Chapter many Thousands fo long a Time as the Siege of Jerufalem might probably take up. X. Ver. 29. They are gone over the paffage: they have taken up their lodging at Geba, Ramah is afraid, Gibeah of Saul is fled.] The Chaldee Paraphraft thinks he means that he (a) Gataker. pafs'd the River Jordan; but (a) more probably it relates to a famous Pafs near Michmafh, which Jonathan and his Armour-bearer went through when they attack'd the (b) 1 Sam. 14. Camp of the (b) Philistines; Geba seems to be a little Town on one fide of the Pafs, and Michmash on the other. Ver. 30. Lift up thy voice, O daughter of Gallim: caufe it to be heard unto Laish, O poor Anathoth.] He bids the little Villages of Gallim and Anathoth to cry out, and call their Neighbours to their Affiftance, Voca in auxilium amicos & vicinos: fed fruftra; nam certa tibi imminet vaftitas, but it should be to no purpofe, for all the Strength they. could raife would not be able to ftop the rapid Progrefs of the Conqueror. Ver. 31. Madmenah is removed, the inhabitants of Gebim gather themselves to flee.] He fpeaks as if he faw the Town of Madmenah quite deferted by her Inhabitants, who were retir'd with their Effects to the Woods and Mountains for Shelter, and the Inhabitants of Gebim packing up their Goods and preparing for Flight as foon as they fhould be inform'd that he turn'd his Arms that way: He feems, fays A Lapide, to come from Egypt thro' the Territories belonging to the Tribes of Judah and Benjamin, the fame Way almost which the Children of Ifrael took when having pafs'd the River Jordan, from the Plains of Moab they directed their Courfe to Gilgal and Jericho, from whence they proceeded to Ai, and took that, and afterward, being join'd by the Gibeonites, they overcame the King of Jerufalem and others. Ver. 32. As yet fhall he remain at Nob that day: he shall Shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the bill of Ferufalem.] Yet for all the Expedition he makes he fhall get no farther than Nob, there at a distance he fhall fhake his hand at the City, and by Meffengers threaten what Severity he will ufe if they pretend to defend themfelves; but Grotius gives the Words another Turn, After fo many Cities taken he hall have Day enough before him to to get to Nob, a City of the Priests in the Tribe of Benja- Chapter min, from whence Jerufalem might be distinctly feen. Ver. 33, 34. Behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts fhall lop the bough with terrour: and the high ones of ftature shall be hemen down, and the haughty shall be humbled. And be fall cut down the thickets of the forefts with iron, and Lebanon fhall fall by a mighty one.] Behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts.] Fisft the Prophet encourag'd the Jews to bear up against the Affyrian Invafion, then he relates the Progrefs of the victorious Army, and defcribes the poor Inhabitants of open Town flying on every fide to places of Shelter from the approaching Storm; and now left the near Approach. of the Army to Jerufalem fhould ftrike a Damp on their Spirits and difhearten them, in this and the following Verfe he foretels the Destruction of the Army and the Death of Sennacherib, (who a little after was flain by one of his own Sons) making ufe of the Similitude of lopping tall Trees and strong Branches, because he had spoke of Sennacherib as of an Ax in the Hand of the Lord, with which he cut down Nations before him... The ARGUMENT of Chapter XI. This Chapter is by the Jews understood of the Meffiah, as they vainly fancy, yet to come, and with thefe fatally blind Wretches I find Mr. Whifton concurs, ranking the latter part of this Chapter among Prophecies which relate to the future Reftoration of the Jews, and to the erecting the Kingdom of the Meffiah; but the Prophet cannot be understood of a Time fo remote from his own, because it is very unnatural to fuppofe the Prophets pass'd over and omitted the nearest Events, in order to Speak of fuch Things which neither the Generation of the Perfons he spoke to nor their Pofterity could be any way concern'd in; and 2dly, because it is against common Senfe to apply thofe Oracles which speak of the People as being in fuch and fuch Countries to a Time when they can no more be faid to be in thofe Countries than in any other, but are indifferently scatter'd in all Parts of the World: And if the Prophet must be understood here of the Restoration of the Jews to their own Land, the European Jews would do well to can Alix. X. fider that the Prophet makes no mention of England, or Holland, or France, or Germany, or any other place of Europe where their Numbers are greatest; fo that if their Meffiah fhould come, they are in danger of being left behind, unless they make hafte to Egypt, Chaldæa and Perfia, the Places from whence he will recover the Remnant of his People. The Chriftian Interpreters understand the Prophet of the Meffiah already come, finding the 10th Verfe apply'd by St. Paul