e Either Samaria, their chief Fortreſs; or all their Fortrcflcs or ftrong Hotds, the Singular Number being pit for the Pjura]- or all theirStrength and Glory ; which antwers to rhe K/ngaom in the next Clauſe. f Or, anafrom ( which Particle is eafily tndere ſtood from the former Claule ) cheremnant of Syria. So the Sente ISy Th# Remainders of Damaſcus and $yris ſhal be an Headleſs Body, a P:ople withour a King. * An Ironical Speech, implying their con. remptible Condition; for their Glory is ſuppoſed 10 be Geparted from them, by whar he h:d already fiid ot chem. The tenie js Syria ſhal have as much Glory as 1ſrael, 3. c.acither ofthem {hal have any at all.
4 And in that day ic ſhal come to paſs,;has the plos ry of Jacob fhal be made thin g, and the futncis of his fleſh ſhal wax lean. |
s Or, ſhall be emptied, as this Word isrendred, 1. ig. 6.
5 And it ſhal be as when the harveſi-man gathercth
the corn, and reapeth the ears with his arm +þ ; and itihal be as he that gathereth cars in the Valley of Re- phaim 2+ |
h Taking care, as far as may be, that all may be gathered in and nothing left. So ſhall the whole Body of the Ten Tribes be carricd away Captive, ſome few Gleanings only being lef: of them, as 115 1n the H arveſt, # Avery fruicful Plice near ferujalew, 7o): 15. &, and 18, 16.
6 * Yet gleaning-grapes ſhal be lefein it&, as the (haking of an olive-rree, top of the uppermoſt bough,
Iſrael.
& Some few 1/aelites were . left after their Captivity, who Joyned rhemte]}ves to the Kingdom of Judah, and were carried Caprive. ro Babylon with them, from whence alfo they returned wita them, as we find in the Hiſtory of their Return in Ezra and Nahemi ah.
7 Atthat day ſbal a man 7 look to his maker w'
Iſrael.
[| Thoſe few Men that are lefr. »» They ſhal ſincerely reſpe& and truſt, and worſhip ( all which are underſtood by looking to ) God, and God only, as the next Verſe explains it. Their AMi- Ctions thal at laſt bring them to Repentance.
8 ' And he (hal not look to the altars »,
fingers have made, either the groves p, or the || is
mages 9.
y Not reſort or traſt to them, or to the worſhip offered to I- dols upon them. o Their own Inventions; for otherwiſe the Ale tars made by Gods Command were -the Work of Mens Hands. pþ Which were deviſed and planted by Men, as fit Places for the Worthip of their Gods ; and therefore were forbidden, Deut: 16:21. 1 K:ngs 14: 15. q Worſhipped in their Groves The word Proper= Iy ignites :mages of the Sun, either having the Form and Skape of the Sun, or at leaſt ere&ed to his Honour and Worſhip; of which ſee Dent; 4.19, and 17. 3. 2 Kings 23. 5, It« Jer, 8.2, and 7; 184 and 44.17, 18. |
9 In that day r ſhal his ftrong cities be asa forſaken
CHA BF XVIL
Damaſcus, Samaria, Iſrael and their Cities to be ruinedby the Afſje rians, 1 5.. @ Remnant. ſbal conſider ana Repent, 6 $. the Reſt plagued for their impiety, g--=11, the Wee of Iſrael's Enemies, I2 I 4.
f Me burden of Damaſcus a: Behold Damaſcus is taken away from being a City, and it thal be a
er 8
ruinous heap b.
© # Both of that City and Kingdom, as appears from v. 2, 3,
v6 This was fulfilled by Tiglath=Pileſer, 2 Kings 16: 9g. although
+ —<-mzgg it was re»cedified and poſſeſſed by another fort of Inha= itants.
2 Thecities of Arqer c are forſaken : they ſhall be for flocks which ſhal lie down, and none {hal make them afraid 4.
'c Ofthat part of Syria called Aroer, from a great City of that name ; of which ſee Deut, 2, 36. aud 3; i2, Thele Cities were | -peſleiTed by the Reubenites and Gaaites, whom Tiglath. Pileſer Carried into Captivity, rChron: 5: 26. Theſe he mentions here,as he doth Ephraim in the next Verſe, becauſe they were Confederate with Syria againſt Judah, d Becauſe the Land ſhal bedeſolate, and deſti- gate of Men who might diſturb them.
3 The fortreſs alſo « ſha! ceaſe from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damaſcus, ani the remnant of Sy-
-
bough, and an uppermoſt branch {; which they left? becauſe of the children of Iſrael: z and there ſhal be deſolation. |
' 7 In the day of Jaco#'s Trouble, of which he ſpake v. 4. and continueth his Speech unto theſe Words, and afterwards: J Which he that pruneth the Tree negleQeth, either becauſe he eſteems it uſeleſs and inconſiderable, or becauſe he cannot reach it. # The ſenſe is, either, 1. Which they, to wit, the Enemies, left, or which ſhal be left ( the Afftive Verb being put Imperſonal» ly, as it frequently is in the Hebrew Text) becauſe of or for the chil« dren of Iſra:l; which God inclined their Hearts to leave or ſpare out of his Love to his Iſrael. Thus this is mentioned as a Mercy, or Mitigation of the Calamity. Burt this ſcems not to agree either, with the foregoing or following Words, both which manifeſtly ſpeak of the greatneſs of the Judgment. And that their ſtrong C14 ries Were nor left for them, but taken from them, ſcems evident from v. 3, 4, Or, 2. Asthe Cities ( which Words are eafily uns derſtood out ofthe former part of the Verle, where they are expreſ< ſed ) whichthzy ( to wit, the Canaanites, as the Seventy Interpree ters expreſsit ; and it was needleſs to name them, becauſe the Hiſtory was ſo wellknown to them to whom the Prophet writes J left or forſeok ) which they did either by departing from them, or being deftroyed out of them ) breauſe of ( © © before or for fear of ( the
' children of Iſracl. And this was a very fit Example, to awaken the
Iſraelites to a ſerious belief of this Threatning, becauſe God had in» flited the ſame Judgment upon the Caxaanizes,and that for the ſame
Sins of which they were guilty»
10 Becauſe thou « haſt forgotten the God of thy
ſalvation, and haſt not been mindful of the rock of |,. un.
thy ſtrength x : therefore ſhalt thou-plant |} pleaſant yfplcaſmi Fruits,
plants y, and ſhalt fer it with ſtrange = lips 3
# Oljrail, » That God who was thy oniy ſure Nefence- ow Co:4vile
Chap. * XVI
ria f : they ſhalhe as theglory * of the children of I{-
two or three berries in the * Chap.z4 | four or five in the out. 13: moſt fruicful branches thereof, ſaith the LORD God of
and his eyes ſhal have reſpe&t to the Holy One "7
1 the work | Orca of lis hands o, neither ſhall reſpe&t has. which his image,
[Or
dawn
| *Ch:2
Ezek:1 Zeph: Fo
Chap. XVLIL
HI 4
ceitenr Flowers and Frutit-tre2s. . 2 Fetched from far countries, and rierefore highly eſteemed. - The fenle is, thou ſhalt uſe much In- duſtry aad coft, bur to no purpoſe, as it follows.
11 In the day ſhalt thou make thy plant to grow :;