Professional Documents
Culture Documents
%\
S^'
'
^..'
'
'',
THE BOOK
THE TWELVE
-^
"^
''
MINOR PROPHETS,
TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL HEBREW.
A COMMENTARY,
CEITICAL, PHILOLOGICAL,
AND EXEGETICAL.
BY E.
HENDERSON,
D.D.
WARREN
BOSTON: GOULD & LINCOLN.
F.
DRAPER.
& HOUGHTON.
BLAKCHAED
1866.
BY W.
F.
DRAPER,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the District of Massacausetts.
BLKOTROTTPED
BY W.
r.
A VH
PRIKTID
PUBLISHEE'S NOTE.
The
increasing
demand
it
The
^
Mr. Draper:
sulting
\ I
Sir,
Dear
me
my Commentary on
desire,
Tlie
Minor Prophets,
no hesitation
letter
in granting
4,
on the
of
I
November
1856.
Sir,
remain, dear
Yours
truly,
E.
HENDERSOIT, D. D.
MoRTLAKE,
P. S.
list
my
husband's
S.
memoranda.
H.
to
been made
This,
the present
We have
his labors,
from
It
and passed
to his reward.
his useful his
seems
fitting that
and event-
accompany
volume, as a tribute to
those
who
and
labors,
have access
to the full
The
of the work.
his life
It
The
writer of
this,
not having
access
original
drawn
his
materials from
S.
the
" ISIemoir
of the Rev. E.
the
17th
day of November,
at
as the
residence of
First.
Anne
He was
Two
his
years at
us,
Dun-
days of
boyhood.^
initiated
some
trade.
But
happened
fill
him, as
it
has to
literary
others
whom
that
religious
and
First
spheres,
But
here he staid only long enough to gain such an insight into the craft
as
was afterwards of no
to
little
where recourse
He
as
an apprentice
to a boot-
Of
his
nothing
is
known.
Only
it
is
certain
his
that
stand."
Memoir,
p. 13.
'
VI
For
this
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
a spiritual preparation was needed.
Spirit,
grace
of the Holy
he received
in
the
deep
awakening that
took place in connection with the labors of Robert and James Ilaldane,
the
latter
of
whom
at
visited
Dunfermline
of Chalmers'
in
in
"
saw-pit
the top
Street,
in
Woodhead
Street,
are
remembered
out-tloor
Many
Sunday
'
Schools
were
established,
flourished.
Of
in
the
six
that are recorded aa having been in a prosperous state within the parishes
of Dunfermline as early as
there
was one
which wt-re
enrolled the
nounced Cousin),
the
and
palm
for
diligence
This
little
pursuits of a scholar.
religion
is
The
precise
time of his
is
first
open profession of
this
not known.
But there
The
needful preparation for future duty was freely granted him in the Sem-
still
supported,
The
But
course of instruction
this
home
and foreign
" Dr.
a prolonged collegiate
Henderson always urged the importance of course; and doubtless felt that had his own pre2
to
which
may be
added, that
it
self-training,
continued after he
the
himself for the work of a translator of the holy Scriptures, and a com-
1803
the
The
fifth
in order of institution
was
at
joined.
We
surviving
of a
was
that time
"more
a theologian
his
more given
to
literature
than to divinity."
No
drawn by
mind.
To him
the
memoir justly
applies the
p. 17.
2 r. 23.
OFTHEAUTHOR.
seize the leading features of
VH
if
strong,
distin-
mind
he was a
man
We
find
him
in
the
summer
lie
recess
of 1804
appointed to
visit
the
Orkney
Islands,
which
that
off the
remarkable
of northern
missions
to
to
his
own
original
intentions,
life
he was called
to the foreign
in
the following
way:
Paterson, pastor
of a
church at Cambuslang, and the Rev. Archibald McLaey, pastor at Kircaldy, having
in Edin-
burgh
to
to
Edinburgh
Their
desti-
his
family detained at home, Mr. Paterson's friends urged him to select from
among
man
As he surveyed
is
the assembled class, he said of Mr. Henderson, then but twenty-one years
whom
the
life-
man
to
for
me."
missionaries a
long friendship.
As soon
by
as
his willingness
embark
were
elect
at
1805.
Here
perfectly in
place
service,
it,
When
originally
and
had no
station or sphere
liance
on
his
in
my
native
among
me me
to
accompany him
was
'^
to give
my
Memoir,
p. 25.
P. 37.
VIII
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
be
said, for the
encouragement of
all
And God
all
who
but
northern Europe.
The
ruled.
directors
of the
East India
they
carrying on their good work without molestation, but with no open sanction
directors.
openly sought for themselves and others, and were decidedly refused,
and
The
British
possessions,"
says
the
ships in
which
such
men
effect a landing,
tricts,
some neighboring
dis-
They accordingly
to
Copenhagen,
In
the
Serampore.
to
sail
One
vessel
only was
offered to
season,
They
go in
around them a
of the
field
yet
ignorant
in
commenced a
their arrival.
service
the
entitled "
culation.
forthwith
set
it
in
active cir-
hoping
to
spring to embark for Serampore, they earnestly urged upon their friends
at
home
when
present occupied, and urging that they should consent to remain in their
present position.
They complied
their
any planning of
Henderson going
The two
in
to Elsineur.
1
Memoir,
p. 41.
OFTHEAUTHOR.
At Elsineur he gave
lessons, in private families
IX
classes, in the
and
English
As
the
sphere of his vision widened, he turned his thoughts towards Sweden, and
he and
tlie
his
companion determined
concerning
Denmark.
Mr. Hen-
derson repaired to Helsingburgh In the southern part of Sweden, with a supply of religious publications.
Next, he and
his
colleague journeyed
in the
hands of such
were
likely to translate in
them
Into Swedish.
an exploring tour
Belt, they
Denmark.
advanced
as far as the
this
Moravian settlement
at Christlansfeld, in
Schleswig.
In one respect
bringing them personally Into connection with the British and Foreign Bible
Society,
and
Learning that
the Fiinen Evangelical Society was purposing to print two thousand copies
of the
New
Testament
they ventured to suggest that five thousand instead of two thousand should
The Danes
not having
assistance should
London.
The two
who agreed
in 1807
and
tracts.
1808, the
and
head of the Gulf of Bothnia, they entered Finland, and, turning around
till
Russian army compelled them to a hasty retreat back around the head of
the same gulf.
stations, after
many
parishes
the wealthy
was,
and middle
During
in
X
along with
his
BIOGRAPHICALSKETCH
missionary labors, busily prosecuting his studies in
Hebrew and
already seen
We have
how he
the
first became interested in the enterprise for furnishing Iceland with word of God. Of the five thousand copies of the Icelandic New Testament that had been printed, as noticed above, fifteen hundred had been
The remaining
shipment.
interrupted.
But
at last, in 1810,
it
seemed
possible to
resume
it.
The
visit
Iceland
This
ocoagioned a preliminary
of iBlO
to
among
He
at
Gottenburgh.
was early
in the
some Edinburgh
friend,
when
in
Scotland during the pr^ious summer, that Mr. Henderson's earliest literary
first fruits
'
of his
German
viz.,
a transas
The
rules laid
down by Roos
to
and thus
this initial
work seems
have exerted
But
to start for
became necessary,
to expedite the
work,
into
Denmark
referred
The Chancery,
some
nection with the printing that remained to be done, as well as heavy expenses
arising from the depreciation of the
war
"
prices charged
upon every
article of food.
The two
years which were thus spent by him in the Danish capital, would
facilities in
'
The
translation of
The Warning
and
The End
of
Time
'
into Icelandic,
'
In preparation for
Memoir,
p. 84.
OFTHEAUTHOR.
his
XI
history of Iceland."
So the memoir
dated Dec.
and
in addition to this,
it
"
1812,
"who
Hebrew
chapter with
other.
me
I begin to
speak a
little
Having received a
when on a
March
1814, that
when
began
Aboi^.t
we
find that he
He
speaks
of
it
as "
Hebrew, and
says, " will
^
there being so
in
it."
"
The Grammar," he
be an easy
task.
words
will
be the principal
difficulty."
An
mark.
favorable auspices, one of the rooms of the episcopal palace being offered
for the purpose,
eminence.
Soon
Denmark's
needfor
ful preparations
having been at
last
The
memoir, "had been subdivided, and the several packages forwarded dm-ing
the spring to seven of the principal Icelandic ports,
an
arrangement
their trans-
difficulty that
The
away with
the restrictions
and
risks incident to
war
patriotic Hb-
and was well received by Bishop Vidalin, by his step-son, Sysselmand Thorgrimson, by Mr. Knudsen the Danish merchant, and several men of note in
the Icelandic metropolis.
^ is
so copious,
to the public,
Suffice
hun-
Memoir,
p. 117.
p. 132. p. 137.
In two
vols. 8vo.
1818.
2 P. 118.
XII
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
eflicient
dred miles, ascertaining the spiritual condition of the people, and everywhere
making
arrangements
word of God.
effort
was needed
which a
all its
by
the
pen of a
common
peasant
possession
;
had
become a disputed
One copy in an island two in a parish twelve among two hundred people six among two hundred and fifty a clergjmau
point.
;
seeking for seventeen long years to possess a copy of his own, and hitherto
peasants
who had
amount of five-and-twenty
shillings for
a copy
such
were traced
were found
to
little
The general
intelligence
In a par-
hundred, where
all
had been
books." ^
Book of
In
tlje
were taken
at
Reykiavik which
exists,
Having
finished his
Copenha-
1815.
land
is
and water
There we
up and
and rushing
floods,
in the
and calm
self-
Memoir,
p. 155.
OF THE AUTHOR.
condemnation of a
risk
spirit
XHl
life to
needless
and
sacrifice.
* * * Yet
to witness
travel
had dared
to observe so closely."^
It should
thus enabled freely to converse with all classes of the native population, from
the learned clergy
joyfully
and gentry
to the illiterate
his
"
Thus
laity, in
He
was most kindly and hospitably entertained, often accompanied part of the
way by
those
who had
marks of the
liveliest gratitude
and
to
Christian affection,
evince to one
them from a
mes-
to millions,
and would
in time to
come prove
to
solid consolation."
'^
From
his return to
Copenhagen
in
September 1815,
to
October of the
fol-
Denmark and
of
rest,
being, as he expressed
" constantly
his
on the wing."
A letter written to
and of
his
his plans,
:
He
says
What
my
plans
imagined
my
had spent
passage on
for
all
it.'
my
bespoke
my
my
at
me
saying,
This
is
my
fore me.
of
my
destination.
On
Sabbath
last,
after preaching
my
first
sermon on
p. 105.
XIV
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
London, one
five,
days
old,
my
St. Petersburgli,
the Lord."i
Of
your
London
"
Had
rcciuost,
I not come to the determination instantly to comply with how could I have borne the cutting reflection, Demas hath
'
'
"
we
find
him
where
his
initiated
for a
1817.
his
line of things
made ready
to
"
The
task
It consisted in
and
were already
in stock; in trans-
mitting copies,
when
and
translatoi-s
had
to
be con-
paper,
tj'pes,
to
be cared
for
the depot to be
How
efficient
this period,
8,
may be
Inferred
from the
fact, that in
Petersburgh, June
1817, Dr.
Hen-
derson states that from the establishment of the society, to the present time,
its
in publishing,
no fewer than
fortjj-Oirec editions
forming a grand
Much
warm patronage
Emperor Alexander
An
He
visit to St.
Petersburgh deserves a
spirit.
received in January 1817 a very urgent and unexpected call to join the
by
the
London Missionary
set apart a
Society to the
for solemn self-
town of Irkutsk,
in Siberia.
Immediately he
day
his duty.
The record he
was a decision
has
left
of Christianity had
to
penetrated.
1
go on
Memoir,
2 p. 205.
8 P. 208.
4 P. 219.
OFTHEAUTHOR.
visit to
XV
native country.
this
determination formed
efforts of
him
in their
employment
and
this cost
him a
first.
and continued
in St.
ceived from Copenhagen a document, sealed with the triangle and the sevenstringed lyre of the Scandinavian Literary Society, nominating
its
him one of
corresponding members.
of Doctor in Philosophy.
at liberty to revisit his
in August, left
him
former labors, on
his route.
The
earliest
news
Henderson upon
his return to
England
was the
concluding part of his work on Iceland' and superintended the printing of the
same.
left
Denmark.
for,
In marriage to Miss
in
whom
he found a compan-
mind and congenial spirit, every way worthy of himself. The ensuing summer he spent In travelling for the Bible Society through
England and Scotland.
On Monday,
sail
from Leith, on
after
revisiting the
auxiliaries,
penhagen, then
Norway,
to St. Petersburgh,
and
finally take
up
his
abode at Astrachan, on the Caspian Sea, where rooms were already assigned
him
his
He was now
and
to
human
now he had to learn once more that God's ways To him It happened, as It has to many other eminent
full tide
God saw
SVI
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
AMien, in carrjiug out the plan above sketched, the
time had arrived for his long-planned journey to Norway, he started from
Gottenburgh on
that
its
this
if it
But he had
From dangers
of a frightful shape."
little
vehicle
traveller's shoulder
and
to
Unable
bear the motion of a carriage, he was conveyed to the river near by, and
taken back along the Gotha Elf.
their
power of
left
flexion
and
rotation,
occasioned
no time
for the
journey to Norway.
St.
The
months
all
of which would
to enter
made
it
respite
from
Russian capi-
It
was not
till
March 1821
Leaving
;
arrange to start with Mr. SeroiF, one of the committee, on their projected
visit
of exploration.
to
St.
and Tver,
Moscow
thence,
;
Pultawa, the
field
thence, by Tchernigov
and Kiev,
Crimean
to Odessa,
trip,
on
made an
eight days'
spending
modern
Sevatftopol.
eastward
to
with an ague which clung to him with pertinacity during of his journey.
Dr. Henderson's furniture and library were awaiting his permanent residence.
Starting again from Astrachan, on the
first
of October, on
;
tlielr
way
but,
when
they had
dilTer-
advanced
was brouglit
to a close
by a
ence of opinion between tliem and the Bible Society, which resulted
tendering their resignation as
its
in their
accredited agents.
Memoir,
p. 239.
OF THE AUTHOR.
Bey's Turkish versiou of the
XVII
which the two friends
New
Testament,
-with
were
dissatisfied
on grounds the
validity of
at least in a practical
ing the Caucasus, and ordering the goods which had arrived at Astrachan to
St.
To
this
It
Dr.
last three
was
The
plot,
ecclesiastics,
whom
the
To
trace
history of this
How
successful
it
was
in the end,
we
know.
;
agents
prospect of any enlargement in the future, that, in the spring of 1825, Dr.
No time was
lost in
were
safely
little
longer, but he
at least
Russian subjects.
" It only remains to be hoped," adds the memoir, " that the day
may come
when
the second
Alexander
shall
Russia's highest
burgh, the Ethiopic was the language to which Dr. Henderson particularly
devoted himself.
"
of
lic
Among
his papers,
is
a neatly-executed collation
St.
Imperial Library.
Polyglott,
its
London
be
noted down in
order."
But he did not content himself with being simply a student of God's word,
and an agent
Turning
for
its
distribution.
He
it
also.
Memoir, pp.
299, 300.
P. 276.
XVIII
BIOGKAPHICAL SKETCH
flag,
on the Monday's
boat.
The
interest
which he thus
ished after his return to his native land, and he was often employed ip advocating their cause on the platform or from the pulpit.
close.
We
in
October 1826,
left
the Missionary College at Hoxton, which was under the supervision of the
Directors of the
London Missionary
Societj'.
On
the recommendation of
was invited
to take provisional
charge of the
Here
he so approved himself
was
sponsible situation.
pending, he says
Though
me
to be in
directed, I do feel
mere
stripling like
" Surely,
my
dear
sir,
which
and that
during the
my
completely occupied with business of an altogether desultory kind, as to preclude the possibility of
theolog)'."
^
my
giving
any attention
stated
by him was
felt its
it.
in .itself weighty,
The
fact,
however, that he so
weight,
is
the best
in disregarding
men who
making amends
the
for
deficient
by the
diligent
improvement of
all
means
at their
But,
which he gave
Memoir, pp.
307, 308.
OF THE AUTHOR.
<
XIX
close attention,
to
fit
tious discharge of
by
their deputation,
and induced
spirit,
his consent.
He brought
and
forci-
to his
ence.
Hence he was
First of
and weight
to the
maxims
that he
aU he sought
"
to elevate the
standard of piety
among
is
The
it
of so unearthly a nature,
are influenced
fail
by motives
drawn from
of becoming efficient
that
you go
is
to the heathen.
Whatever of
this description
attention,
merely subordi-
You go
;
To
this
to this everything
must be
laid
under contribution.
* * *
And
or prosecute
it
and your
? "
While thus
heart,
giving, as
he assiduously strove
acquirements.
The
to
a teacher
As a
carefully
It
was rather
application
that
distinguished him.
by genius
is
meant
the
my
friend.
He
never indulged
much
if
in illustration,
and
his illustrations
'
genius.
But
if,
my
to
honored friend
mighty
man who
was he a man
;
spend
his
hours
without a plan.
faithfi;
Uy divided and
in each division he to
had
his self-appointed
which he devoted
and
careful investigation.
It its
* * *
He
excelled in
relative value.
His discrimifree
He was whoUy
from
Memoir,
p. 319.
XXII
the date of
his hand,
tliis
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
rc-issue.
Abbott's "
revision at
At a
later period,
to
close,
he superintended
the republication of five works from the pen of the Rev. Albert Barnes,
prefixing prefaces of his
own
to
two of them,
viz.,
The
Book
The AVay
we come
appeared
It
to his in the
Commentaries.
The
first
now
fiftj'-six
years of age.
was the
formed the
and he
it.
was needed
far
in the
way of
elucidating
Lowth
from
satisfactory,
and abounding
in
many needless and conjectural emendations of the text. The modern German commentaries were all more or less tainted with neology and the com;
this
stated
been occupied
This commentary,
he terms, "
critical, philological,
and
exegetical."
In
the
first
the sacred text, and having recourse to the cognate tongues only as a supple-
mentary
aid.
it is
his
aim
first
uttered,
and under a
the
The same general characteristics belong to "Minor Prophets," which appeared next
is
commentary on
year 1845.
in order, in the
This
and elaborate of
from
all his
works.
In the wonderful
diversity of style
is
so clearly distinguished
the rest,
a
its
full
Dr.
1
of ex-
which
it
did not
fail to
It is stated
OF THE AUTHOR.
by the biographer
that the popularity of this
XXIH
the students of the
work among
'
sacred text " has been fully as great as was that of his
Isaiah,'
among the
This
is
but
still
more
to the paucity of
Prophets, that unite rich and varied learning with the pure evangehcal spirit
It
was
his
commentaries on Jere-
the former
These
The Commentary on Jeremiah contained, as it required, a proportionnumber of notes than had been needful in the preceding volumes. But the notes which it did thus contain have been deemed by no
ately smaller
means
inferior to those of
* * * The
Of
The
life's
it
its
full illustration it
commentary on
life
this
book
is
ascribed in the
fulness of
was diminishing." *
it
It
matter which
contains
is
of an inferior quality.
mainly of
his
some
To
materials furnished
by the biography,
it
may be proper
on Dr.
Henderson
an expounder of prophecy.
In perusing
commentaries, not
and delineations
to specific events.
This
for-
transitions
backwards and
would have
of the plan
harmony with
that
we know
Memoir,
p. 417.
The present
is
a reprint from the English edition, with the exception With the exception of the
Ethiopic, the quotations from the cognate languages with which the
commentary abounds, from the Greek and Latin, have been corrected by a comparison with the
433, 434.
original sources.
2
Memoir, pp.
3 r. 454.
XXIV
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
in Isa.
passages in wliich the near and more remote future are manifestly blended.
For example,
hand
;
is
undeniably
to
judgments near at
and
In
that daij.
Dr.
Henderson,
2,
in his that,
remarking
this
6)
felicity
words
Is
!S?r;ri
ci'a,
is
or after
tliat
period.
The
prep.
express what
it
is
In prophetic
vis-
ion, the
two
states of adversity
so closely connected,
The meaning
to
of
be that the
two
states of prosperity
because he does not discern the wide interval of time which actually separates them.
Would
it
sees the
two
states of prosperity
and adversity
are thus connected in their inmost nature, being both parts of one indivisible
whole,
viz.,
which should
Jews
be
is
their
make
it
necessary
its
perfect accomplishment
Itself all
previous deliverances and enlargements from the prophet's day onward, even as the perfect day includes in itself the morning dawn which ushers it in, and
is
a part of
it
?
:
To
the coming
But
for limiting
its
Jews
in their
own
land,
and the
Rsinri
CV3'
OF TPIE AUTHOR.
and
sacrificial institutes in the
XXV
good warrant.
part, of the "
The
of the city and temple after the captivity, were only a part, and a very small
good things
to
come
"
forth.
Its
onward, and
it
will
God
shall
make good
ors,
"
thou
afiiicted, tossed
behold I
will lay
fair col-
And
I will
make
thy windows
And
all
and great
shall
be the
Then
shall the
name
God
fullest sense
The Lord
there."
on Dr. Henderto
which we should
offer
At
and
Isaiah 54:
1113.
GENERAL PEEFACE.
Prophets are first mentioned as the Twelve by Jesus the Son Under this designation, they also occur in the Talmudic tract, entitled Baba Bathra;" and Jerome specifies, as the eighth in the second division of the sacred books of the Jews, The Book of the Twelve Prophets, which, he says, they call Thereasar} Melito, who la the first of the Greek
]\Iinor
The
of Sirach.^
left,us
ings at a
still
martyr Stephen to the Book of the Prophets,^ when quoting Amos v. 27. The same style is employed by the Rabbins, who call Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Twelve, the Four Latter Prophets. They are also spoken of as one book by Gregory Nazianzen, in his poem, setting forth the component
parts of the sacred volume.'
At what
time,
with certainty.
and by whom they were collected, cannot be determined According to Jewish tradition, the collection of the sacred
is attributed to the men of the Great Synagogue, a body of learned Scribes, said to have been formed by Ezra, and continuing in exist-
books generally
ence
till
the time of
Simon the
Just,
who flourished
before Christ,
by adding to those books which had already obtained a place in the canon, such as had been written in, or near his own times.^ If this actually was the case, it cannot be doubted that he must have availed himself of the authority of INIalachi in determining what books were really entitled to this distinction and this Prophet, who was the last in the series of inspired writers under the ancient dispensation, may thus be considered to have given to the canon the
;
to. offra
ava^dXoi
e/c
' *
^
""
Twv
^~ii
or, as it is
SciSeKO, iv ixovofii^Kua.
tuv
irpo(pT]Twy,
Acts
vii. 42.
'
Miau n4v
'ncrije
elarii/
is ypa(p^p ol
AdSeKa'
'A/^d)S,
'A$$aKOVK re Kal 'S.ocpovlas, 'Ayycuos, eha Zaxapaias, Ma\axias, Mia fieu olSe. Cannen xxx. iii. * Kal ois KaTa$a\X<iij.evos $t0\a)briKr]u, iiricrvvTtyaye to irepl rwv $a(n\4coi/ Kal irpocpTjTaiy, Kal Ta tov Aavl5, Kal eVtcTToAay ^aat\4wv irepl avabmaruv. 2 Mace. ii. 13.
tiaovfj. T,
XXVIII
GENERAL TREFACE.
"Within a century and a half afterwards, they were translated into Greek, along with the rest of the sacred books, and
have ever since obtained an undisputed place among the oracles of God. To those twelve prophetical books the epithet " Minor" has been applied, simply on the ground of their size, compared with those which precede them,
and not with any view of detracting from tlicir value, or of representing them as in any respect inferior in point of authority. The books are not arranged in the same order in the Hebrew and Septuaglnt texts, and in neither is the chronology exactly observed, as may be seen from the following table, in which the mean time is assumed as the basis of
the calculation
GENERAL PREFACE.
we want
the historical
XXIX
j^et
respecting the persons or things which are presented to view in the text,
commentary which wouUl elucidate and give point to The accounts contained in the books of Kings and its various particulars. Chronicles are frequently too brief to furnish us with a key to many of the prophecies which were fulfilled during the period which they embrace while the pages of profane history only slightly touch, if they touch at all, upon events which the scope and bearing of the predictions determine to periods within the range of subjects professedly treated of by its authors. Against none of these prophets has the charge of obscurity been brought
;
with greater appearance of justice than against Hosea, whose prophecies are
obviously, for the most part,
Besides a profusion of
little
many
book a conciseness of expression, an abruptness of transition, a paucity of connecting particles, and changes in person, number, and gender, to which nothing equal occurs in any of the
dictates of occidental taste,
we
find in his
other prophets.
ties
;
The
arise,
but these
remarkably simple
in
its
character, but from the symbols which represent certain historical scenes
events.
and
Isaiah,
Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel, having also lived in it. It is unquestionably It embraces the inti-oducthe most eventful in the history of the Hebrews.
tion of image-worship,
evils,
and
;
its
attendant
among
the Israelites
and
civil
kingdom to its centre the corruptions of the Jewish state in consequence of its adoption of the idolatrous practices of the northern tribes the Assyrian and Egyptian alliances the irruption of the Syrian, Assyrian, and Chaldean armies into Palestine the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities
their
;
; ;
and
own land
and the
state of affairs at
Nehemiah.
aspects, a
Upon
more or
all
predictions,
pointed and important bearing. Events subsequent such form the subjects of prophetic announcement
as the progress of
Maccabees the
; ;
the de-
and the universal establishment of true religion throughout the world. Intermingled with these topics, and giving to each a significance and interest which it could not otherwise have possessed, are some of the clearest and most illustrious predictions respecting the Messiah, in his divine and human, his sacerdotal and suffering, and his regal and allconquering character that are to be found in the Old Testament.
restoration of the
;
Jews
^XX
It
is
GENERAL TREFACE.
impossible seriously to peruse this collection of proplietical writings
Eye
to
which
all
most minute of their attendant circumstances, are present; the Omnipotent Arm, which, in the most difficult cases, secures the accomplishment of the
Governor the deep depravity of the human heart the multilbnn phases of moral evil and the just retributions which befall mankind in the present state of existence. These, and numerous subjects of a kindred natdre, furnish abundance of
Divine purposes
;
of the universe, and the special Friend and Protector of his people
;
matter " profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction
righteousness," which, while
it
in
is
able to
is
through
faith
which
is
in Christ Jesus,"
make "men
man
iii.
good works."
Tim.
1517.
The
ent work are the same by which he was guided in composing his
Commentary
view of
on the Prophet
his readers the
Isaiah.
It has
been
his great
aim
to present to the
mind of
With the view of determining this, he has laid under contribumeans within his reach, in order to ascertain the original state of the Hebrew text, and the true and unsophisticated meaning of that text. He has constantly had recourse to the collection of various readings made by Kennicott and De Rossi he has compared the renderings of the LXX., the Targum, the Syriac, the Arabic, the Vulgate, and other ancient versions he has availed himself of the results of modern philological research; and has
inspiration. tion all the
; :
conducted the whole under the influence of a disjjosition to place himself in the times of the sacred writers surrounded by the scenery which they
and impressed by the different associations, both of a political and a spiritual character, which they embody. In all his investigations he has endeavored to cherish a deep conviction of the inspired authority of the books which it has been his object to illustrate, and of the heavy responsibility which
exliibit,
attaches to
all who undertake the interpretation of the oracles of God. In no instance has the theory of a double sense been permitted to exert
its
The Author
is
more
theory
is
more
will
be found that.it
and
ridicule of unbelievers,
Hap-
number
of those
who adhere
;
to the multiform
method of interpreta-
and there cannot be a doubt, that, in proportion come to be more severelv studied, and perversions of the word of God, hereditarily kept up under tiie specious garb of spirituality and a more profound understanding ot Scripture, are discovered and exjiosed, the necessity of abandoning such slippery and untenable ground will be recognized, and the plain, simple, grammatical and natural species of interpretation, adopted and followed.
rapidly diminishing
as the principles of sacred hermeneutics
CONTENTS.
PAGE
HOSEA
JOEL
87
123
AMOS
OBADIAH
.183
196
JONAH
MICAH
216
264 285 320
NAHUM
HABAKKTJK
ZEPHANIAH
HAGGAI
ZECHARIAH
340
354 440
MALACHI
HO SEA.
PREFACE.
Respecting
stated in the
is
is
title,
as
is
now
died
about the year b. c. 784, and Hezekiah began to reign about b. c. 728, it would appear from the same verse that the period of his ministry must have embraced, at the very least, fifty-six years. To some this has seemed incredible,
chiefly
his
It
prophecies are comprised within the compass of must be remembered, however, that the prophets
were not uninterruptedly occupied with the delivery of oracular matter. Sometimes considerable intervals elapsed between their communications, although there can be no doubt that, having once been caUed to the office of
public teachers, they devoted
much of
people among
is no reason for believing he ever uttered. They constitute only such portions of his inspired communications respecting the Israelites, as the
whom
they lived.
Besides, there
all that
Holy
Spirit
saw
fit
writin;:s
Hosea was contemporary with Isaiah, Mcah, and Amos, and, like the lastmentioned prophet, directed his prophecies chiefly against the kingdom of the
ten tribes.
From the general tenor of his book, and from the history of the times contained in the Books of Kings, he manifestly lived in a very corrupt a^e. Idolatry, a fondness for foreign alliances, civil distractions, and vice of every description abounded, the impending judgments on account of which he was
commissioned
to
announce.
occasionally mentions Judah, yet the entire scene is laid in the land of Israel, where, there can be little doubt, he lived and taught.
Though he
With the exception of the first and third chapters, which are in prose, the book is rhythmical, and abounds in highly figurative and metaphorical language. The diction Is exceedingly concise and laconic so much so, that Jerome justly describes him as " commaticus et quasi per sententias loquens." The sentences are in general brief and unconnected the unexpected change of person is of frequent occurrence number and gender are often neglected and the similes and metaphors are frequently so intermixed, that no small degree of at; ;
tention
is
more scanty
not a
required in order to discover their exact bearing and force. He is in his use of the particles than the other prophets, which adda
little to the difliculty of interpreting his prophecies. In many instances highly animated, energetic, and sublime. Of all the prophets he is, in point of language, the most obscure and hard to be understood.
he
is
CHAPTER
;
I.
This chapter contains the inscription, ver. 1 a representation of the idolatrous kingdom of Israel under the image of a female, whom the prophet was ordered to marry, but who should prove false to him, 2, 3; and of the punishment with which it was to be visited, by the symbolical names of the prophet's children, together with a distinct intimation that the kingdom of Judah should not be involved in the same destruction, 4-8. It concludes with a gracious promise of the joint restoration of all the tribes, and their flourishing condition in the laud of their fathers, subsequent to the Babylonish captivity.
The
M'ord of Jehovah which was communicated to Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah ; and in the days of Jeroboam, the son of Joash,
The
Jehovah said
The kings
specified in the inscription to the prophecies of Isaiah, ^^ith the addition of Jero-
merely refer to the commencement of the For the use of the prophecies of Hosea. preposition 2 in such connection, see
Numb.
The
xii. 2';
eV irpocpTirats,
2 Sam. Heb. i. 1.
xxiii. 2.
Comp.
and
transaction
here
iii.
described,
1,
his
northern neighbors, and recovered out of their hands the territories of -which they bad taken ^wssession; but though thus signally prospered, as an instrument in
tlie
character,
in Israel.
See 2 Kings xiv. 23-28. icord, is meant the prophetic matter contained in the book. Thus the
By
Tar"-. r:s523
nsrs.
mti
is
commonly
rendered " came" in such connection, but it seems preferable to retain its usual signification, only adding another verb, as communiratcd, impnrtcil, or such like, to
Buit the English idiom.
clogged with almost insuperable difficulties and, as may be expected, have given rise to very different modes of intcq^rctation. By most commentators, the things specified are considered to have actually taken place in the outward histor}- of the prophet. Others, as Abarbancl, Kimchi, Maimonidca, Ruffinus, Q-lcolampadius, Marckius, Pocockc, and recently Hengstenbcrg, regard the whole in the light of internal prophetic vision wliile Calvin, Luther, Osiander, llivetus, Danajus,
are
; ;
Rosenmiiller, Ilitzig,
in
and
others, treat it
to
him-
equivalent to -iDn and is rendered as a noun in the LXX., Targ., and Syr. It occurs in the absolute form Jer. v. 13, w'ith a similar reference 12
2.
-12-; is
T,
to inspired matter. to
show from the words nin"; -iS-n r?P.ri jrr-.ra that Ilosea was the first of the
prophets employed to convey Jehovah's messages to his ancient people but contrary to the import of the words, which
;
minds of those whom he addressed with a sense of their wickedness, and the pimishment to which it exposed them. To the last of these opuiions it may justly be objected that the language, " And Jehovah said to Hosea, Go," etc.
to impress the
is
1,
XX. 2
^HAF
to
I.
HO SEA,
:
Hosea
from Jehovah.
Ezek.
iv.
V. xii.
other passages,
violence
be
understood
paraboHcally.
Not the sUghtest hint is given, in the present case, that th^ circumstances are
fictitious.
Besides,
is
it
that there
same
with equal
spoken of as lewd as well as their mother. Secondly, on the supposition that Gomer had been guilty of acts of impurity previous to her connection with the prophet, there would be no congruity in constitutiiag her a type of Israel, Avho is represented as lewd because she had lapsed into idolatry, in violation of the marriage contract entered mto at Sinai. See Gesen. Lex. p. 306, 2. Consistency of
absolutely requires the adoption of this view of the subject, as is admitted both by Hengstenberg and Hitinterpretation
zig.
the things described were merely exliibited internally to the mind of the prophet.
doubtless in-
The
no intimation that what follows was in vision, any more than in the instances above quoted. On
but there
is
against the
Besides being
the contrary, it is set forth as real matter of fact. When internal scenic representations were granted, the verbs riTn or
ns"!, to see, are always
employed to de-
and natm-al, it has much to recommend it on the gi-ound of the pubHc notoriety which uifidelity on the part of the wife of a prophet must have created, and its aptness to typify
the most obvious
viewed them, which is not the case here. See Is. vi. Jer. xxiv. 1 Ezek. ii. 9
;
;
Zech. i. 8, ii. iii. etc. Comp. also 3 the phi-aseology of the Apocalypse. are, therefore, shut up to the literal interpretation, according to which the
iii.
;
We
transactions,
real>
the conduct of the Israelites towards Jehovah. It may indeed be said, that his marryuig a notoriously lewd character must have produced a much greater sensation. True, but besides the encouragement which it must have been calculated to give to the fonnation of im-
hallowed and
irreligious connections, it
Those, however, who adopt this view, are not agreed on the subject of the som&being of opinion females specified that only one is intended in both passages others, two ; some, that Gomer was not a lewd character before the prophet took her, but became such afterwards others, that she was originally imchaste some, as Thomas Aquinas, that he did not marry her at all, but merely lived with her as a concubine ! Lyra and Newcome think that nothing more is meant by " a wife of lewdness," than an Israehtess one of those who had become guilty of
:
was just observed, have been in accordance with the design of the
not, as
woidd
which was, not to represent the chai-acter of the Hebrews before the period of their national reception into alliance vnth Jehovah, but their conduct as exhibited in the pages of their subsequent history. The phrases D";iiT nt'S*,
transaction,
spiritual
fornication
or
idolatry.
The
Ci'i" *'",'? 11 a lewd woman and lewd chilhave the same import, and are not to be interpreted as if the mother alone were guilty, and the children merely the Comp. product of her guilty conduct. the phrase yrs "'7.^1, children of transThus as to gression, i. e. transgressors.
dren,
position that
Hosea was commanded to marry an impure female cannot be sustained, for two reasons. First, the chilscribed as
"j
ft
TI
fS O
dren were clearly those afterwards debom to the prophet, and are
11
^^
and
ness.
Thus
also Kosenmiiller.
Both
are
no S E A.
3
Chap.
I,
So he vrcnt and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblalm, and And Jehovah said \xnto for yet a little Avhile, and I Avill him, Call his name Jezreel avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will And it shall cause the kingdom of the house of Israel to cease.
come
bow
of Israel in
anticipative
as
to
the relation of
the
prophet, though typical of what had already taken place on the pait of the
ten tribes.
Viewed
as a
kingdom they
;
are represented as a
vidual subjects spoken of as her children. The plural C":"'r is emphatic, as n'^^T in -s C->:-!,'etc. Comp. Q-3:iT r:5n, chap. iv. That they are otherwise 12, and ii. 4. to be identified appears from the use of l-ij;, take, which properly apphes only to the female, but here governs both nomas,
as
the tribe of Issachar, on the brow of the central valley in the great plain of the same name, and the royal residence of Ahab and his successors. It was here Jehu exercised acts of the greatest cruelty,
2
Kings
These
acts
were
of the royal family, and the entire cessation of the IsracUtish state. It had
been annoimced to Jehu that his sons should occupy the throne till the fourth
generation, 2 Kings x. 30.
Two
of these
Jerome
obser\-es,
atrh
koivov.
The
reason of the sj-mbolic action is assigned the atrocious at the close of the verse conduct of the IsraeUtes in renouncijig the pure worsliip of Jehovah, and ad-
had passed away by the time Jeroboam being the of the prophet great grand-son. In the following genegenerations
accom-
Comp.
iv.
plLshment. Ey the " bow of Israel " is meant her military prowess, which was completely subdued by the Assv-rian
12.
for
V.^"'
its
^^'^
''^"^
P^*'
^y metonymy,
preix)sition -,
inhabitants.
The
has
here the force of a negative, which strongly expresses the state of separation which had taken place. 3. That the names Gomer and Dihlaim are to be taken spnbolically, as Ilengstenberg interjorets, does not appear.
army. The valley here mentioned, afterwards called Esdraclon, was famous for the battles fought there from the most It consists of the broad ancient times. elevated plain which stretches from the Jordan to the^Ieditcrranean, near Mount Cannel, and is well adapted to military Accordmgly, Dr. E. D. operations.
Clarke
cens,
obser^es,
is
fanciful, as is
Christian
who
takes pretty
much
of iV, to him, i. e. to Hosea, proves that the child was The word is not of spurious origin. wanting, indeed, in three of Kcnnicott's MSS., and one of De Rossi's, the Complut. edition of the
The use
Christian Frenchmen, Eg^^3tians, Persians, Druses, Turks, and Arabs, waniors out of ever)' nation which is under heaven, have pitched their tents upon the plains
LXX., the Itala, and but the omission in all probability origmatcd in an attempt to render the phraseology comformable to that of
the Arab.
;
of Esdraclon, and have beheld the viirious banners of their nations wet with the dews of Tabor and Ilermon." It was, therefore, natural that the Israelites should endeavor to make a stand against the Asspians in this valley but being
;
yerses 6
and
8.
i.
4, 5. Vs^nT"', Jezreel,
scatter,
c.
God
It
will
from
X.
i'-iT,
;
to scatter, flisperse, as
5<;i-t2)2.
overpowered by numbers were obliged to succimib to the enemy. Of this discomfiture, and the consequent dispersion of
the ten
trib(>s,
Zech.
Targ.
was
the
name
of the prophet's
name
of a city in
Chap.
I.
HO SEA.
she conceived again, and bare a daughter
;
And
name Lo-Ruhamah
for I will
mercy upon the house of Israel, but will utterly take them But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by Jehovah their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, nor by horses, nor by
away.
horsemen.
9
son.
And she weaned Lo-Ruhamah, and conceived, and bare a And He said. Call his name Lo-Amjii for ye are not my
;
10
11
Nevertheless the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which can neither be measured nor numbered ; and it shall be, that instead of its having been said to thena, Ye are not my people, it shall be said to them, Ye are the children of the living God. Then shall the children of Judah, and the childi-en of Israel, be
nV,
6, 7. TDsiip
Lo-Ruhamah,
i.
e.
unpitied.
N'aj
elsewhere signifies
to
forgive ; and were the verb preceded by the copulative n, it might be so rendered
only supplj-ing the negative tO? irom the preceding clause but as ';3, but, excludes such repetition, the phrase must
here,
;
i. e. not my peothe rejection of the ten tribes by Jehovah. Nothuig could have been better calculated to make an impression upon the minds of his countiy-
9.
15a? tiV,
Lo-Ammi,
LXX.
Syr.
\-fl-Lk).
Vulg.
men, than for the prophet thus to give to one child after another a name strongly significant of the disastrous circumstances to which they should be reduced. Instead of O ~h r!^_n^!~^jV(, / ivill not be yours, i. e.
God," Houbigant and Newcome would read C="nVs ^h, I am not your God but though the antithesis is common, it admits of an ellipsis, just as in Ezek. xvi. 8, there is an elhpsis of rvs^h. Comp. Ps. cxviii. 6. The MSS. and versions exhibit no variation.
:
eorum
reading snjj,
your
which
at first
is
dom
of Israel
stored, though,
Babylonish captivity, ver. 11. It was to be very different with the Jewish power. Though lik.e^vise attacked, and threatened with utter extinction by Sennacherib, they were mercifully delivered by a divine interposition, without all human aid. And though they were afterwards carried away to Babylon, their civil polity was
restored,
scattered
were to
Canaan
after the
10, 11.
case with
promise of the recovery of the descendants of the Israelites, along with those of their brethren the Jews, at the termination of the Babylonish captivity. Though entirely and for ever broken up as a distinct kingdom, yet, during the period of their residence in the regions of the East, whither they were to be transported, they should greatly multiply,
cious
the Israehtes.
and afterwards be
The mention liere made of the weaning of Lo-Ruhamah, seems designed rather to fill up the narrative, than to
8.
as members of the theocracy. The eleventh verse teaches the reunion of all the tribes, and their return under Zenibbabel to their own
ileges of adoption,
describe figuratively
any
distinct treat-
land.
That
this prince
ment of the
Israelites.
HO SEA.
12
Chap.
II.
gathered together, and tliey shall appoint for themselves one head, and shall come up out of the land. For great shall be the
Ammi aud
;
to
countrj'.
should again be sown in their o-wTi Comp. chap. ii. 22, 23; Jer.
xxxi. 27.
That of
soirini/ is
alone appropriate.
Il-
when
the
The principle on which part of ver. 10, and chap. ii. 23, are quoted, Kom. be. 25, 26, and 1 Pet. ii. 10, seems to be As God had taken that of analog}-. pity upon the ten tribes, who had become heathens, as it respects idolatrous and other practices, so he had pitied the Gentiles who had been in the same circumstances. "WTiat was said of the one class was equally descriptive of the other.
CHAPTER
Tlie prophet proceeds in
tliis
II,
ceding.
He
chapter to apply the symbolical relation described in the prereform their wicked conduct, 1,2; threatens them with a
which should be their repentance aud return to tlie service of Jeliovah, 3-15; aud promises a gracious restoration to Ms lavor, aud the enjoyment of
security
1&-23.
not
my
wife,
am I her husband That she may remove her lewdness from her face, And her adulteries from between her breasts.
1, 2.
The
indi\'idual
members of the
Israelitish state
are here
summoned
to
urge upon their nation the consideration of its wickedness in having departed from God. Of these the nation of the
which it introduces form a parenthesis and ^5r;i. which, though future, is to be rendered jxrtentiaUy t/uit she may remove connects with !iD''-i, contend ye. The ^
:
is,
as
was the cs, viother. Cocceius, Dathe, Kuinocl, and Riickcrt, render 'S, and interpret: Argue the point t/int, with your nation, and show her that in consequence of her wicked conduct all The relations between us have ceased.
ten
tril)cs
The
rcjK'tition of qa"*"!
:
ducite in Virgil
Ducite ab
trrbe
domum, mca
carmina,
ducite Daphnin."
By C"EnSs:i
adulteries, are
casual signification of
tlie
conjunction,
Tlic words
catiuns
Chap.
II.
HO SEA.
Lest I strip her naked, And set her as in tlie day when she was born, And make her as the desert,
And make her hke a dry land, And cause her to die Avith thirst. Upon her children I will have no
mercy,
For they are lewd children. Because their mother hath committed lewdness,
Their parent hath acted shamefully
For she
said
I will follow my lovers, my bread and my water, my flax, my oil and my wine.
countenance, and an immodest exposure of the breasts. Both forms are redupUcate, to express the enormity of the evil.
the
is
What
is
the
reckless
the Israclitish nation practised idolatry. The LXX. have read ^asw, " from my face " improperly in this connection, though a similar phrase occurs elsewhere. striking accumulation of synony3. mous denunciations for the purpose of describing the state of complete destitution to which the idolatrous Israelites would be reduced by the infliction of divine judgments. They should be placed in circumstances analogous to those in which they had originally been
;
Jemsh exegesis, '^ii'n, Gen. xlix. 26, used of male progenitors. The Targ. and Jarchi suppose teachers to be here meant but the tenn is merely a synonyme of DS. mother, in the preceding hemistich. Interpreters are not agreed respecting the rendering of n^^mn. In
;
tion;
seems
15,
more
Avhere
^3.
Comp.
also n'U^rj.,
intransitives.
in rrrVs, elongating the future, is expressive of a decided purpose, desire, or bent of mind
it is
The paragogic' n
my
in Egypt.
6.
Comp. Ezek.
For
xvi. 4
xxiii.
those
who
-i2-tn
comp.
Jer.
return for
Individuals n^ght expect that they would escape, and not be treated as the nation in its collective capacity; but Jehovah here declares, that he would treat them according to the demerits of their individual wickedness. For -^ra
4.
t:-:!i:T
lovers, which is here employed metaphorically to denote idols, is seldom used except in a bad sense. This interpretation,
which
is that of Joseph Kimchi and Abarbanel, is more iir keeping with the symbolical character of the prophecy, than that suggested by the Targ. yra
i.
2.
The
second'
noun
is,
}13S 1513^, which takes the word in the sense of idolaters, or idolatrous nations,
jectively.
5.
such as Assj-ria,
etc.
Comp.
as strictly
and '~h,
there-
fore, ver.
8, con-espond to each' other, the former mai'king the protasis, the latter the apodosis. The second -3 introduces parenthetically an illustration of the statement made at the begimiing of the verse. Iriin is the feminine par-
ticiple
of
nnn
to
conceive, he preqnant,
iii.
Comp.
'rj-n'n.
Song
4.
Accorduig to
17-19. The language indicates complete alienation of heart from Jehovah, the only giver of all good, and a blind confidence in, and devotion to the ser^dce of idols. The articles specified comprehend both the necessaries and the luxuries of ancient Hebrew life, "'rr, oil, is much in use among the Orientals, both in its simple
parallel,
Jer.
xliv.
HO SEA,
Therefore, behold
!
Chap.
II.
I will
xVnd will raise a wall, that she may not find her paths. And she shall eagerly pursue her lovei's, but she shall not overtake them
And
shall
seek them, but shall not find them she say I will go and return to my
:
first
husband,
better with
me
it was I that gave her and the new wine, and the oil And furnished her abundantly with silver and gold, Which they made into images of Baal Therefore I will take back my corn in its time. And my new wine in its season And I will recover my wool and my flax,
;
state,
compounded with other inis specially appUed as ointment to the body after bathing. Comp. Psalm xxiii. 5; Prov. xxi. 17. ""^" denotes here all kinds of artificial
and
as
gredients.
It
diink,
u\ttei:
reads 6
being iised in distinction from The Aldinc edition of the LXX. but the usual reading olfo^ yLov
,-
and the objects of their idolatrous attachment. 7. Convinced by bitter experience of the folly of idolatrj', the Israelites would renounce it, and return to the service of Jehovah. r.B~~\ is intensive, and expresses The Vau in the ardor of the piursuit. r,-iissi, marking the aiX)dosis, points out
tribes
is iravTo.
oaa ixoi ko^tikh, with which The word the Targ. and Syr. agree. occurs, Ps. cii. 10 Prov. iii. 8 and is evi; ;
npa
to
Arab ^iUw
Eth.
6.
ll^P
For
t;
',
to
make
drink, to water.
in r^r^
,
i the
LXX.
Arab, and
of the
the consequence or result of the failure a resolution to turn from idols to serve the living God. It might be rendered so t/iat, but not in order that, as Manger proposes, tj*, then, designates the period previous to the ajx)stasy of the ten tribes, when in reward for external obedience,
SjT. read
affix.
n^ but most
likely in order to
they enjoyed temporal blessings. Thus the Targ. i*nVE *ri^in t3 --V =1; 'i{5
8, 9.
1
produce uniformity
in the use
The metaphor here employed is borrowed from the condition of a traveller whoso progress is interrupted by a hedge thrown across his path, or who can no longer pass through the gap of an enclosure which used to be in his way and who is consequently reduced Turned out to straits and difficulties. of his accustomed course, he is bewil;
and
","'5
at the
and
-,::V,
and
6th.
Before
ri\nj
supply nrs.
By
Vy2, Baal, the prophet means "images of Baal," the singular being used collectively for the plural.
4,
Comp.
ch. viii.
where
dered,
7, 9.
and
strives
in vain
to extricate
;
lumsclf.
Comp. Job xix. 8 Lam. iii. m-ia, a laill, is pointed rr^^^S, in the editions of J. H. Michaelis, and Jahn, and this punctuation Ilengstcnberg at-
understood, to 2nT,
sup-
posing
The tempts, without success, to defend. wall means the cxtcnial hindrances wliich the captivity interposed bet^^ecn the ten
golden calves set up at Bethel and Diui to be meant but, as it does not appear that the name of Baal was ever applied to them, his inteqireSee chap. viii. 4 tation is groundless. wliich also clcaily proves that by vsv
the
; ;
Chap.
II.
HO SEA.
lovers,
10
11
And now I will expose her vileness before her And none shall deliver her out of my hand. And I will cause all her joy to cease
we are not
to understand the conse-
\iT3\
meaning
fruits of
and gold
to the ser-
vice of Baal, but the actual conversion of these precious metals into images of that
idol, or at least into
is, that instead of reaping the the earth, etc. as they expected at the usual season, they should be trod-
the Assyrian
to cover such as were made of wood. 2 Chron. xxiv. 7, to which Seeker appeals
in favor of the former meaning of the The phrase, is also to be so understood. rendering of Gesenius, "which they offered to Baal," is equally objectionable
den down, consumed, or taken away by army imder Shahnaneser. Jehovah vindicates Ms right to the various articles specified, because they had been bestowed by his providence calling them his, with obAious reference to ver. 5, in which Israel had called them hers. The land and all it contained were spe;
when
cially his.
Vs3
sacrificial
Targ.
fuit, expresses
Arab. tX,oJ
Uheratiis
sr;i_yuV inay rfS^s. Hengstenberg attempts to support the position that consecration is meant but his reasons are alThe very passage which together futile. he quotes as parallel (Ezek. x\-i. 17, 18,) is directly opposed to his exegesis of the phrase. Baal was perhaps the most ancient of all the gods worshipped in the East. He was, according to Dr. Miinter, the re;
the idea of rescuing or reThe V covering what was tmjustly held. in ms^'j denotes end or purpose, and is
its place so that there is no newith Houbigant, Dathe, Horsley, Newcome, Boothroyd, and others, to change it into , out of deference to the
quite in
cessity,
LXX.
10.
/xt]
KoKvirT^iv.
this place,
but
power in the eastern mythology, and had associated -with him Astarte, the female power, which was viewed as representmg the moon. Gesenius, however, is of opinion, that xmder these names the planets Jupiter and Yenus Avere worSee on Isaiah xvii. 8. From shipped. the frequency with which his name occmrs in
LXX. tV
aKoSfapa-'iav
Occuring in immediate
the
connection vdih.
preceding
r;^";?.,
ship of Baal appears to have been common among that people and from them, especially the Tyrians, it was borrowed
;
of obscenity, i. e. by metonomy, the results or consequences of idolatrous conduct, a complete destitution of all the
necessaries of
by the
of this idolatry in the time of the Judges, iii. 7; vi. 25; it see chap. ii. 11, 13 became prevalent even in Judah in the
Israelites.
is
;
Mention
made
Nah.
days of Ahaz and, though abolished by the pious king Josiah, was revived by Manasseh. In Israel it rapidly gained ground after the introduction of the worship of the golden calves by Jeroboam, and reached its height in the reigns of Ahab and Hosea, The verb nrr, to return, turn back, is frequently used adverbially.
;
Comp. Jer. xiii. 26 This exposvue was to be made in the very presence of the idols which Israel had served, none of which should be able to afford deliverance. By a prosopopoeia, the idols are first endowed with the faculty of vision, and then their
life.
iii.
5.
utter imbecility
t*-S,
is
not only signifies man, but any one, and is frequently used of inanimate objects. In connection with sV, it signifies
none.
So here
"pi-ij;';')
'z'Vii,
i. e.
I will again
deprive
of.
take
made
The 2
explain
the
ver.
10.
10
HO SEA,
Her
festivals,, her
Chap.
sabbaths,
II.
Ariel all
Of which she said They are "Which ray lovers have given
:
my
me
hire
I will turn
them
into a forest.
And
13 I will avenge upon her the days of the Baals, On which she burned incense to them
the festivities and seasons of religious obscn-ancc were to cease. The dilferent terms here employed are those by -which the seasons of Avorsliip, etc. appomted by Jehovah in the Mosaic law, are des-
To
cause
to
was considered
peculitu'ly acceptable
It
appears to
ignated
but
it is
that such were obsei-\'ed according to his The IsraeUtes professed appointment. to worship liim, but, at the same time,
"While fi-om habit gods. they continued to keep them as portions of time imappropriated to the ordinary occupations of life, they were doubtless
sers-ed other
have originated partly in the gratification afforded by agreeable smelLs, and partly in the custom of burning perfumes in rooms, etc. with a view to purify them from noxious vapors. Ct: and rt'Vri.
appear to be employed here to denote though female ornaments generally strictly taken, the former comn^only signifies such rings as the oriental females wear iji the nostril. See on Is. iii. 21.
;
converted into seasons of carnal indulThe nouns ai'e those of mvlgence. titude, and must be rendered in the plural. -,S;., and r;:sp, are likewise to be
to be
smooth, polished
taken as
trees.
collectives, or rather, as
Horsley
and
fig-
sua (inutierem,)
SjJL^,
rnundo ornata,
Comp.
-,:
Is. v. 6
vii.
23,
Accordmg
to Firuzabad
io ,.o">J
Mjs, like
rs,
is
hire of a harlot,
and
9
is
peculiarly ajipro-
^Lojjtv^i
j{%
l
^
Rosenm.
;
Thus Tan-
<rv
<\
\\
chum on
Jol4>I
chap.
viii.
J Joo
Lx
aLotwU- Comp.
Is xxiii.
confectum.
Targ.
have
pearls.
Th.at
The wild beast is here to be 17, 18. taken literally, and not figuratively, as supposing the heathen Abarbancl docs, invaders to be meant.
decked themselves with the most costly ornaments they could command is mentioned by Juvenal, Sat.
'
vi.
i.
e.
the idols
Mrrchis
follata
parantur
which they had set up to Baal in the cities and dLffcrent parts of the countrj',
as well as in their private houses. Ilcnce the names Banl-dnd, Bdul-IIcrmon, Baaltneon,
etc.
Emitur
titis
hue mit-
Indi."
The
By cVyari ':-rs,
aic
meuts
prophet has in view the gay omathe Israelites decked ill which
Chap.
II.
HOSEA.
!
11
14
Nevertheless, behold
And, though I lead her into the desert, Yet I will speak soothingly to her.
15
And And
from thence,
:
themselves on idolatrous holidays. Their entirely abandoning themselves to the service of idols, and their derehction of the God of their fathers, are brought forward at the conclusion of this description of their conduct, in order to heighten the aggravation of their guilt, and render the aiuioimcement of the Itindly disposition of Jehovah towards them, at the beginning of the following verse, the more surprising. 14. -p's cannot with any propriety be rendered " therefore " in this connection, if the following words are to be regarded as promissory of good, and not as containing a further threatening of punishAnd that they are to be so ment. regarded, the subsequent context suffiThis particle must thereciently shows.
fore possess the force of the
1
;
Eccles. ix. 16
Mai.
ii.
14
Sam. and
mstances in Noldius, No. 46. Bauer thinks the desert between AssjTia and Judea is meant, through which the
other
Israehtes were to be conducted on their
release; Doderlein, Theol. Biblioth. ex-
plams
it
of Judea
itself,
at
that tune
I imagine the and waste. comitry of Babylon is intended. Jehovah is here said to do what he would employ the Assyrians in doing. For the phrase
desolate
::V
\t
"i-.'^>
When
re-
duced to circumstances of affliction in the countries of the East, whither they were to be carried, Jehovah declares that he
would administer consolation to them; holding out to them the cheering prospect of restoration, on their repentance
to their native land.
15.
Arab. ,.w3U
The
Israehtes
had
;
altogether for-
verumtamen, but yet, notwithstanding, neverIt thus marks the unexpected theless.
transition
Is. vii.
et
freq.
14
from threats to promises, as x. 24 xxvii. 9 xxx. 18, nns, of which nPS'a is the
;
; ;
to open, be open,
persuasible; hence in Piel, both in a good and a bad sense, to persuade, allure, prevail upon by suitable inducements. It is here necessarily to be taken in the sense of inducing or gaining over to that which is good, by the use of sootliing and persuasive means, as the concluding words of the verse "ipinaTi
nor could they acquire a new right to them except in the way of a fresh grant from the Lord. This grant he here promises them, as he had of old promised Canaan to their D'iW. fathers when in the wilderness. thence, means, retmning from the wilderness; just as n5aw indicates the homefeited their possessions
To take wai'd direction of the exiles. B'in as a particle of time, which Gesenius proposes, is less suitable. " The valley of Achor" lay in the vicinity of the sacred Jericho, and was noted history for the judgment mfiicted upon Achan. From Is. Ixv. 10, it appears to have been a fertile and pleasant region
SsV Vy
raelites
abmidantly prove. As the Iswere to be forcibly removed from their land by the king of Assyria, there is a smgular want of propriety assign-
ing to 1, in rtTiirVh 1, its usual copulative power. It is obviously to be imderstood exceptively, or as introducmg a kuid of parenthetical sentence, expressive of what was to take place in the history of the
ten tribes previously to their conversion
and on this accoimt alone it is thought by Calvin, Zanchius, Rivetus, and others, Most to be referred to by our prophet. of the Rabbins, however, and after them,
many
lusion
and
to this
I incline.
and which, though it from idolatry might seem severe, was indispensable for the attainment of that object. For tliis
;
This valley had proved very inauspicious to the Hebrews on their former entrance into Canaan. They had been forced to tvtm their backs before
12
H
And
Even
EA
Chap. IL
she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, as in tlie day when she came up from the laud of Egypt.
it
16
And
And
shall
be
in that
That thou
they shall no more be remembered by their name. I will make a covenant for them in that day 18 With the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, And with the reptiles of the ground
And And
the native inhabitants, and their hearts melted, and bec-ame as water. Josh. vii. But on their return 5, 8, 12, 24, 26. from the captivity, the exiles would pass through it -with the undisturbed expectation of a peaceable and joyful occupation of the country.
same
objections
" Sic mihi ser\itiimi video, dominamque paratam. Jam mihi hbertas ilia patema vale."
Tibullus, lib.
ii.
By ni~P ^^2,
hopeful entrance
Eleg. 4.
a door of hope,
is
meant a
nri:^,
the
LXX.
and
Symm.
Before v^j-s, two MSS. the LXX. Aq. while two ilSS., and SjT. insert "h originally seven, more, and four printed
;
by Grotius, who
:
with that of singing " In" tellige autem carmen fletus et precum but that of celebrating the Divine goodcombines
it
;
is
and joy,
in
better
as
The n
r;>2'j,
yet
homeward
not without
to their approach to The point of the valley of Achor. comparison, as it respects the singing, seems to be the Song of Moses at the Red Sea. As the people then imited in celebrating the goodness of Jehovah displayed in their deliverance, so should the returning Israelites do, on again
omit it after "i^'^p.F]. C'Vys, not here to be taken as a plural of excellency, but is used, according to its strict import, to denote the different images of Baal worshipped by the Israelites, such as Baal- Gad, Baal-Ammon, etc. Comp. Exod. xxiii. 13 Zech. xiii. 2. The prophecy was fully accomplished at the return from the Babylonish captivity. 18. Such should be the security of the returned exiles imder the immediate care and protection of Jehovah, that everj' thing capable of injuring them should be rendered perfectly harmless. The irrational animals should be reeditions,
;
strained,
inviolable
The word
Vj:3,
its
/>W, had
orig-
under the bond of an and the Assyrian compact armies should no more attack them. Some understand the former pait of the
as if
;
unexceptionable acceptation of husUmd, and is thus appHed to Jehovah, Is. Uv. 5 but as it
;
the dificrent creatures verse figm-atively there specified denoting men coiTcspondbut the ing to them in disj^sition
;
had become common in its application by the Israelites to the heathen deities which they had worshipped, and besides, conveyed the idea of jiossession and rule,
rather than that of affection,
declares
language
is
rather to be regarded
as
God
here
that
in
future
he would be
merely intended to Comp. Job v. 23 heighten the efl'ect. Ezck. xxxiv. 25. Before'nKnV^.. supply Vs. or 'icjs, as chap. i. 7. Targ. '7= "13 -liars is a pregnant plirase, t42-ijp.
hyperbolical, being
hh, the name more usually meaiiing, / will break and remove auny z'zjv is here expressive of the cmiJoycd to express the relation of hus- J rum.
called r"S,
Chap.
II.
II
EA
battle, I will
13
break and remove
The
boAV,
And
19
them
to recline securely.
myself forever
with kindness, and with tender compassion. 20 Yea, I will betroth thee to myself with faithfulness And thou shalt know Jehovah.
2
And
And
it
shall
be
in that day,
the
new
indulge Avhcnever they are released from At the time predicted active exertion. there -would he no enemy or danger to break in upon their repose.
"Ipsse lacte
capellse
Israelites
domum
referent
distenta
libera,
leones.
Ipsa
tibi
fundent cunabula
et
flores.
Occidet et veneni
Occidet,
fallax
herba
To these, however, are added "kmdness," and "tender compassion," which express the strong internal affection from -which the fonner should proceed, and the high degree of interest' Avhich God would take in his recovered people. To remove every doubt from their minds, he crowns the -whole by a gracious assurance that his engagements
tector.
Assyrium
vulgo
nascetur
amomum."
19, 20.
'tB-iS
a here specially selected in order to impress the minds of the Israelites -with a sense of the distinguished character of the Divine
signifies
to
contract
is
Though they had rendered themselves totally imworthy of his regard, he declares that he would treat them as if they had never apostatized to idolatry. He would form a new conjugal relation, as -with a fbmale in her virgin state. The triple repetition of the verb expresses intensity of desire, and gives the strongest assurance to the party to which the promise is made. c'l^yV, for ever, is to be taken as Gen.
benignity.
xiii.
should be "faithfully" perfomied. D">: (j1> TO, a-TrKdyxfC; ht. the bowels, but coinmonly employed figuratively to denote tender affection or love. Horsley's interjDretation of the terms in application to our Saviour, is, hke most of his exegesis, in the highest degree fanciful, being totally imsupported by the scope and connection of the passage. The knoAvledge of Jehovah here predicated is not speculative, or a bare intellectual acquaintance mth his character, but experimental, or that -which results from
the actual enjoyment of his love. Instead of r;':n^~^i<, twenty-six MSS., origmally thirteen more, now two, and perhaps other two, tM'o editions, supported by the
15
Exod. xxxii. 13
Is.
The
Vulg., read r/rrr "'2N "5, i. e. they shall know that I am Jehovah. 21, 22. One of the most beautiful instances of prosopopoeia to be found in Scripture. Comp. the address to the Nile
in Tibullus, hb.
i.
fmther
Eleg.
vii. ver.
25
By
is
" righteous-
"Te
propter nullos
telliis
tua postulat
meant every
imbres,
Arida nee
plu-vio supplicat
herba Jovi."
their
While second
causes
have here
;!
14
II
EA
Chap.
III.
22
And And
they shall respond to the earth, the earth shall respond to the corn, and the
the
oil.
new
wine, and
And they shall respond to Jczreel. 23 For I will sow her for myself in the land. And will have roercy npon Lo-KuiiAiiAU,
And And
many
Avill
say to Lo-Aimi,
Thou
art
my
people
My God
the second ns.ys originally. VsS"^"*, Jezreel, here means that which G(xl hulk sown, i. e. his people whom he had scattei-ed, but whom he -would again restore to their native soil. Comp. chap. i. ver.
4,
connected links in the chain of Divine Providence, the sovereign inliuence of the Great First Cause is strongly asserted by the emphatic repetition of r:ys, I will respond to, or answer. It must, however, be observed, that this verb does not occur the first time in one it has originally of Kennicott's MSS. been -wanting in another of De Rossi's and is omitted in the LXX. Sjt. and Arab. One of De Kossi's MSS, omits
;
and
23.
1
11.
is
is designed to account for the appropriation of the name Jezreel at the end of the precedmg verse. The metaphor is agricultural. The rest of
ration
which
n'ln";
CiJ3
r:ys
entirely;
and another,
is
-\\hat
CHAPTER
III.
This chapter contains a new symbolical representation of the regard of Jehovah for his people, and of their condition at a period subsequent to their re-establishment in Canaan at the return from Babylon. The prophet is commanded to become reconciled to Uomer, thoup;h she had proved unfaithful to him, as predicted chap. i. 2, ver. 1. He obeys the command, and purchases her from the individual with whom she was living in adultery, but stipulates that she was to wait for a lengthened period before she could be restored to the enjoyment of her conjugal riglits, 2, 3. In the two last verses, the symbolical proceeding is explained of a long period during which the Hebrews were to live without the
celebration of their ancient
rites,
and
at the
all
idolatrous practices.
The
direct prediction respecting their conversion to the Messiah, ver. 5. clearly proves, that
And
1.
me Go
:
again, love a
woman
beloved
nis, again, obviously refers back to The transaction here comi. 2. mandcd, bearing so near a resemblance to what is enjoined in that chapter, has
chap.
that
Chap.
III.
15
by a friend, yet an adulteress, according as Jehovah loveth the children of Israel, though they have tui-ned to other gods, and
2
So
female here specified with Gomer, -whom the prophet had previously married. For, first, such constmction is absolutely reqmred by the analog)'. It was Israel that stood in the relation of wife to
/<>!
lov-
eth
'"Iii
evil
nin^,
are
y-i
pans, and
Jehovah from
first
to
last.
No
other
nation was admitted to the same relation. Secondly, the female is one already married, but who had proved mifaithful
which was
et's
wife corresponded, as a type, to the love of God towards the idolatrous IsraeUtes. The sentence just quoted in part, as well as the words D-nVs Vs D'^SB
C1^ri^5,
instaiices in
who had become unfaithful to him, there would be no point in comparing his love to her with that borne by Jehovah to idolatrous Israel. Fourthly, a command to love the wife of another man, who, notwithstanding her
own
wife,
form only two out of numerous which Hosea uses the lan-
guage of the Pentateuch, as Havemick has shovni in his Handbuch der historcrit. Einleit. in das A. T. 1 Theil. 2 Aht'a: V ''^''^^,, have been theil. p. 608.
variously interpreted.
LXX.
irffx/iara
was stiU attached to her, would be totally repugnant to every idea of moral justice and propriety. Lastly, the command is not nji, take, as in the forinfidelity
baked meats Aq. renders the former icith raisins. word by TraXata, evidently reading 'O'^^. According to the Hexap. Sj-r. Theod.
adopts the same rendering
:
Qja2
Wl\
%
renew thy kindness to her'; receive her back into thy house and make kind pro\'ision for her. This view of the passage is decidedly adopted by Ewald in his Propketen des Alien
ans,
love,
i.
e.
\^.
uvarum
;
Synrni. uKaprovs
^yx.
"Vulg.
>
vinacia
|A.A-S9
o?
placenta
common
version.
The
to,
whom, though an
ivife,
adulteress,
thou
nrs, a
of
t; T^ys
employed by Jonathan in his Targ. on Exod. x\i, 31, to express the meaning of n^n-SL:, aflat cake. The most probable derivation is from tirs, to press, compress; and the meaning will
i"j-^r:<is
word
the state of separation in which they lived. For the same pvurpose yn, a friend
or companion,
is
Such
the East,
used,
her
husband ;
being here employed not so much as a term of endearment, as indicating that, whatever might be his disposition towards her, they were not living on the same terms as formerly. Comp. for
it
on account of their sweet taste, and doubtless formed part of the offerings presented to idols, and afterAvai-ds eaten
at idolatrous feasts.
iii.
26.
The
LXX.
mistaking
the'
word
;
for the
iroi'Tiph
Benon. Hani?,
for
2. Because the purchase of ^Aives was not uncommon, as it still is, in eastern countries, (See Michaclis on the Laws of Moses, Art. LXXXV. Grant's Nestorians, p. 214; Perkins's Eight Years in
which the
I-^AJ]
Syr.^has liaJy}
l^j-*^
p. 236,) most expositors have supposed that such a transaction is intended in this place. The fact, however, that the price here specified, one half in
Persia,
16
II
Chap.
III.
of silver, and for an homer and an half of barley. And I said unto her Thou shalt remain for me many days ; thou shalt not commit lewdness, nor become any man's ; and I also will remain For the children of Israel shall remam many days for thee.
:
money, and the other half in gram, was the exact amoiuit of what Avas allowed
for a female slave,
the belief that the payment was made by the prophet for the hberation of his ovra wife, who had become the property of the person \\'ith whom she had been
li-ving
which the symboUcal consefemale was still to be regarded quently the powerful incluiation of the Lord towards his mifaithful people. 4. This verse describes a period of great length, during which the Israelites
of affection with
;
in adultcrj'.
too
parsimonious to have been given as a dowcry. The signification of buying as attaching to n~iS, is sufficiently established by Deut' li. 6, and Job xl. 30,
under no sacred sacrifice no idolatrous statue no mediating priest and no images or tutelary- deities. were to have no
;
ciA-il
polity, either
;
vi.
attempt to explaiia it here of digging, in the sense of boring the ear in token of a state of
^coffafxriv.
LXX.
i/xiff-
This period caiuiot be that of their dispersion previous to the return from Babylon for the restoration of the \^ife of the prophet prefigured the restoration which took place on that return, agreeably to chap. ii. 19, 20, 23. It is true that when they were brought back along A^dth the Jewish exiles, the Israelites had
;
slaver}', is unsuccessful.
^cthek,
ti*?.'"?.'
no more any
of their o\mi
as in
common
SjTnm. iJuAokos Kpi^Siv ; but the other Greek versions, T)fxiKopov, half a cor, which was equal to an homer. The LXX. unaccountably have
yo/xhp a\<piTiJu
;
The repetition of t.'~\y% is j'e'jSeA otvov. not unusual in Hebrew, but the abbreviated fomi of expression is better EngUsh. 3. 2'i'^ properly signifies to sit, but likewise to dwell, remain, etc. ""iTri i<iV explains its meaning here to be a refraining from all cohabitation with others.
with their brethren, they were subject to the same political rule, and offered their sacrifices to Jehovah at Jerusalem, it follows that the days here predicted must be those which have siiccccdcd to
the times of the Asmoncan dynasty, or the dispersion consequent upon the final destruction of Jerusalem. Diuing the protracted period of more than eighteen centuries, (n^si t'5;') they have been precisely in the circumstances here predicted
and '2S til ''h, and 'n"Vi*, are correlates " while I, on the forms an antithesis As the wife of the other hand," etc. prophet was to continue for a long time
; ;
separated
from
idolaters,
and
a state of separation equally from paramours and from her husband, and he was likewise to fonn no connection with any other woman, so the Israelites
in
Jehovah, yet never acknowledged by him in a church relationship. They have neither had a civil ruler, nor any of the consecrated offices and rites of their ancient economy. Thus Kimchi on the passage,
professedly
belonging to
should long live witliout serving either while, on his false gods or Jehovah
;
sVi
part,
he would enter into no national relationship to any other people. This application of the symbol is distinctly marked by "'3, and by the resumption of
'zv'',
" And
nn"*rV>3
rncnai
isnas
wc have
neither king
vcr.
4.
The
preposition Vs. in
T)"]V>t,
nor prince of Israel, but are under the rule of the nations, even under the rule This of their kings and their princes." interiirctation, which alone suits the vic^^ furnished of the subject by the
Chap.
III.
HO SEA.
17
without a king, and without a i^rince, and without a sacrifice, and without a statue, and without an ephod, and witliout inia"-es. Afterwards the children of Israel shall return, and shall seek JeX. 2.
prophet, overturns the hypothesis of Dr. Grant, that the Nestorian Christians are the remains of the ten tribes. It cannot properly be said of them that they have
as
tutelary deities, but also consulted for the pm^Mse of obtaining a knowledge of
continued
n-ai D'>3\
in a state of sepa-
future events, appears from several of the passages just quoted. Hence the render-
ration from God, ibr they received the gospel in the earliest ages of Christianity.
Some
false
sacrifices
and of such
;
as
were
offered to
ing of the LXX. SrjXwv. The etymology of the word is altogether uncertain. 5. At a period still subsequent to that of their existence in the state just described, the Israehtes
but the grouping of this term vith nasw, a statue, as "liSS, ephod, following, is with CSnp, teraphim, clearly shows that the prophet meant the former
restrictively.
gods
(now amalgamated
Kimchi
briefly explains
tvV ra::a
sacrifice to
tni Vs?
with the Jews,) are to be converted to the true worship and service of Jehovah, imdcr the spiritual reign of our Saviour, the promised Messiah. To him they will then submit themselves, and richly
enjoy the
blessings
of
divine
grace,
From
2
;
the pro22,
Deut.
iii.
x\-i.
and
;
the
historj', 2
it is
Kings
xvii. 10
x.
26, 27,
stand for altar, as the ancient versions render it, but denotes a statue or image of some false deity. Comp. Micah v. 13.
communicated through his mediation. That T'l^, David, here means neither the royal house of David, nor any human monarch of that name who is yet to reign over tlje Jews, as some have imagined, but the great Messiah himself,
appears
evident from
Scripture usage.
Tits, the ephod, was that part of the high priest's dress which was worn above
the tunic and robe.
pieces
It consisted of
two
which hung down, the one in front over the breast, and the other covering the back, and both reaching to the mid-
See Is. Iv. 3, 4 ; Jer. xxx. 9 ; Ezek. xxxiv. 23, 24 xxxvii. 24, 25. As the name properly signifies The Beloved, it quite accords %vith 6 ayair-riThs, Matt. iii.
;
17,
and
6 r]yaTrr]ix4vos,
Eph.
i.
6.
Thus
"jn'ttJ^i '_;,
They were joined together on the shoulders by golden clasps, set in precious stones, and fastened roiuid the waist by a girdle. In the breast part was the Tin, or pectoral, containing the Urim and Thumniim, by which divine responses were vouchsafed to the Hebrews.
dle of the thigh.
And
of David."
they shall obey Messiah the Soil The follo\\'ing is the Rabbin-
ical interpretation:
rn'z\'Q
"j-s
t^ks
i^rj-.tca
ya CXI
say, that
Triz-a t,t
s-'^h -| tax
Triz'a T,T
sin
[n-::5;n].
"The Rabbins
;
its
complete state ceased vvith the captivity for they specify the Urim and Thummun
among
second.
which the
whether he be of the living, his name is David, and whether he be of the slain, his name is David." Berachoth Jerus. in Raym. Martini Pugio Fidei, Eol. 277. See also the Rabbinical Commentaries on the above passages in Ezekicl. The use of
Vs, in the phrase r;"r;^ Vs snnSfl, and not ^52, or ""^SM, the visual form', is in-
LXX.
or household gods.
at
a very early period, as appears from the history of Kachcl, Gen. xxxi. 19, 30, 32,
34,
35.
Comp.
24
;
Sam.
xix.
;
Kings
xxiii.
Ezek. xxi. 21
13; 2 Zech.
tended to show that the fear here specikuad which " hath torment," and which causes those \^ho are under its influence to recede from its object, but such fear as attracts or induces them to approach to it. This the addition "izTO Vsn " and to his goodfied is not of the
18
II
Chap. IH.
hovah their God, and David their king; and they shall tremblingly hasten to Jehovah and to his goodness in the latter day.
Comp. Micah shows. As, however, the idea of fleeing or hastening from danger is also imclearly
vii.
ness,"
tcerden
sie herheieilen.
"VMiilc
on the
17.
rendered
both.
the
In
this
one hand the Jews, imder the infiuence of alann, shall be excited to flee from the wrath to come, they shall be attracted by the display of the divine goodness in the mediation of Christ, to confide in Ilim for all the blessings of salvation.
C'52"n rr^nns, the last of the days, i. e. the clays of the Messiah, as the Rabbins See on Is. ii. 2, interpret the phrase. where Kimchi says expressly, c-.pw Vs
" They shall flee to liim for help from all Comp. Jcr. xxxi. that may be feared."
12.
Kol
LXX.
eVt
iKffTT}(TOVTai
eirl
rcji
Kvpica
Ewald aya^o7s avTov. renders, nncl tcerden bebcn zu Jakve und zu schiem Gide, u. s. "W. ; and Hitzig
Tory
c-vplains,
" wherever
days,' it
it is said,
'
In the
last of
the
siah."
CHAPTER
IV
The prophet now addresses himself more directly to the castigation of the flagrant evils which abounded in the kingdom of Israel during the interregnum which followed upon the death of Jeroboam, and the reigns of Zechariah, Shallum, Menaliem, and Pekahiah. lie. calls the attention of his countrymen to the divine indignation, and the causes of it, 1, 2; deuounces the judgments which were about to be executed upon them, 3; describes their incorrigible character, especially that of the priests, 4-11; and expatiates on the grossness of their idoUitrous practices, 12-14. A solemn warning is then given to the members of the Jewish kingdom not to allow themselves to be influenced by their wicked
example, 15-19.
Hear the word of Jehovah, ye children of Israel For Jehovah hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land Because there is no truth, nor kindness, nor knowledge of God
in the land.
1, 2.
The
initiator}'
of Ilosea, summoning attention to the di^^ne message which he was commissioned to deliver. V'S'i'T"; ":2 is equivalent
to Vs-i-oi r"'a, ch.
eh. V. 9
;
min'', wrhich designate the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, a '"i signifies here ground of complaint, or judicial proceeding.
LXX.
Kpitns.
The wickedness
V.'
Vs".^';
to
and frequently
all
C"~ts; and
in
which abounded is first set forth negatively, and then positively, under certain items and the infinitive absolute is em;
effect,
its
as expressing
more emphatically, by
abstract form,
;;
Chap. IV.
HO SEA.
19
There is nothing but swearing and lying, And murder, and theft, and adultery They have burst forth,
And
blood reacheth to blood. Therefore shall the land mourn. And every one that dwelleth in it shall languish With the beasts of the field and the fowls of heaven
The fishes of the sea also shall be removed. Yet let no man contend with, nor reprove another For thy people are like those that contend with the
Therefore thou shalt
fall
priest.
by day.
fall
And And
the heinousness of the evils described. The force of this I have given iii a free Ewald improperly limits translation. the signification of the verb yn3 in this place to the act of breaking into houses
Jii-iyn.
a^,
xix. 5.
4. Vs is here prohibitory, and not simply negative, as some have rendered it. The introduction of the sentence by T^S, yet, nevertheless, is designed to show the hopeless character of the persons spoken of. All reproof on the part of their friends or neighbors generally would p-ove fruitless, seeing they had reached a degree of hardihood, wliich was only equalled by the contumacy of those who refused to obey the priest, when he gave judgment in the name of the Lord, Deut. xvii. 12. The passage is thus quite plain,
but the metaphor seems rather to be taken from the bursting forth of a torrent, which, in its progress, spreads wider and wider, and sweeps all before it. The plural form D"ni, blood, has also a degree of emphasis, signifying much bloodshed. What the prophet means is, that miurder
was
as
so
it
common,
that no space
its
was
left
were between
acts.
LXX.
(/)' Coverdale, a'{fj.affi fj.io'yovffi. one bloudgiltynes foloioeth another. And Ritterhusius powerfully in his poetical
aijuara
metaphrase
and
requires
no transposition or emen-
the same as
if it
were ns Q'S'^nw
modusve
est."
^n'sn, Comp. h% aj '^&tt3, chap. v. 10'. All the ancient versions, except the LXX.
10,
Micah vii. 2. Comp. Is. xix. 8 xxiv. 4 12, VVws, in the Pulal.
;
;
Joel
i.
Conj., is
5.
usually employed after Vas, in order more forcibly to describe the calamitous state
of a country, a here signifies loiih, extending to, accompanied by, and includes what follows in the general predicate.
ond
Comp. Gen. vii. 21. 516x, is cognate with C)?D, and signifies to gather up, away, back, take away, as well as simply to collect together, Zeph. i. 2, 3. LXX.
iK\4i<^ov<riv
:
Kimchi, Drusius, QScolamp. Grotius, and Ewald, improperly render " to-day." As contrasted here with T^rrh, night, it is equivalent to Din 3, by day. Comp. Neh. iv.
16.
fore
That the
nV'V,
xise
SjT.
^Q-SoaU;
may be owing
Targ.
adverbial
20
6
HO SEA
My
people
is
Chap. IV.
knowledge;
Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, so that thou shalt not be a priest to me; Because thou hast forgotten the law of thy God,
I also will forget thy children, 1
According to their increase, so they sinned against I will change their glory into shame. 8 They devour the sin-oftering of my people,
me
And
and
De Rossi's MSS.,
nor in some
of the earlier printed editions ; in others it is marked as redundant, and some few
have
verse
"lip
"CS52S.
are pointed
in this
"3
is
translate, " I have reduced to " but the verb is obviously used
in the sense of destroying, as "K"]: is> Comp. Zcph. i. 11. By irj^ss, ver. 6.
thy mother, the Israeliti^h state is meant, of which the citizens were the children. See chap. ii. 1. Thus Kimchi, Jerome,
Grotius,
!Michaelis,
understood as repeated in nsiTiT., and i before nriJs. 7. As the priests are obviously the nominative to the verbs in the three following verses, and form the subject of discourse in that which precedes, they must likewise be the persons spoken of in this. It has been queried whether the
increase
Rosenmiiller,
and
was
in number, or in Avealth,
power,
Michaelis thinks the latter is meant? still the former may be included, in harmony with the mention made of their children, ver. G. In proetc.
ry-n
"Vatt,
article
portion
and occurring
in con-
nection with rr'^in, immediately following, is not to be taken in the sense of imexpectedly, as
strictly
ryn '^2^ is, Is. v. 13, but means that destitution of the true knowledge of God which was the
soiirce of the sins
ished.
now about to be punignorance is principally charged upon the religious teachers of the nation, each of whom is directly
This
multipUed in numbers promoted the but the wealth and iiacrease of idolatn,dignity ("::23) which they acquired, and which they thus prostituted, should be destroyed by foreigners, by whom they would be carried into capti^-ity. CSj-r, and Cni:2, form a sUght paronomasia. 8. rst^n here signifies sin-offcriny, as
as they
and grew
in influence, they
:
it
So Kimchi
Thus addressed in nct^tt TV-Ti rp:*. Pagninus, O sacerdos ; which Uathe also inserts in his text. The persons addressed pretended to bo priests of Jehovah, though
they taught the people to combine -w-ith his worship that of pagan deities, or at least that of the golden calves, ^^hich, no doubt, paved the way for the universal
spread of idolatrj- in Israel. The position adopted by Ilorsley, that the Jemsh high-priest is intended, does not suit the
connection.
ITic third
t
Pococke's Arab.
Ms.
;
xl
U^
ivHt*
.-J^Lj
culo.
_xj'
The
;
priests greedily
devoured what
the people brought for the expiation of their sins and instead of endeavoring to put a stop to alMunding iniquity, only wished it to increase, in order that they might profit by the multitude of the vic-
sacrifice.
in ':[SSS73S,
is
vp means
the
animal snul
it,
to lust after
it,
Dcut. xxiv. 15
Jer.
; ;;
Chap. IV.
9 Therefore
it
HO SEA,
shall be, like people, like priest
21
I will punish
And
requite
10 For they shall eat, but shall not be satisfied They shall commit lewdness, but shall not increase
Because they have ceased to regard Jehovah. Lewdness and wine and new wine take away the heart.
12
xxii. 27.
in
S^'t?., is
used distributively
to express the fact that such was the character of each of the priests. The
the present case. The division of the words fomid our common version is that
reading n^s:, found in ten MSS., originally in seven more, and perhaps in one, and supported by the LXX. Sj-r. Targ. Vulg. and Arab., most probably originated in emendation. Not unfrequently a proposition commences with the plural,
ft.
j-4iJia.^7
I (^
Sn\, and
the Slavonic
and
is
ap-
Michaelis, Tingstadius,
New-
Boothroyd,
De
Wette,
and Ewald.
singulaj-,
and
vice
The rank and 9. Comp. Is. xxiv. 2. wealth of the priests would not exempt them from sharing the same fate with the
rest of the nation.
11. This verse has the appearance of The influence of habits a moral adage. of impurity and intoxication in blunting the moral feelings, and weakening the intellectual powers, is a well-established fact in the history of man.
10. flVssn
ver. 8.
is is
a resumption of
^iV^S"*,
*
r::Tn
shows.
Nox
et
amor vinumque
nihil
modera-
as in ver. 18, v. 3,
and
is
to be under-
stood literally of the sensual indulgences of the Israelitish teachers, as the verb
5
Ovid.
SIS"!
For the
signification to
nihil pemiciosus
verb,
Plant.
it
with the
fol-
There can be little doubt that the prophet has specially in view the impure and bacchanalian orgies wliich were connected with the Syrian idolatiy. For
the prevalence of driuikenness in
Ephraim
Amos
iv. 1.
-itt*:;
may
in no other
passage take ni-"' for its object, yet it takes s: 'V^rt, lyinff vanities, i. e. idols, Ps. xxxi. 7 Jonah ii. 9 in which latter
; ;
passage
it
is
12. The LXX., and most versions which follow them, connect ;?sy with nV, a at the end of the preceding verse mode of construction adopted by ^lichaelis and Dathe, but otherwise disapproved by modern translators. The Sjt. Targ. and Vulg. divide properly. Hosea here adduces proofs of the mental hebetude to which the sinful practices of the Israelitish people had reduced them their application to their wooden idols and images for oracular counsel, and their lise of rhabdomancy or divuiation by
;
oo
Chap. IV.
13
For a IcnvJ spirit liath caused ihciu to err; They liave lewdly departed from under their God. They sacriiico on the tops of the mouutaius,
And
offer incense
upon the
hills
Under
Because their
Therefore your daughters commit lewdness. And your daughters-in-law adultery. 14 I will not punish your daughters Avhen they commit lewdness, Nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery
quitrit."
" ligno suo oracula Leo Juda That by "?, xcood, is here
idol
mud, the
SjT. Yulg.
tyrn
r.yrn.
wliile the
meant an
: ;
made
of such material,
C'onip.
Jer.
ii.
For
V.
19,
Numb.
13.
and Targ. read and -Vrab. read c--ris rViViii, comp. 20 Ezek. xxiii. 5 and
LXX.
27 X. 8 Uab. ii. 19. ''r^'C is properly a shoot or twig, then a rod, walking staff, etc. Occurring as it does here, in reference to an idolatrous or superstitious practice, it denotes such a staff employed for pui^x)ses of divmation. Some have been of opinion that it is to be taken as
strictly parallel to y>', and that a staff is meant -which had the image of some god car^'ed upon it but the use of the phrase
;
vtrai^^pos,
Rom.
vii. 2.
Momitains and luUs Avere selected by idolaters on which to erect their altars, and offer their sacrifices, on account of
their supposed proximity to the host of
That
appears
custom was
it,
verj-
ancient,
from the
imitating
reproved.
xviii.
proliibition,
Deut.
xii. 2.
For
iV ""!>1, announceth, iminteth out, shows that a divining rod is meant. Rhabdo-
mancy among
{^a^'^oy.a.vTua]
was
verj*
common
Jer. iii. 6 Ezek. being in Piel, expresses the eagerness and frequency with which the Israelites offered their idolaIs.
11.
".nsi"',
the ancient idolaters, as it has been in later times in different countries of the East. The ancient Arabs consulted their gods in this way, taking two rods,
trous sacrifices.
superstition
of oak, terebinth,
groves purposes of
on one of which was inscribed God bids, and on the other Godforbids, and drawing them out of the case into which they were
put,
and idolatrj', under who?e umbraceous cover they might at once be screened from the heat of the sun, and
indulge
in
lasciA-ious
practices.
The
acted
first
agreeably to the
direction
which
came
forth.
See Pococke,
female virtue which was required in the rehgious sers-ice of the Phoenician goddess Astarte, seems clearly to be referred to in this and the following verse, ti:.-''. LXX. XevKTj, the white
sacrifice of
defined to
inquires.
be one
who
takes his
?
staff,
and
Shall I go
standmg
for jiV
on which were inscribed mysterious characters, and wliich were used for magical jjurjioses, apjx-ar to have originated in the more ancient divination of Asia. B"5".:t n*"', lit. a spirit of whoredoms, i. e. a powerful impetus to commit acts of idolatr}'. Instead of the simple form ryrr, some few MSS. the Babyl. Tal-
stand it here as a simple negative, and the meaning to \io that, as the parents and husbands indulged in the flagitious practices here described, Jehovah would not make examples of the females, or suffer them to be pmiished, as if they alone
Chap. IV.
E
:
23
And And
15
sacrifice
with prostitutes
be overthrown.
Though thou, O Israel, art lewd. Yet let not Judah be found guilty
ye not to Gilgal, Neither go ye up to Beth-aven, Nor use the oath, " Jehovah liveth."
but -n-ould punish with were guilty condign punishment their natural protectors, who not only abandoned them to
;
Come
Jilunster
"
Duet
in
parentes
where
15.
see Schultens.
et sponsse
corum punitiB
A solemn
to
esse
extra
pccnam."
The
kingdom
more graphi-
fSce Is. xxii. not without examples. The use of the separate pronoun c ~ also adds to the emphasis of the language. T^S, in Piel, strongly marks the studied withdrawment of the Israelites from the assembled throngs, to such 2:)laces as were devoted to scenes of impurity; while (-i2T, in the same conjugation, signilics in this connection, to commit lewdness as
with that of Israel in the practice of idolatry. Here Tif, to commit lewdness, is again used figuratively. Crs, properly signifies to contract guilt, or become subject to its consequences.
1 3.
Vr^^A, Gilgal,
was a town situated between the Jordan and Jericho, near the confines of the kingdom of Samaria. It was regarded
as a holy place as early as the days of
an act of idolatrous devotion. Between rii:f, and nrjnj^, there seems to be this difference, that the former were ordinary
females
gain,
who
who
devoted
and sacrifices were Joshua, chap. v. 15 offered there to Jehovah in those of SamIn uel, 1 Sam. X. 8, 13; xv. 21, 33. process of time, however, it came to be converted mto a place of idolatrous worxii. ship, Amos iv. 4, 5 ; IIos. ix. 15 11. T"S r"2, Beth-aven, i. e. the house of vanity or idols, a name given by the
; ;
themselves to the service of Astarte, by 'jflfering their persons to be violated in her temples at the sacred festivals. See Selden de Diis Syris, Synt. ii. cap. 2 Iler;
odot.
lib.
i.
cap. 199
stantin. lib.
Ilcb. hb.
ii.
Dea
24
;
Euscb. Yit. Coniii. cap. 35 Spencer de Ler. cap. 22 and 23 Lucian de Of this latter term, the mas.
; ; ;
pal seat of the worship of the golden xiii. 1 calves, 1 Kmgs xii. 29, 32, 33
;
Amos
iii.
14
vii. 10,
13
Kings
xiv.
Ben-
47 and in the ancient book of Job, chap, xxxvi. 14, which shows at how very early a period such abominations obtamed. It likewise occurs in both genders in the prohibition, Deut.
XV. 12
:
xxii.
jamin, but was taken by that of Ephraim, Judges i. 22-25. That there was a city of the name of Beth-aven near to Bethel,
appears from Josh. vii. 2, which may have suggested the appropriation of the
to the latter.
-,^s,
xxiii. 18.
To
had
LXX. name
opolis,
LXX.
oIkov "Civ,
doubtless
reading
the native
name
of Heli-
word
TeTiXiffixeveev, initiated.
vation from-i'-rp,
Aq. and ^jTnm. oIkov avw(pf\i} ; Theod. oIkov aSiKias and M'ith this the
;
uq^
Syr.
Arab, agrees
^1
24
IG Since Israel
is
II
Chap. IV.
Jehovah
17 Ephraini
Avill
is
now
joined to idols;
Leave
hiiu to himself.
is
Her
shields are
enamored of infamy.
;
of iniquity.
Prom
Comp. Amos iv. 4 v. 5. the ^\anling here given to tlie Jews not to partiLipate with the IsracUtes
in their idolatn,-,
"Nvas
labor,
it is evident the prophdeUvered at a time when they were comparatively free from that evil. The pi-ohibition not to swear by the formula -'-,'. Ti, respects the combination of the divine name with those of idols, or the profession of attachment to Jehovah, if the i^crsons addressed were guilty of idolatry. Comp. Zcph. i. 5. That it ivas otherwise lawful to use it, appears from Jer. iv. 2. Comp. Deut. x. 20. 16. The metaphor is here taken from a heifer that obstinately refuses to be
ecy
mtlmates the pain or sorrow from idolatrs'. The root has both significations. iV~r;3n strongly implies the obstmacy and incorrigible character of the ten tribes, and indignantly abandons them to their fate.
it
also
resulting
They
are ineclaimably devoted to the gods of the heathen let them take their o^^^l way, and reap the consequences of
:
Thcii- case
;
is
des-
Cah-in, Tamovius, Zanchius, Coverdale* Drusius, Lively, Leo Juda, Pococke, Kuinocl, MichaeUs, Tingstadius, New-
Others, as
Diodati,
yoked.
liii^'
Lo
Targ.
Jerome,
Mercer,
^'flo,
comj).
force of "i-c,
18. The latter hemistich contains the language of irony. As lambs are fond of ranging at large, but are in danger of being lost or devoured, so God threatens to remove the Israelites into a distant and large country-, where they
Deut. xxi.
gard the words as simply containmg a warning to the inhabitants of Judah to keep aloof from, and take no part in the
idolatries of the Ephraimitcs.
The LXX,
h;n in
the preterite, and supplying the idea of idols from the preceding part of the
verse.
18. Before -s, the particle cs, whe^iy
is
would be
whom
ship,
sejiarated
from
to be supplied,
which
in poetry, for
and thus be
and ex-
jwsed as in a wildcn^ess. The phrae 2rp>i2 r?^, to feed in a large place, is elsewhere used in a good sense. Is. xxx.
23.
17. t:""_ss, Ephraim, as the most numerous and powerful of the tribes, and that in which the kingdom was established, is put for all the ten. "i;i2n, from
the sake of conciseness and energy, ia frequently omitted. For the acceptation
2Mst, passed airay, over, etc.
comp.
Sam.
XV. 32, t^-it-'.'c ID. Ilorsley, Ewald, and some othere, are of opinion that -D means vapid, degenerated, soxtr, etc., but
less
aptly. The meaning is, that no sooner were their conqx)tations over than
~i2n,
to,
to
to be allied to
xiv. 3.
by voluntary
last sense
choice.
the tenn is here used. The Israelites had voluntarily addicted themselves to the sers'ice of idols, and thus identified themselves
Gen.
In this
they indulged in excessive lewdness. Instead of Cs:D, their drink, drinking bout, one of I)e liossi's MSS. has originally read 3-s2",s, drunkards ; another CS21*,
their host;
Saheans
with their
"While the word C-^uv", idoh, suggests the idea of their being merely the fabrication of human
interests.
The liXX.
x<"'<"'"'<"'y>
as usual, follows.
The
impurity in wliich,
when
iniiumcd with
Chap. V.
HO SEA,
25
19
The wind hath bound her up in its wings, That they may be ashamed of their sacrifices.
Heben heben schmach seine Schilde. Kuinoel very unjustifiably omits 5 an in his Heb. Text. "iVp, shame, a collective abstract noun, expressive of the infamous acts connected with idolatrous worship. D"2iW, shields, are tropically used for
2)rinces, as
liquor, they indulged, was most probably that connected with the worship of Ve-
nus.
To
was
and then repeated in the finite form, nan is not separately expressed in the LXX. the Arab, or in either of the Syriac versions though it cannot hence be inferred that it was not in the Hebrew text. It is wanting, howIf it ever, in three of Kennicott's MSS.
infinitive absolute,
;
the natural protectors of their and Ps. xlvii. 10. The feminine suffix n, refers to ""^.N, understood; the inhabitants being meant.
people, here
19. By an expressive figure, borrowed from the sudden force with which any thing is carried off by the wind, the prophet announces the suddenness and violence with which the ten tribes should be removed from their land. The combination *32. wings of the wind, is
did not originate in some copyist having written the two last syllables of the preceding word over again, it must be regarded as having origmally formed part of that word in the reduplicate form aan !i3n5t ; in which, not only is the second
syllable 'of the verb repeated
nm
(lanars),
but the pronominal suiformative is retaiijed in the middle of the word, and the first radical (s) rejected on that account Such form is of in the redupUcation. extremely rare occurrence: 'inrn^sa, lit. they destroy, destroy me, Ps. Ixxkviii, 17, being the only other instance of the kind with which I am acquainted. In this way the form is partly accounted for
usage, allow either of the acceptations spirit or vanity bemg given to nnn, or that of borders to C"2:3 in this place, n^ "i being of both genders', accoimts for the masculine of the verb,
Hebrew
civ. 3, to
by the ancient
Je\^ish
as quoted
"What confirms this cate form is thfe use of D'nnnn, a gemination somewhat resembling it, by our
'
and the feminme pron. affix. For t?;n'is, two of De Rossi's MSS., and the Vat. and Alex, copies of the LXX. read nP:<, which gives no suitable sense. In the distant countries of the Medes, by whom all image-worship was held in abomination, the exiles would be brought to a due sense of the wickedness and absurdity
of their conduct,
i,
in
'ttja;'!,
is
prophet, chap.
give ye, as if
viii.
13.
The rendering
it were the imperative of an^, proposed by Abenezra and Kimchi, and adopted by oiu: translators, is not so Maurer suitable to the connection. Ewald es mirifice aniant ignominiam
: ;
used TeKiKoos. Jer. xlviii. 13. Sacrifices are here put by synecdoche for the whole system of idolatry in which they mdulged. For the reading cnhapiW, of their altars, adopted by Newconie, there is no authority except the Targ. and feyr.
CHAPTER
V.
This chapter commences with an objurgation of the priests and the royal family, as the principal seducers of the nation to idolatry, 1, 2. Then follows a description of the unblushing wickedness of the people, interspersed with denunciations of impending punishment, 3-7. The approach of the divine judgments is ordered to be proclaimed, and tlieir certainty declared, 8, 9. The prophet then abruptly turns to the two tribes and a half
;!
26
whose
guilt ar.d puni.liincnt
no SEA.
Chap. V.
he denounces; yet so as to show that his predictions were kingdom, the rulers of which, like those of Judah, instead of looking to Jehovah for deliverance from civil calamities, applied in vain for
chiefly directed ajjaiust tlie northern
and the
benelicial effects
against you,
And
The But
1.
on them
all.
i. e.
the
ten
i.
tribes.
^^^'^
J^ing,
On both of these elevated positions worship had been estabhshed for the
false piur-
e.
references
the king and his court. From the made to the idolatry and
pose of ensnaring the inhabitants of the adjacent regions. The means employed
pmiishment of Judah in
this and the following chapter? it -would appear that the king whom Ilosea had specifically in view was Pekah, the son of liemaliah
them over to it are compared to the snares and nets used for catching birds and wild beasts upon the moimtains.
to bring
By metonymy,
since
it
was
in the reign of
Ahaz, who
and
snares,
was contemporary with him, that idol worship was can-icd to such a height in that kingdom as to call for the calamities inflicted upon it by the confederate forces of Israel and Syria, as well as by the king of Assyria. By t:i;i">3n CtV is not
meant, as the Targ. inteiprets, ibllowed by Abenczra, Kimchi, Abarbanel, Pagninus, Junius, TremeUius, and others, that it belonged to them to know and execute justice, but that the judgment or punishment was directed agamst them. They had merited it, and it was now coming upon them. LXX. irphs vnas
ia-rl
because of their bad example, and the influence which they othcr>vise exerted
for evQ.
2.
n paragogic, of tir:, to food or saciifice. Here, from its close connection -<>\\Xh. the preceding verse, it has the latter signification. Some
kill, for
absolute, with
think murder
Ls
meant
is
e.
by a
Th
Kpi^a.
Comp. nno
to
!ip->;_J"r:
Is.
xxxi.
the
expositors,
ns::^, Mispah.
this
As
there
name, some
of
from
degree of uncertainty attaches to it as occurring here but as the object of the prophet seems to be to set forth the means employed for seducing the whole
of the ten tritjcs to idolatrj', it is more probable that he had in hLs eye Mispah of Gilead, on the east of tlic Jordan, just
as
W^h,
scoffers,
from 'pi,
Comp.
,
Ps. xl. 5,
hood
three
and cue nt-y Ps. ci. 3. Two or MSS., the edit, of Sonein., and a few
have D instead of
seduxit,
t",
othei-s,
in our text.
he
specifics
of that river.
SjT.
>-*-^|,
|^cJ.A.^LiaLo
dvclinatio,
a^ostasia.
The
idolatrous
Chap. V.
3 I
HO SEA,
is
27
know Ephraim,
not hid from
Israel
me
Surely
Israel
lewdness,
Ephraim
For
leAV'
spirit is
within them,
testifieth to his face
fall
And
5
with them.
TingstadiuSj
Maiu-er,
establish
multiplied their sacrifices in order that they might enjoy prosperity tmder the protection of the deities to
Israelites
Kuinoel,
Stuck,
But
in order to
construction,
or
we
should
but Jehovah here declares that none of them should escape the punishment which he Avas about to inflict upon them. Before -.t'ti supply r"~s. The ancient versions are here greatly at fault, from their authors havi:ig supposed that the reference to hunters is still continued in this verse.
n'hom they
offered
them
have to read
crx
?:?}', 'per-
Ephraim, as distinguished from means the tribe of Ephraim, from which most of the apostate kings sprang, and in which idolatry most
3.
Israel,
mitted them," the' accusative of the person always following the verb in such case. See Gen. xx. 6 Exod. iii. 19. In. the present instance -,r: is used in the sense of placing, ordering, framing, like B-/r and t\^'s, as it is given in the common version, and rendered by Tanchum, Leo Juda, Mercer, Tamovius, Michaelis, Rosenmiiller, Noyes, and
;
Hitzig.
their
The meaning
is,
abounded.
tribes
By
Israel
the
other
nine
wicked practices
as
abandon
are meant.
As having
inciirred
the more aggravated guilt, the former is here addressed in the second person. Two of Kennicott's ilSS. indeed, and one of Dellossi's, originally read nriTn and one of Kemiicott's has nnssttui'for MKua, but both are, in all probability, froni the hand of correctors. nJtn is here used figuratively. The polluting influence of the Ephrainiites was felt through the whole nation. To express an assertion more strongly the Hebrews put it first in the form of an affirmative, and then in that of a negative, npy, noic, is not without emphasis pointing out the undeniable fact that they had been the cause of the spread of idolatiy. 4. The language now changes to the plural, to express the character of the people generally. By some CrrVVrw is construed as the nominative to ^:n'', and rendered, their deeds do not per in it them, etc. Thus the Syr. Abenezra, Drusius, and among the modems, Horsley, etc.
; ; ;
to testify
is
for or
ob-vious
from
It
is
its use. Gen. xxx. 33 Job. x-vi. 8. properly a Judicial phrase, and refers to the testimony given by a witness,
;
either
The rendering to be humbled, which is that of the LXX. Syr. Targ. Jarchi, and recently of Michaelis, Newcome, Noyes, and Maurer, cannot be philologically sustained. The addition 1*5 3, to his face, gives emphasis to the phrase, openly, publicly, in such a manner that he himself may see it, without the That adduction of further evidence. "isj, signifies prV7e, insolence, notwithstanding what Horsley asserts to the contrary, is sufficiently apparent from Prov. I should rather xvi. 18, and Is. x\-i. 6. think, however, that by the term as here used, we are to understand the olijccts of which the ten tribes were proud, their
to circumstances.
28
"With their flocks and
HO SEA.
tlieir lierds,
Chap. V.
They may go to seek Jehovah, But they shall not find him
He
They have proved false to Jehovah For they liave begotten strange children Now shall a month destroy them and their
splendid or magnificent idols, etc. As Jehovah is spoken of as 2|;>;; V'^^' ^^^ excellency, or boast of Jacob) Amos vui. 7, so the idols might be called -,:sa
'-S':'^^ the excellency, or
Israel.
jiortions.
{jcJ^^t
salvus
evasit,
progressus
est,
and JL^.
Arab.
A,
extraxit, exuit.
Pococke's
proud
boast of
as
JU^
ioL'l
the objects of their confidence and attachment. These very gods, by their utter impotence, Lear open -witness that they could afford no help to those Avho trusted in them so that their worsliijjpers could not but have been convinced of their
iji
;
They
gloried
them
fll
ifi.
tcithdraicn
Israelites
his help
from them.
and
Jews
coidd no longer reckon on the divine presence, and the effectual aid which that presence implied.
7. The prophet seems here to allude to the mention made of C-;?.:! ""V^. and
folly, if their
hearts
ally obscm-ed
by the
The
rcHgion
itself (t:i
their iniquity,)
from which they expected safety, Avould prove the cause of their ruin. The words
are
2; ii. C""T, strange, foreign, is selected in order to show that the idolatry was the
i."
1.
The
used
repeated
vii.
verb
chap.
10.
The concluding
tains an abrupt
of the breach of the matrimonial covenant, Jer. iii. 20. This idea is expressed
in the Arab. ^MS. of Pococke,
I
and unexpected application of the threatening to the Jews. As they had suffered themselves to be
influenced by the example of the Israelites, they should also share in their
(X^jo
tXi iJU I.
iJiey
"^s
nant of God.
cation of itaqxie,
punishment. The respective captivities of both are here tlu-eatcncd. On comparing this threatening Avith chap. iv. 15, it appears to have been deUvercd at a period considerably subsequent to that wliich is there spoken of, when the evils
of idolatry had made some progress the southern kingdom. To express more strongly the certainty of the event, the verb Vrw is put in the preterite whereas it had simply been used in the future
;
quence of the conjugal infidelity just specified the production of a race of idolaters. The relation of the words is well expressed by Stuck " quoniam Deo
habent." npy, note, is here to be taken not as determining the exact point of present time, but the speedy and certain
arrival of the
The
idolatei-s
arc
The term cj^hi event. month, has greatly, and, in my opinion, vcr}' unnecessarily perplexed intcqirctcrs. Iloubigant at once cuts the knot by an arbitrary emendation f- n cV:n tTV,
:
though in the hour of calamity they might bring their flocks and herds as propitiatory sacrifices to Jehovah in order to avert the piniishmcnt, it woidd be altogether in vain. yVn sigiiifies to draw or put off any person or tiling, to withdraw one's self. Comp. the Arab.
omnino
est
He
appeals
LXX.
as his author-
but
^pva-iprj
signifies tnildeir,
with
the word he proposes to substitute for t "in, has no manner of affinity. That the bame word wliich
V''Cri,
which
locust,
; ;
Chap. V.
29
He
is
behind thee,
Benjamin!
Among
I have
is
it
made known
Hebrew
it
sure.
now
in the
text
is
was found
his rendering
viOfi-nvia.
Symm. and
Dathe,
" rt seems to be, that the former was the same as the "j^i^, korn, being made of the curved horn of animals, Josh. vi.
ni
'::
Theod. have
fi-fiv.
Michaelis,
5,
6,
8.
Arab. .arau.
^, lituus forami.x.w
whereas,
nihiis
histructtis
the
latter
Arab.
what
it
is 77ew and tinexpected, and explain Most moderns of a sudden calamity. take it in the sense of Jiew-moon. i. e. either at the feast of the new moon,
was made of metal, such as the two silver trumpets which were employed for convoking the congregation.
Numb.
iti
x.
aixgustiam
when
the Israelites were assanbled to worship or, at that time their calamities should commence. It seems most natural to abide by the usual meaning of the term, and consider the prophet as announcing, that ^\-ithin the space of one month they should be -sisited with meritThe calamity preed punishment. dicted seems to have been that occasioned
;
; angusto pectore preditus fuit. Gesenius considers the word to be an imitating the broken onomatopoetic, pulse-like sound of the trumpet, [hdtzotzerdh,^ like the Latin taratantara, and the German trarara. Their shape and
size
may
ii.
Comp.
Jcr. iv. 5
Hos.
viii. 1.
by the invasion of
Tiglath-pileser,
who
der r"2J,
Gibeah,
Tovs $ovvovs and tuv v\pr]\wv, as if heights or elevated places in general were meant
just
in
other
;
parts
of
the
Kings xv. 29 1 Chron. v. 26. That Judah also suffered on this occasion,
countni', 2
see
tT7/pVri,
interpreted
but they are to be taken as proper names, as Beth-aven and Benjamin are. They both lay in the tribe of Benjamin, see on Is. x. 29, as did also Bethel, here See on chap. iv. 15. called Beth-aven. Before tl'T.ns subaud. avs, the enemy
"is behind thee,"
i.
commonly
e.
close
upon
thee.
property but I should rather think the prophet has in view their idols, whom they regarded as the authors of their possessions
mean
their possessions or
The
fifth
KaTo. votov
a-ou, to
signification
icest is
of thee ; but if the local were at all admissible, the the only sense in which the word
the south
Is. Ivii. 6,
and
my
could be understood.
9. Having apprised the Jews of the danger with which they were threatened, the prophet returns to describe the ca-' lamity \Ahich was to be inflicted upon the ten tribes and in the course of the
;
alarm is ordered to be given to the southern kingdom of the approach of the enemy. The verse intimately coheres with the foregoing, and is not to be taken for the commencement of a new prophecy, as Jerome, Abarbanel, ilichaelis, Dathe, Manger, and others, suppose. The difference between the "^si?; and the
An
the
two
kingdoms
alternately.
is
v~.^'.>
The
proof
nominative to rrrn
implied in
D'"SS.
rn^.iri, primarily
incosis
$0
H
The
I will pour out iny Avrath
Chap. V.
10
11
who remove
like water.
the boundary;
upon them
Ephraim
lie
is
is
oppressed,
12 I
13
am as a moth to Ej^hraim, And as rottenness to the house And Ephraim saw his ^ckness, And Judah his wound
from n^",
;
of Judah.
or demonstration,
before one in the
vince, convict,
to be before
authority
to
have
resisted
it,
but
they
in Iliph. to place
way
is
of evidence, conchastise,
punish.
-0.l5i,
sjiionymous with hemistich of the verse shows that the ten tribes were
ver. 2.
The
The
latter
the
scene of the prophet's minis-trj-. r:^s:_, the feminine used for the neuter.
idV
prepared to indulge in all the gross idolatries to which this worship proved the introduction. From the circumstance that the LXX. have rendered the passage oTTiffw T(it> /xaraioip, after vanities, it has been conjectured that they read but it is more likely Kirj instead of ,:?
;
By
Judah," king Ahaz and his courtiers are For V!)2i ""i-S'cs, comp. Deut. xx\-ii. 17 !iry-i^ Viaj j-b ni-is. Prov. xxii. 28; xxiii. 10; Job xxiv. 2. It was reckoned a flagrant offence to reintended.
;
seems to have become proverbial to designate unprincipled conduct. What the prophet here reprobates appears to be the means adopted by Ahaz and his supporters to introduce idolatrj- into Judah. See 2 Kings x\-i. 10-18. If the 3 be
they intended to give the sense of the whole, rather than the signification of this particular word. They are followed by both the Sp-iac versions, and in part by the Targ. Jerome, on the other hand, has read the same letters which now stand in the text ; for he rendcre sordes, pointing the word 'is, and regarding it as merely a contracted form of Kia
or Tt'i'.'i'itflthiness.
12.
The
is
^regarded as the Caph veritatis, it \\-ill 'strongly express the fact that these
princes
aries
had actually removed the boundwhich separated the true rehgion from the false. Di^ane judgments are frccjucntly compared to the overflowing of water from a river. ^E'r, to pour out,
expresses the fulness of their infliction.
moth, to the consumption of garments, Ps. xxxix. 12 Is. 1. 9 in Sp", rottenness, to that of wood. See Job xiii. 28, where both words occur together as here. The LXX. freely render the former by
; ;
The rapaxv, the latter by Kivrpov. meaning is not that God was regarded as the moth and rottenness, *. e. with disgust but that he was the author of those judgments by which the idolaters
;
Comp. Zeph.
iii.
8.
nnsv, prop,
also
effer-
denotes the
greatness of the punishment. 11. t:S'i->: 'p -J-;, the genitive of cause, broken in pieces by thcjudgment, or pun-
the phrijscs
"1772, lit.
ishment
divine
inflicted,
i::
refers
not to any
commandment, but to the order issued by Jeroboam to worship the golden calves, 1 Kings xii. 2S-33. Such an
order
liis
a bandage, from "inT, to compress, bind as a wound, see Is. i. 6 hence, as here, a bandaged ii^nvnd, corresponding to "Vn,
;
member
of
the parallelism.
subjects
metaphors in
;;
; ;
Chap. V.
HO SEA,
to Assyria
31
He
But he could not cure you, Nor remove your wound from you. 14 For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, And like a young lion to the house of Judah; I, even I will tear the prey, and depart I will carry it away, and there shall be none to
15 I will depart, I will return to
Till
rescue.
my
place,
political affairs,
Hos.
vi. 1, vii. 1.
as its
it
is
used Prov.
If
-vdi.
the preceding part of the verse, -which forms an alternate quatrain; the third line connecting with the first, and the n-i^ is not a fourth Avith the. second.
proper name, but an appellative, signifying one who contends, is contentwxis,
hostile
;
we may
recedere,
I<'V.
fugere, Aph. liherare, it properly signifies to renwve, relieve, and so -with respect to
a wound,
SyT.
to heal.
from
a-^-i, to
LXX.
oh
jxri Sairoi5(rjj
contend.
future,
The form
is
the apocopated
D^-i;^
/0\*t1
and
contracted for
"irs,
14.
Tanchimi OCiLo
that
No effort to recover
a state of pros-
was
^^
Tijj'
;
-is? ,
the
king
Joiarib,
contended.
xi. 5.
Comp.
::^i''i"',
;
Neh.
Aq.
excited against them, could possibly succeed. '^-'J, the black lion, and T'SS,
the
to
iiKa^ifievov
Symm.
Kp'n-nv.
eKSiKOf, or
e/cSi/c-fj-
Jerome, ad regem ultorem. De Wette, Der konig der rdchen soil. That the king of Assyria is meant there can be no doubt. See chap. X. 6. He -was ever ready to mix himself up -with the affairs of neighboring states, in order to extend or consohdate his gigantic empire, and -was justly regarded by the Hebre-ws as their most powerful The application made by the adversary. northern kingdom was that which took place in the reign of Menahem, when that monarch sent to Pul a thousand talents of silver for the piirpose of engaging him on his behalf, 2 Kings xv. 19. But this alliance proved of no real value ; for the subsidy was raised by oppression, and in the course of the folio-wing reign, Tiglath-pileser invaded and depopulated great part of the country, The embassy from the kingver. 29.
Theod.
young lion, are frequently employed convey the ideas of strength and ferocPs. xci. 13.
ity,
The
15.
reduplication ^js
>3N is,
xliii. 2.5
as usual, emphatic.
;
Comp.
prey,
is
Is.
xl-vdii.
r:E":t2,
un-
many
guilt,
C'l'N, like deprivation of these blessings. other verbs, has a sensus pregnans ;
conveying not only the idea oi contracting but of suffering its consequences. The latter idea seems clearly to be conveyed in this passage. The Rabbins, indeed, and after them, Glassius, and many
others, attempt to attach to the verb the
superadded signification of ffA-no!t'fcr)'y/?;y, which is that adopted by our translators but it is by no means supported by Lev.
22 ; V. 5 Zech. xi. 5 the passages usually adduced in proof, "s -js iK^2 to seek the face of any one, means to See 1 Ivings strive to obtain his favor.
iv.
; ;
Judah was that sent by Ahaz to Tiglath-pileser, -when attacked by the tmited kings of Syria and Israel, 2 Kings
of
dom
32
H
Then
will
EA
CiiAr. VI.
they seek
my
face
When
;
me
early.
X. 24 The phrase Prov. xxix. 26. occurs verj' frequently in the Psalms, in
Comp. Dan.
^^ith'ls|^3,
ix.
3.
is
ihs
is
sjTionj-mous
but
only used
reference to application
to
Jehovah in
in poetic diction.
CHAPTER
The
VI.
nation, in both its divisions, is here introduced as taking up language suitable to the circumstances described in the concluding verses of the preceding chapter, 1-3; but however appropriate it was to the condition of the people, that it was not the result of sound and thorough conversion, appears from ver. 4, in which they are expostulated with on the ground of their inconstancy. Notice is then taken of the means, both of a moral and a punitive nature, that had been employed for their recovery, 5, 6 their deceitful and wicked conduct, especially that of the Israelites, is placed in a strong light, 7-10; and a special denunciation of punishment is directed against the Jews, who tlattered themselves with the hope that whatever might befall the northern tribes, no calamity would happen to them.
;
Come, let us return to Jehovah, For he hath torn, but he will heal us
He He
1, 2.
"will
It
has been
disputed whether
horting his countrjTnen to repent and turn to God, or whether they are to be regarded as employed by themselves to
give expression to their feelings of penitence,
their
confidence in
God
for de-
liverance from
resolutions of
punishment, and
their
amendment
the apparent agreement of the language of ver. 2, with the circiunstanccs of time connected with the death and resurrection of our Saviour, many interpreters, as Lactantius, Tertullian, Origen, Jerome, Augustine, Luther, OEcolampadius, Mercer, Riberus, TamoA-ius, Hammond, etc.,
The
latter appears,
is
to these respect
I fully concur,
The
intimate connection
with the preceding context, and the repeof its language, induces to the conclusion that the same subject is here continued, viz. the castigation of the Hebrew kingdoms on account of idolatry, and the effect produced by it. This connection the ancient versions have endeavored to establish by uiscrting a
tition, in part,
however, in the judicious remarks of Calvin on this interpretation, " Sed sensus Et ille videtur mihi nimium argutus. semper hoc spcctandum est nobis, ne volitemus in aiire placent arguta; speculationes primo intuitu, sed jxistea evancs;
cunt.
Ergo
Chap. VI.
HO SEA,
us up,
33
On the third day he will raise And we shall live before him.
Then we
shall
Yea, he will come to us like the rain, Like the latter rain, which watereth the earth.
The exeHorsley, and manyothers, -who regard the words as primarily
prophetis, sive in Apostolis."
gesis
T, of the elongated futures marks bent or inclination of mind. To separate the verbs, and coimect the former with the preceding verse, as Horsley does, would quite destroy the force of the prophet's language. At the same time the 1 at the beginning of the verse is
The
of
Grotius,
this
equally unsatisfactory.
is,
The simple
that on their
which they had been the nation which had been re-
what follows would be the result of the divine interposition on behalf of the HebreAv people. Some few MSS. insert i before rTi:.
inferential, intimating that
"i2:,
to
be fixed,
established,
certain.
duced
its
would
be resuscitated, and enjoy a renewal of former prosperity. From the metaphor of disease, ver. 1, there is in ver. 2, an advance to that of actual death, and a consequent resurrection, in order to
place their present and also their antici-
and dehghtful as the dawn of the morning would be the coming forth of the favor of Jehovah after the dark
certain
As
night of adversity. This beautiful metaphor is taken from the sunrise. See, fcr such application of ssntt, Ps. xix. 7. The other images were peculiarly appropriate in Palestine,
pated condition in a more striking light. For the use of the latter metaphor in
application to the national affairs of the
these seasons
Jews, see
14.
Is.
xxvi. 19
"'iJ'Vrri
d'a, on
juera 5uo
expletive of
t:";K;'''tt,
days
LXX.
short period
is
soil, on bestowment was regarded as among the most necessary of temporal blessings, and its absence a
which account
its
The
or
former,
the
and
tiro three
1
or very few,
xvii. 6.
afflicted
commonly
;
called
n"i.'i"',
rr^.iw,
Comp. Luke xiii. 32, 33. The Hebrews confidently hoped that their punishment would be of brief duration, and that God would assuredly restore them to the enjojnnent of his Such enjoyment is expressed by favor.
liviny "I'ith,
his presence
darting rain, from the root -ni',' to dart, cast, etc. here D'iir;, the rain, by way
of eminence the heavy, violent rain, as the word properly signifies. It falls
;
till
about the
called the
is
or
former
rain.
LXX.
verhs
before
Mm,
experiencing
and
blessing.
The phrase
v. 15,
employed chap.
resvilt
because the Jews commenced their year at that time. It prepares the ground for the reception of the seed.
n-pdi/jLos,
and
3.
indicates
the
of
"'rss
Trp2,
lO'ipV)?,
o\f/ifxos,
the
latter
rain,
LXX.
vfrhs
there predicted.
In rs-rV r;^-)2 -?-:% there is a from a resolution simply to acquire a true knowledge of Jehovah, to a determination to make such knowledge the object of earnest and unwearied pursmt.
rise
the latter half of February and during the months of ilai-ch and from April, just before the harvest
falls in
;
'Cph, signifying
late fruit.
which circumstan-ce
to
it
receives its
name
the
Syr.
gather or
collect,
Comp.
t;);V,
to collect,
84
4
II
CuAP.
VL
Wli:U sliall I do to thee, O Ephraim I AVhat sliall I do to thee, O Judah For your goodness is like the morning cloud,
And
5
like the
dew
For
I
this cause I
slain
have
mercy and not sacrifice And the knowledge of God, rather than burnt
Fur
I
desired
offerings.
6.
)
The
sevcritj'
of
the
thrcatenings
* ''^, serotinus.
Before
Tf^h''
supply
''4' That the declarations contained in the preceding verses are not to be -s-iewed as divine promises, but express the hopes and resolutions of the afflicted Hebrews, appears from the affecting expostulations
communicated through the instrumentahty of the prophets is compared to the incisions made in stone or wood with the axe, and those made in the human body with the sword. Comp. Is. xi. 4 Heb. iv. 12. After 'Pa'^n supply c or cr k*
;
To make
here addressed to them, and the description of the temporary' and evanescent character of their boasted reformation. Like a tender parent Avho is anxious, if
possible, to reclaun a
the pronominal affixes agree, the LXX. SjT. and Targ. read "t:E'f , " my judgments," and so likewise Datlie,
wayward
child, Je-
Newcome, Boothroyd, and Ewald, instead of ""USr?;, "thy judgments." Tulg. judicia tua^ Hexap.
Kuinoel, Bocckel,
SjT.
hovah asks what other means could possibly be employed for the recovery of his They had been tried rebellious people. both with mercies and judgments, but without effect. Comp. Is. v. 4-7. ncn properly means kmcbiess, benignitij, mercy
;
y^'
|-1a?0.
There
is
no variety
in the
MSS., except that one of Kennicott's, and originally one of De Rossi's, have ':]t:Et;, "thy judgment," in the
sing\dar!
The
;
is
religion,
as Is. xl.
6.
y
I,
Syr.
.C^^O '^^
MS.
cocke's Arab.
ion.
(^XJL)
yow
'relig-
and the meaning is, the judgnients which belong to thee, which thou descrvedst, and which were inflicted upon thee. The genitive is that of object. Comp. ':;t3Er>2, 1 Kings XX. 40; :7;::ctt,
to T^, ver. 4
Jer. U. 9
iii.
;
the
Zeph.
tibi
is
meaning thus
t]
irap'
vfxSiv
yivofxivq
oi) 5(op/f7)s.
15.
inferendse."
NS^ though
future,
In Palustinc, and other couiitries of the same latitude, the dense clouds whicli cover the heavens during the morning are and the all gone Vjy nine or ten o'clock dews, however copious, early disappear. C'Stir is here, as frequently, to be taken As early, in the morning. adverbially
; ;
modified by the preceding preterite, and - has is to be rendered accordingly. here the sense of lightning, as in Job xxxvii. 3, 1.5. The LXX. S}t. Targ.
signifies
and Arab, supply a before n'lS. Sudden and awful as the lightning were the inflictions of merited punishment upon the idolatrous Hebrews. 6. ^cn means here true piety, of which
carry a burden, and beasts of burden are usually loaded in the morning, the
in Iliphil to signify
the doing of any thing at an early hour. r^'-r. is not to be construed with C^.^sn,
rsn is only a branch, C"r'Vs coiTCsponding to it in the second member of the verse, like-wise means a 2iractical htoiclcdge of God, in opposition to that which is merely speculative.
mercy or charity
but with
Vtj.
Comp.
The
present
is
one
Chap. VI.
7
HO SEA.
are like
35
Bat they
men
false to
me.
of several passages in the Old Testament, in which the comparative worthlessness of ceremonial observances is taught.
See Is. i. 11-17; Ps. xl. 7-9, Comp. Matt. Mic. vi. 6-8.
xii. 7.
1.
8-23;
13.
ix.
of a
It
plvural,
which
it
nowhere
exhibits.
may
also
be objected to the
first
men-
7. Translators
meanuig of Cns as occurring in this Some, as Jarchi, Jerome, Leo Juda, Castalio, Grotius, Clarius, Manger,
cise
Adam.
a
those of
RosenmiiUer, Boothroyd, and Stuck, regard it as a proper name, and suppose the reference
Tingstadius,
to be to the conduct of
gi-essing the divine
Newcome,
mSM, command or
interdict, rather
than
Adam
in trans;
commandment while
D'~.!Sr, like any of a federal nature. Edom, the reading proposed by Michaelis, has fomid no supporters. Before li::?, supply "Its, of which there is frequently an ellipsis in Hebrew poetr3% See Nol-
dius, p. 103.
c^,
Mer-
Lowth, De Wette, Maurer, Hitzig, Ewald, etc., take it to be an appellative, and interpret the passage of the treacherous violation of contracts among mankind. In favor of the former view, it is alleged, that it places the guilt of the Israelites in a
and
anticipates
the regions
more
8.
two
following verses.
is the nominative abhere the designation of a citj', in all probabihty Bamoth-Gilead, the metropohs of the mountainous region beyond Jordan, and south of the river Jabbok, knoMTi by the name of Gilead,
Ti'Vs, Gilead,
solute,
and
is
much more
aggravated hght
pe^ed
It
is,
to in proof of a similar allusion. however, very doubtful whether there be any such allusion in these passages; and as to the force of the comparison, it seems sufficiently supphed by supposing men in general to be understood, who break the engagements into which they have entered vdth each other.
Josh. xxi. 38
Kings
iv. 13.
It
was
here that Jacob and Laban entered into a solemn covenant with each other. Gen. Burckhardt found xxxi.. 21, 23, 25. ruins of cities on two mountains in that region, still known by the names of
Djebel,
Djelaftd, one or have been that here mentioned. It was one of the cities of but Josh. xx. 8 refuge, Deut. iv. 43 appears from the present passage to have afterwards become notorious for idolatry Some would restrict and bloodshed.
The
as if
he
Djelaad,
and
as if the
other of which
may
If we except the three passages acter. in question, it is universally admitted that there is no other, after the first chapters of Genesis, in
"ps
"""h
LXX.
but
its
it
is
made
and
The
abso-
lute
IT'
13
occurs, (comp.
Ti'^na,
"my
covenant," chap.
1,)
indeed, idolatry has ever ^een found to Various explabe the fruitful parent.
HO SEA.
9
Chap. VI.
As
So
troops of robbers
is
lie in
way
to
Shechem
is
horrifying
Judah
a harvest
is
appointed.
the simplest
Li
that
which regards
it
as
heel, step,
print of the foot, and describing the marks or traces of blood left by the feet of the Sjt. murderers Avho resided there.
ered to be an imitation of the Chaldee form of the Infin. in Piel, from "sn, to wait, lie in rcaitfor ; but it seems more likely to be the abbreAiated form of the
Piel Participle
as in
'^r n'tt,
har,
Eccles.' iv. 2,
instances of the
Pual
See
p^5^
what
\ve
To
that contained in 2 Kings xv. 25, from which it appears that iifty of the inhabitants of Gilcad were implicated in the
rcgicidal conspiracy against Pckahiah. 9. 0=0, Shechem, -was another city of
Gesen. Lehrgeb. p. 316. ' "ana will thus form the genitive of object. Three MSS. substitute n for i ; and instead of the prepositive a, three ^ISS. and three printed editions' read 2. - Before -an
C":ra there is an ellipsis of -,2, corresnttT is iised to ponding to 3 in 'rriS. denote presumptuous or deliberate wicked-
ness,
^^j^
proposuit
and Ge-
sibi, to form a purpose, lay a deliberate plan of action ; chiefly employed in a bad
ujJLjIj. ^'abloos,
and
from very
of
sense.
LXX.
avo/uLia.
Ilitzig,
Unthat.
occurs
10. rr'nn-.yi',
LXX.
(ppiKuSi),
ancient
religious
times
been
the
seat
the
ri?^yc,
It is ex-
Kings
inhabitants
becami
so
conxiptcd,
that
the priests
plained immediately after of the atrocious idolatry which, through the influence of the tribe of Ephraim, had spread itself
resident there
banded together, waylaid, and murdered \vith impunity the persons who were fleeing to the asylum for refuge. The n in rwt^y is that of direction, and
connects in sense with T)*?."- The interposition of the verb ^.tT^:"!': betAveen these
over the whole kingdom of Israel. 11. For the various interpretations which have been given of this verse see Ewald is the TamoAius or Pococke. only modem that adopts branch as the
two nouns
no difficulty, since we have instances of nouns in construction Is. being separated. See Gen. viL 6
occasions
;
xix. 8
sion,
IIos. xiv. 3.
Our common
following
ver-
and many
others,
the
Targ.
one shoulder, translate T11S2C, with one consent, which well suits the connection but is not borne out by the term occurring but Hebrew usage once, Zeph. iii. 7, in this metaphorical
nn "rsi
;
rendering of -i''::;;, as Kimchi proposed, and explains it of the introduction of idolatry into Judah. How Ilorsley could assert that harvest is used in a good sense, as an image of the ingathering of the people of God, is inconceivable. See Ilev. xiv. 15-20Joel iii. 13 Jer. h. 33
; ;
Nowhere
in prophecy docs
it
appear to
acceptation,
as here,
but -rns
cr.'B'
generally consid-
be used in this sense. In aU probability, the punishment predicted is that recorded, 2 Chron. xxAiii. G-8. r-f" is here used impersonally. Instead of -^^V, four MSS. originally two more, the Targ. and two
Chap. VII.
old editions, read pV.
""tzV
HOSE A,
37
The words ^2Vr3 have no meaning, if connected with the preceding, which form a concise apostrophical warning to the Jewish kingdom. They must, therefore,
rn:;'^
harmony. Thus ]SIoerhus, !Michaehs, Jahn, Eichhom, Kuinoel, btuck, De Wette, and Boothroyd, divide.
CHAPTER
The prophet continues
YII.
his description of the wickedness of the ten tribes. Eegardless of Jehovah, they persevered in falsehood and violence, 1, 2; flattered their rulers, and thereby obtained their sanction to their nefarious conduct, 3, 5; and indulged to the utmost in licentiousness, 4-7. The murder of their kings successively is predicted, and their hardihood and folly ate further set" forth, 7-10. The prophet next adverts to their fruitless application for assistance to Egypt and Assyria, and their equally fruitless, because false professions of return to the service of God, 11-16.
When I reversed
When
And
I healed Israel,
TImbu was the iniquity of Ephraini revealed, the wicked deeds of Samaria For they practised deceit The thief entered,
And And
1.
the banditti plundered in the street. they considered not in their heart,
render
Some would
^?ntt;
'DTia
I again lead people into captivity " but altogether contrary to the established usage of the language.
''W,
"When
my
See Deut. xxx. 3 Ps. xiv. 7 Jer. xxxi. Zeph. iii. 20. The words are ex23 plained by the following Vsnb'^V "'tiSis, when I heal Israel. 3 and a' frequently alternate with each other, when used of the time at which any thing is done. The restoration here mentioned is in all
; ;
;
was confirmed by a temporary cessation of the judgments of God, durmg which they might be said to have been healed; but it was soon entirely frustrated by the open increase of wickedness among them, n^^ai has the force of then, on
become more manifest, etc. see on Is, xxviii. 1. Being the metropohs of the ten tribes, it was the head spring of that corruption of manners which overspread the kingdom. NTS'' and yin2 I3r2 describe the acts of violence that were committed by breaking into and plundering private houses, and those which were perpetrated on persons
the contrary,
For Samaria,
probability
that
of
the
two himdred
thousand Jewish captives, to which reference is made 2 Chron. xxviii. 8-15. The conduct of the Israehtish rulers upon that occasion held out some hope of improve-
in the streets.
The
reference
is
not to
ment
and
and others
comp. the
a consequent change in the Divine conduct towards it; and this expectation
Israelites.
""^tji
38 That
I remeniLerecl
all
II
EA
Chap.
VU.
tbeir wickedness:
Kow
They
them
arc before
my
face.
And
4
They They
adulterers
Who resteth
From
Until
5
it
by the baker; from heating it, the time he kneadeth the dough,
be leavened.
On
'
Arab,
JU-U
!
JLi*.
and
i JUj
isclf.
t*S, haked
foundation. incontinent
or
cooked,
there
is
To
no and
KamJi^
x.iv.
1,
Ps.
Instead of C2=V^> ^^ form exhibited in the printed text, " to their heart," ten MSS., originally seven more, now one, perhaps another, and the
e(
freq.
"m
their
states
One
of
Ue
Rossi's
MSS.
in the margin that the latter readmg is It is also supfovmd in other copies.
ported
by the Sjt. Vulg. Targ. and Arab, versions. Both forms describe internal or mental conversation, only \> So indicates an endeavor to pei-suade. far were the persons spoken of from bringing themselves to act on the conviction,
character of their lust the strongest light, thC prophet compares it to a baker's oven, which he raises to such a degree of heat, that he only reqiiires to omit feeding it during the short period of the fermentation of the bread. Such was the Ubidinous character of the Israelites, that their imp\u:e indulgences were subject to but slight interruptions. Comp. aKaratravaTovs afiaprias, 2 Pet. ii. the feminine agrees with 14. mvis, ^ 5 3P, which is of common gender, llie latter word Gesenius derives from the Aram. ",:n,'<o smoke, and "i?2, Jirr.
that
God was
priv'y
to
their
\y^
and Syr.
poJ^^
wicked deeds,
conStill, however, the trary disposition. phrase may best be rendered by thinks To the words consider, or the like.
two
interpretations
cither
They
mean,
that the evil practices of the Israelite crowded round them as so mimy causes
fornax, clibamts. The oven here referred to is not the pitcher-oven of the Arabs, but the larger kind, prettj- much like our own, which was, as it still is, used in public bake-houses. M2S nnyb is elliptical for burning, having been kindled by the baker. Before ri^2i'i supply "t--'*'
The mcanmg
heating,
etc.
is,
who
Most
onlt/
ceaseth froiu
of punishment, as enemies siuround and shut up the object of their attack ; or, that they crowded about them as so
interpreters
l^yw
etc.,
in the sense of
stirriiir/,
and
it
api)ly
it
;
many
fire
in the oven
but
it
is
preferable to
The latter would of their character. seem, from the following words, to be the
true meaning.
3. Their rulers, instead of repressing, took delight in the immorid and irreligious conduct of the people. 4. In this coiuiectinn, t:-E5J:>3 is to bo
regard
to
Arab.
A^
to
be hot,
burning; hence in
IIi];h.
the city,
Yidg.
is
altogether inappropriate.
taken in
its literal
signification.
Comp.
festal
day
Chap. VII.
HO SEA.
The
He
6
hand Avith the scoifers. For though they approach with their heart warm Yet it is in their plot
stretcheth out his
as an oven,
all
the night
fire.
Targ. Jarchi and Kimchi give it, that of The pre^xisition a is his inauguration. ^lichaelis thinks the relcrimderstood.
cnce
is
to the accession of a
new king
to
the throne.
twenty-two MSS. and the S}t. read ?3"-Vu our klnjs ; LXX. r^/xtpai ruv
fiaa-iKiwu vfibiv.
".Vnn
is
used mtransi-
tively.
The LXXV
Abarbancl, Leo Juda, Newcome, Michaeand Bootlnoyd, refer this verb to the root VVn but, not to insist on its re(juiring in such case to be read 'linn,
lis,
;
they approached him with the warmest professions of loyalty ; but in private they were scheming how to get rid of him. The ringleader waited till he could conveniently carry the plot into execution and speedily they effected the Were it not that all nefarious pui-pose. the ancient versions render "z:"];;, as a verb, I should have been inclined to point it 'la'^p, and translate, " For their inward part is like an oven their heart is in
; ;
their plot."
Jer. ix. 7.
Comp. ians
C"'"i*''^
nan)5an,
The
there is sometliing so uatolerably tame in the rendering, " The princes began to be heated with wine," that it cannot be admitted as the language of the prophet. Besides, n^n would likewise requne to
be changed iiito S^Kri, which would produce an anomalous iiilinitive. rKn, bottle, less agrees with tt following than
n.izt],
heat.
Comp, Arab. \ ~^
'
J^..^:^.
T-i
t^'ifi is
Though there is no word in the text corresponding to " warm," its insertion in the translation is fully justified by the comparison in ni3P3, like aft oveii, and the intensitive force of an p^ in Piel. ITiat this verb ever signifies to make ready or prepare, I do not find. All attempts to justify the rendering of the LXX. and V Syr. aviKixib-npav, ^G^, by the conjectural
state with a preposition intervening between the nouns. Comp. caV';: '!?.'2:,
readings
sain,
13"^s
and Accorduig
Ezek.
xiii.
-,."^w
tiVn
Tip-^,
Is.
li.
21,
andseeGesen. Lehrgeb. p. 670. The words mean the heat or fever produced by intoxication.
Hexapla,
Symm.
(J-*-ka
-^f^),
While the
courtiers
thus
for-
getting his dignity, participated in their cups, and joined in their scoffs. Because
trEs,
i
baker,
else, Houbigant would have it changed into the usual form C^^\, most uncritically. Comp. ysip and V-l)?. Aq. x^^vaa-TwV, LXX.
which may
as a singular form,
less properly,
Xoifxwv.
The
reduplicate
the third radical n, as in other nouns or participles derived from verbs in nV,) the Targ. and Sjt. render "jinTiiinj
'
form
.OCT ^^09, as
their anger.
*
if
6ons described.
I consider the prophet to be continuing in this verse his description of
6.
abandoned courtiers, in imagciy borrowed from that introduced ver. 4. tn their intercoiuse with the monai'ch,
the
found in the LXX. shows that the former must have been the reading of the MS. which they used, as the latter could not have so easily been mistaken for this proper name. >"r:"-:y, which Dathe proposes, and Kuinoel
'Ecppalu,
40
HO SEA,
Chap.
VIL
calleth unto
me.
nations;
up with the
But he knoweth
it
not
Yea, gray hairs are sprinkled upon him, Yet he knoweth it not.
adopts into his Ileb. text, nowhere occurs By ira, furor, eorum. "their baker" seems to be meant the
leader of
awefiiyi/vTo.
Syr.
Xa^
y^. 35,
Targ.
in the sense,
!)3i.yns.
Comp. Psalm
c\'i.
where
the conspiracy,
whom
some
suppose to be Menahem, others Shallum, but I should rather 2 Kings XV. 10-15 infer from what is stated ver. 7, that the
;
such intercourse generally, mcluding the adoption of their idolatrous practices, and
not specifically the entering into leagues R-ith them, is meant, appears from the following clause, in which, to express the worthlessness of the Ephraimitish character, the people are
took place in Israel. Ha\-uig prepared the rest of the conspirators, he, like the baker, abided his time, when, of a sudden, the plot burst forth like a flame. n^3, all of 7. Comp. 2 Kings xv.
them, corresponds to cVs, ver.
is
4.'
compared
to a cake,
Vizti^^
nn,
still
to be icarin,
hot, etc.
continues the
in the oven devours the fuel, so the persons spoken of destroyed those who were in authority. in the sense of fall'^i:i is not to be taken ing off or apostatizing from God, as Jer-
comparison.
As
the
fire
which, from not having been turned, is The Arabs burnt, and good for nothing. bake their bread on the ground or hearth, covering it with hot embers, and turning it every ten minutes or quarter of an hour, When negto prevent its being burnt.
lected
it is
and
is
thrown
away.
tate
ome, Ribera, Menochius, Tirinius, and some others interpret, but in that of falling by the hands of murderers. This, the preceding hcmi5";rs, thexj devour, The source of the evil, stitch, shows. however, lay in apostasy from Jehovah, which had reached such a height, that none implored the Divine aid even when
themselves, and were only fit for rejecLXX. iyKpv<pias, bread baked in tion.
hot ashes, CjTil, rwv
9.
iirl
\idois oirro/tc-
i.
e.
the
S^Tians,
xiii.
AssjTians, etc.
See 2 Kings
3-6.
7;
xv.'lD, 20;
xvii.
The
state,
drawing
in calamity.
8.
Ewald
renders
^^San^,
veraltet,
" hath become old," which might seem some support from the latter but the verb can, with no part of ver n propriety, be referred to any other root
to derive
;
fact being obsei"ved by its citizens, Ls compared to a person on whose head gray hairs begin to make their appearance, without hLs becoming sensible of the ap-
proach of age.
thaia '^^3,
Arab.
JuJLj^
madefecit, comv.
Propertius.
n\ -i\^ confudit,to
A repetition
5,
LXX.
Israehtcs
;;
Chap. VH.
HO SEA.
41
10 The pride of Israel testifieth to his face. Yet they turn not to Jehovah their God,
Nor seek him for all this. Ephraim is like a silly dove, without understanding They call in Egypt, they go to Assyria. 12 As they go, I will spread my net upon them, I will bring them down like the fowls of heaven
11 I will chastise them,
13
Woe
hath been heard in their assembly. unto them for they have wandered from me Destruction unto them for they have rebelled against me. Though it was I that redeemed them, Yet have they spoken lies against me.
it
! !
As
14
They
cry not to
me
their beds
the public congregations, to
of their idols, yet they returned not in the exercise of true repentance to God, who alone could deliver them in the hour of trouble, but formed alliances with foreign powers in the deThe simpUcity lusive hope of protection
.
hly,
i.
e.
which the Divine messages were delivered. God had given them sufficient warning by Moses and the prophets. The versions vaiy in rendering the last word, which
has given
rise to
of
the dove
is
proverbial.
Thus the
cnnsV,
yuyris.
cnJyV,
Arabs,
1
^
1 1 .
t^s trwa-
,.^0
jJjI
iS^
C^-
<\
there is nothing
more simple
13.
plaintive, the
foUowmg
n-i
plainly shows.
than the dove. The word nniS is here, however, used in a bad sense, as nV V'?.* without heart, i. e. without understandThe point of comparison is ing, shows. the inconsiderate flight of the dove from one danger into another from the alann which makes her leave her abode for the Such would be the net of the fowler.
