4 Wherefore giorieſt thou in the valleys, [| thy flow- ing valley /, O backſliding daughter »» ? that cruſted in her treaſures, * ſaying, Who ſhal come unto me » ?
{ It ſhould ſeem that chis Countrey was full of very fruitful Val- leys, wiuch we kaow are always the molt fertile places, lying low- Erand at a greater diſtance from the Sun than Mountains, and alſo receiving at ſecond haad the moiſture that fal!s upon the Hills,and being uſually watered with Rivers, from whence they may bz cal. Ied fwine Pall.ys either as flowing with receptacles of Water, or plenty of Corn, and Graſs, though ſome read ir ( and ir ſeems ra- ther more azgreable to the Hebrew) thy Valley floweth, either with the blood of Men lain, or flaweth away. the fertility of ir ceaſeth or | decayeth. Or, Floods of waters ſhall deſtroy the fruit of thy rich * Vallies, &*c. m Ammon having never been in Covenant with God, the word in the Heb. (though it comes from AMU which ſignifies $0 return ) ſeemeth 41 tranſlated back-/iaing,thou that halt rurned thy ſelf away from God. » Thou that truſtedlt in thy Riches,or in thy Valleys full of Riches, and promiſedſt thy ſelf ſecuriry from the ſituation of thy rich Country thinking none could come at thee.
5 Behold, I will bring a fear upon thee, ſaith the Lord GOD of haſts, for all thoſe that be about thee w, and ye ſhal be driven out every man right forth x, and
none ſhal gather up him that wandereth y.
w As ſecure as you think your ſelves, I will cauſe you to be afcaid,and your enemies {hall be all thoſe that are round about you. x And you ſhall be driven out every Man, either right forth into ſome Country oppoſite to you,or apart one from another,or ſo that you ſhall be glad to flee right forth,and never look back, bur only forward, for any place of tafety that appeareth next before you.
And when you are wandring,being driven by your Enemies you ſhall find none who will be willing to receive or entertain you.
6 And afterward I* will bring again the captivity of the children of Ammon, faith the LORD =. * £ Such a promiſe we read of chap. 48: 47+ concerning Moab, bur when this was fulfilled the Scripture ſaith nor « Joſephus tells us ſomething, bur it is rather thought ro refer to the converſion of fome of D. Awrmonites as well as other Heathens unto Chriſt.
7 © Concerning Edom, thus faith the LORD of hoſts a, 1s wiſdom no more in Teman 6 ? is counſel
riſhed from the prudent? is their wiſdom vaniſhed *?
& The Edvnites were the Pofterity of Eſau the eldeſt Son of I/aar, but difinherited, the Blcflin-3 being given to his younger Brother Jacob who was the head of the twelve Tribes of the 1/rs- elites, Gen. 27: 29. God there Yer. 39- promiſed him rhat he ſhould have a fat, and Plentiful country, though his Brother ſhould be his Lord, and foretold, that he hould break his brother's Yoke
* HIRE MI 4 H.
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k For |
Chap.
by their Coaſts to go into Conan, their way lay through £4m,but their King refuſing io ſuffer them to go through, God ordered them ro £co another way. Bealaam prophett-d their yuine, Numb, 24: 18: they were Enemies to the Iſraelites in Suul's time, 1 Sam: 14, 47. and in Dav:i4's time, 2 Sam. 8. 14. and in 4maziahs time, 2 Kings 14: 7. who flew of them ten thouſand, and took Selah cal. ling it Joktee!, many of the Prophets forerold their ruine, Ferc= m2 in this place, Ezek. 25:12,13,14. Foerl 3:19, Amos 9.12. Ozaciah i: 8, Mal. 1. 4. 6 Feman was a City of Ed»9m mentioned allo Ezck, 25: 13. Amos 1.12. Obad. g. Elphaz, Job's Friend was of this place Job 211, It was a place famous for wiſe and prudent Men,of which Eliphaz was not the meaneſt. c The Prophet asks what was become of #11 -rheir Counſel and Wiſdom, for wh'ch the Arabians,the Tema. n:tcs 1n particular, were ſo famous ? Now they were at their wits
Dedan,for I will bring the calamity of Eſau upon him, cae time that I will vitite him e. |
a Dedan was the fon of Jokjhan, 1 Chr0n. 1. 32. from which it is probable that the Ciry Dedan had its Name, it is reckoned chapter 25: 23. with T?maand B:z, and is mentioned Ezekiel 27:15: 20, and 38; 13. Ir was a Ciry of Arabia joyning on Idaumea, 1/a. 21: 13. they being Neighbours to the Edomites are called to flee, and to get into caves and holes of rac Earth, where they might dwell deep in the Earth and te in ſome ſecurity, which they would not be in their own City ſo near to the Edomires country, for fzo0d was reſolved to bring mitery upon the Exomites, a time of calamity in which he would viſit them with his Judgments: There are other critical - Sg of theſs words, bur this ſeemeth to be the plain ſence of
em.
9 If grape-gatherers come to thee, would they not
will deſtroy Þ till they have enough f.
f We have much the ſame 0529/2h 5. the ſcope of the Prophet in this place is only to ſhew thar Edom ſhould be totally deſtroyed, their deſtruion thould not be like the gleaning of Grapes, where the gatherers content themſelves with taking the principal cluſters bur tor ſingle Grapes,or ſome ſmall cluſters they leave them : Nor yet like the robbings of Thieves, who take for their hunger, and when they have got enough leave the reſt.
10 But I have made Eſau bare g, I have uncovered
his f:crer places 6, and he ſhall nor be able to hide
his neighbours, and he #s not /.
£ Bur the Edomites ſhould be left bare. þ And though they ſought ro hide rhemſelves in ſecret places, yet5od would there find them out. i And there ſhould be no place ſufficient ro hide them. k Al their children ſhould be deltroyed / and the Moabites their Kinſmen, and the. Ph:lifines their Neighbours ſhould be rus» ined as well as they, | | It Leave thy fatherleſs children, I will preſerve them alive ; and let thy widows truſt in me m. |
m The only queſtion upon this Verſe is whether in the whole of it,it bz a promiſe, or a threatning ; if it be a promiſe the ſence '1S that though this great deſtruction ſhould come upon the Body