"Chap: XX XYile | « What their end will be,and that although God ſpare them long, vet atlaſt judgment will certainly overtake them.
' 3o How lhould * one chaſe a thouſand z, and two put ten thouſand to flight, except their Rock « * had fold them x, and the LORD had ſhut them up y ?
24; 24* + Whence ſhould this miraculous change come,that whereas God Iſa: ah had promiſed that five Iſraelites ſhould chaſe an hundred of their Ene- * Pſal. 44+ mies, &c, Levit. 26. 8. now on the contrary oze Enemy ſhould chaſe 12: 1a:50: ,, thouſand Iſraelites. u (4.e.) Their God, as before wer. 4, 18. who 1; and 52: ves their only refuge and defence. » To wit, for bond-ſlaves,had 3o quitted his right and relation to them, and given them up into their | enemies hands. y Asit were in the ner which their enemies had laid for them.
31 For their rock js not as our Rock, even our ene-
mies themſelves being judges &z.
z Who by their dear bought experience have been forced to ac- knowledge that our God was far {tronger than they and their falſe gods together, See Exod. 14. 25. Numb. 23. 1 Sam. 4. 8. Jer: 40.3.
32 Fora their vine || is of the vine of Sodom' 5, and
of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of
gall, their cluſters are bitter c.
a Or, But ; for theſe words ſeem to contain an anſwer to that queſtion, wer. 30» how ſhould, &c. Tothis he anſwers, 1. Negative- ly it was not from impotency in God, for if he had not forſaken and delivered them up, they could not have been ſo eaſily chaſed. 2. Poſitively, But, ſaith he, the true reaſon was this, their wine,Oc, b The People of 1a, which I planted and brought up as a choice vine, are now degenerated and become like the vine of Sodom,their principles and practices are all corrupt and abominable. Compare Iiſa. 1. 10. c Their fruits or ations are moſt loathſome to me, ma- licious and miſchievous to others, and at laſt will be pernicious to themſelves. :
33 Their wine is the poiſon of dragons 4, and the
cruel venome of aſps e.
d For althoughſome write that the Dragons of Greece have no poi- ſon in them, yet that the African and 4rabian Dragons, of which Moſes here writes, have poiſon in them, is confeſſed by ancient hea- then Authors. e Whoſe poiſon kills certainly and ſpeedily, as A.. riſtotle and others write. :
34. 5s notthis f * laid up in ſtore wich me, and ſeal- :. ed up among my treaſures ?
f (i. e.) All their wickedneſs mentioned before. My long ſuffer- ing towards them may make them and others think that I have fo.- gotten their ſins, but I remember them punQually, they are ſealed up as in a bag, Job. 14. 17. and as men ſeal up their treaſures, that nothing be loſt ; and I ſhall bring them to their remembrance alſo.
*Rom:12: 35 Lo me belowgeth * vengeance g and recompence :
19: Heb: their feet ſhal ſlide þ in due time 5: for * the day of
*Joſh: 23:
JO. , Chron:
| Or, is worle than the wine of S0=
gm, &C.
+> Boe. ,, their calamity is at hand &, and the thingsthat (bal come 2. _ upon them, make haſte,
gIr is my office to puniſh ſin, and therefore as I know their fins ſoI will affuredly puniſh them. þ 'They who now think they ſtand faſt and unmoveable, they ſhall fall into utter deſtru&tion. / Though | not ſo ſoon as ſome may expett it, yet in that time when it ſhall | | be moſt proper and ſeaſonable, when they have filled up the mea- ſuce of their ſins. This due time may be the ſame with thar fulneſs of time, Gal. 4. 4. when Chriſt came into the world, » hom this peo- ple by wicked hands crucified and flew, ©# 2. 23. for which wrath came upon them to the uttermoſt, 1 The). 2. 15, 16. k Heb. is near. So the Scripture oft ſpeaks of thoſe things which are at many hun- dred years diſtance, ro meet with objettions arifing in mens minds from the delays of them, and to fignihe, that though they may be afar off as to our meaſures of time & expeCtation of the things, yet in Gods account they are near, they re as nea! as may be, as {oon ever the fit and the full time is come,they come inſtantly, they are nearer than ſinners would have them ; when the meaſure of their ſins is once ful}, the judgment ſhall not be deferred.
26 For /the LORD ſhal judge his people », and * repent himſelf for his ſervants », when he ſeeth that
*Pfal: 106: 45: Jer: 31: 20.
t Heb.
* wag { Or,Nevertheleſs,or,But yet, as the particle, ch, is ſometimes uſed,
as Job 5.7. Tſag.1.and 49. 25- Having now ſpoken of th. d:eadful calamity which would come upon his people, h- nw tu:ns his diſcourſe into a more comfortable ſtrain, ac-o ding to the ufual method of the Prophets, and here begins to fhev' that after G04 had humbled and ſorely chaſtiſed his People, yet a' la” he would have mercy upon them and turn their captivity, as it here follows m (7. e.) Shall plead their cauſe,ſhall protett and deliver them, as that Phraſe is oft uſed. See Pſal.7. 8. and 10. 18. 1/a.1 17. and 11. 4. Fer. 5.28. and 22.16. (7. e.) Repent of the evils he hath irought upon them, will change his courle and carriage towards them. o None ſhut up, either in their ſtrong cities or ca!tles or other hiding Places, - or in the enemies hands or priſons, whence there might be ſome hope or poſlibility of redemption ; and non: / fr, as the poor and contemptible people are negle&ted and uſually leſt by the Con- querours in the conquered land, as 2 King. 25. 12. but all icem to be cut off and the people quite deſtroyed. So this phraſe is uſed 1 King. I4. 10. and 271. 21. and 2 King. 9.8. and 14. 26.
37 Andhe bal fay p, * where aretheir gods, rock in whom they truſted ?
þ The Lord,before he deliver his people,will firſt convince them of their former folly in forſaking him and following idols; he will find an occaſion from that miſerable and hopeleſs condition into which their Jdols have brought themto upbraid them with it.
38 . Which did eat the fat of their ſacrifices, and drank OY the wine of their drink-offerings,q? let them riſe up s"ngfor and hel db ic! ; wo. and help. you r, 4z4 be | your protection.
* Plal:rog: 7 (7 e.) To whom you offered ſacrifices and oblations after the 27. , | manner of the Gentiles. See Exod. 34. 13.-Pſal. 106 28. 1 Cor.10.20. *ch: 4:35. 7 If they can do it. Compare 7udg. 10. 14. Jer. 2. 28.
*1Sam:2:6 29 See now s, that * I even T am he r, and * there is * no god with me; * I kill, andI make alive ; I wound,
*Judg:10: their
14,
{i Heb: an
_ Cv
their F power is gone, and there is none ut up,or left o,
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DEUTERONOM TY