;
Ti:
is
xxvii. 8
Jehovah had distinctly announced to them, that forcase with the Israelites.
eign alliances would prove their ruin yet they heedlessly rushed into destruction. -ii'j-N stands either for n"ii"it< or
r,"i'NV>.
net refers
ground the bringing down, to those that are in the air, by the use of missile weapons. Instead of the Hiphil DTC'S, which occurs only here, the Soncin. edit.
of the Prophets, and some few MSS. read c-iS'S in Piel, which may also be
interpreted causatively.
lit.
in aggravation of their Their preferring the service of idols to that of the true God, was not merely a practical denial of his all-sufliciency, but a violation of the solenm pledge which they had given of undivided obedience to his law, when, as stated, chap. vi. 1-3, they professed to return to him. 14. When pressed down by the calamities which their sins had brought upon them, they cried to God for deUverance, but without any genuine repentance or sincere resolution to obey him in future.
guilt.
Jehovah adduces
cri^i'V
y^rs
6
i.
e.
in the
when
their
anxiety pre-
42
HO SEA.
Cn-vp. VII.
For the sake of corn and new wine they assemble They rebel against me. 15 Though I instructed them, and strengthened their arms, Yet they devised evil against me. 16 They may turn, but it is not to the Most High They are like a deceitful bow Their rulers shall fall by the sword,
vented them from sleeping, iini'iin*, the LXX. reading ?T-iiri';, render Korerffifoi/TO, they cut themselves, supposing that in token of grief, or like the maddened priests of Baal, 1 Kings xviii. 28,
they inflicted Avounds upon their bodies. This is also_ in all probabUity^what the Syr.
y
translator intended
by
is
^ ^KKn
"six
found in
more severe manner, by the judgments which had been inflicted upon them but that the former kind of instruction is meant, seems clear from the phrase yi-iT pin, to strengthen the arm, i. c. to impart strength or power for the performance of any undertaking. Comp. Ezek. XXX. 24, 25, where both the impartation and the deprivation of such power are mentioned. ^Vhat the j"?, evil,
also in a
;
MSS.
and
is
has been ui eiglit more originally, the reading of two early editions,
or wickedness was,
is
not specified
but
one of which is the Soncin. of 1486, it is not sufficiently supported to warrant its adoption into the text. The Targ. Abul-wahd, Jarchi, Abenezra, Kimcld, Munster, Piscator, Leo Juda, Junius, Tremellius, Boothroyd, ResenmuUer,
Maiu-er,
sisted in
some new
such as that with Egj-pt, referred to in LXX. vov-npa Targ. the next verse.
;
and Gescnius, support the textual reading, and render congregate. This
decidedly agrees better with the following -a !i-nD^. Instead of retmrdng to
them by
sacri-
^-VS^ , " convertiint se ad nonad non-deum, collect, nondeos, i. e. ad dcos fictos, vanos." Maurer. Thus also Gescn. in voc. Vs.. Comp. for the use of this idiom. Is. x. 15, note. Hosea, who is fond of brevity, uses here and chap. xi. 7, Vs, instead of the longer form "i"Vy, Most High, Kamctz is used
16. V"
vChi
i.
sununtim,
e.
Lee
excelsus fuit,
tcithdraio themselves,
pvurposes.
e.
for idolatrous
To mark more
be
high in dignity.
iJL^.
chap.
alius,
xi. 7.
Pococke's Arab.
MS.
in
me," is employed, instead ^i'c'a, of "fron me," the preposition that otherwise follows lie, which is frequently used of apostasy from God to idolatrous practices. The whole phrase is in this case best rendered by rebel against, as in our common
version.
15.
^'IxJI
tate
Syr. la^V.!,
God;
one of
l)e Rossi's
MSS.
Vs.
being the Most High, was the direct wood or stone, the produce of opposite
the earth.
to bind,
The LXX.
'
a.tti(npa,<^r\<Tav
but
inis
to chastise or instruct.
The IjXX.
ovbtv,
and Sjt.
jj
C-ClS(J1.^|
\i^
Vn
to the
Vo-
same
effect,
though giving
MSS.
is
y;iOt>l
LjL. Those
the sense rather than an exact translation. The I^atin translation of the Syr. nxtlla
de causa,
is
whose character
quite enx)neous.
Most modits
cms,
less aptly,
take Vs in
adverbial
Chap. VIIL
HO SEA.
43
account of the insolence of their language: This shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.
On
acceptation, and render, they return not upwards ; which yields, however, nearly the same meaning. Thus Rosenmiiller, Winer, Manger, Stuck, and others. New-
seems no ground
Ge-
senius, that the phrase is used poetically for treacherous bowmen, who feign tight
come's conjectural emendation, V'S^"! nV, that lohich cannot profit, has not been approved while the translation of Dathe, Poenitentiam agunt, sed non sinceram,
;
though approved by Kuinoel, Tingstadius, and others, is not borne out by Hebrew n^iS"! n-P some render a slack iisa^e.
bow, supposing that its inutihty, owiiig to the absence of elasticity, is what is in-
The IsraeUtes hypopretended to turn to Jehovah, but their actions took a different direction. Comp. n^Tii "VJVi deceitful tongue, Ps. cxx. 2, 3. The insolence (Aq. and Symni. e>/3piju7)(nv,) of their language
in order to deceive.
critically
tended; hut false or deceitful better suits the connection, and Ps. Ixxviii. 57 ; arid the reference is to something faulty in the construction of the bow, which causes arrow wide it to shoot or throw out the
of the mark.
jecit, projecit
the Assyrian invasion, which God was t;.y V,, their about to bring upon them. derision, i. e. the subject of derision to the Egj^ptians, to whom they should in
Comp.
Kings
Eoot
;
n53-j,
Arab,
^s-^),
xxx. 1-7, though the latter passage is immediately directed against a contemporaneous apphcation on the
Is.
"There
CHAPTER
VIII.
Assyrians,!; by whom the Israelites The prophet announces the sudden irruption of the apostasy, 2 3; their illegitimate were to be punished, on account of their hypocrisy and folly of their idolatrous configovernment, and their idolatry, 4. He then exposes the remonstrates with them for their devotion to dence, and predicts their captivity, 5-10; and numerous prohibitions of the evil of idols, in opposition to the express
the worship that their pretended service of Jehovah, contained in the divine law, 11, 12; and insists of any avail to them, would only bring ^hile in reality they forgot him, so far from being destruction upon them, 13, 14.
Put the trumpet to thy mouth "Like an eagle against the house of Jehovah;"
.
1 It is not unusual for the prophets without naming the invading foe, to announce his approach. See Is. xiii. 2. The words lEr 'T^an-Vs., to thy palate the trumpet! are singularly abrupt, and
indicate the suddenness of the threatened here, as Job invasion, tin, palate, is
viii. 7,
put
for the
mouth.
Comp. chap. v. 8. The LXX. (ds k6\read vov mrwv, ws rh) appear to have
. ;
44
Chai'.
YIU.
For they have transgressecl'my covenant, They luive rebelled against my law. They may cry to me " my God acknowledge thee." "We Israel Israel hath rejected what is good; The enemy shall pursue him. They made kings, but it was not from me
""Sysi
Cp"
The
following words r.rni n"3-Vy ":-??.?> which contain the announcement, arc
of
The pomt of compariequally abrupt. son is the rapidity of flight for which the
eagle
is
celebrated,
and which
is
fre-
word is more in keeping with the style of Hosea, and the use of it well agrees with the vain confidence which the mibclieving Israelites were ever prone to
place in their relation to the patriarchs.
3.
quently employed to denote the speedy Comp. Deut. approach of an enemy. Lam. Jcr. iv. 13, xlviii. 40 xxviii. 49 iv. 19. nirr ri"2, the house of Jehovah,
; ;
njT, Arab.
Aj\
To
corritptum ftiit
and
to
cannot here
lem, which
mean
is
otherwise so designated,
It must, therefore, be taken to denote the people of Israel, the whole nation viewed as the family or church of God. Comp. chap. ix. 15 Numb. xii. just as the christian 7 ; Heb. iii. 2 church is called the house of God. I Tim.
;
;
loathsome what was truly excellent, such as the worship of God and the practice of religion, argued an awfully depraved state of moral feeling. The use of Vsir'^j
as such.
treat as
Israel,
finely contrasts
of
is,
it
good,
others,
taken for God himself, who is described as 3"U^.!i 2it3, good and doing
Ps.
cxix.
68.
iii.
15,
and of
Christ,
Heb.
iii.
6.
For
good,
Deuvi summian
vi.
7.
The
i.
have transe.
fT'3.
the family,
members of the church, of Jehovah. The Israelites had violated the obligations of the theocracy. fT'"i.3 and min are
the
sjmonymous.
the future used potentially and not with irony, ""-js, " O my God,"
2.
is
bonum, Qicolampadius. It seems, however, to be used in a more general acceptation. Before s^/is there is an ellipsis of the illative "^th. Forty-seven of De Rossi's MSS. and two more by correction eight of the most ancient, and sixty-two other editions the Syr. Vulg.
; ;
ipyn
iiE^-i"',
construed as a distributive with the plural verb each of the persons spoken of being regarded as using the language.
is
See
4. Some think the kings and princes here referred to were Shallum, !Mcnahem,
O oitr
God.
Vs-iB", Israel, is with ^5.'!1> "''' acknowledge thee, and not the nominative to npyT"", from which it is
too far removed.
It is entirely
\i in apposition
Pekahiah, Pckah, Hoshca, and such of their partisans as were invested with authority but from the allusions made in the following verses to the origination of image worship in Israel, it is more probable that the entire scries of Israelitish
;
omitted
in the liXX. Sat. and Arab, as it is in one of Koniiicott's ^ISS., and originally in one ofDe Rossi's Vsnr^ "nis, O God
kings and rulers is intended. Though in the providence of God, and agreeable to the declaration of Ahiah the ])rophet, the ten tribes revolted from the house of David, and set up a separate and inde-
Chap. VIII.
HOSEA
45
They set iip princes, but I acknowledge them not Of their silver and their gold they have made for themselves idols,
In order that they may be cut oif. Thy calf, O Samaria is abominable
!
How
For
it
came from
Israel,
pendent kingdom, yet they were actuated merely by rebellious motives, and had no regard to a di\'ine sanction, 1 Kings xi.
31-39,
to
xii.
but, at the
20.
knoio,
is
but also
same time, there can be little doubt that its inhabitants were pre-cnunent in their devotion to idolatry. n:T, is used in its primary acceptation, to be See on A'cr. 3. loathsome, ahominahle.
which
known, regard,
;
own.
freq.
Ps.
6, et
Such construction is preferable to that which would make ifri^. the accusative
to n:T, assuming nini." understood to be
LXX.
A
KoJ ovK
eyvwpiaav
7iot
yLOL.
Syr. |Jo
i. e.
acquaint me,
the nominative, or that in our common version, which makes it the nominative,
held no communications with me upon the subject. The Hcb. however, will not i in both cases bear this interpretation. before tiV, has the force of a relative, which must either be adopted in translation, or the personal pronoun must be For their conversion of their supplied.
sUver and gold into idols, comp. chap, 8. ii. ) 5-172^ does not appear ever to
and Samaria in its pronominal reference the accusative. The uitroduction of the worship of the golden calves by Jeroboam, in imitation of Apis, at Memphis, and
;Mnevis,
at Heliopolis, which he must have seen dvuring his residence in Egyx^t, paved the way for the imitation and
adoption of the gross idolatries practised by the Phoenicians, Syrians, and Chaldeans, rir-] CjS n-in, the anycr of Je-
be taken in a retrospective sense, and so to be referred to what goes before, but is always used with direct reference to
'
hovah burneth, is an anthropopatliic mode of expression of frequent occurrence in the Hebrew Scriptures, denoting the unconquerable opposition of God to all moral evil, and the severity of the punishment C2, ayainst with which it is visited.
them, i. e. the Israelites who worshipped ly ?V:i'' ti'> ^rw the golden calves.
what
follows,
r-ir-^
may
he
Comp.
10,
xliv. 8.
the preposition is The Israelliar emphasis to the subject. ites could not seriously, or in realitj^ have intended their own destruction, but they acted as if they had and it would assuredly overtake them. The nominative to n~. 3'^ may either be Israel, understood
;
"iV|f 5,
picrit'y
how
'?
i.
impure
service
of idols, and rejcA the means by which they might be recovered from its stain
and punishment.
it
or
it
lectively.
5.
The golden calf had its origin in Israel: was not made by any of the surrounding idolaters. The n in i^^r i is emphatic.
6. T'T.''
i.
Bet
up
up
at
t"::-'", shall be
or become flames,
Bethel -with another at Dan, or both, if we take the noxm as a collective, which its inhabitants, and those of the covmtry generally, worshipped. The metropolis appears to be used here by synecdoche for the whole land occupied by the ten tribes
e.
shall be burnt.
t-22"i
is
a a7ra|
Mj. and has no root in Heb.'; but comp. the Arab vA*i, acccnditigncm, v^^-j^aA^ As the calf was made ardor, flamma.
by man, so
it
should by
man be converted
; ; : ;
46
The carpenter made
It
is
HOSEA.
it
Chap.
VUL
not
God
Surely the calf of Samaria shall become flames. Because they have sown wind,
They shall reap the whirlwind. They shall have no stalk The growth shall produce no grain
Should
Israel
it
peradventure produce
it
it,
up.
swallowed up
They
are
now among
the nations,
Like a vessel in which is no delight. For they went up to Assyria, Like a solitary wild ass Ephraim hath given the hire of love.
into fuel for the flames.
all probability,
It consisted, in
but
is
with gold. the king of Assyria, (see chap. x. 6,) instead of being worshipped or held in respect, it would be stripped of the gold, and consigiied to the flames. The LXX. followed by the Arab. Ilorsley, and Newcombe, improperly translate ^3 Vsna^n,
ip T(f 'lffp{\\,
and
of the Assyrian power. The reference is not to their going into captivity, but to the embassy which they sent for the purpose of obtaining aid from that quarter. "1^1 'is stands for nn^'is, the n of direction
\^\yj^\
_i
in Israel,
being omitted. The point of comparison in the " wild ass " is his tmtractableness,
and
in consequence of
society of others,
own way, which he forsakes the and loves the solitariSee Job xxxLx. 5-8.
inaijnum turhincm.
XV. 16
tive to
is
;
nnntJ^
h\,
Ps.
Thus
is
Vsnio"', imderstood
it
but
it
was with Israel. Despite of all the councils and warnings given them by the prophets, they persisted in enterit
best to take
collectively, in
harmony
with the plural of the preceding verbs. Observe tlie paronomasia in ^Va nws The Israehtes should be (15?;^ nr S^. unsuccessful in all their undertakings and whatever partial gains they might
acquire,
would be eagerly
Ilosea
seized
by the
is
AssjTians.
8.
What
them
had
just foretold
here realized
sees
prophetic vision.
oppressors.
in a state of exile
tlieir
the objects
Comp.
He
of contempt to
Jer. xxii. 28.
9. 10. n^T, to fjo vp, is elsewhere used of foreigners coming to the land of Israel
ing into foreign aUiances. r;:r>, to give is purposely chosen, to convey the idea of a A^olation of the marriage contract by imlawful commerce with another party the derivatives Tirs and nsrs*, properly denoting a gift or reward given to a Avhorc. See on The aggravation of the chap. ii. 12. evil is signified by representing the female as offering these rewards to her jiaramours to induce them to commit lewdness, instead of her being prevailed upon by presents made by them. Comp. Ezek. xvi. 33, 34. Though in Iliphil, the verb has here the same signification as in
presents, hire, etc.
Chap. VIII.
H(5
SE A.
the nations,
4T
among
king of princes.
altars to sin,
e^::n J^, lit. loves, a plural not in Jerome, who renders, use in English. numera dederunt atnatoribtis, either read C^a ns which is found in one of De
Kal.
struing
it
with tayw, as
if
were the
be diminished.
ing,
Rossi's
MSS.,
or he took
C"2n s
from,
>
etc.
LXX.
ko-kA.-
concrete sense, as our translators appear to have done, for which there is no neces-
aovffi.
\el\f/ovffi,
Symm.
Syr.
jxivovaiv.
Theod. Zia-
!i3pi";
at the beginning
-C^^AJ
^ulg- quies-
De
;
Rossi's
MSS.
the
cent.
And
LXX.
especially
as ten
!i;P', as if
from
"j^a
according to which,
the Israelites are represented as delivered over to, or placed in the power of the
nations.
ever, has
in the
Lamed
is
signification,
to
in pain,
affliction,
The
fifth
Greek
version,
howtStvri,
aWa
most likely that the prophet repeated the verb he had just used, and as the other rendering is
which
is
preferable, as
that given to the verb in our common version. Such construction alone suits the connection. By some D'^l/aJ
which
less suited to
i.
the connection.
suffix in
r:ry, noic,
e.
shortly.
after.
The
^^iil
an instance of and twenty-one MSS. and originally ten more, the LXX. Aq. Sjt. Vvdg. Targ. and Talm. Babl. supply the copulative i before D""!/!!;. So Kimchi,
"jjV.'s
are considered to be
;
asyndeton
na-
Mercer, Piscator.
Grotius, Houbigant,
and not
yap is used in Picl in a bad as well as in a good sense. Comp. Ezek. x\i. 37. Thus Kimchi and Abarbanel. Instead of affording any assistance, the Assyrians would be collected against the apostate Israelites, invade their land, and carry them into captivity. Into that state of siiffering, imposed upon them by the king of Assyria, they were shortly to be brought, as a punishment for their idolatrous desertion of the true worship of God. C"'"ite 'r^Vw N'r^tt t2y '^tt-i
or the Israelites,
Kuinoel, Xewcome, Tingstadius. It has been doubted, howe\'er, whether, according to tliis resolution of the word, they should be referred to the native king and princes, or to those of Assyria. Some, as Maurer, take them to be the nominative to ? 5 fi' \, and make
Dathe,
Michaelis,
by the
Gesenius
the
and they
burden of the king, i. e. from his oppres; sive yoke " but without any suitable sense the whole passage being of a comminatory nature, and not promissory of good. jnn, the Hiph. of V^n, has nowhere the signification of loosing or setting free. Nor is there any propriety in taking it in the usual sense of beginning, and so con-
and applying the phrase to the who had many kings and princes subject to his sway. Comp. Thus Pococke's Arabic MS., Is. X. 8. Leo Juda, Drusius, Jun. and Trcmel., Piscator, Eichhom, Bocckel, Goldwitzcr, The sr7;, burden, Hitzig, and Ewald. was the tribute exacted by ^Icnahem, and paid to Pul, amounting to a thousand talents of silver, 2 Kings xv. 19-22. Comp. NTM ~Pr tribute money, 2 Chron. x-\'ii. 1
king of AssjTia,
,
'li.
By
multiph-ing
altars, in opposi-
48
HO SEA.
things of
Chap. VHI.
They became to him altars to sin, may prescribe for him the numerous They are treated as a strange thing. 13 As for my sacrificial offerings, They sacrifice flesh and eat it
12 I
my law ;
iniquity,
Egypt.
Syr.
as Pi
signifies
not only to
Lo?
There
1^ ^ " \
is
ad
crimen
ingens.
an easy but beautiful variation in the repetition of the -words. As used the second time, su n possesses considerable emphasis.
It
in
chum,
iUJ]
L^^ Jaj
a
Comp.
xxvii, 5.
shows how much the mind of the prophet was affected by the -wickedness
of his people.
is
Nbn
regard is paid. 13. ""arian "^naT form the nominative absolute, ^anan ?)/ ^{/i!*, or offerings, i. e. such as they professedly offer to me.
sm, and
to be
pim-
The word
is
our Lord uses ytKpoi in two senses, IMatt. viii. 22 but the second signification cannot attach to the verb in this connection. 12. mp=s, Keri nnSN, is continuative
;
ishedfor
is contracted for 'anan', and derived from an^, to give. ' It seems
preferable to abide
by
has
like-^-ise
in Aramaic, Arabic, and Ethiopic, than to follow Kimchi, who refers the noun
to a root a nan, to
signification to
Ls
equivalent
to,
I have
which he
to
assigns the
;
prescribe
by
my proph;
burn,
scorch, roost
or
and be of no
ets,
'^fln,
may
avail.
the
.
Chald.
(
properly
anan, and the Arab. _^ and renders, raw offerings, 'a nan
? ^ to
abvmin his
dant provisions
-written law,
enforcement by the prophets, against the commission of idolAccording to the Chethiv ia-i, atry. we should render, " I may prescribe to him my laws by myriads ; " Ewald, by thotcsands;" Ilitzig, by ten thousands,
and
more choice term for riinjtt, or rri;p>2. For the reduphcate form, comp. panaris, chap. iv. 18 -which word the L!XX. Syr. and Targ. appear to have followed in this place of which Ilitzig stems to
is
approve.
fj.fra<popci>y
SjTnm. bvaias iiraX\i)\ovs. Thcod. Stvalav ^^vaiaaav. Jehovah rejected the sacrifices that were offered, not according to his o-wn appointment, but to gratif^' the carnal appetite of the worshippers.
The
Syr.
^ro
r^
v^]
M-^^'
'^^^'
Ti^niK ^^<aD.
tneas.
Vulg.
mtiltiplicea leges
Reference
calf.
is
had
to the sacri-
Pococke's
Arab.
MS.
fices
offered to him, as
g^J^
represented by
tiV is
the golden
In o^n
a meiosis.
; ;
Chap. IX.
II
49
14 Because Israel hatli forgotten liis Maker, and built temples, And Judah hath multiplied fortified cities
fire
And
npy, now,
speedily,
it
is
shortly.
From
the references
chap. ix. 3, 6, xi. 11, it is clear that the last clause of the verse predicts the actual return of a number of the
Israelites to
made
The ri 'iV - n were ?} Ii ^w 1 the apodosis. doubtless idolatrous temples erected after the models of those in use among the
*> "^
word,
Syrians and Phoenicians. See, for the my note on Is. vi. 1. Though idolatry had not made the same progress Judah, the inhabitants nevertheless
evinced a want of confidence in Jehovah fortifjing a number of cities, to wliich
broken iip by the Assjrrians. The threatening pointedly reminded them of the
tors
by
The mascidine
Judah the fem;
refers to
Deut. xxviii. 68, The LXX. add, Koi iv Affffvplois aKo^apra (fidyovrai but the words are wantmg in the Aldine edition, and in seven MSS. They have e\'idently found their way into the text fi'om chap. ix. 3, where they stand in accordance with the reading of all the Heb. MSS.
'
',
cities,
iEwald strangely asserts, taken singly. that the words of this verse appear to have been inserted from some book of
Amos no
27
;
longer in existence
i.
Compare,
Jcr. xlix.
Amos
4, 7,
14.
in
the protasis
in
and
see note
on
Amos
4.
CHAPTER
;
IX.
The prophet checks the propensity of the Israelites to indulge in excessive joy on account of any partial relief from their troubles, 1 predicts the failure of the crops, etc. in consequence of the Assyrian invasion, 2; their removal to Egypt and Assyria, where they should have no opportunity, even if they were inclined, to serve Jehovah according to their ancient ritual, 3-5; and the hopelessness of their returning to enjoy the property they had left behind, 6. He then announces the certain infliction of the divine judgments, and points out the true character of the false prophets, by whom the people had been led astray to their ruin, 7, 8. Illustrative references are next made to the early history of the Hebrew
nation, accompanied with appropriate comminations couched in varied forms, in order to render them more affecting, 9-17.
O, Israel
V"J~V:?.
T:lZT'r\~\ii,1it. rejoice
not
to exultation!
The tXX.
Sjt. Targ.
and
HO SEA.
Chap. JX,
For tliou liast lewcll y cleparted from thy God Thou liast lovotl tlie hire,
On
all
them
And
3
the
new wine
They shall not dwell in the land of Jehovah, But Ephraim siiall return to Egypt,
And
in Assyria,
is
unclean.
the verb following Vs to be in the future tense, as Seeker properly observes. Some find in the comparison " like the nations," an imitation of their idolatrous festivities but the language is rather predictive of the joyless condition to which the Is"SVlule those raelites were to be reduced.
;
Nothing
prophets to use
more common than for our first a plural, and then a acsingular suftix of the same subject cordiiig to the nde laid do^^-n by Tanchum, that when in a continued discourse
is
:
by
whom
tlicy
-were
surrounded
and
indulge in unrestrained mirth, they should experience affliction and sorrow. There is most proV)ably a reference to the joy occasioned by the league entered into w-ith Pul, by -which peace seemed to be Their joy was to be of short secured. dmation, and therefore retjuired to be Instead of firs, thirteen moderate. MSS., originally five more, one by correction, and five editions, read t"?y2i "among the nations," of which Rosenmiillcr, following Abarbanel, approves. The prophet adds the reason why they should have no caase for exultation their abounding idolatries, by which they
a nation or people is spoken of, either in the feminine aftix agreeing with rry, congregation, or the masculine agreeing with as also, that CS, people, may be used
;
the singular may be iised of them, viewed as a body, and the plural, when they are regarded as consisting of distinct individAt the same See in Pococko. uals. time it is better in a translation to render them alike, as in the ancient versions just
quoted.
3.
Canaan was
called
t.\t.''^
*,"?.,
the
of Jehovah, because he had appropriated it for an inheritance to those whom he had chosen to be his peculiar people.
la7id
It
was
his
gil"t
to
Abraham and
liis
pos-
teritv, to
These
that they erected shrines at their tlu-eshing floors, in order to offer at them the The crops were oblations of their grain.
idoLs in
rendered to them, (sec chap. ii. 5, 12, 13;) and are therefore spoken of as ":rs, a meretricious reward. 2 For s n 3 in reference to the faDure of the productions of the earth, see Ilab. iii. The verb properly signifies to lie, de17.
. ,
For this end he attached to it his special blessing, Deut. xi. 10-12. Comp. Jer. ii. 7, xvi. 18; Ezck, xxxvi. 20. The retimi to Egj'pt being here mentioned in connection -with an exile in Ass^-ria, proves that it is to be taken literally, and that it is not designed to express a servitude similar Sec on chap. viii. 13. to that of Egj-pt.
'llie
history of
the ten
tribes,
is
nowhere
doubt the
mentioned in Scripture.
No
number
ceive, etc.
figuratively, to fail.
six
MSS.,
originally
that fled to Egj-pt was small, compared with the body of the nation
carried into the Assyrian exile. By st: meant proJiibited food, meats prois
perhaps two, three editions, with the support of the LXX. Sjt. Targ. and Vulg. read Ca, in them, i. e. them, the
Israelites, instead of r>2,
nounced
luiclcan
;;
Chap. IX.
A
him
:
51
4 They
shall
Neither
be to them as the bread of mourners, All that eat thereof shall be unclean For their bread shall be for themselves It shall not come unto the house of Jehovah. What will ye do on the day of assembly ? 5 On the day of Jehovah's festival ? 6 For, behold they go away from destruction, But Eg^T^t shall gather them, Mem2:)his shall bury them As for their coveted treasuries of money, nettles shall possess them Thorns shall be in their tents.
They
shall
4.
"r,!Ds
is
sjTians,
and
Egypt.
Exod.
They imagined
would
XXX.
9.
3"i3f,
came to
mixed
ingredients.
i.
or food of sorrows,
e.
for the dead, and consequently regarded as unclean, on accoimt of the contact in which they were supposed to come with the dead body. See Numb. xLx. 14, 15, 22 Jer. xvi. 7, 8 Ezek. xxiv. 17 Hagg. ii. 12, 13. Instead of feasting upon the sacrifices as their fathers had been accustomed to do, when they slew them according to the law, which was always an occasion of joy, they should be placed in circumstances in which no such sacrifices could be offered, and no such feasts enjoyed. Their food should all be common tcSiV.ybr their soul, or life, i. e. merely for its sustenance not fit to be presented Thus Schmidius, Grotius, to the Lord.
by mourners
only be temporary but it is predicted that thej' should no more return to their possessions, and be buried in their fathers' sepulchres, but should die in the land, and have their interment among the mummies of Egj^t. For Memphis as the great necropolis of that coimtry, see my note on Isaiah xix, 13. V-^P' ^^ gather, is here used in reference to the removal of the soid at death, into the world of spirits, and is equivalent to SCSS, Numb. XX. 26, or the full phrases
''/2^'~^^^
hO?5?.> ^o
be gathered" to
or fathers,
always spoken of as something from death and burial. Comp. Jer. viii. 2 Ezek. xxix. 5, in which latter passage y]Dt<, and -,*2|^, are used as synonymes. According to the signification of the cognate Arab. verb. (j>UJ cepit,
which
is
different
it
conveys the
soul.
away the
and
6.
others.
Hence
would find
it
the. phrase
iJU
took
iUOjtJ', 'mortuus
In
captivity they
im-
est,
hterally,
God
a great aggravation of their pimishment. Comp. chap. ii. 11. The exposition of
Jarchi, Abenezra, Kimchi, Mercer, Capito,
simply, mortuus est (ad Dei misericordiam Ereytag. When it is said that delatus).
and others, according to which, the day of punishment, represented under the idea of sacrifice, is meant, cannot be sustained.
6.
Egj-pt should gather and Memphis bury the Israehtish fugitives, the meaning is that they shotdd be removed out of this world, and that their bodies should be
specially describes
buried there. The personification is employed, as usual, for the sake of effect. iWhW, desire, covetottsness ; that which
is
tlie
those Israelites
who
object
of
desire,
what
is
covetdble,
coveted,
from
As
52
V
II
EA
Chap. IX.
The The
(lays
chiys
are
come
Israel shall
know
frantic,
And
the verb
is
great.
Mic.
ii.
crn"
to be taken as a collective,
in the jJural.
The
idea of
2 Pet.
i.
1, virh
by the coimcction. used generally of mo?iey, as in most other places, vhcn anT, gold, is not combined with it. Targ, ^^insos riKn ria, the house of their desirable motietj. SjTnm. TO iTTi^jjAifxaTa Tov apyvplov avTwvOthers, less aptly, explain the words of
treasurj' is supi^lied
and
see
my
tion, p. 25.
jVrab.
A^AM
hence, from the violence of sijired poet the gesticulations, tones, etc., to act like
;
On
leaving those treasures which they could not carrj' with them, the IsracUtes
mad, insane. Comp. where y5r>3 w"'S and K23r are symonymous. The meaning
to he
a madman,
xxix.
Jer.
26,
would naturally bury them in the earth, which accounts for the verj- significant
plu-ase,
that the pretenders to inspiration, by whose false predictions of uninterrupted prosjxrity the people had been deluded,
is,
For the combmation 'i'!):"p or 'i'^ip and The whole nin,. comp. Is. xxxiv. 13. verse is miserably translated by the LXX.
7. Ti'^'r'z, visitation,
Is. X. 3 ;' 1
should be convicted of folly, and reduced to a state of absolute frenzy by the ijifliction of the divine judgments upon the
nation.
2nmishment. Comp.
tiy-r^ shall
is
Pet.
ii.
12.
know
experirtientally.
By the t"23
obviously
respecting the Israelitish prophets parenthetically, thereby giving force to his own i)rediction of impending calamity.
ITie affix
prophets by
whom
the people
':j:iy
refers to Vs->b"', to
of the ten tribes were seduced from the right Avorship of Jehovah, who taught
whom
them
and
way of dnect address, yv^ means here, not the crime, but its punishment. Comp. for
the prophet turns ^n the
otherwise encouraged
atrous practices.
and
my
note there.
In r.^l) subaud,
MS.
to
8jO
r L^ __M
that prcte7ids
The adjective ran, is here "3, because. placed before its substantive for the sake
See on Is. hii. 11. From of emphasis. the use of ^'cv in the sense of hating, evincing hostility, etc., there can be little
prophesy
;"di\<\
lyinff prophets.
til~r;'S, the
Kimchi, ^p ""^"25, With this, the phrase man of the spirit, is sjti])retcndiiig to inspiration,
onymous
one
r;Ki:t;tt,
w^hich
LXX.
o
y
<-^
if^punros 6
o
).
Try fVfxaTO<t>6pos.
Syr.
V
^
^'
the
1^09
OlS
*
I
*^^
man
that
is
verse, has the signification of hostility, provoking cniiduct, provocation. That of snai-e or trap, which Gcsenius assigns to it, is not borne out, even by the SjTiac
\r\..^ysa
clothed, or
adding by
roneously,]
way
which
signifies
vinxit,
compe-
divit,
Comp. the
^q
A A
^>
of f)lhj.
C(omp.
Arab. ^
t-^
, .
"
CaAP. IX.
HO SEA.
53
Ephraim expecteth help from my God The prophet is a fowler's snare in all his ways The cause of provocation in the house of his god. They have deeply corrupted themselves,
As
in the
will
Avill
days of Gibeah
their iniquity,
sins.
He He
10
remember
punish their
first
Like the
fervidiores
4yK6<Tri(ris
;
its
commencement,
hominum.
LXX.
;
\i.a.v'i.a. ;
AAA
iKtrraais
all
of
The
meant, by which they provoked the righteous indignation of Jehovah. 8. ClinEs oS'ii:, are not in construction, and to be rendered as in most versions, " the watchman of Ephraim," to justify
Israelites are
which
construction
various
modes of
;
exegesis have been resorted to among others that of Ilorsley, who would have
the watchman to be Elijah. Nor can the rendering of EAvald be sustained, who gives the passage, Ein Spdher ist Ephraim gegen mein Gott. " Ephraim is a spy against my God." When c:> signifies agabist, it follows verbs of more active import. E. schaut nach Weissagungen axis nehen meinem Gott; "Ephraim looks for prophecies besides my God," the rendering of Hitzig, is equally objectionable. I quite agree with Gesenius and Lee, in assigning to r;ts in tliis place the signification of looking
legitimate forms, and their adoption of the idolatroxis practices of the heathen around them. In this they were encoiu'aged by the false prophets, who caught them by their ensnaring doctrmes, as is declared immediately after. r;^i:/3 is here used in tiie same acceptation "as in the preceding verse, only there is a metonjTny of the effect for the cause. By I'^nVs ^"2, "the house of his god," is not riieant the temple or people of the true God, but the temple or temples in which the false worship was performed, which the prophets here reprobated were specially active in promoting. 9. iintTf" ip'Kyr, an instance of the
constructio asynde'ta.
The fonner
of the
is
to be rendered adverbially.
on chap.
Mercer,
iirn'i
"
Quam
corruptissimi
sunt."
may
Lam.
iv.
d5>,
from, similar ellipsis imdeniably occurs Job xxvii. 13. Vs cy 5>-i-i b";s~pV.n. "t- t^^^ ^^ the portio7i of the icicked man from (fiy, with,) God, as appears, not only from the
icith,
e.
tyM, from
the like, must be supplied. So great was the depravity evuiccd by those whose conduct the prophet here describes, that it could only be paralleled by the atrocity of the inhabitants of Gibeah, specified Judges xix. 22-30. Israel, here means the 10. Vs'^'D" It has ancestors of the Hebrew nation. been asked, " How could God be said to find the Hebrews in the wilderness, since
,
synonymous phrase
^I'i'a,
"from
the
he conducted them into it from Egj-pt ? To remove the di9icultj% some very imwarrantably explain the wilderness of
itself; but others connect Q"2:>;2 ~i2-)33, like grapes in the desert, and explaiii S2tt of finding by exjierience,
Almighty," in the corresponding hemistich, but from the actual use of ya,from, in the parallel passage, chap. xx. 29. What the prophet asserts is, that the Ephraimites indulged in expectations of good from Jehovah, notwithstanding their dereliction of his worship in its pure and
Egj'pt
trial, etc.
my judgment. And this seems to be the proper division and interAt the same pretation of the words
selves to be, in
64
I regarded jour futlicrs
no SEA.
But they came
to Baal-peor,
Chap. IX.
And
11
separated themselves to the object of shame; Tliey became abominable, like the object of their love.
for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away, like a bird; There shall be no birth, no womb, no conception. 12 Yea, though they should rear their children, I would take them away from among men But woe to them when I depart from them.
!
As
time i^'Tia
to the
y^ss
on account of the
suffix.
Vulg.
as
facti
sunt
same
sufjjcct,
dilexeiamt.
witli
suthcicnt
^'^nit
;
aid.
Arab.
;
and
abominable as they celebrated. Vr'^ **"" V T "="y~> ''" *^'c^ servetk an abomination, is himself an abomination. Kimchi's MS. note in Pothe impure idol whose
rites
chap.
Jer, xxxi.
2.
The
point
cocke.
11,
of comparison in the verse is the dehght >vith which a traveller enjoys grapes fomid
12.
C''nE^^,
Ejjhraim,
is
of the
which they were unexand where they scr\'ed most opor the portunely to quench hLs thirst early fig, which is accounted a great delicacy in the East. When Jehovah entered
in a desert, in
pected,
they were regarded by him with being free from idolatry, and engaging to adhere to his sei-vice. (i)mp. The scene, Jer. xxxi. 3. chap. xi. 1 however, was soon changed. T^zr,, illi, At Baal-peor, they these very persons. proved faithless, and indulged in the very
at Sinai,
deliglit,
;
nominative absoliite, which gives prominence to the name, and its signification. As for Ephraim, (S'lSs, from r"<?, to be fruitful Gen. xli. 52,) such may be hLs name, but, etc. lis?, fflortj, is in contrast with rra, shame, in the preceding verse. The lewd and idolatrous eonduct of the Israelites should meet with a fit retribution. Listead of having an
might grow up and become the </lori/ of tlie land, those who might now be accounted such should speedily be removed into iVssyria, and there would be nothing but sterility to
increitse of children, that
atrocities of
which
their posterity
were
For guilty in the days of the prophet. the transactions refeiTcd to, see Numb.
XXV. 1-5.
Priapism, which Ilosea jiLstly characterizes as in the highest degree
is
privative in signification,
womb,
stands here for pre(/nanri/, or for tlieyfl'/ws in the womb. The order of the words
presents an instance of the gradatio inversa.
Ens');, amonr/
abominable, was the worship pccuharly See Calacceptable to the god of Peor.
its signifies io scparafe one's self from any person or thing, and also, followed by V, to separate
in
voc.
Sam. xv.
Ewald
I look
and
r^-3 is the abstract ^T3 consecration. for the concrete, and denotes the obscene
or shameful idol which the Moabites worshipped. C" -"-", lit. aljominatinns, hut used here adjeetively, loathsome, abominable, r^rs is proju'rly the substantive, i~ 84 the iMunts being changed
'I'arg.
i. e ""^ra), Aq. Yulg. and Three MSS.'and one edit, have -ir;32, to which "-Vs;a is doubtless here equivalent. ^lany instances occur of
(?';
(TopI ixov,
the substitution of
for c,
and
vice versa-
Chap. IX.
HO
E A.
14
shall bring out his children to the murderer. Give them, O Jehovah! what wilt thou give? Give them a miscarrying womb, and dry breasts.
But Ephraim
is
in Gilgal;
On
I have driven
I will love
my
house
is
dried up;
The meaning
protection from
is,
when I -vvitlidraw
;
my
them no longer showmg them any favor, hut delivering them over to their enemies. For the abortive attempt of Lyra to prove a corruption of the passage by the Jews, and to palm upon the rendering of the LXX. ^ adp^
i^ aiiTwv, the doctrine of the mearnation of the Messiah, see Pococke. 13. After f^itJ^J supply ^rrxn, from
fj.ov
were to be slain in great numbers with the sword. The V before the uiiinitants
itive in K^'SinV, is future in signification,
indicating
or
would
be done.
the following
-i'::'5 'r;":^'!
^:f"SS.
Though
governs the accusative, yet, in Ps. Ixiv. 6, it is followed as here by the dative, without any difference of
nsn commonly
LXX. th ^rjpay, reading, mstead of nSa. Aq. Symm. aKp6Theod. trerpav Amoldi, and TOjxov after him Hitzig, would derive ^'.-j. from
signification.
"1'::,
;
These words strongly mark the produced upon the mind of the prophet by the contemplation of theA\ickedness of his people. In holy ardor of soul, he feels himself excited to imprecate what he had predicted ver. 11. Some, less appropriately, render ntt not as an interrogative, but as signifj'ing that which, i. e. give them whatever thou wilt. Barrenness was accounted a great misfortime among the Jews.
1-i.
effect
15. For Gilgal, see on chap. iv. 15. Eeing one of the chief places of idolatrous
the Arab.
^.o
as signifying the
Palm
but
only signifies the root of that tree, or describes it as small in size, an acceptation which would ill suit the present
it
connection.
or likeness.
moral character,
the
beautiful
of Tyre.
See
and his mfliction of positive pmiishment upon them on accoimt of it. Hitzig
considers SJib to be here used inchoatively.
Ezek. xxvii.
gested by the
3, xxviii.
12, 13.
The no-
See on the preceding verse. The territory occupied by that tribe, and several of the other nine, was distinguished for its beauty and fertiUty and the prosperity of its iixhabitants, who traded extensively with the Phoenician ports, was only surpassed by TjTC herself. Yet the fruit of this lovely region was only to be produced in order to its being destroyed. The inhab;
name
of Ephraim.
For the sense in which r^2, to be taken, see on chap. viii. 1Hatred and love are contrasted as here, MaL i. 2, 3. In f^n-iiO D-""^'^ is a
house,
is
paronomasia.
16. Tlie figurative language here employed is suggested by the meaning of the name Ephraim, as in verses, 11, 13. Tiri": is in the future, while rrn and 'ca*' are in the preterite, to mark the
upon
;;
56
HO SEA,
Chap. X.
Tea, though they should beget children, I will kill the beloved of their MOinb. 17 My God will abhor them, Because they have not listened to him They shall be wanderers among the nations.
the injury done to the tree. The resolution of the ligure in the latter half of the verse possesses much force. Most of the
17.
Though
is
'riVs
editions read,
,
with
the Keri, V2 instead of '52 which occurs, however, before a verb, Job xli. 18. For
C"'"'2r?'3>
and 'one of Kcnnicott's MSS., it is, in such connection, more in the style of Hosca than n'TiVs. The dispersion of
the ten tribes
is
comp. on "tshk,
ver. 6.
CHAPTER
;
X.
In this chapter the prophet continues to charge the Israelites with idolatry, anarchy, and want of litlelity, 1--4. He expatiates with great variety on the judgments that were to come upon them in punishment for these crimes, 5-11 and then abruptly turns to them in a (lii-cct hortatory address, couched in metaphorical language, borrowed from the mode of representation which he had just employed, 12. The section concludes with an appeal to the exi)erience which they had already had of the disastrous consequences of their wicked
conduct.
Israel
He
his fruit,
He
increased altars
his land.
miiUum pluviam
})lanta, is here
demisit,
florere
c<epit
here traced to the abuse of the prosperity ^^luch God had conferred on the IsraeUtes. Instead of spending the iMmnties of providence for the glory of God, thoy ajipiopriated them
to idolatrous uses, and tliat in proportion to the abundance of their bestowment.
T'T-'^'
common
version
and some
others, its
fruitfulncss.
unwhich
pourinrj out
the verb also has, derived from that of entirfly or abundantlij the
contents of a vessel, does not suit the present eoimcction. LXX. tvK\riixaTovcra,
{^^,
rnultxiafudityfoccundtisftnt.
; ;
Chap. X.
HO SEA.
is
57
be punished
Their heart
now
He
he
they say "We have no king Jehovah As for the king then, what can he do for us ? They utter empty speeches Swearing falsely, making covenants Therefore judgment blossoms like the poppy
Surely
shall
:
now
For we
fear not
On
field.
or, as in
&vvSpos.
doso.
other copies, tyKXtJixaroxiffa. Aq. SjTnra. v\onavov(ra. Vulg.//-OMComp. Gen. xlix. 22 Ps. Ixxx.
;
9-11; Ezek.
xvii.
6.
Li every other
drop generally. used metonymically, in apphcation to the destruction of the altars on which the animals were
;
and
to
here,
with
much force,
instance "TSS is construed as a feminine; but here the masculine name Vj^iVI' Israel, required it to be taken as of that
offered.
Ewald
renders,
;
Er wird
ihre
altar e enthatrpten
then- altars."
^i|-;2T)3
gender,
ni^,
to resemble, be
equal
to,
flOP^
npy
and nia::^ see on chap. iii. 4. now, in this and the following verse,
maturity, prodtcce fruit, '^h , in the phrase i? nrj^ , is pleonastic, as in 'iV~':iVri, etc., but may here be rendered
as a possessive pronoun.
2.
pVn
is
tively,
refers,
as in our
common
version,
and
not to any difference of opinion among the Israehtes respecting the claims of their numerous idols, but to their insincerity in the service of Jehovah, professing to worship him, while they like^vise addicted themselves to the
worship of
idols.
Thus Tanchum
has the signification of soon, speedily. 3. The language of desperation is here put into the mouth of the apostate Israelites, at tte time of the infliction of divine Their king, to whom they judgment. had naturally looked for protection, was removed they had forfeited the favor of ''God, who was now become their enemy and, therefore, it was vain to expect help from an earthly monarch. Some think the prophet refers to the time of anarchy during the interregnum, between the murder of Pekah and the accession of Hoshea.
;
4.
~i2'^
"i2'i,
lit.
speech, their
i. e.
what
is
mind
false pretences.
and
their
dare.
Comp. the Lat. verba The prophet begins with the finite
ion are divided, while they associate others with God." The acceptation to be smooth, which some propose, is to be rejected,
form of the verb,. and then, for the sake of more specific description, changes it
for
the infinitive.
as
Comp.
,
Is.
lix.
13.
on the groimd
it
that,
though the
For r-Vs,
r:X"i
is
,
used in this signification of the nowhere is of the heart. For the meaning of CiJs , see on chap. v. 15. The nominative to Sin, He, is C^HVs,
verb
is
20.
rri-i^
13 covenant,
is
tongue,
Whether to be rendered in the plural. the false swearing and the entering into
covenants refer to the conduct of the in regard to each other, or whether they respect their conduct in reference to foreign powers, has been disThe latter would seem to be the puted. more probable, since it is the making of
Israelites
ix. 17.
Jehovah
is
here said to do, what he would effect by means of the Assyrians, tj-iy is properly a sacrificial term, signifying to cut off the head of a victim, by striking it on the neck ; hence, to drop as blood from the
58
HO SEA.
calves of Betli-aven,
Chap. X.
For the
The inhabitants of Samaria shall be in fear The people thereof shall mourn on account of it; The priests thereof shall leap about on account of
it
On
it.
Ephraim
And
own
counsel.
rest..
covenants and not the breaking of them, of which the prophet speaks as something crimmal. He seems to have in his eye the historical circumstances narrated 2 Kings x^-ii. i. By t;2c is meant the
divine judgment which was upon the people of Israel.
n-ii'-^TEi v-i";C"'' "i:2rK.
from the
xxi. 29.
^^?,
is
its
people, those
devoted to
its Avorship.
C'nws
viz.
to be inflicted
Zeph.
i.
So
but in the
Jarchi,
ji^Qj
of the ix)ppy,
kumro,
idols.
signifies
as well as
a God. one engaged in the ser\-ice of Gesenius derives the noun from
priest of the true
"^izjz , to burn, be scorched, black, supposing the reference to be to the black chess of monks or ecclesiastics but this seems but that of poppy, proposed by too modem to be entitled to adoption. rti-i Gesenius, is preferable, both to such con- The derivation of Iken, in his Dissert, de struction of the term, and to that of Cemarim, who refers the word to the colocynth advanced by ffidmann, or that of Persic ^.^S sacrum magorum ignicolarum
and
is
destructive as a poison.
loUum
our
or darnel suggested
is
by Michaelis.
gall.
The term
common
sometimes
made in
more
,
LXX.
&ypwaTis.
f'r"'^'^
rather signify
the ridges lx;twecn the furrows than the furrows themselves. See Pococke. 5, 6. In these verses the object of idolatrous worship is spoken of, now in the
and now in the singxilar number, which Ilitzig accounts for on the ground, that though the Israelites might have multiplied golden calves, that set up by Jeroboam would still be held in pecuhar honor. Four MSS. have nVsy, calf, in the singular, which is ako the rendering of the IjXX. Sjt. and an anonymous Greek version in the Hexapla. Tliis reading is very uncriticaUy adopted by Kuinocl, Dathe, Newcome, and some other modems. For "jis r"a liet/iaven, see on chap. iv. 15. yz'S is a collective. The nominative to the pronominal affixes in vVs, ':^SS, vnrr etc. is
plural,
, ,
used of priests by way of contempt, in German. Those who render l^":^'' they rejoiced, which is the usual signification of the verb, supply ->rx before it but the Vau conversive connects it so closely with Vas as to render such supplement inconsistent with the construction. It is,
,
;
to
^JL&. circumivit.
the V:?
excitement of the idolatrous priests at the capture of their God, that they would leap about in a state of desperation, lil<e those of Baal, 1 lungs xviii. 26. The
Chap. X.
V
HO SEA.
is
69
As
cut off;
He
8
The high
Thorns and
grow upon
us.
their altars
They
And
9
to the
Fall
upon
Israel
in Gilead ?
glory of the idol consisted in its ornaments, wealth, etc. 'inis<CJ is emphatic: itself
i. e. the idol or golden calf. For the meaning of m"' Jar eh, see on chap. V. 13. The worshippers of the golden
preferable to hfe.
Comp. Rev.
also,
9. That reference is here made to the transactions recorded Jud. xix. xx., there
calf
they foimd that, instead of protecting them, he was himself carried into captivity. That ra'ia is not to be changed into r;2'i"2 and rendered in a sound sleep, as Horsley does, nor into n3'i2 in this year, with Michaelis, the parallelism sufficiently shows,
, ,
can be no doubt. The prophet declares that as a nation his people had all along, from the period referred to, evinced a
same rebellious and unjust manner as the Gibconites had done. Comp. chap. ix. 9. The words
disposition to act in the
!iitt:J
remain, continue,
the character of the inhabitants in his day. The Gibstill, what they have ever been, a wicked and abandoned people. They are here singled out as a fit specimen of the
7. For the sake of emphasis, "^inttio is put absolutely. The whole phrase is equivalent to the king of Samaria, etc. That riB-: agrees with nsVa, and not with-iS^^-i;, the gender shows. !q^p has nowhere the signification of foam or scum. It is derived from v]tip, Arab.
I
eonites are
are called ^23, sons of wickedness, to mark the enoiinity of their conduct. Instead of m^?, the Brixian edition, thirty-nine MSS.' origi-
mVy
o v< V
fies
fregit, to cut, cut off, and signiany chip or small fragment of wood.
,
nally seventeen, and perhaps a few more, have n^ y the common ibrm, which is
"1
Comp. nSsp
Arab.
a fragment,
Joel
i.
7.
(_jLv.oJ>
X e .^^ V
\avof.
tejiuitas arboris.
LXX.
(ppv-
supposed to have been changed by a simple transposition of the letters. Albert Schultens, however, in his notes ad Ilarir. i. p. 15, justifies the present reading by
deriving
it
Syr.
ji
festucam.
\J^ modum
to the Syriae,
and
^Michaelis, in his
parison of the king to a small chip of wood, which cannot resist the force of the
Suplem. by referring
.
it
very beautiful and forcible. is the rendering of the Targ. Jerome, Symm. AbulwaHd, Tancurrent,
is
.Vv
fidem
t
Spuma, which
Comp.
^"^ JJJ
is
less
apt,
O A(J>i
Bex
tyrannus,
scelestus.
tained.
T":^
'
v7/C\(D'^
^^^w,
is
transgressio
cequi et boni,
an abbreviation of the
,
scelus, perversitas.
full form,
the occasion of sin to Israel. See ver.*10. In the midst of the calamities
,
rsafi
read the text as it now stands is clear from his rendering tlie word ^p-Vo they went up. The words ri'nr.s ci^oP k^
that should
people, death
mVv
'33 Va*
TMatiblz
are
somewhat
CO
10 'My desire
A.
CUAP. X.
The
bound
for their
two
iniquities.
llE[)hraim
But
I will pass
on heside her
foir
:
neck
Ephraim
Judah
I
shall plough,
And
Jacob
shall
the meaning is obvious. Destruction should assureilly overtake the wicked Israelites, t, the verbal suffix in
involved, but
for
that founded on the Kcri, Br;':? "7}.?^, their two iniquities, i. c. the t'vvo golden
Ci'l'P,
tive.
is
anticipative of
,
n"Vy
"'33.
nV
^nns2 the
,
rendering
it
TjA^e
Alexandrian MS. Of this Aldus and Breitinger, ^A.^si/. Iloubigant, Dimock, Ncwcomc, Tingstadius, and Boothroyd, approve, and adopt but contrarj' to all it as an emendation other authority, ancient or modem, and without necessity. 2 prefixed is the Beth
;
had erected, and which proved the source of all the e\Tls which they had afterwards committed. They had many other idols, but these were the principal and they aie called iniquities by a metonymy of the cause Comp. ver. 8, -where for the effect.
calves -which Jeroboam
;
This i-si:n , sin, is similarly applied. reading is in the text of a great many ^ISS. and is expressed in all the ancient
versions.
11.
The
general
meaning of
this verse
See
my
note on
seems to be, that the Ephraimitcs had been accustomed in the plenitude of their power to crush and oppress others, especially their brethren of the
xxvi. 4.
T.'^tn
ytohestronghj propcjne,
two
tribes;
desire greatly,
expresses
the in-esistible
CiSS
to chastise,
first
radical
"^
by
in-
Dagesh
in the C.
,
D";5'<,
the
"CN to bind, bind as a prisoner or captive, which is the sense in which the ivord is here to be taken. Or;*? has occasioned great variety of
infinitive of
but they were now themselves to be brought into subjection to the king of Assyria, by whom they should be placed in circumstances of great hardship in Tlie metaphors are foreign countries. For Cl^, to tread or beat agricultural. out the corn, partly by the feet of oxen, and partly by sledges with instruments adapted to the purpose, see on
27, 28.
fts
Is. xx^iii.
The
-^
in
^rsnk,
is
paragogie,
interpretation.
^lichaelis
translates
it
plough-shares, attempting to, derive it from the Arabic. Jarchi, Lively, and, among the modems, Ewald, render cgcs, "before their two eyes," i. e. openly but
;
"n:r'i', chap.
pri"'' and ^p::pi:, Jer. xxii. 23; li. 13, though in these pasit
the word
is
applied to real
when
eyes.
applied
; but most, furrows, whiih is the rendering adopted by Abcnezra, Kimchi, Abidwalid,
Some
translate habitations
has been left unpointed by the See Ewald, IOC). The form Vv ~2 is otherwise the participle r;i~s. signifies here to pass on beside one, as the driver does beside an ox in the yoke. Thus Jehovah A\ould, in his providence, lead forth the Israelites, from the midst of their prosperity, to the toils and hardsages
Masoretes.
^^
ships of captivity.
C'~tt5
2"r~S
lit.
Tanchum,
etc., after
the
Targum
some exix)und-
passage
who
Thus
shall lead
him
:;
Chap. X.
HO SEA.
to yourselves for righteousness
61
li
Sow
Reap according
to piety
; :
Break up for yourselves the follow ground For it is time to seek Jehovah, Till he come, and teach you righteousness.
13
have ploughed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; have eaten the fruit of falsehood Because thou trustedst in thy way In the multitude of thy mighty ones.
Ye Ye
The judgments
:
of
God were
kingdom the southern In should also be mvolved in them. short, they should overtalie the whole posto the northern
terity of Jacob.
filled
may
be
adduced the
Sjt.
]^]
^^
he
;
The
prediction
captivities.
was
iV
ful,
iCU:^
come
a?id
AiXi-> r\
till
in
show
to
V?
T^.'i"?
is
pleonastic.
Continuing his agiicultural metaphors, the prophet here abinaptly calls upon the nation to reform its manners. h in rpT^"? t~"5 is the Dat. commodi. points out the end or object to be obtauied by sowing. Sow what will produce the The second imfruits of righteousness.
12.
Pococke's Arab.
MS.
\\
Ujotif
[v5LX-<i>-3
he come and
perative
is
" Sow, and ye shall reap " or the subjunctive, " Sow, so that ye may reap." That nan, pieti/ or goodness, is to be referred, not to God, but to man, its being parallel with r:p^"i^ righteousness, manifestly proves. To change T"-\ into ryn, and join this word with i": preceding, as Newcome, following the LXX. and Arab., does, is unauthorized and inept. The Israelites had long neglected Jehovah: it was now high time to return to his fear and though they might not meet with immediate tokens of his favor, they were to persevere ur seeking him, in the assurance that he would be gracious to them. Such is the force of -ly imtil. This favor was to be manifested by his coming and
,
guide you to righteousness. The Targ. to the same effect, ''JT'^i "ysji 'V."<^'' ":2V 1T2T, now he shall'be revealed, and shall bring righteotcsness to you; Vulg. Thus venerit qui docebit vos jttstitiam. also Dathe, Hitzig, Winer, and others. Kimchi remarks, h TK llomn Cs 5s' '1
t^rs
pi::
,
TT-irTN^"'
the7-e
sin insK-i
if^^i' fs-j'n
who
exjMund, If ye seek the Lord, to know his law and his commandments, he will come
righteousness.
And Aben-
seems, fi'om the preceding use of rp"r:i, more apt, than to take pi:^ abso-
lutely for npT::^, in due pt-oporti^on, adequately, fiilly, according to the claims or
necessities
of your condition.
See on
Joel
ii.
23.
communicating
to
them
instruction re-
which
could avail the guilty at his bar. That the words crV )^ nni^: are not to be rendered he will grant yoii suitable rain, but, he will teach you righteousness, and that they contain a prophecy of the advent and prophetical office of the Messiah, has been maintained by Jerome, and many
-;_.:_
which they had just been exhad pursued one directly opposite, and now reaped the The same metdisastrous consequences.
"5, aphors are here continued. 'Jns fruit of falsehood, seems rather to mean the effects of their false and hypocritical conduct in professing attachmont to the true God, while they addicted themselves
to the Avorship of other deities, than/a^-
G2
H
And
CUAP. X.
among thy people, be destroyed, As Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel in the day of battle "When the mother was dashed in pieces with her children.
thy fortresses
sliall
lacious
and disappointing
,
results.
See-
Vk=-n Vs=-s
Shalman,
sj-ria,
it is
in thij chariots,
tcai/,
(5-JI
L^.
"As
and
is
for
t/iy
on the
is
a proper name,
said
LXX.
found
iu
dfificuTi
(70V,
Avhieh reading
As-
Reg. Laud.
Ilexap.
CjTill. Ital.
Ambros.
it
.(Vrab. Slav.
;
MS.
actually adopted
It
is,
into his
Hebrew text.
however, unsupixirted by any Heb. MSS., or any of the aneient versions, and
is
justly to
be rejected.
only it is abbreviated ; aiul perhaps Shahnanssar is compounded of two names, one of which is omitted because it was well known and Ariel is the name of a city, and is said to be that which is called Arbel at the present day." The abbreviation of projier names is not uncommon in Scripture, as ^in'rs , Coniah, for
:
in thy ways. 'Die way of the was the wicked course of conduct which they liad adopted in opposition to the will of God. Kimclii ytjnr; nsiKHrn ny-.r; Tit, (he tcay of wickedness and bad rcUijion. The Vat.
,
^~~;~::
T'S'in^, Jehoiachin,
etc.
It Avas this
Israelites
monarch that besieged Samaiia for the space of three years, and took it in the
nhith of Iloshca, n. c. 722, carrying the king and most of his subjects into exile.
2
copy of the
LXX.
Kings
xvii.
1-6.
To
this interpreta-
has iv
afjiapT7]i.iaal
ii.
aov.
Comp.
Is. Ivii.
10; Jer.
23.
be involved in
DSJ;
;
,
all
wth n
manbe
been objected that our pro])het wrote belbre the time of Shalmaneser, and therefore could not sp'?ak of his destroying Arbel as something that had already happened. It must, however, be recollected, that though Ilosea prophesied before the time of that king, he contintion
it h;ts
^Ijj
or
it
may
ued
iiix
down
regarded as merely a inater Icctionis. Soiue lew MSS. and some others in the margin, read cpi . Twenty-four MSS., one originally, lour of the eaily editions, and all the ancient versions, read "rjttva, thy pcopk, iiLstead of ^'izvjz thy peo,
and must, therefore, have been well acquainted with the previous Assj-rian
invasions.
or, as
bel,
With
respect to Vssnjt
read, Vi-is
,
r^s
some MSS.
Beth- Ar-
ples.
For minor
Bce Kennicott
and'De
is
The nom-
in opinion. the Assj-rian city Arbela, situated betAveen the Lycus and the Tigris,
inative to Tji-*
Vz, taken as a collective, comprehending the whole. That '\yzh'i', Shalman, and Vsa-iS r"3 BcthArbel, are proper names, is now univcr,
by Alexander the Great ovct Darius, is nicant but it is far more probable that
;
."sally
admitted.
is
The
best interpretation
:
of them
tt''''3
that given
Lot*
v>i>>0
,J-X)
JwO^
the prophet refers to the 'Ap^-fiXa of 1 Mace. L\. 2, which Josephus places near Sephoris in Galilee; Eusebius, in the plain of Esdraelon. Of the battle here mentioned, no accoimt indeed is given
cither in sacred or profane histoiy ; but as tlie contemporaries of Ilosea are supjxised to
|W0|
y^
^\
it,
there
is
Jyij^ tXL
The
ancient
, ,
Chap. XI.
HO SEA.
63
On account of your flagrant wickedness In the morning shall the king of Israel be utterly cut
versions of this clause of the verse are
lative degree.
off.
There
is
no necessity with
In-
more or
less at fault
Newcome,
to resort to emendation.
abundant scope
emen-
datorial criticism.
See Newcome,
who
stead of nn'ia , "in the morning," fifteen MSS., and perhaps one more, six
originally, the Proph. of Soncin.
renders, Like the destruction of Zalmunna by the hand of Jeruhbaal ; and supposes
the reference to be to Jud. viii. Vy here signifies with, in the sense of being superadded. See Gen. xxviii. 9. xxxi. 50. 15. The nominative to nvv is Shalman in the preceding vei-se, or perhaps r;Tn"> Jehovah, understood, but not Vsfrr^i,
Bethel, as in our
1486, the Venet. edit..of 1818, in the margin, and the Vulg. read in "is, "like the morning." Were the following verb nttT to be taken in the sense of resembling, being like, etc., the latter reading
might
tion
;
common
version, since
fol-
with what
lows.
The words
edness of the Israelites had been most conspicuously exhibited. D2 r y n r y-\ lit. the wickedness of your wickedness, i. e. your excessive, or most flagrant wickrare example of a noun put edness.
in construction with itself repeated in the singular, in .order to form the super-
possess some claim on our attenbut as the idea of being destroyed best comports with the comiection, that of the Textus Receptus is preferable. The difference of reading has arisen from, the similarity of the letters 3 and 5. The reference is to the suddenness with which Hoshea was to be seized by the king of Assyria, and an entire end put See 2 Kings xvii. to the regal dignity. The doing of anything early or soon 4. is frequently expressed by its being done in the morning.
CHAPTER XL
To aggravate
threatens
his representations
Israelites, the
benefits conferred
upon them from the earliest period of their history, 1 4. He then them with unavoidable punishment on account of their obstinacy, 5, 6; but, all of a sudden, introduces 'Jehovah, compassionating his rebellious children, and promising them a restoration from their captivity in foreign lands, 711.
I loved him,
called
my
tion of Israel
a description of what Jehovah had done for it ages before the prophet WTote, and not a prophecy of any future events is so evident, that
being
no person who impartially examines the preceding and following context, can for
a
moment
Nor but been applied I y the EvanMatthew (ch. ii. 15.) toovu- Lord's
call it in question.
64
According ns
HO SEA.
tlicy called
Chap. XI,
They
unto Baals, And burned incense to graven images. Though I taught Ephraim to walk, Taking them by their arms,
sacrificed
would
it
Exod. iv. 22, 23. Tlie caily period of their existence is frequently
See
Is. liv.
;
have had any other reference. It is only, with respect to such application that any difficulty can exist respecting their exegesis and, in my judgment,
therefore,
;
13
ii.
Jer.
ii.
2,
iii.
IIos.
15.
2.
to
call,
there appears to be nothing in the N. T. application beyond the mere appropriation of the language of the prophet, for the purpose of giving to Jewish readers a more ^'ivid impression of the strikingly analogous circumstances of the sojourn of our Sa\'iour in Egj-jit, and his return from it, to those of the ancient Israehtes.
in the preceding verse, suggested the idea of the subsequent messages which had
which Hosea now appeals, means which had been employed for their refonnation,
prophets, to
in order to contrast with the
The EvangcEst
words
as used
;
of Christ
show how aptly they described the historical event which he was naiTating,
just as
he does
the obstinate character of thcu- rebellion. Before ^S"^p subaud. itrjss , to corresThus the LXX. ko^' us. pond to -,d The nominative is the prophets, understood. The very presence of the prophets being an annoyance to them, they withdi'ew from it, that, unmolested, they might indulge in idolatrj'. 3. ^pV:nr , an instance of the Tiphil conjugation', equivalent to Hiphil in sig.
"
He
formed
into p.
must be a stranger to the Hebrew \\Titers, that docs not know, that nothing is more common among thon than such accommodations of the text ujxjn all occasions. They abound in such applications I may say their Midrashim do very much exceed in them." Kidder's Demon, of the " Parodiarura Messiah, Pt. 11. p. 216.
;
De
Eossi's
MSS.
.
reads
There "pVi-in , instead of -r^j-iP exist only two other instances in the
Hebrew
and
Bible, \\z.
T.-^.'nX-'^
Jer. xii. 5,
r;"'.!nr73,
xxii. lo,' if
in
ii.
N. T. omnia sunt
1.5
plena,
e.
g.
Matt.
XXV. 34, is not to be so the Shaphel Conjugation in Syriac, in which language this very verb occurs in
the form
turip
tum
ctiam,
cum
\--
tjTjit'a
est
S\T. p. 112.
V;v"i
,
It
is
a denominative from
signifies to cause, or
tum."
p. 80. p. 338.
the foot,
and
Sjt.
and
Home's
Introd. vol.
342.
2, d.
Robinson's Greek
Instead of '2'zh
1*3::^
; ,
Targ.
^1^9,
'JiTp^.
,
ni"i2i, /
led,
only the
to
have read
r-n2T
and I
led,
etc.
by an
which
is
their
angel sent
from my
presence.
Tlie use
reading, that of
Aq. Symm. llieod. the Rlavon. and Matthew, agree ^vith the Hebrew text. The Hebrew people are also called the son of God iii the same
fk
in trip
is
Both
Chap.
XL
HO SEA.
QS
4 I
I
With
was
them
as those
who
lift
up the yoke
eat.
made them
They shall not return to the land of Egypt Assyria shall be their king Because they would not be converted. 6 The sword shall be whirled in their cities, It shall destroy their barriers, and devour,
6
The metaphor taken from teaching children to walk is continued, as those who do so take hold of their arms to keep them from falling while they move their feet. It beautifully expresses the condescension of God to the circumstances of his people, and the kuid care which he exercised over them. Comp. Deut. i. 31, xxxii. 11. His healini] them, refers to his recovering them from the calamities which they had brought upon themselves by their sins. the bands of man, are 4. CIS ^Vsn
tolerated in translation.
,
vVs
but
1:^1.
Ewald
renders,
"
it is
^u:
to
Hiph. of any
^i^b
r;2~S
ally
employ when they woidd induce to There seems to be still a reference to the case of children, who, when taught to walk, are not only held by the arms but also by soft cords or leading-strings,
action.
a gentle manare led about, or di'aA\Ti ner by those who have the care of them. The terms, however, naturally suggesting the idea of the ropes by which oxen are boimd and led about, the metaphor is immediately changed into one bonowed
thing to another. The verse sets forth the kind rehef afforded to the Hebrew nation in EgT,3)t, and the provision with which they were miraculously supphed the wilderness. 5. rz-ir, to turn, return, which is used at the beginning of the verse in its proper acceptation, is employed at the close metaphorically to express conversion to God. The Israelites seem to have been very generally inchned to migrate for a time to Egypt, in order to enjoy the prothe prophet astection of its monarch sures them that they should not carry their purpose into effect, but that they should be subject to the Assyrian rule, as a pxmishment for refusing to listen to the calls given them to repent and turn from
their idolatries.
6. Most of the Rabbins take V'n in the sense of resting, remaining; but it seems preferable to adopt the signification to turn, be turned, or whirled about, as a sword when it is brandished or when it is employed in cutting doTVTi the enemy.
from agricultural
does not
tirely,
life,
mean
to remove the
but to
raise it
; ;
6Q
7
HO SEA.
my
people are bent upon ilefection from
Chap.
XL
For
me
Thougli they call them to the Most High, Yet none of them will exalt liim. How shall I give thee \ip, O Ei)hraim ? 8
How shall I deliver thee over, O Israel? How shall I make thee as Admah ? How shall I make thee as Zeboim ? My heart is turned within me .Ml my feelings of compassion are kindled, I will not execute the lierceness of my anger
I will
C.-,u-i\-,.
die Avab.
conversa fuit
8,
9.
Now
res.
\'.
sc conierlit
versus mtdatusqne
J'uit.
C"!2
barriers, Gcsenius
and Lee
ness of the divine compassion to be found the ix)int of which is enill Scripture
;
hanced by
ately
its
C"K5Vn
= C^Vp
,
which one of
De
liossi's
I'ar?
MSS! reads originally, the Pahul of nVn to hawj, used here meta'VL\
conduct of the
as liishop
Lowth
thetic.
characterizes
exquisitely pa-
phorically
the sense of bending, or being prepense to anything. The idea of doubt or suspense, -which some attach to the word in this coimection, ill agrees vith the character of the Israelites as rs^rw othe^^vise depicted in this book,
is
The
repetitions
apostasy, etc.
suffix in
defec-tion
The
T^ nftt
to be t;iken passively
which lias me for its objec-t, and affTTiai txov Aq. ottAco KvKKwaa ae ^ ulg. cannot with any propriety be rendered protcgam te ; deriving the idea from the For as by Ilorslcy, "my returning." a signification of the substantive ^;>; Vy Vs ad summum, see on chap. vii. shield; but it is used of delivering over After on ver. 2. 16 and for iis-ip-; Symm. iKSwaw enemies. Gen. xiv. 20. Dr-11 supply -rs, him, from \v, the o-e. Before :j52-ics is an ellipsis of ':i-^t Supreme, preceding. Jehovah had been which had ali-'eadj' been twice repeated. degraded by his being worshipped through The destruction of Admah and Zeboim the medium of images, and ha^'ing idols is only refciTcd to as an example in one yet none of his associated with him other case, viz. Deut. xxLx. 23, and then a]K)state people were inclined to raL-c him in connection with Sodoni and Gomorrah, them rejecting from this degradation, by To the awfid catastrophe recorded Gen. and celebrating His praise, as the sole xLx. the sacred A\Titei's fretjuently appeal, and glorious object of adoration. Po- in order to produce a sense of the evil of rocke's Arab. MS. .jXj aJ sin, and the severity with Avhich it detXj^l
;
',
the effect. period after the subjugation of Samaria, and the caiTj'ing away of the Israelites by Shabnaneser, 2 Kings xvii. o, 6, xviii. 9-12. They were designed to inspire the captives with hope in the mercy of God, and thus lead them to true repent";Ji;s the LXX. render vn^pance.
,
ser\-es
xJLM
^\
7iot
v^wmO
to be punished
or
when they
[ (^
^,
there teas
not one of them that glorified the name of God. -tn*. With a negative is to be
rendered
gether, wholly, as
would convey the idea of complete and Comp. Is. i. 9, xiii. irretrievable ruin. 19; Jer. xlix. 18; Lam. iv. 6; Amos. Matt. x. 15 2 Pet. ii. 0; Judc iv. 11 Some would render "sV 'hv T\^.~'., 7.
,
CuAP.
XL
HO SEA.
am God and
not man,
6T
Foi- 1
The Holy One in the midst of thee I will not come iu wrath. 10 They shall follow Jehovah, when he roareth
like a lion
When
shall hasten
from the
sea.
ishment
ing,
"I
affords
no
to inflict punishments ; but the phraseology will scarcely bear such construction, though it cannot be questioned, that it is
revolution.
De Rossi's MSS.
reads.
ii.
p. 38.) is equally
5; ^'n'^-\ ^^VriEti.yrn, 4; i?t ^aV '\'J, Jer. viii. l'8;'in all which passages the preposition conveys the idea of mental conticjuity, nearness, in, within, as "^anpa "^"zh "TiSri: my heart is turned yvimi's hie, Lam.'i. 20, From the connecincontestably shows. tion in which it occurs, in the last cited passage, it is obvious the phrase is there designed to express great mental distress. ntta is used in Niphal, of the stirritiys of natural ajfection, Gen. xhii. 30 1 Kings The idea seems to be derived iii. 26. from the commotion produced by the kindling of a fire, and the heat or warmth
xlii. 6, 12, xliii.
cxlii.
who
laws,
dwell in
cities
Hving
human
and deeming
cruelty to be justice.
Such construction Maurer states to be in his opinion " artificiosior quam eleI, therefore, adopt the intei-pregantior.
tation hinted at
by
Jarchi,
proved by Schroeder, Seeker, Dathe, !Manger, Tingstadius, Eichhom, De Wette, Noyes, Boothroyd, Gesenius, Maurer, and E^\-ald, which takes -^^y not in the sense of city, but of a7iger or wrath ; comparing the Arab.
A^
;
in which
it results.
Tanchum explams
an enemy,
LXX.
vii. 7 and njj Sam. xxviii. 16 Ps. cxxxix. The words are thus strictly parallel, 20. and sjmonymous to li'^s N^i and not
Comp.
Jer. xv. 8
1
Hos.
crvviTapax^,
ZiiTapdx^i),
or,
as
,
in
the
Complut.
man.
The
derivation from
w/JU,
to
the same in effect as D'ttrri compassion, feelings of tender Targ. "ttrri, my pity and affection. compassions. It is derived from bna to
C^w^n:
which Michaelis
angry.
Pt.
SyXJ
XIX.
p. 9, is less appropriate,
is
though
be inwardly affected,
pity,
displeasure "svith one's self, has originated the signification, to repent, which accounts for the renderings, nftaixikeia, 2}os7iitudo, repetitings, etc. See my note on Is. i. 24. The language is in the highest deThe 9 th verse gi'ee anthropopathical. contains a declaration of the purpose of God founded upon his compassion, and quite in keeping \Aith the manner in which expression had just been given to
it.
the same. 10, 11. These verses contain gTacious promises of the retvim of the Israelites to the true worship and service of God, and their restoration to their own land from the different places in which they had
been scattered
^nn"! '"i.nS
dming
to
the captivity.
"Vn
walk after Jehovah, is always used in the religious sense of addicting one's self to his worship, and keeping his conmiandments, and is not to be
in t^Tj^gh avi'S t<V is, as freThe quently to be taken adverbially. captivity was the last judgment that was
nw
mere following of providence by taking advantage of the opportunity that would be So afforded of returning from Babylon.
interpreted, as Hitzig does, of a
to
tribes as a
pim-
ssn^B nra
ff/ifer
the
68
11
II
EA
Chap.
XIL
They
own
houses,
toorship
see ver.
lion,
of Jehovah. For the contrarj-, 2. As JS3 to roar, like the always conveys the idea of terror or
,
" Sic Lat. trcpidare etiam sumitiir profestinare, obser\'antibus Bocharto in Hieroz, et Schultensio in Animadverss. pliiloL ad. Is. xix. 17." AViner, in voc. ITie
cannot be here applied either to to the Jews as a people, or to the preaching of the gospel generally but must be referred to the awful judgments which God executed upon Babylon, Egj-pt, etc. through the instruit
awe,
any invitation
;
same idea of velocity is further carried out by comparing the return of the Isthe flight of birds remarkable ni2 is here used not in its generic sense of bird, but specifically of the sparrow, as the use of nsv, dove, immediately after, shows. The sea, is the Mediterranean, or the islands and other maritime regions in the west. Kimchi, 2-j'52ri the west;
raelites to
his successors
thereby opening the way for the Hberation of the Israelites who Avere found in these countries. Comp. Is. xxxi. 4 Joel iv. 16 Jer. XXV. 30 Amos i. 2, iii.
; ;
8.
By C':2
so7is,
or children, are
meant
Pococke's
^ -cry
i
Arab.
MS.
isles
\\
-^
,^
Comp.
been for a time rejected, but were again acknowledged in that character, because they Avcre to be reinstated in the privileges of adoption.
the Israelites,
who had
f|
from the
;
of the sea.
Is. xi.
Comp. chap.
i.
10.
nant with meaning signifj-ing to come or hasten under the influence of great agitation. The idea of trepidation, though implied, and connecting avcII with that of the roaring prcAdously mentioned, is not so prominent as that of qiiick or nimble motion. Excited to the utmost by
the revolutions of empires, which allowed them to take possession of their native countr}', they would use all haste in repairing thither.
"rnn
is
here preg-
11-16 a passage strictly parallel, only including the Jews as well as the The tlu-ee quarters of the Israelites. globe here specified embrace all the countries mentioned by Isaiah and as the ten tribes fonn the subject of Hosca's discourse, the present prophecy furnishes an- additional proof of their return also, after the Babylonish captivity. To argue, therefore, from tliis passage, that they are still in existence, and are yet to be
;
is
her-
LXX.
^KcrriiffovTai
but
Sjt.
nV r\| 1
mcncutically unwarranted. V? in the phrase CT7,"P2 ~y instead of a , seems to have special reference to the custom of the Orientals, who enjoy their time
,
vjyon, rather
than
m their houses.
CHAPTER
XII.
This chapter commonces with renewed complaints aprainst both Ephraim and Judah, more especially af,'uiiiht tlio fornuT, 1, 2. The conduct of their profjcnitor Jacob is then adduced in order to excite them to apply, as he did, for the blessings which they required, 3, 4; to copy which they are further encouraged by the unchangeable ch"racter of Jehovah, 5, 6.
reverts to the deceitful and hypocritical character of the ten tribes, notwitlistanding the numerous means that had been emiiloyed to promote true piety, 71'^; renews his castigation of their idolatrous practices, 11 again appeals to the kindness of
j
Chap. XII.
HO SEA.
12, 13j
69
and denounces anew
God to the nation in its obscure origin in tiie person of Jacob, the judgments that were to be inflicted upon it, 14.
falsehood,
And And
Judah, he
is still
to Jehovah.
common
preceding chapter ; but improperly there being no connection whatever with the previous verses, whereas it is manifest from the renewed reference to Judah,
ver. 3, that the three verses intimately
So far were they from adhering steadfastly to his covenant, and seeking their happiness in obedience to his will, that they resembled animals that are dissatisfied with their pastm-e, break loose, and run wildly up and down in
search of
appetite
;
what
is
more agreeable
to their
The proper exegesis of this verse depends upon the signification assigned
cohere.
to t-i
and the consequent application of ^KNi. That the former cannot grammatically be referred either to inn or
,
tent at home, seeks for satisfaction by gaddirfg about among her neighbors. The
description applies to the state of things
fTi-i
to
Jerome renders it, is now hands and there is no alternative left but to derive it from -i:,-i, which occurs only in three other passages, viz. one in Kal, Jer. ii. 3 1 and twice in Hiph. Gen. xxvii. 40, and Ps. Iv. 3. In the two first, the ideas of becoming or
descend, as
agreed on
all
among the Jews towards the end of the reign of Jotham, and during that of Ahaz, who introduced a Syrian altar, and other idolatrous objects, by which the
people were tempted to infidelity towards Jehovah, but had not yet altogether reHence the force nounced his service. Though the idea of of "i"y, yet, still. hostility implied in the verb would not justify the use of the preposition, c y ^oith, taken as in the phrases CS CnVj, Cs a""i
,
being unfaithful, rebelling, loandering at large, are obviously conveyed. In the third, the verb is applied figuratively to an agitated er unsettled state of mind, to which the notion of wa7idering seems much more natural, than that of mourning, which is that expressed by our transThus also the derivative m-itt lators. may best be rendered circumvagatio,
erratio^
to fight with, eontend with ; yet it well agrees with its use after verbs of acting
towards, or
as c:
^>^
reference to
dJJ
nsn,
2it:
'r.'-uv^,
Thtis
and Ewald.
is
Lam.
i.
7,
iii.
Arabic
tiliro
Ds, 0s
;
of the passage
3,
out by ver.
ently interpreted,
citroque ivit
^
\
represented as faithfully maintaining the But if the principles of the theocracy. signification which has been given to nn
Eth.
.^*^ P'
persequi, insurrexit, etc The signification dominatur, which has been given to
n-i , is altogether gratuitous. The meaning of the prophet will, therefore, be, that Judah or the inhabitants of the southern
be alone justifiable, then it is evident JKNS faithful cannot apply to Judah, but must be taken as qualif^-ing C'f ^np the adjective noun immediately preceding. To this it cannot be objected, that the one is in the plural, while the other is in the singular for we find a precisely sim,
, ;
in regard
ilar
70
2
HO SEA.
Chap. XII.
Ephraim fecdeth upon wind, He pursneth the east wind Every day lie multiplietli falsehood and violence;
Yea, ho inakcth a covenant with Assyria, oil is carried into Egypt. 3 Jehovah hath also a controversy Avith Judah, And he will punish Jacob, according to his ways; According to his deeds, he will recompense him. In the womb he took his brother by the heel, 4 And by his strength he strove with God
And
vii.
10.
That C^Bi-^;,
and formed a
ation.
the llofi/ Ones, cannot here be applied either to human saints, or to angels, but
must be interpreted of God himself, the law of par;dlclism clearly requires. Comp. Josh xxiv. 19, srn c-r-rp ^-rVs Prov. ix. 10, r:-2 ^""i^'P ~<.i'< xxx.'''3vry-i 5"S C"r^p. Kimchi liimsclf allows that nic"~p. must be so understood in this Between the inconstancy of the place. Jews, and the faithfuhiess of God, the contrast was placed in a very striking They had never known point of view. him to fail in gi\'ing effect to any of his while they, on the contrary, pronaisos had all along shown more or less of a fickle and roving disjxjsition. The ancient
; ;
spoken of as a present the king of Egypt, doubtless among other costly articles, with a view to obtam a favorable hearing to the embassy which w;u> despatched to secxu-e his aid against the Assyrians. 3. "Judah" and "Jacob" stand for the two kmgdoms respectively, the latter name denoting the ten tribes, as Is. x\'ii. 4. The declaration here made manifestly shows, that in vcr. 1 the conduct of Judah is to be viewed in an unfavorable light. At the same time the language of both verses in reference to that power is not so strong as that which is employed reIt is here
sent
to
specting Israel.
4, 5. Havuig introduced the name of Jacob in reference to his posterity, Hosea adverts to tliree mteresting incidents in his personal history, with the view of encouraging his countrymen to apply themselves with all assiduity to the scr-
versions exhibit considerable diversity of rendering in this place but none of them suggests a meaning i^rcfcrable to that
;
any
alteration in
the reading of the Hebrew. 2. I5y " the wind," and " the east
wind," are meant empty, unsatisfyijig and pernicious objects. Such were the idolatrous confidence and foreign alliances
of the Israelites.
C'-p
the
LXX.
ren-
A.^A*.'i,
the
who alone could, and would them from the calamitous circumstances into which their sins had brought them. ITiough ::p.y, from which the name :p v^ Jacob, is derived, ^\rab.
\'ice
of God,
extricate
Samoom,
.Jif
renit,
signifies to
one, take
etc., it is
him by the
and
faithless
upon
itself.
Such
condiict
was
specially
tion which his taking his brother Esau by the heel afforded of the superiority,
exhibited in the leagues that wcrefonncd, and the friendshiiis that were entered into
with the two most powtTful of the an"':r, nil, was one of cient monarchies. the most valuable productions of Canaan,
which, in the course of divine providence, he and his ywstcrity were to obtain. Gen. XXV. 22, 23, 20. To this effect the Targ.
'^,'0'- -i"'cs
""Vr^
it
*'';'^
''?=??.-
*''"^',
"n !iriS
'"C
teas
Chap. XII.
6 Yea, he strove with the
HOSE A.
Angel and prevailed
with us
71
He wept and made supplication to him He found him at Bethel, and there he spake
he was born, that he should be greater than his brother ? The Israelites Avere reminded of the promise, " The one people shall be greater than the other people " and had they acted on the iaith of it, they would have found that, with Jehovah on their side, they were not only stronger than the Edomites, but even than the Assyrian power itself. The idea of jyotoer ha\ang thus been suggested to the mind of the prophet, he was remmded of the remarkable occurrence which took place at Peniel, when Jacob wrestled with the divine messenger of the covenant,
;
redeem
Israel,
to
and show that they were entitled the name, by sincerely and earnestly
God
of
necessai-y blessing.
to tlie narrative
The
Gen.
is
and
prevailed,
exercise rule as
rn'a
the verb from which Vsnb"' , Israel, the other name of Jacob, is derived, is that
employed Gen. xxxii. 29, where the language is nearly identical with that used in these two verses. In the resumption
of the subject, ver, 5. "i-^i is em2:)loycd, which, though equivalent to rrr:; in sig-
xxviii. 11-22, which contains an account of the scene at Bethel, and the promises which God then made, not to the patriarch only, but also to his posterity. The nominative to s::m he found, is God, and not Jacob, as Abenezia, Tanchum, and several others have attempted to maintain. The meaning is, that Jehovah afforded to the solitary traveller the gracious aid which his exposed situation rendered desirable. Vs~^^2i, Bethel, is here the accusative of place, and is used with smgular effect, in reference to the contrasted appropriation of it by the patri,
arch,
and by
,
The
must be referred to the root Corap. Jud. ix. 22, and Hos. A'iii. 4. "^'S properly signifies manly vigor. Here t|i*^'?> the Angel, corresponds to God, ver. 4, and designates the n"'n"^s
nification,
-Vi-:;.
,
not pcrcciA'ing this, have rendered it oIkos "^Ciu the house of On, as elsewhere in this book. :)5?2y, "tcith us," Aq.
LXX.
Uncreated Angel,
as here,
of
whom we
whom,
names distinctive of Dcitv and who is represented as possessing the divine attributes. See on Is. Lxiii. 9, and Dr. M'Caul's Obscn'ations appended to his translation of Kimchi on Zechariah, chap. i. V^5 specially points to the Angel as the object towards
are ascribed,
Thcod. Sjt. Tanchum, Abulseveral modems, render as if " with him " but there is it were \'zv no variety of reading in the MSS., and r,i is nowhere used of the third person The LXX. have irphs ainovs singular. which to them, as if they had read ti:y
walid,
Symm.
and
is
concerned, goes
whom
the conflicting dforts of the pawere directed. Of the circumstances of his weeping and making suptriarch
plication,
That the prophet here speaks per Koivdxrtv, identifying himself and his contemporaries with their progenitor, in whose loins they may be said to have been, when he received the gi-acious promises which related not to himself only, but also to his posterity, is the interpretation advocated
no particular mention
is
made
Genesis, but they may be regarded as implied in the words, " I will not let thee go, except thou bless me." The struggle was not merely corporeal, it was also mental. The outward conflict was only a sign of that which was internal and
spiritual.
Manger, Horsley, Hitzig, Maurer, and Comp. Ps. Ixvi. 6 Heb. On the other hand, Ewald, vii. 9, 10. following Jarchi and Joseph Kimchi, renders the words la'jry '2"i"'. he will speak with us, in the future, and considers the
bj^
RosGnmiillcr.
The
God would
the application.
renew
his
communications
Israelites
at Bethel, pro-
vided the
returned to obedience.
72
6
HO
E A.
Chap.
XIL
hosts:
But though
adoption,
it
entitled to
ancient Egyptians and Brahmins. On the Sa'itic temple of Isis was the inscription, 'Eyu> fl/jLi irav rh ycyofhu Kol ov Kcd
(<T6^(vof, Kal rhv ijxhv iriirXov ovStis
irof
was
to lead his people to repentance, in order that they might inherit the prom-
^vr)Ths
di/f/iaAi/ife,
ised blessings.
C.
1
AND
is
IS,
in
nn"'!
:
e.Kplctive.
Ewald
strangely gives to the combination the form of an oath ' bei Jahvc," explain-
hath ever uncovered my veil." Plutarch do Lside. Li the Bhagavat the Supreme " Even Being thus addresses Brahma
:
ing it in his note, "wahj: ist das bei The Jahvc," By Jehovah it is true incommunicable name is here introduced for the express purpose of sho%\ing that He who had made promises respecting the posterity of Jacob, would not prove While 'riVt* iinfaitliful to his word.
!
WAS at first, not any other being that WHICH EXISTS unperceivcd Supreme afterwards I am that which is and He who must hemaix am I." Asiat.
I
;
;
Researches, vol.
Zei/j
'
i.
p. 245.
tcrcreTcu'
;
Comp. Zeis
S>
;
iiv
iari
'
Zei/j
;
jut-yoAe ZeO.
riiss::"
Kparuip,
iiitinite
the
God of
hosts,
LXX. ITarro-
conveys the idea of supreme and power by which he is able to carry ail his puqxses into effect, his peculiarly distinctive name n^r;;' conveys
,
that
of imrmitahle
constaucij,
and, by
Some
word
to exist,
be
but that
it is
from the
cognate and more ordinary verb of existence nT! appears evident from Exod. iii. l4, where, in the explanation of the name, the form of the future is not r "~ >'
, >
Zeus was Zeus is Zeus shall be O great Zeus " Pausan. Phoc. x. 12. ^Vhether the name n in ^ was in use before the time of Moses, has "been, and still is matter of dLspute. That the patriarchs were imacquainted v^'ith it, has been concluded from Exod. vi. 3, where God declares, that the name under which he revealed himself to them was 'n^ Vs God Almighty, but that he was not kno^^n Jehovah. to them by his name nin Since, however, we meet with this name
!
but r''.ns.
But
as
is
nevertheless
',
inserted in rir:"*,
which
also retains
preformant of the third person singular, it is impossible not to acquiesce in the opinion, that the noun is made up of n"n lie was, T.)p , He is, and r.'r,'_
,
not only in the history of the patriarchs, but also expressly employed by themselves, as in Gen. xv. 2, xvi. 2, xxii. 14, xxiv. 3, xxvii. 7, xxiii. 20, 21, etc it seems undeniable that they ^^ere acquainted vdxh. it ; so that what is meant by the words en's "r""'3 nV ~\~' ''>:'i'3,is, that God
He
will he.
sis, is
"What confirms
had not caused them to experience the import of his name r'n', Jehovah. For
this signification of the phrase ^-j
to hioto
Iii.
'O hv koI b jjc koX 6 ^pxiutvos, lie that is, and that was, and that i.i to come, which is merely a translation
Rev.
i.
a name, or,
1
;
to hnotc,
n,
Ixiv.
'Jer.
xvi.
21.
had
speci;d ference to
something future
into
verb.
Greek of these
See I'ococke on Joel i. 19. In Abenezra and other Rabbins concur and, accordingly the second article of the Jewish creed concludes with the words rr.n r.T. ijtVs "inzV N",m He rrrT'i "And he alone is our God WAS, Hk is, and Hr, khai.l nn." It is a coincidence in no small degree remarkable, that this threefold description of the divine existence obtained both among the
this derivation
;
the fulfilment of the promises which he had given them and as tht^c promises began to be fulfilled when he inteqxised for their deliverance from Egyjit, there was singidar propriety in its being sekx-ted as the name by which Moses was to an;
nounce him to his people, on opening his commission to them. The same futurity of reference may be said to have continued to attach to it all along till the advent
of Messiah, in
whom
all
Chap.
7
XIL
HOSE A.
73:
Thou, therefore, return to thy God Observe mercy and judgment. And wait continually on thy God.
As
liis
hand
He
9
loveth to oppress.
saith.
Ephraim
Surely I
am
rich,
In none of
my labors am I
;
chargeable with
in
giiilt.
yea and amen, 2 Cor. i, 20 just as it is still prominently exhibited iii 'O ipx^fiei/os, The coming One, of the Apocalypse, which obviously respects the revelation of the Lord from heaven to fulfil the mystery of God. Such interpretation alone goes to fully justify the emphatic statement made in the text of our prophet, rnST nin"' compared with Exod. iii. 15, "i"- -1^^ ^-i5T nt, in which the Most
,
which the
be
accented, if
it
to stand
preterite
n"n.
accordance with the significant aspect of his name, in continuance be, to those who served him in sincerity.
8.
"Vrs,
Canaan,
is
the nominative
High
declares,
that this
name was
to
be employed for the purpose of perpetuatiilg the knowledge of his character with Comp. respect to promised blessings. That it should have also Ps. cxxxv. 13. come into oral disuse among the Jews, could only have originated in a feeling of superstitious veneration, w'hich led them to regard it as too sacred to be pronomiced without profanation. The earliest trace of such superstition is thought to be found in the words, Ecclesiasticus xxiii. 9, ovofj-aaia rod ayiov /xv cvi'f^ia'brjs, "use not thyself to the naming of the ; Holy One " but Philo de Nomin. mutat. makes express mention of it. Whenever the Jews meet with it in the text, they read "jtSiLord, instead of it, except
pose of graphically describing the real character of the Ephraimites. The word may, indeed, be rendered merchant, but
i'^s
of Canaaji, meaning a merchant the mhabitants of that country being the celebrated merchants of antiquity. The prophet seems rather to place the names of Canaan and Israel in an-
man
in which there is great point, as ; the Israehtes were accustomed to hold the Canaanites in the utmost contempt.
tithesis
Comp. Ezek.
a
trafficker
rather than strengthens the antithesis. The fraudulent practices of merchants were quite proverbial among the Jews.
when
God.
it
follows
it
"j-iN,
in
which case
S^ri ,N-f
" As a nail sticketh fast in the joinings of the stones, so doth sin stick close be-
they point
nin'',
and read
selling."
Ecclesiasti-
Some
present punctuation r^n"' is merely that of ^:-is, the simple Sheva taldng the
place
of
Hateph-Patach,
which only
;
but the employment of the two first syllables with precisely the same points in the fonnation of compound proper names manifestly goes to show that our present pronunciation is correct. Compare yiini
9. The character assumed in the preceding verse is here directly applied, only the ten tribes are represented as flattering themselves that they had employed no
illegal
flSi^'a';
means
,
ally. "jSy is employed to denote the act of distoHion or iniquity, xun its cjuilt or culpability. The words literally ren-
The change of Tns^ri", ^ri'rr":, etc. the Segol into Kametz may be accounted for on the ground of the grave manner
10
dered are, %cith. respect to all my efforts, they shall not find attaching to me iniquity ichich is sin; and the mfaning is,
II
CllAP. XII.
10 Yet
I,
Jt'liovah,
still
am
thy
God from
the land of
Egypt;
I will
Ill
And
" llie merchant might be punished. imagines that it is not jxjssilile to get tlux)ugh business without some deceit but he takes care not to commit any gross or deadly act of dehnquency, hoping that God will not be strict in regard to the
rest."
which he had
as to
afTorded
them
is
draw their attention to the messages which the prophfts had delivered. These messages contained the
most powerful dissuasives from idolatrj', and the greatest encouragements to cleave unto the Lord. Vy in n-<3"
worded
Mlchaelis.
10.
divided in opinion as to whether these words arc to be taken as a promise, or as a threatening. Those who take the latter view inteqiret the living in tabernacles
nouncement,
is
make
it
sig-
down
or resting of inspir-
of such a
life
as those lead
who have no
the wilderness, or like those who assembled at the annual festivals, and who
xxxvi. 33.
LXX.
irpbs
irpocprjras.
could only be accommodated in tents without the city. But, though such exegesis
might
.
at first sight
seem
to suit
brew prophets, whose books are now in our hands, reference must here be ha^.to those who had flourished before his time, such as Ahijah the Shilonite, Shcmaiah,
Iddo, Azariah, Hanani, Jehu, Jahaziel, Eliezer, Ehjah, Ehsha, Micaiah, Joel, and
the connection, yet there is something so forced in comparing a state of captivity to that of the Hebrew nation dining the
celebration of the
festivals,
Amoz, not
ets
most joyful of
all their,
that I am compelled to regard the verse as containing a promise of what God would still do for the Israelites on their repentance and reformation. Those
had put a number to Not only had Jehovah made numerous communications of his will
cave, after Jezebel
death.
through
the
ijistrumentidity
of
thc-se
who
and
messengers, but he
abrupt transitions which abound in Hosea, and the frwiuency ^^ith which he intermingles promises with threatenings, will not be surprised at this unexpected assurance of the divine clemency. The argu-
modes
as
in
making
these comnmnioations
were calculated
r^e/^S
and
Is.
i.
;
secure attention.
1.
For y.xn
,
see
on
from
rs^
to be like,
resemble
ment
and
from
is this the Israelites have indeed acted a most wicked and deceitful part,
:
pnrisons ; or, in general, to use figurative language. In such language, including metaphor, allegorj-, comparison, pros()i:<)p(eia, ajxjstrophe, hyperbole, etc., the prophets alxjund. They accommodated themselves to the capacity and understanding of their hearers by couching the
my
favor
but I
have been from the beginning of their history, their covenant-God, and will yet cause them to renew their joy before me. That they were not to enjoy any such privilege in their apostate condition Is taken for granted. The promise was fulfilled on the return from
I
am still, what
high and imjx)rtant subjects of which they treated under the imager}' of sensiobjects, and invested them with a degree of Ufe and energy which could only be resisted by an obstinate determination not to listen to religious instruc-
ble
the captivity.
1 1 Jehovah adduces a further proof of the kindness of his disjjosition towards the nation the abundant means of
.
tion.
Though r^s-s
its
is
in the future,
it
borro\\'s
HO
iniquitous,
false
:
75
In Gilgal they
sacrifice
oxen
On
13
field.
Jacob
country of Syria
14
And for a wife he kept the flocks. By a prophet Jehovah brought Israel up from And by a prophet he was kept.
Both
X. 4.
13, 14.
is
Egypt,
the two preceding verbs, 'P"i2"i and the preterite. Ti"'3in , "which are 12.' DS is not used here as a particle expressing doubt it rather expresses the
"hhi,
to roll, roll
stones, etc.
For
"'la;
"
certainty of what is affirmed, as '^s following, evidently shows. The two places here mentioned were celebrated in the
history of the
Hebrews
Gilead,
of both these the same, though it is only in the latter that it is expressly stated, viz, the divine goodness in preserving Jacob
verses
The argument
on
and
his posterity.
the
account of the solenui agreement which Laban and Jacob entered into there with each other; and Gilgal, on account of the general circumcision of the people, and the solemn observance of the passover when they had passed over Jordan. They are adduced by the prophet to remind the Israehtes of the sacred obhgations under which they lay, and the sacred character which, as the peculiar people of God, they ought ever to sustain. Pointing, as it were, to the heap of stones which Jacob had erected in testimony of the transaction between him and Laban, Hosea asks. Is Gilead the scene of iniquity ? Are its inhabitants actually worAnd then he fearshippers of idols ? lessly charges them with idolatrj'. Both ^"S and tsvi are specially used of idols, \A order to express their nothingness and vanity. The abstract stands for the conBy -tyVi, Gilead, is meant not crete. merely the place, but its inhabitants. Comp. for the wickedness of the Gdead-
and
him all the time he was in sersdtude iir Padan-arara and he likewise dehvered his descendants from Egyptian bondage, and conducted them safely to the land of Canaan, d'ns , Arajnaa, Syria, the high country, from
protected and prospered
;
C"-i
to be
high
between the Euphrates and the Tigris, called on this account, D'"!r;3 tnx Aram
of the tioo rivers, LXX. MeaoTrora/xia, Mesopotamia. Being lower than the rest of Syria on the west, it is here called T.'jv,.field, which corresponds to -^tts, a
level
or plain,
Gen.
-iK'iJ
,
xlviii.
Padan-aram,
,
to
without T X :: sheep, in the sense of keepSee Gen. xxx. 31 1 Sam. ing a flock. To the verb as thus employed xvii. 20.
;
in
its literal
urative use in
The church
VsVj Gilgal, had also become desecrated by idolatrous practices, chap. iv. 15, ix. 15, which abounded to such an extent, that the number of the altars was like that of the heaps of stones which have been collected and left in various parts of the ridges of a field. In C'5a, heaps, comp. Josh. vii. 26, there is an obvious reference to the name *'^^.^.
ites,
chap.
vi. 8.
God is frequently compared to a flock. The t-=3 prophet, here referred to was Moses, who was so
of
,
Kar
e^oxvv.
xii.
Numb.
iv.
15,
16
11,
12,
The
Hebrew
legisla-
tended to ites with a conviction of the necessity of attending to the messages which the Lord
sent to
them by
his prophets.
H
15 Epliraim hath given
E A.
Chap. XITL
most Litter provocation, Lord leave his blood upon him And bring back upon him his reproach.
Therefore
^vill
his
lo. C*"i?-i:ri,
litter, or bitterly.
lit.
bitterness,
i.
c.
most
^(5 reproach,
The
object of provo-
not expressed, but that it is clear from the following clause. The blood of Kplnaim -wa*, in all probability, that of human victims wliich had
cation
is
Jehovah
is
true God, as unworthy of their ser\-icc, and transferring it to idols. ,: '; s is the nominative to j"*;"' as well as tor-r^,
been shed in the service of Moloch, t; -s, his Lord, is improperly applied by HorsBy '.rsin ley to the king of Assyria.
,
and in our language the corrcsjwnding term Lord requires to be used before the former, and understood before the latte/ of the two verbs.
CHAPTER
XIII.
After contrasting the prosperity of the tribe of Ephraim, during the period of its obedience to the divine laws, with tlie adversity wliicli it liad suffered in consequence of idolatry, 1, the i)ro>)het proceeds in the same manner, as in the preceding chapter, to intermingle brief descriptions of sin and guilt, 2, 6, 9, 12; deuouucements of punishment, 3, 7, 8, 13, 15, 16; and promises of mercy, 4, 9, 14.
WiiEX Ephraim
He
was exalted
died.
aS^i^
ing
is
is,
from the other tribes of Israel, mentioned immeSuch was the power and diately after.
erly so called, in
^^d^yiy,
revered him,
^fte
mean-
that
men
and trem-
The same
construction
influence
which
rest,
it
originally exercised
it
over the
the
utmost deference. rP"^ a airaf \ty6fiivov, but obviously cognate with Ui:,
Tingstadius,
fear,
trembling.
In I'ococke's Arab.
are
MS.
the words
rendered
JuLC-
Dathe, Kuinoel, Ilorslcy, De Wette, Maurer, Noycs, and Ilitzig. It is impossible to approve tlie translation of " "W'ie Efraim rcdete EmpiiEwald rung, cs aufi-uhr machte in Israel," ]\'hcn Ephraim gave utterance to sedition, it produced rebellion in Israel. Neither rrn nor s--: admit of being so
:
LaJI
_Jb
irhtn
Ephraim
spake,
translated.
To
it
take
rri
adverbially,
And
so
Tan-
and render
as in
tremblinghj, or trembling,
^^AX^!
affords
Chap. XIII.
HO SEA.
images,
7T
And now they continue to sin, And make for themselves molten
All of them the work of artificers The men that sacrifice, say of them,
Let them
to the connection,
occurs in
Ps. Ixxxix.
tVie
1
;
paiticularly used in poetry for the purpose of designating those of the mul-
Nah.
i.
5, or heiiuj exalted.
,
Hence
S4"*i;:
titude
to
2 in Vyan has the force of, a prince. in union loith, in the matter of, and marks the participation of the Ephraimites
is
belongs.
C-s
V. 5,
i.
'S'l'as,
those of
e.
men who
,
to lose one's influence, become ; It subject to misery, punishment, etc. forms an antithesis to ii'j3 , to he exalted.
sense
No
sooner did the Ephraimites forsake the true God and take up -with idols than he inflicted judgments upon them, by
which their power was weakened, and at "ex quo last became entirely extinct
peccavit, nulla
jam est
autoritate in pop-
ulo Dei." Qicolampadius. " Vita a^rumnosa et tristis pro morte censetur idcirco exules mortui dicuntxrr, et exilium sepulchri nomine notatm-, Ezcch. cap. 37."
;
Rivetus.
2. This verse sets forth their perseverance in idolatrous practices, notwithstandmg the chastisements with which they had been visited. Cts "ri.-t, the LXX. Vulg. Jarchi, Abenczra, Abarbanel, Tanchum, Calvin, Piscator, Leo Juda, and among the moderns, Schmid, J. II. Michaelis, Horsley, Hitzig, Stuck, and J. Fr. Schroder, render sacrifice, or sacrificers of men, on the principle, that the presentation of human sacrifices is meant.
Cts '^'DJ So such of men as are anointed. in the present case, n"S "'H-Ttt saq-ificers of men, i. e. those of, or among men that sacrifice, which is merely a periphrasis for priests. Although, therefore, it is a fact, that the ten tribes did sacrifice their children to Moloch, 2 Kings xvii. 17, it would be more than precarious to draw any such inference from the present passage, especially as the prophet mentions the calves, of whose worship human sacrifices, so far as we know, formed no part. T.p'i"' C^V:?., let them kiss the calves. It was customaiy for idolaters to give the kiss of adoration to the objects of This was sometimes done their worship. by merely touching the lips with the hand, to which reference is made Job Comp. Lucian irepi Opxricews xxxi. 27. i. p. 918, edit. Bened. Minutius FelLx, Apuleius Apol. p. 496. cap. 2, ad fin.
poor
are
At
by the worshippers.
Comp.
This, however,
was
called in question
by
"32
Thus Cicero tells us, that at Agri18. gentum in Sicily there was a brazen image of the Tyrian Hercu-lcs whose mouth and chin were worn by the kisses
" non solum id venof his worshippers crari, verum etiam oscidari solebant."
Act. ii. in Verrem, lib. iv. cap. 43. Nothing is more common in the Russian churches than for the devotees to kiss the picture of the virgin, or of St. Nicholas. The construction of the words c ri C ~h yr,-^'< C"V:.r !:-s 'nz'f D"^'-n is somewhat' difficult. 'As usually divided they are interpreted thus they, i. e. the Ephraimites, say of them, the images, let the
:
Kimchi,
'r\yh
,
who
explains,
csar: tns
to sacrifice.
the
To
the same effect Mmrster, Piscator, Junius and Tremelius, Rivetus, Mercer, Glassius, Lively, Drusius, Bochart, our oa^ti and most of the authorized versions, LoN\-th,
Newcome, Boothroyd, Noyes, De Wette, Gesenius, ^laurer, and Ewald. The rule of syntax laid down by Gesenius respecting this mode of construction, Lehrgeb. p. 678, is, that when a genitive following an adjective is a noun of multitiide, or
of the plural number, such adjective
is
but
it is
better
'8
HO SEA.
chaj?.
xm.
3 Therefore shall they be like the morning cloud, And liko the dew -which early departeth,
Like
chaft'
And
4
like
threshing-floor,
Yet I, Jehovah, have been thy, God from Thou knewest no God besides me Nor Avas there any Saviour besides me.
;
In the land of burning thirst. 6 As they were fed, so were they satiated
They were
7
satiated,
lifted
up
me
So that I became to them as a lion, watched for them as a leopard by the way. I met them as a bear bereaved of her cubs,
and cxcgctical of Qi.
apposition -with
C"-i);s, they say,
sacriiice,
Arab.
e.
they, the
men
._f
'
ff
arsit.
that
the calves.
say to the people, let them kiss "While the priests presented the sacrifices; they encouraged the Avorshippers to come forward and kiss the
objects of their adoration.
3. Comp. chap. vi. 4. ",-5, the threshing floor, being an open area, generally on an eminence, Avas pecnharly exposed to the Avind, Avhich earned off the chaff, on its being trodden out, or separated
tciTa
siti
ardente."
to their
feed-
(xxKTou, Avhich
from the grain. r;2"iit, Aq. a-Kh Kara^Jerome explains, " foramen
in
pariete fabricatum
enjoyment of the provision -wluch I made for them, feeding them with manna from heaven, and afterwards abundantly supplying their Avants. It is equivalent to, " as they Avere fed." For the rest of the verse comp. Dcut. xxxii. 13-15. 7, 8. 1 in "^nt^i is inferential, showing
in proportion to their
on^, an orifice Theod. KaTTovZox'nv, a hole for the j)assaf/e It is verj' common in the of smoke.
cgreditur;"
Symm.
oTrfjy,
stated in the prtx-eduig verse. The context rcciuircs the verb to be taken in the past time. The images here employed
are of fre<iuent occurrence.
East
smoke
to
make
its
passage or orifice of a speedy removal is that conveyed by all the images here employed. 4. Comp. chap. xii. 10. The long addition in the LXX. is totally unsup-
be admitted, and the escajjc by the same the AvaU. The idea
X. 16
iii.
Ps.
vii.
,
Is.
xxxviii. 13
10.
ns;
from
liis
spots or streaks.
fiiit,
Arab.
'>
7nacul-
osns
fuit; pardtis.
'^kn'n
is
i"ri-i2-}:ri ";W5.
The
leopard
noted
most probably inserted in that version by some scholiast. 5. Here T?-^ / hneic, contrasts Avith
ported,
and
Avas
and
especially
:-? in the preceding verse, only it is to be taken in the sense of hiotriny effectively, taliiny notice of, cariny for.
on
bis victim,
^^'ith
respect
to
the
bear,
Jerome remarks,
esse iirsa
Comp.
rsV bum,
,
Amos
iii.
2.
riisVp,
s'tivit,
lit.
thirstiness,
inter
omnos
feras nihil
sa^vius,
quum
Arab, t^j^
Comp.
zr^h
to
2- being of common dignerit cibis." gender, the participle V?Sa' i^ 1'^' "^ the
Chap. XIII.
H O
S E
A.
79
And
I devoured
them
!
there, as a honess
The wild
9
beast rent
them
in pieces,
Israel
Thou
10
Nevertheless in me truly is thine help. is thy king now ? That he may save thee in all thy cities
Where
thy judges, of whom thou saidst, Give rae a king and princes, 111 gave thee a king in mine anger, And took him away in my wrath.
And
masculine, though the female bear is Comp. ciVaow iis^siis, Ps. meant.
cxliv. 14.
"liiD is the pericardium, or
membrane which
its
and is thus fitly called its e7iclosure. For -irrs / watched, sixteen of De Rossi's MSS. and one in the margin, three ancient editions, and twentyfour others, the LXX. Sjt. Vulg. and Arab, read nvis, Assyria, which some prefer, on account of the number of lions, panthers, tigers, etc. with which the recavity,
,
The abound. would then read, as a leopard, in the way to Assyria; but the common reading is more in accordance with the
gions of southern Asia
text
the passage. '^rR'i, I take to be a noun with the suffix, thy desfruciion ! i. e. the despirit of
9.
struction
it
is
thine
denoting rebellion would be required to support such construction, it seems preferable to give to 'S the common adversative signification of yet, nevertheless, and to regard the a in TJi.Tva as the Beth Essentice, which renders the phrase much more emphatic than the pronoun, or the substantive verb would have done. It is equivalent to. In me is thy real help. Other sources may be applied to, and they may promise thee assistance but from me alone efficient aid is to be exSo pected, and in me it is to be found. our translators. See on Is. xxvi. 4. This exegesis is strongly supported, if not rendered absolutely necessary, by the pomted interrogations in the following The LXX. ris ^o-q^riaei ; turnverse. ing '3 into 'U, and omitting the second a altogether. Thiis also the Sjt.
;
It is, theresins. equivalent to " thou hast destroyed thyself," and cannot be better rendered. Thus the Vulg. Perditio tua, Israel.
fore,
10, 11.
tathesis for
Dathe, Ipsiestis o IsraelitcB! exitii vestri causa. Some, however, as Kimchi, supply "^iVTitthe calf; others, ^JsVw, thy king, from the following verse; others, some other noun and take n fn/i to be
;
dered by the LXX. Sjt. Vulg. Targ. Abulwalid, Tanchum, Luther, Drusius, fiercer, Osiander, Rivetus, Castaho, and
by most
taken
;
modem
expositors.
It is also so
the third person singular of Piel". Comp. for the form B^^, Deut. xxxii. So ^2n
;
Lee, Winer, and and alone suits the connection. Fiirst Comp. in support of this mterpretation, the combination siS n^.i^ Jud. ix. 38 ;
by
Gesenius,
Jer. V.
13;
.
"i2'^,
Hos.
i.
ntjp
Jer.
xHv. 2 1
the rendering of the Syriac, " I have deMost of the modems stroyed thee." give a hostile sense to the a in the folagainst me, against loAving tJlTya ""a thy help ; but, "considering how frequently
,
xix 12. One of Kennicott's MSS. and perhaps another, one of De Rossi's in the margin, read n'.J* instead of -rrs though probably by corAnother of De Rossi's has a rection.
Job
xvii.
15
Is.
with charges of
evil,
note in the mai-gin, stating that the word The i '^jv.-rir ^ is pleoso explained. nastic, except it be regarded as introduc-(-ns is so intimately ing the apodosis.
is
80
12
HO SEA.
The
guilt of
CaAT. XIIL
Ephraim
is
bound
up,
His punishment is laid up in store. 13 The pangs of a -svoman in labor shall come upon him He is an unwise son, Otherwise he "would not remain long In the place of the breaking forth of children. 14 I will deliver them from the power of Sheol I will redeem them from death
plied in
<?rtjri
me, that, though future in form, it cannot vith anj- propriety be rendered otherwise tlian in the preterite. Some refer the circumstances liere mentioned to the
selection
so," etc. It may best be rendered into English by otherwise, else, or the like, riy, time, is here to be taken
were not
a time,
-when
,
Winer,
but
it is
quamditt.
.^-,
-12
the specialty of the prophet's address to consider the king to be Jeroboam and liis successors in the
more
in keeping
used in opposition to
OS titcri.
r
3
the
Is.
and that the removal regards the frequent changes which took l)lace in the history of the Israelitish
regal dignity
;
Comp.
Kings xix.
which proved a source of great calamity to the nation. See 2 Kings xv. 12. The metaphors are here borrowed from the custom of tj-ing up money in
kings,
bags,
It was for the IsraeUtcs by true repentance to accelerate and ensure their
pected.
and
their
and depositing
it
it
in
some
secret
I)eace
and
might be preserved. The certainty of punishment is the idea conveyed by them. Comp. for the former, Job xiv. 17; and for the latter Deut. xxxii. 34, Job xxi. 19. 1 3. ^\jiother instance of two metaphors closely connected, the transition from the one to the other of which is, in the manner of the Orientals, rapid and imcxpccted.
place, in order that
14.
naturally suggested by the perilous circumstances described in the preceding verse. Extinction as a people is there ap-
See Dathe's very judicious note. It is not unusual in Scripture to compare the
calamities of a people to the soitows of childbirth. In addition to this the dan-
prehended. Here it is viewed as ha\-ing already taken place and a gracious jromise is given of the restoration of the Israelites, and the complete destruction of the enemies by whom thev had been car:' ,from the hand, ried into captivity.
;
a common Hebraism for from the power. r~3 properly signifies to redeem, or bug
loose,
Vija
ger and folly of Eplnaini in protracting repentance, in the midst of tlie afflictive
circumstances in which he w:is placed, is fitly compared to the extremely critical condition of a child on the point of being
born, but, owing to the want of strength on the part of the mother, or other causes, is detained in its passage from the womb.
avenge the miu-der of a relative, and also to recover or redeem property by repayment. Both verbs, however, are used
to
in
more extended
signification,
and
of the Hebrews from Eg}-pt, and from the captivity in Babylon. ThatV-N'i, Sheol, and r">t , Death, arc lierc to be
The LXX.
has
doubtless originally Ix-cn oEtoj 6 vl6i ov "3 introduces the contrary of ippSft/jiOi. the preceding proposition, and is used
oUiptically for the sentence,
'
For
if it
taken in a figurative sense, witli application to the state of the Israelites in the AssjT-ian and Babylonish captivity, dc])rived as they were of all political cxLstence, and subject to the most grievous
Chap.
Xm.
is
is
HOSEA.
thy destruction,
thine excision,
is
81
Where Where
Death
Sheol?
Repentance
f/-)
imperatively demands.
19. Respecting ins from being agreed.
Comp,
Is.
xxvi.
destroy.
That
Symm.
the Vulg.
ing,
Dathe, Kuinoel,
it to
De
enmiiller, Hesselberg,
and that T^-in a goad, which some would substitute for it, in order to make the Hebrew correspond to KtvTpov, is to
be the first person future of the substantive verb n"n to be; whereas the
,
be rejected, may very conclusively be gathered from the similar occurrence of the words n;;n and 2Up together, Ps.
LXX.
Cor.
edition,
(Paul,
XV.
Syr.
Arab.
Abuhvalid,
to be used as in ver.
"With the latter on the groimd that it is not likely the prophet woidd employ the same word in the same form in two different acceptations in verses 10 and 14 ; and partly because I find ttS
TTou,
n"s
cohere ?
nowhere used absolutely as an apocopated future but always with the Vau con;
versive prefixed.
full
form
n'ns, chap.
xiv. 6.
To which
add, that
the interrogation is more in keeping with the animated style of the passage. Infh>/ destrucstead of the plural "TJ'^an
,
one hundred and twenty-two ^ISS. originally five more, now two, and four of the early editions read ^^^a", thy destruction in the singidar. lan, Arab.
tio7is,
t^
;
the awful destruction of human by it. Hence the LXX. mostly render it bavaros here Siktj, but in all probability originally viki), for which Paul reads vikos, only transposing vUos
lence
life
effected
by which latter term the render nup, excision, cutting off, destruction. The cause of this transpoand
KevTpov,
LXX.
sition is obvious.
The
apostle
had
just
which
Comp. Deut. xxxii. 24. The import of this animated ajwstrophe, as used both by Jehovah in the prophet, and by the apostle, is, "Where are now the effects of the destructive influence which you have exerted ? Your victims are recovered from your dominion they are alive again, and shall no more be subject to your power. The speakers place themselves as it were in the period after the resurrection : the former in that after the the other in restoration from Babylon that after the literal restoration of the dead to life at the last day. Both look back, and triumphantly exult over the "With respect to the approconquerors. priation of the words by the apostle in reference to the doctrine of the final resurrection, it appears to be made, not in the way of proof, but merely to give expression, in the trimnphant language of the prophet, to the animated feelings which had taken possession of his breast. His direct quotation in the way of argument is made from Is. xxv. 8, and consists of the words KareirS^ 6 bdvaros els It would, therefore, be improper j/iKos. to identify the subject of which he treats with that treated of by our prophet. "Neque cnim ex professo semper locos adducunt apostoli, qui toto contextu ad institutum quod tractant pertineant : sed interdum alludunt ad unum verbum duntaxat, aliquando aptant locum ad sententiam per similitudinem, aliquando
xci. 6.
: ;
yUos occurs, whereby he was reminded of the same words as occurring in Hosea, and, under the influence of strong emotion, he commences his quotation with v'lKOi prominently in his mind. Olshausen tliinks t/Uos is a later form for i/Ikt).
Atqui satis conabhibent testimonia. stat, Paulum illo 15 cap. 1 ad Corinth non citasse prophetse testimoniam ad con-
dis-
Calvin
foe.
critical note.
Cf'^i
L^X
irapdK\r]ais,
11
82
15
HO SEA.
Tliough he be fruitful among his brethren, Yet an east wind, a wind of Jehovah, Shall come up from the desert, And dry up his fountain And his spring shall become dry
Chap.
XUL
He
of
all
pleasant vessels.
God:
They
shall fall
by the sword
Their infants shall be dashed in pieces, And their pregnant women shall be ripped up.
genitive of cause, a -ind caused, sent by or proceeding from Jehovah not " a great
;
SjT.
j3
..o^
>
ulg. consolatio
but re-
peniancc better suits the connection. It expresses the immutability of the divine purjwse, which had the deUvcrance of Comp. Rom. his people for its object. Ilorsley strangely refers the rexi. 29.
wind," as some interpret. The Assjlian army is meant, ro/i"' s^n, He, i. e. the AssjTian, couched under the metaphor of the destructive wind, shall plimdcr ever)' valuable article belonging to the Israelites.
16. [Chap. jiiv. 1.] This verse begins the following chapter in the HebrcAV Bible, but it more intimately coheres with the preceding context. nsN? LXX.
.
pentance to man, and not to God. 15. This and the following verse set forth the devastation and destruction of the kingdom of the ten tribes, which was to precede the deliverance promised in that which precedes. "WTiile the promise was designed to afford consolation to the
dc^oj/Kn^Tjo-erai,
Vulg. pereat.
Tlie
word
signifies to be guilty
and encouragement to the penitent, the threatening was equally neccssarj' for the refractorj' and profane. Nin, he, refers to Ephraim, ver. 12. nie;^ an
pious,
oira|
of crime, and to be treated as guilty, to suffer punishment, be punished. Samaria as the metropolis,
Hiphil of , to be fruitful. It is here used with special reference to the name of Q '^iBS, beuig the root whence
ri-'B^. the
it is
ms
and the source of all the calamities which were coming upon the Israelites, is put but as representing the whole nation
;
not to the exclusion of the peculiarly severe pimishment which the inhabitants
of that city had to expect. r:~tt , some render to embitter, provoke bitterly ; but
derived,
n because it forms the first the noun. The tribe of Ephraim was the most numerous in regard to population, and was for a time in the
instead of
letter of
most fiourishing circumstances. That such is the signification of the verb, and
that
separate, as in the ancient
not to be rendered divide or and several of the modem versions, nor act like a wild ass, wliich others exhibit, appears from the mention of a spring and a fountain, wliich naturally suggests the idea of a tree, the roots of which are plentifully
it
is
any more properly conveyed by the verb. Thus the LXX. inn-ea-T-q The addition of irphs rhv S>ihv avrtis. the affix in n"nVt<, "her God," gives great emphasis in such connection. Comp.
rebelling, resisting, striking against
chap. xii. 10, xiii. 4. The aggravations of sin arc increased by the relations susFor the concludtained by the sinner. ing portion of the verse, comp. 2 Kings That such viii. 12, XV. 16; Amosi. 13. cruelties were not unknown among other
nations, sec Iliad vi. 58
^rj5'
;
Bupphcd by their water. For D'np sec on chap, xii, 2, and Is. xxvii. 8. n^-i nin-, like B"" -5 ^'J' ^'^^' ^* ^^ ^ ^^<^
,
Kovpof
i6yTa, <p(pot,
bs
<f>vyoi-
',
Chap. XIV.
and Horace, Carm.
iv.
HO SEA.
Ode
6.
83
The con-
is
ad sensum,
grammar, and may have been occasioned by the form of sotan^ immediately preceding.
CHAPTER XIY.
This chapter contains an urgent call to repentance, the supplication and confession expressive of which are put in a set form of words into the mouths of the penitents, 13. To encourage them thus to return to God, he makes the most gracious promises to them, 4 7; their entire abandonment of idolatry is then predicted, and the divine condescension and goodness are announced, 8; and the whole concludes with a solemn declaration, on the part of the prophet, respecting the opposite consequences that would result from attention or inattention to his message.
Return, O Israel to Jehovah thy God For thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and return to Jehovah Say to him,
!
Forgive
all
iniquity,
us,
lips.
Then we
1, 2.
will
The
rr
met-
ruaiB is, as usual, intensive, marking a strong desire on the part of the speaker that the action expressed by the verb might take place. For the emphasis attaching to the affix in ':;"'nVN,
perative
The word occurring in the absolute form, some render ns^rE'ttJ C-iB, bullocks our lips, as if the two nouns were in apposiaphorically for victims, sacrifices.
"thy
GoA"
see
on chap.
xii.
16.
srs
"}i5 is a phrase of such frequent occurrence with the meaning to pardon miq-
but there are instances of nouns thus put, which cannot be explained otherwise than in the construct, as to sense. Thus Dent, xxxiii. 11, fSMtt
tion
;
uity, that
it
is
surprising
its
how
Horsley
'
could
insist
upon
meaning
to
principle within us
take the
Adam."
His
construction of aita nj? " accept as good, what, so regenerate, we shall be enabled
to perform," though soimd divinity,
is
V5ap , the loins of those who oppose him Jud. V. 13, t)3> Qin/ntj, the princes of the people; Prov. xxii. 21, ri52N C'lttg words of truth. Gesenius supposes the governing noun to be mentally repeated, and that the full form would be Q''"iS, aS'ifiS'ir; "'la, bullocks, the bullocks of our
lips.
used adverbially, benigne, in bonam partem ; and the meaning is, graciously receive us back into thy
philology,
aita is
Such construction in fiill he adduces in the instance Exod. xxxviii. 21, rmnyn n^'in "3T0^n, the tabernacle, the
favor.
With
of the verb srin, between Vb and may be observed, that it is not a tary instance of such construction.
it
soli-
See
10.
on
Is.
xix. 8,
tabernacle of testimony. Some would change C^i 3 into n-i t,, fruit, on the groimd of the reading foimd in the LXX. kv-rairoSw/j-eu Kapirhv x^'^*'<"' vi^<'>Vy which is followed by the Syr. and Arab, and is supposed to have been borrowed by the apostle,
8^
Assyria shall not save
iis;
HO SEA.
will
Chap. XIV.
"We
Xeither
we
Our gods,"
To
the
them
freely
For
my
Ileb. xiii.
There
is,
all the other authorities supThe LXX. the textual reading. have committed a similar mistake in rendering r;"7.s,Aer bullocks, toIs Kupwols The conaiiTTis, her fruits, Jcr. 1. 27. jecture of Pococke, that they used Kapirhs in the sense of KoipTrwfia, which they
jx)rt
Targum and
which the Ishad been, while in a state of separation from the Lord. 4. cnas'ca is not, with Horsley, to
destitute circumstances in
raeUtes
be rendered "their, conversion," but their apostasy. See on chap. xi. 7. r;2~:, lit. spontaneo^isness, willingness, is used
adverbially for loilUnghj, liberally, freely.
It
is
employ
to
express sacrifice,
probable.
oblation,
instiijavit,
ad aliquid
aijilis
in
etc., is less
note of Horsley.
is,
We will render,
thy forgiving and restoring mercy, the our tribute only sacrifices worthy of it For such of thanksgiving and praise. use of C*'r to requite, reiider back, comp.
expressive of the free, im-^ abundant love of God towards repentant sinners. 5 :^;ia " from
sxis ;
is
and
merited,
and
him,"
ver.
2,
i.
e.
Israel, the
collective
noun,
resolved
Ivi. 12, '^V r".n:r nV's?^' I loHl render thanks unto thee : so that the construction proposed by some, "we will offer the sacrifices which our lips have
Ps.
and
are
refreshing
plies
Three of the sins to which the ten were specially prone are here implied: dependence ujxin the aid of the
3.
trilxs
and quickening virtue, supthe place of more frequent rains in other countries. Kimchi thinks that the constancy with which the dew falls is the point here more specially referred to, and to which the divuie blessing is comT.yp TO,
lilies,
pared.
abound in Palestine,
Assyrians application to EgA-pt for horses in direct \'iolation of the divine command, Deut. xvii. 16; Is. xxxi. 1; and idolatry. These they now forever renounce, and avow their determination henceforth
;
even apart from cultivation. There are two kinds the common lily, which is perfectly white, consisting of six leaves, opening like bells ; and what the SjTians
;
to trust in Jehovah aloi e; adding as the reason of such determination, the expe-
call
I
^V^w
A.
^
is
A.
the royal
lily,
rience which they had had of the divine favor in time of need, nrs is here used in a causal sense, because for, forastmich
as.
9.
linger in thickness,
the height of three and four feet, spreading its flowers in the most bcautiftil and
orphan
is
engaging manner.
Comp. Matt.
is
vi.
20.
To
of regenerated Israel
Chap. XIV.
HO SEA.
85
He shall blossom as the lily, And strike his roots like Lebanon.
6 His suckers, shall spread forth,
tree,
They
And
8
Ephraim
shall say,
What
pared.
For Lebanon,
on
Is.
x. 34.
tively,
The mountain
for the trees
stands here by
metonymy
it,
'i^sa
''3j'>,
but best rendered in the pluraL the construct with the pre,
such as
the celebrated cedars, whose roots striking far in depth and length into the groimd, give them a firmness which no storms can
shake.
The
ideas of strength
and
sta-
in "Din Ps. ii. 12. Modconcur in their high commendations of the excellence of the wines of Lebanon. Von Trod, in particular, says, " On this mountain are very valuposition, as in
em
travellers
conveyed by the
simile,
able vineyards, in
lent
which th^most
;
excel-
whether
or,
we
metaphorically, to the mountain itbut the amplification in the following verse renders the former the preferself;
able construction.
action,
"Ti^rj is often
used, not
such as I have never dnmk in any coimtry, though in the com-se of fourteen years I have travelled through many, and tasted many good wines."
is
wine
produced
8. Several interpreters take D'^nss to be in the vocative sense, but, as it seems harsh to refer the words immediately fol-
language in fiitmre shall be, etc. For 'V, to me, the LXX. read i^ to him, which
,
odoriferous trees
it
facilitates
is
adopted
abounds. In these verses, the rendering _/-awAwcew5e, which Newcome prefers to Lebanon, is not to be admitted. The
stability, extension, glory,
sufficient author-
this
comiection,
which mention
is
and
loveliness
of the church of
forth.
God
7. The Israelites are represented as again enjoying the protection of the Most High, and affording the most convincing proofs of prosperity, anw is used as auxiliary to n-;; n both verbs, in such connection, signifying nothing more than revive, thrive again, or the like. The pronominal affix in i^u , his shade, refers to Je;
view with regard and care, care for, watch over. Every provision should henceforth be made for the protection and prosperity of restored Israel, 'ri-ia, the cypress,
i;i'b
made of idols.
signifies to
with all its tall and fair ever-green appearance, not being a fruit-bearing tree,
it is
effect,
that in
tween the
hovah but in SnSt , his celebrity, fanie, to Israel, understood, as before, collec;
object and the subject of the metaphor. The children of Israel should not only enjoy protection and refreshment as the result of the divine favor, but rich
8:
I
HOSE A.
I
Chap. XIV.
have answered liim, and will regard liim; am like a green cypress ; From me thy fruit is found. ^ "Who is wise, that he may understand these things 9 ^Prudent, that he may know them ?
For the ways of Jehovah are right The righteous shall walk in them; But the rebellious shall stumble in them.
supplies of spiritual provision for their support. Such supplies were to be found
God alone. Manger thinks there is here a dialogistic parallelism, -which he exhibits thus :
in
Ephk.vim. "What have I further to do with idok ? God. I have answered liim, and will regard him. Ephraim. I am like a green cjTpress. God. From me is thy fruit found. 9. These words form an epilogue or conclusion to the whole book. The interrogation is emiiloycd for the purpose of excitement and to give energy to the It is worthy of remark truths conveyed. that this is the only verse in which the prophet uses C^fjn::, the righteous, or
any synonymous term, in the course of So awfully depraved were the times in which he lived, that the verj' character had dLappeared. The contrasted characters and states of the godly aiad the wicked are pointed and
affecting.
'rjVn
,
to icalk, signifies
to
here to stumble
anfractu et liberam ab
onmi
Hanc
tenebit,
Felicique gradu
ad requiem contendat
amicam.
At
Eittershusius.
properare scelestis."
JOEL.
PREFACE.
We
title
possess
of his book, or
it.
no further knowledge of Joel than what is furnished by the may be gathered from circumstances incidentally menlived in Judah, and, in all probability, at Jerusalem,
tioned in
That he
we
may
making
kingdom of
Israel
while,
ceremonies,
eyes.
etc.
on the other hand, he speaks of Jerusalem, the temple, priests, with a familiarity which proves them to have been before his
With respect to the age in which he flourished, opinions have differed. Bauer places him in the reign of Jehoshaphat Credner, Winer, Krahmer, and Ewald, think he lived in that of Joash Vitringa, Carpzov, Moldenhauer,
; ;
and De Wette, in that of Uzziah Steudel and Bertholdt in that of HezTarnovius and Eckermann assign the period of his activity to the days of Josiah while the author of Sedar 01am, Jarchi, Drusius, Newcome, and Jahn, are of opinion that he prophesied in the reign of Manasseh. The most probable hypothesis is, that his predictions were delivered in the early days 865. No reference being of Joash that is, according to Credner, b. c. 870 made to the Babylonian, the Assyrian, or even the Syrian invasion, and the only enemies of whom mention is made being the Phoenicians, Philistines, Edomites, and Egyptians, it seems evident that Joel was unacquainted with any but the latter. Had he lived after the death of Joash, he could scarcely have omitted to notice the Syrians when speaking of hostile powers,
ius,
;
ekiah
since they not only invaded the land, but took Jerusalem, destroyed the
princes,
spoil to
Damascus,
The
altogether in
;
No
mention
is
made of
idolatrous practices
while,
oa
the contrary, notwithstanding the guilt which attached to the Jews, on account
of which Jehovah brought judgments upon the land, the principles of the
theocracy are supposed to be maintained
Jerusalem, the temple and
this
;
the priests
end
Now
was precisely the state of things during the high-priesthood of Jehoiada, through whose influence Joash had been placed upon the throne. See 2 Kings 2 Chron. xxiv. 4-14. xi. 17,18, xii. 2-16 It will follow that Joel is the oldest
;
predictions have come down to us. The delivery of his prophecy was occasioned by the devastations produced by successive swarms of locusts, and by an excessive drought which pervaded
of
all
the
the country,
utter destruction.
This
88
PREFACE TO JOEL.
scourge
moved, he is commissioned to order an universal fast, and call all to repentance and humiliation before God; to announce as consequent upon such
repentance and humiliation, a period of great temporal prosperity the effusion of the Holy Spirit at a future period of the history of
to
; ;
to predict
his
people
denounce judgments against their enemies and to foretell their restoration from the final dispersion. In point of style Joel stands preeminent among the Hebrew prophets. lie
not only possesses a singular degree of purity, but is distinguished by his smoothness and fluency the animated and rapid character of his rliythmus
;
and the degree of roundness which he gives to his sentences. He has no abrupt transitions, is everywhere connected, and finishes whatever he takes up. In description he is graphic and perspicuous in arrangement lucid in imagery original, copious, and varied.
the perfect regularity of his parallelisms
;
In the judgment of Knobel, he most resembles Amos in regularity, Nahum in animation, and in both respects Habakkuk but is surpassed by none of them.
;
That what we now possess is all he ever wrote, is in the highest degree improbable on the contrary, we should conclude from the cultivated character of his language, that he had been accustomed to composition long before he penned these discourses. Whatever degree of obscurity attaches to his book, is attributable to our ignorance of the subjects of which it treats, not to the language which he employs.
:
CHAPTER
I.
After summoning attention to the unexampled plague of locusts with -which the country had been visited, 2 4, the prophet excites to repentance by a description of these insects, 5 7, and of the damage which they had done to the fields and trees, 8 12; calls the priests to institute a solemn season for fasting and prayer, 13, 14; and bewails, by anticipation, a more awful visitation from Jehovah, 15, while he further describes the tremendous elTecta
suffering, 16
20.
The word
of Pethuel
2 Hear this, ye aged men Give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land Did such as this happen in your days,
Or, in the days of your fathers
3 Tell your children of
it,
And And
let
your children
tell
their children,
1- '? f^'rj ">?55 '^I'T! "^^I t^ usual introductory formula employed to express the communication of divine revelations to the prophets, or the divinely inspired
introduction
to
matter which they were commissioned to teach. Comp. Hos. i. 1 ^lic. i. 1 Zeph. The name Vyi"^, Joel, i. 1; Mai. i. 1.
; ;
for l^NTS
lih,e
this, such,
the like,
and
refers to the
Jerome interprets
a.pxi(J-ivos,
id est incipVs*"'
,
which
astomiding calamity of the yiya and locusts about to be described, TTsn frequently occur as parallel initiSee Gen. iv. atives in Hebrew poetrj'. 23 ; Deut. xxxii. 1 Is. i. 2. For the latter verb, s'^rpn is sometimes used.
;
See
Is. xxviii.
23; Mic.
i.
2.
D'ifr.T ^^
however, beyond all doubt compounded of n'm^ , in one of its more conIt
is,
here to be understood, not in the official sense of elders, but in that of aged men,
Jtttacted fonns,
hovah
is
God.
the father of our Bo/^ourjA., Pethuel, prophet was, we are not informed. The introduction of his name was necessary in order to distmguish the present Joel from others of the same name, and cannot be admitted in proof of his having been a prophet or some person of eminence. It was common among the Hebrews, as it still is among the Orientals, to add the name of the father to that of the son.
Those who as the connection show's. were most advanced in years, and might be expected to have their memories stored with ancient occurrences, are appealed to
for a
parallel
Comp. Deut.
H'iZiS is
xxxii.
Job. xxxii. 7.
'tors, forefathers.
V^ in m'V.^i ^^^ rST, plague of locusts. C":3 "22, children's children, is not unfrequent, but the language here employed by Joel is ctunulative beyond example. " Et nati natorum, et qui nascentur
refers to the
12
90
4 That
Avliich
JOEL.
the gnawing locust hath
locust hath devoured
:
CaiP.
left,
The swarming
And
swarmmg
iii.
ab mis."
^neid
98.
Kol iroISes iralSwy, rol Kev fifT6irt(T^e Jliudf XX. 308. ytpwyrai*
4. llie jjlague, -which occasioned the following discourses of the prophet, is
now
3)iUar.
This interpretation
is
supported
by the Targ. ^Vni., the crmclimj insect, by which, however, may be meant the
locust in its wingless state.
diffi-
The
Sjt.
culty both in dctcrmming tlie precise signification of the several terms employed to describe the scourge, and the hght in Nvhich it was designed to be understood.
"WTiile
renders the
locusta
non
alata.
~^ res-
some
kinds of insects
are meant,
most are
ampiUavit
*
j^\
^^
seca7ts ;
th
some insisting on different species of locusts, and others on different states Credner, for inof the same species. stance, in a work on our prophet, fiill of erudition, considers Dra to be the migratorj' locust rsis the yovmg brood; pi^_ the young locust in the last state of transformation and V'Cn the perfect locust.
obtain
: ;
;
H^^
;
incidit
trees.
cap.
29
is
Comp. omnia
r:2is
the gen-
The locust belongs to the genus of insects known among entomologists by the name
of
grylli,
of the locust, so called from the ahnost incredible niunbers which breed
in different parts of the East
;
name
being de-
different
rived from
etc.
r;m
to multiply, he
mcmerous,
species,
from the
common
grasshopper to
Comp.
The the devouring locust of the East. largest of the latter is about three inches
in length
'21,
From
by
called
has two antenna;, or horns, about an inch long, and two wings, which, -^-ith their cases, are applied obliquely to the sides of the body when in repose. The feet have only three joints, but are six in number. The two hind ones are much larger than the rest, and are formed for leaping. The locusts are of different colors, broAvn, gray and spotted. In all stages, from the la^^'ae to the perfect insect, the locusts are herbivorous, and do immense injury to vegetation.
;
Forskal gryllus gregaritis, and by Linnajus, gryllus migratoritis. By the LXX. the word is rendered seventeen times
by
iiKpis,
the
common
;
lociist ;
thrice
Ppovxos,
the
umciuged
locust,
by which
browses on the grass once by ipvaifi-q, mildew ; and once by arriKafios, the yoitng or small locust. Tliat r!2"iN is generic, appears firom Lev. xi. 22, where
we read,
ing to
its
^,i^K,h
na^isn the
,
locust accord-
species.
>
The
third
,
name,
p^7.,
it
occurs in Scripture,
to lick, des-
xaay be said to have lM?en almost exhausted by the learned Bochart, in his Ilicrozoicon, Pars Post. Lib. iv. cap. i. \\n. The fourth chapter he specially devotes to the explanation of the passages in
and whatever
etc.
to the Arab,
taj^
propcravit, volubilia
Chap. I.
JOEL.
left,
91
The
And
The consuming
fuit, or
I
sjtj
alhus fuit,
and thinks
that the chafer is meant. In Nah. iii. 16, it is represented as winged, and in Jer. li. 27, it is described as nno rough,
,
the several names in terms expressive of The the qualities suggested by each. passage might otherwise be rendered with
Noyes
bristly,
terrific.
LXX.
fipovxos
four
times; oKpJy thrice. V"* on, the remaining term comes from Von , to coiisume, LXX. Ppovxos, or ^povKos. devour.
Syr.
j
50.9.
" That which one swarm of locusts left, a second swarm hath eaten And that which the second left, a third swarm hath eaten And that which the third left, a fourth swarm hath eaten."
;
which
Damas-
only differing from it, inasmuch as it never migrates, and confines its ravages to the fruits and herbs, but leaves the It is also noted for the trees mitouched.
noise
which
it
makes
at night.
A com-
parison of the different passages in which these names occur, renders it more than
a question of greater importance Joel in the first and second chapters to be understood literally of these insects, or figuratively of enemies that were to invade and lay waste the Holy Land ? The latter is the more ancient opinion. It is that of the Targum, the Jews whom Jerome conIt
is
sulted,
is,
with vari-
probable that they are here employed by the prophet, not with any reference to the species into which the locusts may be
scientifically
divided, but to
designate
four successive swarms, according to certain destructive quahties, by which, as a genus of insects, they are distinguished,
and thereby
Just
as
which
terms
his description
was intended
accumulates
to produce.
Job
the
and K"'aV,
They
chap. iv. 10, 11, with a similar view. are rather poetical synonymes, than distinctive of different species. At all
events, that locusts are meant,
inferred
may
be
from the facts, that wherever p^^ occurs, with the exception of a single passage, it occurs along with nans and that nans, which Moses uses in describing one of the plagues of Egj-pt, Exod. X. 10-20, is not only employed by the
;
Psalmist, Ixxviii. 46, cv. 34, but also V"On and pV.r. as synonymous terms, for the sake of variety. Add to which that
is
the verb Von from which ^^q n is derived, employed to express the action of the na*is, Deut. xxviii. 38 , nansn nsVoi-i;^,
ous modifications, adopted by the following christian interpreters Jerome, Ephraim Syrus, Theodoret, Cj-ril of Alexandria, Hugo de St. Vincent, Ribera, Sanchez, a Lapide, Luther, Grotius, Markius, Bertholdt, Theiner, Steudcl, and Hengstenberg. On the other hand, Abenezra, Jarchi, Kimchi, Lyranus, Vatablus, Joh. Schmidius, Jahn, Eichhom, Rosenmiiller, von Coelln, Justi, Credner, and Hitzig, maintain that the language is to be imderstood hterally of locusts. This interpretation has certainly much in its favor, and if it could without violence be applied throughout, might fairly be adopted. But the announcement of a second and more awful judgment, chap. i. 15, ii. 1, 2 the distinct recognition of a foreign rule, ii. 17 and the assignment of the North as the native countrj' of the enemy, ii. 20 present insuperable obstacles to its There adoption. See on these verses. seems no possibihty of effecting a consistent interpretation on any other principle than that laid down and defended by Cramer, Eckermann, and Holzhausen,
; ; ;
"the
translation I
: that in the first chapter, Joel describes a devastation of the coimtry which had been effected by natural locusts but
viz
its
devastation
by
:!
92
5
JOEL.
Chap.
Oa
For it is made to cease from your mouth. 6 For a nation hath come up upon my land, Mighty and innumerable
Their teeth are the teeth of a lion; They have the grinders of a lioness.
poKtical enemies, in highly- wrought metaphorical language, borrowed from the
scene which he had just depicted. 5. VT-^. *^^ Iliph. of y?,p, is here
the cognate root y]l^. Gen. ix. 24, in the sense of awaking from a sleep Since, however, the occasioned by wine. persons addressed had been deprived of
iised, like
rhy (Ppayfibf
inrcpTrfSrJTf
rhy
the means of intoxication, the prophet rather to be imderstood as borrowing the term from the state in which they had too often been found, c "^"i , 3 'i being parallel -ith ~p^ Tvi , drinkers of wine, does not here mean persons actually intoxicated, but such as were in the habit of using intoxicating hquors, and by imphcation, to excess. Thus ICimchi y^'2. -i-rrr'? fVi-in ^Tif. ye who are accustomed to make yotirselves drtoik with wine. It is derived from "^srs , to drink
is
,
nnS
here, as
properly signifies to cut, cut off, but wine is the subject spoken of, it
in the sense of destroying,
must be taken
6.
