n When they ſhall grow hot with Wine, I will put or give, or make them a Feaſt of another nature, Interpreters judge that the Prophet referreth to the Feaſt made by Belſhazzar, Dan. 5. r. To a thouſand of his Lerds, when he, and his Wives 2nd Concubines drank Wine out of the Veſſels belonging to the Temp!e, during which Feaſt the City was taken, o So they were made drunk with the Wine Cup of God's Fury, becauſe the Lord had deſigned them to utter ruine, and deſtruQon, that as Men filled with Wine are mer- Ty, and ſhour, and then fall aſleep; ſo the Chaldeans being drunk with the Wine of the Lord's Wrath, while they were marry with their Cups of Wine, might fall into ſuch a Sleep as they ſhould no ver awake out of. | 40 I will bring them down like lambs to the ſlaugh- ter, like rams with he goats p.
P That is, they ſhall be deſtroyed before they be awar of ir.
4r How is Sheſhach q taken? and how is the praiſe of the whole earth ſurprized 7 ? how is Babylon be- come an aſtoniſhment among the nations / ? | q We meet with this term Sheſhach only here, and Chap. 25, 26: both places leave ic doubtful whether it be to be taken for an Idol, which they cailed by the Name of Shach: Or a Name given tothe City of Babylon, which worſhipped that Ido), to the honour f which the Babylonians kept a yearly Feſtival for ſeveral days. In the time of which Feſtival they ſay it was that Cyrus took the City of Babylon. r Babylon that was ſo famous over all the World for her ſplendor. { And fo it is interpreted in the next words, wherein Babylon for the puniſhment brought upon it is ſaid to be an aſtoniſh+ ment to all Nations, which makes it probable thar Babylon is what was called Sheſhach, by the doubling of aLettzr, becauſe ſhe wors ſhipped Shach.
42. The ſea is come up upon Babylon : ſhe is cover- ed with the multitude of the waves thereof ?. | t A multitude of Enemies, that are like the Sea in which there is a multitude of Waters, orthat will over-run them as the Sea over floweth rhe Shoar, or any Land into which it breaketh.
43 Her cities are a deſolation,a dry Jand,and a wil- derneſs, a land wherein no man dwelleth, neither
doth any ſon of man paſs thereby «.
u See Ch#p. 2.6. and 9. 12. the words are all of them deſcrip- tive of an utrer deſclation, that ſhould not only be the fate of Baby» lon the head Ciry, but of all the inferiour Cities that were as Daugh- ters to that Mother City.
44 And I will punifh Bel in Babylon w, and TI will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath fwal- lowed up x, and the nations ſhall not flow together any more unto himy, yea the wall of Babylon ſhall fall >.
w Bel was that principal Babylonian Idol, of which fee what 15 not- ed, Chap. 50. 2. x All the Veſſels of the Temple, 2 Chron. 36. 7.
thing. viz. That it was the King of Babylon that had ruined them, and filled himfſc1f and his Soldiers with their delicate things, and caſt them our of their Land, dealing with them as Wolves or other Beaſts of Prey, that eat what rey pleiſe of other Beaſts they have preyed upon, and leave the reſt in the Fields.
25 The þ violence done to me, and to [| my fleſh, FLf be upon Babylon, ſhall the F inhabitants of Zion ſay ;
I Or. the and my blood upon the inhabitants oi Chaldea, ſhall remainaer. Jeruſalem ſay ” pi : T Heb. inv" , The words are either a Prayer,cr a prediion of God sVenge- bab/treſi. ance vpon Babylon, ſo Fſal, 137. Yer. 7,8. God bath ſaid Venye- ance is his and he will repay it. The Churc': of the Jews here commits its cauſe ro God, and pray
} Heb.
My vid
2th kim to execute Vengeance i
and what ever Gifts the Babylonians had preſented to him, » It was the cnſtom of other Nations to ſend Preſents to the gods of thoſe Nations whom they were in ſubjefion to, or whom they would appeaſe, whence it is that we fead the Ph!hſtines when they had the Aik would not ſend it home withour a preſent, 1 Sav. 6. 11. God by his Prophets foretelleth that the time ſhould come when the Nations ſhould come no more to Babylon, either to pay an homage to their chief Idol,nor yet to bring Offcrings unto him. z And the City of Babylon ſhould be a!ſo-ruined. © Chap.
45 * My people, go ye out of the midſt of her, and ,,, g.& [ deliver ye every man his ſoul from the fizrce anger of Yer+6+. | ' the LORD 5. ET ev.as. 4.
6 Q a Theſe -
2009. I” CI A REES
ip. LI. 7 E R E > , Theſe words are anexhortation to the Jews to be willing upon the firſt Proclamation of liberty by Cyr, to go out of Babylon, not- withſtanding the pleaſantneſs of the place, and that now their ſtakes | had been pitched there many Years, becauſe of the Ruine which ſhould woſt certainly come on that place: 46 And leſt your hearts faint, and ye fear for the rumour that (ball be heard in the land þ : a rumour ſhall both come ore year, and after that in enother year ſhall | come 2 rumourand- violence in the land,ruler againſt ruler c.
' þ And leſt they ſhould be affrighted by the Succeſſion of Evils, Year after Year that ſhould come upon Babylov. Some think it were better tranſlated, 4nd les mt your hearts faint. Though you ſhould hear of Cyrus his coming Year after Year, yet faintnor ( for they ſay Cyr was one Year preparing, and that he ſpent the ſe- cond Year in paſſing through Aſhris, ſo as he came not at Babylon rill the third Year 5 no not though you ſhould ſee or hear of ſucceſ- ſive troubles, and a great deal of violence in the Land by the op- poſition of great Princes one to another, for none of them ſhall do you any harm ; but this doth not ſo well iute to the former verſe, where they are bidden to make haſte our, and to fave their own Lives. I do therefore prefer the Senſe of our Interpreters and their Tranſlation of it, as making another Argument to perſwad them to make haſte out, becauſe they would by reaſon of the ſucceſſive evils Year after Year coming upon the Batylonians live there very troubleſome and uneaſie Lives.
47 Therefore behold; the days come, that f I will do judgment upon the graven images of Babylon, and her whole land ſhall be confounded c, and all her flaim