a Not with evil deſign againſt him, but out of curioſity,to know all the truth and circumltances from his own Mouth,and ro expreſs his kindneſs to him, and ro relieve his prefling hunger ; whereby poſſibly he thought to pleaſe God,and to compenſate for his miſcar- riages. But his vin was great ; for he did not only tell a premedt- tated Lye,burt alſo made God a Lyar,and to contradict himſelf,and all this withour any pretcnce gf neceſlity, or benefit to himſelt.
19 So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his houſe, and drank water.
20 T And it came to pals, as they ſat at the table 6, that the word of the LORD came c unto the prophet that brought him back #4 :
b There the Prophet meets with a ſevere Judgment, where he was pleaſing himſelf with this ſeaſonable Refrethment. c By ſecret 1n- {tin& into his Mind ; as ſometimes God ſpake to Moſes and other | Prophets when they were in company wit: others. a So he makes this Prophet publickly to call himſelt Lyar,and ro pronunce a tci- rible Sentence againſt him.to whom he profeiTed ſo much kindnel:. Indeed the Hebrew words are ambiguous. and by others rendred thus,#o the Prophct whom he had brought back ; which aggrees very wel! with the Hebrew Phraſe ; and may ſeem to be the beſt Tranſlation, by comparing ver: 23» where the very fame Phraſe is ſo rendied ; and wer: 26. where this meſlage 1s ſaid to be jpoven ro him.But thefe Arguments are not cogent ; not that from ver: 23. becauſe it is 2 common thing for the ſame Phraſe in divers Verſes, and ſome- times in one and the ſame Verſe,to be diverſly uſed 3 nor that from
wer: 27: for that may be rendred concerning him. And therefore our Tranſlation is better, as is manifeſt from wer. 27.
« 21 And he cried eunto the man of God that came from Judah, ſaying, Thus ſaith the LORD, Foraf- much as thou þaſtdiſobeyed the mouth fofrhe LORD, and haſt not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee.
e With a loud Voice,the effect of his Paſſion,both for his own guilt and ſhame, and for the Prophets approaching miſery, and
his unhappy influence both in procuring and in denouncing of
it. f z. e. The word of command coming out of his mouth. A
Metonymy of the Caule for the Effect.
22 But cameſt back, and haſt eaten bread, and drunk water in the place, of the which the LORD did fay to thee; Eat no bread, and drink no water ; thy carcale ſhall not come unto the ſepuichre of thy fathers g.
& 7, e, Thou ſhalt not die a natural, but a viotent death ; and
A 1 6
| Chap. XI ; was prepared for his deathzand by this ſudden death freed from all the miſeries of an evi! Timeand World,and ſpeedily let into Eter- | nal Glory. 4ſ- Thirdly, As the World and all Men in it were made for God's Glory,and all their Lives and Deaths ought to be Jaid out in his Service ; fo it cannot ſeem ſtrange nor harſh if God ſhould bring his deſerved death upon him in this manner, for the accoms= pliſhment of his own Glorious Deſigns, as to vindicate his own Ho« nour and Jutrice from the imputation of Partiality ; to affure the Truth cf his Predicrions.and thereby provoke Jerobozm and his Ido- lacrous Followers to Repentance;to Juſtifie himſelf in all his dread= fu' Judgments which he intended to inflict upon Jeroboamm's Houſe, and the whole Kingdom of 1/-ael,for their curſed Apoſtacy;and to warn all ſucceecing Sinners not raſhly to venture upon ſmall Sins, and eſpecially to take heed of greater Sins, for which they might expect far ſorer puniſhments. k His Life and Soul being gonehis dead Body tails to the Ground,and lies there. 1 See on ver. 38. 25 And behoid, men paſſed by, and ſaw the cat- caſe caſt in the way, and the lion ſtanding by the car- caſe : and they came and told jt in the city where the Wi old prophet dwelt. | 4 26 Ard when the prophet that brought him back 8 from the way, heard thereof, he ſaid, It is the man of God, who was diſobedient untothe word of the LORD:
chorefore che LORD hath delivered him unto the lion, l which hath torn him, and ſlain him, according to the + Hebs ||| word of the LORD, which he ſpake unto him m. broken, |
m Or rather ,cocerning him : for ſo the Particle Lamed is oft uſed, | as Gen: 20: 13- Pſal. 3: 2: and 91: 11. Compare with Marth: 4: 6, | Sce tne Notes on wer: 20,
27 And he ſpake to his ſons, ſaying, Saddle me the als ». And they fadled him.
3 Being ſecure as to himlelf, becauſe many others had been there without any harm 3 and hecaule he perceived the Propher's weath was a Judgment of Uod, and thar for {pecial Reaſons.
28 Ard iie wenr and found his carcaſe caſt in the way, and tie afs, and the lion ſtanding by the carcaſes
the lion had not eaten the carcaſe,nor + torn the aſs 0:
o Here was a concurrence of Miracles: That the Afsdid not rut away trom the Lion,according to his nature and cuſtom,bur boldly ſrood itill as reſerving himſelf for the carrying of the Prophet to his Burial ; that the Lion did not devour its prey,as the manner is; nor yet go away when he had done his work which he was ſent for, bur ſrood ſrill, partly, to preſerve the Carcaſe of the Prophet from orher wild Beaits or Fowls, which would quickly have eaten it ; partly,as an evidence that the Prophet's Dearth was nat caſual,nor - the effect of a Lions hungry & revenous Diſpoſition,but of God's ſingular and juſt Judgment ; and conſequently, that his Prediction was Divine, and ſhould be infallibly accompliſhed in its proper time ; and partly, as a token of God's Favour to the deceaſed Prophet, of whole —_ Carcaſe he rook ſuch ſpecial Care : theres by lignifying, that although for wiſe and juſt Reaſons he thought fit to take away Ins Life, y<t his Remains were precious to him; and his Soul did live in his fight. |
29 And the prophet took up the carcaſe of the man of God, and laid it upon the aſs, and brought it back: and the oid prophet came to the city, to mourn,and to bury him. zo And he laid his carcaſe in his own grave p, and
they q mourned over him, ſaying, Alas my brother r.
p So that threatning, wer: 22. was fulfilled ; and withal, the me=
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that in this Journey,before thou returneſt to thy native habitation;
and thy Carcaſe ſhall nor be buried in the proper Scpulchrezwhich
was eſteemed a kind of Curſe, and a note of Infamy ; as the con- trary was reckoned an honour and bleſſing. See chap; 14: £3. Ja: 14: 19, 20. Jer: 22+ 19+ and 26. 24.