*"ii
,
or causing to cease,
and profane nations, and here selected on purpose to express the number and hostility of the locusts, and at the same time to prepare the minds of the ^Jews for the allegorical use made of If it had not these insects in chap. ii. been for some such end, the prophet might
eign, barbarous
to the full.
Arab. JCvw
implevit, vas,
,
ebrius fuit.
Hence nsw
stronrj,
or inor,
wine
itself,
more commonly, hquor resembling wine, which Ls distilled from barley, honey, or dates, and sometimes mingled with spices. By CCS is meant the fresh wine, or juice of the grape, or other fruit, which has just been pressed out, and is remarkable for its sweet flavor, and its freedom from intoxicating qualities. R. Ecy to
, ,
have adopted the term ts jjeople, which Solomon appHcs to the ants, Prov. xxx. 25, 2G, and wluch would equally have conveyed the idea of multitude. Comp.
,
This metaphorical use of in the classics. See instances in Bochart and Gescn. Heb. The Arabs employ Lex. in voc. "'ia.
chap. ii. the temi
2.
is
common
Jjjol
in a similar way.
Vy nVs
is
used
Is. vii. 1
Targ.
-nn
',
from loiTn term is confined and being to the juice of the grape derived from un' <o take possession of, indicates that however new, it had already obt.iincd an inebriating quality. The
ptire wine.
It differs
but here figuratively of the locusts. In 'S-iN, "my land," the pronominal affix belongs to Jehovah, not to the jirophet.
inasmuch
as the latter
Comp.
Jer. xvi.
18
18.
Joel
ii.
Ezek. ^viv,
strong, powerful.
attacking and destroying the vines and other fruit-trees, from the produce of
i}rtpared.
To
which, forming themselves into compact bodies, darken the air, and advance forward, one swarm after another, attacking whatever comes in their way. Tliey may well be described as rsc '"W"*
V'*."
Chap.
7
I.
JOEL.
93
laid waste ray vine, broken down my fig-tree They have completely stripped it, and thrown Its branches they have left white.
They have
And
it
down
All ^vho refer to them, both modern times, speak of them in the same language.
merable.
ancient and
Agatharc.
v. 27.
Shaw
speaks of "infi-
For the pronominal reference in and ""rrsri see on ^irnsj in the preceding verse. The vines and fig-trees might be called Jehovah's, because, in a special sense, the land on which they grew was his. The vine has, from time immemorial, abounded in Palestine. It often grows to a great size, and produces
7.
^SSi
,
swarms foUowuig each other," Barrow states that those which he saw in South Africa, might hterally be said to
cover the ground for an area of 2000 later vvTiter in the Cape square miles. Town Gazette, describes a cloud of them as passing before him in a train of many millions thick, and about an hour in length and mentions further that, though consequence of atmillions perished
Schula one at Beitshin, near Ptolemais, the stem of which was about a foot and
thirty feet,
its height was about and by its branches and branchlets, which had to be supported, it formed a hut upwards of thuty feet broad and
a half in diameter,
long.
The
clusters of
temjits
made
to destroy
And
Dr. Bo^^Ting states in his Report, that some years ago the army of Ibrahim Pasha, in the attempt to extirpate an immense swarm, gathered up no less than 65,000 ardebs, equal to 325,000 bushels of English measure How appropriate the name nans What is innumerable
!
weigh ten or twelve pounds, and the berries may be compared with our small plums. When such a cluster is cut off, it is laid upon a board about an ell and a half broad, and three or four ells long, and several persons seat
so large, that they
themselves about
it
Rosenmiiller, In Bib. Cab. vol. xxvii. p. 223. Comp. Numb. xiii. 23, 24. Pal-
is
sacred writers.
;
them by the See Jud. vi. 5, vii. 12 Nah. iii, 15. Ps. cv. 34 Jer. xlvi. 23 ri'ysrw, teeth, Gesenius considers as
frequently compared to
;
was equally celebrated for its Jiffwhich are not reared in gardens, as with us, but grow spontaneously in the open country. The figs were not only
estine
trees,
standing by transposition for T'lynVwi and derives the noun from an obsolete root yri^ , to bite ; but it may more properly be referred to the Arab. JLj
but also preserved for food. used with noima instead of the simple forms of the verbs to which the nouns are related. r:3sj5
eaten
i:-esh,
hreaharje,
Arab,
o j^ V
fregit,
q a
,trt
'?
longum
a branch broken
Hos. X.
K\a(rfj.6s.
off
from a
tree.
fuit,
7.
LXX.
Syr.
?
crvyK\a(rfx6s,
a.
See on Compl.
teeth of animals.
e\'er,
^^
ei
concissio, di-
complete destructipn which they effect. Pliny, speaking of the locust, says
<<
Omnia morsu
The locusts not only consume the fruit and leaves of the trees, but strip them of the very bark. " Nee culraus, nee gramen ullum remaneat, et arbores
vulsio.
tectonmi."
his
frontibus et cortice
datae, instar
the teeth
ix. 8,
Ludolf, Comment, p. 178. here taken in its proper causaWhat they do not tive signification. antur."
^"Vrn
'
is
94
JOEL.
Lament, as a virgin girded -with sackcloth, On account of the husband of her youth. The offering and tlie Ubation, Are cut off from tlie house of Jehovah The priests howl, the ministers of Jehovah.
Chap.
1.
10
The Held is laid waste, The ground mourneth For the com is laid waste,
it falls
off the
k6s
',
and
19.
Accord-
interweave.
The
tvv'o
treated as subordinate.
",3^2^-
their influence
they have
8.
made
or left white.
The
""Vs
is
The
Ls
metaphor of a
the second person feminine of the Imperative in Kal of nVs, which usually means to swear, call on God as mtness but here it takes the signification of the Sjt;
female,
here addressed.
iac
Ijj
ululavit,
deploravit.
a^
-IS
a'^
ululatzts,
lamentum.
The
deri-
the temple worship, occasioned by the destruction of the fruits of the earth, must have occasioned great grief to the religious Jew. Jerome and othci-s think that as the priests would be deprived of their regular support, by the cessation of the offerings, they mourned on that account but of this I should say with Maurer, " Vates hie non videtur cogitasse." nliJW, stands here ior ojferings in general, whether bloody or unbloody,
;
vation from Vs , God, in the sense God have mercy, is less natvural. One of KenLXX. -dpi)nicott's MSS. reads "'Vas. country is frequently said to trfjffov.
comp.
ei'cn
Gen.
iv.
LXX.
bvaia,
as
when
meal,
salt, oil,
and
mourn, when
See Is. iv. 3.
it is
;
subject to devastation.
;
sacrifices,
tj-^nat,
are understood,
xxiv. 3
r.h
Hos.
ma
they were always connected with them, except the case of the sin and trespass-
offerings.
The libation,
,
or drink-offering,
its
,
viewed
married to him. The idea of the strength of youthful affection, is that designed to be conveyed by the passage. In proportion to the force of such affection, would be the excessive degree of Ilolzhausen thinks grief for his loss. that she would also grieve n'Vn^2 Vy on account of her virginity, and compares Jud. xi. 38 but this the text does not
as
;
poured
out,
being
to potir.
From
the circumstance that Joel prefixes the article to C":r;z, priests, but not to
cither
suggest.
LXX. vvfKpT].
Compl. irap^fvos.
,
Wrapping oneself in sackcloth was a token of deep moiuiiing. Vya properly lord,
master, possessor band, because in
;
them, or that prophets and priests must have been more closely united at the time he wrotethan afterwards. Comp. ';i:n srt, ver. 13, ii. 17. D"n-ifK, ministers, is a more dignified official term than f^-ra?., servants, which is employed to denote
common
slaves,
as well
as
persons in
and
still
arc,
more elevated
bands.
ywai-
10-12. The prophet enters here more miimtcly into a description of the devas-
Chap. I
JOEL.
95
11
The new wine is dried up, The oil languisheth. Be ashamed, ye husbandmen
Howl, ye vine-dressers On account of the wheat and the barley For the harvest of the field hath perished.
12 The vine
is
dried up,
And
by the locusts. wi-i'^P, new wine, which is akeady in a state of fermentation, and so intoxicating; fronx ii/ to take possession of anything. See on ver. 5, where it is distinguished from
tation occasioned
,
)':5a"i,
the
tree, is
indigen-
.7
A^5(i^>
s^c
D'DS.
" Syr.
I
dictum,
quod sc possessorem hominis facit, ejus cerebrum oceupando, ut ille non amplius Sic Arab, viiium dicitur sui compos sit.
'ij,j^, a captivando, et
et
^
ous in Palestine in Syria, and is reckoned one of its noblest botanical producIt grows to the height of twenty tions. has a straight stem, spreading feet, branches, lancet-formed leaves, with large and beautiful red blossoms. The fruit Is of the size of an orange, brown in color, and affording a highly deHcious and cooling juice. It is also planted in gardens, and in the courts of the
houses
;
ljf_f-p
a tcnendo
in von.
and
its fruit is
greatly improved
by
vindum hahendo."
;
Winer
trees
r;ys, field, and rK-^S , grotind, are synbut differ in this respect, that oii'-j-mes the former denotes the open, free, \min-
still one of the most frequently seen in those coimtries. So celebrated were the dates of
cultivation.
It
is
Palestine,
")Kr\
,
" Judsea
Ju*/j
the
latter,
the rich
for cul-
red
soil
which
is
particularly
fit
It vero inclyta est vel magis palmis." was adopted as a symbol of the country in coins struck under Vespasian and Domitian and is frequently referred
;
tivation.
Hence nnten tJ^S, a man of the field, means a hunter, Gen. xxv. 27 riKTKr! 1S''S, a man of the gi-ound, an agRoot Crs to be red. The riculturist. land is here, as frequently in the Hebrew prophets, made the subject of perSome would render a "Sin, sonification.
;
,
to in the
Old Testament.
It sometimes
reaches the height of an hundred feet, is remarkable for its straight, upright
growth,
to the new wine, to be but occurring as it does in parallelism with \jVisn, to droop, lanas
applied
:
ashamed
dom. The fruit, which grows in clustters under the large leaves, is of an exceedingly sweet and agreeable taste, and. as an article both of sustenance and
traffic, is
guish like plants, it is better to retain the primary motion of an*;, to become dry, dry up. Both loiTn and "irja"; stand
for the vine and the which the wine and oil
olive
tree,
tants.
a juice fixjm
into a spirituous
are obtained.
from In
nification of
pagne. Its importance is here significantly expressed by the particle ca being used intensively before it. Ii^isri,
Arab.
.LftJj
and
the apple-tree.
KosenTiti, to
Both
The LXX.
yfwpyoi.
properly
render
i^ripdvbT)<rav
smell
9G
JOEL.
The pomegranate,
All the trees of the field are withered ; Yea, joy is withered away from the children of men.
CuAr.
I.
13
or scent, to have originated the name. The former of these ANTiters adopts the
render
K\aiftv,
it
by
to
v<f
instances,
in
opinion of Celsius, that the quince tree is specially intended ; but as the Arabs
include under ^'-^^'j oranges, lemons,
peaches, apricots, etc., the Hebrew term is likewise in all probabihty generic in To give to his deits signitication. scription the utmost latitude, Joel adds,
_._._, i,^
i.
e'.
comp.
1
ol
duaicuTTTjpiu
irapeSpvoyrts,
Cor. ix.
is
13.
come,
to be
Some think
particle of exhortation,
before
another verb, and appeal to chap. iii. 13, for another instance in our prophet. As however, the verb is, to say the least, not necessarily to be so understood in that passage, and as mention
is
as
j~Vs all the trees of the field, Jerome explains "omnia hgna,
,
made of the
altar,
immediately before,
" and, to vel infructuosa, vel fructifera ; biing it more home to the feelings of his
countrj'incn,
it
appears more proper to take it in the sense of e7itering, i. e. into the court of
quence to
joy.
Some improperly
to
I'he construction the joy of harvest. aioatj from, is what ',-c u-2in, to dry and more Is usually termed pregnant, forcibly expresses the removal of the object
the temple, where, in the more immediate presence of Jehovah, the priests were to bewail their sins, and those of the people. Thus the LXX. fl<xi\^(Tt,
and Kimchi, i-ED ni"^ ^"3 "J^^i <""* tcr ye the house of God, and there mourn.
y'-s
13.
addresses
calls
himfirst
them
over the night, and retains this signithe present passage, though, fication from the connection, it is obvious not
following verse, to institute a sacred fast, in order that such mourning might be After n-^.jn supply with the general.
S}T.
or
y%
as in
^"^
" ^^ ^*^ Rossi's. Both forms (x:cur in cormection with the verb, which is not here to be restricted to mere girding, but rather signifies to wrap
cTV"
^"
one night only, but many nights are meant. The priests were not only to wear the habit of mourning during the day, they were also to remain in it all Ahab is said to have lain in night. sackcloth, when he humbled himself LXX. before God, 1 Kings xxi. 27.
vTnxtKTaTf.
li.
^ip,
;
to
halhiD,
consecrate;
to
round one.
12.
Comp.
Jer. iv. 8
Is. xxii.
keep holy
services
;
i(ed
See on
Is.
xxxii. 12.
by fixing the time and circumstances, and ijrcparing the people for its proper
Chap.
I.
JOEL,
97
To
15
And
is
near,
destruction
16 Is not the food cut off before our eyes ? Are not joy and gladness from the house of our
1
God
The
observance.
The Pual
;
participle is
Is. xiii. 3.
used
even of warriors
see
on
The
ishment, does not mean that of the plague of the locusts, but a more awful
period
still
interpretations of
and
Kimchi,
i2"'teTn,
future, the
is
term a'lip
near,
nS'^sn, are defective, by leaving out the idea of sacredness, -which the verb always conveys, nisy. restraint, or be-
ing held back or prevented from labor See on Oi"!, day, or period, understood.
:
never used to denote the actual presence of anything, but its speedy approach, sufficiently proves. What the Jews were then suffering was only a prelude to still more dreadful calamities.
at hand,
which
For
i"Ta?a
"wjs
which
from their worldly avocations, and spend the portion of their time thus consecrated to the immediate and solemn duties of humiliation, confession, and prayer. b'':pT, elders, in this connection, might be taken in an official sense, denoting
Is.
i.
13.
to abstain
forms an elegant paronomasia, see on Is. xiii. 6, where the same form occurs. The 3 is, as there, the Caph veritatis, and expresses the greatness of the evil. 16. The verb trrs is understood in
the latter hemistich.
tivals
among the
people,
ing.
12, 18.
The annual feswere occasions of great rejoicSee Lev. xxiii. 40 Deut. xiL
;
who were
expected to take the lead, and, by their example, to excite others to engage in the rehgious solemnities ; but a comparison of this verse with chap. ii. 15, in which " children " and " sucklings are mentioned,
and the three following drought which was simultaneous with the judgment of the
17.
Tliis,
locusts.
would
rather require
nomenon of
The central point of convocation age. the special theocratic was the temple residence of Him whose wrath was to be deprecated, and his mercy implored.
the short space which it occupies. For the elucidation of ay , some compare the Chaldee ?. , to
rot,
but
it is
with
Arab.
more propriety
,
referred
to the
so
is
pS t
Arab.
\^^
..
V
to cry out,
\j
\^J^ <^5
\J
t/A ''-
Af
'
sicnts fuit;
and
of the
LXX. KiKpa^fre cry earnestly for help. " Ardentissimas fundite prefKTfvws.
ces."
same
signification
with rri"
to be dry,
dried up.
desiccating
Thus Abulwalid.
By
the
Rosenmiiller.
Joel
15.
now
alas
for the
seeds that
tristissimum
miiller.
Ulum
diem
"
Rosentriple
To
had been sown in the ground would lose all their moistiu-e, and perish. That rii^a mean seeds or grains of com, etc. seems satisfactorily determined
by the use of the Sjt.
Matt.
xiii.
j
clamation,
otfioi,
otfioi,
the
LXX,
i.
have the
^ii-S, granum^
24
;
otixoi.
That the
e.
day of Jehovah,
31
John
xii.
1 Cor.
xv.
13
98
JOEL.
The
Chap.
granaries are desolate, the store-houses are destroyed. Because the. corn is withered.
18
How
the cattle
mourn
IIow the herds of oxen are perplexed I Because they have no pasture Yea, the flocks of sheep are destroyed. 19 To thee, O Jehovah I cry, For lire hath consumed the pastures of the desert,
;
!
And
all
field.
and the signification 37, in the Peshito of Tir , to separate, an action which takes place when, in sowmg, the hus;
graphically represented as bei:ig in this condition from the total failure of pasturage. tensive
;
The ca
before "su
~~'S, is in-
bandniun
grams.
scatters
To
even the sheep, Avliich subsist on herbage \msuitable lor the oxen, are deprived of food. As the idea of punishnient
is
H^ ';^
'i0^i)<xj\
'y^
grams
because
riSi.ir:
,
C,^^c
it
was
phet, in order to
so called
iimocent creatures are involved in the consequences of guilt incurred by transgressors. Comp. Exod. xii, 29 ; Jonah
iii.
lumps of
earth.
Comp. the
;
7.
Oy^
<a
glcba terra
\jd\\
al^o
Thus
^
lump
unusual for the Hebrew prophets to give expression to their own feelings, while describing the judgments that were brought upon their country.
19, It is not
mark on
the body,
Comp.
4
;
Is.
XV. 5, xvi.
1,
xxi. 3, 4, xxii.
Jer. xxiii. 9.
It has
been questioned
dimg.
,
nn-ij>353
is
graimries
and, accorduig to the force of the local w pretLxed, signifies places or houses
containing store rooms, or granaries, in
pens in extreme heat, or whether they are used figuratively of the heat itself. The former is more probably the meaning,
The Dagesh The in the second is euphonic. simpler form m, occurs Hag. ii. 19
wliich grain
was
deposited.
SB"", grassy
rived from
rj*:
)
It is de-
m3i
:
the root For the diver-55, to gather, collect. siticd and unsatisfactorj' renderings of
lx)th are to l)e referred to
loc. the ancient versions, sec Pococke The verbs ca and onn are here to bo
and
to
dwell
to be pleasant,
connection the green, grassy sjxits, so eagerly desired by the cattle, and pleas-
taken in the sense of being left or neglected like places that have been laid
waste or destroyed.
18. 'rpa, in Niphal, expresses the pcr-
From the ant both to man and beast. circumstance that such places would natiu'ally be selected for occupancy by tents, dwellings, etc. the word came also Comp. the Arab. to signify habitations.
plcxity to
which any one is reduced who know how to extricate himself from dilficulty. The brute creation are
docs not
Lo
Chap.
II.
JOEL.
field
99
look up to thee,
And
20.
fire
Ai Arab.
,
^, Eth. ^(^T ;
up with panting or
j^s^
ascendit
to
look
earnest desire.
Arab.
inclinatio.
It should be at or the water-brooks." beside, as the Psalmist evidently intended to represent the deer standing on the brink of the channels in which water usually flowed, but which had become
propensio in rem. The word beautifully expresses the natizral action of animals parched with thirst, and deprived of all supply of water. They hold up their heads, as if their only expectation were from the God of heaven. LXX. i.v4. Comp. Ps. xlii. 2, where the fi\e\f/av. force of n'''3~"'P."'EN Vy is lost by the
dry. To their pitiable condition he compares his own circumstances when deprived of the usual means of spiritual
refreshment.
to
The
H'
and the
rendering of our
common
version, "after
Rabbins attach to the word, is derived from such passages as Job. xxxviii. 41 ; Ps. civ. 21, cxlvii. 9, rather than from anything expressed by the word itself.
CHAPTER
The
terrific in its
II.
prophet reiterates his announcement of the approach of a divine judgment more nature than that of the locusts, but employs language borrowed from the appearance and movements of these insects, in order to make a deeper impression upon his hearers, whose minds were full of ideas derived from them as instruments of the calamity under which they were suffering, 1-11. He then summons anew to humiliation and repentance, 12-17 giving assurance that on these taking place, Jehovah would show them pity, destroy their enemy, and restore them to circumstances of great temporal and religious prosperity, 18-27 and the chapter concludes with a glorious promise of the abundant effusion of the influences of the Holy Spirit in the apostolic age, 28, 29, and a prediction of the Jewish war, and the final subversion of the Jewish state, 30. 31, in the midst of which such as embraced the worship and service of the Messiah should ex;
;
mountain
The
on
To
ing.
persons
priests,
whom
with trumpets.
100
Let
all
JOEL.
the inliabitants of the laud tremble
;
Chap.
II,
it is
near.
Like the dawn spread over the mountains numerous and mighty people
None
Neither shall there ever be after them, During the years of successive generations.
They Philo de Scptcnario. voXffxov. were to warn all of the threatened judgComp. chap. i. 15, where the ment. prophet anticipates what is now about
to be the subject of a special
tion.
2.
same terms
descrip-
metaphorically described the locusts, chap. i. 6 only exchanging ^'iS, nation, for cs , people, which is also used of
;
foreign
and idolatrous
;
nations,
;
Numb.
The aA^-ful calamity which come upon the Jews is set forth imder the metaphor of darkness, which is of frequent occurrence in the Hebrew Scriptures, when sufferings and misery Comp. are the subjects of discourse.
thought.
was
to
Chron, xvi. 20 Jer. xlviii. 42. In this description, he not only transfers the metaphor back to the proper subject irom which it was taken, but converts it
xxi. 29
1
into
length,
exhibits
character,
the
formidable
Is.
viii.
22, be. 2
Jer. xiii.
16
Amos
In the present Zeph. i. 15. instance, however, there was a singular propriety in adopting the language, since the prophet was just going to introduce an allegory- founded ujxjn the fact, that
V.
18
and the ravages of the barbarian foe. So perfectly is the allegorical veil woven throughout, that most commentators have been able to discover nothing more than natural locusts in the passage. At the time in which the prophet delivered his message the locusts covered the land they were before his eyes; the idea of them had so taken possession of his mind, that, considering the striking resemblance which they bore to an invading army, nothing was more natural than to exhibit the latter in sensible images ttiken fix)m the scene by which both he and his hearers were And, accustomed as they surrounded. had been to the parabolic style of prophecy, they could have been at no loss to discover, that wlicn in this part of his discourse he appeared to speak of locusts, it was not natural but jx)litiea2 AVhile the delocusts he had in view.
;
swarms of locusts had come over the land, and intercepting, by their density, the light of the sun, had occasioned an See on ver. 10. universal darkness.
interpreters have stumbled at the apparent incongruity of comparing the coming affliction with the "iPTij, aurora, since the idea usually suggested by the figurative use of that tenn is jot/, or prosperity; but as this idea is not exclusively conveyed by the use of it, as
it
is
Some
also
employed
vi.
and suddenness of anything, IIos. x. 15, so here the obvious points of comparison are merely the sxiddenness and extent of the change produced by the diffusion of the rays of light, without any reference to the nature of the change itself. Joel now proceeds to introduce and
tainty,
IIos.
3,
cidedly future aspect of tlie calamity, chap. i. 15, ii. 1, proves that it had not taken place at the time the words were delivered, a compaiison of the language
in the concluding part of verse 2,
with
Chap.
II.
JOEL,
fire
101
Before them
devoureth,
And
behind them a flame burneth ; Before them the laud is Uke the garden of Eden,
desolate wilderness
And
no escape from them. Their appQarance is like the appearance of horses, And they run like horsemen.
there
is
that employed chap. i. 2, equally proves that a plague of locusts could not have
express universality
ubicutiqtie.
Comp.
"We must, therefore, been intended. with the alteration of a single word, adopt the language of Jerome, *' dum
locustas
Chron. xix. 10. This construction is confirmed by what follows nu-'Vs C4 'ih nM"ri~tiV, aw^ there is no escape from
:
legimus,
Assyrios
cogitamus."
That the Assyrian invasion under Sennacherib, and not that of the Chaldeans
under Nebuchadnezzar, is meant, appears from the emmense number of the army, its entire destruction in the land of Palestine, and there being no reference whatever to the captivity in Babylon, the omission of which is unimaginable, on the supposition that the latter of the
them, them.
or,
more
literally, in reference
to
r!ti"'V;2
escaped in the war ; who have not been killed, or taken prisoners but earth it is also used of fruits of the which have not been destroyed, Exod. X. 5. The contrast between the beauty of Paradise and the desolation of a des-
who have
ert,
is
exquisitely
forcible
and
affect-
ing.
4.
two invasions
Avas intended.
The
allegory
now becomes
special
of Sennacherib must have been the largest that ever entered Palestine, since only that division of it which invested Jerusalem, amounted to It nearly 200,000 men, Is. xxxvii. 36.
The army
Was marching forward to the conquest of Egypt, and, like a swarm of locusts, covered the whole land. All the fortified cities of Judah were taken, Is. xxxvi. 1 Ihe cultivated fields and vineyards were trodden down or consumed, xxxvii. 30 and nothing short of utter destruction Beemed to await the inhabitants. Tlie design of the Divine Spirit, to whose
;
;
and ininute in its features, which are selected from the phenomena and operations of an invading army, the subject but of which it is to be imderstood having the invasion by the locusts as its basis, and therefore presenting these prominently to view, and comparing them to the army, which is thus stu;
diously concealed.
there
is
On
this
principle
no
infinite
mind the
future
event
was
in
prediction
the language here employed, appears to have been, to deepen the impressions produced by the plague of locusts, and thereby to excite to that repentance and amendment of life, which alone could seciure to the Jews the continuance of
their national blessings.
3.
the particle of comparison, so liberally \ised in this and the following verses. So strong is the resemblance of the head of the locust to that of a horse, that they are on this account called cavaleites by This feature Theodoret the Italians. thus notices : elf tjs a.Kpt0a>s KarlSoi t^v Kpa\^v Tris oiKplSos, ff<f>68pa rrj rod
'iiTTTOv
foiKvlay
evp^ixet.
In Kev.
ix. 7,
to which Judea
the locusts are compared to horses harnessed for battle ra dfj-otciifiara twv hxpiSuv ifioia 'iTnroii rjroifiafffifpois (Is Such comparison is very comw6\eixov. mon among the Arabs. The point of comparison in the second member of
:
the parallelism,
is
19.
vjsV,
before
; ;;
102
5 Tlicy
JOEL.
Chap. IL
bonml like the rattle of chariots on the topsof the mountains; Like the crackling of the flame of fire devouring the stubble j Like a mighty people arranged for battle. G IJefore them the jicople tremble
All faces withdraw their color.
7
They run like mighty men They scale the wall like warriors They all march in their courses, They break not their ranks. They press not each other They march on, each in his path Though they fall among the missiles, They break not up. They run eagerly through the city They run upon the wall
;
5.
"n*
is
6.
from Vih,
to
ing course of chariots over a rough surSee also Itev. ix. 9. face, Nah. iii. 2.
"
self, lorithe
with
pain; then
to
tremble.
Arab.
UL&.,
mcd. Wau,
to be turned.
nnsB, warmthi
Arab.
,
ruddi)iess of countenance.
cestuavit, efferbuit.
Aj^
" vacuos dat in aera saltus Succubitunjue alto, similisque est currus inaiii."
draio
their
change
Ooid. Metam.
ii.
color,
with
terror.
16a.
Speaking of the noise made by a swarm " Transeuntes of locusts, Forskal says grylli super verticem nostrum sono
:
in rendering the words, every face like the blackness of a pot; deriving the last word from -|!)B;
^o <M7t ^Jafe.
hence
magnse cataractac ferebant.!' To the same effect Morier: "On the llth of
June, while seated in our tents about noon, we heard a vcrj'. unusual noise, that sounded like the rustling of a great wind at a distance. On looking up, we jierccivcd an inmiense cloud, here and there trans])aront, in other parts quite black, that spread itself all over the sky, and at iuter\-als shadowed the sim." It is however, not improbable, that the sound here referred to is that produced by the large hind legs of the locust in leaping. Tlio coniparis<in at the end of the verse, is to the clashing of ai'ms, and the shouting of an army on the point of
cnKaerins in battle.
-i!i-s, ])ot, without K. Of the tenor inspired by locusts, we cannot have a better proof than the Arabic
proverb:
terrible
o! wit
,J-^
:> y=^\
more
.,
than the
locusts,
7-9.
Here the
in the graphic,
riors is
their
rapid
;
specified
then their consentaneous encounter with the troops of defence, their invulnerability, their progress through the streets, tlieir climbing the walls, and entering the windows of the houses, are set forth in terms
Chap. n.
EL.
;
103
thief.
and
appropriate
Jidit,
beauty.
tsay,
Arab.
JajLfci
vulneravit,
till r
Jissus,
up the order or reguwhich a body of troops proceed when marching to the attack. Abenezra and Kimchi compare r? j to to 2iercert, turn aside which comes nearly LXX. iKKKivuxri. to the same thing.
tion of breaking
larity TAdth
,
withstanding the immense crowds of the locusts, not only does none of them break the ranks by deviating from the straight course which they pursue, but none Their forces his fellow from his rank. watchword may be said to be otiward If they enter for they never turn back. houses, they go straight through them, and out at the opposite side. Thus Abulphargius relates in his Chron. Sjt. " postquam a latere meridionale p. 13-1
:
SjT.
ml
domos
verb is here used in a sense cognate with the significations in Kal and Iliphil, to give or take a pledge ; but" the idea of exchange, change, is not clearly brought The regulejr military order with out. which the locusts advance, has been fre-
any missile wea^x)n thrown at an enemy, from fhjii, to send or cast forth ;
but
it is
also
sword.
quently
ri
described.
i(TTpaTevei
'
A^acriXfVToi/
yap
eyhs
n"3,
is
OLKpls,
jxev
yap
e'|
nation.
The groimd
idea seems to be
fiiraKTUs Ke\i\i(Tjj.aTos'
ffToixV^^" 'f'l')
^at, Kol riKiara
liTret
f<**
fiei/
<pacr\
5e
outos
^s (V Ta|J
SitiTTaff-
aTrovoff'piCeiT^ai, Trepiicravfl
make
i. e.
by
56
ouTus
(pvaeois
aW'fjKas,
avrrjs
Kal
tJ
inteqxjsing between
to
him and
is
the party
addi-essed.
a5i\(pal,
Ppal3evov(T7)s
whom
the supplication
<pi\d\\r]\ov.
Cyril.
The testimony of To
from the
an eye-witness in Palestine, is peculiarly valuable " Hoc nuper in hac Quiun enim locusprovincia vidimus. tarum agmina venirent, et aerem, quo inter coelum et terrara est, occuparent iajito ordine ex dispositione jubentis Dei
Jerome, as
:
Arab.
Jouj
as occurring in the
among, will
suit
pavimentis artificis figuntur manu, suuin locum teneant, et ne puncto quidem, ut ita dicam, ungueve transverso declinent Morier also remarks on ad alteram." " They seemed to those which he saw
:
which the word occurs. See "Winer and Credner. Taking XvrCO as a collective noim, the meaning of dV-?rL "?3 ^^, will be to fall among the missiles, i. e. to light, or come down among them and referring 3."S2" to the whole swann, what it ex;
presses
is,
by one common instinct, and moved in one body, which had the appearance of being organized by a leader." Comp. Prov. xxx. 27, "]"? '^V.'?. ^Vs ys n ::' i nansV, there is no king to the locusts, yet they go foHh, all of them
be impelled
dividing,
i.
e.
companies or swarms, with all the dispnn, cipline of a well-ordered army, signifies so to press upon one as to comKotpel him to move from his place.
is specifically meant, cannot be sustained, since that part of the prophecy relates to a totally different subThe scene is rather the land of ject. Judah, with its fortified cities, which were oveiTun and plundered by the As-
that Jerusalem
sjTian troops.
104
JOEL
Chap. IL
are darkened,
the stars withdraw their shine. 11 Jehovah uttereth his voice before his
;
And
army
;
Surely his camp is very large Surely it is mighty, executing his order Surely the day of Jehovah
is
great,
and very
terrible
Who
12
can endure
to
it ?
Now,
Turn ye
me
with
all
your heart,
13
And with fasting and weeping and mourning And rend your heart, and not your garments, And turn to Jehovah your God
;
For he
10, 11.
is pitiful
and compassionate,
duced, \irging the necessity of immediate humihation. nns~ni";, is intensive. The
is that of consequence, deducing an 1 argument from what had preceded na is augmentative and emphatic, as usually and npy, has special reference in Joel
; ;
the language here admit of a literal application to the obscuration of the air by the locusts, yet it is, as a whole, to be regarded as a specimen of the highly
Though
employed
may
in part
Hebrew
poetrj\ ni~' V'p, the voice of Jehovah, is here, as frequently, thunder, and not any word of command, as some have imagined. Com. Exod. Lx. 23,
29, 33
Ps.
x\'iii.
The
V'n, armij of
the existing circumstances of the persons addressed, and the instant attention which the di^'ine message required. The combination marks strong feeling in the speaker, and the urgent nature of the subject to which it is introductory. It is to be connected with "^n'J sap, and
to
Jehovah, with further reference to the numbers and power of an anny. One of the laws of Mohammed is thus cxprcssctl
dJ^
^ t^ r
Lgjli
4>lj=lf
^^^
I^JUuu
kill
!^5,
aJUl,
shaU not
the
locusts,
not with rin"; Csp. 13. The prophet resumes his address, and founds upon the call of Jehovah, contamed in the preceding verse, an exhortation to sincere inward repentance, Avhich he supports by encouragements deduced from the benignity of the divine Rending the garments was character.
usual on occasions of great mourning, 1 Sam. iv. 12 ; see Gen. xxxvii. 29, 34 1 Kings xxi. 27 ; Ezra ix. 3, 5 ; Is. This custom obtained not xxxvii. 1. only among the Hebrews, but also among the Babylonians, Persians, Egj'ptians, Greeks and Ilomans. nynn , Ls neither the plague of locusts, nor the invasion of the Assyrians, but the calamities in general which God brings upon mankind. This intcrjiretation the preceding con;
Almighty.
Damir.
And 4>|^|
^>'5>
Lord of the
of
locusts, is
tlic
God among
Mohammedans.
clascs
The
entire description
but jjointed interrogation, ssV""'' "''-j Who can endure it f to wliich the imComp. Mai. iii. plied answer is, None.
2,
"S'a
12.
a"'~rN VrVrw
D'i:* !iV-3^
"c^,
and
Jcr.
X. 10,
''.K.vi
nV.
is
Jciiovaii
himself
here
intro-
text requires.
Chap. H.
JOEL,
105
And
14
repenteth of the
evil.
Who
knoweth
He may
Appoint a sacred fast Proclaim a day of restraint. 16 Assemble the people convene a sacred assembly; Collect the aged gather the children, And those that suck the breasts Let the bridegroom come forth from his chamber, And the bride from her nuptial bed. 17 Between the porch and the altar, Let the priests, the ministers of Jehovah, weep And let them say. Have pity, O Jehovah upon thy people.
:
14.
The
question j^ni^
'm,
who knoweth,
and twenty cubits high, twenty broad from north to south, and ten long from
east to west. The naitt, altar, was that of burnt-offering in the court of the priests. Here, with their backs toward the altar, on which they had nothing to
offer,
ness of the sin to be pardoned, also conveys that of the possibility of such pardon, " aAA' T Kol vvv,
Tavr'
Tis
5"
fXirois
'A^'A.^?
hdi^povi,
afee
and
towards
04? it KfV
of, <rhv
Zai/xovi, dvfj.hf
the residence of the Shekinah, they were to weep, and make sujoplication on behalf of the people,
opivais,
napeiirciy
"
;
behind him,
Hitzdg,
presupposes his return to visit his people in mercy. The first-fruits of prosperity
are due to
it is
tions should
such construction
ized
fifty
totally
unauthor-
Him
conferred.
15, 16.
Comp.
and chap.
is
i.
14.
in the
Here the
more
minute than in the latter of these pasThe mourning was to be unisages. The nsri, was the bridal couch, versal. richly provided with a canopy, curtains, Hoot vlEPi, to cover, protect. See etc.
for the force of the reference to the last
class
5.
never once \iscd derision, or satirical language, but imifomily in that of likening, or of exercising ride or dominion. In fact, the verb is nowhere used either with or without the preposition in the signification of deriding. It is the noun alone that is thus employed in the forms Vr?:^ yri r!;;n , err, -vsn ,
it is
Hebrew Bible,
in the
sense of employing
a derision.
Ezek.
LXX.
more
strictly taken.
It
was an hxmdred
t^vT).
Targ. U^i'K^^
106
JOEL.
deliver not thine heritage to reproach,
CuAP. n.
And
That the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the people,
Where
18
is
their
God ?
:
will he jealous for his land. upon his people compassion And take 1 9 Yea, Jehovah will answer, and say unto his people, Behold I will send you the corn,
Then Jehovah
wine, and the oil. have abundance thereof: I will no more deliver you to reproach among the nations. 20 I will also remove the Northern from you. And drive him into a dry and barren land ;
the
new
ye
shall
which had
.
suffered
from the
to
locusts,
and
wliich were
7
2it
dominentur
eis
na-
be restored. The term ^SitUn , the Norther7i, Northktnder, or, as Coverdale renders, Him of the
now
Hexaip.
Syr.
.om^ ^OOlJo
also
jVaVr<v^
|X^5 Thus
Kimchi,
prime importance in the It has been urged against its having any referNorth,
is
of
Ahcnezra, Leo Juda, Junius and Tremellius, Jewish-Spanish, Lyranus, DruBoothf^ias, Calvin, Newcome, Dathe,
and Ilcngstenberg ; and there does not appear to be any reason why it could ever have lx;cn rendered otherwise, but for the influence of the hyporoyd,
thesis,
ence to the locusts, that they visit Palesand not from the north but tliis objection can scarcely be regarded as vahd, since, though they do not usually come from that quarter, yet
tine from the south,
;
they
may
prophecy relates to locusts, and not to political enemies. "Ideo ridiculum est quod multi putant contexti sermonem de lociLStis illud prorsus alienum est a ProphetoD mente." Calvm, in loc.
:
in
Piel KSJ/ to be jealoKs, fix)m the redness or flush by which the face is suffused, when a person is mider the influence of
passion.
however, which determines the question, is the addition of the patronymic < to indicating that the North was not "I'lE-j merely the quarter whence the subject of discourse came, but that its native country lay to the north of Palestine just as ''5>a"Pri the Tcmanitc, means the Swith6711, or lie who dwells to the right of Pal,
:
estine
""i.^'W,
a native
Effi/jitiati ;
in
Arabic
Ls
respect
In the former of these verses, had to the removal of tlie calamity, from which the Jews were
19, 20.
_jCc, Meccife,
i.
^Lijoo, a
Medinifc,
c.
a native or inhabitant of
was
tlie
in
the
latter,
that
of
foreign
to
before ^i^]
and
ir^S"', to give
Now it is agreed hands, that the native country of the locvists is the regions of Arabia, the I-ybian deserts, and the Sahara of Eg}pt so that according to the usits hquendi, they cannot be meant by the term here
Mecca and Medina.
all
on
them prominence,
employed.
Indeed, so
much
has this
Chap.
II.
JO EL.
107
His van towai'ds the Eastern sea, his reax* towards the "Western sea his odor shall come up,
his stench ascend,
been
Assyrians. They were to be dispersed in every other cliiection but that from
which they had come. By :5in;tri t' n , the Eastern Sea, is meant the Asphaltic
lake; byy-^nri^n C-in, the Western Sea, the Mediterranean ; and by r|ia yns
rKtt'i?,
deserts of Arabia.
march nwthwards." what is dark, hostile, or barbarous which construction of the meaning is, in part, adopted by Hitzig. Maurer, on the other hand, setting aside these and other meor to explain the term nm-th of
;
signify
what
is
before
and behind,
.kA-O
approved, to
Aw
decorticare radendo,
to be either
reckoning the different quarters according to the positions of front and rear, right and left, while they face the east, which is with them the principal point of the compass. The language of the prophet is figurative, the metaphor being still borrowed from the locusts, which perish when blown by a storm into the sea, or Jerome refers to a the sandy desert.
similar scene,
to the injurious influence of their dung ou the trees, herbage, etc., or to their
which
Hterally
happened
when he was
stripping
nostris temporibus,"
On
the
' Etiam he says, " vidimus agmina locustarum terram texisse JuPalestine.
in
And
that they
may
mare primum
sunt."
et
novissimum precipitata
with the strictest propriety be so termed, " And he proved by Zeph. ii. 13 will stretch out his hand v,b's Vv upon the North, and destroy Assyria, and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry as a wilderness." The Jews were accustomed to call Assyria and Babylonia the North, and the North country, because they lay in that direction from Palestine. " Quaeres, quisnam hie Aquilonaris? S. Hieron.
is
: ,
And
to the ascending of the stench : " Cumque httora utriusque maris acervis mor-
tuorum locustarum quas aqua; evomuerant, implerentur, putredo earum et fcctor in tantum noxius fuit, ut aeram quoque corrumperet, et pestilentia tam jumentorum,
quam hominum
gigneretur.
C-iqa
Thcodor. llemigius, Albertus ct Hugo accipiunt Sennacherib, quem Dominus, longe fecit a Jerusalem : quia dum eam obsideret, angelus Domini una nocte percussit centum octuaginta quinque millia militum, itaque eam fugere compulit. 4 A Lapide. Reg. xix. 3o."
and end are here used in the military sense of vaii and rear, and cannot, without violence, be intei-preted of the swarm of locusts, and a brood ~=l^^> is a which succeeded them. o7ra| Key. comp. ri5S, to be foul, putrid,
and
~|',t:,yee
to stink.
Giv-
The
when
them
so
108
21 Fear not,
JOEL.
Chap. IL
O land! rejoice and be glad, For Jeliovab doeth great things 22 Fear not, ye beasts of the field For the pastures of the desert spring up, For the tree beareth its fruit The fig-tree and the vine yield their strength. 23 llejoice, ye sons of Zion and be glad in Jehovah your God
! !
!
corrupts and infects the air, that it often occasions dreadful pestilences." The concluding words of the verse convey the
idea of moral agency, and can with no propriety be interpreted of the locusts.
rV?."i V'sisn.
LXX.
^v\/-^
^fif-ydKvff
rA
^i-
^pyaavTOu. SjT.
\^
^ ; .^
he exalted himself in acliftfj. The phi-ase is obviously used here in a bad sense, and indicates the pride of the Assyrians
;
the icorks that they should do. The same, or a similar construction of the words is found in the Vulg. llufinus, Jarchi, Pagninus, Munster, Leo Juda, Castalio, the Jewish-Spanish, Kemigius, Rupcrtus, Vatablus, Ilibera, Mercer, CEcolamp., Luther, and most of the early Lutheran interpreters and, among the modern. Pick and Ilengstenberg, the latter of whom contends for it at considerable length, and decidedly considers the passage to be one of the Messianic
;
prophecies.
is
teacher,
the following verse of our prophet, it is placed in antithesis with the sense in which it is here used, and is to be differently understood viz. of the great things that God would do for his people,
:
beautiful
is a the land, which had been destroyed by the enemy, is addressed in a prosopopoeia theti the irrational animals which had suffered from the famine and lastly, the inhabitants themselves. All are called upon
beyond all doubt, see 2 Chron. xv. 3 ; Job xxxvi. 22 Is. Lx. 15, xxx. 20 and from the occurrence of the word in this place in connection with nj: -s righteousness, which is so frequently referred to the ^Icssiah both in the Old and New Testaments, there is something very plausible in the application of the term to him who is specially called by Malachi nj^ns i'^ri. The Sun of Righteousness,
; ,
and rejoice in the Jehovah would effect. Dcj^olation, barrenness, and famine, would disappear, and times of prosperity and happiness retiuTi. -,in-j 133,
to cast off their fears,
chap. iv. 4, i. e. the author of that illumination of knowledge which has righteousness for its object. To such interpretation, however, there appear to me to be the following insuperable objections First, it is repugnant to the circumstances of the context " non \'idetur tamen ferre
:
Sons of Zion, properly the inhabitants of Jerusalem, but here evidently used to denote those of the land generally, of wluch Jerusalem was the metroiwlis, and Zion the centre of religious influence.
rjr-'jV --r, Ls rendered in the Targ. i-T2 ",it:35, your teacher in riijhteousness ; which Abarbanel explains, Nr:i
hunc sensum cireumstantia loci." Cal^'in; who says of the reason adduced in support of it, that it would be out of place to give
prominence to merely temporal " sed ratio ilia est nimis frigida " and goes on to show that, in accordance with the custom of the prophets, Joel begins with these inferior blesssuch
blessings
; :
and afterwards, in ver. 28, proceeds which are spirituid. Secondly, the repetition of the same term,
ings,
to treat of those
llO'i
-fS nrVttn
rs-..
And
he
is
n-i.ia,
who
allow,
it
tion of rain.
And
tliirdly,
the pecul-
Chap.
II.
JOEL.
109
For he giveth you the former rain in due measure Yea, he causeth the heavy rain to descend for you The former and the latter rain as before 24 So that the floors shall be full of grain,
:
and coherence of the words, and ic-ipVw!) nniM era. The emphasis given to nn i, by prefixing
iar force
r-^;ttrL-n>;,
not only the article n, but also the determinating particle ns , shows that the
prophet had some immediate and definite object in view, which we cannot imagine to have been any other than the autumnal rain, which
year,
immediately before into its two regular divisions, the former and the latter. The term elsewhere used for the former or autumnal rain, which falls from the middle of October until the middle of December, is TTT,"i"'> lit. icaterer, being
the Benoni Participle of n^"' , to dart, cast, or scatter, as drops of water, r'^. "iw,
was
indispensable
any
and more
however, which is the Hiph. Participle of the same verb, does occur in the same
acceptation, Ps. Ixxxiv. 7.
been an object
desire,
note on Hosea
vi. 3,
and
has, in consequence, a
degree of importance and allotted to it in the text. force of rs the Lexicons of Lee and Gesenius. The same consideration will account for the form, and the particular in this place, significatiort of Tj^n^V
The reading nii"', which is found instead of the foimer ""i'm, in twentj'-three
MSS.,
originally in eleven more,
now
in
Keri in
Codices,
rain,
sions,
which
but
in favor of the rendering is that of all the early verpossibly have originated
The
5 is to be taken adverbially, as pointing out the rule or measure according to which the rain was to be r)^n"J, so that
may
in emendation.
With
respect to the
word, there
is
no
the meaning will be, in just quantity, adequately, in the proportion suitable to the exigency of the case, p-".: the root
,
variety of reading,
corpxts, et
et
trj, Arab.
^ah^s*.
from which this noun is derived, signifies to be just, right ; to come up to certain claims, to be what a jierson or thing ought Comp. Lev. xix. 36, where pn-j:^ to be. is used of weights and measures that were exact, or came up to the demands
of the law.
omne id quod longum, largiim profundum est ; Chald. the body ap:
is
heavy, or violent,
The
and pours down as it wae in a body. verbs -jrj, and "rni'i, are prophetic
futures.
To
render
-,ri{4-i3
i}i
the first
Some
rpT"^
Hebrew
sig-
Ewald
rain for justification, and explains it of the Jews being again accounted righteous by God. To the objection of Hengstenburg, that if ri/i^: in the first half of
the verse does not designate a different divine benefit from r;"'.';a in the second, an idle tautology will ensue, it is only
nece&sarj' to replj', that the
month, would involve a contradiction, eince only one of the two rains could happen in that month. It seems, therefore, necessary to suppose an ellipsis of 3, the participle of comparison, and read as formerly, or as i7i former ""i;L"Sv"*,2S times. Comp, Jer. i. 22 Jcr. xxxiii, 11, where rjt'Snss is similarly used and " for vi'K-i in the sense offormer, 1 Sam. xvii. 30 ;'Hagg. ii. 3. Thus the LXX. S^iT. Viilg. Arab. One of Kennicott's MSS. and perhaps another, reads ifJs"2.
, ; ; ,
in parallelism,
infrequent in the
results
instance 'r.-^h'Q is merely a resumption for the sake of dividing the era mentioned
of
the
rains
are set
110
JOEL.
the vats shall run over witli
Chap. II.
And
oil.
25 Thus he will
make good
to
AYhich the swarming locusts hath devoured, The licking locust, the consuming locust, and the gnawing locust, My great army which I sent against you. 2G x\ud ye shall eat plentifully and be satisfied, And praise the name of Jehovah your God, Who hath dealt wondrously with you And my people shall never be ashamed. 27 Then shall ye know, that I am in the midst of Israel, And that I, Jehovah, am your God, and none else And my people shall never be ashamed.
28
And
That
it
shall
come
out
to pass, afterwards,
I M-ill 2>our
my
S})irit
upon
evils
all flesh
forth.
The
,
"i
in
!iS5>:!!, is
consequential.
,
^.^^n
^ii.
or"
propulii,
locusts
Conj. impulsus fidt, jluxit, to caxise to fioxo, or run over. For 2)7.", see on
Is. V. 2.
by the ravages of the extend to those which both the Assyrians and the Chaldeans were to uifiict upon the nation. This interpretation is confirmed by what imsustained
;
it
w;is to
mediately follows
poiu-ing of the
resjKJcting
Spirit.
the
out-
25.
Holy
By
God's
the plague of locusts described in chap. i. cannot well be doubted. The names,
though placed in a different order, ai-c identical with those there specified. They are called God's great army, a name still given to them by the .\rabs. Though the scourge See on ver. 11.
only one year, yet as they not produce of that year, but also what Avas laid up in store for future years, there is no impropriety the plural foiTn of Cri", The tcnn Ls used metonymically years. for the produce and supply of years. The loss of these Jehovah promises to recompense or make good by not only furnishing the Jews with an abundance of temporal enjojTncnts, but affording them the delightful experience of his presence and favor as their covenant This promise is amplified i:i God.
lasted
only
being in the midst of his people, is meant the special manifestation of his presence in the communications of his favor. The resimiption of :> in "rsi, fonns a beautiful anadiplosis. 28, 29. The prophet now proceeds to predict the impartation of richer gifts in future times than those temjwral blessings which had just been pronused to ",2 ^nns, o/ifenra^-rf, LXX. the Jews.
juero
raxJTa,
in antithesis
with Tvas-^a
;
ver. 23,
which
he renders
but the latter phrase has reference to what had already taken place, and was not future to the time of the prophet. ins though indefinite,
Jirst
^2
is
r^^n^
its
verses
of the Jewish church is described terms, which obviously characterize period which succeeded that of The divine Babylonuih captinty. compense was not merely to cover
in
the
the
re-
the
Abcnezra, rNi2in ^NT Vs SVi'"' 'i "ttK -,2 cs -rs -,n2n rir '-n Tr^V s'n ^'nns2 rrr;-! pn -p >-inj< n5;s t'c\> ' Rabbi Jeshua saith. All this d'ls'n. is a prt)phccy of the future and Ilabbi Mosas tlie priest saith, If so, why docs he say after thisf but it is the same as,
;
Chap.
II.
JO EL.
your sons and your daughters
old
shall prophesy,
Ill
And
29
men shall dream dreams, Your Your young men shall see visions And even upon the niale and the female
;
servants
my
and
days
it
;
Adam
is
called
i.
concurs, adding,
VMuJI
mankind.
e.
of
i^iT sn-'
ns'^T^n nsT
'ins Vas
And
ye
Credner would have the phrase to include the animal creation, than which no construction could be more preposterous in such connection, or more at variance with other passages in which the communication of the influences of the Spirit are limited to the
"What he says is, Now ye know, but not with a perfect knowledge, for ye
commit sin before me but knowledge there shall come a time when ye shall know me with a perfect knowledge, and shall sin no more, namely, in the days of the Messiah." That the two phrases are identical in meaning, clearly appears iixjm a comparison of Jer. xlviii. 47, with xlix. 6. See on Is. ii. 2. ^gs signifies to pour out, to communicate in a plentiful and abundant manner, and is here used with the greatest propriety to denote the larger and richer supplies of divine influence, which were to be afforded to the church under the gospel dispensation. fin, spirit, means here the influences and gifts of the Holy Spirit, as in numerous other passages, in which the Spirit is said to be put, given, etc. and these communications are described in language which shows that they were both to be more general and more special in In a more general their character. point of view, they were to be bestowed upon I'-ra^5 aU flesh, i. e. mankind
will again
after this
;
;
The influence, of which here predicated, is the saving energy which is exerted by the Holy Spirit, in commencing, carrying on, and consummating the work of
human
family.
tmiversality
is
grace in the souls of men. It accompanies the presentation of divine truth to the mind, and removes the obstacles which the force of imiate depravity
opposes to the reception of the gospel. See my Lectures on Divine Inspiration, Besides the influence pp. 525-530. which was thus to be vouchsafed for the purposes of salvation, the prophet specifies that which should be more limited
in
its communication, consisting in the miraculous endo^vment of a certain number of Jews, of different classes and conditions, with the knowledge of divine things, and the ability infallibly
to
communicate them
persons on
ters
whom
conferred are their " sons and daugh; " their " aged men," and their " youths " their " male " and " fe; ;
are
manitheir
designed
to
teach
that
country. To restrict this phrase to the Jews, as is done by Abenezra, Kimchi, Albo, Hitzig, and others, is irreconcilable
Lo,
indicavit, an*
nunciavit,
constantly signifies
mankind
gener-
/H/^
locutus est,
is
ally, or
the whole
human
race; just as in
signify homo.
"t"^
nP
vaiicinatus
est, prcedixit,
Arabic, ,Jio
and Lm;jI
112
30
31
JOEL.
I will
CoAP. n.
in the earth,
And
show prodigies
lire,
Blood and
The sun
sliall
And
the
moon
into blood.
of the future events, but to express the giving of utterance to divine truth under a miraculous impulse, or the pretending to such impulse, whether the utterance was made in the way of direct communication, as was the case when the
prophets addressed their hearers, or by the rehearsal or singing of sacred hymns
influence.
In beautiful
the
New
Testament.
will pour
The
out
repetition-' n 1-1
TNTjisi'S/
my
under extraordinary divine impulse, as when Miriam sung at the Red Sea, Exod. XV. 20, 21 or when the sons of the prophets and Saul prophesied, 1 Sam. X. 5, 6, xLx. 20-24. Comp. Acts xix. 6,
;
of which, in general, they were to be partakers, was not merely that which consisted in the miraculous gifts, but also that ordinary and sa^ing influence which
experienced by all behevers. What incontrovertibly proves that the prophecy includes both a more ordinarj', and a
is
xxi. 9
1, 5, 6,
22,
24, 31, 39
strikfulfil-
ment of the prophecy of Joel. See also 1 Chron. xxv. 1-3 and Mede's works, Book I. Discourse xvi. That we are
;
more extraordinary or miraculous divine agency, is the extension given to it by the apostle Peter, Acts ii. 38, 39 where he teaches that it was to comprehend " all
;
that are afar off," i. e. the Gentiles, ' even as many as the Lord oiu- God
shall call."
fully warranted
to
interpret
it
of the
extraordinary supernatural
gifts
which
is
apostolic age,
allegation
30, 31. In connection with this period of the rich enjoyment of di^iJle influence, Joel introduces one of awful judgment,
cost.
iiTTt,
this is
ii.
quo-
n jn'' Cf, the day of Jehovah, the precursors of which he describes in very alarming language. That the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish
called as usual
is intended, most inteqircters are agreed ; but there exists a diversity of opinion respecting the character of the language, some taking it literally, as
was the more apt, since the words of the prophet had just been read in the
Pentecostal
service
polity
See
my
,
Biblical Researches
,
in Russia, p. 326.
ti''.5"'Tn
visions,
modes
in
to the prophets.
xxviii. 6,
vii.
1,
Numb.
Jcr. xxiii.
xii. 6
1
;
wUl Sam.
Dan.
Josephus relates to have taken place b'fore the destruction of Jerusalem, and tremendous massacres
those which
15
2.5-28
press mention
to visions.
xi.
is
made
of dreams in the
ix. 10, 12, x. 3,
9,
and conflagrations in difiercnt parts of while others maintain the country that it is symlx)lical, and consequently is to be figuratively explained. Tlie
;
See acts
9,
17,
5,
1
xvi.
;
xviii.
xxvi.
,
19
C ji and ei-cn, indicates a rise in the prophecy, which was intended to exclude none, not even the lowest and most di-spised ' servants,"
2 Cor. xii.
Rev.
ix. 17.
from a participation
position is more in accordance with the style of prophecy, in which we not only find a fixed set of sj-mbols, hut also, very frequently, an accumulation of images is intrmluced for the purpose of producing a more powerful effect on the mind. See on Is. xiii. 10, xxxiv. 35. The heavens and the earth,
latter
Chap.
II.
JOEL.
shall cOine to pass,
shall
call
113
And
it
That Avhosoever
delivered
shall
be
For
therefore,
its
in
in Jerusalem shall
be the escaped,
mean
and religious establishments the sun and moon, the higher and supecivil
There as a help to the pronunciation. can be little doubt that it is derived from
nrP
tree,
to be erect,
powers while the other images are employed to denote the disastrous prognosticatory changes that were to happen in relation to both. Comp. Matt. xxiv. 29 Maik xiii. 24, 25 Luke XX. 25-27, where the subject is the same as that exhibited by Joel, and the symbolical language in a great meaSimilar images are used sure parallel. by pagan writers, when describing the
rior
ruling
from
its
tall
whence and
Arab.
"ittP
the palm-
erect
growth.
n^'a^n,
turris
;
noIj*
and,
jj.-^lj}
and
a column. The phrase will, therefore, be equivalent to "j-oy "'"ii'sy of which we have the singular yo'S n?5y Jud. xx. 40.
, ,
Lucanus, Pharsal.
lib.
ver.
529
but in Song iii. 6, <rre\exV KaTtvov. Vulg. vai^orem fumi. Targ. pri'n T'^lt:"', columns of smoke, the
ariuSa Kairvov
;
LXX.
singular of
which
is
implerunt,
sethera,
pontum.
Ignota obscuKB videnmt sidera noctes,
Tanc:
pillars
iOMJ^t
^jLa-jJI sJULtt,
faces,
crinemque
mutantem regna
se-
cometen.
Fulgura
rene,
fallaci
micuerunt crebra
Those of smoke ascending up. with the account given by Joscphus of the disorders, convulsions, excesses, and rebeUions, which preceded the subversion of the Jewish state, will readUy admit, that the iigiu-ative language here employed most appropriately sets forth the awful circumstances
who
are familiar
Et
mas."
C^SnSitt, prodigies,
of the inhabitants of Palestine at that period. To render more promment the tremendous nature of the finaL judg-
their city
is
and
ci"'
not merely
unusual,
portentous,
nv, but
^n.'jn r;in'^
their character.
Jehovah
iii.
terras
i-
by the prophet
23,)
^Malachi, iv.
to
(Heb.
in
reference
the
same
event. 32.
snj^.xisually
^^-|>a^p
only occurs
once besides, and, as here, in construcSong iii. 6 where, tion with yc'J, viz.
;
evoke Jehovah according to his true character, and designates such as he would regard in the hght of acceptable
means
however, nineteen MSS. and originally another read nin'api, without the Yod, which is doubtless' the more correct orthography, the Yod having been inserted
worshippei-s
but
on comparing
the quotation of the words with direct reference to our Saviour, Rom. x. 13, with Acts ix. 14, 1 Cor. i. 2, it appears
15
lU
JOEL.
Chap.
II.
According as Jehovah hath promised, Together with those that are left, AYhom Jehovah shall call.
employed as a periphrasis for those Jews wlio should embrace the faith
to be here
of the Messiah, and render to him as ri", Jehovah, the same supreme worship Avhich had been rendered to God by their From the passage just pious ancestors. quoted from the Acts, it is clear that the
the above quotation, who not only made their escape from the impending calamity, but from the " xmtoward generation " to
Is. iv. 3
which they had belonged, Acts ii. 40 so that the meaning is, not that
;
were characterized as invokars of his 7iame, i. e. as his worshippers, before they were called ChrisThe prophecy contains a gracious tians. promise, that, however terrible might be the final catastrophe in which the undisciples of Christ
who remained in Zion and Jerusalem during the infliction of the punishment, but that those who resided there should make their escape from it, having previously been delivered from the condition of those on whom it was
The words
r,'.~'
inflicted.
^Ms
"i'JN2,
would
be-
be
made
who
promise just made. C""T''"i'ica!|, together with those that have been left,
refer to the
church history records its fulfilment for, on the approach of the Roman army, the christian inhabitants of Jerusalem took to flight, in compliance -ith the Sa\aour's warnmg, and retiring to Pella, on the eastern side of the river Jordan, found there a safe asylum, while the devoted
lieved in the Messiah.
;
And
t^*..i.
aufugit, vaga-
flee,
make
city ov
aWa
TTph
aoXvfxois
eKKATjaias,
Kara tiva
5i
To7s
aiiT6di
SoKifMOis
xpV<^H-^f atroKaKvipfccs
a slaughter, or any other calamity. The reference seems not to be to converted Gentiles, as Schmidius, Michalis, IIolzhausen, and others interpret, but to those Jews who did not perish in the national
So^ffTa
rris
Tov
TToKffjLOv,
fieravaaTr)vai
irfpaias
ir6\tv
judgments, but were called into the church of Christ. tinj5 as employed in
,
OlKflV K(Ki\iV(TfJifVOV.
fia^ovffiv'
TlfWav
els
avT-^v ovoirein-
iv
rj
twv
Xpicnhv
ixivwv,
K.
r;i3"'V2, is
those
7)
who
X. Euseb. hb. iii. cap. v. a collective noun, signifying have escaped ; in other words,
T.
the last clause of the verse, signifies to call, in the sense of effectually prevailing upon any one to choose and participate in the blessings of the divine kingdom. Comp. KoAeoi, as used by Paul, Rom. 1 Thess. ii. 12. viii. 28, 30, ix. 24
;
iv 'lepo(To\\'ifxoti ^KKKijcria,
K-.p,
future.
the Participle
in
Chap. HI.
JOEL,
115
CHAPTER
In
III.
this chapter the prophet returns from the parenthetic view which he had exhibited of the commeucement of the Christian dispensation, and the overthrow of the Jewish polity, to deliver predictions respecting events that were to transpire subsequent to the Babylonish captivity, and fill ui^ the space which sliould intervene between the restoration of the Jews, and the first advent of Christ. He announces the judgment to be holdeu on their enemies after the return to Judea, 1, 2 specifics the reasons why they were to be punished, and expressly mentions by name the neighboring nations of Tyre, Sidou and Philistia, 3-6 promises the restoration of those Jews whom these states had sold into slavery, while they are threatened with slavery in return, 7, 8 summons the nations to engage in the wars in which they were to be destroyed, 9-15; shows, that since these convulsions were brought about by the providence of Jehovah, whose earthly throne was at Jerusalem, his people had no ground for alarm, and would experience his protection, 16, 17 predicts times of great prosperity to them, 18 and concludes with special denunciations against Egypt and Idumea, with whose fate is placed in striking contrast the pro; ;
; ; ;
For, behold
in those days,
When
And And
bring them
will plead
is a 1, 2. s-'rin. ^SM ntenn c^a^^a double mode of expression, employed to give greater prominence to the period. That the " days and time " here specified, are not identical with the period spoken of in the last five verses of the preceding chapter, is evident from their being connected by the relative conjunction nja s with the foUovving words, which relate to the restoration of the Jewish state. 1^ , at the begimiing of the verse, is properly rendered for, and refers back to chap. ii. 21-27, in which verses times of great temporal prosperity are promWith this prosperity ised to the Jews. was intimately connected the punishment of the nations by which they had been and, accordingly, such punishafflicted ment forms the subject of the present chapter. Instead of atiis the Keri sub; ,
See Ps. xiv. 7, the emendation. Is. lii. 8. Some in7, cxxvi. 7 terpret the phrase of a general restoration to circumstances of prosperitj', without any reference to previous circumstances of actual captivity, as in the case of Job xlii. 10 ; but considering its common application to the return from Babylon, and the express mention of the scattering of the nation among the heathen, ver. 2, it seems more natural to
liii.
;
refer it to the
same event
dispersion
is
in this place.
That the
restoration of the
their present
stitutes a/liuK
in
which
it is
supported by
nations are those which are predicted, Rev. xvi. 14, 16, is rendered impossible
136
JOEL.
account of my people, and Israel mine inheritance, among the nations,
Chap. IIL
On
Si19,
ment
some
By
tasrvi"
understand through which the brook Kedron flows, between the city of Jerusalem and the
mount
in
of Olives.
is
To
the celebrated burj-ing-place of the Jews, the Rabbins have appropriated the name, and maintain, that in it the final judgment of the world is to be
a conceit in which they have been followed by many Cluistian A\Titers, as well as by the Mohammedans. Others suppose it to be a designation of the valley,
which
held
X^pcw TTjs Kpiffews. The nations to be punished are restricted, ver. 2, to such as should have scattered the Jews, and occupied their land. Comp. chap. ii. 17. 3. The Jews were frequently treated in the most ignominious manner by their enemies. Such conduct is here afFectingly set forth. That it was customary to cast lots for those who were taken captive, see Obad. ver. 1 1 Nah. iii. 1 0. The giving of a boy for a whore, does not mean the exchange of the one for the other, but the payment of the captive
;
an act of sensual indulgence ; just as the selling of a girl for wine, means giving her in compensation for a draught
for
of
it.
of
also
Comp. Gen. xxxviii. 17 comp. Deut. xxii. 18, where riJiT V-^'?.' ^^^
;
blessing, 2 Chron. xx. 2G but as neither of these localities at all comport with the magnitude of the subject treated of by the prophet, we have no alternative but that of considering the words, not as constituting a proper name, or the name
h ire of a whore,
is
"i "
nW
of any specific locality, but as symbohcal in their imjwrt, and designed to characterize
the theatre of the bloody wars that took place after the Babylonish cap-
inflicted
upon them.
They
literally sig-
whore hired with oil. Meid. xciv. Charden mentions that when the Tartars came uito Poland, they carried off all the children they could, and, finding at length that they were not redeemed, sold them at the low price of a crown. In Mmgrelia, he adds, they sell them for provisions, and for wine.
4. Among the nations bordering on the countrv- of the Jews, which had rendered themselves particidarly obnoxious to the divine vTath, Axcre those on the west, for wliich see on Is. xxiii. and
where Jehovah judgeth, and mean the scene of divine judgments. ITie term valley appears to have been selected on account of sucli locality being mentioned in Scrijrture as tlie usual theatre of militar\' conflict. This
xiv. 28.
Tiew of the subject is supjwrtcd by the Targ. in which the words are not retained, but translated n:"^ j"V3 ^^'^ tlie plain of the distribution of judgment, and by the translation of Theodot. t^i/
are ye to
'V Crs rtt C-;" atid truly what me t Thuik ye that I make any
,
altogether
in form,
different
in
meaning, as
, ;
CUAP.
Ill,
JOEL.
the coasts of Philistia
?
117
And
all
Will ye retaliate upon me ? If, indeed, ye retaliate upon me, Speedily and swiftly I will bring your retaliation Back upon your own head. Because ye have taken away my silver and my gold
And my goodly objects of delight Ye have carried into your temples And have sold the sons of Judah and
;
To
That they might be removed far from their own border. Behold I will arouse them from the place Whither ye have sold them
!
CuVt '^"mW, tchat have tee in common? Kimchi compares it. riiV'^Va cimdts, districts. Comp. Josh. xiii. 2, where the word is rendered coasts in our
vAih. -which
most highly esteemed by the Jews are more probably meant since it does not appear that ever the enemies specified by
;
Tliey were properly provinces, of which there were five in number, each governed by a y^ji, prince, or lord. V's,
version.
all,
is
made
of the
before
mV^Vs
expresses contempt.
not here correlate with n , in ^?5;in, but puts a fresh case for the sake of ai-gimient. The case supposed, however, was true in fact. The mterrogative n assumes here the form of the article, as in several other places. See on Amos v. 25. V^i, signifies to do good or evil to any one
Csi, is
plunder of the royal palace by the PhiComp. listines, etc., 2 Chron. xxi. 17. Hos. xiii. 15 2 Chron. xxxvi. 19. It was customary to hang up or deposit in the idolatrous temples, as presents dedicated to the gods, certain portions of the spoils taken in war. Arrian, ii. 24. Cur;
tius, iv. 2.
6
i.
"^
a 1
"
n v2
;
<
e.
the Grecians.
Comp.
yfes
'AxaiSivt
then to recompense him, either with good or evil to reward, retaliate. The meaning here seems to be, that if these bordering states, takmg advantage of certain imtoward circumstances in the history of the Jews, attempted to revenge the victories gained over them by the latter, they should be dealt with in the way of
;
and see on Is. Ixvi. 19. of Homer Credner, Ilitzig, and some others, think that the prophet refers to Javanites of Arabia FeUx, mentioned Ezek. xxvii. 19 but the reasons they adduce in favor of
their opinion are insufficient to establish the point. In Ezek. xxvii. 13, Javan is mentioned, along -with Tubal and Meshech, as trading in the persons of men Slavery with the merchants of lyre. formed an important article of Phoenician
divine retaliation.
of
to
Matt.
XXV. 40.
an asyndeton.
Comp.
words
5.
Is. V. 26,
is
reversed.
As
identified himself
he speaks of their property as his. Some suppose the precious vessels belonging to the temple to be intended by ^^Mna
D'2'::n, but the articles of private property
commerce, and equally so of that carried on by the Greeks, to whom the former might easily convey the Jewish captives. So famous did the island of Delos become as a slave mart, that sometimes 10,000 were bought and sold in a single day. 7, 8. D'sns, Saheans ; Pococke's Arab.
MSS. ,^waJ
J^
t ,
^^ peoi>&
ofJem^n.
118
JOEL.
bring back your retaliation
;
Chap.
Ill
And
your sons and your daughters Into the hand of the sons of Judah, And they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a distant nation For Jehovah hath spoken it. Proclaim ye this among the nations 9 Prepare war rouse the mighty Let all the warriors approach let them come up.
; ;
;
your pruning-hooks into speai-s ; Let the feeble say, I am mighty. 11 Hasten and come, all ye nations around.
And
the Sabeans traded not improbable that nn distant, may be designed to include j; that part of the East though it is said of the Queen of Sheba, that she came iK Tuii> TTfpaTwv TTjs 7^s, Matt. XI. 4L.
As
was
Is.
is
Such was to be 4 Micah iv. 3. the extent of the conflict, that, in the lack of a sufficient number of arms, the
ii.
This propliecy v;is fulfilled before and dui-ing the rule of the Maccabees, when the Jewish affairs Avcrc 'u\ no flourishing a state, and the Pha>nician and Philistine powere were reduced by the Persian anixs under Artaxerxes ^Inemon, Darius
abductis
arva
Et
cur%'?e
507.
On the capture of Tyre by the Grecian monarch, 1.3,000 of the in"When habitants -were sold into slavery. he took Gaza also, he put 10,000 of the citizens to death, and sold the rest, with
successors.
Factaque de
erat."
rastri
pondere
i.
cassis
Olid. Fast.
11.
-v^'j,
699.
the women and children, for slaves. Favorable, on the other hand, as he was to the Jews, there can be no doubt that he ordered the liberation of such of them as were captives in Greece.
9. rST, this, refei-s to
otTTol
\iy. in
all
probability
the same in signification with rin, to hasten. The ancient versions follow the
LXX.,
Arab.
.
who
render,
awoApol^ia^e.
;
hence
what immediately
tlie
follows
wars
the idea of liveliness, acticity, atjility, etc. ri n : r , is the Imperative in Hiphil of M-i :
be subdued and perish, is not simply to prcjxirc, as Kimchi i'-p explains it, but to prepare by the use of religious rites and ceremonies, such as the lieathen employed when they undertook
go or come down. The place the .scene of warfare, the valley of Jehoshaphat, imphed in n^ar,
to descend,
whither,
is
is
a military
entciiirise.
with ni. Tlie abrupt transition to Jehovah has a powerfid effect. Whatever might be the individuid views of those engaged in the conflict, they were the instruments of Divine
Chap. HI.
JO EL.
;
119
And
gather yourselves together Thither cause thy mighty ones to come down,
12 Let the nations be roused, let
Jehovah I
them come up
To
For there I will sit to judge all the nations around. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe 13 Come, descend, for the wine-press is full,
The
For
their wickedness
is
great.
14 Multitudes! multitudes
is
near,
WTath, and are on this account called the ' mighty ones " of Jehovah. Comp. Is. X. 5-7. 12. To give prominence to the interest
order to tread the grapes it was necessary down into the wine-press, it seems better to abide by the orduiary signification of the Hebrew verb, and to consider
to go
to
take place, the metaphor is here changed into that of a judicial process, in which he acts as judge, and gives a just decision against the enemies of his people. For 'uE'j-;-"' P'?.V. ^^^ ^^ '^^^- ^* Here,
as in that verse, the nations to be
the action of treading to be implied, rather than expressed. At the close of the verse the metaphor is dropped, and the cause of the thing signified is boldly
presented to view.
14.
D'ibn O'lT^n,
Hebraism
for
multitudes, multi-
pun-
tudes, a
immense multitudes.
circumjacent to
Judea.
13. The prophet now employs metaphors taken from the harvest and the vintage, which strikingly express the
tumults.
havoc and destruction effected by war the one denoting the slaughter or cutting dowTi of armies, and the other the effuThe same images sion of their blood. are similarly employed, Is. xvii. 5, 6,
Ixiii.
upon to assemble, and here the prophet, beholchng them congregated in obedience to the summons, breaks out into an appropriate exclam.ation in regard to their number, 'p"^!!, Piscator, the Geneva English, Calvin,
nations are called
Lam.
i.
15
and
especially
Rev. xiv. 14-20. Va, a sickle, Arab. o y \\<\ ,X A Syr. |3 Vfl, In Arab, the root,
iJ[^<A,>
Leo Juda, Michtclis, Justi, Holzhausen, and Credner, take m the sense of thresh~ Kimchi, Tanchum, Abulwahd, ing. Newcome, and some others, render excision
; but the LXX. Theodot. Sjt. Targ. Theodoret, Dathe, Eoscnmiiller, Gesaiius, Hitzig, Maurer, Ewald, and Fiirst, translate the word by decision or
signifies to cut.
The
sickles of
the East,
as
represented on Egyptian
monuments, pretty much resembled ours, only some of them were smaller, and had more the appearance of a knife hooked at the end. rri from nn-, to descend, some take to be used here in the
,
judgment, which seems more in keeping with the name of the valley, and the
idea of a judicial process, set forth ver. 12. Comp. for the acceptation to determine, decide, as attaching to the verb The 1 Kmgs XX, 40; Is. x. 22.
Y-_n,
t^s, calcavit.
is the decision or doom of the nations to which the prophecy refers. The repetition of '(v-r^- P'^,?.. heightens
meaning
Thus the
LXX.
TraTetTe.
But
as
in
the
effect.
120
JOEL,
Chap.
III.
15
In the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, And the stars shall withdraw their shine.
16
For Jehovah
shall roar
And utter his voice from And the heavens and the
But Jehovah
is
A stronghold
17
ye shall know that I Jehovah am your God, Dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain Then shall Jerusalem be holy Foreigners shall invade her no more.
And
And
it
shall
come
And
the
hills shall
figurative mode of representing 15. the removal of the political rulers of the world. Comp. chap. ii. 10, 31. 1 G. These words, as Chandler properly remarks, seem to intimate very plainly,
That the strong language imply a state of immunity from invasion, to which there was absolutely to be no end, will appear on comparmg Is. Iii. 1, and Nah. i. ] 5. See my note on the former
their polity.
at the close of the verse does not
threatened
to
be
exerted
upon
the
of these passages.
From
the death of
They
doubtless
by Matta-
and
As
king of the Jewish nation, Jehovah had his residence in Jerusalem, whence he
caused his power to be exerted to the discomfiture of his enemies, and the deliverance and protection of his people. Comp. Ps. xviii. 13; Ilab. iii. 10, 11. :;K'S , to roar, is properly used of the lion, but is metaphorically applied to God, to express the terrible majesty with which he encounters his foes. Comp. Jer. XXV. 30 Amos i. 2. iii. 8.
;
Antiochus till the eomuig of the Messiah, no hostile power should take possession of the holy city. To express the perfect immunity from idolatry, by which Jerusalem should be characterized, ii'^f,, holiness in the
abstract,
is
used.
Comp.
or bar-
Obad.
18.
17.
By
C""!!, stramjers,
splendid figurative representhe extraordmary prasperity to be accorded to the Jewish people after the destruction of their enemies.
tation of
Thus Tanchum
v:i>l5^vxJL
in Pococke,
y'.
"^y f
17.
y^^
ii.
is
here, as in Is.
Iii.
6. Ix.
16
^^v?<VJ|
SjJijG,
"me-
Hos.
abimdance
perimental proofs of the divine kindness. Tliis the Jews did in the deliveranct^s
cficcted
Comp.
Is.
XXX. 23-25,
ix. 13.
xliv. 3,
and
especially
Amos
on their
from
on the death of Antiochus Epiphanes, and in the enjoyment of their national and recaptivity,
the
especially
" Flumina
jam
lactis,
taris ibant,
mcUa."
111.
lipous privileges,
till
the termination of
Ovid. Mctam.
Chap. HI.
JOEL,
the channels of Judah shall flow with water,
121
all
a fountain shall go forth from the house of Jehovah, water the valley of Acacias.
shall
Egypt
become
desolate,
And Edom
For the
a desolate wilderness,
violence done to the sons of Judah, Because they shed innocent blood in their land. 20 But Judah shall be inhabited for ever. And Jerusalem to successive generations. 21 And I Avill regard their blood as innocent.
877
xapay
koI
iJ.eyd\T]y
^ehs
a.v-
Spdffi Btifffi
yap
yrj
5eV5po
Kol
darirera
^pefifiaTa yaiijs
the time of Cleopatra also, thjTus gained a victory over the army of Alexander Janneus, in which the Jews lost upwards of thirty thousand men
Otvov
kolL
fjLiKiTos y\vKfci)s,
\fUKOv re
koXKicttov
ydXaKTos
Kal (riTov, '6irep airdmwv.
etrrt fiporols
Sibyl, Orac.
and who, to increase the terror of his name, massacred the women and children, cut their bodies in pieces, and boiled the flesh. The Idumeans, though less formidable, never omitted any favorable
opportunity that offered of showijig their hostility to the Jews. The condition to
D'^U'in
"htils
the valley
of Shittim,
i.
e.
Acacias. There was a place of this name ia the country of Moab, Num. xxv. 1,
xxxiii. 49
;
Josh.
ii.
meant
which both these countries were speedily reduced, and which they have remained to the present day, verifies the
prediction here
delivered.
Instead of
exhibit the
Dead
riK^'rV
a number of
Sea.
Consistency of interpretation
part of
synonymous nwcV.
the violence
the verse figuratively of the most desert and arid spots, such as the acacia is fond Fertihty was to go forth from the of. presence of Jehovah into the whole land. Viewed in this light, there is no incongruity in representing the water as extending even across the Jordan, however impossible it might be as a physical phenomenon. Comp. Ezek. xlvii. 1-12 Zech. xiv. 8, 19. The wrongs done to the Jews
MSS.
done
the
to
them.
present
text,
nine of Kennicott's
MSS. and
more
four of
De
Rossi's,
with eight
these
Among
De
The pronominal
affix in B^-is, refers to the Jews spoken of immediately before. 20. 2"ii?|, is used passively, as in Is.
tV':y and nini -ii'^, are to be by the subject to which they are predicated. Thus the state of desolation
xiii.
20.
limited
during the seventy years' captivity in Babylon, is said to be c'^iy, for ever,
Jer. xviii. 16.
Ptolemy Epithemselves
phanes,
t^'-
-'-^ T'?:-,
16
122
JOEL
shall
Chap. in.
And Jehovah
there
is
dwell in Zion.
affix in
an ellipsis of ntrs after Q>;n the which refers to the Jews, not to
, ,
their
enemies.
Almost
all
here employed, but they have generally got over the difficulty, by giving to it the signification of ^ri':;;^: , I have avenged
a signification which nowhere attaches to For the difit in the Hebrew Bible. ferent explanations see Pococke. nps,
morally pure, to be free from pnnishment ; in Piel, as here, to regard, pronounce, or treat as innocent, to pardon. The words were doubtless suggested by ts"|".3 C"t in the preceding verse, and are to be rendered, / will regard their blood as iimocent, ichich I have not regarded as innocent ; i. e. I will pardon those whom I have treated as guilty. My people, whom I have punished on account of their apostasies, I will henceforth regard
to he
Arab.
iv.
ii.
and
Ubavit.
love. The affix c in corresponds to the same in Cuns, ver. 19. -,r-j, the Participle used vaih
futurity of signification.
AMOS.
PREFACE.
Amos, (Heb.
origin,
as
oiKSj, burden, a word purely Hebrew, and not of Egyptian and the same as Amasis or Amosis, as Gesenius conjectures,) was, we learn from the inscription, a native of Tekoah, a small town in the
tribe of
Judah,
at the distance of
Among
these
and, though
at
it is
(2 Kings
iii.
4,)
yet there
no reason
Amos belonged
is
to a family of
his father
;
No
mention
made of
this
circumstance.
poor circum;
14 from which also it is incontrovertible, that no change of circumstances intervened, which may be supposed to have been more favorable to mental culture, but that he was called at once to exchange the life of a shepherd for that of a
vii.
stances, however,
prophet.
Though a
native of the
fact which is to be accounted for, not, as Berground of some personal relations, but by an express Divine commission to occupy it as the scene of his labors. Eichhorn ingeniously supposes the reasons of his selection to have been, that the appearance of a foreign prophet was much more calculated to excite attention than that of a native, and that such a prophet was more likely to command respect than any belonging to a kingdom in which impostors and fanatics
his office in that of Israel
abounded.
The
is
i.
1, to
have been
11.,
king
b.
c.
whom
it,
he continued
to exercise
we
Even
if
be placed upon the Jewish tradition, Joseph. Antiq. ix. 10, 4, and Jerome on Amos i. 1, that the earthquake mentioned here, and Zech. xiv. 5, took place when Uzziah attempted to usurj? the sacerdotal functions, we should
still
be unable to
fix the
it is
at-
tempt was made. That he was contemporary with Ilosea, appears not only from the dates
124
PREFACE TO AMOS.
the ten tribes, Avhich they so graphically describe.
assigned in both their books, but from the identical state of affairs in the
kingdom of
"Whether he
and Alicah cannot be determined. As we have already found, from the prophecy of Ilosea, idolatry, with its concomitant evils, efFeminacy, dissoluteness, and immoralities of every description, reigned with uncontrolled sway among the Israelites in the reign of Jeroboam the son of Joash. It is chiefly against these evils that the denunflourished also in the days of Isaiah
ciations of
Amos
arc directed.
into three parts
:
nounced against the Syrians, the Philistines, the Phoenicians, the Edomites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Jews, and the Israelites, chapters i. and ii.
Second, special discourses delivered against Israel, chapters
visions,
iii.-vi.
Third,
in
partly of a consolatory,
is
which reference
tribes,
previous to
had both to the times that Avcre to pass over the ten the coming of the Messiah, and to what was to take place
under
In point of
Amos
holds no
mean
it
place
among
the prophets.
The
declaration of Jerome, that he was imperitus seno/i/e, has not been justified
by modern
critics.
On
the contrary,
is
is
destitute of sublimity, he
and
regularity,
em-
orig;
and taken from the natural scenery with which he was familiar his rhythmus is smooth and flowing And his parallelisms are in a high degree natural and complete. In description, he is for the most part special and
;
local
ness of his
he excels in the minuteness of his groupings, while the general vividmanner imparts a more intense interest to all that he delivers.
in chapters iv. vi.
is
and
vii.
more
From
chap.
vii.
10-13,
it
Whether he left that place in consequence of the interdict of Amaziah, the According to Pseudo-Epiphanius, he afterwards repriest, we know not. turned to his native place, where he died, and was buried with his fathers
but no dependence can be placed on the statement.
CHAPTER
AiTER
a chronological
cliarge,
I.
and general introduction, ver. 1, 2, this chapter contains a heavy accompanied with denunciations, against the Syrians of Damascus, 3-5; the Philistines, 6-8; the Thoenicians, 9, 10; the Idumeans, 11, 12; and the Ammonites,
13-15.
1 TliE
words of Amos, who was among the shepherds, of Tekoah, which he saw concerning Israel, in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam, the son of Joash, king of
Israel,
1. With the exception of the book of Jeremiah, that of Amos is the only one of the prophets commencmg with ^^p"^,
." " The words of Comp. however, Hag. i. 12. The meaning is, the subjects or matters of oracular communication which he was employed by the prophetic Spuit to dehver, and which were now, under the influence of the same Spirit, committed to \\Titing. Their divine origin is clearly determined by what is added, ntn Ti'l? " which he saw," i. e. which were supernaturally presented to his mental vision. See on Is. i. 1. The preposition a in a"~ps 2 does not denote distinction, intimating that Amos was great'
marks.
referred
^J^Jij
By
for
others, it is
illustration
more properly
to the Arab.
et brevipes,
and
Joijj appellataruvi
pastor.
the disesteem in which such animals were held, arose the proverb,
From
JcA/JI
.wO
wju,
more
vile
than the
er in point of
wealth or respectability
than the rest of the shepherds, as Kimchi would have it, but simply that he was of their number he belonged to their con;
NncAD. At the same time, as their wool was valuable, they were kept in great numbers. In both instances in which
the term occurs, it seems to be used in a more general acceptation. Aq. iu ttoi/j.Sj-mm. and the fifth edit. vorp6<pois The explanation of eV ro7s Trotfieaiv.
;
and followed their occuThe phrase D'"pS3 n'n expation. presses, in fact, nothing more than n'n Comp. for similar usage 1 Sam. -tp:. and the Arabic Ps. cxviii. 7 xix. 24
dition of
life,
; ;
Cpil
av-l]p
is
not inept
Koi TTOijXfVlKois
Sf eV
I'O/J.OIS
ivTebpa'^jxivos.
The LXX.
'A/CKa-
jj^ljt>
here,
^j^
2
Lo^.
iii.
tp.;
occurs only
it
and
Kings
4.
By some
is
peifi, mistaliing it for the name of a place where they supposed the prophet to have been when he received his Divine
i.:g
A .M
And
he said
Chap.
I.
Jehovah roareth from Zion, And uUercth his voice from Jerusalem The pastures of the shepherds mourn, And the summit of Carmel withereth. Thus saith Jehovah For throe transgressions of Damascus,
communications.
^Vi-ab.
The
Tekii
a,
ruins of
;p
Dr. Robiiason
express the roaring of the lion, is here used to set forth the awful cluu-actcr of those judgments. Dathe, stumUing at
found covering an extent of four or five acres on an elevated hill, not steep, but
the boldness of the figure, renders, Joi-a ex Zione dira 2^>'onun<;ittt ; thereby de-
from Bethlehem.
sterile,
broad at the top, about two houi-s distant On approachmg it, he describes the landscape as rocky and
yet rich in pasturage, as was tesby the multitude of the flocks.
ii.
stropng the
guage.
4.
1
jxictical
Comp.
Jcr.
XXV. 30
Job
xxx\'ii.
tified
(Palestine,
The
is
sur-
marks the ajwdosis. For C">S-in i--s:i comp x-i--: r'sa, Ps. xxiii. 2. Vtsis ilicha^lis, Justi, and others take to be the Carmel, now called by the Arabs
in iiV^s-,
,
of
,
the
Dead
ix.
Sea,
called
"i27'2
1
QeKoie,
Mace.
flocks,
33.
JLc)*X
-'^'"''mill,
which
lies
near Yutta,
or Juttah, between
to the south of
turuig
district,
our
prophet originally
collected the syca-
tended his
and
more
figs.
more
in the proximity of the prophet, yet the established scripture reference to the fertility of the celebrated ^lomit
kingdom of the ten tribes, though that of Judah, and likewise several foreign
states, are also expressly
jxjssess
Carmel
fact,
in the tribe of
Asher seems
to
denounced.
We
there
In be yuy
no data by which
occurred.
to
it
o, refers
having happened in the days of Uzziah, but he does not specify the year. According to Joscphus, it took place on
as
mountain deserving the name in the hill country of Judah. The hill of Maon, which is close by, is not less than two hundred feet higher than the site of the ruins of the castle of Kurmul. See
Robinson, ut sup. pp. 193-200. Besides the identical phrase, Vtti3 nrs-,, the summit of Carmel, 'which again occurs chap. ix. 3, in immediate connection with the sea, is employed in application to the western Carmel, 1 Kings xviii. 42. 3. Here begins a series of minatory
predictions against different states,
monarch, Antiq.
ix. 10, 4.
which
Jehovah, to whom the judgments afterwards denounced, are, in highly figurative language, immediately
referred.
>iis,
commonly
cmi)loycd to
extends to chap. ii. 8, where it merges in a continued denimciation of judgments du''tcd almost exclusively against the Israelites. Instead of proceeding at once to charge the ten tribes with the flagrant evils of which they had been guilty, Amos commences with the Syrians, and after exposing their wicked-
Ch.vp.
I.
AM
for four, I will not reverse
127
And
it
;
Because they threshed Gilead Avith sledges of iron 4 But I will send a fire into the house of Ilazael, And it shall devour the palaces of Benhadad.
ness,
Philistines,
the
the suffix in
!!sa''f
relates, is
not ex-
Ammo-
the Moabites, and the Jews, he comes to his proper subject, on which he dwells throughout the rest of the book.
prophesied against sin
others,
on the principle, that the subject referred to would naturally suggest itself to the
mind
among whom he
as
of the reader. It is anticipative of the sentence of punishment delivered in the following verses. Comp. Num.
xxiii. 20, in vt'hich is
exhibited
in
he charges
it
an
ellipsis
of the
home upon
solemn
n'.n"!
themselves.
is
Each
of the
eight predictions
ushered in by the
noun n^i 2, the idea of which is expressed Bp. Lowth proposes to by the verb.
render, '! will not restore
it
;
and
nos3
"to
the phrase
em-
Exod. XX. 5 Job v. 19, xxxiii. 14, 29 Prov. XXX. 15, 18, 21; Eccles. xi. 2;
; ;
ployed in such case. In the phrase, " I will not reverse," is a htotes the meaning being, " I will certauily execute." For Damascus, which, as the metropolis, is put for the kingdom of Syria, see on Is. xvii. 1. The cruel treatment of the inhabitants of Gilead here referred to, is that to which they were subjected by
Is. xvii. 6
Ktti
Mic.
v. 4.
;
Comp. the
rpis
the terque quaterque of Virgil and the ter et quater of Horace. The notion, that the two numbers are to be added, so as to bring out
rerpuKis of
;
Homer
the perfect number seven, and thus to express the completeness or full measure of the iniquity, is not bonie out by Hebrew usage. That the numbers' are to be taken literally, as in Prov. xxx. where there is an enumeration of each of the particulars, is equally out of the question ; the specification of the prophet being, in each case, limited to a single Nor can the conact of wickedness. struction be admitted, I have not punished Damascus, etc. on account of three transgressions, but on account of a fourth
the rollers of which tore and mangled their bodies. See on Is. xxviii. 27, and
comp. 2 Sam. xii. 31, where we find the same pimishment inflicted by David, by the law of retaliation, ri::-^, the LXX.
render
izpiotri
<TiSr)po7s,
Symm.
I will pimish her; since ?35"rN nV, obviously connects with both numerals.
The only
is,
satisfactory
mode
of explication
rpoxoh triSrjpory. tJ '", to thresh, is the very term used in the history of the transaction, 2 Kings xiii. 7Gilead comprehended the whole of the territory beyond the Jordan, belonging to the tribes of Peuben and Gad, and and as it the half tribe of ^Manassch bordered on the kingdom of the Syrians, was particularly exposed to their
;
and Theod.
attacks.
4. The Benhadad here mentioned was the son and successor of Hazael, and not the king of that name whom Hazael
proverbial,
and designed to express multiphed or repeated delinquencies, of which the last, as the most atrocious, is uniformly described. The noun to which
succeeded.
Comp.
2 Kings
viii.
7,
15,
128
I will also
AMOS.
break the barrier of Damascus,
cut oiFthe ruler from the valley of Aven,
Chjlp.
the secptre-holder from Beth-Eden, the people of Syria shall go captive to Kir,
Saith Jehovah.
And
for four I Avill not reverse it Because they effected a complete captivity To deliver it up to Edom,
with
vvas
xiii.
3,
24.
similar prediction
chap.
27,
seology employed
verses
by Amos
chap,
ii.
here,
2, 5, is
and
not
upon, or occupies a throne a judge, prince, or king the person exercising authority in the district specified. For the latter phrase, the aKr)-movxos of Homer may be compared. -,-:y r-;2, BethEden was, in all probability, the locality in the mountains of Lebanon, which
who
whom Michaelis consulted, there is a most delightful valley called Oon, about four hours distant from Damascus, towards the desert, which has given rise
native, to a proverb, "
Ptolemy,
where
the valley of
the royal family had a palace, and where one of its members usually resided. The name is still given to a delectable valley to the west of Damascus. ITie
Aram,
,
is
that
ever been in a place of delight ? As, however, this has not been confirmed by any traveller, most expositors are inclined
to refer the place to called -ijnjsq ryj;3,
of which
what
^
is
otherwise
banon," or
cUlJ!,
Bukaa, between
n"p of the Cyrus in Iberia, now callctl Kur. See on Is. xxii. 6 and for the accomplishment of the prediction in the successful expedition of Tiglathpilcser, king
;
Damascus was the capital. By Kir, is meant the river and region
The
version
the ridges of Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon. Here are the celebrated ruins of the temple of Baalbcc, the Syrian Ilelioixjlis, to which the LXX. have expressly referred
of the LXX. is here extremely faulty, vith the origas the slightest compariso. inal will show.
6.
n"^y,
Arab.
-,:K,
Aven, only pronouncing it "ps, On iK ireSioy 'Civ just as they have ren;
dered the latter word when it is employed to denote the city of the same name in EgjT^t, which was dedicated to the sun.
the capitals of so
many
satrapies of the
The Hebrews
in
P.ilestine,
to
express
same names.
It
wor-
the word
-,-,s,
Arm, which
properly sig-
and hence an
the south-east coast of the Mediterranean, from which it ^^as separated by low hills and trarts of sand. It was built upon a hill, and strongly fortified, as the name
imports.
idol, on accoimt of its inutility. Comp. with the present passage Ezck. xxx. 17. if'- docs not here denote inhabitant, or
The modem
city
is
built partly
on the hill, but mostly on the plain below and according to Dr. Robinson, con;
Chap.
I.
AMO S.
129
But
And it shall devour her palaces And I will cut off the ruler from Ashdod, And the sceptre-holder from Ashkelon And will turn back my hand upon Ekron. And the residue of the Philistines shall perish,
Lord Jehovah. Thus saith Jehovah For three transgressions of Tyre,
Saith the
:
It
occurs in the genealogical table, Gen. x. ; and it occupied so commanding a position, that it formed
name
sea, and distant from Gaza about five hours in the direction of NN. E. and -pnpv, Ekron, now called by the natives
;
the key to Palestme on the south. It stands here by synecdoche for the whole of Philistia. By n5aV?i riiV.'j we are neither to understand, \vith the LXX. alxnor with Justi, IxaKciiaiav tov 'S,aXw(ji.(ii>i' " a holy or pious captivity " nor with
,
and
at
Grotius and Michaelis, captivitatem pacificam ; but the immense number of captives
which
Avere carried
along the coast the line of hUls which See Dr. Robinof the Mediterranean. The reason son's Palestine, in. 21-25. why Gath, the remaining city of the five, is not mentioned, is assigned by Kimchi to be, its having been already subdued by David but as it was afterwards occupied
;
nm
The
capture was indiscriminate and iminone escaped. Comp. for the phrase Jer. xiii. 19. What aggravated
versal
;
the guilt of the Philistines, was that they did not treat the Jews as prisoners of war, but sold them as slaves to the Edomites, who were their bitterest enemies, and would treat them with the utmost
cruelty.
both by the Syrians, 2 Kings xii. 17, and the Philistines, 2 Chron. xxvi. 6, it seems more natural to refer its omission to the fact of its reduction by Uzziah, in the days of our prophet, as narrated in the It is also latter of the above passages. omitted Zeph. ii. 4, 5. ^y n;; ^^'f'v".* ^
turn the hand upon, means to exert one's power anew, whether in the way of favor or of hostility. Here it is obviously to be taken in the hostile sense. No part of Phihstia was to remain unvisited
They were
doubtless conveyed
emporium of commerce, and there sold to such as might purchase them. Comp. Joel iii. 4-6. 7. 'a^^fire, is here metaphorically used for war, in carrying on which, however,
lo Petra, the great
it is
by Divine judgments.
;
Comp.
prediction
received
its
fulfilment,
we
destructive elements.
Comp. Num.
xxi.
28
Is.
xxvi. 11.
8.
ver.
cities
now
threat-
XX.
1iV;5rs!,
Arab. ^jj^\juy^,
cannot determine. One of these took place during the reign of Uzziah, 2 Chron. xxvi. 6, 7 another in that of Hezekiah, 2 Kings xviii. 8 they were afterwards successively reduced by Psammelicus, king of Egypt, by Nebuchadnezzar, by the Persians, by Alexander,
;
;
17
; ;
ICO
AMOS.
for fo\ir, I will not reverse
it
Chap.
I.
And
Because they delivered up a complete captivity to Edom, And remembered not the covenant of the brethren.
10 But I will send a fire into the wall of Tyre, And it shall devour her palaces.
11
of
Edom,
it
And
And And And
he retained
it shall
wrath
into
for ever.
fire
Teman,
And
Conip. Joel iii. 4-6. The ciu'ut faltli. D" rts r'l 2) covenant ofbrethreti, includes tKe terms of friendship and mutual assistance which were agreed upon between David and Hiram, 2 Sam. v. 11 and afterwards between Solomon and the
;
7
,
V-i
^i
signifies
love,
of compasin n"itt,
The n
same monarch,
cially ver.
is
Kings
v.
See es^-
26,)
where
it
it is
expressly stated, that n-^na '^It'II Dri'Vi, "they two made a league," or
covenant.
10. For Tyre, and the accomplishment of this prediction, see on Is. xxiii. 11. For Edo7n, and the fulfilment of the prophecy here pronounced against it,
nominal feminine
The
absence of the Mappic forms no objection, as there are several instances of its omission where we might have ex-
pected
see
on
Is.
xxxiv.
5.
The
guilt of the
cruelties exercised
tlie
it. The accent on the penultimate favors this construction, being occasioned solely by the absence of the Mappic. The verb, to be taken as a feminine, must be pointed r;ncj but this
,
circumstance of their origmal relationship, Obad. 10. and the mirelenting ix!rpetual character of their hatred,
would
require
nnay
to
rnu
g-Kn">
sion-s
;
lit.
stead of the object, which would be inComp. for the sentitolerably haish. ment, and an elliptical form of the phraseology, Jer.
iii.
t. <?,
6.
feelings of pity, as to
of keeping a quality, whether good or bad, when they would express its prolonged
or continued exercise.
See Neh.
ix.
'.VI ;
Ezek. xxviii. 17. The LXX. Ital. Arab. Dt)derlein, Dathe, Vater, Justi, and some
others, take
Dan.
ix. 4.
c-nnn,
in the sense of
it
cnn,
the
cither of preg-
fruit of the
womb,
but the phiral is never e. children used in this acceptation. Aq. <nr\d7x'a
a'jTov
;
12. That JWP, Teman, was a city, seems evident from its being mentioned along with nn::3 Bozrah, for whic'h see ' on Is. xxxiv. 6.' Though Jerome speaks of it as a region, he mentions, in his Ouomasticon, a town of this name, at the
,
Symm.
an\iyx>'0'
fSia.
The
root
On
Chap. 13
I.
AMOS
sons of Ammon,
it
131
And
Because they ripped up those who were pregnant That they might enlarge their border. 14 But I will kindle a fire on the Avail of Rabbah, And it shall devour the palaces thereof With a shout in the day of battle, With a tempest in the day of the storm.
the map of Burckhardt and Grimm, it is placed to the south of Wadj-- iliisa. It Avas doubtless the principal place in the district inhabited by the descendants of Teman, one of the grandsons of Esau,
in Gilead,
no unusual part of the barbarities practised by the ancients in war. Comp. 2 Kings viii. 12, xv. 16 Hos. xiii, 16, (Heb. xiv. 1 ;) and my note on the last passage. See also 1 Sam. xi. 2. The
;
Gen. xxxvi. 11, 15, who were celebrated on account of their superior wisdom, Jer. Comp. Obad. 8, 9, and Baruch xliv. 7. Eliphaz, one of Job's friends, iii. 22. was a Temanite. The reason why no mention is made of Sela, or Petra, Credner thinks is to be found in the fact, that it had already beon captured by Amaziah, 2 Kings xiv. 7, of whose conquests in that direction advantage was taken by his son Uzziah, ver. 22 ; 2 Chron.
xxvi. 2.
13. -jiKS '33, the
object of the
Ammonites was
to effect
an utter extermination of the Israehtes inhabiting the mountainous regions of Gilead, in order that they might extend their
tion.
own
14.
nan, Rabbah,
i.
e.
was the metropolis of the country of the Ammonites, the extensive ruins of which
have recently been discovered by Seetzen and Burckhardt on the banks of the river Moiet Am7nan, which empties itself into the Jabbok. The full form of the name was -jius '<:3 nan, Deut. iii. 11, by which it was distinguished from Rabbah of Moab, and a city of the same name in the tribe of Judah. It is called Vafia^anava by Polybius and Stephen of Byzantium but it otherwise went among the Greeks by the name of *t\a5A<^(o, which it derived from Ptolemy Philadelphus. It
;
Ammonites, descend-
ants of Lot, Gen. xix. 3, occupied the temtory on the east of the Jordan, be-
tween the rivers Jabbok and Amon, but more in the direction of the Arabian desert. That portion of country which lay along the Jordan, of which they had
possessed themselves, originally belonged
which accounts for its being given to the tribe of Gad, Josh, xiii. 25. They frequently annoyed the Hebrews, but were repelled by David and several of his successors. For the sake of plunder, they joined the Chaldeans on their invasion of Judea and, even after the captivity, they evinced the
to the Amorites,
;
is
now known by
that of
to
it
, 1
f^
Am-
same
They were by Judas Maccabeus, 1 Mace. V. 6, 7. Justin Martyr speaks of them as still a numerous people in his day, 'Pifiixavnwv tan vvv iro\v it\r\bos.
hostile
disposition.
severely chastised
by Abulfeda in is meant the tremendous shout which eastern armies give at the commencement of battle, partly to excite their courage, and partly Comp. to strike terror into the enemy. Exod. xxxii. 17 Josh. \'i. 5, 20. Thus
By
ny^inP,
the Iliad,
iii.
1, etc.
AuTap
^Trel
K6(rfi.7\^iv
it/x'
fiye/J.Si'icra'if
(Kacrroi,
Dial,
cum Tryph. p.
The
upon
opmbfs &s'
'Uvre
TTfp
KAa777j yepdyuv,
k. t. A.
182
AMOS
and
his princes together,
Chap. n.
He
Saith Jehovah.
*"yo
est,
the resistless force of the onset, and the utterly destructive consequences resulting fiom it. That they are poetically applied to the warlike operations
against Kabbah,
the
is
mark
his priests, in the parallel prophecy of Jeremiah, chap. xlix. 3 but the use of
;
vnc,
by
that' prophet,
shows
clear
from nEEiD
Ci"*,
nn^ Cr,
15.
term be not an interpolation, it denotes the idolatrous priests who were in attendance upon the king, just as the princes were the chiefs and civil officers about the
court.
C3^,
their king,
LXX.
copied
Vulg. have understood of Malcam or Milcorn, i. e. Moloch, an idol of the Ammonites and Moabites but the LXX. and
;
common
rendering,
which I""!??, his princes, follo'W'ing, would seem absolutely to require. It is true, this term might be taken figuratively to sigand nify priests, as in Is. xliii. 28 such interpretation might appear to be countenanced by the occurrence of i"'3nb
;
and Arab., was probably borrowed from the passage in Jeremiah or it may have been inserted in the Greek text by some copyist before these other versions were made. The combination of t,''')V, princes, with 'at.h'a,jxtdge, chap,
the
Syr.
;
ii.
3,
confirms
the
above
interpreta-
tion.
CHAPTER
In
this
II.
chapter
we have
the continuation of charges and denunciations against different naJews, 4, 5; and finally, the Israelites, who were to form
the principal objects of the prophet's ministry, 6-8. Amos then proceeds to insist on their ungrateful conduct, notwithstanding the exixjrience which they had had of distinguished favors at the hand of God, 9-13; and the futility of all hopes of escape which they might
be led to entertain,
14-16.
Thus
saith
Jehovah
it
For three
transgressions of Moal),
And
1
Is.
xv.
The
par-
Moato
nowhere recorded.
iii.
Michaelis
is
the Idumenn throne. Tlie wickedness appears to have consisted in a Wiuiton violation of the sanctity of the tomb, by the disintcnncnt
royal remains.
had
but ihc prince there spoken of was the son of the king of Moab, and not the future heir to
27
;
2 Kings
and bunung of the was indicative of an enmity which was not satisfied with inflicting every possible injury- upon its
It
Chap.
II.
AM
i;:3
Because they calcined the bones of the King of Edom. I will send a fire into Moab, And it shall devour the palaces of Kerioth ;
But
And Moab
At
And
Saith Jehovah.
And
it
Because they have despised the law of Jehovah, And have not kept his statutes And their false deities have caused them to err, After which their fathers walked. But I will send a fire into Judah, And it shall devour the j)alaces of Jerusalem.
victim while living, but pursued him even into the regions of the dead. Comp.
Is. xxxiii. 12.
2.
rvnp, Kerioth ;
;
LXX.
tS>v TroKewv
citadel;
ns'a
-i^p
or ap-
pearance, as comprehending
Comp.
1.
XV.
-ps'i,
xvii. 12.
tiSJia,
an obvious distinction both as it and the nature of the offices with which they were invested. The connecting of the princes with Moab n "'"i/'o) and not with the judge (t'-i'd) as in chap. i. 15, goes to confirm the view just given. 4, 5. The charges brought against the Jews differ from any of the preceduig, in the crimes which they involve havmg been committed directly against God, and not against man. They had become weary of his service, abandoned his
there
is
From
worship,
and
addicted
themselves
to
king,
is
selected to
describe the chief magistrate of Moab, it has not without reason, been supposed, that, at the time the prophet wrote, or, at least, at the time to which his prophecy refers, a change had taken place in the government of that country but whether it was occasioned by the extinction of the royal house, or the appointment of a ruler by a foreign power, it is impossible
;
Between the synonymes here employed there is this difference of meaning: m'lP, laio, stands for the institute of Moses generally, of which the moral code formed the basis D^I^n, statutes, for the ceremonial and
idolatrous practices.
;
judicial enactments.
By n'^s T 3
is
lies,
idols
are meant,
so rendered
fxaraia,
to
decide.
The
reference
which some
Comp.
for
acceptation
have made "to Ps. ii. 10, in proof that judge and king are identical, is not in pomt for, though the terms as there used are so far synonymous, that they both designate persons high in office, yet
;
Ps. xl. 5.
their pretensions
and oracles were founded on falsehood, and because they deluded with false hopes those who worshipped them. Instead of being weaned from
1C4
6
AMOS.
Israel,
it
Chap. IL
And
Because they sold the righteous for money, And the poor for a pair of sandals
:
Who
And
pant for the dust of the earth on the head of the poor. turn aside the way of the afEicted
They
In order to profane ray holy name. stretch themselves upon pledged garments, Close to every altar
which
their
sity,
the Jews became increasingly addicted them, and thereby brought upon
Nebuchadnezzar.
6.
The
attention of the Israehtes by his predictions against those communities which they regarded with feelings of hostihty,
comes now to
Avas to charge
hud contracted.
Vs-i*i;'
Israel,
i.
e.
the
Israehtes, consisted,
the time of llehoboam, of the ten tribes, whose capital was Samaria, and whose worship, originally that of Jehovah, under the visible image of the golden
calves, speedily merged in the basest and most licentious idolatrj'. *2 to sell, has no reference, as some have thought, to
,
change the verb into tiTJ, to The meaning of the prophet is, that the persons -whom he describes were so avaricious, that, after having robbed others of their property, and reduced them to a state of poverty, they even begrudged them the small quantity of dust which they had cast on their heads in token of mourning. Comp. 2 Sam. i. 2 Job ii. 12. a, as inrs'-ia, is elsewhere used in the acceptation oi' on or itpon, and is here the more appropriately adopted, on account of the more usual preposition ^y having just been employed. Comp. chap. ym.. 4. 'ri-i-i nur,
others, to
attack, bruise, etc.
;
way
e.
to turn
his right
course, into a trackless region, where he can expect nothing but inconvenience, perplexity and danger here, to raider
;
who
for
money
gives a verdict against the innocent, the term never being used to express any such act but describes the selling of a person into slavery. They
;
the afflicted still more miserable. From the reference made in the following
even dejjrived the poor of their Hberty for the most paltry consideration. Comp.
chap.
viii. G.
and altars, it most probable that r'^S!n the datnscl here spoken of, was not an ordinary or common strumpet, but one who prostituted herself in honor of Astartc, at one
verse to idolatrous deities
is
,
of her slirines.
inferior
in
value
to
shoes,
consisting
or
merely of soles
fastened
of
leather
by two
wood, one
Such an act of daring profligacy was the more atrocious from its having been committed ui a heathen temple, with the express design, as the prophet states, of doing indignity to Jehovah. Sep Gesenius, Lex. in -prp. A) 2. 8. To retain pledged raiment over
night was expressly prohibited by the
of which passes over the forepart of the foot, near the great toe, and the other round the ankle.
7.
tjStp,
Chap. U.
AMO S.
drink
tlie
135
And
wine of
tlie
amerced
In the house of their gods. 9 Yet it was I that destroyed the Araorite before them, Whose height was as the height of cedars.
you
And
both
deprived the owner of his covering to stretch one's self upon it in an idol's temple
was a
^'<^n~ , pledged,
and extraordinary
reference
is
strength,
to
which
frequently
made
in the his-
Arab. Jov.^j
It
|3oQ-,
dehitum.
tory of the Hebrews, are here beautifully compared to cedars and oaks, the most majestic and sturdy trees of the
forest.
usual for the heathen to sleep near the altars of their gods, that they might obtain communications in dreams but as
;
The Hebrew
poets,
as well
as
the
profane
trees.
it
was customaiy
to eat in a
recumbent
to par-
to
have respect
34 ; Ezek. xvii. 3, xxxi. Sixteen MSS., originally twelve more, and now five five of the oldest editions, and the Rabboth read d^.^:s, " before you,"
Isa. X. 33,
;
wine in the temples is C ^ 'i'l ; ?_ * " the wine of the amerced, means wine purchased with money exacted by the
specified in the following line.
;>,,
instead of
imposition of
frequently.
fines,
n'^a, for
m23,
as
Regardless of the sufferings of those "whom they oppressed, the apostate Israelites revelled in sensual indulgences.
9.
1
in
'-ii^'i. is
strongly adversative,
warrant an alteration. 10. Jehovah goes back to still easier, but no less remarkable displays of his kindness to the nation, showing that from the commencement of its historj' he had been its benefactor. Comp. Jer. ii. 6. tS'S, to come or go up, is always used in
and introduces the contrast between the Divine conduct and that of the Israelites.
Hebrew
serts, to
elevation,
and
The
the North.
The circumstance
they had received from Jehovah, ought to have attached them for ever to his The conjunction and pronoun service.
are repeated
'-ibsn
,
of the regions or places to which persons are said to have gone up,
that
many
for
like
effect,
verse
10.
lay to the north of those from which they came, is purely accidental whereas the
;
wide
propriety of the use of the term lies in the fact of the mountainous character of
on account of their being the largest and most powerful of the nations which occupied that country.
tants of Canaan,
the land of Canaan, while Egypt and the intervening regions were low and flat. 11. The prepositive "c in cr/:2tt, and
C^.-^iiinau,
is partitive,
In a more
indicating that
1U3
AMOS.
of your young
Chaf. IL
And
Is
it
men
not even
so,
Saitli Jehovali.
12
And
As
14
is full
of sheaves.
And
the swift.
"SMiat
could
have
been
more
race to
them
;
vote themselves to the ser\'ice of the true God and not only was thereby a distinguished honor confeiTed upon them,
against
the
apostate
after
Israelites.
The
future
pr.v
it
Participle
'p'Viz,
nsn,
;
is
but such institutions furnished them with the means of religious instruction, and examples of holy living. For o'N'^as the
,
vii. 14.
but that
is
oppress,
etc.,
clear
prophets, see
Nazai'ites,
fioi/,
on
,
IIos.
xii.
11.
C^*iT3,
ayicur-
from the
r;;:3j,
LXX.
"1T3
rf/iaafifvos,
th
Ps.
and
from
apart,
abstain,
were a
class of persons
well as from the connection in which it Comp. j;iy, and the Syr. here occurs.
.
among the Hebrews who orcUnarily bound themselves by a volmitary vow to abstain cither for a time, or for the
P'^V
angxtstiatus est.
nV
:
.
angtis-
whole
in-
tia,
pressura.
Comp.
also
the Arab.
v
< |
period of
life,
all
toxicating liquors, and everything made of the produce of the vine ; and not to
hom-
shave their head nor touch any dead Sometimes persons were, before body. their birth, devoted by their parents to as in the cases of this abstinence Samson, Samuel, and John the Baptist. For the law of the Nazaritc, see Xum. vi.
;
The object and "Winer's Ilealworterb. of the institute appears to have been, to exhibit to the view of the nation the power of religious principle operating in
the way of self-control, indifference to sensual gratification, and an entire conThe secration to the service of God. importance which was attached to it in a moral point of view, is evident from those who thus exercised themselves in self-denial being classed along with the Respecting the undcniablcprophets. ness of the fact a pointed appeal is made
t the close of the verse.
inem. The verb is used transitively in both instances, according to the ordinary signification of Hiphil. There is more force in speaking of a fully laden cart pressing the ground under it, than its being itself pressed by its contents. t"riT\ is to be taken in the sense of down, as in Job xl. 12. nV is pleonastic. ITie renderings of the LXX. and Vulg. iyu ego stndebo siibter Kv\l(ji) viroKdro) vfiuv vos, though advocated by some, are less appropriate. Newcome translates the ' As latter hemistich thus a loaded corn-wain presseth its sheaves " but
; : ;
the objective case to rtsVlin and not to p"VP. As the object of the verb,
'oy
is
supply V7.^'l~^'?.* 14-lC. Every attempt to resist or escape from the evils that were coiviing upon the nation, would prove utterly
Chap.
III.
AMOS.
137
15 Neither shall the mighty deliver himself; He that handleth the bow shall not stand,
And
Neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver himself. 16 And he that is courageous among the heroes,
Shall flee
away naked
in that day,
Saith Jehovah.
fruitless.
This
sentiment
is
expressed
for the
same
reason, the
words
5 at the
corres-
which
are obviously
ponding
to vi':
t3^r^N
end of
accumulated for the sake of effect. i at the beginning of ver. 14, is not merely
marks the consequence Verse 15th is wanting in or result. some of Kennicott and De Rossi's MSS. and in the Arab. but the omission is jio doubt owing to the homoioteleuton of this and the preceding verse; just as,
conjunctive, but
;
omitted in the Alexandrian copy of the LXX. The preposition a Ci-iiasa, gives to ia^ V"''^^' ^^'^ force of the superlative. Comp. r;7:-aa "liai, the strongest of beasts, Prov. xxx. 30 ; f^i'sa Tt'.~,the most beatdifill of women.
ver. 14 are
Song
i.
8, V. 9, vi. 1
i.
ev\oyr]iJ,4vr)
if yv-
yat^Lv,
Luke
28.
CHAPTER
The
III.
prophet resumes the subject of the Divine goodness towards the Hebrew people, and grounds upon their misimprovement of it, the certainty of their punishment, ver. 1 he then, in a series of pointed and appropriate interrogations, illustrates this certainty, 3-6; which he follows up by a vindication of his commission, 7, 8. Foreign nations are then summoned to witness the execution of judgment upon the kingdom of Israel, which would be signally severe, 9-15.
;
Hear
ye
this
sons
of Israel,
Against
all
Egypt
Saying
1
Instead of Vsn-a"'
':_a,
"sons of Is-
the phrase
is
Vs""'"i""
which reading is supported by the LXX. and Arab, versions. Both forms are employed in the book of Amos, but the former is the less frequent which awakens
;
whole Hebrew people, is evident from the words which follow in apposition, and describe the distinguished favor conferred upon the entire race of Jacob.
nri"i, Eth.
I^_^f|^
fo
spread out
the suspicion that the latter has been introduced here by way of correction. That
a tribe, or clan ; but here obviously used in a national sense, as in Jcr. viii. 3, xxv.
9
;
Micah
ii.
3.
18
; ;
1S8
2
A JI
Chap. IIL
Only you have I known of all the families of the earth, Therefore I will jninLsh you for all your iniquities. 3 Will two walk to^fether Except they be aj^reed
?
When
yi^,
"Will the;
2.
to ktioto, is
the sense of knowing with the idea of vohtion, or goodwill to acknoicledge, regard, care for, and by implication, to
;
prophet while Clarius, Grotius, Dar.jcus, Marckius, Lowth, Harenberg, and Dahl, are of opinion that God and Israel are
;
and
ii.
jiinixTKo),
The last construction of the passage best agrees with the bearing of the other interrogations. Between
intended.
19.
The
Israelites
knowledged by Jehovah as his people, and as such treated with peculiar favor but in proportion to the distinction which they enjoyed, was the degree of punishment which their ungrateful and rebellious conduct merited.
this and the three following a series of parabolic interrogations are employed, highly calculated to produce conviction in the minds of those to whom they were addressed. They
3.
In
Jehovah and his apostate people there could no longer be any fcllow!^hip and instead of the blessings which accrued to them from such fellowship, they had now nothing to expect but punishment. As they had walked contrary to him, so he would now walk contrary to them. They had broken his covenant, and must take
;
verses,
the consequences.
4.
The
lion
is
quiet
till
he
sees his
it,
and
but so
much
forcible.
the Instead
LXX. Arab, and Vulg, read lyni:, with apparent reference to the sigsignification
thereby inspires it with such terror, that it is deprived of the power of escape. In like manner the young lion, which has been weaned, and is just beginning
to
hunt for
The primary
;
of
"iv"'
Syr.
Vn
/Lc,
is
to
point, point
appoint a time or place hence in Niphal, to meet by appointment to do anything by common consent ; to ba agreed. This last seems to be the accepozit,
brought near, when the smell of it will ro\ise him from his quiet. Poiret, in his Travels in Barbar^-, Strasb. 1789, vol. i. p. 283, states, that the lion has two different modes of hunting his prev. When not verj' hungn,% he contents himself with watching behind a bush for the animal which is the object of his
till it is
tation in
set out
is
to be taken in
this place
for to render, How can two upon a journey, except they meet by appointment ? would express that to be impossible, which is very often true in
approaches, when, by a he attacks it, and seldom misses his aim but if he is famished he does not proceed so quietly, but, impatient and full of rage, he leaves his den, and fills, with his terrific roar, the
attack,
till
it
sudden
leap,
Interpreters are divided in opinion respecting the persons to whom the numfact.
echoing
forest.
Ilis
ber ;:,
two, refers. Munstcr and some others think, that the prophets generally, or Joel
and
Amos
in particular, are
meant
New-
come, Bauer, llosonmiiller, Ackcrmann, and Maurcr, explain it of God and the
with fear and dread; no creature deems itself safe in its retreat all flee, they know not whither, and by this means, fall into his fangs, ^--s, the lion, and not "^"ts, the young lion, Ls the nominative to the verb -rrV. The
living beings
certainty of destruction
is
the point at
Chap. in.
AMOS
it ?
139
into an earth-snare,
there is no gin for it ? Will the snare spring from the ground, When nothing whatever is caught 6 Shall the trumpet be blown in a city, And the people not tremble ?
Shall there be evil in a city,
And
And Jehovah
V Surely the
it ?
Lord Jehovah
inflicteth nothing.
To his servants the prophets. The lion hath roared, who will
iii
not fear ?
escaping as should repent and return to
his service.
the similithere
is
no The sense would essential difference. have been the same had the latter word been omitted, and we had simply read,
Between n3 and
i"J5.'iW
judgment.
purpose, decree
from
-^D^,
;
Arab. ^Xaa/^j
found, lay a
It
to
T'h yv^^
',
on
this acceptation
of the verb that the idea of purpose or decree is based, than upon that of a divan,
or an assembly of persons, sitting
:
and
sudden spring of an elastic snare, or net, which, on the bird's touching it, suddenly rises and uicloses it. Instruments were prepared by the providence of God for the capture of the Israelites, which would there would be certainly do their work no escape.
and regarded
as expressing the
dehberating on couches but see Gesenius As the Divine plan or purpose in n^O. is necessarily secret till it be revealed,
here closes his interrofirst by a reference to the effect produced upon the inhabitants of a city by the sounding of the trumpet,
6.
The prophet
;
gatory appeals
hence the acceptation secret came to be attached to the word. In this verse a high honor is vindicated to the proThe holy men of God phetical office. were, by inspiration, entrusted with a knowledge of the Divine purposes, in so far as it was necessary for them to divulge
as a signal of
war
and then, by
directly
them to the world. r;s? 1, is the frequentative future, indicating what God is accustomed to do, and is best rendered by
our present.
ascribing
the
iixfliction
of temporal ca-
Gen.
8.
xviii. 17.
For
r;:>^
With
what he had
34,
Exod. xxxii. 14
Ezek.
vii. 5.
Arab.
afflic-
^)^
tio.
experimentum,
calamitas
expressed ver. 4. and in keeping with the mode of representation which he had employed chap. i. 2, Amos formally announces the awful character of the
message he had heard from the Lord, and the impossibility of withholding
in his holy
and righteous counsel, yet Jehovah would not proceed to excute it until he had given them full warning, and afforded such of them an opportunity of
The roar of the the communication. lion is loud and terrific, especially in the sohtary forests which form his proper
domain.
See on
ver. 4.
140
AMOS
Proclaim ye
in the palaces of
Chap.
111.
Ashdod,
And And
of Egypt,
say
Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria, And behold the great commotions within her,
And
That amass rapine and spoil in their palaces. Therefore thus saith he Lord Jehovah
:
pub-
those are addressed -who had intercourse with the places here specified,
lish ye!
and C'p5s are intimately connected, and are both to be referred to the rich and
powerful inhabitants of Samaria, appears evident from what Ls stated in the fol-
and had thus an opportunity of conveying the message. Comp. 6 blkovcov elttaTW Rev. xxii. 17. For Ashdod, "Epxov see on chap. i. 8. It is here used synecdochically for the whole of Philistia.
!
lowing
erly the
is
verse.
The
latter
term
is
prop-
Pahul
Ecclcs. iv.
LXX.
have read
at-
dwelling
which Seeker
tempts to justify
Forri':j-ii<
Vy nyi'^
comp.
X.
27.
KTJpv^are
iiri
twi/ Bafinrui',
Matt.
was, and is still, customarj' in the East to assemble on the To the princes flat roofs of the houses. and courtiers thus assembled on their palaces, as well as to all within hearing, the in\-itation was to be conveyed. There is something exceedingly forcible in these heathen rulers, etc. being called to witness the enormities that were practised in Samaria. If their judgment, pagans as they were, could not but be unfavorable, what must be the judgment of the holy and righteous God ? "What the punishment which he must inflict ? Nothing can be more graphic than the description of the position which these They were foreigners were to occupy. to assemble '^c'-s ""^n Vs, upon the
It
magnates of Samaria had no regard for the practice of what was just and right,
but the contrary.
riRrj, rectitude, that
which
is
is
straight, in opposition to
what
14.
Comp
xx^-i.
10,
xxx.
10,
lix.
TWI Disn, violence and desolatioti, mean, by a metonymy of the cause for the effect, what has been obtained by violating the rights and desolating the property of Such spoils they accunudated others.
their palaces, but they should not enjoy them. On the contrary, as the prophet shows in the following verses,
in
they should be plundered and carried away by the enemy. Dathe well expresses the meaning of the verse " Recte
:
mountains of Samaria,
"ji-tt'i,
Samaria,
the metropolis of the kingdom of Israel, was built on a round liill, near the middle of a large valley, surrounded by moiuitains
nequaquam
vi
-i:i,the
LXX., who
are followed
on every
side,
by which
it
was com-
pletely overlooked.
what
city.
by Aq. and the Arab., preposterously render Ti'poj, Tyre; one of De Rossi's MSS. reads ns and one of Kcnnicott's, "is The Syr. Chald. tribulation, which
>
.
Chap.
III.
AMOS.
141
There
And And
As
So
shall be an enemy, and that around the land he shall bring down thy strength from thee, thy palaces shall be plundered.
:
mouth of the
lion
Two
Who
And
in
has been adopted in many modem .versions. Thus Uathe, Hesselberg, Dahl,
Justi,
xxxi. 4 yet if he has almost devoured leaving nothing but what is here spec;
and
Ilitzig.
But
Calvin,
New-
ified,
no
difficulty
come, Michaelis, Struensee, Bauer, Rosenmiiller, Yatcr, and Noyes, translate enem'j, which better suits the connection, as it supplies a proper nominative to the verb 1^-1 in, immediately following. Com.
as to derivation, the Arab. ^.,0, nocuit,
fecting a rescue.
comp. i^^va^v fK (rT6/j.aTos \iovTos, 2 Tim. iv. 17 1 Sam. xvii. Zi, 35. V"ta
;
Via,
to separate.
There
noxa
affecif, Icesit.
y-itjr:
are abrupt
more
point.
l
At
in
a species of goat in the East, the ears of which are often a foot in length, and broad in proportion; so that more importance would be attached to them by the shepherd, than would be the case
supply nsn,
sa"'
or the like,
with us in the West. TTie concluding words of the verse have greatly perplexed
is
altogether un-
sustained by any example of a similar case in verbs whose second and third radicals are the same,
place,
Damascus, which from the name of the called damask, and render is 'iw^y p'i'^^a, in damask couches. What
""n!*"
a"aa
is
equiv-
alent to
"nsn Vaa,
2 Kings xvii. 5.
where the invasion by Shalmaneser is described, i'j, strength, denotes whatever Samaria confided in, or made her
boast of, such
as her treasures,
etc.
fortifi-
has been supposed to confirm this explanation of the term is the occurrence of the same word in Arabic, only with the letters, or similar letters transposed, as
ijaJjOi^
all
(jjgJwt>
(juL04>,
etc.,
cations, warriors,
All was to be
brought dowai into the valley, and what was capable of being removed, carried away by the enemy i, e. Shalmaneser, the king of Assyria. just retribution for the spoHations which her inhabitants had committed. 12. very appropriate image is here boiTOwed from a scene in pastoral life, such as the prophet himself may have witnessed. Nothing but a mere remnant of the Israelites should with difficulty escape from the enemy. Although a lion may not be induced to quit his prey, if he is hungry and has but just seized it,
:
Gesenius has a iong article on the word in his Thesaurus, p. 346 but fails in establishing the point of identity. Instead of p^wi with Shin,
;
signifying silk.
read,
upwards of twenty of De Rossi's IklSS. or have read, pws-i with Sin ; which reading is also that of eighteen printed editions, and is the proper orthography of the name of Damascus. "What appears to have originated the above view of the word was the idea, that as the wealthy and voluptuous inhabitants of Samaria are supposed to be intended, there was a special propriety in advcrti;ig
to the sumptuousness of the couches or
1['2
AMOS.
Hear
ye,
CUAP.
III.
13
and
house of Jacob,
of hosts,
God
when
of Israel,
Bethel
altar shall
be cut down,
And
they shall
fall
to the ground.
shall perish.
'nVs
'.
on wliich they reclined. But this totally alien from the bearing of the ijjssagc, wliich requires something to corresixjucl to what had been expressed in the comparison of the fragments left by the Hon. Besides, r;N3 signifies the
idea
is
^li^2::!-l
LXX.
corner, and :iot the regarded as the scat of honor, so that the observations of Ilarmer, chap. vi. Obs xxx., are totally uiapplicable, even if there were much point in them. The words are elliptical, and the parallelism, expressed in full, would stand thus
outer or extreme
is
inner, -which
an ac&(hs 6 HavTOKparwp cumulation of Divine appellatives for the purjjose of striking awe into the mmds of the guilty. 14. Signal vengeance was to be taken upon the place whence all the evils which spread through the ten tribes originated.
Kuptos
6
For Bethel,
see
on
IIos. iv.
15.
From
emphatic, while
it
also occurs,
may
be inferred that at Bethel, besides the gixat altar erected by Jeroboam, there was a numb of lesser ones at which
sacrifices
were
offered.
Comp. Hos.
viii.
11, X. 5.
The
r-3-ij;, /joj-s,
were four
The
infirm poor,
persons referred to are the sick and who had nothing left but the
They
and
whom
the
may
those
king of AssjTia would not think it worth his while to be at the trouble of removing. All the rest, the robust and active, the opidcnt and powerful, should be carried into captivity. For the fulfilment see 2 Kings xvii. 5, 6, xviii. 9-12. The reason why Damascus is mentioned along with Samaria, is, that, at the time of the Assyrian invasion, that city was in the power of the Israelites, having been conquered by Jeroboam II. See 2 Kings xiv. 28. On the conquest, no doubt
dug up by Bdzoni in Egypt. As they Avere ornamental, the action here described was designed to express the contempt ill which the altar would be held by the Assyrians. 15. Eastern monarchs and princes, as well as others of the great, have summer Tlie latter as well as winter residences.
are in cities and sheltered situations the fonncr in forests, or upon mountains. yd, properly tooth, but used specially of ivory. LXX. the tusk of the elephant By ivoiy houses arc oIkoi i\i<pa.vTivoi. not meant houses or palaces composed of that material, but richly ornamented with it. The ancients used it for decorating the ceilings, panels, doors, etc., of their rooms, by inlaying it with See 1 Kings xxii. other costly articles. 39 Ps. xlv. 9. Odvs. iv. 73. Diod. Sic.
;
;
many
13.
there to reside.
dressed,
listia
The same persons are here adwho were summoned from Phi-
to witness the enonniSamaria, ver. 9. They were now to testify to the facts of the case, that the ]iimishmcnt to be inflicted upon the inhabitants might be seen to
ties practised in
and Egj'pt
t'',~>
"'^
Pausan. i. i2. 4. Od. ii. IS. 1. 47. All these sumptuous palaces in wliich
iii.
means
the leaders of
and
Chap. IV.
AMOS,
come
to an end,
143
And
Saith Jehovah.
indulged in all manner of profaneness, were to be completely destroyed. t]'Oi
to
more agreeable to the connection than that of " many houses," though this is
is
come
to
an
end, cease.
The
render-
CHAPTER
IV.
This chapter contains a continuation of the denunciation pronounced against the Israelites, at the close of the preceding, 1-3; an ironical call to them to persevere in their willworship, which was the primary cause of their calamities, 4, 5 an enumeration of the different judgments with which they had been visited, but which had effected no reformation, 6-11 and a summons to them to prepare for the last and most awful judgment, which the omnipotent Jehovah was about to inflict upon them, 12, 13.
; ;
this word, ye kine of Bashan That are in the mountain of Samaria That opi^ress the poor that crush the needy That say to their master, Bring now, that we may drink.
!
Hear ye
1.
T^"a,
for the
richness of the pasturage, and its excellent breed both of large and small cattle. Deut. xxxii. 14 Ps. xxii. 12 ; Ezek.
;
xxxix. 18. It lay on the east of the Jordan, between Hermon and the mountains of Gilead, and extended eastward as far as the cities of Salchah and Edrei, which
it
Harenberg, Dathe, Rosenmiiller, and Maurer, maintain that the prophet has the princes and rulers in view, whom he describes in this debasing language, in order to set forth the efl'eminacy, wantonness,
At
first
included.
Some
by
of Ba-
appear to recommend itselt for adoption ; but I am induced to give my adhesion to the latter, chiefly on the ground, that
it is
shan, the proud and luxurious females of Samaria are intended and that they are
;
introduced on account of the corrupting influence which, through their husbands, they exerted on the state of public affairs. Of these may be mentioned, most of the Babbins, Theodoret, Liveley, Grotius, Michaelis, Vater, Dahl, Justi, Cesenius and Winer. Others, as the Targ. Jerome, Mimster, Calvin, Vatablus, Clarius, Drusius, Danseus, Mercer, Marckius,
count for the repeated intermixture of masctiline forms with the feminine. Thus
we
have
?yi2J,
Cn^sis, ns-^r;,
Cr."^.?
Now, though
is
it
Ruth
i.,
yet none of
them
bear
comparison
with the
that
fig-
present
case.
On
real,
the piinciple,
144
2
AMOS,
The Lord Jehovah hath sworn by
his holiness:
Chap. IV.
Behold, the d'ays are coming upon you, When ye shall be taken away with hooks,
3
And And
your j^osterity with fish-hooks. ye shall go out through the breaches, Each one right before her Ye shall even be thrown out of the palace, Saith Jehovah.
it
is
easy
to perceive how the genders would be used just as the one or the other were
Some
and propose that should retain the primary acceptation of thorns, which they thmk is more in keeping with the idea of cows. They " Ye accordingly render the passage
;
we
such practice
it
destroys
mode
those
niss-i, one of the very sound of which strongly expresses the character of the action which they are intended to describe. It signifies to break, crush, dash in pieces. Comp. the
of representation.
onomatopoetic
verbs,
Arab.
ijO\,
conduit, fregit.
"jiiN
is
in
sin-
thorny districts, and among the gloomy thorn bushes." There is, however, no necessity for supposing that the prophet had the alleged idea in his mind when he dehvered the words, and as ^fishing and but the contrary hooks are elsewhere employed figuratively in reference to human beings, there can be no real ground for rejecting such tropical application of the disputed terms See 2 Chron. xxxiii. 1 1 in this place. Jer. xvi. 16 Ezek. xxrx. Is. xxxxii. 29 4. riTJ?. mBS each one right before her,
shall be driven into
; ;
whom
for
his courtiers
and oth-
compotations, wine, reckless of the oppression and rapine by Comp. which it might be procured.
in
their
indulging
importune
fresh
supplies of
means, in a captive state, not being permitted by the enemy to turn to the right or the left. nsP^Vr'n ^^ pointed r:iP3.V'rn in De Rossi's Spanish MS.
marked
Hos.
vii. 5.
suffixed in
ns^an,
is
the
23, which punctuation lias been adopted in Hahn's small printed edition. Comp. ^'in, Dan. viii. 11. It is sup-
directive, or optative.
2, 3.
"^3 is
pleonastic.
It is surprising
of
Ps.
I'liiTj:,
his saiictuary,
so natural
when
that of his
holiness
is
Ixxxix. 36, appeals to all that is involved in the infinite excellence of his moral character
for the certainty of his punishing sin.
LXX. Sjt. Symm. Vulg. of which versions exhibit the passive, n at the end of the verb is that of the fuller form of the pronoun n:PS, the fragment of which is used as a suffix. It occurs but seldom in the preterite. Of nsiw-inn almost everj' possiported by the
and Arab,
all
LXX.
opos rh
in
many
The Nominative
;
to
sr:
is
the enemy,
"Apfiava.
Syr.
"'"I'ta,
tmdcrstood biit as the verb is put in the impersonal form, it is best rendered
passively.
^^p
I'Q-^j Chald.
oj" Armenia.
"S'ttnn
the mountains
Diklcrlcin
Yulg. Armo7i.
20ot
LXX.
6pos.
object to the adoption, in this place, of hnohs and fish hoo/is, as the signification
Jt
J>AS'E.pfir]vlay,
M-
'Apfiava
oft;"- and
rjiin
Symm.
/
Chap. IV.
AMOS\.
j-
every morning,
Your
Proclaim the voluntary offerings publish them abroad For ye love to have it so, O ye sons of Israel, Saith Jehovah, And though I have given you cleanness of teeth in all your 6
:
cities,
Tlieod.
tpos.
inpTjXhv
on
15.
The
opinion of Abenezra,
chaelis, Str;jensee, Dathe, Bauer, De Wette, Armenia. Justi and Hezel, Harem. Volborth, Net. Hitzig takes it to be a corruption of nriK-iTir., Iladadrimmon, which he explains of a place near Samaria where Adonis was worshipped. Newcome cuts the knot and renders " M'ill utterly destroy it." The only sat-
approved by RosenmiiUer and Maurer, we are to understand every third day, seems forced and imnatural. That the words by themselves
might have
:
this
meaning
is
un-
questionable
tithes
being
solution of the difficulty presented by this oTTol Key. is that of Kimchi, which is approved by Gesenius,
isfactorj'
brought every third day is inadmissible, even into a passage so strongly ironical as the present. I cannot doubt that the proj^het has in view the enactment recorded Deut. xiv. 29, xxvi. 12. ts-'W,
a palace, or citadel.
Comp. the
a pyra-
Arab.
mid.
j^yS^.
Changes in
lofty edifice,
letters of the
mean, here, as Lev. xxv. 29 Judges xvii. 10, the fullest complement of days, i. e. a year, ntjji is most probably the infinitive, used for the second plural
days,
;
^is, -i"in not the feminine termination, but simply paragogic, as in ns-is, Job xxxiv. 13, xxxvii. 12 Is.
^-n;
etc.
V'-n
~^^^>
~~5
is
of the imperative or it may be the second singular of the same. There is no necessity for attaching to y?sn the
;
The n
at the
end
viii.
meaning of violence, though Gesenius would justify it, on the ground of y^h being used, Ps. Ixxi. 4, to designate an oppressor and because the rendering of
;
The noun
solute,
and the construction will be " cast i. e. from it, over its walls, or the like. The place in which the princes had rioted, and in the strength of which they confided, should afford them no safety.
down
as to the palace,"
the Chald. in this place is Ds/is, rapine or oppression. It is not impossible that the translator mistook y^n for fCn,
which has
Lev.
vii.
of reference
cakes, the
The point doubtless the ordinance. 13, that, besides the unleavened
this signification.
is
4, 5.
The language
of these verses
is
that of the keenest irony. The Israelites were addicted to the worship of the f-"^14en calf, and to that of idols, whereby
tiiej'
contracted guilt
before
Jehovah,
and exposed themselves to his judgat the same time they hypoments critically professed to keep up the obcerv'aiice of certain feasts which had been appointed by Moses. For Gilgal, 19
;
Hebrews were to offer " leavened bread " with the sacrifice of thanksgiving. "\\Tiat the Israelites, therefore, are supposed to be in the habit of doing was, so far as the material of the thing was concerned, not contrary to the law, but in strict accordance with its requirement. For CP2-S -,3, comp. flsriij ^'izz
12, Jer.
6.
V.
3L
this verse to the 11th inclu-
From
sive,
Jehovah
describes
the
different
;:
146
.AMOS.
Chap. IV.
And want
of bread in all your places, Yet ye have not returned unto me,
Saith Jehovah.
7
And thougli I have withholden the rain. Three months before the harvest And have caused it to rain upon one city, But upon another city I have not caused it to rain One portion was rained upon, And the portion upon which it rained not, Avithered And two or three cities wandered to one city, To drink water, but have not been satisfied, Yet ye returned not to me,
Saith Jehovah.
I have smitten you with mildew and much blight Your gardens, your vineyards, and your figs, and your The locusts hath devoured Yet ye have not returned unto me,
olives,
Saith Jehovah.
10
I
I have sent among yau the plague, such as that of Egypt have slain your young men with the sword,
ingly partial and insufficient. n"i37:n, the reading n'USN
Instead of
is
measures which he had employed for the purpose of effecting a change in the Israelites, and at the close of each mentioned in the series, the obstinate impenitence, under the influence of which they persisted in their wicked
corrective
courses,
is
found in
supported by the renderings of the LXX. Arab, and Vulg. The textual reading must be taken impersonally. C^n", cities, stands for their
is
inhabitants.
declaration,
nin^ DX3
''Z'J
Di^.Ti'"^'^"?
Comp. for a lengthened and graphic description of the judgment here specified, Jer. xiv. 1-6.
9.
vah. Such repetition gives great force C"rj ivps. cleanto the reprehension.
ness of teeth,
are
and Dti's "iDn, lack of bread, synonymous both expressing the famine with which the nation has been
;
wind (--i^r,
ta scorch
,
scorch-
from iinr,
Arab.
Chald.
niger,
'
to
burn;
vJLww!,
,
visited,
phrases, "jnV'xV, to
vice.
my
tcorship, or ser-
LXX.
]ipn;i,
irvpuxTis.
Arab. Vcr.
...
f^
the Simoom,)
and the
mildeic, or smut.
^^>o-
7, 8. The famine Avas followed by the judgment of drought, which at once produced sterility, and cut off the necessary supply of drink for man and beast. The rain that liad been Avithheld, was the ti'ipVia, vernal, or latter rain, which falls in the latter half of February, the whole of March and April, and thus precedes
Arab.
^Li'o,
ria^n.
iniproj)
rlj
the
Joel
name
i.
given
4.
to
the
locust.
See
on
AVhatever rain
fell
10.
fui!. ti-n.
: !
Chap. IV.
AMO S.
147
Together with your captive horses I have made the stench of your camps to come up into your nostrils Yet ye have not returned unto me, Saith Jehovah, 11 I have overthrown some among you, As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah And ye have been as a brand snatched from the burning Yet ye have not returned unto me, Saith Jehovah.
And
12
Israel!
Forasmuch
immemorial been endemic in Egj'pt, and might so far be described as a'JI^'a '^.n the icay of Effijpt ; yet comparing Is. x. 26, in which the same phrase is used as
,
remark on ns,
as sometimes the sign of the genitive case, is likewise totally inapplicable, as in the present case it can
only
mark
the
accusative.
To what
is
here,
it
physical
phenomena
reference
here
were treated^ or as God punished them with the plague. See Exod. ix. 3, etc. C-.'0!iD '3"j, lit. the captivity of your
horses
:
i.
e.
by the enemy.
t;N2 the
of
LXX.
made, it is impossible to determine, owing to the absence of all hLstorical data. Some think the earthquake, mentioned chap. i. 2, is intended but this is altogether out of the question, since the prophecy was deUvered two
specifically
From
the allu-
De
Rossi's
;
originally
The i in QSSsai, Houbiand some others would cancel, on the ground of its harshness, and its not having been expressed by the LXX. Arab. Syr. and Vulg. It is translated in the Targ., and is to be retained, as an intensive particle, adding force to the preceding verb. Comp. the somewhat similar use of the Greek
Aq.
aoLTTpiav.
gant, Dahl,
Kat.
11. 3 in C53 is used partitively inter, among, or the like indicating that the subverting was not total. ri35n3
: ;
has been deemed probable that some of the cities of the Israelites had been burnt, either by Hghtning from heaven, or by the army of the king of Sp-ia. At all events, that the language is not to be understood figuratively is evident irom the close connection of the verse with those preceding, each of which describes a separate physical calamity, and closes, as this one does, with a reprehension of the impenitence by which the nation continued to be characterized. rSiieM Vsw niN, a brand snatched from
the imrning, is proverbial, and expresses the narrow escape from utter extinction Comp. which had been experienced. Zech. iii. 2 ; and 1 Cor. ii. lo uvtSs
:
C^nVs,
er'^''
like
but construed as Comp. Deut. xxix. 22 Is. a., nifinite. Jude 7. Jer. 1. 40 2 Pet. ii. 6 xiii. 19 C"n75N, which stands for the affix of the
;
; ; ;
Hiphil
Se &ai^areTai, outws 5e
ois
Sia
wpos-
12. AU the means that had been employed to reform the Israelites having proved ineffectual, they are here summoned to prepare for the final judgment, which was to put an end to their na-
"
His
tional existence.
