Micah ii. 8 the " evil time" is one of tuagint); in cu.ncti'.s quaifori.uunt (Vulgate). calamity. Everywhere in town and country shall the Ver. H:.-He repeats his loving summonswail be heard. Alas ! alas ! ho I ho I This is the death-wail (comp. Jer. xxii. 18), which to repentance, as in vers. 4, 6, showing that their only hope of safety lay in amendmentshould sound abroad when Samaria wu besieged and taken. They ahall call the of life (comp. Zeph. ii. 8). Seek good, and not evil Use that diligence and zeal in husband.man to mourning. The hnaband- pursuing what is good which you have mau shall be called from his labonr in the hitherto shown in the pursuit of evil. The fields to mourn for a calamity in his house. Lord, the God of hosts, shall be with you, Pusey thinks the mourning is for his occu- as ye have spoken; or, aa ye say. The pation gone, his tillage now only furnishing Israelites fancied that, owing to their food for the enemy; but the context involves covenant relation to God, he would be the notion of death. And auoh as are u::il- always with them and ready to help them ful of lamentation to wailing; literally, under any circumstances. Their prosperity proclaim '!Dailing lo euch, etc. These are under Jeroboam II., as Calmet remarks, the hired mourners, both male and female, seemed an argument in their favour, provingwho sang mournful songs at deaths (comp. that God blessed them, and that they had 2 Chron. xxxv. 25; Jer. ix. 17; Matt. ix. no oause for fear (comp. Jer. vii. 4, etc.;23). Micah iii. 11: Matt. iii. 9; John viii 39). Ver. 17.-Vineyards. The place of mirth But really God's help and favour were con- and gladness, that, says St. Jerome, "ubi ditioned by their obedience. quondam fuit materia lmtitim, Bit origo Ver. 15.-Reveree yolll former conduct,lacrymarum" (Isa. xvi 10). I will pasa undo what ye have done (ver. 10). This through thee. A terrible echo of the last verse emphasizes the preceding: hating and plague of Egypt (Exod. xii. 12), when God loving e.re more real and hearty than mere will not " pass over " thee as he did then. seeking. The LXX. makes this clause to but treat thee as Egypt, and" pass through" be what the people said, •o,, Tp&1rov to smite and punish (Nab. i. 12). El1r11n,
p.•p.111'1,1Ca.p.,v 'Tll ,rov71pi1, 1<11l Vers. 18-27.-The prophet enforces the -1J,-1171'1jcr11p.,v 'Tll
,cCIA&, "As ye said, We have hated evil, and loved good." Establish judgment. Main- threat by denouncing woe on those that trust tain justioe in yolll tribunals (in contrastto their covenant relation to God, expecting to vcr. 7) ; then it may be that the Lord the day when he would punish the heathen will have mercy en you or some of you. for their eakea, and thin.king that e::deruaJ, 'fhe remnant of .Joseph; implying that heartless worship was acceptable to him. only a few of them will be saved after this heavy chastisement, which points to the Ver. 18.-The day of the Lord. Any crisi1 final ruin of their city and nation. The in the nation's history is so called, when God prophet speaks of the" remnant of Joseph" interposes to punish_ and correct. To 01!1' instead of Ephraim, to remind them of theirminds it looks forward to the final judg- forefather, who received the patriarchal ment. It is often mentioned by the prophets blessing of Jacob, for whose eake this rem-( e.g. Isa. ii. 12 ; xiii. 6, 9 ; Joel ii. 1, 11 ; nant should be spared (comp. Isa. vi. 18: iii. 18; Zeph. i. 7, 14) as a time when the heathen should be juil.ged, 1111 the enemies :a:. 21, eto.: Joel ii. 82; Rom. xi. 4, eto.). of Israel defeated, and when Israel herself Vere. 16, 17.-The retribution for their was ei.alted to the highest pitoh of pros- •fnoorrigible iniquity is here announced. perity on<l dominion. Without any reg-..mi 66 THE BOOK OF AMOQ, [en. v. 1-27.