Slaughter of the Peopie, he now re-afſumes it for the Deſolation **** b of the whole Land, every part of it being to be laid waſte : Sex F He " Chap. 4.23, 26. And it either ſets torth the greatnels of his Grief, —_ that ſhall reach to the very mountains, as the Words may be read ow! even or rather, the cauſe of his Mourning, - becaute he preſently adds, *9> —_ | tor the Habitations of the Wilderneſs. f Plain, or Viiley, as it
” 7 4 ”» 47
e I *Cjriis 2
often ſtgnines ; forthe Word 1s uſed T/z. 63. 13, 14. or plea{1nt | Plains. The Country of Fudea being mountainons, theſe Plains and Vallyes were their chief places tor Paſtorage, which doth greatly aggravate the Devaſtation. Thele ſhall be burnt up, rhe Herbage fo burnt, that it be left utterly barren, like a parched Heath, Yerſe 12. The Mountains ſhall not be able *9 lecure then, nor the Vall:ys to feed rhem. t Either there being no ath : The LXX render it, On the Paths of the Wilderneſs, or none to pals toand fro, and lo leave it deſolate ;or fo parched,and waſte, that none can paſs through it, lo far are they trom being inha= bired, Chap. 2.6. u There, where once all ſort of Catte; «rd Fowls in great plenty were wont to feed and graze, there 1s not fo much as the Chirping of a Bird, the Bleating of a Sheep, or Lowing of an Ox to be heard. See Chap. 23. 1o, 12,13. and 50. 3. They are ſaid ro be fled and gone ; either the Enemy hath (wept away all, or they have foriaken the Land, becauſe there was no Food, Fer. 12.4. A Figurative Expreſſion of an Univerſal Deſolation. : 11 And I will make Jeruſalem heaps, 4d a * * 144. 34- den of y Dragons; and I will make the cities of Ju- £5: : , 12D. 10. dah -+ deſolate, withour an inhabitant. IN, x Viz. Of Stones and Rubbiſh, y Noting a deſolate place, not + Heb, 4:- any longer fit for the Habitation of Mankind, as the next words ſolatien. do ſpeak ; but for hideous Beaſts; as they had made ule of the Temple for a Den of Thieves, Chap, 7. 11. The ſame alſo he after
.
wards threatens on Babylon her ſelf, Chap. 51. 37.
12 * Who is the wiſe-man, that may underſtand *Þfa!.: +. z this ? and who 7s he to whom the mouth of the 43- LORD hath ſpoken, that he may @ declareir, for what the land periſheth , and zs burnt up like a wil- derneſs, that noae paſleth through.
7 Viz. The ground of all theſe Evils, q. 4. Is there not a wiz man among you, that will concern himſelf, and ſearch into the Cauſe? of all theſe threatned Judgments, which hath provoked God to ſogreat Dilpleaſure 2 See Hoſe 14-2, It is a Queſtion that im- plies there 1s none, or very few, that confider common Calami: ies in the Cauſes of them ; bur rather ſay of Judgments, is is 4 Chance, 1 Sam. 6. 9- :
13 And the LORD ſaith, 2 Becauſe they have for- ſaken my b law, which I ſect before c them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked therein;
2 Either this, and the next Verſe reters to the tormer, vip. he- cauſe there are none can give the Reaſon why the Land perithers, therefore God will; or eife they refer to the 15 and 16 Fer{cs,
' as ſhewing the Caules of thole Judgments threatned ; for either ot the References do not alter the Sence : See Chao. 5, r9. This Ve. !z contains negative Reatons. b He chargeth them with their Ar
{taſie, and refuſing to obey his Precepts, and conform tiivir Con. verſation to them. c Leſt they thould plead they were o>Sicnre and hard to be underſtood, therefore he tel!s them, he had mate
CA?
ir plain to them, they could not be jpgnocant of ir, except it were
jour of Wiltulnets and Odſtinacy : The lixe Exprefiion, I-24:
L1+ 32s MP OS 14 But have walked after the | 4 imagination of ' Gr their own hearr, and after e Baalim, whici their 7 #5rn fathers taught them. 4 Or, Stubbernne(s and Obtiracy : See Ch9. 7. 24. e528 Chap. 2 23. The Prophet doth uot charge them with new Crimes, rr with their tenacious {tickiog to ther Iaojatry, f See Cho. =, 18 {[D] :
et.
34
d2
Chap. IX,
ca
'and ] will fend a Sword after / them, till I have con-
E R
I: ſ-ems they might partly thank their Education for it, as well a« (heir own natural perverſeneſs : Hence we ſhould learn to fol- low God's Counſe: in the Scriptures, ard not blindly follow vir Fathers Countel, Precepts, or Examples, or our own W1ll, v |:ich is the worſt Guide.
15 Therefore thus faith the LORD of hoſts, the God of Iſrael, Behold, I will feed them, ever this g people, witli * þ wormwood, and give them water of gall ic Link, ;
2 This Supplement [even] ſhews that it is ſpoken emphatically, though they be Veoplethat preſume to be my peculiar þ Worms, Dutch. Anmot. A Plant to purifie and cleanſe them, ſay ſome; but this doth no: ſeem to be ſpoken in favour to them; therefore rather ſome poiſonous Plant, which may agree to any other de- Aritive Herb, as well as Formwood, and this the Heb. word doth intimate, to which purpoſe the water of Gall is mentioned inthe next Words both joyned together, Deut. 29. 18. poſbbly the one pointing at their Drink, the other at their Bread, both metaphori- c:/!y to be underſtood; of which lee Chap. 8. 14.
16 I will ; * ſcatter them alſo among the Heathen, whom neither they nor their Fathers have k known ;
ſumed them.
; Either vou ſha!l wander up and down among Strangers, like Cain's Curie or rather, you ſhall have no Friend abroad, but be ſold as ſo many Slaves trom perion to perſon. k Part of the Curlte threatned, Deyr. 28, 64. 1 Neither ſhall this ſerve their turn, but I will follow them with the Sword, till they be deſtroyed, pro- bably meant of thole that might eſcape our of Feruſalem, and fly into Eeyft : The Chaldean ſhould purſue them chither, and either take or flay them there, 7z.e. ſuch of them as were appointed for Deſt: uction : for otherwiſe, they were not all conſumed, a full Lnd was not to be mace, as is promiſed Chap. 5. 19.
17 Thus faith the LORD of hoſts; »- conſider ye, and call for the mourning z women, that they may come; aad ſend for o cuaning wemer that they
may come. |