To
this
judgment
re-
; :
148
13 For, behold
!
AMOS
it is
Chap. V.
He
And And
created
tlie
wind;
man Nvhat is his thought morning darkness, And walketh upon the heights of the earth Jehovah, God of hosts, is his name.
declareth to
tlie
That maketh
fcrence
is
emphatically
made
in
the
is
terms
riSi tMis,
and
ritJT. this.
There
That by
is
"jisn
intended
as
involve genuine
and universal
repentance,
by which the threatened might have been averted, eamiot be admitted in consistency with the bearing both of the preceding and
judgment
hances the beauty of the passage but it cannot be successfully imitated in a translation. Some have doubted whether docs not here signify spirit, rather C^!)-! than %cind ; but it seems more natural to take the term in the latter acceptation, on account of the close coherence of this clause of the verse with that immediately The rendering of the LXX. preceding. ikirayyiKKoiV ei$ itv^pwrrovs rhv xpi(rT6v
;
The removal of the following context. the Israelites, as a nation, is denounced It is rather as certain, and inevitable.
to be xmderstood
thee, Jer. xlvi.
avTOv, anruruncing to
men
his anointed,
as
-^V
l^ri, prepare
is
14,
God
now com-
ing against you as the avenger of your Consider how you shall wickedness. Comp. meet, or endure the infliction. Ezek. xxii. 14; Heb. x. 31. Individuals might by repentance obtain the forgiveness of their personal transgressions, and thus have their minds brought into a state in Avhich they would enjoy support and comfort in the midst of nabut this was all that tional calamity
;
upon the version, thinks Cjtus is intended, and not Christ, as we may otherwise imagine the fathers would expound it. By in'v is not meant God's thought, or his purposes, as some have taken it, but the thoughts or meditations of man, of which alone the verb n""!) and its
derivatives,
when
used.
:
applied to intelligent
n'>" is
could
to the preced13. ing call, one of the most sublime and magnificent descriptions of Jehovah, to be met with in Scripture, is here introduced. Tlie participial form of the five verbs employed by the prophet greatly en-
followed by a double accusative that of the material out of which the thing is made, and that of the matter into which it is converted. It must, however, be observed, that upwards of twenty of Kennicott's MSS. read, or have read, riE'Si, which is the reading of the LXX. and Arab. According to this construction, the passage must ' He that maketh be translated thus the aiuora and the darkness."
beings,
is
:
CHAPTER
Aptkr
kingdom, which
V.
the Rivinfj utterance to a brief elegy over the prostrate and lielpless condition of liad just been predicted, 1-3, the prophet introduces Jehovah still adsujiorstitioua dressing himself to the inhabitants; calling upon them to relinquish their
and idolatrous practices, and return to his service, 4-9. He then adverts the jiicture of wickedness which the nation exhibited, 10-13; repeats the cull to cultivate habits of piety and righteousness, 14, 15; describes, in plaintive strains, the destruction that was comiug
Chap. V.
AMOS.
149
upon the land, 16-20; exposes the inutility of ceremonial rites when substituted for moral rectitude, or combined witli unauthorized worship, 21-26; and expressly threatens the Israelites
27.
Hear ye
A
2
The
She
virgin of Israel
shall rise
is fallen
;
no more
own
land,
There is none to raise her up, 3 For thus saith the Lord Jehovah, The city that went out by a thousand, Shall have an hundred left And she that went out by an hundred, Shall have ten left
To
1.
ni'p
prince.
See on
in
12.
The
consisted of plamtive
forth
by mourning
by per-
sons hired for the purpose, at funerals; and was distinguished for the tender,
pathetic, broken
of the subject which they were designed to embody. Of this mode of composition the Hebrew prophets frequently avail themselves, especially Jeremiah, who,
besides introducing
elegies,
it
13, and Lam. ii. 13, which Rosenmiiller adduces against this interpretation of the term, are not in point, since both refer to the character which Jerusalem sustained previous to the deplorable condition to which she had been reduced by the violence of the enemy. It cannot, therefore, be regarded as merely synonymous Avith ra, daughter, as idiomatically ap-
phed
or state.
This
brief,
whole book of
See
to
and helpwhich the Assyrians were reduce the kingdom of the ten tribes.
or
lamentations.
Lowth, Lect.
Fqr the introduction of the present subject, comp. nJ^p Nto Vs or V, Ezek. xix. 1, xxvii. 2. xxxii^ 2, and the common oracular forms sza
xxii.
state of the counhere affectingly depicted, n'y, the city, stands by metonymy for its in3.
The depopulated
try
is
habitants.
ITie
LXX.
i]
irdKis
if, i\s
|e-
srw,
Vrta, etc.
Some
are of opinion
iropevovTo x'^""' ^^^ ^^ ^^^ Other ancient versions. J-SS-'V, that went out,
is
that the elegy thus introduced extends to the end of the chapter, but it is far
used
elliptically for
more
or size of a city
to the
nish.
verse 2. Compare the beautiful lament of David on the death of Jonathan, 2 Sam i. 17-27.
2.
was estimated according number of warriors it could furThus the Scholiast on Iliad Lx.
:
383, 384
ffejJLaiveiv,
ovSe yap
a/JM
iravras
e^Uvai
The Israelitish
state is called
nV?r3,
virgin, because it
aWa
;;
150
4
AMOS.
For thus
saith
Chap.
Israel,
V.
For Gigal
shall surely
go
into captivity,
Bethel shall come to nought. 6 Seek ye Jehovah, and live, Lest he rush down, like fire, upon the house of Joseph;
4. "While the divine judgments are not executed, there is still room for repent-
And
ii'^.'r, ,
to seek, is
the words are from different " Gilgal gallando gallabitur, si hoc posset fingi aliquod tale verbum
though
roots.
est,
Calvin,
wi he.
There
^
is
and
;
the word
is , which
idolatry,
wickedness,
nothing,
etc.
to
his will.
Ps.
xxiv.
Is.
"What
had
originally
been
VK~n'^2
19, Iv. 6.
Comp.
Ileb. xi. 6,
ckCv
had by the
rhv
060//.
r*2
is
similarly used,
in
press
the
would ensue from compliance with the command given by the first.
5.
A strong
and
,
;
dissutvsive
from idolatry,
fall
places
of
false
of the worship,
Beth-aven, a kotise of idolatry, see Hos. 5; should be reduced to ""S, aven nothing. 6. The prophet here repeats, for the sake of effect, the call which he had introduced, ver. 4. n't^; which more commonly has the significations attaching to
iv. 15, X.
>
Beersheba, lit. " the Well of " LXX. tJ> <pp(ap rov opKou It was situated see Gen. xxi. 22-31. about twenty-five geographical miles south of Hebron, on the frontier of the
the Arab.
aptusfuit, V
^JLo,
etc.
^^x
cral
descendit, perrupit.
The gen-
is still
S*'"its
downward, seems
conveyed by
it,
es-seha'.
Wady
of the
same name, but found nothing bearing the maaks of high antiquity, except two wells, one of which he ascertained to be
and a half in (^epth to the surface of the water, and the other forty-two feet. As it lay in the extreme south of Palestine, the verb lav' io pass
forty-four feet
,
ded notion of violence or force. Thus n5i v^y riV::Pi,is not improperly rendered in our common version, " And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him." Dahl prefers the rendering perdidit, which he derives
n'n"'
.JLoj
exitiale
vialum ;
most appropriate. From this verse, and from chap. viii. 14, it appears to have bgen a place of idolatrous resort, but wherein the idolatry In VaVin consisted we are not told.
over or throwjh,
is
a^vJLojO P^^,
nVi"'
n'?J
is
a forcible
paronomasia.
pared. Jehovah is often compared to See Is. x. 17; Lam. ii. 3. rs, fre. being of common gender, is the nominative to nVrs, so that the object of
Chap. V.
AMOS
quench
it.
ICl
And it devour, and there be none in Bethel to Ye who turn justice into wormwood, And cast righteousness to the ground, Seek Him that made the Pleiades and Orion
;
That turned deathshade into morning That maketh day dark as night That calleth the waters of the sea, And poureth them forth upon the earth Jehovah is his name.
comparison takes the place of nnn'^ who the subject, and the proper nominative.
.
is
vjai^ n^3 the house of Joseph, is a less frequent designation of the ten tribes, the principal of which was that of EphIt occurs raim, the son of Joseph. several times in the historical books, but
,
method of removing the supposed dlfiiculty, by striking out the verse, and inserting it at the bcginnmg of verse 10. Of course, the whole will then read very
smoothly
;
Did Amos
Arab.
but the question still remains, so connect the words ? ri2 ?.^
the
only twice besides in the prophets, viz. Obad. 18 Zech. x. 6. The name qs->, Joseph, by itself, is similarly employed, Amos V. \o, vi. 6. Comp. Ezek. xxxvii. Bethel, the LXX. For Vs n'3 16.
; ,
Hebrew
to
it
on
and
injurious quality.
De
Rossi's
Fi'srae/,
MSS.
adopted hj Newcome. One of Kennicott's MSS. has Vs"]":^-; Israel, which Houbigant, Dathe, and Bauer, approve.
Jerome, llosenmiiller, L'ahl, Justi, Struensee, and others, retain the received reading, which is supported by the Targ., Syr., and Vulg. Some would connect
but there read 6 iroiiev tls vipos Kpifxa can be little doubt that the original readuig was &.i\iivStos. The meaning is, that the persons spoken of so perverted their judicial proceedings, as to render them both obnoxious and injurious to those
whom
see
Vs rT"3 with ri2^'>3, and render, " " there shall be none to quench Bethel constructed never is verb r;33 but the with h, which marks here the Dative of
;
they affected. For V"?N^ !"!.'?" on Is. xxviii. 2. 8. Another sublime description of the Most High, almost verbally identical The with that furnished Job ix. 9.
to T,\r,1
,
Jehovah, ver.
inserts " that
6,
as
their
antccedept.
Newcome, following
possession.
The
:j{ n'^a's
V'*"'*
IsraeV put their" trust'in the idols which they worshipped at Bethel, but none of
the Targ. and Syr., have forsaken " at the commencement of the verse, but these authorities are not sufficient to warrant the addition, which, indeed, the text does not require. The article, used as a relative in t^-i-ifTi and ^-Vairr. is omitted before r.'sy and TiSn, because they are in
,
construction.
Two
stellations as selected
bodies
Such changes of person third person. as that presented in^n'sn ,are too frequent to occasion any difficulty nor is it always necessary to express them in a
;
and Job
The
,
deriva,
tion from a supposititious root n'ir cognate with >-5n. ti^cr , r?:n to be warm,
hot,
translation.
Ewald
takes an effectual
adopted
by
Castellus,
Schultens,
152
9
AMOS.
clestructloa suddenly
Chap. V.
That brlngoth
And
to be rejected
Arab.
hence,
**5C
JJjO
death, one of the very few Hebrew compounds. See on Is, ix, 1, *s is to be supplied before r,h^\, as, indeed, it is in
Conj. II,
cumulum
;
fecit
5^
fourteen
cumulus
f^jS\
with which
may
to
be compared
socitis,
according
which the
name
name
Arabs
tude,
evasit,
expresses
what
is
brought or bound
the Soncin. editions in both of Bom1518 in the margin, and in the appendix to Munster's, 1536. In
berg,
The
TiViTin, there
is
To
struction would be, nV'V^ C-ii Ti-t-iTiTS. The passage quoted from Pindar, by
reddidit.
same reason
tions
was
called
Clemens Alexandrinus,
parallel
:
is
beautifully
one of the derivaEustathius on Homer, Iliad, xviii. 44rG A( Se irAetaSes fjToi anh tv/s yuTjTpbs auTwv Tl\r]i6yT]s t) '6ti ir\fious hfxov Kara fj.iau (Tvvayoi-fqv fieri, k. t. A.. And most of the ancients express the same
riAeiaSej, according to
&f^
5e
SwaThu
vi(pii.
^k fitXaivas
<j)us'
of
5e (TKOTOV koXvi^m
The
idea
following words are descriptive, not of rain, as Jerome, Theodoret, Kimchi, Drusius, Lively, Marckius, Dahl, and
cording to the Greek mythology, the Pleiades were seven daughters of Atlas, who, being pursued by Orion, were
which may
emphatically be said to be poured over the earth. Thus (irotius, Clarius, Bauer,
changed by Jupiter into doves, and having been transplanted to the heavens, form the assemblage of the Seven Stars in the neck of Taurus. In the passage in the Ihad just rcfeiTcd to, they are jjorti'ayed on the shield of Achilles along with Orion, in the same order as in our prophet
nA.7jiaSas, ^' 'Ta3os t,
vos.
and likewise Lowth, though he admits the possilility of the other view being right. The Alex, reading of the LXX,
6 iTavroKpa.Twp is found in the Arab., in a Copt. MS., and in the Slavon. Bible, has the support of three ^ISS., yet it is more likely an addition 6 iiehs
from chap.
9.
r6 re
a!^fi/os
'Cplu-
iv. 13, than otherwise. After the prophet had apparently completed his magnificent description of the Divine character, with the words
aV^^ a.
the
the Seven,
and
additional view of
tell
it,
in order to
make
it
more
practically
on the
'nituit,
feais of those
|V~in
A..
|2-3 0iS,
Seven Stars,
who
'"^-
See Norberg's Liber Adami. For V'CS, see on Both terms have been enIs xiii. 10. tirely mistaken by the I>XX. who render S woiuu iravra kolI ixfTacTKivd^oov, which is
faithfully copied
Arab. ^n^JLj
fulgit aurora,
not only conveys the idea of shining, being bright, cheerful, etc. but also that of suddenness, suggested by the rapidity with which the dawning lircht is diffused
over the horizon.
by the Arab.
jLaJl
The Hebrews
ai)plied
y 11
jft
^\5T
Chap. V.
AMOS.
153
10
And
They hate him that reproveth in the gate, abhor him that speaketh uprightly.
upon the
:
poor,
And
Ye Ye
12
Though ye have
shall
hewn
stone,
pleasant vineyards,
know
And
Taking a bribe.
And
For
an
evil time.
of happiness.
oriri faciens,
21, 22
vastationem.
The
jectives n'^an
and
adbe-
aU
at fault here.
10.
Ewald
predicatives,
fore both,
himself is meant ; but, from the recurrence of NDio, and ny'ia, in connection with
Amos
supplied.
The
by
was probably
oc-
casioned
its havi'.ig
it is
far
more natural
to
interpret the phrase of a magistrate, senalso ver. 12, and In C'sn, which is to be taken adverbially, as Judges ix. 9, is an ellipsis of 2.
Comp.
-2 3 is most beginning of the verse. commonly used in the sense of Xirpov, avriXvTpov, ransom, or ptrice of redemption,
see
on
Is.
xxix. 21.
11-13.
D-";b
is,
'in all
probability,
but the close it so here connection in which the whole phrase stands with the perversion of justice, specified in the last clause of the verse,
others render
De
Rossi's co-
dex 380, reads ;s c ;a i a with Siii. rsris , what is raised, as a tax, tribute, etc. from
K'rs
,
has, 1
which the word unquestionably Sam. xii. 3. Targ. ^".'i"3 V'ca the
,
mammon
a
bribe.
'^
of falsehood.
Syr.
*^q.^
other
"'i.l.a
to raise.
Instead of remitting to
the poor the tax which they were unable to pay, the rulers and proprietors rigidly exacted it, that they might consume it
LXX.
aWayixara.
The
Greek
versions, f^iKaa-fia.
If p^~2
upon their lusts. But in whatever state and luxurj' they might have lived, and whatever preparations they might be making for further indulgences, Jehovah
declares that they should not continue
to
enjoy
them.
speedily remove
jects
could be taken to mean, " shutting tip. or imprisoning the righteous," then "lEs but such usage might mean ransom docs not obtain. The only course left for the pious to pursue in the midst of such atrocious perversion of order and justice, was that of quietly submitting to the hand of God, which they were taught to recognize in the permission of these evils, and patiently to abide the issue of
;
20
154
14
AMOS.
; ;
Chap.
V.
Sock good, and not evil, that ye may live Jehovah, God of hosts, shall be with you, it shall be so According as ye say. 15 Hate evil and love good,
And
And
The
IG
Perhaps Jehovah,
God
of hosts,
may
God
pity
residue of Joseph.
And
They
.
in all
Oh
Oh
;
husbandman
to
mourning
And
who
events.
Any
stem the current, or effect a reformation, or even to plead for private or public rights, Avould only aggravate their calamities. V'S'JWn the intelligent,
cumstance.-:, to
,
contents of verses
7, 10,
14r,
15,
but to verses
and
12.
prudent,
sense, of
is
one
who
acts
upon the
princi-
and
its
vicinity,
Both the
style
intended.
is
The
position in
timents have their parallel in Is. i. 16, 17. Notwithstanding the sad apostasies of the Israelitish people, they still had their profession of the religion of Jehovah to back upon, in case of necessity. fall
found in any other passage. Yet I would with Newcome, cancel it, on the
slender
They
it
boasted that he was with them, but was an empty pretence while their pro-
fession
was
insincere,
being
idols.
combmed
For the
*'^55<,
conditional particle
authority of seven MSS. the Arab, and Syr. It seems rather to have been purposely added, in order to give greater solemnity to the sentence which was to be pronounced, r'inh", broad, or open 2}l(ices, or wide streets in
LXX.
perhaps, in
such comiection, compare Gen. xvi. 2, and d &pa. Acts viii. 22. Comp. also Joel li. 13, where the same idea is expressed by y-i v "^a, tcho knowethf ~|3"ii ri"'-isr, Me remainder of Joseph.
see
which
such as are
n\aTe7a.
common
in the East.
Gr.
1SC,
breast,
Strictly
means a smiting
KonfThs,)
For
this
of the tEC, to
(LXX.
;
from
beat, smite
see
on
Is.
xxxii, 12.
ites still
Numerous as the Israelwere, they might well be called a remainder, in consideration of the
on
ver. 6,
havoc made by Ilazacl, who, when " the Lord began to cut" them "short, smote them in all the coasts of Israel from Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead,
;
Here, however, it is used to denote wailing or mourning in general, ir; ir, Oh ! Oh ! This onomatopoetic I have rendered by the coiTcsix)nchng English interjection, which, when prolonged and
swelled in the pronunciation, as it is by persons giving \ittcrance to excessive
grief,
is
the Gadites, and the Ilcubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by tlie
river
much more
I
appropriate than
9 e o
.
Amon,
Ala3.' Alas
Alas! S)T.
1
;
i-.
gi
^^o
iii
01-
King
X. 32, 33.
Chald.
"'
"^
Vulg.
v<e I vce !
other
Chap. V.
AMOS.
I Avill pass
155
17
111 all
For
18
Saith Jehovah.
day of Jehovah!
?
be darkness and not light. 19 As Avhen one fleeth from a lion, And a bear meeteth him
It shall
Or he
hand on the
wall,
And
20 Shall not the day of Jehovah be darkness and not light Even thick darkness, without any brightness ?
Latin versions, eAew
/
eheul
The
-i^x,
and
some
others
have
thought, on account of the desolation of the fields, but either on account of the loudness of their rustic voices, or because the slaughter of the citizens of Samaria would be so great, that a sufficient number would not be left to per-
such occasions, appears from Jer. ix. 1719, where "ns^ is twice used as here by Amos. The same custom obtained among the Greeks and Romans. Thus Homer speaking of the funeral of Hector,
says
ibv
aoiSovs,
fiei/
firetra
form the funeral rites. Such construction of the meaning is required by the
following parallelism: ''yTi^ Vn
n-:_&>;i
Oi
txkv
&p
idp-r]Viov,
itrX
5e
anvaxovro
no necessity for supposing that the words of this sentence have been transposed, and that they originally nsc^s-Vs ^rt: 'y-vi. The stood thus preposition Vs is understood before nSD:;, and 5Xnp as repeated to govern Vs, which it often does, as well as the ac.
T3
There
is
cusative,
777! 3
,
and the translation of a song of wailing prepared for the occasion, which bears a strong resemblance to those used by the Orientals. Comp.
Wilkinson's Ancient Egj^ptians, second series, vol. ii. pp. 402-407. 17. The vineyards, which usually exhibited scenes of rejoicing, should now be frequented by disconsolate mourners.
Syr.
/n a
to
Utter
lamentable
cries.
The
iai
"
skilled
profession,
casion,
who were hked for the ocand sung doleful times around the corpse of a deceased person, which they preceded when it was carried to
the grave, giving utterance to dismal cries and bowlings, beating their breasts,
throwing ashes on their heads, and showing every artificial token of rxcessive grief. These were the mourners whom Solomon describes as going about the streets, Eccles. xii. 5. That females were especially employed on
For Jehovah's passing through the land, comp. Exod. xii. 12, 23 only in the latter case the punishment Avas miraculously inflicted in the former, by the king of AssvTia, as an instrument in the hand of God. 18-20. These verses intimately cohere with the preceding. The day of Jehovah means the time when his judgments
; ;
should be inflicted. The Israelites could only have given expression sarcastically
; ;
156
AMOS.
;
Chap. V.
211
hate, I loathe your festivals Xeither do I delight in your days of restraint, 22 When ye offer to me liolocaiists and bloodless sacrifices, I will take no pleasure in them Xeither will I regard the thank-offerings of your fatlings.
;
me
day might soon reach them. It was an inipit)us daring of Jehovah to do his worst. Comp. Is. v.
to the \vi:^h that this
The projjhet tells them plainly that it would be to them a day of unmitigated affliction. The fal19
:
Jer.
xvii.
15.
^Ufcy^.
Lunarumque
t.:_:
,
on the
is
illustrated
by two
contrary, signifies to shine, be liyht ; and its derivative r.^i is used of the rising of
iv. IS, and is contrasted with n^Ss, ver. 19. 21-23. The same aversion from the
borrowed from the pastoral life. Bochart regards the language as proverbial, and supports his opinion by two Arabic stories
:
Joais Jua<I
H^jfu*;
and
rebellious Israelites
which Jehovah
u'7^
hipiself,
lion,
jjiu-suing
here expresses, he afterwards employed Isaiah to declare to the Jews, chap. i. The two passages are strikingly 10-15. only the latter prophet ampliparallel
;
a man, he took refuge in a tree, in the branches of which a bear having fixed
was
iJuckijig
its
fruit,"
etc.
and the
other,
yx
JL^r
what is set forth in a more condensed form by Amos. It is also to be observed, that where Amos introduces the musical accompaniments of the sacrifices, Isaiah
fies
i.jyJO
both concluding
with the divine words, "'s;"N==i'::rs nV The verbs TSJa i:T2r, / ^cill not hear.
"
Hcd from a lion, and fell into a well, into which_ the lion went down And there was a bear in the after him.
well," 810, 811.
etc.
A man
"PCSt: follow each other immediately, for the sake of more emphatically expressing the Divine abhorrence. Com. N'n rsrsin
'V
lit.
Ilierozo. lib.
iii.
and "ch:: "SIs in Isaiah, ir-is nV, / icill not smell ; but meaning here,
take no deliyht in.
rS-'^;S.y res-
Kimchi
thus,
icill
meaning
shall
(jO
nn::
Vs nnstt
Ye
Comp. Job XX. 24 Is. xxiv. 18. The adjective Ves is explained by the following words. It occurs only in this place but the substantives rVss Vs s dense obscurity, are used in several passages of Job, n"V"ES, the Psalms, and the prophets. however, in the sense of concealed, occurs
,
days of restraint, or asSee on semblies collected on such days. Is. i. 13. cV.>?> used here collectively
traints, periods,
"''^'l'?.
"'r.H
'
-^i*'
remove from upon me; conveying the idea of a burden which vexes and annoys
the bearer.
Isaiah expresses
it
in full
Exod.
ix.
32.
occidit sol,
scss.
etc.
Thus
in Hariri,
is
JLi|, Con-
U-j|
employed
rr^bV "Vy rn, "They are a burden upon me." Comp. further for the force of the compound prejiosition, Exod. x. Tlic music here referred to was 28. that performed at the Hebrew festivals by the Lcvitcs, before and during the
Thap. V.
AMOS,
roll
157
24 Let justice
on
like water,
And
and on other
is
public occasions.
24.
2.5-27. These verses have not a little perplexed expositors, both ancient and
While no
direction
given re-
modern. The
is
in
what
specting the regulation of the sacrifices, in order that they might be presented in
an acceptable manner, a
tion
is
special
mjunc-
imparted in regard to justice and rectitude, on the principle that to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams," 1 Sam. xv. 22. " Xec in
victimis, licet optima? sint, auroque praj-
of Greve, Dahl, and Maurer, take the n in n^n2"~ to be the article, and not the particle of interrogation, and render, the sacrifices and offerings ye
said respecting the presentation
sacrifices.
presented
shrine,
to
cribed in the
etc.
me, etc., viz. those preslaw but noio ye hear the According to this mode
:
fulgeant,
recte
Deorum
i.
est
of construction,
course of
mente venerantium."
6.
is
Seneca de
13encnciis,
That
"n"!*,
Arab.
.o,
the present idolatrous the Israelites is contrasted with their former obedience to the In order, however, to Divine will.
justify
this
2)crennis fuit,
e7ininl,
interpretation,
the
article
but a comparison of the several ters passages in which it occurs, goes to show
;
must have been repeated before nn:K, which it is not. The insertion of the compensative Dagesh m the letter Zain
cannot be pleaded in
interrogative
article,
its
favor,
since
that
it is
which the
of the
vaUda, fuit, multus fuit, and is to be rendered great or mighty. It thus better corresponds with VVi , roll, to roll on, used in the former hemistich. LXX. dis
Xei/J-oLppois ik^arots.
Sheva, as
Ezck.
xviii.
Vn'^Jn, Joel
Mt;
k.
.
iv. 4, etc.
Syr.
The
^ ,j^|
all
read inKa\
terrogatively. >
"^
LXX.
ccpdyta
t. A.
/TV
;
>
V
^f
^ualas irpoariufyKaTf
jjloi,
<T...
Syr. V
jLtkS9
Arab,
^jJi
^'^^
f^
t.l&^9
^C>\y}\
JCOO,
a\
Vulg.
Numquid
hostias et sacri-
viLLwwO
2>assed.
Wady
that cannot he
Targ, rC2:r;
The
I
ideas of abundance
differ
and
must
And so almost all the moderns, whom suppose the force of the
'Was
it
some of question
who
" for judgment rolleth (away) as the waters (roll away), and righteousness (disappears) like the mighty torrent." The verse as thus rendered ill suits the context, and is not in keeping with parallel passages in which, after a reprehension of hypocritical observances, the moral qualities of truth and righteousness are required. The construction put tipon it by Theodoret, Kimchi, Munster, Veil, and Hitzig, that the coming of the Divine judgments is intended, is, for the same reasons, to be rejected.
ME,"
etc.
any
sacrifices for
want of
cattle.
however, is contrary to the express declarations found in Exod. Lev. xvii. 1-9. xii. 38, xvii. 3. xxxiv. 3 Num. vii. passim, xx. 4, 19. The life which they led in the desert was that of Nomadcs, so that there could have been
position,
;
Such a
: ;:
AMOS
Diuing forty years
20
in the desert,
Chap. V.
bouse of Israel?
And
no luck of animals
The
is
true construction of the passage is founded on the principle, that not unfrequently in
other
Hebrew
calls
the
interrogation
implies,
and
for
an emphatic aifirmative,
;
monument of antiquity, except the speech of Stephen, as recorded by Luke, Acts vii. 43, which is an almost verbal quotation from the LXX. Theod. renders thus
and is cither expressed or understood thus equivalent to a negative interrogation in our language, and indeed to sV" See 1 Sam. ii. 27, 28 Job in Hebrew. XX. -1 Jer. xxxi. 20 Ezek. xx. 4. In
; ; ;
the present case, as in these just cited, the persons addressed are supjxised to admit the fact couched in the appeal but the question is so put in order the more forcibly to introduce the adversative
sentence which follows in the 26th verse. The connection of the two verses is this
Kal fipaTf TTiv opacTiv tov 0aai\fws vfxitiv, a^avpwciv (idwKcof vfxiiv, &aTpov TOV bfov vfuwu so that he must have read the words as they now stand in the Hebrew text. The same may be said of the Syr., Vulg., and Ttug., though
:
one or two minor particulars. The remark of Jerome on the discrepancies between the Hehrew text and the ancient Greek versions deserves to be quoted
here
:
"
Observandum
est,
apostolos ct
" Did
years,
ye
not
present
sacrifices
and
offerings to
me
apostoHcos viros in ponendis testimoniis de Veteri Testamento, non verba considerare sed sensum, nee
calcare vestigia,
interjjrcters
house of Israel
etc.
n
eadem sermonum
a sententiis
loc.
dummodo
frequently to be rendered
yet, or
Most
and
liii.
yet, but
;
LXX.
in giving
xvii. 21
7.
Judges xvi. 15 Ps. 1. 17 Is. "What is here charged upon the ancient IsraeUtes was their indulging in
;
risD by (TKTivr], a te7it ; deriving it, like nrc, and "^b, of the same signification,
from i^so, <o intcrticine, as branches, so as to form a booth or hut. Others, such as Jarchi, Calvin, Mercer, and Rosen miillcr, take it to mean an image or idol, and render, Siccuth your king. They explain it by referring to the Chald. srrc, a wooden post, which they suppose formed the pedestal on -which the idol stood, and so the word might be transferred to
idolatrous
fessedly
practices
-while
they
pro-
attended to the ritual observthe very sin ances of the Mosaic law which Amos was commissioned to charge
upin
their dascendants in his day, and on account of which they were to be canied into captivity. The opinion of Forsayeth (quoted by Newcome), Dahl, and others, that the sin reproved in ver. 26 was exclusively that of those who lived in the
Ewald takes much the the idol itself. The former derivation is same view.
alone admissible.
time of the prophet, is less admissible than that which refers to their ancestors, yet so that the reproof was intended to be applied on their own case by those whom the prophet addressed. The 26th verse has been very differently renderetl,
The
text appears to
The
MoAbx
LXX.
Is
as follows
Kal
KoX
rh &(TTpov TOV ^iov vfiwv Pca<pai/, Tovs Tuirouy avrwv, ot)S iiron'iaaTf iaxnois as if the Hebrew had read, rSDrts-:;:!)
;
have had something of the texture, as it had the design of the a-Krji'rjs ifpas, sacred tent, in the Carthaginian camp, mentioned by Diodorus Siculus, lib. xx. cap. 25, and described as consisting 4k KoAa/nou Koi x^P'^"' f reeds and grass. Comp. Wilkinson's Ancient Egypt, second scries, vol. ii. pp. 270-275. Only, as it is certain Moses would not have tolerated anything of the kind if its size had been such as to bring it to his
cognizance,
it
-,1^3
;
tS'riVs
=="=
rsi
^V'3
of
riro
may
be inferred, that
it
crV
cfbv
"'i'S !r--i;V"-'l
No vestige,
the words
was only a small temple or shrine, which might easily be concealed iu the interior
(\-
Chap.V.
AMOS.
^^
for yourselves.
especially
i^
\
lir
And Chiun
Which ye made
of a tent.
in use
the Egyptians, from whom no doubt the Hebrews took, the idea. Herodotus, describing an idol worshipped
among
at
iv NHXli
ixfvcfi
children, to which horrible custom repeated reference is made in the historical books of the Old Testament. See Michaelis on the laws of Moses, Art. Selden de ccxlvii. Suppl. No. 1115 Spencer de Legibus Diis SjTis, cap. vi.
;
irporfpaiTi
is
Hebraeor.
lib.
ii.
cap. 10
voc.
;
Gesenius, in
a stnall temple of gilt wood, they can-y out on the previous day to another sacred
habitation."
shrines,
Compare the
small
vouii
apyvpoi,
or
temples
of
Diana,
Winer, Realworter-buch. o="'>r.^:i V"^' f^^*'^ of your images, i. e. represented by them; the model after which they were made. While the idol so called, which the
his Thesaurus, s^lb
That any mentioned Acts xix. 24. comiection is to be traced between r530, Siccuth, and irisa m'sD. Succoth-benoth,
2 Kings xvii. 30, the tents in which the daughters of the Babylonians prostituted themselves in worship of Venus, does not
Hebrews carried about in a sacred shrine, was itself a symbol or representative of one of the heavenly bodies, it was in its turn represented by a number of copies, or smaller images, which they used as
penates or household gods in the practice
crs^w, your king, thus Symm. appear, Theodot. and' Leo Juda, and most but the LXX. Mo\bx. Syr. moderns
;
Such appears to me to of astrology. be the meaning of the words. To this construction, however, C. B. Michaelis, Vitringa, Rosenmiiller, Hesselberg, Hengstenberg,
"n"D
MeKx^fiy Vulg.
and others
object, that it
makes
Moloch, exhibit the word as the proper name of the god of the Ammonites, i. e. Kings rjVw, also called Ds''. Milcom, 1
xi'.
a proper name, which, with the older grammarians, they allege cannot be put in regimen. But to this rule, it
Malcam, Zcph, i. 5 and this construction some modems have adopted but as r^n, king, is also employed by the Hebrews in application to
5,
and C3V
;
must be admitted,
tions, as
there are
,
rinnr:?
etc.
T'i'^i.n.
^?5>
:??."ri1=:5*
n""^r::
,
J
\^*^
idols. Is.
i.
5, it is bet-
The
king Uma
Hercules Comp. ZeD i.va. Iliad, iii. 351, and 'Xl "va^ ^\^e Trap' rjixeas xvi. 233 In Ethiopic iKervs, Herod. I. 159.
;
title of cVy ^Vw, and sun, tiim me uii, to the worm, lo world, -.V I.- .r. r.^ fho r;t tn to jn 1"5n=mi/'?W, P^ft J oj J the city, ^ 1' P" _" i|'?-> kmq
ed that as nsq is an appellative, TV3 being parallel to it. must necessarily be The necessity of the case the same.
not obvious. Both are mentioned as , , ^-l tt u j u * carried about oh " J ects which the Hebrews c irinlntrniis purposes, niiTnfises. One. the the one, for idolatrous the other portable temple of the idol the idol itself placed in this temple, of Ji ^ which numerous miniature resemblances were privately distributed throughout the camp. The LXX. unquestionably
is
.
or of
-L
tiie the
A ^'^Ti
for
name
im-
God,
is
peravit, rexit,
and
to idols. agreed,
The
that
the Moloch of Scripture was the image of the planet Saturn, and thus identical with Chiun, mentioned
by Amos
verse.
regarded the word as a proper name, whatever they may thereby have intended to designate. And this view of the subject is confirmed by nsis, a star, being put in apposition with -^v:;, in order to explain it, an explanation which cannot apply, if by the latter term we understand merely the pedestal or stand on
^^.
which the
idol
was
placed.
It is
now
160
AMOS.
away
captive
CuAi'. V.
Leyond Damascus,
the
almost a PCttled point, that by "'"S, Chum, the planet Saturn is meant. If we except
added
in
same
page
]r>
a<
the Syr.,
earliest
authorities
which we have
;
for
^n^nSn
XaV i
,ri\tV>9
lALoo^ojo
fact
"
in-
ject lamentation,
comments
y."3 rStzt
y.-shi yiii
= o-e
c:, Vsi'k::)''
happiness."
;'5-iry -3
T2r
snn"',
"
And
2,
as for
it is known in the Aralanguages by the name Kivan, which is Saturn, to which they made an image." And the latter, in nearly the same words "^r^'o :r:D sin
(TLllo? ]^o.aA>
cn\^^
)o!JI,
.a.t.2^
is
and
Pci-sic
i.^-^0
'^ "
"1"o Kivan
0-ET Vsyar-' -jirVn s-pj -,si, "It is the star Saturn, and thus he is called Kivan in the Arabic and Persic."
-(SI'S
attributed malice, because from it come diminution and want." Ascribing the
same
Arabs
I
likewise give to
the
name of ^j^jvi
vAj ^Ij
i^'^
great disaster;
adopted from the latter into the former of these languages, in the Lexicons of which, as a foreign word, it is explained
for
Saturn in
work
sLaa**, that
"the image of
Lee's
iiTeiioa/j
was
in
of black stone."
voc. ri'js.
y'-> l
Hebrew Lex.
He
'^
shrine,
and
JCoj
image, of
Amos
does of rnsD
According to the Zcndavesta the seven planets are Tir, Rehram, Achuma, Anahid, Kewan, Gurtsher, and Bundehesh. Y. Bodidom Mushewer. In the codex Nasancus, containing the doctrines of the Sabteans, which was published by Norberg, we find a list of the demons which rule these jilanets,
and
"ji
"c
MaJuven. vi. 569 If the Hebrew \rz be pointed ti"S, the exact pronunciation of the name of the planet in the other Oriental dialects will be brought out, aiid thus the evidence of identity be complete. A^'ith respect to Vai<pau, the rendering of the LXX., or Pf <pcw, as it is to be spelt, on the authority of the best MSS., Acts vii. 43, there is every reason to believe that they liiistook - for -i, as they have and so have done in other instances given Rephan, instead of Kephan. That PH*AN should occur in the ArabicoCoptic table of the planets exhibited by Kircher in his Ling. ..^Egypt. Ilestit. p. 49,
See Lucan
i.
650
i.
crob. Saturn,
19.
'
'
this
was the
;
name
of Saturn
for
as the other
names
among whom
fifth
is
.q.aS
p, 54.
a Vq
^^
(he
Kivan,
It is afterwards
from the Greek, we may reasonably infer that the one in question wiis copied from the Coptic version of this vcrj- passage of the LXX. At all events, no such name of a deity has yet been found in the Egyptian pantheon, --/-i ^he
Chap. YI.
AMOS.
:
161
name.
Saith .Tebc/vah
God
.
of hosts
is
his
star, is expletive of )i'<3 in so far as it informs us that the figure of the idol was that of a star, and thus proves the idolatrous worship to have been the Sabsean, with which the Hebrews became acquainted diu-ing their stay in the Ara-
vJLjC.
recessit,
Syr.
rt
^ '^\'^
added
is
removit,
ehngavit.
The
paragogic.
made
p'sj^S"?
AaficuTKov,
by the proto-martjT, the latter embraces what was known from fact to be the fulfilment of the prophecy the Isradites having been carried, not merely beyond
:
the other authorities agree, Stephen has i-n-fKeiva Ba0v\wvos, " beyond Babylon," Acts vii. 43,
all
cus," with
which
obviously by way of interpretation. nsiVrj naturally suggests the idea of remoteness, though it is sometimes used in reference to
The chapter country of the Medes. closes with a vindication of the supremacy of Jehovah above all the objects of Sabsean worship "iwa irisas ""n'^s,
:
what
is
at
no great
distance.
God of Sabaoth
is
his nafne !
CHAPTER
VI.
This chapter embraces the character and punishment of the whole Hebrew nation. The inhabitants of the two capitals are directly addressed in the language of denunciation, and charged to take warning from the fate of other nations, 1, 2. Their carnal security, injustice, self indulgence, sensbality, and total disregard of the divine threatenings, are next described, 3-6; after which the prophet announces the captivity, and the calamitous circumstances connected with the siege of Samaria, by which it was to be preceded, 7-11. He then exposes the absurdity of their conduct, and threatens them with the irruption of an enemy, that should pervade the whole country, 12-14.
them
distinguished
men
of the
first
nations,
1. Though chiefly directed against the northern of the two kingdoms, the language of this prophecy is so constructed as to apply to both and in the
:
Dathe, cannot be justified. For the primary meaning of "jN's, compare the cognate ']S.'V, ui Niphal, to lean, lean upon, trust.
The
of the inhabitants of resembled those of Samaria in carelessness and carnal security, 'isy and nua
are similarly connected
intensity.
a:ip3
from
,,,^^jijj
and
applied. Is.
XXX.
9, 11
LXX.
Tols i^ov^tyovcTL
adopted by
Whence also xjUu. prefectura. The Hebrew phrase Era 2".5, to be marked,
21
ic:
AMOS.
CiiAP.
VL
To Mhoin
the house of Israel come I Pass over to Cahich, and see And go thence to Ilamath the great Go down also to Gatli of the Philistmes
;
AVere they better than these kingdoms ? "Were their boundaries more ample than yours to them that j^ut oft' the day of evil,
Wo
distingnished
hij
name,
is
reference to persons
or designated for
special sers'ice.
;
Num.
i.
17
Chron.
which Jehovah had distinguished them, and the greater punishment to which they had exposed themselves by their ungrateful returns. For r:."~S, Cahich, and fizn,
Ilitzig atIlamath, see on Is. x. 9. tempts to prove that by the latter name,
The term is here employed for the puqiose of specifying more particularly the leading men in the two kingdoms, whose proHigacy and irrcligion preeminently aggravated
2 Chron.
xxwi.
i<nns, Ecbatana or Ilamedan is meant but there is no reason to believe that the
By
n';iin rr^^S"!.
we
Hebrews had any knowledge of this city It is here called in the days of Amos.
r;2"i, great,
Newcome,
to imderstand
not to distinguish
it
from
" the chief of the idolatrous nations," and that the persons six)ken of were called after them, but the Hebrew nation, which is so called because it was the 2)rincipal, or most distinguished of all the nations of the eailh having been constituted the
;
other cities of the same name, but to exComp. press its size and magnificence.
~2"i "(Tt::, Sidoti the great, Josh. xi. S. r."\, Gath, was the chief city of one of the iive satrapies of the Philistines, with whose name it is here associated, to
distinguish
it
peculiar people of God, and possessing laws and privileges unknown to any
It might well be said to occupy the first rank. Comp. pV^y n";iJ ricsn,
Gath-Kimmon.
other.
been reduced before the time of Amos, and disappeared at an early period from
the annals of geography. No trace of it has been discovered by any modem traveller. The T, in fn-'i;- has been rcgiu-dcd
as the Article by the LXX., Syr., and Vulg. translators, and is thus found in twelve of De llossi's MSS. but the more
;
Num.
xxiv. 20, where the reference is to the distinguished place which the Amalekites held among the nations of Canaan. CnV) is to be construed with C'2~:, and
not with
c'i.^,
or with
The
people of Israel were in the habit of going up to their princes and leaders for They the decision of diiferences, etc. exerted an influence over the entire Both the LXX. and the Syr. people. a; greatly at fault in the translation of
this verse.
2.
natural construction
is
and most
it
modem
an
versions,
interrogative.
is
,
parison
r^sVw)?"
rVsn
these
Three
<is
selected
and
which
they belonged, and the Israelites are challenged to institute a comparison of the cu-cumstanccs of these nations and the extent of their territory, with those
of their own, as also, te reflect on the present prostrate condition of the tities mentioned, in order that they might become sensible of the superiority with
be understood as designating those of Israel and Judah, with which the jirophct had immediately to do, ;uk1 to which he thus emphatically pouits. In this way only can an appropriate reference be
foimd
.z.a
"iSr,
tco
to,
from
ver.
1.
explains by
The
root
is
dia-
; ;
ClIAP. VI.
AMOS.
vipon beds of ivory,
163
And
That
And
upon their couches ; That eat lambs from the flock, And calves from the midst of the stall That strike up songs to the sovmd of the lyre Like David they invent for themselves instruments of music; That drink in bowls of wine,
are stretched
And
first
of oils
Joseph
remove as an
object of disgust.
poi,
Aq.
ol airoKex'^P^'^t^^-
Symm. acpwpicrfiivoi. The persons addressed could not bear the idea that the period of threatened punishment was
they endeavored as much it out of view. Comp. Ezek. xii. 21-28. In striking antithesis to this, they are represented in the following hemistich, as acting in such a manner as speedily to bring it upon them.
but as in every other instance in which the verb is used in Hiphil it vindicates to itself the causative acceptation, and in the present case is obviously intended to form a contrast to C'^iiW, which conveys the idea of removing to a distance, I must retain the rendering of our common version. Thus Hitzig and Ewald. The meaning is, that instead of puttmg afi'ay
impending
as possible to keep
from them all illegal and oppressive judgment, they encouraged those "who were guilty of them, by assisting in carrying them into execution.
4.
" Sed quam ccecus inest vitiis amor ? omne futurum Despicitur, suadentque brevem presentia fructum Et ruit in vetitum damni secura libido, Dum mora supplicii lucro, serumque
For yq
iii.
riit:M, beds
;
of ivory, see on
lecti
chap.
15
and comp.
lecti
ehurnei of
Horace, and
t3''n"'&,
eborati of
Plautus.
libere
from n-iSjArab.
^^
quod
instat
dismisit, to be
is
Creditur."
mode
their
Claud. Eutrop.
lib.
iL
in
recline
upon
upon
verse
Newcome,
referring
op2)ression,
:
Justi,
and some
others,
own
in throne of
them
fuU length.
The whole
to the rule of the king of it is more natural to regard AssjTia the prophet as describing the wickedness of the people themselves in yielding support to a system of flagrant injustice and oppression, on the part of their own
of
to
"i^sT, to
rulers
and judges. Thus most expositors. na^ occmrs nowhere else in the sense of throne but a"J^, of which it is properly
;
Such
interpretation,
how-
phUologicaUy
the infinitive, is used in application both to kings and judges, as is also the par-
sustained,
hemistich.
The term is synonymous ticiple niai^. with S&3, which is also used both of the throne and the bench. ^'i.r\ is here taken by most interpreters to have the same signification as in Kal, to approach;
verb
is
synonymous with
lead
superintend,
Arab.
^yi.
pr(Bvertit, prcecessit.
Tip
1G4
1 Therefore
AMOS.
now they
the shouting
Chap. VI.
shall go captive at the hcacl of the captives, company of those that recline shall depart. The Lord Jehovah hath sworn by himself, Thus sailh Jehovah, God of hosts,
And
I hate his palaces Therefore will I deliver up the city, and all that is in it. 9 It shall be, that if ten men should be left intone house,
And
persons reprobated were so passionately iond of song, that they fould not be content to listen to the performances of
professed musicians, but took the lead in
striking
lyre.
8. The double form of asseveration here employed is unusual, and is strongly emphatic. asi^K, the Piel participle of
nsP
syp. Compare
of these letters
the sweet singer of Israel, and of whose musical iixstruments express mention is
made Neh.
ical
;
xii. 36, is manifest^ ironimplying that, while that monarch devoted his musical talent to the glory of God, the dissipated grandees of Israel consulted only their personal gratification, and that of those who joined their giddy circle. D"P"iTa, were properly basi7is, or bowls, of a larger size, used for sacrificial purposes, Exod. x.\x^^ii. 3 Num. vii. 13, 19. The persons referred to, indulged to such excess, that ordinary cups were
;
mterchange and y^j. Though the phrase 2p?' "SJ, the excellency of Jacob, cannot be otherwise understood than of God himself, as the only legitimate object of glorj-ing on the
and
Vs:;, i<wa
piurt
of his people, chap. viii. 7, yet, in the presbnt uistance, it is to be taken in application to the countrj' and peculiar It was once privileges of the Hebrews. a country piously celebrated in song as the excellency of Jacob, Ps. xlvii. 5, and the peculiar object of divine regaid but
;
now
unsuited to their compotations. They likewise anointed themselves with the most precious oils, and evinced a total apathy in regard to the calamities to which their people had already been
subject, or the still
By
-i"y,
the
city,
Amos
in his Gj-e.
Ilitzig attaches to Ti-iJCn, the significatip, but the usual Hiphil signification better agrees with the following connection. t<V>3,
more serious evils which threatened them. For the meanfulness, conveys the idea of multitude, ing of ro V, Joseph, see on chap. v. 6. Of great abundance, and comprehends 7. nr-iw, Arab. ^.Vyo, vox,thesho%it here both the numerous inhabitants themselves, and the wealth and means or cry, in which the merrymakers inof gratification in which they aboimdcd. dulged over their cups. The persons giv- Comp. Ps. xxiv. 1. For the accomplishing the shout scorn to be intended, and, as ment of the prediction, see 2 Kings xvii.
the term is also used in reference to a cr\' of lamentation, Jor. xvi. 5, it may be implied that their joy would be turned
into sorrow.
lectively.
5, 6. 9,
10.
The
;
scene
it
is
not necessarily
Tlicy are spoken of colkraipda rpv6r]rwv. Those w-ho had taken the lead in revelry
Symm.
and
be
all
to
first
In
BuA
more conspicuous.
might also liave been realized in any of the towns or vOlages in the country that had been depopuIt depict-;, in lated by the Assyrians. the most affecting manner, the deplorablo condition of the few that had escaped the enemy, and had now been attacked by the plague a usual attendant on
laid in the city
CH.VP. VI.
AMOS.
also shall die.
165
They
10
And
him
shall take
him
up,
bones out of the house And shall say to him that is in the innermost part of the house, Is there yet any with thee
To remove
And
he
shall say,
None
Then shall he say, Hush For we must not mention the name of Jehovah. 11 For behold! Jehovah hath commanded,
!
And And
war
that
if as
he will smite the great house with breaches. the small house with fissures.
The prophet
as ten
declares,
in the East.
1.
;
25
many
Exod.
viii.
xiii.
19
Kings
xiii.
1,2.
they should
die,
one Tin
See
re-
on
biirnt
and
not here to be taken in the special sense of uncle, but denotes any near relative on whom it devolved to attend to the funeral rites. Targ. ?;^a-ij5. Vulg.
propinquiis.
In the present
case,
such
would be the paucity of hands, that he would have to perfonn the whole himself.
The
copulative
i,
prefixed to
is
'"'5'/2,
is
epexegetical,
and
to be rendered
C]";"'3,
Instead of
many both
of Kennicott's and
V
'
De Rossi's
But comp.
tive, discovering a patient in one of the innermost rooms or comers of the house, inquires whether he is the only siurvivor ? and on receiving for answer that he is, he suddenly enjoins silence upon him. There is some difficulty in dertermining what occasioned this injunction, and for what reason the Divme name was not to be mentioned. Most psobably the patient had begun to give vent to
his
Jehovah, for sparing his life in the midst of such prevailing mortahty when the
;
from
it
this,
other,
that
to
was the
burn their dead. But what Jer. is said 2 Chron. xvi. 14, xxi. 19 xxxiv. 5, obviously refers to the burning of spices, and not of dead bodies. 1 Sam. xxxi. 12, and our present text, exhibit In the former of these, special cases.
Hebrews
from the supposed incongruity of praising God in such circumstances, interrupted his pious effusions, era n^rT",
means
bation,
an object of
;
trust.
Comp.
Josh, xxiii. 7 Ps. xx. 8. The phrase cannot, therefore, be construed into the
the
object
was
it
so
to
dispose
corpses
that
might
language of despair
as
if
the person
who
power of the Philistines further to dishonor them while in the latter, it was
;
either,
contagion, or to dispose of the body in the only way of which the circumstances of the time would allow. That by c :: j>,
gave utterance to the words besought God to take him away likeA\ise and thus terminate the melancholy scene. Nor, for the same reason, can it imply, as Michaelis interprets, that he had confu-med what he had stated vriih an
oath.
11. Grotius, Dahl, Justi, and Ewald, adopt the interpretation of the Targ., Jerome, and Cyril, that by the "great house " is meant the kingdom of Israel,
not mere bones are meant, nor bodies so emaciated as to be nothing but skin and bone, which is Winer's opinion, but dead bodies, seems established beyond all
166
12
A :m
Chap. VI.
Shall horses run upon a rock? Will one plough there with oxen ? Yet Ave have converted justice into iX)isony
13
And the fruit of righteousness into wonnwood. Ye that rejoice in a thing of nought,
That
say,
Have we not by our own strength. Taken to ourselves horns ? 14 But behold I will raise up against you,
!
house of Israel
A nation,
saith
Jehovah,
God
of hosts
And they shall oppress you, From the entrance of Ilamath, To the river of the desert.
and by the 'siniLll house" that of Judah; and comp. chap. ix. 8, 9, where the same participial form -^'^ja is employed CC'D-^, as here before another verb. mean atoms, or the minute parts to which
the materials of a building are reduced, when it is utterly destroyed. The word otherwise signities the small drops of any
liquid that
froiu
is
oxen.
To add
to the
representation,
tive form.
it is
;L--i-ni
personally.
13.
The
participles, Aviththe
r demonemployed as in verses
non-re,
^:t
ii'^,
what
it
is
so
sprinkled,
301,
to sprinkle.
may
Horns
survs, or rents in
en
its fall.
are the symbol of power and dominion. 14. Few instances will be found in
ference in the treatment of the two kingdoms ; the one was to be utterly destroyed, while the other,
injured,
Hebrew, in which the object of a verb ij here is is so far removed from it as from c"p.- Some have referred Vr^i
-^
though greatly
llosenmiiller,
was
still
to stand,
nn^v." ^^'^ river of the Desert, to the Rhinocorura, otherwise called the river of and others to " the brook of the Egj-pt
t ;
quam
vera."
Calvin,
willows," c-3-;JT.
-n:
or the
Wady
el-
Yatablus, Marckius, Coeceius, Lowth, Michielis, and Maurer, likewise take the words literally, as applying to the houses
Ahsa, which flows mto the Dead !Sea, but it is ob\nous from 2 near Zoar
;
Kings
xiv.
2.5,
in
which the
as
limits here
The both of the rich and the poor. destruction, more or less, was to be universal.
specified
are
described
constituting
those of the
that
it
"
Regum
which
falls
Horace.
south of Jericho.
to this sea is
Dead Sea to the One of the names given ra^yn Ci the Sea of the
,
Desert;
r;2-ivn,
the
desert,
forming
.
what
is
now commonly
called
The
^jjj \ , in
sterile
region
run with
which the valley of the Jordan terminates, and which extends as far as the
Elanitic Gulf.
Chap. VII.
167
3.
judgments
on the kingdom of Israel. They were delivered at Bethel, and commencement of the prophet's ministry. Each of them, as they follow in the series, is more severe than the preceding. The first presented to the mental eye of the prophet a swarm of young locusts, which threatened to cut off all hope of the
were to be
inflicted
in all
probability at the
harvest, 1-3; the second, a fire, which etTeeted an universal conflagration, 4-6; the third, a plumb-line, ready to be applied to murk out the edifices that were to be destroyed, 7-9; and the fourth, a basket of ripe fruit, denoting the near and certain destruction of file kingdpm, viii. 1-3. The hiterveuing eight verses, which conclude the seventh chapter, contain an account of the interruption of Amos by Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, whose punishment is specially predicted. In point of style, this portion differs from that of the
rest of the book, being almost exclusively historical
and
dialogistic.
Thus
the
and, behold,
And
it
up of the latter grass was the latter grass alter the king's mowings. came to pass, Avhen they had entirely devoured the
:
in nearly the
r.ipi -in"'
behold,
is
':
is.
The
repetition of r.ZT,
In the
but the anomaly has not yet etc. been satisfactorily accounted for. See, however, Gesen. Lehrgeb. p. 523. Lee's Heb. Gram. Art. 139, 4, 2d edit. r;;V,
"ti'-i'tj
, ;
latter of the
two
instances,
it is
employed
substantive verb,
cust,
an after-math, or second crop, which comes up immediately after the mowing of grass. 'ij^V, cognate with u^'r, Arab.
Uo
j
in Piel to
Is.
xxxiii. 4,
^Ls*-;
*
1^^ A
se7'otimis,
in Lx^-, reference to its coming forth out of the egg, which had been deposited in the earth to be hatched. The tenn is, therefore, strictly descriptive
its caterpillar state,
from
egressus fuit,
may
either
of the locust in
and thus agrees with the use of the verb -iS"', to form, which Prof. Lee derives it from is here used.
mowings of that belonging to the people, to which the king tyrannically laid
claim.
L^<,A,
299-302,
secuit.
Credner on
meant.
locusts
Joel, pp.
2.
That the
here referred to
attempts to set aside the above derivation of Bochart, yet allows that the word denotes the insect in the first stage of its existence. The plural termination 'T, is found in several masculine nouns, as "vn, '^:'iVr.,
elaborately
of these insects, but are to be taken figuratively, as denoting a hostile army, just as the fire in the second vision is to be regarded as symbolical of war, may be inferred from the figurative
swarm
168
!
O Lor J Jehovah forgive, I lic^ccch thet "Who i> Jacob, that he should sta^d ? For he is smalL
'
^"1
^
Chap.
VIL
Jehovah.
t
;
Thus the Lord Jehovah showed me, and, behold, the Lord ^Jehovah called to contend by fire and ifc/cousumed the great abyss, and devoured the portion. Then I said
:
Loi'd Jehovah!
desist,' I
beseech thee!
'
"Who is Jacob, that he should stand? For he is small, Jehovah repented of this It also shall not be, saith the Lord Jehovah. Tluis he showed me, and behold the Lord stood upon a per:
charactcr of the
two
visions, ver, 7,
and
13.
The verb
Most probably the army chap. viii. 1. of Tul, king of AssjTia, is meant. The Israelites had been greatly reduced by repeated invasions on the part of the Syrian kings, and were on the pouit of being attacked by the AssjTians, but purchased their retreat with the sum of one thousand talents of silver. See 2 Kings XV. 19, 20. nHy^ c:p^ ""c, concisely for Cnp- 'z
2py^
?
""/S,
who
is
Jacob,
according to one's deserts, to punish. By the fire here spoken of we are not to understand a great heat which produced a drought in the land, but icar, of which it is an appropriate symbol. See Num. xxi. 28; Judges ix. 15, 20; Is. Lxvi. 16. To express the extent of the threatened calamity, the fire, by a bold figure, is represented as drying up the oceati (nan D"ir;nJ, and consuming
ally, to treat
meaning,
how can
he possibly sustain the threatened attack, reduced and weak as he is in resources. C"p signifies to stand fast, conti?iue,
endure, as well as to
Itossi's
rise.
whatever was Ibund on the dry land. This acceptation of ~-hn, a divisio7i,2)orrequires
One
,
of I^e
originally,
and thus
;
LXX.
Syr.
Symm. and
Vulg.
but
the antithesis however, the term is chosen with special application to the land of Canaan, which was divided to the children of Israel as their portion. The definite form of the noun pVnr rs, indition, or allotment of land,
;
still,
less ajjpropriatcly in
such context.
cates as
much.
The
3n3, Pick renders, (javc consolation, which is not so s\utable here as the
signification, to repent.
is
Such
rejjcntancc
of Israel by Tiglath-Pileser, and the first captivity of that people seem to be the subjects of the vision. See 2 Kings xv.
to be understood AiOTrpcnws,
appearcitra
1
-;<.
rautationem in effectu."
XV. 11
;
Jcr.
xhi.
10.
Coinp. Targ.
Sam.
Chron. v. 26. That in the former the calamity had not been inflicted, the use of the verb !-;Vo, forgive,
29
;
vision,
2TS
intimates.
In
this,
it
had
in part, as
n"T:i!in, the
his irrath.
rsri the feminine pronoun, stands for the neuter of other languages. 1. Kip corrcsiwnds iu fonn to -^-i', anV an abbreviated form of the ver. 1.
,
In these
verses, as in vers. 2
and
we have
Ilipliil infinitive,
-^~~V Comp.
Is.
iii.
Chap. VII.
AMOS.
said to
169
pendicular wall;
Jehovah
And and in his hand was a plumb-line. me, What seest thou, Amos ? And I said,
plumb-line.
the Lord saith Behold, I wiU set a plumb-line In the midst of my people Israel
I will pass
And
by them no more.
;
The
And And
10
7, 8.
sword.
This vision, and that described 1-3, differ from the two preceding, in the distinct and express application of the symbols to the punishThe Divine ment of the Israehtes. Jehovah takes patience is exhausted. active measures for executing his threatchap.
viii.
Assyria, 2 Kings xvii. 3, 5, 6, 23. "irv, to pass, pass on or away, means, in ap-
enings,
and
at
last
inflicts
the exterfor
The prophet,
in consequence,
intercedes
no more.
t(3>?
nwin, a per-
pendicular wall, ht. a tcall of the plummet, so called from the plumb-line being appUed in order to secure its pei-pendicularity. ~:s, which occurs only in
these verses,
tin.
phcation to sin, to pass it by, to forgive, not to punish it. Prov. xLs. 11 Micah See on this latter passage. vii. 18. definite prediction of the destruc9. tion which was to overtake the places of idolatrous worship, and the royal house by which that worship had been estabHshed and supported. These are specially mentioned, because to them, as the procuring causes, the destruction was to be traced. For the meaning of r-iTis,
;
Is. Ixv. 7.
D'"J-|;,
properly signifies
villi!,
lead or
Arab,
Syr.
j*-!
lj.
plumbum.
term, denotes the temples, or structures, consecrated to the worship of Comp. :; ver 1 3 p n -r ;, inidols.
j;;
,
stead of pns-;
;
is
Aq. ydvaxTis, stannatura. The line and plummet were used not only when houses were buildmg, but also when they were
to be destroyed.
Is.
See 2
;
Kmgs
Lam.
ii
xxi.
8.
XX viii.
17, xxxiv. 11
The
LXX.
and Symm.
it
dSa/iou/ra,
which the
In the explanation
expressly stated, that
prophet the same orthography is found There is no Jer. xxxiii. 2G. Ps. cv. 9 reason whatever to suppose that the word was purposely so written, or that it was intended to be taken otherwise than as yet the LXX. have a proper name and so the Syr. jBwjuol ToC yfXwTos
; ; ;
of the vision,
is
the plummet was to be applied to the people of Israel in order to mark them out for destruction and its being placed in the midst of them denoted, that this destruction was not to be confined to a part only of the kingdom, as it had been in the case of Tiglath-Pilcser's invasion, but that it should reach the very This took place when Shalcentre. maneser, the siiccessor of that king, after a siege of three years, took Samaria, put an end to the kingdom, of the ten tribes,
;
Michaehs finds a paronomasia in it Dahl, an instance of irony and even Calvin thinks that the name was used by Amos ui/j-vriKHs. It is here, and ver. 16, pai-allel with "-Jj-i't;';, and denotes the
;
;
ten
tribes.
10,
11.
teresting historical
As
priests
there
who
at
the
idolatrous
services
Bethel, "jnb
and
carried
into
izoxv" of the chief or liigh priest, attached to the royal temple. In the spirit which has characterized a false
22
170
king of
llice, in
AMOS
Israel,
CUAP. VII.
saying
Amos
hatli
11
12
13
U
If
For thus hath Amos said Jeroboam shall die by the sword And Israel shall surely be led away captive from his land. And Amaziah said to Amos Seer Go, flee to the land of Judah, and eat there bread, and prophesy there. But prophesy no more at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and a royal residence. And Amos answered and said to Amaziah
tain all his words.
: !
:
am no
j^rophet
neither
am
but I
am
And Jehovah
priesthood in every ago, Amaziah brings against the prophet the groundless charge of treason. That h'-Tth is to be rendered
contain,
they went at certain stated seasons to Ecthel to worship the golden calf, they
and
refers to
from Vs> all, being the following noun. Com. for this signification of the verb in Hiphil, 1 Kings vii. 26, 37 Ezek. xxiii.
to atrocity, appears
employed
before
14. Amos modestly but firmly repels the charge of selfishness, by declaring, that he was not a prophet by profession tliat he had not been educated with a
32.
In the Syr.
in
which a verb
signify-
view
to
such profession
that he
was a
ing to endure is used, Vb is omitted, as not suiting the Oriental idiom. 12, 13. It dot^ not appear that the king took any notice of the message that was sent him, so that Amaziah was left
to try Avhat the interposition of his own authority woidd effect. He addressed
person of rustic habits and that his Divine mission was altogether of an
:
"j::,
the son,
e.
all
the prophet by the title nth, seer, most probably with contemptuous reference to
prophets, of which we read in the first book of Samuel, were still in existence, in which young men were educated, who
though it Avas adopted in the Hebrew, as equivalent to s-23 and corresponds in signification to ns'n, which was anciently used, 1 Sam. ix. 9. Xot
his visions
later
;
,
imagining that
Amos
could be actuated
devoted themselves to the service of the theocracy in the capacitj- of pubhc instructors, and to these or to more private studies, under the guidance of some prophet, Amos may be supposed to ""."3. strictly taken, means an refer.
by any higher principle than that of selfishness, which reigned in his own heart, the priest advised him to consult
his safety l)y fleeing across the frontier into the kingdom of Judah, where he
might obtain his liveHhood by the imrestrained exercise of his jirophctical gifts.
might signify a kee])er of any kind of There is, therefore no occa'-ion, with some, to suppose that the word Mas
cattle.
"Jf.'i:,
originally
as in chap.
i.
1.
C;",2
Scrip-
The words
tic are
":jV nna
':]V
emphatic. At all not be permitted any longer to prophesy in the city of Bethel, which was distinguished not only as the principal Beat of the king's religion, but also as being one of his royal residences. Though the ordinary residence of the Israelitish
Hebrew
signifies a
AM
both
as
As, however, the fig-tree and its fruit. the participial fomi of the word is that which denotes agency, it nuist mean one who is occupied with, or cultivates figs. The paiticular mode in which the an-
C:i.vp.
YII.
AMO S.
;
171
:
do) IG
17
took me from following the flock and Jehovah saicT to me Go, jjrophesy to my peoj^le Israel. And. now, hear the word of Jehovah. Thou sayest. Prophesy not against Israel and,
;
Drop nothing
saitli
Therefore thus
Jehovah
Thy
And
Thy
And And
commit lewdness in the city, thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword ; land, also, shall be divided by line. thou shalt die in a polluted land Israel shall surely be taken away captive from his
wife shall
;
land.
cients cultivated fig-trees, the LXX. appear to have had in their eye, -when they rendered it by kvI^wv, a nipper or scratcher
;
for
we
are informed
by Theophrastiis,
charge the duties of his office at Bethel but before proceeding to give an account of another vision which he liad had, he directs a pointed prediction against the idolatrous priest by whom he had been
interrupted.
t|"t:r;, to distil,
make
to cause to
that
fruit
Siivarcu
ttu
fir]
firiKViah^'
oA.A'
Ixovm
iiri-
and flowing discourse; here parallel with S2;, to pirophesy. Comp. Ezek. xxi. 2, 7 Micah
in pleasing
;
come down
bvvxas (n5r]pas
iTriKvi^ovffiv'
5' hi/
Kuiab^, nrapToia irtTTTiTai, iv. 2. See also Plin. Hist. Nat. xiii. 14 Forskal,
;
6, 11.
Syr.
^a.^Ll, Arab.
stiUavit,
oJbj,
fjsp'i, sycamores,
Eth.
^(\\f\:
^{l\/^\
a species of tree, abounding in the East, pretty much resembling the mulbcrrj'
tree,
fig.
percolavit.
17. Between n^n^ "i?cs in this verse, and -:;s nrs in ver. 16, is a marked
is
similar to the
however, very inferior in only eaten by the poorest class of the people. From this circumstance it may be inferred that Amos occupied a humble station in life previous to his being called to prophesy in
quality,
antithesis.
rrJTP
is
not to be understood
and
is
of voluntary acts of infidelity on the part of the wife of Amaziah, but of the violence to which she
would have to submit on the part of the enemy. This being done TVS, in the city, i. e. openly and
publicly,
Israel.
was
used both in a good and in a bad sense, and Is here to be rendered indefinitely, to prophesy to. The pro15. ^54
saD
is
evil.
''nSe
(T<^\
4yKe(pa\os
X'V/'^"^'^
M^y ^^
oSe dtvos
nominal suffix in '-'zv, " my people," is not without emphasis. The Israelites were Jehovah's by right he still claimed
;
AvtGiv,
kou.
TeKfcsiv,
&\oxoi
iii.
fj.iye7eu.
Iliad, b.
was
re-
his
propriety in
them
and,
by the
re-
^^"ttt3 r'^T^t,
Amaziah, and
land had become such. Is. xxiv. 5, where c:his similarly used; Jer. ii. 7. The land of Assyria is that to which
own
sphere of duty,
Amos
continued to dis-
Amos
points.
'
172
AMOS.
Ch.ip. VIII.
CHAPTER
After
ple, 4-7; jjredicts the
VIII.
giviiipj an account of a fourth vision, in wliich was represented the ripeness for do*truction at which the Israelites had arrived, and the certainty of such destruction, 1-3 the pr()i)het resumes his denunciatory addresses to the avaricious oppressors of t lie peo-
destitution of the
means of religious
2 ripe fruit
And he
said.
What
:
seest thou,
Amos ?
And
I said,
And the songs of the palace shall howl, In that day, saith the Lord Jehovah ;
The carcasses are many Throw them out anywhere Hush
!
Hear
this
ye that pant
1. This vision may be regarded as a continuation of the subject with which the last concluded, in the development of which thepropliet had been interrupted
by Amaziah.
cage, or basket;
loro inter
2it3,
Sjt.
jA^-i^D)
<*
Arab.
y_^Jt5C inscndt
were
duas corii jyartcs ; ijjjlj hriim vel Jilamentum lignosiiyn palnue, quo consuitur what is braided from tAvigs, such as wicker work. is used both of ',"J5 summer, and of the frrdt which is gathered in simuner. It is to the ripe:
to be converted.
Cf'Sai.
Symm.
d\o\v-
ITie dead
any regard to the places where they might he and even tliis was not to be
;
minence
'ITie
Is.
xviii.
:
6.
without exposing those who perfomaed it to the attacks of the enemy. Ilencc silence was to be enjoined. 8ome improperly render Vr-n, temple. ForCri, comp. chap. \i. 10. 4. The prophet resumes his usual
effected
tas
jclj),
admodum ferbuit,
(estiva
ha-
buit.
2. The paronomasia in yp and yp is marked and forcible. Comp. Ezek. vii. G rsa r:- tt-is n vrn N2 N2 1.;-:^
I I
comminatory address, and vi. For Tii-s, see on chap. ii. 7. ^"2r^=^-2r^'r, to eause to cease, bring to an end, anni/ii/ate,
style
of
direct
Comp.
cliaptci-s iv. v.
CuAP.
A'lII.
:\r
173
When
will the
new moon
?
l>e
over,
That we may
sell
corn
And
the Sabbath,
?
And And
6
That we may purchase the poor for money, And the needy for a j^air of sandals;
And
V I
sell
Jehovah hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob will never forget any of their deeds.
From
this
it is
obvious that the Israehtes, not\\ithstandiiig their idolatrous practices, still kept
estimated by the sacred or the royal 2 Sam. xiv, standard, Exod. xxx. 13 For the sake of greater emphasis, 26. instead of saying, to make or to use deceitful balances, the verb r^S, to bend,
;
twist, pervert,
is
employed, wliich, ui
is
point of meaning,
iroiriaai
pleonastic.
LXX.
^uyhu
&SiHiiJi.qy.
meaning to sell grain, is 6. See chap. ii. 6. Vsa, from htz, to supposed to he so named from its being fall; what has fallen olf, refuse, chaff, broken to pieces when ground at the etc. mill. Some, however, think the name is 7. The iniquitous conduct of the Isderived from its being broken up or raelites havmg been minutely described, separated by a measure into portions, the severe punishment which they had with a view to sale while others are of merited is now threatened, npy^ v"i^> opinion that it is so called because it the excellency of Jacob, has been variously breaks or puts an end to hunger, com- interpreted. The Targ. Grotius, Dahl, paring Ps. civ. 11. By -3 nrs, opening Newcome, and Bauer, understand the the corn, is meant opening the sacks or excellence conferred upon Jacob Justi which it was kept, and and Ewald, very preposterously, the granaries pride bringing it out for sale. Thus the LXX. or haughtiness of the people ; the liabSyr. and Targ. The r"5*, ephah, was a bins and some others, the temple but com measure, containing three seahs, the only appropriate construction of the and according to Josephus, equal to the phrase, in this connection, is that whioh Attic medimnus, or somewhat above three refers it to Jehovah himself, whom English pecks. It is imcertain whether alone the Hebrews gloried while they the word be originally Hebrew, or adhered to the purity of his worship, and whether it be Egyptian. Vj^ti, from Vp.r, in whom they still ought to glorv'. Thus
;
to
weigh, Arab.
gravitateni et
pondus
the Syr.
the
^. r^
qVa ^
)-
^ [^:
'vn.
used of weights
originally
as
general.
It
was
any piece of metal Aveighed an equivalent for what was bought but came afterwards to signiiy sttmdard money, and differed in value, according as it was of silver or gold, and as it was
Com.
occurs
v.hich,
chap.
vi.
8,
where
also
"ir-:;n
J"-.r:
instead of
however,
is
174
AMOS.
every one that duelleth therein mourn?
it
CUAP. VIII.
And
Shall
driven,
9 It shall
Saltli
the
I
That
come to pass in that day, Lord Jehovah, will cause the sun to go down
at noon,
darken the land in the clear day. 10 I will turn your festivals into mourning, And all your songs into lamentation I will bring sackcloth upon all loins. And baldness upon every liead I Avill make it as the mourning for an only son, And the end of it a bitter dav.
will
:
And
nsis tjt, if Iforget, is the usual formula of swearing, implying that it should not take place. Vb, in this connection, implies both totality, and the
sense,
MSS.
occurs
ix. 5.
which
is
undoubtedly genuine.
in
The
itx)t
I'j^'j
similar
connection,
chap.
single
is
side.
9.
made
8.
Comp.
Ps.
ciii. 2.
Some think
The
was
so en-
which
To
is
took place at one of the great festivals in the year that Jeroboam died, (see Usher's ^Vnnals, a. m. 3213) but whatever there may be in the language lx)rrowed from such an event, consistency of mterpretation requires it to be taken metaphoricallj% as descriptive of a change from circumstances of prosperity to tl.ose
;
the beginning of the verse shows. For the sake of energj' and impression, the
interrogative form
is,
,
Comp.
Jer. xv. 9
Ezck.
as frequently,
em-
ployed.
letter
TTiat -iN3 by an ehsion of the Yod, is a defective form of -lii's, is evident from the parallel passage, chap, ix .5. Fifteen MSS. originally two more, and perhaps other three, and one of the early editions, read ^'s"3 in full. For the origin and meaning of the word, see on
Ls. xix. 6.
festivals were occaand were no doubt on this very account kept up among the ten trilx^ after they had lost their rehgious
The Hebrew
press the
used inNiphal, to exagitation of the sea when raised by the wind, Is. Ivii. 20. It here denotes the rise of the Nile, which is generally above twenty feet. For rp";;:, the Kcri and a great many
c-^:; is
The calandtous result of the Assyrian invasion under Shalmaneser is here most graphically depicted. Comp. Is. XV. 2 Jer. xlviii. 37 Ezck. vii. 18. The death of an only son was regarded by the Hebrews as the
importance.
; ;
violent
most moumfid of events. Comp. Jer. The pronominal vi. 26; Zech. xii. 10. reference in rT'P'':'^ and nrj-nrs is V.!*
understood,
veritatis.
r in -i
Ovs,
is
the Capk
2 1
CUAP. VIII.
A .M O
175
Behold, the clays come, saith the Lord Jehovah, I will send a famine into the land ; Not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,
When
But of hearing the words of Jehovah. And men shall wander from sea to sea, And shall run up and down, from the North even to the Seekmg the word of Jehovah, But they shall not find it.
East,
And
14 That swear
And
'
young men also, for thirst by the sin of Samaria, say, By the life of thy God, O Dan
the
amara
est
tristi
Nunc
et
dies, et noctis
amarior
during the siege predicted in the preceding verses n:"?yriP, properly means,
;
TibuUus, Eleg.
which
Arab.
;
is
The
Israelites
now
who
C]V:^,
the messages of the prophets, and by a just retribution, in addition to all their
other calamities, they should experience a total withdrawal of aU prophetic com-
/aJLt,
with
envelop
stood.
here,
darkness,
under^s'^yri-;.
Comp. Ezek. vii. 26 Micah iii. 7. In whatever direction they might proceed, and whatever efforts they might make to obtain information relamunications.
;
of
ment. niTtt, Sim-rise, is used, where geographic^y we should have expected ya"* or siS, the south ; but the term may have been chosen in order to intimate the complete ahenation of Israel from Judah, in consequence of which no one would think of repairing to Jerusalem for oracular information. That any transposition of the words has taken place, I cannot, with Houbigant and Newcome, suppose. It is, however, just as probable that the cardinal points were not intended to be strictly marked, but that
,
the golden calf and other objects of unlawful worship which were the occasion of sin and guilt to the IsHitzig thinks that Astarte is raelites. but the term was specifically meant doubtless intended to comprehend the calf at Bethel, the religious veneration of which led to the grosser forms of
Samaria
i. e.
idolatry.
tarte,
is
At
spoken
fi:om
Kings
xiii.
6,
in
the worship specially instituted by Jeroboam. See on Is. xvii. 8. The god of Dan was the other goldistinction
den calf, erected by Jeroboam in Dan, By yq-i ^2 ^-in, 1 Kings xii. 26-28. Kimchi, Michaehs, and Bauer, under-
the object was to indicate generally the hopelessness of the attempts mentioned. The Athnach is improperly placed imder
Vau
imder-
stand hterally the icay or 'pilgrimage to Beersh^a but the phrase being parallel with the two former instances, in which objects of false worship are meant, it must here be taken in the same sense. Hence the LXX. render ^17 ^erfy crov. Strictly speaking, it denotes the vmy or mode of worship, or the worship itself, that was performed at Beershcba. Com.
;
Ps. cxxxix. 24
Acts
"^n
ix.
is
2,
xix. 9. 23.
See on chap.
v. 5.
a formula of
176
A
life
:\i
Chat. IX.
And, By the
They
:
shall
fall,
and
no more.
,
siire
swearing By the life of or, As as such an one lives, and was pe-
culiarly absvird
and
to inanimate objects.
CHAPTER
This chapter commences with an account of the
tlie tinal
IX.
fifth and last vision of ftre prophet, in which ruin of the kingdom of Israel is represented. This ruin was to be comjjlefe and irreparable; and no quarter to which the inhabitants miglit flee for refuge, would afford them any shelter from the wrath of the Omnipresent and Almighty Jehovah, 1-6. As a 6infuJ nation, it was to be treated as if it had never stood in any covenant relation to him
descendants of Abraham,
how much
soever they
might be scattered and afHicted among- the heathen, they should still be preserved, 7-10. The concluding part of the chapter contains a distinct prophecy of the restoration of the Jewish church after the Babylonish captivity, 11; the incorporation of the heathen which was to be consequent upon that restoration, 12; and the final establishment of the Jews
iu their
*wn
I SATT the Lord standing beside the altar, and he said Smite the capital, that the thresholds may shake And break them in pieces, on the heads of them all Their posterity I will slay Mith the sword
; ;
fugitives shall
make
his escape,
that slip
away be
delivered.
ship
at
By
Bethel
should
be destroyed.
tius,
Justi,
and
;
Hengsis
laid
by Cyril, Munstcr, Tamovius, Schmidius, Lowth, Michaclis, Dahl, Bauer, Ilitzig, and Ewald, at the idolatrous temple at Bethel, and, in
my
opinion, rightly.
Cahan
does not
show
on the ground that represents Jehovah as indirectly approving of superstition for, though the
to this interpretation,
it
;
argument in favor of Jerusalem can be built on the use of the article iu ll2;T5n "(he altar," but the contrary. The idolatrous object to which sacrifices were offered at Bethel, having been mentioned in the preceding verse, nothing is more natural than a reference here to the altar on which they were presented. n'^rs:, an ornamented head or cajiifal of
a column, in the shape of a sphere, or bowl surrounded by flowers. It is usually derived from ~E5, to caver, and -rs, to crotm. LXX. IXcurT-qpiov, mistaking the word for r-.t^. ANhcn ased
No
true
God was
nltar, it
was not
homage, but of conmianding that the whole of the erection and Morceiving
Chap. IX.
2
AMOS
177
Though they break through into Sheol, shall my hand take them Though they climb up to heaven, Thence will I bring them clown. Though they hide themselves on the summit of Carmel, There I Avill search them out and take them; Though they conceal themselves from mine eyes in the bottom
Thence
of the sea,
I will command the serpent, and he shall bite them. 4 Though they go into captivity. before their enemies.
There There
I will
command
the
sworiil,
and
it shall kill
them:
I will set
for evil,
And
5
For it is the Lord Jehovah of hosts. That toucheth the earth and it meltcth;
they render on Is. vi. 4
it trcpatpair-qp.
;
dlestick,
For
twelve hundred
feet,
CSD,
the similarity, in some respects, between which passage and the present, appears to have suggested the idea that the temple at Jerusee
RichtLr,
" Mount in his Pilgrimage, p. 65, says Carmel is entirely covered with green
on
salem is here meant. The temple was to be smitten both above and below, to
indicate
its
its summits are pines and oaks, and further down, olive and laurel trees,
etc.
These
forests
would furnish
safe
entire destruction.
Dy::^,
break them, i. e. the capitals, etc., upon the head of all the worshippers. It does not appear thattoii-i and n^^ns are
hiding places, equally with the caves, which are chiefly on the west side facing the sea." c-;;n yiinji, the bottom of the
The latter dehere used antithetically. notes the children of those who perished in the attack upon the idolatrous temple. When threatened by the Assyrians, they
would
crowds to Bethel, to implore protection from the golden calf, and, while thus assembled, they should perish, along with the vain object of their they should, in fact, be buried in trust
flock in
;
y|5"ip.,
Arab.
yjwS,
when spoken of a house, the foundation or fioor ; here the bottom or basis, on which the sea rests. For
terra ceqtiahilis;
ijr;3, sea-serj)cnt, see
on
Is.
xxvii.
1.
"
the ruins. 2-4. These verses exhibit a beautiful series of supposed cases of attempt at escape from the judgments of God, and the utter futility of every attempt of the
kind.
Vis?) and Cta-in, are, as usual, employed as extreme points of opposition.
JEneid.
ii.
204.
4, loses
The
its
'o
in
DtK,
in verses 3
and
Comp. Job
13, 14;
xi. 8
Ps. exxxix. 8
Is.
xiv.
A sublime description of
the al-
VwnsrirN-i. Not only was Mount Carmel celebrated on account of its general fertility, but also on account of the dense forests and large caverns with which it abounded. These, together with its height, which is about
Matt.
xi. 23.
mighty and imcontroUable power of Jehovah. For the reference to the Nile, see on chap. viii. 8. Instead of irTVs;^, the Kcri and not a few MSS. read i^m'Vyw in full. Comp. I'^rjin'^Pj
Ps. civ.
3, 13.
23
178
AMOS.
all
Chap. IX,
And
that dwell in
it,
it
mourn
It risc'th, all of
And subsideth like the river of Egypt. He that buildeth his upper chambers in And foundeth his vaults upon the earth
That
the heavens,
;
calk'th to the waters of the sea, poureth them out on the surface of the earth Jehovah is his name. Are ye not as the Cushites to me, 7 O sons of Israel ? saith Jehovah. Did I not bring Israel from the land of Egy]it ?
And
The
Philistines
from Caphtor
?
And
Lord Jehovah
are
upon the
sinful kin<''-
dom,
Ai^epos oiKOf virepraToy
vaifTiifis.
i.
Ojjpian. Ilalieut.
490.
06oO
rrnj^s,
otKr)Tripiou
tov
K6<rfxou
rh
&vca.
planted from their primarj^ location in Arabia, into the midst of the barbai-ous nations of Africa, Cush-
frp,
^>o,
m
Aristot.
are
here the
Arab,
jLskf
xviii. 2. .'Vrab.
sinia?is.
^ji,A^3wM
5(x^a
-^iys-
fornix firmte compaginis et structurce an arch or vanlt ; obviously used of tlie or hemispheric expanse or vault of VJ"^--\
,
Al^ioTTas,
rol
SfSaiarat,
etrjcarot
6.v5poiv,
heaven which, from its appearing to the eye to rest upon the earth, is here said to be founded upon it. To render it, with the Targ., com/rer/ation, and apply it to the Church, as a body of believers, firmly united together, is altogether unsuitable to the connection. The rendering of the liXX., SjT., and Arab, would
;
Oi
jJ.ii'
Sv(TOfxevov
Ol/TOS.
iiirepiovos,
ol
5'
avi-
Odyss.
i.
23, 24.
For a-sp-iVs, see on Is. xiv. 28. Gesenius hesitates between Crete and Cappadocia, as designated by the Hebrew
Caphtor, but inclines to the former. Thesaurus, p. 709. LXX. Ka7nraSoK/o. Cns, Aram, or Syria, put for the Si/riatis,
inhabitants of the coimtries e. the about Damascus. They are here represented as having migrated from n'p. Kir, the country lying on the river Ktir, or CjTus. See on Is. xxii. 6.
i.
seem
ver. 8
nnni
orig-
but only one of De Ilossi's MSS. has this reading at first hand. 7. By appealing to the fact, that, in his providence, he had removed different
;
nations front their original abodes, and settled them elsewhere, Jehovah repels
8, 9.
t"'3"'y,
171
said to be
any
when he keeps
the idea, which the Israelites were so prone to CTitertain, that, because he had brought them out of I'igypt, and given
and
view, in order cither to or to piuiish him. In the present instance, the phrase conveys the idea of hostility. Though the kingdom of the ten tribes was to be utterly
yet, as descend-
treat
them
Cu-vr. IX.
A
I will destroy
it
il
179
And
Yet
Saith Jehovah.
9 For, behold, I will
command,
And
Avill sift
among
all
the nations,
As one
And
10 But
11
not a grain falleth to the ground. the sinners of my people shall die by the sword. That say, The evil shall not reach nor overtake us.
all
In that day I
will raise
its
is falling,
And
will close
up
breaches
mercy.
^3
02 s
strongly adversative.
is
used to separate
the chaff and other refuse from, the pure gi-ain, is most probably derived from "2S, to be many, from the number of
small holes in
it.
LXX.
XiKfihs.
Aq. and
Sam.
est
would be exercised
tion.
The
during which the blessings of the covenant of mercy was to be extended to the Gentile world. With this reference in view, the apostle James expressly quotes the prophecy. Acts xv. 15-17. The quotation is made from the version of the LXX. but as regards verbality, cUffers fully as much from it, as the latter does from the Hebrew text ; his object being to give the general sense of the passage, and not the identical phraseology. It must fiuther be observed that, though he quotes the entire passage, consisting of the 11th and 1 2th verses, his obvious design -sAas to give prominence to what is contained in the latter, viz. the conversion of the Gentiles, the very point required by Ms argument so that all attempts to apply what is said respecting the booth of David to the Christian
; ;
dispersion
10.
chiu'ch,
are
T^ii
in
David,
is
who
the
scofRngly denied the possibility of AssjTian conquest, namely, the Such dissipated magnates of Samaria. should perish in the war. -rj'a Q"nprT
its figurative,
is
imusual. Perhaps the meaning is, Shall not come forward, or advance in our rear, so as to cut off our retreat.
we are to imderstand
the period of
among the
kingdom.
Though
that
kingdom would
disappear from the scene, in order to give place to a brief but prominent exhibition of the
11.
Israelites
The
now
never be restored, yet the Jewish polity would be re-established at Jerusalem. This polity is here called ^\*^^'.r^z^, the
booth, or hid of David, to denote the reduced state of his family, and the
affairs
Jews from their depressed condition, during the anticipated captivity in Babylon, and the great the introdesign of that restoration
restoration of the
of the people.
there.
is
C'omp.
Is.
xi.
and
my note
When the
spoken
of,
]^rricr>'^r'*^v
of that family
the n.ore
ISO
AMO S
I -will raise
Chap. IX
up
its ruius,
build
it
may be
possessed,
shall
my name
be
called,
genii Horae HebraicjB et Talmud. The feminine suffix in ]n''S"iE is to be referred to the different parts or cities of the kingdom, understood. The masculine in "iTD-in, has-i--.i for its antece-
dent, and the feminine in n^n/ra refers tonro. 12. The grand end of the restoration
is
now
the
the
introduction
of
The
:
church of God had formerly consisted of persons belonging to a particular nation henceforth it Avas to comprehend those
of
all
the feast
of booths, commonly called " the feast of tabernacles." See Levit. Root 'n^O. to weave, inxxiii. 40-43.
terweave, })rotect.
to
Still
most
would
be his people.
i:~i\, to
more
definitely
Jewish kingdom,
falling.
The
possession of, inherit, is here used figuratively of the influence for good which the
an action
church shoidd exert over the Gentiles, bringing them Avithin her pale, and using them for her holy and beneA'olcnt purposes.
which was happening at the time of narration, and which would be continued. About the time of Amos the Jewish affairs had begun to decline; and, though they occasionally and partially revived,
yet,
In the Avords, 'i-1"^ ',a -s-t, " thy seed shall possess," or " inherit the nations," Is. Ha'. 3, Ave have a strictly parallel prophecy, couched in the same
language.
Comp.
also Is.
xlix. 8,
and
taken as a whole, they continued to deteriorate till the Babylonish invasion, when they were reduced to the deplorably fallen state in which they continued till the return from the captivity, when the restoration here predicted took place. From the phraseology employed by the prophet, the Ilabbins derived one of the names which they give to the Messiah "VtD 13 the son of the fallen. Thus in the Talmud, Sanhed. fol.96, 2: "II. NachIlast thou heard man said to R. Isaac
:
where, in reference to the blessing of the Gentiles Avith faithful Abraham, that patriarch is called " the
iv. 13,
Rom.
Among the first of the foreign nations that Avcre to experience his beneficent influence, tlie Idumeans are expressly mentioned. OAving to the enmity Avhieh had existed bctAvecn
heir of the world."
them and the Jcavs, they had mutually harassed and Avasted each other, in consequence of Avhich, and of invasions and wars on the part of other poAvers, nothing
but r"isr. a remnant, of the former A\-a3 left. Of this remnant, a portion Avas proselytized to the JcAvish faith in the time
of John Hyrcanus,
To whom he
AVho
is
:
Bar-naphli.
He
replied.
The Messiah
Bar-naphli
;
call the Messiah not \\Titten. In that day I will raise up, etc. ? " quoting the For other present v-rse of Amos.
you may
for is it
and the remainder amalgamated Avith the tribes of Arabia, It Avhich embraced the Christian faith.
to
jjassages to the
same
effect,
see Schoet-
is
; ;
Chap. IX.
13
AMOS
181
Behold, the days are commg, saith Jehovah, sliall overtake the reapei', And the treader of grapes him that soweth the seed
the mountains shall drop with
all
And And
is
new
wine^
the
hills shall
melt.
and
this verse,
here made,
w !''
is
to be taken
impersonally,
canied forward to Kips. The calling of a name upon any person or thing, denotes the assertion of the claims of the individual whose name is mentioned
the calling of the Gentiles. This the introductoiy phi-aseC"S3 C"b^ ^?.'1 Behold,
the days are coming, distinguished as it
is
ver. 11,
upon the
D"'iin~"V3 understood
person
is
or
thing
specified.
which characterize
it,
sufficiently
the accusative,
repeated.
^s
being
'\V)^h
show.
The
as
s-\''">
21-23
and are to
LXX.
oi
have renKaraXonroi
read,
iK^rir-f]aw<nv
ruv
av^piiiriDP, or,
as
some MSS.
be interpreted of the future restoration of the Jews to their own land, and their abundant pixjsperity in the latter day.
iK^rtrria-ccffi fie,
as if their
ri"'1?^
"'f]'*
Hebrew
text
For yntn
'rs'a,
to
'li'lll l^'^V,
Newcome
^nk
is
men may seek me. supposes that the reading but a contraction for nir;"' rs
;
comp. yi7.n '?(??'?.> Ps. cxxvi. 6. The idea seems to be that of conveying the seed with the hand from the sack or vessel in
which we &ad in the quotation. Acts xv. 17, might seem to favor this supposition, there is no
though rhv
Kvpiov,
which it w-as carried, yet not to the exclusion of the act of sowing. Comp.
^I^ri/i* jaculatus
,
the Eth.
tas.
est sagit-
evidence to prove that the contraction "^ ns, so common in Rabbinical WTitings, is of such antiquity. Thf Kvpioy
I consider to be merely an interpretation of fie. No Hebrew MSS. afford
tion,
For o^cy fresh or sioeet wine, The metaphorical see on Joel i. 5. language here employed is at once, in the highest degree, bold and pleasing. The Hebrews were accustomed to construct terraces on the sides of the mountains and other elevations, on which
they planted vines. Of this fact the prophet avails himself, and represents the immense abundance of the produce to
To which
can justly be charged with corruption. add, that the words as they stand in the Hebrew text, admirably suit the connection, as they equally do the argument of the apostle; though quoting, according to custom, from the Greek version, he adopted in the main
the construction which
it
be such, that the eminences themselves would appear to be converted into the juice of the grape.
'
382.
exhibits
as
How
scene
which
lan-
here depicted,
face
and
that
which
he had in view.
13.
the
of
Palestine
has
presented
Comp.
Levit. xxvi. 5.
The
1S2
14 I
AMOS
will reverse the captivity of
Chap. IX.
my
people Israel,
And And
They
they
they
shall also
and hihabit them and drink the wine of them make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.
15 For I will plant them in their own land. And they shall no more be plucked up from their laud
"Which
impossible to conceive
of prophecy more distinctly or positively asserting the future and tinal restoration of the Jews to Canaan than that con-
they have been removed from that favored land, on account of their wickedness but still it is theirs by Divine dona;
they return to the faith of Abraham, beholding in retrospection the day of the Messiah, which he saw and was glad, but deeply bewailmg their guilt in having cruciiicd him, and persevered lor so many centuries in the rejection of his gospel, they shall regain possession of it, and remain its happy occupants till the end of
time.
And when
B
The
AD I A H.
PREFACE.
prophecy of Obadiah, consisting only of twenty-one verses, is the book of the Old Testament. Jerome calls him, parvus propheta, versuum supputatione, non sensum. Of his origin, life, and circumstances, we know nothing but, as usual, various conjectures have been broached some identifying him with the pious Obaby the Rabbins and Fathers diah who lived at the court of Ahab some, with the overseer of the workmen, mentioned 2 Chron. xxxiv. 1 2 and some, with others of the same
shortest
; :
no lack of legendary notices respecting the place of See Carpzovii Introd. tom. iii. pp. 332, 333. That he flourished after the capture of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans, may be inferred from his obvious reference to that event, verses 11-14; for it is more natural to regard these verses as descriptive of the past, than as proHe must, therefore, have lived after, phetical anticipations of the future. or been contemporary with Jeremiah, and not with Hosea, Joel, and Amos,
name
while there
is
Sufficient proof of his having as Grotius, Huet, and Lightfoot, maintain. lived in or after the time of that prophet, has been supposed to be found in the almost verbal agreement between verses 1-8, and certain verses inserted
it being assumed that he must Jeremiah xlix. have borrowed from him. This opinion, however, though held by Luther, Bertholdt, Von CoeUn, Credner, Hitzig, and Von Knobel, ie less probable than the contrary hypothesis, which has been advocated by Tarnovius, Schmidius, Du Veil, Drusius, Newcome, Eichhorn, Jahn, Schnurrer, RosenIndeed, a commiiller, Holzapfel, Hendework, Hiivernick, and Maurer. parison of the structure of the parallel prophecies goes satisfactorily to show the priority of our prophet, as has been ably done by Schnurrer, in his
Add
to which, that
Jeremiah appears
have been in the habit of partially quoting from precedComp. Is. xv. xvi. with Jerem. xlviii. This view is confirmed ing prophets. by the opinion of Ewald, that both these writers copied from some earlier prophet, since he admits that Obadiah has preserved, in a less altered conto
dition, the
In
so entirely in
of the book, that they must be considered as having been originally delivered by the same individual whereas Jeremiah presents it in the form of disjecta
;
membra poeUe.
In
all
probability the prophecy was delivered between the year b. c. 588, the Chaldeans, and the termination of the
184
siege of
PREFACE TO OBADIAH.
T}Te by Nebuchudnezzar. During this interval, that monarch subdued the Idumeans, and other neighboring nations. Of the coniposition of Obadiah, Httle, as Bishop Lowth observes, can be
owing
to its
said,
extreme brevity.
are animation,
and perspicuity. / ~"llie subjects of the prophecy are the judgments to be inflicted upon the' Idumeans on account of their wanton and cruel conduct towards the Jews at
regularity,
and the
two parts
the
self-
confidence, and unfeeling cruelty of the former people, and definite predictions of their destruction
;
is
promised
that the
own
territories of the
supposed
to
treats,
and the mention made of " the residue of Edom," book of Amos.
OB ADIAH.
185
OBADIAH.
Thk prophecy commences by announcing
the message sent in the providence of God to the Chaldeans, to come and attack the Idumeans, ver 1 and describes the humiliation of their pride, 2, 3; the impossibility of their escape by means of their boasted fastnesses, 4; and the completeness of their devastation, 5. It then proceeds with a sarcastic plaint over their unnatural cruelty totheir deserted and fallen condition, 6-9; specifies its cause wards the Jews, 10-14; and denounces a righteous retribution, 15, 16. The remaining portion fortells the restoration of the Jews, their peaceful settlement in their own land, and the establishment of the kingdom of Messiah, 17-21.
;
The
Thus
Vision of Obadiah.
saith the
sent
among
Up
her to battle
There
quire whether
no necessity to inObadiah meant himself and other prophets, or whether he identified himself with his countrymen.
is,
therefore,
All that
is
intended
is
the circulation of
obviated by Schniu'rer, Maurer, and HitFor TiTn, see on Is. i. 1. n^ia'y, zig.
Obadiah, " the servant of Jehovah," equivalent to Vs'nay, Abdeel, Jer. xxxvi.
the hostile message in regard to Idumea and the tracing of the movement to the overruling providence of God, by which
allies
were led
See Calvin, in loc. lis, a messenger, or For cnis, Edom, see on ambassador; Arab. \Lo5 yj,ja,ivit,prO' Is. xxxiv. 5. The words ?3n nsitei^ nir;'' riSttj *^^ have heard a report from fectus est. LXX. TTepioxh", but in Jer.
Gottschalck.
to be regarded as designed to describe the reception of the Divine message by the prophet, but express the communication made to the nations by the ambassador sent to simimon them to the attack upon Idumea, as the following clause shows. The nSTOia,
ayyehovs
Is.
Symm.
2,
xviii.
and
like
my
'.'jh,
ai
Com,
siK^p,
arise!
up!
it
fi-equently used as
report, or
communication itself, is contained in the last line of the verse. The plmral form ^ayK'iJ, " we have heard," for which Jeremiah has 'T^i'cv, " / have
heard,"
is
the address of the herald commences; who, identifying himself with the nations which he summons, proceeds to employ the plural of the same verb in its strictly hostile sense, followed by the preposition V?. cins, though
properly masculine, is here viewed as yns, a country ; hence the feminine
suffix in n^V.3''
2. Here the masculine gender is adopted, which is continued through^, t
With
so qualified
verb
t^h'i
in
parallelism, that
passive form
nSW3
24
186
OBADIAH
pride of tliine lieart hath deceived thee,
tliat
The
Tliou
^^"liose liahitation
high
Who
4
shall
bring
me down
to the
ground
Though thou
And
among
the stars,
Thence
the prophecy
stood.
down,
under-
saith Jehovah.
describing the rockj' character of the coimtry generally, as well as that about Petra in particular. Instead of TfJ<'"ir:,
The
small,
to
and
not
of
as
hath deceived
thee, four of
De
liossi's
designed
limited
mark
the
comparatively
character
considered,
MSS. and
tjs-'m
;
originally
and
despicable
Idumca,
geographically
interprets,
ported by the
Newcome
but describe
it
the
to,
was
3. The Idumeans are taunted with the proud confidence which they placed in their loftj' and precipitous mountain fastnesses, and the insolence with which they scouted everj' attempt to subdue them. These positions, strong by nature,
and many of them rendered still more so by art, they deemed absolutely imSuch inaccessible places are pregnable. appropriately called 5^2 ij h cliffs of
,
Hexaplar Syr. it is inferior to that of the Textus Rcceptus, which has the suffrages of the Syr. and the Targ., especially as there are no other instances in which t<"'lBr! is used in the sense of raising, or elevating. The i in 15 ^ i is simply a poetic paragogic, of which several examples occiu- in the Benoni participle. See. Gen. xlix. 11 Dent, xxxiii. 16 Is. xxii. IG Micah vii. l-l. In i?2c there is a transition from the second person to the third,
;
;
sake of more gi-aphically jwinting out the proud position of Edom. Comp.
for the
Is. xxii. 16.
m
..^
7-^iipes ;
the Arab.
-"CV
^^
confugit
4. By a bold but beautiful hj-perbole, the Idumeans are told, that, to what
refuge,
which
is
and
LXX.
j
tV
SjT.
a r<\
in-
by
vh'o,
we
might imagine thembeyond the reach of their enemies, Jehovah would dislodge them, and deliver them into their power. For the soaring of the eagle, and his building his nest on the inaccessible crags of the rock, comp. Job xxxix. 27, 28
entirely they
selves to be
:
how
that name, otherwise called Pctra, situated in Wady Musa, and celebrated as the capital of Idumea. See on Is. xvi.
1.
The C"";n
clijfs,
would, on
this in-
and
inacccssil)lc
" Is
it
at
thy
command
rocks which beetled over that nictro])olis. I prefer taking the word in its literal
And
alxide
On
llie fast-
versions,
and
thus
OB ADIAH
If thieves
187
had come to
thee,
robbers by night (how art thou desti'oyed !) Would they not have stolen what was sufficient for them ?
If vintagers had come to thee, "Would they not have left some gleanings How is Esau explored G
!
Or
C'^r Ewald and Hitzig take to be a pasfsive participle ; but that it is the infinitive
construct,
is
rendered
certain
by
its
country as Idumea, a predatory attack could only have been attempted in the night, especially on such places as were
having the preposition -,73 before it, Job XX. 4. In the present instance, and in Num. XXV. 21, in which, as here, it is followed by Tjpp, it stands elliptically for
most strongly
t-rP
C"'.j;
which
the rendering of the LXX., Sjt., Targ., and Vulg., which exhibit the second person singular of the verb. The term fizris is to be imderstood literally of the stars, as the highest objects which
present themselves to the eye,
fortified by nature, and a view of the immediately surrounding regions. Hitzig thinks the prophet has Petra specially in his eye, on account of its having been the great emporium of that part of the world. In-
commanded
stead of
rhS.
"].~p
cs ^V 5S2
c-^sr^CtJ,
Jeremiah has
which
words
is less forcible.
He also substitutes
The
position of the
thoxt,
and not
How
art des-
of the tops of the highest rocks, or even heaven itself, as some have maintained. ^""iiN is a direct reply to the vaunting
l"heodoret "a_, ver. 3. 'EireiS^ well expresses the sense thus
question, '"^"it"'
:
some fastidious critics, some of whom would remove them to the beginning of the verse, and others
troyed, has offended
to the
commencement
of the follo'vving.
To'iuvv,
<pr]crl
Tavrats
Sis
Srappatv
aXa^ouevrj
"What might be accounted their natural place would be the end of the present
verse
;
axe'i-poiTos,
eud\a>T6y
rois
Karaixr-qaco
Koi
cuxeiPWTo;/
eX'
StpoTs,
Koi
Twv
t. \.
iroKefj.lui'
ou
Siafpfv^ri
5. The Idumeans are here taught, that their devastation would be complete.
This
prophetic
intelligence
is
com-
municated in the form of interrogative illustrations, derived from customs with Avhich they were familiar. The manner in which they should be treated would be very different from that adopted by private thieves, or by a party of marauding nomades, who usually seize as much as they can, and especially what they have set their minds on, in the hurry of the moment, leaving the rest of the
property to its possessors. They should even fare worse than the vines, on which the vintages, though they cut down the bunches generally, still left some that might be gleaned afterwards. In Jere-
with the interjected exclamaand then carries them on to a close. The words are omitted by Jeremiah. rii;^ has two leading significations to be like ; and, according with the Arab.
:
^t>,
vulneravit, perdidit,
to
cause
to
LXX.
ttoD h.v
anei-
a verb,
which nowhere occurs in Niphal. Q''-, their sufficiency, i.. e. what was requisite
for supplying their present wants, or such a quantity as they had sufficient strength to remove. LXX. rh. iKava iuvTois.
Syr.
nm A mKn
apodosis
is
sufftcentia
;
eorum.
there
it is
The
omitted
but
miah the
order of the illustrations is reversed, the vintagers being taken first. r,V'^ "}~'-t night-robhers.
Li such a
appeal was made. 6. The prophet here resumes his strain of sarcastic plaint over the fall of Idumea, which he had abruptly adopted in the
188
OB ADIAH.
his
!
hidden pLacos searched allies have driven thee to the frontier Those who were at peace with thee have deceived thee They have prevailed against thee They that ate thy bread have laid a snare under thee There is no understanding in him
All thine
: I
Aud
preceding verse, repeating the ^'s there employed, which is again understood
betbre 5?=:.
By t;tr.""^3
'*?-^
strued
as
men of thy covena?it, are meant those who had formally pledged assistance to
the Edomites
;
confederates, allies
by
and, at the same time, with the singular pronominal affix. In the translation I have been obliged to
neigh-
employ
the
singular
in
both
cases.
may
either signify
boring states, which were en terms of peace and friendship with them. LXX. ivSpfs elprii'iKol, those who were peaceably inclined towards them. Before
'qri''5
places where treasures are hidden, or the treasures themselves or the term may be explained of hiding places, to which
;
the
supply
"t:??
may
men
an enemy.
I prefer the last of these significations, as better agreeing with the persons of the Edomites, mentioned in the former
hemistich
treasm-es
is
form
is
though the hiding of their imphed. The that of the Arabic passive
;
also natiu-ally
\J^iaAA. Such
places
abound in Idu-
be understood, those trho eat thy bread ; and thus the phrase will be descriptive some of the poorer of dependents tribes of the desert, who subsisted on the bounty of the Edomites, and whose aid they might reasonably expect in case of any emergency. Comp. Ps. xli. 10, where a similar combination of "cT'S Vr s with *>;! Vc t;"N occurs though there the idea
; ;
mea. " Revera," says Jerome, " ut dicamus aliquid de natura loci, omnis australis regio Idumieorum de EleutheropoH usque Petram et Ailam (ha?c est etiim posscssio Esau) in specubus habitatiunculas habet.
calores solis, quia
est,
pendence, seems intended to be exFive of De Rossi's MSS. and pressed. originally two more, read tpN'rr;, instead
of ':;r,s'-;- r , as also one of the early editions,
Et propter nimios
meridiana provincia
In-
here adopts that of direct personal assertion ^PEcn "'SN '3 '"^'P^^'^"'"'? ^^.""'"r^. "r^"'"^ changing, at the same time, fsrj into Cj'-^n, and
employed,
Jeremiah
the LXX. and Arab. but the common reading is to be preferred. To 5 Vr thirty MSS.. originally eleven more, four by emendation, the Soncin. and Complut. editions, the Soncin. Prophets, and the S\T., prefix the copulative, which the difference of sense in the two verbs re; ,
quires.
There
is
some
difficulty in de-
V3Saw
7.
into T"-inei3.
LXX.
rS,'a,
which
in
signi-
iviZpa
SjT.
fication to send, send aioay, signifies in Piel, to dismiss, eject, expel, convevnng
jj J,^^,
vChj-T),,
insidia; Vulg.
insidifP; Targ.
offend iculum
all
the superadded idea of compulsion or violence. Connected, as here, with ny the verb implies expulsion beyond the
,
fix)ntier
specified
tence
as the
signification
of
wovnd, which attaches to the word, Jer. XXX. 13, Hos. v. 13, the other pas-
OB ADIAH.
Shall I not in that day, saith Jehovah, Cause the wise men to perish from Edom ? And the men of understanding? from Mount Esau
1S9
sages in
which
it
with
any
Two
derivations
have
been
proposed,
edly written in their country. They were, indeed, proverbial for their ni;2n, philosophy, for the cultivation of which,
their intercourse
in
;
Supplement, ad Lexx. Hebrr. p. 23 but which is far-fetched, as there is no proof that the verb is used in the sense
of spreading out a net, or the like; and
fv. metitittts fuit,
with Babylon and Egypt was exceedingly favorable, as were likewise their means of acquiring information from the numerous caravans whose
route lay thi'ough their country, thus forming a chain of communication be-
^-y^fallum, mendac-
tween Europe and India. Speaking of wisdom, the author of the book of Baruch says, in reference to their celebrity as sages of antiquity, chap.
iii.
ium, with which the Hebrew -i!;t, to decline from the way of truth, has been compared. The use of TjPnri itt^B"', they place under thee, most naturally suggests
the idea of a gm or trap, which may be said to deceive or act falsely by those who tread upon it ; so that the notions of treachenj, plot, net, snare, may be
furnishing the true sigwho derives the word from niT, gives the significations thus: " circumligare, obligatio vulneris, fascia,
in
nification.
Fiirst,
22,
23:
" It hath not been heard of in Canaan, Neither hath it been seen in Teman.
The Hagarenes
earth,
that seek
wisdom upon
combined
hinc medicina
moraHter
laquewiwi
means look
from
for aid. Their allies, their neighbors, their very dependents, so far
of these have known the ways of wisdom. Nor remembered her paths." These sages are here called c^tt^rt, and their accumulated stores of wisdom are expressed by nz^ap, intelligence, the term which had just been employed at the
close of the preceding verse.
None
them, would act treacherously towards them, and employ every means, both of an open and covert nature, to effect their ruin. At the close of the verse, the prophet turns off again from the direct mode of address, and employs the third person, for the purpose of more emphatically exposing their folly in placing confidence in those who were It would be totally unworthy of it. highly uncritical, with the Targ., Hougibant, and Newcome, to change "ia, in him, into 'TiS, in thee.
assisting
8. The Idumeans confided, not only in the natural strength of their country, but in the superiority of their intelThat they excelled in lectual talent.
The
inter-
rogative
tiVri is
and
in
masnT
merely conversive.
I'W "in, the moimt of Esau, is the mountainous region of Seir, to the south of
Palestine,
now
called
Jjty.**!
JLa^-j
Jebel Sherah,
the arts and sciences, is abundantly proved by the numerous traces of them in the book of Job, which was undoubt-
extending as far south as Akabah. It was originally inhabited by the Horites, or Troglodytse, so called because they dwelt in the caves of the mountains, whom the posterity of Esau expelled, and taking possession of the countrj', spread themselves as far towards the north as the borders of Moab. It was particularly to the more northerly portion of this
reign that the
name
of vJLe^ , Jebel, or
-.rr,
mountaiti.
190
9
B AD
!
11
Thy mighty men, O Teman shall he dismayed, That every one may be cut off from mount Esau.
For the sLiughter, for the injury of thy brother Jacob, Shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for CA'er. In the day when thou didst take a hostile position, III the day when foreigners took captive his forces,
10
11
And
one of them.
Hebrews, but injured them in every possible way and their ci-ueltics were highly aggravated by the consideration, that those who were the objects of them were descended from the same com;
slain the
a collective sense I
have translated
it
in the plural.
9.
12.
For l^:'?, Teman, see on Amos i. Vwj'): has been variously construed.
renders
it
it,
Ewald unnaturally
battle.
without
mon
cob
Schnurrer treats
as a participle
it
Vap>: or
Comp. Amos i. 11. Jaused as a patronymic to denote the Jews. Two distinct periods in the
parent.
is
:
and regarding
it
as equivalent to
He
would thus make it parallel with t'"i ",2.",, mighty men, in the preceding hemistich. Iloscnm idler, DeWette, and some others, translate, by slaughter. I^co Juda, most
of the older
Idumeans are here pointed out that during which they should be the subjects of ignominy as a
future historj- of the
modem
translators, followed
by
Jrcger, Hesselberg,
Maurer, render, suppose the prophet to be here assigning the cause of the destruction of the Idumeans which he had just predicted,
conquered people and that during which they were to be entirely extinct. From the former they recovered about a century before the Christian era but they were reduced by John Ilyrcanus, and
:
;
afterwards
lost
everj'
vestige of
their
separate existence.
11. This and the three following verses contain a series of pointed expostulations,
intendmg more
fully to dilate
on the
To
this
construction, however,
jected,
it
must be obparallelism,
that
it
clogs
the
which, while they inculpate the Idumeans, describe the various modes in which they had manifested their maHce towards the Jews. Some have thought
that i:.5K
"1:1'
wth
means here
to stand aloof,
Vrr -n, as in
cr n'>2
may
observe the
;
both in form and reference, to admit of such a pause as that which is introduced by the Soph-Pasuk. I, therefore, do not
follow the division of the verses adopted by the LXX., Syr., Ilexhesitate to
but the declaration at posing parties the end of the verse, as well as what is stated in verses 13th and 14th, clearly
shows that the phrase is to be taken in a hostile sense, as in 2 Sam. xviii. 13 Dan. That V";n is not to be rendered X. 13.
;
New-
oome, and Boothroyd, by which Vt^T'U is removed from verse 9 th, and placed at the beginning of verse 10th.
10.
wealth or riches in this passage, h\xi forces, army, or the like may be infcn-ed from re-
'nt* C^cnw
''i:.]'^)3.
made to the division of the substance of the citizens of Jerusalem by lot in the following hemistich, ci-r
ference being
and
C"-i23
is
that of
whom
Lam.
and
'-1>
Comp.
ii^^i,
thy brother.
63.
Instead of
myi,
the read-
'
OB ADIAH.
12
191
Thou
shoultlest not
In the day of his being treated as an alien Thou shouldest not have rejoiced over the sons of Judah,
In the day of their destruction
:
13
Neither shouldest thou have sijoken insolently In the day of distress. Thou shouldest not have entered the gate of my people, In the day of their calamity Thou, even thou, shouldest not have looked on their affliction, In th^ day of their calamity
; ;
Nor
of such treatment.
by the Keri.
its
may originally
gular,
is
^jQ
difficilis
ac durus fult
gravis ac
clear irora
ver.
is
number,
cases,
tive.
it
The
is
idea radically
that of treating
12.
The
any one as a stranger, i. e. an ahen or enemy, ns V"'~in, to enlarge, or make great the tnouth, Ger. den Mund voU
-i^Grj Vtj,
by the
nehmen : to use insolent or contumelious language, such as those employ who Comp. Ezek. exult over a fallen foe.
XXXV.
13. 13.
circumstance, that the speaker has a past event prominently in view, reference
to
whom
CJ in r-iPS D^. is emphatic. nin^'ip, some take to be the third plural feminine, having for its object fiii
passing,
duty in reference
They
are prop-
but the entire construction of the passage requires the second person singular
masculine, tVPJoT]
.
erly subjunctives of negation, expressive of what should not have been done, and therefore have the usual force of the imperative. " Verba Hebrteorum saepe non
The
syllable
ns
is
added with a view to give intensity to the verb, as in Jud. v. 26 thus expressing the eagerness with which the Idumeans seized upon the spoil. Rosen;
iii.
is
;
264.
ragogic,
and
is
the
epenthetic
pabut
Gesenius
it
with
eyes
')naligna7it pleasure,
to feast one's
-w-ith
the
with the calamity of another. T)"ns Ci"', the day of thy brother, is afterward explained by i'-:::, Ci"]2X,
Arabs.
avviirib^
Lehrgeb. p. 801.
;
LXX.
fj.))
Syr.
>nn
..i'
jj
rtna,
CTS, which
ous circumstances in which the Jews were placed, ci', day, is often used to express a disastrous or calamitous period.
-i5s,
which
is
form Job xvii. 16 Is. xxviii. 3 Exod. i. 10. For the omission of t, hand, see 2 Sam. vi. 6 Ps. xviii. 17.
; ;
192
OB ADIAH.
JiaA-e
To
Neither shouldest thou have deUvered up those of his That were left in the day of distress. 15 For the day of Jehovah is near against all the nations; As thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee Thy deed shall come back upon thine own head, 16 For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, So shall all the nations drink continually
.
Yea, they
And
shall
shall drink and swallow greedily, be as though they had not been.
addressed,
tivities
14. p-s is commonly rendered biviam, a parting of a way, or a place where a road breaks off into two. I should rather think, from the idea of violence implied
their drinking
and most of them explain on Blount Zion of the feswith which they celebrated tha
victor^'
refers
gained over the Jews. Grotius the words to the same people, only he takes the verb nnr in the bad
sense, as denoting the drinking of the
which a passage might be effected into the region beyond. Corap. n p^SK.
1
I
Kings xix.
A
11.
LXX.
In
SieK^oKai. Syr.
't;"ij5,
cup of divine s\Tath, and renders "n Vyt on account of my holy mountain,
:
^ nKn
two mountains.
reference
the
is to the means employed to cut off the retreat of those Jews who attempted to pass through Idumea on
their
way to Egypt, whither they fled fiwm the Chaldeanso p-.Bn V? -.izy, to
" propter Judaeam a vobis lacessitam." But it seems more natural to regard the words as directed, by a sudden apostrophe, to the Jews, assuring them, that, though the sufferings to which they had been sub-
still
greater punish-
stand at the ravine or pass, graphically describes the attitude of those who are watching in order to interce})! a caravan, or a body of travellers, especially in the
ment would be inflicted upon the hostQe nations by which they had been attacked. The punishment which they suffered was
only temporary
;
rugged mountainous regions to the south of Judea. The Idumcans not only in
prevented the escape of the they carried them back as prisoners, and delivered them up to the
this
way
fugitives
enemy. 15. In this verse, the conquest of Idumea and all the neighboring nations by Nebuchadnezzar is declared to be In the war wliich he was to at hand. carry on against them, due retribution
The structure of the passage requires the verb to be taken in the same sense in both parts of the verse. Such, in effect, is the construction put upon the words, Jer. xlix. 12. Compare also chap. xxv. 15-29. In
perpetual.
would be
Rosenmiiller,
Schnurrcr,
De
"Wette,
to
8.
the
Edomites.
Instead of -"^ir, contimially, the reading 2"2S, around, is exhibited in not fewer than seventy-eight MSS. ; in seventeen
Hessclberg,
and Maurcr.
ii.'li
16.
more originally in three others in the margin in seven of the earliest printed editions and a few other authorities but
; ; ; :
all
OB ADIAH.
17
19^
But
in
Mount Zion
:
shall
be the escaped,
18
shall
be a
;
fire,
they shall set them on fire, and devour them So that there shall not be a relic of the house of Esau For Jehovah hath spoken it. they of the south shall possess
shall also possess the
19
And And
They
Mount Esau,
country of Ephraim,
to
to
De Rossi, is found in all the most accurate and best ilSS., both Spanish
teach
that
the
Judah and
lished
;
Israel
and German. In all probability ^'-C, was substituted by some copyist from
Jer.
XXV.
9.
What
LXX.
text,
-,-c
Hebrew
for
their
having mistaken
rendering it olvoy, whie. y-,V, to sicalloio or suck doion vnth greediness. Arab.
njtJ
and
^aJ, avidus
LjJ
_iJ,
Comp. y's the aqufe bibit. throat; >'V2, to swallow, etc. The idea intended to be conveyed bj' the use of the verb here is that of drinking commultum
plctely off the
cup of ^^Tath, as a thirsty person would a vessel of water. 17. Obadiah here commences his predictions respecting the restoration of the
Babylonish captivity and the their re-occupancy of Canaan While the surreign of the Messiah. rounding nations were to disappear, the Jews should regain possession of their holy city, and the land of their fathers. rl3"V2 means such as had survived the
seph clearly shows that the ten tribes were to return at the same time, and, jointly with Judah and Benjamin, to possess the land of Palestine and the neighboring regions. See Is. xi. 12-14; Hos. i. 11. The restored Hebrews would unitedly subdue the Idumeans, which they did in the time of John Hyrcanus, who compelled them to be circumcised, and so incor^xyrated them with the Jews, that they henceforward formed part of the nation. See Joseph. Antiquities, book xiii. chap. ix. 1. For the metaphorical language, comp. Num. xxi. 28 Is. X. 17 and, for the ground of it, Is.
; ;
V. 24.
Jews from
the
19.
By
2:.;
part of Palestine,
should occupy
plain, those
it
who should occupy the low country along the shore of the Meditetrancan.
LXX.
Oj 4v iiayeff
ot
iv
rf 2e(^a\a.
According to the
relative
captivity,
fers to
-c
7'p
holiness,
i.
e.
holy, re-
positions of those
who
Blount Zibn, Avhich had been polSee luted by the idolatrous Chaldeans. on Joel iv. 17. Jseger and Hesselberg refer the sufRx in sn'^'^'^i'JS, their possessions, to the hostile nations
land,
was
to
be the
enlargement of
their tenitory
Spoken of
less
but
natur-
18. Though the houses of Jacob and Jeseph are here spoken of separately, it was not the intention of the prophet
by the annexation of the adjoining regions, which had formerly been occupied by alien or hostile powers. As there is no subject specified before jinTiia ^~'s rt!"> t"iss '"u rs, it would seem to be intimated that the regions of Ephraim and Samaria were to be occupied by the Jews and Israelites jointly,
25
194
Aiul 20
tlie
BAD
country of Samaria; Benjamin, GileaJ.
II
the captives of this host of the sons of Israel, That are among the Canaanites,
And And
<,
As
far as Zarcpliath.
And
That are
tribal distinctions
and the reason why the tribe of Benjamin is mentioned, is merely on account
of the proximity of Gilcad to the teiTitory which it originally possessed. That
ro |
Spai7i,
with which
:
agrees
an interpretation
liabbins,
interpret-
who
ing
it
ui like
r-r
is
rE-s
of France.
Jerome, as in-
plain or level country, but a region or district in general, is obvious from the nature of the territory to which refer-
ence is made. The mountainous country of Idumea is called CT!S "^v, (ien.
Sparta, in support of
which hypothesis
;
XXX ii.
20.
is
1.
Vn
i.
e.
h'Ti,
an army,
host, etc.,
number of
Israelitish captives
which were found in had been sold times as slaves, and thence
Sec Joel
for
iii.
into Greece.
is
6, 7.
fjyra
fiyrsa, which is the reading of three MSS. Before TEnS iV, supply nr-i-; from the following, rsna,
elliptical
Zarephath,
or
Sarepta,
now
called
to
they appeal to 1 Mace. xii. 21 while others propose r.iEC, Scjjhara, Gen. x. 30, or the town of SoTr^iop,. mentioned by Ptolemy, as lying between the territory of the Ilomerites and Sabaeans. To judge from the other geographical relations stated in this and the preceding verse, we should conjecture, that some place to the south or east of Judca is intended. The following Hst of cities and places in the possession of the Jews in the time of Alexander Janntpus is given by Josephus Kara rovrov rhv
:
Katphy
^St)
rwv 2vpo3V
Tr6\eis flxov
koI
'iSovnalcov
Kol ^oiv'iKoiv
loi/SaTor trphs
i&oAatrcrj) fifi/
'^Tpdrcjvos irvpyou,
'AiroWw
Td^ai',
and Tyre,
terranean.
Medi-
According to the ctjTnologj' of its name, it must have been a place for smelting metals. In the rocks along the foot of the hills. Dr. Robinson found many excavated tombs, which he makes no doubt once belonged to this ancient
city.
'Av^SSua,
fifffoyela
'Pa^i-av, ''?ivoK6\ovpav' 4v Se
kuto,
t^jv
'ISovfiaiav,
rp "ASupa,
Kol
opos,
\iv,
Palestine, vol.
is still
iii.
p.
414.
The
SaPa,
iv6Kfts
AtfjiPS.,
'Opwyos, TeA/dcova,
name
K'tKiKiof
AvKwya,
TltWav
ttjS
&\\as
Zvpa,
re
some
distance.
What
irpaiTevovffas
KaTfapaix(i.4vai.
iv. 4.
Antiq.
Sfpi'as,
al ^crov
The
AX.
all probability is
21.
Though
forty-four
Aq.,
Symm. and
Thcod. aacpapdS.
meaning,
the
former
reading
being
OB ADI AH.
21
195
Zion.
And
up
in
Mount
And
LXX.,
15-23.
Aq., Theod., Syr., and Arab., appear to have read n'^yjiis or cr^^w in the passive, which is unsuitable to the Jerome observes that the connection.
ix. 1.
xii.
12
Num.
word
raised
is
active.
Such
saviors, or
de-
Acts
fer to
vii. 7.
liverers
who were
the time of the Judges. There can be little doubt that the celebrated family of the Maccabees are intended, whose valiant princes governed
up
in
Comp. Ban.
ii.
44,
vii.
27.
But
the Jews for the period of an hundred and twenty-six years, during which time signal victories were gined over
kingdom, no restoration of the Jews would have taken place the temple would have remained in ruins, and the land a scene of desolafor the introduction of this
;
tion.
TT
'
'
ft .-4..
6
I-
>
_,yi.iiiiiiii
I
-OoA
^"V ^.,.
'
Cv^
JONAH.
PREFACE.
Against no book
of Scripture have the shafts of infidelity and the sap-
ping arts of anti-supematuralism been more strenuously directed than against As early as the days of Julian and Porphyry that of the Prophet Jonah.
it
was made the subject of banter and ridicule by the pagans, who accused story of the deliverance by
fish
;
means of a
and, in
spirit,
modem
many
pretended friends have had recourse to methods of interpretation, which would not only remove the book from
evinced the same
of
the category of inspired writings, but, if applied to these writings generally,
would annihilate much that is strictly historical in its import, and leave us Blasche, Grimm, and to wander in the regions of conjecture and fable. some others, suppose the whole to have been transacted in a dream but, as Eichhorn justly observes,* there is not a single circumstance in the narrative that would suggest such an idea; and, besides, whenever any account
;
is
The manner
in
not to assert
to adopt.
we are on no ground whatever (durch gar nichts.) warranted The theory of an historical allegory was advanced and maintained
with great learning, but, at the same time, with the most extravagant license Herman von der Ilardt, Professor of the
According to this Oriental languages at the university of Ilelmstedt. J Jonah was an historical person, but is here symbolical partly of
;
Manasseh, and partly of Josiah, kings of Judah the ship was the Jewish state the storm, the political convulsions which threatened its safety the
; ;
master of the
on the
etc.
Zadok the high-priest the great fish, the city of Lybon Semler Orontes, where IManasseh was detained as a prisoner, etc.
ship,
;
to the
;
fable,
an apologue, or a moral fiction while Dercser, Nachtigal, Ammon, Bauer, Goldhorn, Knobel, and others, consider it to have had historical basis, and that it has been invested with its present costume in order that On the other hand, Rosenmiiller, Geit might answer didactic purposes.
Einleit.
t
Band
iv.
575.
vl. p- 154.
full title
Jonas
For the
of
this
PEEFACE TO JONAH.
197
senius, De Wette, Maurer, and Winer, derived it from popular tradition ; some tracing it to the fable of the deliverance of Andromeda from a sea Ovid, Metamorph. iv. 662, etc. and monster, by Perseus, Apollod. ii. 4, 3 some, to that of Hercules, who sprang into the jaws of an immense fish, and
; ;
in
its
belly,
when he undertook
iv.
some of these writers may have in common with each other, there are some essential points on which they are totally at variance whde all frankly acknowledge the difficulties which clog the subject. The opinion which has been most generally entertained, is that which accords to the book a strictly historical character in other words, which affirms that it is a relation of facts which actually took place in the life and experience of the prophet. Nor can I view it in any other light, while I hold fast an enlightened belief in the divine authority of the books composing the canon of the Old Testament, and place implicit reliance on the au-
Much
as
thority of the
Into the fixed and definite character of the * canon, I need not here enter, having fully discussed the subject elsewhere but assuming that all the books contained in it possess the Divine sanction, the test to which I would bring the question, and by which, in my opinion,
Son of God.
our decision must mainly be formed, is the unqualified manner in which the personal existence, miraculous fate, and public ministry of Jonah, are spoken of by our Lord. He not only explicitly recognizes the prophetical office of Isaiali, the son of Amittai ('lava tov irpo^i)Tov), just as he does that of Elisha, and Daniel, but represents his being in the belly of the fish as a real miracle grounds upon it, as a fact, the certainty of the future analogous (jh (Tvti^'iov)
;
fact in his
own
history
the prophet at
Nineveh
positively asserts that the inhabitants of that city and concludes by declaring respecting himself,
;
is
here."
Matt.
xii.
39-41, xvi.
4.
Now,
circumstances would have been is it conceivable, that all these historical brief placed in this prominent light, if the person of the prophet, and the
On the same principle details of his narrative, had been purely fictitious ? may not that the historical bearing of the reference in this case is rejected, aside, be set connection, the in follows which Sheba, of that to the Queen her and the portion of the first book of Ivings, in which the circumstances of fiction, moral a allegory, an into converted be visit to Solomon are recorded,
or a popular tradition
together parallel
;
cases, as adduced by our Lord, are albe affirmed of the allusion to Tyre and may same and the
?
The two
Sodom
a fictitious narrative of the moral kind would contained answer the purpose of our Saviour equally well with one which maintained, that the a statement of real transactions just as it has been
may be
reference
made by
the Apostle
James
19S
PREFACETOJONAH.
;
but, as in the
example of patience would prove only a tame and fiigid motive to induce to the endurance of actual suffering, so, in the other, a merely imaginary repentance must be regarded as little calculated to enr force the duties of genuine contrition and amendment of life. Certainly in no other instance in which our Saviour adduces passages out of the Old Testament for the purpose of illustrating or confirming his doctrines, can it be shown, that any point or circumstance is thus employed
case, a fictitious
one
which
is
He
with the high sanction of his divine authority; and transmits them confident belief of mankind in all future ages.
It is
the
if
ble, the
name
of some
and not
that of a prophet to
whom
assigned in the
Old Testament.
On
perusing the
must conclude that there had existed such a prophet, and that what follows The formula "ikj^^. r;*;::^ 2t t'^i is so is a simple narrative of facts. appropriated, as the usual introduction to real prophetical communication, that to put any other construction upon it would be a gross violation of one
of the
first
i.
principles of interpretation.
ii.
Comp.
2 Chron. xi. 2
Is.
xxxviii.
;
4
i.
Jer.
4, 11,
1,
30
Ezek.
iii.
16
Hag.
1, 3,
ii.
20; Zech.
iv. 8.
Against the plenary historical character of the book, the miraculous nature
of some of the transactions has been objected
interposition of miraculous cast into the sea,
;
an
investi-
may it
in
an agency in the deliverance of the prophet, when not be fairly asked whether there is nothing in the
for granted
and taking
The commission
it
and conwas extremely natural for Jonah to shrink, and which required the most confirmatory evidence of its divine origin to induce him to act upon it. The miracle selected for the purpose of ftirnishing him with this evidence, however extraordinary in itself, was in exact keeping with the circumstances in which he was placed and, in so far, was parallel with those wrought in connection with the mission of Moses, Exod. iii. iv. of Elijah, 1 Kings xviL and of And it is undeniable, that most of the writers Christ and his apostles. who have called it in question, have either flatly denied the existence of all Scripture miracles, or attempted, in some way or other, to account for them on mere natural principles. The same mode of reasoning which goes
was most important
its
execution
all.
That our prophet is the same who predicted the restoration of the ancient boundaries of the kingdom of the ten tribes, 2 Kings xiv. 25, is rendered certain by identity of name, parentage and office and as that prediction received its accomplishment in the reign of Jeroboam H., it is obvious he must
;
PREFACE TO JONAH.
199
at least have been contemporary Tvith the monarch, if he did not flourish at a still more early period. He is justly considered to have been one of the most ancient of all the Hebrew prophets whose writings are contained in the
canon.
the
book
himself, or
whether
it
was written
at
is to be made, since it is a adopted by the sacred penmen, as it also is by profane authors. Nor can the occurrence of two or three Chaldee words, as rs ED, a ship, rcy to think, cyu, command, be justly objected against the early
a more recent period, has been matter of dispute. he is spoken of in the third person, no account
style of writing frequently
Of the
circumstance, that
authorship
for the
persons
fluence
who spoke
on
his
some
in-
style.
With
respect to
is
ni"D, as
it
is
also the
Syriac
it
]A
1 A
orr>
was the nautical term in use among the Phoenicians, and so might have been adopted at an early period into all the cognate dialects, though they had other words by which to exprens the same thing. The use of the compound particles ^^Vi and 'V^a does not necessarily argue a late date, since there
was nothing
to
came to be adopted, under somewhat similar cirThe employment of ro, the abbreviated form
Judges v. 7, is an undeniable example of its adoption at an earlyand it is indeed very doubtful whether it be proper to regard it as a Chaldaism at all, though it is found in some portions of the Hebrew ScripIt has also been alleged against the antiquity of tures and not in others *
of
^'i'S,
in
period
the book, that the writer uses the substantive verb in the past tense,
when
as if
ry
^^T^rj
;
"ir^.^ chap.
iii.
had been destroyed before his time but the past tense is evidently employed for the simple purpose of preserving uniformity in the style of the narrative, and, as De Wette acknowledges, bedeutet mchts.-\ In point of style, the book is remarkable for the simplicity of its,prose the only portion of poetry is chap. ii. 3-10, which possesses considerable spirit and force, though some parts of it are evidently a repetition of certain sentences in the Psalms of David, with which the prophet appears to have been
:
familiar.
Of
iver
the
numerous
traditions,
Das glauhe
is,
da
ivill,
All that
we
that his
father's
and that his birth-place was Gath-hepher (ri Enr, 2 Kings xiv. 25; nEn nPJ, Josh. xix. 13), a city in the tribe of Zebulon, from which latter circumstance it appears that he was an Israelite,
Amittai,
name was
and not a Jew. In this book the patience and clemency of God are
See Holden on Ecclesiastes, Introd. Dissert, pp. 10-13.
strikingly contrasted
Lehrbuch,
237.
200
ultli the selfishness
PEEFACE TO JONAH.
;
and unbelief of man and, as inserted in the canon of was no doubt primarily designed to teach the Jews the moral lessons, that the Divirte regard was not confined to them alone, but was extended to other subjects of the general government of God that wickedness, if persisted in, will meet with condign punishment; that God has no
Scripture,
it
;
pleasure in inflicting such punishment, but delights in the repentance of the guiltv; and that if pagans yielded so prompt a compliance with a single
prophetic message,
it
servants of Jehovah, seriously to reflect on the guilt which they contracted by refusing to listen to their admonitions. It has been usual to speak of
Jonah as a type of our Saviour, and numerous points of resemblance have been attempted to be established between them, to the no small injury of whereas, there is nothing more in the the blessed character of the latter passage of our Lord's discourse (Matt, xii.), from which the notion has been borrowed, than a comparison of his own consignment to the tomb for the
:
same space of time which the prophet spent in the belly of the fish.* The record of the event in the Jewish Scriptures could never have suggested to
its
made
illustration 'of
which he applies
* See the excellent remarks of the Rev, Congregational Lectures, Lect. VIII.
W.
Lis
; ;
CHAPTER
We have
;
I.
here an account of the prophet's commission to preach at Nineveh, and his attempt it by embarking for Spain, 1-3; an extraordinary storm by which he was baffled ia liis purpose; the alarm of the sailors, and the means which they adopted for their safety the detection of Jonah; his being thrown into the sea; and his preservation iu the belly of a fish, 4^17.
to evade
2 Amittai, saying
of Jehovah was communicated to Jonah, the son of Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim against it ; for their Avickedness is come up before me,
:
The word
1.
From
book commences with the conjmiction I, commonly rendered and, some have inferred that it is merely the fragment of a larger work, wTitten by the same hand but though this particle is most
;
to connect the following sentence with something which precedes it, and is placed at the beginning of historical books to mark their connection
commonly used
Ninus, after its founder, who must have been indentical with Nimrod, to whom the foundation of the city is ascribed, Gen. X. 11. For, that "^vsif., Ashur, is there to be understood of the country so called, or Assyria, and not of a person of that name, is evident from ver. 22, where Ashur is mentioned as a descendant of Shem, and not of Ham. The
omission of the local n, which might have been expected to form nnri'ij, can-
with a foregoing narrative, as Exod. i. 1 Ezra i. 1 yet it is also 1 Kings i. 1 employed inchoatively where there is no
; ;
is
connection whatever, as Ruth i. 1 ; Esth. i. 1 ; and, as specially parallel, Ezek. i. 1. It serves no other purpose in such cases than merely to qualify the apocopated future, so as to make it represent the historical past tense. The proper names nav, Jonah, and 'P:ss, Amittai, signify
not be brought as an objection, since it frequently omitted. See Num. xxxiv. 4 ; Deut. iii. 1. In point of size, it might well be designated rr'siisr: -I'Sn, that
great city, having been as stated chap, " in circumiii. 3, " three days' journey
ference.
a dove, and veracious or truthful, but why they were given to the prophet and
his father
2.
If we reckon a day's journey about twenty miles, which is the average rate of travelling in the East, it which, how will give us sixty miles
at
;
immense
agrees
soever
it
may
:
appear,
quite
we
is
By an emphatic idiom, C'p, arise, used before another verb, as a term Nineveh, the of excitement. fii.3''3
was
ancient capital of the Assyrian empire, situated on the eastern bank of the
with the estimate stated by Diodorus Siculus, ii. 3 viz. 480 stadia in circuit, 150 stadia in length, and 90 stadia in breadth. He further calls it Nr^os ij.eyd\7], and adds, Ti7AiKain7]v Se iroKiv
Kara, re
Trjv
tJ
Mosul.
to
The name
is
of generally allowed
of
modem town
/xeye^os
tJ
irepl
reTxos
signify
Ninus,"
the large
o dwelling
by gardens,
etc., it
must,
according to Hebrew usage, the words should be reversed in order to bring out this meaning. By the Greek
and
Roman
writers,
it
is
called NTcos,
according to the computation specified* chap. iv. 11, have contained a population of upwards of six hundred thousand souls, which is nearly equal to that of
26
102
3
JONAH.
down
to Joppa,
Chap.
1.
But Jonaii
down
into her,
As' it had long been the mistress of the East, and its situation was favorable for comniorce, it possessed immense wealth, but was, at the same time, notorious for the most flagrant corruption of manners. After a siege of three years, by Arbaccs the Jlede, it was taken about the seventh year of Uzziah and a
;
e.
the sensible
tokens of his presence, should accompany the Hebrews on their march to Canaan.
Exod.
Lxviii.
xxxiii.
2, 8.
reference to
It
is
second time by the united forces of Cyaxares the ^lede, and Nabopolassar, viceroy of Babylon, b. c. 626. n/V" s^i". make a proclamation against it. This proclamation consisted in the announcement, that, Avithin the space of forty days, the city should be destroyed, hy the LXX. and Vulg. render iti ; and some would assign to the word the signification to,
such manifestations were vouchsafed, as Gen. iv. 14 where it obviously signifies the spot where the primitive worship was
;
celebrated,
and
sensible
proofs of
the
Divine favor were manifested to the worshippers. 1 Sam. i. 22, ii. 18 Ps. xlii. 3. In like manner, the place where Jacob had intimate communion with God, was called by that patriarch Vs':5,
;
the face, or manifestation of God, Gen. xxxii. 31. The interpretation, therefore,
but
it
better agrees
of David Kimchi,
y-N
}<::
t:so
rrn
"d
The
idea of his going to so great a city for the purpose of denouncing punishment
its wicked population so appalled that he shrunk from the task. It is also more in keeping with the reason assigned in the following clause of the verse. The phrase nin"; i;^^ nVy, to go,
against
HitT:::, he imagined that if he went out of the land of Israel, the spirit of prophecy would not rest iipan him, is perhaps not wide of the mark. Jarchi to the same
effect,
him
yav.
or come
tip before
is
whatever
The Shekinah does not dwell aut of the land. Though, as Thcodoret observes, he well knew that the Lord of the tmiverse was everywhere present, yet he supposed that it was only at Jerusalem he became
apparent to
iv
iiTKpavetav.
his notice,
Comp.
xix.
"e'-j
men
inroKafx&avwv 5i Syuws
aiirhy 'n-oif7aAat
t})v
ixovT) 'lepovcToX^iiJ.
'Qa^uXwv f] fieyd\r} ^ixvlja^ ivwiriov Tov Qfov, Rev. xvi. 19. Ai d\er]fj.o(Twai aov iLVi^-qffav els ixirriix6avvov tfJiTTpO(T\')tV TOV 0oC, ActS X. 4. 3. For o"'r-iP, Tarshish, see on Is.
21.
For the reason of Jonah's flight, see on chap. iv. 2. nn- is used of going dotim to the sea-coast from any inland place, so that it cannot be inferred from the use of the term that it was at Jerusalem Jonah received his commission. "2% Japho, LXX. 'Uinrr], Arab.
xxiii. 10.
The Rabbins
escape into the most distant regions of the West. Com. Ps. cxxxix. 7. nin^ ":s,
which strictly means the face, person, or presence of Jehovah, is sometimes employed to denote the special manifestation
of his presence, or certain outward and visible tokens by which he made himself TTius God promised locally known.
Ezra
iii.
Chap. L
JONAH.
203
Bat Jehovah caused a great wind to come down upon the sea, and there was a great tempest in the sea, and it was apprehended the ship would be wrecked. Then the mariners were afraid, and cried, each to his god, and threw out the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten her of them but as for Jonah, he had gone down into the innermost part of the vessel, and lay fast asleep.
;
important in the time of the ^Maccabees, that, when recovered from the Syrians, it was fortified, and afterwards under-
or
It
teas
is
tossed,
etc.
LXX.
iKivSvveve.
best
to
render
sonally.
5. t.^n^'C,
went various fates. Its present population amomits to about 7000 souls. ji:2, which
is
the
usually signifies to come, come into, enter, obviously here used in the acceptation
quality of the water which they navigate. Syr. and Arab, the same. Comp. Ezek.
xxvii. 9,27,29.
to the ancient
at sea.
go, go out.
Com. Num.
xxxii. 6.
p-,rD,
i. e. of the vessel, the fare which Jonah had to pay for a passage in her not, that he engaged the vessel, as Benjoin, after Jarchi, would have it. .;;Vn3 -^V'h 3^ti sina; na p-i, onlij what he teas obliged to pay as his share.
her hire,
mode
Abenezra. This fare, it has been thought, he paid beforehand, that he might secure his flight fi-om the land of Judea but it may have been owing to a prudential condition on the part of the captain. The affix in Qn/sy refers to the ship's
;
Being in all probability Phoenicians, they had each his tutelary deity, whose interposition he invoked in the hour of danger. From the cii'cumstance that D'Vs signifies vessels, Benjoin infers, that the ship had not taken in a regular cargo, Jonah having paid the entire freight but "Vs is used with such lati;
creAV,
4.
imderstood.
The
force of
V'Un,
to
cause to come
etorm,
wUl appeal* on consulting Josephus, who, speaking of the dangerous navigation of Joppa, says
ovOTL
:
tude of signification in the Hebrew Scriptures, that it may be understood of any kind of manufactured articles, such as those enumerated Ezek. xxvii. which formed the merchandise of Tyre. These the Phoenicians conveyed to Spain, whence they brought back cargoes of silver, iron, tin, and lead. That something
vessels
roii
OTrb
ttjs
inrh
rhf
ftt)
meant,
is
evident from
on what
Ki/evfia
inrh
filaiov
gTriir/irrej*
ixf\ajU.I36ptoi>
tSiv
tuvtt)
irKoi'i^ofiiVOv
KoKiiiai.
follows in the verse, eK0o\r)v 4iroirjffamo, the words employed by the LXX. in
translating
violent
they were driven about here, a wind fell upon them, which is called by those that sail there, the black north wind." De Bello Jud. iii. ix. 3. The whole section deserves to be read. Coverdale renders, " But the Lord hurled a greate wynde into the see.'* rsin, the
ship,
i.
"
As
which are the same which are used by Luke, Acts xxvii. 18. The dual form in rs'ESn "f^ST. the sides or two
;
the
word in this number being adopted in Hebrew usage to express a recess or remote part of any place. Comp. Ps.
cxxviii. 3
;
e.,
Sam. xxiv. 4
Is. xiv.
