do t! ey need a particular explicatien, alliignifyirg bur one thing, viz,the happy and proſperous State the Jews ſhould be in, after their return trom the Coptivity,both as to their Rel;gious and Cis vil State; The hight of Zion may either ſignifie Hieruſalom,or the Tem- ple more eſpecially where thoſe that returned, as wellthole of the Ten Tribes, as thoſe ſtrialy of Judah, ſhould come and ing Praiſes to God ; 4 And ſhould there come to beg of God good things u- pon the account of his Goodneſs, owning him as the Ged of their Mercies, whether of a Spiritual or Temporal! Nature. e Such as Corn Wine, Oyl, and aa increaſe of their Cattel, both Flocks and and Herds. f And they ſhould bz a pr gt a growing People,likea watered Garden that looks chearly,and in which things grow and thrive ( for Soul doth net ſeem here to be taken for Mens ſpiritua} and immortal part. but for the whole Man. } g And they ſhall be ſorrowful no more- in that manner as they bave been, and for that Age and Generation were ; or many Years, viae
If. 35. 10. Some think that under theſe Expreſſions, is allſ@ pro» miſed the ſpiritual Joy which the true, !ſ-9e! of God ſhould have un- der the Gojpel, and the eternal Joy #hey ſhall have in Heaven, and not before, all Tears ſhall be wiped from their
Chap. YXX!,
th: taking of their City by the Romans, ſixty years after Chriſt,met with n ore Sorrow, than they had ever before met with.
13 Then ſhall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old men together : for I will turn their mourning into Joy, and will comfort them, and make
them to rejoyce from their ſorrow þ.
h This verſe only containeth a farther variety of Expreſſions, all ſignifying the ſame thing, viz, their happy State, for ſome time after the Captivity. We may underſtand the Dancings here of all ſorts of People, either of their religious rejoicing in their Holy Feſtivals,(for under tie Old Teſtament in their religious rejoicing they uſed theſe external Expreſſions of Joy, as appears from Pſal. 150. 4. and from David's dancing before the Ark ) or of their civil Joy, where Pancing was more uſual : the laſt words of the Verſe expound all the former. |
14 And I will ſatiate the ſoul of the prieſts with fat- neſs ;, and my people ſhall be ſatisfied with my good-
neſs, faith the LORD &.
; By Prieſts ſome underſtand the Miniſters of the GoſpeJ, whom God here promiſeth liberally ro Provide for ; or rather by giving a ſucceſs to their Miniſtry, and letting them ſee the fruit of their la- bours, make to rejoice : In which metaphorical ſenſe I ſhould ra- ther Interpret it, applying ir firſt to the Prieſts of the Fews after the Captivity, of whom it is ſaid, Ezra. 6.16. that they kept the feaſt of the dedication of the ſecond Temple with joy ; and verſe 22. the Lord had made the people joyful. k Nor were th* people for a ſhort time only ſatisfied withthe Lord's goodneſs, In a ſecondary typi- cal ſenſe it mayalſo ſignitie the ſpiritual ſucceſs, and rejoicing of good Miniſters under the Goſpel,and the ſpiritual joy of Believers. This rejoicing is metaphorically exprefled by farneſs, with alluſion to the far of the Sacrifices under che Law. Iris an uſual thing for God by his Prophets to expreſs New Teſtament Duties and Privi- leges, by Phraies borrowed from the Worſhip of God under the Old Teſtament. Vide 1/a. 66. 22, 23.
15 C Thus faith the LORD, A voice was heard in
*Matth.2+ p mah 7, lamentation and birter weepiag ; * Rachel
27, 18,
weeping for her children m, refuſed to be comforted
for her children, becauſe they were not ».
I Interpreters are much divided in the ſenſe of theſe words, whe- ther they thould referr ro the ſlaughter of the Jews belonging to the ten Tribes, upon their being captivated by the A4ſhrians, or to the ſlaughter of the Jews, upon che Siege and taking of the City by the King of Babylon, or to Hrod's killing the infants in Bethlehem ? Certain it 18, the Evangeliſt, Mar, 2. 8. appiyed tham unto the lat- ter ; but whether the Evangeliſts application of ir be as a literal ful- filling of the Prophecy, or by way of alluſion, or no, is the queſti- on. Thoſe that think that it is primarily to be, underſtood of the ſlaughter of the infants, urge, 1. That Matthew, chap. 2. 18. ſo ap- Plicsit. 2. That womens mourning for children ſeems rather to be for the loſs of infants, (as was there)chan expreſſive of the mour- ning of all ſorts of people, in a general delolation- 3, That the place of the mourning ſeems to hint it;for Ramah wasnear to Bet hle- bem, and contained under the Coaſts abour Buhlehem, motioned by the Evangeliſt. 4. The words becauſe they were not,chey think make for them ; for by being carried into Captivity, they did not ceaſe to be, though x fi ceaſed to be in that happy Eſtate they were in before. 5. Becauſe they think that this is here propounded as a Sign of his coming, upon whoſe coming theſe promiſes of Felicity to the Fews ſhould be fulfilled. Theſe reaſns are not unanſwerable; for Matthew may apply it only by way of aluſin,ſpeaking of ſuch a Providence, when ſuch a thing thould happen as happened before : In which Senſe particular Texts of Scripture,are in Scripture often aid to be fulfiled, though they had their fulfilling before. 2. Ra- chel here doth not ſignific a ſingle Perſon.no, nor a particular Sex, but is brought in 2s a common Parent, lamenting: the loſs of her Off ſpring. 3- Ramah was indeed near Bethlehem, but it was a City in the Tribe of Benjamin, Joj. 18.25, 1 Kings 15+ 17. Rachel was buri- ed betwixt it and Bethlehem, Gen. 35. 19. . 1 Sam. 10. 2, and it waz alſo the place where Nebuzaradan, afrer he had taken Hieruſalem, diſpeſed of his Priſoners, as we read, chap, 40. 1 4 Though the greater part of the Jews were nor flain, bur carried into Caprivity ;
et doubtleſs many were ſlain, and thoſe lefc alive were nor as to her,