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all the Nations which Sennacherib either pafs'd thro' in his way to Judea, or visited with a flying Army, while the Body of his Forces were ravaging Judea and besieging Jerufalem.

Chapter

XXIV.

Ver. 5. The earth alfo is defiled under the inhabitants thereof, because they have tranfgreffed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.] Here the Prophet gives the Reason why he was refolv'd to fend thefe Calamities upon them, because the Inhabitants thereof were fo wicked that they had, as it were, infected the very Land; Things inanimate not being capable of Pollution, we must understand the Prophet to speak of the Corruption of the People, as he explains himself in the following Words, They have tranfgreffed the Laws, meaning the Moral Laws given them by Mofes, the Ordinances, meaning the Ceremonial, and the Eternal Covenant which was made between God Exod. 24. 7, and them, call'd Berith Nolam, not that it was never to be 8. abrogated, but that its Obligation would continue for many Ages.

Ver. 6. Therefore hath the curfe devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are defolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.] Therefore for their Sins and Tranfgreffions the Land fhall be devoted to Destruction, and they that dwell therein fhall be defolate, depriv'd of all the Comforts of Life, and forc'd to flee into the Defarts for Shelter; therefore the greatest part of the Inhabitants fhall be confum'd with Fire and Sword, and a few be left in Comparison of the great Number it once was throng'd with.

Ver. 7, 8. The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merry-hearted do figh. The mirth of tabrets ceafeth, the noife of them that rejoyce endeth, the joy of the harp ceafeth.] That is, the Wine fhall grow fowre for want of Mouths to drink it, or elfe be fpilt on the Ground by their Enemies, who fhould deftroy what they could not carry away; by this and the other Expreffions of the Mirth of the Tabrets ceafing the Prophet means, their Mirth fhould be turn'd into Sorrow.

Ver. 9. They shall not drink wine with a fong, ftrong drink Shall be bitter to them that drink it.] Wine naturally infpires Mirth, gives a brisk Motion to the flagging Spirits, and

A a 2

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Chapter makes them lay afide the Load of Care which clogs and XXIV. keeps them down; but the Prophet tells them it fhould

Lyranus.

be otherwife now, it fhould have no Influence on them, nor make them break out into cheerful Songs, or rather they should have nothing to cheer their Spirits.

Ver. 10. The city of confufion is broken down every house is fhut up that no man may come in.] St. Jerom, who underftands the Prophet of the Destruction of the whole World, thinks he makes ufe of a Singular instead of a Plural, as if he meant that all the Cities of the World fhould be deftroy'd; or perhaps, fays Sanctius, he may allude to Tyre, Quam mundi totius imaginem pra fe ferre diximus: Grotius understands it of Bethel, where Jeroboam fet up the Golden Calves, by the Jews call'd Beth Auen, the House of Vanity, the fame with Kirjath Tohu here. Dr. Alix of Samaria; but Forerius, not without Reason, thinks Jerufalem is call'd Kirjath Tohu for the fame Reafon as Mofes call'd the undigested Rudiments of the Earth by the fame Name, Tobu is faid of a thing which is not in that Order it fhould be in, and therefore Jerufalem may be said to be a City of Confi fim, Quod gubernatione, magiftratibus, judicis, facrificiis qua in florenti Reipublica ftatu certis locis temporibufq; peraguntur careret; and we must needs think an Army of near 200000 Men could not lye about a Town a whole, Summer, as they probably did, without making feveral Breaches in the Wall, which is all that Nifhbera, fignifies,. and does not at all imply an univerfal Destruction, as if every Building in the City were ruin'd, as they seem to fancy who refer it to Bethel or Samaria, for this only Reafon I believe, because Sennacherib did not take Jerufalem..

Ver. 11. There is a crying for wine in the streets, all joy is darkned, the mirth of the land is gone.] There shall be a () Vatablus, crying for mine, that is, (a) not fo much a calling for it as lamenting the Lofs of it; the plundering Soldiers fhould deftroy their Vintage, and the poor frighten'd Peafants, who fled to Jerufalem for Security, fhould make doleful Lamentations for the Lofs of their ripe Grapes and the Destruction of their Vineyards.

Ver.2. In the city is left defolation, and the gate is. [mitten with deftruction.] As this Verfe is render'd by our Tranflators it cannot be apply'd to the Time of Sennacherib, be

caufe

caufe then the City was fo far from being defolate, Chapter that in all probability it was much fuller of Inhabitants XXIV. than it usually was; but Shammah does not always fignify Defolation, but denotes (a) the Gefture of Men terrify'd (a) Forerius. with any fudden danger, or furpriz'd with any thing!" wonderful or unufual; fo that thefe words may be the s paraphras'd, In the City there fhall be nothing but Horror and Amazement, when they fee their Walls in feveral places batter'd down. Planum est in Portis fuiffe propugnacula & Turres, has dicit collapfas & munitiones ruina Comminutas. Hac de Civitate Hyerofolymitanâ dicta non dubito. And thus Shammah is render'd by Goufet, Res ftupenda, Stupor.

Royal.