15
Kimchi
r"i2tt;D,
broken.
>
Synac
.
^31
j^
giwiA
Vn
ri-
o
/*
A Vn \ was
innermost part, best expresses the meaning. Kimchi otherwise explains it, n"r:;-i-n , rns Vs, to one of the sides, and appeals to Judges xii. 7, and Zech. ix. 9, in proof of the plural being See Geused instead of the singular.
the
senius, Lehrgeb. p. 665.
going to be broken,
204
6
JONAH.
And
the captain went close np to liim, and said to
fast asleep ?
Chap.
him
How
God
is it,
Avill
thou art
God
perhaps
we
perish not,
:
And they said to each other Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know on Avhose account this calamity hath happened to us and they cast lots, and the lot fell iipon Jonah. And they Tell us now on what account this calamity hath said to him happened to us ? What is thine occupation ? And whence comest thou ? "What is thy country ? And of wliat people art thou ? And lie said to them I am an Hebrew, and I fear Jehovah, the
: : :
book, that
it is
prophet could jxissibly have composed himself to sleeji in the circumstances but nothing was more here described natural than for a person after the fatigues of a journey, with a mind worn out by excessive anxiety, to be thrown in spite of himself, into such a condition. C-i" 1, which the LXX. render koI
;
thoughts, Ps. cxlvi. 4. The verb has the signification of thinking, purposing, LXX. etc. both in Chaldee and Syriac. y e^j Targ. Cri~n''_, Sjt. Siacrwa-q. a
.
to
d<iliver.
and the
Having found that their heathen deities rendered them no assistance, the
crew were anxious to try the effect of supplication on the part of Jonah to the God of the Hebrews, either from the supposition that he was stronger than their own gods, or that he might be displeased with the prophet, and required
to be placated. It deserves to be noticed, that the word for God is here used with
which Jonah had sunk. a singular beauty in putting r:"i", the name of the prophet, in the nominative absolute. " But as for Jonah " while all were full of consternation, expecting every moment to become a prey to the raging elements, he lay
stupor
into
There
is
perfectly unconscious of
piring.
the article DTi-rNn, which is certainly designed to give emphasis to it ; God the true God. Comp. Dent. iv. 35,
men V::n being used as a collective. Com. n^nat: z-s, chief of the body-guard,
Kings XXV. 8 fD'iO 21, chief of the Kimchi explains eunuchs. Dan. i. 3. thus t":Ec'th r-Vain c-k-j-.s !E3 i-irn "'Vrn V"!"^'-"! "-^'"'^'-^
2
;
:
V^D"
D"nVs~ ts5n nnn^, and 1 Kings xviii. 31), t"-VNn sin n'in'^ n'n'^sn wn nirr^. Are we to infer from this circumstance,
that the captaiii was a worshipper of Je-
hovah
7-9.
The
casting of lots
^^ishcd
was comto
mon among
not only
when they
know
DrKSn, "the ship-men are calkd ropemen, because they draw and loosen the ropes, of the ma.st, according to their LXX. TTptipfuy. Yulg. yuhernskill." ator. fiVTT, to show oneself considerate, to think of, set one's mind upon ; in Kal, to invent, fabricate^ produce splendid work hence the noun rrr, arfif;
some future event, but also when they would determine cases of difficulty, and especially criminal causes, in which no
witnesses could be obtained. The mode of using them is not described in Scrij)ture, but
cause to
cial tcork.
Song
to
v. 14.
The
idea of shin-
ing ing
;
seems
be
a
28.
secondary
mean-
from the verb VS5, V'Sr, to fall, being commonly employed, it is probable it was by shaking the lots in some box or vnse, and then causing them to fall on the gi'oimd. Comp. Prov. xvi. 33, where V't:-, to throw doirn,
fall,
is
see Jcr, v.
Comp,
Jiiji^ry,
Chap.
I.
JONAH,
:
205
10
God of heaven, wlio made the sea, and the dry land. And the men were greatly afraid, and said to him What is this thou hast done ? For the men knew that he was fleeing from the
They
fui'ther
him
What
shall
we do
may
cease
from raging against us ? for the sea groweth more and more Take me up, and throw 12 tempestuous. And he said to them me into the sea, and the sea shall cease from raging against you ; for I know it is on my account this great tempest is upon
:
you.
13
And
the
but they
10.
rT't'y
is
ri5i"~ri,
what
is this
thoit,
the body
mixed
'TcVra,
"73 ^isr:,
lit.
The words
"^ttV
in
are
ver. 8,
r,:V
rs-tn
nSnn
"I'i'Sa,
omitted in two of Kennicott's MSS., in the Soncin. edition of the Prophets, and and in the Vatican copy of the LXX. Kennicott's MS. 154, omits 'kV, most probably both by emendation, in order to avoid the repetition of what had been said in ver. 7. should rather have expected T.'ch nnsa, " on account of whit;" but ' may' be taken a neuter
;
not put for the puipose of obtaining information respecting his flight, for it is immediately added, that he had previously informed them of it, but is a formula which is intended to produce a strong feeling of disapprobahast done?
tion in the breast of
him
to
whom
it is
We
sense,
like
the
corresponding
it is
C^
in Ethiopic, as indeed,
'Ti^'iZ^
in the phrase
'^,
" ^Miat
is
same time, the idea of surprise that he could have Comp. been guilty of such conduct. Gen. iii. 13, xii. 18, xx. 9. The question shows that what Jonah had said respecting the character of the true God, had made a deep impression upon the minds of the sailors. 11. They had clearly the conviction, that as the prophet was the cause of the storm, some step must be taken in order
addressed, conveying, at the
to get rid of
xiii. 16.
''ri
Comp.
is
also 1
my
life
him
thej'
rV/:2 -w-aps;: i"j3 , " What " What are the the sin of Jacob ? " high places of Jud ah ? " Hexaplar Sjt.
n-m^
is
if possible, to
save his life, is clear from the sequel. VS72 pri^ conveys the idea of
subsiding, so as
violence,
upon with
1 1
Leo
" unde sit nobis hoc malum." The seamen were anxious to leana every particular connected with the history of Jonah, in order that they might discover
Juda
scribes the threatening attitude of a tempestuous sea, rising above the ships that are exposed to it. I^tys properly signifies to settle doic7i, be still,
n-i\ to fear,
followed by the accusative, signifies to cherish feelings of reverence, to reverence, honor, etc., and is not here to be interpreted in the sense of being afraid, which would have required the preposition ",
before the object in such a case as the present.
ny b^ tj'.^^' ^^** ffoing atid storming, meaning, to go on, increase, become more and more tempestuous a common idiom in Hebrew. Comp. Exod. xix. 19 1 Sam. ii. 26, xvii. 41 Esth. ix. 4
ing,
; ;
Prov.
13.
iv.
18.
to
"TV,,
dig,
is
or break forcibly
strongly expressive
through anything,
of the great effort
made by
the seamen
206
JONAH.
:
Chap. IL
could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against
1-t
And they cried to Jehovah, and said O now Jehovah not perish, we beseech thee, for this man's life and laynot innocent blood to our charge for thou, O Jehovah hast 15 done as it pleased thee. And they took up Jonah, and threw Then the 16 him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.
them.
!
let us
men
sacrifice to
Jehovah,
to avoid sacrificing
of Jonah.
God.
into
LXX.
r'':sn
14.
irapefiid^oyro.
rs*.
At a^'pr^ supply
,
prayer for pagans The words, to present to the true God n-as; S3~Vs4 nirr^ nas, are pecuharly
affecting
!
An
duct of their o\n\ account for the guilt of Jonah, since he was chargeable vsith no act of immorahty. Yet he was the object of Divine
displeasure.
15,
16.
and tender. rtSN, the same as which Gesenius takes to be compounded of ns, oh ! and S3, the usual
eaniest
S43JJ,
particle of entreaty.
.!, obseero.
N-p: as redundant, and a great number MSS. read 'p:. r:., life, means here hfe that is taken away, having "jis nn, inthe nocent blood, corresponding to it following clavise. Comp. Deut. xix. 21 2 Sam. xiv. 7. Coverdale, well as to the The refersense, " this man's death."
ence is not to anything that Jonah had done, but to what they were about to do to him. Vy T'n irs, to give blood upon,
though with great reluctance, to act in accordance with what they had been led to regard as the wiU of the Most High. The calm appears to have taken place instantaneously. According to the Rabbins, Grotius, and some others, they did not actually offer a sacrifice, but only purposed to do it before Jehovah, but it is more natural i. e. at Jerusalem to conclude that they sacrificed some animal that was on board, and vowed that they would present greater proofs
;
means
to charge
with murder.
Syr.
is,
,_2)^jl^^^
The
sense
when they returned Michaelis thinks from their voj-age. they intended to perform their vows when they reached Spain.
of their gratitude
'
let us not be foimd guilty of killing an In the concluding innocent person. words of the verse, they refer the whole
affair
Quin
aequora classes,
Et
positis aris
to the
mysterious providence of
CHAPTER
II.
"With the exception of the first and last verses, which give an historical account of the fate but beautiful hymn of of Jonah as preserved by a great fish, this chapter contains a brief the dry deliverance. It was in all probability composed immediately after his reaching called upon Jeholand, but embodies some of the leading topics in reference to which he vah during his stay in the deep.
(CiiAP.
I.
17.)
Now
fish
to
Chap. H.
JONAH.
in the
207
bowels of the
fish
(lays
three
(Chap. i. 17, in our common verIt has been supposed by some that the lish here spoken of was ertated at the moment for the purpose of swallowing the prophet, though, according
1.
sion.)
ri:iK73 it was rrirM rfics-a ^-c, prepared for the purpose at the creation of the world but there is nothing in the original word nstt which
to Rabbi Tarphon,
size of a whale, yet has a gullet, and so capacious a stomach, that one of them has been found to contain a warrior, clad in all his armor. Bochart, Hierozo. p. ii. lib. v. Others have supposed that it cap. xii.
was a
cious,
men have
Ave
See Parkhurst's
vac.
Ktjtos.
production.
certa
aliqui
Like
the
Arab.
^uO,
dejinivit
Greek Lexicon,
But
quanitate certoque
modo
rem
well acquiesce in the decision of Rosenmiiller "Tota hsec de pisce Jonae disquisitio vana videtur atque inutilis." The Scriptures leave it entirely undecided
:
may
all
use in this place, is, that, in the providence of God, the animal was brought to the spot at the
precise time
into
the
sea,
instrumentahty
was wanted
other words,
his
deliverance.
In
was the
in
pre- arrangement
marine animals the merely stating that it was Vina i,-':,agreatjish, one sufiiciently large for the occasion. Much has been written to relieve the transaction of the miraculous but that it is physically possible for a human subject, which has been accustomed for yeai's to breathe the vital air, to exist without respiration, or upon
to species of
;
what
fish
belonged
according
to
which
the
movements
of all creatures are regulated, and rendered subservient to the purposes of God's universal government. LXX. Comp. chap, iv 6-8. On irpoffera^e. the subject of the fish itself various opinions
fish, for the length of here specified, has never been The position of Abenezra is proved. the only one that can, with any consist-
time
ency, be maintained riT;^ iisn r;" "I'S* p-i -lEC^n rt :: tri^i t,v^ z'z r.:.-- 'J'^a
:
have been broached. Mutianus, and after him Hermann von der Hardt, would have it to be nothing more than an inn, with the sign of " The Whale," into which Jonah was received after
having been
cast on shore Less proposed the theory of a ship with this name, which happened to be close by and rescued the prophet ; while Thaddaeus supposed that, on being thrown out of the vessel, he lighted upon a large fish, on which he rode for the time specified, Till the and was at last cast on shore time of Bochart it was commonly supposed to have been the baleena, or whale properly so called, owing to a misinterpretation of KTJTos, Matt. xii. 40,
!
es f'i"c^, " No man has the power of living in the bowels of a fish for a single
:
hour
how much
less for
such a number
of hours, except by the operation of a miracle." The transaction w^as, as Kimchi observes, Q-csn
miracles.
'"a
As such
it is
recognized by our Lord, when he calls it a ffTifi-ftdy, a sig7i or token of divine interposition, a supernatural event, manifestive of the
power of God, Matt. xii. 39 ; and it behooves all his disciples implicitly and cordially to receive his decision. For the period of " three days and three nights," see Whitby on Matt. xii. 40. 2. For VVsn-';!, comp. VVsriPi, 1 Sam.
ii.
which
signifies
any great
fish in general.
"With much ingenuity that learned author endeavors to prove, that it must have been the carcharias, or dog-fish, which,
the Eabbins, Hezel, and would argue fi'om the use of "), from, out of, and not a, in, before "^yi:, that the prayer of Jonah was not pre1.
Some of
others,
208
2
JONAH,
prayed to Jehovah and said
his
Chap.
II.
And Jonah
fisli,
God from
3 I cried because of
my
;
distress to
Jehovah,
I cried out
my
voice.
didst cast
me
xxxi. 23.
ver. 5.
fish,
interpretation
by
Abenezra and Eamchi. The preposition marks the place from which he directed his thoughts to the Most High. Comp. Vis'j ''oz;2, ver. 3 C^piKS^att, Ps. cxxx.
;
:oE5
Lxix. 2.
jy
ver. 6.
^isa
c^
:ice;
cxlii. 4.
^"sti, -"^y
ly
ns>n,?a,
Ps. cxviii. 5.
The
final
ver. 8.
s
in ni'^n is not feminine, as has been supposed, and upon which assumption
tiqynna
7.
'bes
'V.y
ciayrna
have built the theory, that a still larger female fish swallowed that in which Jonah was preserved ; but the n paragogic, which corresponds to the status emphaticus of the Aramaic, and is designed to strengthen the termination. For other instances in which it is added, at the same time that the noun takes the article, comp. ro-inn, Judges
18 nrjiian, Ps. cxvi'. 15. The position of the accent is of no account.
xiv.
;
certaui Rabbins
xxxi.
ver. 9.
t"'-i53'i'
iii.
9.
ver. 10.
On
it
him
to incorporate sentences
3,
4.
is
here
catory,
and partly
eucharistical.
is
These
clear
two
from the use of "PnttN i:s j and give expression to the feelings' and pious exercLse of the prophet in the awful circumstances into which he had been brought. That the language, not only of the prayer, but also of the introduction, is in part borrowed from the Psalms, appears from the follo^ving comparison
:
taken from them with his own languagCi just as we frequently do in extempore prayer, without thinking of the portion of Scripture from which they are derived. Visi; VJS, lit. the belli/ of Sheol, i. e. the vast and hidden receptacle of the departed. Targ. xtt-inn r-y^stt,/row the lowest part of the abyss, but less properly. The remark of Jerome is " Yentrum
:
inferi
quae tantae fuit magnitudirds, ut instar obtineret infemi." Before n^iistt, ver. 4, supply
S.
~vi!.
it is
alvum
ccti intelligamus,
commonly used
of a river, but
here
Psalm cxx.
Jonah
ii.
3.
There is no foundation for the opinion of Abenezra and Kimchi, that it was intended to describe the confluence of the waters of a river with those of the sea.
like a river.
Kol
i.v
xlii. 8.
ver. 4.
irorauo'o ^(fdpa
Iliad, xiv. 245.
nnay
'hy
rai.
Chap.
II.
JON AH.
209
Then
I
I said
cast out
am
Yet I will look again towards thy holy temple. The waters press around me to the very life ; The abyss encompasseth me The weed is bound to my head. I go down to the clefts of the mountains As for the earth, her bars are shut upon me for ever. But thou wilt bring up my life from destruction, O Jehovah my God
; ;
!
Meffffcf)
yap ixeyd\oi
irorafioi
koI
Seivh,
in his mind.
felt,
He
rather
peedpa,
'ClKeavhs jueV irpura,
Odi/ss. xi. 156.
(f>epe
how he
as if entangled
by
kvimx
Ibid, 638.
from
Having described
to
cut;
Arab. v_^.^Jj,
abscidit,
'
prophet now proceeds to give the words of his prayer, n'ln"'. "^i'V nai, to be before the eyes of Jehovah, means to be the object of his special notice and care. Jonah had fled from the Divine presence in Canaan, but now he feels that he is expelled even from the abodes of life, and cut off, as it were, from the regard of that Providence which watches over Still he does not the chDdren of men. He conabandon himself to despair. fidently expects to be restored to the enj(tyment of his privileges in the temple at Jerusalem, and there to render thanks
to
resecuit.
6p4o)v.
Thus the
"Vulg. extrema
LXX.
cxiffM"*
montium. Targ. I4!i"^^t3 """ipy, the roots of the moimtains. The word describes the deep indentations or clefts made in the roots of mountains
which
at
project
into
the
sea,
or those
divisions
which
God
Green would
its bottom. Vl^JH' *^^ earth, is emphatically put in the nominative absolute, as the object to which the affecHe tions of the prophet still clung. was expelled from it, as from a habitation, and its bars had been shut upon him, so that he could not return. Gesenius takes the bars to be" those of Sheol
supply the negative tiV before "r-ls, and Hitzig would point 'qtt, '^s for "rj-s,
how; but both without any authority. Such sudden transitions from fear to
hope are frequently expressed
ture.
6. '"Ei~"iy,
i. e.
we have ViNt;'"iJ>, the gates of Sheol, Is. xxxviii. 10, the phrase here must have been n'^nna Vis'i, and not
but, as
Scrip-
rj^nna
V":.5*n'
^^
is
^"^^ ^^^
^^^'^
*^
for
meaning,
even
life
to,
;
lya
put
elliptically
lya
the animal
life.
ously implied.
the alga, or iceed, which abounds at the bottom of the sea, and from which the Arabian Gulf takes the name of ci50 n^ the sea of xoeeds. Kimchi explains it by t<72i:i,
tinction of
C)!ie,
ever again reaching the dry land, by any Yet, exposed as he effort of his own. momentarily was to death in the region of corruption (Mni", the pit, or grave,)
Gesenius refines
much when he
like a turban.
attaches to'i';nn in
head
he confidently- expresses his hope that God would restore him. He asserts his interest in Jehovah by calling him " his God."
27
210
8
X A II
Chap. EL
When my
I
soul was overwhelmed within me, remembered Jehovah And my prayer came in unto thee,
;
Forsake their Benetactor. 10 But as for me, I will sacrifice to thee with the voice of thanksgiving
;
:
have vowed I will perform Salvation belongeth to Jehovah. And Jehovah commanded the 11 Jonah upon the dry land.
I
8.
What
fish,
and
it
vomited forth
his de-
The composition received to his prayer. of this and the following verses, hke that of verses 3 and 4, belongs to a period
Rubsecjuent to his dehverance yet while describing his condition, he occasionally
;
performing his vows, of which we may conclude, the execution of his commission to go to Nineveh formed none of the The paragogic n in rr^TJ^ is inleast. tensive. Comp. Ps. iii. 3. In both passages, the deliverance is ascribed to Je-
hovah
imports.
language to Jehovah, towaids Avhom, as his deliverer, liis thoughts nattiiiyrn, to be in a state urally rose,
directs his
On reviewing this prayer, and weighing the import of its several terms, it is obvious, that though Jonah was in a state of consciousness while in the belly of the fish, he had no idea that such was oi faintness, swoon, from ::;i:y, to cover, On the contrary, he aphis situation. to involve in darkness, OL'crwAeto. LXX. 'Ev ry pears to have been under the impreswell, as it respects the sense .sion that he was engulfed in the sea, (KKiheiv ott' ffiov rrjv i|/uX'7'' M""^now forcibly carried along by its current, striking description of idolaters, 9. but which may also be extended to all now entangled among its weeds, and who prefer created objects, in any shape, now sinking into the profound ra\'ines D-rDn, lit. their mercy or good- of its rocks. to God. 11. Green and Boothroyd, on mere by metonymy for their Benefactor ness
:
i. e.
God, the author and source of all Comp. goodness the Supreme Good.
:
conjecture,
remove
this
verse
from
its
Ts. cxliv. 2, where David calls God his - r n The word properly signifies kindness
.
present position, and insert it before the Such a transposition Hitzig prohjTnn. nounces to be violent, unnecessary, and
ex benignity,
nates
Him who
his works..
The Syriac
reads,
.^^ >V/i
^-
%ji.
thy
a perversion of the passage. not stated where the prophet was cast on shore, but in all probabiUty it was somewhere on the coast of Palestine. According to some, the fish carried him,
in
It
short,
is
mercy, which Green, on this authority alone, admits into the text 10. Deeply sensible of the merciful
interposition of
during the three days and three nights, do'svn the Mediterranean, and through the Archipelago, and the Propontis, into
the Euxine sea, and deposited him on the south coast, at the nearest point to Not to mention how the Nineveh
!
Jehovah on his behalf, Jonah now solemnly engages to give expression to his feelings of gratitude by
Chap. in.
JONAH.
211
CHAPTER
;
III.
This chapt. contains an account of the renewal of the prophet's commission, 1, 2; his preaching to the Ninevites, 3, 4 the universal humiliation aud reformation effected by it, 5-9 and the reversal of the Divine sentence by which the city had been doomed to destruction, 10.
a second
go to Nineveh, that great city, and make the And Jonah arose, and 3 proclamation to it which I order thee. went to Nineveh, according to the word of Jehovah. Now Nineveh was a great city even to God, of three days' journey. 4 And Jonah began to enter the city, a journey of one day and Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be he proclaimed, and said
2 time, saying
Arise,
overthrown.
5
And
fast,
the men of Nineveh believed in God, and proclaimed a and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them, even to the
6 least of them.
And
his throne,
and put
and covered
a proclama-
And
city great to
This phrase has been variously explained. Some, with Kimchi, deem it merely a superlative form Gesenius construes the h instrumentally, great through God, i. e. through his favor. Others consider it to be equivalent to 'za-n'Vs "ijeV Thus the Targ. before God, Gen. x. 9.
God.
;
nouncement he would stop at difTerent places, as the crowds might collect around
him.
d'n'^NS ^"kn-, believing in spoken of in reference to such as had previously been ignorant of him, it must be taken as involving the recognition of his being and character as the true God, and not simply their giving credit to the annoimcements of his messengers. To express the latter, h VttSTi
5.
When
is
God,
^^
t3-ip
Of
it
was most natural to refer the size of a city, to which the Hebrews could form no adequate conception, to
approve, as
the Divine estimation. I have accordingly rendered the words literally, as our preposition to is often used to note opinion or estimate. For the dimensions of Nineveh, as here given, see on chap. i. The opinion of Abarbanel, that the 2. diameter of the city is intended, is justly exploded. 4. It is impossible to determine how
far
it
employed. See Gen. xlv. 26 Is. liii. All, without distinction of age or rank, put on sackcloth, the usual attire of deep moiuning. 6-8. Who the king of Assyria was at the time, is not certain. Pul, the first monarch of that empire mentioned by name in Scripture, did not begin to reign
is
;
1.
till B. c.
it
probable that in
making
his
an-
769. Some are of opinion that was Sardanapalus if so, his repentance was the more remarkable, for according to the ancients he was pro;
212
tion
JOXAH.
was made through
;
ClIAP. III.
Xinev(!li,
his
man nor
anything
8
let
them not
;
feed,
neither let
them drink
-water.
But
let
mightily
man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and and let them turn every one from unto God
cry
his
wicked way, and from the violence which is in their hands. 9 Who knoweth but that God may turn and repent, and turn away from the fierceness of his anger, that we perish not ? 10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their wicked way, and God repented of the evil which he had said he would inflict upon them, and he inflicted it not.
verbially notorious
fligacy.
'
only
Et
is
Kimchi proposes another, 'Sm y-T'B ''li r;3Vi;rn, He who knoweth the ways of
repentance
; but it is obviously a formula expressive of great guilt, yet involving
Juvenal. Sat.
iii.
he composed for his epitaph, " Eat, drink, play ; after death there is no pleasure." The description of
It
said
that
ing.
the mourning here given is very affectThat the irrational animals should
it,
Comp. Joel ii. 14. the hope of pardon. 10. God is anthropopathically said to repent, when he changes his mode of
procedure, or acts differently from what his promises or threatenings had given
is
far
reason to expect.
The
threatening in
Non
egere diebus
:
nulla
neque amneni
Libavit quadrupes, nee graminis attigit Virg. Eel. v. 24. herbam."
the present case having been conditional, was repealed on the performance of the implied condition. To Avhat extent the
repentance of the Ninevites was genuine in its character, and how long the reformation of manners here specified lasted, we are not informed but there is reason
;
^thon
It lacrymans, guttisque
to fear
dibus ora."
Plutarch informs us that when Masistias, a Persian general, was slain, the horses and mules were shorn, as well as the
Persians themselves.
9.
The Jewish
construction put upon the words y n-^ ^w, who knoiceth, in the Targum : v-r^^ v? "5^5 in n''"T'2 IT'S^, whoever is conscious
was of short continuance, for after their city had been besieged for three years by Arbaces the Mcde, it was taken and destroyed. Diod. Sic. ii. 26, Thus fell the ancient AssjTian etc. dynasty, and gave place to that of the Medes, which continued till the time of Cyaxares, when Nineveh, which had been rebuilt, was again destroyed, and
it
finally ceased to be
Chap. IV.
JONAH.
213
CHAPTER
The
lY.
re-
selfish aud repining spirit of the prophet, and the means employed by Jehovah to prove and instruct him, are here set forth.
But Jonah was exceedingly displeased and vexed. And he prayed to Jehovah, and said Ah now, Jehovah was not this my word while I was yet in my own country ? Wherefore I anfor I knew that thou art a ticipated it by fleeing to Tarshish and of great kindness, long-suffering, God, merciful gracious and And now, O Jehovah take, I pray 3 and repentant of the evil. for my death were better than my life. thee, my life from me 4 And Jehovah said to him Art thou much vexed ?
1
Avithin myself,
my
cogitation.
c~.r;
is
the character of Jonah, as exhibited in this chapter. The utmost that can be advanced in extenuation of his conduct, is, the strong tincture of national prejudice with which his
made
down
spirit
Com.
here taken in the sense of doing anything Jonah in order to anticipate another. acknowledges that he used all despatch The in his attempt to leave Palestine. description of the Divine goodness here given agrees verbally with that exhibited
Joel ii. 13. He recollected the numerous instances in which, instead of executing
his threatenings,
Luke
mn,
however seems to
be here used, 'not in the sense of being enraged or angry, but in that of being Comp. the subject of grief or sorrow. Grief and 2 Sam. vi. 8. 1 Sam. XV. 11 and anger are passions nearly related
;
;
exercise of his patience, borne with the guilty, and even interposed with illustrious acts of
pardon
adduced
Tis
iTKavZaXi^irai,
km.
ovk
eya>
ir
v-
povfxaf, 2 Cor.
xi. 29.
'A\A' S) KaKoviKi) Kaofaat riiv KapSlav, KaJ TToW' vTTfp rtfiuv twv yvvcuKcov &x^oAristoph. Lysist. v. 9. fiai.
Eheu
disperii
Plant. Mercat.
Act
iii.
Sc. 4, v. 14.
like
"
Tum vero
manner the finite form n snV P ='^/n, Thus the LXX. tl cr<p65pa Jer. i. 12.
-i
ingens."
.Mneid. v. 172.
\(\virri<Tat ffv
the Syr.
'r^\
jA_^j
.^
..
And
" Non the declaration of Cicero Epist. ad angor, sed ardeo dolore."
q^.n
K-Jfj,'?"-
Attic. \i. 9.
2.
Kimchi
tsw
?
'-,^
"'-n-,
my
word,
i.
e.
what
I spake
214
5
OXA
II
CUAP. IV.
and
tlicre
made
in
the
6 shade,
he should see "what would happen in the city. And Jehovah God had appointed a ricinus plant, and he caused it to rise up over Jonah, to be a shade over his head, to deliver him from his affliction and Jonah rejoiced exceedingly on account of
till
:
the ricinus.
7
8
But God appointed a worm, at the rising of the dawn, on the morrow, and it injured the ricinus, so that it withered. And it came to pass at the sun-rise, that God appointed a sultry east wind, and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, and he fainted, and requested that he might die for he said, My death were bet;
yzvri j;T-n "ii'yj", As for z'cr., it imports the strewjihenbirj of a subject. The renderings, Will grieving do thee
and. Does beneficence offend thee ? are totally to be rejected. 5. "\Ve cannot determine on what day Jonah abandoned his labors among the
out in the shape of an open hand with the fingers extended, their collective
any good
Ninevitcs ; but it is evident from the conclusion of this verse, that it must have been before the lapse of the forty
days specified in his announcements. 6- "~<ii I take to be the apocopated Future of Hiphil, having c'r'Vs nini
v>p"~, the kikaion or communis, Linn.), commonly known by the name of Pulma The -word is the same as the Christi. Egyptian KIKI, and the Talmudic Kik, with the Hebrew termination. In Arabic
for its nominative.
it
is
called
O.,;ril>
El'Kheroa, which
13
c-AJI,
El-Karra, the cucurbita, LXX. Ko\oKw^. Our English rendering rjourd is equally inappro]iriate. This plant is indigenous in India, Palestine, Arabia. Africa, and the cast of Europe, and on account of its singular beauty is cultivated in gardens. It is a biannual, and usually prows to the height of from eight to ten feet. It is chiefly remarkable on account
of
its
shade affords an excellent shelter from It is of exceedingly tlie heat of the sun. quick growth, and has been known in America to reach the height even of thirteen feet in less than three months. "When injured it fades with great rapidity. See on ver. 10, Celsii Hierobot. pt. ii. Michaelis, Supplem. No. 226.3 p. 273 Kosenmiiller, in the Biblical Cabinet, Michaelis, Bibol vol. xxvii. p. 125 Ubcrsetz., note on the passage, where there is a plate with an excellent repreHow much such sentation of a ricinus. a shrub, throwing its palmy branches over the small hut which the prophet had erected, must have contributed to his relief in the sultry environs of Ninevah, may easily be imagined. His joy in the last is emphatically described clause of the verse. 8. The *:'p nn-, or east wind, is the sultrj' and oppressive wind which blows in the summer months across the vast Arabian desert, and produces universal It resembles languor and relaxation. the Sirocco, only is free from its damp;
ness,
leaves,
and
serrated,
which are broad, palmate, and divided into six or Only one leaf grows on
largo,
foot,
Superadded, as in the to the heat of the morning sim, it is exceedingly oppresAccording to the versions, r'^L-'-n sive.
to
vegetation.
present
signifies withering
other^^isc, as
from
etr.,
i"~rt, it signifies to
sometimes
which
and
.prcad
sultriness.
Chap. IV.
9 ter than
JON AH.
my
'
215
Jonah
:
life.
And God
said unto
I am mudi 10 vexed on account of the ricinus ? And affected on art Thou said Jehovah vexed, even to death. And trouble, and no hadst thou which with ricinus, the of account which thou didst not rear, which came in a night, and perished and I, should not I be aifected on account of Nine11 in a night veh, that great city, in which are more than twelve times ten
he said
thousand human beings who cannot distingiiish between their right hand and their left, and much cattle
!
9.
The words
r^-^s
ly
'Vnnn
'z'^'~<
the
i-y(i>
LXX.
translate,
'S,(p65pa
\e\vn7)i.i.ai
bavoLTov, which nearly agree eais with those of our Lord, Mark xiv. 34.
produced, such an extraordinary accelerated power of germination, that the leaves which would otherwise have required some longer time to come to
turity,
ma-
were brought
to perfection in the
-,2, a son, is used course of a night. idiomatically to express what is produced, or exists, during the time predicated of
it.
the passive form of our verb to affect, the translation a in order to present word equivalent to that which is here used hi the original. There seems to ne-
Thus
it is
^^,
which
11.
this
night perished.
Hebrew verb
formula,
in
two
acceptations.
^254 n^'V of a night,
is
The
rVV;2'^
of a night,
lies
',31""
1%, lit.
The peculiar force of the appeal in the immense number of rational creatures which must have perished had Estimating Nineveh been destroyed.
and assuming them
to
obviously intended to express the extraordinary rapidity with which the ricinus put forth its leaves and afterwards withered. That the tree itself was instantaneously produced, camiot be proved from this mode of speech, any more than from the use of the verb n:73, ver. 6 otherwise we should be obliged, for the sake of consistency, to maintain, that the whole tree was miraculously destroyed, and had entirely disappeared during the
;
have formed
a fifth part of the population, which is the allowance generally made, we shall have six hundred thousand as the number of inhabitants.
this
estimated
and
if this
suitable impression
night.
thetical.
riTi
and
-tz^'
adverted
to,
But, as ail that was required in the one case, was that the broad spreadmg leaves should wither, so as no longer to afford protection to Jonah, though the trunk remained so all that was necessary in the other was to give to the tree which had been previously
;
superior in point of
much
concerned.
There
ner in which the book closes which is highly calculated to produce its effect o
the
mind of
a reflecting reader.
MI
According
is
AH.
i.
PREFACE.
to the introductory statement, chap.
1,
but
it
rather the town called Moresheth-Gath, ver. 14, which, according to Je-
rome, lay in the vicinity of the city of Eleutheropolis, to the west of Jerusalem, and not far from the border of the country of the Philistines.
His name,
r;S"tt,
Micah,
or, as
it is
given in
full in
toJio is like
is
Jehovah?
The time
B. c.
at
which he flourished
c.
and Hezekiah
i.
e.
757 and b.
testimony to his having prophesied in the days of Hezekiah, Jer. xxvi. 18,
where chap. iii. 12 is verbally quoted. He must, therefore, have been a contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea, and is not to be confouncied with Micaiah the son of Imlah, 1 Kings xxii. 8, who flourished upwards of a hundred years
before the reign of Jotham.
justly rejected
by Jahn, Rosen-
De
brought to
Wette, and Knobel, on the ground, that all the circumstances view in his prophecies, perfectly harmonize with the state of
specified.
The
unres-
trained license given to idolatry in the reign of Ahaz, will sufficiently ac-
count for the numerous gross and crying evils for which Micah reproves the Jews, without our having recourse to the atrocities perpetrated in that of Manasseh. It is true, Hezekiah issued orders, that idolatry should be put down,
and the worship of the true God re-established but there is no reason to believe that the reformation was carried out to the full extent of his wishes. The relations also of the Hebrews to the powerful empires of Assyria and Egypt, are in exact accordance with the history of the same times. The prophecies of Micah are directed partly against Judah, and partly against Israel but by far the greater number are of the former description. He predicts the destruction of the kingdom of Israel, and of Samaria its capthe desolation of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans, and the consequent capital the restoration of tlie Jewish state the successes of the tivity of the Jews Maccabees; and the advent and reign of the Messiah. He also administers reproof to diflTerent ranks and conditions of men, and furnishes some striking
; ;
PREFACE TO MICAH.
His
style
is
217
and energetic
sublimity.
and
is
in
many
;
and
;
He
rich
and beautiful
language
is
indulges in pa-
ronomasias
and exhibits a roundness in the construction of his periods which is not surpassed by his more celebrated contemporary. Both in administering threatenings and communicating promises, he evinces great tenderness, and shows that his mind was deeply affected by the subjects of which he treats. In his appeals he is lofty and energetic. His description 20, is unrivalled by any conof the character of Jehovah, chap. vii. 18
tion of his parallelisms
* Several prophecies in Micah and Isaiah are remarkably parallel with each
other;
fairly
and there is frequently an identity of expression, which can only be accounted for on the ground of their having been contemporaneous
writers,
and
their having,
in a great measure,
See on Isaiah ii. 2-4. The book may be divided into two parts the first consisting of chapters and the second, the two remaining chapters, which are more general i. V.
;
and
28
CHAPTER
The
I.
prophet commences by summoning universal attention, while, in sublime language, the destruction he describes the descent of Jehovah to punish the nation, 1-5; he predicts and then the advance of Samaria by the Assyrians, which he pathetically laments, 6-8; with an enumeration of certain of Sennacherib against Jerusalem, 9-12; concluding his ministry, but towns of Judah, the inhabitants of which had more especially enjoyed were to share in the desolating effects of the ^Vssyrian invasion, aud ultimately, with the whole land, those of the Babylonian captivity.
The -word of Jehovah which was communicated to Micah the Morashthite, in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
Hear, all ye people Attend, O Earth and
!
its fulness
And
let
the
Lord Jehovah
Jehovah
is
testify to you,
his place
^P-i--i-K,
contracted
"'r}'Jr'-
imagined.
ver. 14.
2.
LXX.
Kol
vi.
render
01
travTis
Comp. Amos
^;^nx,
8;
Instead of n in ^
four
of
Kennicott's
MSS.
read
nir;^
CJiriVs; and,
instead of
i':t5
repeated,
that with which his namesake concluded his denoimcement against Ahab, 1 Kings xxii. 28. Hengstenberg is of opinion that he quoted the words designedly, in order to show that his prophetic agency was to be considered
as a continuation of that of his predecessor,
upwards of
read nin''
altered
it is
;
fifty
supported, so it would be unwarrantable to adopt the latter reading, since the second i:'~s is manifestly a repetition of
the
]
first.
LXX.
ll^>
Kiptos Kvptos.
'^^
S}t.
lords.
who was
so zealous for
God, and
/n!
Vrs
Lord of
It
and y-s, earth, are by many, and recently by Ilitzig, confined to the but the tribes and land of the Hebrews sublimity of the style, and the parallel and passages, Deut. xxxii. 28, xxxii. 1
;
;
has been doubted whether by Vr-n VJip, his holy temple, in this place, the
the conclusion, that i. 2, induce to the prophet had all the inhabitants of tire Thus Justi, Maurer, globe in his eye. and Ewald. t>3, all of them, is an
Is.
instance of irregular construction, in which the third person is put for the second, C~.i;3, all of you. The same con-
which is employed in the following verse, woidd seem to determine the correctness Comp. 1 of the latter interpretation. Jehovah Ps. xi. 4. Kings viii. 30 would bear testimony against the Hebrews, not any longer by his prophets, as he now did, but by the judgments which he would inflict upon them.
;
3, 4.
Chap.
I.
MICAH,
219
He will descend, and tread upon the heights of the earth. 4 The mountains shall be molten under him, ^Vnd the valleys shall cleave asunder, L'ke wax before the fire,
L'ke water poured down a precipice. By the transgression of Jacob is all this, And by the sin of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob ? Is it not Samaria ? And what are the high places of Judah ? Are they not Jerusalem ? 6 Therefore I will make Samaria a heap in the
5
that -which precedes them, and set forth,
in highly figurative language, the course
field,
was on account of the sins of the people generally, the prophet, by the
flicted
of the Divine judgment, and the tremendous consequences that would follow. The terrible majesty and resistless power of Jehovah are expressed in images chiefly borrowed from earthquakes
employment of double interrogthe latter of which, being in the negative, greatly strengthens the appeal,
forcible
atives,
and volcanic
; ;
eruptions.
;
Comp. Amos
iv.
Ps. 1. 3, xcvii. 5 Is. Ixiii. 19, Ixiv. 13 2 Hab. iii. 5. For a striking image of the same nature, see Jer, 1. 25, 26, which cannot properly be explained, except on the principle of reference to a volcano. That of wax occurs Ps. Ixviii. 3, xcvii.
5.
metropolitan corruption. By metonymj^ the effect is put for the cause. For '-a used as a neuter, see on Jonah i. 8. For riT SIS n the LXX.,Targ., a considerable number of MSS., and four of the earliest printed editions, have the singular. The Syr. and Vulg. agree -with the Textus Receptus. ri^^n- m'tta, the
ces
Comp.
" Quasi igni Cera super calido tabescens multa liquesLucr. vi. 512. cat."
high places of Judah, were the elevated spots on mountains and bills on which
the Jews erected chapels and altars for unlawful, and very often for idolatrous 1 Kings xii. 3, xiv. 4 ; sacrifice, etc. Ezek. vi. 6. That these existed at Jeruand for the salem, see Jer. xxxii. 35 length to which the practice was carried
;
n-iy2^^, the
hills, in-
the latter viously as an emendation Tiiw, being the more difficult reading. a descent ox precipice, from nn^, to go, or
:
come
doion.
The
in the time of Ahaz, see 2 Kings xvi. 4. Instead of m")22, the LXX., Syr., and
the destruction of the kingdom of Israel by Shalmaneser, and the invasion of Judah by the armies of Sennacherib and Nebuchadnezzar, by the latter of whom the Jews were carried
form
s'.i'^'
event,
5.
Targ. translate, as if ^5jurI, sin, were the What is the sin of Judah f true reading but though the latter word is found in one of Kennicott's MSS., and in the margin of another, it most probably originated in a desire to render the parallelism complete, and cannot be allowed to en:
Jacob and Israel are applied to both kingdoms in common, and are merely used as synonymes for the sake of variety. After explicitly declaring, that the awful punishment which was about to be in-
croach vipon the present text. 6. Both in this and the preceding verse Samaria is taken up first, because its destruction was to precede that of
Jerusalem, and
also,
perhaps, to afford
220
MIC AH.
plantations of a vineyard
lay bare her foundations.
:
Ch-u>. I
The
And
All her images shall be broken to pieces, All her rewards shall be burnt with
fire,
And And
all
I lay
waste
For with the reward of a harlot she collected them, to the reward of a harlot they shall return.
religious adoration.
expatiating more at large on the state of things in Judah during the approaching invasion. So complete should be the
ward of
from niP,
to
givi
here,
overthrow of the northern capital, that its site would resemble a heap of stones or rubbish that had been gathered out of a field it would even be reduced to what we may suppose it originally to have been, a place for the cultivation of the vine. Vineyards were most commonly planted on the south sides of hills or mountains, on account of their and in all proexposxire to the sun bability that of Samaria had been appropriated to this purpose before it was purchased by Omri, 1 Kings xvi. 24.
; ;
a present or reicard.
as elsewhere,
The word
is
idolatry,
fornication.
Comp.
Is.
xxiii.
17,
18
Ezek. xvi. 31, 34; Hos. ix. 1. Kimchi, Abarbanel, Michaelis, Maurer, and
others, are of opinion that the riches, etc.,
of Samaria are thus spoken of, because her id(jlatrous inhabitants imagined, that
they were rewards bestowed upon them by their gods for their zeal and devotedness to their service.
It is
more
likely,
The
graphically
said to be hurled
down
valley below
and that such was actually the case, the present phenomena of the " The whole face ruins strongly attest.
;
however, that the rich gifts or presents are meant, which the apostate Israelites dedicated to their idols, and with which they adorned their temples. Comp. Ezek. xvi. 33, 34. Newcome seems to incline to the idea, that the rewards of
harlotry,
literally taken, are intended, because these were appropriated to the support of idolatry. o^arS is sjaiony-
of this part of the hill suggests the idea that the buildings of the ancient city had been thrown down from the brow of
hill. Ascending to the top, we went round the whole summit, and found marks of the same process everj'where." Narrative of the Scottish Mission of
the
that a more costly kind of idols is meant by the term, such as were made of silver,
and were of
fow,
For
n*>i^. n^"b"',
comp. Ezek.
great
be.
7.
xiii. 14.
The entire establishment of idolatry was to be broken up the idols were to be cut in pieces ; such as were of wood, to be burnt in the fire and whataway
as spoil.
;
was costly was to be removed by the enemy to AssjTia, there to be again devoted to idols. Instead of rs3p, three of I)e Rossi's ilSS., three more originally, and perhaps one more, the Brixian and
ever
or date, read
which drew down tho judgment of God upon the devoted city. The C'V'CS were
the images or idols, whether car\'cd, graven or molten, wliich were erected in the temples, for the purjwse of receiving
Vau Shurck
Syi., Targ.,
The
passive, but
; .
Chap.
I.
M I C A II
221
Avill I wail and howl go stripped and naked I will set up a wailing like the wolves, And a mourning like the ostriches. 9 For her wounds are desperate Surely it hath come to Judah
Therefore
Avill
He
Even
10 Tell
it
in the plural.
render,
<ruyri-
yaye
8.
with Michaelis', to have recourse to r53, and so to regard the form as the elongated
future of the
first
punctuation.
person singular.
The
following noun,
plural,
would be visited, that it called lor the most marked tones and signs of sorrow. In these the prophet declares he would indulge, that he might thereby affect the minds of his countrymen. nsls^St, with Yod, may have been occasioned by the
preceding form r.'5"'V"S ; but there are other verbs which do not reject it in the
future, as
"J^^'^,
pected in the Participle ; but it is a rule of Hebrew sjTitax, that when, as in this instance the predicate precedes the noun, the number of feminine plurals is frequently neglected. Comp. Jcr. iv. 14. What the prophet has in view is the irretrievable ruin in which the Israelites as a nation would be involved. But he not only beholds, in prophetic vision, the devastation of Samaria and its dependhe sees their encies by the Assyrians invasion of Judah under Sennacherib, and their investment of Jerusalem Com. Is. X. 28-32. The nominative to ns:;:
;
hh^'ii, or, as
the Keri has it, VVvi, some interpret of mental bereavement, a state in which the
mind
but,
is
despoiled of
as
its
reasoning powers
is
combined
it
it
here
with ei~5.
Hiked,
must be
feet
and was
is
that
describe the
stripped of shoes.
to y;D
2^/ii4,
Thus the
o
k,
LXX.
huviro^iTos.
The
Syr.
There
for
for
which compare
For D-3P, wolves, and T.iV_l rijs, ostriches, see on Is. xiii. 22, and Pococke's very elaborate note on the present verse.
2.
here,
wjuLuJf JUuO,
and
^^ijo oUuO
the calamity did not reach those of the capiit was merely invested by the troops tal of Kabshakeh, and was reheved by their miraculous destniction. See Is. xxxvi. xxxvii.
;
former ^lichaelis renders crocodiles, but less properly, on account of the combination. The ancient rendering, dragons, is altogether to be Both kinds are selected on acrejected.
like Ihe jackals.
The
10.
Comp.
Sam.
i.
20,
words
in the
noice
especially
in
the
same order of arrangement. The would hail with joy tidings of any disaster that might befall the Hebrews, and especially that occasioned by tlie Assyrian attack. Deeply, therefore, as the Jews might be afflicted, they are cautioned by Micah not to give
Philistines
to be desperately sick
to be incurable.
ears of their
natural
222
^Vecp not
in
MICAU.
Acco
:
CnAT.
At
See Jer. vi. 26, xxv. Ezek. xxvii. 30. "While the Hebrews were not to expose the wretchedness of their condition to the contempt of foreigners, it became them to bewail it
ashes, or the like.
3-1
;
within their
thyself, is to
own
borders,
r j:.rr:, roll
voc.
ios)
is
inclined to adopt.
According to
this construction, the rendering will be, tceep not in Acco, i. e. Ptolemais, a maritime city in the tribe of Asher. Other instances of s being dropped, we have in "2 for 'Vp., Va for tvp.,
be preferred to ^ri'jVsrr;, / roll myself. It is the reading of the Kcri, and many MSS. have it in the The Syr., Targ., and Vulg., have text.
the third person plural, which
easily
is
more
to
traceable
to
^-iV-ir-r!
it
than
and certainly the parallelism with rx:, the continued list of the names of cities, and the regularity of the paroirs; r"'r:_2 nomasias !i--jn Tyz\ ^32P
etc.
;
Tir^Br,-.
Besides,
ural to connect this verb with "n:" in the following verse, than to suppose that
-ZV
terpretation.
allotted
sion of
are,
it,
Jud.
31, and
its
inhabitants
the prophet resumes his lamentation ver. Some take the verb to be the second 8. feminine of the preterite, v^-ith the Yod but every difficulty is reparagogic moved by adopting the imperative.
;
therefore,
appositely
classed
along
11.
In crV
""125, the
second singular
The in the reverses of the Israelites. reading of the LXX. ol 'EvoKdix fx.ri, is in all probability a corruption of ol iv "Ak^i
accords with the precediu7), which quite The Arabic has ing ol iu Tib fXT).
feminine of the verb is followed by the second plural masculine of the pronoun, on the principle that though the collective participial
it
noun
r^'i'T^ is feminine,
was designed
*^|
j^ jJI.,
of both sexes. crV is not redundant, as Justi asserts, but emphatic, as XheDatiius
incommodi.
or beautiful.
are in Akim.
Stiabo, xvi.
called
UCc, Akka, by
to
there are still three villages of the name of Saicdfir, which are noted on the map as lying nearly halfway between Ashdod
known
Jean d' time of the crusades, and is celebrated in later times by its holding out a siege of sixty-one days by the French anny, and its (lestruction by the explosion of a magazine during the bombardment in 18-10.
is situated on the north angle of a bay of the same name near the foot of Mount Carmel. r.~tvh r"2, lit. ifie Ilouse of Aphrah, or simply r;~sy, Oph1 Sam. xiii. 17, a ra/i, Josh, xviii. 23
and Eleutheropolis, a position not much differing from that assigned by Eusebius and Jerome to Saphir. Palestine, vol. Ilitzig and Ewald think that ii p. 370. "'iz'i, Shamir, is meant, which is enumerated among the cities of Judah, Josh. XV. 48, which Eusebius calls ladfip. ITie
Chald. of the Targ.
"r-i-a
is
It
v^^:"
'C'-S
''-.'J
very improperly rendered in the Latin, "Transite vobis qui habitatis in pulchritttdinc," though the LXX. had translated the word by koAcDj. The Syr. lias
;
..
The h
is
here merely the sign of the genitive. The verb rVs which occurs only in llitb-
o A
^i rVffV
inhahitrfis.i
of Sha-
phir.
To Samaria
to refer
it,
pad,
reason
the other
Chap.
I.
JI I
AH
;
223
take
Maroth pineth
hath come
To
inhabitant of Lachish
For other
loc.
Judah. rTi'3~n""iS,
for
usage.
interpretations,
see
Pocockc, in
Comp.
What
away
used.
here
predicted
is,
that
the
As
it
taketh
by the Assyrians
only
continuance from you ; i. e. the inhabitants of that city cease to mourn on your account. The Shaphirites are
aicay
addressed, as having gone at once into
captivity
city
See on
in
condition
which
Is.
captives were
4.
and
oblivion.
Zaanan, in all probability the same as ^a^, Zenan, a city in the tribe of Judah, Josh. xv. 37.
moved, see on
xx.
was
this
on
of flocks ; but to form a paronomasia with it, the prophet employs the verb ss^ or the peculiar orthography of the noun may have been adopted in order to make it correspond in appearance and sound ndth
;
etymology \Xju'c\^fl'rmly,
what was
the verb.
Comp.
-,^'s,
N3S, and
n;':::,
are only different modes of expressing sheep or flocks. The inhabitants of this city, under the influence of fear, did not venture forth from their retirement to condole with their neighbors who had been taken prisoners by the enemy, or they did not come forth to their rescue. LXX. 'S.evvoMp. Aq. Secaai/. V^rsn I'n^S, Beth-ezel, in all probability the same as V::s, Azel, Zech. xiv. 5, but where the
which
accoimt.
r"i?.W,
Maarath, Josh. xv. 50, to which Newcome refers, appears to have been a different
place.
it is
From
the
relation
in
here put to Jerusalem, it probably lay between the afore-mentioned towns and the capital, against
which
which a
great
town
we are not the connection, it must have been in the vicinity of Shaphir and Zaanan, and not near
so called
was
situated,
informed.
To judge from
proceeded from Lachish, and doubtless plundered all that came in their way. aitfc "Vrt, Newcome, after Houbigant,
changes into
n'.ttV rrVn,
;
and renders,
is
h)!!";
Infinitive,
regard n2C)a as the Aramaic and connect it with the preceding ns^i and, supposing a^iK, the
;
Some
but altogether without authority. The meaning is, that the inhabitants were pained or grieved on account of the property of which they had been robbed by the enemy. Thus Rosenmiiller, Gesenius, De Wette, and Ilesselberg. The former -s is not causasick unto death
tive, but is used, as frequently at the beginning of a verse, to express certaiiity.
But
no
tolerable measxire,
all
sense.
conjecture,
and the
lilie,
contrary to
For the last clause, compare vcr. 9. 13. For Lachish, see on Is. xxxvi. 2. 'j *-V form a paronoma.sia. ^."7., w" ::i_ and
,
224
MIC AH.
Chap. L
(She was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion) Surely in thee were found the transgressions of Israel. 14 Therefore thou shalt give a divorce to Moresheth-Gath ; The houses of Achzib shall prove false to the kings of Israel.
15 Farther, I will bring the possessor to thee,
inhabitant of
He
signifies
Israel.
a fleet courser.
Arab,
fy-i
longer able to afford protection or support The nominative to ";??, to the latter.
is
cunirrit.
Cm
is
in the musculine,
though
Vs. is
equivalent,
connection,
to
Vs.
rrnSis,
to Gath,
*j\,
broom,
ligavit.
As
in
its
when
shrub was used In the middle clause of for binding. the verse there is a change of person from the second to the third, but in the For last clause the second is resumed. a similar instance, in which, for the sake
because
this
in possession of the Philistines. a"7SS, Achzib. There were two cities of this name, one on the sea-coast, between Acco and Tyre, now called by the Arabs
Jud.
i.
of graphic effect the third person is thus abruptly introduced, see Is. xxii. 16. Lachish appears to have formed the link of idolatry between Israel and Judah. Lying on the frontier of the former kingdom, she was the first city in Judah that was led away by the sin of Jeroboam, and from her the infection spread, till at length it reached Jerusalem itself. In
the prospect of a sudden attack, it behooved the inhabitants to use all despatch
in removing their
families,
and the other in the tribe of Judah, 31 between Keilah and ^Mareshah, Josh. xv.
44.
ITiat the latter is here uitended, is evident from the connection for though, at first view, the mention of the kings of Israel might lead us to suppose that a
;
city bordering
is
on the northern kingdom meant, yet the fact that Israel is sometimes put for the whole people of the Hebrews, and sometimes even for the kingdom of Judah, as 2 Chron.
xxviii. 19, proves, that the
mere use of
and what
property they coiild take with them, to a Lachish was besieged by Sendistance. nacherib before the threatened attack on Jenisalcm, 2 Kings xviii.
14.
1-i.
the term can form no objection to this construction of the passage. It was most
is
called
n-nirj
is
Kings
ix. 1 6,
of Achzib, are
deceitful.
torrciit,
i.
nTis,
ceitful
In the
nowhere
acceptation
messengers, as
Jobvi. 17-19
xv. 18.
Arab.
it
occurs.
The term
appears to
(^_f^i, fefcllit,
irritus
vanusque fecit.
be here employed metaphorically to denote the breaking up, or dissolution of all connection between Lachish and Morcthe former city having Fheth-Gath Leon taken by the Assjtians, was no
;
The
families,
should prove fruitless. 1.5. 'iS is a defective reading of k"2S, which many MSS. have in the text. In
Chap.
II.
MIC All.
bald thy head, and shave
it
225
because of thy darling child-
16
Make
ren
Enlarge thy baldness like that of the eagle For they are gone into captivity from thee.
and rtriKJ is another paronomasia. Mareshah lay in the plains of Judah, Josh. XV. 44. It was fortified by Rehoboam, 2 Chron. xi. 8, and was famous
tj-i"."'
16. The prophet concludes this geographical part of his denunciations by addressing himself to the land of Judah,
and caUing upon her to put on signs of deep-felt grief on account of the removal
of her inhabitants,
""i.s, laiid,
is
Acpians by Asa, 2 Chron. xiv. 9, 10. cording to Josephus, Antiq. xii. 8, 6, it had been in the power of the Idumeans,
but was retaken by Alexander the son of Aristobulus, Antiq. xiii. 15, 4, xiv.
1,
to be
4.
The
is
predicted
Baldness, and cutting off" the tokens of mourning in the East, as they were among the nations of antiquity. Ezra ix. 3 ; Job i. 20
beaid, are
Jer. vii. 21, xvi. 6, xlviii. 37.
of Zion.
" Regulos
reshah and the other fortified cities of Judah, 2 Kings xviii. 14. To point him out with greater emphasis the article is used: 'i-i-i^n, " The possessor." cV-S,
Adullam, was another city of Judah in the same direction, and near the former,
Josh. XV. 35. It was a royal residence in the time of the Canaanites, Josh, xii. 15 ; was fortified by Rehoboam,
who
his funeral."
2 Chron. xi. 7 and had villages depwident upon it, Neh. xi. 30. Of ni23 '^.^'?1 various interpretations have been
;
given
Israel,
caused not her hair to be cut off at Harmer's Observ. iii. p. 5. One species of eagle is called the bald eagle, from the circumstance of its having its head almost entirely bald but they all more or less exhibit baldness during the moulting season, n^'isyp, delights,
;
multitude,
their nobility,
from
y.js,
Some
take
the words to be in the nominative, some in the accusative, and some in the vocative case. The most natural conis that of our common version, according to which they are in apposition with 135 "iy, Adullam, and express
C"'
min<e gestus, to delight, be delighted, live delicately. It is in the former of these acceptations that the noun is here used. As but few of the inhabitants of Judah could have been carried away by Sennacherib, it is obvious the prophet must
struction
have a much more desolating calamity in view in this verse, viz., the Babylonish
captivity.
CHAPTER
Having announced
evils in
II
inflicted
the punishments which were to be which they indulged, Micah now proceeds to
his denunciations, 35.
specify
and renews
He then 29
censures those
who
226
M I C A II
Chap. IL
the truth, but wished for predictions of good, and shows that no such predictions could reasonably be expected by them, 6-11; concluding, however, with gracious promises of
restoration after the captivity, 12, 13.
Wo to those who
And
fabricate evil
devise wickedness,
their beds
it,
;
upon
Because
2
it is
in the
They covet
fields,
And
them away
his house,
They oppress
3
man and
this family,
1.
Comp.
Is.
X.
1,
2.
is
In the verbs
Targ.
caitse
iTn^i'a
there is
evidently a gra-
chi, ci-ij'n
pri;s->
The
first
sVn
mind
the
oppress
the poor.
rj
second, the preparation or maturing of the scheme and the third, the carrj'ing
;
render, laxifi
causatively,
of
it
into effect.
xi. 9.
Comp.
Ps.
Iviii.
Is.
is
to be
taken
is
conditionally,
xli.
4; Hos.
The n
in
nityi
Fiftyorigin-
two MSS.,
;
six
by
;
correction,
two
The phrase neuter plural accusative. "til ha^ occurs also Gen. xxxi. 29 Prov.
;
ally four ancient and nineteen other printed editions the Alex. MS. of the
iii.
27
xxviii.
LXX., the
1
before d's.
The
parallelisms in this
the
LXX.
avrwvy
ouK ^pau irphs rhv ^ehv x^rpay which the Sjt. gives without
correspond here to
1.
the negative:
^oiu.^^
.
t-^^'*'
rns^w
Rosen-
j^l_^
God.
ri
and
lift xq>
their hatids to
Deum
est
mamis
Some
and Maurer understand to signify " certum genus hominum netjuam et perversum " as if the prophet intended to single out such of the people as com;
to be equivalent to the Dextra 7nihi Dcus of Virgil, and appeal to Job xii. C, and
Hab.
ology
to
lie
i.
is
the shorter form of the demonstraI^ut the true meantive pronoun rVt*ing seems to be that given in our com-
mitted the atrocious acts specified ver. 2 ; but it is more likely that the whole people, viewed as rebellious and corrupt, is meant. See on Amos iii. 1. The figure of a yoke is here employed for the purpose
of expressing the heavy and oppressive
mon
Vs
is
to
brews were
thence, has
this place.
be taken in its literal signification of 'I'hus Pococke, power, strength, etc. Rosonmiillor, Bauer, Pathe, De "Wette,
Gesenius, Ilitzig, and Ewald, after the
LXX.
iii.
i^ S>v.
;
Sjt.
olHo.
xvii,
Comp. Gen.
23
Kings
13
Chap.
II.
MICAH
-Nvhich
227
ye sliall not withdraw your necks, ye walk haughtily For it shall be an evil time. 4 In that day shall one sing a ditty respecting you, And employ a doleful lamentation.
Neither
shall
From
And say We are utterly destroyed. He hath changed the i^ortion of my people. How hath he withdrawn it from me
:
!
To an
by lot,
Ezek.
V. 3.
yoke, that
it
the Hebrew,
them
ipdoi.
LXX.
nT;:
is
is
the feminine of
n"'::::
just as n'::'j
The term
of "2:, and
of
's:;.
The
femi-
ttK"!-! is
the elated and haughty manner in which they had conducted themselves. It is
properly a substantive, from
high, but
4.
is
tfi~,
to
be
nine is added to the masculine for the sake of emphasis. Comp. Is. iii. 1, only there the nouns are joined by the copulative i. The three verbs above
are used impersonally. nominative to the following verbs,
specified
The
i"'?:",
The
That is here used impersonally. Mashal was to be employed by the Jews themselves, and not by their eneverb
this
v"C^, and
n?tt, Syr.
p^.fi", is
Jehovah, understood.
;
V/i to
.
buy
in
Aphel
aV^ ]
to sell, or deliver
an
;
hand
illuc
not to be rendered against you, but on your account, rt'^na "^n: nn3, ndha, nehi, nihydh, form an elegant paronomasia. There can be no doubt that TiJ lamentation, is derived from rn;, to lameyit ; but
,
of the purchaser
Arab.
Ue ^uc
,
The verb is mota fuit res, transivit. here employed to convey the idea of a change of masters, or the passing of the land of the Hebrews into the power of
their enemies. 23vb is a verbal noun, from the Pilel of an-a, to tuni, turn back here used in a bad sense, one who has turned back, or away from God apos;
whether rr'nD be Ukewise derived from it, and consequently merely the feminme of Tis, or whether it be the Niphal of the
substantive verb n"n, to be,
is
disputed.
The
from rendering the words. One shall lament with a lamentation, it is done ! militates
arise
17
Jer.
xlix.
whereas,
by taking
is
all
and
forcible.
The
relative
^m,
confirms this
construction.
Thus the
king of Babylon is meant. 5. yzh is a repetition of that used at the begirming of ver. 3, and for the same purpose. The nominative to tjV, thee, is Cj>, people, occurring in the preceding verse and the denunciation relates to their being completely at the disposal of their enemies none of themselves being
; :
LXX. andVulg.
iv
fi4Kei,
et
cantabiftir
canticum
cum
suavifafe.
for the
And
permitted to allot to them portions of According to the land for inheritance. Hitzig the words are addressed by the ungodly Jews to !Micah himself, and
228
Prophesy not
;
MIC AH.
those shall 2)rophesy
Avill
Chap. IL
"Who
Reproaches are incessant. What langnage, O house of Jacob Is the Spirit of Jehovah shortened?
!
Are these
liis
operations
Do
not
my
intimate that they would put him and his family to death for prophesying
against them.
28-31
;
Sam.
viii.
13;
^ts"'-3;
Is.
nE'^DP'-rx nV.sV 5S"a2~**"' which contain a smooth and elegant paronomasia, are very enigmatical, but must neither be rendered, " Prophesy not, they say to those who should prophesy they shall not prophesy Or " Prophesy not they to such." shall prophesy who will not prophesy of such things." In the former case the interdicting language of the rebellious to the prophets is simply given, and then we have the Divine declaration, that it should be as they desired. They should be judicially abandoned to their own ways; and, as they would not hearken to the prophets when they predicted evil, they should be deprived of their ministry' altogether, and not receive from them any predictions of good. In the latter, the language is entirely that of the people, by which they not merely stop the mouths of the true prophets, but declare that those only should be permitted to prophesy to them who abstained from denunciations of evil. The former requires "'iNV to be supplied before "i'^^ ;
6.
: : ;
The words
Amosvii.
16.
Exod. xviii. 26 Deut. ii. 22 Ps. xi. 2, bcviii. For CJ^ljn, see on 12. In the concluding words
; ;
of the verse, rrittVs ;o- ^h, literally, calumnies depart not,' the Jews indignantly tax the prophets with exposing them to
Of
this
interpretation
Maurer
" ut facilhma et simpUssima per se est, ita ad nexum est aptissima." The verb occurring first, is in the masculine singular, though the noun is a feminine plural. See Gesen. 144.
observes,
Ward's
7.
edit.
The prophet
preceding verse by asking, "Whether the absence of auspicious predictions could possibly be ascribed to any deficiency on the part of the Spirit of prophecy ? whether the judgments denounced were
operations in Avhich Jehovah delighted,
and were not rather procured by the whom they were to be inflicted ? and whether it was not a fact which experience had ever verified, that the Divine communications were
wickedness of those on
productive of good to men of science ajid consistent piety ? In '-r>csT7_ the r, is
the
latter,
-nrs before
is
?"':3;i ^5';.
The
preis
formula V ^'^.n
diction
is
whom the
:
addressed,
and
to that
which
the subject of the prophecy t[^ ~'^.i? y'\i, "I will prophecy to thee q/"winc."
Though contrarj' to the ilasoretic division of the words, I prefer the second of the alx)ve modes of construction, as being the The use of the paraeasier of the two.
in "lE-ui;^ forms no objection though it is most commonly found at the end of a sentence, yet there are mavjy instances in which it occurs at the beSec Gen. ginning, or in the middle.
gogic
for
used as a qualifying demonstrative \\-ith all the force of an indignant exclamation, in order to point out the flagrant character of the language employed by the Israelites. -:r;s is the Pahul Part. signifying irliat is said or spoken, and vith the r: prefixed, O dictum ! Almost all the versions and Lexicons assign to this participle the sigriification of beiny called or named ; but this notion attaches to the verb only in Niphal, which, in such case, is imifomily followed by the prcjwsition \. See Is. iv. 3, xix. 18 Ilos. ii. 1. The LXX., Aq., Vulg., and
;
Chap. 8
II.
MICAH
my
people hatli risen up as an
229
But of old
enemy
Ye strip off the vestment as well as the robe From those who walk along securely, From those who are returning from battle. The women of my people ye thrust out from their darling home From their children ye take away my glory for ever.
.
which is found
in
the
It
MSS,
Ewald
"iSp,
"
O
of
Hebrew nation was no new thing. had characterized every period of its
nn
short
history.
LXX.
enirpoa^tv.
Abulwalid,
breath or spirit,
is
C^ss, long- stiffering, Prov. xiv. 29, and is obviously equivalent to C-iSS is", ver. 17, (comp. nm -li-p, Exod. vi. 9,j most
of the
word
into
Vulg.
The h
;
in ::^.iK^
expressive of
Is.
modems
manner
"hvdz
is
comp.
p^sV,
xxxii.
1.
stance, Is
Jehovah prone
anger? but
prophecy being the subject to which re- eration with V"i5srs, and is here equivalent to "lE'^s, or Vyw. It refers, not to ference had just been made, it is more natural to understand nirr' rin, the -,-s immediately following, but to the persons of those who were plundered. Spirit of Jehovah, in its appropriated meaning, as designating the Divine Au- Though divided by the accent, rttVc and thor of prophetic commimications and nnj* are to be regarded as asyndeta the former, signifying the large loose garto take the verb in the sense of weakness or inability. Comp. -ji nsp, short of ment which was worn immediately over hand. Is. xxxvii. 27. n^s, these, like the tunic, and which being indispensable to the Orientals, is placed first, for the r;^.?, ver. 6, refers to the judgments which the Lord had threatened to in- sake of emphasis the latter, the costly
; ; ;
flict.
The
interrogative Ibrm,
as
;
fre-
quently, requires a decided negative such judgments are not Jehovah's usual operations.
robe of fur, or other rich stuff, the robbery of which, under the circumstances
described,
Comp.
Is. xxviii.
Lam.
iii.
great
33
Mic.
vii. 18.
In ^Vin
is
I'.a';-,
the
substantive,
used adverbially, is placed first, for the sake of emphasis, and on this account also it takes the
article,
which
of, that they were not with the more valuable part of the dress, but likewise possessed them-
characters spoken
satisfied
selves of
what was
less costly.
Comp.
to TiVnn.
Matt. V. 40.
Job xxxi. 26, where the sublikewise used adverbially. For the meaning of the phrase, comp. Ch '-zV-, Prov. ii. 7; inbs ti^~, Is.
-(Vri "p^^,
is
which
is
much more
1
frequently in use,)
.v.
^
vestimentiim,
from
oL^^.
Ivii. 2.
circumdedit.
position
Before
^rin-i
8. 1 at the beginning of this verse is strongly adversative. Very different was the character of those whom the prophet
The passive participle is here "a. used intransitively to describe those who were returning after having defeated their
enemy
in battle,
V^ittJ^S,
properly
there-
taken by some to signify lately; but it is more in keeping with the spirit of the passage to render it anciently, of old, or the like. See on Is. The rebellious conduct of XXX. 33.
Even
they were waylaid by their countrymen and neighbors, and robbed of the spoils which they had taken in war.
9.
is,
as
230
10 Arise
!
MIC AH.
depart
!
Chap. n.
for this
it
is
Because of polhition
will destroy.
And
lie,
saying:
Even he
shall
frequently, a transition from the plural to the singular pronoun. As the prophet
refers to war, it is most likely he intended by the " women," the widows of those who had fallen in battle, and who ought to have been objects of special sympathy and care. Instead of which, both they and their fatherless children were expelled from their liomes, and robbed of their property, '"^"n, nnj ornammt, collec-
land
may
when
inhabitants,
them the means of subsistence, and forces them to leave it. AVith such reference it is described as devouring them and spewing them out of it, Lev. xviii. 28, x.\. 22,
The 38 Ezck. xx.xvi. 12-14. comparison of these passages shows the propriety of the Picl Vn-P, and renders
xxvi.
;
For Vr:r.Fi, which some have proposed. they wore, and with which they had yn?:?, comp. the Arab. ijOyO morbus been provided by Jehovah. The Holy Land, and everything connected with it, fuit, only its signfications would seem to was his, so that whatever was enjoyed be taken from the idea of a violent or by its inhabitants, was to be regarded as deadly disease. Thus r:>~.^:3 ^*''";I'' ** Comp. IIos. ii. grievous cfurse, 1 Kings ii. 8. Gesenius peculiarly a Divine gift. 8. CV^:V, for ever, i. e. never to make renders y-i>;: corruptio vehemen"'^.l'
restitution.
to restore the ence to pledge before sun-set, E.xod. xxii. 25, but this is doubtful. 10. As the Imperative is frequently used by the prophets to express more
there
is
refer-
iisshna.
11.
Micah
reverts
to
the subject of
smooth and flattering predictions, which he had sixjken of vcr. 6, and shows that so corrupt had the people become, that no prophet might expect to be acceptable
to
strongly the
certainty of a prediction
their
did,
than a simple future would have done, "sV?. ''C'.li are to be so understood hero.
Sec on
the
Is. vi. 10.
sinful indulgences.
To
those
Hitzig preposterously
they would give a ready ear. )-;n signifies both wittd and spirit, there is
great
force in
who As
representing those
who
They
the
are obviously to be
viewed
their
as
language of Jehovah,
pretended to inspiration as walking or being familiar with the wind so utterly worthless was the instruction which they fiti -'"^h is otherwise communicated. equivalent to h--i "i-'S, IIos. ix. 7, and
:
own
had
pol-
"'ir.'i'
TjVn to
->'p;:i'2
Sis,
is
Jer.
v.
31.
fit
luted by
and
Dathc thinks
this verse
would
better
Canaan was conferred upon the Hebrews as a rest, or place of quiet enjoyment, after their fatigues and
heathen
land.
troubles in the wilderness,
no authority
Num.
x. 33
Deut.
xii. 9
Before rsT,
article
supply *"?
in
preferring false prophets to the faithful messengers of Jehovah, just before introducing the glorious prediction of their
restoration
rn":i3~
affix
is
Z~, and
to be rendered accord-
ing verse.
Chap.
II.
MICAH
gather thee entirely,
231
12
I will surely
Jacob
I will surely collect the remainder of Israel I will put them together like the sheep of Bozrah,
Like a flock in the midst of their pasture They shall be in commotion, Because of the multitude of men.
13
The Breaker is gone up before them They break through and pass to the gate
;
Theodoret, Kimchi, Calvin, Dieu, Grotius, Tarnovius, and others, consider these verses to be a denunciation of punishment, and not a
12,
13.
Drusius,
De
promise of deliverance while Struensee, Hezel, ]SIichaelis, and Forsayeth (in Nevvcome) regard them as the language of the false prophets, continued from
;
Christian WTiters, maintain, that the prophecy relates to the future literal restoration of the Jews under the Messiah. For my part, I cannot but regard the more immediate restoration from the
literal
Babylon
as the
theme of the
in-
spired announcement.
The
deliverance
ver.
Ewald, who takes the same view, thinks they were originally written by Micah on the margin of his manuscript, and has printed them in Italics, Most modern interwithin brackets. however, and among thrm preters, Kosenmiiller, Dathe, Justi, Hartmann, Maurer, and even Hitzig, are unanimous
11.
in'
predicted is the same to which reference is made chap. iv. 10, the scene of which is there expressly declared to be Babylon. " Jacob " stands here for the ten tribes, as Hos. xii. 2 and " Israel" in Is. xvii. 4
; ;
for the
of Judah, as in Obad. 18, The 2 Chron. xii. 1, xix. 8, xxi. 2, 4. two tribes and a half being few com-
kingdom
restoration of the
sion.
Jews
in
pared with the ten, might well be described as n^nt<r,the remaiiider, yvhich had been left in'the land at the time of
the Assyrian invasion. To express the great extent of the population after the return, it is compared to the large collections of sheep in the folds of Bozrah ; a region celebrated for the abundance of The Targ., Vulg., Gesenius, its tiocks.
The manner
concludes the preceding verse, proves that he had finished what he had to deliver respecting the favor shown to false prophets ; and his sudden and abrupt transition to better times is so entirely in accordance with the manner of the prophets, that the last-mentioned
interpretation at once
as the true.
recommends
itself
The
and
is
not
allowed
by
It
is
Lee.
The
determine is the point to which the ^lost Christian prophecy has respect. expositors explain it of the appearance
of Christ, and his collecting of believers but this construction is into his church altogether arbitrary, resting on no other foundation than the principle of giving
;
LXX., mistaking a
translate,
eV SrKi^ei.
seldom
we
article prefixed to
affix, as in
a noun
ina'nn;
21,
viii.
33.
By
V"iSn,
a spiritual interpretation to whatever 'may, by possibility, be so interpreted. So far is there from being anything in
Breaker, some understand Cyrus but the identity of structure between this sentence and the two with which the verse closes, compels us to interpret the
the phraseology of the text to wan-ant such appropriation of it, that the very terms compel to an adoption of the
literal
term of Jehovah himself, who, through the instrumentality of that monarch, removed every obstacle which prevented
land.
sense.
Jews
modem
the return of the Hebrews to their ovm When his providence so visibly interposed, it was easy for them to break
232
M I C A H.
out at
it
Chap. IU.
They go
down
fined
quadam
persona, et
antonomastice
sic
dicta, quae
mox
,
vocabitur
CsVw
sit
rex
illorum et ni-'^
ut non
dubium,
the hostile city. To intimate that they should suffer molestation from no enemy
Nostrum de Messia
illo
by the way, God is represented as going before them, like a monarch at the head of his army just as he was said to go
;
heroe, quo auspice, devictis omnibus Judteorum hostibus, aureum seculum or-
bera beabit."
And
to his interpretation
work
of the
before his
people
In the illusRosen" Pe?'miiller recognizes the Messiah rnptor, S(iktikus, est enim cum n deLoquitur ergo do certa monstrativo.
from Egj'pt, Deut.
30.
trious Deliverer here exhibited,
:
Exod.
xxxiii. 14
Is.
Ixiii.
9, in
Comp. which
we
are taught
delivered,
CHAPTER
III.
Havt>'g inserted in the two preceding verses a gracious prediction for the comfort of the few pious wlio might be living in the midst of the ungodly, the prophet proceeds to expatiate at greater length against the latter, directing his discourse especially to the civil and ecclesiastical officers, who, by their example, exerted so baneful an influence upon
the nation. The chapter may be divided into three parts. Ver. 1^, an objurgation of the princes; 5-7, that of the prophets; and 8-11, that of princes, prophets, and priests together. The chapter closes with a prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem by the
Babylonians.
heads of Jacob
Israel
Is 2
it
not yours to
know justice
Who
"Who
from off tliem, from off their bones. 3 Who devour the flesh of my people, And flay their skin from ofl" them Who break tlieir bones in pieces,
And
their flesh
3.
The V
in
c-V
;
is
expressive of
duty or obligation what the persons spoken of were bound to do, and what might naturally be expected from them y-- is in the station which they filled,
here
tical.
It
ity for
Chap. LU.
MIC AH.
them
as in the pot,
233
And And
separate
as flesh in the
4 Then they may But he will not answer them, But will hide his face from them at that tune Because they have corrupted their doings.
5
Thus
saith
Jehovah
Who Who
cause
my
people to err
and
cry,
Peace
into their
mouth
Ye
shall
And
and the punishment of evil-doers. But instead of thus discharging the duties of their office, they were themselves perpetrators of the
and
disregards or affords
"ii"S3,
most flagrant
cruelty.
acts of op-
Justi, Datlie,
and
Their inhuman conduct is very forcibly described by the prophet, in language borrowed from the process of slaying and preparing animals
pression
and
causal, as in
xxviii. 18
;
Num.
xxvii.
14
Sam.
for
food,
thereon.
14.
teeth, the antithesis requires to be understood in the sense of eating the food AVhile such suppUed by the people. supplies were granted, the false prophets
understood, and not to a"ii3 and ny-i, immediately preceding, which are obviously employed as abstract Though many MSS. read j'n neuters.
refer to the people,
but if they withheld them, measures of a hostile nature, under a religious pretext, were adopted
predicted prosperity
;
against them.
yr.-\
with the Keri, yet there are others which exhibit nsn, the proper pointing of the Chethib. No codex supports the emendation ns-i'S instead of -i^' S3,.
TheLXX.
They prophesy peace to him who feeds them loith dinners offlesh. The phrase
is
may, or may not, have so read. The etymology of r n Vp_ is uncertain, but that
it signifies
to sanctify, as
;
is
clear
Is. xiii. 3
Joel
i.
14
being here parallel with -i-3, and in 1 Sam. ii. 14 with -iV3, -!n and
from
its
and comp. Jer. vi. 4. 6, 7. So completely should the predictions of the false prophets be disproved by the judgments that were to be brought on the nation, and so painfully should they themselves experience these judgments, that they could no longer have the effrontery to practise their Under such circumstances deceptions. they could not pretend to deliver any The words divine oracle to the people.
-15-S.
4.' TS,
then,
at that
are anticipative of the period of divine judgment. The mfliction of such judgment is implied, not expressed. The more emphatically to convey an impres-
time,
sion of its certainty, the prophet takes it God is said to hear or anfor granted.
is
sup-
30
; ;
'
234
7
MIcAn
.shall tlie
Chap.
III.
Then
seers be ashamed,
;
And
They shall all cover their beard For there shall be no response from God. But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of Jehovah,
;
And
Hear
this, I
And judges
"Who abhor
of the house of
justice,
all
And
pervert
equity
10 Building Zion
"vvith
blood.
a sense of moral recclearly between right and wrong, and impelling to the advocacy and maintenance of such actions, as are conformable to the DiAnne law and ri^^i, moral cottragc, or a bold
Acts
i.
received
do not imply that they ever had really any such oracles they merely professed to have received them. is here to be taken privatively, and not in
:
t:si',
titude,
distuiguisliing
the signitication of ob, propter, etc., as interpreted by some. The obscuration of the heavenly bodies, or of the light of day,
is
and
to
its
possessor
throw aside
i.
all tijnidity in
defending
ets, as it is
by
the cause of
Amos
xix. 25,
God and
truth.
Comp. 2
to de-
Tim.
9.
7.
CE'^,
LXX.,
in 2
Sam.
the mustache or heard, which is held in high estimation in the East, and in exhibiting which, properly grown
greatly pride
hide it, therefore, by covering it, was regarded as a striking mark of shame or sorrow. See Lev. xiii. 45 2 Sam. xix. 25 ; Ezek. xxiv.
;
To
message which he had commenced, ver. 1, employing the same formula, K:~^y'j, as he also does chap, The remaining verses of the vi. 1. chapter furnish a noble specimen of that bold and uncompromising fidelity which
liver in full the
LXX.,
hyr., Targ.,
and
17, 22.
Full of conscious sincerity, and of his divine commission, in the execution of which he was sustained by the
8.
variation.
HeThe
supernatural influence of the Holy Spirit, and zealous for the glorj' of God, and
the recovery of his people, Micah avows his readiness, with all lx)ldness, to an-
nounce
conduct
to
them
his inspired
IILs character
message reand
to
which mode of construction wc must adopt, or, with ^lichaelis, we must sup]X)se that the prophet had Shebna, Is. xxii. lG-18, Jchoiakim, or some other
particular prince in his eye
interjiretation is preferable.
;
the former
blood,
formed a perfect
tlie
contrast
Ckh,
those of
false prophets.
The com-
pound
particle cVnSi, and the pronoun -ris, are here emphatic, ns, means the supernatural power necessary for the gen-
Comp.
ii.
Jcr. xxii.
Ilab.
12, in the
ticle, rr's.
Chap.
III.
MIC AH.
235
And
11
And
Her prophets also divine for money Yet they lean x;pon Jehovah, saying
Is not
Jehovah
in the
midst of us
No
11. "7 hi, is a gift or bribe given to a judge to obtain freedom from punishment. Receiving bribes was strictly prohibited by the Mosaic law, Exod. xxiii. 8 That the Deut. xvi. 19. C";~b, priests, were authorized by that law to act in the capacity of ordinary reTheir ligious teachers, does not appear. being thus employed by Jehoshaphat is narrated as something altogether extraBesides ordinary, 2 Chron. xvii. 7-9.
;
of the people were now- buUding and beautifying it, by expending upon it
their unrighteous gains,
ver, 10 but the time was coming when it should be " " Zion completely desolated. designates the site of the city of David on the south ; " Jerusalem," the houses occupied by the inhabitants generally in the centre and the north ; and " the mountain of the house," Moriah on the
;
attending to the ceremonial observances, thej^ had devolved upon them the decision of controversies, Deut. xvii. 8-11,
east. Instead of 'y, the Chaldee termination, five MSS., five others originally, and the Babylonian Talmud, read
Ezek. xliv. 24, cases of leprosy, They were to divorce, etc. Lev. x. 11. lay down the law in such cases, and pronounce the final sentence. Comp. Mai. and see Miii. 7 Deut. xxxiii. 10 chaelis on the Laws of Moses, Art. lii. They are here associated with the judges, because in certain cases they gave a joint verdict ; and in the time of the prophet were equally avaricious and corruptible. The verb CCp, to divine, being only used of false prophets, shows that those reproved by !Micah were of that description. Comp. Jude 1 1 "With all their wicked pers'ersion of right, they hypocritically claimed an interest in the favor of God, and scouted the idea that
xxi. 5
;
; ;
.
C'-y. ri";2n, the house, i. e. kot' |oxVt the temple. That which was their boast and confidence, was to be converted into a wilderness, "^y^ signifies not only a
forest,
asper,
salebi-osus
fuit
diffidlis
The whole
verse
the calamities denounced by his true prophets could ever overtake them. Comp. Jer. vii. 4, 8-11, where the same presumptuous confidence in the Divine presence in the temple, is exposed and
condemned. 12. "We have here at last an awful epiphbnema, in which the destruction of the metropolis is expressly and parThe wicked leaders ticularly predicted.
an officer in the Roman army, tore up with a ploughshare the foundations of the temple but little or no credit is to
;
See Deylingii
236
Jerusalem
shall
MICAH
become heaps,
of the house Avoody heights.
the
Chap. IV.
And
mouutam
Observationes Sacr. pt. v. pp. 448, 450. Robinson's Pak'stine, vol. ii. pp. 2, 8. The circumstance, however, that what Micah predicts, relates to the city as
distinguished from the temple, clearly militates against the application of his Equally inapposite as to the lanjjuage.
fulfilment of the prophecy are the appeals
of Mount Zion, since the destruction to wh.ich it points was not the more distant
devastations under Titus
and Adrian,
Nth.
ii.
17, iv. 2
Lam.
v. 18.
CHAPTER
By
IV
a sudden transition, as at chap. ii. 1.3, the prophet passes from his denunciation of punisbmeut, to a description of the glorious state of the church subsequent to the restoration from the captivity in Babylon. He predicts the establishment of the kingdom of Christ ujion tlie ruins of idolatry, and the accession of the Gentiles, 1, 2; the peaceful nature of He then abruptly introduces his captive his reign, 3, and the security of his subjects, 4. countrymen, who, having been recovered to the worship of the true God, declare, that, however the idolaters around them might adhere to their several systems of creatureworsliip, they would never renounce the service of Jehovah, 5. The Most High promises to gather even the weakest of them from their dispersions, restore their national existence, and reign over them for ever, 6-8. The intermediate invasion of Judea, the captivity in Babylon, and the liberation of the Jews, are next depicted, 9--H. Upon which follows a prediction of the victories which they should gain over their enemies in the time of the Maccabees, and of the reverse which took place ou the establishment of Uerod by the
Komau
power.
Axp
it
shall
come
That the mountain of Jehovah's house Shall be established on the summit of the mountains, And be elevated above the hills,
And
it.
:
Yea, many nations shall go, and say Come let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah,
1-3.
On
of
prophecy with Is. ii. 2-4, see the note on that passage, to which the reader is
also referred for 'the interpretation.
The
verbal discrepancies, which are few and trivial, will be best st>cn on consulting
both prophets in parallel columns. the same throughout. originally ten more, one by correction, and the Complut. edition, read vVs instead of vV?. For ?ss" sV, thirty-six MSS., probably another, seven
originaDy, and six
Newcomc, who
exhibits the
Hebrew
text
by
correction, together
CiiAr. IV.
MIC A II.
God
of Jacob,
237
To
That he may teach us his way, And that we raay walk in his paths For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the Avovd of Jehovah from Jerusalem. ^ And he shall arbitrate among many j^eojile,
And
give decision to
many
distant nations,
So that they
And
Nation shall not raise a sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war any more. And they shall sit each under his vine, and under his And none shall make him afraid For the mouth of Jehovah of hosts hath spoken it.
;
fig-tree,
Though all the people should Avalk Each in the name of his god, Yet we will walk in the name of Jehovah our God, For ever and evei*.
In that day, saith Jehovah,
I will gather the halting,
j,
'
and for :;s'a' five JISS., four and now one, read K'r '
4.
originally,
This beautiful addition, which is not in Isaiah, appears to have been a common adage among the Hebrews to express a state of complete outward security. Zech. iii. 10. 1 Kings iv. 25 Por a state of things precisely the re;
verse see
0.
my
Biblical Ilesearches
etc.
and
reclaimed and they nobly resolved that nothing should ever again move them to abandon the service of Jehovah but that, v^dth equal earnestness, they would addict themselves to his worship, and the observance of his laws, 's is here a formula of concession be it so that, althotigh, or the like. Comp. for this use of the particle, Gen. viii. 21 Exod. xiii. 17 Josh. xvii. 18 ; Deut. xxix. 18.
; ; : ; ;
Travels in Russia,
p. 436.
have been puzzled how to reconcile the statement 7nade in the beginning of this verse with the prediction contained in verse 2 and
interpreters
;
Many
one,
S C'f'3 "^Vr, to walk in the name of any means to frame one's conduct accord-
Cc,
Hartmann goes so far as to assert, that it was originally a marginal gloss, written by a different pen, and afterwards inserted The difficulty will be rein the text.
moved,
if
often used for the person himself Com. the phrases nin^ ^1"^ T;"t~ ! to loalk in the way of, to "i'^? ''l'j'5 T\V\f folloio Jehovah. It seems here to be
is
name,
specially
employed in reference
to relig-
we
ious worship.
Comp. Zech.
x. 12.
those of the Jews during their dispersion. " Hie spectanda est diversitas temporis."
Calvin,
i?i
loo.
They witnessed
idolaters
the ea-
gerness with
which the
around
an
to the service
despair of
ever
being
6-8. That the subject of these verses the restoration from Babylon, and the reestablishment of the Jewish state, and not any spiritual gathering of men generally to the church of God, is placed beyond dispute by the prediction that the scattered and afflicted remnant of Israel
is
238
MIC AH.
Chap. IV.
And collect the outcasts, And those Avhona I have afflicted. And I will make the halting a remnant. And those that had been flxr removed a strong nation And Jehovah shall reign over them in Momit Ziou,
From henceforth, and for ever. And thou, O tower of the flock!
hill
To
thee
shall
come,
Even the former rule shall come. The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.
was again to become a strong nation, ver. 7, and by the use of the phrase r:"i'S-in rS-pz'zri, the former rule, ver. 8, which can only be interpreted of the
theocratic
and the watchful care exercised by the government, he characterizes her as --? V":>'2, the tower of the flock. Some,
indeed, think with Jerome, that a place
government
at
When
their
ber,
the Hebrews
first
Jerusalem. returned to
is
made
own
num-
amounting only to -12,360 but they rapidly increased, and in the time of the Maccabees not only became an independent state, but acquired such power that they vanquished the fonnidable SjTO-Grecian armies. The Asmonaean family possessed supreme authority from Mattathias to Ilcrod the Great. To the above iiaterpretation no valid objection can be taken on the ground that Jehovah is said, ver. 7, to reign for ever over those who were to be assembled. cV^ly,
eternity,
Gen. XXXV. 21, and which that father says lay about a mile distant from Bethlehem, is intended but, from its being ill apposition with "iv-u r2 htv, mound
;
of the daughter of Zion, a fortified hill or elevation on the eastern part of Mount Zion, and here put for the whole, such For Vsi", intcr^iretation is inadmissible. comp. Is. XX xii. 14 2 Chron. xxvii. 3, xxxiii. 14 Neh. iii. 26, 27, in which last passage V~;>2r, the totcer, is mentioned
;
;
along with
cal
it,
which
is
doubtless identi-
or
long
indefinite
duration,
whether applied to the past or the future, must always be determined by the nature of the subject. It is verj' often used of the Mosaic institiites, Exod. xii. 14, 17, xx\'ii. 21, xxviii. 43 Lev. iii. 17. It is even employed to denote the jieriod of the se\-enty years' captivity, Jer. xviii. 16. For rsV::" and ~t,~'.t^, comp. Ezck. xxxiv. 16 Zeph. iii. lo! r;>;V-|n is the Niphal
;
;
with Tna.Is. xxxii. 14. The word is derived from hzy, to swell, become tumid.
Thv 'OtpKav
Joseph, de Bell. KaXov^tvov v\priKav. Jud. lib. vi. cap. 6, 3. The LXX., Aquil. Syinm., Sjt., and Vulg , confound the word with ^ES, thick darkness. The
Targum apphes
siah
:
-i-'^tai
^s-ir*n
sn'^f K PNi
participle of
sVn,
to be
removed.
Syr.
clongavit,
removit.
abstcssit.
Arabic
'.^r'ttV
Kri'-Vw,
"And
thou,
Messiah
Jbo
n.,
recessit,
Having
from
calls
employed
treatment
metaphors
of
sheep.
taken
Micah
the the
of Israel, icho art hid oti account of the sitis of the congregation of Zion, to thee the kingdom will come ; " but there is no
more foundation
Jewish people, in their collective capaComp. n';n^ --?, the citj', --", a flock.
Jlocli
of Jehovah,
Jer.
xiii.
17
and
in
than for that of Jonathan on --j V-:>:, Gen. XXXV. 21 TTi' Vr'^'^"? ""'"^ {;?;"' r|ic2 srj-'BK ksVts ^Virt*'^, "the
:
Chap. IV.
9
MICAH
239
dost thou cry aloud ? no king in thee ? Have thy counsellors perished ? That pains should have seized thee Like a woman in travail ? 10 Be in pain, and bring forth, O daughter of Zion Like a woman in travail For now thou shalt go forth from the city,
Is there
Why, now,
And
shalt even go to Babylon There thou shalt be delivered, There Jehovah shall redeem thee, From the hand of thine enemies.
1
Thou
place
Kiyig Messiah is to be
revealed at the etid of the days," whatever use may be made of it in. the way of arguin reasoning with the Jews. V in r^'; is a periphrasis of the genitive. 9. rPS is not here used in its temporal
signification,
mentum an hominem
Babylon.
11.
designed emphatically to draw attention to what follows. Five MSS. and another originally, supported by the LXX. and
Targ., read npyi,
form.
The
those
which
which
is
the usual
at once
mto
in
the
consternation
army in its attack upon Jerusalem. The more immediate neighbors of the Jews Comp. are no doubt specially intended.
which the inhabitants of Jerusalem would be placed on the approach of the Chaldean
army.
The
Lam. ii. 16 Ezek. xxxv. Obad. 12, 13. These defiled Jerusalem when they shed the blood of her citizens and profaned
;
and
and
a nin
is
used, like
provoke the answer, " Yes, w-e have, but they cannot they are nothing worth protect us, nor contrive any means of escape." "y.:"' the LXX. treat as a col:
lective
T)
fiovXi] <rov.
of
Comp. in reference to euphony. childbirth, Job xxxviii. 8 Ps. xxii. 10. Having employed the metaphor of a parturient female, the prophet carries it on in this verse, strikingly depicting the condition of anguish and distress which the Jews had to anticipate before they should enjoy deliverance. The Babylonish captivity, and its happy termina;
Obad. 12, in an emphatic sense, to denote the malignant dchght with which the enemies of the Jews feasted on their calamities. For the use of the feminine smgular tHP with the dual masculine, comp. 2 Sam. x. 9 Job xx, 11. Nothing is more common in Arabic than to employ the feminine form of the verb when the agent is anything irrational or in-
nx-i,
animate. The singular number is cmr ployed as the simpler fonn of the verb. It may be observed, however, that, instead of !ij":-y in the plural,
foiu-
MSS.,
in the
singular.
Both
plural.
Both ~:~r\
240
That
sfly
:
MIcAn
!
Chap. IV.
Let her be profaned Let our eyes look njjon Zion. 12 But, as for them, they know not the designs of Jehovah, Neither do they understand his purpose For he shall collect them as sheaves into the threshing-floor. 13 Arise thresh, O daughter of Zion For I will make thy horn iron,
And
And And
And
thy hoofs copper, thou shalt beat in pieces many nations Thou shalt devote their gains to Jehovah,
their substance to the
earth.
daughter of troops
We are besieered
12.
r^n
is
The enemies
fragment of the old form of the personal pronoun Tis, regularly preserved in the Syriac. Compare, for other instances,
ip^'i;, Ruth iii. 3 ^n:Vn, Jer. xxxi. 21, though they are pointed with a Sheva, and the Keri directs that they should be
;
was
to recover
them from idolatry, and thus prepare them for a triumphant restoration. The
taken from the process of threshing out grain is frequently used by the prophets to denote the complete
read r)r-i;and
metaphor
Prin. TheLXX., Aquila, Symm., Theodot., the Syr., and Vulg., all have the second person, onn, Arab.
Comp. Jer. li. For the manner in which this process is carried on, see on Is. xxviii.
destruction of a people.
3.3.
^y^. prohibuit ;
est
27, 28.
13.
A
is,
Comp.
There
of mixed
however, a very natural instance metaphor, derived from the destructive power lodged in the honi of the ox, though it is not employed in threshing, which greatly adds to the force That "-i", horn, should of the passage.
here be employed to signify the horny substance forming the hoof of the ox, cannot be admitted. Comp. 1 Kings
xxii.
11.
promiscue xisus ; to make sacred, devote, whether in a good or a bad sense. As conquerors used to consecrate a portion of their spoils to their deities by hanging them up in their temples, so tlie trimnphant Hebrews would employ the riches which they acquired by their victories in beautifying the temple of Jehovah, and supporting his worship. The Maccabean times are specially referred to.
14. I consider
lective.
nni,
troop, to be a col-
power exercised
ishing enemies.
The
Jerusalem is called a daughter of troops, on account of the great body of military quartered \\'ithin her walls, and in the surrounding districts. That it is Jerusalem, and not the enemy, that is addressed, the close coherence of the forms Avith those of the preceding context For the paronomasia sufHciently shows. ill Tiij rs 'TT '^rip, comp. Gen. xlix. 19.
to cut
signi-
to
"P^:-
nn
^yr.
Chap. V.
MIC AH.
241
With a rod they have smitten on the cheek The judge of Israel
an army.
understood,
impersonally,
in
Though
it
at
cr
the
enemy
is
is
tsrii,
not for the influence of the foregoing with which it forms the paiono-
another paronomasia. Most understand by the i:rr, judge, Zedekiah, -vvho was
contumeliously by the Babybut it seems preferable to refer it to some of the chief rulers of the Jews at the time of the siege of Jerusalem described by the prophet or the term may be used collectively. The position of Hengstenberg and some others, that
treated
lonians
; ;
masia. Though the LXX. have rendered the term by <pv\as, Aq., Symm., and Theod., have Kpnijp. The siege in question Michaelis thinks was that by Sosius,
the
Roman
general, b. c. 37,
when An-
Asmonsean dy-
nasty,
perior power.
specifically
lib. i.
cap. xviii. 2.
CHAPTER
HAVI^'G
at the
V.
which the Jews should be placed
the reign of Herod, the prophet foretells in a very explicit manner, the birth of the Messiah, which was to take place during the lifetime of that king, 1. prediction is then introduced respecting the final dealings of God towards the nation
commencement of
previous to that illustrious event, 2, on which the permanent and universal nature of the new dispensation is announced, 3. The subject of the victories of the Jews over the Syro-Grecian armies is again taken up, 4-8; and the chapter concludes with threatenings both against the Jews in the time of Micah, and the enemies by whom they were to be punished, 9-15.
And thou, Bethlehem Ephratha Art small to be among the thousands of Judah,
1.
planatory of our text, I should believe the subject to be Christ, who was bom in the reign of Herod. The whole thread of the prophecy in the preceding chapter leads me to him, and the time of his birth." The Messianic application
of the prophecy was formally
differ as to
the
has,
The Targum
pis';
">;"^;;.
T^=s
^i-wV
tn--i
"^M
SttVy
"Uv"';;
'"cfph^z,
"From
thee the
made by
;
Messiah shall come forth before me, to exercise dominion over Israel, iphose name
5, 6
and
is
31
242
M I c A II
shall
Chap. V.
He come
forth to
me
To be Ruler
old."
iu Israel,
The
position of Tlieodore of
Mop-
and some
others,
is
put in the masculine. In the present instance, however, the change ^^as doubtless
that Zerubbabel
;
was intended,
now
occasioned by
r-.r^,
which
is
of that
given up by all and most interpreters of the German school find their notion of an ideal Messiah sufficiently convenient in explaining this and other
passages, as
it
gender, being strongly prominent to the view of the prophet. Pocockc, in the
notes to his Porta Mosis, chap, ii., and in his commentary' on the passage, labors
relieves
them from
all in-
Cr;V~n"'2, Bethlehem,
the
Ilotese
-^^*^
of Bread.
Arab.
^ <\
v^ioJ,
Flesh. It was a small town in the tribe of Judah, built on the slope of a ridge, about six lloman miles to the west by south of Jerusalem, and originally celebrated as the birth-place of David, the first of the luie of Jewish kings, mss.
hard to support the opinion of Tanchum and Abuhvalid, that -i-y^^ has the two contrary significations of little and great but the opinion rests upon nothing beyond the construction which these writers have put upon the term as occurring in Jcr. xlviii. 4, and Zcch. xiii. 7,
which
passages,
when
closely
exammed,
being
admit of no other
signification
Ephrath, Gen.
xlviii. 7, or, as it is
com-
monly
paragogic,
attached to the word but that of little, of small note, or esteon, though it may seem to be supported by the Targumic rei dcring "j-n'riuVi in the former of these passages, and by iroifievas the reading of
r;nj:s. Ephratha, appears from the passage just cited to have been the original
the Alexandrian
j
MS.
of the
LXX., and
A.VV
name
of the place. The word has much the same signification as Buth-lehem, being derived from r:-i2, to he fruitful and no doubt the place received both names from the fertility of the region. Dr. llobinson observes respecting the " The present asjjccts of the town
:
word the
dignity.
signification
of
is
greatness or
literally little
nvnV
There
n-ys
is
in respect of being,
rcclioned.
little
to
exist, or be
no occasion
to resort
many
olive
and
;
fig
yards round about are marks of industiy and the adjacent fields, and thrift though stony and rough, produce neverBiblical theless good crops of grain." Researches in Palestine, vol. ii. p. 161. The names occur as parables in the
stanzas, lluth
iv.
\Vhat the prophet asserts Ls, that Bethlehem was positively little in point of size or population, to rank with the other subdivisions of the tribe of Judah. Comp. 1 Sam. xxiii. 23. The tribes were subdivided into T'T^'ziyc, families,
or dans, the chiliads or thousands of which had heads or princes, to whom,
11
r:P-,E>52 V-ri-n'rvi
:
from
this circumstance,
""^s,
name of c-eVs
1
;
C'EiVn
It
was likewise
Judges
ii.
xvii. 7, xix. 1
Ruth
i.
Matt,
o, in order, it is
thought, to distinguish
from another place of the same name in the tribe of Zabulon, Josh. xLx. 15. "yi', as well as nPS, is of the masculine
it
It is highly and heads of thousands. probable that at the time to A\hich the prophecy refers, if not in that of the prophet, the place might not have been able
to
is
No
mention
made
of
it
among
cities are
sometimes
enumerated Josh, xv., though, with many it is found in the text of the I-XX. Nor docs it occur in the list, Neh. xi. 25,
others,
: ;
Chap. V.
MICAH
the ancient days.
spoken of in the New Testaa village, or hamlet, John
243
From
etc.
It as
is
terminus a quo.
aw'
The LXX.
rjfjLepwy
e|oSot avrov
ment
vii.
KcifiTi,
apxri^
'l
aluyos.
Syriac
In the present day its inhabitants are rated at eight hundred taxable men. See Dr. Robinson, id sup. Yet, small and inconsiderable as Bethlehem was, it was to have the distinguished honor of giving birth to the Messiah.
42.
^|VoVV
is
.
\r, 'A X
from
the beginning,
from
the ages."
itio,
Vulg. "Et
egressiis ejus
"
a diebu-s aternitatis." The Arab, though unwarrantably free as a version, gives pretty
much
Incorporatum gignere."
Prudentius,
Hymn. Epiph.
77.
ysjji
Between the former and the latter half of the verse is a marked antithesis. In this respect, k::;' and i-rNSiu, correspond the former, designating the future
;
It Israel are from the days of the age." is, however, not unlikely, that the words
JLj!y*wI
S,
Illustrious
Ruler
when he should actuassume human nature the latter, his ancient comings forth, when he created the world, and appeared to Moses and the patriarchs, and revealed to them the Divine will. The idea conveyed by the noun must be identical with that expressed by the verb. Abenezra, Abar;
Though from the preceding, clause. C-:p is used of past duration absolutely in' reference to God, Deut. xxxiii. 27, yet it is most frequently employed to denote past, especially ancient time, and is synonjTuous with t.V-'J, with which it
occurs in poetic parallelisms.
Comp. the
Arab.
banel, Grotius,
Hartmann, Rosenmiiller,
quum.
^Jo,
Syr.
2,
pracessit
tempus anticoram.
just
;
Gesenius, Hitzig, Maurer, and Ewald, give origines as the signification of n':S2;, and regard the term as referring to the Davidic extraction of the Messiah. This signification is hke^vise stren-
^^>
we
^>
In
as
Ps. xliv.
t.h''V
n-j5' a-
occiirs,
in Ps. Ixxvii. 6
have
C^]'";;
C"K:^
and and
but,
instead of finding any reference to the ancient family of David, he adopts the opinion that the object of the prophet is
to teach the eternal existence of the
siah.
fiiV corresponding to each Comp. also Micah vii. U, 20 other. Mai. iii. 4. That the dogma of eternal generation or emanation is taught by
D'^Viy
Mes-
however, is perfectly untenable, since nothing can be more incongruous than the ascription of locality
His
position,
to eternity,
the translation, " his goings forth (in the sense of places of going forth), are the ancient times, the days of eternity, i. e. the very ancient times." None of the passages which he alleges proves the local signification ; they all describe the act, not the place or time of egress. -,tt before C"" and in nh^'J ''a."53, is used
in
its
our prophet, does not appear but the actual preexistence of our Saviour, and the most anhis active comings forth, cient times, for the accomplishment of the Divine purposes, he not obscurely Thus Piscator " Verto egresteaches. siones, nempe egressiones a Deo Patre
;
no foimdation whatever.
The
244
2 Xovei-theless he
Till the
MICAH
Chap. V.
^vill give thera up time Avhen she who is to bear hath brought forth, And the rest of his brethren Shall return to the sons of Israel.
term h'Ji'a, Ruler, here employed, is that used by David in his Messianic Ode, 2
Egypt
Sam.
xxiii. 3
and other parts, before the Christian era. The words mV"' nV:*^ are susceptible of
p-^-^s
t-jJ3
"h-c'.-a
two
interpretations.
They may
eitlicr
Comp.
Jer.
xxx. 21:
iis'js'a
n-i"!is
n^nn
be referred to the Jewish church, and regarded as descriptive of her deliverance from suffering, set forth under the or, metaphor of a travailing woman they strictly and hterally apply to the The former mother of the Messiah. interpretation is adopted by Lipman, Munster, Yatablus, Grotius, Drusius, Dathe, Justi, and others the latter by
; ;
Comp.
come
^h, to
me,
is
not
without emphasis.
for the express
is
Gentile world, as vcr. 3, and numerous passages in other prophets clearly show. For the verbal discrepancies between the Hebrew text of Micah, and the quotation Matt. ii. 6, the reader is referred to the commentators on the latter passage.
may
to
propriety be rendered interrogatively, as some have projx>sed, and that the quotation in question,
and the preexistence of his perthe had been predicted ver. 1 prophet, who, as already noticed, was contemporary w'ith Isaiah, and in all probability was acquainted with his celebrated prophecy respecting the rVy,
son,
:
made by the Sanhedrim, and not by the evangelist, is obviously given from memorj', and not with any view to verbal accuracy. 2. Notwithstanding the glorious prospect afforded by the promise of the Messiah, it was not to supersede the state of suffering to which the nation was to be previously red' iced on account Into that state it was to be of its sins. brought by the Chaldeans, and was not to be fiilly restored till about the time of his birth. The return i'rom Babylon was only partial at first but, encouraged by the prosperity wliich attended the reestablishment of the theocracy, others who resided in the East were induced to fol;
Is.
vii.
14,
now
by a somewhat indefinite, but by no means obscure referThis view ence to his -virgin mother. is further confirmed by the use of the pronominal affix in Tns, which uninteresting fact
questionably belongs to the Messiah, the immediate antecedent, and not, as a collective, to Israel, as given in the
LXX.
and Targ.
By
his
"brethren"
cannot be meant the Gentile bchcvcrs, which some intcrprctci-s have alleged, Ilcb. referring in proof to Ps. xxii. 22 ii. 11 but his brethren according to the flesh, those who still remained in foreign parts, but who were to be bnmght back to Judea, in order that they might
; ;
Chap. V.
MICAH
shall stand,
245
Jehovah,
And He
and feed
in the strength of
In the majesty of the name of Jehovah his God. And they shall continue
;
be great unto the ends of the earth. And This Same shall be the peace. When the Assyrian shall invade our land, And tread our palaces.
shall
ror now
He
We
Aiid eight anointed men. . And they shall afflict the land of Assyria with the sword, And the land of Niml-od at the entrances thereof:
be there to receive him, ^vhen he should
where the
come
forth to be ruler in
Israel.
tlie
The
w'ere
scholiast has, paaiXfu ox^'""-'' See for this use of the Hebrew verb ry*^.,
preposition
Vv conveys here
idea of
superaddition.
The
foreign
Jews
It
is
who
thus
the
That
2 Sam. V. 2, vii. 7. The power and glory of the ilessiah here predicted are those with which, as Mediator, he is mvested. Comp. Is. xi. 2 Matt, xxviii. 19 Heb. 7-9. ii. Jehovah being called " his
;
;
God," intimates
relation.
n'ln"',
not here to be taken in its distinctive application to the ten tribes, but denotes the descendants of Jacob generally, may be inferred from the fact, that it is thus appropriated after the Babylonish captivity, the period to which the prophecy refers. It is well known that the Maccabsean coins bear the inscription, Vp'J VsTi", the Shekel of Israel, Comp. for
this use the
Comp.
If
fj
may
be regarded as descriptive of his attributes, or the character in which he hath The nomrevealed himself to mankind. inative to ^riT must be the subjects
over whom Messiah reigns, understood. These were to consist not of believing Jews only, but likewise of believing Gentiles
term Vs^r",
ver. 1 of the
present chapter.
verb -iwy signifies not simply to stand, but also to stand firm, to endure, This latter acceptation is adcontinue.
3.
The
as
it
y-i_s
Comp. for follows in the verse. "CEs, "the ends of the earth," in
opted here by many, who think it better suits the character of the predicted king, who is otherwise represented as sitting upon his throne, and not standing. But, as the following verb r;i""i, signifies
to
dom
The
of Christ, Ps. ii. 8, xxii. 28, Ixxii. 8. verb conveys the idea of security and permanence. Such was to be the
character of the new dispensation. It remains to add on this verse, that instead
feed a
flock,
there
is
the
to
greatest
propriety in presenting
him
view in
of ny"!, to feed, two MSS. and some printed editions read nfi, to see, while
the attitude of the good shepherd, w^ho stands, that he may survey the whole of his sheep, and be in readiness to defend
Arab, exhibit both readand that three MSS. and another originally, the Syr., Targ., and Vulg.,
the
ings
;
LXX. and
them against all attacks. Comp. Is. Ixi. 5. The pastoral metaphor is beautifully
expressive of royal care and protection.
read ^arx-^i or ^:iV'^'',ihey shall return, or be co7iverted, mstead of the current reading n'j""!, thei/ shall remain. The
Comp. Ihad
i.
2(33
LXX.
iroiixeya
have
lirap^ovcn.
The words CiVi' TA n:;"% -And This Same shall be the peace, ai-e inti4, 5.
246
MIC AH.
Assyrian,
Chap. V.
And there shall be deliverance from the When ho shall invade our land, And when he shall tread our borders.
matcly connected ivith the preceding words, but have no relation to those which follow, except in so far as the victories there assumed vere to pave the way ior that state of the Jewish affairs
during which the Messiah was to appear in the world, ri, This, This Same, is used emphatically, w ith reference to the Messiah, who had just been spoken of. Comp. for a similar use of the pronoun, Gen. V. 20 Exod. xv. 2. qtVc, peace,
;
during the period of their reign, belonged " the land of Assjiia," which Ls ako here called "the land of Ximrod," becaflse, according to the proper rendering of
is
put,
by metonymy,
;
for
introducer of reconciliation.
xlLx. 10
ii.
Comp. Gen.
Is. ix.
;
o
1.
Gen. x. II, that monarch went forth from Babylon into the countrj- of Assyria, where he built Nineveh and other According to this cities there named. interpretation, the prophecy in these two verses relates to the noble and successful opposition which the Maccabees offered to Antiochus Epiphanes, when he marched against Jerusalem, pillaged the temple, and desecrated eveiy object
sacred in the estimation of the Jews.
14, 17
Col.
20.
former
state,
to
By
make
restitution
in Iliph. to restore, or
cause to be at peace,
The
sub-
the breasts of their countrymen, they not only recovered their sacred city from the enemy, but, after a scries of the most brilliant victories, drove him to the
gates of his
without the
article,
as fre-
own fortified
It
is
cities,
and
fin-
quently in the prophetic writmgs, when the object is to impart energy to the language, by condensing the mode of expression. If iTJs be taken to signify the ancient Assyrian empire, the reference will be to the threatened invasion but this in the time of the prophet construction ill suits the connection, in
;
independence.
to this protracted,
but triumphant struggle, the reference The assertion of is made, Dan. xi. 32. Ilartmann, that sh^ 3 "i?-is is not
Hebrew
in
its
construction,
is
and
that,
consequently, -iris
to be connected
which
future
;
rcsj)cct is
had
to the
more
distant
relative to the
with ciVr, is without foundation; for we meet with the very same construction in nVs' "S Tw-jc -'s C"S, Numb. vi.
2.
Thus
also
in
Arab.
CX.5.1^
J^
'
term
is
employed by our
..waJLoJuo
\yJULi\
131
prophet to
the empire of the Selcucidse, founded by Selcucus, one of the generals of Alexander the Great, by whom he was invested with the government of Babylonia and Media, and who, tmder
denote
U^''
tiro cities
when
their inhabit-
ants are of one accord," Tjocman, Fable The numbers sevc7i and eight appear 1.
to be used to denote indefinitely a full and sufficient number, as in Eccles. xi.
2.
the
Jill
title of King of Syria, subjugated the countries from the IIelle.';pont On the to India and the Jaxartes. fame principle that Darius is called -TVS Ti"'?.i '^'^ ^'M!7 of Assyria, Ezra vi.
to eight.
vi.
" Give a portion to seven, and also Comp. also Job v. 18 Prov.
;
16,
9, etc.
XXX. 15, 18, 21; Amos i. 3, 6, So the Greek rpls koI TfrpdKis,
ter quaterque.
"Were they
though that empire had long ceased to exist, the title might be applied to Selcucus and his successors. To them,
22,
great difficulty in selecting from the Maccabicau period ; but the com*
Chap. V.
MICAH
247
And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people, Like the dew from Jehovah Like the small rain upon herbs, Which waiteth not for man, And tarrieth not for the sons of man. ^Yea, the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations, In the midst of many people, Like a lion among the beasts of the forest. Like a young lion among the flocks of sheep. Which, if he pass through, treadeth down and rendeth, And there is none to deliver. 8 Thy hand shall be high against thine adversaries,
6
;
such a process would be unwarranted. Cy-i, shepherds, and ens "2^C3, princely men, are synonymous, signifying those who took the lead in opposing the enemy, and who administered the affairs of the Jews at the time. Because -c: also signifies to pour out a libation,
Michaelis
Instead of siiVwa in the singular, !;iiV?3a in the plural, is the reading of thirtyfour MSS., originally four more the
;
and Complut. editions the Soncin. Prophets, and all the ancient
Soncin., Brixian,
versions.
6, 7. The former of these verses depicts the beneficial influence which the remainder of the nation, after its restoration, should exert, by spreading the knowledge of the true God among the nations in the midst of which they were
t-S
life
interpret
of such
as
sacrificed
their
situated
against
meaning, but
Thus Josh. xiii. 21, lirro ^"z-^z, princes (Comp. Ver. dukes) of Sihon and Ezek.
;
such formidable armies, attracting attention to Him whom they worshipped, and to whom they ascribed their success. During the existence of the new Jewish
state,
the
much
of the north.
The
title
properly
signifies aiiointed,
those
who had
been by anointing
lo
is
with
oil
C^r!'''i73.
tudes of whom became proselytes to the faith of Jehovah, and were thus prepared to receive the gospel, when preached by the apostles. The idea of number lies both in Vl2, the dew, and C^::"'2-i, the
rain ; and the sudden raising up of the Jews was to be as entirely a work of Divine providence, and independent of
^Jj?
(.l.S90%
L liui
Targ. t5r:s
''a.'ns-i;
Arab.
^^
human
cribes
aid, as the
production of the
ma-
terial elements.
The seventh
verse des-
used in connection with " the sword," must be taken metaphorically, and means to consume, devastate, or the hke. To refer qyn to yy-j as its root, is
altogether inadmissible.
i:i
Jews in reference to the hostile nations by which they were attacked. For the accumulation and the rise in the meaning of the verbs qnUT cr-n ^^'J, comp.
Exod. XV. 9 Vt,.^ p'^ns :''^^ '^""i* 8. Here the prosperous asppct of the prophecy closes. The words are ad:
The
repetition
these
elegance.
248
MICAH
cut
off.
Chap. V.
saith
Jehovah,
And I will destroy thy chariots. 10 I will cut olFthe cities of thy land, And raze all thy fortresses, 111 will cut oif the sorceries from thy hand. And thou shalt have no diviners.
1
of thee.
And
13 I will break
thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands. down thine images of Astarte from the midst of
thee,
And
destroy thy
cities.
dressed optatively to Jehovah, and may be considered as those either of the prophet, or as designed to be adopted by
^7^'
arbor semper
vL^,
the Jewish
church.
Comp.
Is.
xxvi.
speluncus
Her enemies were the enemies of 11. Jehovah. 9-14. The prophet now returns to times nearer his own, and predicts the beneficial moral changes that were to be effected in the condition of his countrj'men by the Babylonish conquest and They liad, contrary to the captivity. express command of the Lord, Deut. xvii, 16, kept up a formidable body of
trusted in cavalry, and war-chariots encouraged sorcery, their fortified cities
; ;
woods,
i.
e.
Yod
to
V bile
C"-i',
others
wit)iesses,
etc.,
the statues
belonging to idol-worThere seems, however, to be no ship. absolute necessity for departing from the signification cities, only we thereby imdcrstand such as were specially appropriated to
suggests.
idolatrous
iiscs,
as
Jerome
and indulged in abominable idolatry. These were all to be removed, when the Jewish state was broken up and after God had employed the heathen in pun;
Comp.
hvjzyi
r"2
turn should be punished for their obstinate adherence to idol worship, notwithstanding the testimony borne against their conduct by the Jews who lived among them. This portion of the chapter is strikingly parallel witli Is. xlvii. 6-22.
of the hmtse, or te7nple of Baal, 2 Kings X. 2.5, by which is meant a separate part of Samaria, where the temple Avas situThis construction is Tcquired in ated. order to form a parallelism with C^-i-'-Js,
i:na(]cs
of Astarte, occurring immediately In all the ancient versions the word is rendered by cities,
lated enemies.
ForcTi'r,seconIs.
comp. C"::V,
occurred
ver. 10,
Is. iii.
xlvii. 9; forD-ij-yji,
rs
end of ver.
6;
and
r:
for r:"-)---s,
As
terpret,
vnheard of
venfjeance,
had already
a'fies,
it
more natural
7iatiovs,
to connect
the
acceptation of
wo
to
be again nsod
To remove
the
who had
enjoyed
difficulty 'Michaclis
Chap. VI.
6
JI I
11
249
And I will execute vengeance in anger and in wrath, Upon the nations Avhich have not been obedient.
g
^
'
from the Jews, to listen to the instruc-which had been tendered to them. Thus the Targ. js'ris ''''^II K^ '*^'27:y
tior^s
\i
"
vVn' ^
\)i
'^
J^ \'
^]
I'^Vo'v
^
>
^I."^'
In
doctrine
ai/^'
of the law."
S)v
LXX.
if tors e^pefftv,
ovk
elcriiKovcraV'
CHAPTER
VI.
It was not sufficient for the prophet to predict the punishments that were to be inflicted on the Jews; he was required to press the subject upon their attention, wliich he does in a very affecting manner, by calling a public court, in which the inanimate creation is summoned to supply evidence, 1, 2. An appeal is then made by Jehovah to the accused party, respecting his kindness to the nation from the earliest period of its history, 3-5. Convicted of guilt, the people are represented as deeply anxious to obtain, at any cost, reconciliation with God, 6, 7; and are pointed by the prophet to the only source whence it was to be obtained; whilo, at the same time, they are reminded of the high properties and obligations of true piety, 8. He next demands attention to the threatened judgments, 9; specifies some of the crimes on account of which they were to be brought upon them, 10-12; repeats the threatening, 13; shows the blasting effects of the Divine wrath upon all
their undertakings, 14, 15j
and
its
true source
the
idolatries of the
kingdom of
Israel, 16.
Hear
Arise
!
ye
saith
And
And
plead in the presence of the mountains, let the hills hear thy voice.
2 Hear,
1,2. It is not unusual with the prophets to make appeals respecting the enorinity of human guUt to the inanimate
parts of creation, as
for it not to
abdicates, as
it
it were, his right, and leaves to the guilty party to state the case,
Comp. Is. xliii. 26. In the appeal to the lofty and ever-during mountains, in which the puny affairs of man could
excite
call them forth as intelligent witnesses of what hath taken place in their presence,
no
prejudice,
By
See Deut. xxxii. 1 Is. i. 2; Jer. ii. 12, 13. a similar personification the moun;
judges, there
is
sublime.
C"nrn
^vitk
tains
contend
something inexin-essibly rt* ::-n, does not meant the mountains, as if they
appear in the Jehovah, however, court of heaven. instead of bringing forward the charge,
are here
to
summoned
were the party to be accused, but to carry on the cause in their presence,
rs
is
32
250
^I I
A II
liis
CUAP. V.
people,
to thee ?
I wearied thee
Testify against me. 4 Nay, I brought thee up from the land of Egypt, And redeemed thee from tlie house of slaves And sent before thee Moses, Aaron and Miriam.
;
O my
i^eople
con-
sulted,
benefits of Jehovah.
part she took in celebratiag the Divine interposition for their deliverance. She
called rs"r::n, the prophetess, Exod. XV. 20, because she led the female chorus Avhich rehearsed the inspired song of ;Moses. The Targ. on ilieah adds
is
coram,
and
is
equivalent to
as the forms
TiVrrn
tT'ps rs, Gen. V. 24, and ';]Vr;rin Ct;;s 'isV, xlviii. 15, are identical in
meaning.
in a great
c-:rs, or as
it is sfielt
c-:ri"x
in four earlj-
editions, standing absolutely, must be taken as a substantive, and not as an adArab. jective qualif>-ing y-s '"5'tt.
t^'r:'"? rs-i-N*^,
to
instruct the
women,
to his
.yii
stetit,
consistit
id,
.L}|,
petra.
et per-
people waf. manifested, not only in furnishing them with inspired teachers,
s3\^
est
stia
omne
quod durat,
but also in counteracting the designs of Balak, who wished to engage the prophetic influence of
manet
in sede.
Schultens, Origg.
Balaam
against
them
Hebbr. p. 112. Instead of ',-7_t< ''"017:, the foundations of the earth, the Arabs
call
the mountains
ij^j^ll
oLj'qI,
instead
the stakes, or posts of the earth. 3, 4. The Israelites are asked, in the
xxiii.
pronounce blessings upon them cui-ses. See Numb. xxii. xxiv. The words -y C'ii'i'n ">;
of
V.^Vs,
from
Shittim to GiUjul,
are not
kindest and most affecting style, -what ground of complaint they had against Jehovah, whicli could have induced them Comp. Jer. to act the part they did. lie had demanded of them ii. 5, 31. nothing that was unreasonable, -a at the beginning of ver. 4, is very expressive, and is equivalent to nay, on the Instead of having contrary, or the like. done anything to alienate them, God had
to be constructed
preceding ; for Balaam did not cross over Jordan to Gilgal, but was slain in the land of Midian, as we read Numb. xxxi. 8. Nor are we, with Ewald, to
suppose them to be a m;u-ginal gloss; but have merely to supply the ellipsis r'n T'lZ, what happened, and repeat -bt,
first
clause of the
-,-i
to
them from
To
"TS
rr:,
sVn
not only rescuing them from Egyptian bondage, but providing them with inspired leaders. Miriam is mentioned, on account of the promijient
v"-' '*"=.?!'"'* kV.-Vj, " Were not mighty deeds performed for you from the plain of Shittim Thus also Munto the house Gilgal?"
'c"iziz
r'3
Chap. VI.
MICAH
shall I
251
?
?
With what
Shall I
bow
to the high
God
offerings ?
Will Jehovah be satisfied with thousands of rams? With ten thousand rivers of oil ?
Shall I give
my
first-born for
my
transgression ?
The
Bter,
fruit
my
soul ?
Yetablus, Grotius, Calvin, Dathe, De Wette, Michaelis, Hartraann, and others, There was a peculiar propriety in specifying these two places. Shittlm was the
accorded with the notions which were prevalent among them, some of which
their
heathen
How much
soever they
might
name
mitted with the Midianitish women, twenty- four thousand Israelites were destroyed.
formerly have grudged the expense of prescribed offerings, they are now willing to bring the most costly and abund-
The
;
evil
was
so great that it
might have caused the I>ord to abandon them entirely but he mercifully spared
them
rams by thousands, and oil sufficient myriads of rivers nay, what is more, human victims, and of these the most endeared, their own offspring. In ^^i; i-rn; m'^nn, myriads of torrents of
ant,
to
fill
oil,
is
actual
possession to
of
the
land
promised
their
In proof of
Divine goodness, Gilgal is singled out from other places, because it was there they made their first encampment in the promised land. It was situated between Jericho and the Jordan, but no trace
of
its site
For m'22"i, as thus used, comp. 1 Sam. xviii. 7 and for -,>2'i;>n:, Job xx. 17. \ The fact of the presentation of humah sacrifices is fully established in the ancient history of all nations. This bai-barous custom was especially prevalent among the Phoestyle of the Orientals.
;
now
;
nicians,
remains.
r;in')
r'pn::, the
v. 11
;
benefits
of Jehovah.
xii. 7
Comp. Jud.
7.
tinued
till
Sam.
Ps. xxiv.
In this
way
the phrase is interpreted by Tanchum, Grotius, Drusius, and by most of the " Per Jusmoderns. Calvin observes
:
According to Porphyry, the book of Sanchoniathon was full of examples of That they obtained such sacrifices.
among
from
is
clear
titias intelligit
beneficia
;
quemadmodum
tibi
who
offered
multis
'
aliis locis
demonstret quam verax, quam beneficus, quam misericors semper fuerit Deus erga genus vestrum."
6, 7.
Ut
ipsa
experientia
The Jews
convicted of
guilt,
their children to Moloch or Saturn, after the example of their Phoenician neighbors. Eusebius, in his Prsepar. Evangel, lib. iv. 16, enters at length into the subject ; and adduces a passage from Philo Byblius which has a special bearing upon the present text "Ebos ?iv to7s
:
Divine favor.
They could
not deny the charges that had been brought against them nor could they put in any plea of justification. They stood condemned before God and the The language which they universe. employ is not such as the pro])hct would have taught them, but such as -well
;
avrl
ttjs
Traj'TOJi'
(pSropas
TO
rohs
ff^a-
ir6\(eDS
tj
e^yous,
eh
y^v
fiotrt.
firiSiS6i'ai,
Kvrpov ro7s
rifxupo'is
Sal-
" It was customary among the ancients, on calamitous or dangerous emergencies, for the rulers of the city or
252
8
^I I
A II
Chap. VI.
He hath showed thcc, O man what is good And what doth Jehovah rcqiure of thee,
!
Biat to
do
justice,
And
the
all,
God?
state, to prevent the destruction of to offer \ip the 7nost clearly beloved of their children, as a ransom to divine
Of
this, the only intrinsically valuable atonement, the Levitical sacrifices, were examples, or instructive vKo5(iyfx.aTa,
vengeance." -rs
of the root
x:{t~^,
is
Comp. Ps. Ivii. 7, cxlv. l-t. Instead of iiy-) \~i, rivers of oil, the
down.
LXX. who
the Alex.
have
as
which were ijitendcd to suggest and foreshadow it and, connected as they were with the progressive developments, which, from time to time, were made of the sacerdotal character, and
tyjx'S,
;
MS.
reads, apvuiv,
have read
"tt-i Vni, fat sheep ; which rendering i iollowcd by the Vulg. and Arab., but 05 unsupported by any other authority. The translator was evidently misled by au improper view of the parallelism. 8. The questions put in the preceding verses do not involve anything like irony, as Rosenmiiller and Maurcr imagine, but manifestly argue a deep anxiety about an atonement, and at the same time the grossest ignorance of what was necessary to constitute that atonement. In replying to them, the prophet first of all shows, that the ignorance of the people was culpable. They had been furnished with revelations of the mind of God upon the subject. T^ Tjn, He (i.e.
the personal oblation of the Great Deliverer promised from the beginning, the worshippers were without excuse if they did not, like Abraham, rejoice in the anticipation of his day. Having
referred
the
inquirer to
the
revealed
method of
Jehovah) hath shown or mmiifested it to thee ; or, the verb may be taken imperIt ^onally, and rendered in the passive
:
himself of it, ilicah proceeds to describe the conduct which alone could meet with the divine approval. The piety required by Jehovah, he sums up under three heads strict equity in all our transactions with our ftllow men a heart set on doing them good, according to the claims which they have upon us and diligent attention to everj-thing belonging to converse with God. Comp. Deut. See also, as contrasting a X. 12, 18. right state of the heart and life with ceremonial services, 1 Sam. xv. 22 Is.
: ; : ;
i'.
No MS.
supjwrts
the reading of the Syr., Vulg. and Arab. Kad they searched the Divine records they could not have
failed to
more compendious description of genume religion is given by our Lord under the threefold division of Kpicris, fKeos and itiVtij,
;
vii.
6.
21-23
Amos
v.
A still
discover,
that,
had iicvcr been taught to attach to them any moral Both reason efficacy, but the contraiy. and revelation combined to invest them with an ulterior reference. "What that
delivered to them, they
reference really was, the A]wstle plainly
or, as Luke has for Matt, xxiii. 23 the last, tV aydTnjv rov Qtov, chap, which shows how completely xi. 42 mistaken Campbell is in referring it to the social virtues, and rendering it fdelThere can be little doubt that iti/. Christ had the passage of Micah in his
; ;
eye.
v:::,
Arab.
aliqua
;
Swiaj/
70^ tx'^"
:
jLo,
;
f<^cit,
elabora-
riav
the
Z'i'i::~~'C
vit in re
;)a;"ay*Y
1
also,
indusastutus,
Heb.
Christ
ix.
is,
tinction,
where the sacrifice of by way of eminence and discalled K p e Irr oval ^vaiai.
23,
trius et solers
Syr.
a 1
callidus
Eth }C\SJ>
validus, cotistana
, ;
Chap. VI.
M I C A II
253
The voice of Jehovah crieth to the city, (And he who is wise will regard thy name) Hear ye the rod, and Him who hath appointed
fuit ; to be apt, readij, diligent, to bend the mind to anything here, to apply it carefully and sedulously to devotional
;
it.
and other
essential to
spiritual exercises,
which
are
the Most High, the prof^het proceeds to summon their attention to the certainty of the judgments that were to be inflicted. Ti--5 for -i-'itV, to the city, i. c Jerusalem, by way of eminence. As she was preeminent va privilege, so she was also in regard to wickedness and guilt. n-;^'i'"n
the
LXX,
:
;
Theod.
version,
acripa<ppoi/-
\l^ov
ri^eiv
the filth
Greek
a
.
the Syr.
A V paratus ; Vulg.
solicitum.
is
Gesenius refers to an obsolete root nr", which he thinks may probably have meant to stand, stand out, and so to be. From such a root both this noun, and
W",
being,
subsistetice,
substance,
may
signi-
The
patient
of restraint; hence
bene exercitatvs.
/JLo
ujyi, ^2'"'*
then be, that which really something solid or substantial, real wisdom, icealth, j^otoer, security, deliverance, or whatever else best agrees with
Prov.
lies
xi. 2.
While
the context.
^^ ,
opum
is
and
indeed at its very foundation, it is only one of the several important qualiThe term ties of which it is composed. employed by the prophet comprehends them all. Michaelis renders, mit gewis-
gl_^,
/^
opulentia,
abundantia
largitm
est.
The noun
used
"with conscientious The comment of Jerome is " Ita prsecinot unworthy of notice
senhafter sorgfalt,
solicitude."
;
m;y,
n~iTS, assistance,
shield,
it
iv,
strength,
etc.
cum
render
(rojTTjpia,
by
aXri^es,
laxvs,
Domino Deo nostro, nulla hora dormire, nuUo tempore securi esse debemus, sed
semper cxpectare patremfamilias venientem et diem formidare judicii, et in nocte
hujus seculi diccre
:
a(T^d\iia,
/3ou\7j,
give in the
as if they
(raxrei,
had read y-'jip, from V^'-, but they may, after all, have attached the same
signification
1
meum
vigilat."
';'.'J.7-i_
to
Tr6'_^.
The
;
Syriac has
o \-n
doctrine
finitive,
used adverbially.
Peters,
Bps. Butler
others,
and some
and eighth verses contain a dialogue bebut there tween Balak and Balaam does not appear to be sufficient ground
;
construction of the word here will depend upon the reading of the If, with seven MSS., following verb.
teachers.
The
for
it.
The connection
fifth is
of these verses
with verse
suppose.
9.
one corrected, and one in the margin, the LXX., Syr., Targ., Vulg.. and Arab., we read t|K;i; 'S;:."^';. those zohofear
thy name, the passage will best be rendered, there tcill be safety or deliverance,
i. e.
On
for such.
In
this case
we have
to
ellip-
of
';, ;'o
by
if
we
254
10
M
tliere still in
CA
Chap.
VL
Are
ness,
And
11
Can
be innocent
witli
wicked balances,
12
And with a bag of deceitful Aveights ? Whose rich men are full of violence, And her inhabitants sj^eak falsehood
;
tjtt-i",
we
must,
rtiw, the
translators,
unor
the modems,
n-;;'f-n,
and take
solid,
signification
soujul wisdom.
That
^'s
is
frequently
be thus understood
cix. 4,
abstract
"'ss,
nouns,
x'ayer,
render in the vocative. The Targ. adopts a metaphorical signification, corresponding to that which attaches to tr:;
comp. Ps.
for
n^sn
I am
rendering, sr-uVf t
i*^V?
^ King and
nVsn r'S
xiii. 6,
Prov.
the
1-5.
man of
sin,
e.
Comp.
Is.
ix. 3, x.
PTiy^
is
:
man of
"What greatly
occur-
and explained some deriving it from the root n"?, to adorn; some from ":r,y,
to testify
;
signification
and other
of frequent
Ibrnis of ni'^
with
It
^-j, are
occurrence.
was quite
There
is
natur;d for copyists and punctators to substitute the fonner for the latter, but not the latter for the former. As to the
ancient versions, the LXX. may, as frequently, have translated from healing,
no necessity
signifi-
for departing
The only
and thus have mistaken the pronunciation of nsi^ for that of "st, which it
with
may
be re-
suffix as a neuter,
The common reading best suits the connection. Before announcing his message, the prophet parenso nearly resembled.
thetically declares, that, whatever
might
imComp. Jer. ix. 11. Ewald, hiire Gemcine vnd icer sie bestellt ! " let the community hear, and he that apor as referring to ry~i, the calamity,
it," understanding thereby the king as principal ruler. Hitzig and ^Maurcr, as in our common version, both make Jehovah the nominative to the
be the treatnient
it
points
the bulk of the people, the truly wise would regard it as (iod's message, aud ha^'ing special respect to his revealed character as thereby disclosed, would
find
in
it
verb.
security
and consolation in
10
Comp.
12.
Jer. xlvii. 7.
the approaching calamities. The name of the Lo'.d is frequently used to express the sum total of the Divine attributes, and often stands for God himself. nsn, signifies not merely to see, but to
recorjnize
practicalli/,
;
to
experience.
l.S,
Sam. xxiv. 12
40
;
Ps. xxxiv.
Ixxxix.
sample of those which abounded, and on account of which the Divine judgments were to be brought upon the For r-y at the beginning of a land. Fortysentence, comp. Gen. xix. 12. nine 'MSS., thirteen more originally, and perhaps one other, with one in the marfied as a
liam.
iii.
1.
man, instead
of-:;jJn;
-'-
r^'iii.T.v^-^'
t2.
and
Son-
'
Chap. VI.
MICAII.
is
255
deceitful.
Rendering thee desolate on account of thy sins. eat, but thou shalt not be satisfied, For thou shalt be inwardly depressed Thou mayest remove, but thou shalt not rescue, Or what thou rescuest I will give to the sword. 15 Thou mayest sow, but thou shalt not reap
14
the Brixian, and five other printed and has the approval of Jarchi, Abenezra, and Abarbanel, but it affords
cin.,
tion,
for
the sake of
effect,
into
the
editions,
mouth of one of themselves, and making him ask, how he could possibly lay claim
to the character, while he had none but instruments of fraud in his possession ? the antecedent to Tcs, whose, ver. 12,
is
no suitable sense
nicott's
MS.
201,
n^yn,
13.
city, ver. 9.
but
In this, and the following verses, severe judgments are threatened against the people on account of their iniquitous practices. The LXX., Syr., Vulg., and Arab., render ^n^Vnn, I have begun, or, I loill begiti, as if it were the Hiphil of
Vttt, but
sick, etc.
it is
that of
n^n,
to be in i^ain,
As
^^_^|,
Arab, lugoj,
e&t,
exsistit.
The
tive of
it
n^n,
to smite, inflict
punishment,
and
ellipsis
of a before rr^a
is
not unfrequent.
to the weights and measures, though such conduct was repeatedly prohibited by the law. Lev. xix. and elseDeut. xxv. 13-16 35, 36
; ;
ishment.
14.
fc^',,
is
Simonis
.
and Gesenius,
fO''>ne
ukT'^
-j
their sac;
X..w
See Prov. xi. 1, xx. 10 red writings. and for the practice, comp. Ezek. xlv. Hos. xii. 8 Amos viii. 5. nw.yT, 9, 10
;
;
what we
^- ~iV n
nant.
as
" the diarrhoea shall be within thee." The LXX. taking :jn;i:. for Tj-iini, renders, iB P is the apocopated Hiphil of ,"Sd, to retnove, and expresses the attempt to save goods by removing them out of the way of the enemy. All the ancient versions have adopted the signification of i"iiT; with t, to seize,
Koi (TKOTafffi ef aoi.
nsTS,
Targ.,
nsT"',
11,
the
LXX.,
and
have read in the third person though the two last render it in
the plural. As the MSS. show no variation, the present reading must be retained but as this verb is never used transitively in Kal, we cannot refer the nominative to God, and interpret it of his inquiring whether he could treat the persons in question as innocent, but must regard the prophet as putting the ques;
has also the signification, to remove anything. See Job xxiv 2. 15. ^;^ "rj-i-in. Oil was expressed
from the olive, by stamping or treading it out with the foot, in the same way as
256
MICAH
oil;
Chap. VII.
Thou mayest
tread the olive, but thou shalt not pour out the
And
16
new
drink
The
statutes of
all
And And
That
the
may make
thee desolate,
And
my
people.
16-28.
The He-
indispensable to
the body, and perfuming the garments. It is also a very common ingredient in
food.
16. Hartmann stumbles at the introduction of this verse ; but it is quite in the manner of the prophet, to recur to the wicked character of his people. is best rendered impersonally, "',^2'r>r''
brews did not, indeed, commit the wickedness described with the intention of bringing upon themselves divine punishment but the punishment was as certainly connected with the sin, in the purpose of God, as if its infliction had been the end at which they aimed. ?iNOT ")zv_ rE~n,
ye shall bear the reproach of iny people,
i. e.
though
Ilithpael
rs, people, understood. here intensive of Piel. Omri is specially mentioned, because he was the founder of Samaria and the wicked
it
refers to
is
your own reproach, that which you have deserved only the meaning is so expressed, in order to derive a high aggravation of their guilt from the relation in which they stood to Jehovah. The LXX. have Xauv, which intimates that they either read c^y, or "a, as a de;
CHAPTER
Before
VII,
concludin<;, the prophet once more reverts to the wickedness of his people, which he depicts with the darkest colors, 1-6. lie then represents them in their state of captivity, brought to repentance, and confidently expecting the Divine interposition, wliich would be rendered the more conspicuous by the complete destruction of their enemies, 7-10. The restoration of Jerusalem, and the conversion of the hostile nations, are next predicted, 11, 12; while the previous desolation of Judea is traced to the sins of the inhabitants, 13. Turning to Jehovah, he prays for the undisturbed and prosperous condition of the restored nation, 11; to wln'ch a gracious response is given, 15. The overthrow of the nations hostile to the Jews, and their reverence for Jehovah, are then pointed out, 10, 17; and the prophecy closes with a sublime and exulting appeal to his gracious character, 18, and an assurance that the covenant people should experience the full accomi)lishment of the sacred engagements into which he had entered with their
Chap. VII.
MICAH.
fruit.
257
Alas for me For I am as when they gather the summer As when the vintage is gleaned
There
is
no duster to
eat,
No
The
my
soul desireth.
there is none uj)right among men They all lie in wait for blood They hunt each other into the net. For evil their hands are well prepared The prince asketh,
And
1.
Micah
generally admitted, the prophet intended to convey. 2"'t:^n is frequently used to express the doing of anything
it is
the Jews as in the first six verses of this chapter. The picture is peculiarly applicable to their character in the wicked reign of Ahaz, during which the prophet flourished, and was awfully anticipative of that which they again exhibited during the reigns immediately preceding the captivity. The preposition ?.^f*3. denoting 2 in n"^3 rVVys y;;;
among
is
intransitive.
time as well as comparison, the two nouns in construction must be rendered as if they were verbs, though a literal
translation Avould be, the gatherings of the summer fruit, and the gleanings of
Vogel and Doderlein, mistakes the meaning of the clause altogether, when he explains it of endeavoring by bribery to prevail upon the magistrates to pronounce that to be good which in itself is evil. ^S"'i, which he is obliged to convert into V^"i, a Pual form, of which no example occurs in the Hebrew language,
can only
refer to the avaricious passion
of the ruler. It it, therefore, the wickedness of their governors and judges, and
For r;"i"S2, the earhj fg, see on Is. xxviii. 4. The prophet compares the strong desire which he felt to meet with a single pious man, to that eagerness with which the traveller looks
the vintage.
not that of the people themselves, which the latter clauses of the verse describe. After hii'V supply Tn'j and after "ctv,
;
t2
S i"
The substantive n
fl
,J0 desideravit, voluit, has here the signification, tcish, desire, will.
in vain for one of those dehcious figs after the summer has advanced.
2. Comp. Ps. xii. 1, xiv. 2 ; Is. Ivii. 1. Cnin, rendered in most of the versions
tens on Prov. x. 3
See Schulii. 87 :
which
is
from its enclositig or shutting up whatever it catches. Occurring, as it here does, in connection with the verb
so called
(OCw-OJI
a,
"and whenever a
messenger cometh to you with that which your souls desire not." Comp. Ps. lii.
9
;
hunt,
is
ployed the net for hunting, as well as The word is here in the acfor fishing.
cusative case. 3. This verse
'iE3
and
for
the cognate
xii.
15, 20.
r^J,
;
sig-
nifies to intertwine,
branches of
here,
me-
very differently rendered by translators. The version of it which I have given appears to express as literally as possible the ideas, which,
is
taphorically, to
by united
effort,
miscuit com-
Syr.
V ^_7 -^V
If.
\
concordavit.
33
258
MICAH
the judge also, for a reward
Chap. VH.
And And
4
the great man giveth utterance to the desire of his They combine to act perversely. The best of them is like a prickly thorn The most upright is worse than a thorn hedge The day of thy watchmen, thy visitation cometh
;
soul:
Now
5
shall
be their perplexity.
;
From her that lieth in thy bosom Guard the doors of thy mouth. For the son despiseth his father The daughter riseth up against her mother The daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law A man's enemies are the members of his own family.
;
; :
:
Dathe
conjunctis
viribus
exequuntur.
lowing rnsps,
parallel.
visitation, is explicatively
rii^i^u D^"^,
Is. xxii. 5.
Ihe
princes, judges,
spired to set
For
on
a dag of per-
plexity, see
The
reference
The
and
suffix
to be taken as a neuter,
by
the rulers.
fit
Thus Calvin
"
:
Demde comhoc
est
hinc
quoniam
not to the watchmen, improperly interpreted by some of false prophets nor is it to be confined to the persons of rank and office described ver. 3 ; but to the people generally.
in
is
vohmt
5,6.
socius,
etc.,
C|?ViJ,
Arab.
i^jiJt-
from
firmant hoc
confidential,
Art/ia^e*.
LXX.
The
Comp.
19
;
for
Comp. Deut.
Gen. xlv. 23
Is.
i.
Exod.
XV.