to our Saviour, and therefore, fays Zach. Ürfin, the rest of this Chapter must be apply'd to Chrift and the calling of the Gentiles: and I fhould very willingly allow the Confequence, were it poffible to make Senfe of the Prophet without ftraining his Words, but this cannot be, for feveral of the Characters of the Perfon here Spoken of are not applicable to our Saviour, as Ruak Geburah, the Spirit of Fortitude, a Qualification requir'd in a King, but not in the meek, humble, peaceful Fefus. He fhall not judge after the fight of his eyes can never be apply'd to him who never judg'd at all; he never flew the wicked with the breath of his lips, the wolf and the lamb were fo far from lying down together in his Time, that the Wolves made bloody Havock of his innocent Lambs; his Rest was not glorious in any Senfe of the Word. Dr. Alix underftands the later part from the 11th to the end, of the Restoration of the Jews from Captivity under Zerubbabel, to which I cannot agree, because the 11th Verse certainly speaks of the fame Time as the 10th, and the 10th and foregoing Verfes of the fame Time as the last Verse of the former Chapter, to which this is connected by the Conjunction Vau, for which Reafon with Grotius I understand this whole Chapter of Hezekiah; for the Prophet having at the end of the 10th Chapter told the Jews that Sennacherib should be deftroy'd, tells them in this that a Branch of the House of David fhould arife, under whofe peaceful Reign they should enjoy an uninterrupted Series of Happiness; and then adds at the 10th Verfe, In that day there fhall be a root of Jeffe, that is, then jhall this flourishing Branch of the House of David be an Enfign, to which the fcatter'd Subjects of Ifrael and Judah fhould refort, who fhould live together under the fame happy Government,without thofe odious Diftinctions of Ephraim and Judah, and without difturbing one anothers Repofe, as they had done before by continual Wars. CHAP. . CHAP. XI. Verse 1. ND there fhall come forth a rod out of the A frem of Jeffe, and a branch shall grow out of Ver. 2. And the Spirit of the Lord fhall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding the Spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord.] By the Spirit of the Lord being upon him, the Prophet means that the Gifts of God's Spirit fhould be given him, not transiently upon fome extraordinary occafions, and to cease when they are over, but to remain with him as long as he liv'd; by the fpirit of Wisdom, the Knowledge of heavenly Things; by the Spirit of Understanding, the Knowledge of Things natural; by the Spirit of Council and Might, that he fhould be endued with extraordinary Prudence, which should appear in the wife ma nagement: Chapter XI. Chapter nagement of his Affairs, and with Courage and Conftancy to bear up under any dangerous Circumstances. But others think the words denote the Qualifications of an upright understanding Judge, endued with Council or Ability, to difcover in an intricate Caufe on which fide Juftice lies, and Courage to determine accordingly, without fuffering himself to be fway'd one way or other by any other finifter Confiderations; by the Spirit of Knowin ledge, the Prophet means that he fhould be skio God's Laws, which was the Duty of Princes at a time. when their Subjects had no other Laws to be govern'd by; and by the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord, that he fhould have a more awful fenfe of God's Majefty, and be more afraid of offending him, than his Predeceffor Abaz, who was a very wicked Prince.. Ver. 3. And hall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord; and he shall not judge after the fight of his eyes, neither reprove after the bearing of his ears.] By virtue of this Spirit of the Lord refting upon him, when he fhall fit in Judgment, he fhall enter into the Merits of the Caufe, and by a wonderful Sagacity difcover on which fide Truth lies: He fhall, as it were, fmell out the goodness of a Caufe, as Kimhi rightly renders the word. The Expreffions of judging after the fight of his Eyes, and reproving after the hearing of his Ears, fome refer to his cautious proceeding in judiciary Matters, not determining according to the outward appearances of Things: But Grotius thinks that the meaning of the first is, He fhall not defpair, tho' he fees with his Eyes a numerous Army in array against him; of the fecond, That he fhall not give Ear to popular Rumours, or take any notice of the Suggeftions of the People, how to defend himfelf and annoy the Enemy, but depend intirely on the Advice of God's Prophets in all difficult Emergencies. Ver. 4. But with righteousness shall be judge the poor, and reprove with equity, for the meek of the earth: and he shall fmite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips fhall be flay the wicked.] The Prophet explains himfelf what he means by the Earth, viz. the Wicked, thofe earthly Souls who had no Thoughts of Heaven or God. |