore will restore them.
      
through prosperity ... spread abroad--or \ioverflow;\imetaphor from an overflowing vessel or fountain (compare Pr 5:16\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p49.1") [Pembellus]. Abundance of fruits of the earth, corn and wine, and a large increase of citizens, are meant; also spiritual prosperity.
      
comfort Zion--( Isa 40:1, 2; 51:3\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p50.1").
      
choose--( Zec 2:12; 3:2; Isa 14:1\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p51.1"). Here meaning, " \ishow by acts of loving-kindness\ithat He has chosen." His immutable \ichoice\ifrom everlasting is the fountain whence flow all such particular acts of love.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p51.2" Zec 1:18-21\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p52.1".Second Vision. \iThe power of the Jews foes shall be dissipated.\i
      
18. four horns--To a pastoral people like the Jews the \ihorns\iof the strongest in the herd naturally suggested a symbol of \ipower\iand \ipride\iof conscious strength: hence \ithe ruling powers of the world\i( Re 17:3, 12\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p53.1"). The number \ifour\iin Zechariah's time referred to the four cardinal points of the horizon. Wherever God's people turned, there were foes to encounter ( Ne 4:7\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p53.2"); the Assyrian, Chaldean, and Samaritan on the north; Egypt and Arabia on the south; Philistia on the west; Ammon and Moab on the east. But the Spirit in the prophet looked farther; namely, to the \ifour\iworld powers, the only ones which were, or are, to rise till the kingdom of Messiah, the fifth, overthrows and absorbs all others in its universal dominion. Babylon and Medo-Persia alone had as yet risen, but soon Græco-Macedonia was to succeed (as Zec 9:13\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p53.3"foretells), and Rome the fourth and last, was to follow ( Da 2:1-49; 7:1-28\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p53.4"). The fact that the repairing of the evils caused to Judah and Israel by \iall four\ikingdoms is spoken of here, proves that the exhaustive fulfilment is yet future, and only the earnest of it given in the overthrow of the two world powers which up to Zechariah's time had "scattered" Judah ( Jer 51:2; Eze 5:10, 12\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p53.5"). That only two of the four had as yet risen, is an argument having no weight with us, as we believe God's Spirit in the prophets regards the future as present; we therefore are not to be led by Rationalists who on such grounds deny the reference here and in Zec 6:1\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p53.6"to the four world kingdoms.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p53.7"19. Judah, Israel--Though some of the ten tribes of \iIsrael\ireturned with \iJudah\ifrom Babylon, the full return of the former, as of the latter, is here foretold and must be yet future.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p54.1"20. four carpenters--or "artificers." The several instrumentalities employed, or to be employed, in crushing the "Gentile" powers which "scattered" Judah, are hereby referred to. For every one of the \ifour horns\ithere was a cleaving "artificer" to beat it down. For every enemy of God's people, God has provided a counteracting power adequate to destroy it.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p55.1"21. These are the horns--rather, \iThose,\inamely, the horns being distinguished from the "carpenters," or destroying workmen ("skilful to destroy," Ex 21:31\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p56.1"), intended in the "these" of the question.
      
no man ... lift up his head--so depressed were they with a heavy weight of evils ( Job 10:15\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p57.1").
      
to fray-- \ito strike terror into\ithem ( Eze 30:9\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p58.1").
      
lifted up ... horn--in the haughtiness of conscious strength ( Ps 75:4, 5\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p59.1") tyrannizing over Judah ( Eze 34:21\Q="x.xxxviii.ii-p59.2").
      

\C3="Chapter 2" \Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p0.1"CHAPTER 2
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p1.1" Zec 2:1-13\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p2.1".Third Vision. \iThe man with the measuring-line.\i
      
The city shall be fully restored and enlarged ( Zec 2:2-5\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p3.1"). Recall of the exiles ( Zec 2:6, 7\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p3.2"). Jehovah will protect His people and make their foes a spoil unto them ( Zec 2:8, 9\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p3.3"). The nations shall be converted to Jehovah, as the result of His dwelling manifestly amidst His people ( Zec 2:10-13\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p3.4").
      
1. man with a measuring-line--the same image to represent the same future fact as in Eze 40:3; 47:4\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p4.1". The "man" is Messiah (see on), who, by measuring Jerusalem, is denoted as the Author of its coming restoration. Thus the Jews are encouraged in Zechariah's time to proceed with the building. Still more so shall they be hereby encouraged in the future restoration.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p4.4"2. To measure Jerusalem--(Compare Re 11:1; 21:15, 16\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p5.1").
      
to see what \iis\ithe breadth ... what \iis\ithe length--rather, "what \iis to be the due\ibreadth and length."
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p6.1"3. angel that talked with me ... another angel--The interpreting angel is met by another angel sent by the measuring Divine Angel to "run" to Zechariah ( Zec 2:4\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p7.1"). Those who perform God's will must not merely creep, nor walk, but \irun\iwith alacrity.
      
went forth--namely, from me (Zechariah).
      
went out--from the measuring angel.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p9.1"4. this young man--So Zechariah is called as being still a \iyouth\iwhen prophetically inspired [Grotius]. Or, he is so called in respect to his \iministry\ior \iservice\i(compare Nu 11:27; Jos 1:1\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p10.2") [Vatablus]. Naturally the "angel that talked with" Zechariah is desired to "speak to" him the further communications to be made from the Divine Being.
      
towns without walls for the multitude ... Cattle--So many shall be its inhabitants that all could not be contained within the walls, but shall spread out in the open country around ( Es 9:19\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p11.1"); and so secure shall they be as not to need to shelter themselves and their cattle behind walls. So hereafter Judea is to be "the land of unwalled villages" ( Eze 38:11\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p11.2"). Spiritually, now the Church has extended herself beyond the walls ( Eph 2:14, 15\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p11.3") of Mosaic ordinances and has spread from cities to country villages, whose inhabitants gave their Latin name ( \ipagani\i) to \ipagans,\ias being the last in parting with heathenism.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p11.4"5. I ... wall of fire round--Compare Zec 2:4\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p12.1". Yet as a city needs some wall,I Jehovahwill act as one of fire which none durst approach ( Zec 9:8; Isa 26:1\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p12.3").
      
glory in the midst--not only a defense from foes outside, but a \iglory\iwithin ( Isa 60:19; Re 21:23\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p13.1"). The same combination of "glory and defense" is found in Isa 4:5\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p13.2", alluding to the pillar of cloud and fire which defended and enlightened Israel in the desert. Compare Elisha in Dothan ( 2Ki 6:17\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p13.3"). As God is to be her "glory," so she shall be His "glory" ( Isa 62:3\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p13.4").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p13.5"6. flee from the land of the north--that is, from Babylon: a type of the various Gentile lands, from which the Jews are to be recalled hereafter; hence "the four winds of heaven" are specified, implying that they are to return from all quarters ( De 28:64; Jer 16:15; Eze 17:21\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p14.1"). The reason why they should flee from Babylon is: (1) because of the blessings promised to God's people in their own land; (2) because of the evils about to fall on their foe ( Zec 2:7-9\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p14.2"). Babylon was soon to fall before Darius, and its inhabitants to endure fearful calamities ( Isa 48:20; Jer 50:8; 51:6, 45\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p14.3"). Many of the Jews in Zechariah's time had not yet returned to Judea. Their tardiness was owing to (1) unbelief; (2) their land had long lain waste, and was surrounded with bitter foes; (3) they regarded suspiciously the liberty of return given by Cyrus and Darius, as if these monarchs designed suddenly to crush them; (4) their long stay in Babylon had obliterated the remembrance of their own land; (5) the wealth and security there contrasted with Judea, where their temple and city were in ruins. All this betrayed foul ingratitude and disregard of God's extraordinary favor, which is infinitely to be preferred to all the wealth of the world [CalvinandPembellus].
      
for I have spread you abroad--The reasoning is: I who scattered you from your land to all quarters, can also gather you again to it.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p15.1"7. O Zion ... daughter of Babylon--Thou whose only sure dwelling is "Zion," inseparably connected with the temple, art altogether out of thy place in "dwelling with the daughter of Babylon" (that is, Babylon and her people, Ps 137:8; Isa 1:8\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p16.1").
      
After the glory-- \iAfter\irestoring the "glory" ( Zec 2:5; Isa 4:5; Ro 9:4\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p17.1") of Jehovah's presence to Jerusalem, He (God the Father) hath commissionedME(God the Son, Isa 48:16\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p17.3", the Divine Angel: God thus being at once the Sender and the Sent) to visit in wrath "the nations which spoiled you." Messiah's twofold office from the Father is: (1) to glorify His Church; (2) to punish its foes ( 2Th 1:7-10\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p17.4"). Both offices manifest His \iglory\i( Pr 16:4\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p17.5").
      
toucheth ... the apple of his eye--namely, of Jehovah's eye ( De 32:10; Ps 17:8; Pr 7:2\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p18.1"). The pupil, or aperture, through which rays pass to the retina, is the tenderest part of the eye; the member which we most sedulously guard from hurt as being the dearest of our members; the one which feels most acutely the slightest injury, and the loss of which is irreparable.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p18.2" \Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p18.3"9. shake ... hand--A mere wave of God's hand can prostrate all foes (compare Ru 1:13; Job 31:21; Isa 11:15; 19:16; Ac 13:11\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p19.1").
      
a spoil to their servants--to the Jews whom they had once as their slaves (compare Isa 14:2\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p20.1"). As the Jews' state between the return from Babylon and Christ's coming was checkered with much adversity, this prophecy can only have its fulfilment under Christ.
      
sent me--( Isa 48:16; 61:1; Joh 10:36\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p21.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p21.2"10. I will dwell in ... midst of thee--primarily at Messiah's first advent ( Ps 40:7; Joh 1:14; Col 2:9; 1Ti 3:16\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p22.1"); more fully at His second advent ( Isa 40:10\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p22.2"). So Zec 9:9\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p22.3", where see on( Isa 12:6; Eze 37:27; Zep 3:14\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p22.6"). Meanwhile God dwells spiritually in His people ( 2Co 6:16\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p22.7").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p22.8"11. many nations ... joined to the Lord in that day--The result of the Jews' exile in Babylon was that, at their subsequent return, through the diffusion of knowledge of their religion, many Gentiles became proselytes, worshipping in the court of the Gentiles ( 1Ki 8:41\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p23.1"). Cyrus, Darius, Alexander, Ptolemy Philadelphus, Augustus, and Tiberius, paid respect to the temple by sending offerings [Grotius]. But all this is but a shadow of the future conversion of the Gentiles which shall result from Jehovah dwelling in Jerusalem ( Ps 102:15, 16; Php 2:10, 11\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p23.3").
      
sent me unto thee--"unto thee" is here added to the same formula ( Zec 2:9\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p24.1"). Zion first shall "know (generally) that Jehovah of hosts hath sent" Messiah, by the judgments inflicted by Him on her foes. Subsequently, she shall know experimentally the particular \isending\iof Messiah \iunto her.\iJehovah here says, " \iI\iwill dwell," and then thatJehovahof hosts sent Him; therefore Jehovah the Sender and Jehovah the Sent must be One.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p24.3"12. Judah his portion in the holy land--Lest the joining of the Gentile "nations to Jehovah" ( Zec 2:11\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p25.1") should lead the Jews to fear that their peculiar relation to Him ( De 4:20; 9:29; 32:9\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p25.2") as "His inheritance" should cease, this verse is added to assure them of His making them so hereafter "again."
      
choose Jerusalem again--The course of God's grace was interrupted for a time, but His covenant was not set aside ( Ro 11:28, 29\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p26.1"); the election was once for all, and therefore shall hold good for ever.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p26.2"13. Be silent, O all flesh--( Hab 2:20\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p27.1"). "Let all in silent awe and reverence await the Lord's coming interposition in behalf of His people!" The address is both to the Gentile foes, who prided themselves on their power as if irresistible, and to the unbelieving Jews, who distrusted God's promises as incredible. Three reasons why they must be silent are implied: (1) they are but "flesh," weak and ignorant; (2) He isJehovah, all-wise and all-powerful; (3) He is already "raised up out of His place," and who can stand before Him? [Pembellus], ( Ps 76:8, 9\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p27.4").
      
he is raised up out of his holy habitation--that is, out of \iheaven\i( De 26:15; 2Ch 30:27; Isa 63:15\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p28.1"), to judge and avenge His people ( Isa 26:21\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p28.2"); or, "out of His holy" \itemple,\icontemptible and incomplete as it looked then when Zechariah urged them to rebuild it [Calvin]. But the call to all to "be silent" is rather when God has come forth from heaven where so long He has dwelt unseen, and is about to inflict vengeance on the foe, \ibefore\itaking up His dwelling in Zion and the temple. However, Ps 50:1, 2\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p28.4"("Out of Zion"), Ps 50:3\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p28.5"(compare Hab 2:3\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p28.6"), Ps 50:4\Q="x.xxxviii.iii-p28.7", favorsCalvin'sview. God is now "silent" while the Gentile foe speaks arrogance against His people; but "our God shall come and \ino longer keep silence\i"; then in turn must all flesh "be silent" before Him.
      

\C3="Chapter 3" \Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p0.1"CHAPTER 3
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p1.1" Zec 3:1-10\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p2.1".Fourth Vision. \iJoshua the high priest before the angel of Jehovah; accused by Satan, but justified by Jehovah through Messiah the coming Branch.\i
      
1.Joshua as high priest ( Hag 1:1\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p3.1") represents "Jerusalem" ( Zec 3:2\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p3.2"), or the elect people, put on its trial, and "plucked" narrowly "out of the fire." His attitude, "standing before the Lord," is that of a high priest ministering before the altar erected previously to the building of the temple ( Ezr 3:2, 3, 6; Ps 135:2\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p3.3"). Yet, in this position, by reason of his own and his people's sins, he is represented as on his and their trial ( Nu 35:12\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p3.4").
      
he showed me--"He" is \ithe interpreting angel.\iJerusalem's (Joshua's) "filthy garments" ( Zec 3:3\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p4.1") are its sins which had hitherto brought down God's judgments. The "change of raiment" implies its restoration to God's favor. Satan suggested to the Jews that so consciously polluted a priesthood and people could offer no acceptable sacrifice to God, and therefore they might as well desist from the building of the temple. Zechariah encourages them by showing that their demerit does not disqualify them for the work, as they are accepted in the righteousness of another, their great High Priest, the Branch ( Zec 3:8\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p4.2"), a scion of their own royal line of David ( Isa 11:1\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p4.3"). The full accomplishment of Israel's justification and of Satan the accuser's being "rebuked" finally, is yet future ( Re 12:10\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p4.4"). Compare Re 11:8\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p4.5", wherein "Jerusalem," as here, is shown to be meant primarily, though including the whole Church in general (compare Job 1:9\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p4.6").
      
Satan--the \iHebrew\iterm meaning "adversary" in a law court: as \idevil\iis the \iGreek\iterm, meaning \iaccuser.\iMessiah, on the other hand, is "advocate" for His people in the court of heaven's justice ( 1Jo 2:1\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p5.1").
      
standing at his right hand--the usual position of a \iprosecutor\ior \iaccuser\iin court, as the left hand was the position of the defendant ( Ps 109:6\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p6.1"). The "angel of the Lord" took the same position just before another high priest was about to beget the forerunner of Messiah ( Lu 1:11\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p6.2"), who supplants Satan from his place as accuser. Some hence explain Jude 9\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p6.3"as referring to this passage: "the body of Moses" being thus \ithe Jewish Church,\ifor which Satan contended as his by reason of its sins; just as the "body of Christ" is \ithe Christian Church.\iHowever, Jude 9\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p6.4"plainly speaks of the literal body of Moses, the resurrection of which at the transfiguration Satan seems to have opposed on the ground of Moses' error at Meribah; the same divine rebuke, "the Lord rebuke thee," checked Satan in contending for judgment against Moses' body, as checked him when demanding judgment against the Jewish Church, to which Moses' body corresponds.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p6.5"2. the Lord--Jehovah, hereby identified with the "angel of the Lord (Jehovah)" ( Zec 3:1\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p7.2").
      
rebuke thee--twice repeated to express the certainty of Satan's accusations and machinations against Jerusalem being frustrated. Instead of lengthened argument, Jehovah \isilences\iSatan by the one plea, namely, God's \ichoice.\i
      
chosen Jerusalem--( Ro 9:16; 11:5\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p9.1"). The conclusive answer. If the issue rested on Jerusalem's merit or demerit, condemnation must be the award; but Jehovah's "choice" ( Joh 15:16\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p9.2") rebuts Satan's charge against Jerusalem ( Zec 1:17; 2:12; Ro 8:33, 34, 37\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p9.3"), represented by Joshua (compare in the great atonement, Le 16:6-20\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p9.4", &c.), not that she may continue in sin, but be freed from it ( Zec 3:7\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p9.5").
      
brand plucked out of ... fire--( Am 4:11; 1Pe 4:18; Jude 23\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p10.1"). Herein God implies that His acquittal of Jerusalem is not that He does not recognize her sin ( Zec 3:3, 4, 9\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p10.2"), but that having punished her people for it with a seventy years' captivity, He on the ground of His \ielecting\ilove has delivered her from the fiery ordeal; and when once He has begun a deliverance, as in this case, He will perfect it ( Ps 89:30-35; Php 1:6\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p10.3").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p10.4"3. filthy garments--symbol of sin ( Pr 30:12; Isa 4:4; 64:6\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p11.1"); proving that it is not on the ground of His people's righteousness that He accepts them. Here primarily the "filthy garments" represent the abject state temporally of the priesthood and people at the return from Babylon. Yet he "stood before the angel." Abject as he was, he was \ibefore Jehovah's eye,\iwho graciously accepts His people's services, though mixed with sin and infirmity.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p11.2"4. those that stood before him--the ministering angels (compare the phrase in 1Ki 10:8; Da 1:5\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p12.1").
      
Take away the filthy garments--In Zec 3:9\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p13.1"it is "remove the iniquity of \ithat land\i"; therefore Joshua represents the land.
      
from him--literally, "from upon him"; pressing upon him as an overwhelming burden.
      
change of raiment--festal robes of the high priest, most costly and gorgeous; symbol of Messiah's imputed righteousness ( Mt 22:11\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p15.1"). The restoration of the glory of the priesthood is implied: first, partially, at the completion of the second temple; fully realized in the great High Priest \iJesus,\iwhose name is identical with \iJoshua\i( Heb 4:8\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p15.2"), the Representative of Israel, the "kingdom of priests" ( Ex 19:6\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p15.3"); once clad in the filthy garments of our vileness, but being the chosen of the Father ( Isa 42:1; 44:1; 49:1-3\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p15.4"), He hath by death ceased from sin, and in garments of glory entered the heavenly holy place as our High Priest ( Heb 8:1; 9:24\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p15.5"). Then, as the consequence ( 1Pe 2:5\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p15.6"), realized in the Church generally ( Lu 15:22; Re 19:8\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p15.7"), and in Israel in particular ( Isa 61:10\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p15.8"; compare Isa 3:6; 66:21\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p15.9").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p15.10"5. And I said--Here the prophet, rejoicing at the change of raiment so far made, interposes to ask for the crowning assurance that the priesthood would be fully restored, namely, the putting \ithe miter\ior priestly turban on Joshua: its \ifair\icolor symbolizing the official purity of the order restored. He does not command, but prays; not "Set," but "Let them set." \iVulgate\iand \iSyriac\iversion read it, " \iHe\ithen said," which is the easier reading; but the very difficulty of the present \iHebrew\ireading makes it less likely to come from a modern corrector of the text.
      
angel of ... Lord stood by--the Divine Angel had been sitting (the posture of a judge, Da 7:9\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p17.1"); now He "stands" to see that Zechariah's prayer be executed, and then to give the charge ( Zec 3:6, 7\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p17.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p17.3"6. protested--proceeded \isolemnly to declare.\iA forensic term for an affirmation on oath ( Heb 6:17, 18\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p18.1"). God thus solemnly states the end for which the priesthood is restored to the people, His own glory in their obedience and pure worship, and their consequent promotion to heavenly honor.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p18.2"7.God's \ichoice\iof Jerusalem ( Zec 3:2\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p19.1") was unto its sanctification ( Joh 15:16; Ro 8:29\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p19.2"); hence the charge here which connects the promised blessing with obedience.
      
my charge--the ordinances, ritual and moral ( Nu 3:28, 31, 32, 38; Jos 1:7-9; 1Ki 2:3; Eze 44:16\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p20.1").
      
judge my house--Thou shalt long preside over the temple ceremonial as high priest ( Le 10:10; Eze 44:23; Mal 2:7\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p21.1") [Grotius]. Or, rule over My house, that is, My people [Maurer] ( Nu 12:7; Ho 8:1\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p21.4"). We know from De 17:9\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p21.5"that the priest judged cases. He was not only to obey the Mosaic institute himself, but to see that it was obeyed by others. God's people are similarly to exercise judgment hereafter, as the reward of their present faithfulness ( Da 7:18, 22; Lu 19:17; 1Co 6:2\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p21.6"); by virtue of their royal priesthood ( Re 1:6\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p21.7").
      
keep my courts--guard My house from profanation.
      
places to walk--free ingress and egress ( 1Sa 18:16; 1Ki 3:7; 15:17\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p23.1"), so that thou mayest go through these ministering angels who stand by Jehovah ( Zec 4:14; 6:5; 1Ki 22:19\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p23.2") into His presence, discharging thy priestly function. In Eze 42:4\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p23.3"the same \iHebrew\iword is used of a \iwalk\ibefore the priests' chambers in the future temple. Zechariah probably refers here to such a \iwalk\ior \iway;\iThou shalt not merely walk among priests like thyself, as in the old temple \iwalks,\ibut among the very angels as thine associates.Hengstenbergtranslates, "I will give thee \iguides\i(from) among these," &c. But there is no "from" in the \iHebrew; English Version\iis therefore better. Priests are called \iangels\ior "messengers" ( Mal 2:7\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p23.5"); they are therefore thought worthy to be associated with heavenly angels. So these latter are present at the assemblies of true Christian worshippers ( 1Co 11:10\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p23.6"; compare Ec 5:6; Eph 3:10; Re 22:9\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p23.7").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p23.8"8. Hear--On account of the magnitude of what He is about to say, He at once demands solemn attention.
      
thy fellows that sit before thee--thy subordinate colleagues in the priesthood; not that they were actually then \isitting before him;\ibut their usual posture in consultations was on chairs or benches before him, while he sat on an elevated seat as their president.
      
they are--From speaking to Joshua He passes to speaking \iof him and them,\iin the third person, to the attendant angels (compare Zec 3:9\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p26.1").
      
men wondered at-- \iHebrew,\i"men of wonder," that is, having a typical character ( Isa 8:18; 20:3; Eze 12:11; 24:24\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p27.1"). Joshua the high priest typifies Messiah, as Joshua's "fellows" typify believers whom Messiah admits to share His Priesthood ( 1Pe 2:5; Re 5:10\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p27.2"). This, its typical character, then, is a pledge to assure the desponding Jews that the priesthood shall be preserved till the great Antitype comes. There may be also an indirect reproof of the unbelief of the multitude who "wonder" at God's servants and even at God's Son incredulously ( Ps 71:7; Isa 8:18; 53:1\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p27.3", &c.).
      
behold--marking the greatness of what follows.
      
my servant--the characteristic title of Messiah ( Isa 42:1; 49:3; 50:10; 52:13; 53:11; Eze 34:23, 24\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p29.1").
      
the Branch--Messiah, a tender branch from the almost extinct royal line of David ( Zec 6:12; Isa 4:2; 11:1; Jer 23:5; 33:15\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p30.1"). Lu 1:78\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p30.2", where for "day spring," "branch" may be substituted ( Mal 4:2\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p30.3", however, favors \iEnglish Version\i). The reference cannot be to Zerubbabel (asGrotiusthinks), for \ihe\iwas then in the full discharge of his office, whereas "the Branch" here is regarded as future.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p30.5"9. For--expressing the ground for encouragement to the Jews in building the temple: I (Jehovah) have laid the (foundation) stone as the chief architect, before (in the presence of) Joshua, by "the hand of Zerubbabel" ( Zec 4:10; Ezr 3:8-13\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p31.1"), so that your labor in building shall not be vain. Antitypically, the (foundation) stone alluded to is Christ, before called "the Branch." Lest any should think from that term that His kingdom is weak, He now calls it "the stone," because of its solidity and strength whereby it is to be the foundation of the Church, and shall crush all the world kingdoms ( Ps 118:22\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p31.2"; compare Isa 28:16; Da 2:45; Mt 21:42; 1Co 3:11; 1Pe 2:6, 7\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p31.3"). The angel pointing to the chief stone lying before Him, intimates that a deeper mystery than the material temple is symbolized.Moorethinks the "stone" is \ithe Jewish Church,\iwhich Jehovah engages watchfully to guard. \iThe temple,\irather, is that symbolically. But the antitype of the foundation- \istone\iis Messiah.
      
upon one stone shall be seven eyes--namely, the watchful "eyes" of Jehovah's care ever fixed "upon" it ( Zec 4:10\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p32.1") [Maurer]. The eye is the symbol of \iProvidence:\i"seven," of \iperfection\i( Re 5:6\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p32.3"; compare 2Ch 16:9; Ps 32:8\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p32.4"). Antitypically, "the seven eyes upon the stone" are the eyes of all angels ( 1Ti 3:16\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p32.5"), and of all saints ( Joh 3:14, 15; 12:32\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p32.6"), and of the patriarchs and prophets ( Joh 8:56; 1Pe 1:10, 11\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p32.7"), fixed on Christ; above all, the eyes of the Father ever rest with delight on Him.Calvin(perhaps better) considers \ithe seven eyes\ito be \icarved on the stone,\ithat is, not the eyes of the Father and of angels and saints ever \ifixed on\iHim, but \iHis own\isevenfold (perfect) fullness of grace, and of gifts of the Spirit ( Isa 11:2, 3; Joh 1:16; 3:34; Col 1:19; 2:9\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p32.9"), and \iHis\iwatchful providence now for the Jews in building the temple, and always for His Church, His spiritual temple. Thus the "stone" is not as other stones senseless, but \iliving\iand full of eyes of perfect intelligence ( 1Pe 2:4\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p32.10", "a \iliving\istone"), who not only attracts the eyes ( Joh 12:32\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p32.11") of His people, but emits illumination so as to direct them to Him.
      
engrave ... graving--implying Messiah's exceeding beauty and preciousness; alluding to the polished stones of the temple: Christ excelled them, as much as God who "prepared His body" ( Heb 10:5\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p33.1"; compare Joh 2:21\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p33.2") is superior to all human builders.
      
remove ... iniquity of that land in one day--that is, the iniquity and its consequences, namely the punishment to which the Jews heretofore had been subjected ( Hag 1:6, 9-11\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p34.1"). The remission of sin is the fountain of every other blessing. The "one day" of its \iremoval\iis primarily the day of national atonement celebrated after the completion of the temple ( Le 23:27\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p34.2") on the tenth day of the seventh month. Antitypically, the atonement by Messiah for all men, \ionce for all\i("one day") offered, needing no repetition like the Mosaic sacrifices ( Heb 10:10, 12, 14\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p34.3").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p34.4"10. under ... vine ... fig tree--emblem of tranquil prosperity ( 1Ki 4:25\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p35.1"). Type of spiritual \ipeace\iwith God through Christ ( Ro 5:1\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p35.2"); and of millennial blessedness ( Mic 4:4\Q="x.xxxviii.iv-p35.3").
      

\C3="Chapter 4" \Q="x.xxxviii.v-p0.1"CHAPTER 4
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.v-p1.1" Zec 4:1-14\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p2.1".Fifth Vision. \iThe golden candlestick and the two olive trees. The temple shall be completed by the aid of God's Spirit.\i
      
1. waked me--The prophet was lying in a state of ecstatic slumber with astonishment at the previous vision. "Came again, and waked me," does not imply that the angel had departed and now returned, but is an idiom for "waked me again."
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.v-p3.1"2. candlestick--symbolizing the Jewish theocracy; and ultimately, the Church of which the Jewish portion is to be the head: the \ilight-bearer\i(so the original is of "lights," Mt 5:14, 16; Php 2:15\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p4.1") to the world.
      
all ... gold--all pure in doctrine and practice, precious and indestructible; such is the true ideal of the Church; such she shall be ( Ps 45:13\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p5.1").
      
bowl upon the top--In the candlestick of the tabernacle the \iplural\iis used, \ibowls\i( Ex 25:31\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p6.1"). The \iHebrew\iimplies that it was the \ifountain\iof supply of oil to the lamps. Christ at the head ("on the top") of the Church is the true fountain, \iof\iwhose \ifulness of the Spirit all we receive grace\i( Joh 1:16\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p6.2").
      
his seven lamps--united in one stem; so in Ex 25:32\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p7.1". But in Re 1:12\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p7.2"the seven candlesticks are separate. The Gentile churches will not realize their unity till the Jewish Church as the stem unites all the lamps in one candlestick ( Ro 11:16-24\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p7.3"). The "seven lamps," in Re 4:5\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p7.4", are the "seven Spirits of God."
      
seven pipes--feeding tubes, seven apiece from the "bowl" to each lamp (see \iMargin\i) [MaurerandCalvin]; literally, "seven and seven": forty-nine in all. The greater the number of oil-feeding pipes, the brighter the light of the lamps. The explanation in Zec 4:6\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p8.3"is, that man's power by itself can neither retard nor advance God's work, that the real motive-power is God's \iSpirit.\iThe seven times seven imply the manifold modes by which the Spirit's grace is imparted to the Church in her manifold work of enlightening the world.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.v-p8.4"3. two olive trees--supplying oil to the bowl. The Holy Ghost, who fills with His fulness Messiah (the \ianointed:\ithe "bowl"), from whom flow supplies of grace to the Church.
      
by it--literally, "upon it," that is, growing so as somewhat to overtop it. For the explanation of the "two" see Zec 4:12, 14\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p10.1".
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.v-p10.2"4.The prophet is instructed in the truths meant, that we may read them with the greater reverence and attention [Calvin].
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.v-p11.2"5. Knowest thou not,&c.--Not a reproof of his ignorance, but a stimulus to reflection on the mystery.
      
No, my lord--ingenious confession of ignorance; as a little child he casts himself for instruction at the feet of the Lord.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.v-p13.1"6. Not by might ... but by my Spirit--As the lamps burned continually, supplied with oil from a source (the living olive trees) which man did not make, so Zerubbabel need not be disheartened because of his weakness; for as the work is one to be effected by the living Spirit (compare Hag 2:5\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p14.1") of God, man's weakness is no obstacle, for God's might will perfect strength out of weakness ( Ho 1:7; 2Co 12:10; Heb 11:34\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p14.2"). "Might and power" express human strength of every description, physical, mental, moral. Or, "might" is the strength \iof many\i(an "army," literally); "power," that \iof one man\i[Pembellus]. God can save, "whether with many, or with them that have no power" ( 2Ch 14:11\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p14.4"; compare 1Sa 14:6\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p14.5"). So in the conversion of sinners ( 1Co 3:6; 2Co 10:4\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p14.6"). "Zerubbabel" is addressed as the chief civil authority in directing the work.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.v-p14.7"7.All \imountain\i-like obstacles ( Isa 40:4; 49:11\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p15.1") in \iZerubbabel's\iway shall be removed, so that the crowning top-stone shall be put on, and the completion of the work be acknowledged as wholly of "grace." Antitypically, the antichristian last foe of Israel, the obstacle preventing her establishment in Palestine, about to be crushed before Messiah, is probably meant ( Jer 51:25; Da 2:34, 44; Mt 21:44\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p15.2").
      
bring forth the head-stone--Primarily, bring it forth from the place where it was chiselled and give it to the workmen to put on the top of the building. It was customary for chief magistrates to lay the foundation, and also the crowning top-stone (compare Ezr 3:10\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p16.1"). Antitypically, the reference is to the time when the full number of the spiritual Church shall be completed, and also when "all Israel shall be saved" (compare Ro 11:26; Heb 11:40; 12:22, 23; Re 7:4-9\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p16.2").
      
Grace, grace--The repetition expresses, \iGrace\ifrom first to last ( Isa 26:3\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p17.1", \iMargin\i). Thus the Jews are urged to pray perseveringly and earnestly that the same grace which completed it may always preserve it. "Shoutings" of acclamation accompanied the foundation of the literal temple ( Ezr 3:11, 13\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p17.2"). So shoutings of "Hosanna" greeted the Saviour in entering Jerusalem ( Mt 21:9\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p17.3"), when about to complete the purchase of salvation by His death: His Body being the second temple, or place of God's inhabitation ( Joh 2:20, 21\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p17.4"). So when the full number of the saints and of Israel is complete, and God shall say, "It is done," then again shall "a great voice of much people in heaven" attribute all to the "grace" of God, saying, "Alleluia! Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God" ( Re 19:1, 6\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p17.5"). Ps 118:22\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p17.6"regards Him as "the head-stone of the corner," that is, the \ifoundation\i-stone. Compare the angels acclamations at His birth, Lu 2:14\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p17.7". Here it is the \itop-stone.\iMessiah is not only the "Author," but also the Finisher ( Heb 12:2\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p17.8"). "Grace" is ascribed "unto it," that is, the stone, Messiah. Hence the benediction begins, "The \igrace\iof the Lord Jesus Christ" ( 2Co 13:14\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p17.9").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.v-p17.10" \Q="x.xxxviii.v-p17.11"9. Zerubbabel ... shall ... finish it--( Ezr 6:15\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p18.1") in the sixth year of Darius' reign.
      
