The Pulpit Commentary — Zephaniah — Section 42

of the five chief cities, with e. temple of Beelzebub (2 Kings i. 2), was the city from which the ark was sent back to Israel (1 Sam. v.10). 2. Moab and Ammon in the east. In the Assyrian inscriptions Ma'-ab, Ma'aab, Muaba, and Bit Amman. Here conjoined probo.bly because (1) of their blood-relationship, the Moo.bites having been descended. from Lot's son Moa.b (Gen. xix. 37), and the Ammonites from the same patriarch's son Ben-Am mi (Gen. xix. 38); (2) of their geographical contiguity, their territories lying ea.st of the Jordan,-that of Moab south of the Arnon, a.ad stretching from the Dead Sea to the Syrian desert, o.nd that of the Ammonites e. little to the north-east," in a mountainous district not annexed by Israel" (Conder); and (3) of their mutual hostility to Isra.el, ha\"ing more than once joined forces in an at ta.ck upon the latter ( J "d;r. iii. 13; 2 Chron. xx. 1). 3. Ethiopia in the south. The land of Cush, in Assyrian Kusu, the furthest south territory known to the Hebrews, wae probably regarded as embracing Nubian Ethiopia and Arabia (Gen. ii. 13; 2 Chron. xxi. 16 ; Esth. i. 1; Isa. xvi ii. 1 ; Ezek. xxix. 10; xxx. 5). Its inhabitants, dark-skinned (Jer. xiii. 23), were of a. war- like character (Jer. xlvi. 9). Ethiopians composed part of Shisha.k's army (2 Chron. xii. 3). Zerah their king was defeater\ by Asa (2 Chron. xiv. 9-15; xvi. 8). "They were a. race cognate with the Egyptians, but darker in complexion and coarser in feature-not by any means negroes, but still more nearly allied to the negro than the Egyptians were" (Rawlinson's 'Egypt: Story of the Nations,' p. 315). 4. Assyria in the north. Founded by Asshur (Gen. x. 11), who appears to have given his name first to the city he founded, and then to the empire it began, Assyria bad as its capital Nineveh, the modern Koujunjilc. (On the history of Nineveh as detailed by the cuneiform inscriptions, see La.yard's 'Nineveh;' Sayce's 'Assyria, its Princes, Priests, and People; ' and Scbrader's ' Keilinschriften '). "The Assyrians were allied in blood and language to the Hebrews, the Arammans, and the Arabs;" "were a military people, caring for little else save war and trade;" and "if less luxurious than their Babylonian neighbours, were also less humane" (Sayce). Israel's contact with Assyria began in ».c. 853, with Ahab's contribution of ten thousand infantry and two thousand chariots to assist Benhadad II. of Damascus against Shalmaneser II. of Assyria (' Records of the Past,' iii. 99), and ended with the fall of Nineveh in B.c. 606. II. THEIR BINS RECORDED. 1. Idok,,lry. All alike guilty of worshipping false gods -the Philistines of doing homage to Ashtaroth, Dagon, and Beelzebub; the Moabites, to Bn.alpeor and Chemosh; and the Ammonites, to Maloch; the Ethiopians, most likely to the gods of Egypt, Amen-Ra, Ptah, O8iris, Anubis, Thoth, Isis, He.tbor, etc.; and the Assyrians, to the old Babylonian divinities, Bel, Anu, and Ea. Idolatry regarded as a sin not in Israel a.lone (Exod. xx. 3-5), but in heathen peoples e.s well (Ps. xcvii. 7 ; Rom. i. 25). 2. Enmity against Israel. In this also all had been partakers-tre Philistines from the days of the judges (Judg. x.. 7); the Moa.bites and Awinonites from these.me period (Judg. iii.13); the Ethiopians in the times of Rehoboa.m and Asa (2 Chron. xii. 3; xiv. 9); and the Assyrians under Tiglath-Pileser II., who first invaded the northern kingdom in the reign of Meno.hem (2 Kings iv. 19). In particular the Philistines of Gaza, in the days of Jeroboam II., had sold captive Israelites to Edom (Amos i. 6) ;. the Moabites under Mesha the sheepmaster, in the days of Jehoram, son of Ahab, not only revolted against Israel (::l Kings iii. 5), but carried the torch of war into Israelitish territory, defeating the Israelitish king e.nd ma.king many prisoners (' Records of the Past.' 2nd series, ii. 200); while the Assyrians invaded Judah so late a.a the days of Manasseh, e.nd even deported that king to Ba.by lon (2 Cbron. xxxiii. 11). 3. Pride. This more especially the sin of Moab (ver. 10) and of Assyria. (ver. 15), of whom the former despised and magnified herself against Israel, and the latter exulted in her own fancied security and superlative grea.tne$s, III. THEIR JUDGMENTS PRONOUNCED. 1. Jn character equally severe. (1) Deporta- tion of their inhabitants. The Philistine cities will be overtaken by this late (ver. 4). Moab and Ammon shall be involved in a like doom. The former "shall be as Sodom," and the latter "as Gomorrah" (ver. 9). Ethiopia shall not escape, but her people shall be "slain by Jehove.h's sword" (ver. 12). Assyria shall suffer similar calamity. Nineveh. will becom4;1 a desolation, etc. (vers. 13, 14). (2) Desolation of their lands. The land o( the Philistines, the tract by the sea, shall be pastures with caves for shepherds' huts, and folds for flocks (ver. 6). The territories of Moab and Ammon 11hl\ll become a possession of uettles and salt-pits and a perpetual desolation (ver, 9), 40 THE DOOR OF ZBPltANT Alt. [oH, II, 1-16,