gratuitously embarrassing one's self to giv* as much historical weight to the statement of a heading ets to a clear inference from the contents of a prophecy. No doubt Provi- dence watched over the movements of the editors ; they must even be credited with a degree of inspiration, so far as moral and religious truths are concerned ; but they were not exempt from being dependent on the ordinary sources of iufoimatiou in matters of histoiy. It would seem, then, tliat, out of the various sieges of Gaza in the last century of the Jewish state, one in particular had fixed itself in the memory of the Jews; and it was not a siege by the Babylonians, but by the Egyptians. Seeing a reference to Gaza in vcr. 5, a late editor of Jeremiah appended to the heading already in existence the words, "before that Pharaoh smote Gaza." He was wrong in so doing, but he only carried out, like many favourite modem preachers, what has been calhd the atomistic method of exegesis, by which a single verse is isolated from its context, and Interpreted with total disregard of the rest of the passage.
But which Pharaoh did this editor moan? and when did he lay siege to Gaza ? Th«
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THE BOOK OP THE PROPHET JEEEMIAH. [oh. xlvii. 1—7.
general view is that he means Pharaob- necho, who, according to Herodotus (ii. 159), first defeated "the Syrians at Magdoius," and then "made himself master of Gadytis, a large city of Syria." It is assumed that Mfigdolus is a mistake for Megiddo, and that Cadytis means Gaza ; and the former sup- position is probable enough (a similar con- fusion has been made by certain manuscripts at Matt. XV. 39 ; comp. the Authorized and Revised Versions) ; but the latter is rather doubtful. It is true- that in iii. 5 Herodotus speaks of" the country from Plioeaicia to the borders of the city Cadytis " as belonging to " the Palestine Syrians ; " but is it not more probable that Herodotus mistookthe position of Jerusalem (^Cadushta, " the holy (city)," in Aramaic) than that he called Oaza " a city almost as large as Sardis " P Gaza was never called " the holy city ;" Jerusalem was. Sir Gardner Wilkinson (ap. Eawlinson's * Herodotus ') takes a different view. Ac- cording to him (and to Bashi long before) it was Pharaoh-hophra or Apries who cap- tured Gaza. We know from Herodotus (ii. 161) that this king waged war with Fhtsniuia, which is, perhaps, to be taken in connection with the notice in oh, xxxvii. 5, 1 1 , of the diversion created by an Egyptian ainiy during the siege of Jerusalem. This liypotnesis is to a certain extent confirmed by the mention of " Tyrus and Zidon " in ver. 4, but stands in much need of some direct historical confirmation.
Ver. 1. — Against the Philistines ; rather, soncerning (as usual in sunilar cases). Be- fore that Pharaoh, etc. (see introduction to chapter).
Vers. 2 — i. — Hostile bands advance from the north ; horror seizes the Philistines.
Ver. 2. — Waters rise up. The prophets think in figures, and no figure is so familiar to them (alas for tlie unstable condition of thosH times I) as that of an overflowing torrent for an invading arjny (see on ch. xlvi. 8, and add to the parallel passiiges Isa. xxviii. 18; Ezek. xxvi. 19; Dan. xi. 10). Out of the north. To suppose that tliis refers to Pliaraoh-necho returning from Carchemish seiiiHs forced and unnatural. If Neclio con- quered Gaza at the period supposed, it would be on his way to Carchemish, and not on his return. Besides, " the north " is the standing symbol for the home of the dreaded Assyrian and I'abylonian foes (see on ch. i. 14). Isaiah had uttered a very similfkr prediction when the Asayrian hosts ww« sweepiug
through Palestine (xlv. 81). An over- flowing flood ; ratlier, torrent. The lame phrase occurs in Isa. xxx. 28, where the " breath " of the angry God ia described with this figurative expression. It is in autumn-time that the torrents of Palestine become dangerous, and water-courses, dry or almost dry in summer (comp. ch. xv. 18), become filled with a furiously nulling stream.
Ver. 3. — ^A fine spechnen of Hebrew word- painting. The rushing of his chariots. "Bushing" has the sense ot the German rauschen, to make a rustling, murmuring sound. It is used (but as the equivalent of a different Hebrew word) in the Authorized Version of Isa. xviii. 12, 13 of the confused sound made by an army in motion. In the present passage, the Hebrew word means something more definite than that in Isaiah, l.c. ; it is the " crashing " of an earthquake, or (as here) the " rattling " of chariots. The rumbling of his wheels. " Bumbling " is a happy equivalent. The Hebrew (hSmoa) is the word referred to in the preceding note as meaning an indefinite confused sound. The fathers shall not look back to their children, etc. An awful picture, and still more effective in the concise language of the original. Tlie Hebrew Scriptures excel (as still more strikingly, but with too great a want of moderation, does the Korin) in the sublime of terror. So overpowering shall the panic be that fathers will not even turn an eye to their helpless children. Observe, it is said "the fathers," not " the mothers." The picture is poetically finer than that in Dent, xxviii. 56, 57, because the shade of colouring is a degree softer. Feebleness ol hands. A common expression for the enerva- tion produced by extreme terror (see ch. vi. 24 ; Isa. xiii. 7; Ezek. vii 17; Nah. it 11).
Ver. 4.— The day that oometh ; rather, tht day that hath come (i.e. shall have come). It is " the day of the Lord " that is meant, that revolutionary " shaking of all things " (to use Haggai's expression, ii. 21), as to which see further in note on ch. xlvi. 10. To out ofl . . . every helper that remainetli ; t.e. every ally on whom they could still reckon. This passage favours the view that the judgment upon the Philistines took place at the same time as that upon Tyre. Nebuchadnezzar's object was to isolate Tyre and Sidon as com- pletely as possible. The remnant. Tiie Philistines had suffered so much from re- peated invasions as to be only a "remnant " o( the once powerful nation which oppressed Israel (see on ch. xxv. 20). The country ol Caphtor. Some would render "the coast- land of Caphtor," but the idea of " coast " seems to be a secondary one, derived in cer- tain passages from the oontext. Properly bpeaking, it ia » poetio aynonym for " land.'
CH. u.vn. 1— 7.J THE BOOK OP THE PROPHET JEREMIAH.
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