Lord ... sent me unto you--( Zec 2:9\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p19.1"). The Divine Angel announces that in what He has just spoken, He has been commissioned by God the Father.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.v-p19.2"10. who ... despised ... small things--He reproves their ungrateful unbelief, which they felt because of the humble beginning, compared with the greatness of the undertaking; and encourages them with the assurance that their progress in the work, though small, was an earnest of great and final success, because Jehovah's eye is upon Zerubbabel and the work, to support Him with His favor. Contrast, "great is \ithe day\iof Jezreel" ( Ho 1:11\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p20.1") with "the day of \ismall\ithings" here.
      
they shall rejoice ... \iwith\ithose seven; they \iare\ithe eyes of the Lord--rather, "they, \ieven\ithose seven eyes of the Lord (compare Zec 3:9\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p21.1"), which ... shall rejoice and see (that is, rejoicingly see) the plummet (literally, the 'stone of tin') in the hand of Zerubbabel" [Moore]; the plummet in his hand indicating that the work is going forward to its completion. The \iHebrew\ipunctuation, however, favors \iEnglish Version,\iof which the sense is, They who incredulously "despised" such "small" beginnings of the work as are made now, shall rejoicingly see its going on to completion under Zerubbabel, "with ( \ithe aid of\i) those seven," namely, the "seven eyes upon one stone" ( Zec 3:9\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p21.3"): which are explained, "They are the eyes of the Lord which," &c. [Pembellus]. So differently do men and Jehovah regard the "small" beginnings of God's work ( Ezr 3:12; Hag 2:3\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p21.5"). Men "despised" the work in its early stage: God rejoicingly regards it, and shall continue to do so.
      
run to and fro,&c.--Nothing in the whole earth escapes the eye of Jehovah, so that He can ward off all danger from His people, come from what quarter it may, in prosecuting His work ( Pr 15:3; 1Co 16:9\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p22.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.v-p22.2"11, 12.Zechariah three times ( Zec 4:4, 11, 12\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p23.1") asks as to the two olives before he gets an answer; the question becomes more minute each time. What he at first calls "two olive trees," he afterwards calls "branches," as on closer looking he observes that the "branches" of the trees are the channels through which a continual flow of oil dropped into the bowl of the lamps ( Zec 4:2\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p23.2"), and that this is the purpose for which the two olive trees stand beside the candlestick. Primarily, the "two" refer to Joshua and Zerubbabel. God, saysAuberlen, at each of the transition periods of the world's history has sent great men to guide the Church. So the two witnesses shall appear before the destruction of Antichrist. Antitypically, "the two anointed ones" ( Zec 4:14\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p23.4") are the twofold supports of the Church, the civil power (answering to Zerubbabel) and the ecclesiastical (answering to Joshua, the high priest), which in the restored Jewish polity and temple shall "stand by," that is, minister to "the Lord of the whole earth," as He shall be called in the day that He sets up His throne in Jerusalem ( Zec 14:9; Da 2:44; Re 11:15\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p23.5"). Compare the description of the offices of the "priests" and the "prince" ( Isa 49:23; Eze 44:1-46:24\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p23.6"). As in Re 11:3, 4\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p23.7", the "two witnesses" are identified with the two olive trees and the two candlesticks.Wordsworthexplains them to mean the Law and the Gospel: the two Testaments that \iwitness\iin the Church for the truth of God. But this is at variance with the sense here, which requires Joshua and Zerubbabel to be primarily meant. So Moses (the prophet and lawgiver) and Aaron (the high priest) ministered to the Lord among the covenant-people at the exodus; Ezekiel (the priest) and Daniel (a ruler) in the Babylonian captivity; so it shall be in restored Israel. Some think Elijah will appear again (compare the transfiguration, Mt 17:3, 11, with Mal 4:4, 5; Joh 1:21\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p23.9") with Moses. Re 11:6\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p23.10", which mentions the very miracles performed by Elijah and Moses (shutting heaven so as not to rain, and turning water into blood), favors this (compare Ex 7:19; 1Ki 17:1; Lu 4:25; Jas 5:16, 17\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p23.11"). The period is the same, "three years and six months"; the scene also is in Israel ( Re 11:8\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p23.12"), "where our Lord was crucified." It is supposed that for the first three and a half years of the hebdomad ( Da 9:20-27\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p23.13"), God will be worshipped in the temple; in the latter three and a half years, Antichrist will break the covenant ( Da 9:27\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p23.14"), and set himself up in the temple to be worshipped as God ( 2Th 2:4\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p23.15"). The witnesses prophesy the former three and a half years, while corruptions prevail and faith is rare ( Lu 18:8\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p23.16"); then they are slain and remain dead three and a half years. Probably, besides individual witnesses and literal years, there is a fulfilment in long periods and general witnesses, such as the Church and the Word, the civil and religious powers so far as they have witnessed for God. So "the beast" in Revelation answers to the civil power of the apostasy; "the false prophet" to the spiritual power. Man needs the \ipriest\ito atone for guilt, and the \iprophet-king\ito teach holiness with kingly authority. These two typically united in Melchisedek were divided between two till they meet in Messiah, the Antitype. Zec 6:11-13\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p23.17"accords with this. The Holy Spirit in this His twofold power of applying to man the grace of the \iatonement,\iand that of \isanctification,\imust in one point of view be meant by the two olive trees which supply the bowl at the top of the candlestick (that is, Messiah at the head of the Church); for it is He who filled Jesus with all the fulness of His unction ( Joh 3:34\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p23.18"). But this does not exclude the primary application to \iJoshua and Zerubbabel,\i"anointed" ( Zec 4:14\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p23.19") with grace to minister to the Jewish Church: and so applicable to the twofold supports of the Church which are anointed with the Spirit, the \iprince\iand the \ipriest,\ior \iminister.\i
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.v-p23.20"12. through--literally, "by the hand of," that is, by the agency of.
      
branches--literally, "ears"; so the olive branches are called, because as ears are full of grain, so the olive branches are full of olives.
      
golden \ioil\i--literally, "gold," that is, gold-like liquor.
      
out of themselves--Ordinances and ministers are channels of grace, not the grace itself. The supply comes not from a dead reservoir of oil, but through living olive trees ( Ps 52:8; Ro 12:1\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p27.1") fed by God.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.v-p27.2"13. Knowest thou not--God would awaken His people to zeal in learning His truth.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.v-p28.1"14. anointed ones--literally, "sons of oil" ( Isa 5:1\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p29.1", \iMargin\i). Joshua the high priest, and Zerubbabel the civil ruler, must first be anointed with grace themselves, so as to be the instruments of furnishing it to others (compare 1Jo 2:20, 27\Q="x.xxxviii.v-p29.2").
      

\C3="Chapter 5" \Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p0.1"CHAPTER 5
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p1.1" Zec 5:1-4\Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p2.1".Sixth Vision. The Flying Roll. \iThe fraudulent and perjuring transgressors of the law shall be extirpated from Judea.\i
      
1. flying roll--of papyrus, or dressed skins, used for writing on when paper was not known. It was inscribed with the words of the curse ( De 27:15-26; 28:15-68\Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p3.1"). Being written implied that its contents were beyond all escape or repeal ( Eze 2:9\Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p3.2"). Its "flying" shows that its curses were ready swiftly to visit the transgressors. It was unrolled, or else its dimensions could not have been seen ( Zec 5:2\Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p3.3"). Being open to all, none could say in excuse he knew not the law and the curses of disobedience. As the previous visions intimated God's favor in restoring the Jewish state, so this vision announces judgment, intimating that God, notwithstanding His favor, did not approve of their sins. Being written on both sides, "on this and on that side" ( Zec 5:3\Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p3.4") [Vatablus] connects it with the two tables of the law ( Ex 32:15\Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p3.6"), and implies its comprehensiveness. One side denounced "him that sweareth falsely ( Zec 5:4\Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p3.7") by God's name," according to the third commandment of \ithe first table,\iduty to God; the other side denounced \itheft,\iaccording to the eighth commandment, which is in \ithe second table,\iduty to one's neighbor.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p3.8"2. length ... twenty cubits ... breadth ... ten cubits--thirty feet by fifteen, the dimensions of the temple porch ( 1Ki 6:3\Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p4.1"), where the law was usually read, showing that it was divinely authoritative in the theocracy. Its large size implies the great number of the curses contained. The \iHebrew\ifor "roll" or "volume" is used of the law ( Ps 40:7\Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p4.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p4.3"3. curse ... earth--( Mal 4:6\Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p5.1"). The Gentiles are amenable to the curse of the law, as they have its substance, so far as they have not seared and corrupted conscience, written on their hearts ( Ro 2:15\Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p5.2").
      
cut off--literally, "cleared away."
      
as on this side ... as on that side--both sides of the \iroll\i[Vatablus]. From this place ... from this place (repeated twice, as "the house" is repeated in Zec 5:4\Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p7.2") [Maurer]; so "hence" is used, Ge 37:17\Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p7.4"(or, "on this and on that side," that is, \ion every side\i) [Henderson]. None can escape, sin where he may: for God from one side to the other shall call all without exception to judgment [Calvin]. God will not spare even "this place," Jerusalem, when it sins [Pembellus]. \iEnglish Version\iseems to takeVatablus'view.
      
according to it--according as it is written.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p8.1"4.The "theft" immediately meant is similar sacrilege to that complained of in Ne 13:10; Mal 3:8\Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p9.1". They robbed God by neglecting to give Him His due in building His house, while they built their own houses, forswearing their obligations to Him; therefore, the "houses" they build shall be "consumed" with God's "curse." Probably literal theft and perjury accompanied their virtual theft and perjury as to the temple of God ( Mal 3:5\Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p9.2"). Stealing and perjury go together; for the covetous and fraudulent perjure themselves by God's name without scruple (see Pr 30:9\Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p9.3").
      
enter ... the house--In vain they guard and shut themselves up who incur the curse; it will inevitably enter even when they think themselves most secure.
      
consume ... timber ... stones--not leaving a vestige of it. So the "stones" and "timber" of the house of a leper (type of the sinner) were to be utterly removed ( Le 14:15\Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p11.1"; compare 1Ki 18:38\Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p11.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p11.3" Zec 5:5-11\Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p12.1".Seventh Vision. The Woman in the Ephah. \iWickedness and idolatry removed from the Holy Land to Babylon, there to mingle with their kindred elements.\i
      
The \iephah\iis the Hebrew dry measure containing about a bushel, or seven and a half gallons. Alluding to the previous vision as to theft and perjury: the ephah which, by falsification of the measure, they made the instrument of defrauding, shall be made the instrument of their punishment [Grotius]. Compare "this is their resemblance" ( Zec 5:6\Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p13.2"), that is, this is a representation of what the Jews have done, and what they shall suffer. Their total dispersion ("the land of Shinar" being the emblem of the various Gentile lands of their present dispersion) is herein fortetold, when the \imeasure\i(to which the ephah alludes) of their sins should be full. The former vision denounces judgment on individuals; this one, on the whole state: but enigmatically, not to discourage their present building [Pembellus]. Rather, the vision is consolatory after the preceding one [Calvin]. Idolatry and its kindred sins, covetousness and fraud (denounced in the vision of the roll), shall be removed far out of the Holy Land to their own congenial soil, never to return (so Zec 3:9; Isa 27:9; 52:1; 60:21; Jer 50:20; Zep 3:13\Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p13.5"). For more than two thousand years, ever since the Babylonian exile, the Jews have been free from \iidolatry;\ibut the full accomplishment of the prophecy is yet future, when \iall\isin shall be purged from Israel on their return to Palestine, and conversion to Christ.
      
5. went forth--The interpreting angel had withdrawn after the vision of the roll to receive a fresh revelation from the Divine Angel to communicate to the prophet.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p14.1"6. This is their resemblance--literally, "eye" (compare Eze 1:4, 5, 16\Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p15.1").Hengstenbergtranslates, "Their (the people's) eye" was all directed to evil. But \iEnglish Version\iis better. "This is the appearance (that is, an image) of the Jews in all \ithe land\i" (not as \iEnglish Version,\i"in all \ithe earth\i"), that is, of the wicked Jews.
      
This--Here used of what was \iwithin\ithe ephah, not the ephah itself.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p16.1"7. lifted up--The cover is lifted off the ephah to let the prophet see the female personification of "wickedness" within, about to be removed from Judea. The cover being "of lead," implies that the "woman" cannot escape from the ponderous load which presses her down.
      
talent--literally, "a round piece": hence a talent, a weight of one hundred twenty-five pounds troy.
      
woman--for comparison of "wickedness" to a \iwoman,\i Pr 2:16; 5:3, 4\Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p19.1". In personifying abstract terms, the feminine is used, as the idea of giving birth to life is associated with woman.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p19.2"8. wickedness--literally, " \ithe\iwickedness": implying wickedness in its peculiar development. Compare " \ithe\iman of sin," 2Th 2:3\Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p20.1".
      
cast it--that is, her, Wickedness, who had moved more freely while the heavy lid was partially lifted off.
      
weight--literally, "stone," that is, round mass.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p22.1"9.The agents to carry away the "woman" are, consistently with the image, "women." God makes the wicked themselves the agents of punishing and removing wickedness. "Two" are employed, as one is not enough to carry such a load [Maurer]. Or, the Assyrians and Babylonians, who carried away idolatry in the persons, respectively, of Israel and Judah [Henderson]. As two "anointed ones" ( Zec 4:14\Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p23.3") stand by the Lord as His ministers, so \itwo\iwinged women execute His purpose here in removing the embodiment of "wickedness": answering to the "mystery of iniquity" (the \iSeptuagint\ihere in Zechariah uses the same words as Paul and "the man of sin," whom the Lord shall destroy with the spirit of His mouth and the brightness of His coming, 2Th 2:3, 7, 8\Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p23.4"). Their "wings" express velocity. The "stork" has long and wide wings, for which reason it is specified; also it is a migratory bird. The "wind" helps the rapid motion of the wings. The being "lifted up between heaven and earth" implies open execution of the judgment before the eyes of all. As the "woman" here is removed to Babylon as her own dwelling, so the woman in the Apocalypse of St. John is Babylon ( Re 17:3-5\Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p23.5").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p23.6" \Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p23.7"11. To build ... house in ... Shinar--Babylonia ( Ge 10:10\Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p24.1"), the capital of the God-opposed world kingdoms, and so representing in general the seat of irreligion. As the "building of houses" in Babylon ( Jer 29:5, 28\Q="x.xxxviii.vi-p24.2") by the Jews themselves expressed their long exile there, so the building of an house for "wickedness" there implies its permanent stay.
      
set ... upon her own base--fixed there as in its proper place. "Wickedness" being cast out of Judah, shall for ever dwell with the antichristian apostates (of whom Babylon is the type), who shall reap the fruit of it, which they deserve.
      

\C3="Chapter 6" \Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p0.1"CHAPTER 6
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p1.1" Zec 6:1-8\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p2.1".Eighth Vision. The Four Chariots.
      
1. four chariots--symbolizing the various dispensations of Providence towards the Gentile nations which had been more or less brought into contact with Judea; especially in punishing Babylon. Compare Zec 6:8\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p3.1"("the north country," that is, Babylon); Zec 1:15; 2:6\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p3.2". The number "four" is specified not merely in reference to the four quarters of the horizon (implying \iuniversal\ijudgments), but in allusion to the \ifour\iworld kingdoms of Daniel.
      
from between two mountains--the valley of Jehoshaphat, between Moriah and Mount Olivet [Moore]; or the valley between Zion and Moriah, where the Lord is ( Zec 2:10\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p4.2"), and whence He sends forth His ministers of judgment on the heathen [Maurer]. The temple on Mount Moriah is the symbol of the theocracy; hence the nearest spot accessible to chariots in the valley below is the most suitable for a vision affecting Judah in relation to the Gentile world powers. The chariot is the symbol of war, and so of judgments.
      
of brass--the metal among the ancients representing hard solidity; so the immovable and resistless firmness of God's people (compare Jer 1:18\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p5.1").Calvinexplains the "two mountains" thus: The secret purpose of God from eternity does not come forth to view before the execution, but is hidden and kept back irresistibly till the fit time, as it were \ibetween\ilofty \imountains;\ithe \ichariots\iare the various changes wrought in nations, which, as swift heralds, announce to us what before we knew not. The "two" may thus correspond to the number of the "olive trees" ( Zec 4:3\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p5.3"); the \iallusion\ito the "two mountains" near the temple is not necessarily excluded in this view.Hendersonexplains them to be the Medo-Persian kingdom, represented by the "two horns" ( Da 8:3, 4\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p5.5"), now employed to execute God's purpose in punishing the nations; but the prophecy reaches far beyond those times.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p5.6"2. red--implying carnage.
      
black--representing sorrow; also famine ( Re 6:5, 6\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p7.1"; compare Zec 1:8\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p7.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p7.3"3. white--implying joy and victory [Calvin].
      
grizzled--piebald. Implying a \imixed\idispensation, partly prosperity, partly adversity. All four dispensations, though various in character to the Gentile nation, portended alike good to God's people.
      
bay--rather, "strong" or "fleet"; so \iVulgate\i[Gesenius]. The horses have this epithet, whose part it was to "walk to and fro through the earth" ( Zec 6:7\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p10.2"). However, the \iSeptuagint\iand \iChaldee\iagree with \iEnglish Version\iin referring the \iHebrew\ito \icolor,\inot strength.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p10.3"4.The prophet humbly and teachably seeks instruction from God, and therefore seeks not in vain.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p11.1"5. four spirits of the heavens--heavenly spirits who "stand before Jehovah" to receive God's commands ( Zec 4:14; 1Ki 22:19; Job 2:1; Lu 1:19\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p12.1") in heaven (of which Zion is the counterpart on earth, see on), and proceed with chariot speed ( 2Ki 6:17; Ps 68:17\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p12.4") to execute them on earth in its four various quarters ( Ps 104:4; Heb 1:7, 14\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p12.5") [Pembellus]. Or, the secret impulses of God which emanate from His counsel and providence; the prophet implies that all the revolutions in the world are from the Spirit of God and are as it were, His messengers or spirits [Calvin].
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p12.8"6. north country--Babylon (see on). The north is the quarter specified in particular whence Judah and Israel are hereafter to return to their own land ( Zec 2:6; Jer 3:18\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p13.3"). "The black horses" go to Babylon, primarily to represent the awful desolation with which Darius visited it in the fifth year of his reign (two years after this prophecy) for revolting [Henderson]. The "white" go after the "black" horses to the same country; \itwo\isets being sent to it because of its greater cruelty and guilt in respect to Judea. The white represent Darius triumphant subjugation of it [Moore]. Rather, I think, the white are sent to victoriously subdue Medo-Persia, the second world kingdom, lying in the same quarter as Babylon, namely, north.
      
grizzled ... toward the south--that is, to Egypt, the other great foe of God's people. It, being a part of the Græco-Macedonian kingdom, stands for the whole of it, the third world kingdom.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p14.1"7. bay--rather, the "fleet" (or "strong"). As the "red" are not otherwise mentioned, the epithet "fleet" (as the \iHebrew\ifor "bay" ought to be translated) in Zec 6:3\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p15.1"seems to apply to all four, and here especially to the "red." Their office is to complete hereafter the work already in part executed by the previous three who have stilled Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Græco-Macedonia; namely, to punish finally the last great foe of Israel, the final form assumed by the fourth world kingdom, Rome, which is to continue down to the second advent of Christ. Hence they "walk to and fro through the earth," counterworking Satan's "going to and fro in the earth" ( Job 1:7; 2Th 2:8, 9; 1Ti 4:1\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p15.2"), in connection with the last awful development of the fourth world kingdom. Their "fleetness" is needed to counteract his restless activity; their red color implies the final great carnage ( Eze 39:1-29; Re 19:17, 18, 21\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p15.3").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p15.4"8. north ... quieted ... my spirit--that is, caused My \ianger\ito rest ( Jud 8:3\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p16.1", \iMargin;\i Ec 10:4; Eze 5:13; 16:42\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p16.2"). Babylon alone of the four great world kingdoms had in Zechariah's time been finally punished; therefore, in its case alone does God now say His anger is satisfied; the others had as yet to expiate their sin; the fourth has still to do so.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p16.3" Zec 6:9-15\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p17.1".Ninth Vision. The Crowning of Joshua.
      
The double crown is placed on Joshua's head, symbolizing that the true priesthood and the kingdom shall be conferred on the one Messiah. Compare Heb 6:20; 7:1-21\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p18.1", on Melchisedek, who similarly combined the kingdom and priesthood as type of Messiah.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p18.2"10. Take of \ithem of\ithe captivity--Take \isilver and gold\i( Zec 6:11\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p19.1") \ifrom\ithem. The three named came from Babylon (where some of the exiled Jews still were left) to present gifts of silver and gold towards the building of the temple. But in Zec 6:11, 14\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p19.2", "crowns" are directed to be made of them, then to be set on Joshua's head, and to be deposited in the temple as a memorial of the donors, until Messiah shall appear.
      
Heldai--meaning "robust." Called \iHelem\i.
      
Tobijah--that is, "the goodness of God."
      
Jedaiah--that is, "God knows."
      
which are come from Babylon--This clause in the \iHebrew\icomes after "Josiah son of Zephaniah." Therefore,Moorethinks Josiah as well as the three "came from Babylon." But as he has a "house" at Jerusalem, he is plainly a resident, not a visitor. Therefore \iEnglish Version\iis right; orMaurer, "Josiah son of Zephaniah, to \iwhom\ithey are come (as guests) from Babylon."
      
the same day--No time was to be lost to mark the significancy of their coming from afar to offer gifts to the temple, typifying, in the double crown made of their gifts and set on Joshua's head, the gathering in of Israel's outcasts to Messiah hereafter, who shall then be recognized as the true king and priest.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p24.1"11.The high priest wore a crown above the miter ( Zec 3:5; Le 8:9\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p25.1"). Messiah shall wear many \icrowns,\ione surmounting the other ( Re 19:12\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p25.2"). It was a thing before unknown in the Levitical priesthood that the same person should wear at once the crown of a king and that of a high priest ( Ps 110:4; Heb 5:10\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p25.3"). Messiah shall be revealed fully in this twofold dignity when He shall "restore the kingdom to Israel" ( Ac 1:6\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p25.4").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p25.5"12. Behold, the man--namely, shall arise. Pilate unconsciously spake God's will concerning Him, " \iBehold\ithe man" ( Joh 19:5\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p26.1"). The sense here is, "Behold in Joshua a remarkable shadowing forth of Messiah." It is not for his own sake that the crown is placed on him, but as type of Messiah about to be at once king and priest. Joshua could not individually be crowned king, not being of the royal line of David, but only in his \irepresentative\icharacter.
      
Branch--(See on; Isa 4:2; Jer 23:5; 33:15\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p27.3").
      
he shall grow up out of his place--retaining the image of a "Branch"; "He shall sprout up from His place," that is, the place peculiar to Him: not merely from Beth-lehem or Nazareth, but by His own power, without man's aid, in His miraculous conception [Henderson]; a sense brought out in the original, "from under Himself," or "from (of) Himself" [Calvin].Mooremakes it refer to His growing lowly \iin His place\iof obscurity, "as a tender plant and a root out of a dry ground" ( Isa 53:2\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p28.4"), for thirty years unknown except as the son of a carpenter.Maurertranslates, "Under Him there shall be growth (in the Church)." \iEnglish Version\iaccords better with the \iHebrew\i(compare Ex 10:23\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p28.6"). The idea in a Branch is that Christ's glory is growing, not yet fully manifested as a full-grown tree. Therefore men reject Him now.
      
build the temple--The promise of the future true building of the spiritual temple by Messiah ( Mt 16:18; 1Co 3:17; 2Co 6:16; Eph 2:20-22; Heb 3:3\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p29.1") is an earnest to assure the Jews, that the material temple will be built by Joshua and Zerubbabel, in spite of all seeming obstacles. It also raises their thoughts beyond the material to the spiritual temple, and also to the future glorious temple, to be reared in Israel under Messiah's superintendence ( Eze 40:1-43:27\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p29.2"). The repetition of the same clause ( Zec 6:13\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p29.3") gives emphasis to the statement as to Messiah's work.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p29.4"13. bear the glory--that is, wear the insignia of the kingly glory, "the crowns" ( Ps 21:5; 102:16; Isa 52:13\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p30.1"). \iHe himself\ishall bear the glory, not thou, Joshua, though thou dost bear the crowns. The Church's dignity is in her head alone, Christ. So Eliakim, type of Messiah, was to have "all the glory of his father's house hung upon him" ( Isa 22:24\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p30.2").
      
sit--implying security and permanence.
      
priest ... throne--( Ge 14:18; Ps 110:4; Heb 5:6, 10; 6:20; 7:1-28\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p32.1").
      
counsel of peace ... between ... both--Joshua and Zerubbabel, the religious and civil authorities co-operating in the temple, typify the \ipeace,\ior harmonious union, \ibetween both\ithe kingly and priestly offices. The kingly majesty shall not depress the priestly dignity, nor the priestly dignity the kingly majesty [Jerome]. The peace of the Church, formerly sought for in the mutual "counsels" of the kings and the priests, who had been always distinct, shall be perfectly ensured by the concurrence of the two offices in the one Messiah, who by His mediatorial priesthood purchases it, and by His kingly rule maintains it.Vitringatakes " \iHis\ithrone" to be Jehovah the Father's. Thus it will be, "there shall be ... peace between the Branch and Jehovah" [Ludovicus De Dieu]. The other view is better, namely, " \iMessiah's\ithrone." As Priest He expiates sin; as King, extirpates it. " \iCounsel\iof peace," implies that it is the plan of infinite "wisdom," whence Messiah is called "Counsellor" ( Isa 9:6; Eph 1:8, 11; Heb 6:17\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p33.4"). Peace between the kingly and priestly attributes of Messiah implies the harmonizing of the conflicting claims of God's justice as a King, and His love as a Father and Priest. Hence is produced peace to man ( Lu 2:14; Ac 10:36; Eph 2:13-17\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p33.5"). It is only by being pardoned through His atonement and ruled by His laws, that we can find "peace." The royal "throne" was always connected with the "temple," as is the case in the Apocalypse ( Re 7:15\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p33.6"), because Christ is to be a king on His throne and a priest, and because the people, whose "king" the Lord is, cannot approach Him except by a priestly mediation [Roos]. Jesus shall come to effect, by His presence ( Isa 11:4; Da 7:17\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p33.8"), that which in vain is looked for, in His absence, by other means. He shall exercise His power mediatorially as priest on His throne ( Zec 6:13\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p33.9"); therefore His reign is for a limited period, which it could not be if it were the final and everlasting state of glory. But being for a special purpose, to reconcile all things in this world, now disordered by sin, and so present it to God the Father that He may again for the first time since the fall come into direct connection with His creatures; therefore it is limited, forming the dispensation in the fulness of times ( Eph 1:10\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p33.10"), when God shall gather in one all things in Christ, the final end of which shall be, "God all in all" ( 1Co 15:24-28\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p33.11").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p33.12"14. the crowns shall be to Helem ... a memorial--deposited in the temple, to the honor of the donors; a memorial, too, of the coronation of Joshua, to remind all of Messiah, the promised antitypical king-priest, soon to come. Helem, the same as Heldai. So Hen (that is, "favor") is another name for Josiah (that is, "God founds") above. The same person often had two names.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p34.2"15. they ... far off shall ... build--The reason why the crowns were made of gold received from afar, namely, from the Jews of Babylon, was to typify the conversion of the Gentiles to Messiah, King of Israel. This, too, was included in the "peace" spoken of in Zec 6:13\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p35.1"( Ac 2:39; Eph 2:12-17\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p35.2"). Primarily, however, the return of the dispersed Israelites "from afar" ( Isa 60:9\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p35.3") to the king of the Jews at Jerusalem is intended, to be followed, secondly, by the conversion of the Gentiles from "far off" ( Zec 2:11; 8:2-2, 23; Isa 60:10; 57:19\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p35.4").
      
build in the temple--Christ "builds the temple" ( Zec 6:12, 13; Heb 3:3, 4\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p36.1"): His people "build \iin\ithe temple." Compare Heb 3:2\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p36.2", "Moses \iin\iHis house."
      
ye shall know,&c.--when the event corresponds to the prediction ( Zec 2:9; 4:9\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p37.1").
      
this shall come to pass, if ye ... obey,&c.--To the Jews of Zechariah's day a stimulus is given to \idiligent\iprosecution of the temple building, the work which it was meanwhile their duty to fulfil, relying on the hope of the Messiah afterwards to glorify it. The completion of the temple shall "come to pass," if ye diligently on your part "obey the Lord." It is not meant that their unbelief could set aside God's gracious purpose as to Messiah's coming. But there is, secondarily, meant, that Messiah's glory as priest-king of Israel shall not be manifested to the Jews till they turn to Him with obedient penitence. They meanwhile are cast away "branches" until they be grafted in again on the Branch and their own olive tree ( Zec 3:8; 12:10-12; Mt 23:39; Ro 11:16-24\Q="x.xxxviii.vii-p38.1").
      

\C3="Chapter 7" \Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p0.1"CHAPTER 7
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p1.1" Zec 7:1-14\Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p2.1".II. Didactic Part, Seventh and Eighth chapters. Obedience, Rather than Fasting, Enjoined: Its Reward.
      
1. fourth year of ... Darius--two years after the previous prophecies ( Zec 1:1\Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p3.1", &c.).
      
Chisleu--meaning "torpidity," the state in which nature is in November, answering to this month.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p4.1"2. they ... sent unto ... house of God-- \iThe Jews\iof the country sent to the house of God or congregation at Jerusalem. The altar was long since reared ( Ezr 3:3\Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p5.1"), though the temple was not completed till two years afterwards ( Ezr 6:15\Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p5.2"). The priests' duty was to give decision on points of the law ( De 17:9; Mt 2:4\Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p5.3"). \iBeth-el\iis here used instead of \iBeth-Jehovah,\ibecause the religious authorities, rather than the house itself (designated "Beth-Jehovah" in Zec 7:3\Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p5.4"), are intended. The old Beth-el had long ceased to be the seat of idol-worship, so that the name had lost its opprobrious meaning. "The house of the Lord" is used for the congregation of worshippers headed by their priests ( Zec 3:7; Ho 8:1\Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p5.5").Maurermakes the "house of God" nominative to "sent."Hendersonmakes "Beth-el" so.
      
Sherezer--an Assyrian name meaning, "Prefect of the treasury."
      
Regemmelech--meaning, "The king's official." These names perhaps intimate the semi-heathen character of the inquirers, which may also be implied in the name "Beth-el" ( \iHebrew\ifor "house of God"), so notorious once for its calf-worship. They sent to \iJehovah's house\ias their forefathers sent to old \iBeth-el,\inot in the spirit of true obedience.
      
pray before the Lord--literally, "to entreat the face of," that is, to offer sacrifices, the accompaniment of prayers, to conciliate His favor ( 1Sa 13:12\Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p8.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p8.2"3. Should I weep in the fifth month--"I" represents here the people of God (compare Zec 8:21\Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p9.1"). This rather favorsMaurer'sview, taking "the house of God," \ithe congregation,\ias nominative to "sent." Their hypocrisy appeared because they showed more concern about a ceremony of human institution (not improper in itself) than about moral obedience. If, too, they had trusted God's promise as to the restoration of Church and State, the fast would have now given place to joy, for which there was more cause than for grief [Pembellus].
      
to the prophets--Haggai and Zechariah especially. \iThe tenth day of the fifth month\iwas kept a fast, being the anniversary of the destruction of Jerusalem ( Jer 52:12-14\Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p10.1"). They ask, Should the fast \ibe continued,\inow that the temple and city are being restored?
      
separating myself--sanctifying myself by separation, not only from food, but from all defilements (compare Joe 2:16\Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p11.1") as was usual in a solemn fast.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p11.2" \Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p11.3"5. Speak unto all--The question had been asked in the name of the people in general by Sherezer and Regemmelech. The self-imposed fast they were tired of, not having observed it in the spirit of true religion.
      
seventh month--This fast was in memory of the murder of Gedaliah and those with him at Mizpah, issuing in the dispersion of the Jews ( 2Ki 25:25, 26; Jer 41:1-3\Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p13.1").
      
did ye ... fast unto me?--No; it was to gratify yourselves in hypocritical will-worship. If it had been "unto \iMe,\i" ye would have "separated yourselves" not only from food, but from your sins ( Isa 58:3-7\Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p14.1"). They falsely made the fast an end intrinsically meritorious in itself, not a means towards God's glory in their sanctification. The true principle of piety, \ireference to God,\iwas wanting: hence the emphatic repetition of "unto Me." Before settling questions as to the outward forms of piety (however proper, as in this case), the great question was as to piety itself; that being once settled, all their outward observances become sanctified, being "unto the Lord" ( Ro 14:6\Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p14.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p14.3"6. did not ye eat \ifor yourselves\i?--literally, "Is it not \iye\iwho eat?" that is, it is not unto Me and My glory. It tends no more to My glory, your feasting than your fasting.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p15.1"7. \iShould ye\inot \ihear\ithe words--rather, "Should \iye\inot \ido\ithe words," as their question naturally was as to what they should do ( Zec 7:3\Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p16.1"); "hearing" is not mentioned till Zec 7:12\Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p16.2". The sense is, It is not fasts that Jehovah requires of you, but that ye should keep His precepts given to you at the time when Jerusalem was in its integrity. Had ye done so then, ye would have had no occasion to institute fasts to commemorate its destruction, for it would never have been destroyed ( Zec 7:9-14\Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p16.3") [Maurer]. Or, as the \iMargin,\i" \iAre\inot \ithese\ithe words" of the older prophets ( Isa 58:3; Jer 14:12\Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p16.5") which threatened a curse for disobedience, which the event has so awfully confirmed. If ye follow them in sin, ye must follow them in suffering. \iEnglish Version\iis good sense: Ye inquire anxiously about the fasts, whereas ye ought to be anxious about \ihearing\ithe lesson taught by the former prophets and verified in the nation's punishment; penitence and obedience are required rather than fasts.
      
the plain--southwest of Jerusalem. They then inhabited securely the region most unguarded.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p17.1" \Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p17.2"9. speaketh--implying that these precepts addressed to their ancestors were the requirements of Jehovah not merely then, but \inow.\iWe must not only not hurt, but we must help our fellow men. God is pleased with such loving obedience, rather than with empty ceremonies.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p18.1"10. imagine evil--that is, devise evil. The \iSeptuagint\itakes it, Harbor not the desire of revenge ( Le 19:18\Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p19.1"). "Devise evil against one another" is simpler ( Ps 36:4; Mic 2:1\Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p19.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p19.3"11. pulled away the shoulder--literally, "presented a refractory shoulder"; an image from beasts refusing to bear the yoke ( Ne 9:29\Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p20.1", \iMargin\i).
      
stopped ... ears--( Isa 6:10; Jer 7:26; Ac 7:57\Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p21.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p21.2"12. hearts ... adamant--( Eze 3:9; 11:19\Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p22.1").
      
Lord ... sent in Spirit by ... prophets--that is, sent by the former prophets \iinspired with His Spirit.\i
      
therefore ... great wrath--( 2Ch 36:16\Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p24.1"). As they pushed from them the yoke of obedience, God laid on them the yoke of oppression. As they made their heart hard as adamant, God brake their hard hearts with judgments. Hard hearts must expect hard treatment. The harder the stone, the harder the blow of the hammer to break it.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p24.2"13. he cried--by His prophets.
      
they cried--in their calamities.
      
I ... not hear--retribution in kind ( Pr 1:24-26; Isa 1:15; Mic 3:4\Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p27.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p27.2"14. whirlwind--of wrath ( Na 1:3\Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p28.1").
      
nations whom they knew not--foreign and barbarous.
      
desolate after them--after their expulsion and exile. It was ordered remarkably by God's providence, that no occupants took possession of it, but that during the Jews' absence it was reserved for them against their return after seventy years.
      
they laid ... desolate--The Jews did so by their sins. The blame of their destruction lay with themselves, rather than with the Babylonians ( 2Ch 36:21\Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p31.1").
      
pleasant land--Canaan. Literally, "the land of desire" ( Jer 3:19\Q="x.xxxviii.viii-p32.1").
      

\C3="Chapter 8" \Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p0.1"CHAPTER 8
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p1.1" Zec 8:1-23\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p2.1".Continuation of the Subject in the Seventh Chapter. \iAfter urging them to obedience by the fate of their fathers, he urges them to it by promises of coming prosperity.\i
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p2.3"2. jealous for Zion--( Zec 1:14\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p3.1").
      
with great fury--against her oppressors.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p4.1"3. I am returned--that is, I am determined to return. My decree to that effect is gone forth.
      
