as in ver. 8, the Ci,.nao.nites nre spoken of as son of Jehoiada, Hnldah, and (perhaps) 0110 of the nntione co.et out ; sometimes the Hosai. The guilt of the Jewish people was word is used in o. lo.rger sense, o.nd includes enormously increased by the fact that they the other six nations. Here we have the would not give ear to the exhortations con- wide sense. stantly addressed to them by the messengers Ver. 26.-They took strong cities. As of God. Therefore they were delivered into Jericho, Ai, Libnah, Lo.chish, Hazor, Hebron, the hands of the heathen, or people of the &c. A fat land. Compare Num. xiv. 7, 8; lands. Dent. viii. 7-9; 2 Kings xviii. 32. Houses Ver. 32.-0urGod, the great, the mighty, full of all goods. See Deut. vi. 11. Fruit and the terrible. Compare eh. i. 5, with trees in abundance. The fruit trees of the comment. Who keepeat covenant and Palestine a.re, besides the vino and the olive, mercy. This phrase, which occurs also in the fig tree, the carob or locust tree (cera- eh. i. 5, has apparently been derived from tonia siliqua), the quince, the apple, the the Psalmist's words-" My mere,; will I almond, the walnut, the peach, the apricot, keep for him for evermore, and my covenant the mulberry, the sycamore fig, the prickly shall stand fast with him" (Ps. lxxxix. 28). pear, the pomegranate, and the orange. All the trouble. Literally, "the weariness;" Date-palms also were anciently abundant but the word is clearly used here for "suf- in the valley of the Jordan. They . . . fering" generally. Bi.nee the time of the became fat. Compare Deut. x.xxii. 16 and kings of Assyria. The kings of Assyria, Jer. v. 28, the only other places where the in the strictest sense of the word, had been expression here used occurs. The comparison God's original instrument for punishing his will show that dispra.ise is intended-" they rebellious people. A king not mentioned in grew wanton and self-indulgent." Delighted Holy Scripture tells us that he defeated themselves. Rather, "luxuriated" (irpv- Ahab, and forced Jehu to pay him tribute. t/JTJ"av, LXX.). Another (Pul) took tribute from Mena.hem Ver. 26.-They . . . slew thy prophets. (2 Kings xv. 19, 20). A third (Tii:lath- Compare Matt. xxiii. 37; Luke xi. 47. Pileser) carried two tribes and a half into Jewish tradition states that Isaiah, Jeremiah, captivity (ibid. ver. 29; 1 Chron. v. 26). and Ezekiel were murdered. Many prophets A fourth (Shalmaneser) laid siege to Samaria were slain by Jezebel, with Ahab's sanction (2 Kings xvii 5), and a fifth (Sargon) took ( l Kings xviii. 4). Zechariah, the son of it. A sixth (Sennacherib) took all the fenced Jehoiada, was put to death by Joash (2 cities of Judah from Hezekiah, and forced Chron. xxiv. 22). him to buy the safety of Jerusalem (ibid. Ver. 27.-Thou gavest them saviours. eh. xviii. 13-16). A seventh (Esar-haddon) E. (I- Othniel and Ehud (who are called had Manasseh brought as a prisoner to "saviours," Judges iii. 9, 15), Shamgar, Babylon (2 Chron. xxxiii. 11). Hence Isaiah Gideon, Jephthah, Samson, Saul, David, calls the Assyrian monarch " the rod of &c. The writer seems to have the history God's anger" (Isa. x. 5). of "Judges" especially in his mind (see the Ver. 34. -Thy testimonies, wherewith next verse). thou didat testify against them. I. e. the Ver. 28.-Aftertheyhad rest. See Jud~es testimony borne by the prophebl (see ver. i.ii. 11, 30 ; v. 31 ; viii. 28. 30). • Ver. 29.-Withdrew the shoulder. Com- Ver. 35.-They have not served thee in pare Hosea iv. 16 (" Israel slideth back as a. their kingdom. There is no need of altering backsliding heifer") and Zech. vii. 11. The the reading here. '' In their kingdom•' metaphor is taken from the action of a beast means, "while they had_a kingdom of their of burthen which, when required to draw, own, and were not subjects, as now, to a •hrinks from the yoke and starts back. foreign power." Thy great goodness. See Ver. 30.-Many years didst thou forbear above, ver. 25. The large and fat land. them. The ton tribes for 260 years from Compare Exod. iii 8. Although the limit~ \he revolt of Jeroboam, the remaining two of Palestine a.re narrow, yet the land which nibes for 135 years longer. Teeti11.edat God gave to his people, extending as it did against them by thy Spirit in thy prophets. from the Euphrates to the river of Egypt Compare 2 Kings xvii. 13, where the phrase (Gen. xv.18), might well be termed a. "large" used is nearly the same, and see also 2 Chron. or '' broad" land. xxxvi. 15, 16. There wo.e n continual suc- Ver. 36.-We are servants this day. I. e. cession of prophets from the time of Solomon we have now no kingdom, we a.re sl[lves- to, and throu~h, the captivity. Besides the Persian is our master. As we would those whose writings have come down to us, not be God's servants, we are handed over wo find mention of Ahijah the Shilonite, to him (comp. 2 Chron. xii. 8, w)1ere "the lddo the seer, Shemnio.h the prophet, Hana.ni, service of God " and " the service of the Jehu the son of Hnnl\ni, Elijnh, Elisha, kin~oms of the countries" nre contrasted). lilic11.iah the son of hnl[lh, Zechnriah the Ver. 37.-It yieldeth muoh increase unto 96 THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH. (CH, IX. 1-38.
the kings. "The Persian monarchs derive of our past sins and their punishment-to R large reyenue from our territory." The prevent a recurrence of similar conduct and amount paid by Judrea is not known· but similar afflictions. We . . . seal unto it. S~,-ia, in which JudRia was includecl., 'pa,id I~ the East it is always the seal that authen- nnnuall, in mone:v 350 talents of silver ticates a document. Babylonian documents (Herod: iii. 91), o~ about £90,000. There were often stamped with half a dozon seals was also a further contribution in kind. or more, These were impressed upon tho They have dominion over our bodies. They moist clay, and then the clay was baked can impress us either as soldiers or sailors, S?metimes each party to the con trnct stamped and make us fight their battles for them. his seal upon a separate piece of sealing clay Jews probably took part in the expedition which he then nttached to the document bv of Xerxes against Greece. And over our means of a string (Layard 'Nineveh and cattle. They C'an impress our cattle for Babylon,' p. 154). Any ~umbor of senls their baggage-train. could be attached in this way. Ver. 38.-Bec&use of all this. Because