they ſhall be forced to ſeek Habitations in other Countries, and ſhall repleniſh them with People. Bur this ſeems ro be underſtood of the Spiritual Seed of Jacob, or of Believers, who are oft called God's Iirael, as Rom. 9g; 6. and el{cwhere.
imote him q? or is he ilain according to the {laughter cirding ts
of them that are ſlain by him r ? the jrroks
/ The queſtion implies a Denial ; He hath not ſo ſmitten him, 9 ***{.
to wit, Jacob, He hath not dealt ſo ſeverely with his People, as he hath dealt with his and their Enemies, whom he hath utterly deſtroyed. This may look either, 1+ backward upon times paſt. If you conſult former Experiences, you will find, that God hath done ſo, hath ſpared and reſtored his People, and in Judgment re. membred Mercy to thein, when he hath totally ruined their Ene.. mes ; or, 2. forward upon the time ro come, of which he peaks as of a thing paſt, after the manner of the Prophets, and of which he ſpeaks in the next verſe. » of thoſe who were ſlain by Iſrael, or rather by God at the Prayer and on the behalf of 1/rael. Heb, of his lain ones, i. e, of thoſe of his.Smiters or enemies who were ſhin, Which Expolition is favoured by comparing this with the foregoing Claſe.
8 * In meaſure /|| when it ſhooteth forth z, thou *Job 3:6) wilt debate with it « : || he ſtayeth his rough wind x in Jer.10-24, the day of the eaſt-wind y. & ; D
J With moderation, in certain Proportions which God meteth | 0. _ our and fitreth to their Strength. £ When the Vine ſhooteth forth tho [endef its Juxuriant Branches, he, like the Vine-dreſler, cutteth them off. ;; forth ? but ſo as not to ſpoil or deſtroy the Vine. Or, as divers Tarer- | Or us pretets render it, and the Word properly and frequently ſigaities he —_” n or by caſting or diſmiſſmg or ſending her or it out, or, when thou aoſt whit ; caſt or ſend her out, to wit, out of her own Land in which ſhe wag as planted into Captivity. He alludes to a Man "that divorceth his Wife, which is exprefſed by this Word ; but withal intimates, that this ſhall nor be peremptory and perpetual, as other Divor.
Ces were. t# God is ſaid to webate or contend with Men, when he executeth his Judgments upon them, as 1/a: 49: 25. & 57. 16. Amos 7:4 x He mitigateth the ſeverity of the Judgment, But, I muſt confeſs, I do not meet with any of the ancient or modern Tran. ſlators that agree with ours in this Verſion : nor is the Hebrew , Verb ever utcd, fo far as T know, in the fignification of ſaying or
{ reſtramning : belides, our Tranſlation takes no notice of the He. | brew Prepoſition- Bur this Word unqueſtionably ſignifies 70 re. move Or take away, as 2 Sam. 20:13. Prov, 25: 4, 5. and thus moſc Interpreters underſtand ir. And 1o the place is very fitly thug rendred, he ( or, when he,which Particle may eaſily be underſtood out of the former Clauſe, as is uſual ) removerh ( underſtand either z:, to wit, the Vine; or them, to wit, the Enemies of God and his Peoplz. And fo this agreeth with rhe former Verſe, in repre- lenting the different way of Gods proceeding againſt his People, ad his and their Enemies. Either way there is only a def-& of the Pronoun, which I have before ſhewed in divers places to be very uſual in the Hebrew Language ( with or by his rough wind, by which ſometimes Vines and other Trees are pulled up by the roors, as that did, 1 Kg: 19: 11. whereby he underſtands his moſt terrible Judgments. y In the time when he ſendeth forth his Eaſt-wind ; which ke mentions becauſe that Wind in thoſe Parts was moſt vio« lent and molt hurtful ro Trees and Fruits, as hath been oft obſer- ved, and therefore is uſed to ſignifie the moſt grievous Calamities.
9 By this z therefore # thall the iniquity of Jacob be purged 5, and this zs all the fruic, to take away his linc: * when he. maketh dall the ftones of the altar e as * Kings chaik-ſtones f that are beaten in ſunder g ; the groves 18. 38. þ and ||. images thall nor ſtand up z. {| Or, Sutt
z By this manner of Gods dealing with his People. # That the 725% difference between Jaceh and his Enemies, in their ſeveral Sufter- ings, may appear. c Heb. exp:ared or forgiven upon their true Repenrance, which ſhall be the happy effet of their Chaſtiſemenr. - The effect hereof ſhall nor be ro deſtroy the Sinner, as it is in other Men, but only to take away the guilt and Power of their Sins. 4 Which fin of Jacob's ſhall be purged and taken away, and che Judmenr removed, when he ſhall truly repent of all his Sins, and eſpecially of his Idolatry, ro which they were moſt inclined, and for which tlie moſt of God's Judgments which they had hi- therto felt had been inilifted upon them. e Which by an uſual Enallage may be put for tlic Altars, to wir, their Idolatrous Altars, :$ 1s evident from the following Words. Poſffibly he may ſay rhe altar with reſpeCt to that particularAlrar which 4haz had let up in the place of God's ownAltar ; & this prophecy mighc be delivered either to the Prophet, or by him to the People, in 4haz his time while that altar itood and was uſed. f When he ſhall break all, thoſe goodly Altars in pieces, which God by his Law had enjoy- ned. & Which kind of Stones are of themſelves apt to break into {mall pieces, and by the Artificer are broken into ſmaller pieces for making Mortar. He ſeems to allude to that Fat of Moſes, who to thew his deteſtation of Idolatry, rk the golden calf, and burnt it,and. ground it to Powdcr ; and intimates, that when their Repentance would be lincere, it would diſcover it ſelf by their Zeal in deſtroy- ing the Inſtruments of their Idolatry. þ Which were frequently erected to the Honour of Idvls, of which we have many inſtances in Scripture, which God therefore commanded his People to deſtroy, Deut. 7.5. 12+ 3. # Shall be thrown down with contempt and Indignation.
10 Yetk the defenced city 1 ſball be deſolate, and the habitation »: forſaken and left like a wilderneſs »: there ſhall the calf o feed, and there ſhall he lie down, agd
conſume the branches thereof p, |