Jerusalem ... city of truth--that is, faithful to her God, who is the God of truth ( Isa 1:21, 26; Joh 17:17\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p6.1"). Never yet fully fulfilled, therefore still to be so.
      
the mountain of the Lord--( Isa 2:2, 3\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p7.1").
      
holy mountain--( Jer 31:23\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p8.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p8.2"4.So tranquil and prosperous shall the nation be that wars shall no longer prematurely cut off the people: men and women shall reach advanced ages. The promise of long life was esteemed one of the greatest blessings in the Jewish theocracy with its temporal rewards of obedience ( Ex 20:12; De 4:40\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p9.1"). Hence this is a leading feature in millennial blessedness ( Isa 65:20, 22\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p9.2").
      
for very age--literally, "for multitude of days."
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p10.1"5. boys and girls playing--implying security and a numerous progeny, accounted a leading blessing among the Jews. Contrast Jer 6:11; 9:21\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p11.1".
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p11.2"6.However impossible these things just promised by Me seem to you, they are not so with God. The "remnant" that had returned from the captivity, beholding the city desolate and the walls and houses in ruins, could hardly believe what God promised. The expression "remnant" glances at their ingratitude in rating so low God's power, though they had experienced it so "marvellously" displayed in their restoration. A great source of unbelief is, men "limit" God's power by their own ( Ps 78:19, 20, 41\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p12.1").
      
these days--"of small things" ( Zec 4:10\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p13.1"), when such great things promised seemed incredible.Maurer, afterJerome, translates, "in \ithose\idays"; that is, if the thing which I promised to do in \ithose\idays, seems "marvellous," &c.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p13.4"7. save my people from ... east ... west--that is, from every region (compare Ps 50:1\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p14.1"; the "West" is literally, "the going down of the sun") to which they are scattered; they are now found especially in countries west of Jerusalem. The dispersion under Nebuchadnezzar was only to the east, namely, to Babylonia. The restoration, including a spiritual return to God ( Zec 8:8\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p14.2"), here foretold, must therefore be still future ( Isa 11:11, 12; 43:5, 6; Eze 37:21; Am 9:14, 15\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p14.3"; also Zec 13:9; Jer 30:22; 31:1, 33\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p14.4").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p14.5"8. in truth--in good faith, both on their side and Mine: God being faithful to His everlasting covenant and enabling them by His Spirit to be faithful to Him.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p15.1"9-13.All adversities formerly attended them when neglecting to build the temple: but now God promises all blessings, as an encouragement to energy in the work.
      
hands ... strong--be of courageous mind ( 2Sa 16:21\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p17.1"), not merely in building, but in general, as having such bright prospects ( Zec 8:13\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p17.2", &c.).
      
these days--the time that had elapsed between the prophet's having spoken "these words" and the time ( Zec 8:10\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p18.1"; compare Hag 2:15-19\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p18.2") when they set about in earnest restoring the temple.
      
the prophets--Haggai and Zechariah himself ( Ezr 5:1, 2\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p19.1"). The same prophets who promised prosperity at the foundation of the temple, now promised still greater blessings hereafter.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p19.2"10. before these days--before the time in which ye again proceeded with the building of the temple ( Zec 8:9\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p20.1"), namely, at the time that the temple lay neglected.
      
no hire for man ... beast--that is, no produce of the field to repay the labor of man and beast on it ( Hag 1:6, 9, 10; 2:16\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p21.1").
      
neither ... peace to him that went out or came in--( 2Ch 15:5\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p22.1"). No one could in safety do his business at home or abroad, in the city or in the country, whether going or returning.
      
because of the affliction--so \isorely pressed\iwere they by the foe outside.Maurertranslates, "Because of \ithe foe\i" ( Ezr 4:1\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p23.2").
      
every one against ... neighbour--There was internal discord, as well as foes from without.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p24.1"11."But now that the temple has been built, I will not do as I had formerly done to those who returned from Babylon" [Jerome]. Henceforth I will bless you.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p25.2"12. seed ... prosperous--that is, shall not fair to yield abundantly ( Ho 2:21, 22; Hag 2:19\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p26.1"). Contrast with this verse Hag 1:6, 9-11; 2:16\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p26.2".
      
dew--especially beneficial in hot countries where rain is rare.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p27.1"13. a curse--As the heathen have made you another name for "a curse," wishing to their foes as bad a lot as yours ( Jer 24:9; 29:18\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p28.1"); so your name shall be a formula of blessing, so that men shall say to their friend, May thy lot be as happy as that of Judah ( Ge 48:20\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p28.2"). Including also the idea of the Jews being a source of blessing to the Gentile nations ( Mic 5:7; Zep 3:20\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p28.3"). The distinct mention of "Judah" and "Israel" proves that the prophecy has not yet had its full accomplishment, as \iIsrael\i(the ten tribes) has never yet been restored, though \iindividuals\iof Israel returned with Judah.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p28.4"14. I thought--I determined.
      
you--that is, your fathers, with whom ye are one; the Jewish Church of all ages being regarded as an organic whole (compare Hag 2:5; Mt 23:31, 32\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p30.1").
      
repented not--I changed not My purpose, because they changed not their mind ( 2Ch 36:16\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p31.1"). With the froward God shows Himself froward ( Ps 18:26\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p31.2"). If the threatened punishment has been so unchangeably inflicted, much more will God surely give the promised blessing, which is so much more consonant to His nature ( Jer 31:28\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p31.3").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p31.4" \Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p31.5"16, 17.The promised blessings are connected with obedience. God's covenanted grace will lead those truly blessed by it to holiness, not licentiousness.
      
truth to ... neighbour--not that the truth should not be spoken to foreigners too; but He makes it an aggravation of their sin, that they spared not even their brethren. Besides, and above all outward ordinances ( Zec 7:3\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p33.1"), God requires truth and justice.
      
judgment of ... peace--Equitable decisions tend to allay feuds and produce peace.
      
gates--the place where courts of judicature in the East were held.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p35.1"17. all these ... I hate--therefore ye too ought to hate them. Religion consists in conformity to God's nature, that we should love what God loves and hate what God hates.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p36.1"18, 19.The prophet answers the query ( Zec 7:3\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p37.1") as to the fast in the fifth month, by a reply applying to all their fasts: these are to be turned into days of rejoicing. So Jesus replied to His disciples when similarly consulting Him as to why fasting was not imposed by Him, as it was by John the Baptist. When the Sun of righteousness shines, tears are dried up ( Mt 9:15\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p37.2"). So hereafter ( Isa 35:10\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p37.3").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p37.4"19. fast of ... fourth month--On the fourth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah's reign, on the ninth day, Jerusalem was taken ( Jer 39:2; 52:6, 7\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p38.1"). It was therefore made a fast day.
      
fifth ... seventh--(See on;).
      
tenth--On the tenth month and tenth day, in the ninth year of Zedekiah, the siege began ( Jer 52:4\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p40.1").
      
therefore love the truth--or, " \ionly\ilove." \iEnglish Version\iis better. God's blessing covenanted to Israel is not made to depend on Israel's goodness: but Israel's goodness should follow as the consequence of God's gracious promises ( Zec 8:16, 17; Zec 7:9, 10\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p41.1"). God will bless, but not those who harden themselves in sin.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p41.2"20.( Isa 2:3; Mic 4:2\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p42.1").
      
Thus saith the Lord of hosts--a preface needed to assure the Jews, now disheartened by the perils surrounding them, and by the humble aspect of the temple. "Unlikely as what follows may seem to you, \iJehovah of hosts,\iboundless in resources, \isaith\iit, therefore it shall be so." Just before Christ's coming, a feeling grew up among the heathen of the unsatisfactoriness of their systems of religion and philosophy; this disposed them favorably towards the religion of the Jew, so that proselytes embraced the worship of Jehovah from various parts of Asia; these again were predisposed to embrace Christianity when it was preached to them ( Ac 2:9-12, 41\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p43.1"). But the full accomplishment of the conversion of the Gentiles foretold here is reserved till "Jerusalem" ( Zec 8:22\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p43.2") becomes the center of Christianized Jewry ( Ro 11:12, 15\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p43.3").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p43.4"21. Let us ... I--manifesting zeal and love: converted themselves, they seek the conversion of others ( So 1:4\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p44.1"). To exhortation in \igeneral\i("Let us go"), they add \iindividual\iexample ("I will go"). Or, the change from \iplural\ito \isingular\iimplies that the \igeneral\iconsent in religious earnestness leads \ieach individual\ito decide for God.
      
go speedily--literally, "go, going"; implying intense earnestness.
      
pray-- \iHebrew,\i"entreat the face" ( Zec 7:2\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p46.1"); entreat His favor and grace.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p46.2"22. many ... strong nations ... in Jerusalem--In contrast to the few and weak Jews now building the temple and city, then such shall be their influence that \imany and strong nations\ishall come to worship Jehovah their God in Jerusalem ( Isa 60:3; 66:23\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p47.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p47.2"23. ten--a definite number for an indefinite. So in Le 22:26; Nu 14:22\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p48.1".
      
of all languages of the nations--that is, of nations of all languages (compare Isa 66:18; Re 7:9\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p49.1").
      
take hold of the skirt--a gesture of suppliant entreaty as to a superior. Compare Isa 3:6; 4:1\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p50.1", on a different occasion. The Gentiles shall eagerly seek to share the religious privileges of the Jew. The skirt with a fringe and blue ribbon upon it ( Nu 15:38; De 22:12\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p50.2") was a distinguishing badge of a Jew.
      
God is with you--the effect produced on unbelievers in entering the assemblies of the Church ( 1Co 14:25\Q="x.xxxviii.ix-p51.1"). But primarily, that produced on the nations in witnessing the deliverance of the Jews by Cyrus. Finally, that to be produced on the nations by the future grand interposition of Messiah in behalf of His people.
      

\C3="Chapter 9" \Q="x.xxxviii.x-p0.1"CHAPTER 9
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.x-p1.1" Zec 9:1-17\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p2.1".Ninth to Fourteenth Chapters Are Prophetical.
      
Written long after the previous portions of the book, whence arise the various features which have been made grounds for attacking their authenticity, notwithstanding the testimony of the \iSeptuagint\iand of the compilers of the Jewish canon in their favor. See.
      
Alexander's Conquests in Syria( Zec 9:1-8\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p4.2").God's People Safe because Her King Cometh Lowly, but a Saviour( Zec 9:9-10\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p4.4").The Maccabean Deliverance a Type Thereof( Zec 9:11-17\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p4.6").
      
1. in ... Hadrach--rather, \iconcerning\ior \iagainst\iHadrach (compare Isa 21:13\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p5.1"). "Burden" means a \iprophecy\iBURDENED \iwith wrath against the guilty.\iMaurer, not so well, explains it, \iWhat is taken up and uttered, the utterance, a solemn declaration.\i
      
Hadrach--a part of Syria, near Damascus. As the name is not mentioned in ancient histories, it probably was the less-used name of a region having two names ("Hadrach" and "Bikathaven," Am 1:5\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p6.1", \iMargin\i); hence it passed into oblivion. An ancientRabbi Joseis, however, stated to have expressly mentioned it. An Arab, Jos. Abassi, in 1768 also declared toMichaelisthat there was then a town of that name, and that it was capital of the region Hadrach. The name means "enclosed" in Syrian, that is, the west interior part of Syria, \ienclosed\iby hills, the Cœlo-Syria ofStrabo[Maurer].Jeromeconsiders Hadrach to be the metropolis of Cœlo-Syria, as Damascus was of the region about that city.Hengstenbergregards Hadrach as a symbolical name of Persia, which Zechariah avoids designating by its proper name so as not to offend the government under which he lived. But the context seems to refer to the Syrian region.Geseniusthinks that the name is that of a Syrian king, which might more easily pass into oblivion than that of a region. Compare the similar "land of Sihon," Ne 9:22\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p6.9".
      
Damascus ... rest thereof--that is, the place on which the "burden" of the Lord's wrath shall rest. It shall permanently settle on it until Syria is utterly prostrate. Fulfilled under Alexander the Great, who overcame Syria [Curtius, Books 3 and 4].
      
eyes of man, as of all ... Israel ... toward the Lord--The eyes of men in general, and of all Israel in particular, through consternation at the victorious progress of Alexander, shall be directed to Jehovah. The Jews, when threatened by him because of Jaddua the high priest's refusal to swear fealty to him, prayed earnestly to the Lord, and so were delivered ( 2Ch 20:12; Ps 23:2\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p8.1"). Typical of the effect of God's judgments hereafter on all men, and especially on the Jews in turning them to Him.Maurer,Pembellusand others, less probably translate, "The eyes of the Lord are upon man, as they are upon all Israel," namely, to punish the ungodly and to protect His people. He, who has chastised His people, will not fail to punish men for their sins severely. The "all," I think, implies that whereas men's attention generally (whence "man" is the expression) was directed to Jehovah's judgments, \iall\iIsrael especially looks to Him.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.x-p8.4"2. Hamath--a Syrian kingdom with a capital of the same name, north of Damascus.
      
shall border thereby--shall be joined to Damascus in treatment, as it is in position; shall share in the burden of wrath of which Damascus is the resting-place.Maurerunderstands "which"; "Hamath, which borders on Damascus, also \ishall be the resting-place of Jehovah's wrath\i" (the latter words being supplied from Zec 9:1\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p10.2"). Riblah, the scene of the Jews' sufferings from their foe, was there: it therefore shall suffer ( 2Ki 23:33; 25:6, 7, 20, 21\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p10.3").
      
Tyrus ... Zidon--lying in the conqueror's way on his march along the Mediterranean to Egypt (compare Isa 23:1-18\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p11.1"). Zidon, the older city, surrendered, and Abdolonymus was made its viceroy.
      
very wise--in her own eyes. Referring to Tyre: Zec 9:3\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p12.1"shows wherein her \iwisdom\iconsisted, namely, \iin building a stronghold,\iand \iheaping up gold and silver\i( Eze 38:3, 5, 12, 17\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p12.2"). On Alexander's expressing his wish to sacrifice in Hercules' temple in New Tyre on the island, she showed her wisdom in sending a golden crown, and replying that the true and ancient temple of Hercules was at Old Tyre on the mainland. With all her wisdom she cannot avert her doom.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.x-p12.3"3.The heathen historian,Diodorus Siculus[17.40], confirms this. "Tyre had the greatest confidence owing to her insular position and fortifications, and the abundant stores she had prepared." New Tyre was on an island seven hundred paces from the shore. As Isaiah's and Ezekiel's ( Eze 27:1-36\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p13.2") prophecies were directed against Old Tyre on the mainland and were fulfilled by Nebuchadnezzar, so Zechariah's are against New Tyre, which was made seemingly impregnable by a double wall one hundred fifty feet high, as well as the sea on all sides.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.x-p13.3"4.( Eze 26:4, 12; 27:27\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p14.1").
      
cast her out-- \iHebrew,\i"dispossess her," that is, will cast her inhabitants into exile [Grotius]. Alexander, though without a navy, by incredible labor constructed a mole of the ruins of Old Tyre (fulfilling Eze 26:4-12\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p15.2", &c., by "scraping her dust from her," and "laying her stones, timber, and dust in the midst of the water"), from the shore to the island, and, after a seven months' siege, took the city by storm, slew with the sword about eight thousand, enslaved thirteen thousand, crucified two thousand, and set the city on "fire," as here foretold [Curtius, Book 4].
      
smite her power in the sea--situated though she be \iin the sea,\iand so seeming impregnable (compare Eze 28:2\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p16.1", "I sit in the seat of God, \iin the midst of the sea\i"). "Her power" includes not only her fortifications, but her fleet, all of which Alexander sank \iin the sea\ibefore her very walls [Curtius, Book 4]. Eze 26:17\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p16.3"corresponds, "How art thou destroyed which wast strong in the sea!"
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.x-p16.4"5. Ashkelon,&c.--Gath alone is omitted, perhaps as being somewhat inland, and so out of the route of the advancing conqueror.
      
Ekron ... expectation ... ashamed--Ekron, the farthest north of the Philistine cities, had \iexpected\iTyre would withstand Alexander, and so check his progress southward through Philistia to Egypt. This hope being confounded ("put to \ishame\i"), Ekron shall "fear."
      
king shall perish from Gaza--Its government shall be overthrown. In literal fulfilment of this prophecy, after a two month's siege, Gaza was taken by Alexander, ten thousand of its inhabitants slain, and the rest sold as slaves. Betis the satrap, or petty "king," was bound to a chariot by thongs thrust through the soles of his feet, and dragged round the city.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.x-p19.1"6. bastard--not the rightful heir; vile and low men, such as are bastards ( De 23:2\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p20.1") [Grotius]. \iAn alien;\iso the \iSeptuagint;\iimplying the desolation of the region wherein men shall not settle, but sojourn in only as aliens passing through [Calvin].
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.x-p20.4"7. take ... his blood out of ... mouth-- \iBlood\iwas forbidden as food ( Ge 9:4; Le 7:26\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p21.1").
      
abominations--things sacrificed to idols and then partaken of by the worshippers ( Nu 25:2; Ac 15:29\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p22.1"). The sense is, "I will cause the Philistines to cease from the worship of idols."
      
even he \ishall be\ifor our God--"even he," like Hamath, Damascus, Tyre, &c., which, these words imply, shall also be converted to God ( Isa 56:3\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p23.1", "son of the stranger joined himself to the Lord") [Rosenmuller]. The "even," however, may mean, \iBesides the Hebrews,\i"even" the Philistine shall worship Jehovah (so Isa 56:8\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p23.3") [Maurer].
      
he shall be as a governor in Judah--On the conversion of the Philistine prince, he shall have the same dignity "in Judah as a governor"; there shall be no distinction [Henderson]. The Philistine princes with their respective states shall equally \ibelong to the Jews' communion, as if\ithey were among the "governors" of states "in Judah" [Maurer].
      
Ekron as a Jebusite--The Jebusites, the original inhabitants of Jerusalem, who, when subjugated by David, were incorporated with the Jews ( 2Sa 24:16\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p25.1", &c.), and enjoyed their privileges: but in a subordinate position \icivilly\i( 1Ki 9:20, 21\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p25.2"). The Jebusites' condition under Solomon being that of bond-servants and tributaries,Calvinexplains the verse differently: "I will rescue the Jew \ifrom the teeth\iof the Philistine foe (image from wild beasts rending their prey with their \iteeth\i), who would have devoured him, as he would devour \iblood\ior flesh of his \iabominable\isacrifices to idols: and \ieven he,\ithe seemingly ignoble remnant of the Jews, shall be sacred to \iour God\i(consecrated by His favor); and though so long bereft of dignity, I will make them to be \ias governors\iruling others, and Ekron shall be a tributary bond-servant as the Jebusite? Thus the antithesis is between the Jew \ithat remaineth\i(the elect remnant) and the Ekronite.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.x-p25.4"8. encamp about--( Ps 34:7\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p26.1").
      
mine house--namely, the Jewish people ( Zec 3:7; Ho 8:1\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p27.1") [Maurer]. Or, \ithe temple:\ireassuring the Jews engaged in building, who might otherwise fear their work would be undone by the conqueror [Moore]. The Jews were, in agreement with this prophecy, uninjured by Alexander, though he punished the Samaritans. Typical of their final deliverance from every foe.
      
passeth by ... returneth--Alexander, when advancing against Jerusalem, was arrested by a dream, so that neither in "passing by" to Egypt, nor in "returning," did he injure the Jews, but conferred on them great privileges.
      
no oppressor ... pass through ... any more--The prophet passes from the immediate future to the final deliverance to come ( Isa 60:18; Eze 28:24\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p29.1").
      
seen with mine eyes--namely, how Jerusalem has been oppressed by her foes [Rosenmuller] ( Ex 3:7; 2:25\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p30.2"). God is said \inow\ito have \iseen,\ibecause He now begins to bring the foe to judgment, and manifests to the world His sense of His people's wrongs.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.x-p30.3"9.From the coming of the Grecian conqueror, Zechariah makes a sudden transition, by the prophetical law of suggestion, to the coming of King Messiah, a very different character.
      
daughter of Zion--The theocratic people is called to "rejoice" at the coming of her King ( Ps 2:11\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p32.1").
      
unto thee--He comes not for His own gain or pleasure, as earthly kings come, but for the sake of His Church: especially for the Jews' sake, at His second coming ( Ro 11:26\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p33.1").
      
he is just-- \irighteous:\ian attribute constantly given to Messiah ( Isa 45:21; 53:11; Jer 23:5, 6\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p34.1") in connection with \isalvation.\iHe does not merely pardon by conniving at sin, but He \ijustifies\iby becoming the Lord our righteousness fulfiller, so that not merely mercy, but justice, requires the justification of the sinner who by faith becomes one with Christ. God's justice is not set aside by the sinner's salvation, but is magnified and made honorable by it ( Isa 42:1, 21\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p34.2"). His future \ireign\i"in righteousness," also, is especially referred to ( Isa 32:1\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p34.3").
      
having salvation--not passively, as some interpret it, "saved," which the context, referring to a "king" coming to reign, forbids; also the old versions, the \iSeptuagint, Syriac,\iand \iVulgate,\igive \iSaviour.\iThe \iHebrew\iis reflexive in sense, "showing Himself a Saviour; ... having salvation in Himself" for us. Endowed with a salvation which He bestows as a king. Compare \iMargin,\i"saving Himself." Compare Mt 1:21\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p35.1", in the \iGreek,\i" \iHimself\ishall save His people"; that is, not by any other, but by Himself shall He save [Pearson \iOn the Creed\i]. His "having salvation" for others manifested that He had in Himself that righteousness which was indispensable for the justification of the unrighteous ( 1Co 1:30; 2Co 5:21; 1Jo 2:1\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p35.3"). This contrasts beautifully with the haughty Grecian conqueror who came to destroy, whereas Messiah came to save. Still, Messiah shall come to take "just" vengeance on His foes, previous to His reign of peace ( Mal 4:1, 2\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p35.4").
      
lowly--mild, gentle: corresponding to His "riding on an ass" (not a despised animal, as with us; nor a badge of humiliation, for princes in the East rode on asses, as well as low persons, Jud 5:10\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p36.1"), that is, coming as "Prince of \ipeace\i" ( Zec 9:10; Isa 9:6\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p36.2"); the "horse," on the contrary is the emblem of \iwar,\iand shall therefore be "cut off." Perhaps the \iHebrew\iincludes both the "lowliness" of His \ioutward\istate (which applies to His first coming) and His "meekness" \iof disposition,\ias Mt 21:5\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p36.3"quotes it (compare Mt 11:29\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p36.4"), which applies to both His comings. Both adapt Him for loving sympathy with us men; and at the same time are the ground of His coming manifested exaltation ( Joh 5:27; Php 2:7-9\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p36.5").
      
colt--untamed, "whereon yet never man sat" ( Lu 19:30\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p37.1"). The symbol of a triumphant conqueror and judge ( Jud 5:10; 10:4; 12:14\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p37.2").
      
foal of an ass--literally, "asses": in \iHebrew\iidiom, the indefinite \iplural\ifor \isingular\i(so Ge 8:4\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p38.1", " \imountains\iof Ararat," for \ione\iof the mountains). The dam accompanied the colt ( Mt 21:2\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p38.2"). The entry of Jesus into Jerusalem at His first coming is a pledge of the full accomplishment of this prophecy at His second coming. It shall be "the day of the Lord" ( Ps 118:24\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p38.3"), as that first Palm \iSunday\iwas. The Jews shall then \iuniversally\i( Ps 118:26\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p38.4") say, what \isome\iof them said then, "Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord" (compare Mt 21:9, with Mt 23:39\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p38.5"); also "Hosanna," or "Save now, I beseech thee." "Palms," the emblem of triumph, shall then also be in the hands of His people (compare Joh 12:13, with Re 7:9, 10\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p38.6"). Then also, as on His former entry, shall be the feast of tabernacles (at which they used to draw water from Siloam, quoting Isa 12:3\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p38.7"). Compare Ps 118:15, with Zec 14:16\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p38.8".
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.x-p38.9"10.( Isa 2:4; Ho 2:18; Mic 5:10\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p39.1").
      
Ephraim ... Jerusalem--the ten tribes, and Judah and Benjamin; both alike to be restored hereafter.
      
speak peace--command it authoritatively.
      
dominion ... from sea ... river ... ends of ... earth--fulfilling Ge 15:18; Ex 23:31; and Ps 72:8\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p42.1". "Sea ... sea," are the Red Sea and Mediterranean. The "river" is the Euphrates. Jerusalem and the Holy Land, extended to the limits promised to Abraham, are to be the center of His future dominion; whence it will extend to the remotest parts of the earth.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.x-p42.2"11. As for thee also--that is, the daughter of Zion," or "Jerusalem" ( Zec 9:9\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p43.1"): the theocracy. The "thee also," in contradistinction to \iMessiah\ispoken of in Zec 9:10\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p43.2", implies that besides \icutting off the battle-bow\iand extendingMessiah's"dominion to the ends of the earth," God would \ialso\ideliver \ifor\iher \iher\iexiled people from their foreign captivity.
      
by the blood of thy covenant--that is, according to the covenant vouchsafed to thee on Sinai, and ratified by the blood of sacrifices ( Ex 24:8; Heb 9:18-20\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p44.1").
      
pit wherein ... no water--Dungeons were often pits without water, miry at the bottom, such as Jeremiah sank in when confined ( Ge 37:24; Jer 38:6\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p45.1"). An image of the misery of the Jewish exiles in Egypt, Greece, &c., under the successors of Alexander, especially under Antiochus Epiphanes, who robbed and profaned the temple, slew thousands, and enslaved more. God delivered them by the Maccabees. A type of the future deliverance from their last great persecutor hereafter ( Isa 51:14; 60:1\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p45.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.x-p45.3"12. stronghold--in contrast to the "pit" ( Zec 9:11\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p46.1"); literally, "a place \icut off\ifrom access."Maurerthinks, " \ia height\i" ( Ps 18:33\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p46.3"). An image for the \isecurity\iwhich the returning Jews shall have in Messiah ( Zec 9:8\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p46.4") \iencamped about\iHis people ( Ps 46:1, 5\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p46.5"; compare Isa 49:9; Pr 18:10\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p46.6").
      
prisoners of hope--that is, who in spite of afflictions ( Job 13:15; Ps 42:5, 11\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p47.1") maintain hope in the covenant-keeping God; in contrast to unbelievers, who say, "There is no hope" ( Jer 2:25; 18:12\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p47.2"). Especially those \iJews\iwho believe God's word to Israel ( Jer 31:17\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p47.3"), "there is hope in the end, that thy children shall come again to their own border," and do not say, as in Eze 37:11\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p47.4", "Our hope is lost." Primarily, the Jews of Zechariah's time are encouraged not to be dispirited in building by their trials; secondarily, the Jews before the coming restoration are encouraged to look to Messiah for deliverance from their last oppressors.
      
even to-day--when your circumstances seem so unpromising; in contrast with the "day of the Lord," when Zion's King shall come to her deliverance ( Zec 9:9\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p48.1").
      
I will render double--Great as has been thy adversity, thy prosperity shall be \idoubly\igreater ( Isa 61:7\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p49.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.x-p49.2"13. bent Judah--made Judah as it were My bow, and "filled" it "with Ephraim," as My arrow, wherewith to overcome the successor of the Grecian Alexander, Antiochus Epiphanes (compare \iNotes,\isee on;; 1 Maccabees 1:62; 2:41-43\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p50.5"), the oppressor of Judah. Having spoken ( Zec 9:1-8\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p50.6") of Alexander's victories, after the parenthesis ( Zec 9:9, 10\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p50.7") as to Messiah the infinitely greater King coming, he passes to the victories which God would enable Judah to gain over Alexander's successor, after his temporary oppression of them.
      
O Zion ... O Greece--God on one hand addresses Zion, on the other Greece, showing that He rules all people.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.x-p51.1"14.Another image: "Jehovah shall be seen (conspicuously manifesting His power) over them" (that is, in behalf of the Jews and against their foes), as formerly He appeared in a cloud over the Israelites against the Egyptians ( Ex 14:19, 24\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p52.1").
      
his arrow ... as ... lightning--flashing forth instantaneous destruction to the foe ( Ps 18:14\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p53.1").
      
blow ... trumpet--to summon and incite His people to battle for the destruction of their foe.
      
go with whirlwinds of the south--that is, go forth in the most furious storm, such as is one from the south ( Isa 21:1\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p55.1"). Alluding, perhaps, to Jehovah's ancient miracles at Sinai coming "from Teman" (" \ithe south,\i" in the \iMargin\i).
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.x-p55.2"15. devour--the flesh of their foes.
      
drink--the blood of their foes; that is, utterly destroy them. Image (as Jer 46:10\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p57.1") from a sacrifice, wherein part of the flesh was eaten, and the blood poured in libation (compare Isa 63:1\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p57.2", &c.).
      
subdue with sling-stones--or, "tread under foot the sling-stones" hurled by the foe at them; that is, will contemptuously trample on the hostile missiles which shall fall harmless under their feet (compare Job 41:28\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p58.1"). Probably, too, it is implied that \itheir foes\iare as impotent as the common \istones\iused in \islinging\iwhen they have fallen under foot: in contrast to the people of God ( Zec 9:16\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p58.2"), "the (precious) stones of a crown" (compare 1Sa 25:29\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p58.3") [Maurer]. \iEnglish Version\iis good sense: The Jews shall subdue the foe \iat the first onset,\iwith the mere \islingers\iwho stood in front of the line of battle and began the engagement. Though armed with but sling-stones, like David against Goliath, they shall subdue the foe ( Jud 20:16; 1Ch 12:2\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p58.5") [Grotius].
      
noise--the battle shout.
      
through wine--( Zec 10:7\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p60.1"). The Spirit of God fills them with triumph ( Eph 5:18\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p60.2").
      
filled--with blood.
      
like bowls--the bowls used to receive the blood of the sacrifices.
      
as ... corners--or "horns" of the altar, which used to be sprinkled with blood from the bowls ( Ex 29:12; Le 4:18\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p63.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.x-p63.2"16. save them ... as the flock of his people--as the flock of His people ought to be saved ( Ps 77:20\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p64.1"). Here the image of \iwar\iand \ibloodshed\i( Zec 9:15\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p64.2") is exchanged for the \ishepherd\iand \iflock,\ias God will give not only victory, but afterwards safe and lasting peace. In contrast to the worthless \isling-stones\itrodden under foot stand the (gems) "stones of the crown ( Isa 62:3; Mal 3:17\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p64.3"), lifted up as an ensign," that all may flock to the Jewish Church ( Isa 11:10, 12; 62:10\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p64.4").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.x-p64.5"17. his goodness ... his beauty--the goodness and beauty which Jehovah-Messiah bestows on His people. Not asMaurerthinks, the goodness, &c., of \iHis land\ior \iHis people\i( Ps 31:19; Jer 31:12\Q="x.xxxviii.x-p65.2").
      
make ... cheerful--literally, "make it grow."
      
new wine the maids--supply, "shall make ... to grow." \iCorn\iand \iwine\iabundant indicate peace and plenty. The new wine gladdening the maids is peculiar to this passage. It confutes those who interdict the use of wine as food. The Jews, heretofore straitened in provisions through pressure of the foe, shall now have abundance to cheer, not merely the old, but even the youths and maidens [Calvin].
      

\C3="Chapter 10" \Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p0.1"CHAPTER 10
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p1.1" Zec 10:1-12\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p2.1".Prayer and Promise.
      
Call to prayer to Jehovah, as contrasted with the idol-worship which had brought judgments on the princes and people. Blessings promised in answer to prayer: (1) rulers of themselves; (2) conquest of their enemies; (3) restoration and establishment of both Israel and Judah in their own land in lasting peace and piety.
      
1. Ask ... rain--on which the abundance of "corn" promised by the Lord ( Zec 9:17\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p4.1") depends. Jehovah alone can give it, and will give it on being asked ( Jer 10:13; 14:22\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p4.2").
      
rain in ... time of ... latter rain--that is, the latter rain in its due time, namely, in spring, about February or March ( Job 29:23; Joe 2:23\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p5.1"). The latter rain ripened the grain, as the former rain in October tended to fructify the seed. Including \iall\itemporal blessings; these again being types of spiritual ones. Though God has begun to bless us, we are not to relax our prayers. The former rain of conversion may have been given, but we must also ask for the latter rain of ripened sanctification. Though at Pentecost there was a former rain on the Jewish Church, a latter rain is still to be looked for, when the full harvest of the nation's conversion shall be gathered in to God. The spirit of prayer in the Church is an index at once of her piety, and of the spiritual blessings she may expect from God. When the Church is full of prayer, God pours out a full blessing.
      
bright clouds--rather, "lightnings," the precursors of rain [Maurer].
      
showers of rain--literally, "rain of heavy rain." In Job 37:6\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p7.1"the same words occur in inverted order [Henderson].
      
grass--a general term, including both \icorn\ifor men and \igrass\ifor cattle.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p8.1"2. idols--literally, "the teraphim," the household gods, consulted in divination (see on). Derived byGeseniusfrom an \iArabic\iroot, "comfort," indicating them as the givers of comfort. Or an Ethiopian root, "relics." Herein Zechariah shows that the Jews by their own idolatry had stayed the grace of God heretofore, which otherwise would have given them all those blessings, temporal and spiritual, which they are now ( Zec 10:1\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p9.4") urged to "ask" for.
      
diviners--who gave responses to consulters of the teraphim: opposed to Jehovah and His true prophets.
      
seen a lie--pretending to see what they saw not in giving responses.
      
comfort in vain--literally, "give \ivapor\ifor comfort"; that is, give comforting promises to consulters which are sure to come to naught ( Job 13:4; 16:2; 21:34\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p12.1").
      
therefore they went their way--that is, Israel and Judah were led away captive.
      
as a flock ... no shepherd--As sheep wander and are a prey to every injury when without a shepherd, so the Jews had been while they were without Jehovah, the true shepherd; for the false prophets whom they trusted were no shepherds ( Eze 34:5\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p14.1"). So now they are scattered, while they know not Messiah their shepherd; typified in the state of the disciples, when they had forsaken Jesus and fled ( Mt 26:56\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p14.2"; compare Zec 13:7\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p14.3").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p14.4"3. against the shepherds--the civil rulers of Israel and Judah who abetted idolatry.
      
punished--literally, "visited upon." The same word "visited," without the \iupon,\iis presently after used in a good sense to heighten the contrast.
      
goats--he-goats. As "shepherds" described what they \iought\ito have been, so "he-goats" describes what they \iwere,\ithe emblem of headstrong wantonness and offensive lust ( Isa 14:9\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p17.1", \iMargin;\i Eze 34:17; Da 8:5; Mt 25:33\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p17.2"). The he-goats head the flock. They who are first in crime will be first in punishment.
      
visited--in mercy ( Lu 1:68\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p18.1").
      
as his goodly horse--In Zec 9:13\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p19.1"they were represented under the image of \ibows and arrows,\ihere under that of their commander-in-chief, Jehovah's \ibattle horse\i( So 1:9\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p19.2"). God can make His people, timid though they be as sheep, courageous as the charger. The general rode on the most beautiful and richly caparisoned, and had his horse tended with the greatest care. Jehovah might cast off the Jews for their vileness, but He regards His election or adoption of them: whence He calls them here " \iHis\iflock," and therefore saves them.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p19.3"4. Out of him-- \iJudah\iis to be no more subject to foreigners, but \ifrom itself\ishall come its rulers.
      
the corner--stone, Messiah ( Isa 28:16\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p21.1"). "Corners" simply express \igovernors\i( 1Sa 14:38\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p21.2", \iMargin;\i Isa 19:13\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p21.3", \iMargin\i). The Maccabees, Judah's governors and deliverers from Antiochus the oppressor, are primarily meant; but Messiah is the Antitype. Messiah supports and binds together the Church, Jews and Gentiles.
      
the nail--( Jud 4:21; Isa 22:23\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p22.1"). The large peg inside an Oriental tent, on which is hung most of its valuable furniture. On Messiah hang all the glory and hope of His people.
      
bow--( Zec 9:13\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p23.1"). Judah shall not need foreign soldiery. Messiah shall be her battle-bow ( Ps 45:4, 5; Re 6:2\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p23.2").
      
every oppressor--rather, in a good sense, \iruler,\ias the kindred Ethiopic term means. So "exactor," in Isa 60:17\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p24.1", namely, one who exacts the tribute from the nations made tributary to Judah [Ludovicus De Dieu].
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p24.3"5. riders on horses--namely, the enemy's horsemen. Though the Jews were forbidden by the law to multiply horses in battle ( De 17:16\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p25.1"), they are made Jehovah's war horse ( Zec 10:3; Ps 20:7\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p25.2"), and so tread down on foot the foe with all his cavalry ( Eze 38:4; Da 11:40\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p25.3"). Cavalry was the chief strength of the Syro-Grecian army ( 1 Maccabees 3:39\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p25.4").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p25.5"6. Judah ... Joseph--that is, the ten tribes. The distinct mention of both Judah and Israel shows that there is yet a more complete restoration than that from Babylon, when Judah alone and a few Israelites from the other tribes returned. The Maccabean deliverance is here connected with it, just as the painter groups on the same canvas objects in the foreground and hills far distant; or as the comparatively near planet and the remote fixed star are seen together in the same firmament. Prophecy ever hastens to the glorious final consummation under Messiah.
      
bring them again to place them--namely, securely in their own land. The \iHebrew\iverb is compounded of two, "I will bring again," and "I will place them" ( Jer 32:37\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p27.1").Maurer, from a different form, translates, "I will make them to dwell."
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p27.3"7. like a mighty man--in the battle with the foe ( Zec 10:3, 5\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p28.1").
      
rejoice--at their victory over the foe.
      
children shall see it--who are not yet of age to serve. To teach patient waiting for God's promises. If ye do not at present see the fulfilment, your \ichildren\ishall, and their joy shall be complete.
      
rejoice in the Lord--the Giver of such a glorious victory.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p31.1"8. hiss for them--Keepers of bees by a whistle call them together. So Jehovah by the mere word of His call shall gather back to Palestine His scattered people ( Zec 10:10; Isa 5:26; Eze 36:11\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p32.1"). The multitudes mentioned byJosephus[ \iWars of the Jews,\i3:2], as peopling Galilee two hundred years after this time, were a pledge of the future more perfect fulfilment of the prophecy.
      
for I have redeemed them--namely, in My covenant purpose "redeemed" both temporally and spiritually.
      
as they have increased--in former times.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p34.1"9. sow them among ... people--Their dispersion was with a special design. Like seed sown far and wide, they shall, when quickened themselves, be the fittest instruments for quickening others (compare Mic 5:7\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p35.1"). The slight hold they have on every soil where they now live, as also the commercial and therefore cosmopolitan character of their pursuits, making a change of residence easy to them, fit them peculiarly for missionary work [Moore]. The wide dispersion of the Jews just before Christ's coming prepared the way similarly for the apostles' preaching in the various Jewish synagogues throughout the world; everywhere some of the Old Testament seed previously sown was ready to germinate when the New Testament light and heat were brought to bear on it by Gospel preachers. Thus the way was opened for entrance among the Gentiles. " \iWill sow\i" is the \iHebrew\ifuture, said of that which has been done, is being done, and may be done afterwards [Maurer], (compare Ho 2:23\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p35.4").
      
shall remember me in far countries--( De 30:1; 2Ch 6:37\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p36.1"). Implying the Jews' return to a right mind in "all the nations" where they are scattered simultaneously. Compare Lu 15:17, 18, with Ps 22:27\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p36.2", "All the ends of the world \iremembering\iand turning unto the Lord," preceded by the "seed of Jacob ... Israel ... fearing and glorifying Him"; also Ps 102:13-15\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p36.3".
      
live--in political and spiritual life.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p37.1"10. Egypt ... Assyria--the former the first, the latter among the last of Israel's oppressors (or \irepresenting the four great world kingdoms,\iof which it was the first): types of the present \iuniversal\idispersion, Egypt being south, Assyria north, opposite ends of the compass.Maurer \iconjectures\ithat many Israelites fled to "Egypt" on the invasion of Tiglath-pileser. But Isa 11:11\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p38.2"and this passage rather accord with the view of the \ifuture\irestoration.
      
