[ HE word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the Þ dearth 4. + Heb. a Whart Dearth we are not told, nor when it happened; fome jhe wer? cf think that it was in the time of the Siege of Hieruſalem 3 others, jhe that it was inthe beginning of the Reign of Zedehiah, but they 4+ 2r2/5 wr
ner po: ' ? 5 1: / . . . / 1 - . . . , . . - . Congregation of Fudan, Prov. 14. 28. In the multitude of te! ;udge moſt probably, that think it was in the time ot Feboiakim, yeſtra; o
reotle 74 the King's honour, fo in the multitude of Subjedts or of,
Members, lies much of the honour of a Church or State, - FA 21 What wilt thou ſay when he ſhall T puniſh; 7: ice. thee? (for thou haſt taught them 70 be captains, and, + c1.-, 4 Chief over. thee) ſhall not * ſorrows take thee as a woman in travail b ? -j b That is, thou wilt have nothing to ſay, but be wholly con- founded and aſhamed when God ſhall viſit thee with this fore judgment or when Nebuchadnezzar's Army ſent by God, ſhall' vifht thee; tor thou either by thy commerce and tradiag with tm, or by thy fo often calling them to thy affiſtance, or by thy Liolatry borrowed from themand other Nations, haſt taught them to be Cantains over thee; thy ſorrows and affliftion will come upor; thee [aud./enly and r2rribly as pain cometh upon a Woman in Travail ; yea, ard as certainly allo,
” .,. oy
for we read Chap. 36.9. of an extraordirary Faſt by him pro-
| claimed, which many judge was upon this occaſion: The Heb.
Phrafe which is here uled ſignifying, The matter of the Reſtraints gives Interpreters fome liberty to abound in their ſenſes of rhis
| Text ; but the following words wake it evident, Ver. 4, 5. that
the Reſtrazr.ts here mentioned were God's reſtrainins of water from them,1ſo that the Dearth was occaſioned froma great drovght, which 1s elegantly deſcribed in the five next Verſes and deprecated, Der. 7, 8 9. Which make indeed bur a Preface to the Revelation of the Mind and Will of God in this Prophecy.
2 Judah mourneth, and rhe gates thereof languiſh, Y they are black unto the ground, and the cry of [eru- n4 {alem 1s gone up 6. | cal
b By Fudah is meant the Mey; and Women in te whole Coun-
try of Judav. The Gates 18 put wr their Citics, or the Men of MHICLT
'3
Chap. XIV.
1,for wantof moiſture tor themſelves or their Habirs of Mourners, or their Faces
Jooked ſwarthy, and ſtarvedly, for want of due and wholeſome Nouriſhment, and the cry of Hieruſal:m is gone up, eicher cheir cry unto God by their Prayers in his Temple ; or their cry by the reaſon of their Milery and Grief is gone up to Heaven.
3 And their nobles have ſent their little ones to
rers. they came to the pits ard found no wa- ge ng ls ith their vellels empty : they
ter, they returned Wl : were aſhamed and confounded, and covered their
heads c. | c This ſcarcity of water affli
their Cities langaiſhed,tor Beaſts. They are all 1n the
ed not mean Perſons only, who
have not ſo good means to ſupply their neceſſities as others , but their greateſt Perſons ; fo as chey ſent their lictle ones, (it _ better tranſlated Servants, for they are meant) to the places made co receive and retain Water, but finding no Water 1n che _ , they came back again with their Veſſels empty like Men aſhame
2nd confounded, and troubled upon the ſeeing their expectation
fruſtrated : 4 Becauſe the ground is chapt 4, for there was no
rain in the earth, the plowmen were aſhamed, they
covered their heads e.
4 The Heb. word fignitieth more largely then chapr, broken, ſpoiled, turn'd into duſt, as is uſual 1n great Droughts. e The word alſo which we tranſlate Plowmen, doth not ſtrialy fignihe Plowmen, but Hurbandmen, there haveing been nu Rain upon the Earth, it brought forth lictle or no Grals for thole chat imployed themlelves in breeding or feeding Cartel, and it was lo hard,and ſo much wanted moiſture, that they could not Piow nor Sow,bur were like Men aſhamed and confounded, who knew not what to
do. \ Yea,the hind alſo calved ia the field and forſook
5 ir, becauſe there is no graſs f. _ |
f Hinds ute nor to ger their Food in Fields, but upon the Moun- tainsand in a Wildernefſes, but the Drought was luch,that thele wid Creatures came into the lower Grounds,nearer the Habitat1- ons of Men than they were wont, and there brought forth their Young. The Hinds are loving Creatures, andas all Creatures by a natural inſtin&t love their Young,1o the Hinds eſpecially,but cheir moilture being dried up, they could not ſuckle them, but were forced to leave them, running about here and there to ſeek Graſs to eat.
6 And the wild aſſes did ſtand inthe high places, they ſnuffed up the wind like dragonsg : their eyes
did fail hecauſe there was no graſs h.
2 Thewild Aſſes wanting water,got upon high places, where was the freeſt and cooleſt air, and ſucked in the wind ; and this 1c i5 {aid they dill like Dragons,of whom Ariſtotle and Piny report, that by reaſon of the great heat of their Bodies, they ordinarily ſtand upon high places ſucking in the cool Air, and they tel] us thoſe Creatures will live upon it for iome time. The prophet de- ſcribing this great Drought, tells us, the wild Aſſes did the like þ But for want of Grals their Eyes were either almoſt ſunk in their Heads,they being almoſt ſtarved, or etſe the Phraſe ſignifies the fruſtration of their expeQation. which this Phraſe allo ſom
times ſignifies 1n Scripture, Pſal, 69. 3.
7 © O LORD! though our iniquites teſtifie againſt us z, do thon ir & for thy names ſake / : for our backſlidings are many; we have ſinned againſt thee 27.
# The Prophet having deſcribed their Miſery,both in the cauſe of it, the Drought for want of Rein, and the effects of it, he ap- Plieth hmſelfto that God,who he knew was he who alone could give the former and the latter Rain ; confeſſing that their fins and backſlidings were very many, and teſtifted againſt them,that they had deferved God's ſevere Scourge, and God was Righteous in what of this.nature he had done againſt them. But yet ſaith he, & dothou it ; that is, do thou what we deſire, and what we ſtand in need of; give us Rain. 1 Though not for our ſake, we deſerve no ſuch kindneſs from thee, yet tor thby Names ſake : Thy Word, ſo Iſa. 43.25. and 48. 11. where God promiſeth them to ſhew them kindneſs for his Names ſake, foas Feremiah's Prayer is but a pleading of God's Promiles, that he would fulfil his word. mM ch here ſignifies rhoyugh, and might have been berter ſo inter- preted.