o Heb. The Children of thine orbity or barren and Childleſ.-lots"? Thoſe Children which thou ſhalt have when thou art own ET the ordinary age aud ſtate of Child-bearing, as Sarab was made the More ther of a moſt numerous Poſterity : to which he ſeems here to allude Thoſe Gentiles which ſhal be begotten by thee, to wit by the Mi- niſtry —_ Children, Chriſt and his Apoſtles, when thou ſhalt be deprived © thige own natural Children, when thou ſhalt become bar- ren and unfruitful as to Converſion of natural Jews, when the genes rality of the 7ews ſhal cut themſelves off from God and from his true Cn. 4 ep mn -"a God ; and by their unbelief, and ob.
inate refuſal of their Meſſiah. þp Or rather, ſhal yet the preſent it be otherwiſe. OTITIS eng The
21 Then ſhalt thou fay q in thine heart, Who hath begotten me theſe » ſeing I have loſt my chiidren s and am deſolate z, a captive, and removing to and fro « ? . and who hath brought uptheſe x 2 Behold F
was left alone ; theſe, where bad they been ?
q Not without admiration. r Whence, or by whon have this numberlefſs Iflue 2 s Seing it is not long ſince that I was in a manner left childleſs. # Without an Husband, being forſaken by God, who formerly owned himſelf for my H:sband, Iſa. 54, « Jers 3I. 32. and elſewhere, # Which condition-is1n many reſpetts a great impediment to the procreation of Children. x The ſame thing repeated again to expreſs the miraculouſneſs of this work, and the great ſurpriſal of the Jewsat it; which ſheweth that he ſpeaks of the Converſion of the Gentiles.
22 Thus faith the Lord GOD, BeholdI will lifc up mine hand y to the Gentiles, and ſet up my ſtan- dard & to the people a: and they ſhal bring thy ſons b in their Farms c: and thy daughters ſhal be carried f fb. &: upon their ſhoulders 9. fame.
y I will call them to me, and command them to do this work, as men commonly ſignifie their calls and commands by this geſture. q As Generals do to gather their Forces together, Sce on Iſa, 11, 12, & Unto thee, or to thy Church and People. b Thoſe which ſhal be thine, if not by natural Generation, yet- by adoption, that ſhal own God for their Father, and Jeruſulem tor their Mother. c' With great care and tenderneſs, as Nurſes carry young Infants. The ſenſe
is, even the Heathen ſhall contribute to the increaſe and preſeryati--
on of thoſe Children which ſhal be begotten to thee, d As ſick or
infirm perſons uſed to be carried. See Mark 2. 3, Luke 15, 5.
23zAnd Kingsſbal be thy nurſing fathers, &theirfqueens A
thy nurſing mothers e : they ſhal bow down to thee 4g
with their face toward the earth,8*lick up the duit of +ycb,eris
thy feet f,8& chou ſhalt know that T amzthe LORD : ror eeſfs
they ſhalt not be aſhamed that wait for me * Pſal.7?, e Kings and Queens ſhal have a ſincere affeRtion, and tender- 9+
regard unto thee and thy Children, which was in ſome fort ful-
filled by Cyrus, Ahaſhuerus, and ſome few others of the Perſian
Kings or Queens, but much more truly and fuily by thoſe many ; | Kings
ALIX,
; he ; cadtin
| We Ji
FHeb | captiui l,
L
Fe, 2
| TSee 2h & I,
L. 18S
Kings, and Emperours of the Gentile World, which after Chriſts time did both themſelves embrace the tru- Reli-ion, 4nd aifo ſet 1t up in their ſeveral Dominions, f They ſhall highly reverence and honour thee, and ſhall moſt humbly and readily ſubmit themſelves unto thee, which was not verified in any of the Perſian Kings, but only in theſe Kings who were converted to the Chriſtian Faith and Church. The expreſſions are borrowed from the pratice of the Eaſtern People in their P:oftrations and Adorations, when they bowed ſo low as to touch and kiſs the ground, whereby they did or fmight ſeem to lick up the very duſt of th: ground which was aboutor under the feet of thoſe whom they adored;. g Their hopes and expeRtati- ons ſhall not he diſappointed, but aboundantly ſatisfied,
24 Shall the prey be taken from the mighty 5, or F
the lawfull captive delivered z ?
þ Herc he ſtarteth an objeRion againſt the forementioned pro- miſes : How can Gods Church be delivered when ſhe is become a prey to, and isin the hands of her moſt potent Enemies ? # He who was taken Captive in ajuſt War, as Gods People might 1n ſome fort be ſaid to be, becauſe God himſelf had delivered them into their Enemies hands, and that juſtly for their fias. So here is a double impediment to their deliverance out of their Corporal and Spiritual Bondage.the great Powerof the Enemy which kept them in Bondage and the Juſtice of God which pleads againſt them and againſt their deliverance,
25 But thus faith the LORD, Even the F captives of the mighty ſhallbe taken away, and the prey of the terrible & ſhall be delivered : for I 1 will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will fave thy cail-
dren.
k Or, of the vivlent, which is oppoſed to the lLawfull Captive in the foregoing verſe : and it is hereby intimated that although God was juſt in delivering them into Captivicy, yet their Oppreffors were guilty of injaſtice and violence both in deſiring and 1intcavouring to keep them in perpetual Bondage, beyond the ſeventy years which God had fixed, and in their cruel uſage of them. / I the Almighty God will undertake thy quarre), and this work, and thcr-fore it muſt neceffarily be accompliſhed,
26 And I will feed them that oppreſs thee, with their own fleſh 22,and they ſhall be drunken with their own * blood, as with || ſweet wine : and all fleſh ſhall know that I the Lordem thy Saviour and thy Redeem- er, the mighty One of Jacob. |
m I will make themeat their own fleſh, either through hunger. as Lev, 26, 29. Iſa, 9- 20* or through rage and madneſs, Or I will make chine Enemies to deftroy on another, and that greedily and with delight, as the next Clauſe implies. All their Enemies are here repreſented as one Bady, and ſo when one part of them deyour- ed anather, it was their own fleſh thar was deſtroyed, F
CHAP i | n of the Jews is not of Chriſt : for ke hath Power to ſave, 4. And was obedient in that Work : and God js preſent 9. An Exhortation nat to truſt in our ſelves, but in God, 10, II.
f Hus faith the LORD #, Where *;s the bill of your mothers divorcement b, whom I have put away
or which of my * Creditors is it to whom I have ſold ou c 2 Behold, for your Iniquities have ye fold your ſelves, and for your tranſgreſſions is your mother put
away 4
| Chap.
Fo i
| +He bthe | captivi') of
| the Juſt
& Heb. the captrvitY;