Gilead ... Lebanon--The whole of the Holy Land is described by two of its boundaries, the eastern ("Gilead" beyond Jordan) and the northern ("Lebanon").
      
place shall not be found for them--that is, there shall not be room enough for them through their numbers ( Isa 49:20; 54:3\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p40.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p40.2"11. pass ... sea with affliction--Personifying the "sea"; He shall afflict the sea, that is, cause it to cease to be an obstacle to Israel's return to Palestine ( Isa 11:15, 16\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p41.1"). \iVulgate\itranslates, "The strait of the sea."Maurer, "He shall \icleave and\ismite." \iEnglish Version\iis best ( Ps 114:3\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p41.3"). As Jehovah smote the Red Sea to make a passage for His people ( Ex 14:16, 21\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p41.4"), so hereafter shall He make a way through every obstacle which opposes Israel's restoration.
      
the river--the Nile ( Am 8:8; 9:5\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p42.1"), or the Euphrates. Thus the Red Sea and the Euphrates in the former part of the verse answer to "Assyria" and "Egypt" in the latter.
      
sceptre of Egypt ... depart--( Eze 30:13\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p43.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p43.2"12. I ... strengthen them in ... Lord--( Ho 1:7\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p44.1"). I, the Father, will strengthen them in the name, that is, the manifested power, of the Lord, Messiah, the Son of God.
      
walk ... in his name--that is, live everywhere and continually under His protection, and according to His will ( Ge 5:22; Ps 20:1, 7; Mic 4:5\Q="x.xxxviii.xi-p45.1").
      

\C3="Chapter 11" \Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p0.1"CHAPTER 11
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p1.1" Zec 11:1-17\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p2.1".Destruction of the Second Temple and Jewish Polity for the Rejection of Messiah.
      
1. Open thy doors, O Lebanon--that is, the temple so called, as being constructed of cedars of Lebanon, or as being lofty and conspicuous like that mountain (compare Eze 17:3; Hab 2:17\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p3.1"). Forty years before the destruction of the temple, the tract called "Massecheth Joma" states, its doors of their own accord opened, and Rabbi Johanan in alarm said, I know that thy desolation is impending according to Zechariah's prophecy.Calvinsupposes Lebanon to refer to \iJudea,\idescribed by its north boundary: "Lebanon," the route by which the Romans, according toJosephus, gradually advanced towards Jerusalem.Moore, fromHengstenberg, refers the passage to the civil war which caused the calling in of the Romans, who, like a storm sweeping through the land from Lebanon, deprived Judea of its independence. Thus the passage forms a fit introduction to the prediction as to Messiah born when Judea became a Roman province. But the weight of authority is for the former view.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p3.6"2. fir tree ... cedar--if even the \icedars\i(the highest in the state) are not spared, how much less \ithe fir trees\i(the lowest)!
      
forest of ... vintage--As the vines are stripped of their grapes in the vintage (compare Joe 3:13\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p5.1"), so the forest of Lebanon "is come down," stripped of all its beauty. Rather, " \ithe fortified\i" or " \iinaccessible forest\i" [Maurer]; that is, Jerusalem dense with houses as a thick forest is with trees, and "fortified" with a wall around. Compare Mic 3:12\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p5.3", where its desolate state is described as a forest.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p5.4"3. shepherds--the Jewish rulers.
      
their glory-- \itheir\iwealth and magnificence; or that \iof the temple,\i"their glory" ( Mr 13:1; Lu 21:5\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p7.1").
      
young lions--the princes, so described on account of their cruel rapacity.
      
pride of Jordan--its thickly wooded banks, the lair of "lions" ( Jer 12:5; 49:19\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p9.1"). Image for Judea "spoiled" of the magnificence of its rulers ("the young lions"). The valley of the Jordan forms a deeper gash than any on the earth. The land at Lake Merom is on a level with the Mediterranean Sea; at the Sea of Tiberias it falls six hundred fifty feet below that level, and to double that depression at the Dead Sea, that is, in all, 1950 feet below the Mediterranean; in twenty miles' interval there is a fall of from three thousand to four thousand feet.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p9.2"4.The prophet here proceeds to show the cause of the destruction just foretold, namely, the rejection of Messiah.
      
flock of ... slaughter--( Ps 44:22\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p11.1"). God's people doomed to slaughter by the Romans. Zechariah here represents typically Messiah, and performs in vision the actions enjoined: hence the language is in part appropriate to him, but mainly to the Antitype, Messiah. A million and a half perished in the Jewish war, and one million one hundred thousand at the fall of Jerusalem. "Feed" implies that the Jews could not plead ignorance of God's will to execute their sin. Zechariah and the other prophets had by God's appointment "fed" them ( Ac 20:28\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p11.2") with the word of God, teaching and warning them to escape from coming wrath by repentance: the type of Messiah, the chief Shepherd, who receives the commission of the Father, with whom He is one ( Zec 11:4\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p11.3"); and Himself says ( Zec 11:7\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p11.4"), " \iI\iwill feed the flock of slaughter." Zechariah did not live to "feed" literally the "flock of slaughter"; Messiah alone "fed" those who, because of their rejection of Him, were condemned to slaughter. Jehovah-Messiah is the speaker. It is He who threatens to inflict the punishments ( Zec 11:6, 8\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p11.5"). The typical breaking of the staff, performed in vision by Zechariah ( Zec 11:10\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p11.6"), is fulfilled in His breaking the covenant with Judah. It is He who was sold for thirty pieces of silver ( Zec 11:12, 13\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p11.7").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p11.8"5. possessors--The \ibuyers\i[Maurer], their Roman oppressors, contrasted with "they that sell men." The instruments of God's righteous judgment, and therefore "not holding themselves guilty" ( Jer 50:7\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p12.2"). It is meant that they \imight\iuse this plea, not that they actually used it. Judah's adversaries felt no compunction in destroying them; and God in righteous wrath against Judah allowed it.
      
they that sell them--(Compare Zec 11:12\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p13.1"). The rulers of Judah, who by their avaricious rapacity and selfishness ( Joh 11:48, 50\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p13.2") virtually sold their country to Rome. Their covetousness brought on Judea God's visitation by Rome. The climax of this was the sale of the innocent Messiah for thirty pieces of silver. They thought that Jesus was thus sold and their selfish interest secured by the delivery of Him to the Romans for crucifixion; but it was themselves and their country that they thus sold to the Roman possessors."
      
I am rich--by selling the sheep ( De 29:19; Ho 12:8\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p14.1"). In short-sighted selfishness they thought they had gained their object, covetous self-aggrandizement ( Lu 16:14\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p14.2"), and hypocritically "thanked" God for their wicked gain (compare Lu 18:11\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p14.3").
      
say ... pity--In \iHebrew\iit is \isingular:\ithat is, \ieach\iof those that sell them \isaith:\iNot \ione\iof their own shepherds \ipitieth\ithem. An emphatical mode of expression by which each individual is represented as doing, or not doing, the action of the verb [Henderson].Hengstenbergrefers the \isingular\iverbs toJehovah, the true actor; the wicked shepherds being His unconscious instruments. Compare Zec 11:6\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p15.4", For \iI\iwill no more pity, with the \iHebrew\i" \ipitieth\inot" here.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p15.5"6.Jehovah, in vengeance for their rejection of Messiah, gave them over to intestine feuds and Roman rule. The Zealots and other factious Jews expelled and slew one another by turns at the last invasion by Rome.
      
his king--Vespasian or Titus: they themselves ( Joh 19:15\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p17.1") had said, unconsciously realizing Zechariah's words, identifying Rome's king with Judah's ("his") king, "We have no king but Cæsar." God took them at their word, and gave them the Roman king, who "smote (literally, 'dashed in pieces') their land," breaking up their polity, when they rejected their true King who would have saved them.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p17.2"7. And--rather, " \iAccordingly\i": implying the motive cause which led Messiah to assume the office, namely, the will of the Father ( Zec 11:4, 5\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p18.1"), who pitied the sheep without any true shepherd.
      
I will feed--"I fed" [Calvin], which comes to the same thing, as the past tense must in Zechariah's time have referred to the event of Messiah's advent then future: the prophets often speaking of the future in vision as already present. It was not My fault, Jehovah implies, that these sheep were not fed; the fault rests solely with you, because ye rejected the grace of God [Calvin].
      
even you, O poor of the flock--rather, "in order that (I might feed, that is, save) the poor (humble; compare Zec 11:11; Zep 3:12; Mt 5:3\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p20.1") of the flock"; literally, not \iyou,\ibut, " \itherefore\i(I will feed)" [Moore]. See \iMargin,\i" \iVerily\ithe poor." It is for the sake of the believing remnant that Messiah took charge of the flock, though He would have saved all, if they would have come to Him. They would not come; therefore, \ias a nation,\ithey are "the flock of (that is, doomed to) slaughter."
      
I took ... two staves--that is, shepherds' staves or rods ( Ps 23:4\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p21.1"). Symbolizing His assumption of the pastor's office.
      
Beauty--The Jews' peculiar \iexcellency\iabove other nations ( De 4:7\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p22.1"), God's special manifestation to them ( Ps 147:19, 20\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p22.2"), the glory of the temple ("the \ibeauty\iof holiness," Ps 29:2\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p22.3"; compare Ps 27:4; 90:17; 2Ch 20:21\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p22.4"), the "pleasantness" of their land ( Ge 49:15; Da 8:9; 11:16\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p22.5"), "the glorious land."
      
Bands--implying the \ibond\iof "brotherhood" between Judah and Israel. "Bands," in Ps 119:61\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p23.1", \iMargin,\iis used for confederate \icompanies:\iThe Easterns in making a confederacy often tie a cord or band as a symbol of it, and untie it when they dissolve the confederacy [Ludovicus De Dieu]. Messiah would have joined Judah and Israel in the \ibonds\iof a common faith and common laws ( Zec 11:14\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p23.3"), but they would not; therefore in just retribution He broke "His covenant which He had made with all the people." Alexander, Antiochus Epiphanes, and Pompey were all kept from marring utterly the distinctive "beauty" and "brotherhood" of Judah and Israel, which subsisted more or less so long as the temple stood. But when Jehovah brake the staves, not even Titus could save the temple from his own Roman soldiery, nor was Jurian able to restore it.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p23.4"8. Three shepherds ... I cut off--literally, "to cause to disappear," to destroy so as not to leave a vestige of them. The three shepherds whom Messiah removes are John, Simon, and Eleazar, three leaders of factions in the Jewish war [Drusius]. Or, as Messiah, the Antitype, was at once \iprophet, priest, and king,\iso He by the destruction of the Jewish polity destroyed these \ithree\iorders for the unbelief of both the rulers and people [Moore]. If they had accepted Messiah, they would have had all three combined in Him, and would have been themselves spiritually prophets, priests, and kings to God. Refusing Him, they lost all three, in every sense.
      
one month--a brief and fixed space of time ( Ho 5:7\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p25.1"). Probably alluding to the last period of the siege of Jerusalem, when all authority within the city was at an end [Henderson].
      
loathed them--literally, "was straitened" as to them; instead of being \ienlarged\itowards them in love ( 2Co 6:11, 12\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p26.1"). The same \iHebrew\ias in Nu 21:4\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p26.2", \iMargin.\iNo room was left by them for the grace of God, as His favors were rejected [Calvin]. The mutual distaste that existed between the holy Messiah and the guilty Jews is implied.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p26.4"9. Then said I--at last when all means of saving the nation had been used in vain ( Joh 8:24\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p27.1").
      
I will not--that is, \ino more\ifeed you. The last rejection of the Jews is foretold, of which the former under Nebuchadnezzar, similarly described, was the type ( Jer 15:1-3; 34:17; 43:11; Eze 6:12\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p28.1"). Perish those who are doomed to perish, since they reject Him who would have saved them! Let them rush on to their own ruin, since they will have it so.
      
eat ... flesh of another--Let them madly perish by mutual discords.Josephusattests the fulfilment of this prophecy of \ithreefold calamity:\ipestilence and famine ("dieth ... die"), war ("cut off ... cut off"), intestine discord ("eat ... one ... another").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p29.2"10. covenant which I made with all the people--The covenant made with the \iwhole nation\iis to hold good no more except to the elect remnant. This is the force of the clause, not asMaurer, and others translate. The covenant which I made with all the \inations\i(not to hurt My elect people, Ho 2:18\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p30.2"). But the \iHebrew\iis the term for \ithe elect people\i( \iAmmim\i), not that for \ithe Gentile nations\i( \iGoiim\i). The \iHebrew plural\iexpresses the great numbers of the Israelite people formerly ( 1Ki 4:20\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p30.3"). The article is, in the \iHebrew,\iall \ithe\ior \ithose\ipeoples. His cutting asunder the staff "Beauty," implies the setting aside of the outward symbols of the Jews distinguishing excellency above the Gentiles (see on) as God's own people.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p30.6"11. poor ... knew--The humble, godly remnant knew by the event the truth of the prediction and of Messiah's mission. He had, thirty-seven years before the fall of Jerusalem, forewarned His disciples when they should see the city compassed with armies, to "flee unto the mountains." Accordingly, Cestius Gallus, when advancing on Jerusalem, unaccountably withdrew for a brief space, giving Christians the opportunity of obeying Christ's words by fleeing to Pella.
      
waited upon me--looked to the hand of God in all these calamities, not blindly shutting their eyes to the true cause of the visitation, as most of the nation still do, instead of referring it to their own rejection of Messiah. Isa 30:18-21\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p32.1"refers similarly to the Lord's return in mercy to the remnant that "wait for Him" and "cry" to Him ( Zep 3:12, 13\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p32.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p32.3"12. I said--The prophet here represents the person of Jehovah-Messiah.
      
If ye think good--literally, "If it be good in your eyes." Glancing at their self-sufficient pride in not \ideigning\ito give Him that return which His great love in coming down to them from heaven merited, namely, their love and obedience. "My price"; my reward for pastoral care, both during the whole of Israel's history from the Exodus, and especially the three and a half years of Messiah's ministry. He speaks as their "servant," which He was to them in order to fulfil the Father's will ( Php 2:7\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p34.1").
      
if not, forbear--They withheld that which He sought as His only reward, their love; yet He will not force them, but leave His cause with God ( Isa 49:4, 5\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p35.1"). Compare the type Jacob cheated of his wages by Laban, but leaving his cause in the hands of God ( Ge 31:41, 42\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p35.2").
      
So ... thirty pieces of silver-- \ithirty shekels.\iThey not only refused Him His due, but added insult to injury by giving for Him the price of a gored bond-servant ( Ex 21:32; Mt 26:15\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p36.1"). A freeman was rated at twice that sum.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p36.2"13. Cast it unto the potter--proverbial: Throw it to the temple potter, the most suitable person to whom to cast the despicable sum, plying his trade as he did in the polluted valley ( 2Ki 23:10\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p37.1") of Hinnom, because it furnished him with the most suitable clay. This same valley, and the potter's shop, were made the scene of symbolic actions by Jeremiah ( Jer 18:1-19:15\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p37.2") when prophesying of this very period of Jewish history. Zechariah connects his prophecy here with the older one of Jeremiah: showing the further application of the same divine threat against his unfaithful people in their destruction under Rome, as before in that under Nebuchadnezzar. Hence Mt 27:9\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p37.3", in \iEnglish Version,\iand in the oldest authorities, quotes Zechariah's words as \iJeremiah's,\ithe latter being the original author from whom Zechariah derived the groundwork of the prophecy. Compare the parallel case of Mr 1:2, 3\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p37.4"in the oldest manuscripts (though not in \iEnglish Version\i), quoting Malachi's words as those of "Isaiah," the original source of the prophecy. Compare myto Zechariah. The "potter" is significant of God's absolute power over the clay framed by His own hands ( Isa 45:9; Jer 18:6; Ro 9:20, 21\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p37.6").
      
in the house of the Lord--The thirty pieces are thrown down \iin the temple,\ias the house of Jehovah, the fit place for the money of Jehovah-Messiah being deposited, in the treasury, and the very place accordingly where Judas "cast them down." The thirty pieces were cast "to the potter," because it was to him they were "appointed by the Lord" ultimately to go, as a worthless price (compare Mt 27:6, 7, 10\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p38.1"). For "I took," "I threw," here Matthew has " \ithey\itook," " \ithey\igave them"; because their (the Jews' and Judas') act was all \iHis\i" \iappointment\i" (which Matthew also expresses), and therefore is here attributed to Him (compare Ac 2:23; 4:28\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p38.2"). It is curious that some old translators translate, for "to the potter," " \ito the treasury\i" (soMaurer), agreeing with Mt 27:6\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p38.4". But \iEnglish Version\iagrees better with \iHebrew\iand Mt 27:10\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p38.5".
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p38.6"14.The breaking of the bond of union between Judah and Israel's ten tribes under Rehoboam is here the image used to represent the \ifratricidal discord of factions\iwhich raged within Jerusalem on the eve of its fall, while the Romans were thundering at its gates without. SeeJosephus[ \iWars of the Jews\i]. Also the continued \iseverance of the tribes\itill their coming reunion ( Ro 11:15\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p39.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p39.3"15. yet--"take \iagain\i"; as in Zec 11:7\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p40.1"previously he had taken other implements.
      
instruments--the accoutrements, namely, the shepherd's crook and staff, wallet, &c. Assume the character of a bad ("foolish" in Scripture is synonymous with \iwicked,\i Ps 14:1\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p41.1") shepherd, as before thou assumedst that of a good shepherd. Since the Jews would not have Messiah, "the Good Shepherd" ( Joh 10:11\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p41.2"), they were given up to Rome, heathen and papal, both alike their persecutor, especially the latter, and shall be again to Antichrist, the "man of sin," the instrument of judgment by Christ's permission. Antichrist will first make a covenant with them as their ruler, but then will break it, and they shall feel the iron yoke of his tyranny as the false Messiah, because they rejected the light yoke of the true Messiah ( Da 11:35-38; 12:1; 9:27; 2Th 2:3-12\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p41.3"). But at last he is to perish utterly ( Zec 11:17\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p41.4"), and the elect remnant of Judah and Israel is to be saved gloriously.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p41.5"16. in the land--Antichrist will probably he a Jew, or at least one in Judea.
      
not visit ... neither ... seek ... heal ... broken, nor feed ... but ... eat ... flesh ... tear--Compare similar language as to the unfaithful shepherds of Israel in Eze 34:2-4\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p43.1". This implies, they shall be paid in kind. Such a shepherd in the worst type shall "tear" them for a limited time.
      
those ... cut off--"those perishing" [ \iSeptuagint\i], that is, those sick unto death, as if already cut off.
      
the young--The \iHebrew\iis always used of human youths, who are really referred to under the image of the young of the flock. Ancient expositors [ \iChaldee Version,\iJerome, &c.] translate, " \ithe straying,\i" "the dispersed"; soGesenius.
      
broken--the wounded.
      
standeth still--with faintness lagging behind.
      
tear ... claws--expressing cruel voracity; tearing off the very hoofs (compare Ex 10:26\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p48.1"), giving them excruciating pain, and disabling them from going in quest of pasture.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p48.2"17. the idol--The \iHebrew\iexpresses both \ivanity\iand \ian idol.\iCompare Isa 14:13; Da 11:36; 2Th 2:4; Re 13:5, 6\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p49.1", as to the idolatrous and blasphemous claims of Antichrist. The "idol shepherd \ithat leaveth the flock\i" cannot apply to Rome, but to some ruler among the Jews themselves, at first cajoling, then "leaving" them, nay, destroying them ( Da 9:27; 11:30-38\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p49.2"). God's sword shall descend on his "arm," the instrument of his tyranny towards the sheep ( 2Th 2:8\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p49.3"); and on his "right eye," wherewith he ought to have watched the sheep ( Joh 10:12, 13\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p49.4"). However, Antichrist shall \idestroy,\irather than " \ileave\ithe flock." Perhaps, therefore, the reference is to the shepherds who \ileft the flock\ito Antichrist's rapacity, and who, in just retribution, shall feel his "sword" on their "arm," which ought to have protected the flock but did not, and on their "eye," which had failed duly to watch the sheep from hurt. The blinding of "the \iright eye\i" has attached to it the notion of ignominy ( 1Sa 11:2\Q="x.xxxviii.xii-p49.5").
      

\C3="Chapter 12" \Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p0.1"CHAPTER 12
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p1.1" Zec 12:1-14\Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p2.1".Jerusalem the Instrument of Judgment on Her Foes Hereafter; Her Repentance and Restoration.
      
1. burden--"weighty prophecy"; fraught with destruction to Israel's foes; the expression may also refer to the distresses of Israel \iimplied\ias about to precede the deliverance.
      
for Israel-- \iconcerning\iIsrael [Maurer].
      
stretcheth forth--present; \inow,\inot merely " \ihath\istretched forth," as if God only created and then left the universe to itself ( Joh 5:17\Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p5.1"). To remove all doubts of unbelief as to the possibility of Israel's deliverance, God prefaces the prediction by reminding us of His creative and sustaining power. Compare a similar preface in Isa 42:5; 43:1; 65:17, 18\Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p5.2".
      
formeth ... spirit of man--( Nu 16:22; Heb 12:9\Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p6.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p6.2"2. cup of trembling--a cup causing those who drink it to \ireel\i(from a \iHebrew\iroot "to reel"). Jerusalem, who drank the "cup of trembling" herself, shall be so to her foes ( Isa 51:17, 22; Jer 13:13\Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p7.1").Calvinwith the \iSeptuagint\itranslates, " \ithreshold\iof destruction," on which they shall stumble and be crushed when they attempt to cross it. \iEnglish Version\iis better.
      
both against Judah--The \iHebrew\iorder of words is literally, "And also against Judah shall he (the foe) be in the siege against Jerusalem"; implying virtually that Judah, as it shares the invasion along with Jerusalem, so it shall, like the metropolis, prove a cup of trembling to the invaders.MaurerwithJerometranslates, "Also upon Judah shall be (the cup of trembling); that is, some Jews forced by the foe shall join in the assault on Jerusalem, and shall share the overthrow with the besiegers. But Zec 12:6, 7\Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p8.3"show that Judah escapes and proves the scourge of the foe.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p8.4"3.( Zec 14:4, 6-9, 13\Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p9.1").Jeromestates it was a custom in Palestine to test the strength of youths by their lifting up a massive stone; the phrase, "burden themselves with it," refers to this custom. Compare Mt 21:44\Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p9.3": The Jews "fell" on the rock of offense, Messiah, and were "broken"; but the rock shall fall on Antichrist, who "burdens himself with it" by his assault on the restored Jews, and "grind him to powder."
      
all ... people of ... earth--The Antichristian confederacy against the Jews shall be almost universal.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p10.1"4. I will smite ... horse--The arm of attack especially formidable to Judah, who was unprovided with cavalry. So in the overthrow of Pharaoh ( Ex 15:19, 21\Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p11.1").
      
open mine eyes upon ... Judah--to watch over Judah's safety. Heretofore Jehovah seemed to have shut His eyes, as having no regard for her.
      
blindness--so as to rush headlong on to their own ruin (compare Zec 14:12, 13\Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p13.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p13.2"5. shall say--when they see the foe divinely smitten with "madness."
      
Judah ... Jerusalem--here distinguished as the country and the metropolis. Judah recognizes her "strength" to be "Jerusalem and its inhabitants" as the instrument, and "Jehovah of hosts their God" (dwelling especially there) as the author of all power ( Joe 3:16\Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p15.1"). My strength is the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who have the Lord their God as their help. The repulse of the foe by the metropolis shall assure the Jews of the country that the same divine aid shall save them.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p15.2"6.On "governors of Judah," see on.
      
hearth--or pan.
      
torch ... in a sheaf--Though small, it shall consume the many foes around. One prophet supplements the other. Thus Isa 29:1-24; Joe 3:1-21; Zec 12:1-14:21\Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p18.1", describe more Antichrist's \iarmy\ithan himself. Daniel represents him as a horn growing out of the fourth beast or fourth kingdom; St. John, as a separate beast having an individual existence. Daniel dwells on his worldly conquests as a king; St. John, more on his spiritual tyranny, whence he adds a second beast, the false prophet coming in a semblance of spirituality. What is briefly described by one is more fully prophesied by the other [Roos].
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p18.3"7.Judah is to be "first saved," because of her meek acknowledgment of dependence on Jerusalem, subordinate to Jehovah's aid.
      
tents--shifting and insecure, as contrasted with the solid fortifications of Judah. But God chooses the weak to confound the mighty, that all human glorying may be set aside.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p20.1"8.Jerusalem, however, also shall be specially strengthened against the foe.
      
feeble ... shall be as David--to the Jew, the highest type of strength and glory on earth ( 2Sa 17:8; 18:3; Joe 3:10\Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p22.1").
      
angel of the Lord before them--the divine angel that went "before them" through the desert, the highest type of strength and glory in heaven ( Ex 23:20; 32:34\Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p23.1"). "The house of David" is the "prince," and his family sprung from David ( Eze 45:7, 9\Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p23.2"). David's house was then in a comparatively weak state.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p23.3"9. I will seek to destroy--I will set Myself with determined earnestness to destroy, etc. ( Hag 2:22\Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p24.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p24.2"10.Future conversion of the Jews is to flow from an extraordinary outpouring of the Holy Spirit ( Jer 31:9, 31-34; Eze 39:29\Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p25.1").
      
spirit of grace ... supplications--"spirit" is here not the spirit produced, butTHE Holy Spirit \iproducing\ia " \igracious\i" disposition, and inclination for " \isupplications.\i"Calvinexplains "spirit of grace" as \ithe grace of God\iitself (whereby He "pours" out His bowels of mercy), "conjoined with the sense of it in man's heart." The "spirit of supplications" is the mercury whose rise or fall is an unerring test of the state of the Church [Moore]. In \iHebrew,\i"grace" and "supplications" are kindred terms; translate, therefore, " \igracious\isupplications." The \iplural\iimplies suppliant prayers "without ceasing." Herein not merely external help against the foe, as before, but internal grace is promised subsequently.
      
look upon me--with profoundly earnest regard, as the Messiah whom they so long denied.
      
pierced--implying Messiah's humanity: as " \iI\iwill pour ... spirit" implies His divinity.
      
look ... mourn--True repentance arises from the sight by faith of the crucified Saviour. It is the tear that drops from the eye of faith looking on Him. Terror only produces remorse. The true penitent weeps over his sins in love to Him who in love has suffered for them.
      
me ... him--The change of person is due to Jehovah-Messiah speaking \iin His own person\ifirst, then the prophet speaking \iof Him.\iThe Jews, to avoid the conclusion that He whom they have "pierced" is Jehovah-Messiah, who says, "I will pour out ... spirit," altered "me" into "him," and represent the "pierced" one to be Messiah Ben (son of) Joseph, who was to suffer in the battle with Cog, before Messiah Ben David should come to reign. But \iHebrew, Chaldee, Syriac,\iand \iArabic\ioppose this; and the ancient Jews interpreted it of Messiah. Ps 22:16\Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p30.1"also refers to His being "pierced." So Joh 19:37; Re 1:7\Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p30.2". The actual piercing of His side was the culminating point of all their insulting treatment of Him. The act of the Roman soldier who pierced Him was their act ( Mt 27:25\Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p30.3"), and is so accounted here in Zechariah. The \iHebrew\iword is always used of a literal piercing (so Zec 13:3\Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p30.4"); not of a metaphorical \ipiercing,\i"insulted," asMaurerand other Rationalists (from the \iSeptuagint\i) represent.
      
as one mourneth for ... son--( Jer 6:26; Am 8:10\Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p31.1"). A proverbial phrase peculiarly forcible among the Jews, who felt childlessness as a curse and dishonor. Applied with peculiar propriety to mourning for Messiah, "the \ifirst-born\iamong many brethren" ( Ro 8:29\Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p31.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p31.3"11.As in Zec 12:10\Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p32.1"the bitterness of their mourning is illustrated by a private case of mourning, so in this verse by a public one, the greatest recorded in Jewish history, that for the violent death in battle with Pharaoh-necho of the good King Josiah, whose reign had been the only gleam of brightness for the period from Hezekiah to the downfall of the state; lamentations were written by Jeremiah for the occasion ( 2Ki 23:29, 30; 2Ch 35:22-27\Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p32.2").
      
Hadad-rimmon--a place or city in the great plain of Esdraelon, the battlefield of many a conflict, near Megiddo; called so from the Syrian idol Rimmon. Hadad also was the name of the sun, a chief god of the Syrians [Macrobius, \iSaturnalia,\i1.23].
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p33.2"12-14.A universal and an individual mourning at once.
      
David ... Nathan--representing the highest and lowest of the royal order. Nathan, not the prophet, but a younger son of David ( 2Sa 5:14; Lu 3:31\Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p35.1").
      
apart--Retirement and seclusion are needful for deep personal religion.
      
wives apart--Jewish females worship separately from the males ( Ex 15:1, 20\Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p37.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p37.2"13. Levi ... Shimei--the highest and lowest of the priestly order ( Nu 3:18, 21\Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p38.1"). Their example and that of the royal order would of course influence the rest.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p38.2"14. All ... that remain--after the fiery ordeal, in which two-thirds fall ( Zec 13:8, 9\Q="x.xxxviii.xiii-p39.1").
      

\C3="Chapter 13" \Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p0.1"CHAPTER 13
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p1.1" Zec 13:1-9\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p2.1".Cleansing of the Jews from Sin; Abolition of Idolatry; the Shepherd Smitten; the People of the Land Cut Off, except a Third Part Refined by Trials.
      
1.Connected with the close of the twelfth chapter. The mourning penitents are here comforted.
      
fountain opened--It has been long opened, but then first it shall be so " \ito the house of David,\i" &c. (representing all Israel) after their long and weary wanderings. Like Hagar in the wilderness they remain ignorant of the refreshment near them, until God " \iopens\itheir eyes" ( Ge 21:19\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p4.1") [Moore]. It is not the fountain, but their eyes that need to be opened. It shall be a "fountain" ever flowing; not a laver needing constantly to be replenished with water, such as stood between the tabernacle and altar ( Ex 30:18\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p4.3").
      
for sin ... uncleanness--that is, judicial guilt and moral impurity. Thus justification and sanctification are implied in this verse as both flowing from the blood of Christ, not from ceremonial sacrifices ( 1Co 1:30; Heb 9:13, 14; 1Jo 1:7\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p5.1"; compare Eze 36:25\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p5.2"). \iSin\iin \iHebrew\iis literally \ia missing the mark\ior \iway.\i
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p5.3"2.Consequences of pardon; not indolence, but the extirpation of sin.
      
names of ... idols--Their very names were not to be mentioned; thus the Jews, instead of Mephibaal, said Mephibosheth ( \iBosheth\imeaning a contemptible thing) ( Ex 23:13; De 12:3; Ps 16:4\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p7.1").
      
out of the land--Judea's two great sins, idolatry and false prophecy, have long since ceased. But these are types of all sin (for example, covetousness, Eph 5:5\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p8.1", a besetting sin of the Jews now). Idolatry, combined with the "spirit" of "Satan," is again to be incarnated in "the man of sin," who is to arise in Judea ( 2Th 2:3-12\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p8.2"), and is to be "consumed with the Spirit of the Lord's mouth." Compare as to Antichrist's papal precursor, "seducing spirits ... doctrines of devils," &c., 1Ti 4:1-3; 2Pe 2:1\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p8.3".
      
the unclean spirit-- \iHebrew, spirit of uncleanness\i(compare Re 16:13\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p9.1"); opposed to "the Spirit of holiness" ( Ro 1:4\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p9.2"), "spirit of error" ( 1Jo 4:6\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p9.3"). One assuming to be divinely inspired, but in league with Satan.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p9.4"3.The form of phraseology here is drawn from De 13:6-10; 18:20\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p10.1". The substantial truth expressed is that false prophecy shall be utterly abolished. If it were possible for it again to start up, the very parents of the false prophet would not let parental affection interfere, but would be the first to thrust him through. Love to Christ must be paramount to the tenderest of natural ties ( Mt 10:37\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p10.2"). Much as the godly love their children, they love God and His honor more.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p10.3"4. prophets ... ashamed--of the false prophecies which they have uttered in times past, and which the event has confuted.
      
rough garment--sackcloth. The badge of a prophet ( 2Ki 1:8; Isa 20:2\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p12.1"), to mark their frugality alike in food and attire ( Mt 3:4\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p12.2"); also, to be consonant to the mournful warnings which they delivered. It is not the dress that is here condemned, but the purpose for which it was worn, namely, to conceal wolves under sheep's clothing [Calvin]. The monkish hair-shirt of Popery, worn to inspire the multitude with the impression of superior sanctity, shall be then cast aside.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p12.4"5, 6.The detection of one of the false prophets dramatically represented. He is seized by some zealous vindicator of the law, and in fear cries out, "I am no prophet."
      
man--that is, one.
      
taught me to keep cattle--As "keeping cattle" is not the same as to be "an husbandman," translate rather, "Has used (or 'appropriated') me as a servant," namely, \iin husbandry\i[Maurer]. However, husbandry and keeping cattle might be regarded as jointly the occupation of the person questioned: then Am 7:14\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p15.2", "herdman," will accord with \iEnglish Version.\iA \iHebrew\ikindred word means "cattle." Both occupations, the respondent replies, are inconsistent with my being a "prophet."
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p15.3"6. wounds in thine hand--The interrogator still suspects him: "If so, if you have never pretended to be a prophet, whence come those wounds?" The \iHebrew\iis literally, " \ibetween\ithine hands." The hands were naturally held up to ward off the blows, and so were "thrust through" ( Zec 13:3\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p16.1") "between" the bones of the hand. \iStoning\iwas the usual punishment; "thrusting through" was also a fit retribution on one who tried to "thrust Israel away" from the Lord ( De 13:10\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p16.2"); and perfects the type of Messiah, condemned as a false prophet, and pierced with "wounds \ibetween\iHis hands." Thus the transition to the direct prophecy of Him ( Zec 13:7\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p16.3") is natural, which it would not be if He were not indirectly and in type alluded to.
      
wounded in ... house of my friends--an implied admission that he had pretended to prophecy, and that his friends had wounded him for it in zeal for God ( Zec 13:3\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p17.1"). The Holy Spirit in Zechariah alludes indirectly to Messiah, the Antitype, wounded by those whom He came to befriend, who ought to have been His "friends," who were His kinsmen (compare Zec 13:3\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p17.2", as to the false prophet's friends, with Mr 3:21\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p17.3", "His friends," \iMargin,\i"kinsmen"; Joh 7:5\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p17.4"; "His own," Joh 1:11\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p17.5"; \ithe Jews,\i"of whom as concerning the flesh He came," Ro 9:5\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p17.6"), but who wounded Him by the agency of the Romans ( Zec 12:10\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p17.7").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p17.8"7.Expounded by Christ as referring to Himself ( Mt 26:31, 32\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p18.1"). Thus it is a resumption of the prophecy of His betrayal ( Zec 11:4, 10, 13, 14\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p18.2"), and the subsequent punishment of the Jews. It explains the mystery why He, who came to be a blessing, was cut off while bestowing the blessing. God regards sin in such a fearful light that He spared not His own co-equal Son in the one Godhead, when that Son bore the sinner's guilt.
      
