6 For thus faith the LORD unto the kings houſe of Judah, Thou 27r Gilead unto me 7, and the head of Lebanon & : yer ſurely Iwill make thee a wilder- neſs and cities whichare not inhabited 'S
z Interpreters are not apreed in what Serice God ſaich, rhar rhe Kings Houſe of J4dah was unto him a: Gilzas, + Or the Head of Lebanon, Gilead was a Country fertile for Paſtures; upon which account the Reybinites and G44itts, being Mcn whoſe Eftares lay in Cattle, bryped ir of 39/5 for their Portion, Num.
A 7 < OP
Chap. XXII
ſhoald nor determine ,in the Deftru&ion only of rhis City, but in the tocal DeſtruQion of all che Country adjacent to Hieruſalem,
GH AT XXIL God ſendeth the Prophet to Court with Promiſes, 1, —— 4. and Threats again(t the King's houſs and Jeruſalem, 5, — 9. The Judgment of Shallum, 10, — 12. of Jehojakim, 13, — 19. and of Coniah,
T / 8 x
for
bon Its
Chap. % XI.
_unrizhtcouſnehs, aud his chambers by wrong 3
32. 2, and Moſes gaveit to the Sons of Manas Verſe 40. It was alſo famous tor Spicery, Balm, and Myrrb, Gen. 37. 25. It had in it a famous Mountain. Lebanon allo wasa very piealant place, famous for Cedars, and indeed whatſoever could gratifte the Senſes ; they both were in the Lot of Gadand Manaſſeh. Some think God compareth the King of Ju4ah's Houle to thele places, in regard of the Height and Noblenels of the Stracture 3 others.tor the pleaſantneſs and Delighttulneſs of it; others conft- der Gilead as the principal part of the Inhericance of the Ten Trides, waſted By Tiglath Pilegur, 2 Kings 15. 29. and C:2AT God telleth chem, by this Compariſon, that he would certainly deftroy them, and make chem as Glead, which was the Head of L+binm. Trough Ferufalem, was a noble and pleaſent place, vet they might remember fo was Gilead, which yet tor thetr Sins was waſteJ, and brought to Ruin. / Soalfo Feruſalem, formerly the Garden of Fudea, and Joy of the whole Earth, ſhould be made a Wilderneſs, and tne Cities of Fudah ſhould not be inhabited,
7 And I will prepare deſtroyers azain{t thee, eve- ry one with his weapons »:, and they ſhall cut down thy choice cedars, and caſt zherz into the fire z.
a They ſhill not only be edged with their own Luſts and Ma- lice, but commiſiionated and influenced by me, and ſhall come lutfciently prepared for their work. n And they ſhall cur down and burn thy Buildings, which are made of goodly Cedars.
38 And many nations ſhall paſs by this city, and they ſhall ſay every man to his neighbour, wherefore hath the LORD done thus to this great city o ?
o According to God's Threatniog, Dent. 29. 24. 1 Kings g. 8. Though the Jews would not underſtand that there was a Caule, yer others weu!d underſtand it, and enquire into 1t.
9 Thea they ſhall anſwer, Becauſe they have for- ſaken the covenant of tae LORD their GOD p, and worſhipped other gods, and ſerved them 4.
p Some ſhall anſwer them, or they ſhall anſwer one another. Surely it is becauſe they have broken the divine Law, which the d;jra-lites made a Covenant ; Ex. T5. 8 Chap. 24+ 3,7. Deut. 5. 27, upon which account :heir Sianing was an Apoltacy, «n1 a forlaling their Covtnant. q Their Sinning was not of an ordinary nature,but by Idolatry, worſhipping Images and Idols, which in- deed were no Guds, but only in the Opinion of thoſe Nations that worſhipped them.
10 A Weep ye not for thedead, neicher bemoan him 7, bzzt weep ſore for him that goeth away /; for he ſhall return no more, nor ſce his native country r.
r Not for Foſizh your dead Prince,for whom there was a great Mourning, 2 Chron.-35. 25. mentioned Zech. 12. 11. Foftah is happy, you need not trouble your ſelves tor him ; but weep for Jehoahag, who is to go, or is gone into Captivity ; Jehoabax was tet up upon his Father's Death by the People, 2 Kings 23. 30. 2 Chron. 36. 1. but Verſ-. 3. put down within three Months, and
carried into Egypr, Verſe 4. where he. died, 2 Kings 23. 34- :
: So as he no more returned 1ato Judzh, The Participle being 1nthe Preſent Tenſe, inclinech me to think, that this Prophecy was long before that in the former Chapter,ſoon after the Death of Joſ:2h, upon the Peoples ſetting up of Fehsahax in his ſtead, or preiently after he was carried away. Some interpret this ofthe People that were dead, and thoſe that were going into Captivi- ty; burthenext Verſe makes it far more probable that it is to be under{tood of F:fi2h and Jehoavap.
11 Forthus faich the LORD tonching Shallum, the ſon of Joiiah king of Judah x, who reigned inſtead of Joliah his facher mr, which weat forth out of this place -v, he {hall nor return thither any more.
u Who this Shallum was, 1s alittle doubted : Sore think it was Jehoahax the Sor; of Joſta', 1 Chron. 3. 15. called Fobanan : there js allo menmioned one Shallum, but he is there mentioned 2s the fourth Son of Fof71, Ir, the Book of Kings we read on- ly of three Sons which 7:/25 had, wiz. Fehoahax, Teboiakim, and Zedekiah. Mott think chat this Shalum was Fehoahax or "my (as he is called 1 Chron, 3.15. ) who was indeed the
econd Son of J:ftah; tor itis plain trom 2Kirgs 23.31, 36. that Fehojahim was two Years older, otherwiſe he could not have been 25 Years 01d when he began to reign, after Jehoahax, who began to reign at 23 Years of Ape, and reigned but three Months; but 1 Chron. 3. 15. he is called Foſcab's firſt-born, be- cauſe he was firſt made King and here he 1s called Shallum for the ſhortneſs of his Reign, 1n Derifion tothe Jews,who lo called him, upon the acccunt of their good hopes of Protperity under him; and in Alluhon to Shallum the Son of Fabeſh, one of the laſt Kings of the Ten Tribes, mentioned 2 Kings 15. 13. who reigned but a Month ; tor this, as ſome think, could not be that Shallum mentioned atiezr Zedekiah, as the fourth Son of Foftab, 1 Chren, 3. I5, for tat Shallum, they ſay, never reigned, this as the Text ſaith, did reignthree Months w inſtead of J:ſeah his Father ; which Phrale feemeth alſo to conclude, that he imme- diately ſucceeded his Father ]-f4b. x Fe was carried away trom Jeruſalem preſently atrer he was ſet 8p, 2 Kings 23. 31, 32. im- priloned at Riblzh, and Verſe 34. died in Egypt.
12 But he ſhall die in the place whither they have
ied him captive, aad ſhall ſee this land no more y-