twixt this Texc, and r Kings 7. 19. and 2 Chron. 4. 13+ about the number of the Pomseranates. In the Book of Kings it 1s ſaid the Pomegranates were in number two hundred, 2 Chron 4. 13+ they arc laid to have been four hundred, The meaning 15, There were an hundred in a row, in the two rows two hundred, in the four rows (two upon each Pillar) four hundred. Some other difference alſo there is about the particular number of Pomegranates on a ſide, which are ſaid to be but ninety ſix, which make on the two fides but one handred and ninety rwo, on the four 1ides but three hundred eighty four, and comes up neither to the two hun- dred mentioned 1n the Book of Kings, nor to the number of four hundred mentioned in the Book of Chrozicles, Vide the Engliſh Annotations, where the learned Author hath obferved that in che Hebrew what we tranſlate of 4 ſide, is word for word V/ind-ward, that is, towards the four Winds, ſoas the Table was ſquare, and there were twenty four on each fide which made ninety fix in all, to which four being added, one at each corner, this made an hun- dred. But theſe are niceries, a ſatisfaRion in which 1s of no great co icernment to us, unleſs to fatisfie ſuch as would make uſe of theſe little things to queſtion the authority of rhe Scriptures, be- cauſe of theſe ſeeming contradiRions of how little concernment fo. ever they be as to their Faith and Holineſs,
24 Þ And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief prieſt, and Zephaniah the ſecond prieſt, and the three keepers of the -þ door mz.
See the Notes on 2 Kings 25. 18. where we have the ſame words, This Seraiah was not he mentioned Chap. g1. 59. but the Son of Azariah, 1 Chron, 6, 14. By the ſecond Prieſt, Intepre- ters underitand "1m that ſupplied rhe place of che High Prieſt in caſe he were ſick, ec. he that was ſent by Zedehiab to the Pro- phet, Chap. 21. r, and whom Shemah choſe by his Letters Chap. 29. 25. for not ſerting Jeremieh in the Stocks, Ir is probable there were more Keepers of the Door, but the Captain of rhe Guard took only three of the Principal.
found in the city, and the || principal ſcribe of the
Nebuchadnizgar, ſometimes Nebuchodonoſor. Ecil- Mrodach was Son to this Nebachadretgay, whoin the twelfih Month of that Year, the 25th Day ofthe Month (faith this Texr, bur 2 Kings 25. 27."1t 1s the twenty [euenth Day, bur that difference may catily be reconciled, The Penman of this part of Holy Wrir,might count: preciſely from the Day of his Fathers Death, and the Penman of the Book of Kings from the time of the Coronation of E:i/-.Mc.. r04ach, or when he openly ſhewed himſelf as King; or theone might reckon from theDay that Ezil-Merodach decreed the thing the other from the Day when he pur-it in Execution.) t Litte:; up the head, whicn ſignifies 1n Scripture the altering of ones etiare that is in Miſery, Gen, 40. 20. which is all that is here meant. for his bringing him out of Pri/9n 15 mentioned in the next words, The reaſon of this favour 15 variouſly geuſſed at. The Reverend Aurhor ot our Engliſh Annotations fantieth, that Evil- Merodach, might be much of the ſame Age with him, and thar [ehojachis got into the Acquaintance of this Evil- Merodach, during his Thirty Years Captivity, who conſidering his long Impriſonmenr, and thar now there was no danger of his heading the ]:s (whoſe City had now been defiroyed Twenty five years and upward } this Prince out of his Humanity might ſhew him this favour, nor are ſuch things unutual in Nations upon their changes of Princes and Countcllors.
Babylon .
« The King of Baby/on might have other Kings his Priſoners, his Father having been to great a Conqueror, er he night have others Kings, his Subjetts, that might reſide at his Cour: ; and either our ofa particular kindneſs he had to [ehoiachin, or in re- gard of the Fame David and Solomon, from whom Jeboizcvin lineally deſcended, he might do him this Honour,
33 Andchanged his priſon-garments: and he did continually eat bread before him all the days of his life.
34 And for his diet, there was a continual diet given him of the King of Babylon, + every day a portion, uniil the day of his death, all the days of his Ifte w-
hott, who muſtered the people of the land, and three- |
w He
Chap. LII.
thirty and two | perſons gq, + Heb. q That was the Year when the City was broken up. $9.8.
32 And Ipake + kindlyunto him,and ſet his throne + Heb; above the thrones oi the Kings thatwere with him in4 thing?
T Heb, -the mitt2y of the aay 3% 135 dav.
=. -—"z* WO, Tf Wacwmwds
ns 1 IRA
: py © CS ITage 4 Me rt, PRES. —_ CES + 4% 4%» p >. % , ne -y +. a Mw Her
< . Sg - Oe BE FS a < & . bY
A_IEEERITNT Io. CSS
Chap. LI.
w He treated him hke a Prince with reſpeR becoming his ſor- mer Stare, took care both for his Habit aud Diet,for his Habitation that ir ſhould be decent, ſuch as became a Perſon of his Quality, tho' a Caprive : for his Der, that he ſhould have it 1n his Court, thereby learning others that Humanity which becometh all Men to rreat others with thatare fallen under cheir power; that Decency, which becometh them as Men, and as Men whoſe Circumftances have been berrer ; doing to others, as we would they ſhould do unto us. Thus ]:hoiachin's Lot was different from that of his Fa- ther Jehoiachim, whoſe Body was caſt our as we heard before : As alſo from rhar of his Uncle Zee kiah, who did nor only dic in Bz- bylon, but died a Priſoner , his Nephew Jehoizchim died there, and a Captive, but nor in durance. Theſe four laſt verſes 1 found alſo 2 Kings 25. 27, 28, 29, 30. and being found here mn a Nay- rative form, related as a piece of Hiſtory relating a thing done : not in a prophetical ſtyle, are an Argument {as we ſaid before) thar this whole Chaprer, is no part ofthe Prophecy of Jeremiah. and probably not wrote by him, for he beginning h1s Prophecy 1n the thirteenth year of J»ſzah, who reigned thirty one Years, and continuing it three Months during the Reign of Jehoahaz, and cleven Years during the Reign of Jehotachim, and three Month, during the Reign of ]thojachiz (or Jeconiah) and eleven Years
FEREMIAHE
|