Awake--Compare a similar address to the sword of justice personified ( Jer 46:6, 7\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p19.1"). For "smite" (imperative), Mt 26:31\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p19.2"has "I will smite." The act of the sword, it is thus implied, isGod'sact. So the prophecy in Isa 6:9\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p19.4", "Hear ye," is imperative; the fulfilment as declared by Jesus is future ( Mt 13:14\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p19.5"), "ye shall hear."
      
sword--the symbol of judicial power, the highest exercise of which is to take away the life of the condemned ( Ps 17:13; Ro 13:4\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p20.1"). Not merely a show, or expression, of justice (as Socinians think) is distinctly implied here, but an actual execution of it on Messiah the shepherd, the substitute for the sheep, by God as judge. Yet God in this shows His love as gloriously as His justice. For God calls Messiah " \iMy\ishepherd," that is, provided ( Re 13:8\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p20.2") for sinners by My love to them, and ever the object of My love, though judicially smitten ( Isa 53:4\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p20.3") for their sins ( Isa 42:1; 59:16\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p20.4").
      
man that is my fellow--literally, "the man of my union." The \iHebrew\ifor "man" is "a mighty man," one peculiarly man in his noblest ideal. "My fellow," that is, "my associate." "My equal" ([De Wette]; a remarkable admission from a Rationalist). "My nearest kinsman" [Hengstenberg], ( Joh 10:30; 14:10, 11; Php 2:6\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p21.3").
      
sheep shall be scattered--The scattering of Christ's disciples on His apprehension was the partial fulfilment ( Mt 26:31\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p22.1"), a pledge of the dispersion of the Jewish nation (once the Lord's \isheep,\i Ps 100:3\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p22.2") consequent on their crucifixion of Him. The Jews, though "scattered," are still the Lord's "sheep," awaiting their being "gathered" by Him ( Isa 40:9, 11\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p22.3").
      
I will turn ... hand upon ... little ones--that is, I will interpose in favor of (compare the phrase in a good sense, Isa 1:25\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p23.1") "the little ones," namely, the humble followers of Christ from the Jewish Church, despised by the world: "the poor of the flock" ( Zec 11:7, 11\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p23.2"); comforted after His crucifixion at the resurrection ( Joh 20:17-20\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p23.3"); saved again by a special interposition from the destruction of Jerusalem, having retired to Pella when Cestius Gallus so unaccountably withdrew from Jerusalem. Ever since there has been a Jewish "remnant" of "the little ones ... according to the election of grace." The hand of Jehovah was laid in wrath on the Shepherd that His \ihand might be turned\iin grace \iupon the little ones.\i
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p23.4"8, 9.Two-thirds of the Jewish nation were to perish in the Roman wars, and a third to survive. Probably from the context ( Zec 14:2-9\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p24.1"), which has never yet been fulfilled, the destruction of the two-thirds (literally, "the proportion of two," or "portion of two") and the saving of the remnant, the one-third, are still future, and to be fulfilled under Antichrist.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p24.2"9. through ... fire--of trial ( Ps 66:10; Am 4:11; 1Co 3:15; 1Pe 1:6, 7\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p25.1"). It hence appears that the Jews' conversion is not to precede, but to follow, their external deliverance by the special interposition of Jehovah; which latter shall be the main cause of their conversion, combined with a preparatory inward shedding abroad in their hearts of the Holy Spirit ( Zec 12:10-14\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p25.2"); and here, "they shall call on My name," in their trouble, which brings Jehovah to their help ( Ps 50:15\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p25.3").
      
my people--( Jer 30:18-22; Eze 11:19, 20; Ho 2:23\Q="x.xxxviii.xiv-p26.1").
      

\C3="Chapter 14" \Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p0.1"CHAPTER 14
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p1.1" Zec 14:1-21\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p2.1".Last Struggle with the Hostile World-Powers: Messiah-Jehovah Saves Jerusalem and Destroys the Foe, of Whom the Remnant Turns to the Lord Reigning at Jerusalem.
      
1. day of the Lord--in which He shall vindicate His justice by punishing the wicked and then saving His elect people ( Joe 2:31; 3:14; Mal 4:1, 5\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p3.1").
      
thy spoil ... divided in the midst of thee--by the foe; secure of victory, they shall not divide the spoil taken from thee in their camp outside, but "in the midst" of the city itself.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p4.1"2. gather all nations,&c.--The prophecy seems literal (compare Joe 3:2\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p5.1"). If Antichrist be the leader of the nations, it seems inconsistent with the statement that he will at this time be sitting in the temple as God at Jerusalem ( 2Th 2:4\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p5.2"); thus Antichrist outside would be made to besiege Antichrist within the city. But difficulties do not set aside revelations: the event will clear up seeming difficulties. Compare the complicated movements, Da 11:1-45\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p5.3".
      
half ... the residue--In Zec 13:8, 9\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p6.1", it is "two-thirds" that perish, and "the \ithird\i" escapes. There, however, it is "in \iall the land\i"; here it is "half \iof the city.\i" Two-thirds of the " \iwhole people\i" perish, one-third survives. One-half of the \icitizens\iare led captive, the residue are not cut off. Perhaps, too, we ought to translate, "a (not 'the') residue."
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p6.2"3. Then--In Jerusalem's extremity.
      
as ... in ... day of battle--as when Jehovah fought for Israel against the Egyptians at the Red Sea ( Ex 14:14; 15:3\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p8.1"). As He then made a way through the divided sea, so will He now divide in two "the Mount of Olives" ( Zec 14:4\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p8.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p8.3"4.The object of the cleaving of the mount in two by a fissure or valley (a prolongation of the valley of Jehoshaphat, and extending from Jerusalem on the west towards Jordan, eastward) is to open a way of escape to the besieged (compare Joe 3:12, 14\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p9.1"). Half the divided mount is thereby forced northward, half southward; the valley running between. The place of His departure at His ascension shall be the place of His return: and the "manner" of His return also shall be similar ( Ac 1:11\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p9.2"). He shall probably "come from the east" ( Mt 24:27\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p9.3"). He so made His triumphal entry into the city from the Mount of Olives from the east ( Mt 21:1-10\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p9.4"). This was the scene of His agony: so it shall be the scene of His glory. Compare Eze 11:23, with Eze 43:2\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p9.5", "from the way of the east."
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p9.6"5. ye shall flee \ito\ithe valley--rather " \ithrough\ithe valley," as in 2Sa 2:29\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p10.1". The valley made by the cleaving asunder of the Mount of Olives ( Zec 14:4\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p10.2") is designed to be their way of escape, not their place of refuge [Maurer].Jeromeis on the side of \iEnglish Version.\iIf it be translated so, it will mean, Ye shall flee "to" the valley, not to hide there, but as the passage through which an escape may be effected. The same divinely sent earthquake which swallows up the foe, opens out a way of escape to God's people. The earthquake in Uzziah's days is mentioned ( Am 1:1\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p10.5") as a recognized epoch in Jewish history. Compare also Isa 6:1\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p10.6": perhaps the same year that Jehovah held His heavenly court and gave commission to Isaiah for the Jews, an earthquake in the physical world, as often happens ( Mt 24:7\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p10.7"), marked momentous movements in the unseen spiritual world.
      
of the mountains--rather, "of \iMy\imountains," namely, Zion and Moriah, peculiarly sacred to Jehovah [Moore]. Or, the mountains formed by \iMy\icleaving Olivet into two [Maurer].
      
Azal--the name of a place \inear\ia gate east of the city. The \iHebrew\imeans "adjoining" [Henderson]. Others give the meaning, "departed," "ceased." The valley reaches up to the city gates, so as to enable the fleeing citizens to betake themselves immediately to it on leaving the city.
      
Lord my God ... with thee--The mention of the "Lord my God" leads the prophet to pass suddenly to a direct address to Jehovah. It is as if "lifting up his head" ( Lu 21:28\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p13.1"), he suddenly sees in vision the Lord coming, and joyfully exclaims, "All the saints with Thee!" So Isa 25:9\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p13.2".
      
saints-- \iholy angels\iescorting the returning King ( Mt 24:30, 31; Jude 14\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p14.1"); and redeemed men ( 1Co 15:23; 1Th 3:13; 4:14\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p14.2"). Compare the similar mention of the "saints" and "angels" at His coming on Sinai ( De 32:2, 3; Ac 7:53; Ga 3:19; Heb 2:2\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p14.3").Phillipsthinks Azal is Ascalon on the Mediterranean. An earthquake beneath Messiah's tread will divide Syria, making from Jerusalem to Azal a valley which will admit the ocean waters from the west to the Dead Sea. The waters will rush down the valley of Arabah, the old bed of the Jordan, clear away the sand-drift of four thousand years, and cause the commerce of Petra and Tyre to center in the holy city. The Dead Sea rising above its shores will overflow by the valley of Edom, completing the straits of Azal into the Red Sea. Thus will be formed the great pool of Jerusalem (compare Zec 14:8; Eze 47:1, &c.; Joe 3:18\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p14.5"). Euphrates will be the north boundary, and the Red Sea the south. Twenty-five miles north and twenty-five miles south of Jerusalem will form one side of the fifty miles square of the Lord's Holy Oblation ( Eze 48:1-35\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p14.6"). There are seven spaces of fifty miles each from Jerusalem northward to the Euphrates, and five spaces of fifty miles each southward to the Red Sea. Thus there are thirteen equal distances on the breadth of the future promised land, one for the oblation and twelve for the tribes, according to Eze 48:1-35\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p14.7". That the Euphrates north, Mediterranean west, the Nile and Red Sea south, are to be the future boundaries of the holy land, which will include Syria and Arabia, is favored by Ge 15:8; Ex 23:31; De 11:24; Jos 1:4; 1Ki 4:21; 2Ch 9:26; Isa 27:12\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p14.8"; all which was partially realized in Solomon's reign, shall be antitypically so hereafter. The theory, if true, will clear away many difficulties in the way of the literal interpretation of this chapter and Eze 48:1-35\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p14.9".
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p14.10"6. light ... not ... clear ... dark--Jerome, \iChaldee, Syriac,\iand \iSeptuagint\itranslate, "There shall not be light, but cold and ice"; that is, a day full of horror ( Am 5:18\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p15.2"). But the \iHebrew\ifor "clear" does not mean "cold," but "precious," "splendid" (compare Job 31:26\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p15.3").Calvintranslates, "The light shall not be clear, \ibut\idark" (literally, "condensation," that is, thick mist); like a dark day in which you can hardly distinguish between day and night. \iEnglish Version\iaccords with Zec 14:7\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p15.5": "There shall not be altogether light nor altogether darkness," but an intermediate condition in which sorrows shall be mingled with joys.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p15.6"7. one day--a day altogether \iunique,\idifferent from all others [Maurer]. Compare "one," that is, unique ( So 6:9; Jer 30:7\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p16.2"). Not asHendersonexplains, "One continuous day, without night" ( Re 22:5; 21:25\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p16.4"); the millennial period ( Re 20:3-7\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p16.5").
      
known to ... Lord--This truth restrains man's curiosity and teaches us to wait the Lord's own time ( Mt 24:36\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p17.1").
      
not day, nor night--answering to "not ... clear nor ... dark" ( Zec 14:6\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p18.1"); not altogether daylight, yet not the darkness of night.
      
at evening ... shall be light--Towards the close of this twilight-like time of calamity, "light" shall spring up ( Ps 97:11; 112:4; Isa 30:26; 60:19, 20\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p19.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p19.2"8. living waters--( Eze 47:1; Joe 3:18\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p20.1").
      
former sea--that is, the \ifront,\ior east, which Orientalists face in taking the points of the compass; the Dead Sea.
      
hinder sea--the west or Mediterranean.
      
summer ... winter--neither dried up by heat, nor frozen by cold; ever flowing.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p23.1"9. king over all ... earth-- Isa 54:5\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p24.1"implies that this is to be the consequence of Israel being again recognized by God as His own people ( Da 2:44; Re 11:15\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p24.2").
      
one Lord ... name one--Not that He is not so already, but He shall then be \irecognized by all unanimously\ias "One." Now there are "gods many and lords many." Then Jehovah alone shall be worshipped. The \imanifestation\iof the unity of the Godhead shall be simultaneous with that of the unity of the Church. Believers are one in spirit already, even as God is one ( Eph 4:3-6\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p25.1"). But externally there are sad divisions. Not until these disappear, shall God reveal fully His unity to the world ( Joh 17:21, 23\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p25.2"). Then shall there be "a pure language, that all may call upon the name of the Lord with one consent" ( Zep 3:9\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p25.3"). The Son too shall at last give up His mediatorial kingdom to the Father, when the purposes for which it was established shall have been accomplished, "that God may be all in all" ( 1Co 15:24\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p25.4").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p25.5"10. turned--or, "changed round about": literally, "to make a circuit." The whole hilly land \iround\iJerusalem, which would prevent the free passage of the living waters, shall be \ichanged\iso as to be "as a (or \ithe\i) plain" ( Isa 40:4\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p26.1").
      
from Geba to Rimmon--Geba ( 2Ki 23:8\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p27.1") in Benjamin, the north border of Judah. Rimmon, in Simeon ( Jos 15:32\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p27.2"), the south border of Judah; not the Rimmon northeast of Michmash. " \iThe\iplain from Geba to Rimmon" (that is, from one boundary to the other) is the Arabah or plain of the Jordan, extending from the Sea of Tiberias to the Elanitic Gulf of the Red Sea.
      
it shall be lifted up--namely, Jerusalem shall be exalted, the hills all round being lowered ( Mic 4:1\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p28.1").
      
inhabited in her place--( Zec 12:6\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p29.1").
      
from Benjamin's gate--leading to the territory of Benjamin. The same as Ephraim's gate, the north boundary of the city ( 2Ki 14:13\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p30.1").
      
the first gate--west of the city [Grotius]. "The place of," &c. implies that the gate itself was then not in existence. "The old gate" ( Ne 3:6\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p31.2").
      
the corner gate--east of the city [Grotius]. Or the "corner" joining the north and west parts of the wall [Villalpandus].Grotiusthinks "corners" refers to the \itowers\ithere built (compare Zep 3:6\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p32.4", \iMargin\i).
      
tower of Hananeel--south of the city, near the sheep gate ( Ne 3:1; 12:39; Jer 31:38\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p33.1") [Grotius].
      
king's wine-presses--( So 8:11\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p34.1"). In the interior of the city, at Zion [Grotius].
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p34.3"11. no more utter destruction--( Jer 31:40\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p35.1"). Literally, "no more \icurse\i" ( Re 22:3\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p35.2"; compare Mal 4:6\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p35.3"), for there will be no more sin. Temporal blessings and spiritual prosperity shall go together in the millennium: long life ( Isa 65:20-22\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p35.4"), peace ( Isa 2:4\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p35.5"), honor ( Isa 60:14-16\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p35.6"), righteous government ( Isa 54:14; 60:18\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p35.7"). Judgment, as usual, begins at the house of God, but then falls fatally on Antichrist, whereon the Church obtains perfect liberty. The last day will end everything evil ( Ro 8:21\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p35.8") [Auberlen].
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p35.10"12.Punishment on the foe, the last Antichristian confederacy ( Isa 59:18; 66:24; Eze 38:1-39:29; Re 19:17-21\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p36.1"). A living death: the \icorruption\i( Ga 6:8\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p36.2") of death combined in ghastly union with the conscious sensibility of life. Sin will be felt by the sinner in all its loathsomeness, inseparably clinging to him as a festering, putrid body.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p36.3"13. tumult--consternation ( Zec 12:4; 1Sa 14:15, 20\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p37.1").
      
lay hold ... on ... hand of ... neighbour--instinctively grasping it, as if thereby to be safer, but in vain [Menochius]. Rather, in order to assail "his neighbor" [Calvin], ( Eze 38:21\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p38.3"). Sin is the cause of all quarrels on earth. It will cause endless quarrels in hell ( Jas 3:15, 16\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p38.4").
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p38.5"14. Judah ... fight at Jerusalem--namely, against the foe: not against Jerusalem, asMaurertranslates in variance with the context. As to the spoil gained from the foe, compare Eze 39:10, 17\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p39.2".
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p39.3"15.The plague shall affect the very beasts belonging to the foe. A typical foretaste of all this befell Antiochus Epiphanes and his host at Jerusalem ( \i 1 Maccabees 13:49\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p40.1"; 2 Maccabees 9:5\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p40.2"\i).
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p40.3"16. every one ... left--( Isa 66:19, 23\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p41.1"). God will conquer all the foes of the Church. Some He will destroy; others He will bring into willing subjection.
      
from year to year--literally, "from the sufficiency of a year in a year."
      
feast of tabernacles--The other two great yearly feasts, passover and pentecost, are not specified, because, their antitypes having come, the types are done away with. But the feast of tabernacles will be commemorative of the Jews' sojourn, not merely forty years in the wilderness, but for almost two thousand years of their dispersion. So it was kept on their return from the Babylonian dispersion ( Ne 8:14-17\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p43.1"). It was the feast on which Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem ( Mt 21:8\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p43.2"); a pledge of His return to His capital to reign (compare Le 23:34, 39, 40, 42; Re 7:9; 21:3\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p43.3"). A feast of peculiar joy ( Ps 118:15; Ho 12:9\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p43.4"). The feast on which Jesus gave the invitation to the living waters of salvation ("Hosanna," \isave us now,\iwas the cry, Mt 21:9\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p43.5"; compare Ps 118:25, 26\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p43.6") ( Joh 7:2, 37\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p43.7"). To the Gentiles, too, it will be significant of perfected salvation after past wanderings in a moral wilderness, as it originally commemorated the ingathering of the harvest. The seedtime of tears shall then have issued in the harvest of joy [Moore]. "All the nations" could not possibly in person go up to the feast, but they may do so by representatives.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p43.9"17. no rain--including every calamity which usually follows in the East from want of rain, namely, scarcity of provisions, famine, pestilence, &c. Rain is the symbol also of God's favor ( Ho 6:3\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p44.1"). That there shall be unconverted men under the millennium appears from the outbreak of Gog and Magog at the end of it ( Re 20:7-9\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p44.2"); but they, like Satan their master, shall be restrained during the thousand years. Note, too, from this verse that the Gentiles shall come up to Jerusalem, rather than the Jews go as missionaries to the Gentiles ( Isa 2:2; Mic 5:7\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p44.3"). However, Isa 66:19\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p44.4" \imay\iimply the converse.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p44.5"18. if ... Egypt go not up--specified as Israel's ancient foe. If Egypt go not up, and so there be no rain on them (a judgment which Egypt would condemn, as depending on the Nile's overflow, not on rain), there shall be the plague ... . Because the guilty are not affected by one judgment, let them not think to escape, for God has other judgments which shall plague them.Maurertranslates, "If Egypt go not up, upon them also there shall be none" (no rain). Ps 105:32\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p45.2"mentions "rain" in Egypt. But it is not their main source of fertility.
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p45.3"19. punishment--literally, "sin"; that is, "punishment for sin."
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p46.1"20. shall there be upon the bells--namely, this inscription, "Holiness to the Lord," the same as was on the miter of the high priest ( Ex 28:36\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p47.1"). This implies that all things, even the most common, shall be sacred to Jehovah, and not merely the things which under the law had peculiar sanctity attached to them. The "bells" were metal plates hanging from the necks of horses and camels as ornaments, which \itinkled\i(as the \iHebrew\iroot means) by striking against each other. Bells attached to horses are found represented on the walls of Sennacherib's palace at Koyunjik.
      
pots ... like ... bowls--the vessels used for boiling, for receiving ashes, &c., shall be as holy as the bowls used for catching the blood of the sacrificial victims (see on; 1Sa 2:14\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p48.3"). The priesthood of Christ will be explained more fully both by the Mosaic types and by the New Testament in that temple of which Ezekiel speaks. Then the Song of Solomon, now obscure, will be understood, for the marriage feast of the Lamb will be celebrated in heaven ( Re 19:1-21\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p48.4"), and on earth it will be a Solomonic period, peaceful, glorious, and nuptial. There will be no king but a prince; the sabbatic period of the judges will return, but not with the Old Testament, but New Testament glory ( Isa 1:26; Eze 45:1-25\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p48.5") [Roos].
      
 \Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p48.7"21. every pot--even in private houses, as in the temple, shall be deemed holy, so universal shall be the consecration of all things and persons to Jehovah.
      
take of them--as readily as they would take of the pots of the temple itself, whatever number they wanted for sacrifice.
      
no ... Canaanite--no unclean or ungodly person ( Isa 35:8; 52:1; Joe 3:17\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p51.1"). Compare as to the final state subsequent to the millennium, Re 21:27; 22:15\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p51.2".Maurernot so well translates "merchant" here, as in Pr 31:24\Q="x.xxxviii.xv-p51.4". If a man would have the beginnings of heaven, it must be by absolute consecration of everything to God on earth. Let his life be a liturgy, a holy service of acted worship [Moore].
      
\C2="Malachi"
THE BOOK OF
MALACHI
 \iCommentary by\iA. R. Faussett
      

\C3="Introduction"INTRODUCTION
      
Malachiforms the transition link between the two dispensations, the Old and the New, "the skirt and boundary of Christianity" [Tertullian], to which perhaps is due the abrupt earnestness which characterizes his prophecies. His very name is somewhat uncertain. Malachi is the name of an office, rather than a person, "My messenger," and as such is found in Mal 3:1\Q="x.xxxix.i-p2.3". The \iSeptuagint\ifavors this view in Mal 1:1\Q="x.xxxix.i-p2.4"; translate, not "by Malachi," but "by the hand of His messenger" (compare Hag 1:13\Q="x.xxxix.i-p2.5"). Malachi is the last inspired messenger of the Old Testament, announcing the advent of the Great Messenger of the New Testament. The \iChaldee\iparaphrase identifies him with Ezra wrongly, as Ezra is never called a prophet but a scribe, and Malachi never a scribe but a prophet. Still it hence appears that Malachi was by some old authorities not regarded as a proper name. The analogy of the headings of other prophets, however, favors the common view that Malachi is a proper name. As Haggai and Zechariah, the contemporary prophets, supported Joshua and Zerubbabel in the building of the temple, so he at a subsequent period supported the priest Ezra and the governor Nehemiah. Like that ruler, he presupposes the temple to have been already built ( Mal 1:10; 3:1-10\Q="x.xxxix.i-p2.6"). Both alike censure the abuses still unreformed ( Ne 13:5, 15-22, 23-30\Q="x.xxxix.i-p2.7"), the profane and mercenary character of the priests, the people's marriages contracted with foreigners, the non-payment of the tithes, and want of sympathy towards the poor on the part of the rich ( Ne 6:7\Q="x.xxxix.i-p2.8") implies that Nehemiah was supported by prophets in his work of reformation. The date thus will be about 420B.C., or later. Both the periods after the captivity (that of Haggai and Zechariah, and that of Malachi) were marked by royal, priestly, and prophetic men at the head of God's people. The former period was that of the building of the temple; the latter, that of the restoration of the people and rebuilding of the city. It is characteristic of the people of God that the first period after the restoration was exclusively devoted to the rebuilding of the temple; the political restoration came secondarily. Only a colony of fifty thousand settled with Joshua and Zerubbabel in Palestine ( Ezr 2:64\Q="x.xxxix.i-p2.10"). Even these became intermingled with the heathen around during the sixty years passed over by Ezra in silence ( Ezr 9:6-15; Ne 1:3\Q="x.xxxix.i-p2.11"). Hence a second restoration was needed which should mould the national life into a Jewish form, re-establishing the holy law and the holy city--a work effected by Ezra and Nehemiah, with the aid of Malachi, in a period of about half a century, ending with the deaths of Malachi and Nehemiah in the last ten years of the fifth centuryB.C.; that is, the "seven weeks" ( Da 9:25\Q="x.xxxix.i-p2.13") put in the beginning of the "seventy" by themselves, to mark the fundamental difference between them, the last period of Old Testament revelation, and the period which followed without any revelation (the sixty-two weeks), preceding the final week standing out in unrivalled dignity by itself as the time of Messiah's appearing. The seventy weeks thus begin with the seventh year of Artaxerxes who allowed Ezra to go to Jerusalem, 457B.C., in accordance with the commandment which then went forth from God. Ezra the priest performed the inner work of purifying the nation from heathenish elements and reintroducing the law; while Nehemiah did the outer work of rebuilding the city and restoring the national polity [Auberlen].Vitringamakes the date of Malachi's prophecies to be about the second return of Nehemiah from Persia, not later than 424B.C., the date of Artaxerxes' death ( Ne 13:6\Q="x.xxxix.i-p2.18"). About this time Socrates was teaching the only approach to a pure morality which corrupt Athens ever knew.Mooredistinguishes six portions: (1) Charge against Israel for insensibility to God's love, which so distinguished Israel above Edom ( Mal 1:1-5\Q="x.xxxix.i-p2.20"). (2) The priests are reproved for neglect and profanation ( Mal 1:6-2:9\Q="x.xxxix.i-p2.21"). (3) Mixed marriages, and the wrongs done to Jewish wives, are reproved ( Mal 2:10-16\Q="x.xxxix.i-p2.22"). (4) Coming of Messiah and His forerunners ( Mal 2:17-3:6\Q="x.xxxix.i-p2.23"). (5) Reproof for tithes withheld ( Mal 3:7-12\Q="x.xxxix.i-p2.24"). (6) Contrast between the godly and the ungodly at the present time, and in the future judgment; exhortation, therefore, to return to the law ( Mal 3:13-4:6\Q="x.xxxix.i-p2.25").
      
The style is animated, but less grand, and the rhythm less marked, than in some of the older prophets.
      
The canonicity of the book is established by the references to it in the New Testament ( Mt 11:10; 17:12; Mr 1:2; 9:11, 12; Lu 1:17; Ro 9:13\Q="x.xxxix.i-p4.1").
      

\C3="Chapter 1" \Q="x.xxxix.ii-p0.1"CHAPTER 1
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.ii-p1.1" Mal 1:1-14\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p2.1".God's Love: Israel's Ingratitude: THE Priests' Mercenary Spirit:AGentile Spiritual Priesthood Shall Supersede Them.
      
1. burden--heavy sentence.
      
to Israel--represented now by the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with individuals of the ten tribes who had returned with the Jews from Babylon. So "Israel" is used, Ezr 7:10\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p4.1". Compare 2Ch 21:2\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p4.2", "Jehoshaphat king of \iIsrael,\i" where Judah, rather than the ten tribes, is regarded as the truest representative of Israel (compare 2Ch 12:6; 28:19\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p4.3").
      
Malachi--seeGod sent no prophet after him till John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, in order to enflame His people with the more ardent desire for Him, the great antitype and fulfiller of prophecy.
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.ii-p5.2"2. I have loved you--above other men; nay, even above the other descendants of Abraham and Isaac. Such gratuitous love on My part called for love on yours. But the return ye make is sin and dishonor to Me. This which is to be supplied is left unexpressed, sorrow as it were breaking off the sentence [Menochius], ( De 7:8; Ho 11:1\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p6.2").
      
Wherein hast thou loved us?--In painful contrast to the tearful tenderness of God's love stands their insolent challenge. The root of their sin was insensibility to God's \ilove,\iand to their own wickedness. Having had prosperity taken from them, they imply they have no tokens of God's love; they look at what God had taken, not at what God had left. God's love is often least acknowledged where it is most manifested. We must not infer God does not love us because He afflicts us. Men, instead of referring their sufferings to their proper cause, their own sin, impiously accuse God of indifference to their welfare [Moore]. Thus Mal 1:1-4\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p7.2"form a fit introduction to the whole prophecy.
      
Was not Esau Jacob's brother?--and so, as far as dignity went, as much entitled to God's favor as Jacob. My adoption of Jacob, therefore, was altogether by gratuitous favor ( Ro 9:13\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p8.1"). So God has passed by our elder brethren, the angels who kept not their first estate, and yet He has provided salvation for man. The perpetual rejection of the fallen angels, like the perpetual desolations of Edom, attests God's severity to the lost, and goodness to those gratuitously saved. The sovereign eternal purpose of God is the only ground on which He bestows on one favors withheld from another. There are difficulties in referring salvation to the election of God, there are greater in referring it to the election of man [Moore]. Jehovah illustrates His condescension and patience in arguing the case with them.
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.ii-p8.3"3. hated--not positively, but relatively; that is, did not choose him out to be the object of gratuitous favor, as I did Jacob (compare Lu 14:26, with Mt 10:37; Ge 29:30, 31; De 21:15, 16\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p9.1").
      
laid his mountains ... waste--that is, his territory which was generally mountainous. Israel was, it is true, punished by the Chaldeans, but Edom has been utterly destroyed; namely, either by Nebuchadnezzar [Rosenmuller], or by the neighboring peoples, Egypt, Ammon, and Moab [Josephus, \iAntiquities,\i10.9,7;Maurer], ( Jer 49:18\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p10.4").
      
dragons--jackals [Moore] (compare Isa 34:13\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p11.2").Maurertranslates, " \iAbodes\iof the wilderness," from an \iArabic\iroot " \ito stop,\i" or "to abide." \iEnglish Version\iis better.
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.ii-p11.4"4. Whereas--" \iBut if\i" Edom say [Maurer]. Edom may strive as she may to recover herself, but it shall be in vain, for I doom her to perpetual desolation, whereas I restore Israel. This Jehovah states, to illustrate His gratuitous love to Israel, rather than to Edom.
      
border of wickedness--a region given over to the curse of reprobation [Calvin]. For a time Judea seemed as desolate as Idumea; but though the latter was once the highway of Eastern commerce, now the lonely rock-houses of Petra attest the fulfilment of the prophecy. It is still "the border of wickedness," being the resort of the marauding tribes of the desert. Judea's restoration, though delayed, is yet certain.
      
the Lord hath indignation--"the people of My curse" ( Isa 34:5\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p14.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.ii-p14.2"5. from the border of Israel--Ye, restored to your own "borders" in Israel, "from" them shall raise your voices to "magnify the Lord," acknowledging that Jehovah has shown to you a gratuitous favor not shown to Edom, and so ought to be especially "magnified from the borders of Israel."
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.ii-p15.1"6.Turning from the people to the priests, Jehovah asks, whereas His love to the people was so great, where was their love towards Him? If the priests, as they profess, regard Him as their Father ( Isa 63:16\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p16.1") and Master, let them show the reality of their profession by \ilove and reverential fear\i( Ex 20:12; Lu 6:46\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p16.2"). He addresses the priests because they ought to be leaders in piety to the rest of the people, whereas they are foremost in "despising His name."
      
Wherein have we despised,&c.--The same captious spirit of self-satisfied insensibility as prompted their question ( Mal 1:2\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p17.1"), "Wherein hast Thou loved us?" They are blind alike to God's love and their own guilt.
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.ii-p17.2"7. ye offer,&c.--God's answer to their challenge ( Mal 1:6\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p18.1"), "Wherein have we despised?"
      
polluted bread--namely, blemished sacrifices ( Mal 1:8, 13, 14; De 15:21\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p19.1"). So "the \ibread\iof thy God" is used for " \isacrifices\ito God" ( Le 21:8\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p19.2").
      
polluted thee--that is, offered to thee "polluted bread."
      
table of the Lord--that is, the altar ( Eze 41:22\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p21.1") (not the table of showbread). Just as the sacrificial \iflesh\iis called "bread."
      
contemptible--( Mal 1:12, 13\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p22.1"). Ye sanction the niggardly and blemished offerings of the people on the altar, to gain favor with them. Darius, and probably his successors, had liberally supplied them with victims for sacrifice, yet they presented none but the worst. A cheap religion, costing little, is rejected by God, and so is worth nothing. It costs more than it is worth, for it is worth nothing, and so proves really dear. God despises not the widow's mite, but he does despise the miser's mite [Moore].
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.ii-p22.3"8.Your earthly ruler would feel insulted, if offered by you the offering with which ye put off God (see Le 22:22, 24\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p23.1").
      
 \iis it\inot evil?--Maurertranslates, "There is no evil," in your opinion, in such an offering; it is quite good enough for such a purpose.
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.ii-p24.2"9. now ... beseech God that he will be gracious--Ironical. Think you that God will be persuaded by such polluted gifts to be gracious to you? Far from it.
      
this hath been by your means--literally, "hand." These contemptible offerings are your doing, as being the priests mediating between God and the people; and think you, will God pay any regard to you (compare Mal 1:8, 10\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p26.1")? "Accept thy person" ("face"), Mal 1:8\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p26.2", answers to "regard your persons," in this verse.
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.ii-p26.3"10. Who ... for naught--Not one even of the least priestly functions (as shutting the doors, or kindling a fire on the altar) would ye exercise without pay, therefore ye ought to fulfil them faithfully ( 1Co 9:13\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p27.1").DrusiusandMaurertranslate, "Would that there were absolutely some one of you who would shut the doors of the temple (that is, of the inner court, in which was the altar of burnt offerings), and that ye would not kindle fire on My altar in vain!" Better no sacrifices than vain ones ( Isa 1:11-15\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p27.4"). It was the duty of some of the priests to stand at the doors of the court of the altar of burnt offerings, and to have excluded blemished victims [Calvin].
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.ii-p27.6"11. For--Since ye Jewish priests and people "despise My name" ( Mal 1:6\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p28.1"), I shall find others who will magnify it ( Mt 3:9\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p28.2"). Do not think I shall have no worshippers because I have not you; for from the east to the west My name shall be great among the Gentiles ( Isa 66:19, 20\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p28.3"), those very peoples whom ye look down upon as abominable.
      
pure offering--not "the blind, the lame, and the sick," such as ye offer ( Mal 1:8\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p29.1"). "In every place," implies the catholicity of the Christian Church ( Joh 4:21, 23; 1Ti 2:8\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p29.2"). The "incense" is figurative of \iprayers\i( Ps 141:2; Re 8:3\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p29.3"). "Sacrifice" is used metaphorically ( Ps 51:17; Heb 13:10, 15, 16; 1Pe 2:5, 12\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p29.4"). In this sense the reference to the Lord's Supper, maintained by many of the fathers, may be admitted; it, like prayer, is a spiritual offering, accepted through the literal offering of the "Lamb without blemish," once for all slain.
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.ii-p29.5"12.Renewal of the charge in Mal 1:7\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p30.1".
      
fruit ... meat--the offerings of the people. The "fruit" is the \iproduce\iof the altar, on which the priests subsisted. They did not literally say, The Lord's table is contemptible; but their \iacts\ivirtually said so. They did not act so as to lead the people to reverence, and to offer their best to the Lord on it. The people were poor, and put off God with the worst offerings. The priests let them do so, for fear of offending the people, and so losing all gains from them.
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.ii-p31.1"13. what a weariness is it!--Ye regard God's service as irksome, and therefore try to get it over by presenting the most worthless offerings. Compare Mic 6:3\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p32.1", where God challenges His people to show wherein is the "weariness" or hardship of His service. Also Isa 43:22-24\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p32.2", wherein He shows that it is they who have "wearied" Him, not He who has wearied them.
      
snuffed at--despised.
      
it--the table of the Lord, and the meat on it ( Mal 1:12\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p34.1").
      
torn--namely, by beasts, which it was not lawful to eat, much less to offer ( Ex 22:31\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p35.1").
      
thus ... offering-- \iHebrew, mincha;\ithe \iunbloody offering\iof flour, &c. Though this may have been of ordinary ingredients, yet the \isacrifices\iof blemished animals accompanying it rendered it unacceptable.
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.ii-p36.1"14. deceiver--hypocrite. Not poverty, but avarice was the cause of their mean offerings.
      
male--required by law ( Le 1:3, 10\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p38.1").
      
great King--( Ps 48:2; Mt 5:35\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p39.1").
      
my name ... dreadful among ... heathen--Even the heathen dread Me because of My judgments; what a reproach this is to you, My people, who fear Me not ( Mal 1:6\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p40.1")! Also it may be translated, " \ishall be\ifeared among," &c. agreeing with the prophecy of the call of the Gentiles ( Mal 1:11\Q="x.xxxix.ii-p40.2").
      

\C3="Chapter 2" \Q="x.xxxix.iii-p0.1"CHAPTER 2
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iii-p1.1" Mal 2:1-17\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p2.1".Reproof of the Priests for Violating the Covenant; and the People Also for Mixed Marriages and Unfaithfulness.
      