4.
is
off as leaves,
and tropically to
act xcickedhj,
p-;n
now
irreligiouslg, as
of thorn,
and not a
As
the
"a
now
nVs:,
;
must be taken as an emphatic comparative, which derives its force, not from any adjective expressed, but from the noun to which it is
stands before r;S?,cr,
prefixed, as in Ps.
Ixii.
Jud.
The
described
is
perfidiousness,
10
Is. xli.
24
in
or
it
may have
originally belonged as a
noun i'-, in which and ^7f"^ must have corresponded to each other, leaving an ellipsis of the 3 which had just been used in p-ina. V>Y " the day of thy watchmen,"
suffix to the preceding
case rsita
anarchy, and confusion, which the most intimate could have no confidence in each other, and the closest ties of relationship were violated and contemned. Comp. Jcr. ix. 2-6.
aXXoTplovs
vii.
h.\Xi\\(tiv
tlvai
trdmas rovs
rtKvwv,
kolL
p.))
(TTTovSaiovs,
Kal
yoytTs
h.^f\<povs
I-acrt.
ii.Se\(paii/,
oiKflovs olnfiuiv.
Diog.
tlio
32.
In language strikingly
:
prophets
meant.
With
this,
the
fol-
similar,
Ovid
; ;
Chap. VII.
V
MIC AH.
Jehovah
;
259
But
God
of
my
salvation
My God
8
will
hear me.
mine enemy 1
again
is
;
Though Though
have
I sit in darkness,
Jehovah
my light. my
Till
Because I have sinned against him he f>lead my cause, and give effect to
will bring
sentence
He
10
me
Mine enemy
it,
And shame
Mine eyes
shall
cover her.
is
behold her
Non
soror a genero
fratrum quoque
gratia rara
est.
Obad. 12 for both, Ps. Vna na, daughter of Babylon, or D"'N~T2, daughter of Edom, for Babylon and Edom themselves, is
for the latter,
;
exxxvii.
7,
8.
Imminet
Lurida
Filius
imderstood
ria;'_i<,
in
the feminine
participle
miscent
patrios
aconita
inquirit
noin
144.
vercse,
ante annos."
diem
Metamorph.
i.
words to the treacherous and cruel treatment which he taught his disciples to expect from
appropriates the
their nearest relatives, Matt. x. 35, 36
;
Our Saviour
mhie enemy. For the idiom, see on Is. i. 8. The Jews imderstand Rome as professing Christianity to be meant by the enemy. See Pococke on verses 9th and 10th. "Light" and "darkness" are used, as frequently, for prosperity and
adversity.
tiful
The 9 th
Luke
xii. 53.
7. Having described the "wickedness of the Jews, the prophet abruptly changes the scene, and introduces them to view in that state of captivity in Babylon in
which
it was to issue. There, at a distance from the land of their fathers, they are brought to repentance, and the ex-
specimen of submissiveness and patient endurance of suffering, from a humbling conviction of the demerit of sin accompanied by the firm persuasion, that wher the chastisement had answered its end, Jehovah would graciously afford deliverance, np ns, righteoimiess, is here to be understood with reference to the
;
kindness
or
show
and seeking again God, they express the fullest confidence that he would in due time deUver them from banishment.
ercise of true piety
;
to their covenant
The
was
no
visible
Comp.
is,
Ps. v. 4.
8, 9.
ingly asked
prophet
cannot be positively decided. Some interpreters think Babylon others, Edom. For the former, see Jer. 1. 1 1
Jehovah thy Godf The feminine suffix refers to -^vis na, daughter of Zion, understood.
260
She
M I C A II
Chap.
VIL
11
shall now be trodden upon as the mire of the streets. In the day when thy walls shall be rebuilt, In that day the decree shall be extended 12 In that day they sliall come to thee From Assyria to Egypt Even from Egypt to the river,
From
11, 12.
announces her restoration, and the way would be paved for the conversion of the surrounding hostile nations to the Such appears to me to be true religion. the meaning of these verses, -which have been very variously interpreted. p'n,
that
staUite, decree, order, apjmintrnent,
v6ixi/j.a,
tended to all the countries round about Judea, in consequence of which great numbers would become proselytes to the Jewish faith. There is an ellipsis of the
preposition n, in, before
ci"',
day,
it
all
here oc-
LXX.
irpS-
before
T)*"'.!'
is
not pleonastic,
Symm.
some
iTrirayT],
Theod.
(TTayfia,
refer
to the tjTannical
;
enactments of the Babylonians some to the order of Artaxerxes, Ezra iv. 21 some to the punishment decreed upon the enemies of the Jews some to the idolatrous statutes, with which the Jews complied some to the boundary of the Holy Land and some to the preaching
; ;
;
but is used, as in several other instances, afterwords which imply condition or time. See Exod. xvi. 6 1 Sam. xxv. 27. si:' " one, they shall is used impersonally
;
:
rendered in the plural in the LXX., Targ., and Arab., and one of Kennicott's MSS. reads "isi^". That
it
come "
is
among
nations, of
:
of
its
locus hie
queri."
erlein,
non patitus
Seeker,
transcribers,
change of n into -i, and vice versa, by owing to their great resemis
and
others, join
ph
to pn-i";,
and
verj'
common.
1
form a reduplicate verb pripn-i, of the with whom, as to meaning, whole Gesenius agrees, who rejects ph altogether, and renders, dies illc procul abest. Thesaur. p. 1284. "What would seem to determine the meaning of the term, as here used, is the hght thrown upon pn-', to be distant, remove to a distance, etc.,
;
For example
i.
in rs^-]
and ft\,
Chron.
n^:"T'i-i
and
n":-:--T, ver.
7; C"tt
-i^-sitt,
;
and and
20.
5; nintt and
y.y-i';,
Ixxxi. 7
liyn;'.
and
v
Prov. x. 32
present case,
The
latter reading is
by the geographical
tained
in verse
is
specifications con-
more, and
is
No
Tith.
The
subject of
objection can be taken from the preposition assuming the poetic form -!", while
both verses
that day,
sufficiently
proved to be
sin
the
Si'^,
which indisputably
we
also
have
"'-irts
-.y_
is
Qt"',
day, spfiken of at the beginning of verse 11th. AVhatever the decree or command
-hs,
Sam.
xi. 7.
It
is
and worthy of
Tf"-!' at
it
was, the
effect of its
promulgation was to
be the coming of foreigners from different regions to the Jewish pco])le, reassembling at Jerusalem, si2" '^~,". The most
natural construction
of
is,
had
al irJAeis
By niin:,
God
Comp. which
Kings xix.
see
my
note.
Chap. VII.
M I C A II
261
On
Because of the fruit of their doings. 14 Feed thy people Avith thy crook,
The
wood, in the midst of Carmel Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in ancient days. 15 As in the days of thy coming forth from Egypt,
Upon
Egypt
this
construction,
AssjTia
is
-i
and
xix. 23, -where the same subject of in almost the same language,
river,
treated
as their shepherd. See Ps. Ixxx. xcv. 7, c. 3. They are also often represented as his special heritage, Deut.
hovah
1.
n 2 the
,
Kar e|oxV> *' ^- the Euphrates, corresponding in the parallelism to -iris. Assyria. The Syr. and Targ. have mistaken -it:: in -li^ra, for Tyre ; as the latter has 'STS, for
;t:2V
"^'.Ix,
Jews in
and
JJI, forest,
of the dangers
and annoyances
to
Armenia.
stand irregularly for "ir:i C^rs'i Catt^ nn tyv It does not appear that any
mountains are intended the prophet desciibes in general tenns the natural boundaries of the countries from which the persons spoken of were to come. For a prophetical illustration of these verses, see on Is. xix. 23-25. 13. The conjunctive i in r.JTn i is used
specific
;
posed while in that state. That it rather refers to the security and prosperity of their restored condition may fairly be concluded from the meaning of similar Thus, in language in other passages. the celebrated prophecy of Balaam, Num. xxiii. 9, which, in all probability, Micah had in view, we read, T-r" "i^^^ cyjn
a'inri"'
sV
D"'^:H3?,
and
It the verses immediately preceding. has the force of but yet, nevertheless, or the like. However bright the prospects which opened upon the Jews in futurity, they were not to forget the punishment that was to intervene, but ought to repent of their sins, to which it was to be traced
as its cause.
oned among the nations. Comp. Deut. and for ny:, Jer. xlix. 31 xxxiii. 28 as used figuratively for a place of safety and cool repose, see Ezek. xxxiv. 25. The meaning of the prophet is, that on being brought back to their own land, they should no longer be mixed with, and exposed to enemies, but live by themselves in a state of imdisturbed tran;
quillity.
Yod
Some
;
land, of Babylonia
seems
14.
less apt.
In the believing anticipation of the fulfilment of the Divine promises made to the covenant people, Micah addresses a prayer to Jehovah, which, though brief, is distinguished for the poetical elevation of its style, and the
many
Like appropriateness of its petition. other prayers in the Old Testament, it is prophetic in its aspect. The Jewish people are frequently spoken of imder the metaphor of a flock, and Je-
For instances of the paragogic Gen. xlix. 11; Deut. xxxiii. 16; Obad. 3; Zech. xi. 17. That the Carmel here mentioned must be the celebrated mountain on the coast of the Mediterranean, see on Amos The regions of Bashan and Gilead, i. 2. on the east of the Jordan, were likewise celebrated for their rich pasturage, and were, on this account, chosen by the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half Deut. tribe of Manasseh, Numb, xxxii.
affixed to participles, see
;
iii.
12-17.
1.
Comp.
as
strictly
parallel,
Jer.
19.
15.
The answer
prayer,
prophet's
assuring
262
I will
MIC AH.
their
Chap. VII
show them marvellous things. shall see it, and be ashamed of all The nations 16 They sliall lay their hands upon their mouth; Their ears shall become deaf. 17 They shall lick dust like the serpent
Like reptiles of the earth they
places
shall
power;
They shall turn with fear towards Jehovah They shall be afraid of thee. "Who is a God like thee, 18
Pardoning
iniquity,
In regard to the remnant of his heritage He retaineth not his anger for ever, Because he delighteth in mercy. He will again have compassion upon us,
that the same
had interposed
in so remarkable a
towards Jehovah as
its
object.
Comp
ner for their deliverance from Egypt, would again wonderfully appear on their
behalf.
Comp.
Jer. xvi.
14,
15.
Such
changes of person as in :j, thy, and ::, The reference in him, are common. both is to the people of the Jews. 16. The r"!~J, poxoer, spoken of, is that of the hostile nations, of which they were so proud, and which they regarded as invincible, and not that of the Jews \\hen restored, as Junius and Trcmellius, Tarnovius, Stokes, and some others, have imagined. The latter half of the verse most graphic.illy describes the silence,
astonishment, and utter consternation, with which they should be seized. Cora. Jud. y.\\\\. 19 Job xxi. 5 Ps. cvii. 42
; ;
Vn "ins, to exer' else reverential regard towards God, Hos. iii. 5. Combined with the circumstances under which the nations were to acknowledge the supremacy of Jehovah,
was their standing in
awe of the
political
power of the Jews. See on Is. xix. 17. IS. Impelled by strong feelings of
gratitude at the anticipated deliverance
of his people, the prophet
breaks out
and and gives a description of the gracious character of God, unrivalled by any contained in the Scriptures. The phrase yrr~Vy "-V, passing by transgression, is a metaphor, taken from the conduct of a traveller who passes on without noticing an object to which he
admiration,
does not wish to give his attention.
Is.
lii.
15.
The
17.
An
idea
which
it
communicates
is
not, that
the state of degradation and terror to which the enemies were to be reduced.
Comp. Ts. Ixxii. 9 Is. xlix. 23, L\v. 25. For fVm, crawlers, or reptiles, comp.
;
God is unobservant of sin, or that it is regarded by him as a matter of little or no importance, but that he does not mark
it
in particular cases
;
ishment
forgive.
8, in
is
Vs, to and ya, from or of, as here used, shows that there is not a change of person
Comp. Prov. xix. 11, Amos vii. which lattef passage the vcib alone
rj
refers,
not
used.
The
opposite
is
expressed
by
to Jehovah, but to the peo])le of the Jews. The fc ;ir tiltimately produced in the minds
e.
of their enemies was to be a religious fear or veneration which should attract them
it.
cxxx. 3, to keep it in view in order to punish !S^', remnant, does not necessarily
iniquity, Ps.
;;
Chap. VIT.
MICAH
;
263
will subdue our iniquities Yea, thou wilt cast all their sins into the deinhs of the 20 Thou wilt grant the truth to Jacob,
19
He
sea.
fathers
From
Arab. lyaJi.^- ,
flexit,
inflcxit,
lignum,
projecit, properly expresses the bent or propensio7i of the mind, or what "\ve
call its inclination towards an hence desii-e, affection^ delirjht. The combined force of icn ysn, bent on kindness, is inimitable, the primary idea
commonly
object
;
and rebeUious disposiJews had not been subdued during their stay m Babylon, they would not have been restored. The total and
If the idolatrous tion of the
irrevocable forgiveness of sins
is
forcibly
of
icn
towards an
is
It
is
the depths of the sea. What is deposited there is completely hid from the view, and cannot in any way affect u^ Instead of cri5L:n, their sins, five MSS. read
expressed
casting
into
!i;"i"Nt:n,
by
them
our
common
version.
our
sins,
which
is
the read-
be regarded as containing a beautiful epiphonema, in which the people of the Jews exultingly avow their full confidence in the forgiv19.
This verse
may
ing of the LXX., SjT., Vulg., and Arab. It may, however, only be a correction the change of person we have frequently
had occasion
20.
it
to notice.
God.
nvr, to turn, in
^.:?:n'^'^
nrr%
is,
The
covenanted fidelity and kindness of Jehovah, was only preliminary to the infinitely greater display of these attributes
here intimated that his compassion was not exhausted, but should be exercised towards them anew. All the meaning found by Rosenmiiller, Gesenius and
in the mission of the Messiah, the Seed of Abraham in whom all the families of
Maurer, in
the earth were to be blessed. The words of this verse are quoted, with scarcely any variation, in the inspired song of
Zacharias, with direct application to Ilim of whom his son had just been bom to
regarding or not avenging, but there is no ground for rejecting the radical idea Sin of trampling under foot as enemies.
be the forerunner,
fore the
Luke
i.
72, 73.
Be-
as hostile to
man.
names of the
patriarchs, a verb
but
it
understood.
NAHUM
PREFACE.
OwrxG
little
can be said
is,
regard to his
life
and
All that
Nahum, we know of
him personally
chap.
I.
that he
1.
The only
doms of
by the book
:
itself
and Judah, by the Assyrian power, chap. ii. 3 the final ini. 9, 11; and the conquest of Thebes in Upper Egypt, ill. 8-10. But the removal of the gloiy of the Hebrew kin<Tdoms, to which reference is made, could only be that which was effected by Tiglath-jfileser and Shalmaneser, by whom the Israelites were carried into captivity when the Jews also were harassed and spoiled by the Syrians, as well as impoverished by the large sum of money paid by Ahaz to the former of tliese monarchs. See Is. vil.-ix. 2 Chron. xxviil. Sargon, who appears to have succeeded Shalmaneser, not satisfied with the reduction of Phoenicia by that king, and fearing lest Egypt should prevail upon the conquered provvasion of Judah by that power,
; ;
inces of the west to join her In a confederacy against him, undertook an ex-
and, though history is silent as to the event, it would appear from chap. Hi. 8-10, that the expedition proved so far successful, that he took Thebes, the celebrated metropolis of Upper Egypt. It was by his successor, Sennacherib, that the last attempt was made by the Assyrians to crush the Jewish people, which issued in the total defeat of their army.
;
Now,
since the last of these events took place in the fourteenth year of
and the circumstances connected with it are clearly referred to by and partly as matter of historical notoriety, D-13, It follows that he must have lived in, or about the year n. c. chap. 714. JarchI, Abarbanel, Grotius, Junius and Tremellus, and JustI, place him In the reign of Mauasseh, and some, as Ewald, woulil make him contemporary witli Joslah but Bp. Newton, Eichhorn, Bcrtholdt, R/iscnmiiller, Newcome, Ilorne, Gesenlus, de Wcttc, Jahn, Graraberg, Winer, jMaurer, and Knobcl, unanimously agree with Jerome In referring his ministry to the
Ilezeklah,
Nahum,
i.
partly prophetically,
he foretold the destruction of Nineveh In the reign of Jotham, nor that of Clement of Alexandria, that he lived bi-tween Daniel and Ezekiel, has met
with any supporters.
But
if,
as
is
the latter years of Ilezeklah, his prophecy must have been delivered nearly
PREFACE TO NAHUM.
;
265
one hundred years before its accomplisliment for Nineveh was overthrown, and the Assyrian power destroyed, by the joint forces of Cyaxares and Nabopolassar, in the reign of Chyniladanus, b. c. 625.
That
was designed
evident
from a comparison of the form with similar instances of the Yod affixed, Micah i. 1. There are two cities of the name 1 Kings xvii. 1 Jer. xxix. 27 of Elkosh, each of which has had its advocates, as that which may lay claim
;
;
to the
to
Nahum.
The
is
on the east side of the Tigris, about three hours' journey to the north of Mosul, which lies on the same side of the river, opposite to Nunia, supposed to be the site of ancient Nineveh. It is inhabited by Chaldean or Nestorian Christians, and is a place of great resort by Jewish pilgrims, who firmly believe it to be the birth-place and the burial-jjlace of the prophet, to whose tomb they pay special respect. It is, however, generally thought that the tradition which connects this place with his name is of later date; and that it owes its origin to the. Jews or the Nestorians, who imagined that he must have lived near tlie i^rincipal scene of his prophecy and that the name had been transferred to the place from a town so called in Palestine just as our colonists have given the name of towns in Britain to those which they have erected in America and Australia. The other place is Elcesi, or Elkesi, a village in Galilee, which was pointed out to Jerome as a place of note among the Jews, and which, though small, still exhibited some
situated in Koordistan,
;
slight vestiges
Eusebius mentions
i.
it
in his ac-
and
It
1,) is
positive
as
to its
by some, that Capernaum, Heb. ran: -iSS, most properly rendered the village of Nahum, derived its name from our prophet having resided in it, though he
it is said to have been was born at Bethlehem. Where the prophet was when he delivered his predictions, is not specified but, from his familiar reference to Lebanon, Carmel, and Bashan, it may be
inferred that he prophesied in Palestine while the very graphic manner in which he describes the appearance of Sennacherib and his army, chap. I.
;
9-12, would
at the time.
seem
phrases,
Ti'v'Ji
etc.,
to indicate that he was either in, or very near to Jerusalem AVhat goes to confirm this supposition, is the number of terms, which he evidently borrowed from the lips of Isaiah. Comp.
Cit3;j,
I.
T.h'z
"^aV
8,
and
nw an-
Is. x.
23;
"1^^
T'Ti.'^^t
* " Porro quod additur, Naum Elcesoei, quidam putant Elcesaeum patrem esse Naum, et secundum Hebraeam traditionem etiam ipsum prophetam fuisse; quum Elcesi usque hodie iu Galilwa viculus sit, parvus quidem et vix ruinis veterum sedificiorum iudicans vestigia, sed tamen notus Judseis, et mihi quoque a circumduceute monstratus." Hieron. PrcBf. in Naum.
Tov
kci^/ut;
34
266
Is.
PREFACE TO NAHUM.
1
;
xxlv.
e';3ri>:-Vra
nVn^n?.
7, etc.
is
" li
Is.
xxi. 3
C'.Vr
r-arw -"r=
subject
of"
1, -with 'Vai
C'-nnr-V? ns:-ntt
The
the prophecy
Nahum
introduces, after having in the first chapter, and at the beginning of the second, depicted the desolate condition to which, in the righteous providence
of God,
tlie
power;
their
tlie
invasion of
lie
country of the ten tribes had been reduced by the Assyrian Judah by Sennacherib, whose destruction, and that
;
of his army,
predicts and the joyful restoration of both the captivities to and the enjoyment of their former privileges. Ilis object obviously was, to inspire his countrymen with the assurance, that, however alarming their circumstances might appear, exposed as they were to the for-
own
land,
midable army of the great eastern conqueror, not only should his attempt fail, and his forces be entirely destroyed, but his capital itself should be The book is not to be divided into three taken, and his empire overturned.
separate parts, or prophecies, composed at different times, as some have ima"ined, but
is
to be
is
plainly
discoverable throughout.
The style of Nahum is of a very high order. lie is inferior to none of the minor prophets, and scarcely to Isaiah himself, in animation, boldness, and sublimity or, to the extent and proportion of his book, in the variety, freshThe rhythm is regular ness, richness, elegance, and force of his imagery. and singularly beautiful and with the exception of a few foreign or provinHis cial words, his language possesses the highest degree of classical purity.
;
commencement
is
truly majestic
and
fall
CHAPTER
The
I,
prophet'opens with a sublime description of the attributes and operations of Jehovah, with a view to inspire his people with confidence in his protection, 2-8. The Assyrians are then unexpectedly addressed and described, 9-11; and their destruction, together with the deliverance of the Jews connected with that event, are set forth in the language of triumph and exultation, 12-15.
The Sentence of Nineveh The Book of the Vision of Nahumthe Elkoshite. Jehovah is a jealous and avenging God;
:
Jehovah Jehovah
1.
is
is
Is. xiii. 1
and
circum-
fipvxia
S'
7;xw irapafivKarai
S'
PpovTrjS, fXtKes
fK\dfj.Trov(n
Jonah
i.
2.
prophet just
(TTepoTTtis ^dirvpoi,
fl\ia-<TOV<Ti'
arpSfiPoi 5e K6yiy
S' ai/e/iaji/
(TKipTa
hum,
&Wri\a
vinctus, 1089.
to
hundred and
The
;
inscrip-
tion consists of
two
parts
the former of
^^V^i, jealous,
(riKoia,
Prom,
from ssp,
which
later
is supposed by some to be from a hand. If genuine, we should rather expect the order to have been reversed.
be
warm,
1.
begins here
burn with zeal, anger, jealousy. The term is here used avSr^divoira^ois, principally in the last of these acceptations,
and reaches
cent.
highly magnifi-
though not
gives
gi'eat
Nothing commencement. can exceed in grandeur and subUmity the description which the prophet furnishes of the
attributes
keen with a strong inclination to see justice done to r^n Vss, lit. a the parties concerned,
of the others.
The term
describes a
Divine character.
The
frequently expressed.
Com.r'ittVnn Vra
;
rectitude, irresistible power and boundless goodness, set forth and illustrated by images borrowed from the history of the Hebrews, the scenery of Palestine, and the more astounding phenomena of nature, present to view a God worthy of the profoundest reverence, the most unbounded confidence, and the most in-
"hvji,
e.
elo-
In these verses the prophet appears to have an eye specially to the judgments which God had brought upon his country by means of the Assyrians, both
when they carried away the ten tribes, and now when they had again rushed
into
cities
tensive love.
How
the land, and taken the fortified of Judah. -125, properly signifies
the
mark
punishment. Arab.
Jaj,
o^wfos con-
: ;
268
NA
keepeth his anger for
liis
HUM.
enemies.
Chai".
I.
He
3
Jehovah is long-suffering, but great in power He will by no means treat them as innocent Jehovah hath his way in the whirl-wind and in the storm,
And
maketh
it
dry,
up
all
the rivers
And
the
hills
are melted
The earth heaves at its presence. The world and all that inhabit it.
6 Before his indignation
who can stand ? can subsist in the heat of his anger ? His fury is poured out like lire.
the rocks are overthrown by him. Jehovah is good, a fortress in the day of distress; And knoweth those that trust in him.
But with an
ad rem
egit.
;
overflowinir inundation
et obser-
vertit
wJaj, custodem
ciii,
N'rni, to be burnt up
root
vatorem
5,
Comp, Ps.
Jer.
iii.
signifying to burn.
The verb
is
12
3.
an^
common
ri/:."
not
version, 2
Sam.
v. 21,
hold 2)ure,
those
trary,
e.
who
on the con-
The Targ. indeed has r2"'^ri, vastata est, but the LXX. render aveaTaXr). Symm. sVjHj^.
reading
is,
demerit.
LXX.
Com.
Exod. XX. 7, xxxiv. 7. The idea conveyed by the metaphor, the clouds are the
dust of his feet, is exceedingly sublime. Large and majestic as the clouds may
be, in reference to
The
Syr.
'\i ,
shaketh.
is
Vulg. con-
tremuit.
The
as
what
easily raised.
heaving of the ground by an earthquake. 6. The pouring out of wrath, likefrc, would seem to be a comparison taken from volcanoes, which pour out furiously
their streams of liquid fire over the cir-
%Vhat
is
24
iTtnifi.riffe
ry
Luke
viii.
cimijacent
pieces
regions.
The breaking
in
of
The action
is
involves omnipotence,
srra' i
for
iii.
Comp.
26.
is
Lam.
33,
7, 8.
There
a marked antithesis in
in both of
its
these
two
which
Yer. 7 beauti-
Chap.
I.
NAHUM.
effect a
269
place,
lie
Avill
consummation of her
And darkness shall pursue his enemies. What devise ye against Jehovah ? He Avill effect a consummation
;
and happiness of
who make God their refuge, how severe soever may be the calamity which threatens or may have overtaken them
those
;
is
iii.
not
17.
and was primarily intended to administer comfort to the pious Jews in the prospect of the Assyrian attack by Sennacherib.
y-1, to know,
is
among ancient and modern writers respecting the actual site of Nmeveh, may consult Bochart, Phaleg.
opinion existing both
lib. iv.
cap. xx.
'Nlvos
/uej/
Lucian, speaking of
aTr6\(ti\fu
oiirjjs, ov5'
ijSr],
it,
says,
T]
koI ovSev
regard,
6, cxliv.
'iXfos
\enrhy
av
fjTnjs 'ottov
Comp. Ps.
In ini'
i.
ttot' 7Jv.
Amos
iii.
2.
C]t:;i-z,
the met-
name
aphor of a river impetuously overflowing banks, rushing into the adjacent its
country, and passing through, carrying
all before
it, is
fuerit eo in loco, in
employed
to denote the
In the Hebrew
MSS.
;
It
is
by a hosused by
iiriyftpofj.evovs,
Isaiah, chap.
sistless
8,
Aq.,
cate,
auTi(TTafj.(v(iiv,
army
appro-
and the
fifth
Greek
would
into Palestine
and here
Nahum
when
ad-
The
Syriac,
however, Vulg.,
He
not only
but announces
is
its
By
a sudden
apostrophe
Nahum
complete destruction. It
prophets, as
it is
them
to
when
named
See They,
them.
T\''^yz,
See on
Is. xiii.
and comp.
867.
On which he repeats what he had declared in the preceding verse respecting the total destruction of the AssjTian power, and adds, for the special en-
it
should
parallel
were, take
it
The
one must, like themselves, clearly perceive the reference. On this principle there can be no difficulty in accounting for the feminine pronominal affix in
place,"
-J',
i,
we have more
For the
23-29.
T.lzi'p'C,
" her
iV r:-js sV
e.
renewal of the
Assyrians,
Hitzig,
as
affliction does
city,
overthrow of which the prophet was afterwards to describe, and which he here
merely touches upon by
Posenmiiller,
way
of anticipa-
270
N A HUM,
Chap.
1.
thoroughly soaked with their wine, shall be consumed like stubble fully dry. 11 From thee he came forth. The deviser of mischief against Jehovah, The wicked counsellor.
And
They
12
Thus saith Jehovah Though they are complete and so very numerous, Yet in this state they shall be cut down, And he shall pass away
: :
from them by the Jews, appears from ver. 1 2 to be the true construction of the meaning.
either
by
However strong and vigorous the AssjTian army might be, its complete
10.
place
till
monarch.
11. ~'i2>3,yrom thee,
destruction
would
-ly
,
easily be effected
to, is
by
O Nineveh
in the
Jehovah.
to,
even
here used as
:
femmine.
to ver. 9,
to the
tions against
is
same degree
Comp.
Briers and thorns are 1 Chron. iv. 27. employed by the prophets to denote the soldiers composing a hostile army. See The metaphor is Is. X. 17, xxvii. 4. here taken from a thicket of thorns, the prickly branches of which are so closely intertwined as to present an impenetrable front to those who would enter it. Such were the celebrated military pha-
Jehovah had been adverted here intended. The Heb. Vr;52, frequently rendered in our com-
mon
version
Belial,
properly signifies
icorthlessnesH, inutility,
tion, badness in a
and by implica-
The
who
which those thorny warriors possessed, and by which they were prepared to resist
companied with a prediction of its sudden and complete annihilation, the flight of Sennacherib, and the future immunity of the Jews from an invasion on the part
of the Assyrians.
presses
the action of
fire.
No
account
is
to
be
made
army
of the enemy,
and
which Newcome adopts from the Targ. and Syr. It is found in no Ilcb. MS.
V2S, to cat, is often used to express consumption by fire. ITic application of the
language of
this
The
word may
connection,
also
e.
in this
martial
courage.
Thus Kimchi, V: "S T^-s): "."rrt' N^ irr2 ns-Sr;, they are not afraid of
7nan,
tries,
for they have subdued all the coun^r as used the second time, sig,
Diodoms
Sicuhi., lib.
ii.,
is
not jastified
Chap.
I.
NAHUM
I have afflicted thee,
271
Though
13
no more. break his yoke from off thee, And burst thy bands asunder. 14 And with respect to thee, Jehovah hath commanded There shall no more be sown any of thy name From the house of thy gods I will cut off the graven and the molten imaare
I will afflict thee
will
For now I
atituted.
The change
-lasj,
of
number from
editions.
The
object
of
the verb
is
Judah, understood, which Jehovah here kindly addresses, and not Nineveh, as
Michaelis and Hitzig suppose.
The Jews
tween the overthrow of the Assyrian army, and the immediate departure of
Sennacherib
to
his
is
own
VyV2
to
land.
ysi""'
The
in the
the words T\"-i1' ittVi T^M*! ~"I'~! '>Ti,' Celebrate thy festivals, O Judah ! perform
thy votes.
nominative to nas
preceding verse.
Chap.
ii.
1.
On the
introduc-
Tta,
cut,
or vioio
down,
is
hay
harvest,
and
sudden and
35
Is.
entii'e
destruction of an army.
facts, 2
Kings xix.
At
the close of
menon ver. 8. The meaning is, that the Jews were to be no more afflicted by the AssjTians, and not that Divine judgments were never afterwards to be inflicted upon them by
tion of a predicate without previous tion of the subject, see
others.
them
that,
13.
The
!ii-;t2
suffix
'r\
though he had employed the Assyrian power to punish them, he would do so no more. Newcome, almost entirely on
the authority of the
and
20.
Assyria.
Comp.
,
x. 27
Jer.
ii.
LXX., improperly For v.Vi "C some think the LXX. and changes ?,T'ii5 "Jin C^sn -S-i C'^V;^ cs Vulg. read ?-:;, which is the reading n2- into i^.T Vra ^3 t^sn Cj^i Vi" Cs of several MSS. but they both signify a staff or pole only the former denotes -lay, " Though the Ruler of many waters
;
;
ravaged,
passed
transla-
what
14.
is
bear a burden.
from hearing c^s^a; Cs read C^u Vi, render, KaTapxc" ^SeiTcoc but voWwv, there can be no doubt
as
;
We have
then, they place the w^ords in apposition with Ta5e Aeyet Kipios
',
and make
him, that his dynasty should not be perpetuated, that his favorite idols should be destroyed, that the very temple in
the Lord, and not the king of Assyria, to be " the ruler of many waters." The
Syr. following the
which he worshipped them should become his grave. When it is said, that " no more of thy name shall be sown," the meaning is not, that none of his sons
should succeed him in the government, but that his dynasty should cease on the
arrival of the event predicted
..
j.A^o
'^
by Nahum,
merely
The Medes
found in
being great enemies to idolatry, those of them who composed the army of Cyax-
272
I will
NAHUM
make
it
Chap. U.
thy grave,
art worthless.
in des-
Because thou
ares
thy grave.
light,
Some take
No
mention
made
Sennacherib, but
2 Kings xix. 37,
we
Is.
same sense in which the Chaldee Vj;p is xised Dan. v. 27, but without sufficient ground in Hebrew usage. In apphcation to persons it always signifies to be the object of shame
in the
vas
his
slain
it is
and there can be no doubt that is here made. C"\os stands elliptically for 55>2"tos, I will make it, i. e. the temple of thy gods,
god
;
or disgrace. Though to be buried in a temple natiu:ally conveys to our minds the idea of honorable interment, it is
CHAPTER
After
;
II.
prophetically describing the joyful announcement of the overthrow of the Assyrian power, 1 and calling upon the Jews manfully to defend Jerusalem against the attack of Sennacherib, in the assurance that there would be a glorious restoration of the whole Hebrew people, 2, 3; the prophet arrives at his main subject, the destruction of Nineveh, the siege and capture of which he portrays with graphic minuteness, and in the most sublime and vivid manner, 4-11. In a beautiful allegory he then, with triumphant sarcasm, asks where was now the residence of the once conquering and rapacious monarch? 12, 13: after which, Jehovah is introduced, expressly declaring that he would assuredly perform what be had inspired his servant to predict.
Behold
upon the mountains are the feet of him that announceth good,
:
shall
off.
He
1.
is
entirely cut
to the messengers
words immediate connection to apply them to which should arrive what took place on the miraculous from the East, announcing to the inhabi- deliverance of Jerusalem, recorded Is, tants of Judah the joyful intelligence of xxxvii. 36. They are almost identical, the destruction of Nineveh, which had so far as they go, with the language of
interpreters refer these
Some
been briefly hinted at in the course of the preceding chapter but it better accords with the spirit and bearing of the
;
Isaiah, chap.
lii.
7, relative to
the return
from Babylon.
vasion,
Chap.
II.
NAHUM.
thee
;
273
The disperser liatli come up before Keep the fortress, watch the way, Make fast the loins,
For Jehovah
Strengthen thee with power to the utmost. will restore the excellency of Jacob, As he will the excellency of Israel Though the emptiers have emptied them, And destroyed their branches. The shield of his heroes is dyed red,
off
from all access to the metropolis now, they would be at liberty to proceed
thither as usual, in order to observe their
religious rites,
Imperative of
here occur.
all
The
forms would be
means
counsellor, chap.
11
i. e.
as there ex-
nnnuw niss form a paronomasia. 3. Further to encourage the inhabitants of Jerusalem, a promise is here
isn ^',ii, ns^sn nss,
etc.,
plained, Sennacherib.
Restricted as the
necessarily
is
Hebrew
declaration here
made must
no-
not to be in-
that
Ma-
nor of the proud and insulting conduct of their enemies towards them but, as
;
interpreta-
in Ps. xlvii. 5
Amos
vi. 8, it
means the
tion of Jerome,
who
is
monarch
to the
land of Canaan, as distinguished above This land, as the all other countries. prophet immediately adds, had been
spoiled
only carried
captivity,
tribes
into
and
others, that
but taken the fortified cities but it was again to be reof Judah stored, partly on the destruction of the
;
Assyrians, and completely on the return from Babylon, ay, to return, has here
Arab,
to
/tfljo, abiif,
disperse,
is
to restore,
peregrinatus fuit,
scatter,
Numb.
Ps. Ixxxv. 5.
is
etc.,
it
is
to be
by whose army the inhabitants of the different countries which it invaded were scattered from their abodes. Some prefer rendering the word by hammer, and compare Prov. xxv. 18, and Jer. li. 20, in the latter of which passages we have y^'a from "3, to break in pieces,
sjTia,
The
twigs or shoots.
common
is
made
4.
in this verse
version battle-axe.
fully abrupt,
The address
beauti-
force
from
proceeds to de-
35
274
NAHUM.
Chap.
II.
The warriors are elothecl with scarlet The chariots are furnished with fiery scythes,
And
Eyriaii empire.
which involved the downfall of the AsThe formidable, terrific, and invincible appearance of the Medo-Babylonish army is first noticed. 5r;"'-i"J, his heroes, i. e. the mighty
of Cyaxares.
n-^Vs,
.or
iron, steel.
Syr.
men
sents
The
Arab. tXJLi,
dlt,
secziif,
concichalybs.
more of the primitive pronoun S", C-s:; is of which both are fragments. the Pual participle of c-s, to be red; and is applied to the shields, to intimate that they were dyed red. The bull's hide v-ith which they were commonly covered was easily susceptible of this process and, on being anointed with oil, -would
;
(3ttJLc>0,
Damascus but
;
cer-
tain
towns on the
east of the
Caucasus
have long been celebrated and that this is of high antiquity, ia Its name, Chalybs, universally allowed.
compound metal
is
shine brightly.
See on
Is.
xxi. 6.
is
This
con-
intcrjirctation of the
word, which
preferable to that
on the Euxine sea. It is what the prophet Jeremiah means by VEStt Vt-i2, iron from the North, and which he distinguishes from
bordering
doubtless
V7-12,
cotnmon
Now
the
" Bloodstained
c-:s')3,
altogether
to be rejected.
fr-niz
8irAa
for
the character of
Sui/aiTTetas
avrwv
i1
av^pdn:a>v.
is
'^^i'v'tTiz, lit.
are criniso7ied,
a o7ra|
with fire, but the falces or scythes, which were " fixed at right angles to the axle, and turned downirons flashing
Key., but
and
is
wards, or inserted parallel to the axle into the felly of the wheel, so as to revolve,
tion,
name specially used to denote the coccus, or worm which was used in dying, to The give to cloth a deep scarlet color.
manufacture of such stuffs was chiefly carried on by the Tjoians and Lydians. The IjXX. have also mistaken this word for i-'h'-:':r-c, iixirai(ovTas, in which they
are followed
when
with
mo-
chariot itself; and sometimes also projecting from the extremities of the axle."
Eoman
The
ap-
fxara Spfirai'7]<p6pa
which was of
;
were justly reckoned among the most terrific implements of ancient warfare, as they mowed down The is fire all that came in their way.
with white
irop(pvpovs,
nf(To\fVKOs
^J^^-
i.
of these scythes was the coruscations produced by their excessive brightness and
r";Vs rsx, trith fiery scythes. cap. 13. That r ";'-; stands here by transposition of the first two letters for r^sV, cannot be admitted the plural of tsV, a lamp,
;
the rapidity of their motion. Instead of rs=, " with fire," seven ISISS., originally one more, and the Soncin. edition of the Prophets, read -iss " lific fire."
or torch, being
The
sufllix
in irrin
may
either
form an
Chap.
II.
NAIIUM.
275
The chariots dash madly on the commons, They run furiously in the open places
;
Their appearance
is
They
6
He remembers
They stumble
in their
march
the
to
wave their
lances
hostile
com-
mander.
The
general for
commencing the
attack.
It
preparations
made by
would be
it
being
them attached at other times. By open field, ristin signifies not merely C 'a 1-12, cypresses, are meant spears or streets, as being xoithoxd the houses of a lances, the staves of which were made of city, but also the out fields or commons the branches of the cypress. The LXX., without the city itself. Comp. Job ^. 10 followed by the Syr. and Arab., have Ps. cxliv. 13 Prov. viii. 26. In like taken the word for Qi'inS, horsemen, manner fii'a'nn, as its parallel, denotes
; ;
rendering
is
it
ot iiriTeis,
"which Michaclis
any wide
xxxii. 6
inclined to prefer,
actually adopted.
without the
;
Comp.
Chron.
W."'~f ~ signi-
part of a
madman,
and the
is
to
show
of the figure.
Homer,
it
like.
The
an ash
obviously
'E
5'
eVTraffor'
Bpti^u
6,?^^os
'Axo-iwy
/ify
TldWfiv,
&Wd
olos
iirlffTaro irrjKai
on which account, to render run up and doxon is too weak. I have aAAed. furiously, which makes this hemistich better agree with the preceding.
;
'AxjAAeus,
Nor
k. t. X.
is
UriMdSa MEAIHN,
Hesiod also designates the lance eXdrt], a piiie. Scut. Here. 188 and Virgil uses the Jir for the spear of Camilla
; :
ing of lightning.
As
atri is masculine,
must be
taken
6.
for a neuter, or
regarded as an inis
^neid.
xi. 667.
here repre-
Syr.
lously,
NiiJ'skj,
tremuif,
move tremuand
sented as roused from a pit)found stupor and, contriving the necessary means of
defence, as
first
of
all
wave,
shake
hence Vvi
;
whom
he
Ps. Ix.
summons
to
their
posts.
Michaelis,
The
276
NAHUM.
to her wall,
is
Chap.
II.
They hasten
And
The
the defence
the j)lace
prepared.
And
dissolved,
Though tirmly established. She is made bare she is carried up, "While her handmaids moan like doves,
;
And
officers,
the generals
commanding
;
in the
feet high.
^::8 sig-
provinces are intended but it is more likely the prophet means the military
leaders within the city, since
it is
and the
Syr.
and
so to protect, shelter.
LXX. ko2
repre-
troifx-daovai
A
I
fortifications.
Targ. Nt9ni,
toxoers, 7.
Though
it
is
pretation
would require, -r 7
is
here used,
brew
to represent
here by Rosenmiiller,
others, there does not appear to be sufficient ground to depart from the hteral meaning. By ri-n:, rivers, or streams,
of remembrance.
It therefore
implies,
to oc-
them
cupy each
Nineveh. On receiving the orders, they make such haste, that they and their troops stumble while marching to the
walls.
are meant the canals dug from the Tigris, which intersected the city, and more especially those which afforded a supply
Instead of
r:
in rtl-^;-!-, eight of
The
were
De
MSS., another originally, the Brixian, and another ancient edition, exhibit the local n, which is supported by the Targ., Syr., and Arab. By the Tt~i,
Rossi's
what was
besiegers,
required
by the
resi-
by the be-
and
ruined
it.
The
under the shelter of which they might safely carry on their operations in imdermining, or otherwise
destroying the walls.
verb
ii'iJ
of the inundation, not metaphorically those produced by the event upon the
minds of the
8.
inhabitants.
term
is
run
with
ployed by those
sive, it
who
sity of intcr]irctations.
isfied
all
cannot be so interpreted.
In
all
befix,
probability,
has recourse to a
new
root,
sni*,
which
erected between
is
the
According to Diodorus Siculus, Nineveh had fifteen hundred towers, each of which
intended.
aqaa,
^-
Chap.
9
II.
NAH UM
like
277
a pool of water,
From
" Stop
!
Yet they
10 Plunder the
silver,
There is no end to the store There is abundance of all covetable vessels. 11 Emptiness and emptiedness and void. Heart-melting and tottering of knees There is intense pain in all loms, And all faces withdraw their color.
;
helavit,
viz interrupto
spiritu
Syriac
7
^,^^(3lJ, clamavit, rugiit.
floio
asni, the palace is dissolved and made to away. That the verb is to be conder at once shows
9.
The comparison
of the population
is
but there
is
no neces-
here appropriate.
i4^n
^"n
is
an anti-
sit}'
cation of 2^:, to place, fix, stand firmly ; in Hiph. to cause to stand, establish.
However
resist the
quated mode of expressing the feminine the absolute form of pronominal affix the pronoun being retained instead of the fragmental n being attached to the noun,
been constructed,
would not be
^
able to
s-n
i. e.
'WW n'^n^ia
lit.
from
her days,
has here
Comp.
T.r':::^
iii.
The nomS
first
istence, or,
nn ij and
The
Nineveh understood.
is
;
of these
ing provinces.
their escape,
but this signification is confined It to the Kal and Hiphil conjugations. here describes the ignominy with which the Ninevites were treated, when, stripped of everything, they were forced from their
capital.
now
them
to remain.
10.
Nahum
enemy.
victorious
Comp.
as
;
Is. xlvii. 3,
Nineveh
is
represented
her dignity
the
inhabitants, or
at pleasure.
iitis
The
her female slaves following and deploring her fate. That the queen of Nineveh herself, supposed to be here
;
enemy
rsfl^n,
from "jis, in Hiphil, to set up, prepare; anything laid up, prepared, and ready for
use, as costly gaiments, ornaments, etc.
called Htizzab,
is
intended, in a positioj
which cannot be sustained, though adopted by several interpreters, and recently by Ewald. Persons are never introduced by name into prophecy, except for some important purpose, as in the case of Cyrus. For i,ri to pant, sigh, moan, comp.
,
Comp. Job
avTTJs.
xxvii. 16.
LXX.
by
toO
KSa/xoi/
Yvilg. divitiarum.
Targ. S'jna^N.
",, is
treasures,
"ihs, followed
:
here
a nominative absolute
ance,
11.
it
the Arab,
ff '^j
np^53tt,
from
roots
signifying
to
278
12
NAHUM.
"Where
is
Chap. IIL
And the feeding-place of the young lions? Where the lion and the lioness walked,
13
The The
lion's
cub
also,
And
And
14
with rapine.
Behold I am against thee, saitli Jehovah of hosts; I will burn her chariots into smoke The sword shall devour thy young lions, And I will cut off thy prey from the land The voice of thy messengers shall be heard no more.
;
their
In the
last verse
and from
the
tive.
literal is
as from iheir similarity both in sound and meaning, give great force to the expres-
metaphor.
Is. v.
29
the
Jer.
ii.
15.
idea here
of that which
supply, etc.
^^,
intended to be conveyed.
Gesenius considers them to be onomatopoctic, imitating the sound of emptying out a bottle. Comp. Is. xxiv, 1, for the etymology of
the verbs pp;2 p^ia and
j;'^2
;
~-t:_
Comp.
has
1.
For
and
for
a similar use of words varied in form, but nearly alike in sound, Is. xxiv. 3, 4,
The meaning is, that such should be the number of chariots consumed, that the smoke arising from
KPrs2,
tcithfire.
xxix. 2
Ezek. xxxiii 29
Zeph.
see
i.
15.
the
fire in
to be burnt,
rVnV-.an
ii.
h'.fi,
should
be visible to
Comp. Ps.
editions dif-
to be in j^C'^n.
6.
For -i5-S5
on Joel
xxxvii. 20.
fer in their
12-14.
beautiful
allegory, setting
there can be
doubt that
it is
a de-
and luxseat
rr'rsV);.
Comp. rrss, Ps. c.xxxix. 5. The Syr, and LXX. have read '^^rjr:*';?:, "thy
works."
armies,
and
CHAPTER
The
as
proiihet, resuminfi; his description of the siege
its
ll\.
of Nineveh,
lie
cause,
4,
ver. 5-7.
brated, but
now
it to her idolatry introduced cliap. ii. 13, once formidable and celeconquered and desolate Ihebes, B-10, declaring that such should likewise
1-3, traces
Iiad
Chap. HI.
NAHUM
279
be lier fate, 11-13; calls upon her sarcastically to make every preparation for her defence, but assuring her that it would be of no avail, 14, 15; and concludes by contrasting with the number of merchants, princes, and generals, which she once possessed, the miserable, remediless state of ruin to which she was to be reduced, 16-19.
wholly
filled
The horses prancing, and the chariots bounding The mounting of horsemen, the gleaming of swords,
And
And
The multitude of
There
is
4 Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the harlot, The very graceful mistress of enchantments ;
1.
presses
g|
by rendering
it
^itiKovros.
Syr.
ibnn
1i
an asyndeton.
The non-removal
of the
ebullivit, anhelavit.
D. Kimchi
prey refers to the fact, that the Assyrians rS^VriT. 11132 C"&n rD"ni, the powerhad not restored the ten tribes. ful trampling or prancmg of the hmse
2, 3.
and
his course.
The
collectives require
Vip
is
not
of the besieged,
exquisitely graphic.
substantive.
as
it is
Instead
Every trani5lator must acknowledge with Jerome Tarn pulchra juxta Hebraicuni
^^
:
read in some
ad prcelium se preparantis exercitus descriptio est, ut omnis nieus sermo sit vilior. The passage is unrivalled by any other, either in sacred
et pictura similis
'
many MSS., and the Soncin., Erix., and Complut. editions, read ^'rrsi, which is favored by the renderings of the LXX. and Vulg.
of the old editions, the Keri,
4.
vites,
The
or profane^ literature.
Jer. xlvii. 3.
Comp. however
only here, but
-in q occurs
in Judges v. 22,
we
find ni-i^as
m-nn,
It
mighty warriors, in
the xoar -horse.
affinity to the
connection with
er,B,
would seem
Arab.
to
have some
same time, the commerce, luxury, etc. which they carried to the greatest height,
are not to be excluded
;
^^^, .1^
when
for in
making
i,...,U,
and
LXX.
ex-
with the more powerful of their neighbors, they not only employed these as inducements, but did not scruple to deliver into their power, nations and tribes that were untreaties
contracts
and
280
NAHUM.
Chap. IIL
And
disgrace thee
will
make thee
a gazing-stock.
flee
!
every one that seeth thee shall shall say, Nineveh is destroyed
from thee
Who will commiserate her ? Wlience shall I seek comforters for thee Art thou better than No-Ammon, That dwelt in the rivers, That had water around her
:
3,
6-8
Amos
i.
6.
Comp. Joel or possession of the Egyptian deity known The metaphor of by the name of Jupiter Am7non. The
statement of Macrobius, that he Avas the
representative of the sim,
is
an unchaste female, and the seductive which she employs, is not unfrequent in the prophets. 5, 6. The language of commination here used, is suggested by the metaphor of an harlot, employed in the preceding It would seem to refer to an anverse. cient mode of punishing strumpets, by
arts
confirmed
them of all their gaudy attire, and exposing them, covered with mud and filth, to the gaze of insulting specstripping
tators.
by the name of Atnon-Re, i. e. " Amon, the Sun," being given to him in Egyptian inscriptions. On Egyptian monuments this god is represented by the figure of a man sitting upon a chair, with a ram's head, or by that of an entire ram. In Jer. xlvi. 25, we have Nin2 V'-!?> ^^on of No, where, as well
The abhorrent
character of the
translators
The 3
in "s-S!
e
tended
in
that
Ai6<nro\is,
is
near
blendes,
LXX.
7.
irapdSftyfia.
Lower Egypt,
Ti"^l "I
implied
in -^S, ver. 6.
is
It
is
Thebes.
ders,
The Targum
with Vz.
li.
Comp.
for the
sentiment
Is.
Great,
to his
19.
8.
The
-p:;N
city, \\'hich
by the
^J^Q')(*J\,
or portion of
Greeks AiJo-TToAis,
is
Amoti, thus etymologically the LXX. ^pi'5a, 'A/xfiiiv, though in Ezck. xxx. 1.5,
the ancient capital of Upper Egypt, situated on both sides of the Nile, about
they render
A(6iTiro\is,
i.
e.
the residence
two himdrcd and sixty miles south of Cairo. It was renowned for its hundred
Chap.
III.
NAHUM,
strength was in the sea
281
Whose
Her
9
With
its
is
circuit of
'6(Ta
@-fi0as
made in profane history, but it not improbably took place on the advance of the Assyrian army under Sargon, in the year b. c. 714. See on Is. xx. It was afterwards taken by Cambyses, b. c. 525,
and
its
A"
y
(piv.
eKaT6iJ.iTv\oi
tlffi,
SniK6<TL0i
5'
thyrus,
81.
fKaffTrju
presentation of
tiriroLffiv /cal
oix^C'
either in point of
Of the magnificent ruins, the most remarkable are the temples of Luxor and Kamac, on the eastern side of the river. The architecture is of the most gigantic and superior description. Fragments of colossal obelisks and statues are found in
every direction.
They both grandeur or of strength. possessed the advantage of mighty rivers a circumstance to for their defence which he gives a special prominence, as
it
By
c;^, sea, is
The stupendous
is
colon-
ade at Luxor
;
on Is. xix. 5; by Q'-iVs"', streams, the same as nnin;, Nah. ii. 7, viz. the canals by which the water of the river was cari'ied round or through
see
imposing but the grand hall of the temple at Karnac is of surpassing interest.
the principal parts of the city. Ewald proposes to connect c^ with C-^K, thus,
describes
feet
supported,
C'w CI, and renders y^owi seato sea, which he attempts to justify by appealing to Micah vii. 12, but the cases are not parallel.
V'^rt
massive
high,
The
preposition
in
c-;;^
expresses the
was
the
twelve in diameter,
less
besides one
hun-
made
and the
triple reference to
Nile as a sea, in this verse, indicates the great importance which attached to it as
a
nine inches in height, and twenty-seven feet six inches in circumference, distri-
buted in seven lines on either side of the The walls of the temples are former."
covered with hieroglyphics, chiefly representing the victories gained by the
nature and
native troops
ilaries.
mihtary resources in her African auxUFor -jfls, Ctish, see on Is. xi.
11.
t:n3,
One
Put, Egypt.
of the walls exhibits the result of the expedition of Shishak against Jerusalem,
1
$c\\c5."r,
Kings xiv.
25, etc.
in the leading
tives.
away
here mentioned.
Gesenius de^^
Of
here referred to by
Nahum, no mention
rives the
^^^i
36
283
10 Yet
slie became an exile, She went into captivity
N A II U JI
Chap.
III.
At the top of all the streets They cast lots for her honorable men, And all her great men were bound with
;
chains.
11
Thou
also slialt
be drunken,
Thou
mouth of the
eater.
13 Behold
thy people are as Avomen in the midst of thee; The gates of thy laud shall be thrown wide open to enemies
!
tliine
Draw
siesre
boto,
so
its
inhabitants sub-
bemg
expert as archers.
That they were descended from Ham, Josephus speaks of them see Gen. x. 6. as Mauritanians, Antiqq. i. 6, 2 and the river of the same name, which he de;
mode
of speech not
uncommon
in the
through their country, is called Fut by Pliny, v. 1, and Phtuih by Ptolemy, iv. 1. They are spoken of as fomiing part of the Egyptian armv,
scribes as flowing
Jer. xlvi. 9,
shall become
5, to
and
In
latter,
AVincr's Ileal
Lijbians, the
p.
308.
t.^-z'^'h,
Two
sive of the
west of the fonner countrj', stretching as far as Numidia. Hitzig, on Is. Ixvi. 19, has endeavored in vain to establish the
hypothesis that the people of Nubia are
extreme ease with which the Assyrians should be subdued. For the former, see on Is. xxviii. 4 and comp.
;
llev. vi.
Jer.
1.
13
meant.
C"ii-^,
Comp.
ts, with, in the phrase fJNP C-'s^a c" denotes accomjianiment, etc. ;
37.
F'U'jpt, is
Lower
the pln-ase
itself is
equivalent to ~":sct
C--isa
CrV
Tr?5.
tx^'^^^'
the capital.
to
avKcii cKOTTovs
There
is
change
Sam.
xvii.
the ^ in Tjn-iTya into r:, though the LXX. and Syr. have the third person.
42,
hLs description
by
is
the Beth
never by
fire,
must bo
If
retained.
10,
11.
14.
of Egypt, with
means of
defence,
the Ninevites to
Chap.
III.
NAHUM,
283
Strengthen thy fortifications Enter the mire, and tread the clay Repair the brick-kiln. 15 There shall the fire consume thee, ^ The sword shall cut thee off; It shall consume thee like the licking locust Be thou numerous as the licking locusts Be thou numerous as the swarming locusts. 16 Thou hast increased thy merchants more than the heaven
;
stars of
The
And
17
took their
princes
flight.
Thy
were
as the
swarming
locusts,
;
thy satraps as the largest locusts That encamp in the hedges in the cold day ; The sun ariseth, then they flee, And the place where they are is unknown. king of Assyria! 18 Thy shepherds slumber,
the
And
way
As water
it
is
one of the
fii^st
necessaries,
e,
behooved them to see to it, that the They etc., were well filled. were also to put the fortifications in a
cisterns,
counsellor,
less
apt, as the
Six of
De
Rossi's
MSS. and
perfect state.
tions
parallel
omit the Dagesh in the Nun. The term fi-iCEU occurs only here,
li.
The nominative
Z'S,
;
to
and
It
is
in Jer.
ncsu.
is
Tssni. e.
is
people,
in
the inhabitants
that to ^n:n3r:n,
all probability
still
compounded of what we
city,
understood.
In-
Aj,
or
(.jL>,
however, of n^snn, six MSS., originally four more, and one by correction, read
strength^ power,
and
"Tssnrt.
prince.
It occurs in the
Targum of name
4,
and Amos
vii. 1.
The
reduplication
is
designed to
Lee
prefers deriving
For the plural form c^-inw is a arrai, Xty-, derived from "nTS, to consecrate, separate and devote to a high or noble office; hence n^TS, prince, ^T3, consecrathat kind of insect.
"<2-i:,
see
on
Amos
vii. 1.
tion,
diadem.
Whatever 2t2, egregius, and "ix*, dux. might be the power of these princes and generals, and whatever number of troops they might have at their command, they would on the approach of the enemy, betake themselves to flight, and leave
Nineveh to her own defence. of them would be found.
18.
No
trace
Thus KimS3"'-i!b,
cn^'ics-i
The masculine
suffixes in this
and
284
XAHU
;
3il
Chap.
III.
Thy nobles have lain down Thy people are dispersed upon the mountains, And there is none that collected them.
19 Therc^is no alleviation of thy ruin;
Thy wound
is
grievous
it,
as
liixj,
pactum noctu
The
figure
is
car-
ISi"'?is
were the
nobles,
who
on throughout the
verse.
as
19. rrj3
with the Z'v'i, are to be regarded under the same image. See Jer. xxv. 34, where principals would have been better than principal in our common version.
parallel
",rc, corresponding to
is
TS,
for
ht.
nothing of infirmity,
is
by
litotes,
powerful, great
thy
breach.
The deUverance
of the king
W3,
they slumber,
a vox pregnans,
had lain down, but that they were taking rest or were asleep, ur.s is cognate with y^s, to scatter, disperse,
that they
Nothremained but for the prophet to announce his end, and the joy which the surrounding states would express at the irretrievable ruin of an empire, whose iron sway had been so extended, and whose cruel oppressions bad been unin-
mg
Arab.
LuO,
propagata
is
et
nmltiplicata
tennitting.
not to be substituted
HABAKKUK.
PREFACE.
no information but what is purely founded upon the subscription, chap, iii. 19, that he was of the tribe of Levi, and engaged in the temple service, The statement made in the inscripis too precarious to warrant its adoption.
the prophet possess
Of
Habakkuk, we
apocryphal.
The
position of Delitzsch,
tion to
LXX., which
'Afi^aKovn vlov
'irj-
may be
Considerable
the Rabbins
first
years of Manasseh
and AVahl, placing him in the Friedrich, De Wette, Bertholdt, Justi, and Wolf, in while Usher, Newcome, Eichhorn, Home, Winer,
Maurer, and Ewald, are of opinion that he prophesied in the reio-n of Jehoiachin, about 008 C04 before Christ. This last hypothesis seems best
i.
5, 6, as
being upon
it.
The
was composed under Jehoiakim, chap, ii. under Jehoiachin, and chap. iii. under Zedekiah, is altogether gratuitThe whole forms one prophecy, and does not admit of being thus disous.
sected.
the inflic-
punishment, the
and an ode composed by the prophet consequent deliverance of his people. Its position imis
mediately after
Nahum
by and upon the Chaldeans, just as the latter treated of those The two prophets take up separately to be inflicted upon the Assyrians. what Isaiah had expatiated ujwn at large.
inflicted
God
In point of general style, Habakkuk is universally allowed to occupy a very distinguished place among the Hebrew prophets, and is surpassed by none of them in dignity and sublimity. AVhatever he may occasionally have
own peculiar manner, His figures are well chosen, His expressions are bold and animated his descripfully carried out. The parallelisms are for the most part regular tions graphic and pointed. and complete. The lyric ode contained in chap. iii. is justly esteemed one of the most splendid and magnificent within the whole compass of Hebrew See the introduction to that chapter. poetry.
in
common
is
and and
The words
prophet.
nttJWi
i.
ti-u^y,
ii.
6,
and
v'~p,'p_,
ii.
CHAPTER
"The prophet
lie then introduces
I.
commences by briefly, yet emphatically and pathetically, setting forth the cause of the Chaldean invasion, which was to form the burden of his prophecy the great wickedness which abounded in the Jewish nation at the time he flourished, 2-4.
ment of sucli wickedness, 5; describes, in a very graphic manner, the appearance, character, and operations of tlie invaders, 6-11 and tlien, by a sudden transition, expostulates with God, on account of the severity of the judgment, which threatened the annihilation of the Jewish people, 13-17.
Habakkuk the prophet saw. long shall I cry, O Jehovah And thou hearest not ? long shall I cry to thee of violence, and thou savest not 3 "Why dost thou ijermit me to see wickedness.
1
The
Sentence, which
How How
And
1.
beholdest misery
Is. xiii. 1
For the pigiiification of aziz, see on and for the form piT'qn, com;
modes of
subject.
expression
familiar
to
the
The
evils
complained of in
vei-scs,
this
and
arc,
by many
The influence of r:s ;?, how upon the Preterite and Future tenses in this verse, so modifies them as to give them the force of a present time, though the one includes what had taken place down to such time, and the other,
long,
however,
the possibility of
its
being
still
carried
the connection, as
marked by
ver. 5,
and
Because C':n,
to
Jews
Hitzig thinks
He-
but
it is
better,
with
brew prophets.
They were
and
in the
the intestine
Kimchi,
or, to of,
to suppose
an
ellipsis
of -nzsa,
of,
broils, Htigations,
acts of oppression,
because
which sprang up
Josiah,
kingdom of Ju-
with the Targum. Comp. Job xix. Jer. xx. 8. v\v and pyt are sj-nolatter is the
and had been long the subject of complaint on the pait of Habakkuk. That such was the state of things at that
time
is
more expresi:"~r;
suffix
2,
1.3.
as strictly parallel,
'5
The argument
of the words
to be omitted
:
and
hyixithcsis, dcrivc<l
render
me
l-ook
to spo
vcn, Vk?,
etc., in
and the
wickedness,
and make
me
vpon
the following
wrong
sense.
i<
of no weight,
Besides,
"""^iiV,
Chap.
I.
11
ABAKKUK
;
287
Destruction and violence are before me Contention and strife exalt themselves.
On tliis account the law fiileth, And true judgment goeth not forth
Because the wicked circumvent the righteous, Therefore perverted judgment goeth forth.
'IS'IP.
clauses, the
of ver. 2.
ergy,
Of
whom
en-
he expostulates,
an inactive spectator
said irsp,
it chilleth,
groioeth
of the evil, because his providence did not interfere for its removal, and it was allowed, unavenged, to take its course.
meant, that
as
it
it
were, to
The
want of use.
l^fc'a,
i. e.,
; by which is was not enforced, but left, grow stiff and torpid, from The words, ra'ih s^ ^ :iV ^
and scope
may
which the Most High is represented as interposing for the punishment of the wicked, sis' y-)z has
contrast, ver. 5, in
what is strictly and properly such, righteous judgment never goeth forth ;
judgment goeth not forth according to ; n^i: V, signifj'ing to perpetuity, for ever, and, with a negative, never, like C^'^yV ^h, and truly, according to truth.
or,
The LXX., been variously explained. taking "pi's for Vl'r.' render it 6 KpiTrjs
\afj.$d.vei
,o
j ,
;
truth
explains,
>
^ "
fAkQ.^ '^.a-O
bribe.
JA^^
sincerus
f delis
piirus,
C'isi-i
^sis^
nis litK^
strife
a'"i
^^f|^
""if"?'
there are
men of
and contention
who
gard
lift
up
their head.
The
structure of
The
latter signification of
Syr.
<^'>^'^
I.^OaSI-S
M-?
"^
|jO>
judgment goeth not forth in purity ; and by Sheltinga, Hesselberg, is approved nouns in both cases are nominatives to Wolf, Rosenmiiller, De Wette, Winer, the verbs, and ttrs is here to be taken Gesenius, Lee, and Ewald, chiefly on the ground of V;;y tJ^;'f"''2. wrong or intransitively in the sense of exalting or
stands in the same relation to v'nn, that
The
Comp. Ps. Ixxxix. Nah. i. 5. Thus Dahl, combining the two nouns, Und Hader, und Gezanh erheben sich ; and Perschke, Es gibt Streit, und Zwist erhebet sich.
10
;
Kos.
xiii. 1
the going forth of judgment is meant the publication of legal decisions delivered by a judge. In the time of the prophet,
By
The language
is
justice
was
alence of a litigious
in consequence
What was
refers
from nJ^S, to surround, is here used in a bad sense, to express the ensnaring of a person by fraud and artifice it depicts the windings of intrigue, and is best rendered by circumvent. Thiis Dathe cum impius pium circumvenit. Vj^SK, distorted, perverse, wrong, from the root
;
288
H AB
AKKUK.
!
CnAP.
For
I will i)erform a
will
!
work
in
your days,
Which ye
For. behold
Th'it bitter
not believe, though it should be told you. I will raise up the Chaldeans,
and impetuous nation Which traverseth the wide regions of the earth, To seize upon habitations belonging not to it.
^py.
oV
pervertit,
by the Syr. and Arab. and this rendering is adopted by Paul in his quotation of the verse. Acts xiii. 41. On the other
;
iJLJLft,
tn.,
Aquila,
LXX.
Symm.,
gentibus,
ITieod.,
and Vulg.
aspicite in
a sudden apostrophe Jehovah upon the Jews, in anticipation of the punishment which their sins deserved, and which should assuredly be inflicted upon them, to direct their attention to
calls
By
among
Nabopolassar
had already destroyed the mighty empire of Assyria and founded the ChaldeoBabylonian rule he had made himself so formidable, that Necho found it necessary to march an army against him, and in order to check his progress though defeated at Megiddo, he had, in conjunction with his son Nebuchad;
which is sustained by all the Heb. MSS. that have been collated, except five of Kennicott's, which have q'S s, natio7is, without the preposition. To account for the rendering of the LXX., some are of opinion that insteadof c"S5s, they must have read C'rib, Cnri-'r, or D'TiD others, with Pococke, in his Porta
;
Mosis, chap,
root,
iii.,
suggest a supposititious
correspondi:ig
ir\jitatus fv.it ,
KJ3
the
Arabic
superbe,
\jLi^ signify'ing,
insoUnter se gessit
insisting
nezzar,
These
reading to that of the Hebrew text. "With respect to the quotation. Acts xiii. 41, it was obviously made by the apostle
whose country lay between the dominions of the two contending lowers but, accustomed as they were to confide in Egypt, and in the sacred localities of
;
on account of the exact similarity of the case of the Jews in his day, both as regards the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, and the incredulity of the nation in reference to that event. ' Paulus fideliter
their
own
Jer. vii. 4,
accommodat
in
usum suum
and being
with the Chaldeans, they were mdisposed to listen to, and treated with the utmost incredulity, any
in alliance
Prophetae verba, quia sicutisemel minatus fuerat Deus per prophetam suam
Habacuc,
ilis."
ita
predictions
which described their overthrow by that people. Such overthrow God claims as his work, though he might employ men as his instruments in effecting it. rsn and 'c'^rt are frequently combined as here for the sake of effect.
Tlie i)hr<isc C"'^^.
Calvin, in he.
nn
srtspn
irtWPn,
is
used
for
intensity.
the Hithpael
for
Is.
srr^iPrn.
9,
Comp.
f.nP5 flnttnttrr!,
xxix.
and
my note
aud. *:.
6.
on that
verse.
Before Vy b Bub-
translated
Now follows
and op-
Chap.
7 It
Its
I.
HAB AKKUK.
terrible
289
is
and dreadful
its
judgment and
itself.
horses,
;
And
Yea,
proudly along
horse that
come from
for violence
afar
They
9 It
fly like
Cometh entirely
The
which Jehovah would employ in executing his work. C"p 'isn. which has unquestionably the force of the future, must be referred to the special raising up of the Chaldeans
erations of the instrument
the prophet has in view appears to be the self-assumed political superiority of the Chaldeans in the Babylonian empire.
As
dignity, so they
to
and not
political
but would act in the most arbitrary manner. 8. Frequent reference is made in Scripture to the " evening wolves," on account
tions,
On
this account,
some
prefer rendering
For
of the sudden ravages which, in the keenness of their hunger, they commit
an account of this people, see on Is. xxiii. In -inrsni -i^ri is a paronomasia. By "!, bitter, the fierce and cruel disposition of the Chaldeans is expressed comp. Jer. 1. 42 by ^rjJ, rash, hasty,
;
on the flocks at that time of the day. See Gen. xlix. 27 Jer. v. 6 Zeph. iii. 3 and comp. Virgil's Georg. iii. 537, iv. 431 and the ^neid, ii. 355, ix. 59.
; ;
;
improperly, \vkous
rrji
the rapidity or impetuosity of their operations. In the latter part of the verse, their widely extended conquests imder
iLi,
describes the
rs/r,
the
LXX.
render
Xrnxixa,
Symm.
deriving
V"ip
proud and spirited mien of the horses composing the Chaldean cavalry. Comp.
the inimitable description of the Arabian
war-horse, Job xxxix, 19-24.
\o\*a
The mean-
from
of
anything
with the
and regarding it as equivalent to ssn, from the same root. ITie signification decree, though approved by Hesselberg, De Wette, Winer, and Gethan that of dignity, which is that of our common version, and is adopted by Hitzig, Maurer,
senius, is less appropriate
ing of the two last Knes of the verse is, that the eagerness of the cavalry to plimder the Jews should be so great, that
fa-
by the length of
their
march.
9, 10.
n'^
is
Hebrew
Bible.
The
and Ewald.
xiii.
Comp. Gen.
Ixii. 5.
xlix. 3
Job
11
Ps.
vvfyi
nowhere occurs
What 37
So great was to be the invading army, that it would seem as if it were composed of the entire
ver. 6.
290
1
HABAKKUK
maketh a mockery of kings,
princes are a laughter to
it
Chap.
I.
It
And
every fortress ; It heapeth up earth and taketh Then it gaineth fresh spirit
It smileth at
it.
nation.
return
first
home with
words,
r"ip^
-~"r.=?
Tttiw.
^;^s^tt is
By
',
the
LXX.
rendered
coming down along the coast of the ^lediterranean, and then turning direct Both constructions east upon the Jews.
are forced.
iivd(TT'f}KOTas
by Symm.
!rp6(roipis
by
the Syr.
the
Vsp'i, front,
thing.
forwards. Here again I prefer the rendering of Symm. the Targ. c^-j; nn-3 &pffi.os Kavawu
;
on the principle of its being sufficiently expressed hy fades immediately following. With these Abenand thus also ezra and Kimchi agree generally, Munster, Vatablus, Pagninus, On the Castalio, Calvin and others. other hand, Gesenius derives the word from the supposititious root Cwa, Arab.
together, obviously
;
rtt-.-np,
or east loind,
equivalent,
is
the renderIt
is
ing of
many
of the
modems.
tnie,
is
elsewhere uniformly
r;
;
but
paragogically, just as
in r2i:,
~V"V
1^^
to congregate,
heap
tip,
and renders
r:iEU, the primitive fonns of which are In some instances, inTES, =a,
deed,
it
is
the
it host,
troop
but, as
is
Lee
directive,
indicating
observes, the
Rosenmiiller, Lee, brew phraseology. Maurer, Ilitzig, and Ewald, derive it from the same root in the significations,
impetus, desire, a striving after
;
motion towards the quarter specified, but in others it has lost aU such power. For the east wind, or samoom, see on
Is.
xxvii. 8.
Ger.
stre-
ben
while our own, and some other modadopt the idea of absorpConsidering the marked
supping up. etc. from the signification,
cm translators,
tion,
ance of the destmctive Chaldean army, than this phenomenon, which occasions awful devastation in the regions over
of Stt3, Na.
which
it
passes.
The
collecting of the
and independent coincidence of the ancient versions above quoted, as they are,
home
out,
samoom
is
fre-
by the Arab.
L-^, adpandt;
quently accompanied
of sand, which
is
quod de re
corpus
rei,
with
great
rapidity
the desert.
of the
The 10th
fearless,
appearance as the term best adapted to convey the meaning of the prophet.
rw""!p, in ever}- other passage in which
it
and
Chaldeans.
The
last clause of
the verse
up
of walls or bat-
occurs,
from which
ward, and
to attack them.
fine dust
;
it
is
ca7-th generally,
11. TS, T
({
t,
'
Chap.
I.
HABAKKUK
291
It passeth Is this
liis
12
onv\'fircl, and contracteth guilty [saying,] power through his God ? Art not Thou from eternity, Jehovah my God, my Holy One ?
!
O Jehovah thou hast appointed it for judgment. O Rock thou liast ordained it for correction.
13
evU;
?
Why art
14
thou
is
silent
when
Him And
that
the sea,
has here the force of thereupon, marking the transition from what had just been
described to
is
and xvi. 17, ':;s-i-rs tiitsh nT, " This thy kindness to thy i&iend," for, Is
what immediately
is
follows,
this, etc.
12. The contemptuous manner in which the enemy had treated the Most which denoting to succeed, exchange, High calls forth an impassioned appeal change, renew, etc., the phrase means, from the prophet, in which he vindicates to assume, or gain a fresh accession of the eternal existence and purity of JeFor this sig- hovah, as that God who had formerly coiurage or military spirit. wrought dehverance for his people, and nification of nnn, comp. Josh. ii. 11, v. 1. Elated by the fortresses they had taken, who was now employing the Chaldeans, and the victories they had won in heathen not for their annihilation, but only for Since countries, the Chaldeans are represented their punishment and correction. nw, Rock, is elsewhere used metaphorias passing onwards into Judea ; and cally of God, I have retained it in the ti-eating with contempt the puny resistance made to them by the Jews, asking translation. See on Is. xxvi. 4. It is here parallel to r; ^ n ^ The Tikkun Sophsarcastically, " Is this all your boasted power conceded to you by the God in erim man vCh is unsupported by any auwhom you confide ? " Comp. Is. x. 10, thority.
and
with each
zihr.,
other,
nan
the accusative to
Habakkuk resumes the expostulamode of address which he had emcontracted (c^x) lay in their vilifying ployed, verses 2, 3. The DiT.-i'.a, plunJehovah, by speaking of him as incapa- derers, were the Chaldeans who had been ble of protecting his people. This simple the allies of the Jews, but now treated construction of the verse at once frees it them with violence. Comp. Is. xxi. 2, from the numerous difiiculties with which and xxiv. 16. The LXX., Sjt., and
11, xxxvi. 19, 20; Ps. Lxxix. 10, cxv. 13.
2.
The aggravated
guilt
which they
tory
it
Arab.)
?i^_tt;
have nothing
but
it is
corresponding to
The
ellip-
"Wicked
of - ;:sV
is
of fi^uent occurrence in
Hebrew.
tive
The
is
more seldom
tfiis
riT
2 Sam.
14.
God
is
often said to do
what he
tejan
is
19, nsT,
292
II
AB AKKUK.
its liook, its
Chap. II
As
15 It bringeth up
It gathereth
It collecteth
with
into
them them
net,
;
Therefore
16 Therefore
it
it
rejoiceth
and exulteth.
burneth incense to its drag Because through them its portion is fat, And its food fattened meat. 17 Is it for this it emptieth its net, And spareth not to slay the nations continually
used of aquatic animals, such as crabs
else
And
came
and other
Tvhich the
a sense
signified
paralleHsm and
riVs
is
connection
here require.
15-17.
allowed by
all to
be
they rendered divine honors, ascribing to them solely the success which they had Comp. Justin. 43. 3. " Ab in war,
it
was, in
into a metaphor,
the
rerum pro diis immortahbus vffLucian in Trag. :S,Kvbai /If i.Kiyd^ dvovffi. By the emptying of the net, ver. 17, is meant the dejKeiting
origine
teras coluere."
J/
prophet describes
versal havoc
the
rapacity of the
of the captives,
strongly
etc.,
in Babylon, in order
and plunder.
effect,
imphed
in the questions
and
for
their
own
prowess.
with which the chapter concludes, that God would not permit the Chaldeans to
proceed in their
the sequel.
selfish
rV?n.
The hook,
conquests vWthout
is
reserved for
CHAPTER
II.
tlie
the prophet placed himself, in order to obtain a divine revelation in reference to tlie fate of his people and of the Chaldeans, their oppressors, 1; a command which he received to commit legibly to writing the revelation which was about to be made to him. 2; an assurance, that though the prophecy should not be fulfilled immediately, yet it would certainly be at length accomplished, 3; and a contrasted description of the two different classes of the Jews to whom it was to be communicated, 4. The insolence of the Chal-
deans, and their insatiable lust of conquest, are next set forth. 5; on which the proper sentence, or prophetical denunciation, commences, in the form of a taunt on the V.'v'O
,
part of the nations, in which they anticipate the downfall of that hastile power. 6-8; and the punishment of its rapacity, 9-11; of its cruelty and injustice, with a special view to
Chap.
II.
HAB AK K UK
absurd and
fruitless idolatry, 18, 19.
293
and of
its
two
its wanton and sanguinary wars, 15-17, The last verse of the chapter beautifully preceding, by representing Jehovah as the only God, entitled to
my
watch-post,
And station myself upon the fortress, And will look out to see what he will say to me, And what I shall reply in regard to my argument.
1. ITixi'iM
watch, observe,
as
an answer
a concrete,
paragogic
Comp.
xxi. 8,
where
it
is
similarly used,
with nSi3
>
Vn
V ^ xVo Vn
^)zv
Vj^in';, in the
>-aAs09>
''"'V
plaoe.
From
the
tise
of
it
nisa
is
\aKj\ffei
eV
That the
or
watchman appointed
city, is
to keep
an eye
preposition 3
preference to
here borrowed.
been ques-
mode of the Divine communication which the prophet received, has been maintained by some who comthe internal
pare
are
to
be
understood
is
The former
after
advocated by Hitzig,
it
who
""S iS'^ r;rn^ n?i, "the Spirit of Jehovah spake in me," 2 Sam. xxiii. 2 ; Num. xii. 6, and particularly Zech. i. 9,
ii.
high and steep point, such as a tower, and comparing 2 Kings ix. 17, 2 Sam. xviii. 24, says " Here, in a solitary position, far from the bustle and noise of men, with his eye directed towards heaven, and his collected spirit fixed upon God, he looks out for revelations." With the exception, however, of Wolff", who preceded him, the hypothesis has met with no approbation. All that the passage seems to teach is, that Habakkuk, anxious to ascertain the Divine purpose relative to the enemies of his people, brought his mind into such a state of holy exdescribing
as a
13, 14,
4,
2, 7, iv. 1, 4, 5, V. 5,
10, vi.
dressed
him
in vision
is
uniformly styled
>a "iS'nn tiN^'sn) t^^ Angel that spake in me, which the LXX. as uniformly ren-
This view was anby Jerome, who says, " Sed et hoc notandum, ex eo quod dixerat, ut videam quid loquatur in me, propheticam visionem et eloquium Dei non extrinsicus ad Prophetas fieri, sed
der 6 Xa\S>v iv
ifj-ol.
ciently expressed
intrinsicus
et
interiori
homini
respon-
The same construction is put upon the phrase by Delitzsch, in his But able commentary on our prophet.
dere."
ulator,
riE::ia,
seems after all more than doubtful whether any such construction can fairly be put upon the phrase in most of the In 2 Sam. passages in which it occurs. ^^ixiii. 2, it may be admitted, though
it
294
2
HAB AKKUK.
:
Chap.
II.
And Jehovah answered me and said Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, That he who rcadcth it may run.
sviit.
The com-
The other declarations made Num. xii. 6, show that it cannot there be so imderstood, while what Closes states, taken
1 Samuel xxv. 39, and the passages in Zechariah, goes to prove that if any stress at all is to be laid upon the preposition, it must be
mand
and not
i-inir,
in connection wjth
which were openly exhibited in the market-place, on -which public announcements were graven in large and clear
characters,
in
common
article,
use
among
the
people.
The
however,
may
only
is
;
but actively
designate the tables which were to be employed for the purpose. It may merely indicate these as definite in the
way
mind
case
of the speaker.
This
is
often the
Hebrew, when it cannot be rendered by the definite article in other languages. For the writing tablets of the The LXX. ancients, see on Is. viii. 1. have irv^iov, boxwood. The reason why
ill
is
might
Maurer
" causa
qucrimonia? mcjc."
2.
run and publish it to all within his reach. It was a joyfid message to the Jews, involving as
oppressor,
it
which was about to be communicated to the prophet. That the idea of digging,
boring, or graving,
is
Had
the cha-
of the
and their own consequent deCompare Dan. xii. 4, 5UU\i'" liverance. f.v-r.n n2nm C"3i, "Many shall run to and fro," viz. with the explanation of the prophecy when imsealed, " and knowledge shall be increased." The two
passages
are
fitly have been exby a word signifying to grave or dig deep, into a hard substance, but as it
and events
17, Kal d
to
to
is
is
in-
tally different.
tended,
we
aKOvwv
''Y.pxov
"""i,
run,
is
new
Imperative, or as an adit.
on the principle
In the
that
who were
known.
in
making
it
Thd common
\^Titing
in-
the
LXX.
Tpi^ov
'6pa(nv,
koI
aatpHs.
mean-
being so
in or-
by persons
J'
,^^^,
to
explain.
who were
hasting past
it.
But
Comp.
2i3,"n
-iN3
ransi,
write
N";p". "^'^V*
Chap.
II.
HAB AKKUK.
;
>95
For the vision is still for an appointed time, But it shall speak at the end, and not lie
Though it should delay, wait for it, For it will surely come, and not tarry.
that the runner,
or,
he that rnnneth,
viarj
point beyond
read
it.
extend.
which its import does not But the word nowhere occurs
always designates, in a pro-
tainly
shown,
the end,
it
hemistich commences.
whatever
may
be the compass
and \ in fi2"% are correlative. ^'SJ'a, from i^", to fix, appoint, denotes, in such connection, a season or period of time definitely fixed
3.
The
particles
'^3,
may
be had.
ypV and
parallel, that
differently construed.
YTh
t'ere, is
only
in the purpose of
God
yp ri'V,
I
It
is
frequently
Dan.
viii.
17, of
employed by Daniel in this acceptation, along with yp, the end, or termination of the state of the things comprehended in the p-ophecy. Comp. Dan. viii. 17, 19, xi. 27, 35 and somewhat similar phraThe term seology, chap. viii. 26, x. 14.
;
varied form in
yp
Kimchi, Vatablus, Calvin, Cocceius, Rosenmiillcr, Wolff, and Delitzsch, in assigning to ns" in this place the acceptation of speaking, breathing out words, in
is
future,
which
is
also expressed
yet.
by
xix. 5, 9.
still,
This adverb
in sense with
Ty !, to admit of the rendering of Mi" There will still come a vision, ehaelis
:
speaking
is
obviously impHed.
The
" which he refers to Jeremiah's prophecy of the seventy years, ns " has been variously
which
translated.
to
LXX.
avaT^Xil
Syr.
Vulg. apparebit ; Targ. IJt'^'S. prepared. As, like its cognates ns;; and
come
meaning of the verse will accordingly be, that though the destruction of the Chaldean power, about to be predicted, was not to take place immediately, yet it was definitely fixed in the Divine counsel, and would infallibly happen at
the termination of the period appointed
for the exercise of its oppression,
n?:, the root ni5, of which riS"; is the future in Hiphil, signifies to breathe,
blow, puff,
and
for
;
Michaelis,
Bauer, Staudlin,
"VViner,
De
was
somewhat
see
protracted.
For
of
T>')zr'cr',
Psalms,
i.
contend, that
it is
on
Is.
xxix. 9. the
denoting
certainty
the
event,
plishment.
requires us to attach to
yp
the idea of
and intimates that the predicted event would not be Instead protracted to any great length. of -^ns" k'V, upwards of forty of Kennicott and De Rossi's MSS., four ancient
nnts, signifies to stay long,
editions, the
LXX.,
296'
4
HAB AKKUK.
!
Chap.
II.
his soul
is
shall live
by
his faith.
crooked, but also, even, level, plain, smooth, in opposition to
4. Most interpreters apply the former hemistich of this verse to the Chaldeans, supposing the denunciation against them
and
viii.
diffic^ilt.
See
;
to begin here
but
is
its
coherence with
latter
21
Ps. v. 9
what is roiigh, rugged, 1 Kings vi. 35 Ezra Prov. xxiii. 31, where
;
construction,
while the
would
at
pleasantly dotcn, or as Jerome gives it, ingreditur blande ; De Dicu, sicbit facillime.
res
prophecy
7^
facilisfuit
On
the other
most naturally and appropriately applies to the Jewish people, and contains a description of those who would proudly reject the prophetic vision, and of those who would give it a cordial reception the two members forming a marked and
:
or T.t'iV, as
it is
written in another, no
account
Dissert.
it
is
to be
Gen.
to that
which
by
all
the
striking antithesis,
^ty, of which
other codices.
i-.h^y
The
Syr.
ll
nV.
wicked-
may
ness, is
of Pual, or a noun formed from that part of the verb, occurs elsewhere only in Hiphil, Num. xiv. 44 but it is evi;
for
T.h'.'J,.
tSzv I
consider to be an abelliptically
stract
noun, used
for
r"K
denoting
a swellmg,
tumor, momit,
For instances
^:s, I am I am a man
of similar
ellipsis,
comp.
nVsn
prayer, for
nisn
cix.
a'-S ^:^,
idea of
mental
of prayer, Ps.
for
*,",nT
4; y-ti, arrogance,
of arrogance,
i.e. ar-
B-N,
man
1.
rogant, "jer.
rifiN
31,
32; Dan.
ix.
23.
i'-'st
iJLtt, tumore
vJLb-C
;
than to
nPS
i. e.
man of delights,
expressed in
vi.
greatly beloved, as
it is
cordiam non curavit, for which Pococke contends at great length in his Porta
miosis
;
full,
See on Micah
9.
The term
is
though
the
rendering of
the
LXX.
inro(TTiKriTat,
hemn-ri N5
j'a)xAfi'(^/U6'oi', may both be referred to the radical notion conveyed by this root.
13
is
within him,
to
r"n^
"r: '^N.a,
i>y
Its reference to
Vrs,
to set,
become dark
live.
by Abarbancl, and approved by Deutsch and Wolff, cannot be sustained. Nor must it be overlooked, that though the following words, rnr'' nV
as proposed
antithesis,
must be
but
evident, that, as
n^n, the
merely
latter
predicate, signifies
to live well, he
to live,
not happy,
its
to
gested by
it.
though in
his
translation
meaning of he
be atraiyht or
in opposition to being
may not
adhere to the
strict significations
Chap.
5
II.
HABAKKUK
is
297
Moreover wine
treacherous
He renders the words wer halsstarrig ist, der toird keine Ruhe in seinem Herzen haben. " Behold he who is stubborn shall have no tranquillity in his heart." So also " Lo, the lofty-minded, his Gesenius
of single words.
:
To such
rendering,
its
thus
Siehe
quotation by Paul in Heb. x. 38, gives no sanction, since he not unfrequently quotes
passages from that version containing ren-
Boul
rer
:
is
IJklau-
brew
text.
"
Non
To
planus, complanatus,
etc.,
positus,
tranquillus,
est
comanimus
ejus."
last,
it
Nor,
elated
to'
served,
is it
i.
by
false
in
Rom.
17,
and Gal.
11, in
em-
listen
Divine
message should
iricrTeais
have their security disturbed, and their minds agitated by the calamities with which they would be visited, such as lived righteously before God and men,
should experience true happiness in the
of justification
by
faith
;
in Christ
is
taught by
the
and which God might communicate to them by his prophets. Thus a Lapide " Incredulus habet animam, id est vitam,
exercise of faith in that message,
others
which he
is
treating
the
in-
non rectam,
eram,
As p^^a
-.r:
is
the nominative
et infelicem
Justus
autem in
fide et
absolute,
with
it,
ia, in,
or
within him,
is
is not to be taken here as referring to anything of an objective character, such as the Divine estimation, agreeably to
nw^
From the circumstance, however, that the two former words are, in most MSS. and editions, joined by the
by his faith.
accents ilerca
ter, as
lat-
of Jehovah,
but must be understood as marking the subjective sphere of the predicate. For the fullest view of the various construc-
from the third, it might seem that the Rabbins construed the clause thus but
:
And
this
both logical and philological, that have been put upon this verse, I refer the
tions,
construction
would seem
to confirm the
Rom.
i.
From the discrepancy existing between the Hebrew, and the version of the LXX., some
more curious reader
to Delitzsch.
with
(-fiae-
have argued a corruption of the former, and have proposed emendations but the difference has arisen either from a desire on the part of these translators to render the sense plainer, or from their mistaking one letter for another that is similar.
;
but as quoted by him, Heb. x. 38, the former division of the words alone
Tai
;
which
his object
evidently
as a
is
to
show the
necessity of faith
afflictions
tian
5.
See
Owen
first
on the passage.
lines of this verse
They
The two
V ^"X^ M""
uT(j).
6 5e S'iKMOs 4 k iriV-
38
298 The
HAB AKKUK.
CuAP. IL
hanglity man stayeth not at home, Because he enlargeth his desire as Sheol ; He is even as death, and cannot be satisfied
He gatliered for liimself all the nations, And collectctli for himself all the people,
6 Shall not
all
not his
How
And
long
many
jiledges
application.
It
better suits the present passage than the secondary one of being decorotis, 2>rope>;
etc.,
is, however, obvious from the connection with what follows, that thej- are introduced with special reference to the Chaldean power, the nefarious conduct of which the prophet immediately proceeds
some
to be
whether viewed
act.
an involuntary
The
to describe.
is 1,
The phrase
is
n.-.-a
v-!ri,
wine xxx.
De
Wette,
Justi,
the
a mocker, n^rf occurs only here, and Prov. xxi. 24, where, from its connection with it, proud, as its syn-
Vin
yV, wine
Babylonians
senmiiller, "SVolff,
onyme,
it
LXX.
a\a^<iv.
Chald.
ir"',
as
used
by the Kabbins, sivperbivit. See Buxt. in voc. Thus also in the Nazarsean Sjt.
50Ua> Ethpa. superbivit.
fore,
which they were continually impelled to go forth upon new expeditions of conquest. The latter seems, from what
follows, to be the preferable interpretation.
There
is,
there-
2-mn,
see
on Is.
no necessity
for
recurring to the
V. 14,
20,
xxx. 15.
The
which
which
The
specially
intro-
showed
itself in
is
the reign of
ductory particles 's qs-. are designed to connect the proper prophecy with
Nebuchadnezzar,
dicted.
C^jn Vs
what had
just
vision, as that
important part of
of addition, and
vjs
is
expressive
Comp.
Is. xiv. 4,
my notes
ocin
-^s
of certainty.
That
on
V"i'
as there occurring.
rU'Vn
6,
the prophet has his eye upon the intemperance to which the Babylonians were
greatly addicted, there can be
little
and Prov.
the
r^-'^^'n
i.
three
which synonymes
It
doubt.
are found.
Comp. Dan. v.; with Herod, i. 191; Xenoph. Cyrop. vii. 5, 15. ' Babylonii maxime in vinum et quae ebrietatem
sequuntur
efFusi
taunt, scorn,
from *pV,
io stamtner,
;
speak barbarously
io
or tmintelligiblg
hence
mock, deride
sunt."
Curtius, v.
1.
How
strikingly
racter of
LXX.
Hebrew
\6yov.
is
In the
later
Belshazzar
m:,
primarily signifies to
the M-ord
eral.
which
signification
m"n
Chap.
II.
HABAKKUK.
299
And awake that shall shake thee violently ? And thou shalt become their prey.
8
plexa,
figurative
and
it.
The
difficult
language, requiring
acuteness
and ingenuity
understand
(^^-^-j supera-
difficultatem.
Delitzsch not
Chaldean power is thus represented as a rapacious and cruel usurer, who had accumulated the property of others, and from whom it would again be taken. Comp. Deut. xxiv. 10-13, for the use of U^y, and the law against cruelty in
usurers.
^"~iJi, ver. 7,
and ^Vp/p,
ver.
16,
The
is,
hypothesis of Dehtzsch,
as
as enigmata of
derisive ode or
diately,
that la-uiy
to be understood both as a
of
the
chapter.
an enigmatical term, compound, and as a quadriliteral, is not in keeping with his usual good sense.
7.
^n_>2
three"' fii-st
which
last of
are
composed of
four
yps,
rj,
suddenly,
long
f
corresponds
to
three verses
verses,
holt)
in the preceding
and the
two.
Each
stanza
has
its distinct
and appropriate
subject
and not improbably refers to the unexpectedness of the attack made upon
verse,
and with the exception of the last, they all commence with ^in, oo, the denunciative interjection and have each a verse
;
with "^s thus forming an organic whole of singular force and beauty, -i^qsn is to be taken imat the close, beginning
;
Babylon by the Medes and Persians. See on Is. xxi. 3, 4. T('?3 properly signifies to bite, and thus it is rendered in most versions. Some translate, opjiress ; but, since it likewise signifies to lend on
usury, there
can
be
it
little
doubt
the
personally or collectively.
t!"t:25 has
prophet intended
to
to be understood in
Several of
them Luther, and other translators, take dense, and it to be compounded of :? "a^'Ci clai/, which ten of Kennicott's MSS. read as two words, and most commentators who follow them suppose riches or earthly goods to be meant but it is more
,
,
verse.
As J,
Arab. ijOj'?
The same mode of speech was not imknown both to the Greeks and Romans. Aristoph. Nub. i. 12,
SaKVOfxevos
inrh
tccu
^pfuf.
Lucan.
i.
of the
give a
word
to regard
it
as a quadriUteral
to to
exchange,
lend on a
phdge ; in Hiph.,
pledge.
The
signification of the
:
noun
is
" an ac-
them of
all
unfeeling usurer."
V'Vcp. as in
or
quired.
5^'p";;;.
defective for
Tnrs
The
allu-
from -1^5
nsio.
reduplicate form
conveys
the
idea of
-I'iS'i
from
The
reduplication ex-
The
Mau-
by
his creditor.
8.
See Matt,
xviii. 28.
The remainder
300
HABAKKUK
Chap.
II.
All the remainder of the people shall iDlunder thee ; Because of the blood of men, and of the violence done to the
earth,
To
9
all
that dwell in
it.
10
11
To be preserved from the power of calamity. Thou hast devised what is a disgrace to thy house. Cutting off many people, and sinning against thyself.
For the stone
crieth out
from the
wall.
it
And
sisted of those
who had
Pss"
it
The terms
and rendered
and city, are to be understood generally, and are not to be restricted to the Jews, with their country and its me-
man,
earth,
direct
preceding
11.
aim of the action predicted by the finite verb. For the last clause,
viii.
tropolis,
yns DR
is
the genitive of
comp. Prov.
36, xx. 2.
object.
An
and
In the stanza, comprising this and the two following verse?, the avarice and selfishness of the Chaldeans are de9.
ma-
royal palace, and other sumptuous buildings, at Babj'lon, are introduced as re-
nounced.
The phrase
in
y::2 y-^'a
is
very
common
to cut,
Hebrew.
The verb
denotes
their
made
subser-
bad sense, to such as were greedily occupied with such transactions, and its derivative V'S2, to signify
wicked gain,
^1, icicked,
is
were enacted
in their presence.
Comp.
Luke
xix. 40.
The
^?.^J~
first line,
wV
Vy because violence
lucre.
To mark
it,
in the
added.
cognate Syr.
roo^
connexuit,
it
has
for the
arx
regia,
to
express
its
inaccessible
which
is
built
on high
Jer.
by which the walls of a building are held together. Thus Sym., Theod., and the 5th vers., awSecr/uos, liXX, Kav^apos, scarabepus, but which some think was originally Kavdvpiov, which Vitruvius exbeen supposed to
the cross beam
plains as signifying a cross-beam.
mean
"
Thou
Arab.
JoJt,
Sy^ULM
the wood.
According
MishnnK,
Parchon
meaning.
He
thus describes
C":t:|:
may
'
Chap.
12
II.
HABAKKUK
to
301
"Wo
And
13 Behold
is it not from Jehovah of hosts ? So that the people shall labor for the very fire Yea, the nations shall weary themselves for mere vanity. 14 For the earth shall be filled With the knowledge of the glory of Jehovah,
;
As
15
Pouring out thy wrath, and making him drunk In order to look upon their nakedness.
C'3"i-M, sniall bricks prepared in the kiln, like 2^otteri/, and used in btdlding
edifices.
This interpretation
is
confirmed
by the rendering of Aquila, ^l.a.(,a, what is baked, and by the abundant use of bricks by the Babylonians, which are still
visible in the ruins of their city.
For m'sa:: Min^, Jehovah of hosts. on Is. i. 9. i-ja is not a poetic form for 3, but is intensive, ''iT, The signifying sufficiency, abundance.
this epithet, see
and
fatigue con-
Citing
Rashi ex-
plains
it
to be "half a brick
which
is
The
in
last
two
li.
lines
That
it
or out of the %oood, except we take the preposition as indicating the material
from
58 have exchanged places, ;>"! stands for lEy", and the defective form r,>'5''i for sys"'/. For the destruc3
Jer.
are found
p'^n
of which the
latter case, the
beam
consisted.
In
this
And
words should be rendered, wooden beam answereth it ; but against such construction the parallel -i"^T3, out of the wall, is an insuperable
the
objection.
for tion by fire, comp. Jer. li. 30, 58 her desolation, ver. 43. Hitzig, from the mere circumstance of the use of the same
;
The subject of the third stanza, which begins here, was naturally sug12, 13.
of
preceding.
by the concluding verse of the The riches which enabled the king of Babylon to rebuild and engested
asmuch
and
their
re-occupation of their
own
9,
which
verses
and the works themselves were up by people from different parts of the empire, and by captives from other
gaged
;
carried
sea, is
nations.
The
15.
riri rsw.
pire
stanza.
less
em-
may have
who,
order to give
prominence to
conduct of drunkards, here depicted, been borrowed from the profligate manners of the Babylonian court, yet the language is not to be taken lit-
303
16 Tliou art
filled
IIAB
AKKUK,
;
Chap. IL
Drink thou also, and show thyself iincircumcized The cup of Jehovah's right hand shall come round to thee, And great ignominy shall he ujion thy glory.
erally, as if the
\'i1, Zech. xii. 2, suppose that in V"iSn, be thou ttncircumcised, there is a trans-
and
-,
and that
and exposure, to which the conquered nations were reduced by the Chaldeans. See on Is. li. and comp. Ps. Lxxv. 8 17, 20 Jcr.
stupefaction, prostration,
; ;
And
thus the
XXV. 15-28, xlix. 12, li. 7 Ezek. xxiii*. Rev. xiv. 10, xvi. 9, xviii. 6. 31, 32
; ;
have interpreted and have been followed by the Arab., Syr., and Vulg. There is, however, such
ara\eiJ^T)Ti koI (TfiffbTjri)
it,
a manifest
sny-i
is
a collective,
and thus
with
the
is
equivais
pudenda eorum,
lent to
in'yn
to
required
t-"-i/i5.
frona -i;y
agree
sufhx in
is
at the close of the preceding verse, that the interpretation cannot be adnutted. In the mouth of a He-
The
latter
noun
to be
derived
its
Arab.
.Lc,
is
naked, as
synonyme nii:^
is
from ni5.
IntjrKn
a change from the third person to the second, for the sake of effect. There not
brew no term couW have expressed more ineffable contempt. Comp. 1 Sam. x\-ii. As the Chaldeans had treated the 36. nations which they conquered in the most disgusting manner, so they, in their
turn, should be similarly treated.
To
Is.
ancient Greek
tj,
corresponding to the
is
no
au-
See on
ground
2-'an
is
when
not
botile,
r^zn
is
and conveys the idea of the cup of suffering being transferred from one nation
to another, each in its turn, being to drink of
iv.
it.
but of
'T'lZTi^'::
r.tz'n,
heal,
or torath.
Comp.
li.
Comp.
Jcr.
xxv. 6
made Lam.
and
17
21.
Jcr.
XXV. 15 Rev. xvi. 19. Delitzsch attempts in vain to set aside the signification of pour, as inhering in the root
tv3 igiwminice, as if
for i-p,
and "'Vp,
shatne.
In
nine
ish
nE5
Cognate
MSS.
and Christian
interpreters.
It
is,
the infinitive
used
the
est
instead of
the
participle.
The
deep-
however, more in accordance with the genius of the Hebrew language, to regard
it
as a reduplicate
expressive of the
ployed for the sake of intensity, after the foiTn VpVp : only instead of -p'VpVp we
of the most
other.
16.
tive,
have the
softer "jiVp-p.
Comp. the
Syr.
dr.-
The
preposition in
t'^sw
is,
is
negalii.
IJ^'fort^V-f^^.^^ia^,
as in 2"i::
full force
yn nans,
it is
I's.
5.
The
art
of the hemistich
"Thou
Syr.
f^^
Targ. s:\p.
The
satiated,
but
Kimchi and others, comparing rVyTPri "z'Z, Is. li. 17, and r.s
with glory."
Chap.
II.
HABAKKUK
JOS
17 For the violence done to Lebanon shall cover thee, As the destruction of beasts terrifieth them
To
all
that dwell in
it.
its
maker graveth
?
19
The molten image, and the teacher of falsehood In which the maker of his work trusteth Making dumb idols. Woe to him that saith to the wood, Awake
Wake
lap
!
to the
dumb
it is,
stone.
It teach
There
17.
genitives of object.
That Lebanon
is
not
lished
by the prophetic
Zech. xi.
1.
Ezek.
The
aptness of
confusion and which should come upon the enemy of the Jews to those experienced by the wild beasts when brought into circumstances from which they cannot
escape.
from that mountain were employed in the construction of the temple and other houses in Jerusalem, 1 Kings vi. 9, 10, 18, vii. 2, ix. 10, 11 2 Chron. i. 15 and partly in its statelistance, that cedars
;
rrn
signifies
to
be
broken,
jn'^rT',
the
Yod
Dagesh in
ness
and grandeur
as the metropolis.
Against this interpretation, the objections do not apply which Delitzsch makes to
the opinion of those
not paragogic, but the verbal suffix of the third feminine plural, agreeing with
who
maintain that
Palestine
is
riana.
for
n&s,
to cover, is
used emphati-
destruction
of some of the ancient versions may have thus read. For the last clause, see on
verse 8
Chaldeans.
that
indeed,
These verses expose the foUy which the Babylonians were wholly addicted. It might be supposed, from all the other stanzas having been introduced by a denunciatory i-ir;,
18, 19.
of idolatry to
Of
this idiom,
wo, that a transposition has here taken place, and that the nineteenth ought to
be
read
before
the
eighteenth
and
H? ?n"2j: q
to trouble,
n ^Dn^n^r, Man
(as) birds
is
born
aloft,
his trans-
and
of prey jly
Jobv.
VbsVi.
7.
cyti'; 'r^rr
inan v^fi
"T.5^~''3
For
and
(as)
This construc-
had
fall
just
which
with what the prophet announced respecting the downof Babylon, before delivering his
304
HAB AKKUK.
silver,
Chap,
m.
But there is no breath at all within it. But Jehovah is in his holy temple Keep silence before him all the earth.
;
place
it not being followed as usual by the accusative, but for the sake of mak-
19.
25
Is.
h-ii.
20.
The
idol is called
' a teacher of falsehood," on account of the lying oracles that were connected with its worship. For these verses, com-
ing the idol more prominent, by the nominative case. 20. In striking contrast with the utter
pare
Is.
xliv.
9-20
Jer.
x.
In the
Jehovah is here introduced, at the close of the prophecy, as the invisible Lord of all, occupying his
nihility of idols,
celestial temple,
language
cal,
is
whence he
is
ever ready
r,-}'"'
snrt,
teach
is
an em-
which
n'l.v forms a
paronomasia with
verse.
}<5n
r;~i.*tt
in the preceding
it is.
liverance and protection of his people and the destruction of their enemies. Comp. Is. xxvi. 21. Such a God it becomes all to adore in solemn and pro-
rjn, there
Such
is
found
i.
silence.
ii.
Ps. Ixxvi. 8, 9
13.
Zeph.
nan
in this
Zech.
CHAPTER
Though
III
forming a distinct whole, this chapter is intimately connected with the two preceding, the subjects contained in which it presupposes, and is evidently designed to afford consolation to the Jews during the national calamities there anticipated. It exhibits a regular ode beginning with a brief but simple and appropriate exordium; after which follows the main subject, which is treated in a manner perfectly free and unrestrained, as
the different topics rose one after another in the powerfully excited mind of the prophet; and finishes with an epigrammatic resumption of the point first adverted to in the introduction, and the practical lesson which the piece was intended to teach. With respect to the body of the ode, interpreters are greatly divided in opinion. The Fathers generally, and after them many Catholic commentators, and among rrotestants, Cocceius, Bengel, Roos, and others, apply the whole chapter, with certain modifications, to New Testament times, and subject it to all the uncertainty of imaginary interpretation. But the principal point of disagreement relates to the theophania, or Divine interposition, so sublimely set forth, ver. 315. According to the Targum, Abarbanel, Abenezra, Tarnovius, Munster, Clarius, Drusius, Schnurrer, Herder. Michaelis, Green. Lowth, Tingstadius, Eiclihorn, Justi, Hcselbcrg, Ackermann. and Ewald. the prophet adverts to the wonderful displays of the power and majesty of God during the early history of the
Hebrews.
templates.
Maurer,
terposition of
Ilitzig, and Delitz-och, on the other hand, contend that the future inJehovah for the destniction of the Chaldeans, is what he exclusively conThe la.st-mentioned author has not only gone at great length, and with much
all his critical
and cxegetical
Chap.
III.
HA
li
AKKUK
30-3
ver.
cannot, by any possibility, be construed otherwise than to express the strict futurity of the advent predicated, he proceeds to show, from what he considers to be the or-
'p?^^ and
and from
that wliat he calls the lyric-prophetical view is alone to be admitted. I must, however, confess, that after a careful examination of his arguments, I can discover nothing in them that goes to overturn the historical position adopted by the numerous writers above mentioned. That nothing in the shape of a regular and specific recital of distinct facts is exhibited in the tableau, cannot fairly be
such a recital would ill accord with the enthusiare so characteristic of the ode as a species of poetry. The abrupt and rapid transitions of the prophet did not admit of more than a slight, though
this interpretation, since
urged against
sublimely figurative allusion, to one or two localities, which it was necessary to specify, in order to call up the general scene of events to the mind of the reader: all the rest is left to be supplied by his familiar acquaintance with the sacred national records. What he aims at is to produce a powerful impression by condensing, within the shortest possible limits, a view of the magnalia Dei, as exhibited in these records. And this he does
by giving utterance to the total impression which they produced upon his own mind, rather than by furnishing a detailed historical description. Regarding the composition in this light, the obscurity and apparent incoherence which attach to certain parts of it
to the view of the prophet, of phraseology, especially as it respects Ps. Ixxvii. is most palpable. Some, indeed, have maintained the priority of our ode to the Psalm; but Delitzsch has proved, by an elaborate collation of passages and expressions, that this hypothesis is entirely without foundation, and that Habakkuk had the Psalm brought to his mind, just as he had the song of Moses called up to his
recollection.
we may adduce Deut. xxxiii. 2 1320, cxiv.; Is. Ixiii. 1114. That the Holy speak, of some of these passages in presenting the subject there can, I think, be little doubt. The agreement in point
8, Ixxvii.
5;
The following description of this sublime ode, by the master pen of Bishop Lowth, is not more beautiful than just: "The prophet, indeed, illustrates this subject throughout with equal magnificence; selecting from such an assemblage of miraculous incidents, the most noble and important, displaying them in the most splendid colors, and embellishing them with the sublimest imagery, figures, and diction, the dignity of which is so heightened and recommended by the superior elegance of the conclusion, that were it not for a few shades, which the hand of time has apparently cast over it in two or three passages, no composition of the kind, would, I believe, appear more elegant or more perfect than this poem." Lect. xxviii. Whether the hand of time has really cast any shades over it will appear in the sequel. That it was designed for use in public worship, appears both from the inscription and
the subscription, as well as from the musical term
nVs, Selah, occurring verses 3, 9, 13. The chapter begins with the title and introduction, ver. 1, 2. Habakkuk then represents Jehovah as appearing in glorious majesty on Sinai, 3, 4; describes the ravages of the plague in the desert, 5; the consternation into which the nations were thrown by the victorious approach of the Hebrews to Canaan, and their wars with the inhabitants, 610; specially refers to the celestial phenomenon at Gibeon, 11; and then sets forth the auspicious results of the interposition of God on behalf of his people, 1215. The prophet concludes by resuming the subject of the introduction, 16 and strongly asserting
;
his
A PRATER of Habakkuk,
1.
the prophet
ap-
39
306
2
HAB AKKUK.
Jehovah Jehovah
!
Chap.
III.
O O
revive thy
heard the report of thee, I was afraid work in the midst of tlie years
;
only used in the inscriptions of Psalms The term is xvii. Ixxxvi. xc. cii. cxlii.
derived from
ffiiUh
;
digenous
Hebrew verb
in
common
use,
This
'-VSi
to
;
separate,
distin-
cognate to
nVs
and
so to
form
Greek version
verdict.
dering
adopts,
fies
To
this
and
is
emthe
derivation
Hengstenberg
has
recently
(Comm. on Psalms,
Hannah,
Sam.
ii.
1.
Though
p. lil),
only precatory sentences are those contained in ver. 2, yet there are several instances of direct address to God, which
affirms, that in
There
nothing either in the Psalm or in the song of Habakkuk to warrant the appropriation of
of prayer.
is
The Lamed
pre-
any such
signification of
fixed in
p-'T^f:'\
that of authorship.
the term.
tion
is
The most
probable explana-
r:3"ri hy. That this is a musical term seems beyond dispute, from similar terms occurring in the titles of the psalms, such
as r"r;>r; '-yf '^V.^
*"i"''
^'-i'
that given
^^^-
^^''^
It
the
title
of Ps.
vii.,
different
methods
however, from
the
'-y
estab
ui)on,
have
been proposed.
Eaucr, Herder,
lished use of
the preposition
De
Arabic
fuit,
g^ ..w
anxius,
tristis,
moestus
to which, in like
manner,
it
and render r- rji-Vs, after the manner of elegies, but there seems no reason deducible either from the present ode or
they should be they should be sung to a plaintive tune, but the con-
accompa-
The
translation
of
as
Theodotion,
why
i. e.
Jerome inreference.
thus characterized, or
trary.
why
in all probability,
2.
some such
Others, as
Wahl,
Justi, Gesenius,
The
derive the
j.^
referred
to
whence A^-QJ^
j
him, but a report respecting Jehovah, or the punishment which he had threatened
to inflict
it
has justly
upon the
is
been objected, that it is too vague and The indefinite to admit of adoption.
The
is
genitive
that of object.
That
it
LXX
term.
and here
Other
philologists
more reason-
en of the Divine interposition for the overthrow of the enemies of his people was calculated to inspire the prophet
Chap.
III.
II
ABAKKUK
307
In the midst of tlie years make it known : In wrath remember mercy. 3 God came from Teman ; The Holy One from momit Paran Pause.
:
he declares he was conscious. His prayer also, that while punishment was being uiflicted, God would exercise pity, shows that the Jews, and not the Chaldeans, were to be the subjects of the infliction. It may, therefore, be regarded as certain, that what he has in view is the prediction chap. i. 6-11. The fear with which the prophet was seized, he particularly
describes ver. 16.
chronological calcidations
maintaining
the world
is
meant.
which was
ple.
-"n.|r.2
to
is
By
^Vy3,
thij tcork,
Abarbanel, Kimchi,Schnurrer, Justi, and some others, understand the Jews, on the ground that they are designated the Vy 3,
toork of Jehovah's hands, Is. xlv. 11; but the simple occurrence of the same word,
irrespective of the specific claims of the
of the middle point of any given period of time, but is, as frequently, only a more emphatic prepositive form, instead of 2, in. The meaning, therefore, simply is, During the period
strict acceptation
course of our punishment by the Chaldeans, interpose Symm. itnhs rwy for our deliverance.
ivtavruv.
To
as
give pathos
is
to the lan;
added,
In chap.
i.
5,
the suffix
the term
is
The verb
experience.
yn, to
upon the Jews, as it also is Is. v. 12, and of that upon their enemies, Ps. Ixiv. 9. This latter sense, which involves the exercise of the power and goodness of God on behalf of his people, alone suits the present context. Comp. Ps. xc. 16.
riencing,
knowing by
is
Cni,
an ac-
the infinitive,
cusative.
to be regarded as
6: ':j-'>:ni~-i5T
It
is
What
is
the re-
newal of such
expresses
This he
by the strong term rMH, quicken, restore to life, which suggests the idea of a cessation of the avenging and dehvering power of the Most High. It had been, in regard to its exertion, as if it had been dead, and required to be called forth afresh into action. Thus
Jarchi: ynS3 nrr^'ntc ^lOs^nn
"^"hlti
merely necessary to exhibit the version of this verse as now found in the text of the LXX. to show that it can only have originated in the amalgamation of dif-
some of them probably and that it would be most unwarrantable to attempt any correction of the Hebrew text by it Kupi?,
ferent readings,
marginal
glosses,
in^-n
KaravoTicra rh,
epya
<Tov
e^4aT7}v eV
tw
tyyi^ety
ws'^iom nn-ni5J ^ttiVs "ir^^^n ns. Thy former work, when thou didst avenge tis of our enemies, in the midst of the years of the calamity in ichich we live, revive
it,
i.
Ta
err)
iinyvw(T^(Tri
ii/
rh Trapufai rhy
rr)y
Katphu ayaSfix^<TTi, iy
rw Tapax^rjvai
w'Vs
is
e.
rotise it
up, cause
it to
return.
laid
stress is to
a'l.J^.a,
be
the
in
midst of the years, from which Bengel deduced so much fanciful support to his
minor prophets except Habakkuk, and by him only here, and chap. i. 1 1 It occiu-s four times in Daniel, and once in Isaiah, but never in Jeremiah or Ezekiel. There is no foundation whatever for the
.
308
II
ABAKKUK
Chap. IXL
His splendor coveretl the heavens, And the earth was full of his praise.
position
and many
modem
word
and
is
The
is
It
allowed to belong to the poetic dictioa. is employed /br^y times in the book of
of Idumea,
in
which
latter
country
situated.
"was
of
Kebrew composition
by Moses, Deut. xxxii. i'ltp. Holij, which is here parallel to "V-^^ God, also
>
jj^ij
_t>L, I'Wy
10;
Is.
xl.
t'p-tp, Prov.
1.
ix. 10,
Pheiran, which extends north- west from Sinai, is the same as -,ns3 i";tt , the
cannot possibly be taken otherwise than as strictly future in signification, as it is in form. But this is not the only
it
of Paran, mentioned in Scripture. this desert might have stretched so far towards the south-west as to touch uix>n the AVady, and so give it the name, it is certain, from Paran being mentioned in connection with Kadesh
desert
But although
commencement
Thus Num.
ii.
of a sen-
name extended
moun-
rjVr^
Dead
33, r-5;rrT
C-.i
-t^s'^
Sea to the Elanitic gulf. In 1 Kings xi. 18, it is spoken of as lying between Midian and Eg^-pt.
Job
iii.
3,
From
Sinai
occumng
anVnK Ps. Ixxx. 9, y'BP f^a^tt -jsj. The idiom, in these and similar cases, is
sufficiently accounted for
and with
Seir
on the princi-
probable that
to the regions to
and
thus, regarding
Having prayed that God would remember the mercy which he had shown to his people in ancient days, the prophet has his mind carried back to
tense.
specifying the
once to
past,
The
In this view, liis omission of which they notice, is not of material moment. The glorious displays of the ix)wcr and majesty of Jehovah which had been made in that quarter occupied his thoxights, and inspired him with feelings of the most exalted devotion, r^a, Selah. This word, which occurs thrice in this ode, and seventy-three times in
country.
Sinia,
That
it
is
a musical sign
It
is
is
had preceded
now
LXX.
retain
as
proper
name
the
found at the end of certain sections, or stropes, and always at the close of a verse.
Chap.
III.
HABAKKUK
5C9
The brightness was like that of the sun, Rays streamed from his hand, Yet the concealment of his glory was there.
iii.
except Hab.
3, 9
Ps.
4 ends the
hemistich. Sometimes it occurs at the end of a Psalm, as Ps. iii. ix. and xxiv. The cmrent, and apparently the tradi-
There are several inletter :; has been softened into c, as in TiI'i and i^^^'o
stances in
the preference.
which the
"iU'i
and -lua
it
just as, in
most
.
cases,
^j.
we
find
expressed in Arabic by
This
tionaiy
interpretation,
;
is
that
of the
derivation, in
acqxiiesced,
Targ. y:;VyVi
times
('$
Aq.
;
ael;
Symm. some-
which Gesenius
been
finally
Theod. sometimes the V. Greek version, SioTravtls riKos Tos but Symm. and Theod. most commonly coincide with the LXX., who uniformly render, Stai^oA^a. This last
rhi/
has
alwva
approved of by
The term
may
translation
is
either
preference, in so far as
what
had
just
been
to the music,
even of this
of dispute.
may have
come
as its
when he
gives
meaning
agrees,
fieKovs ivaXXayi), a
change
explaining
it
on the part of the singers, while the instrumental music continued. Ha\'ing, by a solemn pause, prepared the
repetition
mind
for the
SioAAa-yTj.
The
hypothesis that
rVo
is
ceeds to describe this glory in the most sublime and magnificent language. By rV-Fi splendor or brightness, as the Targ.,
effulgence
is
described, ver.
;
6,
to be fear
the
term
or
by the
;
Arab
Prof.
.JLcu,
membrum,
^yXjiC,
invocatio,
section
Lee,
by
and trembling but matter of praise, or the glory which was calculated to call
forth universal adoration.
4.
S^V^j
and
from
By niK we
liffht
-jLo,
which
in
5,
stand
he blessed; but neither of the derivations will suit all the passages in
it
source of light.
26.
xxxvii. 21.
in
The Kametz
of the article
definite.
occurs.
Indeed,
bless
or
praise
vii. 5,
xxxix.
which Heidenheim would connect \\-ith ""isn and Hitzig with r^nn
n^.-p
,
Hi. 3.
Of
the two
Hebrew
,
roots to
,
which the word has been referred, VVd to raise, elevate, and r:Vo which, besides
signifying to raise, has been supposed to
nominative than
wrjj,
be equivalent to
latter,
i-:Vi',
to rest, paiise,
the
may
110
II
A C A K K U K.
;
Chap.
III.
5 Before
him went
tlie i)lagne
looked, and caused the nations to shake ; The old mountains were shattered in jneces,
He He
stood, and
made
The
and so taking the feminine of the verb. That by C":*!)? horns, ve are here to iindcTstand rai/s, is obvious from the connection, from the comparison of the
,
presence exhibited upon Mount Sinai, Exod. xxiv, 17, or the Shekinah which
Lev.
rising
See on
and from its being common with the Arabs to compare them to tlie horns of that animal. Thus the Arab. ..y^, cornu
animalis, latus superior pars
radiis
soils. soils,
^1.
'
^rom
r;t;n
to
inflame, has
two leading
ing fever.
ning, ox flame,
and that of
hot, or
burn-
The
primi
Kamoos and
Djauhari.
plague
Hence, the verb -,np^ signifies to emit rays, Exod. xxxiv. 29, 30, 35. Though in the dual, the noun, like others of that
a circum-
stance
which
precarious
rendering,
birds
of prey,
number which
plural.
though
existing in pairs,
Comp.
-j'-s-j
,
c-'5:ii
1
y2-is
;
Lev. xi.
23
Ezek. xxi. 12
vi.
Sam. ii. 13 D^s-ia Vr, and see my note on Is. Zech. iii. 9. The 2; :- ry='j
c;3-:;
; ,
Michaelis, Schnurrer, Herder, Kofod, Dahl, Posenmuller, and others as well as that oi lightning, adopted by Kalins-ky,
;
and burning
our
common
^
version.
phrase
';-;;3
from
Thus
t,'S'\
his hand,
is
equiva-
lent to 5:)2i:
"=~
^V
rn-tt^ rET.Sjn rttn sinr rntp- 'r.n TTtrs i. e. " t]3n corresponds to -^t
,
though so excesit.
the same thing being expressed in differeht words. The word has the same sig-
Comp. Ps. civ. 2. The LXX., Syr., Aq., and Symm., have read tS7i and he put, instead of cr and there, and are fol, ,
Dent, xxxii. 24, and denotes the fever, which consists in a burning
nification.
heat,
The
Vulg. has,
pedes ejus
!
Et
"
Vs.
lowed by
rendering
Ilitzig
is less
this
to track or foUoto
rj in such connection denotes majesty or glory rather than power. Comp. Ps. cxxxii. 8,
Ixxviii.
61,
V"?
the regular
opposed to riE-j before him. "What the prophet has in view, would seem to be the jilagues with which the enemies of the Hebrews were visited, of which
we have an
6.
instance
"^'^y
Sam.
v. 9, 11.
substratum of the vivid representation here furnished of the glorious majesty of of Jehovah be the symbol of the Divine
Tia"'!
ele-
Chap.
7 I
III.
HABAKKUK.
in trouble
311
The
8
Was
it
burned,
Jehovah
poetry.
"
he stops
in her strongest
tions,
is
by the language of the prophet. 7. "jis rnP, "under affiiction," is more expressive than T"^^ " *'* affliction," as it suggests the idea of a heavy load by which those spoken of were op)
pressed.
yi!i3
Cushan,
is
now
generally
The
his look.
may
admitted to be the same as -jris, Cush, as yc^h Lotan, Gen. xxxvi. 20, is only another form of ty^h Lot ; but whether
,
,
of Ti:2
it
or the Arabian
senius,
Cush
is
disputed.
Ge-
The
connection.
LXX.
i(xaXivhi\
tion
contend for the former but the connecof the name with that of yira
is
}?!.
Targ.
sv-is
yiTS.
Arab.
cog-
Midian,
iiflj^! o^y'-J>.
nate
Comp. the
u 'W
Por a satisfactory refutation of the position adopted by Gesenius, that Cush, and all the tribes connected with this name, are
only to be sought in Africa, see Robinson's Calmet, art. Cush. That any reference
to Cushan-rishathaim, Jud.
iii.
10, is in-
by sudall
Midian appears
den
fear.
In
!i::::Qrii
we have
the
Mount
Sinai,
Edrisi speaks
cated Tzade.
perse.
town
called
,.
04X^0, Madian,
dis
Por
nyi-nn
;
and Ch^.v
rV2-~\
comp. Gen. xlix. 26 Deut. xxxiii. 15. ',"5 cV*y riS'Vri, His ancient ways, I
consider to be epexegetical of the preced-
The Akabah, and six fi-om Tubuk. " tents" and " curtains" describe the nomadic mode of life as still found among the Bedawin of the Arabian deserts,
ing
and riS'Vn
sense
as
n^ias-i
is
to be taken in the
riiy-)"'
the coverings
same
CSTi
,
in the sentence
xl. 19,
so
Vn'tn-
s'n Job
which
hippopotamus as " the first or principal of the ways of God," i. e. his creative acts, his works. The words may be resolved into iV "I'iJS tViy fiiS^Vn,
describes the
like curtains and by the wind. The word is here used merely as a synonj^me of C^Vns tents ; and both are put by metonymy
for the persons dwelling in
8.
them.
or into
f i-"^n . The mountains which Jehovah had created of old, and which had resisted the revolutions of ages, were now shattered in pieces, and dissipated like dust before him. The irresistibility of his power, and the utter imbecility of the most formidable ene'v^V''''
The prophet
of Jehovah,
inquires
now by
a bold apostrophe
why
them
Was
in the rivers?
is,
No
assigned at the
312
AVas
tliine
HAB AKKUK.
anger against the rivers
against the sea ?
?
tliy wi-ath
Chap.
III.
Was
Pause.
Thou
close of the verse the safe and victorious deliverance of the Israelites from
tions.
':[^rib3n>a
supply ^y
latter.
^lpon, before
,
in the vocative,
is
and the
tJSN, in the
,
second heniistich.
C1^2
and repeat ^l3^',tt chariots, before the Comp. for instances of simUar construction, Viri '7/rK , 2 Sam. xxii.
33. yj -ontt , Ps. bcxi; 7 E5ST T;3-ii Ezek. xvi. 27. ryrj' has in such connection, the specific signification of vic;
the rivers.
the waters of the lied Sea, and the Jordan, -which were dried up to allow them to pass over on foot. The former
mean
tory,
not indeed a river, but may not inaptly be included under the term, on
is
deliverance,
lost sight of.
not to be
tide,
which
said to rise at
Suez
of seven feet. On the miraculous division of the sea, recorded Exod. xiv., it
9. The combination I'yn r-i y which forms a paronomasia, determines the signification of niy , as here employed, to
,
was made
--3
of
to
go or
fow
be that of being bare or 7iaked, and not that oi rousing ox exciting. For thou "-h the Piel nniy is used of the Hfting up
of a spear, there would be no propriety in thus applying it to a bow 'v\hereas the substantive r;;;-i.y nakedness, having:
Specifically,
how-
mark out
the
Red
was more
Sea,
it is after-
in the third
natural than to add -'iJ-n, to be bared ^V- being thus cognate in signification
Comp.
as parallel
;
with the
with n-y from which n^-iy is derived, and with -ny n^-iy is used' adjectively,
,
here, and in the following verses, represented as a mighty and victorious warrior, giving orders to his army, and, in triumphant progress,
is
Jehovah
Q-y 'pxi , Ezek. xvi. 7. not the second, but the third person singular in Niphal, having for its
r;-:y-
as in
-'vn
is
nominative rrj;
which
of the
is
of the com-
him.
Comp. Exod.
,
mon
gender.
Some
,
XV.
3,
xiv.
modems have
than
lorath, are
explained rr;:.
of the rainboii;
the stronger of the two, signifying unrestrained indignation ; from ^r^y to ;;as*
,
over, or
beyond a
boujidarij.
is
By" horses"
for
and '
chariots," there
no necessity
our understanding cither the angels, or thunder and lightning, as some would
interpret.
which
prevent
leathern
coryttis,
its
They
was carefully wrajijxd, to receiving injury, or of such a case as the yoipvThs, /ca^urir
it
expressions,
Chap. 10
III.
HABAKKUK
313
The mountains saw thee, they were in pain The inundation of water overflowed The abyss uttered its voice,
It raised its
hands on
hijxh.
upwards of one hundred different interhave been proposed. That which I have adopted appears to me best to suit the connection. It keeps up the spirit of the poem, and is fully justified on the simplest and most legitimate etymological gi-ounds. That riun-a cannot signify oaths, is determined by the circumstance that " the oaths of the tribes,"
pretations
prophet will therefore be, that Jehovah prepared his bow for battle, and ordered
numerous spears to be produced in other words, that he brought the most formid;
able
to bear
The
nominative to yj^^n
derstood
as
from
the
suffix
'Sfj^,,
in
'qnrj:.
common
version,
Comp.
15.
i::-:5sa C-in:?
Ps. Ixxviii.
;
no
to
duced, whether
we
The
effect
of the Di-
those
to
vine
command
is
sublimely represented
whom
or
The
other sig-
nification of rysia'i
is
seven, a hejjtade,
It
is else-
this
num-
language so highly figurative as that of our prophet in the present chapter, no objection can reasonably be taken against
its
under the idea of that which is frequently produced by earthquakes, when immense quantities of water gush out of the fissures, and flow like rivers through the country. The whole verse is distinguished for its sublimity and beauty and the sentiment conveyed the two first lines was regarded as so weighty that
nVo
Selah, ox pause,
its
is
added, to give
nation of time.
Jection, fulness,
have been
time for
fore
10.
producing
its
abundance, of the
number, instead of the usual numeral ya"i or rynr, when employed symbolically as a sacred
supplementing the concluding line. The mountains being the most prominent objects on the surface of the
globe, Habakkukreiterates,in a
different form,
somewhat
expressed,
and
indefinite
number.
,
what he had
n:;^
2
signifies a tribe,
xviii. 14,
but
also, as t:2'i
;
Sam.
a lance or spear
is it
and
be
ver. 6, in order to preserve the impression of the tremendous character of the trans-
that in
actions, to illustrate
may
figuratively introduced.
in this accep-
case rjj-1
is
jT
I
the mountains, which are, by a bold figure, represented as inspired with life, and
capable of taking sensible cognizance of the manifestations of Deity. To express the instantaneous character of the effect,
^V'ti;;
,
I take
it
in the
first
of these signi-
fications,
they quaked,
is
military order, or
word of command.
The
root Vtin or
^^n properly
Compare Ps. Ixviii. 12. -ttN""?- j-t^^ ' the Lord gave the word," etc. Thus,
-iKj!,
to twist, writhe, as
quently used of a
is
woman
in travail.
It
like
order,
command.
in this place.
40
314
11
HABAKKUK
in tlieir habitation
Chap.
III.
At At
down
the nations.
Thou wentest
is
is,
made
;
to
what
is
ted
but,
though
irom
2.
":"i2
n"iT
n'l"'
eUcation,
,
33y
^r'T'
the
,
gested the language of the prophet, yet the point of view in which he presents the heavenly luminaries is altogether dif-
form of
its
1"-!^
its
hands,
is
,
meant the
the ocean,
c'lnP
antecedent,
is
of both genders.
The
In the history, the construction be put upon their standing still or being arrested in their course, is obviferent.
to
whole of nature is here exhibited as thrown into consternation at the approach of God. The mountains tremble the heavens pour down sweeping torrents of rain the sea roars, and causes its billows to " run mountains high." Comp.
; ;
up
enemy
whereas,
abode before the brighter refulgence of the aiTows and lances employed in the
*rtt'j
is
is
supplied.
The paragogic n
So completely were they eclipsed seemed as if they had set. Schnurrer and Justi interpret the language of their remaining in
conflict.
by
rV?T
and
with the verb npy is not that the sun and moon remained stationary in a part of the firmament, which is represented
as their dwelling or habitation, but that
the n of motion is directly opposed to such construction. The V in -I'ls's and nijV is the dative of cause, as " at, or oicing to in 'a? Tin;'. T'ufS
,
ing, but
this,
my
1.
Supply
they stood back or withdrero into that locality. It was usual with the Arabian
astronomers to assign houses or chambers
to the celestial orbs.
sio,
which
is
put
velocity of the
ITie words
Thus
-i"is
J'^juo, nian-
where
the
sun and
domus,
is
the
name
of the signs of
ihe
moon
respectively,
the
Zodiac;
and
,^^| JJLs,
circle
12. ny::
to
march,
is
u.scd
pies.
n-tn
ix.
emn and
Ixviii. 8.
is
before the
Hebrews, Judges
riin
,
Ps.
to thresh or
tread down,
as also of p"|-.7r
tion of enemies,
13.
Micah
iv. 1.3.
That
specific reference
Having
described, in language of
Chap.
III.
HAB AKKUK.
;
315
For the deliverance of thine anointed Thou dashedst in pieces the head of the house of the wicked,
Laying bare the foundation to the very neck
the most sublime and terrible import, the manifestations of Jehovah in reference to
his enemies,
:
Pause.
LXX.,
the
Syr., Vulg.,
rendering
of the
as
Arab.
Still,
Habakkuk now
proceeds to
C^:~b
r'zh'c'a,
6,
which
Exod. xix.
they
may
with
as
much
;
they were designed to answer, viz., the dehverance and safety of his chosen peoand then depicts their fatal effects ple in the destruction of every hostile power.
;
Chron. xvi. 22
The
The Dagesh
The
employed instead of the infinitive vS'^yrh and thus governs These last the accusative T;n'r5:rsi!
second*
yj 'h
is
found in the
initial
some
editions,
its
and
is
stances of
occurrence in this
words Aq. and the author of the fifth Greek version render els crwrripiov avv XpiffT^ aov, and the Vulg. in salutem cum Christo tuo, which has led many interpreters, both ancient and modern, to
refer
ir^'C'a
,
contrary to rule.
X.
Comp.
32
;
Sam.
iii.
;
6,
2i; 2 Kings
;
vi.
;
Prov.
8, xiv.
10
Song
V. 2
Jer.
xxxLx. 12
it
Ezek.
the anointed, to
our Sa-
The
prepositive
viour.
This construction of the passage is adopted even by Delitzsch, on the principle that as the
term here designates the regal office of those who were of the Davidic dynasty, and Christ is represented as the greatest king of that family,
consequently
spoken of as the head, was not merely over the house, which the simple construct form would have expressed, but
that he sprung from
it.
It
is
most prob-
of
kings
city
eminence, he
to be regarded as included
By
the law
of parallelism, however,
led to identify 'qn'v;^
,
we
are compel-
thine anointed,
with
Ti'oV
perhaps Jabin, whose is intended Hazor is said to have been'i'sn the head of all the confederate kings. Josh, xi. 10; and was the most formidable of all the kings with whom the Hebrews had to contend. Judges iv. 3, 13. The
;
hemistich.
noun
is
thus a collective,
^
and
is
apparent
LXX.
'^^
^^
The Alex. MS., Tous tKXiKTois aov. plural '^j-'rf'i'a is actually found in two
MSS., and apparently in two more in one of De Rossi's and two more originally. It is denied, indeed, by
of Kennicott's
:
foun-
dation.
This connection
to,
is
so strongly
marked by the
-[;__
,
even
anointed,
;
is
ever
latter, and some supposable higher part of the figurative building. It must, from
itself
dicated to
8,
it,
but
how
v;V or
is
S^'/h
There
is,
therefore,
MSS.,
three more,
and the
316
14
HAB AKKUK.
picrccdst with his
Chap.
m.
Thou
own
That rushed on like a tempest to scatter me Wiiose jt)y it was to devour the poor in secret. 15 Thou wontest with thy horses through the sea, The boiling up of many waters. IG I heard, and my inward parts tremhled,
lus,
Green, and some others, that instead of IS'.:: , neck, the text originally read -5 ;:,
rock,
all plain. Both words from the same root; and -S'S occurs with the k Neh. iii. 5. All
just as the former in the Vatican codex render the cognate noun -,v"S Judges
i
V.
7,
11,
which makes
fortes.
are derived
yi-j
the
MSS. and
which
is
first
Before !i-SC^ supply irs . In using the personal suffix singular in the fol-
ent reading,
lute,
ri-y
often
employed in the
of
The
histor-
lowing verb, the prophet so identifies himself with his people as to represent what was aimed at them as designed for him. Comp. ch. i. 12. The nominative
to cri^'Vy
is
poeti-
tt-S
his captains.
In
cally describes,
appear evidently to be
Judges
iv.,
ip-
the last hemistich, the object of comparison is the robber who lies in wait for the
poor
defenceless
sees
traveller,
when he
him approach.
Deborah
the exultation of the Canaanitish chiefs when the Israelites entered the covmtr)-.
Comp.
Ps. X.
15. tJ'D'G
as
;
an
or
Selah,
Habakkuk
still
prosecutes his
subject,
which
fiture of the
enemies of
must have a a supplied before it. The latter I have adopted as the easier mode
of resolving the form, here the boiling
-itt'n
his
9.
own
spears, the
same
as riir^;
ver.
describes
or, as it is in
the
number
up or foaming of tlie sea in a storm. The immediate connection, however, shows, that what the prophet
has in view
hostile
is
tions,
tation
is
tants
of
the countrj-
hence hordes,
army
which Delitzsch
adopts,
and explains
it
Jehovah
to
is
of armies or soldiers.
Thus the Vulg., capiti bellatorum ejxts, Pcrschke, Gesenius, Ewald, and other modems, howe^'er, derive the word from the Arab.
segreijavit, discrevit,
were coolly
march
\y^.
modttm
prce-
and explain it of judges, captains, etc., which appears to be the more appropriate meaning. Thus the
scripsit, stahiit, etc.,
proud and vaunting foe, which he knew would prove utterly jxjwerless in the attack. Comp. Ps. ii. 4, where Jehovah is said to smile at the pimy
est of a
LXX.,
ouvaarai
the Syr.
\a
Va
of the
Chap.
III.
HABAKKUK,
317
the sound ray lips quivered Rottenness entered my bones, I trembled in my place Yet I shall have rest in the day of distress, When the people that shall attack us come up. 17 Though the fig-tree should not blossom,
:
At
which he had composed in order to inspire the pious with unshaken confidence in
ly as the prophet
was
affected,
and over-
him
as their
covenant God,
Habakkuk
which had seized him on hearing of the judgments that were inflicted upon his country by the Chalreverts to the fear
deans,
-riia
T;nPi
"iny^t;
is
a varied
repetition of "nsi';
ver. 2.
~}"cv
"^pytts;
ri-^
an earnest prayer that God would toward Israel, from which there was an easy transition to the ancient Divine interpositions. He now
in
exercise pity
powering as were the feelings of apprehension with which he anticipated the awful calamity that was coming upon his people, he did nqj abandon himself to despair, but, on the contrary, consoled his mind with the assurance, that God, in whom he trusted, would keep him in perfect peace in the day of trial. Xothing can be more uncritical than the emendation of n!i:s into n"as proposed
,
by Iloubigant, the verb T\hi or n^.'^ having no such signification as that which he ascribes to it. The preposition V in r;T2 C-."V and n^Vy^ is to be taken as
signifying the time
to
and
is
affecting language.
V'lp
<^*e voice,
when the
it is
events were
to be referred to the
i,
Divine threatening
happen
;
in
c^t
recorded chap,
6.
The quivering
of
genitive
to
equivalent
jieople.
merely expressive of the effect of the fear with which he was seized, and has no reference to his dehvery of the threatening, 'jipi? literally under me, i,' e. my under parts,
the prophet's
lips is
,
C"
JiiVy
the coming
up of the
The
By
They
limbs,
or
the like.
,^y^Vj, pars
inferior.
LXX.
jxov.
vttok-
Comp.
supply
2 Kings xxiv. 1.
-)tJ5<
, .
The
Before
-rrj,
!i2~i;."'
The verb
Syr.
^uujG^ ^y
"tt-.pia
,
knees.
Jarchi and
I^iijs "i"-N
Kimchi
in
my
place.
Hence the
substantive n-i
a troop or
has been variously rendered, " That I may rest ;" " That I must expect ;" " O that I might rest ;" " Yet I shall rest," or
band of warriors, chiefly used of such as engage in plundering expeditions. It Ls the very term employed in the account
given us of the fulfilment of the prophecy, 2 Kings xxiv. 2 ; " And the Lord
sent
" have
rest."
The
last construction is
alone suitable.
"^5 which
is
the
LXX.
here a conjunc-
against
connecting
18.
From
but ob\aous]y intended to qualify what had been there expressed. It thus forms a particle of transition from one class of
circumstances to another of a different
character.
Habakkuk
318
II
ABAKKUK
Chap.
III.
And
Though
there slionkl be no proJiice on the vines the fruit of the olive shoukl fail,
And the fields should yield no food Thougli the flocks should be cut off* from the And there should be no cattle in the stalls
18
fold,
Yet
I
I will exult in
Jehovah
Avill
be joyful
in the
is
God
of
my
salvation.
my
strength
make my
all
the desola-
which
his country
might be sub-
The
to burn ; but it seems preferable to regard it as a derivative like T.--C, both signifying a stnootk
v,
is that which by the Chaldeans, whose army would consume or destroy the best and most necessary productions
cally
and
forcibly described,
effected
or level
feld,
was
to be
grain or vines
".-c
,
to
such as was jireparcd for fiom -i-i-i to break, and be level, as ground is which is
:
,
not only seizing upon the cattle, and devouring the fruits of the earth, but so injuring the trees as to renof the land
;
broken up and levelled by the plough, the hoe, and the harrow, -t.i is here used intransitively,
and
is
phal
"^Tis.
rVrtt stands
der them incapable of jnelding any produce. The passage contains the most
beautifid exhibition of the
religion to be
sVr^c
for
just
as rr\iz for
sire, and
r.-i-pz
scpw
or nsyjpr.
confine.
The
root
is
nVs
to shtit up,
rtTiV.yx
language
is
that of a
earthly enjoyments,
nymes
the n
eVl
exercise.
desires in
"~.'!*2. are
is
The words
God.
dried up,
in
and exhaustless fulness. No affliction, however severe or trying, can cut the believer off from this blessed reall-sufficient
The formula
,
rin"
instead
of
source.
to bring
r.'vv'q
is
On
him
the contrary,
its
tendency
is
it.
is of infrequent occur":-s rence. Comp.'Ps. Ixviii. 21, cxl. 8. The language of this verse is found in Ps.
r'')-"_
xviii. 33,
34
and
13
olive-tree,
produces.
to
but the fruit which the tree Comp. the phrase 1-3 r.TV ,
make
or produce fruit.
The
irregular
mascidine
Jehovah would prove the support and defence of the prophet, and of all who made Ilim tlie object of
their tnist, and that he would grant them complete deliverance from their enemies,
nri with
is to
and
restore
them
to the full
mind of the prophet both number and gender had merged in the
that in the
totality
and undis-
turbed posscs-sion
of their
own
land.
rV^s
Ifie
and imprcssiveness of
his subject.
grey-liounds
Comp. VV'is rir-r. Is. xvi. 8. It is wliat is commonly called, constructio ad sensum. Some would refer r ':::; to
an obsolete root
by
y
the
for
*rir2
E.xcept
of
my
country.
zrv which
,
they
take-
Chap.
III.
HABAKKUK
me
to
319
And
cause
walk on
To
my heights. my stringed
signifies
instruments.
thus performed
music,
what
is
The present
is
a musical direction
of a psalm or ode.
nJi.Jtt^
which
oc-
and also the stringed instruments with which it was accompanied. The preposition a is that of accom7nelody, song,
Psalms,
is
to
Delitzsch infers from the use of the aftix in ^^is'a: my music, that the prophet himself was to take an
,
paniment.
used in
refer-
it
whom
from
and he
Solomon appointed over the workmen, 2 18 and specially of the ii. 2, masters or directors of the music emChron.
;
was of the
tribe of Levi,
and engaged in
Chron. xv. 21
Neh.
T(fj
xii.
42.
By
the
LXX.
els
nsstt?
;
is
rh re\os
',
Aq.
Symm.
itrivlKiov
is
ii.
rh
y'lKos
Targ. sna'i^
Theod. In 2 Chron.
render the
gaged
for
,
'riii'^as
he uses the verj' same form " viy stringed instruments," Is.
17,
however, the
fpyoSidKTTfs,
LXX.
and
noim by
ver. 1,
and
is
xxxiv. 13, by
iiricndrtjs.
The form
xxxviii. 20. On what ground either the prophet or the king claimed these instruments, it is impossible to determine. The
originally ^Tiz-i.i
tion
is
a circumbe, as
Tii^^i
-:i5
"r~ is merely paragogic as in '^s-l overturned by the fact, that this paragogic form is never found except when
the word in which
construct state.
it
appears
is
in the
ZEPHANIAH.
PREFACE.
is furnished by the title to his book, in was the son of Cushi, grandson of Gedaliah, ^reat grandson of Amariah, and great great grandson of Hezekiah. As in no other
All
that
we know
of Zephaniah
which
it is
stated that he
we find the pedigree of a prophet carried so far back, it has not been inferred that he belonged to a family of considerable respectability.* Whether, however, the Hezekiah there mentioned were the king of that name, or some other person of note so called, cannot be determined
instance do
unf^iirly
with certainty. The circumstance that the words, " king of Judah," are not added to the proper name, rather militates against the position that he was descended from that monarch, since this addition always occurs when pri-
mary reference
1
;
made to any of the Jewish kings and, what is specially to when such reference is made to Hezekiah. See Pro v. xxv. xxxviir. 9. The number of generations also forms an objection
is
;
it is scarcely possible to make room for the short space of time which elapsed between Hezekiah and Josiah.
them
in
As our prophet is stated, chap. i. 1, to have received his prophecies in the days of Josiah, he must have flourished between the years B. c. 642, and c. c, 611. This statement is corroborated by certain circumstances in the book
itself.
c.
fall of Nineveh, and the overthrow of consequently he must have prophesied prior to the year 625, when these events took place i. e., in the former half of the reien
; ;
For
of Josiah.
chap.
i.
