8s A Prophertical and threatning Meſſage by me : For now the Prophet, having inſerted ſome Contolatory Paſſages for the ſups port of Gods faithful People, returns ts his formerCommination a« gainſt the rebellious I/raelizes, b Heb, it fell, i.e. it ſhal fall, in the Propherical Stile, It ſhal certaialy be accompliſhed. c The _ with Jacob in the former Clauſe, the Poſterity of Jacob or 1ſ. rael.
9 And all the people ſhalknow 4,ever Ephraim e and the inhabitant of Samaria f, that ſay g in the pride, and ſtoutneſs of hearr, d To wit, by Experience : They ſhal know whether my Word be true or falſe ; they ſhall feel the effeQs of it. e The People of the Ten Tribes, and. particularly Ephraim, the ſtrongeſt and proud- eſt of then all: f The ſtrongeſt Place, and the Seat of the King and Court, who were moſt ſecure and prefumptuous. g Within them- ſelves, and one to another, They purpoſe and boaſt of it, xo The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewnſtrones þ: The Sycomores 3 are cut down, but we will changethem into Cedars k. bIt is true, we have received ſome Damages from our Enemies; but Rezin and the Syrians being now our Friends and Confederates, we doubr nor we ſhal quickly repair them with grear Glory and Advantage. # Wild Fig-rrees; a contemptible fort of Tices,if come &
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F 4 ©.
T3 Chz Pp. LY. pared with Cedars,t Kings 10! 274 k Putting CeCars into our Byz!d- 1NgS Initead of Sycomorts. See Jer. 22, 13, 15. 11 Therefore / the LORD ſhal fer up the Adverſa. ries of Rezin z againſt him s,and | joy np his q encmies f Heb. together. 2:ivgle. { To chaſtiſe your Pride, and defeat your Fopesand Reſolutions, »” Heb. exalr, advance their Power, and givethcm Succeſs againſt him. » The 4ſjrians, who, preſently after this Prophecy, ftoughr and prevailed againſt him, 2 Kings 16. 7. He n.enticns Rezin partly Lecauſe he was confederate with Ephraim, and ſo liis Enemies were their Enemies alſo, and partly becauſe the 7[raelites truſted to his po- werful Aſſiſtance. o Either 1. Againſt Rezin Jaſt mentioned ; or ram | ther 2. Againſt Ephraim er Iſrael, who may eaſily be underſtood c1- ther from the foregoing or following Verie : for aga.nſt them this
And ir is a moſt true Obſervation, T hat this Hebrew Word El.
Prophecy is direfted, and of them he ſpeaks both in the next Clauſe of this Verſe, andin the next Verſe; and it fecms reaſonable, thar
the Treoſures of W ſam and Knowledge, Gols 2. 3- q LEE ono | him in this Clauſe, and h:s in the next Clauſe, ſhould be underſiood
of the ſame Perſons. p Heb- mirgle, i. e, unite them fo that they ſhal agree together to fight againſt 1/-ael. and ſhall invade him from ſeveral Quarters. q Not Rezz»'s, but Ephra;m's, as appears from the next Verſe, which is added to explaia this Clauſe.
12 The Syrians r before 5, and the Phuiſtines be- 4Heb:with hind r, and they ſhal devour Ifrael + with open mouth whole '#: * For all this his anger is not turned away, but his 799%
. . " Che 5. hand is ſtrecched our {till x. epgre®. + r For although Rezin King of Syria was deſtroyed, yet the Body = ofthe Nation ſurvived, and ſubmitted themſelves to the King of _ Aſſyria, and ſerved under him in his Wars, and upon his Command invaded [ſrael afterwards. 5s Heb. on the Eaſt: For Sriaſtcod Eafte ward from {ſrael. t On the Weſtern fide of the Land of [jracl.u Like wild and furious Beaſts, with great greedineſs and cruelty. x His Juſtice is not fully ſatisfied, but he will yet take further vengeance upon them. 13 For the people turnech not y unto him that ſmit- eth them,neither do they ſeek the LORD of hoſts z. y From their wicked Courſes unto God, by true Repentance, z They do not ſtudy and endeavour to procuie his Favoun, by ſine cere and fervent Supplication, and by removing the Cauſes of his juſt Ditpleaſure. 14 Therefore the LORD will cut off from Iſrael, head and tail a,branch b and ruſh c in one day 4,
4 High and low, honourable and ccntewptible. as the next Verſe explains it, 6 The goodly Branches of tall and ſtrong Trees, the Mighty and Noble, c The Bulrufh, the weakeſt and meaneſt Per- ſons. d All together, oneas wellas another, without any di- ſtin&tion,
is The ancient and honourable, he ise the head :
and che prophet that teacheth lies f,he is the tail] g.
e l:e. Signifies, as that Word is commonly uſed in the Hebrew Tongue, as Ges. 41. 26, 27. and every where. fWhoſe Deſtru- ction he mentions, not as if it were a Pvniſhment to them to be de= prived of ſuch Pertons, bur partly to ſhew the Extent of the Calae mity, that ic ſhould reach all ſorts of Perſons ; and partly to beat down their vain Preſumptions of Peace and Proſperity, by ſhewing that thoſe falſe Prophets, which had fed their vain Hopes, ſhould periſh, and all rteir falſe Prophecies of Peace with them. g Theſe I mean by the Tail, as being in Truth the baſeſt part of the whole Body of the People.
15 * For || che leaders h of this people cauſe them to * Chap;
erre ;,and || they that are led of them are F deſtroyedk. 22:
þ Tcir Governours both Civil andEcc'eſtaſtical, and eſpecially || Or,che the latter, their Teachers, even the falſe Prophers laſt mentioned *hat call Or, they rat bleſs or praiſe chew, to wit, the}falſe Prophers, thar flat- them bliſs ter them in their wicked Ways, with Hopes and Promiſes of Peace _. as their manner was, Jer. 6 14. and 28: 9- Both ways the ſenſe is | Or,they the ſame. #5 Either compeiling them by Power, or deceiving them f924# are by falſe Do&trines and evil counſels and Perſwaſions. & Shal cer called bliſa rainly perith;nor will it excuſe them thatthey followed the Couns.ſed of them. {el and ConduGt of their Leaders. . THeb.,ſwa! 17 Thereforethe LORD (hal have no Joy in their #2 2: young men 1, neither ſhal have mercy on their father- leſsand widows wm : For every one »isan Hypocrites indan evi doer p, and every mouth ſpeakerh || fol- l|Or,vila iy q: Forall this his anger is not turned away, but his'7-
hand is ſtretched out ſtill.
I Shal not rejoy ce over them to do them good,zs he doth to his People. Iſa: 62. 5. Zeph: 3: 17, will not have mercy or pity on them, as the next Clauſe explains it, but will abhor and utterly deſtroy them ; for more is here intended than is exprefled, as Pro:
17: 21. # Who are the ſpecial Obje&s of his Care and Pity, Deur.