Ver. 13. When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people there shall be as the fhaking of an olivetree, and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done.] That is, when these things fhall come to pafs, which are mention'd in the foregoing Verfes, When the Land of Judah fhall be thus full of horrible Confufion, there hall be a few preferv'd, (b) Comme quelques Olives qui de- (b) Verf. Port meurent fur un arbre apres qu'on l'a depouille de tours fes fruits, like a few Olives on the highest Branches after the Fruit is gather'd, and like the gleaning of a few Grapes after Vintage, which by chance have efcap'd the Dili gence of the Gatherer, Thus God in the midst of Judgments always remembers Mercy Tho' they were overrun with Wickednefs, and might juftly expect to be quite cut off, ftill he would leave a Remnant to try whether the Sufferings of their Brethren, and a fenfe of their own Deliverance, would be able to overcome their ftrong Propenfion to Sin.

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Ver. 14, 15. They fhall lift up their voice, they fall fing for the majesty of the Lord, they shall cry aloud from the fea. Wherefore, glorifie ye the Lord in the fires, even the name of the Lord God of Ifrael in the ifles of the fea.] In these two Verfes is defcrib'd the Condition and Behaviour of those Few whom God defign'd to deliver out of their Enemy's hands: They fhall lift up their Voice for Joy, and make the Mountains refound their Exultation; not only they whom he preferv'd in Jerufalem, who had a near View of God's Majefty, and faw the furprising Effects of his

Power

Chapter Power exerted for them in the flaughter of their EneXXIV. mies, but they alfo who fled to the Iles of the Mediterranean Sea, and there remain'd 'till this Tyranny was overpaft. Therefore he calls them not only to fhew their (a) Vatablus. Joy, but Gratitude, Glorify the Lord (a) Beurim, ye that remain in the Valley of ferufalem, and praife the Name of the Lord of Hofts ye that remain in the Iles of the Sea.

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Ver. 16. From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard fongs, even glory to the righteous: but I faid, My leannefs, my leannefs, wo unto me: the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously, yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.] That is, from the Borders of Judea we shall hear the Shouts of the joyful Inhabitants of Ferufalem, finging melodious Songs to the Honour of their Almighty Redeemer, giving the Glory of their Deliverance to the righteous God, whofe Faithfulness or Goodness they have reafon to admire and praife: Thus it fhall be with those who fear the Lord; but I faid, My leannefs, my leanness: The Sorrow and inward Grief with which my Heart is full, upon the melancholy Reflection on thofe great Calamities which fhall fall on the Wicked, is fo piercing, that it visibly confumes me daily, and makes me lean: The treacherous Dealer, I forefee, will deal treacherously, tho' he pretends to be pacify'd with the Prefents the King fhall make him, he will deftroy the Country with Fire and Sword: He speaks of Sennacherib, King of Affyria, in the Plural Number, and calls him the treacherous Dealer, to let us know he was a Royal Leaguebreaker, and made no more of Solemn Engagements, than a Monarch who too much resembles this Affyrian in feveral particulars. This is the plain meaning of the words (b) Pagnin. (b), in which the Prophet reflects on the unfair Proceedings of Sennacherib, who agreed on Terms of Accommo dation with Hezekiah; and as foon as he had receiv'd his Prefents, fent his General against him, without any () St. Auguft. fresh Provocation; and yet (c) fome will have it, that in P. 7. Leo the Prophet fpeaks here of the calling of the Gentiles. caftri, Ver. 17, 18. Fear, and the pit, and the fnare are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth. And it fhall come to pafs, that he who fleeth from the noife of the fear, fhall fall into the

XXIV.

pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit, shall be Chapter taken in the fnare; for, the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do fhake.] Fear is taken for that which caufes Fear, Terriculamentum, fuch as Seneca fpeaks of, Cam maximos ferarum greges Linea Pennis diftinita conterreat & in infidias agat ab ipfo effectu dicta Formido (a). And that the Prophet means fome fuch (4) Lib. 2. de thing, appears by the 18th Verfe, where he carries on Ira, c. 12. the fame Simile, They fhall be like a fcar'd Deer, which fleeing from thofe who perfue her, falls into a Pit; and if by Strength or Agility it finds means to escape out of the Pit, is taken at laft in a Snare which will hold her faft: By all which the Prophet means that Dangers fhould furround them on every fide; fome of which, if by chance they efcap'd, they fhall fall into others as great: For the Windows from on high fhall be open, and the Foundations of the Earth fhall shake. He fpeaks in Allufion to the Deluge, and reprefents God pouring on the Inhabitants of Judea thick Showers of his Indignation.

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Ver. 19, 20. The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean diffolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth fhall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage, and the tranfgreffion thereof shall be heavy upon. it; and it fhall fall, and not rife again.] Having in the former Verfe fpoken of the fhaking of the Foundations of the Earth, in the 19th he carries on the fame Metaphor, and fpeaks of Judea, not only as of a tottering Fabric, but as one levell'd with the Ground; and in the next Verse, he represents the Hurry and Confufion of the terrify'd Inhabitants, by the reeling of a Drunkard, unable to poife his Body, or keep any regular Motion: So fhall it be with Judea, fhe fhall reel to and fro for a while, 'till unable to bear up any longer under the load of her Ca lamities, fhe shall fall and not have ftrength enough to recover her Legs: Which we must not underftand of Judea in general, but of fome particular Cities which s were utterly destroy'd.

Ver. 21. And it fhall come to pass in that day, that the Lord Shall punish the haft of the high ones that are on high and the kings of the earth upon the earth.] That is, then when God has brought his Designs to pafs, and afflicted

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