bath polluted the kingdom and the princes thereof f. . d As he hath had no reſpe@ tohis own Houſe, ſo he hath had much leſs reſpe& to the common Habitations of the Jews, e Their military Fortifications have been of no uſe to them, he hath made them to touch the ground, 7. e, ſuffered the Enemies to batter them to the Earth. f Thar is, Either delivered them into the hands of Pagans whom to touch they judged a legal pollution, or elſe dealt with them as with a poluted thing, caſt them off, or brake them in pieces. All this is made the effe& of Gods Wrath,and his Work; for as a Man is ſaid to do that which he incourageth others to do, and aſſiſts them in doing ; ſo God is ſaid to have done this, becauſe he- did not only ſuffer the Chaldeens to do it, but uſed them as a Rod in his Hand, inclining them to do it, and aſſiſting them 1n rhe Execution ofthis Wrath. | He hath cus off in his fierce anger all the horn of Ifraelg : he hath drawn back his right hand from be- fore the enemy h, and he burned againſt Jacob like a} flaming fire, which devoureth round about 3. |
g That is, the beauty and ſtrength of iſrael, ſo Horn ſignifieth by
an uſual Metaphor in Scripture.Pſal. 7 5. 4. Jer 48.25, Oc. the Horn being much the beauty of the Beaſt, as alfo that Member by which the Beaſt puts forth its ſtrength in aſſaulting its Adverſary. h Ei- ther God hath drawn back his Aſſiſtance which he was wont to give the Jews againſt their Enemies : Or Iſrael, through Gods leaving of them, hath drawn back his right hand ; but it ſeems ra- ther to be underſtood of Gods weakening the {ſraelits right hand,ſo as they were not able to hold them up (as before) againſt their E- nemies. # God had conſumed them, nor in this or that part, bur round about, as a fire ſeizing an houſe oc heap of combuſti- ble matter at once, on all ſides. + Heb.rthe 4 He hath bent his bow like an enemy # he ſtood defreable of with bis right hand as an adverſary &, and ſlew7all rbat the eye. mere pleaſant to theeye L,inthe tabernacle of the daugh- ter of Zion : he poured our his fury like fire m.
k That is, God, (whom by their ſins they had provoked and made their Enemy) behaved himſelf as an Enemy, bending his Bow,and Atretching out his right hand, 7 and flew their young Men, and Maidens who were pleaſantto look upon. mAnd had brought Judg- ments upon them like fire, which devours without any diſcrimina-
tion.
5. The LORD was an enemy ; he hath ſwallowed up Iſrael, he hath ſwallowed up all her palaces; he hath deſtroyed his ſtrong holds, and hath increaſed in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation ».
n See Ver. 2. Several pathetical expreſſions ſignifying the ſame things, properly imitating the diale& of Mourners whoſe paſſion ſuffers them nort'to ſpeak according to Art, but frequently they fay the ſame things over and over. |
6 And he hath violently * taken away his || taber- nacle,Has if it were of a garden, he hath deſtroyed his places of the aſſembly p: the LORD hath cauſed the ſolemn feaſts, and ſabbaths ro be forgotten in Zion,and hath deſpiſed in the indignation of his anger the king and the prieſt q.
o The word tranſlated Tabernacle (ſay ſome) ſignifies art hedge or
bt Iſa $45 {] Or, hedge
ſhould denote Gods withdrawing his ProteQion from the Jews, but
The Lamentationsof F E R E M 1 A H.
in his wrath the ſtrong holds of the daughter of Ju-
| it 1s nO Where fo tranſlated. Tr is another word uſed, Pſal. 80.12. _ 89. 40. The moſt judicious Interpreters think that the word - 11gnifieth the Tewple, and the rather becauſe of what followeth.
P By the places of the aſſembly may be underſtood the Synago=
gu. q By the King and Prieſt are meant Perſons of greateſt ank and minency,thoughit is thought here is a ſpecial reference
ro Zeaekiah the King of Judah, and Scraiah who was the High-Prieſt, the former of which was miſerably handled. the latter flain-
7 The LORD hath caſt off his altar : he hath abhor-
red his ſanQtuary : he hath + given up into the hand of + Heb.
the enemy the walls of her palaces « ; a NOiſe in the houſe of the LORD, ſolemn feaſt :. So By Altar and Sanfuary ſeemeth not to be meant firifly here tne places or Buildings ſo called, which are ſaid to be the Lord's, becauſe he dire&ed the making of thera, and they were dedicated to his Service, and ufed for no other uſe ; but the ſtared Worſhip and Communion of the Church of the Jews ;av Airar is taken, 1 Cor. 10.18. God by his ſuffering the place to be deſtroyed where alone they might Sacrifice, ſeemed to have abhorred hisown Inſtitutions, as 1t 15 ſaid, The preyers of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord. s He faith the Lord alſo hath deſtroyed the moſt ſtately of their Civil Edifices. « And the Enemies with their Triumphs and Blaſphemies, had made as great noiſe, to the reproach'and diſhonour, of God, as before thoſe that ſang holy Songs, or plaid on Inſtruments were wont to make in the Temple to the Honour and Glory of God,
8 The LORD hath purpoſed to deſtroy the wall. of the daughter of Zion # ; * he hath ſtretched out a line - w, he hath not withdrawn his hand from + deſtroying * > King x: therefore he made the rampart and the wall to la- 2! 13- ment ; they languiſhed together. y.
* they have made /«# »p. as in a day of the
rical ſenſe, for the Krength and ſecurity of the p ( the ſtrength op and ſceurity of aplace lying much in its Walls. ) w Artificers uſe ** with Lines not only to mark out places for building, bur alſo for deſtruQtion, to dire& them what to cut of, ſcch a Line is here meant. x God had gone ou in deſtroying them. y And had made their Walls and Ramparts feeble, and to ſhake like a Manunder ſome languiſhing Diſtemper, that had no ſtrength leftro
9 Hergates are ſunk into the ground z, he hath de- _.. ſtroyed and broken her bars a,* her king and her princes + 2 Kin are among the Gentiles b ; the law is no mere c, her *.