1. for you--The priests in particular are reproved, as their part was to have led the people aright, and reproved sin, whereas they encouraged and led them into sin. Ministers cannot sin or suffer alone. They drag down others with them if they fall [Moore].
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iii-p3.2"2. lay ... to heart--My commands.
      
send a curse--rather, as \iHebrew,\i" \ithe\icurse"; namely, that denounced in De 27:15-26; 28:15-68\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p5.1".
      
curse your blessings--turn the blessings you enjoy into curses ( Ps 106:15\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p6.1").
      
cursed them-- \iHebrew, them severally;\ithat is, I have cursed each one of your blessings.
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iii-p7.1"3. corrupt,&c.--literally, "rebuke," answering to the opposite prophecy of blessing ( Mal 3:11\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p8.1"), "I will \irebuke\ithe devourer." To rebuke the seed is to forbid its growing.
      
your--literally, " \ifor you\i"; that is, to your hurt.
      
dung of ... solemn feasts--The dung in the maw of the victims sacrificed on the feast days; the maw was the perquisite of the priests ( De 18:3\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p10.1"), which gives peculiar point to the threat here. You shall get the dung of the maw as your perquisite, instead of the maw.
      
one shall take you away with it--that is, ye shall be taken away with it; it shall cleave to you wherever ye go [Moore]. Dung shall be thrown on your faces, and ye shall be taken away as dung would be, dung-begrimed as ye shall be ( 1Ki 14:10\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p11.2"; compare Jer 16:4; 22:19\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p11.3").
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iii-p11.4"4. ye shall know--by bitter experience of consequences, that it was with this design I admonished you, in order "that My covenant with Levi might be" maintained; that is, that it was for your own good (which would be ensured by your maintaining the Levitical command) I admonished you, that ye should return to your duty [Maurer] (compare Mal 2:5, 6\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p12.2"). Malachi's function was that of a reformer, leading back the priests and people to the law ( Mal 4:4\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p12.3").
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iii-p12.4"5-9.He describes the promises, and also the conditions of the covenant; Levi's observance of the conditions and reward (compare Nu 25:11-13\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p13.1", Phinehas' zeal); and on the other hand the violation of the conditions, and consequent punishment of the present priests. "Life" here includes the \iperpetuity\iimplied in Nu 25:13\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p13.2", " \ieverlasting\ipriesthood." "Peace" is specified both here and there.Maurerthus explains it; the \iHebrew\iis, literally, "My covenant was with him, \ilife\iand \ipeace\i(to be given him on My part), and I gave them to him: (and on his part) fear (that is, reverence), and he did fear Me," &c. The former portion of the verse expresses the \ipromise,\iand Jehovah's fulfilment of it; the latter, the \icondition,\iand Levi's steadfastness to it ( De 33:8, 9\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p13.4"). The Jewish priests self-deceivingly claimed the privileges of the covenant, while neglecting the conditions of it, as if God were bound by it to bless them, while they were free from all the obligation which it imposed to serve Him. The covenant is said to be not merely " \iof\ilife and peace," but "life and peace"; for the keeping of God's law is its own reward ( Ps 19:11\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p13.5").
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iii-p13.6"6. law of truth was in his mouth--He taught the people the truths of the law in all its fulness ( De 33:10\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p14.1"). The priest was the ordinary expounder of the law; the prophets were so only on special occasions.
      
iniquity ... not found--no injustice in his judicial functions ( De 17:8, 9; 19:17\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p15.1").
      
walked with me--by faith and obedience ( Ge 5:22\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p16.1").
      
in peace--namely, the "peace" which was the fruit of obeying the covenant ( Mal 2:5\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p17.1"). Peace with God, man, and one's own conscience, is the result of "walking with God" (compare Job 22:21; Isa 27:5; Jas 3:18\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p17.2").
      
turn may ... from iniquity--both by positive precept and by tacit example "walking with God" ( Jer 23:22; Da 12:3; Jas 5:20\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p18.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iii-p18.2"7.In doing so ( Mal 2:6\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p19.1") he did his duty as a priest, "for," &c.
      
knowledge--of the law, its doctrines, and positive and negative precepts ( Le 10:10, 11; De 24:8; Jer 18:18; Hag 2:11\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p20.1").
      
the law--that is, its true sense.
      
messenger of ... Lord--the interpreter of His will; compare as to the prophets, Hag 1:13\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p22.1". So ministers are called "ambassadors of Christ" ( 2Co 5:20\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p22.2"); and the bishops of the seven churches in Revelation, "angels" or messengers ( Re 2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p22.3"; compare Ga 4:14\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p22.4").
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iii-p22.5"8. out of the way--that is, from the covenant.
      
caused many to stumble--By scandalous example, the worse inasmuch as the people look up to you as ministers of religion ( 1Sa 2:17; Jer 18:15; Mt 18:6; Lu 17:1\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p24.1").
      
at the law--that is, in respect to the observances of the law.
      
corrupted ... covenant--made it of none effect, by not fulfilling its conditions, and so forfeiting its promises ( Zec 11:10; Ne 13:29\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p26.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iii-p26.2"9.Because ye do not keep the condition of the covenant, I will not fulfil the promise.
      
partial in the law--having respect to persons rather than to truth in the interpretation and administration of the law ( Le 19:15\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p28.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iii-p28.2"10-16.Reproof of those who contracted marriages with foreigners and repudiated their Jewish wives.
      
10. Have we not all one father?--Why, seeing we all have one common origin, "do we deal treacherously against \ione another\i" ("His brother" being a general expression implying that all are "brethren" and sisters as children of the same Father above ( 1Th 4:3-6\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p30.1"), and so including the \iwives\iso injured)? namely, by putting away our Jewish wives, and taking foreign women to wife (compare Mal 2:14 and Mal 2:11; Ezr 9:1-9\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p30.2"), and so violating "the covenant" made by Jehovah with "our fathers," by which it was ordained that we should be a people separated from the other peoples of the world ( Ex 19:5; Le 20:24, 26; De 7:3\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p30.3"). To intermarry with the heathen would defeat this purpose of Jehovah, who was the common Father of the Israelites in a peculiar sense in which He was not Father of the heathen. The "one Father" is Jehovah ( Job 31:15; 1Co 8:6; Eph 4:6\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p30.4"). "Created us": not merely physical creation, but "created us" to be His peculiar and chosen people ( Ps 102:18; Isa 43:1; 45:8; 60:21; Eph 2:10\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p30.5"), [Calvin]. How marked the contrast between the honor here done to the female sex, and the degradation to which Oriental women are generally subjected!
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iii-p30.7"11. dealt treacherously--namely, in respect to the Jewish wives who were put away ( Mal 2:14\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p31.1"; also Mal 2:10, 15, 16\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p31.2").
      
profaned the holiness of ... Lord--by ill-treating the Israelites (namely, the wives), who were set apart as a people \iholy unto the Lord:\i"the holy seed" ( Ezr 9:2\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p32.1"; compare Jer 2:3\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p32.2"). Or, "the holiness of the Lord" means His holy ordinance and covenant ( De 7:3\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p32.3"). But "which He loved," seems to refer to \ithe holy people,\iIsrael, whom God so gratuitously loved ( Mal 1:2\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p32.4"), without merit on their part ( Ps 47:4\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p32.5").
      
married,&c.--( Ezr 9:1, 2; 10:2; Ne 13:23\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p33.1", &c.).
      
daughter of a strange god--women worshipping idols: as the worshipper in Scripture is regarded in the relation of a child to a father ( Jer 2:27\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p34.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iii-p34.2"12. master and ... scholar--literally, "him that watcheth and him that answereth." So "wakeneth" is used of \ithe teacher\ior "master" ( Isa 50:4\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p35.1"); masters are \iwatchful\iin guarding their scholars. The reference is to the priests, who ought to have taught the people piety, but who led them into evil. "Him that answereth" is the \ischolar\iwho has to answer the questions of his teacher ( Lu 2:47\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p35.2") [Grotius]. The Arabs have a proverb, "None calling and none answering," that is, there being \inot one alive.\iSoGeseniusexplains it of the Levite watches in the temple ( Ps 134:1\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p35.5"), one \iwatchman\icalling and another \ianswering.\iBut the scholar is rather the \ipeople,\ithe pupils of the priests "in doing this," namely, forming unions with foreign wives. "Out of the tabernacles of Jacob" proves it is not the priests alone. God will spare neither priests nor people who act so.
      
him that offereth--His offerings will not avail to shield him from the penalty of his sin in repudiating his Jewish wife and taking a foreign one.
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iii-p36.1"13. done again--"a second time": an aggravation of your offense ( Ne 13:23-31\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p37.1"), in that it is a relapse into the sin already checked once under Ezra ( Ezr 9:10\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p37.2") [Henderson]. Or, "the second time" means this: Your first sin was your blemished offerings to the Lord: now "again" is added your sin towards your wives [Calvin].
      
covering ... altar ... with tears--shed by your unoffending wives, repudiated by you that ye might take foreign wives.Calvinmakes the "tears" to be those of all the people on perceiving their sacrifices to be sternly rejected by God.
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iii-p38.2"14. Wherefore?--Why does God reject our offerings?
      
Lord ... witness between thee and ... wife--(so Ge 31:49, 50\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p40.1").
      
of thy youth--The Jews still marry very young, the husband often being but thirteen years of age, the wife younger ( Pr 5:18; Isa 54:6\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p41.1").
      
wife of thy covenant--not merely joined to thee by the marriage covenant generally, but by \ithe covenant between God and Israel,\ithe covenant-people, whereby a sin against a wife, a daughter of Israel, is a sin against God [Moore]. Marriage also is called "the covenant of God" ( Pr 2:17\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p42.2"), and to it the reference may be ( Ge 2:24; Mt 19:6; 1Co 7:10\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p42.3").
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iii-p42.4"15.MaurerandHengstenbergexplain the verse thus: The Jews had defended their conduct by the precedent of Abraham, who had taken Hagar to the injury of Sarah, his lawful wife; to this Malachi says now, "No one (ever) did so in whom there was a residue of intelligence (discriminating between good and evil); and what did the one (Abraham, to whom you appeal for support) do, seeking a godly seed?" His object (namely, not to gratify passion, but to obtain the seed promised by God) makes the case wholly inapplicable to defend your position.Moore(fromFairbairn) better explains, in accordance with Mal 2:10\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p43.5", "Did not He make (us Israelites) one? Yet He had the residue of the Spirit (that is, His isolating us from other nations was not because there was no residue of the Spirit left for the rest of the world). And wherefore (that is, \iwhy then\idid He thus isolate us as) the one (people; the \iHebrew\iis ' \ithe\ione')? In order that He might seek a godly seed"; that is, that He might have "a seed of God," a nation the repository of the covenant, and the stock of the Messiah, and the witness for the one God amidst the surrounding polytheisms. Marriage with foreign women, and repudiation of the wives wedded in the Jewish covenant, utterly set aside this divine purpose.Calvinthinks "the one" to refer to the conjugal one body formed by the original pair ( Ge 2:24\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p43.7"). God might have joined many wives as one with the one husband, for He had no lack of spiritual being to impart to others besides Eve; the design of the restriction was to secure a pious offspring: but compare \iNote,\isee on. One object of the marriage relation is to raise a seed for God and for eternity.
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iii-p43.10"16. putting away--that is, divorce.
      
for one covereth violence with ... garment--Maurertranslates, "And (Jehovah hateth him who) covereth his garment (that is, his \iwife,\iin \iArabic\iidiom; compare Ge 20:16\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p45.2", 'He is to thee \ia covering\iof thy eyes'; the husband was so to the wife, and the wife to the husband; also De 22:30; Ru 3:9; Eze 16:8\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p45.3") with injury." The \iHebrew\ifavors "garment," being accusative of the \ithing covered.\iCompare with \iEnglish Version,\i Ps 73:6\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p45.4", "violence covereth them as a garment." Their "violence" is the putting away of their wives; the "garment" with which they try to cover it is the plea of Moses' permission ( De 24:1\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p45.5"; compare Mt 19:6-9\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p45.6").
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iii-p45.7"17. wearied ... Lord--( Isa 43:24\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p46.1"). This verse forms the transition to Mal 3:1\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p46.2", &c. The Jewish skeptics of that day said virtually, God delighteth in evil-doers (inferring this from the prosperity of the surrounding heathen, while they, the Jews, were comparatively not prosperous: forgetting that their attendance to minor and external duties did not make up for their neglect of the weightier duties of the law; for example, the duty they owed their wives, just previously discussed); or (if not) Where (is the proof that He is) the God of judgment? To this the reply ( Mal 3:1\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p46.3") is, "The Lord whom ye seek, and whom as messenger of the covenant (that is, divine ratifier of God's covenant with Israel) ye delight in (thinking He will restore Israel to its proper place as first of the nations), shall suddenly come," not as a Restorer of Israel temporally, but as a consuming \iJudge\iagainst Jerusalem ( Am 5:18, 19, 20\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p46.4"). The "suddenly" implies the unpreparedness of the Jews, who, to the last of the siege, were expecting a temporal deliverer, whereas a destructive judgment was about to destroy them. So skepticism shall be rife before Christ's second coming. He shall suddenly and unexpectedly come then also as a consuming Judge to unbelievers ( 2Pe 3:3, 4\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p46.5"). Then, too, they shall affect to seek His coming, while really denying it ( Isa 5:19; Jer 17:15; Eze 12:22, 27\Q="x.xxxix.iii-p46.6").
      

\C3="Chapter 3" \Q="x.xxxix.iv-p0.1"CHAPTER 3
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iv-p1.1" Mal 3:1-18\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p2.1".Messiah's Coming, Preceded by His Forerunner, to Punish the Guilty for Various Sins, and to Reward Those Who Fear God.
      
1. Behold--Calling especial attention to the momentous truths which follow. Ye unbelievingly ask, Where is the God of judgment ( Mal 2:7\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p3.1")? "Behold," therefore, "I send," &c. Your unbelief will not prevent My keeping My covenant, and bringing to pass in due time that which ye say will never be fulfilled.
      
I will \isend\i... he shall \icome\i--The Father \isends\ithe Son: the Son \icomes.\iProving the distinctness of personality between the Father and the Son.
      
my messenger--John the Baptist; as Mt 3:3; 11:10; Mr 1:2, 3; Lu 1:76; 3:4; 7:26, 27; Joh 1:23\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p5.1", prove. This passage of Malachi evidently rests on that of Isaiah his predecessor ( Isa 40:3-5\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p5.2"). Perhaps also, asHengstenbergthinks, "messenger" includes \ithe long line of prophets\iheaded by \iElijah\i(whence his name is put in Mal 4:5\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p5.4"as a representative name), and terminating in John, the last and greatest of the prophets ( Mt 11:9-11\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p5.5"). John as the representative prophet (the forerunner of Messiah the representative God-man) gathered in himself all the scattered lineaments of previous prophecy (hence Christ terms him "much more than a prophet," Lu 7:26\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p5.6"), reproducing all its awful and yet inspiriting utterances: his coarse garb, like that of the old prophets, being a visible exhortation to repentance; the wilderness in which he preached symbolizing the lifeless, barren state of the Jews at that time, politically and spiritually; his topics sin, repentance, and salvation, presenting for the last time the condensed epitome of all previous teachings of God by His prophets; so that he is called pre-eminently God's "messenger." Hence the oldest and true reading of Mr 1:2\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p5.7"is, "as it is written in \iIsaiah\ithe prophet"; the difficulty of which is, How can the prophecy of Malachi be referred to Isaiah? The explanation is: the passage in Malachi rests on that in Isa 40:3\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p5.8", and therefore the \ioriginal source\iof the prophecy is referred to in order to mark this dependency and connection.
      
the Lord-- \iHa-Adon\iin \iHebrew.\iThe article marks that it isJehovah( Ex 23:17; 34:23\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p6.2"; compare Jos 3:11, 13\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p6.3"). Compare Da 9:17\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p6.4", where the Divine Son is meant by "forTHE \iLord's\isake." God the speaker makes "the Lord," the "messenger of the covenant," one with Himself. "I will send ... before Me," adding, "THE Lord... shall ... come"; so that " \ithe Lord\i" must be one with the "Me," that is, He must beGod, "before" whom John was \isent.\iAs the divinity of the Son and His oneness with the Father are thus proved, so the distinctness of personality is proved by "I send" and He "shall come," as distinguished from one another. He also comes to the temple as "His temple": marking His divine lordship \iover\iit, as contrasted with all creatures, who are but "servants \iin\i" it ( Hag 2:7; Heb 3:2, 5, 6\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p6.8").
      
whom ye seek ... whom ye delight in--(see on). At His first coming they "sought" and "delighted in" the hope of a \itemporal\iSaviour: not in what He then was. In the case of those whom Malachi in his time addresses, "whom ye seek ... delight in," is ironical. They unbelievingly asked, When will He come at last? Mal 2:17\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p7.3", "Where is the God of judgment" ( Isa 5:19; Am 5:18; 2Pe 3:3, 4\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p7.4")? In the case of the godly, the desire for Messiah was sincere ( Lu 2:25, 28\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p7.5"). He is called "Angel of God's presence" ( Isa 63:9\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p7.6"), also Angel of Jehovah. Compare His appearances to Abraham ( Ge 18:1, 2, 17, 33\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p7.7"), to Jacob ( Ge 31:11; 48:15, 16\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p7.8"), to Moses in the bush ( Ex 3:2-6\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p7.9"); He went before Israel as the Shekinah ( Ex 14:19\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p7.10"), and delivered the law at Sinai ( Ac 7:38\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p7.11").
      
suddenly--This epithet marks the second coming, rather than the first; the earnest of that unexpected coming ( Lu 12:38-46; Re 16:15\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p8.1") to judgment was given in the judicial expulsion of the money-changing profaners from the temple by Messiah ( Mt 21:12, 13\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p8.2"), where also as here He calls the temple \iHis temple.\iAlso in the destruction of Jerusalem, most unexpected by the Jews, who to the last deceived themselves with the expectation that Messiah would suddenly appear as a temporal Saviour. Compare the use of "suddenly" in Nu 12:4-10\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p8.3", where He appeared in wrath.
      
messenger of the covenant--namely, of the ancient covenant with Israel ( Isa 63:9\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p9.1") and Abraham, in which the promise to the Gentiles is ultimately included ( Ga 4:16, 17\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p9.2"). The gospel at the first advent began with Israel, then embraced the Gentile world: so also it shall be at the second advent. All the manifestations of God in the Old Testament, the Shekinah and human appearances, were made in the person of the Divine Son ( Ex 23:20, 21; Heb 11:26; 12:26\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p9.3"). He was the messenger of the old covenant, as well as of the new.
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iv-p9.4"2.( Mal 4:1; Re 6:16, 17\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p10.1"). The Messiah would come, not, as they expected, to flatter the theocratic nation's prejudices, but to subject their principles to the fiery test of His heart-searching truth ( Mt 3:10-12\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p10.2"), and to destroy Jerusalem and the theocracy after they had rejected Him. His mission is here regarded as a whole from the first to the second advent: the process of refining and separating the godly from the ungodly beginning during Christ's stay on earth, going on ever since, and about to continue till the final separation ( Mt 25:31-46\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p10.3"). The refining process, whereby a third of the Jews is refined as silver of its dross, while two-thirds perish, is described, Zec 13:8, 9\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p10.4"(compare Isa 1:25\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p10.5").
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iv-p10.6"3. sit--The purifier \isits\ibefore the crucible, fixing his eye on the metal, and taking care that the fire be not too hot, and keeping the metal in, only until he knows the dross to be completely removed by his seeing his own image reflected ( Ro 8:29\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p11.1") in the glowing mass. So the Lord in the case of His elect ( Job 23:10; Ps 66:10; Pr 17:3; Isa 48:10; Heb 12:10; 1Pe 1:7\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p11.2"). He will \isit\idown to the work, not perfunctorily, but with patient love and unflinching justice. The Angel of the Covenant, as in leading His people out of Egypt by the pillar of cloud and fire, has an aspect of terror to His foes, of love to His friends. The same separating process goes on in the world as in each Christian. When the godly are completely separated from the ungodly, the world will end. When the dross is taken from the gold of the Christian, he will be for ever delivered from the furnace of trial. The purer the gold, the hotter the fire now; the whiter the garment, the harder the washing [Moore].
      
purify ... sons of Levi--of the sins specified above. The very Levites, the ministers of God, then needed cleansing, so universal was the depravity.
      
that they may offer ... in righteousness--as originally ( Mal 2:6\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p13.1"), not as latterly ( Mal 1:7-14\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p13.2"). So believers, the spiritual priesthood ( 1Pe 2:5\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p13.3").
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iv-p13.4"4. as in the days of old--( Mal 1:11; 2:5, 6\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p14.1"). The "offering" ( \iMincha, Hebrew\i) is not expiatory, but prayer, thanksgiving, and self-dedication ( Ro 12:1; Heb 13:15; 1Pe 2:5\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p14.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iv-p14.3"5. I ... come near ... to judgment-- \iI\iwhom ye challenged, saying, "Where is the God of judgment?" ( Mal 2:17\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p15.1"). I whom ye think far off, and to be slow in judgment, am "near," and will come as a "swift witness"; not only a judge, but also an eye- \iwitness\iagainst sorcerers; for Mine eyes see every sin, though ye think I take no heed. Earthly judges need witnesses to enable them to decide aright: I alone need none ( Ps 10:11; 73:11; 94:7\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p15.2", &c.).
      
sorcerers--a sin into which the Jews were led in connection with their foreign idolatrous wives. The Jews of Christ's time also practised sorcery ( Ac 8:9; 13:6; Ga 5:20\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p16.1";Josephus[ \iAntiquities,\i20.6; \iWars of the Jews,\i2.12.23]). It shall be a characteristic of the last Antichristian confederacy, about to be consumed by the brightness of Christ's Coming ( Mt 24:24; 2Th 2:9; Re 13:13, 14; 16:13, 14\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p16.3"; also Re 9:21; 18:23; 21:8; 22:15\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p16.4"). Romanism has practised it; an order of \iexorcists\iexists in that Church.
      
adulterers--( Mal 2:15, 16\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p17.1").
      
fear not me--the source of all sins.
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iv-p18.1"6. the Lord--Jehovah: a name implying His immutable faithfulness in fulfilling His promises: the covenant name of God to the Jews ( Ex 6:3\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p19.1"), called here "the sons of Jacob," in reference to God's covenant with that patriarch.
      
I change not--Ye are mistaken in inferring that, because I have not yet executed judgment on the wicked, I am changed from what I once was, namely, a God of judgment.
      
therefore ye ... are not consumed--Ye yourselves being "not consumed," as ye have long ago deserved, are a signal proof of My unchangeableness. Ro 11:29\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p21.1": compare the whole chapter, in which God's mercy in store for Israel is made wholly to flow from God's unchanging faithfulness to His own covenant of love. So here, as is implied by the phrase "sons of \iJacob\i" ( Ge 28:13; 35:12\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p21.2"). They are spared because I amJehovah, and they \isons of Jacob;\iwhile I spare them, I will also punish them; and while I punish them, I will not wholly consume them. The unchangeableness of God is the sheet-anchor of the Church. The perseverance of the saints is guaranteed, not by their unchangeable love to God, but by His unchangeable love to them, and His eternal purpose and promise in Christ Jesus [Moore]. He upbraids their ingratitude that they turn His very long-suffering ( La 3:22\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p21.5") into a ground for skeptical denial of His coming as a Judge at all ( Ps 50:1, 3, 4, 21; Ec 8:11, 12; Isa 57:11; Ro 2:4-10\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p21.6").
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iv-p21.7"7-12.Reproof for the non-payment of tithes and offerings, which is the cause of their national calamities, and promise of prosperity on their paying them.
      
from ... days of your fathers--Ye live as your fathers did when they brought on themselves the Babylonian captivity, and ye wish to follow in their steps. This shows that nothing but God's unchanging long-suffering had prevented their being long ago "consumed" ( Mal 3:6\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p23.1").
      
Return unto me--in penitence.
      
I will return unto you--in blessings.
      
Wherein,&c.--( Mal 3:16\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p26.1"). The same insensibility to their guilt continues: they speak in the tone of injured innocence, as if God calumniated them.
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iv-p26.2"8. rob--literally, "cover": hence, defraud. Do ye call defrauding God no sin to be "returned" from ( Mal 3:7\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p27.1")? Yet ye have done so to Me in respect to the tithes due to Me, namely, the tenth of all the remainder after the first-fruits were paid, which tenth was paid to the Levites for their support ( Le 27:30-33\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p27.2"): a tenth paid by the Levites to the priests ( Nu 18:26-28\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p27.3"): a second tenth paid by the people for the entertainment of the Levites, and their own families, at the tabernacle ( De 12:18\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p27.4"): another tithe every third year for the poor, &c. ( De 14:28, 29\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p27.5").
      
offerings--the first-fruits, not less than one-sixtieth part of the corn, wine, and oil ( De 18:4; Ne 13:10, 12\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p28.1"). The priests had this perquisite also, the tenth of the tithes which were the Levites perquisite. But they appropriated all the tithes, robbing the Levites of their due nine-tenths; as they did also, according toJosephus, before the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus. Thus doubly God was defrauded, the priests not discharging aright their sacrificial duties, and robbing God of the services of the Levites, who were driven away by destitution [Grotius].
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iv-p28.4"9. cursed--( Mal 2:2\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p29.1"). As ye despoil Me, so I despoil you, as I threatened I would, if ye continued to disregard Me. In trying to defraud God we only defraud ourselves. The eagle who robbed the altar set fire to her nest from the burning coal that adhered to the stolen flesh. So men who retain God's money in their treasuries will find it a losing possession. No man ever yet lost by serving God with a whole heart, nor gained by serving Him with a half one. We may compromise with conscience for half the price, but God will not endorse the compromise; and, like Ananias and Sapphira, we shall lose not only what we thought we had purchased so cheaply, but also the price we paid for it. If we would have God "open" His treasury, we must open ours. One cause of the barrenness of the Church is the parsimony of its members [Moore].
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iv-p29.3"10.( Pr 3:9, 10\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p30.1").
      
storehouse--( 2Ch 31:11\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p31.1", \iMargin;\icompare 1Ch 26:20; Ne 10:38; 13:5, 12\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p31.2").
      
prove me ... herewith--with this; by doing so. Test Me whether I will keep My promise of blessing you, on condition of your doing your part ( 2Ch 31:10\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p32.1").
      
pour ... out--literally, "empty out": image from a vessel completely emptied of its contents: no blessing being kept back.
      
windows of heaven--( 2Ki 2:7\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p34.1").
      
that ... not ... room enough,&c.--literally, "even to not ... sufficiency," that is, either, as \iEnglish Version.\iOr, even so as that there should be " \inot merely\i" "sufficiency" but \isuperabundance\i[Jerome,Maurer].Geseniusnot so well translates, "Even to a failure of sufficiency," which in the case of God could never arise, and therefore means \ifor ever, perpetually:\iso Ps 72:5\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p35.4", "as long as the sun and moon endure"; literally, "until a failure of the sun and moon," which is never to be; and therefore means, \ifor ever.\i
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iv-p35.5"11. I will rebuke--(See on). I will no longer "rebuke ( \iEnglish Version,\i'corrupt') the seed," but will rebuke every agency that could hurt it ( Am 4:9\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p36.3").
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iv-p36.4"12.Fulfilling the blessing ( De 33:29; Zec 8:13\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p37.1").
      
delightsome land--( Da 8:9\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p38.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iv-p38.2"13-18.He notices the complaint of the Jews that it is of no profit to serve Jehovah, for that the ungodly proud are happy; and declares He will soon bring the day when it shall be known that He puts an everlasting distinction between the godly and the ungodly.
      
words ... stout-- \iHebrew,\i"hard"; so "the \ihard\ispeeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him" ( Jude 15\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p40.1") [Henderson].
      
have we spoken--The \iHebrew\iexpresses at once their \iassiduity\iand \ihabit\iof speaking against God [Vatablus]. The niphal form of the verb implies that these things were said, not directly \ito\iGod, but \iof\iGod, to one another ( Eze 33:20\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p41.2") [Moore].
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iv-p41.4"14. what profit ... that we ... kept,&c.--(See on). They here resume the same murmur against God. Job 21:14, 15; 22:17\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p42.3"describe a further stage of the same skeptical spirit, when the skeptic has actually ceased to keep God's service. Ps 73:1-14\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p42.4"describes the temptation to a like feeling in the saint when seeing the really godly suffer and the ungodly prosper in worldly goods now. The Jews here mistake utterly the nature of God's service, converting it into a mercenary bargain; they attended to outward observances, not from love to God, but in the hope of being well paid for in outward prosperity; when this was withheld, they charged God with being unjust, forgetting alike that God requires very different motives from theirs to accompany outward observances, and that God rewards even the true worshipper not so much in this life, as in the life to come.
      
his ordinance--literally, what He requires to be kept, "His observances."
      
walked mournfully-- \iin mournful garb,\isackcloth and ashes, the emblems of penitence; they forget Isa 58:3-8\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p44.1", where God, by showing what is true fasting, similarly rebukes those who then also said, Wherefore have we fasted and Thou seest not? &c. They mistook the outward show for real humiliation.
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iv-p44.2"15. And now--Since we who serve Jehovah are not prosperous and "the proud" heathen flourish in prosperity, we must pronounce them the favorites of God ( Mal 2:17; Ps 73:12\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p45.1").
      
set up--literally, "built up": metaphor from architecture ( Pr 24:3\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p46.1"; compare Ge 16:2\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p46.2", \iMargin;\i Ge 30:3\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p46.3", \iMargin.\i)
      
tempt God--dare God to punish them, by breaking His laws ( Ps 95:9\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p47.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iv-p47.2"16."Then," when the ungodly utter such blasphemies against God, the godly hold mutual converse, defending God's righteous dealings against those blasphemers ( Heb 3:13\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p48.1"). The "often" of \iEnglish Version\iis not in the \iHebrew.\iThere has been always in the darkest times a remnant that feared God ( 1Ki 19:18; Ro 11:4\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p48.2").
      
feared the Lord--reverential and loving fear, not slavish terror. When the fire of religion burns low, true believers should draw the nearer together, to keep the holy flame alive. Coals separated soon go out.
      
book of remembrance ... for them--for their advantage, against the day when those found faithful among the faithless shall receive their final reward. The kings of Persia kept a record of those who had rendered services to the king, that they might be suitably rewarded ( Es 6:1, 2\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p50.1"; compare Es 2:23; Ezr 4:15; Ps 56:8; Isa 65:6; Da 7:10; Re 20:12\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p50.2").Calvinmakes the fearers of God to be those awakened from among the ungodly mass (before described) to true repentance; the \iwriting\iof the book thus will imply that some were reclaimable among the blasphemers, and that the godly should be assured that, though no hope appeared, there would be a door of penitence opened for them \ibefore\iGod. But there is nothing in the context to support this view.
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iv-p50.4"17. jewels--( Isa 62:3\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p51.1"). Literally, "My peculiar treasure" ( Ex 19:5; De 7:6; 14:2; 26:18; Ps 135:4; Tit 2:14; 1Pe 2:9\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p51.2"; compare Ec 2:8\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p51.3").Calvintranslates more in accordance with \iHebrew\iidiom, "They shall be My peculiar treasure \iin the day in which I will do it\i" (that is, fulfil My promise of gathering My completed Church; or, "make" those things come to pass foretold in Mal 3:5\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p51.5"above [Grotius]); so in Mal 4:3\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p51.7""do" is used absolutely, "in the day that I shall do \ithis.\i"Maurer, not so well, translates, "in the day which I shall make," that is, appoint as in Ps 118:24\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p51.9".
      
as ... man spareth ... son--( Ps 103:18\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p52.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.iv-p52.2"18. Then shall ye ... discern--Then shall ye see the falseness of your calumny against God's government ( Mal 3:15\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p53.1"), that the "proud" and wicked prosper. Do not judge before the time till My work is complete. It is in part to test your disposition to trust in God in spite of perplexing appearances, and in order to make your service less mercenary, that the present blended state is allowed; but at last \iall\i("ye," both godly and ungodly) shall see the eternal difference there really is "between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not" ( Ps 58:11\Q="x.xxxix.iv-p53.2").
      
return--Ye shall turn to a better state of mind on this point.
      

\C3="Chapter 4" \Q="x.xxxix.v-p0.1"CHAPTER 4
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.v-p1.1" Mal 4:1-6\Q="x.xxxix.v-p2.1".God's Coming Judgment: Triumph of the Godly: Return to the law THE Best Preparation for Jehovah's Coming: Elijah's Preparatory Mission of Reformation.
      
1. the day cometh ... burn--( Mal 3:2; 2Pe 3:7\Q="x.xxxix.v-p3.1"). Primarily is meant the judgment coming on Jerusalem; but as this will not exhaust the meaning, without supposing what is inadmissible in Scripture--exaggeration--the final and full accomplishment, of which the former was the earnest, is the day of general judgment. This principle of interpretation is not double, but \isuccessive fulfilment.\iThe language is abrupt, "Behold, the day cometh! It burns like a furnace." The abruptness imparts terrible reality to the picture, as if it suddenly burst on the prophet's view.
      
all the proud--in opposition to the cavil above ( Mal 3:15\Q="x.xxxix.v-p4.1"), "now we call the \iproud\i(haughty despisers of God) happy."
      
stubble--( Ob 18; Mt 3:12\Q="x.xxxix.v-p5.1"). As Canaan, the inheritance of the Israelites, was prepared for their possession by purging out the heathen, so judgment on the apostates shall usher in the entrance of the saints upon the Lord's inheritance, of which Canaan is the type--not heaven, but earth to its utmost bounds ( Ps 2:8\Q="x.xxxix.v-p5.2") purged of all things that offend ( Mt 13:41\Q="x.xxxix.v-p5.3"), which are to be "gathered \iout of His kingdom,\i" the scene of the judgment being that also of the kingdom. The present dispensation is a spiritual kingdom, parenthetical between the Jews' literal kingdom and its antitype, the coming literal kingdom of the Lord Jesus.
      
neither root nor branch--proverbial for \iutter\idestruction ( Am 2:9\Q="x.xxxix.v-p6.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.v-p6.2"2.The effect of the judgment on the righteous, as contrasted with its effect on the wicked ( Mal 4:1\Q="x.xxxix.v-p7.1"). To the wicked it shall be as an oven that consumes the stubble ( Mt 6:30\Q="x.xxxix.v-p7.2"); to the righteous it shall be the advent of the gladdening Sun, not of condemnation, but "of righteousness"; not destroying, but "healing" ( Jer 23:6\Q="x.xxxix.v-p7.3").
      
you that fear my name--The same as those in Mal 3:16\Q="x.xxxix.v-p8.1", who confessed God amidst abounding blasphemy ( Isa 66:5; Mt 10:32\Q="x.xxxix.v-p8.2"). The spiritual blessings brought by Him are summed up in the two, "righteousness" ( 1Co 1:30\Q="x.xxxix.v-p8.3") and spiritual "healing" ( Ps 103:3; Isa 57:19\Q="x.xxxix.v-p8.4"). Those who walk in the dark now may take comfort in the certainty that they shall walk hereafter in eternal light ( Isa 50:10\Q="x.xxxix.v-p8.5").
      
in his wings--implying the \iwinged swiftness\iwith which He shall appear (compare "suddenly," Mal 3:1\Q="x.xxxix.v-p9.1") for the relief of His people. The \ibeams\iof the Sun are His "wings." Compare "wings of the morning," Ps 139:9\Q="x.xxxix.v-p9.2". The "Sun" gladdening the righteous is suggested by the previous "day" of terror consuming the wicked. Compare as to Christ, 2Sa 23:4; Ps 84:11; Lu 1:78; Joh 1:9; 8:12; Eph 5:14\Q="x.xxxix.v-p9.3"; and in His second coming, 2Pe 1:19\Q="x.xxxix.v-p9.4". The Church is the \imoon\ireflecting His light ( Re 12:1\Q="x.xxxix.v-p9.5"). The righteous shall by His righteousness "shine as the Sun in the kingdom of the Father" ( Mt 13:43\Q="x.xxxix.v-p9.6").
      
ye shall go forth--from the straits in which you were, as it were, held captive. An earnest of this was given in the escape of the Christians to Pella before the destruction of Jerusalem.
      
grow up--rather, "leap" as frisking calves [Calvin]; literally, "spread," "take a wide range."
      
as calves of the stall--which when set free from the stall disport with joy ( Ac 8:8; 13:52; 20:24; Ro 14:17; Ga 5:22; Php 1:4; 1Pe 1:8\Q="x.xxxix.v-p12.1"). Especially the godly shall rejoice at their final deliverance at Christ's second coming ( Isa 61:10\Q="x.xxxix.v-p12.2").
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.v-p12.3"3.Solving the difficulty ( Mal 3:15\Q="x.xxxix.v-p13.1") that the wicked often now prosper. Their prosperity and the adversity of the godly shall soon be reversed. Yea, the righteous shall be the army attending Christ in His final destruction of the ungodly ( 2Sa 22:43; Ps 49:14; 47:3; Mic 7:10; Zec 10:5; 1Co 6:2; Re 2:26, 27; 19:14, 15\Q="x.xxxix.v-p13.2").
      
ashes--after having been burnt with the fire of judgment ( Mal 4:1\Q="x.xxxix.v-p14.1").
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.v-p14.2"4. Remember ... law--"The law and all the prophets" were to be in force until John ( Mt 11:13\Q="x.xxxix.v-p15.1"), no prophet intervening after Malachi; therefore they are told, "Remember the law," for in the absence of living prophets, they were likely to forget it. The office of Christ's forerunner was to bring them back to the law, which they had too much forgotten, and so "to make ready a people prepared for the Lord" at His coming ( Lu 1:17\Q="x.xxxix.v-p15.2"). God withheld prophets for a time that men might seek after Christ with the greater desire [Calvin]. The history of human advancement is marked by periods of rest, and again progress. So in Revelation: it is given for a time; then during its suspension men live on the memories of the past. After Malachi there was a silence of four hundred years; then a harbinger of light in the wilderness, ushering in the brightest of all the lights that had been manifested, but short-lived; then eighteen centuries during which we have been guided by the light which shone in that last manifestation. The silence has been longer than before, and will be succeeded by a more glorious and awful revelation than ever. John the Baptist was to "restore" the defaced image of "the law," so that the original might be recognized when it appeared among men [Hinds]. Just as "Moses" and "Elias" are here connected with the Lord's coming, so at the transfiguration they converse with Him, implying that the law and prophets which had prepared His way were now fulfilled in Him.
      
statutes ... judgments-- \iceremonial\i"statutes": "judgments" in civil questions at issue. "The law" refers to \imorals\iand \ireligion.\i
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.v-p16.1"5. I send you Elijah--as a means towards your "remembering the law" ( Mal 4:4\Q="x.xxxix.v-p17.1").
      
the prophet--emphatical; not "the Tishbite"; for it is in his official, not his personal capacity, that his coming is here predicted. In this sense, John the Baptist was \ian\iElijah in spirit ( Lu 1:16, 17\Q="x.xxxix.v-p18.1"), but not \ithe literal\iElijah; whence when asked, "Art thou Elias?" ( Joh 1:21\Q="x.xxxix.v-p18.2"), He answered, "I am not." "Art thou that prophet?" "No." This implies that John, though knowing from the angel's announcement to his father that he was referred to by Mal 4:5\Q="x.xxxix.v-p18.3"( Lu 1:17\Q="x.xxxix.v-p18.4"), whence he wore the costume of Elijah, yet knew by inspiration that he did not exhaustively fulfil \iall\ithat is included in this prophecy: that there is a further fulfilment (compare \iNote,\isee on). As Moses in Mal 4:4\Q="x.xxxix.v-p18.7"represents the law, so Elijah represents the prophets. The Jews always understood it of the literal Elijah. Their saying is, "Messiah must be anointed by Elijah." As there is another consummating advent of Messiah Himself, so also of His forerunner Elijah; perhaps in person, as at the transfiguration ( Mt 17:3\Q="x.xxxix.v-p18.8"; compare Mt 17:11\Q="x.xxxix.v-p18.9"). He in his appearance at the transfiguration in that body on which death had never passed is the forerunner of the saints who shall be found alive at the Lord's second coming. Re 11:3\Q="x.xxxix.v-p18.10"may refer to the same witnesses as at the transfiguration, Moses and Elijah; Re 11:6\Q="x.xxxix.v-p18.11"identifies the latter (compare 1Ki 17:1; Jas 5:17\Q="x.xxxix.v-p18.12"). Even after the transfiguration Jesus ( Mt 17:11\Q="x.xxxix.v-p18.13") speaks of Elijah's coming "to restore all things" as still future, though He adds that Elijah (in the person of John the Baptist) is come already \iin a sense\i(compare Ac 3:21\Q="x.xxxix.v-p18.14"). However, the future forerunner of Messiah at His second coming may be a prophet or number of prophets clothed with Elijah's power, who, with zealous upholders of "the law" clothed in the spirit of "Moses," may be the forerunning witnesses alluded to here and in Re 11:2-12\Q="x.xxxix.v-p18.15". The words "before the ... \idreadful\iday of the Lord," show that John cannot be exclusively meant; for he came before the day of Christ's coming in grace, not before His coming in terror, of which last the destruction of Jerusalem was the earnest ( Mal 4:1; Joe 2:31\Q="x.xxxix.v-p18.16").
      
