ſhadow of death 5, through a land that no man paſſed
through, and where no man dwelt 5 ? © i, « With themſelves, thought note 4 The Expreſſion may bave ſome reſpe& to the {iruation of the place, 2s lying lower than Canaan ; bur the Deſign is, co reprove their Sloth and Stupidity, charging herein their Apoſtacy, not upon their Ignorance, but Wil- fulneſs, their Deliverance from Egypt and therefore is it here men- tioned being ſuch a Deliverance, as never greater was wrought for any People, whercin there was ſo much ofhis Power and Love ſeen: they never-regarded the Operations of his hands, never concerned themſelves about whet God had done for them, Perſe 8.which ſhould have exgaged them to a more cloſe cleaving to him. e Deſolate places, Chap 50. 13. and then what follows 1sto amplifie the great- neſs of their Dangers in the Wilderneſs, and therein the greatneſs of their Deliverance. f Either thoſe narural dangerous Pits that were there ; or, put for the Grave, where Paſſengers are ſo ofren buried -quick in the heaps of Sand ſuddenly blown up by the Wind; or threatning in every reſpe& nothing but Death, which may be 1m- plied in that Expreſſion of the Shadow of Death in this verſe, which may allude to ſeveral kinds or fears of Death in paſſing through a Wilderneſs. See inthe Syopſir g Whereby they had no Water bur by Miracle ; the LXX render ita Land with:ut water, þ Seein the ord Pits; the LXX render it a Land without fruit, briyging forth nothing chat might have a tendency to the Support of Life, there- fore nothing bur Death could be expe&ed ; and beſides, ir yielding ſo many venomous Creatures, as Scorpions, and Serpents, Ofc. as alſo the many Enemies that they went in continual danger of; all which could not but Icok formidable, and as the Shadow of Death. 5 As having in itno Accommodation for Travel, much leſs for Ha- bitation : In theſe reſpe&s may it well be called a waſte howling Wilderneſs, Deut. 32. 10.
7 And I brought you ints a plentiful Countrey &,to eat the fruic thereof, and the goodneſs / thereof ; but *Pſ78.;8. When ye entred, ye * defiled my land mw, and made
mine heritage » an abomination.
k Heb. Land of Carmel, Iſa. 29. 17. underſtand Canaan, Numb. 13. 27. See on {ſa. 35-2+ ! To enjoy all the Bleſſing of it. m2 7. e. Con- ſecrated to my Name, Lcv. 25+ 23. and this you havedefiled by go- ing a whoring after your Idols, Chap. 3. 1- and many other Abomi- nations, Pſal. 106. 29, 35, 37» 38, 39. 3 In the ſame Senſe that is aid inthe foregoing Clauſe my Land, and which you received from he as your Heritage,the place that I choſe for my Churches preſent
abitation, and earneſt of their future heavenly one
$ The prielts faid not, where is the LORD? and they that handle the * law knew o me not: the paſtors alſo tranſgreſſed againſt me, 2yd the Prophets pro- pheſied by Baal q, and walked afcer things that do not
profit 7. | oe 9.4. They that ſhould have taught others, knew as little as they, or regard as little to know,H:ſ.4-6.who are faid here to handle or teach the Law,viz. the Prieſts and Levites, who were the ordinary Teachers of the Law, not that they did fo, but that, eitherthey ought to do ſo, or pretended to do ſo. This was their Office, Deus. 33. 10, and and their Pra&ice, Neh. 8. 8. The Phraſe is a Metaphor taken from Warriours, that are ſaid ira#arebelum, to handle their Arms p Ei- ther Teachers as Inſtructors, or Kings and Princes, as ConduQtors- Sce 1 Kings 22.17. q They that thould have raughr the People the rrue Wo; ſhip of God, were themſelves Worſhippers of Baal, 1 Kings 18. 22. Or, inſtcad of fetching their Oracles from me, ſayingy Thus ſarth the Lord, they would ſay, Thus ſaith Baal, or they did make ule of lefſ-r Deities ( for ſo doth Baalor Baalim ſignific ) in conjun- Qtion with God, perlwaCirg themſelves, they could honcur God ro- gether with them, as the Calves, 1 Kings 12.28, r Viz, Idols, a Periphraſis, that were never able ro do them any ſervice, as werſe 5. 11, Scecn Iſa. 44. 10. Surethe State muſt be very bad when Pricſts, Prophets, and Peop!e, were thus corrupt.
9 © Wherefore I will yet plead / with you, faich the LORD, and * with your childrens children c will I plead.
{ This is to be underſtood, either really by his Judgements, Pſal. 74. 22. and that with great Severities ; or verbally he will go on to deal with them, ro convince them by his Prophets, as he did with their Fathers, that they may be left withour excuſe, Chap. 7. 25, 26. £ Either for the hainouſneſs of their Fathers fins ; for God doth of- ren viſic the Iniquiries of the Parents upon their Children, Ex24.20.5. or becauſe they do imitate their Parents. |
10 For paſs || over the iſles of Chittim «, and ſee, [| Or, ws and ſend unto Kedar x, and conſider diligently, and fee
”. if there be ſuch a thing « A Synecdochical Expreſſion, extending to #1! Iſles in the Med;-
* Rom: 2. I% 20g 2h.
*Lev. 20. Fo
M I A H.
me, and have walked after vanity #, and are become| Chittim, 1/a. 23. 1+ x Underſtand Ayabia, - ry. Chittim _= more North or North-W orth to South, Eaſt to Weſt, and make the Experiment: - Chittim the moſt Civilized, or Kedar the moſt "3. "wbanengy gag
& ry @ for that which doth not profit 6.
naciouſly hold. & Yiz. The tive God, who was their Glory ;
11 all People, th { d fi h we ” all all People, that are ſeparated from them by the Mg;
ea, Iſlanders, becauſe they come to them by” " colony ane
that Jay E:ſt South- E:ſt
cit, 9.4, go from
her have changed their gods. y Not that they wer ocally, or fend Meſlegers thither aQually ; bs 1. $a a
thicher, and make your Obſervations, by what you h or keard, did you ever hear of ſuch . Airman tits 2 if ” ſhould either go, or ſend, you will find it fo. ; F
11 * Hath a nation changed & their gods, which are .
yet nd gods ? but my people have changed Mich?
their glo- ,. 5, *Chap:16;
although 20+
they tes
Metonymy of the Adjunf, Pſal. 106. 20. and who always did % Wie
good, giving them cauſe to glory in him, and rt - hime = For _— which en did, or can Jo » wg _ _ ave no Eſſence, or Power ; but of wt , _—_—_— _ ww = ot whom they muſt neceſlarily be Iz * Be aſtoniſhed, O ye heavens c, at this, and * Ifa. t. x; x afraid 4; be ye very delolate e, ſaith the