r A Name ordinarily given to God, here very properly, to let them know that he ſaid nothing with his Lips, but what he had power by his Hand to accompl.ſh, being the Caprain General of all the Armies cf his Cr:atures. / God by erdering the Prophet to carry no other Veſl:1 bur one of Earth, had a deſign upon the breaking of it, not only to ſhew them that he would bruiſe, wound, or in» damnage them greatly, but ſo deſtroy them, as there ſhould be no preſent remedy. If a V<ſ[:1 of Braſs, Silver, Gold, ©. be broken, it may be mended, bur an earthen Veſlel if broken, cannot be made whole. See the like [aiah 30. 14. t He tells them that this
Children, kili'd tor Idolarrous Sacrifices, ſhould continue for a Slaughter-heu'e, but of another narure, even for them that had committed ſuch wickedneſs in it, who ſhould be ſlain there in ſuch Plenty, that they ſhould wane ground to bury dead Carcaſes in. |
12 Thus will I do unto this place, faith the LORD, and to the inhabitants thereof, and even make this city
as Tophet «. # Thit is a place of Slaughter and Burials, or a baſe, ignomini- ous place, or where the noiſe of Drums and Trumpets, and+Cry+
ings and Yellings ſhall be heard, as uſcd to be in Topher, 12 And the houſes of Jeruſalem, and ths houſes of
the kings of Judah ſhall be defiled as the places of To- pher w, becauſe of all the houſes upon whoſe * roofs
_ Chap. 32, they have burnt incenſe unto allthe hoſt of heaven, and
* have poured out drink-offerings unto other Gods x.
- # Under the Judaick Law, perſons and places were defiled by touching dead Bodies, or any unclean filthy thing ; God threat- neth in this ſenſe to defile Topher, as it was ſaid before, it ſhould be filled with dead Bodies which ſhould be buried, or lie wnberied there. He ſheweth that the aforementioned Judgment of filling
laces with dead Bodies, ſhould not be reſtrained to Tophet in the alley of Hinnom, but reach to the dwelling-houſes in Hieruſalem, both theirKings Houſes, and the meaner Subje&s. x The provok- ing cauſe of which ſhould be their Idolatry, which they had alſo brought into their dwelling-houſes, for they having flat Roofs, kad upon them, though not burn Children in ſacrifice to Idols, yet _ out Drink-Offerings to the Sun, Men and Stars, and to other ols, 14 Then came Jeremiah from Tophet, whither the
LORD had ſent him to propheſie and he ſtood in the court of the LORD's houſe z,and laid untoall the people.
3 Jeremiah had now diſpatched the Errand upon which God had ſent him to Topher, coming back by God's dire&tion, he ſtands in the' Court, which was commen to all people, where the moſt
might hear. I5 Thus ſaith the LORD of hoſts, theGod of Iſra-
el, Bzhold, Iwill bciag upon this ciryand upon all
SEAREMI 4 HE.
| e Valley of Slaughter, from the multitude of dead _ — he rem of the City ſhould be flain and It was expounded Chap. 7. 32,33. For they no place \ And the Carcaſes of this people fowls of Heaven, and for the beafts of the Earth, and
her towns, all the evil that T have pronounced 2gaink
they might not hear my words z,
z He afſureth the people from God, that he would moſt certain. Iy juſtifie all his Words, and bring to paſs all his Threats ink that City, and that they muſt thank themſelves for it, for harden. ing their heart, ſoas all that he had ſaid made no impreſſion upon
them, nor found any place with them.
CHAP IX.
It ; becauſe they have hardened their necks, that .
Clap. XiX, |
t
Chap, l7. 23.
Paſhur ſmiting Jeremiah for. this Prophecy receiveth a new Name, and 4 earful Doom, 1,—6. Jeremiah's Impatience under their Treathes
ry and Contempt, 7
Io. Rejoyceth in hope of Vengeance, 1 1 Curſeth his Birth, 14 _—
I8.
17,
OW Palhur the fon of Immer the prieſt as, who
was alſo - chief governour in the houſe of the
LORD 6b, heard that Jeremiah propheſied theſe words c.
a The courſe of Immer was the ſixteenth courſe of the Prieſts,
al for us to know, nor ver
called the chief Governor of the Temple, whether he was Deputy to the High*Prieft, or the head of his courſe, which at that time waited in the Temple, or had ſome place as Captain of che Temple, to take no- tice of any diſorders ſhould be committed there, contrary to the
have been one of the Courſe of Immer. c Either he heard Feremiah himſelf ( which is moſt probable) or ſome body rold him what Feremiah had propheſied in the Temple which was within his Charge, and Juriſdi&ion.
2 Then Paſhur ſmote Jeremiah the prophet 4, and put him in the ſtocks ethat were in the high gate of Ben- jamin, which was by the houſe of the LORD f.
d It is not ſaid how he ſtruck him, though ſome think it moſt probable, that it was with bis ft, as the falte Propher ſtruck Mica.
whether ſuch an Engine as is in uſe amongſt us to puniſh Offen- ders, which we call by that Name. Or as others, an Engine like our Pillary, where Malef-Qors are faſtned by the Necks. Or, as others, with three holes, one for the Neck of the Offender, one for each Hand; or whc-ther meerly a Priſon where he was kept all Night a Priſoner ; the H:b. word will not determine us further, than that it was a place of reſtraint, and where that will not des termine, 'other ConjeQtures are as uncertain as needleſs. f There is as much uncertain:y as to the place, where this Priſon or theſe Stocks were we are told it was near the T-mple, and in the High Gate ef Benjamin. but whether this was a Gate belonging to the Temple that opened towards thar pirt of rhe Country which wasths Lot of Benjam:n, or « Gate of the City that opened that way, whether in the inner Wall, or outer Wali, whether called the H gher-gate, becauſe nearer the Temple, or upon {ome other account, are nice and curious Speculations, the determination of which, is of no moment for us to know.
And it came to paſs on the morrow, that Paſhur
brought forth Jeremiah out of the ſfiocksg. Then ſaid Jeremiah unto him, tne LORD bath not called thy
name Paſbur, but || Magor-miilabib bh.
g Poflibly by this time th? mad brain'd Prieſt, thought he had done more than what he could juſtifie by Law, for if he were a falſe Prophet, the Judgment of him belonged nor to him bur to the Sanhedrim., He had nothing to do to ſnite him, poſlibly he brought him forth in order to his bringing him before the Sanhg« drim;but it doth not appear that he did ſo,tho' Jerew;ah's following words to him might reaſonably be thought provec:rive enough if he