16 The LORD called thy nate, A green olive- trees fair, and of goodly fruit c : With the noiſe of a great tumulte, he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of ic are broken 4, EEE
c That is, the Lord fixed thee when he brought thee firſt into Canaan, ina beautiful flouriſhing ſtate and cond:tion, fo as thou wert 1n a CapaCity both to have done thy ſelf much g::0d,and to have brought him much glory, like a beauriful fair Olive-Tree, fit to bear fair and goodly fruit. d But thou haſt ſo behaved thy ſelf,that the Lord is altering the .courſe of his Providence te thee, he that planted thee is about to pluck thee up. . God is about to kiodle a fire which wilt burn thee up, and to break thy branches ; there is nothing more uſual in Prophetical Writings, than to have things; yet to come, expreſſed as if paſt, becauſe of the certainty of them ; they being what ſhal as certainly be, as if already done.
17 For the LORD of hoſts * that planted chee, hath pronounced evil againſt thee, for the evil of the houſe
of Iſraeland of the houſe of Fudah,which they have done *
apainſt themſelves, to provoke me incenſe to Baal e. |
e This Verſe expounds what 'was metaphorically expreſſed in the former Verſe, viz. that God vad declared his Will ro his Propher: That he would deſttoy his People, the blame of which muſt lie ups on themſelves, for they had by 1dolarry moſt highly provoked him and had therein done againſt themſelves, as indecd all fiawng is but an aCting againſt our ſelves, God is unvulnerable, we cannot hurg him, though we may provoke his Juſtice. ro take vengeance up: n us for our iniquities. And the Prophct tells them, that the Lord that planted them would do thisy thereby hinting to them both his power to do it, and elſo that they bad no reaſon to be confident, thar be- cauſe God had made them he would not deſtroy them; or becauſe he had planted taem in that good Land, therefore |
e he would not pluck thzm up and throw them out of it : Y7d. Iſa. 27. 114, '
| 18 © And the LORD hath given me knowledge «ef it,and I know 3s, then thou ibewedſt me their doings f. f This may be underſtood eitheir more generally as re'ating to alf the wicked aQtions.of his Countreymen, to obviate their ſaying How comeſt rhou to know our doings? Or elſe ( which ſeemeth moſt probable) more ſpecially, with relation: to that Conſpiracy againſt him, which is menrioned in the following Verſes. | 19 Bur I was likea lamb, or an ox that is brought unto the ſlaughter, and I knew riot that * they had deviſed devices againſt me, [aying. Let us deſtroy the tree with the fruit cheretore, f. om the land of the living more remembred g. + - | g We have no other mention of this Conſpiracy in Holy Writ,bur it 15 pla'n both from this Verſe, and what fooweth to the end of this Chapter, that the Men of 4na:hwh ( which was Feremiah's own Town ) were offended at hisProphetying ſo ſharp things againſt the Land ot Judah, and had thrcarned to kill him if he would not leave off that ſtile, and had Conſpired to thar purpoſe, ſome think to mix poyſon with tis M-ar, others by ſtarving of him, others think by b-ating ofhim, in'o which variety of ſenſe they interprer thar phraſe in this Verſe. Let us deftrey the tree with the fruit thereof - butche ſenſe is plain, Ler us nor only pur an end to his propheſying, but to his Beeing alt-;let us ct him off ſome way or other,rhat iris Name may no more be remer:bred. Of this the Prophet ſaith he was as igno* rant, as an Ox or a Lamb rhar is brought co the Slaughcer-houſe,thar knoweth nothing what deſign is againſt its life, | OT 20 Bur, O LORD of hoſts, chat judgeſt righte- ouſly, that * crieſt the reins and.the heair, let me ſee
thy _— on them ; ſor unto thee have I revealed my-caule þ. 7 |
h The Prophet appealeth to Gad, and appeileth to him as one that knew both the inzocency of his heart roward them, of their hearts, toward him, and uſed to deal out ju and committerh his cauſe unco God ( as weare commanded, 1 Pet, 2-23. ) and delires that God would avepge him, and that he might
to anger, in offering
is * | What hath my beloved to do in my houſe, ſeing ſhe hath wrought lewdneſs with many ? z and the holy fleſh is paſſed from thee # : || when thou doeſt evil, my beloved £116N_FNOU rejoycelt 6. in my houſe, *% Some make theſe words the words of the Propher, declaring | Or,wh \, that God ( whom they ſuppoſe here called the beloved ) was about hy evil is. to forſake the Temple. Others make them the words of G:d, ſpeak. : " ing of his Prophet, whom he calleth his B=loved. Or rather ſpeaking of his People, whom he calleth his Belove, upon the ac- count of his ancient Union with them, and Marriage ro them, this
PIO. rr,
' ſeemeth moſt probable, and agreeth both with Chap: 7. 9, 10. and
alſo with the uſual confidence of the Jews, becauſe ot the Temple of the Lord, and their formal Service of God in it, my People, faith
Tewdneſs with many, that 1s, commirted IdoJatry wita many Idols, h and now what have they to do more in my Houſe, than a baſe | Strumpet which hath turned a Whore, hath to do in the Houſe of hep Husband ? a Some by this Phraſe underſtand that God would own them no more as an holy People. Others that their Circumci- fron was become Uncircumciſion. Others more probably underſtand | it of the Fleſh of the Sacrifices they were wont to offer, either rh-y
had been remiſs in offering the Sacrifices God had commanded them.
Or ( which is more probable ) the X:ſþ of their Sacrifice, being ſet | againſt them,utretly to confume them, ſo as no remembrance ofthem
before Idols, as well as before him who was the only true God, be. came polluted, and wasabominationto the Lord.. The learned An- ther of our Engliſh Annotations, Notes, that the words may very fairly be Trandlated, and the holy flefs they ſhall paſs away from thee, to the words import a Threatning, that becauſe chey had pollured,and prophaned the Sacrifices, God-would make their Sacrifices to ceale.
Me LR ES HIER Me a me
| ken not without _— not as a Prayer ſo much as a Prophecy. Others, not out of 2 defire of , private Revenge, but our of a pure zeal for the glory-of God, '
God, though I was formerly their Husband, yet have wrought |
ſee the Yengeance, which words ſome learned Interpreters thick {pO. afſion and mixture of humane frailty. Others
Prophet he was,and Servant in the delivery of thoſe Preps