g Who have power todo what I pleaſe, and who yet am in Co- venant With Iſrael, and have a kindneſs tor the ſeed of my Servant Jzcob. h Look as thou approveſt of one of the Baskets of Figs, lo 1 do approve of thole that were carried away Captive with Jc- coniah, repenting of their finfal Courſes ; and accepting of that puniſhment of their iniqui:y. #ZThough Nebuchaneq3 ar car ried them away, it was by Commiſſion trom me ; fo that though te carried, yer I ſent then, For their good, which words rray either refer to the laſt mentioned words, intimaring that God in ſending tnem away aimed at either their ſpiritual Good, to bring them to Repentance, and an acknowledgment of their ſins : or their tem-
2:4 Our of | poral good, they being only quietly led away, without tne Miſe-
ries of Famine, Fire and Sword, beſides carrying away ; which thole who remained, and were afterwards carried away with Zede- kith, experienced : Or elle they may be referred to the former words, T will acknowledge them for their god, that is, I will fhew chem favour, being of the number of thoſe who were not leaders to fin, but led away by the i1] Example of others, and who be- ing carried away grew ſenfible of their tins by which they provo- xed me, and ſo accepted of the puniſhment of their Iniqui- {IN 6 For ] will ſet mine eyes upon them for good #, and I will bring them again to this land/, and *1* Chap. w1ll build them, and not pull :Hem: down ; and I will 33- 7- &
3
plant them, and nor pluck tem up 2. wr FP
k The Soul looking out at the Eye, diſcovereth its Inclinations, and Affection, wnether of Love, or Wrath : Hence we read of God's ſetting his Eyes upon people for evil, Amos g. 4+. as here of his ſetting his Eyes upoa them tor good, Or elle it may fignifie Gods ſerting himſelt rodo them good, as a Man when he ſets upon doing a thing, ſets his Eyes upon 1t in order thereunto. 1 Some of them probably returned before the end of the Captivity, ſome at the end of the 70 Years. m The meaning of theſe metaphorical expreſions 1s,I will protper them,and provide tor them. We read 2 Kings 25. 27. that Evil-merolach, King of Babylon, in the 37th. Year of the Captivity of Fehoiakin, lifted his Head up our of Prifon, ſpake kindly to him, 8c. but this Prophecy was allo
Return of [ome from Captivity, 4, —— 7. and the Ruine of Zede- k:ah and the reſt, 8, LO.
HE Sum of what God by his Prophet revealeth in this Chap- {1 ter is, that he would deal more graciouſly with thole carried into Captivity, With Jeconiab the Son of J:hojakim; (of which read -2 Kings 24. T2. 2 Chron. 36.20.) than with thoſe that ſhould afterward be carried into Captivity with Zedekiah. This the Prophet hath revealed to him in a Viſton of two Baskets of Figs, as followerh,
1 Thc LORD ſhewed me, and behold, two bas-
fulfilled in Daniel, Exra, Nehemiah, Mordecai, and others, who [are thought to be carried away with Feconiah ; or the Prophecy ' may be underſtood of the Poſterity of thoſe who were at this time | Carried away.
7 And Iwill give them an heart * to know me, * Peut.zo,
that I mz the LORD -, and they ſhall be * my peo- © Chaps ple, and I will be their God o : for they ſhall return Mo 116 *
unto me with their whole heart p. | 19. & 36, n Uader the term know me, is here (as in many other Texts ) 26, 27.
Chap. XXIV.
kets of figs were ſet before the temple of the LORD a, comprehended Faith, Love, Obedience, all thoſe motions of the * Chap. after that Nebuchadrezzar King of Babylon had car- | Soul, which rationally ſhould follow a right comprehending of 30. 22. &
FI. by ay MJ) ty by
«* 1 Wy =» -
SJaway cant -oniah the ſon of Tehoiakim the God in Mens knowledge. oI will be a God in Covenant with them, 31. 33. & ried away Captive Jeco ] As I will fulfil what I have promiſed themto they ſhall do what — *
is their duty to me. p For or when, or after that they ſhall return
.t5 me, not feignedly, but with their hearr, not partially, but with
\thetr whole heart. This 1s promiſed as an effect of ipecial grace,
not of the meer good inclination of their natural Wills, tor fotke
, words I will give, in the beg! 1ning of the Verte, muſt be under-
ſtood ; otherwiſe God gives ſuch an heart no more to ore.Man
| than another, |
| 8 © And as the evil * figs, which cannot be * Chap.
eaten, they are ſo ev1l : (furely thas ſaith the LORD) 25+ 37-
So will I give Zedekiah the King of Judah, and his
Princes, and the reſidue of Jeruſalem that remain
in this -land, and * them that dwell in the land of * Chap.
Egyptg. 43. & 44; q Whither it is probable many. of the Fews had fled, upon the
coming or noiſe of the coming of the King of Babylon, as they had
done betore, Ifa. 3o.'z. and 31. 1.
9 And I will deliver them + to* he removed into + 14cþ,
King of Judah, and the Princes of Judah, with the carpenters and ſmirhs from Jeruſalem, and had brought them to Babylon 6.
a Sore think theie two Baskxers of Figs vere ſuch as the people had brought for their tirit fruits, becaule they are mentioned as let beiore the Temple, but this might be to more than a Viſion, or an appcaraice of two Baskets, b The time of this Vi{ion was ſome- tine betwixt the carrying away of Feceniah, ( of which we read, 2 Kingis24 12,09. and 2 Chren, 36. 10.) and the carrying away of Z+4:h44) his Uncle, which was 11 years after, In 2 Kzzes 24. :5, there is a particular mention of the King of Babylon's carry- ing a 2y the Crafiſmen and the Smiths, 4 thouſand.
2 One hasket had very good figs, ever like the figs that ac firſt ripec: aid the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not beeaten, -| they were ſo bad 4.