4,
of the destruction of " the remnant of Baal," evidently implies, that the abolition of idolatry had been carried
too,
The mention,
on
had not yet been completed. Now this exJudah from the twelfth to the ei<Thteenth year of Josiah for though this monarch began, in the former of these years, to effect a reformation, it was not till the latter that it was prosecuted with more successful results. If, therefore, we suppose that Zephaniah deto a considerable extent, but
between these two terms, we shall not be wide of the no mention is made of him or his labors in the histoncal books, which we njight expect on the ground of the valuable service lie must have rendered to the zealous monarch, it is sufficient to reply,
livered his predictions
mark.
To
OvK
&(Trifj.oi
iiy
(';/ril,
Prerf.
ad Zcph,
PREFACE TO ZEPHANIAH.
that the
321
same objection would He against the prophetical existence of Jeresame period, though we know that he then flourished at Jerusalem, under the very eye of his sovereign. The mention made of " the king's sons," chap. i. 8, cannot be urged in favor of a later date for it is altogether uncertain whether we are not to understand by the phrase the princes of the miah
at the
;
royal house generally, or such of the royal children as should be alive at the
in
which they are introduced favor the latter construction. The predictions contained in the book are chiefly directed against the Jews, on account of their idolatry, and other sins of which they were guilty. The awful judgments to be executed upon them and the neighboring nations by the
Chaldeans are denounced with great force and
cently revived the opinion advocated by
sion of these countries
effect.
by the Scythians, about the year b. c. 630, whose incursion into Western Asia Is described by Herodotus, I. 102, is what the prophet has in his eye but the Jews appear to have been so little affected by their progress, that It by no means corresponds to that of the enemy described by
;
were
Zephanlah, In the course of which not only Judea, but the adjacent countries His predictions received their accomplishto be entirely laid waste.
ment during the successes of Nebuchadnezzar. Towards the close of the book the restoration and prosperity of the Jewish people are Introduced. In respect to style, Zephanlah Is not distinguished either for sublimity or elegance. His rhythm frequently" sinks down Into a kind of prose but many of the censures that have been passed upon his language are either without
;
foundation, or
much
exaggerated.
in
In point of purity
the prophets.
He has much
common
some, after Isidore, have regarded him as his abbreviator. careful comparison of the two, however, proves the futility of this hypothesis. Occasionally he borrows the language of former prophets.
Comp. chap.
il.
14,
with
xxxiv. 11
chap.
ii.
41
; .
CHAPTER
The
to bring
prophet begins by announcing the universality of the judgments which God was about upon the land, 2, 3; specifies the difTerent classes of transgressors whose conduct had merited the infliction of these judgments, 4C; and calls attention to the speedy approach, and the features of the period of punishment, wliich he intermingles with further descriptions of the character of the ungodly, 713. lie then dwells upon the awfully calamitous nature of the visitation, and points out the impossibility of escape, 14 18.
The word
the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the
Judah
2
Saith Jehovah.
3 I will take
I will take
away man and beast away the birds of heaven, and the
fishes
;
of the sea,
And And
man from
Saith Jehovah.
my hand
em-
not appear to
is
connection
2,
qcs
which
variously
from Vicrw a stumbling block, cause of moral offence, what occasions, excites to,
,
xviii.
25
Sam. xv.
Ps. xxvi.
tJie
or promotes sm.
Sjt.
pQ.^.alo; Symm.
taking
Ta (TKavSaXa.
aioaij
to
its
Thus
is
signification
destruction."
What
Thus
clearly
shows
this, is
The
repetition
what the prophet has rrnr niTisy Cr. of c-s shows the prophJarchi,
nate verb h'Oi fo scrape, or sioeep off, in the form q"OS=~os which the Rabbi
,
human
be-
The
particle
rs
the Iliphil of
qcs by
,
elision for
qoNK
The
latter verb is never used in Iliphil but the same combination of the two
paniment.
Comp. Jud.
i,
16.
The
idols
and
their worshippers
were to be involved
in one
common
destruction.
Newcome
occurs Jer.
viii.
13,
CE-DS q CN
!i3'i'!|T'
,
ComIs.
'
improperly renders
genitive.
4.
rs
as a sign of the
pare for
similiir
;
usage
s':::
rinti,
xxviii, 28
s-^n
Jcf. xli'x. 9.
is
llie
enumeration of particulars
designed to
augment the
fearful
stretch forth the hand against means not merely to threaten, but to exert one's power to his injury. ntn Cir'in this place, means Jerusa-
To
any
one,
V -
, '
Chap.
I.
ZEPHANIAH.
agaiust
all
323
from
remnant of Baal,
By Vsan
Jehovah.
xiii. 2,
See Gen.
;
xli. 45,
50
Kings
It
of Baal, we are
to
understand the
33
may to some
cians, to
domestic and tutelary god of the Phoeniwhose worship the Hebrews were
appear doubtful whether the former be not here intended but as such are undeniably included in the Q->-itt3 ,
;
and among whom it afterwards spread more and more, especially in the ten tribes. Altars and high places were reared to this deity by ^lanasseh, even in the temple of Jehovah itself, 2 Kings xxi. 3, 5, 7; 2 Chron. xxxiii. 3, 7. These Josiah destroyed in the reformation which
es
(ii.
13),
more probable that in using the term the prophet had in his eye those who were professedly priests of the true God, but who, instead of checking, or
it is
t3'':ns
endeavoring to eradicate idolatry, encouraged it by their indifference, or the inconsistency of their conduct in other respects.
Comp.
Jer.
ii.
8, v. 31.
he undertook in the twelfth year of his but it appears reign, 2 Chron. xxxiv. 4 from this passage of our prophet, compared with 2 Chron. xxxiv. 8, that idols
;
ders ^"in^n^!',3
Neither were
he
left in the land by the Chaldeans. Their very names were to be forgotten.
5.
from public observation, or which had been formed after the destruction of the others, and the cessation of the reformation refen-ed to. Marckius and Gesenius interpret the phrase
the people
who
He first
up those
:
who were
^yan nss
this
of
less
of Baal, but
seems
probable.
The phrase
corresponds to
ni^rSW
in like
tem which had, at an early period, become extensively prevalent, and continued to exert its influence, not only over the nomades of Arabia, but over the philosophers and wise men of the East
but which, in whatever form or degree it obtained, had the lamentable effect of deifying the creature, and obscuring the
existence, claims,
tor.
the
ns
the
oySfiara,
or they
been misled by the cj , however, is foimd in two of Kennicott's MSS., and in the margin of another.
That
it
practised to
and glory of the Creawas adopted, and its rites a great extent by the Jews,
;
Jer.
,
Upwards of twenty MSS., four ancient editions, and all the versions read ca ns^
instead of e-j n5.
idolatrous priests, see
1719,
25.
The rps
flat,
The
on Hos.
x. 5.
in the ancient
and in the
is
latter
Both Hebrew,
the term
idols, as
^nb
have chosen them for secrecy in the time of the prophet, or they may have selected them for the purpose of obtaining a fuller view of the plane-
may
334
6
ZETHANIAH.
those that have turned back from Jehovah,
that neither seek
Chap.
I.
And And
Keep silence before the Lord Jehovah, For the day of Jehovah is near
For Jehovah hath prepared a
sacrifice,
those
whom
he hath invited.
And
The
no allusion
to guests invited
their houses
unquestionably
3Ioon, or
it
heaven," Jer.
vii."
17, 18,
19, 25.
Queen of The
were the Chaldeans, who, as the Divine army, or the instruments of his
ones,
retributive justice,
field
Most
15.
ment
God,
to the
hut, at the
Cjtus
xli.
is
said to
9,
xh'iii.
service of Moloch,
whom
,
in reahty, they
For
,
xiii. 3,
,
and
my
note there,
to sanctify, consecrate, is
on
Amos
r^ T;ia
v. 26,
.
rites
engaged in
the word
Instead of immediately
when they
pedition.
8.
set
as
tjV.''?."
'?.2
he had done in the preceding clause, Zephaniah stops short, as if uncertain how to describe the persons whom he had in view, and then proceeds to characterize them as combining, by acts of solemn profession, the worship of the true God with that of Moloch. Comp. 1 Kings n >'3iJ3 <(? sioear by a deity, acknowledge him in a public, solemn, and binding manner openly to
xviii. 21.
,
we
are to understand
not appear.
He
allow of their contracting guilt to such a degree as that which the connection necessarily requires
self
means
to
It
may
either
mean the
princes of the
scr\'ice.
This verse
in
is
more comprehensive
all
the king
who
in
its
who
were
That the
it is
XXV.
7,
where
king
By
guage of prophecy, a
or people.
sacrifice denotes
army
i
^"^r.^^.
means the rich and great generally, who, in violation of an express ordinance relative to national
eign attire, the prophet
Chap.
J.
ZEPHANIAH.
all
325
who
Who
10
fill
And
shall
shall
come
be the sound of crying fi-om the And of wailing from the second, And of great destruction from the hills. 11 Howl, ye inhabitants of the Mortar For all the people of Canaan are destroyed
!
That there
All
who
money
are cut
ofi".
Kimchi ex-
them
more
ters,
distinct
XV. 37
word of
them
of their goods.
10, 11.
them
9.
of Jerusalem
chadnezzar.
when
d'Snn
besieged by
iy"j
,
Nebuiii.
trous rites.
the fish-gate,
;
Because the
priests of
Dagon
ab-
Neh.
3,
39
but there
is
nothing in these
can determine
the
its
Sam.
v. 5, it
has been by
alludes
passages by which
some
uiferred
that Zephaniah
exact position.
be inferred,
city,
we From
name
by the Jews. Thus the Targ. 'sn-i^B '3!)i23 v^-snan Va all who walk in the laws of the Philistines. But
as practised
,
JPW
in
^'l^T
for
Samuel
merely
said, !i--n/
n^
^P^w
which would arrive who brought fish from Tiberias and the Jordan, and corresponded to what is now called the Damascus Gate, or to that of St. Stephen, It was from this side, being that which was most accessible, that Jerusalem was attacked by the enemy. That nJ'i'K the second, is
that being the direction from
those
,
guage of the prophet, ^psa-V? Vthh " him that leapeth over the threshold," is
:<
not to be referred to -^yr , gate, as its antecedent, but to i-y , city, understood,
appears from Neh. xi. 9, where
in full
r;:v:)2
expressive of a
more
violent action
and
we have
i.
n^y-
e.
with which the servants of the great rushed out of their palaces in order to seize upon the property of others, and thereby increase the wealth
terizes the eagerness
Ewald
town."
In
of their masters.
If
we may
apply the
word in Arab.
^J
was afterwards called Akra, or the lower city, which lay to the north of the ancient city on Moimt Zion, and was separated from it by the Tyropocon, a valley which ran down between them to the
present pool of Siloam.
version the
fecit,
we
In our common
denoting their setting out on their predatory expeditions under cloud of night. Thus, as to the general sense, the Syr.
improperly rendered college, 2 Kings xxii. 14, 2 Chron. xxxiv. 22, after the interpretation of the Bab'
is
word
|1o|^
bins.
The
r'lya j
hills,
here mentioned,
city,
such
al
326
12
ZEPHANIAH.
it
Chap.
I.
And
That
shall
come
I will search
And
punish the
will
men who
lees,
Who
13
Jehovah
he do
evil.
And And
Tlicy
become
;
a spoil,
may
And plant vineyards, but they shall not drink the wine of them. 14 The great day of Jehovah is near
the
Mount
of Olives, the
Counsel,
etc.,
the
as it
is still
,
known
Beit-
in the East
by the names
and other elevated localities within the by the temple, the royal palace, and the houses of the richer porwalls, occupied
yyJULJI,
c:^,
tion
of the hihabitants.
The prophet
el-Mukeddes, of similar signification. By ^?;3 D? the people of Canaan, the prophet does not mean the inhabitants of Canaan generally, nor Phoenician merchants in particular, who earned on trade with those of Jerusalem, but ironically the Jerusalem merchants themselves, who not only resembled the former in their
their
until
noun n2^'
pieces, 2
from
-'n'j
to break,
break in
Kings xxv. 4, 8, 9. i-psa is not a proper name, as the article prefixed shows, but an appellative, signifying mortar, from "i-pr to bray, pound. See Prov. xxvii. 22. It appears to have been applied, from its resemblance to that ves,
reach those
who
to practised Avickedness in
what
is
sel, to
The
Aq. (is rhv '6\fj.ov. According to the Targum, lii-ipsn nVhs, it was that through which the brook Kidron flows. Others think it was the Tyropcron, the locality of the bazaars, where the merchants carried on their business.
metaphor following is taken from the firm crust which is formed on the surface
of fermented liquors
been long
NEj;
,
left in
signifies, to
crete,
hard,
From
is
and strikingly expresses who have down into infidelity and atheism.
etc.,
what
Comp.
Jer. xlviii.
11.
Tlieir practical
most probably the true interpretation. It is thought by some that the term was purposely chosen by the prophet, on account of its resemblance in sound to onj; a holy place, and that Jerusalem
,
ing providence
is
expressed in so
verse.
many
words
at the
end of the
whom
God
all
itself is
is
exclusive-
and planting
their property.
till
the judgment of
ly appropriated to the tabernacle, or temple, and other sacred places, and never to
38, 39.
it is
called
vnr^
"i^J'
; ;
;;
Chap.
I.
ZEP
H A N I A H.
827
It is near
11
And And
I will bring trouble upon men, So that they shall walk as the blind Because they have sinned against Jehovah, Their blood shall be poured out as dust. And their flesh shall be as dung,
18 Neither their silver nor their gold Shall be able to rescue them
In the day of Jehovah's indignation But the whole land shall be consumed
By
the
fire
of his jealousy
will
be make
Mem
rejected,
but
there
is
no occasion
to depart
from
n-t
its
cause to turn.
It thus signifies
what
Itt
bitter, is
is at
bially.
should be the attack of the Chaldeans, that the Jewish warrior would be compelled to abandon
irresistible
So
building,
or the bottom.
grief.
oppugnantium ad
Hist.
lib. v.
ictus,
cap. 11, 5.
none
^^^^
equal to
this.
np!i::i
nna
^^^
^^^^^_
^^^^^
,^^^oaro.
1^"^
'
as well as
rTsVi'W nsa, are instances of paronoComp. Job xv. 24, xxx. 3, masia.
xxxviii. 27.
Hoot ahV
but
<o ea<.
be made to govern
it is
as well as
awn,
n'ln'ajni
'
M'lSSrr
form a
18.
Cj
as that
;
a turret,
is
derived
but
with a
also,
meaning
As
nor.
, ;
328
ZEPHANIAH.
all
Chap.
II.
Of
is
^j*
is
to be taken in the
because of
devastating
effects.
Is. x.
CHAPTER
A
II.
solemn admonition is now given to the Jewish people to repent during the short space of time that would be allotted to tliem before the Chaldean invasion, 1, 2; followed by an exhortation to the pious to persevere in their devotedness to God, and the interests of righteousness, 3. The prophet then proceeds to foretell the destruction of those nations which had always been hostile to the Jews, as the Philistines, 4 7; the Moabites and Ammonites, 810 parenthetically, the idols of the nations, 11 the Ethiopians, 12; and the Assyrians, 13 15.
Bend
yourselves,
and be ye bent,
Before the birth of the decree passeth away as chaff; Before there come upon you the burning anger of Jehovah Before there come upon you the day of anger of Jehovah.
The day
1. sr'ip^ flf -f i pnn the Hithpolcl and Kal conjugations joined for the sake of intensity. Comp. Is. xxiv. 19. The words have been variously rendered. LXX. (Twax^Ti KOii (TvvSe^re. Vulg.
'
Bend
yourselves,
and be ye
down.
Is.
bent, will
then
to boic
14.
The
convenite et conyregaynini.
De
i.
Wette,
e.
prufet
eiich,
ja
priifet.
Gesenius, collect
col-
account of their manifold Because CjCs signifies to be pale, Gesenius renders the words n-s >"i.'\n
,
God on
yotirselces
lect
and
be ye collected;
ti5~:
your thoughts, look into your own mind, prove yourselves thus agreeing with Dc Wette, after the interpretation of Pagninus, Yatablus, Cocceius, and Ewald, crbleichet und bleichct. others.
;
never denotes to be pale from a feeling of shame, but as the effect of desire, the
verb everywhere else expressing the idea of pining, longing, being intensely desir-
Most
but
which
sigetc.
nifies in
it is
abominated, hated,
2. The Divine decree or purpose of punishment announced in the preceding
never used with respect to human I prefer deriving it from ^'ip beings.
to bend, be bent.
Arab.
more ; incnrvatus fuit sencx. Hence rr J5 a bow, from its being bent.
vavit arcus
,
chapter, is here tropically represented as a pregnant femide near the time of her
delivery.
"'js "i>;D
o*
CUAP.
II.
ZEPHA^^IAH.
perform
his
all ye humble of the land, judgments
;
329
3 Seek ye Jehovah,
Who
Seek righteousness, seek humility. If perhaps ye may be hid In the day of the anger of Jehovah. 4 For Gaza shall be forsaken, And Askelon a desolation As for Ashdod, they shall drive her out at noon-day, And Ekron shall be rooted up.
;
chaff the day passeth, do not refer to the coming of the period of calamity, but
which they might flee for safety, for all were to be visited by the Chaldeans. For
the
see
cities
The image
that which
of chaff
flies
Amos
,
i.
the
me-
what comes
to
any one.
troduced parenthetically.
the day,
is
generally spent
by the Orien-
tals in sleep,
is
and
is
wanting in
six of Kennicott's
De Rossi's.
It
is
also omitted in
any military operations to be carried 2 Sam. iv. 5 Jer. vi. 4, xv. 8. The paronomasias, r:2TTy ~'<V, and V^pS
for
on.
-j^yr*
5. I'his
verses
Van
whom
state of things
e.
rendered perhaps,
pious, but the
meas-
territorj-.
extreme
left
The
poor
with the same application, dnri coast of the sea, Jer. xlvii. 7 Ezek. xxv.
, ;
16.
By DTiis
''^'i,
nation of Cretians,
we
Kings XXV.
4.
12.
The
who
origi-
"3
for, with
which
this verse
commen-
ces, lies in
which was about to come, not upon the Jews only, but upon all the nations with which they had been brought into There would be no country to contact.
ity
properly
.
signifies
the
Eth.
p^ll?
42
839
6
ETHAN AH.
I
Chap. IL
And the line of the sea shall be pastures, "With cisterns for shepherds,
And
V
Yea, the
In
tlie
Thereupon
down
at
even
For Jeliovah
their
God
shall visit
them,
And
8
I
And
Ammon,
Who
And
9
have reviled
my
people.
Wherefore, as I
Jehovah of
hosts,
The God of
Surely
Israel
shall
Moab
be as Sodom,
as
And
the sons of
Ammon
Gomorrah
salt pits,
A region of
And
And
a perpetual desolation
shall
plunder th-em.
my
them
Because they reproached and carried themselves haughtily, Against the people of Jehovah of hosts.
According to Stephen Byzantium, Gaza was originally called Mhioa, after ilinos, king of Crete, who, with his two brothers, Arakus and llhadamanthus, undertook an expedition to the coast, and gave the city Comp. Deut. ii. 23 1 his ojvn name. Ezek. xxv. Sara. x.\x. 14 Jer. xlvii. 4 16 Amos ix. 7. "y:3 Canaan, which
to rove, migrate.
7.
of
by the
their land,
territorj' as
10.
Comp. the
Is.
;
parallel prophecies
;
against
Moab,
ii.
xv. xvi.
Jer. xlviii.
Jer. xlix,
Amos
1
3
i.
and Ammon.
Amos
There
13
15.
Vs.
V"^:.to
not only employed to designate the whole country taken possession of by the Hebrews, but more specially Phoenicia,
is
one.
is
no occasion
has
^'izy
for its
,
is
las :{
living, or as
"ti,
is
,
God
liveth,
an allusion
r-s
pression,
is
which properly signifies wells or cisto-ns, from rns to dig. Instead of continuing to be a thickly jxapulated and well
,
larations
dratoing, or extending out, from p-jw , cognate '"^"iz to draio out, extend. As
,
it
denotes the
or
ovenunning of that
; ,
Chap.
11
II.
ZEPHANIAH.
earth,
331
Jehovah is to be feared above all the gods of the For he will cause them to waste away
And
12
all
Shall worship
him
each from
!
his place.
Also ye,
Shall be slain
ye Cushites by my sword.
13
14
And he will stretch forth his hand over the north, And destroy Assyria He will also make Xineveh waste, An arid region like the desert. And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her
;
Both the
pelican
Shall take
up
A voice shall
shrub.
,
hVtt n-i^w a pit or excavation, such as are found in the vicinity of the Dead Sea, in which, when it overflows
in spring,
salt
its
The w
water
is
collected,
and pure
simply the locality in which the persons spoken of resided. Compare ^-^sx: V5 , V73 , Q-"'?. > etc. rrn , Arab.
|v., to
obtained by evaporation.
The
is
idea
make
that of
to waste away, and to destroy.
and
desolation.
LXX.
11. This
verse
connects
so
slightly
t^ol^^pivffn.
as the former
little
God were
to be
extended
not only over the vast continental regions of the globe, but over those which border-
sea.
In Q^ n
"'"n
is,
as
yisn
self
with
re-
spect to
all,
the
worthy of exclusive veneration by In Hebrew effecting their destruction. poetry the pronoun or pronominal affix
frequently occurs before the noun.
intended.
The
been,
passage
is
See
and
For
is
on
Is.
xxviii. 26.
While announcing
the gospel.
12.
tt;53,
the destruction of the surrounding idolatrous nations, the prophet was inspired
to predict the gradual, but certain des-
Cush, see on
xviii. 1.
filment
cut the
earth.
The
period predicted
all peculiarity
of
would
cease,
and Divine
indeed,
is
de-
John
iv,
2124
1
.
employed.
13
N"i'l3
15.
From
332
ZEPHANIAH.
is
Chap.
m.
laid bare.
Which
me
there
is
none.
How
He
she
is
become desolate
wild beasts
shall hiss,
A resting-place for
shall
q?
peo-
pire,
Prov. xxx. 25, 26 but it is rather to be regarded as synonymous with y-N , land, comitry ; only restricting it
to the particular covrntry in
thrown, before the Divine sword, i. e. the arms of Babylon, could reach the countries against which he had denounced the judgments of God. This empire was tlie
Assyrian, which was drawing towards its end, and was actually subverted when Nineveh was taken and destroyed by
which Ninso
that the
phrase will be equivalent to Y~s~'r." n , Geu. i. 24. The LXX. render irama rck
^pia Trjs
the beasts
is
yf/s.
all
of the
The
in "P'ri
"i'3 1;
merely paragogic.
Cyaxares and Nabopolassar, b. c. 62.5. It is this catastrophe, vnih its disastrous conscciuences, which Zephaniah so graphSo apmically describes in these vei-sos.
pletely
see
on
Is.
xxxiv.
1 1.
of the
ert,
Arab
(J.i, the
and convert r- h,
s-y,
opposition to Hitzig,
porary shelter
among
her ruins.
They
"^^'e
rns
the Piel of
is
,
rns
is
here
best rendered
That by
c""i."?.
-I'lPsa
chapiter, see
is
Amos
ix,
1.
By nrns
on meant the
etc.,
made
,
in the
parallelism of ".'\-'irTi-V3
beast
every toild
of the nation
"'i
nation, has
by
with which the walls, ceiling, etc., of the houses were ornamented. For the language of pride and carnal security expressed in ver. 15, comp. Is. xlvii. 8.
CHAPTER
III.
Having digressed to predict tlie fate of the surroundiug nations. Zephaniah returns to his own countrymen, and specially directs bis prophecy against .Jerusalem, the leading persons in which had persevered iu wickedness in spite of
all
the warnings
; ;
Chap.
III.
ZEPHANIAH
333
received, 17. After addressing the pious members of the theocracy, and encouraging them to wait for the development of the Divine purposes, 8, he proceeds to predict the conversion of the Gentiles, 9, and of the Jews, 10; describes their character when converted, 11 13; congratulates them on their deliverance, and enjoyment of the presence
of their heavenly King, 14 17; and concludes by adverting to the circumstances connected with their return to Palestine after their conversion, 1820.
"Wo The
She She She She
to her
God.
Her princes in the midst of her Are roaring lions Her judges are evening wolves They gnaw no bones in the morning. Her prophets are vain-glorious, HyjDocritical men Her priests profane what is sacred They do violence to the law.
;
1. It
orphans,
etc.
in nS"i^K
See
2
Jer. xxii. 3.
Jerusalem, there
a play
4.
inhabitants
generally refuse to
receive instruction
was
built.
If so,
it
was
from the Lord, and alienate their affecfrom him and his service, but the rulers, both civil and ecclesiastical,
tions
to
place,
evmced the grossest dereliction of duty, and the most flagrant inconsistency of
character,
i.
The
to
root
is
Nnw
cognate
rebel.
a-iy
'asT
evening wolves,
prove refractory,
e.
The LXX.
(pav'^s,
forests or other
ilhistrious,
it
taken
as
noted, celebrated.
,
nsS'', the
to
devour during the night, whatever animals they fall in with. Comp. Hab. i. 8, \vKoi vvKTtptvol, Oppian. Cynoget. 3, 266. The voracious and insatiable cupidity of the judges
,
rage, be
is
further expressed
What
the prophet
is
which the
by npaV f.'ais. N^ nothing is craunched in the morning ; i. e. all is devoiu-ed in the night, and not so much as a bone C,a, left to be gnawed in the morning.
is
834
ZEPII ANIAH.
Chap.
III.
One, is in the midst of her, no injustice Every morning he bringeth his judgment to light,
He
doetli
It
is
not lacking
unjust
But the
6
I
know no shame.
;
made
cities
is
man
There
7 I said
:
Receive instruction That her habitation might not be cut off. According to all that I had appointed concerning her But they rose up early They corrupted all their doings.
;
sense, the
LXX.
^t^oXI-kov-
common Hebrew
6.
idiom, evert/
morn-
TO
noti relinquebant.
The
prophets, in-
ing.
evmcing that gravity and humilwhich became those who professed to deliver Divine messages, were Q-rnis, light and vain-glorious persons, trifling with the most serious subjects, and carstead of
ity
Besides
the
plentiful
instruction
with which the inhabitants of Jerusalem had been furnished by the public institu-
properly signifies to
boil
Comp. Gen.
xlix. 4
Jud.
Arab. <yi>^
sxiperhivit.
rupt.
among them, and from which they might conclude what punishment they had to expect if they persisted in sin, they had examples fiom which to take warning in the desolate condition to which other nations had been reduced on account of their wickedUnder the long and happy reign ness. of Josiah, the Jews enjoyed rest and trantions that existed
quillity until the last year, while other neighboring nations were laid waste for it was during his reign that the great
;
meaning of the law, when expounding it to the people. Comp. Ezck. xxii. 26, where similar language is used, and explained.
Jehovah had his residence in the temple, connected with the daily worship, in which were those unfailing rev5.
Jlichaclis.
its literal
Asia took place, while Judca was spared. ri5 2 is here to be taken in
acceptation of corner-stone, but
implied.
upon
it is
,
Niphal of
7.
nia
to cut
which
it
to
hardened in wickedness, they were conscious of no feelings of Rhamc. ij?.i2 -j;2a, in the mornimitate;
iised as imperatives.
is
and ^PipP are both futures In s: ^y^ and r-Vy a change, by no means imcomnion, of
"N-i'n
In Vb
to^
ivy in the
morning,
i.
e.
according to
an
ellipsis
of 2, according
Chap.
8
III.
ZEPHANIAH.
when
I rise for the prey
is
;
335
In the day
For
my
determination
my
anger
For by the fire of my jealousy The whole earth shall be consumed. For then I will turn to the nations a pure language, That they may all invoke the name of Jehovah i That they may serve him with one accord.
nj;S is not to be here
Vs
taken in the
ities
rious period
punishment. Comp.
Jer. xv. 3.
The
ap-
which were approaching, to the glowhich these calamities were designed to usher in, and which the
if
the inhab-
would only turn from their evil ways, and walk in the fear of the Lord. Such was the announcement which he graciously made to them by his servants
the prophets
;
The LXX., and all the other Greek versions, as also the Syr., render ny by testimony or witness ; a signification which only attaches to the letters
ing verses.
,
when
prey
is
pointed is
The
signification of
more appropriate
here.
Compare
;
Gen. xlix. 27
Is.
and
xxxiii. 23.
What
is
is
meant by
rising
up
C'stan
in the
to rise early, is
frequently used
to the prey
Hebrew
Scriptures in a tropical
any-
word from
my
to
pass
mind.
The primary
idea conveyed
by
cV-C*- irniif in
;
aliquem
once sug-
J^fc
>
inimicd, hastes
at
etc.,
in the East,
is
morning.
Root D^tj
bajulavit.
shoulder,
\
Eth.
onus
From
relates exclusively to
/\t\rf\C^
Messianic times.
imposuit humeris.
Most
>
words
!|3tl
from the polluted names of idols, and of every abomination connected Avith their
worship.
but
As
this
was
,
to be realized
by
on
c-i^sy
as distinguished
it
is
never used
this
Yet even
but
ill
suits
This pre-
consider
them
to form an apostrophe to
only
the pious
among
partially fulfilled.
By the gospel,
indeed,
the calam-
many
306
10
ZEPHAXIAH.
the rivers of Cush,
suppliants, the
Chap. IIL
From beyond
My
daughter of
my
dispersed,
Shall bring
my
oflering.
its
place has to a
ture, in
which they
great extent been occupied by the pollutions of antichristian systems of worship, while vast regions are still the scenes of varied and most degrading idolatrous
to a divinity
praij, supplicate.
Arab.
abominations.
And,
as to the unity so
spiravit,
Syr.
AV
^
fumavit odore suavi. Comp. Rev. v. 8, shoulder, whatever there may be of that where the prayers of saints are called real substantial unity which binds all hvfjLi6.\xaTa., odors or incense, and Ps. cxli. true believers to Christ as their Head, 2, where David compares his prayer to and to one another as members of the the Hebrew synonjTne for incense. ri"i Uj; same family, there is still a deplorable Who the worshippers are, the prophet exwant of the visible manifestation of oneplains in the following words ""a n na , ness in obeying the laws of Christ, and the daughter of my dispersed, i. e. by a
,
, :
strikingly expressed
by -tns err
one
obeying the
ordinances
of
his
house.
common Hebrew
people, the Jews;
idiom,
These laws are spoken of as a burden, Matt. xi. 20 Acts xv. 28 Rev. ii. 24 ; and the metaphor here employed by the
; ;
my
dispersed
and the
locality in
which we
IS c'^l
them
""."i^ ""a?
i.
prophet
is
Cush,
north.
e.
6/xo^vv. 12;
Acts
;
U;
ii.
1,
4G;
iv.
24;
XV.
2.5
Rom.
xv.
6.
What
-has pre-
visibility of
the miity
it on the where the same phraseology occurs, but w here the Ethiopians, and not the Jews, are the
See on
xiiii.
1,
them
own
to that
men
profess-
circumstances with which it is connected have not yet been brought to light, that
there has long existed in the west of Abyssinia, a people called Falashas, or
who
for their
Until there
is
a return to
emigrants
to
(from
the
Eth.
\
V-/^/*)
O'
migrate; hence
Y"'^!!
sojourn-
Yet
er, stranger,
such the Bible teaches us to look and it behooves every Christian to do whatever hes in his power, in order to
bring about so blessed a consummation.
Philistine,
is
maintain that they derived their origin from Palestine, and all of
reason),
who
whom
They
Comp. 2
Cor. vi.
tre10,
po^vyovvra
iv
airlffrots
and
r<f
Cor.
i.
^Te S( KarjjpTiffHei'Oi iv
TTJ avTT] yvdi^ij.
1
avrf
vot koX
with the African races living in Ethiobut with the tribes of Arabia. They have their own government conceded to
pia,
0. Having foretold the conversion of the Gentiles, the prophet in this verse
or king of Ethiopia.
When
ish
Bruce
had a Jew-
Jews
quite in ac-
king named Gideon, and his queen, Judith. Considering how greatly the
Chap.
11
III.
ZEPHANIAH.
337
which thou hast transgressed against me I will remove from the midst of thee Thy proud exulters And thou shalt no more be haughty in my holy mountain. 12 And I will leave in the midst of thee An humble and poor people. And they shall trust in the name of Jehovah.
;
On By
In that day thou shalt not be ashamed account of all thy doings,
For then
13
The residue of Israel shall not commit They shall not speak lies
injustice
Neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth But they shall feed and lie down, And none shall make them afraid. Rejoice, O daughter of Zion! 14
Shout,
Israel
exult Avith all thy heart, daughter of Jerusalem 15 Jehovah hath removed thy judgments
!
Be joyful and
mixed
should take place in the outward condition of the Jews. That condition into which they have been brought by their obstinate rebellion against Jehovah and
his Messiah, is
up with Judaism,
to believe that
there
is
every reason
That the Falashas are part of the whose conversion is here They predictedo I can have no doubt.
ple.
one of disgrace.
it,
When
dispersed people
recovered out of
all
the marks of
shall
be removed.
The
the
scattered
seed of
Abraham, most
temple worship, which proved the ruin of the nation, shall be taken away. The
converted residue shall be a people
ble
Their bringing
hum-
and poor in
;
spirit,
Matt. v.
3, xi. 5,
imply that they are, on their conversion, all that to come with gifts to Jerusalem
;
is
only be nniiTJ nri:a , the pure offering, which, under the new
intended
dispensation, "was to be presented in ev-
may
and of a truly righteous and upright and having fled for refuge to the hope set before them in the gospel, shall be safe under the protecting care of
character
their heavenly Father.
14.
ery place.
ver. 9.
See Mai.
i.
11
and comp.
call to
the converted
Israelites,
restored to their
13.
11
especially
cription of restored
rael.
sinful
The not being ashamed of their practices does not mean their not
a compunctious
odiousness
sense of their
feeling
intrinsic
is
Divine loving-kindness. 15. This and the following venses furnish the reasons why the Jews should
indulge in exultation.
turn
;
n:s
in Kal, to
43
338
ZEPIIANIAH.
thee,
Chap. UI.
He
liath cleared away thine enemies The King of Israel, Jehovah, is in the midst of Thou shalt see calamity no more.
16
O
17
Zion
In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear not let not thy hands be feeble ;
!
Jehovah thy God is in the midst of The Mighty One, that will save
;
thee,
He He He
will rejoice
will
Avill
be
18 I will gather those that are grieved for the (They were of thee ;)
remove, destroy.
Instead of
Ti^.'i*,
Comp.
Ps. xxxii. 2
Jer. xxxi.
MSS.,
originally
34
and two by correction, read which reading is also supjxjrted by two early editions, the Babyl. Talmud, and all the versions. For sixty-eight ^ISS., and among 'S-ri some of the most accurate these In the full enSpanish, read ""S-i"? joyment of the presence of their God, the converted Jews should have nothing
"TI'^'N, thine enemies,
, .
which Q-isi
is
theXiphal
Both
deri-
may
a se
The
former,
which
is
here most
to fear. 17.
and may be
said to
A beautiful description of
which Jehovah
the de-
latter.
The Jews,
it
in a state
light
dered
their
impossible for
them
to celebrate
and continuous happiness. The phrase iranys :;'" n^ has occasioned some difHoubigant, after and Syr., and following him Newcome, and recently Ewald, propose
ficulty to interpreters.
when they
I'j'.'a,
here a noun of
is
the
LXX.
intro-
duced, for the sake of emphasis, between the words r;S~r! f^NCtt
,
to read :^-tn\
" he
toill
;"
but this verb nowhere occurs in Hiphil, and the conjectural emendation is wholly
unnecessary.
silence,
or utterance of reproach,
which would
'Jin
to
be
dumb, keep
By metonymy,
the Jews,
who
are
has the same signification in Hiphil, to be silent, not to speak, and is here
very appropriately employed to express
the non-remembrance of iniquity. Justly as God might set the sins of his people
before them, he, in the exercise of
love,
liis
Comp. Micah vi. 1 6. The feminine sufn ^V." refers to Jerusalem or Zion,
:
understood
is,
as
The
makes no mention of them, having freely forgiven them for the sake of the atonement made by his only-bcgottcn
various reading T;"V though supported by more than twelve MSS., the Targ. and Syr., is most probably an emendation. 10. rs T.'vy means to deal with, in
,
Chap.
III.
ZEPHANIAH.
339
And will save her that halteth, And collect the expelled, And make them a j^raise and a name,
20
At
In every country where they have been put to shame that time I will bring you in,
Even
at the time
will
Yea, I
Among all the nations of the earth. When I reverse your captivity in their
Saith Jehovah.
the
sight,
way
,
of retribution or punishment.
ynsn which
, ,
is
in
Vulg. interficiam. Targ. Nn"'tt.\ "i^^S S3S Cy / will make an end of. I'he restoration of the Jews is uniformly represented as taking place in connection with the
destruction of those nations that are hostile
is
contrary to
ii. 13; however,
but
is
See Josh.
vii.
17;
Sam.
2 Kings
13.
is
In such
cases,
the article
to the cause of
in a special
See Josh.
viii. 1 1
XXV. 26.
for
plishment of his purpose respecting the final deliverance of that long depressed
ynsnVsa
cssnsa. The period
and
Is.
Comp.
nsVis,
20. After c^.risN"'3S supply
1721,
Lxvi.
,
15,
16.
halting,
and nrr^s
The
their
in
r 535
is
exegetical.
and
own
land
is
the verbal forms indicate that such shall be their condition till the time of restoration.
The
redound to the
when
it
happens,
how
greatly
and how long soever they may have desired it. Jehovah, to remove all doubts,
declares that he will bring
their eyes
;
i. e. it
land,
lands,
is
it
about before
and QPtJ3 "ns the land of their shame, means the countries in which they have been the objects of contumely and
disgrace.
shall certainly
become
The
occur-
AGG A I.
PREFACE.
It
exiles
is
lon in
generally thought that the prophet Haggai was among the Hebrew who returned with Zerubbabel, and Joshua the high priest, from Babythe year b. c. 536, when Cyrus granted them their liberty, and ordered
to
them
temple at Jerusalem.
B. c. 521.
His book
itself
who ascended
in building the
which the Samaritans obtained from Smerdis the usurper, the Jews became some measure indifferent to the work and when Darius came to the throne, an event which must have deprived the prohibition of all authority,
in
;
more influential persons prophecy of the seventy- years applied to the temple as well as to the captivity in Babylon, and they were only yet in the sixty-eighth year, the proper time for rebuilding it had not arrived, and gave their whole attention to the erection of splendid mansions for
instead of vigorously
their labors, the
recommencing
that, as the
themselves.
To rouse them from their selfish indifference to the claims of religion, Haggai and Zechariah were commissioned, in the second year of Darius, i. e. n. c. 520, to deliver to them rousing appeals from Jehovah. Tliese appeals had the desired effect, and the work proceeded with vigor. The book is made up of five messages, which were all delivered, at successive periods, within the short space of three months.
They
are so exceed-
ingly brief, that they are, not without reason, supposed to be only a
summary
The
he
is
style of
Haggai
is
his countrymen performance of duty. To these, the interrogatory form which he frequently adopts, in no small degree contributes. He is not without elevation when predicting the future. Cer-
when reproving
to the
ing
and the rest, though exhibitmembers which characterizes the usual prophetic style, are but faiitly rli, [hmiodl. The phrases, r^r^ ^tii r-,5i=:: c^.2=\ "? are frequently r.'peatcd. nin^ qx : occurs not less than
book are purely
historical
;
more or
less
of the parallelism of
ii.
4.
ii.
ii.
3;
Ufa
rritj,
6; ts%^. T^.,
ii.
and
CHAPTER
The
I.
the prophet calls the attention of the principal civil and ecclesiastical authorities to people to negligence of the people in not building the temple, 1-4; directs that of the respectnotice subjoins a and thfs as the cause of their want of outward prosperity, 511 ing the success with which the delivery of his message was accompanied.
;
In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord was communicated through Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua, the son of
Josedech, the high priest, saying
The Darius
here mentioned
is
1.
Da-
in
the
of the Achsemenidae, who, in consequence of an oracle, was raised to the throne of Persia, on the death of the usurper Smerdis, B. c. 521, and reigned thirty-six years. That this must be the monarch intended
Egypt, and the frontiers of Europe, to Oxus and the Indus on the east. The months specified by Haggai and Zechariah are those not of the Persian, but of the Hebrew year. See Zech. i. 7,
vii. 1, viii.
19.
dee
14
;
name was
comp.
("ja is
Sheshbazzar, Ezra
iii.
i.
8, v.
from the facts, that Darius the Mede, mentioned Dan. v. 31, ix. 1, hved before the return of the Jews from Babylon and that Darius Nothus and Darius
is obviotis
;
v. 16,
son
Codomannus
extended signification) of Shealtiel, of the royal house of David, 1 Chron. iii. 9 Cyrus committed to his care the 19,
temple, and the latter at a much later arius Hystaspis is represented by period.
sacred vessels of the temple, and appointed him governor of the colony
which returned
to Judea.
The
title
of
Herodotus as a mild and benevolent ruler. He protected the Jews from the opposition
of their enemies, and carried into effect the edict of Cyrus, Ezra vi. The name oi''i'!T , Daryavesh, or, as it appears in the cuneiform inscriptions of Persepolis, Daryawtts, is derived by Lassen (lib. d. Keilform. Inschriften, p. 158), from the
root dark, to preserve,
tive
nns
is
prefect or governor,
is
by which he
of
designated,
rule in
ing
provinces or divisions
the Persian empire of less extent and importance than satrapies. Comp. the
Pracrit.
ish Pasha,
word,
LccU,
yiLj,
Basha,
is
rather to be referred to
awn, the
inative;
and thus
signifies conservator.
Bash, head, commander, ruler. Joshua the high priest is repeatedly mentioned
in the book of Zechariah, as presiding over the Jewish affairs at the same time
Comp. Herodotus,
where the
sig-
name. The date in the prophecy is taken from the reign of this monarch, because at the time he swayed his sceptre over all the countries with which the Jews were brought into contact, from Lybia
with Zerubbabeh That V--:;- "-.xn, the high priest, is to be connected, not with the more proximate, but with the
i.
e.
with y i-n"
II
AGGA
Chap.
I.
Thus
Tliis
saith
Jehovah of hosts
people say,
The time
is
not come,
The time
Jehovah to be built. Yea, the word of Jehovah was communicated through Hagfor the liouse of
ye,
your wainscoted houses, And this house lie waste ? Xow, therefore, thus saith Jehovah of hosts Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, but brought in little; Ye have eaten, but not had enough Ye have drunk, but not to the full Ye have put on clothing, but none is warm;
To
dwell
ilar
all
other
cover,
cover over,
wainscot, or overlay
instances in
which
offices
and genealogis-j
with
boai'ds, so that
is
what
is
predicated of
the houses
ceiling,
"n,M
TV
the construction
is
somewhat
owing to the position of the N2. Either we must, with Hitzig, give to the former ry the points'
difficult,
infinitive
but must be extended to the which were thus covered, at once for comfort and ornament. How beautifully the feelings of David, 2 Sam. vii.
walls
2, contrast
jny =r;py
Ezek.
proved by Haggai.
5.
xxiii.
43
or convert
sz
The
is
inferential,
its
while
preterite, as
one of
nPS
Ps.
lit.
employed, not in
10.
""""='!
temporal
and agreeably
to the rendering
LXX.,
or,
and Arab.;
tr.'r."^.
Br.~'^
^Itt"',
what
preferable, regard
sa
put
more em-
mode
of
speech.
Comp.
ver. 7,
and
ii.
18, twice,
which
As two
of
at
:s
iJ-ij
historical infinitives,
Jerusalem encouraged themselves in their neglect of present duty, by assuming that the building of the temple was included
in the calculation,
the commencement of the verse, and, at the same time, give a greater degree of
press.
and
that,
till
the full
time had expired, they were under no obligation to recommence the work. 4. Repeating the word rv, time, which
2,
the
full of point
and cogency
llie use of
to those
wliom he
addresses.
to the
themselves, but
God
blasted
;
their
crs
before
cr V adds
agricultural
and
-,eo signifies to
Chap.
I.
HAGGAI.
343
And
To
7
he that earneth wages, earneth them put them into a purse with holes.
Thus
saith
Jehovah of hosts
Go up to the mountain, and bring wood. And build the house, and I will take pleasure
That
I
in
it.
Jehovah, 9 Ye looked for much, but, behold little And ye brought it home, and I blew upon
glorified, saith
!
may be
it.
And ye run each to his own house. 10 Therefore, it is on your account the heavens withhold the dew, And the earth withholdeth her produce.
1
And
were already become so dear, that those who wrought for day's wages parted with all that they earned, as if they had put it into a bag or purse with
holes.
7.
For "=3sn
mn 3S1
The
copula
2!ip
bo?-ed or perforated.
reiteration
5.
of the exhortation
end to be obtained, or the result that would follow the performance of the
enjoined duty.
contained in ver.
8.
The
reason
are called
to provide
wood only
;
ome
thought by Jertemple
rjs
remained standing but this hypothesis is contradicted by repeated statements in the books of Ezra and Zechariah, as well
as in
Even the small crop which was reaped had no sooner been brought into the bams or granaries, than it was disver. 6.
sipated.
owa
Haggai
is
ii.
18, in
which express
house
is
mention
tions.
of laying its foundaseems to have been on accoimt of the time which would be necIt rather
made
it
required
first
to
By nnn
the
is
which the Jews pursued their own affairs, and sought for self-indulgence. t^3 and "in a stand here in striking contrast. 10. CS/Vs is not to be referred to the heavens, and so rendered over you, but on your account, for your sake. Comp. Dr.'^V^a 1^.^ Micah iii. 12. The meaning is, on account of your neglecting to
"I
>
meant
The
,
preposition in
but
it
is
Vu>3
following
sVa
signifies
with re-
more natural to interpret the term of Lebanon, whence the wood was actually fetched. It is true the Jews themselves did not go to that mountain for the timber; it was conveyed by the Zidonians and Tynans, Ezra iii. 7 but persons
;
form a paronomasia.
!544
HAGGAI
Chap. IL
Upon the land, and upon the mountains, Upon the grain, and upon the new wine, Upon the oil, and upon what the ground Upon man and upon beast, And upon all the labor of the hands.
12
bringeth forth,
all
hearkened to the voice of Jehovah their God, and to the words of Ilaggai the j^rophet, according as Jehovah their God had sent him and the people feared Jehovah. Then spake Haggai, the messenger of Jehovah, in the mes13 sage of Jehovah to the people I am with you, saith Jehovah. And Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel, the son 14 of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua, the son of Josedech the high priest, and the spirit of all the rest of the people, and they came and did the work in the house of 15 Jehovah of hosts, their God, on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.
;
:
amplification
is
employed in order
to
add
13.
To encourage them
Haggai
delivers
to proceed in
The
to
them the
"^ss
anh, and
CS3 tlrns
ni"i -i""yn
am
rendered the word by fidxcupav, a sicord, not adverting to the circumstance that
the latter term was
still less
Jehovah.
14.
,
to excite, or stir
i.
up the
1,
applicable
spirit of
5),
means
to render
him
inclined effectively
is
a univer-
any
act,
specially be experienced
tures.
by
living crea-
From
it
appears, that
12.
describes
the
before the
work was
which was produced by the message which he had just delivered, All the people who had returned united with their rulers in rendering obedience
happy
He-
brew
London
Polyglot,
to the Divine
command.
CHAPTER
II.
This chapter contains three diflbrcnt oracles of the prophet. The first, designed to encourage tlie vKJOpIe and their leaders to proceed with the building of the temple, by considerations derived from the Divine presence, 1 Ij from their national covenant continuing in
Chap.
II.
HAGGA
345
force, and that of the prophetic and gracious influences of the Holy Spirit, 5; from the advent of the person and kingdom of the Messiah, 6, 7; and from the universal proprietorship of Jehovah, the glory of the Messiah, and the reconciliation which he should The second oracle cautions them against intermission in their labors, by eflect, 8, 9. showing that if they did so, nothing they did could be acceptable to God, 11 14; and by referring them to the infelicitous state of their affairs before the late revival, 1518; and promises them prosperity, 19. The third is addressed to Zenibbabel individually, to animate and encourage him in conducting the work.
In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month', the word of Jehovah was communicated through Haggai the 2 prophet, saying: Speak now to Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the governor of Judah, and to Joshua, the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the rest of the people, saying 3 Who is there among you that remaineth, That saw this house in its former glory ? And how do ye see it now ? Is it not, compared with it, as nothing in your eyes ? 4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel saith Jehovah And be strong, O Joshua son of Josedech, the high priest Be ye strong, also, all ye people of the land Saith Jehovah of hosts, and work For I am with you, saith Jehovah of hosts. 5 The covenant which I made with you,
1
!
!
month
1,2. This oracle was delivered nearly after the rebuilding of the tem-
with 02a
rogative' ^-a
had conunenced, and was evidently designed to remove the despondency in which some of the people indulged, and to animate them to prosecute the work. 3. It appears from Ezra iii. 13, that
pie
there were
many present
first.
at the laying of
who
alive,
rough and unpromising appearance of the new structure, contrasted with the elegant and splendid aspect of that of Solomon, previous to its destruction by the
Chaldeans.
-iSSDTn
is
though imphed, that whatever might be the estimate they might make of the work, it was very Comp. different with respect to his. Zech. viii. 6. And what is here only
it is
they were.
implied
6.
is
not in apposition
The government
of "i2^ri ns has
44
; ;
346
HAGGAI
Chap.
II.
When ye went forth out of Egypt, And my Spirit remain among you
6
Yet
once, within a
little,
And And
Ewald
their covenant
is
incomplete, and
blessings
rernember.
Hengsword in a
the
spirit of inspiration in
who were
raised
up
in the
Maurer endeavors to make it out to be an accusative modi s. normcB, and explains, secundum illud verbtun : and connects it with the preceding verse,
thus
:
will,
and
1
and of
induce them
to listen to,
am
;
word,
etc.
after Calvin.
r,
would supply
verse.
The
par-
ticle
rs
and enable them to comply with such call, Zech. iv. 6 Hag. i. 14. 6. In this and the following verse the Jews are encouraged to proceed with the work by the assurance that Jehovah would, as the Governor among the na;
in order to give
a greater degree of
Almighty
prominence, and
that or the
to
be
equivalent
etc.
;
to
power in
same covenant,
while
*i2'^r rs, together with 'r:;-!, form the nominative to the participle r^-s;?;
only, as separated from
kingdom
change
of the Messiah.
This mighty
is first
put in the feminine singular, to agree with -nnn, the nearer anteceparticiple
is
of
all nations.
,
dent.
For
this
use of
rs
before the
ix. 19.
In the phrase Myyz rns nis it is only the numeral J-ns which occasions any
difficulty.
cloud
iivy
did not
have
nV
!i:"rV>;
not kept,
yet
little, i. e.
r>!';
And
our
kinr/s
once.
Jer.
li.
Is.
xxix. 17
Dan. ix. 13, rs-V? rsa rs-q ry-in-Vs rs. All this evil hath come upon us. word oi '^S'^ matter, is here employed to denote the Sinaic Covenant, as the accompanying verb rn2 to cut, or make a covenant
etc.
: , ,
IjXX.
quoted
26, 27,
upon, Heb.
'^l
obviously shows.
Notwithstanding the covenant of which the Jews had been guilty, on account of which they had been punished in Babylon, it still continued in all its
flagrant violation
of that
jj.^ ^.SiO^'
Comp.
vi. 3
cys
xxvi. 8
and
for
the
ellipsis
of
as
Sam. cys
force.
They
possessed
it
in its written
here,
Ixii. 12,
,
and thus had the pledge which Jehovah had given them, that he was
form,
Ixxxix. 36.
tle, is
And
certainly, as
uyw
lit-
Chap.
II.
HAGGAI,
347
7 Yea, I will shake all the nations, And the things desired by all the nations shall come
nothing can be more appropriate than such construction. Hengstenberg labors
to include the dissolution of the
Jewish
;
hard to bring the idea of brevity of time out of n n i^ but fails to produce any examples to confirm his hj'pothesis. What the prophet has in view appears to be the convulsions which were yet to
,
must have increased the despondency of his people, instead of inspiring them with hope and courage, which formed his only
object in addressing them.
7.
Having
figuratively set
forth the
stUl
some of which were soon to commence, but all of which were more proximately, or more remotely connected with the complete establishment of the Jews in their own land, and the splendor of their temple as erected by Herod. The
empires,
which were
among
kingdom
of the
and then at once announces the arrival of the eagerly expected blessings of that kingdom. The passage has long been regarded as one of
the principal prophecies relative to the
at the giv-
ing of the law on Sinai, but the violent change which had lately taken place in the condition of the Babylonian empire, just as that yet to come is not to be ex-
was
so applied
is
Jewish Rabbins,
Thus
in
treatise
Roman
events
Sanhedrin, entitled
interpretation
is
pVn
the following
but
must be confined
to
who flourished before the time of Jerome: Vs-r*^ CriV T'* rirV^a izva
Akiba,
:3rr.sVtt
have only to call to ing of Christ. mind the wars of the Persians in Asia
Minor, Greece, Egypt, and other parts
We
nns's
r;"i; S3-T
little
For a
and those of Alexander and his successors which followed, till the period when the establishment of the power of the
to Israel,
the king-
Romans
acters,
at
dom, behold I will shake heaven and earth, and Messiah shall come. The rendering of the Vulg. supports the same " Et veniet Desideratus cunctis view
:
of
the
present
Gentibus."
Leo
prophecy.
require
Nor
does the
qui desideratur ab
Dathe
"
any other application of it. His object is to show that the dispensation or kingdom of the Messiah is stable and immovable; and in order to illustrate His point, he introduces, by way of contrast, the natural phenomena which took place on the promulgation of the Sinaic covenant, as described by Moses, and the political phenomena predicted by Haggai, all of which indicated the mutable character of the elements upon which they were exerted. That the prophet intended
nibus expetendus."
On
Kimchi, Vatablus, Calvin, Ribera, Drusius, Gataker, Vitringa, and others, render
:
"
The
Gentiles shall
i.
come with
their
delightful things,"
e.
precious stones,
etc.
Some,
etc.,
violently,
"
Come
to
the desire,"
thereby Jerusalem.
ems, rejecting this construction as altogether unwarranted, translate after the LXX. 7}|i TO iKKeKTo, iravTwu twv i^vwv,
pleas-
Chap. IL
^48
II
AG GAI
-with glory,
And
I will
fill
this
house
Ewald
of
all
is
translation,
of
or,
cvjn Vr r-rn
And then
itive
And,
people
may
is
berg,
who
renders,
at
shall come.
the heathen,"
deavoring to
make good
Now
of
for
what he says is all their always beautiful among them But he fails alike costly good things.
which he
inteq^rcts of
all nations,
cannot
mean
their riches,
by r-7;n, and in
the
heathen would bring into the church. That the root iiin primarily and most commonly signifies to desire or covet, both
,
no such riches were brought to Jerusalem by all the nations the gifts bestowed by some few of the heathen princes after the time of Alexander not in any degree exhausting the force of the language here employed. Neither could the prospect of contributions in more remote future time have operated in the way of encouragement upon the minds
in a good
and a bad
sense,
must be
evi-
of those
whom
The
who
will
take the
as to induce
them
with their
and that
it,
work.
fore,
TO.
an object of rfesire, see the Lexicons of Gesenius and This acceptation must be vindiLee. cated to 1 Sam. ix. 20. riun Vs "izy^ V>i-a^ to 2 Chron. xxi. 20, r^r n sVs and to Dan. xi. 37, C'-i: rn^in.
from
signifies desire,
;
must have been of a higher order Hf\x6vTa aya^d, the good things
i.
to
cotne,
e.
New
Cov-
enant. There was found to pervade the minds of the heathen, a deep and dark
feeling of the necessity of supernatural light and influence. Bewildered in the mazes of error and superstition, they
of concord in
,
r^i:n
?S3!i
the
verb
expressing
the
n-KH
from the power of moral evil, and a future state of existence and more or less
;
sions
no small
difficulty,
and presents an
That tjsn should have been produced by zeugma with is totally unsupported by analfi-'v"sianic interpretation.
,
To adduce only one testimony from among many to be found in ancient pagan writers. Socrates, endeavoring to satisfy the mind of Alcibiades on the
suliject
The
avay-
KOIOV OVV
ws 5?
K*r<rSoi, It is therefore
till
7IS
necessary to wait
it
ing a plural idea, the gender of which not having yet presented itself to the
behooves
mind
of the prophet
when he enunciated
it
in the
gods and men. To which Alcibiades responds irSrf oZv iraptarai 6 xpSfO! ovtos
:
masculine as the more worthy gender. The construction iu such cases is ad sen-
ai
'ZuiKpaTfs
6.V fioi
ijSiffra
yap
SohOi ISui/
Chap.
8
II.
HAGGAI.
is
349
Mine
is
the gold,
The glory
former,
When
?
O
be
Socrates
and who
former temple, not merely in degree, but in kind. That the second temple, even
as
all
? for most eagerly do I wish to see such Plato, Alcibiades, ii. near the a man. end. And, as the time of the Redeem-
at
advent drew near, there was a general expectation of a Teacher and Deliverer, not only in the Jewish nation, but
er's
To
Christ, as the
Light of the world, and to the spiritual blessings which flow through his mediation, the prophecy strictly applies and, with this reference, was admirably cal;
omon, there is no reason to believe. This must appear on comparing the description given of the former by Josephus, Antiq. Jud, lib. xv. cap. xi., with that furnished of the latter, 1 Kings vi. vii. 13 In point of size, indeed, the 50. temple of Herod exceeded the structure erected by the celebrated Jewish mon-
arch
all.
The statement
lib. vi.
made by
iv. 8, all
cap.
ance in building the temple, with which was inseparably connected the restoration
of their ancient polity, during the existence of which the Messiah was to appear. The " glory" with which the temple was
to be
filled,
of
of,
does not include Solomon's temple, but has respect to other erections in diff"erent But if the second parts of the world.
house was
inferior in point of
sumptu-
but a resplendence, consisting in the manifestation of Jehovah himself. Comp. Zech. ii. 5, with
did furniture,
Ezek.
xliii.
4, 5
Exod.
xl.
34, 35
Kings
8.
viii. 1 1
to be under
no
concern about the means requisite for the The earth is the erection of the temple. Lord's and the fulness thereof, so that
Jews admit, the Urim and Thummim, the ark, the pot of manna, Aaron's rod, and the visible glory, which was the symbol of the Divine presence, it follows that the greater glory by which it was to be distinguished, must denote something altogether different in kind, and which could only be supplied by Him, in whose
person the glory of God appeared, 2 Cor. iv. 6, who is the " Brightness of the Divine glory," Heb. i. 2 whose glory was beheld as that of the only-begotten of the who could say of Father, John i. 14 himself, " that in this place is one greater
; ;
whatever amount of earthly riches was wanted, he would in his providence supply.
The
is
verse
lieve their
and despised
terms
")
people,
xii. 6
and who
The LXX.
refer the
,
n h sn
the latter,
and irj{nn
,
daily teaching, Matt. xxvi. 55. In support of this interpretation, and indeed of the Messianic character of the
entire prophecy, ver. 7, 9, the declara-
to n-'n
"'an
;
this house,
but to nS2S
the glory.
And
tion
made in
and Ewald
dicted
but Ezra
1 2,
determines
latter verse
may with
to the contrary.
The
adduced.
"When "peace"
spoken of
it
was
to be greater
3.j0
HAG GAI
in tliis place I will
Chap.
II.
And
Saitli
give peace,
Jehovah of
hosts.
10
On
of Darius, the word of Jehovah was communicated through 11 Ilaggai the prophet, saying Thus saith Jehovah of hosts Ask now the priests as to the law, saying If any one should carry
: : :
12 sacred flesh in the skirt of his garment, and touch with his skirt bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any eatable, shall it be 13 holy
?
And
:
Then
said
unclean on account of a dead body, should touch any of these, shall it be unclean ? And the priests 14 answered and said. It shall be unclean. Then Ilaggai continued,
Ilaggai
If any one
is
who
and
said
Thus hath
this people,
God
men, to be effected by the Comp. Is. ix. G, 7, liii. 5, Ivii. Messiah. Micah v. 5 Zech. vi. 13 with 19 Luke ii. 14 Acts x. 36 Rom. v. 1 Eph. ii. 14, 17. This peace was to be
and
sinful
13.
To convince
his
countrymen
gianted r-Tn
in Jerusalem.
Cpaa
It
in this place,
i.
e.
his
made
cross. Col.
peace through the blood of his It has with some been i. 20.
the
and that
built
by
not to be considStrictly
ered
as a
third
temple.
and Herod
was
entirely new, for he caused that of Zerubbabel to be taken down to the very foundations but in the popular and re;
communication of ceremonial sanctity to any object, by its having been brought in contact with what had been sanctified and the other, respecting the communication of ceremonial impurity by one who was himThe former was denied self impure. the latter affinned. "\Miatever the Jews might otherwise rightly perfonn, would not compensate for their neglect in building the temple; on the contrary, their neglect in this matter would taint or viti;
as one, Bell. Jud. Accordingly nothing is more customary than for Jewish writers to speak of only the first and the second temple. In the present verse, Ilaggai is to be understood as spe.aking in an archi-
Comp. in
vi.
cap. iv. 8.
27
Numb.
xix. 13
in
which
lat-
form 'cti
tE?.
dead body,
Tiz
,
is
expressed in full by
or
by
nr,K"i
a cti
,
it-s
cnsn
ca.se
tectural sense,
inasmuch
as the
second
14.
The
temple was then being actually built. 1 0. This prophecy was delivered rather
of the Jews,
who had
temple.
ChjLp. II.
HAGGAI.
351
15
And thus hath been every work of their hands, And what they have offered there hath been unclean. And now consider, I beseech you,
From this day and backward. Before one stone was laid upon another
In the temple of Jehovah.
One came
And
One came
draw
fifty
purahs,
And
In
this
day backward,
still
now
designed to put
liquid measure in
tity being
them upon
C"i
,
their guard against falling back into the same state. The adverb
there, points graphically to the altar,
original
which had been erected at Jerusalem, and which was, in all probability, within view of the audience which the prophet addressed.
Amos
''T-i
For ver. 17, comp. where we have the words Ct?2-i sV ye turned not unto me,
word.
9,
iv.
,
instead of -Vs
gai, in
Ezra
iii.
3.
15
17.
The Jews
, used by Hagwhich there is an ellipsis of the participle n^na For this use of ritjs
.
C=ris 75*
during the period in which they had intermitted the work. God had frowned upon them, and rendered them
on
ver. 5.
In
ver.
infelicitous,
n^sa
,
a substantive, with
once and again reiterated for the sake of effect and to render it still more definite, the exact date
;
the local n
it signifies
used adverbially.
Properly
is
added
is
to the
formula n-'n
0VI
>
^^^s
day, which
ver. 15.
nVy
to
it
,
n^ya
time,
trjS"'n
Vulg., Hitzig,
future.
19.
etc.,
in reference to the
stood,
sa
to be taken impersonally.
,
At Si-it'S
nK"iy
To
ply nS'sVs or c-ittS sheaves. r!"i^3, which is used for the wine-press itself.
ning of the
given.
The
seed
a52
HAGGAI
Chap.
II.
20
And as yet the A-inc, and the fig-tree, And the pomegranate, and the olive have borne nothing From this day will I bestow the blessing. And the word of Jehovah was communicated a second
to
time
22
I will
shake the heavens and the earth, overthrow the throne of kingdoms,
kingdoms of the
nations,
;
23
overthrow the chariots and those who ride in them The horses, also, and their riders shall come down, Each by the sword of another. In that day, saith Jehovah of hosts,
I will take thee,
And
Zerubbabel
My
granary.
It
in the course
springing
there
were of the produce of the fruit-trees. Jehovah had formerly blasted their harbut now that the people were dilivest gently engaged in building his temple, they might confidently calculate upon one of plenty. He gives them a positive
;
monarch.
commence with the conquests of that Many of them took place durMiHer-
and Greece,
but, according to
It
is,
therefore, not
Zenibbabcl sur-
promise to this
effect.
The
repetition of
this day,
which had
been twice used in the preceding verses, gives emphasis to the declaration, -ry
,
is
here employed
which the prophecy was to be fulfilled ; and as the Persians occasionally experienced serious reverses,
for the
as, for instance, in
it was natural Jews who were under the protection of Darius, to have their minds unsettled by apprehensions respecting the
Judges iii. 26 2 Kings ix, 22 Job. i. 18, where it corresponds to -\y in verses 16 and 17. 20 23. These verses contain a special message to Zerubbabel, in which there
; ;
affairs.
To
inspire
is
some-
them with
protection
what
and
been delivered in vorses 6 ver. 22, the verb rn " to go or come doicn,
,
amid
,
all
tions.
is
equvialent to Vs3
to fall.
That the
2.3, cannot be viewed having respect to Zerubbabel in his individual capacity, has been thought to be quite obvious from the fact, that he lived upwards of an hundred years before the time of Alexander, who overturned the
For
OJ^in^ ';T"P7:';a, I will place thee as a signet, comp. Song viii. 6 Jcr. xxii. 24. Crirt from crn to seal, or close by sealing, signifies a ring with the seal or
;
, ,
signet in
it,
vnXti
Chap.
II.
II
AGGA
353
And
For
will
make
thee as a signet
garded by God.
latter idea is
He was
to be
an object
The
,
more
definitely expressed
tj2
Being
by the addition
to select
im na
nna
sit^-
and
care.
all
these
to take
to be re-
45
ZECHARIAH.
PREFACE.
Zechariah was
Babylon.
V. 1, vi. 14,
His father Berechiah was a son of a sacerdotal family. who returned with Zerubbabel and Joshua from
Neh.
the
xii. 4.
When
he
is
said to
word
-53 is
used, according to a
common Hebrew
in
idiom, in the
sense of grandson.
He
He was contemrather than otherwise, at the time of his arrival in Judea. porary with Haggai, and, like him, received his prophetic conunission in the
second year of Darius Hystaspis, b. c. 520, only the latter began his ministry two months earlier. Both prophets were employed in encouraging Zerubbabel and Joshua to carry forward the building of the temple, which had been
intermitted through the selfish and worldly spirit of the returned exiles
spirit
which they boldly and variously reproved. The most remarkable portion of the book is that containing the first six It consists of a series of visions which were vouchsafed to the chapters.
prophet In the course of a single night, in which, by means of symbolical representations, the dispensations of Divine Providence relative to the nations that had oppressed the Jews, the entire removal of idolatry from the
and temple of Jerusalem, and the and impressively revealed. The next portion contains the seventh and eighth chapters, and contains an answer to a question which the inhabitants of Bethel had proposed re(atter,
were
strikingly
fast,
matter necessarily arising out of the subject. The remaining six chapters contain predictions respecting the expedition
of Alexander the Great along the west coast of Palestine to Egypt the Divine protection of the Jews both at that time, and in that of the Maccabees the advent, sufferings, and reign of the Messiah the destruction of Jerusa;
lem by the Romans, and dissolution of the Jewish polity the sufferings of and the their conversion and restoration tlje Jews during the dispersion
; ; ;
sacred character of their worship, in whk-h the Gentiles shall join, after the
destruction of
tlie
will
be opposed
to their final
establishment In Canaan.
The
tested.
and
still
Is,
strongly con-
it
been denied
to
PREFACE TO ZECHAEIAH.
it
355
many anonymous authoi's. The first who ventured upon such a denial was Joseph ISIede, whose opinion was adopted by Hammond, Kidder, Whiston, and Bridge, and more recently by Seeker and Newcome in this country, and on the continent by Fliigge, Doderlein, J. D. Michaelis, Seller, Eichhorn, Bauer, Bertholdt, Forberg, Rosenmiiller, GramThe authenticity, on berg, Hitzig, Credner, Maurer, Ewald, and Knobel.
has been yindicated to as
the other hand, has been maintained
The
what
is
principal objection
is
materials, as being very different from those which are found to distinguish
by Zechariah.
To
this,
however,
has been replied, that granting such to be the case, there may have elapsed a long period of time between the composition of the former and latter portions of the book, during which auy observable change in the
style of the
prophet might have taken place. It is evident, from there being no reference whatever in the chapters in question to the completion of the temple and the restoration of the Jewish affairs after the captivity, that, if they had not been written previously, they must have been composed long after these events had become matter of history, and in circumstances altogether different from those which occupied the attention of the prophet at the
commencement of
his ministry.
That these chapters were written long before, and, indeed, during the existence of the two kingdoms of Judah and Israel, is a position maintained by most of those who dispute their authenticity but it is based upon too feeble and precarious a foundation to recommend it to the adoption of any who will The mere menimpartially examine into all the circumstances of the case. tion of Judah and Ephraim, upon which so much stress is laid, can yield it no real support. Not the smallest hint is anywhere dropped which would lead
;
us to infer the existence, at the time, of a separate political or religious establishment in the northern part of Palestine nor is there anything, but the
;
of the author.
tivity,
if
Judah in the days That Ephraim should be spoken of as existing after the cap-
cannot be matter of suqirise, when it is considered, that a very large, not the larger, portion of the ten tribes availed themselves of the liberty
granted by the Persians to the Jews in Babylon, and likewise returned to the land of their fathers. This view of the subject is confirmed by the application of the
it is
used in the
Compare Mai. ii. 11, 12, iii. 6, The few references to a return relate to those Jews which were in a state of banishment or slavery under the Grseco-Syrian and Gi'iBCO-Egj'ptian kings. The historical
so strongly
circumstances connected with the Egyptian expedition of Alexander are marked in the prophetic announcements, that they cannot without
The
Babylonish captivity, either in the way of threatening or warning, while the prophet minutely describes the character of the Jewish
ooQ
rulers,
TREFACE TO
!:
the sufferings of the Messiah, the destruction of Jerusalem, and the conse-
quent
show
must
have taken place, and that the whole of this portion of the book has respect So strongly, indeed, has this to times future to those in which he flourished.
fiiatiire
of the case presented itself to Eichhorn, and other sharp-sighted critrejecting, as their neology
ics, that,
compelled them
prophecy, they scruple not to affirm that the disputed chapters must have
been composed in the days of Alexander, Antiochus, Epiphanes, or Hyrcanus I. It also deserves notice that no reference whatever is made to the existence of royal government among the Jews, at the time the author wrote, or to any circumstances in the history of that people previous to the captivity. When, therefore, the difference both in regard to time and subject-matter are taken into consideration, it must be regarded as sufficient to account for any difference of style that may be detected. It is, however, after all, a question whether there really does exist such a difference in this respect, as Be it that the introthat to which it has become so fashionable to appeal. ductory formulas which occur in the first eight chapters do not occur in the last six, the objection, if fully carried out, would go in like manner to dismember the Book of Amos, and assign its composition at least to three differThe first two chapters of that prophet, it may be alleged, ent authors. cannot have been written by the same person that wrote the three which follow, since in the former every prediction is ushered in by the marked formula, " Thus saith Jehovah," whereas in the latter no such formula occurs, but another equally marked " Hear ye this word." And upon the same principle, the seventh and eighth chapters must have come from the pen of a third writer, since the distinguishing formula there is, " Thus hath Jehovah showed me."
:
The very
first six
chapters of Zechariah,
it,
is
such
as to exclude
while the
more
adorned and poetical style of the concluding chapters, which is so admirably adapted to the subjects treated of, ought equally to be regarded as exempting them from the category of comparison. In these no dates were requisite, though they were in the former, in which they occupy their appropriate place With in necessary connection with the events which transpired at the time.
respect to the
titles,
chap.
ix. 1,
and
i.
xii. 1,
be expected
to
mark
The
exactly parallel
Malachi,
1,
belong to a
common
found
in
any
On
the whole, I cannot but regard the objections to the authenticity of the
disputed chapters as the offspring either of a holy jealousy for the honor of
the Evangelist Matthew,
who
not to Zechariah,* or of a
* See
spirit of
Comment, on the
PREFACE TO ZECHARIAH.
which would unsettle everything,
In point of
style,
357
of certain
may happen
his
to
be in vogue.
his subjects,
in
mind.
He now expresses
At one time he
now
in poetry.
abounds in the language of symbols at another in that of direct prophetical announcement. His symbols are, for the most part, enigmatical, and require
the explanations which
Ezekiel
it is
diffuse,
accompany them. His prose resembles most that of uniform and repetitious. His prophetic poetry possesses
;
much
of the elevation and dignity to be found in the earlier prophets, with whose writings he appears to have been familiar only his rhythmus is sometimes harsh and unequal, while his parallelisms are destitute of that sjTnmetry and finish, which form some of the principal beauties of Hebrew poetry.
: ,
CHAPTER
I.
prophet Ix the first six verses, which serve as a general iutrodiictiou to the whole book, the which resulted from the impenitence is charged to warn the Jews by the consequences Divine will. We have of theii^ forefathers, not to be backward in complying with the favored, containing a then the first of the prophetic visions, with which Zechariah was folsymbolical representation of the tranquil condition of the world at the time. 711; gracious lowed by an expostulation respecting the desolate state of Judea, 12, 13, and symbols, appropriate promises of its restoration, 1417. The last four ver.'ies set forth, by destruction of the hostile powin a second vision, for the encouragement of the Jews, the their history. ers by which they had been attacked, at different periods of
In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the "word of Jehovah was communicated to Zechariah (the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo,) the prophet, saying
Jeliovah hath been greatly displeased with your fathers.
2 3
Say therefore unto them, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts Return unto me, saith Jeliovah of hosts, And I will return unto you, saith Jehovah of
See preface, and on Haggai
i.
hosts.
1.
1.
which the prophet has in view in this and the following verses, is to call those Jews who had returned from Babylon to Jerusalem, to repent of the selfish negligence which
2
The
special object
LXX.
;
opyriv neyaXr^v
.0
]
>
i
and
the Syr.
j^^
"j^v
Vi":;
,
In
is still
more strongly
great
1'^^ persons
Cjsp
sent.
":s Vi-;;
~'4Xu'!
>
Comp.
is
Ilag.
i.
4, o, 7.
This repentance
the Jews to
addressed in tr.'f?'-^. your fathers, are whom the prophet had been
There
is
ment which had overtaken their fathers. The argument is of the kind called enthymeme, in which the antecedent only
is
defective.
The
in
p-^;st
is
expressed,
is left
tion
'
Jehovah hath been very angry with your fathers, and so he will be with you, except ye repent and reform your conduct."
nr;:.
:]-j;;
.
and inferFor the defective form CrV^f twenty-eight ilSS., and three editions The phrase tSt^ read Crr-Vs in full.
tinuativc, but argumentative,
ential.
ris2l-
Jehovah of hosts,
is
of unusually
first
frequent
The
construction of
a verb with a noun derived from it, is found in other languages, as (uaxec^oj
chapters of this book, and in that of TTaggai. written about the same time.
/xaxV
ffntidere
gaitdium
but
its
fre-
quency
entitle
in
it
;
the
Hebrew
it
is
to be regarded as
In the last six chapters, liowever, it ocSee on curs not fewer than nine times. Is. i. 9, Its use appears to have been designed to inspire the mind with unshaken confidence in the supreme and
idioms
and, generally,
expresses aug-
: ;
Chap.
I.
ZECHARIAH.
cried, saying,
359
Thus
But
my
words, and
my
decrees.
Which
irresistible
I gave in charge to
my
is
power of God. The i in marks the apodosis, and has the force of and then, or in that case. Comp. James iv. 8.
2-r:*4,
it
closely
identifies
with "the
refeiTed to are
prophets" here spoken of with " the former prophets" there mentioned, just as the " fathers" in both verses correspond
to each other.
those
who
and
The
is e.
i,
question,
on nN
who
lived in their
equivalent to ^sj-^n,
in the land of the
whose wicked practices had brought upon the nation that dire calamity. The appropriation of the phrase C-ji"23 the former prophets, as a desC":Si-s-i
,
This
the
following
question
is
of
much
later
In Hebrew, simple interrogatives frequently imply the contrary: so that the language of the prophet is equivalent to " your fathers are no more,
clearly shows.
The returned Jews are here reminded that the same announcement which was made to them had been made
to their ancestors,
have escaped
repentance, to
all
gently
calls
is
The former
in
marked in the margin as redundant, and is omitted in the text of more than twenty M'oS. and some printed editions. The plural of V? S'c viz. C'VVv'K is the only form in which the word occurs. Comp, ver. 6.
D2-';"y:2
, ,
do the prophets live forever." seems to involve the idea, " but my words never fail," as it follows in ver. 6. This had been proved by the fulfilment of the Divine threatenings in the mournful experience of their fathers, and would again be proved in theirs, except they repented, which idea is ampHfied in the following
neither
The
latter declaration
verse.
6.
'J?rt
,
my
decrees,
i.
e.
my firm
and
determined purjjoses to punish your faththey did not repent, which I communicated to them by the prophets. The
ers, if
5.
Jerome
prophets by
whom
the Jews
who
lived
root
is
ppn
<o
hack, cut,
had been deceived an interpretation which appears to have been suggested by Jer. xxxvii. 19 " Where are now your prophets, which prophesied unto you, saying. The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land ? " The most nat-
Thus
tablets,
and hung up
confession
The
that
made
in
this
verse
is
make bv
dured
in
which the captives were compelled to the sufferings which they enBabylon.
Tiral
conversion, extended
GCO
ZE
CII
ARIAn.
CUAP. I
Did they not overtake your fathers? So that they turned and said,
According as Jehovali of hosts proposed to do to us, According to our ways, and according to our practices, So hath he dealt with us. On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which
the
is
month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of Jehovah was communicated to Zechariah (the son of BereI
It
is,
is
Chal-
body of the nation, it involved the entire abandonment of That 2!i'j is here to be strictly idolatrj'.
as regards the great
-^
The etymology
t22t3
not certain
taken as signifying
evil
to turn,
return from
to
its
to good,
Hebrew
gests
a shoot, rod,
it
staff,
sugso
month being
in
called because
trees
was that
which the
by such
;
verb,
is
required
I'ittr
sprouts.
correlates
the 3 repeated,
subordinate, but
important
From this part of the book to chap, we have a series of eight symbolithe language of which
is
not contain the identical words merely of the communications made to the prophet, but an accoimt of the scenes with all their accompanying circumstandoes
ces,
the formula
cal
visions,
signifying,
'
many
cases,
is
matter of no small
The
general plan on
is,
which
8.
constructed,
first
to present to
It has been
^ievv
Though
tinct
n in r;^"?ri is to be regarded as definitely marking the particular night on which the visions were vouchsafed to the prophet, or whether it is not rather
article
m the night,
by night.
grand whole and, as we learn from ver. 8, were all presented to the mind of the
;
able.
prophet in the course of a single night. The period of these nocturnal revelations
is
spoken of as "j'S,
a,
man,
three
months
is
after
for that
from verses
is
Comp.
eleventh
ver.
Shebat,
the
11
and
which he
month
And that
new moon
in
in
new moon
March.
Chap.
I.
ZE CHARIAir.
in the shade,
361
and behind him
the following brief
hedrin,
fol.
93, col.
is
1,
exposition
ferred to
given of the
:
man
here re-
connection with
is
so designated
pre-
by the prophet " This man is no other than the Holy One, blessed be He for it is said, The Lord is a man
;
'
of war.' "
The
Old Testament.
being
identified
stated to be "
among
One
of the
the myrtles which were in the shady valley." Many conjectures have been advanced respecting both the myrtles and
circumstances,
his
This Gesenius, with Jehovah himself. so far from denying, or attempting to explain away, expressly asserts both in his Thesaurus, and in the last edition of his Hebrew Lexicon, under the word "Sometimes," he writes, "the cTsV^a same divine appearance, which at one time is called n^.n^ "'i^'? is afterwards as Gen. xvi. 7, et called simply ni-"'
. > ,
my
it
since
and
r,^!i::
seq. coll. V.
13
xxii. 11
iii.
coll.
12
xxi.
to water or mire,
Exod.
;
2, coll.
22
xiii.
5; Jud, This
which
is
a derivative, not
Angel of
from V^ ::
to be
to sink, be deep,
God
ble Deity
to mortal eyes
tain.
ComHence
zum
Ev. Johannis,
mounSuch derivation is indicated by the Dagesh compensative in the Lamed, and is supported by the renderings of the
or shady place, probably that of a
LXX.
and Syr.
KaraffKiaiv,
and the Chaldee- Samaritan, whereever Jehovah himself is said to appear upon earth, always put for the name of God, the Angel of God." See the very
satisfactory observations of Dr.
-^ ^^-
M'Caul
on
27, in
Kim-
which
far-fetched
is
and
inept.
is
Equally unsatisfactorj'
the attempt of
who
the
is
Angel of Jehovah; that the proper name of this one Being is ril""' Jehovah; that this Being says of himself, distinctly and unequivocally, that He is the
.
ca-n
taitis,
by comj^aring the term with -i ^nn height, Is. xlv. 2. Twv opewi/ of the LXX. must have originated in their having mistaken
God whom
God
C"a~n
for
qin
who
or
it
may
and that some of the Rabbins themselves have been compelled to admit the facts. See
also
Behind the
rider,
appears as
com-
Dr.
J.
Pye Smith's
Scripture Testii.
mony
468
pp. 445
19.
is
each other by the color of the horses. It not to be inferred, that, because q-c;3,
we
are to
46
362
9
Z E C
HARIAH
Then
Chap.
I said,
I.
What
my
lord
And
the angel
pire
who
was subverted
view without their riders. This is evident from tlie reply given bj- the riders, ver. 11. 0-D, like our English horse, is
sometimes used in a military sense, to
denote cavalry.
Still, as
the complete establishment of the new dynasty in the room of the tyrannical
must have been speprominent to the mental vision of On a comparison of the the prophet.
representation, they
cially
8,
and
8, it
with their riders are employed in the symbolical language of Scripture to denote dispensations of divine providence. The peculiar nature of the dispensations
is
power by which the Jews had been enIn consideration of the awful slaved. vengeance which had been inflicted upon that power, the color of the horse on which the commander rode is represented as being red, rather than bay or white evidently with the design of affecting the minds of the Jews with a sense of the great deliverance which had been MTOught for them by their Divine Pro-
tector.
9.
miiller,
ion,
first
mentioned,
man
riding on the
vei^se,
being that of
and blood, is the appropriate symbol of war and bloodshed. That of the second company of horses is expressed by c"^"'''i), bay, or brown, perhaps not differing from -what is com-
is
properly maintained
as a to
com-
is sufficient
show.
Though the angel who made the communications to the prophet had not been formerly mentioned, he had presented himself to him, or stood beside him,
ready to
office.
monly
Ilicroz.
called
torn.
chestnut.
i.
See
Bochart,
lib.
ii.
cap. 7.
Wnat
purple, or
discharge
the
duties
of his
Tliis angel is
uniformly spoken
^'"^
angel that
ruftis
camelus.
TXX.
tion,
\l/apol
Vulg.
varii.
2, 7, iv. 1, 4, 8, v. 5,
is
The
and
the
language
Kol
is
iroiKiAoi,
in
from the
angel,
IjXX.
is
doubtless a gloss.
he
That
,
neither characterized
by bloodshed, nor by victory' and joyous prosperity, which the white color is universally
-2t
to
speak, as if
internal
allowed
to
represent.
it
what
is
is
obvious
From we
still
made by
Dclitzsch,
be
that
position maintained
by Jerome, Ewald,
cannot
The
colors
satisfactorily
made
out.
The utmost
commis-
eion
as
already fulfilled.
The
Chap.
I.
ZECHARIAH,
8G3
10 to me, I will show thee what these are. And the man that stood among the myrtles answered and said, These are they 11 whom Jehovah hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth.
among
the
and, behold
tranquil.
Then the Angel of Jehovah answered and said: O Jehovah 12 of hosts how long wilt thou not compassionate Jeinisalem, and the cities of Judah, with which thou hast been angry these
!
13 seventy years
And Jehovah
senger and the prophet. When the angel says ':j^^-lS , I will show, or cause thee to
see these things, the reference is to a tal perception or
men-
similar
com-
understanding of their
meaning.
10, 11.
T^'.'S
,
signifies to
commence or
to aiisioer.
was then
enjoyed.
is
of airoKpivoixai in the
New
here, as in other
Instead of the requisite information being communicated by the interpreting angel, it is imparted by the
The language
expostulation.
is
that
of intercessory
all
Angel of Jehovah
himself,
and by those
Because
While
the heathen
who
command.
'n?.~'in
the phraseology
"is 3
almost
that country
state in
Job.
i.
7,
ii.
2, it
the horsemen represent celestial spirits sent forth for the execution of the divine purposes
;
is
too
it,
comparison with
was still much in the same which it had been during the Some of the captives had reca]3tivity. turned, but they were too few to produce anything like a marked change in its circumstances. Vitringa, Stonard, and some others, without sufficient reason, think that a different term of seventy years is here intended from that predicted Jer. XXV. 11, xxix, 10.
reality
Rev.
vi. 2
8, is sufficient to
show.
The
"WTiat in
not of itself justify this interpretation. From the reply being given to the Angel
of Jehovah,
were the years of indignation upon the cities, but the years of the captivity
of their inhabitants?
n:^*r t^y^-i nr, " these seventy years," express emphatically the period during which the cap-
we may
conclude, that he
had
signified to
make
tivity
had continued.
Two
of these
In consequence of their several operations, the obstacles had been removed out of the way which prevented the restoration of the Jews the wars in which the Persians had been engaged had ceased and, at the time the prophet
the prophet.
;
years,
nearly to run before the expiration of the predicted period, so that the language
of the expostulation
is
when viewed
as calculated to
had the
Dathe
rius, universal
peace obtained in
all
regions with
of
God
13. That it is the same being who is styled r-n-; tl'iH'*' '^^ ^w^^ 'if Jeho-
364
14 with
Z E C
II
A R I A II
-words.
Chap.
I.
mc
Avith
And
the angel
who
spake with
me
Thus
I
saith
15
am zealous for Jerusalem, And for Zion, with gi-eat zeal And I am very greatly displeased
With
the nations that are at ease
16
Because I was a little displeased, And they helped forward the affliction. Wherefore,- thus saith Jehovah: I have returned to Jerusalem in compassion My house shall be built in her, saith Jehovah of hosts, And a line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.
:
17
My
cities shall
For Jehovah
will yet
comfort Zion,
And
vah, that
is
merely
is
to be at rest, as
communicable name
as in the passages
Jehovah, just
bad sense
quoted by Gesenius, As the Diver. 8, seems past dispute. vine ilediator, after having made intercession
The
enemies of the Jews had not simply executed the Divine indignation against
that people, but they
tonly.
who is
,
addressed
had done
it
wan-
by the
hosts,
ti-S2U nin^
Jehovah of
Such seems
to be the force of
ing angel the consolatory answer which was to be made to the prophet, c-'nin
C^TS":
,
The building
it
of the temple
had
still
are in
i.
apposition
e.
lit.
words,
consolations,
consolatory
words.
and was not finished till the sixth year of Darius. See Ezra vi.
15.
LXX.
Is, Ivii.
\6yovs
18
;
trapaKXrfTiKOvS'
Comp.
nip
for
has,
by
".p
,
IIos. xi, 8.
and the three follo'n'ing verses contain the consolatory words just referred to, which the prophet is commanded by the interpreting angel to communicate az^, construed with s or to the Jews,
14. Tliis
,
Kings
as
23
17.
Few
Judea
at the
was
speedily reoccupicd
lation
signifies to envy, be
of the Maccabees.
that, overflowing
with V as here,
to
it is
be
a fourth
hill,
called Bczctha,
y;i,
was
Comp. Numb. xxv. 11, 13 1 Kings xix. 10. 2 15. The adjective ):N'J
;
Arab.
^1_5,
yA
signifies
Chap.
I.
ZECHARIAH.
I lifted
365
!
18 19
Then
up
my
four horns.
he answered me, These are the horns Avhich have scat20 tered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem. And Jehovah showed me
21 four workmen.
And And
are these?
Then
I said,
What
do?
And
Babylonian.
VISION
II.
What
ii.
1,
2.)
This vision
Darius Ochus caniiot be taken mto the account here. The number is rather to
is
ing that the break in the Hebrew Bible here, occasioned by the commencement
be referred to the four quarters of the earth in their immediate relation to Palestine.
Comp.
chap.
ii.
6.
Thus Theo-
new chapter, is very unhappy. As usual in these visions, the hieroglyphic ^njp , a horn, is the is first presented,
of a
symbol of a kingdom, or
er,
political
pow-
of the temple, and the royal residence. 20, 21. (Heb. ii. 3, 4.) Here, again, the
horns of the fourth beast in Daniel's vision, are symbolical of the ten king-
is
called nir"'.
as nirr;
who
.
'^^tjVia
doms
into
empii-e
was
From
the special
employment assigned
to these artificers,
^ t" -j ri
John, the ten horns of the seven-headed beast are said to have upon them ten
crowns. Rev.
12,
xiii. 1, xvii. 3.
we may
nTTiUa
is
.
not
inaptly compare
destrtiction,
workmen of
which
at-
Comp.
ver.
rendered in our
common
where
it is
The
ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings," i. e. kingdoms, the ruling power
being put for the whole government. The powers referred to by Zechariah were
those which had been
hostile
to
the
tempt of Blaney to justify his rendering the word hy ploughmen, first suggested by Michaelis, must be regarded as a failure. On the inquiry being made, what these artificers were coming to do, a reply is
Jews, and had scattered them abroad from their own land. Jerome, Kimchi,
Abarbanel, Vatablus, and others, have been led by the occurrence of the number four, to interpret the horns of the
which further describes the tyranny exercised over the Hebrew people, and then states that they were the instruments commissioned to destroy the hostile powers. By again pressing the number four, interpreters have involved themgiven,
selves in
man
empires
it
has
inextricable
difficulties.
is
All
that
is
meant
to be conveyed,
the ad-
and canbecause
of,
equacy of the means employed to effect the punishment of the nations which had aiflicted the people of God. That
place.
Neither
is it
in illustration,
366
Jadah, so that no
ZE
man
CIl
ARIAH.
np
liis
Chap.
II.
lifted
liead
down
Judah
to scatter
monarch-
been approved.
Nor
is
anything of the
men
proved by the fact that the workare represented as distinct from the
kind necessaiy.
suffering,
and
is
The
rabbin-
made
to angels.
which the enemies of the Jews weiQ Comp. Jud. viii. 1 2 1 Sam. xiv. 15; Ezek. xxx. 9. r"f sigto
to be subjected.
the particu-
that the
ties are
several
human
instrumentalicalled into
intended,
which God
operation to crush
different countries
doicn, or ejfecting
an overthrow,
is
the
which
it
mode most
naturally suggested.
The
apt,
habitants
away
captive.
The
read
is less
conjecture of Blaney,
who would
,
hand,
bemg
T-tnn
instead of
Tinn
and, changing
the punctuation of crx into ens, renders, " to sharpen tlieii' coulter," has not
inhabitants.
CHAPTER
Jn a third
II
vision, a man with a measuring line is represented as going forth to take the dimeusious of Jerusalem with a view to its restoration to its former condition, vcr. 1 3; an act which is virtually ileclared to be unnecessary, by the prediction that such should be the increase of the population, and such their prosperity, that tlie city should extend, like unwalled towns, into the surrounding localities; and that, under the immediate protection of Jehovah, walls would be altogether unnecessary, 4, 5. In the faith of this prophetic announcement, and with a view to their escape from the judgment which was still about to be inflicted upon IJabylou, the Jews which remained in that city are summoned to return from their captivity, 6, 7; an assurance of Divine protection,**and of the destruction of their enemies, is given them, 8, 9; and they are cheered by the promises, that Jehovah would a;;ain make Jerusalem his residence, and effect, iu connection with the restoration of his people, the conversion of many nations to the true religion, 10, 12. solemn call to uuiverbal reverence concludes the scene.
Then
1
I lifted
VISION III. ii. 5 7.)
np
my
eyes,
man
4.
(TI(b.
The measure-
city.
Jerusalem
is
meat here
specified
Chap. n.
ZE CH ARIAH.
:
367
with a measuring line in liis hand. And I said "Wliither art thou going? And he said to me, To measure Jerusalem, to see
is the breadth thereof, and how much is the length And, behold the angel who spake with me went forth, and another angel came forth to meet him. And he said to him. Run, speak to this young man, saying,
how much
thereof.
Jerusalem shall be inhabited into the oi)en country, Because of the multitude of men and cattle in the midst of her. And I will be to her, saith Jehovah,
will
The dimensions
were
and
to
now
^laurer,
and Ewald,
is
in thinking,
that
work
that
was
the
man
with the
1,
be effected in
its
complete restoration.
measuring
line,
,
spoken of vers.
2.
The
The verb y n -i
of despatch,
commenced.
Rosenmiiller,
Who
He is
been disputed.
Jarchi, J.
H.
Michaelis,
and
are of
is
opinion
intended.
that
the
angelus interpres
Hengs-
cVcJii"'
dtoell,
2"i'P
T'lT'^S
Jerusalem shall
places,
i.
or inhabit open
himself.
But
e.
ions
is
for
the supposition of
occupy the
around.
Blayney, that he was Nehemiah. He appears to be merely an additional person introduced in the scenic representation, for the
Thus Symm. dre^x ''""reus Jarchi and Jerome, rKin V'*'-' (absque muro. Comp. 1 Sam. vi. 18, where -r-iSr "Ss,
the
country village,
^'V
,
is
contrasted with
city.
'^'j'2')Z
a fortified
;
See also
Esth.
ix.
19
reference to
two
different localities
it is
in
5. I'Heb. vcr, 9.) Though "the wall of fire," and " the glorj'," are doubtle.'S
emthe
angel,
the terminus
a quo
esis
Angel of
presence in affording
needful supplies
Jehovah.
we
are
more
is
meant by the
city
than the
literal
who main-
Tsn ^i^in
from
it,
is meant by young man, and argue that the prophet was of youth,
The
entire connection,
and
this
demand
368
G
ZE C
IIo! lio! flee from
tlie
II
A R T A II
Chap. U.
winds of lieaven Have I spread you abroad, saith Jehovah. IIo! deUver thyself, O Zion Tliat dwellest ^vith the dauglitcr of Babylon.
For
as the
For thus
(Ilcb.
saith
10,
Jehovah of hosts
is
6, 7.
11.) It
generally
calls
here given
those
Jews who
still
remained in
Babylon, -were designed to induce them to leave that devoted city before its approaching siege and capture by Darius.
winds." This reading, though supported by fifteen ilSS., originally by seven more, and perhaps by another, by thirteen printed editions, and by the Syr. and Vulg., is
inferior ui point of authority to that of the
TextuB Ileceptus.
In
all
probability
many
of
them had
acquired wealth, and might have been induced to remain in the enjoyment of
their possessions. It
could only be
effect
compared to
of the combined
such should take the alarm, and, with the rest of their countrymen, avail themselves without delay of the opportunity
they
land.
now had of returning to their own The urgency of the call is exby the
repetitious form, 'in "lin.
pressed
Ho ! Ho ! which
occurs, so far as I
am
The
winds of heaven being brought to bear upon any object susceptible of dispersion. The scattering had been most severely felt by those resident at the time of the vision in Babylon, and other regions iii that quarter on which account it is described with special reference to them.
;
"S
is
as a concessive participle, as in
being readily suggested by the interjection, will account for the use of the conjunctive Yau in sjcs'i . The land of the
north
cent.
is
21
Exod.
xiii.
17.
more
tion,
See
Between
the former and the latter clause of the verse there seems, at first sight, a palpable discrepancy.
than the interpretation, which assumes that -Pw-S is future in signification, and that the words contain a prediction of a future spreading abroad of
the
Jews
as
missionaries
among the
How,
it
may
be asked,
why
who
lived
in the
north (piarter should return ? But this apparent incoherence has originated in the supposition that the prophet here
asserts the dispersion of that people into
^Yhat can be conceived more incongruous, than a return of the Jews from Babylon, induced by the motive of a still more extended dispersion among the nations of the earth, without the
heathen.
smallest hint of this as their destination
!
By
iv-'S
Zio7i, are
in
Had this,
Babylon.
M;v3i''
however, been his meaning, he woxild have employed h after the verb, as in
Ezek.
tion
xvii. tJ.
construc-
and For
i.
r^
see
on
Is.
8.
Comp. t-^^-jTi-ra
r^fii'', Jer.
various reading a
y=-S3
instead
xlvi. 19.
8. (Ileb. 12.)
of 3
the words could then only properly be rendered, " I have scattered you by," and not " in"' or " into the four
;
for
et to
be the person who here speaks of himself as having been sent others, the
Chap.
II.
ZECHAEIAH.
me
369
To
my
fist
at
them,
Messiah
from what is predicated of him, ver. 9, that he would shake his hand at the nations which had afflicted the Jews. Comp. Is. xlviii. 16, where the divine mission of the Second Person of the
Trinity
is
no apprehension from these enemies, and might return with confidence to their own land. The tender regard which
Jehovah cherished for them, is expressed with exquisite beauty in the concluding
clause of the verse.
No member
of the
body
is
more
susceptible of pain, or
more
Blayney, Newcome, Gesenius, Hitzig, Maurer, and Ewald, strangely concur in rendering ^inVJ I'laa ins, He hath
sent
na2,
,
yy
now
,
rin3
me
a view to acquire
sage, however, is
Gesenius
bore,
make
hollow,
and
considers
it
to
a hole
Arab. i,^L>
is
time
nor
is it
preferable, according to
which
it is
to
osition
with
riVio.
This verb
it,
is
not even
It to
Vs immediately
therefore,
naa
can
only,
be
employed
of a child.
^00-
to the other
Hebrew mode
ys_ ^S^a'^s
,
of expressing
the
;
Thus the
i_a^j
LXX.
little
man
Syr.
Ap. after
of the
eye,
Deut. xxxii. 10
expression,
Prov.
yj^s
vii. 2.
Both modes of
o^
ArajO
is
are used in
honorem.
Targ.
,
nittsn
s^'ip"'
lfl2
in language quite
)i2^Vy r!i*ri"s^ after the glory which he hath p)-omised to bring to you. Vulg.
post gloriam.
Such exegesis
is
most
,
^^^
dearer to
yiy^
^
;
l^tUx. He
After what had been there promised should have been accomplished, the Divine Legate had a commission to
punish the
nations in
the immediate
as the
vicinity of the
of mine eye. Both modes ai'e more expressive than the Latin of Catullus mtilto quod carius illi est oculis, or, 7ii te plus oculis meis aniarem. The pronominal affix in \i'V his eye, is to be referred to risa::. nin",
the ptqjil
,
me than
and Syrians, by whom the Jews had been attacked and plundered on various occasions, and especially on that of the Chaldean invasion. The Jews in Babylon needed, therefore, to be under
Jehovah of hosts, at the beginning of the verse, the nominative to 'jriVa and not with Kimchi, Blayney, Stonard, and oth,
ers, to
9.
comp.
It is indica-
47
370
Z E C
they
II
ARIA
II
Chap. H.
shall bo rx spoil to their slaves ye shall know that Jehovah of hosts hath sent me. Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion 10 For, behold I come. And I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith Jehovah. 11 And many nations shall join themselves to Jehovah in that day,
!
!
And And
shall
become
my
people
^
;
midst of thee,
thou shalt
know
me
unto
thee.
shall possess
;
Judah
his portion,
Jerusalem.
13
Let all flesh be silent before Jehovah, For he is roused from his holy habitation.
connected, as their consequents, the extensive conversion of the heathen nations
to inflict
vengeance upon
cn-7=i?, their slaves, are meant the Jews, whom the nations, either by capture or purchase, had
By
and
The
rep-
Comp.
designed to express
2.
yni
signifies, as frequently, to
rience.
been
made
The
to be
God
in the land of
The almost
entire identity of
the language here employed, with that used chap. ix. 9, where, in like manner,
the daughter of Zion
clusion.
is
Comp. Ps.
is
xl. 7
Comp. Exod. xxxiv. 9 Deut. iv. 20, ix. The ideas suggested 26, 29, xxxii. 9.
by their being the possession of Jehovah
are those of their being the objects of his
So evidently
this the
only
fair
con-
Kimchi
"i"ry^
|',K"2
Ps. xxviii. 9.
future events in the times of the Messiah. The phrases Ninn cv?l
to
(Heb.
17.)
call
to
universal
Cnn
cwn,
and
on behalf of
Ixxvi. 8, 9
;
his
church.
i.
Comp. Ps.
reign.
Zeph.
7.
Chap.
III.
ZECHARIAH.
371
CHAPTER
In
this chapter a fourth vision
is
III.
priest is represented
described, in
as occupying his official position in the Divine presence at Jerusalem, but opposed in his attempt to recommence the service of Jehovah, by Satan, who accused liim of being disqualified for the discharge of his functions, ver. 1. The accusation is met by a reprimand,
the Divine purpose to restore Jerusalem, and the narrow escape which the priesthood had had from total extinction, 2. The guilt attaching to the high priest, in his representative capacity, and its removal, is next figuratively set forth, 35. He has then a solemn charge delivered to him, followed by a conditional promise, 6, 7 after which we have a prediction of the Messiah, as a security that the punishment of the Jews would be entirely removed, their temple completely restored, and a period of prosperity intro-
drawn from
duced, 810.
And he showed me Joshua the high priest, standing before the Angel of Jehovah, and the Adversary standing on his right hand to oppose him.
VISION
IV.
was proceeded
iii.
1.
The nominative
i.
to "'SS-iil
the
with,
is clear,
from Ezra
2, 3, 6, 7.
Comp.
The
ver.
As
is
Ti^Vw, before whom Joshua stood, was no other than nin"* himself, as
rii^ri";
stand before,
Numb. xxxv.
12
Deut. xLx, 17; 1 Kings iii. 16; it has been infeiTed that we have here the representation of a judicial transaction, an
2 evidently shows. It has been matter of dispute, whether by jurn we are here to understand the great enemy
of
6 avriSiKos, 1 Pet. v. 8
whether a hu-
man adversary or adversaries are intended. Those who advocate the latter position
think that Sanballat, or some other enemy of the Jews, is meant but the em;
But
that
it,
as
tion
which
is
appropriated to ex-
name
when
;
We
i.
Ezek. xliv. 15 it is more natural to conclude that Joshua is here represented as having entered the new
Chron. xxix. 11
; ;
find this
name
evil spirits in
See chap.
and
temple which was in the course of erection, and taken his position in front of the altar before the holy of holies. The
Some have compared Ps. cix. 6, but the parallel term ytn is against such construction in that passage. From the
identity of the
high
priest
phraseology,
however,
which
it
atonement, but was authorized to perform all the duteis of the ordinary priests ; so
that he
about
has been concluded, that it was customary in the Jewish courts for the accu-
when he
was opposed by Satan. That the altar of burnt offering was erected before the
assume this position. What the ground of opposition on the part of Satan was, we are not here informed but if
ser to
;
372
Z E C
II
A R I A II
Chap.
III.
And Jehovah
Jehovah rebuke thee, O Adversary Even Jehovah that taketh delight in Jerusalem, rebuke thee; Is not this a brand snatched from the lire ? Xow Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and he stood before the Angel. And he answered and spake to those that stood before him, saying, Remove the filthy garments from him. And he said to him, See I have caused thine iniquity to pass
!
commentators upon Jude 9, which resolves ' the body of Moses," there mentioned, into the Jewish church, and
supjxjses
is
a recogniii.
17,
12.
The
the
apostle
to
refer
to
the
and
forcibly,
though
tacitly,
conveys
whom
be represented, from
them
was the
result of
sudden
a
and the
and
efficient interposition
on the part of
backwardness which they evinced in rebuilding the temple, were urged as pleas against them. It is true, the opposition is said to have been made to Joshua but it must be remembered that he appears
;
Jehovah.
It
was
moment to be supposed that he would now withdraw his favor from them, and
abandon them to
be preserved.
their enemies.
He had
name nin^
Jehovah,
is
See on ch. i. 8. So obvious did this appear to the Syriac translator, from the spirit of the context,
that he renders (jiaj]^
Because the Romans used to who were accused in a sordid dress, Drusius and others have imagined that the idea of a criminal is still kept up. That the filthy garments in which Joshua appeared w-ere symbolical of the guilt and punishment of the Jews, seems beyond dispute just as their removal, and his investment with splen3, 4.
clothe persons
did
attire, indicates
a state of restoration
L^i^?.
the
to the full
privileges,
Angel of the Lord, a rendering which Newcome would, very uncriticaUy, have
admitted into the text.
tion of Rosenmiiller,
The
interpreta-
contracted by sin.
Is. iv. 4.
He
is
represented as appearing
de nomine principis sui," is a pure fiction, and directly opposed to Scripture usage. The verb -y j signifies to chide, rebuke,
so as to silence those
which he had
who
Babylon, and as having restored to him the gorgeous dress of the high jmest.
them from
effect.
ntiVfra
and put
over.
It is
sake of empliasis,
to
was
See on
here
commanded
to
Chap. in.
ZE CHARIAH.
thee,
373
and I will invest thee with costly habiliments. Let them place a pnre mitre upon his head. And they placed the pure mitre upon his head, and invested him Avith the habihments. Then the Angel of Jehovah stood up. And
away from
He
then
said,
Thus
saith
Jehovah of hosts
my ways, thou wilt observe my charge. Then thou shalt both judge my house,
If thou wilt Avalk in
And
if
Joshua are not, as Ewald supposes, attendant priests, but attendant angels. The nominative to -js^l and i^zth is ri'jn''
rises to
"jis
i"'r?:"v'.
*^^^
"*^*
and thus
effectively
annoxmce the divine decree reresponsible duties which devolved upon Joshua in his sacerdotal capacity. I do not agree with Dr. Stonard, who supposes that the Angel assumed the character and position of a The participial form of the witness.
specting the
verb
is
ishment
is
a heavj' load upon Joshua, and to have been removed hv^'a from upon him. raVn is not to be changed into iiJriVs
, ,
iiy
to
as here
make a solemn
Targ.
LXX.
n^nCit
.
Sie/j-apTvparo.
and Syr.
ip-iwrtt
,
as in the Targ.
and
Vulg. contestabatur.
form
my
charge,
or rites,
is
obviously
incorrect, since
namely, the Mosaic Institute. Obedience to this the high priest was bound to render himself, and upon him supremely
devolved the obUgation to see that obeyed by others, ri'ir'i^: from
,
which
is
altogether
it
was
,
The
-^yyd
word should be pointed -^si and has been so read by the Targ., Syr., and
Vulg.
ban,
is
to
is
frequently used
office,
by Moses
charge, to
to denote the
duty, or
to ati.
translators,
^-j-j
tiara, or tur,
which the
priests
;
were
the term
tend.
iii.
Numb.
53,
Pentateuch to denote this part of the high priest's dtess. LXX. At C""T53 the adjective f^-inu Ki'Sapis.
employed
By
the "house" of
we
is
to be supplied
the article
may
be understood.
Comp. Numb,
yr,
,
Hos.
viii. 1, Lx.
15.
to
judge,
common
to
by."
The
;
Angel of Jehovah
spectator
view
as a simple
who is about to deliver an important charge. And this, as the following verses show, was precisely the
ture of one
There appears to be in the declaration here made, an anticipation of the part which the sacerdotal family of Joshua was to take in the government of the
Jewish state
ticiple
C^^Vrw
,
is
He had
now
of '?;Vn
just as c-^iVr:^:
;
of
tsV.n
Jer. xxix. 8
and
t-iTt.?); of
ip;
, ;
374
Z E C
11
ARIAH
Chap.
III.
And keep my coui-ts, And I will give thee guides among these Avho
!
Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, Thou and thy companions that sit before thee
2 Chron. xxviii. 23.
It
must, therefore,
"SVho these
occasions he occupied a
more elevated
were we are not informed, farther than that they were standing in the presence of the Angel, and were pointed at by him. Some have thought that the subordinate priests who attended upon Joshua are intended but such inteipre;
By rsv:
are
'tJr.N
men of
sign, ox portent,
meant sgmbolical
still
figuring, or foreshadowing
or persons
18, XX. 3
:
future.
xii. 6,
is
Ezek.
here referred to as
tation
is
high
priest,
he
by the Jewish priests, and that one person is none other than the
In their sacerdo-
sustained.
As none
lows that the angels must be meant. This view is confirmed by the circumstance of their being represented as " standing," namely, in the presence of
and
in the presentation of
sacrifices before
which
Jehovah, ready to execute his behests, whereas the subordinate priests are spoken of in the following verse as " sitting" before Joshua.
when he
presented
room of the
of
Tl.'-\'iz
,
The import
of the
see
promise
office
is,
that he
and
his successors in
r.)z~
tJieg
For the derivation Though on Joel ii. 30. are, refers immediately to the
guilty.
subordinate priests,
that Joshua
is
we
and aid of
the manage-
affairs.
Munster,
take Z'rVrtt to be the plural of the noun "^h-iz, a walk, or walking j^lace
This use of the third person of the pronoun instead of the second is not without example.
See Zeph.
ii.
12.
but this affords no appropriate sense, except it be referred to the heavenly state
author of the
Targum admits
that
The by
nrs
Ilis
'
upon the clause by the Targum, Kimchi, and several Christian interpreters, but which is little suited to the language of the connection, and is
a construction put
words
is
}?r;-:;
My
who
revealed."
The same
interpretation
mode
8.
found in other Jewish authorities, as both Kimchi and Rashi admit. Some few
Christian interpreters,
tius
eign to Scripture.
The companiors
priests,
ordinary
who were
and Blayney, adopting the opinion of the two Rabbins just mentioned, suppose
Zcrubbabel to be intended
opinion
prince
;
with him
for the
purpose of canying on
but in
for
my
that
the service of the temple. They are represented as " sitting before" him, not at the time the words are addressed to him, for they arc spoken of in the third person, but
very
prepasterously,
was already
in existence,
and in
official duties
usually,
when
consulting to-
On
such
whom Jehovah had not yet appeared. Even Gescnius, Ilitzig, and Maurcr, make no scruwhereas the person to
refers
ClIAP. III.
ZE CH AEIAH.
375
(For they are typical persons) BRANCH. For, behold I will introduce my servant Joshua, before laid have which I behold the stone For, 9 Upon the one stone shall be seven eyes
!
THE
Behold
I will
Is.
iv.
Jer.
;
xxiii. 5, xxxiii.
and Zech, vi. 12 15 and is equivalent to Son. See on Is. iv. 2, where it is shown that in the writings
of the ancient Persians, " the branch" of any one means his son, or one of his posterity.
Jehovah.
said, that
Ezra
iii.
upon
this
"seven eyes,"
we
The
The
verb hti^
meaning
towards
as
it,
is,
that
they were
directed
noun
or
is
iq),
but the
LXX.
have
and fixed upon it, or intent an object of special attention and While with us an eye is the care. hieroglyphic of Divine Providence, the
Hebrews, to express the perfection of knowledge and wisdom in which all its affairs are conducted, employed the hieroglyphic of
*'
Luke
i.
Sun
is
ren-
seven eyes,"
seven,
in
avanXft 9i\ioi St/coiThe Vulg. adducam servum oavvi)s. meum orientem. For "'nav my servant, as a designation of the Messiah, comp.
dered by the
,
LXX.
Comp. Rev.
clares, that
Is. xlii.
17,
;
xlix.
see
19,
1.
510,
the
lii.
13
9.
liii.
and
my Comm. on
first
the
commencement
of these passages.
Most
of at the close of the preceding, and explain the t;;s , stoiie, of the Messiah in
made, in the course of his providence, by the laying of the foundation, should be an object of his special care and regard. , For V< V?' ^^^ ^y^ being upon
any person
exercise of
or thing,
as
denoting the
accordance with such passages as Ps. This view is cxviii. 22; Is. xxviii. 16.
largely insisted
upon by Stonard
renders
it is
but
alto-
kind and vigilant care, see Ps. xxxii. 8. The attempt of Vitringa and Blayney to explain C';:/y o( foun,
what, in
the stone
my judgment,
is
tains,
and
gether imtenable,
spoken of as having been laid before, or in the presence of, Joshua language which can with no propriety be
ing waters flowing from Christ as the antitype of the rock smitten in the wilderness
is
a complete failure.
The
sin-
to the Messiah.
it
is
a settled principle
Neither can the reference be to "^asn V^ian , the plummet, spoken of ch. iv.
10, that being represented as in the
hand
of Zerubbabel, and not placed or laid beI fore his associate in the government.
cannot, therefore, imagine any other stone
to be here intended than the foundation
^'i'V is as uniformly and exclusively used to express eyes. See for the principle, Gesen. Lehrgeb. pp. 539, 540. That
the dual
that
is
employed
in
pairs,
to express things
laid
exist
even
when more
Y
376
ZECHARIAH,
;
Chap. IV.
Ami
I will
ui
one day.
Ye
shall
Under
than two
2.
is
snps nnsM
"irn
form
' I will
"What kind
;
impossible to say
Jews were subjected on account of it. Thus the iniquity of Sodom, Gen. xix. 15, was the punishment to be inflicted upon it and that of Babylon, Jer. 11. 6, the same. The land of Judea had borne
;
its
foundation-stone,
as here used
the
exigency of the
regard the stone
we
had
punishment during the captivity, bul to be occupied and cultivated. To sufferings the Jews were still exposed on the part of their enemies, who caused an interruption of the building of the temple, and prevented the comfortable
was now
the foundation of which had been laid in the presence of Joshua. LXX. opvaata
^ohpov.
Syr.
I
settlement of the people in their own land. For their encouragement Jehovah
(JUkJLj^ jjj
^^As
it."
(51,
T-s
ci"'3
in one day
i. e.
soon, in the
""i.sn
is
"Behold,
is
rri^a
NT;r
significafion
-,?
is
remove, cause
to depart.
10.
social
but of the
punishment of iniquity
CHAPTER
Under
the symbol of a golden candlestick is represented the pure and flourishing state of the Jewi.sh church as resfored after the captivity, 1-.3. The signification at this symbol the propliet is left to find out, 4, 5; only a clue is given him in the message which he was commissioned to deliver relative to the completion of the temple, in spite of the formidable difficulties which interposed, and to the Messiah who was to come after the temple
was
in a finished state, 6, 7. He was further instructed to announce the certainty of the former event, on the ground that Zerubbabel, who superintended the work, was under the special care of Divine Providence, which should so arrange the course of human affairs as to render them sub.wrvient to the undcitaldng, 810. Under the additional symbol of two olive trees, which supplied the camllestick with the necessary oil, are represented Joshua and Zerubbabel, tlie two principal official persons in the new state, 1114.
And
1.
me awoke me
to
We
now
him.
Chap. IV.
2
ZECHARIAH.
!
377
who is waked out of his sleep. And he said to me, What dost thou see ? And I saM, I see, and behold a candlestick wholly of gold, and its bowl upon the top of it, and its seven lamps
employed by
itself, aiiio
When
certainly
it
conveys
signifies to rettirn;
but, according to a
common Hebrew
idiom,
the idea not of distribution merely, but also that of diversity or variety. The
instance adduced from
is
Kings
viii.
65,
is
See Gen. xxvi. 18, xxx. 31 2 Kings i. 11, 13. Connecting the verb in
verb.
Zechariah
manner with ^^'\^^S'^ reference will be had, not to any absence of the angel,
this
,
Our
translators
but to his renewed excitement of the prophet to give his attention to another
vision
view.
remove the one seven, and place it before " lamps ;" but such construction is altogether unwarranted, and, indeed, they appear to have placed only a qualified reliance upon it, for they render in the
margin, seven several
nrij-j is
its
pijoes.
There
is
"irs"
vast
number of the MSS. read correctly as the word is found also in some i5:i< 1
,
of the earliest
editions.
Many MSS.
This suspicion confirmed by two circumstances. The word occurs only once both in the liXX.
is
copied into
the
The former
et
renders
koX
the latter,
sepfem infusoria
The
other circumstance
is,
that, as in con-
signifies
was placed
it is
n't
expressly
15
with
oil
the
were only
nsaw,
seven lamps attached to that presented to view in the vision, we cannot conceive of
there being to each
tors
for the
oil.
been found in endeavoring to account for the double numeral form nyari rsaa
,
or conduc,
reeds or
Some think
by
itself,
is
the
num-
tubes of Moses,
ber
is
to be multiplied
xxxvii.
18,
and the
pipes or
same
abhorrent from the representation otheris unwarranted by Hebrew usage. Others, as Stonard, take the words in a distribu-
used for conveying the into the lamps. The latter word is
tive sense,
fourteen,
doubted.
Comp. Rev.
To
this hypothesis,
Vau
forms an
Christian churches.
The
idea
which
it
48
378
3
ZE CHARIAH.
it,
Chap. IV.
4
6 6
and seven pipes to the lamps which are upon the top olive trees beside it, one on the right side of the bowl, and one on the left side of it. And I addressed myself farther to the angel who spake with me, saying, What are And the angel who spake with me answered these, my lord ? and said to me, Dost thou not know what these are ? And I And he answered and spake to me, saying, said. No, my lord. This is the word of Jehovah to Zerubbabel, saying Xot by might, nor by power. But by my Spirit, saith Jehovah of hosts. Who art thou, O great mountain ? Before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain
upon
of
it.
And two
conveys
tion.
is
description,
illumina-
Almighty
Thus
it
by many, by those
;
whom
as
it is
of Paganism
history.
3.
and thus
it
Of what
n:y
,
emblematical,
4, 5.
we
by those of superior intellect and that by the exercise of his own spiritual agency exciting to action, and sustaining and giving efficiency to it, that its performance is seciured. There seems to be
here a reference to what
gai,
ii.
:
New
obvi-
we
read,
Testament,
signifies to
proceed or
It
be(jin to
is
"My
Hagamong
you
is
fear
ye not."
The
truth, however,
ously thus used at the beginning of ver. 4. Comp. chap. i. 10. While the angel
of universal application,
taught in the
6
New
;
had it in commission to explain what was meant by these trees, he was to reserve the explanation till after he had made
certain
Cor.
i.
2 Cor. x. 4
Eph.
i.
19
Col.
12.
7.
feelings enteris
communications
relative to the
tained by Zerubbabel, he
here taught
From
it
by the sublime and noble figure of the depression of a large mountain into a level plain, that none of the formidable impediments which he apprehended,
should, in the smallest degree, obstruct
his progress "a
,
may
who, sometimes
refers
id^ea
of
which he had
to contend, the
the
human agency
greatness of the undertaking in which he had embarked, and the inadequacy of the human means which he had at his disposal. Between V"n and 173 there is no clearly defined difference of meaning. They are both used equally of physical and of mental and moral power ; and are
Before -Vi"7:V
The
plies
interpretation of Stonard,
tlie
is
who
ap-
mountain
is
to
the
Christian
inept.
church,
By
top,
human
might, of whatever
:,
Chap. IV.
ZE C
shall
nAEIAH
379
And
8 9
he
the
With
shouts of Grace
Grace to
it
And
to
me
saying,
this house.
And And
10 For
his
ye
know
that
me
to you.
who hath
larger
more fuUy
serviceable
as well as
other,
" Grace" or filled in our E-edeemer. was favor, " was poured through his lips." character Ps. xlv. 8. At his birth the ris'iP ,
of the
principal stone.
literal
The
must
foundations of the
temple having
it is
" Glory
14.
to
God
in the highest,
on earth
men."
Luke
ii.
merely
As he approached
Jerusalem, the
Him
nss
of
whom
multitudes were loud in their acclaims of " Hosanna to the Son of David.
Blesssed be he that cometh in the
of the
is
t"S-i ^nt?
name
Lord
and who
Ke<t>a\r)
is
called in the
New Nor
AiS^os
Testament,
a.Kpoywi'iaios.
ywvias,
and
:
Symm.
t^i'
renders
t6v Ai^oi'
;
Thv &.Kpov
Theod.
Aq. rhv \ibov "rhv trpwrevcatn-a all conveying the idea of the primary or principal stone of the building.
work of grace
is is
The LXX.
,
n"a"ni
render, rhu
Whatever grace
The nominative
people of
is
God
is
altogether derived,
and
to j<"'sin
is
not to be ascribed to themselves, but to him to whom alone they are indebted for
its
who puts
tion
communication.
^fi
It
may
farther be
thus: ^'737
n-n^^w
"ni
'^Ji'i
the phrase
"^ri
Grace, Grace,
may
sriiDVu Vb3
t;i^r-'i yiz'^xS''^.
^'*'^
^^
to
who was named of old, and he shall rule over all kingdoms. The introduction of this stone was to be accompanied with acclamations of " Grace, Grace to it." ^'isir^ shouts
,
Comer
In Prov.
we
in 13S
a precious
hath
that
it ;"
him that
is,
^d
nnp-
or acclamations, from
ns^
to
make a
;
crowd
hence
9, 10.
nnS'
is
the
noun came
of a multitude.
The
repetition of -jn
favor or grace, is for the sake of intenand the ascriptions of this favor to sity
;
here used.
it
was pos-
and was
its
medium
others.
or
means of
to be the conveyance to
temple should be completed by Zerubbabel. " The day of small things" means the short period
tive assurance that the
which had elapsed since the Jews had begun to rebuild the temple, and the
580
ZE C
II
A R I A II
Chap. IV.
What
are these
two
left
olive-
and on the
of
it ?
proceeded a second time, and said to him, What are the 12 And two branches of the olive-trees, which, by means of the two 13 tubes of gold, empty the golden liquid out of themselves ? And 14 he spake to me, saying, Knowest thou not what these are ? And
commencement, which had been inconThe efforts siderable and inauspicious. bore no proportion to the magnitude of the undertaking, and could only provoke the scom and contempt of unbelievers. T2 is derived from tt3, as aq is from
command
eousness.
xvi. 9
;
who should
;
Comp. chap.
iii.
2 Chron,
Prov. xv. 3.
remarkable
signification of
T33
sig-
it3 otherwise
two olive-trees, any reply first, ver. and a third a second time ver. 1 1
; ;
time ver.
12.
The The
question
is
varied
last
mmute
Jehovah
is
strikingly contrasted.
His
and
that
sible
particular.
it
eyes rejoiced
the
work
marked out by Zerubbabel with the plummet. This instrument was called "(ris
for
him not
to
understand their
V^nan
it
the stone
of separation, because
markable persons with whom he was conversant, Joshua and Zenibbabel. rV^-'J
which was separated by smelting from th*e silver ore with which it was combined.
a branch.
its
LXX.
The Vau
prefixed in
jini
is
to
a tube or canal, through which oil or any other Uquid is poured, llie etymology
of this quadriliteral
fi.v^wTr)pfs.
is
uncertain.
LXX.
two
is
r;V.5?~~y3^
is
with which
n'jn'j
':*
With
the
tubes
the
as expletive,
in apix>sition. This,
to
which
apiars to
me
margin by
whence the candlewas supplied with oil. By ar;.-n th gold, is meant the oil, which is so called because its purity and brightness
indicate the source
stick
.
which had been advanced hi regard to the meaning, and brings out the simple
but encouraging truth,
soever
that,
tico
sons of
oil,
how much
commence-
e.
two anointed
ones, Joshua
so
called,
and Zebecause,
men might
the
despise the
rubbabel,
who
are
ment of
work
in whicli Zerubbabel
when
had
oil
were engaged, it was the object of peculiar regard and delight to Divine Providence, which was acqnaintcfl with all human designs, and from its universal activity could not only
atid his compatriots
poured upon their heads as a symbol of the gifts and influences of the Holy
Spirit,
fit
them
rightly
to
new
state
were of
Chap. V.
ZE my
lord.
H ARIAH.
lie
381
I said, Xo,
Then
said,
resented
as furnishing it instrumentally
who stand
before.
ITie
with what was necessary for enabhng it to answer the purposes of its estabhshment. Vs; C-iKyn is elliptical for
CHAPTER
The two
Jews
foregoin;^,
V.
visions exhibited in this chapter are of a very different character from any of the and were designed to furnish striking and instructive warnings to such of the as might refuse to render obedience to the law of God, and might not have been,
thoroughly weaned from idolatry. In verses 14, is the description of a flying roll, presented to the view of the prophet, on which were inscribed the threatenings of the Divine law, which still remained in all their force, and were ever ready to be executed upon transgressors. In verses 5 11, the means are emblematically set forth which Jehovah had employed for the entire removal of idolatry from the Holy Land, and its abandonment to mingle with its native elements in Babylon the land of graven images.
2 ing roll.
my eyes, and looked, and, behold a flyhe said to me, "What seest thou ? And I said, I see a flying roll, the length of which is twenty cubits, and the
And
I again raised
!
And
VISION vr.
to be
For the adverbial use of 2!rj see on chap. iv. 1. Tihi'Q a volume or roll,
1.
,
the
Pentateuch
from the root VV; to roll. The ancients wrote upon the inner bark of trees, which
,
was rolled up for the sake of convenience, and for the better preservation of the waiting. They also used rolls of papyrus and of the dressed skins of animals. Aq. and Theod. render the word by Si<p^fpa, a skin or parchment Symm. by Kf^aAls, the term by which the LXX. have ren;
read in the synagogue at the present day. One of these synagogue rolls, pre-
Museum, contains the Pentateuch, written on forty bro-nm African skins. In the Rabbinical diviserved in the British
sion of the books of the
Old Testament,
is
the
title
given
dered
Vi'e
vov,
2.
,
it,
Ps. xl. 8.
SpeVa-
but in Ps.
xl. 8,
the term
T.h:,'c is
applied
a scythe or
by waj' of eminence
to the roll or
book
The roll
here described
was of large
of the law.
The
more than ten yards in by upwards of five in breadth. To compose such a roll several skins had
dimensions,
length,
3S2
breadth of
Z E C
II
AEIAH
Chap. V.
And he said to me, This is the curse it ten cubits. which goetli forth over the face of the whole land for everyone that stealeth shall be cleared away on this side, according to it, and every one that sweareth shall be cleared away on that I bring it forth, saith Jehovah of hosts, side, according to it. and it shall enter the house of him that stealeth, and the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name, and it shall continue in the midst of his house, and destroy it, and its wood, and its
;
stones.
mensions of the
roll
correspond to those
1
two
tables of the
Kings vi. 3, seems rather to be accidental than intended to convey any specific instruction.
stealeth,
rule of
duty in regard to their neighbor and yarsr he who sxceareth, for those
,
The
the
who
rT':
the wicked.
3.
have immediate reference to God. not to be taken here in the sense of treating as innocent, but with the sigties as
is
nVsn rsT
this
is,
or signifies, repaltogether
resents
parallel
the curse,
instituting
iffri
,
a phrase
clean away.
11. It
is
Comp.
is
Is.
iii.
2G
Jer.
xxx.
when
TOvTo
supper
form of which
tJ)
awiMa fiov
i.
in Heb.
rST
The
the
ard,
'n''5
r.Vs
,
this is,
e.
represents
my
body.
having mistaken
for C|i:
;
Thus
S'lKrjv
LXX.
e/c5</c7j^(r6TOj
Symm.
comprehending
After
rs::'!-''?!
SaxTT).
Nor can
,
"jLadeth not
like,
supply
TSr^
-seV's
n".^2
ing as
or according to
if fully
"from the presence of Jehovah." Because T'TTa? ~^'a on this side and cm that, is used when the writing of the law on
,
expressed,
would be
2:ir^3 ^'^"^?^
accord-
it is tcritten,
both sides of the tables is spoken of, Exod. xxxii. 15, Abenezra, Kimchi, Rosenmiiller, Ilengstenberg,
interpreters,
upon the roll. Thus Jerome, sicut ibi scriptum est. 4. The pronominal affix in r;"rN::rn
or threatening inscribed
refers to
'-.'P"-\
nV^n
ya'i": is
an aggravation of sar;
of niV
is
The punctuation
r:'?
,
irregular for
9, 10,
;
was
man-
ner
of
-,!iV,
which one of Dc
Kossi's
MSS.
shows that
Hefcrcncc
is
it
y.h not merely signifies to tu7-n aside and spend the night in any place,
exhibits,
had
where the
that place,
See Ps.
transgressor
may
From
hand or on the left, he should be swept away by the Divine judgment. Nowhere should he find protection.
against peijurj'
The
curse
went
Kpanrvhs
fladne iracrav,
^vnfiapipas
&ira.vTa.
Se
^(Tspx^rai,
oKfffii
7'V
Kot
oXkov
Chap. V.
5
ZE C
HARIAH
383
Then the angel who spake with me came forth, and said to me, Raise thine eyes, now, and look what this is that cometh 6 forth. And I said. What is it ? And he said, This is the ephah that cometh forth. He said, moreover, This is their appearance And, belipld a round piece of lead, and there 1 in all the land. 8 was a woman sitting in the midst of the ephah. And he said,
!
VISION
5. S^'"
1
,
VII.
i.
word
in
its
primary
came forth,
came again
meaning to be that their eye was universally set on evil it was the effort of the whole people to fill up the measure of their sins, and thereby bring upon themselves a full
acceptation, considers the
The LXX.
give
it it
simply by
tJ)
Symm.
leaves
it
untranslated,
which presents
pretty
much
in
measure of divine punishment. When it is said that the ephah (for this is the nominative to the latter tnt this is),
,
its
was their appearance, the language is metonymical; the container being used
for the thing contained,
i.
XO.-
Some have
e.
riStJ-^n
is
not to be specifically
The n22
contracted for
nsis what
,
"i"^3
to
go
is
altogether
for
no necessity
round, was the heaviest weight in use among the Hebrews, being equal to
maintaining that the female represented was actually in appearance of the ordinary size. There is equally little foundation for the interpretation of the Targum, that the use of false measures was
3000 shekels, or, according to Jahn, 125 pounds, English troy weight. Luther
renders
it
weight not in
but
its
obviously to be taken,
estimate as a measure,
its strict
intended by this
C:''5',
,
item
of the vision.
but in
nifying a
flat,
The LXX.,
,
lead, yet not without some respect to its heaviness, in consideration of the end it
read Ci'^y
their iniqxdty,
which many
supported by
It
is
was designed
the
to serve
the security of
which
,
think
tion,
much more
woman
placed.
it is
it
was
To
called
only one of
De
Rossi's
MSS.
clear
weight
las
a
is
,
stone, in the
from what Jerome says on the subject, that the text was the same in his day as we have it at present. The latter reading is adopted by Houbigant, Newcome, and others of the same school. That
ys_
signifies appearance, or that
is
following verse,
n^'ri
the feminine
participle in Niphal.
fer to the talent or
rst does not reweight going before, but to n*as immediately following, and
is
equivalent to
the^-e
was.
The woman
which
55
was placed
8.
fully estabxiii.
;
by
reference
;
to
i.
Lev.
By
is
meant
Numb.
xi. 7
Ezek.
4, 7, x. 9
and
idolatry,
flagrant
Hengsten-
and the
384
This
ZE C
II
ARIA
II
Chap. V.
And he threw her down in the midst of is wickedness. the ephah, and threw the weight of lead on the mouth of it. two women 9 Then I raised my eyes and looked, and, behold came forth, and the wind was in their wings, for they had wings
!
a stork
10 tween earth and heaven. Then I said to the angel who spake 11 with me, Whither are these conveying the ephah? And he
said to me,
shall
To build for it a house in the land of Shinar be set up, and placed there on its own base.
To mark
article
is
for it
species of iniquity.
it
more
emphatically,
the
prefixed.
Theod. and Symm. This Greek term is derived from tpuis, love. The large wings
of the stork greatly accelerate
its flight,
n-V'in,
as
used both
times,
conveys
the idea of a forcible action. In the preceding verse the woman is represented as already sitting in the midst of the
when
an
In ni'rn-
is
ephah; the action here described may either be carried back to a period preceding the vision, or
to indicate
it
s the third radical, for r:;sPi, which is found in a great number of MSS. and some of the
elision of the letter
may
be intended
what was
further done, in
order to
the land
-yjj
the leaden cover being throwTi over her. The latter is the more probable interpretation.
rendered in the
in the Targ.
LXX,
BafivKwvos,
,
Vaa rs'iM
,
Jarchi
is
proper interpretation.
strued with
r"3
woman
but
it
of which she
To
srs^w
by Maurer and Hengstenberg as merely belonging, by way of coloring, to the symbol as such, two persons
are regarded
belongs.
In
we
are
taught
being required to carry so large a measure I should rather, however, as the ephah.
and Babylonian powers are intended, by which, as instruments, God removed idolatrj' in the perinfer that the Assyrian
with all its accompanying atrocities, was removed from the land of the Hebrews, which it had desecrated, to a country devoted to it. and where it was to commiiigle with its
idolatrj',
how
holy land.
their \\'ings
How
From
the time
is
r~"Cn,
the
from the affection which both the parent bird and her young show
to each other.
Aq.,
who frequently
gives
Hebrew people have never once lapsed into idolatry' The whole vision was intended to convince them of the great!
the etymology of
it
'Epw5ioy, in
Chap. VI.
ZECHARIAH
885
CHAPTER
Having warned
VI.
the Jews against indulging in the evil practices which had occasioned their removal to Babylon, Jehovah now, in another vision, exhibits to their view the warlike and unsettled state of political affairs in the immediate future, during the reigns of Darius, and his successors, 1 8. Most commentators seem to have concurred in the opinion expressed by Munster: "Haec visio est valde obscura." The symbols are in themselves simple, consisting of four chariots drawn by horses of different colors, which issue from between two mountains of copper, and proceed in different directions with respect to the land of Palestine. That they betoken certain dispensations of Divine Providence, in reference to the nations by which the Jews were immediately surrounded, and by whose fate they were more or less affected, appears to be the most consistent position that can be assumed in interpreting them, especially as such is the application of similar symbols elsewhere in the prophetic records. The colors of the horses denote, as usual, the character of these dispensations, as either calamitous, prosperous, or mixed. Comp. chap. i. 8; Rev. vi. This vision, which is the last, is followed by a splendid prophecy of the Messiah in his co-ordinate offices of Ppest and King, to typify which the symbolical action of making two crowns and placing them upon the head of Joshua, is ordained by Divine authority, 9-15.
And
chariots
I raised
my
four
came forth from between two mountains, and the mounIn the first chariot were red tains were mountains of copper. horses and in the second chariot black horses and in the third chariot white horses and in the fourth chariot were piebald
;
1.
see
on
the nations.
ch.
most
2, xli. 15
Jer.
]i.
25
By
meant
solid,
Dan.
ii.
35.
Comp.
Jer.
i.
18.
Of what
moun-
2, 3. The red horses are symbolical of war and bloodshed the black, of general calamity and distress the white, of victory and prosperity and the piebald grays, of a dispensation, mixed in its character, partly prosperous, and partly adverse. The last word, c^sn^^, would
; ; ;
to be referrible to
emblems of the Medes and Persians, and thus corresponding to the two horns of the ram which are employed by Daniel to denote See chap. viii. 3, 4. the same people.
inclined to regard
as
them
and
this
mode
But
From between
ful empire
these, or
employed in
which they formed, the instruments of Divine Providence were to proceed to execute his purposes in punishing
we should
same character
by the
49
386
4 gray horses.
I then
ZE
What
CHAR
my
AH.
And
Chap. VI.
who spake
5 with mo,
are these,
and
said to
of heaven, coming
6 forth from presenting themselves before the Lord of the whole That and the black horses in it are going forth into the earth.
north country
word
in
and
question.
I,
prefer
jQ
jfl
leviter splenduit,
and regard
it
as qualifying
cnna
immediately prehorses,
into
ceding.
yr^up
ash-
colored gray
so tliat the
The
disastrous as
Babylon,
>"=ns
ii.
it
C"7S'in
10,
open
that
it
at the
commencement
there
meaning
dent from
appearance of
much
are such as
had taken
their station, or
Notwithstanding, therefore, the chariot with the red horses appeared along with
the others,
it seems to be intimated, by no further notice having been taken of it, that it was not employed. The rchite horses, denoting victory and prosperity,
rendered as
the heavens
say,
;
we now commonly
thereby meaning
celestial
spirits,
which, though checked by the battle of Marathon, contributed to the strengthening of his
These are represented, as in ii. 1, as employed by God to carry into effect his high behests, which they receive in his immediate presence, and then proceed to the different quarters
angels.
Job
i.
6;
in that quarter.
literally
The phrase,
cn/'-i
power ns-Vs,
to
means behind them, but geoThat be .so taken here, the use of Vs
,
of the globe in
ried forward.
6.
which the
special opera-
to,
same
fore
and
By
'I'lE^
yns
shows.
bolical
The dappled
of the varied
affairs,
we
condition of the
of Babylon.
Comp.
Jer.
ii.
iii.
Persian
tle
10.
Though
which took place on the death of Darius, and the expedition of Xerxes for the reduction of Eg}-pt. This last circumstance
is
ginning of the
all his forces
fifth yeiir
of Darius, on
wth
re-
and, after
much
it,
devasta-
">:''Pn '(""S
tion,
completely depopulated
it
and
That by "^a'n
on the
east of
duced
to solitude.
To
set forth
sym-
Chap. YI.
7 the piebald
ZE CHAEIAH,
387
go forth to the south country. And the grays went and asked to go to walk to and fro through the land and he said, Go, walk to and fro through the land and they walked to and fro through the land. Then he summoned me and said to me. See, those that went to the north country have appeased my anger in the north
forth,
; ;
country.
9
And
the
to me, saying
10 Take from the captivity, from Heldai, from Tobijah, and from
south of Palestine,
article
is
and inspire them with the hope of a complete and happy restoration to the enjoyment of their ancient These dappled horses supply privileges.
their distress,
synonymous with )"'', on the right hand, which geographically means the South, and here specifically signifies Egypt, to express which Daniel uses the word 2.1 3 chap. xi. 40.
It
is
,
2,
but
number of chariots is still four. The nominative to pytn must either be Jehovah, cr the Angel of Jehovah, understood as the pronominal affix
in
iri!)"i
,
7.
yisn
"my
anger,"
shows.
ii^-i
That
among
Is.
other significations
viii.
has that
;
Eccles. x. 4
xxxiiL 11.
The
which are marked by two circumstances the gray color of the horses, which indicated the mixed state of the Jewish
to
:
anger to rest, is equivalent to TXtn ti^2n Ezek. v. 13, xvi. 42, xxiv.
to cause
>
affairs till
Mne-
mon and
and means to satisfy, pacify. The final judgment having been inflicted upon Babylon, the Divine displeasure should no more be manifested in that
13
;
signifies to
go about, or
to
walk up and
direction.
down.
to be molested
by
we
find
them
vision was Jews of the care and protection of their covenant God, and thus lead them to exercise confidence in him,
to assure the
and, as
while prosecuting the restoration of the temple and their former institutions.
9
the Persian
estine to
11.
Here commences a
separate
to stimulate the
Jews in
their
must have been exposed to numerous inconveniences, which they could not but feel the more severely, owing to their having only just begun to take possession
of their patrimonial inheritances. the other hand, the appointment of
work.
That what was commanded was actually performed by the prophet, and' that it was not done in vision, seems the
only tenable
construction that can be
On
Ne-
put upon
it.
The
infinitive
tiip^
is
at
to
hemiah
to be
finite
be form
both having
arn
888
Jedaiah,
ZECHARIAH.
who
are
Chap. VI.
11 day, yea, enter the hoi;se of Josiah the son of Zephaniah; yea,
take silver and gold, and make crowns, and place them upon the head of Joshua, the son of Josedech, the high priest; and speak 12 to him, saying. Thus spcaketh Jehovah of hosts, saying:
The
preposition
which
is
is
prefixed to
described as being
not to be taken
captivity,
some of the
is
used in
its pri-
mary and most common signification. The persons named appear to have formed a deputation from the
still
queror, composed of many diadems, which Christ is represented as wearing, as a sjTnbol of the numerous victories he had won over the enemies of his
church.
ly
r;^i;\
captives
namely, the
priest-
remaining in Babylon, who had sent them with contributions in gold and silver to help forward the building of the These deputies temple at Jerusalem.
had deposited their gifts in the house of Josiah, to which the prophet is commanded to repair and take what was necessary for making the two crowns which were to be placed on the head of
the high
,
and regal ofiices, that they should have been distinct crowTis, in which case either the one may have been placed upon the head of Joshua after the other, or they may have been joined together so as to form a double crown, and so placed upon his head at once. "What favors the latter view of the subject is the circumstance, that the plural
:^
1:
is
construed
priest.
It
is
not improbable
treasurer at the
is
with
n"np
that Josiah
time.
was public
here more heavy and verbose than usual, which has occasioned some difficulty to
interpreters.
Maurer not inaptly 14. by a reference to the triple crown or the tiara of the jxipes, by which
they arrogate to themselves a higher degree of dignity than that of servants they profess to be.
12.
Instead of
two of Kennicott's
Syr.,
Him whose
and Targ., read K2 in the singular, and restrict the declaration to Josiah, mentioned immediately before but there
;
The
is
upon Joshua
^Messiah
representative of the
can be
ing
is
little
atory prophecy, in
offices,
merely an emendation of some copyist, who took Josiah, and not the three persons spoken of at the beginning
of the verse, to be the subject of the predTo remove the ambiguity, our icate.
For the signification of htts. Branch, see on Is. iv. 2. That the Messiah is meant must be evident to all who will imparJer. xxiii. 5, tially compare Is. iv. 2
;
have properly connected the words immediately with the names of the persons to whon^ they belong. Hengstenberg contends that only one crown is intended, and that the plural form
translators
xxxiii. 15
Zech.
iii.
8.
expounds: "t-rs
V;r!"T
his
,
name
"2
who
is
is
to be revealed."
The
:
same view
T.i-n
ri-t: V
is
consisted.
With many
other interpreters, he
ad-
many
crotcns,
which
are
c-ps -rs Vs-.sn rrnr^ii : nias r-s "The l-;".:"' lledeemer whom I will raise up from you shall have no father, as it is said ; Behold the man, whose name is Zcmach,
=i 'S
ys
rrra
Chap. VI.
ZECHARIAH.
389
Behold the man whose name is THE BRANCH, shall grow up out of his place, And he shall build the temple of Jehovah. 13 Even he shall build the temple of Jehovah,
For he
And
he
shall
and he shall grow up from his place." The Rabbins Jarchi, Abenezra, and Kimchi,
all great
and
after
The
the example
In the phrase,
there
is
,
|-!?:s"'
VPnn^:", and he
his place, while
of
Eichhom and
instead of
Theiner, conjectures
from
that,
:;'r'in"'
cN-ia
on the
name
head of Joshua, the text has originally read, y-^"i-^ i-sna? ^?.3TT SNna on the head of Zerubbabel, and on the head of
,
nws
Joshua.
love of hypothesis.
to regard
sage.
it
Maurer
scruples not
as
The
Zerubbabel
tility
Messianic interpretations.
The words of the text can apply to no one who was not a priest for it is ex;
was
to be the
which was peculiar to him. The interpretation, that " under him there shall be giowth," which is adopted by Cyril, Jerome, Luther, Calovius, Hitzig, Maurer, and Ewald, applying it to the church, the body of believers, or the affairs of Messiah's kingdom, is to be rejected on the ground of its not being warranted by Scripture usage. By ^w"n nin* , the temple of Jehovah, which the Messiah was to build, the material tem-
character of
him who
is
the subneither
ject
of discourse.
And
that
Joshua nor any of his descendants could be meant, is evident from the fact, that they could not exercise the regal power, none of them being entitled to occupy
the throne.
Michaelis
filled
But, as
we have just
seen,
Zerub-
We are,
Simon
applies
ilaccabseus, to
whom
the phrase in
application to the
New
;
the
prophecy, never
the kingly office; he was merely commander of the army, and civil governor, subject to the kings of Syria.
