chievous Effe&s & In the Empire of 4ſjria, or Babylow , for theſe rwo were united into one Empire, and therefore in Scripture are promiſcuouſly called ſometimes by one Title, and ſometimes by the other,
19 And they } (hal come, and ſhal reſt all of them 22 in the deſolate valleys »,and in ths holes of the rocks
0, and upon all thorhs, and upon all || buſhes p.
7 The Flies, and eſpecially the Bees m They ſhal have an eaſie Viftory; few or none of them ſhal be ſlain in the attempt. n Ei. ther 1. Such as were and had long been deſolate. So it ſignifies the vaſt Numbers of their Enemies, which filled all places, both ſuch aS are well inhabited, and ſuch as were in a great meaſure deſolate : Or, 2. Such as they found very fruitful, but made them deſolate. 0 To which poſlibly the 1ſraelites fled for Refuge. p Which he men- tions partly becauſe Flies and Bees uſe frequently to reſt there; and partly to intimate, that no place ſhould eſcape the fury of this Enemy.
20 In the ſame day ſhal the LORD ſhave with a * raſour q that is hired r,namely by them beyond the Ri- ver s, by the King of Aſſyriar, the head and the hair of the feet « : andirt ſhal alſo conſume the beard x.
qi: e, Utterly ſpoil and deſtroy, as ſhaving takes away all the Hair, and leaves not any thing of it viſible, as there is when the Hair is only cut or polled. r Either, 1. By Ahaz, who did hire them, 2 Kings :6: 5,8. And ſo the Prophet notes the juſtJudge ment of God, in [courging them witha Rod of their own making and by this Threatning he endeavours to prevent that wicked De- gn which then was on foot, of hiring Aſjrian Succours : Or, 2: By God, who did ſtir them up, and fend them upen his Er rand againſt Judsh, as he threatens 1/a. 10. 6. and paid them libe=- rally tor that Service, as hedid Nebuchadnezzar, of which ſee Jeri 25: 9. and 27: 6, 7, Dan: 2: 37, 38. s Euphrates, called the River vy way of eminency, Plalm: 72: 8. Jer: 2: 18. beyond which 4ſ3- rialay. t By the Succeſlive Kings of the 4ſrian Empire, Sennache. rib, - Kings18. 13, &c. Eſarhadaen, 2 Chron. 33. 11. and eſpecial. ly by Febuchadnezzar , who having ſubdued the 4ſhrian Monarchy, from thenceforth was King of 4ſjria as well as of Chaldes, And the Prophet rether mentions Aſr:ia than Chaldea,or Babylon, partly becauſe the.4/)rian begam,and conrinued to execute this}Judgement,although the Babylonian compleated it ; and partly to inform them, that they /aid the foundation of their own Ruine, by opening the Door to the 4ſrian, who afrerwards entred at his Pleaſure, and lefe It Open for Nebuchaanezzar, u Ofthe lower or ſecret Parts, which come under that Name, Ezek. 16, 7, 25. and elſewhere, as it hath been noted again and again ; and which the Jewiſh Writers affirm ro have been ſhaved in the Purification of Lepers and Levites, Levit. 14: 8, 9. Numb. 8: 7, x Which they highly eſteemed, as a'great Ornament, By theſe Metaphorical Expreſſions ke ſignifies t':e total Deſtruttion of their State, from head to toort, from the higheſt to the loweſt.
21 And it ſhal come to paſs in that day, that aman
ſhal nouriſh a young cow, and two lheep y.
Y This and the following Verſe contain either, 1. A Mitigation of the foregoing Calatyity, or ſori®ECornafort for the Remainders of the People, atter che publick Devaſtation; or rather, 2. A further Declararion of the threarned Deſolarion ; which beſt agrees not only with the forevoing, bur alſo with the following Verſes. So the ſenſe ofrhis Verle is this, They wo formerly uſed to keep great Herds o* Catte)l, and many Flocks of Sheep, ſhal eſteem it 2 great happineſs ifthey can keep bur one Cow and two Sheep, to keep themicelves from Extremity of Famine.
22 And itihal come to paſs for the abundance of milx that they ſhal give x, he ſhaleat butter « for but- rer and honey # ſhal every oneeat that is left F in the Land.
2 Becauſe they ſhal haveexcellentand large Paſtures, by reaſon of the great ſcarcity of Catrel ; whereas formerly their Lands were oft times over-ſtock:d with Catte]. 4 Which may be here meu. tioned, cither, 1. As mean and vulgar Food, beiyg very common in thoſe parts; which are oppoſed to that Fleſh and Corn, and o« ther excellcnt Fruits of the Earth, wherewith their Land formerly abounded ; or 2, As very good and pleaſant Food, which the poorer ſort had formerly uſed to fell, ro precure more neceſlary and cheaper Food for themſelves : But now the Land ſhould be fo deſtitute of People, that there were none to whom they could ſell them, and thoſe few whodid ſurvive might freely ear all forts of Proviſions. |
23 And itſhal come to paſs in that day, that eve- ry place ſhal be, where there were athouſand vines at a thouſand ilyerlings b, it ſhal even be for briars and
thorns ce : b Or, pieces of filver, as the ſame Word is commonly rendred: Whereby we may underſtand either, 1. So many Pounds; a Pound for each Vineyard, to wit, for the Annual Rent ; Or, 2. So many Shekels, which Word is moſt commonly underſtood, when no par- ticular kind of Coin is exprefled, as 2 Sam2.18. 11,12. Mat: 26. 15. an then the meaning is,not that the thouſand Vineyards were lett fora thouſand Shekels, a Vineyard for a Shekel, which is a contemptible price ; bur that each of the thouſand Vineyards might have been {old or let for a thouſand Shekels, whigh was the yearly Rent of ſome excellent Vineyards, as may be gathered from Cant« 8. 11: Ex-« cept we underſtand this not of fo many Vireyards, as other Inter- preters do, but of ſo many ſingle Vines, as the Word properly and generally fignifies, planted together in one large Vineyard, whic may be here meant by the place of the River; and then each Vine may be valued at a Shekel. Burt this place may poflibly be other- wiſe rendred, and that exaQly according to the Hebrew Text,Eve= ry place where there are a thouſand Vines, ſhal be for a theuſand pieces of Silver, 7, e. Tt ſhalbe valued, or offered, either ro beler, or rather to be ſold, at that Price ; which was a very low Price,and therefore firly ſignifies the greatneſs of the Deſolation. c Becauſe it ſhal be ut- terly negleCted, and therefore overſpread with themes Or, yea ;
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