not make him quit his relation to Iſrael, but he was and ſtill would approve himſelf the God of thoſe who were his true Iſrael. p The meaning 1s, my ful] defign againſt you is to bring Evil up- on you. This 1s expreſſed under che notion of ſetting his face, and
Amos 9. 4. ſetting his eyes againit them, 12 AndI will take the remnant of Judah that have
ſet their faces to go into the land of Egypt to ſojourn there, and they ſhall be conſumed, ard fall in the land of Egypt, they ſhall eve» be conſumed by the ſword, azd by the famine ; they ſhall die from the leaſt even to the greateſt by the ſword, and by the famine : and they ſhall be an execration, 2d an aſto- niſhmeat, and a curſe, and a reproach 9.
g This js no more than the Prophec had told theſe very Per-
ſons betore they went into Egypt, Chap. 42+ 16, 17, Here he dou- bleth his words for the confirmation of the truth of them to them, now that they were there.
13 For] will puniſh them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have puniſhed Jeruſalem, by the ſivord, by the famine, and by the peltilence.
t 450
Chap. XLIV.
T Heb. Out of the onJy? You are now ,,;17 of but a tew of many; Whar love have you for your Country, 13 Judah. eaking courſes which will certainly tend to rhe utter extirpation
Heb.
riie.
pretended Artritzon, Contrjtzon, or Kumiliation be in outward ap- *Xum pearance what it w1ll. 12. $ 11 © Therefore thus faith the L ORD of hoſts, ,, __ 4 yt the God of Iſrael -, Behold 1 will ſet my face a-,,, Chap. frame « gainſt you for evil, and to cut of all Judah. 21. 10. heavens o Theſe Names are frequently given to God in threatning Pro- * Chaz phecies, partly to let this People know that God is able to make 7. 18. good his word, and to bring the threatned Evils upon them ; and + Heb partly to let them know that the dealing thus with them would bread.
o EE. 5 CO: o #; 5, RO Ls _ EDT 2.2 bands ; £ Fett, - FE Cu ey 3
= Chap. XLIV: ” x4 So that none of the remnant of Judah, which are gone into the land of Egypt to ſojourn there,ſhall eſcape or remain, that they ſhould return 1nto the
land of Judah, to the which they | have a detire to return, to dwell there : for none ſhall return but
ſich as ſhall eſcape. |
r There is a great variety in the reading of the Words, Ver. 14. ſome reading, befides ſuch as have a deftre to return. thers, Al- though they have a defire to retury. Others, For they have 4 deſire 70 return. The words ſeem to hint the theſe Fews went 1nto the Land of Egypt, not with a deſign to live there always, but to ſay for a while till the heat of the Cha/deans 1n enquiring after the Blood of Gedaliah ſhould be over, then thinking to return 1nto their own Country; which one would think were true, confider- ing it not only as their native Soi], buta]ſoa place where was now room enough, and they might live in much greater plenty than they could in Egypt. The only difficulty is in the laſt Words, compared with what in the ſame Verſe went before ; 1t 15 laid in the clofe, none ſhall return but juch as ſhall eſcape. Burt Reaſon will guide us to interpret the firſt None in a reſtrained ſence, 2. e. none of thoſe who have been the Authors of this Counſel and Re- bellion againſt God, and who went into Egypt willingly ; for WW: none can think that God involved Feremiah and Baruch who were
Wy in Egypt (at leaſt the firſt of them) in the ſame puniſhment, with
which he puniſhed the Rebellious Fews. Or none of thoſe who in Egypt have burnt incenſe to Idols, and defiled themſelves with the Idolatry of Egypt, but there ſhall ſome eſcape, ſuch as have been forced into E2ypt againſt their Wills 3 and ſuch as being fo pe, forced when they came here did not fallin with the Idolatry of
Fh the Egyptians ; (forwe may gather from the next Verle, that all | of them did not ) theſe Men ſhall again return into the Land of Fudth. This to me ſeemeth the taireſt and moſt probable ſence of the Words.
bro BY 15 © Then all the Men which knew that their dS Wives had burnt incenſe to other Gods, and all the OT Women that ſtood by, a great multitude, even all the ER People that dwelt in the Land of Egypt, in Pathros,
> OO anſwered Jeremiah, ſaying t,
EY; { The burning of Incenſe was a Religious Rite, which God had _ appointed the Jews asa piece of Divine Homage to be paid to him alone, and by an ordinary figure is put for Worſhip. So as burn- ing Incenſe to other Gods, is the ſame with worſhipping other Gods, 2 It ſhould ſeem that all rhe Jews had not been thus far guilty,and thoſe that did it were moſtly Women, or at leaſt they were the Leaders in this Idolatry , and one would think the Phraſe imply- eth, that thoſe who were thus culpable did it with ſome privacy, ſo as all their Husbands did not know of it; but thoſe that did were as bad as their Wives, conniving at them, and juſtifying chem in their Idolatry, and joyning with them in the tollowing peremptory anſwer to, and contempt of the Prophet.
16 As for the word which thou haſt ſpoken unto us in the Name of the LORD, we will not hearken
unto thee x;
u We read Chap. 43. 5. Jobanan and the reſt only denied that Gol had ſpoken ſuch things, and told J:remiah, he had ſpoken falfly ; but now theſe Women and Men rite higher ; they acknow- ledge Jeremiah had ſpoken tothem in the Name of the Lord, but tell him in plain and dire& terms they would not obey it. And in- deed this is in the hearts ofall finners that are ruled by their Luſts; though they will ſometimes pretend,that what they hear is not the Will of God, but ſpoken our of Malice and Prejudice ; yet they are pre-reſolived they will not do ir, let their Underſtandings be never ſo well informed.
+ Heb. Lift their ſouls.
” *Num.3o. 17 But we willcertainly do * whatſoever thing go- 12. Se eth forth out of our own mouth w, to burn incenſe