pleaſure, which deſtroys all like fire. & The Family, or the material Houſe in which he dwelt, or both ; #azae!'s ſtately Dwelling-p'ace ſhould be conilumed by Eire, and his whole Family be cut off, / Eat up, ſo as to leave nothing remaining ot either. m Ihe Royal Palaces, or thoſe that deſcended trom #azael, and dwelt in them. # Whether this were ſome one of the Syrzan Kings before Hazel. or the Ben: ka1:d flain by Hazael, or Son and Succeiior to /7azazl, 15 uncerrain ncr can we know particularly who this was by this name Benhadad, which to the Syrian Kings was a common Name, as Pharaoh to the antient Egyptian Kings, Ceſar to the Roman Emperors, and C747 to the Muſcovires at this day: Three Benkhadads are mentioned in the Books of the Kings, as 1 Kings 15. 19, and 2 X7ngs 8. 7. and I 3. 3s | 5 I o will break p alſo the bar q of Demaſcus r, and cut ; 9 Bi- off ry the inhabitant s from || the plain of Aven ft, and him Es” that holdeth the Scepter # from || the houſe of Eden w : 29, and the People of Syria x ſhall go 1nto captivity unto
Beth-edert, #* ] Kir y, ſaith the LORD =. :
0 The mighty God, as ver. 4. let. hb. p Weaken and ſhake into pie- ces» q Literally the Bar with which the City-Gates were ſhut, and both faftened and ftrengthned, Fudg. 16.3. Nek. 7.3. and P/al.107.16. Metaphorically it contains all the Munitions, Fortreſſes and Strength of 2, Place or People, ſo here. 7 Vid. ver. 3. let. 6. It is put here, as before, for the whole Kingdom, of which *twas the Metropolis. rr 3y the Judgments of War, Leſtilence, Famine, or Diſeaſes, all commil- fioned to do this. s For Jnb4bitants, the Singular uſed for the Vlu- ral, and may poſſibly denote the univerſal Exciſion and Deftruttion of the Syrians, who ſhall periſh as one Man, ſee the like uſe of the Sin- gle Number, Exod. $. 6. Fer. $: 7. t It is poſſible this may reter to tome peculiar Manner which the Sy77ans obſerved in their chooſing
the Valley or Campaign for the Place of Worſhip to their Jdols:
Iſrael choſe high Flaces, the Sy: is choſe Vallies *tis likely,and there- fore though beaten in the Hills where they thought the Gods which Jjra*l worthipped were ftrongeſt, vet are confident that in the Vallies where Syrians worſhipp'd their Gods, the Syrians would find their Gods the ſtronger, 1 Xinss 20. 23. for this Realon the Valley or Plain hath its Name the 7liin of Aven, of Iniquity and Vanity, becauſe in it they worſhipped vain Gods, and their Religion was higheft Idolatry ; or it may be Bikath- Avex was the Name of ſome City of $yrtz well known then, but whoſe Memery is periſt'd with it a great while ago. # A Diſcription of the King of Syriz, whoſe Royal Dignity ſhall be no Se- curity to him. w Some Royal Seat, where the Kings of $yri4 d1d think good to build them a Houſe or Palace for Pleaſure and Delight, and therefore gave it this name Beth-Eden, or the Houſe of Plealure ; all their pleaſant Seats, the King's £ummer-houſes ſhall be laid waſte. x The main body of the Subjetts and People of Syria z this explains Damaſcus, ver, 3. let.b. andin this Verſe* » Cyrene of Egy/1,ſay tome, but without any probability in this place : There was allo Ar ot Moab, Iſa.15. 1. but not this Xir in the Text; this was Kr of MeJ14,1/4,22.6. now under the Aſſyrian Yoke, and thither did 7iglath Prlejer carry the conquered Syrians, 2 Kin;s 16.9 and placed them Captives in that barren mountainous Country, about fifty Years after it was foretold by Amos, + This gives us an Afurance that all here threatned ſhould at laſt be executed. * 6 © Thus ſaith the LORD, For three tranſgreſſions 3 _ <a of * Gaza b, and for four 1 will not turn away the ju- SED aiſhment thereof c ; becauſe they || carried away cap- tive 4 the whole captivity, to deliver them up to
Edom e. : a Vide ver. 2.let. a. b The principal City of the 7hiliſtines, all the rcſt are to be underitood, and here the City is named, but the Inha-
2. .4o il Or, carried them away with 47
entire Cap- bitants are meant alſo with the City, antient and ſtrong, the Seat of
Hel). the Anakims, conquered by Judah, yet loſt foon after to the old Inha- bitants, © Vid. ver. 3. let.c. d This refers to the Inroad by the 7hi- liſtinzs and 4rabtans, made upon 1144+ in the days of J-horam the Son of Jekohaphat ; the Violence and Cruelty of which,is ſet forth 2 Chron, 21. 16, 17. about the 3116th Year of the World, and this 15 that which is here threatncd, as a Sin that ſhould be puniſh'd. e The Poſterity of Efau, who were inveterate Enemies to the Poſterity of Jacob ; and as ill Neighbours are, {o were theſe, the worſt Enemies the Jacobites had, as appears Zzek. 25. 12. and Obad. v. 10, 11, 12,13, 14+ ang Pjal. 137. 7. 1heſe Edomires were ever ready to opprels, enflave, and tyrannize over tke Jews, if by any means they couldby Force or Fraud get them into their hands.
7 But I will ſend a firef on the wall g of Gaza h, which ſhall devour + the Palaces thereof 7.
f Vide ver, 4-let. h, i. deſolating Judgments expreſs'd here by Fire. £ Which was ſtrong, and a mighty Detence to the City ; this only mentioned, but all the Power and Strength of Gaza, and cf whole Pa- leſtina is here included, and the Judgment denounced is here intended againſt all the Munitions of that People. þ Vid, ver. 6. lect. b. + Vid. ver.g. let.l, 7 Vid. ver.g. let, wm, What i5 here foretold was fulfilled partly by UVzz:4h, 2 Chron. 26. 6,7,8. and partly by Hezekiah, 2 Kings x18. $. ant partly by S-nacherib, Jſa. 20. 1.
8 And I will cut off the Inhabitants k from Aſhdod 1, and him that holdeth the Scepter 2 from Aſhkelon », and I will turn mine hand againſt o Ekron p, and the
remnant of the Philiſtines q ſhall periſh r, ſaith the Lord GOD <s.
þ Vid. ver. 5. let. q,r. IVid. Zeph. 2. 4. and Zech. g. & This was ene of the five Cities of the-Ph/lijtines, and had its Roitelet. It was at- terwards called 4zorzs, Atts 8. 42. In this City was Daggn's Temple and Statue, 1 Sam. 5.1, 2, 3. the like Threat againſt wm d1:1 Fere- mz Aenounce, chap. 25. 16. WIth ver. 20. i Vid. Vere 5. JEtete = Ano- ther City ot the Palejiine Pantarchy,ans a very ſtrong onc,ot which ſee Zephe. 2. 7. and Zech. g. 5,6. which (hall periſh with the bang and In- habitancs thereof, which( beſides what Shulmanejer, Senachertb or S& -
gon, Kings v! Ajjyria did, ard beſides what 2czechiab did againit Afi ke- read not in any particular Story when and wheie ; a'l could aut o bt