 \Q="x.xxxix.v-p18.17"6. turn ... heart of ... fathers to ... children,&c.--Explained by some, that John's preaching should restore harmony in families. But Lu 1:16, 17\Q="x.xxxix.v-p19.1"substitutes for "the heart of the children to the fathers," "the disobedient to the wisdom of the just," implying that the reconciliation to be effected was that between the unbelieving disobedient children and the believing ancestors, Jacob, Levi, "Moses," and "Elijah" (just mentioned) (compare Mal 1:2; 2:4, 6; 3:3, 4\Q="x.xxxix.v-p19.2"). The threat here is that, if this restoration were not effected, Messiah's coming would prove "a curse" to the "earth," not a blessing. It proved so to guilty Jerusalem and the "earth," that is, the \iland\iof Judea when it rejected Messiah at His first advent, though He brought blessings ( Ge 12:3\Q="x.xxxix.v-p19.3") to those who accepted Him ( Joh 1:11-13\Q="x.xxxix.v-p19.4"). Many were delivered from the common destruction of the nation through John's preaching ( Ro 9:29; 11:5\Q="x.xxxix.v-p19.5"). It will prove so to the disobedient at His second advent, though He comes to be glorified in His saints ( 2Th 1:6-10\Q="x.xxxix.v-p19.6").
      
curse-- \iHebrew, Cherem,\i"a ban"; the fearful term applied by the Jews to the extermination of the guilty Canaanites. Under this ban Judea has long lain. Similar is the awful curse on all of Gentile churches who love not the Lord Jesus now ( 1Co 16:22\Q="x.xxxix.v-p20.1"). For if God spare not the natural branches, the Jews, much less will He spare unbelieving professors of the Gentiles ( Ro 11:20, 21\Q="x.xxxix.v-p20.2"). It is deeply suggestive that the last utterance from heaven for four hundred years before Messiah was the awful word "curse." Messiah's first word on the mount was "Blessed" ( Mt 5:3\Q="x.xxxix.v-p20.3"). The law speaks wrath; the Gospel, blessing. Judea is now under the "curse" because it rejects Messiah; when the spirit of Elijah, or a literal Elijah, shall bring the Jewish children back to the Hope of their "fathers," blessing shall be theirs, whereas the apostate "earth" shall be "smitten with the curse" previous to the coming restoration of all things ( Zec 12:13, 14\Q="x.xxxix.v-p20.4").
      
May the writer of this Commentary and his readers have grace "to take heed to the sure word of prophecy as unto a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawn!" To the triune Jehovah be all glory ascribed for ever!
      
\p\C1="The New Testament"
\c\B\lThe New Testament\l\B
\c
\C2="Matthew"
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO
MATTHEW
 \iCommentary by\iDavid Brown
      

\C3="Introduction"INTRODUCTION
      
The \iauthor\iof this Gospel was a publican or tax gatherer, residing at Capernaum, on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. As to his identity with the "Levi" of the second and third Gospels, and other particulars, see on. Hardly anything is known of his apostolic labors. That, after preaching to his countrymen in Palestine, he went to the East, is the general testimony of antiquity; but the precise scene or scenes of his ministry cannot be determined. That he died a natural death may be concluded from the belief of the best-informed of the Fathers--that of the apostles only three, James the Greater, Peter, and Paul, suffered martyrdom. That the first Gospel was written by this apostle is the testimony of all antiquity.
      
For the \idate\iof this Gospel we have only internal evidence, and that far from decisive. Accordingly, opinion is much divided. That it was the first issued of all the Gospels was universally believed. Hence, although in the order of the Gospels, those by the two apostles were placed first in the oldest manuscripts of the \iOld Latin\iversion, while in all the \iGreek\imanuscripts, with scarcely an exception, the order is the same as in our Bibles, the Gospel according to Matthew is \iin every case\iplaced first. And as this Gospel is of all the four the one which bears the most evident marks of having been prepared and constructed with a special view to the Jews--who certainly first required a written Gospel, and would be the first to make use of it--there can be no doubt that it was issued before any of the others. That it was written before the destruction of Jerusalem is equally certain; for asHugobserves [ \iIntroduction to the New Testament,\ip. 316,Fosdick'stranslation], when he reports our Lord's prophecy of that awful event, on coming to the warning about "the abomination of desolation" which they should "see standing in the holy place," he interposes (contrary to his invariable practice, which is to \irelate\iwithout \iremark\i) a call to his readers to read intelligently--"Whoso readeth, let him understand" ( Mt 24:15\Q="xi.i.i-p3.3")--a call to attend to the divine signal for flight which could be intended only for those who lived before the event. But how long before that event this Gospel was written is not so clear. Some internal evidences seem to imply a very early date. Since the Jewish Christians were, for five or six years, exposed to persecution from their own countrymen--until the Jews, being persecuted by the Romans, had to look to themselves--it is not likely (it is argued) that they should be left so long without some written Gospel to reassure and sustain them, and Matthew's Gospel was eminently fitted for that purpose. But the digests to which Luke refers in his Introduction (see on) would be sufficient for a time, especially as the living voice of the "eye-witnesses and ministers of the Word" was yet sounding abroad. Other considerations in favor of a very early date--such as the tender way in which the author seems studiously to speak of Herod Antipas, as if still reigning, and his writing of Pilate apparently as if still in power--seem to have no foundation in fact, and cannot therefore be made the ground of reasoning as to the date of this Gospel. Its Hebraic structure and hue, though they prove, as we think, that this Gospel must have been published at a period considerably anterior to the destruction of Jerusalem, are no evidence in favor of so early a date asA.D.37 or 38--according to some of the Fathers, and, of the moderns,Tillemont,Townson,Owen,Birks,Tregelles. On the other hand, the date suggested by the statement ofIrenæus[ \iAgainst Heresies,\i3.1], that Matthew put forth his Gospel while Peter and Paul were at Rome preaching and founding the Church--or afterA.D.60--though probably the majority of critics are in favor of it, would seem rather too late, especially as the second and third Gospels, which were doubtless published, as well as this one, before the destruction of Jerusalem, had still to be issued. Certainly, such statements as the following, "Wherefore that field is called the field of blood \iunto this day\i" ( Mt 27:8\Q="xi.i.i-p3.14"); "And this saying is commonly reported among the Jews \iuntil this day\i" ( Mt 28:15\Q="xi.i.i-p3.15"), bespeak a date considerably later than the events recorded. We incline, therefore, to a date intermediate between the earlier and the later dates assigned to this Gospel, without pretending to greater precision.
      
We have adverted to the strikingly Jewish character and coloring of this Gospel. The facts which it selects, the points to which it gives prominence, the cast of thought and phraseology, all bespeak the Jewish point of view \ifrom\iwhich it was written and \ito\iwhich it was directed. This has been noticed from the beginning, and is universally acknowledged. It is of the greatest consequence to the right interpretation of it; but the tendency among some even of the best of the Germans to infer, from this special design of the first Gospel, a certain laxity on the part of the Evangelist in the treatment of his facts, must be guarded against.
      
But by far the most interesting and important point connected with this Gospel is the \ilanguage\iin which it was written. It is believed by a formidable number of critics that this Gospel was originally written in what is loosely called \iHebrew,\ibut more correctly \iAramaic,\ior \iSyro-Chaldaic,\ithe native tongue of the country at the time of our Lord; and that the \iGreek\iMatthew which we now possess is a translation of that work, either by the Evangelist himself or some unknown hand. The evidence on which this opinion is grounded is wholly external, but it has been deemed conclusive byGrotius,Michaelis(and his translator),Marsh,Townson,Campbell,Olshausen,Creswell,Meyer,Ebrard,Lange,Davidson,Cureton,Tregelles,WebsterandWilkinson, &c. The evidence referred to cannot be given here, but will be found, with remarks on its unsatisfactory character, in the \iIntroduction to the Gospels\iprefixed to our larger \iCommentary,\ipp. 28-31.
      
But how stand the facts as to our \iGreek\iGospel? We have not a tittle of historical evidence that it is a \itranslation,\ieither by Matthew himself or anyone else. All antiquity refers to it as the work of Matthew the publican and apostle, just as the other Gospels are ascribed to their respective authors. This \iGreek\iGospel was from the first received by the Church as an integral part of the one quadriform \iGospel.\iAnd while the Fathers often advert to the two Gospels which we have from apostles, and the two which we have from men not apostles--in order to show that as that of Mark leans so entirely on Peter, and that of Luke on Paul, these are really no less apostolical than the other two--though we attach less weight to this circumstance than they did, we cannot but think it striking that, in thus speaking, they never drop a hint that the full apostolic authority of the \iGreek\iMatthew had ever been questioned on the ground of its not being the \ioriginal.\iFurther, not a trace can be discovered in this Gospel itself of its being a translation.Michaelistried to detect, and fancied that he had succeeded in detecting, one or two such. Other Germans since, andDavidsonandCuretonamong ourselves, have made the same attempt. But the entire failure of all such attempts is now generally admitted, and candid advocates of a \iHebrew\ioriginal are quite ready to own that none such are to be found, and that but for external testimony no one would have imagined that the \iGreek\iwas not the original. This they regard as showing how perfectly the translation has been executed; but those who know best what translating from one language into another is will be the readiest to own that this is tantamount to giving up the question. This Gospel proclaims its own originality in a number of striking points; such as its manner of quoting from the Old Testament, and its phraseology in some peculiar cases. But the close \iverbal coincidences\iof our \iGreek\iMatthew with the next two Gospels must not be quite passed over. There are but two possible ways of explaining this. Either the translator, sacrificing verbal fidelity in his version, intentionally conformed certain parts of his author's work to the second and third Gospels--in which case it can hardly be called Matthew's Gospel at all--or our \iGreek\iMatthew is itself the original.
      
Moved by these considerations, some advocates of a \iHebrew\ioriginal have adopted the theory of \ia double original;\ithe external testimony, they think, requiring us to believe in a \iHebrew\ioriginal, while internal evidence is decisive in favor of the originality of the \iGreek.\iThis theory is espoused byGuericks,Olshausen,Thiersch,Townson,Tregelles, &c. But, besides that this looks too like an artificial theory, invented to solve a difficulty, it is utterly void of historical support. There is not a vestige of testimony to support it in Christian antiquity. This ought to be decisive against it.
      
It remains, then, that our \iGreek\iMatthew is the original of that Gospel, and that no other original ever existed. It is greatly to the credit of DeanAlford, that after maintaining, in the first edition of his \iGreek Testament\ithe theory of a \iHebrew\ioriginal, he thus expresses himself in the second and subsequent editions: "On the whole, then, I find myself constrained to abandon the view maintained in my first edition, and to adopt that of a Greek original."
      
One argument has been adduced on the other side, on which not a little reliance has been placed; but the determination of the main question does not, in our opinion, depend upon the point which it raises. It has been very confidently affirmed that the \iGreek\ilanguage was not sufficiently understood by the Jews of Palestine when Matthew published his Gospel to make it at all probable that he would write a Gospel, for their benefit in the first instance, in that language. Now, as this merely alleges the improbability of a \iGreek\ioriginal, it is enough to place against it the evidence already adduced, which is positive, in favor of the sole originality of our \iGreek\iMatthew. It is indeed a question how far the \iGreek\ilanguage was understood in Palestine at the time referred to. But we advise the reader not to be drawn into that question as essential to the settlement of the other one. It is an element in it, no doubt, but not an essential element. There are extremes on both sides of it. The old idea, that our Lord hardly ever spoke anything but \iSyro-Chaldaic,\iis now pretty nearly exploded. Many, however, will not go the length, on the other side, ofHug(in his \iIntroduction to the New Testament,\ipp. 326, &c.) andRoberts("Discussions of the Gospels," &c., pp. 25, &c.). For ourselves, though we believe that our Lord, in all the more public scenes of His ministry, spoke in \iGreek,\iall we think it necessary here to say is that there is no ground to believe that \iGreek\iwas so little understood in Palestine as to make it improbable that Matthew would write his Gospel exclusively in that language--so improbable as to outweigh the evidence that he did so. And when we think of the number of digests or short narratives of the principal facts of our Lord's history which we know from Luke ( Lu 1:1-4\Q="xi.i.i-p9.3") were floating about for some time before he wrote his Gospel, of which he speaks by no means disrespectfully, and nearly all of which would be in the mother tongue, we can have no doubt that the Jewish Christians and the Jews of Palestine generally would have from the first reliable written matter sufficient to supply every necessary requirement until the publican-apostle should leisurely draw up the first of the four Gospels in a language to them not a strange tongue, while to the rest of the world it was \ithe\ilanguage in which the entire quadriform Gospel was to be for all time enshrined. The following among others hold to this view of the sole originality of the \iGreek\iMatthew:Erasmus,Calvin,Beza,Lightfoot,Wetstein,Lardner,Hug,Fritzsche,Credner,De Wette,Stuart,Da Costa,Fairbairn,Roberts.
      
On two other questions regarding this Gospel it would have been desirable to say something, had not our available space been already exhausted: The \icharacteristics,\iboth in language and matter, by which it is distinguished from the other three, and its \irelation to the second and third Gospels.\iOn the latter of these topics--whether one or more of the Evangelists made use of the materials of the other Gospels, and, if so, which of the Evangelists drew from which--the opinions are just as numerous as the possibilities of the case, every conceivable way of it having one or more who plead for it. The most popular opinion until recently--and perhaps the most popular still--is that the second Evangelist availed himself more or less of the materials of the first Gospel, and the third of the materials of both the first and second Gospels. Here we can but state our own belief, that each of the first three Evangelists wrote independently of both the others; while the fourth, familiar with the first three, wrote to supplement them, and, even where he travels along the same line, wrote quite independently of them. This judgment we express, with all deference for those who think otherwise, as the result of a close study of each of the Gospels in immediate juxtaposition and comparison with the others. On the former of the two topics noticed, the linguistic peculiarities of each of the Gospels have been handled most closely and ably byCredner[ \iEinleitung\i( \iIntroduction to the New Testament\i)], of whose results a good summary will be found inDavidson's \iIntroduction to the New Testament.\iThe other peculiarities of the Gospels have been most felicitously and beautifully brought out byDa Costain his \iFour Witnesses,\ito which we must simply refer the reader, though it contains a few things in which we cannot concur.
      

\C3="Chapter 1" \Q="xi.i.ii-p0.1"CHAPTER 1
      
 \Q="xi.i.ii-p1.1" Mt 1:1-17\Q="xi.i.ii-p2.1".Genealogy of Christ.( = Lu 3:23-38\Q="xi.i.ii-p2.3").
      
1. The book of the generation--an expression purely Jewish; meaning, "table of the genealogy." In Ge 5:1\Q="xi.i.ii-p3.1"the same expression occurs in this sense. We have here, then, the title, not of this whole Gospel of Matthew, but only of the first seventeen verses.
      
of Jesus Christ--For the meaning of these glorious words, see on;. "Jesus," the name given to our Lord at His circumcision ( Lu 2:21\Q="xi.i.ii-p4.5"), was that by which He was familiarly known while on earth. The word "Christ"--though applied to Him as a proper name by the angel who announced His birth to the shepherds ( Lu 2:11\Q="xi.i.ii-p4.6"), and once or twice used in this sense by our Lord Himself ( Mt 23:8, 10; Mr 9:41\Q="xi.i.ii-p4.7")--only began to be so used by others about the very close of His earthly career ( Mt 26:68; 27:17\Q="xi.i.ii-p4.8"). The full form, "Jesus Christ," though once used by Himself in His Intercessory Prayer ( Joh 17:3\Q="xi.i.ii-p4.9"), was never used by others till after His ascension and the formation of churches in His name. Its use, then, in the opening words of this Gospel (and in Mt 1:17, 18\Q="xi.i.ii-p4.10") is in the style of the late period when our Evangelist wrote, rather than of the events he was going to record.
      
the son of David, the son of Abraham--As Abraham was the \ifirst\ifrom whose family it was predicted that Messiah should spring ( Ge 22:18\Q="xi.i.ii-p5.1"), so David was the \ilast.\iTo a Jewish reader, accordingly, these behooved to be the two great starting-points of any true genealogy of the promised Messiah; and thus this opening verse, as it stamps the first Gospel as one peculiarly Jewish, would at once tend to conciliate the writer's people. From the nearest of those two fathers came that familiar name of the promised Messiah, "the son of David" ( Lu 20:41\Q="xi.i.ii-p5.2"), which was applied to Jesus, either in devout acknowledgment of His rightful claim to it ( Mt 9:27; 20:31\Q="xi.i.ii-p5.3"), or in the way of insinuating inquiry whether such were the case (see on; Mt 12:23\Q="xi.i.ii-p5.6").
      
 \Q="xi.i.ii-p5.7"2. Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren--Only the fourth son of Jacob is here named, as it was from his loins that Messiah was to spring ( Ge 49:10\Q="xi.i.ii-p6.1").
      
 \Q="xi.i.ii-p6.2"3-6. And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram; 4. And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; 5. And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; 6. And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her of Urias--Four women are here introduced; two of them Gentiles by birth-- \iRachab\iand \iRuth;\iand three of them with a blot at their names in the Old Testament-- \iThamar, Rachab,\iand \iBath-sheba.\iThis feature in the present genealogy--herein differing from that given by Luke--comes well from him who styles himself in his list of the Twelve, what none of the other lists do, "Matthew \ithe publican\i"; as if thereby to hold forth, at the very outset, the unsearchable riches of that grace which could not only fetch in "them that are afar off," but teach down even to "publicans and harlots," and raise them to "sit with the princes of his people." David is here twice emphatically styled "David the king," as not only the first of that royal line from which Messiah was to descend, but the one king of all that line from which the throne that Messiah was to occupy took its name--"the throne of David." The angel Gabriel, in announcing Him to His virgin-mother, calls it "the throne of David His father," sinking all the intermediate kings of that line, as having no importance save as links to connect the first and the last king of Israel as father and son. It will be observed that Rachab is here represented as the great-grandmother of David (see Ru 4:20-22; 1Ch 2:11-15\Q="xi.i.ii-p7.1")--a thing not beyond possibility indeed, but extremely improbable, there being about four centuries between them. There can hardly be a doubt that one or two intermediate links are omitted.
      
 \Q="xi.i.ii-p7.2" \Q="xi.i.ii-p7.3" \Q="xi.i.ii-p7.4" \Q="xi.i.ii-p7.5"7-8. And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa; 8. And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias--or Uzziah. Three kings are here omitted-- \iAhaziah, Joash,\iand \iAmaziah\i( 1Ch 3:11, 12\Q="xi.i.ii-p8.1"). Some omissions behooved to be made, to compress the whole into three fourteens ( Mt 1:17\Q="xi.i.ii-p8.2"). The reason why these, rather than other names, are omitted, must be sought in \ireligious\iconsiderations--either in the connection of those kings with the house of Ahab (asLightfoot,Ebrard, andAlfordview it); in their slender right to be regarded as true links in the theocratic chain (asLangetakes it); or in some similar disqualification.
      
 \Q="xi.i.ii-p8.7" \Q="xi.i.ii-p8.8" \Q="xi.i.ii-p8.9" \Q="xi.i.ii-p8.10"11. And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren--Jeconiah was Josiah's grandson, being the son of Jehoiakim, Josiah's second son ( 1Ch 3:15\Q="xi.i.ii-p9.1"); but Jehoiakim might well be sunk in such a catalogue, being a mere puppet in the hands of the king of Egypt ( 2Ch 36:4\Q="xi.i.ii-p9.2"). The "brethren" of Jechonias here evidently mean his uncles--the chief of whom, Mattaniah or Zedekiah, who came to the throne ( 2Ki 24:17\Q="xi.i.ii-p9.3"), is, in 2Ch 36:10\Q="xi.i.ii-p9.4", as well as here, called "his brother."
      
about the time they were carried away to Babylon--literally, "of their migration," for the Jews avoided the word "captivity" as too bitter a recollection, and our Evangelist studiously respects the national feeling.
      
 \Q="xi.i.ii-p10.1"12. And after they were brought to Babylon--after the migration of Babylon.
      
Jechonias begat Salathiel--So 1Ch 3:17\Q="xi.i.ii-p12.1". Nor does this contradict Jer 22:30\Q="xi.i.ii-p12.2", "Thus saith the Lord, Write ye this man (Coniah, or Jeconiah) childless"; for what follows explains in what sense this was meant--"for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David." He \iwas\ito have seed, but no \ireigning\ichild.
      
and Salathiel--or Shealtiel.
      
begat Zorobabel--So Ezr 3:2; Ne 12:1; Hag 1:1\Q="xi.i.ii-p14.1". But it would appear from 1Ch 3:19\Q="xi.i.ii-p14.2"that Zerubbabel was Salathiel's grandson, being the son of Pedaiah, whose name, for some reason unknown, is omitted.
      
 \Q="xi.i.ii-p14.3"13-15. And Zorobabel begat Abiud,&c.--None of these names are found in the Old Testament; but they were doubtless taken from the public or family registers, which the Jews carefully kept, and their accuracy was never challenged.
      
 \Q="xi.i.ii-p15.1" \Q="xi.i.ii-p15.2" \Q="xi.i.ii-p15.3"16. And Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus--From this it is clear that the genealogy here given is not that of Mary, but of Joseph; nor has this ever been questioned. And yet it is here studiously proclaimed that Joseph was not the natural, but only the legal father of our Lord. His birth of a virgin was known only to a few; but the acknowledged descent of his legal father from David secured that the descent of Jesus Himself from David should never be questioned. See on.
      
who is called Christ--signifying "anointed." It is applied in the Old Testament to the \ikings\i( 1Sa 24:6, 10\Q="xi.i.ii-p17.1"); to the \ipriests\i( Le 4:5, 16\Q="xi.i.ii-p17.2", &c.); and to the \iprophets\i( 1Ki 19:16\Q="xi.i.ii-p17.3")--these all being anointed with oil, the symbol of the needful spiritual gifts to consecrate them to their respective offices; and it was applied, in its most sublime and comprehensive sense, to the promised Deliverer, inasmuch as He was to be consecrated to an office embracing all three by the immeasurable anointing of the Holy Ghost ( Isa 61:1\Q="xi.i.ii-p17.4"; compare Joh 3:34\Q="xi.i.ii-p17.5").
      
 \Q="xi.i.ii-p17.6"17. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away--or migration.
      
into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon--the migration of Babylon.
      
unto Christ are fourteen generations--that is, the whole may be conveniently divided into three fourteens, each embracing one marked era, and each ending with a notable event, in the Israelitish annals. Such artificial aids to memory were familiar to the Jews, and much larger gaps than those here are found in some of the Old Testament genealogies. In Ezr 7:1-5\Q="xi.i.ii-p20.1"no fewer than six generations of the priesthood are omitted, as will appear by comparing it with 1Ch 6:3-15\Q="xi.i.ii-p20.2". It will be observed that the last of the three divisions of fourteen appears to contain only thirteen distinct names, including Jesus as the last.Langethinks that this was meant as a tacit hint that \iMary\iwas to be supplied, as the thirteenth link of the last chain, as it is impossible to conceive that the Evangelist could have made any mistake in the matter. But there is a simpler way of accounting for it. As the Evangelist himself ( Mt 1:17\Q="xi.i.ii-p20.4") reckons David twice--as the last of the first fourteen and the first of the second--so, if we reckon the second fourteen to end with Josiah, who was coeval with the "carrying away into captivity" ( Mt 1:11\Q="xi.i.ii-p20.5"), and third to begin with Jeconiah, it will be found that the last division, as well as the other two, embraces fourteen names, including that of our Lord.
      
 \Q="xi.i.ii-p20.6" Mt 1:18-25\Q="xi.i.ii-p21.1".Birth of Christ.
      
18. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise--or, "thus."
      
When as his mother Mary was espoused--rather, "betrothed."
      
to Joseph, before they came together, she was found--discovered to be.
      
with child of the Holy Ghost--It was, of course, the fact only that was discovered; the explanation of the fact here given is the Evangelist's own. That the Holy Ghost is a living conscious Person is plainly implied here, and is elsewhere clearly taught ( Ac 5:3, 4\Q="xi.i.ii-p25.1", &c.): and that, in the unity of the Godhead, He is distinct both from the Father and the Son, is taught with equal distinctness ( Mt 28:19; 2Co 13:14\Q="xi.i.ii-p25.2"). On the miraculous conception of our Lord, see on.
      
 \Q="xi.i.ii-p25.5"19. Then Joseph her husband--Compare Mt 1:20\Q="xi.i.ii-p26.1", "Mary, thy wife." Betrothal was, in Jewish law, valid marriage. In giving Mary up, therefore, Joseph had to take legal steps to effect the separation.
      
being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example--to expose her (see De 22:23, 24\Q="xi.i.ii-p27.1")
      
was minded to put her away privily--that is, privately by giving her the required writing of divorcement ( De 24:1\Q="xi.i.ii-p28.1"), in presence of only two or three witnesses, and without cause assigned, instead of having her before a magistrate. That some communication had passed between him and his betrothed, directly or indirectly, on the subject, after she returned from her three months' visit to Elizabeth, can hardly be doubted. Nor does the purpose to divorce her necessarily imply disbelief, on Joseph's part, of the explanation given him. Even supposing him to have yielded to it some reverential assent--and the Evangelist seems to convey as much, by ascribing the proposal to screen her to the \ijustice\iof his character--he might think it altogether unsuitable and incongruous in such circumstances to follow out the marriage.
      
 \Q="xi.i.ii-p28.2"20. But while he thought on these things--Who would not feel for him after receiving such intelligence, and before receiving any light from above? As he brooded over the matter alone, in the stillness of the night, his domestic prospects darkened and his happiness blasted for life, his mind slowly making itself up to the painful step, yet planning how to do it in the way least offensive--at the last extremity the Lord Himself interposes.
      
behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph thou son of David--This style of address was doubtless advisedly chosen to remind him of what all the families of David's line so early coveted, and thus it would prepare him for the marvellous announcement which was to follow.
      
fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost--Though a dark cloud now overhangs this relationship, it is unsullied still.
      
 \Q="xi.i.ii-p31.1"21. And she shall bring forth a son--Observe, it is not said, "she shall bear \ithee\ia son," as was said to Zacharias of his wife Elizabeth ( Lu 1:13\Q="xi.i.ii-p32.1").
      
and thou--as his legal father.
      
shalt call his name JESUS--from the \iHebrew\imeaning "Jehovah the Saviour"; in \iGreek\iJesus--to the awakened and anxious sinner sweetest and most fragrant of all names, expressing so melodiously and briefly His whole saving office and work!
      
for he shall save--The "He" is here emphatic--He it is that shall save; He personally, and by personal acts (asWebsterandWilkinsonexpress it).
      
his people--the lost sheep of the house of Israel, in the first instance; for they were the only people He then had. But, on the breaking down of the middle wall of partition, the saved people embraced the "redeemed unto God by His blood out of every kindred and people and tongue and nation."
      
from their sins--in the most comprehensive sense of salvation from sin ( Re 1:5; Eph 5:25-27\Q="xi.i.ii-p37.1").
      
 \Q="xi.i.ii-p37.2"22. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet--( Isa 7:14\Q="xi.i.ii-p38.1").
      
saying--as follows.
      
 \Q="xi.i.ii-p39.1"23. Behold, a virgin--It should be " \ithe\ivirgin" meaning that particular virgin destined to this unparalleled distinction.
      
shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which, being interpreted, is, God with us--Not that He was to have this for a proper name (like "Jesus"), but that He should come to be known \iin this character,\ias God manifested in the flesh, and the living bond of holy and most intimate fellowship between God and men from henceforth and for ever.
      
 \Q="xi.i.ii-p41.1"24. Then Joseph, being raised from sleep--and all his difficulties now removed.
      
did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife--With what deep and reverential joy would this now be done on his part; and what balm would this minister to his betrothed one, who had till now lain under suspicions of all others the most trying to a chaste and holy woman--suspicions, too, arising from what, though to her an honor unparalleled, was to all around her wholly unknown!
      
 \Q="xi.i.ii-p43.1"25. And knew her not till she had brought forth her first-born son: and he called his name JESUS--The word "till" does not necessarily imply that they lived on a different footing afterwards (as will be evident from the use of the same word in 1Sa 15:35; 2Sa 6:23; Mt 12:20\Q="xi.i.ii-p44.1"); nor does the word "first-born" decide the much-disputed question, whether Mary had any children to Joseph after the birth of Christ; for, asLightfootsays, "The law, in speaking of the first-born, regarded not whether any were born \iafter\ior no, but only that none were born before." (See on).
      

\C3="Chapter 2" \Q="xi.i.iii-p0.1"CHAPTER 2
      
 \Q="xi.i.iii-p1.1" Mt 2:1-12\Q="xi.i.iii-p2.1".Visit of the Magi to Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
      
 \iThe Wise Men Reach Jerusalem--The Sanhedrim, on Herod's Demand, Pronounce Bethlehem to Be Messiah's Predicted Birthplace\i( Mt 2:1-6\Q="xi.i.iii-p3.1").
      
1. Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea--so called to distinguish it from another Bethlehem in the tribe of Zebulun, near the Sea of Galilee ( Jos 19:15\Q="xi.i.iii-p4.1"); called also \iBeth-lehem-judah,\ias being in that tribe ( Jud 17:7\Q="xi.i.iii-p4.2"); and \iEphrath\i( Ge 35:16\Q="xi.i.iii-p4.3"); and combining both, \iBeth-lehem Ephratah\i( Mic 5:2\Q="xi.i.iii-p4.4"). It lay about six miles southwest of Jerusalem. But how came Joseph and Mary to remove thither from Nazareth, the place of their residence? Not of their own accord, and certainly not with the view of fulfilling the prophecy regarding Messiah's birthplace; nay, they stayed at Nazareth till it was almost too late for Mary to travel with safety; nor would they have stirred from it at all, had not an order which left them no choice forced them to the appointed place. A high hand was in all these movements. (See on).
      
in the days of Herod the king--styled the Great; son of Antipater, an \iEdomite,\imade king by the Romans. Thus was "the sceptre departing from Judah" ( Ge 49:10\Q="xi.i.iii-p5.1"), a sign that Messiah was now at hand. As Herod is known to have died in the year of Rome 750, in the fourth year before the commencement of our Christian era, the birth of Christ must be dated four years before the date usually assigned to it, even if He was born within the year of Herod's death, as it is next to certain that He was.
      
there came wise men--literally, "Magi" or "Magians," probably of the learned class who cultivated astrology and kindred sciences. Balaam's prophecy ( Nu 24:17\Q="xi.i.iii-p6.1"), and perhaps Daniel's ( Da 9:24\Q="xi.i.iii-p6.2", &c.), might have come down to them by tradition; but nothing definite is known of them.
      
from the east--but whether from Arabia, Persia, or Mesopotamia is uncertain.
      
to Jerusalem--as the Jewish metropolis.
      
 \Q="xi.i.iii-p8.1"2. Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?--From this it would seem they were not themselves Jews. (Compare the language of the Roman governor, Joh 18:33\Q="xi.i.iii-p9.1", and of the Roman soldiers, Mt 27:29\Q="xi.i.iii-p9.2", with the very different language of the Jews themselves, Mt 27:42\Q="xi.i.iii-p9.3", &c.). The Roman historians,SuetoniusandTacitus, bear witness to an expectation, prevalent in the East, that out of Judea should arise a sovereign of the world.
      
for we have seen his star in the east--Much has been written on the subject of this star; but from all that is here said it is perhaps safest to regard it as simply a luminous meteor, which appeared under special laws and for a special purpose.
      
and are come to worship him--to do Him homage, as the word signifies; the nature of that homage depending on the circumstances of the case. That not civil but religious homage is meant here is plain from the whole strain of the narrative, and particularly Mt 2:11\Q="xi.i.iii-p11.1". Doubtless these simple strangers expected all Jerusalem to be full of its new-born King, and the time, place, and circumstances of His birth to be familiar to every one. Little would they think that the first announcement of His birth would come from themselves, and still less could they anticipate the startling, instead of transporting, effect which it would produce--else they would probably have sought their information regarding His birthplace in some other quarter. But God overruled it to draw forth a noble testimony to the predicted birthplace of Messiah from the highest ecclesiastical authority in the nation.
      
 \Q="xi.i.iii-p11.2"3. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled--viewing this as a danger to his own throne: perhaps his guilty conscience also suggested other grounds of fear.
      
and all Jerusalem with him--from a dread of revolutionary commotions, and perhaps also of Herod's rage.
      