Inhere
is
Testament church, which is frequently spoken of as a temple, 1 Cor. iii. 17 2 Cor. vi. 16 Eph. ii. 22 2 Thess. ii. 4 and respecting which the Messiah himself declares, " Upon this rock will I build
; ; ;
my
mountain on which the temple stood. Nor did the work of repairing it, after it had
splendid palace for himself on the
r;i~^
been pillaged by Anliochus Epiphanes, devolve upon him, but upon his brother
Judas.
Besides, the declaration that the
LXX.,
as superfluous,
but
is
singularly in
its
place, as
em-
the temple, would be at variance with the imiform ascription of the glory of
made
respecting
the personal
The
390
ZECIIARIAH.
he
shall sit shall
Chap.
VL
and rule upon liis throne, be a priest upon his throne, the counsel of peace shall be between them both. the crowns shall be for Heleni and for Tobijah, and for 14 Jedaiah, and for lien the sou of Zephaniah, for a memorial in
and Gentiles,
interprets
;
With
the
declaration,
the
h'vyzJZ
re^al dignity,
which had
just
should " bear the glory," compare Ps. xxi. 5, cii. 16; Is. lii. 13; Heb. ii. 9. The declaration has reference to the
crowns, the insignia of
jesty,
Dathe,
Rosenmiiller,
which were
to
The
:
reason
head of Joshua.
of the verse the union of the regal and sacerdotal offices in the person of the
Messiah
is
Dathe forms an insurmountable objection to the first opinion " Quoniam enim Deus in toto hoc loco loquitur, affixum tertise personse in c-";3 non potest ad Jovam referre." The same
objection lies against the reference of the
affix
c'lV'!;
xiv.
18
in
,
!iscr
to
Jehovah.
By rss
Heb. v. 6, 10, vi. 20, vii. "While our Lord continues to officiate in the heavenly temple as the Great High
Priest of his people, ever living to
intercession
for
make
them, he exercises his mediatorial rule over the world and the that over the former being church
of peace, is to be imderstood the glorious scheme of reconciliation between God and man, effected by the joint exercise of the sacerdotal and regal offices of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Comp.
Is.
ix.
6
i.
Micah
20, 21;
v.
Eph.
xiii.
ii.
1417;
is,
Col.
Heb.
20.
Dr. McCaul, and others, refer the pronominal affix in " his throne," to Jehovah, or the '5*3D
Yitringa,
Reuss,
14.
Helem
same
name
,
The
render-
^n favor, and interpreting it of the hosshown to the deputies by Josiah the construction adopted by HengstenThe words berg, JIaurer and Ewald.
pitality
ing of Kewcome, Hitzig, and Ewald, ' and a priest shall be upon his throne,"
is
forced
and unwarranted
the
Vau
,
were to belong to the persons specified, but that they were to be for a memorial
to
just taken place,
with the preceding verbs jc'r-; and rrs' the the nominative to which is s n r Branch, or ^Messiah. The nominatives
,
act that
had
to Cr-:-i
"them
pose to be deposited in the temple, where it is possible they remained till the Messiah, as
ple,
rial
hovah and the Messiah, as maintained both by ancient and by many modern
interpreters,
had taken
among
others, Cocceius,
De
Dieu, Yitringa, Bcngel, Reuss, Dr. Mc Caul, and Dr. J. Pyc Smith nor Jews
;
throne, when temple, and crownis, and the whole Jewish polity, were taken or destroyed by the Romans.
Chap. VIL
ZE C
HARIAH
391
And those who are far off shall come and build in the temple of Jehovah and ye shall know that Jehovah of hosts hath sent me to you. And it shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of Jehovah your
;
God
* * * *
15. This verse contains a striking prophecy of the calling of the Gentiles, together with a solemn warning to the
of unbelief
is
forcibly implied.
diroo-JWTrijiri.
It is a
striking instance of
left
CHAPTER
this
VII.
This and the following chapter are occupied with replies to questions which had been proposed for solution, relative to certain fasts which the Jews had observed, but which they supposed might no longer be binding after the restoration of their prosperity, 1 3. From
circumstance Zechariah is commanded to take occasion to reprove them for their observance of the days appointed for fasting, 4 7; to enforce attention to the weightier matters of the law. 8 10: and to warn them, by placing before them the rebellious conduct of their fathers, and the punishment with which it had been visited, 1114.
selfish
came to pass in the fourth year of Darius the king, word of Jehovah was communicated to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev when Bethel sent Sherezer, Regem-melech and his men, to conciliate
it
And
that the
1.
The occurrence
name
it
of a person.
place two years later than those described ChisiVD3 in the preceding chapters.
,
lev,
the
name of
the ninth
month
of the
means the congregation of the Jews who had remained in Babylon. To the same effect MichLightfoot supposes that
aelis,
Hebrews, which corresponds to part of November and part of December. Some think it is of Persic oiigin, but the idea of torpor, rigidity, stiffness, which is con-
"
The congregation
rezer,"
is sufficient
to
no idea of the geographical position of Hengstenberg and the city so called. Maurer think the people of the Jews are
such being the character assumed by nature in the course of this month. The
ply Vn before the word, and render, " to the house of God."
Targ.,
as the
Beth
The LXX.,
Syr.,
and
only
The
Avords
Vs n^a
of the
nV^".! l^^^e
earlier
Ewald, regard
as the
name
of the city
;
Benjamin
Some
Jews
392
ZE C
II
A K I A H.
Chap.
VU.
the regard of Jehovali, speaking to the priests which were in the house of Jehovah of hosts, and to the prophets, saying
Shall I
weep
in the fifth
?
these
of Jehovah of hosts was communicated to me, all the people of the land, and to the priests, to Speak saying saying, "When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh month, even those seventy years, was it at all to me that ye lasted ? And when ye ate, and when ye drank, was it not
:
sent
tion
it
tion
as the place to which the deputawas sent. Against the interpretawhich explains it of the temple,
lies
was
felt to be a tedious and irksome performance of duty. The persons speaking were thoroughly wearj- of it. -iTsn the
,
there
infinitive in
Niphal of nrj
to separate,
uniformly called never of Jehovah, Vs~r"2 the house of God ; and that it should have been so designated after the recovery of the Jews from idolatry is
that sacred edifice
hotise
consecrate, vow; in Niphal, to abstain from food, and the ordinary employments
of Ufe.
5, 6.
Though
men
of a single
famy attached
to the city so
used by
metonymy
occupies
not excepted,
as others.
who
The word
its
nominative to the verb, which cannot here be taken impersonally, as such construction
Their
fasts
per-
would exclude
all
reference to
those
who
formed from a purely religious motive, but were relf- righteous and hypocritical. "While they observed them, they neglected the weightier 'niatters of the law.
names of the
At nisc
of the
is
an
ellipsis
persons
who composed
it.
ri^nV
lit.
The
city
the preceding verse as sending the deputation, speaks here in the first person sin-
gular.
Comp.
;
Sam.
21.
x.
10
Sam.
In -as ':rKa c'isn there is a double idiom, which fenders it peculiarly emphatic. Not only is the finite form used after the infinitive of the same verb but the nominative of the personal pronoun is employed after the usual verbal suffix. Comp. Gen. xxvii.
verb.
;
same
XX. 19
Zech.
viii.
The question
34.
'as
Ci
"i-.Ti.2
The
fast in
the
seventh
the ffth month, which had been instituted to commemorate the destruction of
As
the
was now being restored, it was presumed there would no longer be any necessity for keeping up the humiliating
memorial,
commemoratioa of the murder of Gedaliah, and those who were with him at Mispah. See 2 Kings XXV. 25, 26; Jcr. xh. 13. Neither in fasting nor in feasting had the Jews any regard to Jehovah, but did
in
all
month was
llie
rspsn
is
feasting referred to
])lace
that
I fast
The
that
it
Chap. VII.
7
ZECHAEIAH.
393
Are not these the words which ate, and ye that drank ? Jehovah proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and at peace, and her cities around her, when both the south and the plain were inhabited ? And the word of Jehovah was communicated to Zechariah,
ye that
saying,
hosts, saying
Execute true judgment, And show kindness and mercy one to another 10 Oppress not the widow and the orphan, The stranger and the poor And think not in your heart of the injury Which one hath done to another.
11
'
to attend,
And
They made
12 They
made their heart an adamant. That they might not hear the law, Nor the words which Jehovah sent by
Through the former prophets
his Spirit
13
And And
came
to pass.
When
he called and they would not hear, So they called, and I would not hear,
Saith Jehovuh of hosts,
7.
Hos. xiv.
feelings
for
3.
No
drinks while
If the Jews
God was
had
evils
forgotten,
and the
and com-
The
is
traced
none of the
" the
i.
which had come upon them would have been inflicted. For
4.
to a refractory, rebellious,
disposition.
jg
and
intractable
The
tt
prefixed in
yiwia
former prophets," see on chap, By the " south and the plain," are
parts of
privative.
12.
-yes
signifies
T*^
here to be taken in the
,^^,
to pierce,
beginning of
Though
-j-s
intervenes between
to be regarded
Is.
Here the idea of hardness is that conveyed by its use, Inc-s-2:r. -;-.3 nn;-.3 the double agency by which the Divine will was communicated is recognized that of the inspiring Spirit, and that of
Comp.
xix. 8
50
, :
594
ZE
CHARIAH
Chap. VIII.
14 But tossed them among all the nations which they And the land was desolate after them
knew
not,
Xo
r^-ran
y-s
Comp. Jer. Maurer proposes to take nji-^ttj"^ impersonally. Others more properly consider the Jews to be the nominative, who by their crimes, had brought judgments upon the land.
the land
19.
of delight, Canaan.
iii.
CHAPTER
VIII.
This chapter is a continuation of the subject introduced and treated of in the preceding. Having shown, the awful consequences of disregarding the Divine will, which had been clearly announced by the prophets, God promises the renewal of his favor towards those who had returned from the captivity. Restored to purity, 3, Jerusalem should enjoy security and prosperity to a degree far exceeding the conceptions of those whom the prophet addressed, 4 6. Those who were still iu heathen countries should be brought The chapter closes with a direct answer back, and share iu the general prosperity, 717 to the question relating to the fasts, and a prediction of the great number of proselytes that should be made to the true religion by the display of the Divine goodness towards
And
Thus
saith
Jehovah of hosts
Yea, with great indignation have I been zealous for her. Thus saith Jehovah, I am returned to Zion, And will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem And Jerusalem shall be called, The city of truth,
"
And
4
1.
Thus
Jehovah of hosts
,
Before -irtiV the word '^s to me, found in thirty-three Heb. MSS. it has been in ten more originally, and is now in three by correction it is the
is
; ;
2. 3.
Comp. Comp.
i.
14, 15.
i.
Is.
26,
there
made on the
idiomatic use of
snp
to call.
reading of the
Soncin.,
Brixian,
is
and
4. 5.
supported
::
Chap. VIII.
ZECHAEIAH.
shall yet
395
be
sitting in the streets
hand
And the streets of the city shall be tilled 5 With boys and girls, playing in the streets of
6
it.
Jehovah of hosts Though it should be wonderful In the eyes of the remnant of this people
Thus
saith
in those days,
Should it also be wonderful Saith Jehovah of hosts. 1 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts Behold, I will deliver my people
in
:
my
eyes
From the land of the rising, And from the land of the setting of the svm, And I will bring them, and they shall dwell
Jerusalem,
in the midst of
And And
9
become my people, become their God, In truth and in righteousness. Thus saith Jehovah of hosts
they
shall
I will
numerous offspring were specially promuniised under the old dispensation, but formly in connection with obedience to
the law.
xxxiii.
6,
'
been
7.
wa^'^,
The
east
and west
Deut.
24;
iv.
Is.
Ixv.
The meaning
is,
my
conveyed by c-pn'i!73 in such connection What can be more gratiis exquisite. fying to the uncorrupted simplicity of human feelings, than to witness a number of
whither they have been scattered. Were there any reason to beheve that the
prophecy has respect to a restoration of the Jews yet future, there would be a
ir-i-n
innocent gambols
their
state
singular propriety in the use of si 273, setting of the sun, the Jews , the
beiiig
now,
for the
most
part,
found in
sVs
though
like its
cognate
rVs
is
significanot used in Kal, yet, from its and Hithtions in Niphal, Piel, Hiphal, it must pael, it cannot be doubted that
countries to the west of Jerusalem ; but there is every reason to conclude that it
has an exclusive reference to what was to take place soon after it was dehvered.
stand out
p-07ninently, from
impossible to
ulous.
events, to be to be mirac-
Vast numbers were carried away captive Not fewer after the time of Alexander. than 100,000 were carried by Ptolemy Alexanto Egypt, and were settled in
dria
and Cyrene.
nj;-i-.:=5
r'?.!*3
the participial noun, is occurrences, often used for miraculous in those days, i. e. at the g-,-, 2^tts3
r'lsVs:
The words
belong to
time when I
fulfil
my
promise.
our
To juscommon version.
and both the members of the sentence, the express the reality and sincerity of relation on both sides.
9.
a3-T' r:ptn.^.
^^^ 2/^"*
^""'^^ ^
396
ZECHARIAH.
Chap.
Vm.
Ye that hear in these days These words from the mouth of the prophets, "Which were spoken on the day when the foundation was Of the house of Jehovah of hosts,
The
temple, in order to
its
laid
being built
There was no hire for man. Neither was there any hire for beast And to him that went out or came in Tliere was no peace, because of the enemy Yea, I sent all men each against another. 11 But now I will not be as in the former days
To
12 For the seed shall be prosperous. The vine shall yield her fruit,
the earth shall yield her produce, the heavens shall yield their dew,
I will cause the residue of this people
all
possess
it
these things.
to pass.
And
shall
come
As ye have been
a curse
among
the nations,
Israel,
strong, a figurative
In the last clause of the verse reference is had to the intestine broils and contentions
11
Sam.
xvi. 21.
The
2.
prophets
H.
trast
See Ezra
v.
1,
The words
which prevailed, 12. npyi stands forcibly in conwith ^:e^ at the beginnmg of the
which the people heard were those of consolation and encouragement. Haggai
ii.
18, 19.
After
-ritt
subaud.
iina'!
who had
his voice
re-
Such was the danger to which the Jews were exposed before the actual commencement of buiMing the temple, that all intercourse between the city and the country was interrupted. The Saraaritans pressed sore upon them, and annoyed them in every possible way. See Ezra iv. 15. By -ii: is not meant
10.
affliction, dAiJ/is, tribulatio, as
;
As they obeyed
and
their
them out-
ward
tranquillity,
and prospered
After
i.
agricultural pursuits.
the seed of prosperity,
cii^"'j~ J"!?.*
e.
healthy, prosfail,
supfields
ply rrn*
Their
the Eng.,
LXX., and Vulg. but the enemy, or as we have it, V'^'^?'' "1^""' ""v.H '^'^ "'
'
iv. 1
down by the enemy, nor suffer from drought, mildew, locusts, and other calamities, 13. By the Jews being a curse and a blessing, is not meant that they were the
; ;
Chap. VIH.
ZE C
H A R I A H.
897
14
15
16
17
So I will deliver you, and ye shall be a blessing Fear not, let your hands be strong. For thus saith Jehovah of hosts As I purposed to afflict you. When your fathers provoked me to wrath, Saith Jehovah of hosts, and I repented not So again I have purposed, in these days, To do good to Jerusalem and the house of Judah Fear ye not. These are the things which ye shall do Speak truth one to another Execute true and sound judgment in your gates. And think not in your hearts of the injury Which one hath done to another
:
And
For
18
Saith Jehovah.
And the word of Jehovah of hosts was communicated to me, 19 saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: The fast of the fourth
month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall become joy and gladness to the
instruments of communicating either evil
or good to the nations, but that they
nal, ritual, or ceremonial observances that
They were
blessing.
curse
and the
from "the house of Judah," shared in the happy fulfilment of the prophecy,
It
follows,
Jehovah delighted, but in the love and practice of moral rectitude. The " gate" was, and still is, the forum in the East, Cli^?J tiS'f means sound, icholesome judgment.' nuijs in ver. 17, is wantrng in three MSS., originally in two more, and now by correction in one; in the LXX. Syr. and Arab.
,
Palestine,
to
nssn
at
o'tt^a
19.
Now
follows
a formal reply to
more recent periods have and the idea proved utterly fruitless that they must still exist somewhere in the world, and are still to be restored in
;
refers.
the taking of Jerusalem, Jer. xxxix. 2, hi. 57 ; that of the tenth was in com-
from a mis-
which
from Babylon.
memoration of the commencement of the siege, Jer. lii. 4. For the other two The fasts, see on chap. vii. 3 and 5. Jews are distinctly informed that these
fasts
14, 15.
An
amplification of
what had
festivals of
been stated in the preceding verse. 16, 17. These verses contain a virtual
joy.
Thai
in
rw^ni
is
adversative,
but in order that having the force of ye may enjoy the predicted and promised blessing, see that ye be sincere before me,
was not
in
and
live in
harmony among
yourselves.
::
398
ZE C
II
A R I A H.
;
Chap. nil.
clieerful festivals
Thus
saith
Jehovah of hosts
people,
There
shall yet
come
And And
the inhabitants of
many
cities,
the inhabitants of one shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to conciliate the regard of Jehovah, And to seek Jehovah of hosts
I will go,
even
I also.
22 Yea,
many
To
23
And
Thus
Jehovah of hosts
20.
rirw^ri C"iir:~V3
the
all the
nations
and
announcement
languages,
X. 5,
Is.
;
Ixvi.
iii.
18.
See also
sho\\n to the
Gen.
is
20
Dan.
Rev.
v. 9,
Jewish people after their restoration to their o%Yn land, multitudes of Gentiles should be induced to embrace the worship
of Jehovah.
vii. 9, xiii. 7.
significant of a feel-
ing of inferiority, and a desire to enjoy the happy privileges possessed by another.
and the unsatisfactoriness of their systems of j hilosophy, and many of them, who were rought into contact with the people of God, found in their religion, with all its imperfections, a satisfaction which they had sought in vain from any
ions,
1
The
racy.
is
The
emphatic,
'-n-"
""'S
a man, a Jew,
other quarter.
proselytes were
It is evident,
from various
merely a periphrasis for a Jew. Comp. The prophecy av^ip 'lovSa7os, Acts x. 28. is generally regarded as having respect
is
and
in
is
often in-
Between
C"2-i
-jj
effecting
the
Two MSS.,
,
I can find no
many,
which
in all
" Jerusa-
T'^ns.
23.
The second rns is equivalent Comp. Exod. xvii. 12, xviii. nrs is redundant. Ten is put
but indicating
to
4.
lem" cannot be understood otherwise than literally, just as the term " Jew" is to be so understood but, accordmg to
;
as
New
many
;
rather than
few.
cijn
all
the nations
no longer the place where men are exclusively to worInship the Father, John iv. 2123. cense and a pure offering are now presented to his name in every place where
his people assemble in the
languages.
Comp.
name
of Jesus
Chap. IX.
ZE CHART AH.
399
Of
We
is
with you.
could not but excite the curiosity of the pagans through whose countries and cities they passed and celebrated as
;
wid with a view to his glory, Mai. i. 10, It was otherwise before the advent 11. of Christ. Jerusalem was the place which Jehovah had chosen to put his name there, and thither all his true worshippers were expected to come to the
great festivals, in whatever country they
the metropolis of Judea had become for the favors conferred upon it by some of
mi^t
Thus, the treasurer of Candace went all the way from Abyssinia, Acts viii. 27 and thus numbers from all parts of the Roman empire assembled in that city at the first Pentecost after our Saviour's resurrection. As the
reside.
;
and warUke prowess of the Jewish people, it was impossible that it should not
attract the attention of the
surrounding
there
adored,
and who
Hellenistic
CHAPTER
IX.
For the arguments in opposition to, and those in favor of, the authenticity of that portion of the book of Zeehariah which begins with this chapter, and comprises it and the re. maining chapters, see the Preface. Having in prophetic vision exhibited some of the more remarkable events connected with the continued rule of the Persians, Zeehariah now proceeds to predict those which were to take place under that of the Greeks, during the military expeditious of Alexander and his successors, in so far as they had a bearing upon the affairs of the Jews. He describes the conquest of Syria after the battle of Issus, 1; and the progress of the army of Alexander along the coast of the Mediterranean, involving the capture of the principal cities of the Phoenicians and Philistines, but leaving the Jews unmolested, through the protecting care of Jehovah, 28. He then contrasts with the character and military achievements of that conqueror the qualities which should distinguish the Messiah and his kingdom, whom he expressly predicts, 9, 10. After which he resumes tlie thread of his historical discourse, and describes the wars of the Maccabees with Antiochus Epiplianes, and the victory and prosperity with which tiiey were followed, 11 17.
The
1.
see
1,
and Mai.
i.
1.
As nan
occurs in the
signifies Avhat
on
Is.
r.'r,
-,2T
xiii.
,
1.
sta
400
ZE C
HARIAn
Chap. IX.
And Damascus
When
And
shall bo its resting place, towanls Jehovah shall be the eye of man,
all
of
zh
Jer.
li.
1, is
perfectly ridiculous.
am
compelled to
tain
adopted
my
translation of Isaiah.
name
is
"With respect to
"T"n, Hadrach,
it
it
is
uncertain -whether
was intended
a king.
to
of those that have been advanced, especially as the phrase, " the land of a
denote a country, a
last is
city, or
The
either
king,"
ture
;
is
see
Neh.
ix,
22
that
it is
name
word
Til'in
of a country' or
metropolis, in a region
only a corruption of
rnn
the
near Damascus, would have entirely disappeared from the pages of history. But
common name
was
found in the copy from which the version of the LXX. was made. The affix in in the preceding hemi'irn: is
nm
stich.
that
Damascus was to be the place in which the Divine word or sentence was
to rest or settle
;
was now of small consequence, but had once been a city of great celebrity;
but there
if
is
in other words,
where
was
-s-,-;s
in Arabic
cuL&Ni^!)
That ancient city was taken by Alexander the Great after the battle at Issus, and formed part of the kingdom of the Seleucidte, from
nently be inflicted.
called
whom
it
lemy "ASpa. It lay about thirty miles from Damascus. The same remark applies to the statement of Rabbi Jose, mentioned by Kimchi in his Comm. on this verse, that he was from Damascus, and that there was a place there, of which the name was Iladrach. The Kabbins consider the term to be a compound appellative of the Messiah, who was to be in
,
Romans.
The
was never
afterwards recovered.
tators,
Several
commen-
following the
Vs~?)^
*^B?
upoti
^'-\
'f^
'^^
<'y^
J<^ho-
vah
is
Israel,
tribes
of
reference
sharp or severe towards the Gentiles, but "r;n tender towards Israel Ilengsten,
!
berg,
who
treats
on the subject
ii.
at large
pp. 69
77,
judgments which the brought or would bring upon the people in and around Palestine. But it is more natural to regard ys in construction with 'i;:
to the universal
providence of
God had
mn
it it
is
The
name
at all,
and regards
as a
not designate by
proper
name
for fear
he
lived.
and progress of the army of Alexander. Apprehensive of danger, they should be compelled to look to Jehovah alone for deliverance. "When Alexander threat-
Chap. IX.
2
ZE CHARIAH.
401
also which is contiguous to it Tyre and Zidon, though she be very wise. Yea, though Tyre hath built a fortress for And heaped up silver as dust,
;
Hamath
herself,
And fine gold as the mud of the streets 4 Behold, Jehovah will dispossess her,
And And
5
strike her wealth into the sea,
fire.
Askelon shall see it and be afraid Gaza also, and shall be in great pain
ened to punish the Jews on account of the refusal of Jaddua the high priest to swear fealty to him, they were thrown
into the greatest consternation,
who had
long been celebrated for their worldly wisdom, Ezek. xxviii. 3, 4, 5, 12, 17, gave a specimen of it on the
and
to
of-
fered
for
many
sacrifices
and prayers
is
God
On
offer
deliverance,
is
here used as a
particle of time.
2.
same name, which lay beZobah and Rehob, and to the rorth of Damascus. It was called by
tAveen
dom
and
;
sent
him
is
now known
it
by
its
has
all
along retained
among
the natives.
That
This verse
is
graphically descriptive
the kingdom was conterminous to that of which Damascus was the metropolis
is
here expressed by
paVsiP
,
the femthe
New Tyre, at the distance of seven hundred paces from the shore, and
tion of
la7id, in
of the
it
immense
stores of
wealth which
preceding verse.
The whole of
Syria
or sub-
Phoenician commerce.
4.
Ezek. xxvii.
,
Instead of
ij'-jj:
which lay
directly in the
way
of that
monarch, as he marched along the coast of the Mediterranean towards Egypt, are next mentioned. See on Is. xxiii. The latter city voluntarily surrendered, and
as viceroy.
Though
Phccnician
many
colonies,
yet
some of them the best of the Spanish, read r^-' which I have adopted as the true lection. Here is set forth the conquest of Tyre by Alexander, who constructed a causeway with the rubbish of Old Tyre from the shore to the island, and after a siege of seven months took the city by storm, put eight thousand of the inhabitants, who had not taken flight
,
had become
to Tyre,
and quite sunk in comparison with her on which account the predi;
thousand
into
slavery,
crucified
two
thousand, and after plundering the city, burnt it to ashes. Jahn's Heb. Com-
in point of position,
>
it
might seem
to be-
monwealth,
5. It
sect. 70.
long to Yt'^ Zidon, is nevertheless to be referred to n i: , Tyre, as the more important of the two cities. The Tyrians,
imagined what of Tjtc must have struck into the inhabitants of the
may
easily be
terror the
news of the
fall
402
Z E C
HARIA
11
CUAP. IX.
And
The king
Ekron, because her expectation hath made her ashamed shall perish from Gaza, And Askelon shall not be inhabited. foreigner shall sit as ruler in Ashdod,
And
Avill
I will
remove
abominations from between his teeth he, even he, shall be left for our God,
in
Judah,
Jebusite.
word
Deut.
-iTtt^
who knew
xxiii. 2,
The prophet acthe victorious army. cordingly precedes the march of the
conqueror from Phoenicia into Philistia.
uncertain etymology.
Lee thinks
,
it
may
probably be a compound of yz
,
,
The
are
principal
cities
of the
Philistines
here
enumerated.
Gath
only
its
is
being
from, Cy a people, and nr a foreigner ; but this conjecture, however ingenious, is not warranted by Hebrew usage. In Deut. the LXX. render it by ir6pv7)s, one
born of a rchore, but &\\oyev(7s, a different race or people, best suits both passages.
and thus lying somewhat For AshFor Gaza and kelon, see on Amos i. 8. Ekron, lying Ekron, on Amos i. 6.
farthest north of these cities, is repre-
See Blayney.
it
form,
participle of itts
in the
in
Hebrew
more
modem
Hebrew,
to
mix,
fxiit.
Comp.
might expect Alexander to be an-ested in his course, and hope that he would
the Arab.
juo. corruptus
Heng,
up his plan of invading Egypt. But when it fell, her hopes were gone.
give
By
y>isj
the
we
aie to undercities,
History
is
espec-
Gaza
it is
recorded,
after
that
it
resisted,
a siege of
two months.
and the
rest
knowledge and
God.
nTWtt
,
The pronominal
on
refers to
KJir;
veiy.
Betis, the
commander or governor
with
he, further
Their abantheir
of the city,
was bound
donment of
their
and
is
embrac-
represented
by
and
in this It
is
eat-
the city.
words
perish
T'rjyi
~V.'?.
>
from Gaza,
refer.
The
title
of
which were common among the pagans, but prohibited by the Mosaic law, Numb. XXV. 2 Lev. vii. 26, xvii. 10, 12 and by
;
king
is
It
is
implied
what the
ruler did,
would be dons
2.
For Ashdod,
on
Amos
i.
8.
The
by the citizens subject to his power. He was to belong to God, as one who had
Chap. IX.
8
ZECIIARIAH.
encamp about
it
403
army,
;
And
I will
my
Both when
j^asseth through,
and when
it
retui-neth
And no
9
\ For now do
Rejoice greatly,
Shout aloud, O Behold thy King will come to thee Righteous, and having salvation,
joined himself to
dedication.
On
his
9.
From
between them.
and the temporal protection which Jehovah would accord to his people, the prophet abruptly, and in the most sublime and animated strain, calls the attention of the Jews to a Royal Personage
of a very different character, the
siah,
The same
lel clause.
idea
is
Mes-
The
meek and
righteous,
the Prince
who, on by David, were incorporated among the Jews, and enjoyed 2 Sam. xxiv. 16, etc. their privileges. the Keri has the proper 8. For r2 2 orthography S3 :: host, or army. Jehovah here promises to afford protection to the Jews (called, as in IIos. viii. 1, nin"" IT^a the house of Jehovah), They were not to be injured by the army of Alexander, either on its march to or from Egypt, a promise which was fulfilled to the letter for while that monarch punished the Samaritans, he showed great favor to the Jews. Nor was any foreign
inal inhabitants of Jerusalem,
their subjugation
, ,
salvation
to
all
his
subjects.
to be
accompanied by
such glorious results, that it was to be hailed with the most joyful anticipation. That the subject of the prophecy is the Messiah, is not only established by the
inspired authority of the Evangelist
MatIt
4,
was not till the twelfth century that it Thus the was otherwise interpreted. Book of Zohar: n"ti?)3 \s -izrv. n's-^m
mm Vy rsm
'i^s
"
On
this
aecoimt
Assyrians and Chaldeans had done, during the period which was to intervene before the advent of the Messiah, predicted in the verse immediately following.
They were,
indeed, subject to
much
and riding upon an ass;" a statement which is repeated in the same work. The same construction is put upon the passage by Joshua Ben Levi, Saadias Gaon, and others. The testimonies will be found in Wetstein on Matt. xxi. 4, who says in
it is
both from the Egyptian and the Syrian kings, especially from Antiochus Epiphanes, but their nationality was not
suffering,
reference to
them
"
Magno
consensu
pretantur."
And Solomon
Jarchi has
'^^^
and the evils to which they were exposed only paved the way for the Maccabean victories, and the establishment of the Asmonean dynasty. For this preservation they were indebted to the providence of God which watched over them for good. This is emphatically
destroyed,
that "it
impossible to interpret it of any other than the Messiah." Of Him as the king of Zion it is predicted that he should be
p-^ns,
righteous,
ascribed to
him
in the
liii.
See
Is.
xlv. 21,
Jer.
xxiii. 5,
; , ;
404
Z E C
II
ARIAH
Chap. IX.
Lowly, and liding upon an ass, Even upon a colt the foal of an
xxxiii. 15
;
ass.
Mai.
iv. 2.
"With respect to
yr*:
or, as it is
upon an
ass
was a proof
so,
or manifestation
Sri:, of which Kimchi approves, on the ground of its being the preterite converted into the future by the
-,
of his humihty,
a manifestation
was
that
conversive,
of his possessing
commentators construe it and the more orthodox interpret it with reference to Christ's deliverance from the
most
modem
righteousness
See Phil. iii. 8, 30; 2 Cor. v. 21 John ii. 2. As the one feature con-
grave, after his sufferings upon the cross, rendering the passage, " righteous and But to such construction it saved."
haughty character of
were in-
the Grecian conqueror, so the other contrasted with the cruelties that
flicted
must be
objected,
first,
by him on the cities which he captured. The Son of Man came not
to destroy men's lives, but to save them.
would have
Fourthly,
all
been admissible
is
but
it is
the king
who
as
LXX.
<rci^ccv,
Targ.
him
Syr.
,
\^0L^>
^'ulg.
Salvator.
would be
therefore,
That
""zy
is
most inappropriate.
a real exigent ia loci in an active sense.
:
There
is,
connection sufficiently
shows.
LXX.
is
irpaits.
In proof
passive,
Messiah's reign, he
represented as rid-
as
mal which it is with us, being used by princes and other persons of rank, is
nevertheless comparatively so as
it
re-
cation
Thus nnss to show one's self glorious ; YlVs to show one's self obstinate, to murmur, complain
which are not used in Kal.
,
with the war-horse in the following vei-se. It was proverbially the symbol of peace,
so that
describes
3:
ly
;
to
prophecy
.
was
of
at
TiCis
;
to desire grcat,
mind with
King
2"lp2
,
to apjiroach
yspj
to stcear
yxDrs
^S/D3
to obey,
show
he spake was none other than the Prince of Peace, predicted Is. ix. G.
whom
"I
to
And
thus in the
The
xlix.
in
TV
h'Ji
"
present
case
skotoing himself a
so to be
as Michaelis
idea of the pedigree of the colt, as one of excellent breed, whose mothers could
which the
,
active
lowly,
but
is
As
Comp.
t3n~5! "'-
Chap. IX.
ZE C
II
ARIAH
405
10
And And
The battle-bow
be cut
off;
And he shall speak peace to the nations And liis rule shall be from sea to sea, And from the river to the ends of the earth.
11
I
rat,
As
Avill
by the blood of thy covenant, send forth thy prisoners out of the pit
etc.,
i. e.
Gen.
i.
capital.
cnVr
to
-iS-n
to
speak peace,
viii. 4.
"'ly
cities
xii. 7.
e.
means
ful-
From
nations,
among
Zion,
those
who were
to enjoy
sage.
King of
ever
it is
may have
stricted sense of
t^ nnsaa
jy
cto
Jews to battle and conquest, as their Rabbins have long taught them to believe, he was in his providence completely to disarm them, and render them
incapable of engaging in hostile conflict.
yns
CS.N
as descriptive of the
utmost
bounds of the Hebrew kingdom, the words must here be taken in the widest possible extent of meaning, just as in Ps. Ixxii. 8, where it is declared in the connection, that all nations should serve the
Messiah.
11.
Jerusalem by the
shows.
Romans
convincingly
his predic-
The
Alexto
ander
the
direction
of Egypt,
narrow
but
it
was
to be that
and reign of the Prince of Peace, Zechawhich he had in hand the state of the Jewish people
riah returns to the subject
Babylon. C5_, also, connects what folThe feminine lows with verses 6 8.
pronoun
called
ps
,
refers
to
YV''^~r'3)
or
QVi;!n^~ri2
ver. 9.
,
was
is
possessed
by the war-
'Tjri^-ia
thj/
means the
at
Macedon.
On
the circumstance
that
Ephraim
argument can be
by the sprinkling of the blood of the victims slain upon the occasion. By that act the nation was
ratified
and
ten
been delivered before the captivity of the tribes, since it is evidently the design
of the prophet merely to describe the whole land of Canaan, the northern part
consecrated as a peculiar people to Jehovah, and taken under his special protection.
The covenant
it
is
called
theirs,
because
had
their
of which
still
happiness for
its object.
it is
God would
such
406
ZE
CHAR
AH.
Chap. IX.
Even to-day
I declare I will
13 For I luive bent Judah for myself, I have filled the bow with Ephraim,
And
raised
And
lands.
of them as were
oners
still
captives in foreign
should enjoy
who
By ^"I'DS is meant, not pris- ity. whom the Jews had taken, but was
own
nation as were in the
Though
captives, their
not hopeless.
such of their
of Alexander
abandon themselves
exercise confidence
to despair, but to
the promise of
deliver
for
many
thousands of Jews
God
that he
would assuredly
the
many
East.
slavery in Greece
and other
is
parts of the
Their condition
described as
cisterns
;
without
Gen. xxxvii. 24. In consequence of the mud which remained in them, they were exceedingly noxious to health, and those consigned to them were considered as subjects of
See Jer. xxxviii. 6
the deepest misery.
Tin^ J
is
not here
any distant period when they might return as a body even then (Cvn C.-v.) they might individually avail themselves of the invitation, and .share in the blessings. The abundance of these blessings is expressed by the term rara , double, which is elsewhere similarly employed to convey the idea of full or ample compensation. Is. Ixi. 7. There is no foundation for the opinion of Michaelis, adopted by Blayney, who takes T';o; to be a noun having the significa;
but the
prophetic future,
tion of
T.^tt
somethinc) precious,
and not
which
event.
12.
is
is
own
land,
where
they should enjoy the protection and favor of the Most High, "(i-'iia occurs
only in this place.
--:;2
,
ods of time.
above,
is
The
one,
as
explained
It
is
derived from
to cut off, to
of an
LXX.
-lia,
with
and
for
the other sets forth the successful wars in which they would engage with the
fortified,
tlie
mand
is
Grecian rulers of Syria under the comof the Maccabees, The prophecy
parallel
security
and
prosperity
which
those
32.
with that of Daniel, chap. xi. For the fulfilment see 1 Mace. i.
Chap. IX.
ZECHARIAH,
407
14
And Jehovah shall appear on their behalf, And his arrows shall go forth as lightning
Yea, the Lord Jehovah
shall
And march
in the
And
They They
they
shall
shall devour,
shall drink,
they
shall
and tread down the sling stones be noisy, as those who drink wine
be
full as
the bowl.
shall save his people,
As
16
And Jehovah
Pie shall save
God
them
as sheep in that
day
For they
shall be as the stones of a crown, Carrying themselves highly over his land.
62,
ii.
414.3,
iii.
33, etc.
By
a bold
t^^'ts^
>
Hebrews are represented as the bows and arrows of Jehovah, the miUtary implements which he would employ in resisting and overcoming the Grecians under Antiochus
and expressive
figure, the
who drink wine. Before tian thirty-two MSS., originally four more,
,
three by correction,
tions,
Epiphanes.
Greece,
By ii^'33
the sons
of
we
By
""rSN
Greeks resident in Ionia or Greece, but those composing the army of the monGrotius remarks, arch just mentioned. that at the time here referred to, the
stones
Jews were accustomed to call the kings both of Syria and Egypt, i'-^ r.'^'?
The
Tiings
Carrying
is
made
to
to
pina, the
special promises of
used to receive
and protection. Considering what the Jews had experienced from hostile armies, it was necessary to disarm their fears by such assurances, that God was on their side. He is represented as appearing in the thunderstorm, with the
lightnings of
r-TT
horns of which it was sprinkled. Abundant as was the blood thus shed and
sprinkled should be that of the enemies
of the Hebrews.
16.
ple,
For
>\>3S
"SS3
which
comto
comp.
tits"
"NCiS
The words
are
thunders,
summoning
"t:
:2S,
irs
flesh,
i.
e.
of their enemies
c?:
,
and
This
precious stones or
in crowns,
after 1^^:;
supply
their blood.
is
frequently
employed
and were of great value. ITie and consequently of the crown which contained them, was
elevation of these,
408
17
Z E C
II
ARIAn
!
Chap. X.
bis
For bow great is his goodness and bow great Corn shall cause the young men to thrive,
beauty
And new
strongly indicative of victory. For cos in the acceptation of being high, comp.
The
root is
2*3
to sprout, germinate,
the Arab.
viii.
.,
elevavit
rem;
in
the
prophet refers
Conj.
elattc3
fuit;
(jiflj*
elevatus
should be in the land after the destruction of the enemy. The drinking of
thronus.
is
peculiar to this
^17. ITie affix in i2?i3 and i">2'^ is most naturally to be associated with that
in
-ir:;-!:?
but
its
sanctioned by Divine
ishes
The verse, and referred to Jehovah. meaning is, the goodness and beauty which he bestows. Compare Jer. xxxi. though occur12 Ps. XXV. 7. =2i3-'
;
those
who would
nexo toine or
to take posses-
is
common
to both
when taken to excess, it gams the mastery over the person who
it.
indulges in
CHAPTER
X.
This chapter continues the subject with which the preceding concluded. The Hebrews are exhorted to apply to Jehovah for the constant supply of temporal blessings, 1, and are warned against an imitation of the conduct of their forefathers, who had recourse to false oracles, on account of which they and their rulers had been carried into captivity, Promises are then made of government by ruler's of their own nation, and the vic2, 3.
torious operations of their armies, 4, 5; the complete re-establishment of the theocracy, 6, 7; the restoration of such of the nation as still remained in foreign countries, especially in the East, and in Egypt, 811 and the chapter concludes with an assurance of the
;
Bccurity
and happiness which they should enjoy under the diviue protection,
12.
Ask
ye from Jehovah rain in the time of the Jehovah maketh tlie Hghtnings, And givetli them the heavy rain,
latter rain
To
in the field.
tifulrain.
6,
where
inverted.
2.
^:::
lit.
i.
c.
plen-
i"si?r
Chap. X.
ZE CHAEIAH.
the diviners saw a
lie
;
409
And
They were
afflicted
And
anger bm-ned against the shepherds, I punished the he-goats Nevertheless Jehovah of hosts hath visited his of Judah,
;
My
flock, the
house
be the corner-stone,
the peg,
the battle-bow,
erly the
i
hold gods, are opposed to Jehovah in the preceding verse. The term occurs only
in the plural,
vation.
is
to
and
is
of uncertain deriit
mn
!i:yi
By
Gesenius refers
^^
^**'^
to the Arab.
all
0j.
it
^^ comfort,
and considers
if it
had been
in the preterite,
pleasure or happiness
Lee
nection requires.
to the Eth.
+/^Y
reliquus, superfuit,
and thinks
to
In the middle of
relics are
meant.
They appear
have
See
had
for their
on Hos. iii. 4. The preterites and futures, which are intermixed, are all to be taken
in the strictly past time, reference being
to that of prosperity
and military
prowess to which they were raised in the time of the Maccabees. In the preceding
chapter they had been set forth under the images of the bows and arrows here they are represented under that of the
;
had
to
among
they had been carried away to Babylon, and against any further indulgence in
which they
They were
by
horse selected by the army on which to ride at its head, was stately and richly caparThe 5 in c;;C3 is the Caph verisoned.
battle-horse.
The
commander
of an
the Syro-Grecian and Egyptian troops, which repeatedly traversed the land.
itatis.
much
Antiochus Epiphanes actually set up a heathen idol in the temple at Jerusalem, and ordered temples and altars to be erected in the different cities throughout
the country.
3.
not
now
to be subject to
governors of
The verb
-ips
is
of a native rule.
By rss
corner-
good and a bad sense followed by the preposition Vy it signifies to visit for evil, to punish ; governing the accusative,
,
stone, is
or governor,
on
whom
may
be
is
The word
to visit
with good.
The
in V? VS prop-
derived from n:
and primarily
52
4i0
ZE C
]iim shall
II
ARIAH
Chap. X.
ruler.
From
5
go forth
eacli
and every
x\nd as lieroes
sliall
battle
They
Jehovah
is Avith
them,
put to shame the riders on horses. 6 I Avill strengthen the house of Judah, And deliver the house of Joseph,
And
them, because I have pitied them they shall be as if I had not cast them off; For I Jehovah am their God, and will answer them. 7 And Ephraim shall be as a hero, And their heart shall rejoice, as those who drink wine
And And
will settlo
Their sons shall see it and be glad ; Their heart shall exult in Jehovah. 8 I will whistle for them and gather them,
signifies a turning-point, angle or corner
of a building.
an insignificant image, but in'; the Oriis a large peg in the inside of a room, wrought into the wall when the house is built, and on which is hung all kinds of household stuff", together with See on the difi'erent implements of war.
ental nail,
Is.
and some others, to have been artificially compounded of n'n'airn, the Hiphil of ar;i, to return, and Q'na'iJiri the
,
Iliphil of
a'i"'
to sit or dwell, in
order
to express in
used by Jeremiah, riTn D*ip'sn~^i* a'^a"""-?"!. nuaV D'Pao'-i chap, xxxii. 37; but
as
,
xxii. 23.
One
'v
is
mentioned immediately
for the whole,
and stands
iis
is
in the sense of
7-uler.
more probable that the word introduced is a coiTuption of c^pa'Jin through inadvertence by some transcriSuch is, indeed, the reading of ber. many MSS. and of four printed editions, and is sup^wrted by the LXX. KaToiKfw.
it
is
far
5.
Supply c"a".N
ject to
Is.
c^oia, trampling, and compare q-oss "'a::-! refer xiv. 25, l.xiii. 6.
to the
army
Mace.
iii.
39), but
which
were put
of Jews.
6.
to the route
by a mere handful
"The
occasion.
tion
is
the ten
those of
tribes,
contradistinction
to
The reason why special menhere made of the ten tribes may
Judah and Benjamin, to which ' Judah" as the is given the name of more important of the two. It is clear
be their longer rejection by the Lord, and the exiled state in which many of
from the reference thus made, that part, if not most of all the tribes, returned and
took possession of their patrimonial lands
after the captivity.
them still were in the days of the prophet. t"~EN as a collective noun, is the nominative to For -,< isa see on
.
vm
n"r-arir;
is
mixed
An
form, supposed
by Kimchi, Abarbanel,
tion, settlement,
Chap. X.
ZE CHARIAH.
I
411
For
And
9
Though I have scattered them among the nations, Yet they shall remember me in the distant regions,
And
shall live
10 I will bring them back from the land of Egypt, And gather them from Assyria
;
11
And I will bring them to the land of Bashan and And room shall not be found for them. And he shall pass over the sea, He shall cleave and smite the waves of the sea, And all the deeps of the river shall dry uj)
Lebanon,
The
And
tribes,
many
at that
time in a state of exile. They were to be brought back to Palestine, and placed in a condition in which they should be
able to act valiantly in defence of their
the ten tribes into Egypt, but it cannot be doubted that, as in the case of the Jews in the time of Jeremiah, many of
to that country
country.
tle,
The verb
pileser
who
to seize
on the invasion of Tiglathand when Ptolemy attempted the whole of Syria, and carried
captives,
keep bees do, who, by means of a whisor pipe, call them out from and back See on Is. v. 26. Joseto their hives. phus informs us, that two hundred years after the time here referred to, Galilee was peopled to an amazing extent, studded with cities, towns, and villages and adds, that the villages were not what were usually called by that name, but contained, some of them, fifteen thouJewish Wars, book sand inhabitants.
tie,
;
away 100,000
in Alexandria
whom
he settled
and Cyrene, vast numbei-s of them must have consisted of the descendants of those Israelites who had returned from the Eastern captivity. Those who had remained in the East were also to return. Comp. Is. xi. 11.
N^ttJ has here the signification of there
being sufficient or enough, as in Kal, Numb. xi. 22 ; Jud. xxi. 14. c'ips ,
room, or place,
is
understood.
So great
iii.
ch.
9.
iii.
^^
2.
The
first
two Vans
are
employed
siglat-
would not be
able to furnish
them
to the
mean
The
those
who were
the verse indicates the settled enjoyment of chartered privileges as before the dispersion,
pressly
in
comparison
is
implied.
to their
10.
nis
The
We have
LXX. (TT^v^,
any
specific
angustia, Calvin,
Hengstenberg,
412
12
Z E C
I will
II
ARIA
IL
Chap.
Xi
And And
strengthen them througli Jehovah, they shall walk up and down in his name,
Saith Jehovah.
the distress, Blayncy, Tyre, Ilitzig, Zara,
by which he understands the Nile. The difficulty is at once removed by taking r-' :: as a verb, with the Aramaic signification of
and not the Euphrates, is meant, the use of the Egyptian word
the Nile,
See on
Is.
6.
S"U
may
^w^,
resecuit, anipu-
Syro-Greck kingdom be not intended that kingdom occupying not only the territory which belonged to ancient Assyria, but extending still further towards
the east.
to be
The
Q^n -zyi
was
And he shall C'V^ n'3 r.sni nns pass over the sea; he shall cleave and The last smite the waves of the sea.
words are
smite
literally,
;
swept away.
12.
in the
The phrase. av:-2 ft'~!"n <o waUc name of a deity, is a Hebrew mode
,
into loaves
or,
its leaves.
Comp. Exod.
and
will.
Comp. ^licah
iv. 5.
21
CIIAPTEP. XI.
It
obvious, from the nature of the predictions contained in this and the following chapthat they must have been delivered at a time subsequent to the erection of the temple. As they are exclusively occupied with denunciations of evil against the Jews, with the exception of interjected prophecies of the Messiah, and one relative to the final deliverance of the covenant people, they must have dispirited rather than encouraged those
is
ters,
who were engaged in building the sacred many carnal and secure persons among
edifice.
It
the Jews,
may be said, indeed, that there were who required to be warned, and that
the following denunciations were designed for their benefit; but, as the predictions do not relate to the times in which those persons lived, it is not conceivable how they could have so appropriated them as to derive effectual advantage from them. Besides, they
contain no instances of direct address, or personal application of the truths delivered, euch as we find in the other prophets when addressing themselves to their contemporaries for their mimediate benefit. It may, therefore, be concluded, that they were communicated by Zecliariah an .ome occasion or occasions of which we have no knowledge. The scenes here depicted lay in the more distant future. In the prcTsent chapter the prophet furnishes a bold figurative description of the destruction of the temple by the Roman.'f, and the utter consternation into which the priests and rulers of the people should thereby be thrown, 1 3. He then describes certain symbolical actions performed by him in vision, by which he personated the Messiah who had been promised as the Shepherd of his people, setting forth his commission to teach and rule them, 4; their deplorable condition in consequence of the rapacious disposition of tlieir leaders, 5; and the judgments that should overtake them in conse(]ucnce of their wickedness, G. Under the emblems of two staves the relation of the whole nation to (iod, as their protector, and the relation of the different tribes among themselves are exhibited, and the cessation of these relations The three last verses set forth tha is pointed out by the act of breaking the staves, 714. character of llerod, and the judgment of (jod upon him for his wickedness.
Chap. XI.
1
ZECHARIAH.
!
413
Open, O Lebanon thy gates, That the fire may devour thy cedars. 2 Howl, ye cypresses for the cedars have fallen, Because the magnificent are destroyed Howl, ye oaks of Bashan for the fortified forest hath come down, 3 There is the sound of the howling of the shepherds, Because their magnificence is destroyed There is the sound of the roaring of young lions, Because the pride of Jordan is destroyed.
!
: !
1.
Some
it
interpret this
;
veri=;e
literally
ferior to
others underit
and
stand
either
to Jerusalem, or to the
whole land of
oaks of Bashan" were also used for purposes of building. These terms, however, are likewise to be interpreted figuratively of the priests and rulers of
the temple,
cers,
its
"The
Palestine.
The
commends
to
superior
and
inferior
oflfi-
To
:
the
together with
-I'^'ni*
same effect is the remarkable declaration " O of Rabbi Johanan Ben Zakkai
sanctuary,
people.
is
and inanimate
in dignity
objects.
em-
sanctuary
I
trouble thyself?
why know of
!
dost thou
who were
elevated
thee that
and magnificent
'"i."'^N.
in apparel.
thine end
is
Zechdoors,
has prophesied
Open thy
fire
may
devour thy
fol.
cedars."
col. 2.
39,
by Josephus, in his Jewish Wars, bk. vi. ch. v. j 3. The temple might with all propriety be figuratively called Lebanon, not only because the cedars with which it was built were brought from that mountain, but because as I-ebanon was the most stately and magnificent of all in the vicinity of Palestine, so the temple was the most
referred to
i?!, meant Jerusalem, the houses of which were numerous and close together as the trees of the forest, and round which the Jews had thrown up a wall of great strength. Comp. Micah iii. 12. For niria many MSS., and two early editions, read n^::a which is only another form to express the same thing.
-ir,::3n
is
Comp. ",NS-
By
3.
The Jewish
and
fierce
salem.
against
Its gates
all
who had no
its courts.
Now
to the flames.
its literal
solicitude of the
Roman
general to pre-
and rapacious disposition. The r"7S, was the magnificence of the temple of which they boasted. Comp. Mark xiii. "1 Lukexxi. 5. T^ilir; -('iNS the pride of Jordan, i. e. the thickets which ornament its banks, and furnish excellent lairs for lions, has the same figurative reference, and is selected to correspond to the young lions immediately preceding.
;
Comp.
The
leaders
2.
rnn
the cypress,
was
greatly in-
414
4
ZE
CHAR
;
ir.
Chap.
XL
And And
4, 5.
each of those
who
them
saith,
;
proceeds
to
and had
point out the cause of the destruction which he had figuratively described, and
that of the people
with,
it
message, the
the
The
fii-st
is
By ranr;-
;::,
the
sheep of
slaughter, are
to
xliv. 23.
At
the
fall
of Jerusalem not
Jewish people,
we
fewer
than
1,100,000
Jews perished,
own
unprincipled
and near a million and a half altogether It has been in the course of the war.
questioned,
show.
who
is
in this verse to
assume the
shepherd, and
who
what the same pci-sons were officially. The avarice of the Pharisees was excesthey had the barefaced hypocthank God for their ill gotten wealth, and because they were not punished, they imagined they might persevere with impunity. The construction of the plural nouns """sp, ^rj^n^b, and
sive, yet
risy to
the Mes-
and, unquestionably,
if
is
ultimate
the true
reference be
had to him,
;
this
interpretation
but
is
it
is
equally clear
to be regarded as
having
received
the
commission,
and
the
Cr'y-i, with the singulars -7;t<^ and V'lKn^ , cannot, with any propriety, be accounted for on the principle advanced
upon him.
What
proves this,
is
putting into the hands of the same person the uistrumcnts of a foolish shepherd, ver. lo, an action
no propriety be
by Hengstenberg, that Jehovah himself was the principal actor, and that the wicked rulers were merely his instniments. It is only a more emphatic mode of construction, by which each of the
individuals specified in the plural
is
On
this principle,
most of the
repsee
resented
as performing the
;
action,
;
Zcchariah had
all
Gen. xxvii. 29
iii.
Exod. xxxi. 14
affix
;
Prov.
refers
18.
The masculine
,
gn
what he
in his
descrilxs
the fem-
own
per-
inine
-,ri
to
Jews of
he
his
is,
of the Messiah
whom
be
pci-son-
atcd.
He
;sa being of the common gender. There therefore, no ground for correcting the text by changing c~."S"i i"^o "l~"5-i the reading of fifteen MSS. and some printed
,
those
who were
but
the
editions.
Chap. XI.
6
ZECHARIAH.
will
415
land, saith
For I
Each
into the
hand of
his neighbor,
his
king;
And they shall destroy the land, And I will not deliver them out of their hand. And I fed the sheep of slaughter, truly miserable
The
particle
'^'3
sheep
Canaanite of it. This rendering is adopted by Blayney, only he attaches to Jews were no longer to have Divine pity the term the idea of merchant, which it extended to them, but were to be aban- sometimes has [among those who trafdoned to all the evils of civil discord, and ficked with the flock), and explains it of
6.
,for, connects
^fer.
command,
4.
what The
That
Roman
:
The
is
interpretation
is
so
emperor,
is
and
approved by Jahn,
edgment of the Jews themselves '* We have no king but Caesar." John xix. 15. The verb , to beat, or dash in pieces, is most appropriately chosen to express the destructive measures adopted by the Romans, by which the Jewish polity was broken up. The nominative is the troops
but cannot be philologically sustained. Some take '|5^ for the infinitive in TTi -
ms
phal of
sense
;
"J!!
had
just been
spoken
7.
of.
ond personal feminine pronoun, supposing the Segol to have been changed into a Tzere, but this is liable to the same objection. Most regard it as the particle ;::'5 and construe it either with its cau,
The prophet
declares, in the
name
sal,
or
its
adversative signification
but
executed the
This was ful-
our Lord.
variously
have been
?s
brought out satisfactorily meet the exigencies of the case, I cannot help thinking that the h is here redundant, as it is
in
rendered,
Syr.
LXX.
^
,
t^j/
many
instances,
Xavaavinv
, j
V Af'-
The term
is
vV ^
O O
,0
m
A
1
-i .
the
little
ones on account
of the sheep, Vulg. propter hoc 6 paupere egregis, Leo Juda, adeoque pauperes gregis. Tremellius and Junius, vos inquam, 6 pauperes gregis. Schmid, J. H. MichaeHs, Newcome, Hit-
of the
collection
.5^
esse, like,
and implies
which
found.
zig, gis.
and
miseri gre-
And
thus
it
Jarchi, Castalio,
De Dieu,
Drusius, Storr,
um. Amheim, fitrn)al)r bie efenbed^ ten ber eerbe. Ewaid, wirftirf) ble
uitgfucfncf)dten @d)afe.
real difficulty lies in the
Dathe,
Even were the \ retained, the same result would be brought out, the rendering in
this case being, with respect to truth,
i.
The only
.
e.
word -^zh The LXX. have read it, and the following word, as one, thus, ^-ryj^V and made
,
truly
just as in
i.
nsrV
icith respect to
perpetuity,
]S3:ri
*':
e.
forever.
The words
416
ZE C
II
AR
AH
;
CiiAr. XI.
the one I called Grace, and I took to rayseli* two crooks the sheep. And I cut off I fed and Bands, called other I 8 the the three shepherds within one month; and my soul loathed
And
9 them, and their soul also rejected me. I will not feed you ;
So that
I said
And And
struction,
That Avhich is dying, let it die that which is being cut off,
as for the rest, let
let it
be cut
off;
them
8.
rri^a
the choicest
;
of his cypresses,
Jer. xxxvii. 7
or,
case,
out were, cannot be All kinds determined with certainty. of interpretations have been given, from
definitely pointed
common
Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, suggested to Jerome, by his Hebrew Rabbi, to the
of the flock. The article is as usual to be referred to the former of the two nouns, and both might be rendered, the most miserable of sheep, or the most mis-
Roman
tion
is
tellius, in
The only
construc-
which is at all entitled to any notice, that which regards the language as
the Jewish state
Such was the state to which the Jewish people were reduced
erable
sheep.
in
the
priests,
the
They were
ixr]
influ-
exoj'Ta TToi/ueVa.
They
every
ence by
ness,
whom
the
affairs of
the nation
were
icorried
and harassed
in
possible way, Trp6^aTa aTroXwKora, Matt. The two staves were symbolical X. 6.
which reached
its
culminating
point
when they
crucified the
Lord of
is
of the different modes of treatment which the Hebrews had experienced under the guidance and protection of the providence of God. One of them was called
to
be ascribed.
less refers to
inN Tn\,
of
when everything was thrown into confusion, and all authority came to an end. inr ^o hide, conceal
Jerusalem,
,
See
ver.
10.
To
to
the
remove from
it.
The
last
other
was given the name of d""^2h, which Drusius, Marckius, the Dutch translators, and others, render Bi7iders,
but better, Bands, expressing the
ties
two
lines
out the
which unite parties together. The LXX., Aq., Symm., axoivifffia "Vvlg. fimiculi
;
mutual dissatisfoction and disgust with which the wicked rulers and the Messiah regarded each other, h n a occurs only Comp. the here, and Prov. xx. 21. cognate root V^a , to reject, and the
,
llefercncc
had to the fraternal confederacy into which the Jews and Israelites had entered with each other after the rctui-n
vehemcns;
J^-
maledixit,
HI. cxe-
cratus fuit.
9. The entire abandonment of the Hebrew people is here most affectingly
from Babylon.
first, for
The
last
a repetition of the
set forth.
here
predicted,
Chap. XI.
10
I then took
ZE CHAEIAH. my
417
it was broken in heed to me, knew of a truth that it was the word of Jehovah. 12 And I said to them, If it be good in your eyes, give my reward 13 and if not, forbear. So they weighed my reward, thirty pieces of silver. And Jehovah said to me, Cast it to the potter, the
;
crook Grace, and cut it asunder in order to made with all the nations. And that day, and the miserable sheep that gave
vi.
12.
And
for the
By
this
whereby
discrepances are not greater than we meet with in several other quotations made from the Old Testament bj' the writers of the New, and are by no means such as to affect the end which either the
In producing the
his eye
The
Ezek. xxxiv. 2o
Hos.
ii.
18.
W.hen
this restraint was removed, .the Eomang invaded Judea, and destroyed the city and polity of the ancient people of God.
That by C'sy
the
peojjle or nations,
we
are
citation, the latter had more intent upon the historical circumstances which he had just detailed, than upon the strict grammatical construction and verbality of the language employed in the prophecy. He fixes upon the principal points, the despicable price at which the Messiah had been sold, and the appropriation of the money
and not
Hebrew
The
tribes, is
now
agreed
among
compensation to the potter for the and having faithfully exhibited these to the view of his
as a
anticipated
accomplishment
readers,
he
of
is
less solicitous
about the
of the prediction,
and the conviction WTOught in the minds of the pious portion of the Jewish people, that the pre-
wording
the
prophet.
The very
diction was indeed divine. For the force of "3 see on ver. 7. The LXX. again
join the
"'P^J^"'
'^rS
render,
ot
Xava-
avolou
12. 13.
thew has
'l(Tpa^\,
On
at
which he
of
Israel.
Instead of tiCrn
f":;V-i" rinps"'
10, a
very
And I took
of silver, we to TpiaKovra &pyvpia, and they took the thirty pieces of silver. Inthe thirty pieces
,
sioned, partly
by the
and I threw
it,
gave them.
the
and psSiy by the more important consideration that the Evangelist expressly
ascribes the
Evangelist renders
\'p
by
5t5a)/ij
is
the
more
noticeable,
same
With
it
may,
The
conjecture of
a
~::n-
potter, is
53
418
ZE
CHAR
All.
Chap. XI.
by them
And
I took
is
word nowhere occurs in Hebrew in reference to such an office, and as the potter was the most suitable person to whom
to cast the despicable
memorj' might fail, or they might be mistaken in one instance, such might be the case in hundreds. For a refutation
of the second hypothesis, see the Preface,
in
sum, occupying as he
which
it
is
shown that
there
is
no
did a workshop in the valley of Hinnom, Jer. xviii. 1, 3, xix. 2, which was held
in abomination
by the Jews.
That the
^^Titten
by that prophet.
third supposition,
"With respect
it
Evangelist should have ascribed the prediction to Jeremiah has proved a source
to the
cannot be
apocrj'phal
of great perplexity to
critics.
No person
who
can peruse that in Matthew without And so at once being reminded of it. exactly do they tally in every important point, that no doubt of their relationship can for a moment be entertained. On the other hand, no such passage is to be found in any part of the prophecies of
Jeremiah.
book of Jeremiah, containing an analogous passage. Jerome found it among the Nazarenes, and a portion of it still
exists in a Sahidic Lectionary, in the C'o'dc.x:
Huntingtonianus
5,
in the Eodlcian
Libran,', Oxford,
and
51
in
guage
of St.
in the
MS.
:
in the library
Germain
Paris.
The words
are as follows
to Pashur,
The
proposed by Hengstenberg, that it was the object of our prophet to bring forward
to
in Jer.
xviii. xix., in
struction of Jerusalem
and that on
might, with
factorj'
this
all
fathers have and your sons, which shall come after you, will commit more grievous sins than ye. For they will give the price of him that is valued, and do injury to him that maketh the sick whole, and forgiving iniquity. And
resisted the truth,
Ye and your
propriety,
the
silver,
the
authorship to Jeremiah,
;
is verj'
unsatis-
and we
are shut
up
to one or
:
First,
which the children of Israel have given. They have given them for the potter's field, as the Lord commanded.
name was
And
thus
it
shall be
spoken
The
senfall
by a lapsus memoria. Secondly, that the portion of the book of Zechariah, in which the words are found, though now bearing his name, was actually WTitten by Jeremiah, and by some means or other, to us imknown, has been appended to
the real prophecies of Zechariah.
ly,
But who does not perceive in this fragment the clumsy attempt of one of the
early Christians to support the cause of
Third-
truth
a harmless
is
made from an
fraud?
apocrj'phal book
miah.
Or
Jerome at once rejected it as spurious, and expresses his belief that Matthew made his citation from ZechaIt only
tion of the
Matthew.
will
riah.
WJK
of the
who
believe
Evangelist.
That a variety
of reading
established
if
on
de-
Augustine mentions, that in his time some MSS. omitted the name of 'Ifp*/a'ou.
It is also omitted in the
MS.
33, 157
in
is
Chap.
XL
ZECH ARIAH,
419
the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them into the house of Jehovah, to the potter.
14
15
Then
And Jehovah said to me, Take to thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd 16 For, behold, I will raise up a shepherd in the land Those which are perishing he will not visit,
That which strayeth he will not seek, That which is wounded he will not heal, That which standeth he will not nourish
all
the versions
and
in a Persic
MS.
in
;
my
possession,
in the
modern
Greek
in the
MSS. and
also
in a Latin
MS.
of Luc. Brug.
and the barbarities that they pracwhich none could have indulged in but such as had their hearts steeled
other,
tised,
do the Philoxenian Syriac in the margin, and an Arabic MS, quoted by Bengel. Origen and Eusebius were in favor of this reading. I think it very
probable that
either
humanity. " Yet by these men," says Josephus, " the ancient prediction seemed rapidly drawing to its fulfilment That
:
insert
when
city,
civil
in the
name, but simply wrote in his Hebrew Gospel, s^asn n^2 ,by the prophet,
just as in chap.
i.
;
22,
ii.
xxi. 4, xxvii. 35
translator,
and that
irt
his
Greek
and the temple be profaned by the hands of native Jews, the city should be taken, and the temple burned with fire." 15. TV, again, refers back to what is
recorded ver.
7.
mistaking n
n^a for n,
The
c-'Va
here as a
,
'^s
were the
belonging to shepherds,
In-
rov
)rpo(p7iTou.
its
This readfirst
way
into the
Greek MS., will account for its all but Another conjecuniversal propagation. ture supposes 'iptov to have been written by some early copyist instead of Zpiov. I only add, that there can be no doubt
the passage in question existed in the book of Zechariah in the Jewish canon
in the days of the Evangehst, since
it is
stead of 1^3
one of
De
Essi's
MSS.,
copy of the LXX., the Syr,, Yulg., and Arab., read -^^2 the punctuation of the
,
plural.
^*sT
foolish,
is
by implication
often represented
wicked, as w'ickedness
in Scripture as folly.
16. C'ptt
lar verbs in
is
found to occupy that place in the text of the LXX. which was formed three hvmdred years previously.
14. see
direct
moral excitement to
the operation of concurring circumstances, under the Divine government, in consequence of which certain events are brought about by responsible human
on
up of the social
agency.
rSTnasn
ishing, thp
420
But he
ZECIIARIAH.
will eat the flesh
Chap.
XL
of the
fat,
break off" their hoofs. Woe to the worthless shepherd, that leaveth the flock 17 The sword shall be upon his arm. And upon his right eye
Avill
;
And
His arm
shall
be utterly palsied,
And
which
ciit
in
signifies to
TSTio
cannot with
If taken as
\s
determined.
since
to
human
that
by impli-
Comp. the
versus.
fugam
none to whom it will more aptly apply than to Herod, who was totally regardless of the real interest of the Jews, and whose reign was marked by the perpetration of the most shameful and barbarous cruelties.
this
natisn
still,
as 3
properly signifies to set or place, in Niphal, to stand, stand firm, be strong, firm,
sound ; and thus the LXX, here SKokKt]pou, but this interpretation is quite at variance with the exigency of the place, which requires the idea of weakness
rather
What goes to confirm view is the circumstance of his being said to be raised up " in the land." 17. This denimciation seems to be directed against the wicked rulers of the Jews who might be in office between the time of the prophet, and that of the dissolution of the Jewish state, rather than
against the person refeired to in the pre-
And
this
ceding verse.
The
in ^y-i
is
not the
reference being
had
to the standing, or
pronominal
gogic,
as
affix,
standing
still
in'
the following
and
1 1
;
other participles.
8, cxxiii. 1.
f,,vi'^,
^'Vsn
posuit, fixit,
nothing shepherd.
sus fuit,
laboravit.
Such
it
devolves
The
VVi*
root
to provide
Comp. Job xiii. 4. must unquestionably have been Comp. V^Va from VVa a"ao
;
.
it is
from aa_o
The
character described
is
h^h-
to sustain,
to
furnish
are
provisions.
Root V;2,
p"i.''
measure grain.
expres-
official claims,
and
The words
sive of the
scriptive
irt-D-s
act
of an
but
of onward, is to be taken optatively. ITie doom imprecated is truly awful an utter deprivation of
of personal responsibility.
rest
The
and prevent
their
power and
intelligence.
Chap. XII.
ZE CHARIAH.
421
CHAPTER
This chapter contains a
XII.
series of predictions, which relate to the future restoration of tha scattered people of the Jews, the destruction of whose national polity, and their consequent wretchedness, had been so graphically set forth in that which precedes it. On their return to their own land, Jerusalem shall prove formidable to the nations that oppose them, 2 4, having a regular government, by which, in reliance upon Jehovah, the inhab-
To prevent the inhabitants of the metropolis from glory5, 6. ing over their brethren in the country, the latter shall be first delivered from their inva ders, 7; but Jerusalem being the principal point of attack, special promises of deliverance are made to it, 8, 9. When the Jews shall have been collected, and delivered from the opposing powers, there will be a remarkable effusion of the influences of the Holy Spirit, in consequence of which a season of great and universal mourning, on account of the crucifixion of the Messiah, will be observed, each family bewailing separately the guilt entailed upon it by the nefarious deed. 1014. As might be expected to be the case with unfulfilled prophecy, a considerable degree of obscurity necessarily attaches to certain portions of this and the two following chapters but the leading features of the Divine dealings with the Jews in times yet future, are marked with a sufficient degree of distinctness to enable us to form a general idea of the circumstances in which they will be placed.
itants shall be protected,
The
Saith Jehovah,
Sentence of the word of Jehovah concerning Israel who stretcheth forth the heavens,
of the earth,
formeth the spirit of man within him Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cuj) of mtoxication To all the people around ;
1.
That
1
stew
does
not
necessarily
and
,
for the
entire phrase,
ix. 1.
nSn"' "nai
it
ii''s-c
see
on chap.
That
which no introduction could have been more appropriate. For f!S~n5-i "ilin, compare Tlmrip tuv irvev/xdTwv, Heb. xii. 9, and Numb. xvi. 22, xxvii. 16; and
for the several predicates, Is. xlii. 5.
2-
Vy"! v|D
LXX.
oiy
irpS^vpa
craKfvofieva,
and
interpret
the
declaration here
made
;
of the concussion
enemies of
God
its
The term
is
obviously
employed in
original acceptation, as
which Jerusalem should receive from the attack of the enemy but it is more natural to regard the phrase as only another
Hebrew
people.
it
With no
been
have
the
form
for nVi'-tJin
is
C"3,
by
introduced.
To remove
all
which
it
meant a cup
filled
with intoxi-
doubts which
unbelief might
suggest
who
drink
and stagger
to their injury.
tion
Root
The
com-
by
whom
it
would be
effected,
than
BD
is
is
422
ZE C
also
II
ARIAH
be thus,
Chap.
XU.
And
III
with Judah
it
shall
And
shall
be
in that
day, I will
all
make Jerusalem
A burdensome
All that
lift it
stone to
shall
people,
in pieces
it.
be cut
Yet
all
And
keep
my
eyes open,
"While I
5
Avill
And
My
strength
the chiefs of Judah shall say in their heart, is the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
plete failure, as
must be obvious
to
any
one
wbo
And
e.
Judah it Judah
like
the Concordance.
The second
part of
The
chief diffi-
culty
is
preposition
Ti'-f-
by the position of the hz ^^ the phrase Cjt Vy. The Targ., Jerome, Kimcreated
in
it
Mau-
as a custom,
obtained in his
to try
to
be,
young men
lifting
enormous stones
It
would be compelled to join the enemies in the attack upon Jerusalem, and with them share in the punishment making But 'ji-n qa the nominative to Trrr
:
so high from
the
ground, as to place
them upon
borrowed,
gashes
their heads.
may
be from
is
this interpretation
ill
suits the
context,
is
made by
sented as
repre-
Though
advance
against
as placed
m a war against
own
capital.
I con-
to the attack.
The confederacy
its
charac-
4.
While Jehovah
it
repre-
enemy
a cup of intoxication to the invaders. See for this use of V? , Gen. xxxii. 12 ;
Exod. xxxv. 22
ially ver.
6.
In
brought out,
su^;y
and render
tation in referetice
icifh
resjKct to;
cessful resistance
Chap. XII.
6 In tliat
ZE CHARIAH.
day I
tire
423
will
Like a
pot
And like a torch of fire in a sheaf, And they shall consume all the people On the right hand and on the left
For Jerusalem
T
shall
in
And Jehovah
of Judah
In order that the splendor of the house of David, And the splendor of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, May not be magnified above Judah.
8 In that day
Jehovah shall protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem So that he that stumbleth among them in that day shall be as
:
David,
And
As
the inhabitants of the metropolis, will inspire those of the country with the
assurance, that, through the Divine aid,
^V
which
the
The read"as at the first," which is found in two MSS., and is the origmal reading of three more, and is favored by the LXX., Arab., Syr., and Vulg., is not
olis are too
prone to indulge.
,
ing risrSTD
Targ. read
correction.
^z'::'h,
entitled to consideration.
8.
omitted.
6.
Jerusalem,
the
first
instance,
After the
Jews
their
shall
by a beautiful climax. From the circumstance, that the LXX. have in several by angels, instances rendered C'r'js
,
some
term
interpreters
is
own
and
,
to be so understood here.
The
dis-
ancient solemnities.
to
Houbigant proposes
as occurring the sec,
change
c":;->r?T".
See
9-7,
ond time,
into c'l^ra
but, like
most of
is
not
and Lee's Heb. Lex. p. 32. What clearly shows that no such idea can attach to the word in this place is the
corrective phrase, r'l""' "sV^sr as the Angel of Jehovah, immediately following. The house of David was to be as God, yet not as God in the abstract, of which no proper conception can be form,
The
inhabitants
of the
war than
be the
help.
to experience the Divine Standing in antithesis with the capital, their comparative helplessness
first
is
ed, but as
God
manifested to
men
in his
glorious forthcomings
clearly implied
for
is
dispensation, in
Son,
who went
and
to
of
Israel as their
tector,
Almighty
leader
and Pro-
of pride
and
self- exaltation,
in
whom
424
9
ZECHARIAH.
it
Chap. XI\
And
shall
be
in that clay,
all
the nations
That come against Jerusalem. 10 And I will pour out upon the house of David, And upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, A spirit of grace and of gracious supplications, And they shall look unto me Mhom they have pierced,
sum
total of the
;
Exod. xxxii. 34
"tl'isV
Cr;":s:V
here
also
adopted by Zechariah.
whom
Compare
21;
9.
Is.
Exod. xxxiii.
9; Mai.
i.
15,
xxiii.
all their
salvation
and
all their
,
Ixiii.
iii.
1;
and
my
The
"iVs
in the
Comment, on Zeeh.
stroy, is
11,
phrase
u-2n, "they
It is
shall look to
n"c-::r-jh -i'^^ns,
subject of
much
con-
spoken more humane^ but conveys no idea of weakness in the speaker. " Summo studio ero attentus. Calvin.
10.
found in most MSS., and among these the best, and is supported
by the
LXX.,
Aq.,
Symm.,
prophecy of the future conversion of the Jews, in consequence of a special and extraordinary outpouring of the influences of the
It
Holy
Spirit.
Nothing that
cedent to
rir;"'
,
whom
it
Jehovah,
and
4.
In
order to avoid
this
reference,
Kimchi
nrs rs
numerous conversions that accompanied the Apostolic preaching on the day of Pentecost, and
furnished, not even the
because they
pierced,
leaving
undetermined
this as
it
who
is
Was
pierced.
But
construction
altogether
inadmissible,
its
deprives
By n^n
spirit, is not meant a gracious and prayerful disposition produced in the minds of the Jews, but the Divine influence itself by which that disposition
,
the verb of
accusative case,
everj'
which
is
expressed in
other
instance
in
will be created.
It is
called
" spirit"
-^n
by metonomy of cause for effect, C'I'SmP are from the same root,
and
,
which it occurs. It has accordingly been condemned by Abenezra, Abarbanel, Alschech, and other Rabbins. The rendering given to -ip.n by the LXX. KarwpXV^^o-vro, they insulted,
-jin
to
regard with favor, exercise mercy, etc. The verb t:^: , here used in Hiphil, is
intensive in signification
:
seized
ner,
upon by some,
especially
by Thei-
Rosenmiiller,
\Vctte, AViner,
Eichhorn, Gesenius,
to look to, or
De
regard with fixed attention, to contemplate with deep interest, and with believing expectfition.
that act
than Maurer,
who
2j",i
at great pains to
and 222
the verb
-pi
is
xVgainst
by every converted
viour
is
when
the Sa-
such interpretation
passages,
is
it is
justly objected
spiritually discerned.
In the
case of the
Jews there
will be a special
lit-
recognition of
him
as the Slessiah
whom
It
Chap.
XIL
ZECHARIAH.
425
And they shall lament for him, As one lamenteth for an only son,
And
be
in bitterness for
is
him.
a first-born.
interpretation adopted
As one
is
in bitterness for
xiii. 3,
of this very
book.
The same
by Kimchi, have endeavored to get rid of the pronominal reference in i^s To this the reply is
. :
By
vVs
which, however, they did not at first venture to insert into the text, but merely
a Messianic ref-
gave
it
by the
in the margin.
In the Gemara of Jerusalem, written sometime in the third century, we read yin
:
modern Jews.
De
y-in
IS-'
Vo iT'E&n MT
ntts
:
ns-nm
MSS.,
orig-
Two
one states
more, perhaps
in five
;
and now by
correction in six
in
of corrupt nature.
occurs in the
similar
passage
Gemara
52, col.
of Babylon, Tract
1,
Succoth,
fol.
in
which the
mourning
respecting
the
SinilO
it to
May
Messiah the son of Joseph, who shall be slain. See also the commentaries of Abarbanel and Abenezra, who give the
same
own, in two more originally, now in five others, and in twenty collated by him in other libraries. Of this insertion a serious complaint is made by Raymundus Martini, in his Pugio Fidei, p. 411, Leipsic, 1687, And so ashamed have Lipmann, fol. Abarbanel, and other Rabbins been of it, that they pass it entirely by in their controversies with the Christians, or candidly acknowledge that it is not to be regarded as forming any part of the sacred text.
six
of
De
Rossi's
kut Chasdash, fol. 24 -pT^'i; inns "D Kni "D inns CiDTi 13 f'V'Q sirta rir For after i^m -p n^ffiB iJi^m Tin they have pierced Jonah, who is Messiah
.
It is
much
it
has been rejected by the best Jewish and Christian critics, the most free-thinking
of the
German
it
of Joseph, then David loill come, Messiah the son of David. Hengstenthe son
Newcome
berg's
Christol.
vol.
iii.
p.
222.
The
fiction of
two Messiahs, one the son of Joseph, who should suffer and die, and
another the son of David,
and Boothroyd, who accordingly trans" They shall look unto Him whom they have pierced." It is true, they may seem to have the sanction of the
:
who
should
Evangelist John,
who
thus
37,
"O^ovrai
els
tv e^fKfvTTjffay, xix.
Kal
o'triyes
it
but
must
now
as suffering,
and now
as reign-
having been
literally ful-
them
to our Saviour.
to inquire
how
the
Jews,
who
did not
acquiesce
in the
See on Zech.
54
426
ZE C
HAR A
I
II
CilAP. XII.
11 In that day there shall be great lamentation in Jerusalem, As the lamentation of Haclad-rimmon in the valley of Megiddon.
12
And
The family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart The family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; 13 The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart;
Tlic fomily of Shimei apart, and theii- wives apart;
14 All the families that are left, Every family apart, and their wives apart.
might be supposed that i\s being the and not tVs would
,
It
that name.
it
was
called Maximianopolis.
be required in the following sentence; but the use of the expletive phrase rs necessarily led to the change of -li'S
,
12
14.
described,
same time,
its
particular
construction.
nKn
is
the infinitive of
Hiphil,
which
carries forward
the deIt
is
and individual features are likewise set forth. To show that all will be the subjects of
it,
the root
nnn
to
The verb
;
influence
which
their
to beat
have on the
There being
of Shimei, the
LXX.
have
tended
vjiizv,
is
also
Shammua, one
v. 14, is
of the sons of
made by mourners.
The
instances
David, 2 Sam.
meant
but
it is
most
more natural
To
represent
the greatness
one of the sons of Levi, who is classed along with that patriarch, just as Nathan, one of the sons of David, is with him, ver. 12. For ""ytt-j Shimei, see
,
known among
the
Numb.
iii.
18, 21, in
,
which
latter verse
Jews,
viz. that
"VO'STi rrs^'tt
the
wound which he
Hadad-rimmon.
2 Kings xxiii. 29
2 Chron. xxxv. 23
25.
period referred
become extinct at the The men and women mourning apart has reference to the Jewish custom, according to which not only
did the females dwell in separate apart-
name
also worship-
Chap. XUI.
ZE CHARIAH.
427
CHAPTER
This chapter contains
XIII.
a continuation of the prophecy respecting the future conversion of the Jews, ver. 1; predictions relating to the entire abolition of idolatry and lalse doctrine, 2 6; a resumption of the subject of the Messiah's suflTeriugs, V; and au account of the
destruction of the greater part of the Jews during the the r^st, and their ultimate restoration, 8, 9.
Roman
shall
be a fountain opened
To
and for uncleanness. be in that day, saith Jehovah of hosts, I will cut off the names of the idols from the earth And they shall not be remembered any more. And I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit To pass away from the earth.
For
And
shall
1. This verse is intimately connected with the subject of the conckiding verses
It is designed
10.
rsuri
to sin
hence the
few exceptions, after the apostolic age, have shut it against themselves by their impenitence and unbelief. When, however, these shall be removed by the outpouring of Divine influence, promised, chap. xii. 10, they shall find
tively
it
ttPS;
opened,
full,
and overflowing
with
2.
As no
it is
among
and
into
it
again,
y"sn should not be rendered, as in our common version, the land, but the earth ;
so that this and the following verses describe the total extinction of that horrible
lution
are intended,
;
the circumstances
sacrifices
and
purifications,
cleansing
influence
flowing
and all the other systems of superstiand false religion which now impose upon the human family, together with those who teach and defend them. By
evil,
tion
ntJisufi
fiii"!
the spirit
of impurity,
is
The verse exhibits 13, 14 ; 1 John i. 7. the two grand doctrines of the gospel
justification
meant a person pretending to inspiration, and in league with Satan, the god of this
world, to
i'-j^n
whom,
contradistinction to
and
sanctification.
The
"11,
the spirit
of holiness, the
42S
3
ZE
siiould
II
AR
All.
Chap. XIIL
So that
hi.s
Thou
flxlsehood in the
And
4
his parents and his mother Shall thrust him through when he prophesieth. his father
name of Jehovah;
And
it
shall
be
in that day,
That the prophets shall be ashamed, Every one of his vision, when he prophesieth And they shall not wear a hairy garment to deceive.
;
But each
I
shall say, I
am
not a prophet,
am
a tiller of the
ground
For I have been in a state of slavery from Then shall it be said to him, AVhat are these wounds in thy hands ?
my
youth.
in the
house of
my
the
may
well be applied.
Com;
"nV
To
pare
TTvfvfxa
TTu^uvos,
irAafTjr,
e/c
TTvtvfjLa tTis
singular -iKsn
5,
at the
beginning of ver.
especially, Koi
tioned
07ie
the nomuiptive.
"'rspn
lit.
nection with the following, iJii'ir There is in this verse a recognition from my youth, it signifies to be held in The of the law against those who seduced a state of slavery, to be a slave. 11. speaker declares that he had always been others to idolatry, Deut. xiii. 6 in a condition of life with which the i\'^, signifies both to C-<-;5-i^ parents.
xvi. 13.
3.
beijct,
and
to bear children.
The The
evil
was
alto-
gether incompatible,
translators
ten-
as the proper
punishment.
false
is
German
by
and
is
teachers
forth.
be
covered
here set
The
This verse
is
commonly
its
applied to
monks
still,
which
is
assumed
of those by
mere proximity which he and his sufferings arc clearly predicted. In no tolerable sense could the Jews be
further ground than
to that
which
follows, in
called his
carNtt
lovers, or
friends
who had really been invested with a Divine commission. The form
of the infinitive "ir^^jn
,
on the contrary, they hated botli him and his Father. The words connect with
the preceding thus
:
The
false j)ro])hct,
is
according
though he njight
CiiAP. xiir.
ZECHARIAH,
O
sword
!
429
Awake,
against
is
my
sliepberd,
And
Saith
against the
man who
united to me,
Jehovah of hosts
not that usually employed in Hebrew, which in such construction would merely
be
idiomatic, but "i2J, d strong, or mighty man, one who is such by way of eminence, tn^'cs is used elsewhere only
would not be able to marks that had been made on his hands in honor of the idol which he served, yet as it was customary to cut and maim the body, especially the
atrous vestments,
efface the
hand, in token of grief for departed relatives^ he might hope to escape detection
by
7.
attributing
his
scars
to
the latter
in all
which passages
persons
cause.
is
employed
to denote
who
were united together under common laws, for the enjoyment of common rights and privileges. It is derived from nry cognate with Ctty (o bind,
,
bitid
together,
unite in society
fuit,
Arab.
fecit
Grotius, Eichhorn,
(^'
rem
i, e.
:
communis
communem
a people,
inter-
Pekah Hitzig
;
common
The spoken of in the preceding verses only satisfactory solution of the question is that which regards the words as diand exclusively prophetic of the person and sufferings of the Messiah. This solution is induced not only by our Saviour's express appropriation of them to himself, Matt. xxvi. 31, but also by
rectly
terest
n^y,
;
conjunction,
>
commimion,
zoith,
association
Q^
the conjunction
The
LXX.
nov.
Aq. &vBpa
tov
(TvfxfvAoi'
Symm.
avSpa
\aov
,0
Theod. &y5pa
o
.
irX-^aiov fxov.
Syr.
S'
the
manifest
10
identity
of
the
subject
subject
^Vi^ i.
the
man my
fi'iend.
Targ.
14.
is
The same
there
rr^V ""K-in
w^^sn wnnn
Si'itsV'r, the
handled
fall
who
is
it is there,
down-
The prophecy
contained in this and the following verses has no coherence with what immediately
precedes,
Vulg. virum cohcerentem mihi. Leo Juda, virum coaqualem mihi. Hengstenberg, a man, my nearest relation. Burger, mon confident, De Wette,
him,
upon a
different occasion.
new
sec-
tion maj',
therefore,
be
considered
as
ben ?U?amt meine^ (S)feid)cn, the man my equal, Amheim, bClTl ?!}JcinnC,
bCH icf) Ittir }^\\<^Z^i\SX, the man whom / have associated with myself. The two last are the more remarkable, coming, as
they do, the one from a Rationalist, and the other from a Jew. The idea expressed by the latter I conceive to be precisely
Spirit,
commencing
is
here,
to chap. xiv. 5.
altogether peculiar.
Not only
is
the
Messiah designated the Shepherd of Jehovah, to indicate the relation in which he stood to the Father in the economy of redemption, but he is described as in"5:V. "ia3, the
man of
man,
his
what was intended by the Holy by whom the words were indited.
union;
to him.
i.
e,
But
of
whom
The term
predicated, except of
! ;
430
Smite the
shepliercl,
ZE
I will turn
it
CHAR
AH.
CiiAP.
XIIL
But
8
back
and the sheep sliall be scattered, my liand upon the little ones.
all
And Two
shall
be that in
the land,
Saith Jehovah,
parts therein shall be cut off and expire,
third part shall be left in
it.
But the
9
And
I will
fire,
nature was assumed into the most intimate and pcrl'ect union with the Divine
have copied.
Imm.v>'ui;l,
Father, and
the
that
difference is unimporseems to be more propriety in the reading -^ri with reference to the
tant, yet there
,
The
hath seen me, hath seen the Father The union or association is that of the two natures, and not that of the Divine
nature or substance.
word n2j
7na}i, clearly
To
the
sword addressed in the preceding clause, than in connecting this verb, whatever may be supposed to have been its form, with what follows in the verse. Comparing the present verse with chap. xi. 4, 7, and especially with what is predicted in the
words cannot be applied to our Saviour, since he was not cut off by a sword, it has been sufficiently sioord, is here used replied, that sn n figuratively for any means of taking away human life, just as in Exod. v. 21 2 Sam. xii. 9, compared with 2 Sam. xi. 24. That the wicked Jews are intended, see Ps. xvii. 13, where the wicked are They are called the sword of Jehovah.
objection, that the
,
two following
it is
verses of the
The
circumstances,
common
the
Hebrew
prophets, the
imperative
by Jews formed part of the flock which the good shepherd was commissioned to feed, but they, together with the Jewish Christians, converted by their ministry, who formed the church at Jerusalem, were the first C-iyi:, little ones, on whom the Lord
is
that intended
The
disciples as
See
my
note on
promises
calamity.
to turn, or
to
turn
back his
hand,
in
For a
order to protect
them
in the time of
t;;
personification
xlvii. 6, 7.
of the
is
^''f'n
As 2-"
^n
one,
is
human
sense, see
8, 9.
but the irregularity in point of gender is sufficiently accounted for by the remoteness of the antecedent,
'^n
,
smite,
is
it
were -^n,
lloman arms, and by the famine and pestilence, the usual concomitants of war in the East, and
tants of Judea by the
There
is
no diver-
the preservation of the remaining third part, which, after having been submitted
to very trj-ing
and
atHictive processes,
LXX.
read
irarai^nv,
instead of 7raTa|co,
The
Chap. XIV.
ZECHARIAH.
them
as silver
is
431
And And
will refine
refined,
gold is tried ; It shall invoke my name, and I will answer I will say. It is my people
will try thera as
it
And
former was
is
it
shall say,
Jehovah
is
my
God.
but
are, it is to
fulfilled
what
since,
be hoped, soon to
commonly
under more than emperors the processes pointed at in the latter have been more or less carried forward ever
also, to a fearful extent,
God.
Then
new
33; Heb.
viii.
10, 11.
CHAPTER
In the
XIV.
A
first two verses of this chapter the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans and the calamities consequent upon that event are set forth; after which the destruction of the promise of special interposition in forces composing the hostile army is predicted, 3. behalf of the people of God is then given, by which effectual provision is made for their
to one of
The prophet next describes a period of great calamity, which is to give place unmixed and perennial happiness, 6, 7; when the means of spiritual life and enjoyment shall be universal and continual, 8; and the true God the exclusive object of obedience and worship, 9; and while every barrier to the free intercourse of Christians
escape,
4, 5.
throughout the world shall be removed, special honor will be conceded to Jerusalem as the metropolis of converted Israel, 10, 11. The dreadful judgments to be inflicted on their final enemies, and the complete discomfiture of these enemies, are depicted, 12 15: after which follow predictions respecting an annual visit which all the nations shall pay to Jerusalem, 16; the punishment of those which neglect to perform it, 17 19; and the universally holy character which shall distinguish her inhabitants, their occupations and
Behold
And
2
thy
spoil shall
be divided
in the
midst of thee.
For I
Jerusalem to
battle,
1.
meant
comp.
to
stenberg,
who
denies that
,
equivalent
all that her inhabitants had accumulated, and which would be fit spoil for the enemy, especially the treasures of
nin"
ci"!
S3
is
the temple.
tained by the
tion.
By
meant
was consumed by
gold
2.
fell
Romans was
ii.
14
Mai.
is
iy.
5.
By
from
;;
432
ZE C
HARIA
II
Chap. XIV.
women
ravished
off
go
But the rest of the peojile shall not be cut And Jehovah shall go forth,
from the
city.
And
As
4
fight
And his feet shall stand in that day On the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on And the mount of Olives shall be split in its midst,
Toward the
east
the east
Into a very great valley Half of the mountain shall recede towards the north.
5
And And
towards the south. of ray mountains. For the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal Yea, ye shall flee as ye fled from the earthquake,
half of
it
ye
Eoman
army
fearful
of Titus.
The
verse
contains
a of
description
of the
capture
of our Saviour, Matt. xxiv. 16, fled to Pella, a city beyond Jordan, where they
lived in safety.
command
of that
As
the
it is
mount
in
of Olives
After
its
destruction, the
more
represented as
and able-bodied Jews were sold into slavery, or condemned to work in the mines but the poorer and more contemptible sort were
distinguished, handsome,
;
order to
make
iv. 7.
Comp. chap,
'-n
is
less
permitted to remain
among
,
the ruins.
As
usual,
but as a proper plural with the pronominal affix. Jehovah calls them /lis, because he had formed them, by clea^^ng
Olivet into two.
of euphemism.
The
latter
word has
I>ISS.
The valley
the proper
lay between
found
3.
its
it
its
way
into a great
many
them.
in
Vss was
name
of a
place, close to
turn to destruction. Formidable as might appear, Jehovah would in his providence overthrow it, as he had done
which the
cleft
cr valley
was
to extend westward, so as
Comp. Exod.
4, 5.
admit those who should flee from the enemy. Most commentators think of some locality to the east of the
at once to
less aptly.
The
or
bo
to
join
Its prox-
tndy
pious.
We
name.
For cncji
ye shall Jlee,
,
wo
in
shall be stopjwd
vp, in four of
De
Rossi's
MSS. and
Chap. XIV.
ZE
CHARIAH
433
my God shall come, And all the holy ones with thee. And it shall be in that day
For Jehovah
That there shall not be the But condensed darkness. But there shall be one day,
light of the precious orbs,
Hebrew Bible
variously
rendered
and
interpreted.
et
though supported by the LXX., Arab., Targ., Symm., and the other Greek interpreters, it is utterly to be rejected,
as
IJX^.
Yn\g. frigua
gelu. SjT.
lV*^0 Ur^
Thus
also Maurer,
|L|
cold
and
ice.
and several
The very
what would thus be expressed, is required. Yet it is adopted by Blayney and Boothroyd We have
!
other moderns.
nothing in Scripture relative to the earthreferred to except as a date, Amos i. 1. Instead of -j^y with thee,
tion there may be between the absence of Hght and the production of cold and ice in the depth of winter, the contrast
quake here
nearly forty
MSS. and
roith
all
the versions
not so natural as that between hght and darkness. Besides, ^S^p^ cannot with any show of truth be rendered cold.
is
read i;y
ta^'iip
,
the
It
is
,
-J^^
The
Arab., and Targ., read T'-i-tp , his hohj ones. To refer i^^y , with the Rabbins,
upon no
better author-
is
than a mere Rabbinical conjecture embodied in the Ken of Prov. xvii. 27, which exhibits ni-i ip/ instead of ipi
,
no
tolerable
sense.
The
the proper and only term suitable in such connection. That r'^npi may
rin-i
,
fitly
whom he
addresses
celestial luminaries,
whence we obtain
For the application of this part of the prophecy, compare the parallel prediction of our Lord himself, Matt, xxiv. 30, 31, where those whom Zechariah
we call " the precious light of heaven," will appear on comparing Job xxxi. 26, where the moon
what, in
parlance,
is
common
described as
'r^^.n
'^p';,
walking pre-
designates d''"'p. holy ones, are called Toi/s a-YyiKovs aurov. That a fu-
of the Redeemer
find.
is
With Prof. Lee, (Heb. Lex. p. 533,) I read TT-j;;' -is in construction, placing the accent on the latter of the two words,
instead of retaining
jisEf;
it over the former. properly signifies congelation, con-
Now
follows
NSp,
may
become thick,
dense,
and the
like.
mockery, and scorn, to which the Jews have been subjected ever since the destruction of Jerusalem.
It has also, for
thick fog.
The
textual reading
inferior
the most part, been a period during which the gross darkness of superstition and delusion has reigned over the land of their fathers. ^^^^ ^^^ ^- p
"
'''"'T-''
which is found in the text of one hundred and thirty-four of Kennicott's MSS., and in twenty-two more originally, in nine of De Rossi's Spanish MSS., which are
55
434
(It is
ZE C
II
A R I A II
Chap, XIV.
known
it
to Jehovah),
When
For
8
at
shall
And it shall be in that day That living waters shall proceed from Jerusalem, Half of them to the Eastern sea,
And
In
half of them to the Western sea summer and in winter shall it be.
reckoned the best in the Soncin., Brixian, and Complutensian editions, and in
ter,
in opposition to that
which
is
stag,
<:>'ttTj^n
q'
the
Machzors of the
centuiies.
fifteenth
and sixteenth
e.
,
None
i.
e.
employ a verb. 7. Another period is here predicted, but one entirely different from the prea day altogether miique, q'ii ceding rns one peculiar day, the only one of See Gesenius in nni?. No. 5. its kind.
Mediterranean
a person
so
called
at
because
when
faces
resident
is
Jerusalem
the primary
the
Dead Sea
is
Its peculiarity
is
and the Mediterranean (Y"!""!!!.!*) behind him. The more important portions of the globe lying to the east and west of
Jerusalem, there
is
an obvious propriety
freedom from -war, oppression and other outward evils which induce affliction
two
directions.
The
and wretchedness, interrupt the peace of the church, and prevent the spread of Ni(| yap ovk truth and righteousness.
(O-rai ?,
is
expressive of con-
They
up
Rev.
xxii. 25.
:i~Vry
the
time of the evening, does not refer to the close of the happy period just described, but to that of the preceding period of
afflictive
darkness.
At
when
a dark
expected
to give
way
darkness and obscurity, light shall suddenly break forth, the light of the one
by the heat of summer, nor congealed by the frost of winter. The LXX. have (V S>fp(t Ka\ eV iaph " in summer and in spring," which is to be accounted for on the ground that what was winter in more northerly regions, was spring in Egypt, in which coimtry that version was made. In the figurative language of Scripture, water is not only used as an emblem of
purification, but also for the purpose of
is
to be interrupted
by
representing the
means of
spiritual
life,
no night.
That
the doctrines
circumstances
of
7,
which
I
are
described
Rev. XX. 3
doubt.
cannot entertain a
its
The time
of
commencement
and ordinances of the gospel. The descendants of Abraham, restored to their own land, and become his children in the faith, will go forth, full of zeal and spiritual activity, as missionaries to other nations, to
has been variously but fruitlessly calcuThe knowledge of it the Father lated.
promote revivals
in the churches
hath reserved in his ov\'n jxjwer. "It is known to Jehovah," and, by implication,
to
8.
of Christ by rehearsing
what great things God hath done for them, and to carry on the work of conversion among those nations
living,
i.
c.
nintiing,
and
perennial, refreshing,
Chap. XIV.
9
ZE CH AKIAH.
all
435
the earth
And Jehovah shall become king over In that day Jehovah alone shall be,
10
And And
As
his
all
name
alone.
it were into the plain from Geba to Rimmon, South of Jerusalem And she shall be exalted, And be inhabited in her place. From the gate of Benjamin To the place of the former gate,
To To
9.
And
iirn'^s n^rr;
heathen gods will be swept away from the face of the earth, the unity of Jehovah universally acknowledged, and the
glorious
Jehovah is our God, Jehovah alone. The doctiine, therefore, taught in the
present verse
is
harmony of
,
those
attributes
which
ter
('itt'J
name)
clearly discovered,
According to the ordinary mode of translating the words nns Ti'iJ^ "ins -Hn^ "'1'] ^here shall be one Lord and his name one, they may seem clogged with little or no difficulty,
and
heartily adored.
11.
These verses
intimate
that
Hving
waters
is
throughout
the
world.
What
is
as the true
sition
to
God is thus set forth in oppothe " gods many and lords
but
high shall be levelled, and what low shall be elevated. This idea was
many"
of the heathen;
we have
only to introduce the incommunicable name Jehovah into the translation when the greatest incongruity at once appears.
If
suggested by the natural impossibility of water flowing in a westerly direction from Jerusalem to the Mediterranean, owing
to the hilly country
we then
inevitable, that
rather
to
turned,
is
i.
e.
'r^tn
ordinarily
used to express what is here intended. 52 5 Geba, was a Levitical city in the
tribe of
Or,
if
we
we make
that Jehovah
he will no longer be three, or triune Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, in the undivided unity of the Godhead. All ambiguity, however, will at once be removed, if nns be taken adverbially, and
rendered only, alone, or the
like.
Judah.
li>a"i
the tribe of Simeon, in the south of Palestine, and to be distinguished from the
rock
Rimmon,
to the north-east of
,
Mich-
mash.
na-iJ'n
the
Arabah,
is
the level
And
in
thus I conceive
it
must be rendered
this
it
name
is
which
lies
436
11
ZECHARIAK.
Chap. XIV.
12
And they shall dwell in her, And there shall be no more curse, And Jerusalem shall dwell in safety. And this shall be the plague
With which Jehovah
That
Their
will
shall fight against
flesh shall consume away While they stand upon their feet. And their eyes shall consume away in And their tongue shall consume away 13 And it shall be in that day
their sockets,
in their
mouth.
That there shall be great confusion from Jehovah among them, So that each shall seize the hand of another. And his hand shall be raised against the hand of another 14 And Judah also shall fight in Jerusalem, And the wealth of all the nations around shall be collected, Gold, and silver, and garments, in great abundance.
15
And
The
And
16
And
it
be
Sea.
,
Dead
The nom-
wasting away
From what
Jews
is
stated
inative to rrwsn
but
14,
cVii'
5r %
and
(nt^ir"'
the orthography of
nxsn
in
corap. Hos. x.
Judah), shall not only defend themselves at Jerusalem, but make a successful
attack upon the enemy.
3 crV:
when
to
irap-
signifies
such place.
^IfpovaaKri/x.
LXX.
ard^eTcu
iv
"rjjytia
Cin
irav
is
iKnV:, Jud.
V. 19.
The
collection of
ceptation, curse,
LXX.
dw^eyuo.
exi,
Comp.
3.
Rev. xxu.
There will be no more any civil or national punishments inflicted on account of sin, these having been rendered unnecessary
bj'
them
to
12
The
hostile
army. The entire encampments of the enemy, including the cavalry and beasts of burden, were all to share in the awfid catastrophe. Whether God will employ the plague
compose the
hostile
ishment
shall
is
diseases
for
the
form the great final confederacy. Com. Is. ILx. 18; Ezek. xxxviii., xxxix.; Rev. xix. The representation of the punishment is the most horrible that can
be imag;ined
Tlie genitive in
r'jr:"'.
is
natioji sent or
produced by Jehovah.
r.:-i-
IC 18. r:r=
lit.
/row
the
Chap. XIV.
ZE CHARIAH.
437
That the whole residue of all the nations That shall come xip against Jerusalem, Shall go up from year to year To worship the king, Jehovah of hosts,
17
And And
Of
shall
sufficiency of a year in a year, i, e. when time has fully satisfied the claims
be, that as
upon another.
annually.
It
watered by the Nile, and not dependent for fertility upon rain
country
itself,
only an idiomatic
here predicted
mode
of expressing
falling in the
they might
But,
if
from year
is
to year, or
is
What
expressly restricted to
the
will in effect be
engaged in the
the Jews.
fail in
Egypt
,
itself.
the repe-
may
appear to be
of
cr.;>_n
end
more
understood.
the context require the restriction to be carried forward beyond the limits of the
present.
Still,
worthy of
of Tabernacles or Booths
of
all
rep-
restriction,
No mention
in question.
Let steam
vessels
and
rail-
is made of the great day of Atonement, the Passover, the Pentecost, etc. These have all been superseded by
veying such immense numbers to Palestine cannot be entertained. Or, supposing them to have been conveyed thither,
after all
opportunity of worshipping at
have an Jerusalem
Why
Feast of Tabernacles.
during the short period allotted for the Not only would the country be too small to contain their encampments, and to furnish them with
necessary provisions,
noise,
To
this
it
New
who
Dispensation.
may
to
and bustle of the croAvds would be such as to destroy everything in the shape of devotional propriety and enjoyment. I cannot, therefore, but take the
Jews,
for
commemorate
in
meaning
tion will go
up
And
me-
may
serve as a striking
m foreign
to
the
annual
festivals
their behalf.
Why
though they have been restored to the rest of Canaan, they are still only strangers and pilgrims upon the earth, and that there yet remaineth a rest for the people of God. In this
mento
to them, that,
438
ZE CHARI AH.
the King, Jehovah of hosts,
there shall be no rain.
Chap. XIV.
And if the family of Egypt should not go Upon them also there shall be none
;
There
With
That
be upon them the plague, which Jehovah shall plague the nations,
shall
will not
go up
To
19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt, And the punishment of all the nations
That
will
not go up
To
20
In that day there shall be upon the bells of the horses, Holiness to Jehovah And the pots in the house of Jehovah
;
who
made
is
may
the theme of prophecy, but which nowheie else referred to in the book
Difficulty there
of Ezekiel.
may
be in
mutual edification. That the sacrifices which were off"cred at that feast, or any other animal sacrifices, will then
their
makmg
be renewed,
is
a position, to maintain
difficulties attach to
temple every
still
which would be to counteract the express design, and contradict the express declarations of the dispensation of grace.
It
full
may
sin,
Nothing can be more certain. But when was this reestablishment to take place? Any one who will only cursorily examine the
Lam.
20.
38, iv. 6.
metallic
plates,
necks
or
for the
sake
commencement
that,
though
it
cymbals.
Hoot
h\'z
to timjle, tinkle.
'^"^''p,
As
Holiness
it
than
years
afterwards,
and
may,
graven upon the golden crown of the Jewish High Priest, the design of the prophecy is evidently to teach, that when
the Jews shall be restored to their
holiness attaching to
That
own
from liabylon
sub-
ject
lain
near
the
Chap. XIV.
21
ZE CHARIAH.
439
pot in Jerusalem and in Judah be holiness to Jehovah of hosts And all who slaughter shall come, And take of them and boil in them, And there shall no more be a Canaanite In the house of Jehovah of hosts in that day.
Shall
Yea every
God
"will
be
tered
is
and no
Cereexist.
mention
blood,
food,
made
is
it must be inferred that killing lor and not for sacrifice, is what the
ond clause of the verse. The vessels in which the flesh was cooked, and which were accounted the meanest about the
temple, shall, as to the degree of holiness,
Considering what stumbling-blocks a mercenary and covetous priesthood has ever proved to the
world, and to
what a fearful extent the ministry in holy things has been made a
matter of merchandise, there is great force in the declaration with which the prophet " There shall no more be a Cacloses
:
been destined for the most sacred purpose, namely, the reception of the blood
of the
2
sacrificial victims.
All distinction
shall be
1
.
done away.
By
The same idea is here more fully carried out. Not only the common utensils used by the priests, but those employed for cooking in private houses,
both at Jerusalem and throughout the country, shall all be regarded as equally holy. From its being expressly stated,
that the flesh of the animals to be slaugh-
Canaanite,
is
meant a merchant
the Phoenicians,
em
See
xl.
is
Job
It
30
MAL ACHI.
we are left in
Messenger), is the last of all the Hebrew prophets, but profound ignorance respecting his personal history, and can only judge of the circumstances of his times from what is contained in his
,
Malachi ('SsVw
book.
According
and Zechariah, and was contemporary with Nehemiah. This statement is fully borne out by the affinity of the book written by the prophet, with that wrjtten by the patriot. Both presuppose the temple to have been already built. The same condition of the Jews is described. They both condemn foreign marriages, and enforce the due payment of tythes, which had been neglected. They likewise correct abuses which had crept in with respect to the sacrifices, and reprove their countrymen for their want of sympathy with the poor. In all probability, Malachi occupied the same place with respect to Nehemiah, which Haggai and Zechariah did with respect to Zerubbabel. That the former was assisted in the discharge of his duties by prophets, may be inferred from the charge brought against him by Sanballat, Neh. vi. 7. He may therefore be conceived of as having flourished somewhere about the year b. c. 420. His book is composed of a series of spirited castigations, in
ets Ilaggai
which the persons accused are introduced as repelling the charges, but thereby
only affording occasion for a fuller exposure, and a more severe reproof of
their conduct.
Both
priests
is held out His predictions respecting John the Baptist, the Messiah, and the destruction of the Jewish polity, are clear
walked
and unequivocal.
pure
Considering the late age in which he lived, the language of Malachi is his style possesses much in common with the old pro[)hets, but is dis;
tinguished
more by
its
animation, than by
its
rhj-thmus or grandeur.
CHAPTER
WtTH
I.
a view to work a conviction of ingratitude in the minds of his countrymen, the prophet begins by setting forth the peculiar favor which Jehovah had shown to them as a people in contradistinction to the Edomites, 1 5. He then reproaches the priests for their unworthy conduct in presenting the refuse of the animals in sacrifice, 6 8 charges them with a mercenary spirit, and threatens to reject them, and supply their place with true worshippers from among the most distant heathen, 9 11; and concludes with a renewed reprimand, and the denunciation of a curse upon those who practised deception with respect to the offerings, 12 14.
The
Yet ye
Wherein
Was
1.
saith
Jehovah,
sistt
,
see
on Zech.
Malthe
source.
''-\\'o,
achi,
the proper
name
of the prophet,
V^s.ir^, Israel,
official appellative, as
LXX.,
is here used to denote the whole of the twelve tribes, which had returned to their
from the analogy with others prefixed to the prophetical writings. As for the form of the name, Vitringa, Hiller, Michaelis,
safely be inferred
title
may
1.
4, 5, 19, 20.
of the
The
sovereign
Jehovah,
and
the
ingratitude
it
to be
compounded
strikingly contrasted.
question,
To
hast
the petulant
" Wherein
thou
loved
explain the
name
as
us?" which is only the first of a series which are put in the course of the book,
the answer is direct and conclusive in showing greater kindness to their piogenitor Jacob, than he had done to his
brother Esau.
senger of Jehovah.
To
this,
however,
it
to
found
and, there-
has been deemed more natural to regard the > as the pronominal affix of
the
first
and
desert country
My
Messenger.
This
latter solution
has
been
adopted
by Hengstenberg, who
word
them, while the Edomites, who had suffered from the invasion of their country
signification, chap.
1.
The form
ap-
by the Chaldeans,
stored.
five years
after the
pears to be really nothing more than an instance of what Ewald calls " the last
desolations occa-
adjectives
sioned
by
56
; ;
, ;
442
3
MALA CHI.
I liatecl Esau,
Chap.
But
And made his mountains a desolation, And liis heritage abodes of the desert. Because Edom saith, We are impoverished.
But we will i-ebuild the desolate places Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, They may build, but I will overthrow And men shall call them. The border of wickedness, And, The people against whom Jehovah is indignant
forever.
your eyes shall see, and ye shall say. 5 Let Jehovah be magnified, from the border of son honoreth his father, 6 And a servant his master If then I be a father, where is my honor ? And if I be a master, where is my fear ? Saith Jehovah of hosts to you, O ye priests, That despise my name yet ye say, "Wherein have we despised thy name ?
And
Israel.
made
ver. 3.
ss'i*
io hate, is
here used
abortive,
and
preceding verb
opposite of love
is
ans
is
to
love.
hatred,
God
*
towards his
ary,
is
own
people.
Vtia:;
bound-
only an inferior degree of the former exhibited, the object of it is regarded as being hated rather than loved. See for
or the space
ing
boundaries.
xxi,
Gen. xxL\. 30, 31 Deut. xiii. 24; Matt. vi. 24 Luke xiv. 26, compared with Matt. X. 37. risfl is considered by some to be the feminine of c^arj and is rendered
this idiom.
;
Numb,
rer,
V^ia^^
Vyia
MauHe-
brew territory,
construing
it
!i'iK;sr>
the
the words
but
it
is
crs
Ye
who
the
Arabic,
L/j*,
substitit,
habitavit.
Hence jj^Lo*
the
habitatio,
mansio.
desert,"
By
are
"habitations
of
the
The
prefi.\ed to
meant
as are still found in great abundance in Idumea. The phrase is parallel to T.-ctzv in the preceding hemistich, and corre-
waste places, or
shown by inferiors to their superiors, Jehovah had a right to expect that honor and reverence which corresiwndcd to the
high position which he occupied as Author and Moral Governor of the imiversc.
4, 5. Every attempt on the part of the Idumeans to recover themselves, and enjoy permanent prosperity, should prove
; ;
Chap.
V
I.
Ikl
ALACH
443
111
upon my altur Wherein have we polluted thee ? In your saying, The table of Jehovah is contemptible.
offering polluted bread
say,
But ye
8
When
ye
it
And when
Present
ye
offer the
sick, is it
not evil ?
now
to thy governor
Will he be satisfied with thee, Or accept thy pei'son ? saith Jehovah of hosts. 9 Now, then, conciliate the regard of Jehovah, that he may pity us: This hath been by your means Will he accept your persons? saith Jehovah of hosts. Who is there even among you that would shut the doors ? 10 Yea, ye will not kindle the fire on my altar for nought. I have no pleasure in you, saith Jehovah of hosts. Neither will I accept an offering at your hand. 11 But from the rising of the sun to its setting, My name shall be great among the nations And in every place, incense shall be offered to my name, And a pure offeiing
=
chiefly
owing
to the irreligious
and prois
understood ironically.
No
prayers or
That c R V.
>
bready or food,
here to
ful sacrifices.
This
is
expressly declared
^<\
is
t^
caro, in the
its
obvious, from,
rt^.Ttt
,
tD-iiB
C3
s";:!
altar
of
is
which
must be
of
referred,
shew-bread.
involves
things
Him
to
10, 11. 'ITie rendering of the LXX., adopted by Newcome, " Surely the doors shall be closed against you," cannot be
whom
8.
they appertain.
admitted.
of
^"c
,
The
Another argumentum ad hominem. The priests had the effrontery to present to Jehovah what they would not have
dared to
offer to
who, into ^3
;
surely, is
is
of no
weight
never con-
strued with a
their
civil
governor.
idea of exclusion.
avari-
To
animals with any blemish, was Lev. expressly prohibited in the law.
oifer
trivial
xxii. 22,
9.
21
How
without payment.
How
could
sraiT'i
Vs : N5 f.?r!, may
at first
such expect to be acceptable to God? These verses contain an explicit prediction of the rejection of the Jewish worship,
Di-
tiles to
vine favor to themselves and the people, yet the connection requires them to be
Church of the Lord. His name, which the priests had treated with contempt,
<^
444
For ray name
12
shall
M A L A C II
be great among the nations,
it
Chap. XL
by your
polluted,
saying,
is
13
And its fruit, even his food, is contemptible. Ye have also said, "What a weariness And have contemned it, saith Jehovah of hosts And ye have brought the torn, and the lame, and
the sick,
Yea, ye have brought the offering Should I accept it at your hand ? saith Jehovah. 14 But cursed be the deceiver, who hath a male in his And voweth, and sacrificeth to Jehovah that which
flock.
is
corrupt;
For
am
And my
ver. 6,
among
the nations.
among
should receive universal homage the nations that had been addicted
to idolatry,
jects of
editions,
Jews.
and
Though
meat
idea
rn:
offering, consisted of
inferior
in-
such as
iv.
the
new economy.
;
Comp.
;
John
Heb. xiii. 10, 15, 16 1 Pet. ii. All that Hitzig can discover in these verses is, that God was worshipped by all
5.
2024
dered
ceptable to
different
!
names of
! !
Jehovah, Ormuzd, Zeus, etc. 12 renewal of the charge 14. against the priests, nearly in the same
think
it
ought
to be pointed rn'i'
as
words.
for
nsVptt
.
is
nsVn n
iii.
Comp.
where it occurs, in application to the same subject, in the masculine gender. Many MSS. and some
in Lev. xxii. 25,
aP.nsn, refers to SVrs in the preceding verse, and is not to be changed into Tiis, me, as
cr.5. is15.
"iJ^iS, it, after
stituted for
ish scribe.
CHAPTER
The
II.
prophet continues to urpe the charge against the priests, warning them that if they did not reform, they should be deprived of all enjoyment, and rendered the objects of shame and contempt, 1 4. The original institution, and the sacred nature and obligations of the priestly office, arc then brought forward, with wliich to contrast the base-
Chap. U.
MALACH1
445
ness of their conduct in violating its responsibilities; and the section closes with another threatening of punishment, 5 9. In a new section the prophet takes up the subject of divorce, and marriage with foreign women, and severely reproves the priests for the evi) example which they had set in this respect, 1016. They are finally charged with teaching
immoral doctrine,
17.
AxD
It'
is
this charge,
it
ye
priests
ye
to heart,
To
give glory to
my
name,
saith
Jehovah of hosts
among
Yea, I will curse them singly, Because ye lay it not to heart. 3 Behold I will rebuke the seed to your hurt, And I will scatter dung uj^on your faces, The dung of your festivals
!
be taken away with it. that I have sent you to this charge. Because my covenant was with Levi, saith Jehovah of hosts. 5 My covenant of life and peace was with him, And I gave them to him. For the fear which he showed for me. And the awe in which he stood of my name.
4
And And
ye ye
shall
shall
know
2. rrnjiwri. is
From
infer
has reference to Deut. xxvii. 15, etc. The feminine suffix in riTiiis is to be taken distributively, with reference to the riana blessings, immediately pre,
we must
conduct
is
meant.
On
no other condi-
ceding,
3.
vtis
tinue in force.
in n-.V is that of the
The h
Dadbe
5,
In
this
verses the
disadvantage."
seed, is not to
priests,
the
and rendered shoulder, as Houbigaiit and Newcome do, merely on the authority of the LXX. There is great force in the reference to the dung of the festivals, as the maw, which contained it, belonged to the priests, Deut. xviii. 3. Vs in rV,S has
changed into
y"n-,T.
entered into
The
reference,
however,
is
Numb. xxv.
fi^?
12, 13,
where we have an
of peace, and
ideas are
xcith,
tVy
Lam.
iii.
41.
is
Such
usage, however,
everlasting priesthood.
Both
rare,
srs
,
to be taken imperson-
ally.
4.
meaning
i'l^
to
is,
was secured
in perpetuity.
Before C'.V'i-i.
is
C'Ti-
fication,
to
know by
the
word r,12
446
6
MALACHI
truth was in
liis
Chap.
II.
The law of
mouth
uprightness,
turned
lips
many from
iniquity.
And men
is
Jehovah of hosts. have departed from the way, Ye have made many to stumble in the law Ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith Jehovah of hosts, 9 Therefore have I also rendered you contemptible and base to all
8 But, as for you, ye
;
the people
Forasmuch
And
10
as ye have not observed my ways, have acted partially in the law. Have we not all one Father ?
preceding.
s5-ii,/ear or reverence,
is
rna
is
the
be terrified, dismal/eel.
expounders of the law to the people it was only on special and extraordinary occasions that the prophets gave their
;
decision.
Each
of
them was,
,
therefore,
to be regarded as Tj^VTa
a messenger, or
found and holy awe with which Phinehas was inspired when zealously vindicating the honor of Jehovah.
6, 7.
The
whom
^lalachi
was sent
to
and spiritual duties of Phinehas, which ought to have been realized in the persons and ministrations of all his successorsin office, and which suggests topics of the most serious self-examination to all who engage in
description of the character
law themselves,
case,
universally the
ple
induced others by their bad examThey thus it likewise. forfeited all right to the sacerdotal imto violate
The
to
strikingly antithetical
OPS
The
retri-
with a
is
added,
Instead of err.
and
few
LXX., Targ.,
,
Arab.,
and Ilexapl.
ately.
10.
the peo-
rV^S is svkj
in the
,
much
less
appropri-
as in
proceeds to ad-
The
priests
Chap.
II.
MALA cm.
God
created us
?
447
Wherefore do we
1
unfaithfully
And
an abominable thmg hath been done in Israel and in Jerusalem For Judah hath profaned that which was holy to Jehovah,
;
And
hath married the daughter of a strange god. man that doeth this,
that watcheth, and
Him
Jehovah of
hosts.
which prohibited inSee Exod. xxxiv. 16 Deut. vii. 3. For the historical account of this violation, see Ezra Neh. xiii. 2331. That by ix. 1, 2 "ins 2S one Father, we are to understand Jehovah, and not Abraham, or Jacob, as some have supposed, is determined by the force of the parallelism, in which we have the corresponding and elucidatory phrase nns Vs, one God. As the Jews put away their wives, that they might marry others, they are here distinctly taught that both males and females stood in the same relation to God as their common Father and Creator. He had an equal propriety in them, and when the men acted the part for which they are here reproved, they acted unjustly by their Maker. But, in addition
termarriages with foreigners.
;
the man,
a
;
that
God
the
'li''S*i3
11.'
The nominative
mA3
is
is
yns
understood in
the holiness
m?n". By
n"-'_ 'inp,
of Jehovah,
meant the
sep-
who were
>
Ezra
Jer.
5.
ix. 2
Comp. 'ijni^n S'^T ^^^ ^'^^U ^^ed, and nhn"'^ VsTr'^ ^Ipi -^'"
;
rael is holiness,
ii.
3.
"The
i. e. holy to Jehovah, For ans Tis comp. Ps. xlvii. daughter of a strange god"
means an
idolatress, a
female addicted to
the worship of a false deity. 12. n5i5"i IS has been variously rendered.
for
-\y_,
have trum
S071
'4(iis
Vulg. magis-la
ei
discipidum.
Sjt.
Targ.
lasi
^a
made
and son's son.
with their
practices,
fathers,
^\o wi
his
'^
\^
S07i.
ns
pressed, as if reference
g|r^,
Thus
its
and
sons
who had
is
pudiated,
i-'nsa WIS
others.
The phrase
and has
its
is
Comp.
Thess.
iv.
yi
2!ity" afjSy
The questions so pointedly put at the commencement of this verse are highly
condemnatory of that degradation which is experienced by Oriental females. Not only do most of the Mohammedans deny tljem the privilege of immortality, but the Jews universally to this day give
proverbial,
parallel in the
Ara-
bic ,^>juS!O0
^.
clt> LgJ
{J^^^
is
There
is
there a responder.
by Gesenius
Turkish,
1001.
^1^
^^.^^
44S
13
MALA
this
HI
Chap.II.
And
Covci-ing the altar of Jehovah with tears, With weeping and groaning,
So that there
is
offering,
Nor
is it
14 Yet ye say, "Wherefore? Because Jehovah was witness Between thee and the wife of thy youth
To whom thou
Though she was thy companion and covenanted 15 Yet did he not make one? Though he had the residue of the spirit
;
And why
spirit.
his youth.
Jo
the Hebrews.
In Poland,
at the pres-
swerm: The meaning is, that none should Gebe lel't aUve all should be cut off.
;
still
younger.
15, 16. Michaelis, Hitzig,
is
prob-
Maurer, and
ably to the Levites who kept watch in the temple by night, and who called and
responded to each other at certain intervals; but the mention that is made of ' the tents of Jacob" immediately after, shows that the words are not to be thus
restricted,
to
-ly
is
Targum, and adopted by most of the Rabbins, that by -ins one, and "int*" the one, Abraham is intendand maintain, that what is here ed stated, was designed to repel an objection
pressed in the
,
,
raised
by the
Abraham
wake, be
aicalce.
Measures had
admits the
fact,
been adopted to cure the evil in the time of Ezra, chap. Lx. x. ; but the Jews had
relapsed into the
Abraham
still
same
sin of
was
to
this latter
reproves.
Neh.
23
31.
The
lan-
which the
evil
guage implies
offence.
an
aggravation
of the
be traced.
Ewald
nns,
one, to
those of
The crying and weeping were the Jewish wives who had been
legitimate marriages
to be
used but
ver. 10,
The
had been
of the passage.
so that
Nor
up
contracted with special ajipcal to Jehovah as witness of the transaction. The phrase
claims
we
are shut
,
to the conclusion,
":ir:
rrs
the wife
that
by
Tnij-n
the one,
,
we
are to under-
among
stand
ins
n'sja
Chap.
III.
MALACHI
449
16 For I bate divoi-ce, saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, And for a man to cover over his garment with violence,
Saith Jehovah of hosts Therefore take heed to your
spirit,
That ye
17
have wearied Jehovah with your words, say, Wherein have we wearied him ? In your saying, Every one that doeth evil Is good in the sight of Jehovah, and he delighteth in them
Ye
Yet ye
Or,
Where
is
the
God
of justice ?
16. S5to should
gal body into which the first couple were formed, Gen. ii. Instead of forming only two into one, the Creator might have
understood.
generally
By
"iJ^nV
garment,
it is
now
There was no lack of spiritual existence from which to furnish them with intelligent souls. When he gave to Eve such an existence,
given to
wives.
Adam many
admitted
we
who had
to her
the most glaring injustice done by giving her a divorce, or by taking one or more in addition to her.
texit,
he did not exhaust the immense fountain of being. There remained all with which the human race hath been furnished
induit
wwLu> vestimentmn,
'
conjux turn
mu-
throughout its generations. What, then, cem pro tegumento sunt." Freytag. Acthe prophet asks, was the design of the cordingly we read in the Koran, Sue, restriction ? to this he replies, the secur- * ing of a pious offspring. Divorces and 183, respecting the wives ijjwLJ ^^yS^
:
lier viri,
tum
vir mulieris,
quod
sibi invi-
to
only by
,j^ u^^
matrimonj'^
(VaaJ^
|V^
^^^y '
stowed by parents upon their children, that they can be expected to be brought up in the fear of God. The reply bore hard upon the priests who had married In such a connection idolatrous wives.
there
your garment, and you are theirs. In the ecclesiastical language of the East,
was
called
i-h
MKhif
17.
lixaTLov.
The
the providence of
of the wicked.
God from
the
afflic-
was everything
to counteract
piety'.
and
CHAPTER
III,
This chapter commences with a lucid prophecy of John the Baptist, as the forerunner of the Messiah, and of the Messiah himself, who was, as he had long been, the object of delightful expectation to the Jews, 1. The aspect of his advent in regard to the wicked, and especially to the ungodly priesthood, is next introduced, together with the severe judgments that were to be brought upon the nation, 26. The people are then reproved for having withheld the legal tithes and offerings, and are promised a profusion of blessings in case of repentance, 712. To the infidel objection that there is no utility in relig-
57
450
ion, seeing the
MALACnI
Chap. IH;
poiutiiig to the
ter,
wicked prosper, while tlie godly are oppressed, the prophet replies by day of retribution, when all should be treated according to their characwhich would then be fully disclosed, 1318.
Behold
I will send
my
messenger,
way before me, suddenly there shall come to his temple The Lord whom ye seek.
And And
he
shall
prepare the
That by ""SsVw , my messenger, we John the Baptist, is placed beyond dispute by the appropriation of the words of the prophecy Comp. Is. xl. 3. to him, Mark i. 1.
1.
iii.
11, 13
but
it
is
when
used
are to understand
Kar f|oxV> and exclusively of the Divine Being, SeeExod. xxiii. 17, xxxiv.
23.
Is.
i.
24,
iii.
1,
4;
Hengstenberg strangely gives in to the notion of Eichhorn and Theiner, that the collective body of the prophets is
intended, though he thinks that the idea
See Dr. J. Pye Smith's Messiah, vol. i. Abenezra thus explains pp. 442-^444.
the term, and identifies the Sovereign
John.
senger
Not one of
is
is
at
all satisfactory.
The
mes-
way
bor-
Lord with the Angel spoken of immediately after -js'-W sin T:::2r; Nin T;-;itn h'fD cyan "S rii~i::n The Lord is both the Divine Majesty, and the Angel of the Covenant, for the sentence is doubled. It
:
,
The language
is
is
likewise admitted in
fol.
,
Mashmiah
Je-
rowed from the custom of sending pioneers before an Eastern monarch, to cut through rocks, and forests, and remove every impediment that might obstruct his course. n:E which in Kal is never
,
Vy ")"."tsn tu-EV rfES Tht! Lord may be explaitied of ri" ttJ'cn the King Messiah ; and Kimchi not only, with Abenezra, identifies the Lord and
shua,
76, "]V5S
sim
irt-^sn
^V
s-.n
Tnsn
away, put i?i order, prepare. This John did by preaching repentance, and announcing the near approach of the kingdom of God. Comp. chap. iv. 5. In this prophecy of the ^lessiah are three palpable and incontrovertible proofs of First, he is identified with his divinity. Jehovah " he shall prepare the way be" saith Jehovah." Secondfore me"
:
-nan "sVw, The Lord is the King Messiah, he is also the Angel of the Covenant
;
suggests another interpretation, accordis meant. It has whether the phrase r*-i2n '^sVp, the Messenger of the Covenant, is to be viewed retrospectively or
been
questioned,
ly,
He
is
prospectively
it
in other A\-ords,
of the temple.
terized
title
Thirdly,
,
He
is
charac-
New
whether Covenant to
Considering
which reference
the
fact,
made.
tables
except Jehovah.
the
anarthrous state
to
it
noun
-,--ttJ
applicable
any
apas
is
man
IT'-isn
etc.,
"iBD
Jehovah
Cn,
(--KrVs
"i"is
Chap. IU.
MALA
he
shall
II I
451
in
whom
ye delight,
come, saith Jehovah of hosts. But who may endure the day of his coming ? And who may stand when he aj^peareth ? For he is like the fire of the refiner,
And And
like the
he shall
refining
and
And refine them like gold and like silver, That they may present to Jehovah an ofiering
Then
shall
in righteousness.
Be
pleasing to Jehovah,
is
hovah granted to the Hebrews at Sinai intended, it would seem natural to in-
fer that
n^n^n
Tlt^Vis is to
be understood
in the
ject
by
the circumstances, that a T[sV'3 Angel or Messenger, who is said to possess the
DiA-ine
and Gesenius. The Jews and delighted in the Messiah, because he was the object of national expectation and desire, though the great body of them formed no higher conception of him than that of an earthly monarch, under whose reign they should
Rosenmiiller,
may be
name,
is
i. e.
whatever
is
distinctive
of Deity,
When it
is
come
not im-
giving
them
the law,
Deity were made in his Person. the proper nuncius sent to reveal the will of the Father. Moses was only a ^epuTTiav, n:2y or servant employed by
He was
4.
metaphor, the prophet shows that the Covenant Messenger would be very different
God
manifested in
expected.
prejudices,
following
iii.
Gen.
xxiii.
iii.
xlviii.
15, 16
Exod.
;
215,
i.
Zech.
xi.
ii.
vi.
and gratifying their wishes, he would, by his pure and heart-searching doctrines, subject their principles and conduct to the severest test. Those of
speciallj' tried.
The
this
may
be called the
was
;
their
purification, that
they
Messenger of that ancient economy of -which he was the Founder and Head.
Most
the
interpreters,
New
where our Saviour is called SiaMediator of the Neio Covenant; among others, Grotius,
ix. 15,
^i)K7)s Kaivr)S fxealrris, the
might serve him in righteousness. Matt, iii. 12 John xv. 3. And such was the result with respect to many of them. " A gieat company of the priests were obedient to the faith," Acts vi. 7. The influence of their conversion upon the people must have been very great, though we have no information rc^pcctii-.g it in
. ;
452
MALA
in the
II I
CuAP.
III.
As
5
days of
old,
And
And
But
draw nigh
to
you
for
judgment,
will
be a swift witness
Against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, And against those who swear to a falsehood. And against those who wrest the wages of the hireling,
The widow and the orphan, "Who turn aside the stranger
fear not
as to his right,
me, saith Jehovah of hosts. And 6 Because I am Jehovah, I change not Therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Even from the days of your flxthers 7
Ye have departed from my statutes, and have not kept them; Return to me, and I will return to you, Saith Jehovah of hosts. But ye say. Wherewith shall we return ? Will a man defraud God ? Yet ye have defrauded me. But ye say, Wherein have we defrauded thee? In the tithes and the oblations.
Ye
For ye
10 Bring ye
the Acts.
The
comp. chap.
i.
10, 11.
immutability secured the preservation of the Jewish people from destruction, notwithstanding their flagrant wickedness, till he had accomplished all his purposes
of mercy.
7. The V in "W'kV is prosthetic, wth somewhat of its temporal signification, There was still mercy in store for the Jews, if they only would repent, which occurs only in our 8. y::p prophet, and in Prov. xxii. 23, signifies
,
times,
Malachi here returns to his own and threatens his ungodly contemporaries with divine judgment, speedMagic ily to be executed upon them. greatly prevailed among the Jews after
the captivity, as did also the other crimes here specified. How much they obtained
in the time of our Lord,
the
Evangelists
prophet traces
true source
\
and them
Josephus.
all
absence of the
,
to
cover,
^^^ ^^^^
After c"y:3riJ3!!
the phrase
'r2
is
C;
occultus.
retrahit,
jU', C
found in nineteen MSS., in some printed editions, and in the LXX., Syr., IlexapL,
Comp. chap.
n. 2.
'and Arab
10-
Chap. HI.
MALACH1
453
m my house,
for
And And
try
me now
I
with
this, saith
Whether
pour out a blessing for you, Till there shall be a superabundance. for your sake, 11 And I will rebuke the devourer And he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground
Neither
12
shall
your vine
in the field
be
unfruitful,
you happy.
For ye Saith Jehovah of hosts. Your words agamst me have been hard, saith Jehovah; 13 But ye say. What have we spoken against thee ?
14
be a delightful land,
Ye have
said:
It is vain to serve
God
hosts?
And what profit is it that we keep his ordmance, And that we walk mournfully before Jehovah of
happy 16 For now we pronounce the proud built up are wickedness work that They also
;
They even tempt God, yet they are delivered. Then they that feared Jehovah 16 Conversed one with another
And Jehovah
siMcientia
it till
i. e.
my
abundance be
awful specimens of their hard speeches are here exhibited, in which the usual objection against the rectitude of Providence
is
dressed
where sufficiency can have no more place, more than sufficient, superabundTo this effect Jerome, Winer, antly.
takmg
forms.
Ps. Ixxiii.
up in some of its more Comp. Job xxi. 14, 15 114. -,^3 is here used like
;
De
Wette, Hitzig, and Maurer. 11. Ey the V-N, devourei; noxious animals and insects are meant, especially
"h-i-a
-o: in the bad sense of tempting, or braving the Most High by presumptuous speeches and conduct. The walking
mournfully has reference to their
gomg
the locusts,
properly signifies to
cause abortion, render childless, and metaphorically, to make barren or unfruitful, when spoken of trees. 1315. pTH signifies to bind make firm, and, in a bad sense,
fast,
to
about in sackcloth and ashes, pretending to sorrow on account of their sins, nnp^
to
be dirty, to
be
ments, like persons who mourn such being universally the custom in the East. 16. ts ^Aew, specially marks the time
,
Such was
rvv
Comp. Jude
which the impious conversations were being held. Here5- = -i2 beautifully contrasts with the same term in the thirin
ffKKripSiv
Some
teenth verse.
The verb
is
in Niphal, to
4-34
il
ALA
II I
CiiAr. III.
And
a Ioolc of rorncmbrnnce was written before For those that feared Jehovah, And thought upon his name.
tliey sliall
liirn,
17
And
In
hosts,
tlie
be kind to them is kind to his son who serveth him. 18 Then shall ye again perceive the difference Between the righteous and the Avicked, Between him tliat serveth God,
I will
And
As
a flither
And him
that serveth
him
not.
getting, or
As
the un-
what
is
to the
godly did not confine their hard speeches mere utterance of them to such
individuals as they might
happen to
meet, but
pious are
made
Hence the what is peculiarly valuable or precious. The term is applied to the people of Israel, Exod. xix. 5 Deut.
being carefully preserved.
idea of
;
vii. 6,
It
is
used of the
Ecclcs.
ii.
etc.,
mutual converse respecting the interests of truth and godliness. It does not appear that Niphal ever has the frequentative signification, expressed in our com-
It
is
tion in
mon
version.
The writing
of a book of
remembrance is a metaphor borrowed from the custom at the Persian court of entering in a record the names of anj'
nection with
nsi
who have
with an account of the nature of such See Esther vi. 1, 2. service. 17. nVaC is to be construed with !)"ni
iV
,
and nrs
is
.
connected by means of
~'S'J
iv.
which is Notwithstanding the charge brought by the wicked against the providence of God, as if he treated all alike, the righteous had already had opportunities of perceiving from observation and experience, that the position was false, viewed in application to the entire state and circumstantion of the action, the idea of
conveyed by the
latter verb.
Ps. cxviii.
means
t.
but they
all
a special purpose,
?;
signifies pri-
who
\yo
-i
iD
mary
Chap. IV.
MALACHI.
ACo
CHAPTER
Most
lY.
editions of the Hebrew Bible, and most of the MSS., exhibit tliis concluding portion of the book as a continuation of the third chapter. Not a few MSS., however, leave a blank space before it, and several editions make a separate chapter of it. As this division obtains in all the versions, it is more convenient to retain it. The chapter continues the threatenings against the Jewish unbelievers, 1; exhibits a luminous prophecy of the Messiah, and the prosperity of his people, 2, 3; and concludes with a solemn call to the Jews, to observe the institutes of the old economy, till the forerunner of the Messiah should appear, when the Jewish polity should be destroyed, and a new and better dispensation established, 4 6.
Foe, behold
it shall
burn
as an oven,
And
And
That
all
stubble.
them
up,
1.
Instead
of nSttin
Ti'fy,
nearly
eighty MSS., the most ancient and several other editions, the Babylon,
Talmud,
i-l-S
In the present verse there can be no doubt with respect to the application. Our Lord is elsewhere called -I'lS Light,
,
the
LXX.,
,
Syr.,
and
Targ., read
which
1,
in
Hebrew poetry
;
is
The phrase
is
-in/j
proverbial,
and
John
i.
9, viii.
What
The
the sun
Messiah
is
The
invaluable
ically applied to
Sim, is metaphorGod, Ps. Lxxxiv. 11, on account of that luminary being the most glorious and beneficent object which meets the human eye. It is with good reason supposed to be thus used of the Messiah in the declaration, 2 Sam.
2. xxiii. 4
:
The term
which he dispenses are all comprehended under the two heads here specified righteousness and moral health. Comp. Is. Ivii. 19. Both of
spiritual blessings
be obtained, than from Him, ' who of God is made unto us wisdom, and
righteousness,
and
sanctification,
i.
and
re-
demption."
1 Cor.
30.
By "wings"
beams of the
we
"
And
as
arise
a Sun."
456
MALA CnI
there shall be healing in his wings
CUAP. IV
ye shall go forth and leap as calves of the stall. ye shall tread down the wicked Surely they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet, In the day which I have appointed, saith Jehovah of hosts, Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, 4 "Which I gave him in charge in Iloreb for all Israel, The statutes and the judgments. Behold I will send to you Elijah the prophet, 5
3
;
!
earth. Comp. Ps. cxxxix. 9. Those for whose immediate benefit the Sun of righteousness was to arise, were such as " feared the name " of Jehovah hke Simeon, who was Si/caios koI euXafirjs, righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel. Luke ii. 25. N^^,
wth
the promise of a
new messenger
in the
following verse, but also from Ecclesias10, where, after mentioning Jeremiah and Ezekiel, the author closes with Tuv BiiSfKu TTpotpriToiv, the tioelve
ticus xlix.
projihets, as the last in the category.
5.
to
go forth, is here used in the sense of escaping from the judgment lo be in-
The coherence
upon the unbelieving part of the Jewish nation. This the Jewish Christians did when they left Jerusalem, and proceeded to Pella, where they were preflicted
the
first
clause of chap.
too palpa-
able to be overlooked.
Accordingly, the
Jews in the time of Jerome interpreted the messenger of Jehovah there predicted, of Elijah the Tishbite, as
served in safety.
;3 !iS
signifies to spread,
is
they ex-
and
plain the present verse to this day, believing, that as the ancient prophet as-
The
designed to convey the ideas of freedom from outward restraint, and the
cended into heaven both as to body and he is destined to reappear in the same upon earth before the advent of
soul,
enjoyment of self-conscious
3.
hilarity.
^lessiah the
Son of David.
is
That Elijah
and that the is John
This verse expresses the depressed condition to which the Jews were to be
to be understood
and not
historically,
reduced
polity,
after
contrasted with
condition of those
tianity,
who embraced
and who were no longer subject to oppression on the part of their unbelieving brethren.
4.
"When
John
i.
Elias,
as
making the
As
to remain in force
the appearance of
John the
after
Baptist,
no prophet intervening
had been
projx)scd to
is
him.
The
by
Malachi to make any further communications of the Divine will, it was necessary to pay the closest attention to the enactments and observances of the Mosaic institute. That there were no more inspired messengers under tlie Old Economy may be inferred, not only from
historical theory
Luke
17, according to which all that is meant by Malachi is, that the forerunner of the Messiah was to come " in the spirit and Like that prophet, he ix)wer of Elias." was to be endowed with extraordmory
Chap. IV.
MAL ACni.
:
457
And
Before the great and terrible day of Jehovah come he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children,
mous extent by the time of John the
Baptist, the removal of
to fit him for the great work of reformation which his ministry was designed to effect. Adverting to the
ine repentance
erroneous Jewish notion, which even then obtained, relative to the appearance of
Ehjah
6
in person, our
better
state
throughout
Judea.
a
it,
ia-riu 'HAi'as
niWaiy
fpxi(rSfai,
he
io,
as equivalent to
cs
tcith,
to come,"
Matt.
xi. 17.
And when
the
signification
disciples asked him, Why do the Scribes then say that Elias must first come ? he
which
i^
dicting the universality of the conversion spoken of; but such an interpretation
replied,
first
come
and restore all things. But I say unto you thafHAioj ^St; ijXSfe, Elias is already come, and they knew him not, but have
done unto him whatsoever they
listed."
would introduce an
intolerable tau-
tology into the language of the prophet, and be at variance with the construction
Matt. xvii. 1013. Upon the circumstance that our Lord uses the future tense, tpxerai, shall come, some Christian interpreters have attempted to establish the hjTWthesis, that the prophecy is
still
put upon it by the angel, Luke i. 17, in which only one member of the sentence
is
With respect to the extent of quoted. the effects produced by John's ministry,
there can be no doubt
it
was very
great.
but he is obviously speaking in the style of language employed by the prophet, to whom the event was future, and in adaptation to the opinion of the
vent
common
people
him
though he immediately corrects their notion, den-hat was erroneous claring that the event was no longer
Scribes,
for
the recovery of tens of thousands from Judaism to the faith of the gospel,
previous to the destruction of Jerusalem.
had actually taken place in the person and ministry of John. It is persist truly surprising that any should
future, but
ii^
The prophecy, and with it the entire Old Testament, closes -n-ith the awful
the denunciation of the Divine curse, to be realized in the extermination of the impenitent Jews from
alternative
their
ov.nn.
That at once positive and infallible. John the Baptist was s-a; a prophet, Christ admits, though he at the same ' more than time declares, that he was
,
land.
struction,
a prophet."
and
terrible
ii.
31.
The design
of the ministry of
John
described as consisting in the producconcord. tion of universal peace and Eamily feuds had increased to an enor-
the Jews, and was specially applied to the extermination of the Canaanites, whose cities were razed to the foundautterly detions, and their inhabitants
stroyed.
Under
land of
58
458
MALA CnI
Chap. IV.
And the heart of the children to the fothers, Lest I come and smite the land with a curse.
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Professor in Williams College. 12mo. pp. 3S6. $1.50. " It goes over the whole ground in a logical order. The matter is perspicuously arranged under distinct chapters and sections it is a compendious exhibition of the principles of the science without prolonged disquisitions on particular points, and it is printed in the style for Princeton Review. which the Andover Press has long been deservedly celebrated."
lust ^uWisIjctr.
A
CRITICAL
NEW
TRANSLATION".
L L. D.,
T.
MURPHY,
J.
C D.,
WITH A PREFACE BY
One
Tol. 8vo.
P.
THOMPSON,
Price $3.50.
D.D.,
NEW YORK
CITY.
pp. 535.
We cannot
excellent
"In introducing to the American public Dr. Murphy's Commentary on Genesis, I would commend it as a timely antidote to much of the negative and destructive criticism upon the
Pentateuch which has so largely obtained in Germany, and of
than as a complete solution of the
history
late in
England
also, rather
so-called "
alleged difficulties, a
It consists of
an exact
difficulties,
and
of a critical and exegetical commentary, based upon the grammatical construction of the
text,
and framed
in
lights of
modern
criticism
and
science.
Thus, in the
step
by step the
literal
meaning
of the sacred writer, and evolves from the Hebrew a sense which well accords with the facta
of astronomical and geological science
" In character, Dr. Murphy has the simplicity of the true scholar, and tha de^^out and
humble
spirit
j[.Oi3
Price, 93.00.
Either of the above will be sent by mail, post paid, on receipt of the sun named.
W.
F.
DRAPER,
PubUsherj^y"
Andover,
Itlass.
Date Due
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