and ii generally applied to distant and (accidentally) maritime countries. " Caph- tor " was und^'i'-stood by the old versions to be Cappadocia. But as the remains of the Cappadooian language point to a Persian origin of the pi ipulation which spoke it, and as the Caphtorim originally came from Egypt, it is more plausible to i-uppose, with Ebers, that Caphtor was a coast district of North Egypt. Crete has also been thought of (comp. Amos ix. 7; Gen. z. 14; Deut. ii. 23).
Vera. 5 — 7. — ^The prophet changes his style. In ecstasy or imagination, he sees the calamity which he has foretold already come to pass. Philistia is not, indeed, alto- gether annihilated ; it was not the will of God to make a full end as yet with any of the nations round about. But it is reduced to extremities, and fears the worst.
Ver. 5. — Baldness. A sign of the deepest sorrow (comp. on ch. zvi. G). Ashkelon is cut oft Ruins of Aslikelon are still visible. " It is evident that the walls of the old city were built on a semicircular range of rooky hills, which ended in perpendicular cliffs of various heights on the seashore. Wherever nature failed, the weak places were strength- ened by the help of earthworks or masonry. On the southern and south-eastern sides, the sand has penetrated the city by means of lireaches in the walls, and every day it covers the old fortifications more and more, both within and without. The ancient towns alone rise distinctly, like rocky islands, out of the sea of sand. The ruins ou the north are bordered by plantations of trees. They lie in such wild confusion that one might suppose that they were thrown down by an earthquake. There is no secure landing-place ; the strip of sand at the foot of the western wall is covered at high tide, when the waves beat against the cliffs. Still J. G. Kinnear, in 1841, found some remains of a mole, and this discovery is confirmed by Schick [the able Geiman archi- tect now at Jerusalem]." Thus writes Dr. Guthe, in the Journal of the German Pales- tine Exploration Society |]880), remarking further that, in a few generations, the ruins of Aslikelon will be buried under the drift- ing sand. It is partly the sand-hills, partly the singular fragmentariness of the ruins of Ashkelon, which gives such an air of desolation to the scene, though, where the deluge of sand has not invaded, the gardens and oiohards are luxuriant. Dr. W. M. Thomson, in the enlarged edition of ' The
Land and the Book' (London, 1881, p. ITS),
observes that "the walls and towen must have been blown to pieces by powder, for not even earthquakes could throw these gigantic masses of masonry into BOoh ex- traordinary attiiudes. No site in this coun- try hiis so deeply impressed my mind with sadness." With the remnant of their valley. " With " should rather be " even." « Their valley " means primarily the valley of A hkelon ; b it this was not different from the valley or low-lying plain (more commonly called the Shejelah) of the other Philistian towns ; and the whole phrase is an enigma- tical, poetic way of saying " the still sur- viving population of Philistia." But this addition certainly weakens the passage, and leaves the second half of the verse abnor- mally short. It is far better to violate the Massoretic tradition, and attach "the rem- nant," etc.. to the second verse-half But " their valley " is still a rather feeble expres- sion ; a proper name is what we look for to make this clause correspond to those whicli have gone before. The Septuagint reads differently, for it renders «o! t4 KoTi{\oiira 'EvaKel/ji. We know from Josh. xi. 22 that some of the Anakim were left " in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod ; " and in David's time the Philistines could still point to giants in their mid^t (1 Sam. xvii. 4 ; 2 Sam. xxi. 16—22), who, like the Anakim (Dent ii 20), are called in the Hebrew, Rephaim. It may be objected, indeed (as it is by Keil), that the Anakim would not be traceable so late as Jeremiah's time ; but Jeremiah was pre- sumably a learned man, and was as likely In call the Philistines Anakim, as an English poet to call his countrymen Britons. No one who has given special attention to the phenomena of the Hebrew text elsewhere can doubt that " their valley " is a corrup- tion ; the choice lies between the " Anakim " of the Sepluagint and the plausible correction of a Jewish sclioliir (A. Krochmal), "Ekron " How long wilt thou cut thyself 1 Shall thy lamentation never cease ? (comp. on oh. xvi. ti). The question is in appearance addressed to " tlie remnant " (personified as a woman), but in reality the judicial Pro- vidence who sends the calamity.
Ver. 6. —0 thou sword, etc ; rather, alas ! thou sword of the Lord. It is the mystic sword of which we have heard already (see on ch. xii. 10 ; xlvi. 10).
Ver. 7. — The seashore. Su Ezekiel speaks of " the remnant of the seashore " (zxv. I6X referring to Philistia.
HOMILETIOS.
Vera. 1 — 7, — 2%e judgment of the Philistines. I. A jddombht on thb AiroiEm ENEMIES or THE PEOPLE OF GoD. They have long ceased to be a power; now they
224 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET JEREMIAH, [oh. xlvii. 1— 7
shall cease to have any national existence. They are but a remnant ; even this is to be cut off. Gradually the spiritual foes ol' the Christian are reduced in power and number Old sins and old temptations are slowly subdued. Some linger on till the end of life. But all shall be overthrown, even the last enemy, death.
II. Ah ovebwhelmin^q judgment. It comes up like a flood ; i.e. it is swift, and it spreads far and wide. Such is a characteristic of Divine judgments. 1. They may be long delayed, but when they appear they rush down as a flood. 2. They penetrate to secret hiding-places and flow to the most remote quarters, reaching those who would fain separate themselves from their companions in sin when they are Ibrced to be also com- panions in suffering.
III. A DiSTBBSsmQ JUDGMENT. The Philistines suffer grief — they cry and howl ; these people are also smitten with the paralysis of fear — " the fathers shall not look back to their children for feebleness of hands " (ver. 3). Some troubles can be endured and lived down by fortitude, by patient Eubmisslon, or by the comforting resources of the inner life. But this is not possible with the judgments of Heaven. They are too terrific to be calmly endured. The inner sources of consolation are withheld. The soul is punished as well as the body. There is the bitterest drop in the cup of anguish. The soul will be tortured with shame, with remorse, with horror. That is helL