 \Q="xi.i.iii-p13.1"4. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together--The class of the "chief priests" included the high priest for the time being, together with all who had previously filled this office; for though the then head of the Aaronic family was the only rightful high priest, the Romans removed them at pleasure, to make way for creatures of their own. In this class probably were included also the heads of the four and twenty courses of the priests. The "scribes" were at first merely transcribers of the law and synagogue readers; afterwards interpreters of the law, both civil and religious, and so both lawyers and divines. The first of these classes, a proportion of the second, and "the elders"--that is, asLightfootthinks, "those elders of the laity that were not of the Levitical tribe"--constituted the supreme council of the nation, called the \iSanhedrim,\ithe members of which, at their full complement, numbered seventy-two. That this was the council which Herod now convened is most probable, from the solemnity of the occasion; for though the elders are not mentioned, we find a similar omission where all three were certainly meant (compare Mt 26:59; 27:1\Q="xi.i.iii-p14.2"). AsMeyersays, it was all the theologians of the nation whom Herod convened, because it was a theological response that he wanted.
      
he demanded of them--as the authorized interpreters of Scripture.
      
where Christ--the Messiah.
      
should be born--according to prophecy.
      
 \Q="xi.i.iii-p17.1"5. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea--a prompt and involuntary testimony from the highest tribunal; which yet at length condemned Him to die.
      
for thus it is written by the prophet--( Mic 5:2\Q="xi.i.iii-p19.1").
      
 \Q="xi.i.iii-p19.2"6. And thou, Bethlehem, \iin\ithe land of Juda--the "in" being familiarly left out, as we say, "London, Middlesex."
      
art not the least among the princes of Judah: for out of thee shall come a Governor,&c.--This quotation, though differing verbally, agrees substantially with the \iHebrew\iand the \iSeptuagint.\iFor says the prophet, "Though thou be little, yet out of thee shall come the Ruler"--this honor more than compensating for its natural insignificance; while our Evangelist, by a lively turn, makes him say, "Thou art \inot the least:\ifor out of thee shall come a Governor"--this distinction lifting it from the lowest to the highest rank. The "thousands of Juda," in the prophet, mean the subordinate divisions of the tribe: our Evangelist, instead of these, merely names the "princes" or heads of these families, including the districts which they occupied.
      
that shall rule--or "feed," as in the \iMargin.\i
      
my people Israel--In the Old Testament, kings are, by a beautiful figure, styled "shepherds" ( Eze 34:1-10\Q="xi.i.iii-p23.1", &c.). The classical writers use the same figure. The pastoral rule of Jehovah and Messiah over His people is a representation pervading all Scripture, and rich in import. (See Ps 23:1-6; Isa 40:11; Eze 37:24; Joh 10:11; Re 7:17\Q="xi.i.iii-p23.2"). That this prophecy of Micah referred to the Messiah, was admitted by the ancient Rabbins.
      
 \Q="xi.i.iii-p23.3" \iThe Wise Men Despatched to Bethlehem by Herod to See the Babe, and Bring Him Word, Make a Religious Offering to the Infant King, but Divinely Warned, Return Home by Another Way\i( Mt 2:7-12\Q="xi.i.iii-p24.1").
      
7. Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men--Herod has so far succeeded in his murderous design: he has tracked the spot where lies his victim, an unconscious babe. But he has another point to fix--the date of His birth--without which he might still miss his mark. The one he had got from the Sanhedrim; the other he will have from the sages; but secretly, lest his object should be suspected and defeated. So he
      
inquired of them diligently--rather, "precisely."
      
what time the star appeared--presuming that this would be the best clue to the age of the child. The unsuspecting strangers tell him all. And now he thinks he is succeeding to a wish, and shall speedily clutch his victim; for at so early an age as they indicate, He would not likely have been removed from the place of His birth. Yet he is wary. He sends them as messengers from himself, and bids them come to \ihim,\ithat he may follow their pious example.
      
 \Q="xi.i.iii-p27.1"8. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently--"Search out carefully."
      
for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also--The cunning and bloody hypocrite! Yet this royal mandate would meantime serve as a safe conduct to the strangers.
      
 \Q="xi.i.iii-p29.1"9. When they had heard the king, they departed--But where were ye, O Jewish ecclesiastics, ye chief priests and scribes of the people? Ye could tell Herod where Christ should be born, and could hear of these strangers from the far East that the Desire of all nations had actually come; but I do not see you trooping to Bethlehem--I find these devout strangers journeying thither all alone. Yet God ordered this too, lest the news should be blabbed, and reach the tyrant's ears, before the Babe could be placed beyond his reach. Thus are the very errors and crimes and cold indifferences of men all overruled.
      
and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east--implying apparently that it had disappeared in the interval.
      
went before them, and stood over where the young child was--Surely this could hardly be but by a luminous meteor, and not very high.
      
 \Q="xi.i.iii-p32.1"10. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy--The language is very strong, expressing exuberant transport.
      
 \Q="xi.i.iii-p33.1"11. And when they were come into the house--not the stable; for as soon as Bethlehem was emptied of its strangers, they would have no difficulty in finding a dwelling-house.
      
they saw--The received text has "found"; but here our translators rightly depart from it, for it has no authority.
      
the young child with Mary his mother--The blessed Babe is naturally mentioned first, then the mother; but Joseph, though doubtless present, is not noticed, as being but the head of the house.
      
and fell down and worshipped him--Clearly this was no civil homage to a petty Jewish king, whom these star-guided strangers came so far, and inquired so eagerly, and rejoiced with such exceeding joy, to pay, but a lofty spiritual homage. The next clause confirms this.
      
and when they had opened their treasures they presented--rather, "offered."
      
unto him gifts--This expression, used frequently in the Old Testament of the oblations presented to God, is in the New Testament employed seven times, and always in \ia religious\isense of \iofferings to God.\iBeyond doubt, therefore, we are to understand the presentation of these gifts by the Magi as \ia religious offering.\i
      
gold, frankincense, and myrrh--Visits were seldom paid to sovereigns without a present ( 1Ki 10:2\Q="xi.i.iii-p40.1", &c.; compare Ps 72:10, 11, 15; Isa 60:3, 6\Q="xi.i.iii-p40.2"). "Frankincense" was an aromatic used in sacrificial offerings; "myrrh" was used in perfuming ointments. These, with the "gold" which they presented, seem to show that the offerers were persons in affluent circumstances. That the gold was presented to the infant King in token of His royalty; the frankincense in token of His divinity, and the myrrh, of His sufferings; or that they were designed to express His divine and human natures; or that the prophetical, priestly, and kingly offices of Christ are to be seen in these gifts; or that they were the offerings of three individuals respectively, each of them kings, the very names of whom tradition has handed down--all these are, at the best, precarious suppositions. But that the feelings of these devout givers are to be seen in the richness of their gifts, and that the gold, at least, would be highly serviceable to the parents of the blessed Babe in their unexpected journey to Egypt and stay there--that much at least admits of no dispute.
      
 \Q="xi.i.iii-p40.3"12. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed--or, "withdrew."
      
to their own country another way--What a surprise would this vision be to the sages, just as they were preparing to carry the glad news of what they had seen to the \ipious\iking! But the Lord knew the bloody old tyrant better than to let him see their face again.
      
 \Q="xi.i.iii-p42.1" Mt 2:13-23\Q="xi.i.iii-p43.1".The Flight into Egypt--The Massacre at Bethlehem--The Return of Joseph and Mary with the Babe, after Herod's Death, and Their Settlement at Nazareth.( = Lu 2:39\Q="xi.i.iii-p43.5").
      
 \iThe Flight into Egypt\i( Mt 2:13-15\Q="xi.i.iii-p44.1").
      
13. And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother--Observe this form of expression, repeated in Mt 2:14\Q="xi.i.iii-p45.1"--another indirect hint that Joseph was no more than the Child's \iguardian.\iIndeed, personally considered, Joseph has no spiritual significance, and very little place at all, in the Gospel history.
      
and flee into Egypt--which, being near, asAlfordsays, and a Roman province independent of Herod, and much inhabited by Jews, was an easy and convenient refuge. Ah! blessed Saviour, on what a checkered career hast Thou entered here below! At Thy birth there was no room for Thee in the inn; and now all Judea is too hot for Thee. How soon has the sword begun to pierce through the Virgin's soul ( Lu 2:35\Q="xi.i.iii-p46.2")! How early does she taste the reception which this mysterious Child of hers is to meet with in the world! And whither is He sent? To "the house of bondage?" Well, it once was that. But Egypt was a house of refuge before it was a house of bondage, and now it has but returned to its first use.
      
and be thou there until I bring thee word; for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him--Herod's murderous purpose was formed before the Magi had reached Bethlehem.
      
 \Q="xi.i.iii-p47.1"14. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt--doubtless the same night.
      
 \Q="xi.i.iii-p48.1"15. And was there until the death of Herod--which took place not very long after this of a horrible disease; the details of which will be found inJosephus[ \iAntiquities,\i17.6.1,5,7,8].
      
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying--( Ho 11:1\Q="xi.i.iii-p50.1").
      
Out of Egypt have I called my son--Our Evangelist here quotes directly from the \iHebrew,\iwarily departing from the \iSeptuagint,\iwhich renders the words, "From Egypt have I recalled his children," meaning Israel's children. The prophet is reminding his people how dear Israel was to God in the days of his youth; how Moses was bidden to say to Pharaoh, "Thus saith the Lord, Israel is My \ison,\iMy first-born; and I say unto thee, Let \iMy\ison go, that he may serve Me; and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay \ithy\ison, even thy first-born" ( Ex 4:22, 23\Q="xi.i.iii-p51.1"); how, when Pharaoh refused, God having slain all \ihis\ifirst-born, "called His own son out of Egypt," by a stroke of high-handed power and love. Viewing the words in this light, even if our Evangelist had not applied them to the recall from Egypt of God's own beloved, Only-begotten Son, the application would have been irresistibly made by all who have learnt to pierce beneath the surface to the deeper relations which Christ bears to His people, and both to God; and who are accustomed to trace the analogy of God's treatment of each respectively.
      
 \Q="xi.i.iii-p51.2"16. Then Herod,&c.--As Deborah sang of the mother of Sisera: "She looked out at a window, and cried through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? why tarry the wheels of his chariots? Have they not sped?" so Herod wonders that his messengers, with pious zeal, are not hastening with the news that all is ready to receive him as a worshipper. What can be keeping them? Have they missed their way? Has any disaster befallen them? At length his patience is exhausted. He makes his inquiries and finds they are already far beyond his reach on their way home.
      
when he saw that he was mocked--was trifled with.
      
of the wise men--No, Herod, thou art not mocked of the wise men, but of a Higher than they. He that sitteth in the heavens doth laugh at thee; the Lord hath thee in derision. He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise. He taketh the wise in their own craftiness, and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong ( Ps 2:4; Job 5:12, 13\Q="xi.i.iii-p54.1"). That blessed Babe shall die indeed, but not by thy hand. As He afterwards told that son of thine--as cunning and as unscrupulous as thyself--when the Pharisees warned Him to depart, for \iHerod would seek to kill Him\i--"Go ye, and tell that \ifox,\iBehold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to-day and to-morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. Nevertheless I must walk to-day, and to-morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem" ( Lu 13:32, 33\Q="xi.i.iii-p54.2"). Bitter satire!
      
was exceeding wroth--To be made a fool of is what none like, and proud kings cannot stand. Herod burns with rage and is like a wild bull in a net. So he
      
sent forth--a band of hired murderers.
      
and slew all the children--male children.
      
that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof--environs.
      
from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently--carefully.
      
inquired of the wise men--In this ferocious step Herod was like himself--as crafty as cruel. He takes a large sweep, not to miss his mark. He thinks this will surely embrace his victim. And so it had, if He had been there. But He is gone. Heaven and earth shall sooner pass away than thou shalt have that Babe into thy hands. Therefore, Herod, thou must be content to want Him: to fill up the cup of thy bitter mortifications, already full enough--until thou die not less of a broken heart than of a loathsome and excruciating disease. Why, ask skeptics and skeptical critics, is not this massacre, if it really occurred, recorded byJosephus, who is minute enough in detailing the cruelties of Herod? To this the answer is not difficult. If we consider how small a town Bethlehem was, it is not likely there would be many male children in it from two years old and under; and when we think of the number of fouler atrocities whichJosephushas recorded of him, it is unreasonable to make anything of his silence on this.
      
 \Q="xi.i.iii-p60.3"17. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying--( Jer 31:15\Q="xi.i.iii-p61.1", from which the quotation differs but verbally).
      
 \Q="xi.i.iii-p61.2"18. In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not--These words, as they stand in Jeremiah, undoubtedly relate to the Babylonish captivity. Rachel, the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, was buried in the neighborhood of Bethlehem ( Ge 35:19\Q="xi.i.iii-p62.1"), where her sepulchre is still shown. She is figuratively represented as rising from the tomb and uttering a double lament for the loss of her children--first, by a bitter captivity, and now by a bloody death. And a foul deed it was. O ye mothers of Bethlehem! methinks I hear you asking why your innocent babes should be the ram caught in the thicket, while Isaac escapes. I cannot tell you, but one thing I know, that ye shall, some of you, live to see a day when that Babe of Bethlehem shall be Himself the Ram, caught in another sort of thicket, in order that your babes may escape a worse doom than they now endure. And if these babes of yours be now in glory, through the dear might of that blessed Babe, will they not deem it their honor that the tyrant's rage was exhausted upon themselves instead of their infant Lord?
      
 \Q="xi.i.iii-p62.2"19. But when Herod was dead--Miserable Herod! Thou thoughtest thyself safe from a dreaded Rival; but it was He only that was safe from thee; and thou hast not long enjoyed even this fancied security. See on.
      
behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt--Our translators, somewhat capriciously, render the same expression " \ithe\iangel of the Lord," Mt 1:20; 2:13\Q="xi.i.iii-p64.1"; and " \ian\iangel of the Lord," as here. As the same angel appears to have been employed on all these high occasions--and most likely he to whom in Luke is given the name of "Gabriel," Lu 1:19, 26\Q="xi.i.iii-p64.2"--perhaps it should in every instance except the first, be rendered " \ithe\iangel."
      
 \Q="xi.i.iii-p64.3"20. Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel--not to the land of Judea, for he was afterward expressly warned not to settle there, nor to Galilee, for he only went thither when he found it unsafe to settle in Judea but to "the land of Israel," in its most general sense; meaning the Holy Land at large--the particular province being not as yet indicated. So Joseph and the Virgin had, like Abraham, to "go out, not knowing whither they went," till they should receive further direction.
      
for they are dead which sought the young child's life--a common expression in most languages where only one is meant, who here is Herod. But the words are taken from the strikingly analogous case in Ex 4:19\Q="xi.i.iii-p66.1", which probably suggested the plural here; and where the command is given to Moses to return \ito\iEgypt for the same reason that the greater than Moses was now ordered to be brought back \ifrom\iit--the death of him who sought his life. Herod died in the seventieth year of his age, and thirty-seventh of his reign.
      
 \Q="xi.i.iii-p66.2"21. And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel--intending, as is plain from what follows, to return to Bethlehem of Judea, there, no doubt, to rear the Infant King, as at His own royal city, until the time should come when they would expect Him to occupy Jerusalem, "the city of the Great King."
      
 \Q="xi.i.iii-p67.1"22. But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judea in the room of his father Herod--Archelaus succeeded to Judea, Samaria, and Idumea; but Augustus refused him the title of \iking\itill it should be seen how he conducted himself; giving him only the title of \iethnarch\i[Josephus, \iAntiquities,\i17.11,4]. Above this, however, he never rose. The people, indeed, recognized him as his father's successor; and so it is here said that he " \ireigned\iin the room of his father Herod." But, after ten years' defiance of the Jewish law and cruel tyranny, the people lodged heavy complaints against him, and the emperor banished him to Vienne in Gaul, reducing Judea again to a Roman province. Then the "scepter" clean "departed from Judah."
      
he was afraid to go thither--and no wonder, for the reason just mentioned.
      
notwithstanding--or more simply, "but."
      
being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside--withdrew.
      
into the parts of Galilee--or the Galilean parts. The whole country west of the Jordan was at this time, as is well known, divided into three provinces--Galileebeing the northern,Judeathe southern, andSamariathe central province. The province of Galilee was under the jurisdiction of Herod Antipas, the brother of Archelaus, his father having left him that and Perea, on the east side of the Jordan, as his share of the kingdom, with the title of \itetrarch,\iwhich Augustus confirmed. Though crafty and licentious, according toJosephus--precisely what the Gospel history shows him to be (see on;--he was of a less cruel disposition than Archelaus; and Nazareth being a good way off from the seat of government, and considerably secluded, it was safer to settle there.
      
 \Q="xi.i.iii-p72.9"23. And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth--a small town in Lower Galilee, lying in the territory of the tribe of Zebulun, and about equally distant from the Mediterranean Sea on the west and the Sea of Galilee on the east. Note--If, from Lu 2:39\Q="xi.i.iii-p73.1", one would conclude that the parents of Jesus brought Him straight back to Nazareth after His presentation in the temple--as if there had been no visit of the Magi, no flight to Egypt, no stay there, and no purpose on returning to settle again at Bethlehem--one might, from our Evangelist's way of speaking here, equally conclude that the parents of our Lord had never been at Nazareth until now. Did we know exactly the sources from which the matter of each of the Gospels was drawn up, or the mode in which these were used, this apparent discrepancy would probably disappear at once. In neither case is there any inaccuracy. At the same time it is difficult, with these facts before us, to conceive that either of these two Evangelists wrote his Gospel with that of the other before him--though many think this a precarious inference.
      
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene--better, perhaps, "Nazarene." The best explanation of the origin of this name appears to be that which traces it to the word \inetzer\iin Isa 11:1\Q="xi.i.iii-p74.1"--the small \itwig, sprout,\ior \isucker,\iwhich the prophet there says, "shall come forth from the stem (or rather, 'stump') of Jesse, the branch which should fructify from his roots." The little town of Nazareth, mentioned neither in the Old Testament nor inJosephus, was probably so called from its insignificance: a weak twig in contrast to a stately tree; and a special contempt seemed to rest upon it--"Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" ( Joh 1:46\Q="xi.i.iii-p74.3")--over and above the general contempt in which all Galilee was held, from the number of Gentiles that settled in the upper territories of it, and, in the estimation of the Jews, debased it. Thus, in the providential arrangement by which our Lord was brought up at the insignificant and opprobrious town called \iNazareth,\ithere was involved, first, a local humiliation; next, an allusion to Isaiah's prediction of His lowly, twig-like upspringing from the branchless, dried-up stump of Jesse; and yet further, a standing memorial of that humiliation which "the prophets," in a number of the most striking predictions, had attached to the Messiah.
      

\C3="Chapter 3" \Q="xi.i.iv-p0.1"CHAPTER 3
      
 \Q="xi.i.iv-p1.1" Mt 3:1-12\Q="xi.i.iv-p2.1".Preaching and Ministry of John.( = Mr 1:1-8; Lu 3:1-18\Q="xi.i.iv-p2.3").
      
For the proper introduction to this section, we must go to Lu 3:1, 2\Q="xi.i.iv-p3.1". Here, asBengelwell observes, the curtain of the New Testament is, as it were, drawn up, and the greatest of all epochs of the Church commences. Even our Lord's own age is determined by it ( Lu 3:23\Q="xi.i.iv-p3.3"). No such elaborate chronological precision is to be found elsewhere in the New Testament, and it comes fitly from him who claims it as the peculiar recommendation of his Gospel, that "he had traced down all things with precision from the very first" ( Mt 1:3\Q="xi.i.iv-p3.4"). Here evidently commences his proper narrative.
      
 Lu 3:1\Q="xi.i.iv-p4.1":
      
 \iNow in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Cæsar\i--not the fifteenth from his full accession on the death of Augustus, but from the period when he was associated with him in the government of the empire, three years earlier, about the end of the year of Rome 779, or about four years before the usual reckoning.
      
 \iPontius Pilate being governor of Judea\i--His proper title was \iprocurator,\ibut with more than the usual powers of that office. After holding it for about ten years, he was summoned to Rome to answer to charges brought against him; but ere he arrived, Tiberius died (A.D.35), and soon after miserable Pilate committed suicide.
      
 \iAnd Herod being tetrarch of Galilee\i--(See on).
      
 \iand his brother Philip\i--a very different and very superior Philip to the one whose name was \iHerod Philip,\iand whose wife, Herodias, went to live with Herod Antipas (see on).
      
 \itetrarch of Ituræa\i--lying to the northeast of Palestine, and so called from \iItur\ior \iJetur,\iIshmael's son ( 1Ch 1:31\Q="xi.i.iv-p9.1"), and anciently belonging to the half-tribe of Manasseh.
      
 \iand of the region of Trachonitis\i--lying farther to the northeast, between Iturea and Damascus; a rocky district infested by robbers, and committed by Augustus to Herod the Great to keep in order.
      
 \iand Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene\i--still more to the northeast; so called, saysRobinson, from \iAbila,\ieighteen miles from Damascus.
      
 Lu 3:2\Q="xi.i.iv-p12.1":
      
 \iAnnas and Caiaphas being the high priests\i--The former, though deposed, retained much of his influence, and, probably, as \isagan\ior deputy, exercised much of the power of the high priesthood along with Caiaphas, his son-in-law ( Joh 18:13; Ac 4:6\Q="xi.i.iv-p13.1"). In David's time both Zadok and Abiathar acted as high priests ( 2Sa 15:35\Q="xi.i.iv-p13.2"), and it seems to have been the fixed practice to have two ( 2Ki 25:18\Q="xi.i.iv-p13.3").
      
 \ithe word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness\i--Such a way of speaking is never once used when speaking of Jesus, because He was Himself \iThe Living Word;\iwhereas to all merely creature-messengers of God, the word they spoke was a foreign element. See on. We are now prepared for the opening words of Matthew.
      
1. In those days--of Christ's secluded life at Nazareth, where the last chapter left Him.
      
came John the Baptist, preaching--about six months before his Master.
      
in the wilderness of Judea--the desert valley of the Jordan, thinly peopled and bare in pasture, a little north of Jerusalem.
      
 \Q="xi.i.iv-p17.1"2. And saying, Repent ye--Though the word strictly denotes a \ichange of mind,\iit has respect here (and wherever it is used in connection with salvation) primarily to that \isense of sin\iwhich leads the sinner to flee from the wrath to come, to look for relief only from above, and eagerly to fall in with the provided remedy.
      
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand--This sublime phrase, used in none of the other Gospels, occurs in this peculiarly Jewish Gospel nearly thirty times; and being suggested by Daniel's grand vision of the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven to the Ancient of days, to receive His investiture in a world-wide kingdom ( Da 7:13, 14\Q="xi.i.iv-p19.1"), it was fitted at once both to meet the national expectations and to turn them into the right channel. A kingdom for which \irepentance\iwas the proper preparation behooved to be essentially spiritual. Deliverance from sin, the great blessing of Christ's kingdom ( Mt 1:21\Q="xi.i.iv-p19.2"), can be valued by those only to whom sin is a burden ( Mt 9:12\Q="xi.i.iv-p19.3"). John's great work, accordingly, was to awaken this feeling and hold out the hope of a speedy and precious remedy.
      
 \Q="xi.i.iv-p19.4"3. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying--( Mt 11:3\Q="xi.i.iv-p20.1").
      
The voice of one crying in the wilderness--(See on); the scene of his ministry corresponding to its rough nature.
      
Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight--This prediction is quoted in all the four Gospels, showing that it was regarded as a great outstanding one, and the predicted forerunner as the connecting link between the old and the new economies. Like the great ones of the earth, the Prince of peace was to have His immediate approach proclaimed and His way prepared; and the call here--taking it generally--is a call to put out of the way whatever would obstruct His progress and hinder His complete triumph, whether those hindrances were public or personal, outward or inward. In Luke ( Lu 3:5, 6\Q="xi.i.iv-p22.1") the quotation is thus continued: "Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God." Levelling and smoothing are here the obvious figures whose sense is conveyed in the first words of the proclamation--" \iPrepare ye the way of the Lord.\i" The idea is that every obstruction shall be so removed as to reveal to the whole world the salvation of God in Him whose name is the "Saviour." (Compare Ps 98:3; Isa 11:10; 49:6; 52:10; Lu 2:31, 32; Ac 13:47\Q="xi.i.iv-p22.2").
      
 \Q="xi.i.iv-p22.3"4. And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair--woven of it.
      
and a leathern girdle about his loins--the prophetic dress of Elijah ( 2Ki 1:8\Q="xi.i.iv-p24.1"; and see Zec 13:4\Q="xi.i.iv-p24.2").
      
and his meat was locusts--the great, well-known Eastern locust, a food of the poor ( Le 11:22\Q="xi.i.iv-p25.1").
      
and wild honey--made by wild bees ( 1Sa 14:25, 26\Q="xi.i.iv-p26.1"). This dress and diet, with the shrill cry in the wilderness, would recall the stern days of Elijah.
      
 \Q="xi.i.iv-p26.2"5. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan--From the metropolitan center to the extremities of the Judean province the cry of this great preacher of repentance and herald of the approaching Messiah brought trooping penitents and eager expectants.
      
 \Q="xi.i.iv-p27.1"6. And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins--probably confessing aloud. This baptism was at once a public seal of their felt need of deliverance from sin, of their expectation of the coming Deliverer, and of their readiness to welcome Him when He appeared. The baptism itself startled, and was intended to startle, them. They were familiar enough with the \ibaptism of proselytes\ifrom heathenism; but this \ibaptism of Jews\ithemselves was quite new and strange to them.
      
 \Q="xi.i.iv-p28.1"7. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them--astonished at such a spectacle.
      
O generation of vipers--"Viper brood," expressing the deadly influence of both sects alike upon the community. Mutually and entirely antagonistic as were their religious principles and spirit, the stern prophet charges both alike with being the poisoners of the nation's religious principles. In Mt 12:34; 23:33\Q="xi.i.iv-p30.1", this strong language of the Baptist is anew applied by the faithful and true Witness to the Pharisees specifically--the only party that had zeal enough actively to diffuse this poison.
      
who hath warned you--given you the hint, as the idea is.
      
to flee from the wrath to come?--"What can have brought \iyou\ihither?" John more than suspected it was not so much their own spiritual anxieties as the popularity of his movement that had drawn them thither. What an expression is this, "The wrath to come!" God's "wrath," in Scripture, is His righteous displeasure against sin, and consequently against all in whose skirts sin is found, arising out of the essential and eternal opposition of His nature to all moral evil. This is called "the \icoming\iwrath," not as being wholly future--for as a merited sentence it lies on the sinner already, and its effects, both inward and outward, are to some extent experienced even now--but because the impenitent sinner will not, until "the judgment of the great day," be concluded under it, will not have sentence publicly and irrevocably passed upon him, will not have it discharged upon him and experience its effects without mixture and without hope. In this view of it, it is a wrath \iwholly\ito come, as is implied in the noticeably different form of the expression employed by the apostle in 1Th 1:10\Q="xi.i.iv-p32.1". Not that even true penitents came to John's baptism with all these views of "the wrath to come." But what he says is that this was the \ireal import of the step itself.\iIn this view of it, how striking is the word he employs to express that step-- \ifleeing\ifrom it--as of one who, beholding a tide of fiery wrath rolling rapidly towards him, sees in instant flight his only escape!
      
 \Q="xi.i.iv-p32.2"8. Bring forth therefore fruits--the true reading clearly is "fruit";
      
meet for repentance--that is, such fruit as \ibefits\ia true penitent. John now being gifted with a knowledge of the human heart, like a true minister of righteousness and lover of souls here directs them how to evidence and carry out their repentance, supposing it genuine; and in the following verses warns them of their danger in case it were not.
      
 \Q="xi.i.iv-p34.1"9. And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father--that pillow on which the nation so fatally reposed, that rock on which at length it split.
      
for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham--that is, "Flatter not yourselves with the fond delusion that God stands in need of you, to make good His promise of a seed to Abraham; for I tell you that, though you were all to perish, God is as able to raise up a seed to Abraham out of those stones as He was to take Abraham himself out of the rock whence he was hewn, out of the hole of the pit whence he was digged" ( Isa 51:1\Q="xi.i.iv-p36.1"). Though the stern speaker may have pointed as he spoke to the pebbles of the bare clay hills that lay around (soStanley's \iSinai and Palestine\i), it was clearly the calling of the \iGentiles\i--at that time stone-dead in their sins, and quite as unconscious of it--into the room of unbelieving and disinherited Israel that he meant thus to indicate (see Mt 21:43; Ro 11:20, 30\Q="xi.i.iv-p36.3").
      
 \Q="xi.i.iv-p36.4"10. And now also--And even already.
      
the axe is laid unto--"lieth at."
      
the root of the trees--as it were ready to strike: an expressive figure of impending judgment, only to be averted in the way next described.
      
therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire--Language so personal and individual as this can scarcely be understood of any national judgment like the approaching destruction of Jerusalem, with the breaking up of the Jewish polity and the extrusion of the chosen people from their peculiar privileges which followed it; though this would serve as the dark shadow, cast before, of a more terrible retribution to come. The "fire," which in another verse is called "unquenchable," can be no other than that future "torment" of the impenitent whose "smoke ascendeth up for ever and ever," and which by the Judge Himself is styled "everlasting punishment" ( Mt 25:46\Q="xi.i.iv-p40.1"). What a strength, too, of just indignation is in that word "cast" or "flung into the fire!"
      
The third Gospel here adds the following important particulars in Lu 3:10-16\Q="xi.i.iv-p41.1".
      
 Lu 3:10\Q="xi.i.iv-p42.1":
      
 \iAnd the people\i--the multitudes.
      
 \iasked him, saying, What shall we do then?\i--that is, to show the sincerity of our repentance.
      
 Lu 3:11\Q="xi.i.iv-p45.1":
      
 \iHe answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat\i--provisions, victuals.
      
 \ilet him do likewise\i--This is directed against the reigning avarice and selfishness. (Compare the corresponding precepts of the Sermon on the Mount, Mt 5:40-42\Q="xi.i.iv-p47.1").
      
 Lu 3:12\Q="xi.i.iv-p48.1":
      
 \iThen came also the publicans to be baptized, and said unto him,\i \iMaster\i--Teacher.
      
 \iwhat shall we do?\i--In what special way is the genuineness of our repentance to be manifested?
      
 Lu 3:13\Q="xi.i.iv-p51.1":
      
 \iAnd he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you\i--This is directed against that extortion which made the publicans a byword. (See on;).
      
 Lu 3:14\Q="xi.i.iv-p53.1":
      
 \iAnd the soldiers\i--rather, "And soldiers"--the word means "soldiers on active duty."
      
 \ilikewise demanded\i--asked.
      
 \iof him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do\i \iviolence to no man\i--Intimidate. The word signifies to "shake thoroughly," and refers probably to the extorting of money or other property.
      
 \ineither accuse any falsely\i--by acting as informers vexatiously on frivolous or false pretexts.
      
 \iand be content with your wages\i--or "rations." We may take this, sayWebsterandWilkinson, as a warning against mutiny, which the officers attempted to suppress by largesses and donations. And thus the "fruits" which would evidence their repentance were just resistance to the reigning sins--particularly of the \iclass\ito which the penitent belonged--and the manifestation of an opposite spirit.
      
 Lu 3:15\Q="xi.i.iv-p59.1":
      
 \iAnd as the people were in expectation\i--in a state of excitement, looking for something new
      
 \iand all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the\i \iChrist, or not\i--rather, "whether he himself might be the Christ." The structure of this clause implies that they could hardly think it, but yet could not help asking themselves whether it might not be; showing both how successful he had been in awakening the expectation of Messiah's immediate appearing, and the high estimation and even reverence, which his own character commanded.
      
 Lu 3:16\Q="xi.i.iv-p62.1":
      
 \iJohn answered\i--either to that deputation from Jerusalem, of which we read in Joh 1:19\Q="xi.i.iv-p63.1", &c., or on some other occasion, to remove impressions derogatory to his blessed Master, which he knew to be taking hold of the popular mind.
      
 \isaying unto them all\i--in solemn protestation.
      
(We now return to the first Gospel.)
      
 \Q="xi.i.iv-p65.1"11. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance--(See on);
      
but he that cometh after me is mightier than I--In Mark and Luke this is more emphatic--"But there cometh the Mightier than I" ( Mr 1:7; Lu 3:16\Q="xi.i.iv-p67.1").
      
whose shoes--sandals.
      
I am not worthy to bear--The sandals were tied and untied, and borne about by the meanest servants.
      
he shall baptize you--the emphatic "He": "He it is," to the exclusion of all others, "that shall baptize you."
      
with the Holy Ghost--"So far from entertaining such a thought as laying claim to the honors of Messiahship, the meanest services I can render to that 'Mightier than I that is coming after me' are too high an honor for me; I am but the servant, but the Master is coming; I administer but the outward symbol of purification; His it is, as His sole prerogative, to dispense the inward reality." Beautiful spirit, distinguishing this servant of Christ throughout!
      
and with fire--To take this as a distinct baptism from that of the Spirit--a baptism of the impenitent with hell-fire--is exceedingly unnatural. Yet this was the view ofOrigenamong the Fathers; and among moderns, ofNeander,Meyer,De Wette, andLange. Nor is it much better to refer it to the fire of the great day, by which the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Clearly, as we think, it is but the \ifiery\icharacter of the Spirit's operations upon the soul--searching, consuming, refining, sublimating--as nearly all good interpreters understand the words. And thus, in two successive clauses, the two most familiar emblems-- \iwater\iand \ifire\i--are employed to set forth the same purifying operations of the Holy Ghost upon the soul.
      
 \Q="xi.i.iv-p72.6"12. Whose fan--winnowing fan.
      
is in his hand--ready for use. This is no other than the preaching of the Gospel, even now beginning, the effect of which would be to separate the solid from the spiritually worthless, as wheat, by the winnowing fan, from the chaff. (Compare the similar representation in Mal 3:1-3\Q="xi.i.iv-p74.1").
      
and he will throughly purge his floor--threshing-floor; that is, the visible Church.
      
and gather his wheat--His true-hearted saints; so called for their solid worth (compare Am 9:9; Lu 22:31\Q="xi.i.iv-p76.1").
      
into the garner--"the kingdom of their Father," as this "garner" or "barn" is beautifully explained by our Lord in the parable of the wheat and the tares ( Mt 13:30, 43\Q="xi.i.iv-p77.1").
      
but he will burn up the chaff--empty, worthless professors of religion, void of all solid religious principle and character (see Ps 1:4\Q="xi.i.iv-p78.1").
      
with unquenchable fire--Singular is the strength of this apparent contradiction of figures:--to be burnt up, but with a fire that is unquenchable; the one expressing the \iutter destruction\iof all that constitutes one's true life, the other the \icontinued consciousness of existence\iin that awful condition.
      
Luke adds the following important particulars ( Lu 3:18-20\Q="xi.i.iv-p80.1"):
      
 Lu 3:18\Q="xi.i.iv-p81.1":
      
 \iAnd many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the\i \ipeople\i--showing that we have here but an abstract of his teaching. Besides what we read in Joh 1:29, 33, 34; 3:27-36\Q="xi.i.iv-p82.1", the incidental allusion to his having taught his disciples to pray ( Lu 11:1\Q="xi.i.iv-p82.2")--of which not a word is said elsewhere--shows how varied his teaching was.
      
 Lu 3:19\Q="xi.i.iv-p83.1":
      
 \iBut Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his\i \ibrother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had\i \idone\i--In this last clause we have an important fact, here only mentioned, showing how \ithoroughgoing\iwas the fidelity of the Baptist to his royal hearer, and how strong must have been the workings of conscience in that slave of passion when, notwithstanding such plainness, he "did many things, and heard John gladly" ( Mr 6:20\Q="xi.i.iv-p84.1").
      
 Lu 3:20\Q="xi.i.iv-p85.1":
      
 \iAdded yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison\i--This imprisonment of John, however, did not take place for some time after this; and it is here recorded merely because the Evangelist did not intend to recur to his history till he had occasion to relate the message which he sent to Christ from his prison at Machærus ( Lu 7:18\Q="xi.i.iv-p86.1", &c.).
      
 \Q="xi.i.iv-p86.2" Mt 3:13-17\Q="xi.i.iv-p87.1".Baptism of Christ and Descent of the Spirit upon Him Immediately Thereafter.( = Mr 1:9-11; Lu 3