13 And now whathaſt thou to do in the way of E- eyprt t, to diink the waters of Sihor « : 'or what haſt thou todo in the way of Afſyria, to drink the waters x of the river y ? EE
t What Buſineſs haſt thou there ? or what doſt rhou expe& from thence? or what need hat thou to go, or ſend Meſſengers thither, if thou would'ſt bur keep cloſe to me. # Yiz. Nlus, it ſignifies Black, from wherice called M las by the Greeks, either fromthe Blackneſs of the Land it pzſſcd through, or ofthe Soi! ir caſterh up. See on Iſs. 23- 3. z H:re and by the fame words before is meant, to ſeck help From either p'ace noting their ſtrength, 1/a. 8. 6. A Metaphorical Al- legory wherein God mindsthem of two of their broken Ciſterns, and ſhews them their folly to go ſo far when they might have been ber- ter ſupplied nearer home ; as if God were not able to hep them Compare v:r. 36. y #. & Euphra'es, often called ſo by way of Emi- 4 nency, the chief River of Afyria, 1a. 7. 20.
" +16, 2:9: I9 * Thive own wickedneſs (hall correct s thee
; k fa. 3: 9: . yo ; W ,
| and thy backſlidings ſhall reprove athee : know 6 there- fore and ſee, that it is an evil c thing and bitter, '<
Ne ECIENAININY k
thou haſt forſaken the LORD thy God 4d, and that fear e is not in thee; ſaith the Lord GOD of hoſts.
z The meaning is, either 1. There needs no farther evidence a- g1inſt thee than thine own evil Ccurſes, Hoſ. 5. 5. or rather might corie&t thee, i. e one would rhink ſhould te tufficient ro reclaim thee See Hoſ. 2. 7- Or, 2» Thy cwn wickedheſs is the cauſe of thy Correction. Or, 3. Thy wigkgdneſs will be an evidence, that whatever thou ſuff-reſt is juſt. @ The ſame with the fortner, but in
other words, afrer the manner of the Hebrews, or a Metonymy of the | Effe# for the Caiſe ; thou wilt nor be perſwaded, til] thou cometo
| ſuffer ; thou wilt not be jnſtrufted, unril correHted ; or rather, as before, thy many backſlidings might teach rhee more Wiſdom, and convince thee of thy Folly ; ſs doth the Word Reprove lign' he, Fob6. 25. b 1. e. Call to mind thy Experienntes, and conſider well with thy ſelf, and rhovu car.ſt nor bur be convinced of thoſe things, what forſakig of God hath coſt thee. c Yiz. Of puniſhment prin« cipally, ſo 1ſa. 45. 7- though it be true alſo of Sin : therefore he calls it birt-r, b-cauſe the effe& of it will be ſo; it will be unplea- fing, and bitterneſs in the Jatrer end. @ 7.e. Me. e Or the fear of me, or thou haſt not my fear in thees this being the groundofall chy Sin and Suffeting, Pſal. 36. 1. Rom, 3. 16, 18.”
20 TC For of old time I have broken thy yoke f, ad burſt thy bands g. and thou faideft, 1 will not|| cratiſ- greſs hz when 7# * upon every high hill &, and under every green tree | thou wandereſt », playing the har- lot ».
f i. e. The Bondage and Tyranny that thou wert under in old time in Egypt, as alſo divers rimes beſides, as appears through the Book of Judges : The Hebrew Olam, thac ſignifies Everlaſting, is ſometim-s uſed for a lng time to comes and alſo for a long time paſt; ſo here, and Gen 6. 4 Ia. 57.11. g A double Aliuſion, either to the bands and ferters, with which Priſoners are wont ro be bound, chap. 40+ 4. or thoſe bards wherewith the ends of the Yoke of Beſts were wont to be bound, See cn {/a» 58. 6. þ When the Deliverance was freſh, th-u didſt pit on good Reſolutions. Heb. Serve, i. & S:rve or worſhip Idols: The Word 1s of the Femi- ine Gender, becauſe God ſp?aks of his pecp'e, as of a Woman pro- miſing Faithfulneſs, bvr breaking Coven:nr. Some underſtand
[| Or, ſerve. * Chap. J: 6;
Chap. IPF'* iſa 5. 1. The Heb. is Sorek, and may refer to the place, or to the 4 Plant : with reference to the Place it may be taken either for a pros per Name, as Carmel for any fruitful place ; ſo here noting, eicher the place whence, wiz. A Vine of the ſame kind with thoſe that come from Sorek ; poſſibly that Country where Sampſon ſaw Dalilsh, Fuag. 16. 4. Or, the place where o/anted, wiz in a fruitfu! Land Exod. I5. 17+ See on 1a. t 2» Ifit be referre& to the Plant, then it points at the excellency of its kind; and the ncxr Clauſe ſeems to favour : and thus it notes both God's care; he had as great a care of it as of the choiceſt Plant: See on 1/a. 27. 2, 3} And alſo his ExpeCtation, that it ſhould prove ſo," I/a- 5.4. And the ſenſe is, E planted thee, that thou ſhould'ſt bring forth choice fruit to me: ? Aright Seed of true Believers, as inthe days of che Patriarchs, A. braham, Iſauc, and Jacob. Or. ſuppoſing With to be underſtood be fore Right Seed ( asit often is in the Heb. ) we may underſtand itof rhe Ordinances. of his Church, which are ſaid ro be the Plants, of Seed, that God furniſheth it withal, Match. 13. 24. and theſe are called right, Neh. 9. 13. not falſe, or counterfeir. q Though there be only degenerate or declining in the Heb. Texr, yet the Supple- mentis neceſſary in regard of the Metaphor, r Thismuſt here be ta= ken in a bad ſenſe, as the word degenerate going before intimates; though ir be ſometjmes for what is rare and excellent : here it notes their Apoſtacy and Infidelity, and other Wickedneſs ; where God
ſ] _ after the manner of Man, both in a way of wonderand Re- proof.
\ Though Interpreters do greatly vary in deſcribing what fs pat= ricularly meant here by Nitre and Soap, and would be ſyperfluous to mention here 3 yet all agree, they are ſome Materials that Artiſts make uſe of for the cleanſing away Spots from the Skin, Cloaths, or * other things: and the ſenſe is plain; that the blot of his people i3 by no Art ro be taken out z it cannot be covered by Excuſes ; though thou wou'deſt diſſemble thy Idolatries,. rhou canſt nor decive mes nor expiated by Sacrifices; itis beyond the power ofall ſuperſtiri- ons or religious Waſhings to cleanſe away, which may be unders ſtood by theſe natural and artificial ways of cleanſing. s The Meaning ſeems to be, either thy Filthineſs is ſo foul that ir leaves a brand behind it that cannot be hid or waſhed our, bur will abide: Jee Jer. 17. 1- Or, according toancther Acceptation of the Word, It is laid up with God, See the like Deut. 32+ 34+. Hoſe 15. 12. Purge thee, waſh thee, do what thou wilr, rhou. canſt by no means con- ceal thy Wickedneſs from me, Joby. 20. They that would ſee grez« ter Variety of Interpretations, let them conſult the Synopſis.