8 Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to plea- ſures, that dwelleſt careleſly, that ſayeſt in thine hearr, 1 am a, and noneelſe beſides me b; TI ſhall not ſit as a widow, neither ſhall T know the loſs of children c.
a 1 am independent, and ſelf-ſufficient, and unchangeablez as that Phraſe implies, which therefore is appropriated ro God, 1/a. 41. 4.and 43. 10. and elſe-where. The Prophet doth not here uſe the very Phraſe which the Babylonians uſed, but expreſſeth their Senſe in a Scripture Phraſe. b Which is not either ſubje& to me, or far inferiour to me in Power and Glory, ſo that in compariſon of me it may be ſaid not to be, becauſe it diſappears like Stars at the preſence of the Sun. © I ſhall never want either a King or People to defend me from all dangers. |
9 But theſe ewo * things shall come to thee in a mo- ment in one day ; the loſs of children, and widow- hood ; they ſhall come _ thee in their perfe&ion 4d, for the multitude of thy forceries, and for the great a- bundance of thine inchantments e.
d In the higheſt degree. Thy King and Kingdom ſhall be ut- terly and eternally deſtroyed. e For thy ſuperſtitious and magical Practices, which were very frequent there, as we ſee below, verſe 12, I3. and as was obſerved betore. Or, as it is in the Hebrew, In the multitude of thy Sorceries, &c. in the midlt of, and notwithſtan= ding all thy diabolical Artifices, whereby thou thinkeſt to foreſee any dangers, and to ſecure thy ſelf from them.
Io For thou haſt truſted in thy wickedneſs f: thou haſt faid, None ſeeth me g: Thy wiſdom and thy |
. Rey” Or, c9%* knowledge h, it hath |] perverted thee z, and thou haſt -1 theers {aid in thine heart, 1am, and none elſe beſides me k. 7,,,y any
f Confidently expeRing to preſerve thy ſelf by theſe and other wicked arts, and policies. g My Coeunſels are ſo deeply and cun- ningly laid, that God himſelf can neither diſcover nor prevent the execution of them. + In State-policy, and the Arts mentioned a- bove and below. #7 Hath mitled thee into the way of Traniſgrefſion and Perdition. & Which was ſaid verſe 8. and is hererepeared, to +FHeb.thi note their intollerable Arrogancy and Self-confidence. mics gg
11 Therefore ſhall evil come upon thees, thou ſbalt
[ \
Chap. 514 19. :
4 : hereoſ. not know 7 from whence it riſeth : and miſchief ſhall _ {ite fall upon thee, thou ſhalt not be able to { pur it off.” p:are.
and
Fiup-
T7
tHeb,
*FL9g of
heavens * tHeb.7 hat ra know» | lage CON ming the ; onths, Heb.thc2r
/
luls,
_
Ss % Kc
po hin 2 Ak) CA Ind jt os © A ed os fd 6% A I
on!
4 heavens '{cb that we know he (0M ming the onths. Heb.? hi i luls,
: p, XLVIIE
- on being put for all.
and deſolation ſhal come upon thee ſuddenly », which
chou (halt not know.
1 Or rather, when it ſhall come: Heb. the merning of it, the day or time of its approach : And they are juſtly uprbaided and derided for this ignorance, becauſe the 4/trolegers,the Star-gazers,and the month- ly Prognoflicators, mentioned here, verſe 13. pretended punQtually to foretel the particular time of all future Events. And this Ex- plication agrees with the Hſtiory, Babylon being ſurprized by Cyrus, when they were in deep Security, as is manifeſt, both from Scrip- ture, Jerem. .51, 31. Dan. 5, and from other Hiſtories. 92 Or, when, thou ſhalt nos know it. Thou ſhalt not apprehend thy danger till it be too late. |
12 Stand » now with thine inchantments, and with the mulrcitude of thy forceries, whe rein thou haſt labour- ed from thy youth o: if ſo be thou ſhalt be able to pro-
fit, if ſo be thou mayeſt prevail.
z This Word notes; Eirher, 1. Continuance” Perſiſt or go on in theſe Praftices. Or 2. Their Geſture, For thoſe that enqui- red of their Gods by any of theſe ſuperſtitious Prattices uſed ro ſtand, this being a poſture, both of Reverence, and waiting for an anſwer. Bur this is not a command or conceſſion, but a-facred Irony, or ſcoff at the folly of theſe Men, who kaving ſo oft been diſappointed by theſe Impoſtures, yet wereas foreward to uſe them, and truſt to them, as if they had never deceived them. o From the beginning of thy Common-wealth or Kingdom. For the Chaldeans in all Ages were famous, or rather infamous, for the ſtu- dy and praQtice of theſe Arts. : |
13 Thou art weatied p in the multitude of thy coun- ſe!s: let now the + Aſtroiogers, the Star-gazers, the | monthly Prognoſticators ſtand up, and fave thee q from
cheſe things that (ball come upon thee. ? Thou haſt ſpent thy time and itrength in going from one to another, in trying all manner of Experiments, and all to no pur- ole. 9g To Succour thee, or to enquire for thee,
14 Behold, they (hall be as ituble : the fire ſhall burn them, they fhall not deliver + themſelves r from the power of the flame s :- there ſhall not be acoal to warm at,
nor fire to ſit before it. r And much leſs thee. 5 They ſhall be totally conſumed, and all the corafort which thou didſt expe& from them, ſhall utterly vaniſh. 15 "Thus : (ball they « be unto thee with whom thou haſt laboured,eventhy merchants from thy y outh,they (bal wander every one to his quarter: none ſhall ſave thee x. £ Such comfortleſs and helpleſs Creatures. « Either r. Thy Merchants, as it follows, with whom thou haſt trafficked. Or, 2. Thy Sorcerers, Aſtrologers, &c. with whom they are ſaid to have laboured, both here, and verſe 12. who alſo may poflibly be called their Merchants, becauſe they traded fe much with them ; and becauſe of their deceitful praices; for which Ephraim 1s cal. led a M-rchant, Hoſea 12. 7. And fo the following Clauſe may be rendicd, who have been thy Merchants form thy Youth, Or, The laſt Clauſe may be underſtood of Merchants, properly ſo called, who came from ſeveral Countries to Trade with Babylon, as is not- ed in Scripture, and by other Authors: And the Verſe may be thus rendred. Thus ( vain and unprofitable ) ſhall crhey ( thy Sorce- rers, & ) with whwm thou haſt Iabouted be tmto thee. (So here is on- ly a rrantpotition of Words, than which nothing is more uſual in Scriprure. Then follows another matrer in the next Clauſe:) Alſo Thy Merchants, or they, with whom thou haſt traded from thy Yuth, ſhall wander every one to his own quarter. © x-They ſhall all leave thee, and flee away with all poſſible ſpeed to ticir ſeveral Countries and Ha-